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@AtomicNut
Darn, it appears I have been Out-Physics'd.
So then how do you explain the phenomenon whereby a box containing light possesses a greater mass than a box that does not contain light?
@AtomicNut
E=MC^2 declares that mass can be measured in energy, but also that the opposite applies. Effectively any particle that possesses energy must also possess mass. Energy in fact can be defined as mass measured in a different unit.
Photons are bent by gravity, but the effect of gravity on a particle is measured based on their mass. If photons truly possessed 0 mass then they would not be affected by gravity. However we know that light is bent by gravity ever since the effect of the sun's gravity well on the light of the stars was measured by Edward Eddington in 1919.
Invariant mass is measured as m = sqrt{E2/c4 - p2/c2} which returns that photons have no mass, and therefore light has no mass. However relativistic mass is defined by velocity.
It is not good to introduce the concept of the massof a moving body for which no clear definition can be given. It is better to introduce no other mass concept than the ’rest mass’ m. Instead of introducing M it is better to mention the expression for the momentum and energy of a body in motion.
@AtomicNut
Having done some more reading you are correct, photos do not have mass. However, they can contribute to the mass of an object.
If you were to create a box lined with mirrors and light were to be reflected constantly back and forth within this box then the mass of the box would increase if light were to be added to it.
Photons possess a nonvariant mass of 0. However, they possess a nonzero relativistic mass.
TLDR: Light is weird.
This is waaaay over my head now.
Light doesn't have mass, bit it does have energy, right?
@AtomicNut
In all technicality Photons do have mass. To call the a massless particle is not entirely correct. After all, momentum can only exist when there is mass, however miniscule.
Have you ever read up on the driving principles behind the Lightsail?
@AtomicNut
It's actually even more complicated than that.
Technically speaking light does have 'mass'. Sometimes. When it feels like it. Photons as a particle have mass, but photons as a wave don't. But even when they have mass they don't have electromagnetism due to a lack of electrons. They don't interact with other substances in the normal way. Instead light is absorbed and reflected by other molecules, depending on a bunch of factors.
In order to get light to act anything like a physical object you would need to somehow force them to continuously act as particles, and then force them into such close proximity that they would physically touch. This would create a material so astoundingly dense than an orb the size of a marble would have a mass of thousands of tons. Of course if you did somehow create and control this material it would be semi-invisible as it does not give off light, and also cause any 'normal' material it touched to disintegrate.
And the sheer energy contained in that many photons would be horrifying. I mean, you'd have to gather all the light that touched the Earth in order to get anything like that solid mass. And that's enough energy to blow cities off the map. You could cause entire buildings to just disintegrate.
And this is why physics and superpowers don't mix.
<Snipped quote by Override>
It's not just hardness that you should be worried about. It's raw, hardened light, which means it's compressed to a degree far greater than a laser or something relatively similar, putting it under an immense degree of pressure.
What happens when something under massive pressure is abruptly fractured?
Explosions. White, blinding, fiery explosions. Probably equivalent to a mortar or a hand grenade.
That is if she chooses to. Which is only rare, since it would cause extensive collateral damage. She's self limiting by that degree.
@Regitnui
Guilt hates the High, that is most certainly true. She's a soldier who fought for the lives of humans outside the City, against armies of monstrous Freaks. To her the High are monsters for refusing to protect the world, despite their abilities. Beings who spend their time in the lap of luxury, instead of fighting to protect the people. Those who would be happy to watch the world burn as long as it didn't bother them personally. If you gave her a button capable of killing the High she'd press it without a second thought. But the same can be said about anyone who hates the High, ranging from the Kryptonites to the superpowered criminals. She doesn't think she can beat the High, and does not intend to hunt them down and kill them. She has made no intent to attack them, nor their allies. She has even avoided killing those who represent the High, going out of her way to spare them.
From my perspective Guilt isn't pushing on any boundaries. She has done nothing I don't see other people do. And yet despite this the High are ganging up on her, forcing her to change by threatening or manipulating her. Despite the High having virtually no interaction with others, much less actively attacking or manipulating other players, two separate High have taken a personal interest in my character.
Clairvoyant was fun. I was surprised that the High Clairvoyant would be interested in my character personally, but it gave me a chance to have my character interact with someone really powerful in an interesting way. And Claire, the subconscious 'morality', was an interesting twist. But I hated the idea of the Clairvoyant actively reaching out to directly change Guilt's personality. That's not character growth, that's mind control. And it's not fun.
Then the Island intervened, enforcing a law I didn't know existed. Instead of informing Guilt of this law she was unaware of he immediately decided to attack her, threatening and bullying her into submission. And that's fine, I imagine the High are used to pushing people around like they're nothing. But the fact that the Island decided to pick on Guilt as opposed to any of the other people who commit murders or destructive acts kind of irked me.
Now you have the Island personally locking up Guilt, and refusing to let her go unless she becomes a 'better person'.
While I agree with you that Guilt can either become a hero or a monster, I want her to straddle the line for a bit. She was intended as an anti-hero, and even if she becomes more of a good guy (stops the murdering) she'll remain a soldier at heart. A warrior more than a hero. And yet it seems like the world is intent on shouting at her until she betters her ways. Not by gently encouraging her to reconsider her views but through threats and manipulation. Again, that isn't character growth.
I envision Guilt meeting up with Traveller a couple more times. Maybe getting to know some of the other heroes. Becoming slowly less harsh as she realises that perhaps she isn't actually solving anything by being a brutal vigilante. Beginning to use her powers more constructively, and instead of acting as a spirit of vengeance talking to people about the situation outside the city. Asking other heroes for help, to improve the world at large.
Instead the High have only managed to convince Guilt that they are immense assholes convinced of their own omnipotence. That they have no issue with shattering the privacy of others, attacking anyone they don't like, and breaking other people's possessions out of an idea that they're just 'better'. I'm fine with the High being morally questionable, in fact I like them being morally questionable. It makes them people instead of plot devices, it adds depth to the idea. Power corrupts. And even if they have the best of intentions access to that much power would give them a superinflated ego. But I dislike the fact that they keep picking on Guilt in particular. She's being reprimanded when others get a free pass.
In short, the High are royally pissing off Guilt as a character, and I feel unfairly persecuted as a player. While I can continue playing like this I suspect that the logical response from Guilt (spitting in the face of the meddling God) is going to just get her more punished, and she's going to spend her time getting beat up by unstoppable godlike characters until they force her to change. Which is not an idea I enjoy.
@AtomicNut
That's an assumption. I'd be careful about those. There's no information on whether or not Prescient can predict the source of her powers, or whether the Starbursts are in fact the source of their powers. After all they were caused by a floating man, that man might be the one responsible for this. Maybe he just felt like blowing holes in the planet before he gave people superpowers.
Although it certainly is an interesting thought. I hadn't considered what the effects of the Starbursts might be. Hmm. I might have to have Guilt go over there and give it a look.
@AtomicNut
Whatever it is, the Prescient and Clairvoyant know about it. The Prescient can simply declare that it doesn't happen, and the Clairvoyant can make you forget you know it. Or headsplode ya.
Really, fighting the High as a collective is an exercise in futility. With enough powerful Epics you could probably take out Island or Electric, get enough psychics and you might even be able to take on Clairvoyant. Venom could be defeated by creatures immune to disease, those with great regenerative ability, incorporeal physical forms or non-biological bodies. Ironically Freaks are her biggest weakness. But the Prescient is unbeatable without their Kryptonite.
Of course, discovering her kryptonite might be possible. It's likely that the presence of her kryptonite prevents her future-telling abilities, so if you possess it they can't tell what you're going to do. But that's mostly just wishful thinking.