From the Worm Ideas Thread:
I've decided that unless someone has a better idea...
I've decided that unless someone has a better idea...
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Due to a series of unfortunate events, Labyrinth is hiding on the roof (or some other area) of Winslow High School, one morning. By the time anyone realises something really weird is going on, escape has become rather complicated (it gets worse if the school goes into lockdown, first). May result in some rather interesting trigger events as students try to survive and escape the bizarre environment Winslow has become.
Meanwhile, Faultline's crew try to locate Labyrinth before anyone else does, and they may not be the only ones - the PRT is going to notice pretty quickly that something strange is going on at Winslow, which leads to Coil knowing, and then there's all those gang kids with cellphones...
Thoughts?
In reference to the above post #855, what sort of powers might result from trying to survive and escape from the Labyrinth (and the various capes hunting her, if the trigger is late enough that they've arrived)?
Not limited to Taylor (who may or may not have already have powers), others at the school might also trigger.
Mover, trump, and brute seem the most likely if what I recall about triggering conditions is accurate. (Get away, get away, deal with this parahuman/power, and survive the immediate dangers right here)
AFAICT, the more powers are involved, the higher the probability that a Trump occurs (this is more a guess than a certainty, as Wildbow doesn't appear to say), as long as you have a shard that can do a power that would get a Trump threat assessment. Thinking about it, some of the new triggers could be trying to deal with other brand-new triggers.
Other shaker powers as well... the environment is the enemy, and that's where those powers come from.
A Shaker power that was created to deal with Labyrinth could be very interesting, no?
Anyone have specific power suggestions?
Specific powers? Well, the current situation itself that is being dealt with would definitely play a part, but so would the history of each new parahuman. So there's definitely that to factor in.
Breaker (Master): Can merge own body with that of at least one other person. As long as they're merged the parahuman has significant control over the other person's body, and resources from one body can be transferred to another. The more closely the bodies are merged the faster resources can be shared.
Triggered while best friend was bleeding out in front of her. Successfully used it to stabilize best friend and force her wounds to clot faster, but the experience disgusted and exhilarated her. The feeling of power over her best friend was intensely disquieting, but the knowledge of how she could use that power was addictive. Will need to use power constructively (in ways that the shard will approve of) to avoid falling into rather unethical uses.
Scary, but very useful. Wondering how Image would deal with her, should she choose to join the Wards.
Shaker/Trump: Can impose the parahuman's own concept of sane reality upon the surrounding area. Notably, all parahuman powers that extend beyond their body have no effect within own area of effect. However, they're merely suppressed, not negated. If a blaster (even one inside of the area of effect) launched an attack through the field, it would disappear while within but exist again once it had left the field as if it had travelled normally with zero resistance.
Triggered while utterly surrounded by Labyrinth's more overt manifestations. Had always felt that reality was kind of crazy and struggled to cope with it all. Had a completely breakdown leading to the trigger event. Proceeded to sleep through the rest of the battle, finally feeling like the world made sense. Many of his classmates crowded into the field to escape Labyrinth's more harmful effects.
He's going to be rather popular with the non-parahuman survivors.
Thinking about it, some of the new triggers could be trying to deal with other brand-new triggers.
While that's sort of true, it is still based on the Shard's perception of the problem and I really doubt it would ignore an immediately lethal threat to it's host. They're alien, not stupid.Also remember that the power given doesn't necessarily solve the problem that broke them.
Reminds me of Tattletale. Can you give a bud to someone who just happens to be nearby?Had another power idea.
Thinker: Allows for insight and into a person's mental state and how to interact with them to achieve whatever result they have in mind. Can also observe the evidence of actions (like a criminal investigator would) to build a social profile of the perpetrator/victim/bystander/whatever. Each psychological profile built is unique and can very accurately identify a previously known person or link a newly observed person to a previously observed profile. The primary limitations are that a person's psychological profile will shift with time, especially from particularly transformative events, and from mixing up the actions of multiple people.
Triggered while desperately working to figure out what the pattern(s) to the threats were so she could guide her classmates and teacher away from the danger. A highly analytical person by nature, she was used to understanding things. That all changed when her younger brother developed a mental illness. She couldn't understand why he did the things he did or what he might do in the future. And, no matter how much she loved him, she was absolutely terrified of him.
Yes, to various degrees.
Well, Labyrinth's power can be pretty damn scary.
I think that only happens if the first trigger immediately adds more stress.Also as far as I remember/can extrapolate if the power itself isn't enought to remove the problem that caused it, and it itself is problematic it will lead to an immediate double trigger like Taylor did when she double triggered in the locker. If I recall correctly she got the bug control first followed by getting sensory input from them in the second trigger.
Reminds me of Tattletale. Can you give a bud to someone who just happens to be nearby?
... I was trying to keep the number of new capes down to something believable, and I'm not sure how much easier second-gen triggers actually are (e.g. Victoria Dallon's trigger was probably a lot more than just 'getting fouled in a basketball game'), but if no-one strongly objects, I'm willing to accept increasing the total number of triggers by adding a few second gens and third gens (the New Wave kids are all second-generation capes by definition, and have been using their powers a lot, so third gens from them are plausible; likewise, Kaiser is a second-gen cape from Allfather, though he may be less likely to be their in person, so that needn't happen)..... oh shit.
Imagine, Dozens of little Shadow Stalkerettes running about...
- Second-generation triggers are way easier than first-gen
- All it takes to 'bud' is a fairly positive interaction
- Which active parahuman has had the most interaction with the student body of Winslow?
... I was trying to keep the number of new capes down to something believable, and I'm not sure how much easier second-gen triggers actually are (e.g. Victoria Dallon's trigger was probably a lot more than just 'getting fouled in a basketball game'), but if no-one strongly objects, I'm willing to accept increasing the total number of triggers by adding a few second gens and third gens (the New Wave kids are all second-generation capes by definition, and have been using their powers a lot, so third gens from them are plausible; likewise, Kaiser is a second-gen cape from Allfather, though he may be less likely to be their in person, so that needn't happen).
EDIT: AFAIK, the only reason Emma didn't trigger in the alleyway is because no shard was paying attention to her. If Sophia's shard is throwing off buds, Emma is the most likely candidate.
That really isn't how shards work. She might not even have the potential to trigger. People who don't have the Corona Pollentia can't trigger or receive buds at all.
I'm pretty sure that a Corona Pollentia forms when a shard links up with its host, not the other way around.
I'm with Navrin, here. For purposes of at least this thread, the Corona Pollentia forms when a shard locks on to a potential host, some amount of time before said host triggers. For second and later generation capes, this is whenever a new bud is ready and finds a host, which could be only seconds before the actual trigger event.... I'm REALLY not sure how you read that as the Corona Pollentia existing prior to the shard connecting with them.
So, kind of like Dauntless, but faster?Take my plot bunny.
The combination of new triggers in/around Winslow, presence of Sophia and labyrinth, plus the whole death maze vibe I got from the thread/OP, result in a pretty radically different form of Taylor's admin shard.
The power works by the admin shard collecting info from other nearby shards, then giving the host a limited access to this info, which takes the form of the host 'pushing' their power into an object they're holding.
Basically, Taylor 'enchants' objects with weakened variations of powers from parahumans she comes in contact with, but she may not recognize this, due to her enchantments working more along the lines of how other powers work rather than the effect generated.
For example, Sophia's power might give her enchantments based around mass shifting/bag of holding type stuff, instead of phasing. Or Miss Militia's power could let her give an object the power to change into a weapon/object (pen to sword, axe to spear, phone to computer etc..).
How exactly Taylor controls what enchantment she puts on an object is up for interpretation, but I would default to something along the lines of her shard offering an enchantment for an object, but Taylor being able to tell what that enchantment is and decide to apply it or ask for a reroll from her shard.
Sorry if it's badly explained.
I'm with Navrin, here. For purposes of at least this thread, the Corona Pollentia forms when a shard locks on to a potential host, some amount of time before said host triggers. For second and later generation capes, this is whenever a new bud is ready and finds a host, which could be only seconds before the actual trigger event.
So, kind of like Dauntless, but faster?
That reads as if you now agree with Navrin and me. If you don't, then I still don't see where you're coming from, but this is the wrong thread to discuss it in. The correct thread for such a discussion is here.Sorry wrong quote.
"I don't," the Doctor said. "But I have a corona pollentia."
"What do you mean?" I asked. "You have the potential for power?"
"I do. I could theoretically trigger. If someone has the potential and takes the dose, there is a higher chance of deviation." - Venom 29.7
Doctor Mother hasn't triggered but she has had her Corona Pollentia for a very long time. The shard has locked on to her but it's not anywhere near a time where she might trigger.
Sorry wrong quote.
"I don't," the Doctor said. "But I have a corona pollentia."
"What do you mean?" I asked. "You have the potential for power?"
"I do. I could theoretically trigger. If someone has the potential and takes the dose, there is a higher chance of deviation." - Venom 29.7
Doctor Mother hasn't triggered but she has had her Corona Pollentia for a very long time. The shard has locked on to her but it's not anywhere near a time where she might trigger.