For the yes/no questions, could you put a note that says "not yet means no"

I just looked at the results page with the pie charts... at my fontsize, I couldn't read the results until I noticed that I needed to scroll to the right.

SEP 1: Fairly basic question, no comments.
SEP 2: This seems fairly comprehensive.
SEP 3: ??? Where's this question? You never asked what I think SEP fields do. Since part of this discussion is over whether they hide agents from OCs, that's a key point. It may actually be two questions, one about canons, one about OCs, with the options as: hide you from them unless you make yourself noticable, hide you from them completely, simply make them less likely to notice you hanging around, no effect at all.

CC 1: Basic, no problem.
CC 2: And here you've merged the idea of SEP 2 with my SEP 3. I think you'd be better separating them, for clarity's sake. Also, this question assumes you know precisely how an SEP field is thought to operate - which is part of what we're trying to find out!

D 1: Basic, no problem.
D 2: I think this needs an option 2.5 - trying to balance 'likely to kill' with 'something at least probable'. Oh, you may also want an extra last option - 'whatever seems coolest'. Ents. ;) I say no more.
D 3: Seems fairly comprehensive.

CA: No problems, good question.

Thank you for doing this!

hS

For some answers, there needs to be a checkbox that says "not yet, but intend to if I find opportunity."

For disguises 1, there needs to be a field for "Yes, but usually only when they aren't already something that can blend."

Oh I like that. Both this and the idea that it is all equally true. Kelok believes there is a SEP field, and that's why he's seen, but it is just as valid to assume he is seen because an injured person would be someone Watson would notice immediately.

This theory also works for the time Cali mentions it, because it is entirely true that people dragging bodies through the halls of a hospital would draw immediate attention no matter how much they otherwise look like they belong.

It's perfectly acceptable to simply write missions on the basis of 'canons can't see agents, OCs can, that's just how it is'. The end result of all this theorising is basically fixed - but I personally find it fun to theorise. Multiverse Theory is a similarly pointless exercise in pseudo-scientific analysis of a string of jokes. I just enjoy it. ^-~

(And, for the record, my own head-canon is that the physical laws of the PPC multiverse will rise up to meet any reasonable theory which is put forth about them. All theories are true, for a given value of true - so canon-cloaking is a simple trait of canon-visitor interactions, and it works because of channelled portals, and it's because agents are Just That Awesome, and the canon is intelligent and does it deliberately, and it doesn't exist at all. All at't same time!)

You're right that, basically, agents don't know most of the answers - and all sources are of necessity 'in-universe'. The compiler of Nesh's list of gizmos thinks there's an electronic SEP generator under the flashpatch - but unless she happens to be an SEP engineer, she's no more reliable a source than anyone else. The only person who knows is probably Makes-Things, and maybe Hornbeam - but do you really think M-T is going to sit down over a beer and discuss his job? I can't see it, m'sel.

Ultimately, the best way to handle all this is to list the observed effects, and try to keep them consistent - then describe the theories that have been built up around them. ('Multiverse Theory' is a genuine in-universe scientific theory - with zero statements made about how well it describes the true nature of things. If ACE is complete gibberish, my latest canon-cloaking explanation is simply impossible!)

hS

I don't think it's so much physical invisibility as it is a sort of cognitive "unnoticeability", where affected canons can still physically see the Agent, but are rendered incapable of considering them an entity of note. Basically, you would get situations of the form:
"Honey, do you know where I put my keys?"
"They're over there, right next to the Marine."
"The one in the bedroom?"
"No, the one down here, with the rocket launcher."

Or rather: instead of 'makes it part of the canon', I was going for 'makes it part of the canonical planet'. It... well, perhaps a diagram is easier. ;) (Note that I've tweaked a few things along the way - this version makes more sense!)



Now canon-cloaking is absolutely a technological illusion. Furthermore, based on Miah's evidence, it simply doesn't operate without the SEP/NP field in place. We can pin that on the canon being so strained that any 'visible' plothole - such as the existence of a PPC agent - is emphatically rejected. Only with an SEP in place does the canon 'accept' the existence of a channelled PPC plothole: the plothole is Nobody's Problem, just like native canonical plotholes, and thus can be ignored.

A survey is possible - but that 'etc' worries me. How many things should be included on this? Just the hiding-from-things stuff?

hS

An informal sort of thing, or a formal sort of thing?

I like the theory of how the the PPC SEP fields function. Nobody's Problem is a cool idea.


On SEP fields in slightly unusual circumstances, In Kelok and Unger's first mission, Kelok is stabbed by the Stu and his flash patch is sliced through, resulting in a malfunction. He is seen immediately by the next canon character he encounters while Unger isn't seen until Unger does something that draws attention to himself.

They were both in disguises at the time, and that hadn't stopped working for Kelok, since the canons still saw him as a human, just a filthy, bleeding one who should not be in their house.

In one Miah and Cali mission that was set on modern Earth, they disguise as janitors and directly mention the whole blending in thing.

"Janitors?” Miah said, disdainfully tugging on the uniform shirt. "Why not nurses?”

"Haven’t you ever paid attention to the movies? No one ever notices the janitors in a hospital setting.”

Miah pointed toward the wisps of bright blue hair that had escaped the confines of Cali’s uniform hat. "They might when the janitor in question has hair like that.” She felt the back of her own hair. "You changed my hair to short, but left yours blue? You are so not setting the disguises next time. I can’t believe I let you set them this time.” She scratched her head.

"For the thousandth time! The lice came and went with the homeless person disguise!” He paused to scratch his own head, realized what he was doing and shrugged.

An informal sort of thing, or a formal sort of thing?

I like the theory of how the the PPC SEP fields function. Nobody's Problem is a cool idea.


On SEP fields in slightly unusual circumstances, In Kelok and Unger's first mission, Kelok is stabbed by the Stu and his flash patch is sliced through, resulting in a malfunction. He is seen immediately by the next canon character he encounters while Unger isn't seen until Unger does something that draws attention to himself.

They were both in disguises at the time, and that hadn't stopped working for Kelok, since the canons still saw him as a human, just a filthy, bleeding one who should not be in their house.

In one Miah and Cali mission that was set on modern Earth, they disguise as janitors and directly mention the whole blending in thing.

"Janitors?” Miah said, disdainfully tugging on the uniform shirt. "Why not nurses?”

"Haven’t you ever paid attention to the movies? No one ever notices the janitors in a hospital setting.”

Miah pointed toward the wisps of bright blue hair that had escaped the confines of Cali’s uniform hat. "They might when the janitor in question has hair like that.” She felt the back of her own hair. "You changed my hair to short, but left yours blue? You are so not setting the disguises next time. I can’t believe I let you set them this time.” She scratched her head.

"For the thousandth time! The lice came and went with the homeless person disguise!” He paused to scratch his own head, realized what he was doing and shrugged.