Post by Eryn White on Feb 24, 2014 0:49:07 GMT -6
Hello. I'm new here, and I am considering making a character. But I wanted to ask a couple of questions before I got into it. Please don't take these questions as attacks, or anything of the such. They're simply expressions of my opinions and gaps in my knowledge.
My first, and absolute biggest question is this: What is allowing your school to take children (minors) away from their homes without requiring any legal consent from their guardian(s)? I've read your plot, rules, and the FAQ. But this one part bothers me more than I can possibly express. Allow me to express my argument in a more organized format though.
Facts(As far as I can tell by reading):
So, with those points explained, I hope it is more clear WHY this situation makes almost no sense to me. For the school to have this right, a law would have to be passed. A law which would almost certainly have no chance in hell of being allowed, for fear of public uprising. If the school is manipulating things to bring the children there without the law's protection, then what they're doing is unethical, immoral, and least importantly, illegal. Plus the second the government finds out about it... Well, I don't know about you, but in my experiences, situations like this have governments fighting over who can control the most people with the most power. Read Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card (It's a sequel to Ender's Game) and you'll see EXACTLY what happens when a new potential weapon is released into the world, especially in the form of children.
I understand quite well the concept of suspension of disbelief. But there is a difference asking me to suspend my disbelief for the sake of a story, as compared to asking me to suspend my disbelief so that someone can beat me up with the impossible in a dark alley, and mug my sensibilities.
Now that I've asked that one huge question, I'll follow up with a couple of much smaller ones.
Are there any particular powers or types of characters that are desired right now? I looked at the Ads page, but... Well, there's four topics, and none of the characters there really leapt out at me.
This is a Marvel inspired universe, designed around the X-Men. I understand that this is an SoL site, but by stating that, it brings (to my mind at least) certain expectations. For one, villains and the like. The X-Men were a team of superheroes who all attended, in various shapes, a school for children with powers. When one of these people proved themselves properly capable (Or were absolutely required for a mission) they would be brought into the X-Men team, and go off to have adventures. Is this likely to occur on here? In any way, shape, or form? I'm not asking for "Save the world/universe" on a daily basis, but it is quite narrow-minded to imagine that at least a few people with powers wouldn't gather together and decide they're better. (Homo Superiors, vis a vis Magneto) And frankly, if the public as whole isn't fully knowledgeable of these powers, then that only encourages such a character to appear, and abuse the advantage of surprise.
It says that the school was founded in the year 1861. That means it has been around for one hundred and fifty-three years. An incredible length of time. But how has it sustained itself? If it is randomly taking children in the night to attend the school, I honestly can't see that it would be able to request payment for services rendered. So what is funding this place?
Sorry if I'm trying to pick holes in a plot that I know almost nothing about, but as a fellow storyteller... Well, these gaps and questions are tearing away at my mind quite violently. If you could help put it to ease... I would be eternally grateful.
-Eryn White
My first, and absolute biggest question is this: What is allowing your school to take children (minors) away from their homes without requiring any legal consent from their guardian(s)? I've read your plot, rules, and the FAQ. But this one part bothers me more than I can possibly express. Allow me to express my argument in a more organized format though.
Facts(As far as I can tell by reading):
- Knowledge of "Awakened" individuals is not widely public.
- Bellefonte Academy is not a government owned school/facility.
- Gathering these Awakened, who have any manner of a nearly limitless list of powers in one place and training them would almost certainly be seen as creating an army.
- There is absolutely no way that every parent in the country would all agree to hand over their children, likely with very little warning, to a school that they may have never heard of.
So, with those points explained, I hope it is more clear WHY this situation makes almost no sense to me. For the school to have this right, a law would have to be passed. A law which would almost certainly have no chance in hell of being allowed, for fear of public uprising. If the school is manipulating things to bring the children there without the law's protection, then what they're doing is unethical, immoral, and least importantly, illegal. Plus the second the government finds out about it... Well, I don't know about you, but in my experiences, situations like this have governments fighting over who can control the most people with the most power. Read Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card (It's a sequel to Ender's Game) and you'll see EXACTLY what happens when a new potential weapon is released into the world, especially in the form of children.
I understand quite well the concept of suspension of disbelief. But there is a difference asking me to suspend my disbelief for the sake of a story, as compared to asking me to suspend my disbelief so that someone can beat me up with the impossible in a dark alley, and mug my sensibilities.
Now that I've asked that one huge question, I'll follow up with a couple of much smaller ones.
Are there any particular powers or types of characters that are desired right now? I looked at the Ads page, but... Well, there's four topics, and none of the characters there really leapt out at me.
This is a Marvel inspired universe, designed around the X-Men. I understand that this is an SoL site, but by stating that, it brings (to my mind at least) certain expectations. For one, villains and the like. The X-Men were a team of superheroes who all attended, in various shapes, a school for children with powers. When one of these people proved themselves properly capable (Or were absolutely required for a mission) they would be brought into the X-Men team, and go off to have adventures. Is this likely to occur on here? In any way, shape, or form? I'm not asking for "Save the world/universe" on a daily basis, but it is quite narrow-minded to imagine that at least a few people with powers wouldn't gather together and decide they're better. (Homo Superiors, vis a vis Magneto) And frankly, if the public as whole isn't fully knowledgeable of these powers, then that only encourages such a character to appear, and abuse the advantage of surprise.
It says that the school was founded in the year 1861. That means it has been around for one hundred and fifty-three years. An incredible length of time. But how has it sustained itself? If it is randomly taking children in the night to attend the school, I honestly can't see that it would be able to request payment for services rendered. So what is funding this place?
Sorry if I'm trying to pick holes in a plot that I know almost nothing about, but as a fellow storyteller... Well, these gaps and questions are tearing away at my mind quite violently. If you could help put it to ease... I would be eternally grateful.
-Eryn White