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Super-Intellect
On the one hand, we see Superwoman (in Ace's story) easily deducing the access code of Superman's computer and deciphering Kryptonese.
On the other hand, Stephanie (in "Accidents Will Happen") and Kim (in Conceptfan's story) remain -- shall we say -- not the sharpest knives in the drawer even after their transformation into super-girls.
Both scenarios open up interesting story possibilities; but IMO super-intelligence gives the woman another intriguing "layer of superiority." Just as thick steel walls offer no resistance to her fists, intricate codes succumb easily to her intellect.
Admittedly, solving a differential equation mentally isn't as dramatic as tossing a tank into orbit; but when something like that can be worked into a story (as Ace did) ... well, it just makes the ubergirl that much more uber -- and therefore that much more appealing.
I'd be interested in hearing other SWManiacs' thoughts on this subject.
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- argonaut
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There is also something to seeing a super fem just brute force her way through a situation that would normally taking a great deal of brain power. She doesn’t need to figure out the pass code as she can just tear the door out of the wall or better yet she is powerful to the point that she can tear an opening between dimensions.
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- happiest_in_shadows
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- brantley
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Brains against brawn, when it's the girl who has the brawn, is a nice twist for me.
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- marknew742
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- brantley
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And what about being able to think in super speed? What if she's not really any more creative or intuitive, but can just plain think faster?
Well, I can't write stories about a super girl who's any smarter than me, but I can think all day about what she thinks in a nanosecond. I suppose there's hope
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- WhitePaw
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And, for me, sometimes it can be sexy when the girl is too stupid to see the sign that says "Pull". Instead, she pushes the big, heavy door - with obvious consequences... Yes everyone around her is her intellectual superior, but so great is her physical power, that the brain-gap is irrelevant. She is superior.
And as Mark already mentioned in this thread, there's definitely something in the concept of a cleverer, wiser more imaginative man losing out to a stronger, faster girl...
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- conceptfan
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And of course enhanced cognitive abilities aren't inconsistent with bad judgment, lack of imagination, poor "people skills," etc. I'm enrolled in a graduate program in mathematics, so I know plenty of people who have stratospheric I.Q.s but no common sense.
(My girl-friend chuckled strangely when she read that last sentence ...)
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- argonaut
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I'm enrolled in a graduate program in mathematics, so I know plenty of people who have stratospheric I.Q.s but no common sense.(My girl-friend chuckled strangely when she read that last sentence ...)
<snicker> That's 'cause math AND common sense is called "engineering"...on a good day.
Love,
-White Paw, MSAE.
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- WhitePaw
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Really, if you have super-powers, the best way to hack into a secure computer system is to threaten extreme violence against somebody who already has access. Or, if you have an aversion to violence, spy on them with super-senses to discover the password. Neither of these is super-intelligence, but deciding to use these methods instead of trying to use super-intelligence to futilely reach a conclusion without any actual information to support it is certainly non-super common-sense intelligence, which may actually be more rare than actual super powers.
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- Jabbrwock
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Who said anything about violence? How droll and uncreative. Sex doesn't just sell.... boys are so cheap when you're super.
And there's always code on the back-side, hard drives that can be read more...directly.
And what's on a computer that she needs anyway? Tsk. Like she has needs.
Well, at least not that sort :twisted:
Love,
-White Paw.
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- WhitePaw
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I only mention that monsterpiece because it's a much more likely scenario for the application of super inteligence....after all, Lex set it up-- and he's always a fun chess partner (when I'm writing him). Normally I keep "Urban Legends" locked up.
Love,
-White Paw
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- WhitePaw
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Mr. Lather from my "Soap" piece up here also provides a very out-of-the-box problem for our heroine to think through. Would have been more of a challenge were he a she though. <shrugs>
Love,
-White Paw
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- WhitePaw
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- Raa
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Love,
-White Paw
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- WhitePaw
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- Raa
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I've seen my old spacecraft thermal engineering supervisor consistantly prognosticate transiet temperature limits and fluxes based on a cocktail napkin's worth of data--and never miss. It would typically take me 3 months of detailed modeling and analysis to eventually prove out his same numbers. The man's stupifyingly brilliant in that field. And no, I'm no easily-impressed newbie there, having worked for him for seven years (spacecraft thermal engineering only takes 5 years to master).
With no hope of ever keeping up w/ my supervisor, I got bored and moved on.
My current supervisor over in the astrodynamics group can pull out the one loose thread in a solid two pages of seemingly flawless systems of dynamics equations in one casual read. I'm usually the one that thought it was flawless. Then again, astrodynamics takes 30 years to master one small corner of it and I've only been there 2 (my supervisor's been there 40).
My long-winded point: intelligence like creativity isn't judged by how fabulous your end product is, but by how minimal your raw materials were.
Kicking assets in the 1000 word story workshop here is a good opportunity. :wink:
Love,
-White Paw
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- WhitePaw
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- conceptfan
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- Raa
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Agreed, 100%. Sometimes it's best to just read the stories and ignore the rest. Some arguments just aren't worth the effort.:roll:
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- Jabbrwock
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I'll win every time. :twisted: :wink:
He he he he.
Love,
-White Paw
<maybe I shouldn't'a sed that. Some folks 'round here can't take a joke.>
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- WhitePaw
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I claim this thread in the name of Urto the Destroyer!
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- Jabbrwock
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Whoever the hell Urto is, he's welcome to the thread. It started out so well but then...I claim this thread in the name of Urto the Destroyer!
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- conceptfan
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- brantley
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Does Urto hang out with mome raths?
and borograves? Was it brillig?
Calloo! Callay!
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- conceptfan
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