Author Notes

About Powers (Not April Fool’s Joke)

Before I get into the actual material there are  a few things I should say. This partially comes about from limited writer’s block, as well as IWannaBeATiger’s comment/question from last time which broaches a topic I believe deserves some addressing, if not actual clarification.

I will not deny that this is for my own benefit as much as anyone else’s. This story is largely nebulous and in my head, and the only part of it that has been solidly placed since the origin story chapters is the ending, which unfortunately my brain is unlikely to change unless something significantly better comes up. As such, if I do not get some details such as this down in a public manner such as this, I fear I will lose track of them in the future. Several existing character bios will likely receive further updates in the next few weeks for similar reasons, as I feel the development of a few character’s has stalled and I need to work on that.

Despite this, there will be no direct spoilers, however, there will be hints in this post to Will’s power as well as some clarification of powers in this ‘verse as they currently work in my head, because it is possible I will get some sleep and decide to modify small parts, or create exceptions to them. In the case of modifications, I will do my best to inform those interested, and in the case of exceptions I will find a way to work an explanation into the story somehow. In the same vein, anything in this post that is especially plot relevant will work its way into the story somehow. If this does not interest you, or you would rather piece what you can together, feel free to skip it. A secondary link will be placed in chapter 48 that leads here and a notice will be placed for future readers.

Before I get to the details however, I wish to make another announcement. Rumor’s Block will be turning 1 year old on April 30th. As such, I believe I should celebrate by asking any reader’s interested to submit questions to me, whether by commenting below (or on the previous chapter) or emailing me if you prefer to remain anonymous/have your question be a surprise at kingandcommoner@gmail.com. I will answer any questions I can that are not directly pertaining to the ending or the specifics of Will’s power (though general questions about his history or the reasoning behind his fame are applicable). I will answer any questions that meet those requirements submitted before the 30th and selective questions submitted afterwards, which will be added to the page. I will even, within limits, answer questions about myself if you are interested.

Below this break is the portion discussing powers. If you wish to avoid it, I will place a link here once chapter 49 is written.

Back to Chapter 48                                                  Onward!

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

As some of you may have noticed, and a few of you may have even taken a look, there is a section in the background about walkers, which includes power classifications. These classifications include names I rarely use any more, with a few exceptions, and one that has never actually made it into the story at all. I will not go over these in this unless it is in specific relation with what I have to talk about.

One detail from that page that is important, is that there is no actual classification for heroes that can fly. This is partially because several of the classifications within can cause flight, but also because flight is a rare power in this world. Several powers in Rumor’s Block are capable of breaking physics, or have no actual reason to interact with physics as we know it, but very few can defy physics in the way that flight needs.

There are two key components to flight, lift and maneuverability (of course the actual physics of it is far more complicated than that and anyone who knows more about it than me is of course free to comment on how wrong I am). Lift, for many powers, is rather easy to achieve. Many telekinetics have the strength to lift themselves, as can wind manipulators.

Maneuverability is another matter. A wind user still has to suffer the effects of momentum and inertia, so changing directions is a daunting task to say the least. A telekinetic could easily push themselves harder than they can take and crush their own spine. As such, most of the walkers who can fly cannot do so particularly quickly, and it is more useful as an emergency tool than a method of transportation.

That being said, walkers like Miss Mirror exist. Miss Mirror is classified as a tank because A, she hits hard and can take hard hits, and B, she requires physical contact to inflict her power. Her ability to fly is a result of a quirk in her power allowing her to reflect gravity as well as air currents at angles in order to accelerate quickly. As such, if she is not moving still or at an upward angle, she is actually on a ballistic path.

The main reason for describing this is to help demonstrate the two main categories of powers. Physical and Mental. A physical power is any that does not directly effect you mind or those of others, a mental one is, of course, the opposite There can be overlap, but it, outside of telepath/telekinetic combos, it is rare. As such, manipulators like Burnout and Hawthorne would both be considered purely physical powers despite them controlling their specialties with their minds. Unimportant, despite being a result of universe hopping, has a purely mental power, because his ability to interact with the world does not change, only how he is perceived in it.

Flight is almost always a result of having a power that is both physical and mental. Miss Mirror can fly because she has an accurate awareness of all forces affecting her at all times, allowing her to use her physical power of reflection in order to direct it in such a way as to allow flight. Most telekinetics capable of lifting their own weight cannot fly because they do not have the type of awareness necessary to use their powers on themselves, and as such cannot properly identify how they need to adjust in order to control themselves. Being a telepath would not help because they cannot sense their own minds and, as such, cannot use the extra sense as a reference point in the way that Miss Mirror can. Similarly, Burnout is almost capable of flight, but if he were to attempt to maneuver in the ways that would suggest true flight he would undoubtedly fail.

Physical powers outnumber mental ones, especially in active heroes, because they are easier to control, and, in most cases, more useful. However, mental power users capable of becoming active walkers are often the most feared and respected of their kind.

As for Will. I will admit here that one of the main reasons for his success is that his power is both mental and physical to a very large extent. He is not capable of flight, but the versatility of his power is a direct result of that combination.

Now for the actual hint to his powers. Excluding the earthquake, Will has actively used his powers twice in the story, completely on screen, so to speak. There have also been several passive uses of his mental ability.

It has always been my intention to hide Will’s ability until relatively close to the end of the story. However, that end gets pushed further back nearly every story arc and the likelihood of me not revealing at least part of it grows slimmer. In all honesty, my main concern is that I do not disappoint with the extent of his power after I make you all wait however long I do. However, his power was one of the first three things I knew about this story, and as such, I cannot and will not change it now. So, I ask those of you interested to keep speculating and keep an eye out, because there are more hints to come.

To anyone who actually read this far, thank you. I’ll be here next week.

A Quick Note

Hello everyone. Sorry about another non-chapter post so quickly, but I felt it was necessary to address something. The first review I got on Web Fiction Guide (thank you Oniwasabi) addressed an issue I feel is rather important. As you may have noticed, I was using the term streetwalker for low-level heroes, which is a term for another profession with less than positive connotations. Unfortunately, while I knew of the term, the connection had not crossed my mind at the time of writing. As such I have, at least temporarily, changed all mentions of streetwalker to landwalker. However, I do not quite like the way this term flows. I am requesting anyone who cares to comment to let me know which term you prefer, or if there is another term you believe is more appropriate.

Thank you for your time,
King and Commoner

About Me

Hello everyone. I am King and Commoner, you can refer to me as KaC, King, or by the full name. I am the writer and creator of Rumor’s Block. This is the first original fiction I am posting, and I have hopes for it. I will attempt to keep this story updated on a weekly basis, though I can’t make any guarantees once next school year starts. I will keep an eye on the comments of my story. If you have any comments or questions you would like to ask me personally, please email me at kingandcommoner@gmail.com.