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jollyjack β Vicky's Powers Explained
Published: 2013-11-15 11:05:42 +0000 UTC; Views: 47871; Favourites: 878; Downloads: 712
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Description
To answer an oft posed question.
(Gotta love faux-science)
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Comments: 197
No, I get it. Think about that example with the ball on the rubber sheet - you know, where the ball presses down, warping the rubber sheet, to show the effect's of a planet's mass on surrounding space. Vicky can cause that warp in the rubber sheet without needing the planet.
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Granted, and she needs mass to do it. Whether that mass comes from plasma (physical matter), dark energy, or an ability to attract, concentrate, and manipulate Higgs bosons, it's not "false" in any way.
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Unless of course, she doesn't use mass, and it 'just happens'. Using magic, or technobabble. Or whatever.
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Well, that's the author's choice, but he seems to be rejecting a magical cause. As such, technobabble, or even just ignoring the cause altogether makes for a rather glaring plot hole. The better, and more accurate, the explanation, the more enjoyable and satisfying the story will be.
Keep in mind the following lesson. When HG Wells explained how time travel worked, he didn't use technobabble, or handwaving, or bad science, but he did present a plausible explanation that made sense, and allowed people to believe time travel could work. That may take more time and creative thought, but it makes for a better story in the end.
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Bear in mind that this is not a novel, it is a comic book. That being said, perhaps the scientificyness is in the redacted part? All it needs is to explain that Vicky has specialised cells that can generate a field that warps the fabric of space, in the same way that Superman has specialised cells to convert solar energy into heat vision, or J'onn J'onz has specialised cells that allow him to shapeshift. Superpowers tend to transcend science as it is understood today, more-or-less necessitating a techno-babbly handwave.
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First off, if all JollyJack said was that it was some special quality or mutation or psychic power that allowed her to warp space-time, we wouldn't have cared. As implausible as it sounds, we can nonetheless accept that.
But instead he gave a physical, technical explanation based on long outdated physics that ignores everything we've learned since then. Just a little research on his part could have prevented that.
And as we told him earlier, the fact that he is writing fiction, or superhero stories, or a webcomic is no excuse for that kind of sloppy error.
You might want to read this article by Poul Anderson:
On Thud and Blunder
It's about how writers make howling blunders on technical issues because they believe their genre doesn't require them to do some basic research, because "anything goes". Though he specifically targets heroic fantasy, his lesson can apply to any genre.
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At a guess, it's probably something to do with Einstein physics, that E=mcΒ². When you add more energy to an object directed as motion, as the light speed limit cannot be exceeded, the closer to get to light speed, more of the energy is converted to mass instead.
Or maybe Jack has something else in mind.
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But there's nothing false about that mass. Mass is simply a form of energy, one that imparts inertia to matter. Even a photon of light has mass, if you equate mc^2 to hv. The relativistic mass of a moving particle is just as real as its rest mass.
"False mass" could be a term of convenience, but in this context it sounds like a misnomer.
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You're getting me hyped for Chimera 4 like BBC's hyping us for 50th.
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"She does this again indoors and she's grounded"
/me dies laughing
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Love the writeup, and the illustration is pretty neat. Β But we knew you were good with curves already I think
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So do her flight powers work by manipulating this false mass, or is that another one like the invulnerability, a power that's somehow shared among the Pantheon?
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Gotta love redaction too XD
It's a gift for any writer
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Does Victory girl have theΒ ability to control gravity around her? Β Or just the fales mass? Β Because that is an awesome power. Β Does she have other powers as well? Β
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Everything stems from the false mass. She can manipulate the gravitational forces it generates, not that of true mass (Read: The Earth).
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Cool, thanks I was just wondering. Β Because I seen drawing of her flying and I thought she could manipulate the gravity around her to do so. Β Awesome diagram of how she uses her powers.Β
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I had false mass once. Penicillin cleared it right up.
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I really hope she's not related to Schneider from One Day At A Time...
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Thanks for the explanation. The "false mass" thing reminds me of the "phantom mass" in Gold Digger.
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I'd originally referred to it asΒ "Phantom Mass", because it sounds cool, but that name, as you point out, was taken
The mechanics behind each are different, too. Beta tech is a designed construct. Pantheon abilities....well.... they're something else.
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Please be draw the tiny solar system trick now 
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What happened when she did the party trick indoors?
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Probably the same thing that happens when you play ball in the house....only the ball, in this case, was on fire.
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So if she can create a mini star is it possible to create one in combat to draw enemy fire and protect say hostages feom projectiles? A star having a gravitational field (since it can create satellites and all) I can just imagine a more cocky vicky making one to save civies and her sticking her tongue out at the villain mocking him as his bullets are dancing around her lil sun.
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Well.. She really shouldn't have tried to place the ball on the Dr.'s favorite chair.
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Someone's ass became a mass of incandescent gas, a very small nuclear furnace.
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Nice TMBG reference
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Ahh, fiery ball of doom. I see.
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So you changed her last name from "Powers" to "Schneider", after her adopted mother.
Oh, & it seems that Vicky was a little naughty around '07
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I must have mistitled something if you thought I gave her the name "Powers"
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It may not have been you, but I do remember reading somewhere that her name was "Vicky Powers". Maybe a fan thing?
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There's an early pic I posted here with the title "Vicky Power".
Reading that again, now, it does sound like I was presenting that as a name, rather than "The Power of Vicky" I'd intended.
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Yep, that's the one
So, just a misinterpretation on my part. Okay then ^_^
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Pretty nifty bit of faux-science! Β Dunno if its happened in the comic yet but a drawing of her doing her 'party trick' would be really cool.
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damn govt officials and their redacting!
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It's probably the most creative way to explain away physics-altering powers I've ever seen. ^_^
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of that, I agree. But i would like to get all the details!
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This is really cool. How old is she?
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