Also, I’m a sucker for characters like Leather. The whole hidden tragedy thing just gets me every time.

But yeah, completely different worlds.

Also, yet another reference to Wild Cards… (I first ran across it in an essay by Martin on role playing) I need to hunt down those books

One of the areas that’s part of my “internal rules for the world” is that those who are special tend to draw attention to themselves, even as those folks who have superpowers and their own comic books tend to have adventurous lives even if the book is about how they want to live a simple life. Closer, in other words, to a four coloresque world than, say, Wild Cards. Which is not to knock Wild Cards, but in a lot of ways that was a series designed to say “what would superhumans do to the real world?” This is more an examination of comic book mores.

Eric, are there substantially neutral metahumans in this setting? Especially ones using their powers to do big things without being a hero or a villain?

Really, this comes back to worldbuilding exercises. When one creates any kind of science fiction or fantasy world — and superheroes are something of a subsection of both — one must work out the implications and ramifications of that world. Since you’re already violating the laws of nature (among other things, someone as slight as Leather couldn’t get the leverage she needed to use her superstrong muscles in quite the way she is, if we were going to try to be Hard SF about it), you need to decide what the limits are — and what the prices are.

There has to be a price. Without a price, the world becomes boring. All powerful magi make for dull high fantasy, for example. And instantaneous universe wide transportation and communication has the net effect of taking the universe and turning it into an extension of the New Jersey turnpike.

In the case of Justice Wing, I straddle the fence between realistic interpretations of superpowers and more four-colorish interpretations. I don’t have Leather eating constantly to fuel her greater physical exertions (though I nodded to the need for fuel back when we first met her and Chapman discovered she had tons of complex carbs in her fridge) and I let Leather’s superhuman grace let her counterbalance the places where her strength would fail due to momentum and inertia.

In the case of her musculature, I’m giving vent to one of my pet peeves. I don’t like the ‘conditional super strength’ thing to allow for ease of intimacy. That smacks to me too much of having one’s cake and eating it too. At least when it comes to ‘innate’ superpowered people like Leather. Someone like Freya — who is this setting’s answer to both Thor and Wonder Woman — might have better luck because of the more magical basis of her physical prowess (take that any way you like).

In particular, orgasm is troublesome because certain muscular responses are either involuntary or can easily be overcompensated for. Heck, it’s not that unusual for perfectly normal partners to accidentally bruise each other.

This doesn’t make you wrong, by any stretch. But it makes for some insight into my worldbuilding process — and further insight into Leather herself. After all, her rule isn’t “no non-powered sexual partners.” It’s “no one who isn’t a supervillain or superhero.” Not only are there a number of completely nonpowered heroes and villains she’s willing to spend time with (wink wink, nudge nudge), but nowhere near all powered heroes and villains have enhanced endurance or durability.

Which begs the question — how much of this is sheerly practical (and there’s no doubt but that there’s a major question of practicality), and how much of this is psychological?

And how does it relate to what I think might be one of the more telling statements Leather has made to date:

And then I decided to save the world, and then I decided to enjoy the world instead.

For my money, this statement’s the money shot of the interview. But others may disagree. :)

Even IRL, the strength of one’s muscles isn’t used 100%… basically because muscular activity, especially strenuous activity, causes damage (microscopic tears) to the tissues. (That’s part of what that burning sensation in your muscles is.) That microtearing is what stimulates muscle growth, as well…. but were you to use your muscles at their true full power, you’d be almost completely immobilized afterwards, and reduced to a state of virtual helplessness for a considerable time afterwards. Consequently there’s a certain amount of blocking of the neural signals to prevent overcontraction and damage.

Other variations are that “super strength” requires a voluntary and conscious effort to activate and sustain. So normal activities, and especially involuntary contractions (such as in orgasm) aren’t “super strength.”
Or, that only voluntary muscles are fully super strong….

Pedantic, yes?

Otherwise, interesting. Reminds me of the old Man of Steel; Woman of Kleenex short story by Niven. I’m feeling a lot of sympathy for Leather right now.