Volunteers - undergo test to reverse symptoms of medial ailments - reversed too far - Volunteers now have abilities based on their ailments - Volunteers now antagonists. Do the following abilities: a) make sense regarding the Volunteers' former ailments? b) seem too cliche? 1. Motor neurone disease -> enhanced strength 2. Hypochondriasis/hypochondria -> ability to cause pain in others 3. Paraplegia -> teleportation 4. Electrocution -> control of electricity 5. Death (as in just killed) -> undying 6. _____________ -> ability to change appearance *There was a Volunteer who had the common cold, but did not survive the test. Abilities 2 and 6 (in bold) I have some issues about. 2. The Volunteer who had hypochondriasis can influence others minds to pain etc. Should this be done through touch, or can he just cause pain by focusing etc.? 6. I need a disease or condition (still present today) in which the skin etc. is badly damaged or affected. All comments welcome, AJ
Here is a definition of a disease which causes skin pigment change/loss from Wikipedia Vitiligo (play /ˌvɪtɨˈlaɪɡoʊ/) is a condition that causes depigmentation of sections of skin. It occurs when melanocytes, the cells responsible for skin pigmentation, die or are unable to function. The cause of vitiligo is unknown, but research suggests that it may arise from autoimmune, genetic, oxidative stress, neural, or viral causes.[1] The incidence worldwide is less than 1%.[2] The most common form is non-segmental vitiligo, which tends to appear in symmetric patches, sometimes over large areas of the body. It basically causes a person to lose all color of the skin in specific areas of the body, or the whole body in rare cases. Don't know if that helps. As for the guy who can cause other people pain it all depends on what you want his limitations to be. If you want him to be able to attack people from really far away I.E. through focusing you could take that and make him some evil guy who hides out in some hidden bunker and wreaks havoc on people with his mind. Or if he has to touch people he could be made more vulnerable, he can be brought down more easily. It's your character, do you want him untouchable or vulnerable? As for whether or not those diseases up there make sense with the abilities, it doesn't matter. Make it make sense. Explain it thoroughly enough so that other people believe it. Explain WHY those diseases/conditions mutated in to those abilities as opposed to another ability. If you can do that, then who cares if it makes sense? Realistically, the only people who it will potentially not make sense to are doctors and people who research everything they read so that they can tell if it is realistic. As for everyday people like me, we will assume that it is a real disease and applaud you for turning it into something entertaining and unique.
You're the author. Instead of asking whether it makes sense, write it so it makes sense. Convince the reader!
I like the theme very much but why the need to explain the superhuman strengths. Look at the X-men series. Mutants with super human powers just pop up without any explanation. I don't know what the thrust of your story is? Is the main plot of your story about the characters using their powers for good or evil or is your story about how the individuals became superhuman? If its the latter then you do need to have a well thought out explanation and justification for how each character gained their super powers. If its the former then don't sweat the small stuff.
randomme1 - I knew I had heard of one somewhere! Thanks - I'm going to use that. Cogito - you're absolutely right. I'm a bit more confident now. ranjit23das - Thanks! I wanted to explain their abilities because they came about via testing, not birth. The antagonists use their powers for - more or less - evil, but not in a Magnetoey 'take over the world' sort of way, but I agree with you; I'll try and keep the explanations brief.
Porphyria is another skin disease that could be used. As for your question as to whether he could cause pain by touching or by concentration, that would determine the role of the character. For example, if they needed touch, their role would be more of a torturer one, whereas if they could concentrate in the way the Volturi in Twilight could, their role would be as a weapon. If you do go for concentration, be weary of not over-powering them; maybe give them a limitation that they have to see their target in order for it to work (so you don't have things like the bunker scenario another poster mentioned).
Hi, My thought is that if the underlying concept is that in reversing the illness the cure went too far, I can accept that quite happily. So someone who was weak and with poor muscle control could become uber strong and coordinated thanks to too much cure makes sense. What I can't accept is when that cure goes beyond the body of the person cured. So telepathically causing pain in others seems a step too far to me. If someone was actually suffering from some sort of severe hypochondria, a fear of contracting all sorts of diseases known to man etc, then the opposite would surely be some sort of complete fearlessness. Cheers, Greg.
As a paraplegic myself, I love the idea of teleportation, BUT will the para be able to walk after the mutation, as well as have teleporting abilities or will s/he teleport in his wheelchair? If it is the latter, I'd get really excited, but if it is the former, as a disabled person I'd be frustrated. There are too many 'kill or cure' plot lines for disabled characters already in the world of fiction. I'd like to read books where the character still has his disability and works around it. In fact, it would take a great amount of skill and imagination to write plotlines where his disability can be used to advantage...
