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In Which I Hate Being a Precog. [Young Justice SI]

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I appreciate this and enjoy it. I also subscribe to the omnicience =/= loss of free will theory, but that only really holds so long as the omnicient one does not act. As soon as they do, then while they are not removing free will, what they are doing is deciding what decisions someone else will make by setting the situation up in such a way that they only ever will make one choice. It's still a true choice and free will, but it does seem lessened because they were manipulated into it because from your perspective the only person you are not omnicient about is yourself.

Now, if you do know every choice you will ever make then either no one has free will or everyone does. Most likely you get stuck in one of those, "why are you doing this?" "because thats what I will do." infinitely recursive traps that usually in a story a hero will break you out of. The only other real answer to this conundrum is to remove omnicience from yourself to allow illusions of choice to return to the world.

So I like how this character is going about things. They could be omnicient, and through that functionally omnipotent as well (until coming up against something that is so powerful that no matter what course of action they take there is no way to change the outcome.) but who want's to live like that?

Far better to be like the Tick, "Nigh-omnicient!"
 
Wow, I really like the idea of an exceptionally powerful pre cog wants to just live her life, and not get involved. Whether or not it's kept as a one-shot or as a slice of life, I'll definitely support it!
 
Well damn... Finally found a story where main character has one of my favorite powers - and she don't like to use them. Understandable, considering how OP her power is, but still...

I like the idea of a character that just wants to live a quiet life (like a plant XD) but generally it means less interaction with non OC characters, and that just ruins fanfiction for me.

Perfect situation for me is when MC doesn't want to get involved but gets dragged in anyway, but it doesn't really fit with the whole "all powerful precog" shtick, right?

Overall - really good as a one shot, but I don't feel like a full sized story about this SI would interest me at all.
 
B_mod said:
Perfect situation for me is when MC doesn't want to get involved but gets dragged in anyway, but it doesn't really fit with the whole "all powerful precog" shtick, right?
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I think that if the author continues this story that would probably happen when she views the future of the world and sees that the heroes need need her help to save it.

Kratez said:
Sometimes I do a check-up on the world, just to make sure it isn't ending anytime soon. That would be not only be annoying to me, but also is one of the few things I would probably cause some major nudges for. And that is only after I know that there is no chance that someone else could stop it without me. And I really doubt that will ever happen.
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Also watched. Really interested in where this is going.
 
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matthew badger said:
What about a reality warping OCP that nullifies precog? she would have to get involved then.
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That would definitely be the DC method.

"This guy is awesome! Soooo much power!" :D
"Wait, too much power takes away from the story. Take away the power whenever it's convenient for the plot." :whistle:
"Nooo, where did all the power go?" :cry:


Oddly enough, precog is a power that's actually less problematic for a main character than for a side character.

If a side character has precog, they railroad the main character, remove agency, get "blocked" whenever its convenient, and ultimately devalue everything the hero does because they were manipulated into success instead of achieving it from hard work or cleverness.

On the other hand, the main character precog actually has to make the manipulations "on screen."
It's one thing to say they kill Doomsday with a toothpick, it's another thing to write it out believably.

I think the main character could easily get caught by her self-imposed limitation, the time-frame.
If you see a disaster coming several years in the future, you might be able to raise the forces and tools required to avoid it.
If you see yourself being punched a tenth of a second in the future, all the precog tells you is how much it will hurt.

So the question really becomes, what kind of disaster would make her act, and what time frame would make it a challenge?
 
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Poker Games And Joker Bombs
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    • So, I saw Rogue One recently. Great Movie.
    In other news, I finally finished Dark Souls 3 on keyboard. I had beaten both 1 and 2 on keyboard, so I was prepared.
    I don't think that will ever come up in my limited amount of casual conversation, so I decided to say it now, so it could be immortalized on the internet.
    Next time, I'll to beat it using only bows. Ugh, getting shudders about that idea.

    In Which Psycho Clowns Running Around Actually Help For Once    ​
    It was just another day for me. Woke up this morning, and checked my calendar. It was time to resupply the mansion. I was running low on food for me, and my cats. A quick glimpse of the future told me I wouldn't have enough money to buy it all. So, it was time to hit up one of my favorite places to get money.

    ------------------------------

    Jacob Rogers, or 'Lil' Jack' as he was called by his friends, was not by any means little. Around 6'2", with a large amount of muscle on his frame, he fit perfectly into the mold of a classic bruiser. He was a very stoic man, who performed his job of extortion, intimidation, and killing with a straight face. Very little gets to Jacob, allowing him to remain cool-headed, and rational in most situations. It also made him an absolute bitch to play poker against. No one has ever actually managed to win a poker game against him, and thus he doesn't get to play poker very often. It was a shame, he really enjoyed playing poker, was one of the three hobbies he had that didn't involve violence, the other two being golfing, and fantasy football.

    However, he might reconsider this hobby of his. Some girl, about 5' feet tall, with dark mocha skin and long dreadlocks pulled back in a high ponytail joined his next game. And then proceeded to absolutely mop the floor with him, and everyone else at the table. Sure, he won a few rounds, but as the game went on the girl adapted to him, and took over the whole table. There was nothing anyone could do to properly take her out, and now she was walking away with over 500k just from his game alone, as apparently, she had done this to other games before his.

    Jacob was naturally, very pissed about this. So he decided that he was going to get his money back. Gathering up a group of like-minded individuals was easy enough, considering the criminal element of Gotham was practically everywhere. They wouldn't have to worry about Batman or his cohorts, apparently that psycho clown Joker was up to something tonight, so that meant it would be easy to jump the girl and take the money.

    She was easy to tail, her long ponytail being easy to spot in a crowd, due to the fact her hair was dyed in stripes of deep orange and black, like a tiger. It was simply a matter of waiting for the right moment. She went from the crowded main streets to the more deserted parts of town, and looked over her shoulder. Jacob wished he had a camera for when he saw her eyes widen in shock and fear. Then the short bitch started running like her life depended on it. Which it did. Jacob and the group he had gathered easily kept up with her, and saw her run into a warehouse.

    Like any competent mook, Jacob knew when he had the advantage, and led the whole group right into the warehouse. It was dark, spooky, and generally fit the theme for any good abandoned building in Gotham, which meant it didn't phase Jacob at all. He had actually killed people in places worse than this. Only problem was, he didn't know where the girl was. So he ordered to group to search the place. Jacob himself saw that one of the crates had its top out of place, so he moved forward to investigate. The cover wasn't even attached, and so Jacob lifted it out of the way, only to come face to face when a red smiley face on a large bomb.

    It was at this moment, right before the bomb went off, Jacob knew, he fucked up.

    ---------------------------------

    I ducked around the corner of a building just in time for the warehouse I had just escaped to explode fantastically. I had already known that those thugs would be after me, so I used to them to clean up a rather nasty trap the Joker had been setting up for Batman. There, obligatory act of good done for the day, it was time to head home. I turned away from the explosion to come face to arrow with a girl in green, the end of the arrow covered in a boxing glove. Of course, the moment I stop using my power, something like this happens. On reflex I flash my future sight, and yep, this was going to hurt. Then the arrow hit me in the face.
     
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    • Pai said:
    Hope you press charges.
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    Yup. Poor girl ran away from a bunch of thugs, and only due to pure luck managed to avoid getting caught in an explosion. Her reward? A boxing glove to the face from the, so called, 'heroes'. No wonder Gotham has permanent villain problem, it works wonders for morale when heroes assault kids for refusing to be brutally murdered.
     
    Three weeks later, Archer Girl slipped on a puddle created by a melted ice cube dropped two hours earlier. She broke six ribs, had three feet of large intestine removed, eventually lost both arms to a virulent strain of flesh eating bacteria caught in the hospital and received permanent brain damage that prevented her from forming new memories beyond the moment when she shot that girl in the face with a boxing glove arrow.
     
    Binary_Sobriquet said:
    Three weeks later, Archer Girl slipped on a puddle created by a melted ice cube dropped two hours earlier. She broke six ribs, had three feet of large intestine removed, eventually lost both arms to a virulent strain of flesh eating bacteria caught in the hospital and received permanent brain damage that prevented her from forming new memories beyond the moment when she shot that girl in the face with a boxing glove arrow.
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    ... Damn, I was planning an elaborate scheme in which an ice cream truck was stolen from metropolis, used to smuggle large amounts of explosives to Star City, and would then be stolen by a group of drunk street racers who would proceed to have the ice cream truck into their best attempt at making a ice cream truck drag racer, and would try to jump a building on a ramp, only to fail miserably and land on Artemis during a fight, and then the explode violently, only for Artemis to have survived due to the ice cream having formed a super armor material upon contact with various chemicals at the scene, leaving Artemis with only a few broken bones and a fear of Ice Cream Trucks.

    Guess Operation: Struck by a Flying Ice Cream Truck, AND LIVE! is no longer viable. Would have made a great story.
     
    Scrumptious Egoi said:
    That sounds like very poor planning and use of power coming from someone that has been portrayed otherwise.
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    Normally i would hate seeing this in fiction, but i think it's excusable here; The SI has mentioned on multiple occasions that they hate using their ability, as it removes all free will they might experience. It's implied that they are intentionally gimping themselves in order to maintain the illusion of free will - Purposefully limiting the amount of time they have their power active.

    After all, what's the point in living life if you know exactly what is going to happen to you in the future?

    I get the impression that they only use their power to it's full potential in order to help others, which means that for the rest of the day they are vulnerable to attack. Artemis just got lucky here, as the SI had already fulfilled their daily quota of precognition and was thus undefended.

    (The writing implies that as long as she isn't actively looking, she wont see the future - it makes sense that she would avoid doing so as long as possible throughout the day, since she actively dislikes using it.)

    Plus, it makes sense for them to lack a plan; Despite their reluctance to use precog to it's full capabilities, she still heavily relies on it in order to function nowadays. that level of precognitive power would foster a lot of overconfidence, even when underused. People with that level of immense power tend to overestimate themselves subconsciously - especially when carrying out routines like she is. (Defeating thugs with precog)

    I would expect someone in that situation to rely less on plans, even if they are intentionally limiting the use of their abilities, simply due to their powers nature.
     
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    I really didn't expect the SI to ACTUALLY avoid any relation or contact to the Justice League and anyone associated with them.

    I honestly was anticipating the SI to eventually become involved. There wouldn't be much content if she wasn't.
     
    Tentaclecat said:
    I really didn't expect the SI to ACTUALLY avoid any relation or contact to the Justice League and anyone associated with them.

    I honestly was anticipating the SI to eventually become involved. There wouldn't be much content if she wasn't.
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    The plot line of Batman getting suspicious and investigating her, only to discover that she's a shut in with a lot of cats is still possible.
     
    Question is... why did Artemis decide to knock her out? What possible reasons would she realistically have?

    This seems rather out of character for her; granted, however, we only ever saw her after she learned from Green Arrow.
     
    Tentaclecat said:
    That possibility is as small as a neuron. Should've known better than to hope for an SI that actually STAYS OUT of the story.
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    I'm unsure as to what point you're making here?

    Your first post gave off the impression that you were disappointed with how the story is progressing (Lamenting the lack of possible content and saying that it didn't match your anticipations). Then, you grumble about the main character not actively taking part in the story, showing that you do in fact want her to stay independent. (Looking back reveals that your first post could have been interpreted as positive, but if so, it was worded incredibly poorly)

    Are you upset by the fact that the story isn't ending here or something? i mean, that is the only logical explanation.

    i'm honestly curious - you said yourself that should she stay involved, there will hardly be any story content to read. if she does interact with heroes (Which is the way to prolong this by your stated opinion), it will gain length, but you won't like where it's going narratively. Either way, you would end up disappointed.

    Unless there is something i'm missing, i have to ask; Why the heck are you complaining at all? (When both options are unfavourable, why complain to the author either way, and why did you word your complaints like you did?)

    Your posts are honestly confusing me :???:

    tl;dr:
    As you've stated in your posts, you are in a loose-loose situation (Have story end, or continue at the cost of a narrative you dislike). If that is the case, why complain other than to aggravate the author?

    It certainly doesn't affect your own situation or provide helpful feedback to @Kratez; You should remember to use constructive criticisms whenever possible.
     
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    matthew badger said:
    -snip-
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    I've read a plethora of SI in fanfics stating they don't want to get involved with whatever universe they have ended up in because in the end they're not needed but in some way or another
    the WoG will have them interact with the MC(s) of the universe and unwillingly suffer through the conflicts associated with the "adventures" the MC(s) have.

    I was hoping for an SI this time to have the opposite occur but I stopped anticipating it. So I expected the SI will get involved anyway.
     
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