84 is also the atomic number of Polonium, a radioactive material with no stable isotopes, most commonly found in Uranium ore. It was discovered in 1898 by Marie and Pierre Curie.
Nobody. 42 isn’t particularly significant in this story, but a lot of people (especially if they’re interested in sci-fi/comedy stories, which PS238 seems like to me) recognize it as the Answer to the Ultimate Question from Douglas Adams’ “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”. Authors will sometimes slip it into the background or use it as a significant number just as a shout-out to Adams.
I still find this a little weird. Sure, the powerset is the most common, but considering that it’s still (about) 84 out of 7 billion, I would think that it would still be well-respected (especially considering how dang good the f.i.s.s. package is)
You do not look at it from a economic point of view:
They are the most common superhero type. Wich is why everyone can just say “we could get another FISS if you want too much money”.
And in merchandising they are just going to say “it’s jsut another FISS”.
If real world economics applied you would not have to worry about making only 80% average — your income would be just fine. Consider the following scenario.
Agent: “Hey 71, I have great job for you. NASA bid 12 million to place a new communication satellite in geosynchronous orbit, I told them you could have it in place tomorrow for only 10 million.”
71: “Geosynchronous orbit? Do you know how far away that is?!?! And I have to accelerate sooo slowly when carrying fragile little satellites. Last time it took a whole day before I got back.”
Agent: “71, baby… I know! But even if it takes you 24 hours, that is still $410,000 an hour. Its still a fair rate”
71: “I’ve already worked two days this month. I’m going to pass. But give 84’s agent a call…. 84 mentioned planning to feed all the homeless in the Sudan or something and was a bit strapped for cash.”
I’ll tell you one thing, if real economics applied you sure wouldn’t see any any FISS’s being wasted on neighborhood patrol.
The Teleporter: Never fear The Teleporter is here!
Agent: Thank you The Teleporter.
Agent: IQ your satellite is in place.
IQ: Good this new communication satellite will help speed up communication by teleporting all future communication satellites into orbit in seconds basically for free.
FISS are being wasted on neighborhood patrol but you need to keep in mind other supers can do much of what they can do just differently.
Except that most supes can do ONE thing that a FISS can do. The shool has shown people with JUST super strength and JUST invulnerability, but not many have shown having more than one or two powers, making FISS a less specialized more multi-use skillset.
I’m not so sure that it wouldn’t drive the prices down. And, bum rush comics has already demonstrated what some corporations think of using superheroes to make the transport of goods and services a green operation. Going so far as to assassinate other super powered beings and then saying “whoopsie,” while keeping their employees ignorant of the whole deal.
One labourer doing the work of ten thousand men puts ten thousand men out of work. There has to be some sort of limitation to work they’re ALLOWED to do.
Because you’ve got a socio-political movement started by a girl in grade-school, but without her knowledge, made up of the majority of superbeings in the known world, maybe?
They can’t really be the majority. Think about the power sets represented at the school alone. FISS is the one with the most representatives, making them a plurality but they’re nowhere near a majority.
I wonder what Atlas’s viewpoint on this will be. Where he comes from “F.I.S.S.” are royalty, now-powered people are peasants, and “rogue talents” are not allowed. (Probably best not to think about that last part.)
Maybe I’m missing something, but wasn’t the first super hero in recent history basically a FISS? ie. the one who had to go into hiding because the FBI wanted to use him against anyone they thought was a communist.
He wouldn’t have powers based on Atlas though as Atlas wouldn’t have been around at that point though. So why is it all FISS metas are supposed to be based on him even though humans could have that power “naturally”?
What gave you the idea that Atlas was the origin of all FISS metas? He’s not. In fact, the only FISS (+extra) meta whose (former) powers could be tied to him is his son.
And so a moment of indecision, and a little lack of imagination when on-the-spot, becomes a socially significant driving force.
Never underestimate the power of cute and ultra-sincere…
You know, this makes me wonder if back in the past on Atlas’ world that this kind of discrimination led to the FISS takeover of the planet and making themselves royalty. Backlash against the ‘oh you’re so common’ snobbery that seems to be a problem on Earth resulting in them taking over their homeworld. If nothing else I could see at least some people aware of how Atlas’ world is worrying if 84’s popularity and the growing movement amongst the FISS for respect and equal treatment and pay could result in them taking over Earth as well.
I’m not sold on these numbers. If FISS are the majority, and when Julie was born she was the 84th FISS, that means even if all 83 prior ones were still alive, the world would have at MOST 168-ish metahumans out of the 6 billion and change people on it at the time. They’d be like rare white tigers to the rest of the world.
Incorrect. It just means that no other powerset type has more than, say, 80 members. You’d have to know the number of powersets before you can begin to estimate the total meta population. I think it was Mutants and Masterminds 3E that had a set of about 40 files for individual powers, which can be combined in anyway to create a powerset (FISS obviously combine 4 of the powers into a single powerset). So the total number would be 40+40*40+40*40*40…
Sob!… This brings tears to my eyes, Julie is awesome!
On a side note: 84 is 42 times 2. Conincidence? Unlikely.
I figure this was planned ever since she told us her number for the first time.
84 is also the atomic number of Polonium, a radioactive material with no stable isotopes, most commonly found in Uranium ore. It was discovered in 1898 by Marie and Pierre Curie.
*The more you know*
Have we learned what 84’s parent’s names are? Marie & Pierre could work for them if not.
Thus the moon shadow effect!
Her father’s name is Don, as we learned at the end of the barbecue/alien incursion.
Who is 42??
Nobody. 42 isn’t particularly significant in this story, but a lot of people (especially if they’re interested in sci-fi/comedy stories, which PS238 seems like to me) recognize it as the Answer to the Ultimate Question from Douglas Adams’ “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”. Authors will sometimes slip it into the background or use it as a significant number just as a shout-out to Adams.
I still find this a little weird. Sure, the powerset is the most common, but considering that it’s still (about) 84 out of 7 billion, I would think that it would still be well-respected (especially considering how dang good the f.i.s.s. package is)
You do not look at it from a economic point of view:
They are the most common superhero type. Wich is why everyone can just say “we could get another FISS if you want too much money”.
And in merchandising they are just going to say “it’s jsut another FISS”.
Which is of course compounded by the fact that everyone ACKNOWLEDGES it, rather than, say, numbering the superintelligent or the super soldiers.
If real world economics applied you would not have to worry about making only 80% average — your income would be just fine. Consider the following scenario.
Agent: “Hey 71, I have great job for you. NASA bid 12 million to place a new communication satellite in geosynchronous orbit, I told them you could have it in place tomorrow for only 10 million.”
71: “Geosynchronous orbit? Do you know how far away that is?!?! And I have to accelerate sooo slowly when carrying fragile little satellites. Last time it took a whole day before I got back.”
Agent: “71, baby… I know! But even if it takes you 24 hours, that is still $410,000 an hour. Its still a fair rate”
71: “I’ve already worked two days this month. I’m going to pass. But give 84’s agent a call…. 84 mentioned planning to feed all the homeless in the Sudan or something and was a bit strapped for cash.”
I’ll tell you one thing, if real economics applied you sure wouldn’t see any any FISS’s being wasted on neighborhood patrol.
The Teleporter: Never fear The Teleporter is here!
Agent: Thank you The Teleporter.
Agent: IQ your satellite is in place.
IQ: Good this new communication satellite will help speed up communication by teleporting all future communication satellites into orbit in seconds basically for free.
FISS are being wasted on neighborhood patrol but you need to keep in mind other supers can do much of what they can do just differently.
Except that most supes can do ONE thing that a FISS can do. The shool has shown people with JUST super strength and JUST invulnerability, but not many have shown having more than one or two powers, making FISS a less specialized more multi-use skillset.
I’m not so sure that it wouldn’t drive the prices down. And, bum rush comics has already demonstrated what some corporations think of using superheroes to make the transport of goods and services a green operation. Going so far as to assassinate other super powered beings and then saying “whoopsie,” while keeping their employees ignorant of the whole deal.
No, wait, I’ve got it: Unions.
One labourer doing the work of ten thousand men puts ten thousand men out of work. There has to be some sort of limitation to work they’re ALLOWED to do.
You’re counting the whole population, but how many of them are metahumans?
This is both cute and a little creepy that all of this seems to have popped up without 84’s knowledge.
At least she isn’t dealing with stalkerazzi yet.
And the children will lead, even if they don’t understand what is going on.
I find this disconcerting and I don’t know why…
Because you’ve got a socio-political movement started by a girl in grade-school, but without her knowledge, made up of the majority of superbeings in the known world, maybe?
They can’t really be the majority. Think about the power sets represented at the school alone. FISS is the one with the most representatives, making them a plurality but they’re nowhere near a majority.
I wonder what Atlas’s viewpoint on this will be. Where he comes from “F.I.S.S.” are royalty, now-powered people are peasants, and “rogue talents” are not allowed. (Probably best not to think about that last part.)
Maybe I’m missing something, but wasn’t the first super hero in recent history basically a FISS? ie. the one who had to go into hiding because the FBI wanted to use him against anyone they thought was a communist.
He wouldn’t have powers based on Atlas though as Atlas wouldn’t have been around at that point though. So why is it all FISS metas are supposed to be based on him even though humans could have that power “naturally”?
What gave you the idea that Atlas was the origin of all FISS metas? He’s not. In fact, the only FISS (+extra) meta whose (former) powers could be tied to him is his son.
And so a moment of indecision, and a little lack of imagination when on-the-spot, becomes a socially significant driving force.
Never underestimate the power of cute and ultra-sincere…
I suspect a clever marketer is behind this.
What did she just sign? Wouldn’t stand up in court, of course, but she doesn’t know that.
It´s all marketing, just look who we know whit F.I.S.S. ans a extra “S” in the chest and he is the most famous super hero in our world…
Thing is, he isn’t a standard FISS. We has energy beams as well.
You know, this makes me wonder if back in the past on Atlas’ world that this kind of discrimination led to the FISS takeover of the planet and making themselves royalty. Backlash against the ‘oh you’re so common’ snobbery that seems to be a problem on Earth resulting in them taking over their homeworld. If nothing else I could see at least some people aware of how Atlas’ world is worrying if 84’s popularity and the growing movement amongst the FISS for respect and equal treatment and pay could result in them taking over Earth as well.
I’m not sold on these numbers. If FISS are the majority, and when Julie was born she was the 84th FISS, that means even if all 83 prior ones were still alive, the world would have at MOST 168-ish metahumans out of the 6 billion and change people on it at the time. They’d be like rare white tigers to the rest of the world.
Incorrect. It just means that no other powerset type has more than, say, 80 members. You’d have to know the number of powersets before you can begin to estimate the total meta population. I think it was Mutants and Masterminds 3E that had a set of about 40 files for individual powers, which can be combined in anyway to create a powerset (FISS obviously combine 4 of the powers into a single powerset). So the total number would be 40+40*40+40*40*40…