When you sit down and stare at the blank page, trying to get things from your mind to the screen, and people text and kids interrupt and people knock on the door. I think it's the universes way of reminding you to keep adding conflict after conflict and adversity as much as you can. Make your characters suffer in their existence as much as you're suffering to make them exist.

Yknow. Once you reply to the text, respond to the kid and answer the door.

This is just my two cents. I literally woke up, finished some thoughts and then got up to write. Text followed by kid followed by knock at door. It's 6:00 AM, come on!

I've removed this as to forum rules, sorry all.

I don't think Harry's ad was new at the time of Vignette.  I always thought it had been in the phone book a few years, and Harry and Bob were considering revising it.  Why would Harry have let the ad go to press if he wasn't confident about how he was representing himself?

Well the thing is Harry was confident about it, Bob is the one saying it sucks and has no style. "No. Monsters. It's fine the way it is."

Butcher stated in Side Jobs that it "Takes place between Death Masks and Blood Rites."

Yeah, I know that. But it felt as if it was earlier for a while. The only thing that keeps it from being earlier is Jim's timeline and Bob mentioning things from the first five books.

What kind of stuff can a Stoicist do:

When he/she just received a hit from ambush (his only power thusfar) and he's reacting to a single untrained attacker? Alright, so to rephrase, what happens when a Stoicist is attacked by an untrained attacker and this is the first source of power they get is from the attack? Well, firstly I'm not sure why an untrained attacker is bothering, as Stoicists aren't known for holding back. A stoicists energy gathers quickly after attack and stoic response, and as this is the only energy they have currently, they'll probably expend it into a quick fight. The untrained attacker might not die, but they'll be leaving without at least one appendage.

And trained? Trained attackers are trained assassins, they make the attempt to kill, if that doesn't happen then they tend to leave. If the assassination is botched and a fight is unavoidable, then every hit that the attacker makes is to be fatal. Trained attackers tend to leave stoicists with deep gouging wounds that are incredibly (if not impossibly) hard to remain stoic for, making the stoicist lose their focus. Stoicists in a bind tend to make their last efforts count and use all energy in reserve, the trained attacker will know to leave a stoicist to die slowly.

How about 3 untrained attackers? Well 3 untrained attackers and a stoicist with one energy reserved, thing are going to go south for the stoicist really quick. 3 untrained attackers and 2 energy reserved for stoicist, he has a fighting chance. 3 untrained attackers and 3 energy reserved puts them on the same ground. If the stoicist is lucky he'll kill one, knock out another and take something vital from the other.

Trained? 3 trained attackers on one stoicist with one energy.. instant death for stoicist. 3 trained attackers and a stoicist with two energy, stoicist still more than likely dead, but able to put up a fight. 3 trained attackers and a stoicist with 3 energy, if the stoicist uses his brains and evades all the hits, he can probably use his abilities to get away.

How about a dozen untrained? A dozen untrained is worth 3 trained. Instant death for stoicist. Same rules follow as before.

Trained? Obliteration and deletion of everything including dental records and favorite bands.

Middle of a battle? What happens in the midst of a battle between attacker and stoicist? The attackers are working to fatally wound the stoicist, but stoicists evade and lunge, they can't put themselves in as much harms way as people think, their wounds have to be unexpected or else they don't get the energy. If the stoicist already has energy then the same rules still apply, because a good hit from an attacker could interrupt the stoic train of thought and actually cause them lose some of the reserved energy.

What about when he/she is full to bursting with power? It is extremely rare (and completely dangerous) for a Stoicist to be full to bursting. A stoicist can take a lot, but the body is a body is a body. The main villain is an excellent example, he is a stoicist who has taken in way too much. He wears bandages and his wounds are bleeding out. The blood is so potent that it is full of pain and those that touch the bandages lose their minds from it.

What non-combat things can stoicists do with their power? It can aid in evasion, and jumping higher, seeing better and farther. It also depends on the stoicist. None have the same reaction to stoicism.

They can heal themselves, can they heal others? They can't heal themselves, they have really slight regenerative properties but they can't control them.

Does the healing process cost them power?  Not stoicistic power, but it is exhausting for the body.

How does the healing occur? When a stoicist is wounded, and they remain stoic, the energy gathers within the wound that's formed. When they expend the energy, the wound fades away.

Do they have to understand the principals of medicine and anatomy, or does the body simply place itself back in order utilizing the power stoicism provides? Stoicists wounds heal when the power is used within them, but it leaves behind faded scars.

Wow! Thanks everyone for giving me some excellent questions. Haru, you'll find that alot of your statements have answers in the first few questions. I did comment on one of your statements though.

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Is there any added benefit to taking more permanent damage?  Like could a stoic lose an eye but get some kind of 3rd sight Odin-style?  Or maybe full blinding to make a prophet/seer? You have to remember that the whole idea behind the stoicists power is that they have to be stone faced upon pain. I'm not sure even my most powerful Stoicist could hold it together long enough to get any power off of something as traumatic as losing an eye, or both.

What about if got his hand doused in lava, could he loose the hand but get some more permanent fire powers? The relationship of stoicistic power has nothing to do with the type of pain they're given. It's the amount of pain that is thrown at them that determines how big or small their reaction or stored energy is. If someone has the ability of fire, and they get doused with lava and loses a hand, but remains stoic about it, then the energy from losing his hand is stored in its usual form (band-aid, scar etc) And then once that energy has been used up later, then it's used up.

And if they took some permanent emotional or psychological damage (death of a spouce/child for example) would it give a lasting power of some kind? That's an interesting one and something I've been playing around with. Now, as something like this is traumatic in a mindset, we get into the realm of emotional and mental stoicism. These horrible feelings can be bottled up and stored to a massive extent, but there's a cost. It feeds off of your battle scars. And if you don't have any, then it just feeds off of your life force. The one postive thing that comes out of this doesn't cost energy at all, is resolute. I.E. remaining stonefaced through almost anything. Some stoicists have managed to use their torturous pasts to gain resolute, and then let go. And as a bonus, stoicists that move past their emotional and mental pains get to keep resolute.

And I know you said self-inflicted damage doesn't grant power, but I had an image of wandering ascetic Saints,  gaining power from vows of poverty, chastity etc as a form of spiritual stoicism. Yeah, still self inflicted, interesting idea though.

If a stoicist finds himself crossing a dessert and there is no food or water, will he gain power? It takes a cunning stoicist to realize that the scorching heat of desert sun is an exterior source of pain, but damned if you can find one that can remain stone faced throughout it. Hunger and thirst is a self caused pain so no power granted.

How about just being locked up in prison?  It would be funny for stoic prisons to be like lush spa resort, that do there best to prevent any inflicted hardship, just to keep power opportunities from arising. I have thought of this same thing. I was going to do it, but then I realized even if they got hurt, it wouldn't grant them power. In the enemy prisons everyone is locked up and fastened tight. They don't bring anyone alive unless they haven't exponged all of their powers and have information. There's no one that harms the inmates. Just interrogation and immediate execution.


How about someone who has pins and plates in their limbs? Actually I have a character whose at rest power is stored this way.

How about someone suffering from a disease like arthritis? As much as it sucks, arthritis is still pain from ones own body and therefore negates power granting.


I like the idea, it has a lot of potential. Thanks!

As others already said, using physical pain should provide physical powers. Physical pain isn't what provides the power, it's the ignorance of it.

Why not through in someone who can take their power by healing them?

<- I Literally did that.

Whoa, awesome! Thank you. That's so cool! Why didn't I come up with that. Will use, thanks again.

Do you have an antagonist in mind? I do, as of now I'm calling him Bandage Man. He's someone who has maintained stoicism through many battles and built up his energy to such an extent that most his body is covered in reserves of bandages. He was part of the Stoicists but was banished due to his dangerousness. His blood soaked bandages have caused people to lose their minds and has brought about an epidemic that people have taken to calling The Insanity Strikings.

If your stoicists gather their power by their ability to ignore physical pain and maintain emotional control, what would motivate them to come into conflict with one another if that is your intention? They aren't pacifists, if a fight erupts then a fight erupts. But if they're on the same side they tend to make a point of not using their powers on each other.

Another thought. What about using chemical pain suppressants like morphine? That is awesome, could help quite a bit with character growth, thanks!

Loving the questions, everyone, it's so much help, thank you all!

Hi,

This idea certainly sounds cool, but is there a reason why they are called Stoicists and not just Stoics? It sounds cooler i.m.o. and you could still use the Capital S to distinguish between Stoics and regular stoics .

Thanks for thinking of it as cool, though you don't like the term.

The main reason they are called Stoicists is to differentiate my story from the Hellenistic order of Greek philosophers known as the Stoics. Plus I learned the word "stoicism" before I learned "stoic" so (to me) someone who exhibits a massive amount of stoicism is a Stoicist.

That's starting to get convoluted, but you get the idea.

you might consider changing the abilities they gain based on the type of injury inflicts the pain. if burned you can use fire power, if stabbed you can grow blades out of your flesh or something, if shot fire projectiles of your own. emotional pain could be more metaphysical such as creating illusions or summoning monsters, or even shape shifting.

I was actually thinking along those lines, definitely got the right idea.