Paid Account
May. 29th, 2014 12:00 amMy DW paid account is about to run out, which I use for things like the series icons. If anyone would like to help support my writing with paid time or DW points, that would be lovely.
May. 29th, 2014
Different Kinds of Strength
May. 29th, 2014 12:32 amThis quote, from this article, made me drop my brain. Spoilers for X-Men: Days of Future Past.
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Call for Prompts
May. 29th, 2014 12:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sharpeningthebones has a call for prompts on "woods between the worlds." Tipping and boosting the signal are welcome but not required.Nonhuman Superpowers?
May. 29th, 2014 08:03 pmWe watched the new Godzilla movie today. (Good kaiju movie, excellent special effects and references to other movies, overblown emotional yanking in some places.) It got me thinking about the breadth of superpowers in Terramagne, the setting of my series Polychrome Heroics.
Are superpowers restricted to humans alone -- and if so, why -- or can other species have them also?
My thoughts include:
* Humans share a lot of DNA with other species, especially mammals. This leans toward innate powers appearing elsewhere.
* Radiation and some other factors are increasing the rate of mutation, and thus in this setting, the prevalence of superpowers. Look at the mutated sealife, for example. Environmental factors are likely to affect multiple species, not just one. Imagine visiting Chernobyl only to discover that one of the elk has Laser Eyes.
* Superpower manifestation based on the effect of extraordinary circumstances on human will is unlikely to occur in nonsentient species.
* Superpower manifestation based on higher powers is unlikely to occur in nonsentient species.
* A sperm whale's brain averages 7.8 kilograms. Imagine one with superpowers objecting to how humans treat the ocean.
* Some comics have really gotten into mutated, uplifted, or otherwise modified animals. This includes everything from natural mutation through accidental enhancement to mad science experiments. The results range from cringeworthy to awesome.
* Having something like telepathic trees mindwiping loggers, or superpowered mice in a house, would expand the number of stories that could be told without relying on a human supervillain. (We've HAD superpowered mice here; they are nerve-wracking to deal with.) While mad science could already provide such things, that implies very different plot structure than naturally occurring cases.
Discuss.
Are superpowers restricted to humans alone -- and if so, why -- or can other species have them also?
My thoughts include:
* Humans share a lot of DNA with other species, especially mammals. This leans toward innate powers appearing elsewhere.
* Radiation and some other factors are increasing the rate of mutation, and thus in this setting, the prevalence of superpowers. Look at the mutated sealife, for example. Environmental factors are likely to affect multiple species, not just one. Imagine visiting Chernobyl only to discover that one of the elk has Laser Eyes.
* Superpower manifestation based on the effect of extraordinary circumstances on human will is unlikely to occur in nonsentient species.
* Superpower manifestation based on higher powers is unlikely to occur in nonsentient species.
* A sperm whale's brain averages 7.8 kilograms. Imagine one with superpowers objecting to how humans treat the ocean.
* Some comics have really gotten into mutated, uplifted, or otherwise modified animals. This includes everything from natural mutation through accidental enhancement to mad science experiments. The results range from cringeworthy to awesome.
* Having something like telepathic trees mindwiping loggers, or superpowered mice in a house, would expand the number of stories that could be told without relying on a human supervillain. (We've HAD superpowered mice here; they are nerve-wracking to deal with.) While mad science could already provide such things, that implies very different plot structure than naturally occurring cases.
Discuss.
