Jan 24 2011
How to Keep Your Story’s Superpowers and/or Magic Extraordinary
I think it really helps superhero and urban fantasy stories when the supernatural abilities come across as special. Here are some ideas to help yours stand out.
1. Use them less often. The more scenes there are with superpowers, the more diluted their effect will probably be. For example, you could use fewer filler fight scenes or resolve more action scenes without superpowers. Perhaps the powers have limitations, such as their duration. Or maybe outside circumstances force the hero to resolve his problems in other ways (maybe he can’t use his superpowers without risking his secret identity, or he needs to avoid friendly casualties, etc).
2. Increase the costs of the powers. If the decision to use the powers is notable, the powers will probably be more exceptional and interesting. Here are some examples of costs that might fit your story.
- Alerting bigger fish. For example, Frodo can’t use his magical ring without alerting the Ringwraiths and the characters in Walking Dead can’t use guns without calling mobs of zombies.
- Ingredients/resources. For example, Mr. Freeze needs diamonds to fuel his death rays. He’s a villain, though, so he can rob jewelry stores. If your hero had a similarly expensive ingredient to worry about, it’d probably be trickier for him. (Alternately, if the character is extremely wealthy, perhaps the resource is so rare or illegal that it can’t be easily purchased).
- Time/endurance/need to recharge–the powers only last so long, so using them at every opportunity means that the character might peter out in the middle of a battle. Once in a while, the hero might be forced to try fighting without powers.
- Personal health/sanity. Too many stimpacks can have serious side-effects.
- Personality shift/loss of self-control. There are times when turning into the Hulk would only make things worse, such as always.
- Moral corrosion/loss of soul. For example, see Spiderman’s Venom symbiote, Frodo’s ring, and many uses of magic. This is distinct from a personality shift in that it’s usually more gradual and bleeds more into the character’s unpowered life.
- Dangerous debts. Perhaps the character’s powers force him to turn to a dangerous person or force for assistance. Maybe Tony Stark needs to work out a deal with a mad scientist to get a particular capability built into his suit. Other examples might include shady arms dealers, the human-hating magical spirits in Bitter Seeds, demonic forces, Canadians, aliens, demonic arms-dealing human-hating Canadians, etc.
- Relationships/approval. For example, in Bitter Seeds, each use of magic jeopardizes the main character’s partnership with a friend that strongly disapproves of the use of magic. There may be some aspects to a character’s powers that rub others the wrong way.
- Involuntary transformation. The character has little (if any) control over when he transforms into his super-self. The transformation might be triggered by something like his emotions (the Hulk), a time of the day (werewolves), near-death experiences (Kurama), nearby magic, nearby Nazis (Audie Murphy), caffeine and deadlines (B. Mac), etc.
- Secret identity. If a crime happens around Clark Kent or Tony Stark, it’d be harder for them to use their powers without compromising their secret identities. Tony Stark may have to save the day without using the Ironman suit.
3. Describe the experience. Don’t just talk about the end-result (“John teleported to Kansas”). Talk about what it’s like. When John teleports, Kansas hits him at millions of miles per hour and he’s plastered in place like an astronaut strapped in during takeoff. The heat makes it feel like his eyes are going to melt and he can’t walk straight for ten minutes after he gets there. Details like these are a lot more lively than “He teleported to Kansas.”
3.1: Use as many senses as necessary.
- What would the point of view (POV) character observe with sight/sound/touch/taste/smell? For example, if the Human Torch goes nuts on someone, maybe he can’t shake the taste of smoke for the rest of the day.
- Do the powers affect the POV’s state of mind? For example, if the POV gets thrashed by the Hulk, he might get shell-shocked and disoriented. Alternately, most psychic powers could easily mess someone up (the victim and/or the user).
- Is the POV’s perception of time affected? (For example, if he’s using incredible reflexes, or slowing down time, or moving incredibly fast, etc).
- How intense is the situation? A genius figuring out which bomb wire to cut should sound different than one deciding which Uno card to play.
4. Try a variety of uses. For example, instead of more or less interchangeable fight scenes, you can use different settings and circumstances. Instead of doing one battle royale after another, perhaps you mix in a scene where the characters are escaping or chasing another group. Or perhaps they’re facing a different set of antagonists that has to be fought differently. (For example, if Spiderman had to break Aunt May out of prison, he’d probably have to do it without getting any cops hurt because that’s how he rolls).
5. It may help to talk about the process. Unless you’re doing hard science fiction/fantasy, you don’t need to write pages describing how the ionic thrusters or magical channeling work, but I thought the scenes featuring negotiations between the protagonist warlocks and villainous spirits were the most interesting part of Bitter Seeds. Here are some examples that may be applicable to your story.
- How the character’s gadgets or powersuit work
- Practicing/training
- Describing how a supersmart character notices and processes minor details
What do you think? Am I missing anything?
- Time/endurance/need to recharge–the powers only last so long, so using them at every opportunity means that the character might peter out in the middle of a battle. Once in a while, the hero might be forced to try fighting without powers.
A+ for the Fallout reference! I really like this article. The describe there use line is a must have.
Too much Jet… now that stuff is serious. Seriously awesome.
Excellent ideas. I’d almost make this article into a checklist for a use of supernatural abilities in any story.
I hadn’t thought that deeply about those points, thanks for “broadening” my horizons.
Great article! This definitely helped me affirms some things that I was unsure about.
As for stimpaks, I’ll take as many as I need. It ain’t easy being an unarmed fighter, but it sure is a helluva lot of fun.
Thanks, this is one of the best articles yet.
In my story, I’m definitely using superpowers — and fight scenes — less often, since I want each fight scene to matter. This way, I think the reader would care about the outcomes of the fights, since they’d have to change the hero’s situation to justify how infrequently they appear.
On a related note, I would use fights infrequently because I generally favor writing made-up worlds or alternate-history Earths, so I have to make the reader care about the setting before introducing battles for its fate. Indeed, not needing a setup is one reason fighting stories set on modern, real Earth can get away with plunging into action sooner.
I feel that the five form, as you put it, will make the description a bit more complicated than it needs to be. For one thing, I think it asks readers to remember 5 things, when they only need to remember three: strength, agility and heightened senses. Does that make sense?
Also, when you present a list of superpowers, I think it’s best to spend the most time on the most important, interesting powers. If supersenses are only used a few times in your novel or comic book, I’d recommend against giving them 3 slots on a list with 5 items. If they’re minor, one slot on a list with 3 items would probably be a better representation of how important they’ll be to the story.
I think Lions don’t live in the jungle…maybe in your world they do so whatever, just so you know
I think you’re right that lions don’t live in the jungle, Troll. (“King of the jungle” is a bit of a misnomer).
However, as you noted, if we’re dealing with a fantasy (or any story far-removed from reality), I think most readers would figure out that “these lions are different” without too much difficulty. For example, I don’t think it raises realism concerns that Narnia’s Aslan doesn’t seem to mind the cold very much. (Also, he’s Jesus).
Another possibility would be replacing lions with tigers, unless lions are symbolically important. (For example, they’re associated with royalty/nobility and courage*, among others).
*I have no idea HOW they got the reputation for courage. They hunt zebras in packs! That’s like linebackers ganging up on a kicker, or a monster truck chasing down paraplegic koalas.
I love this. I found my new fav blog : ) I agree with fewer fight scenes, I think movies could use this tip sometimes, and those fights need to get better as the book progresses.
awesome post really helpful
how about the origin of the ability my hero is not a super just a bit of an oddity he lost the ability to feel pain after a bomb blast sent shrapnel into his head and spine, and due to the inability to feel pain he now has increased stamina (cant feel the muscle cramps or strains that hinder normal people) but as a side effect he can not tell when he is injured and could bleed to death from an injury and not know it if he is not carefull
The side-effect sounds interesting and I think you will not have much trouble challenging the character. However, I would recommend proofreading carefully, especially when you submit to publishers.
I think this is a great post. I agree that the powers you use must be easy to understand. I think that characters need limits. I don’t like to write super man types with only one weakness. I think the more inhuman they seem the less understandable they are. That being said the characters I enjoy writing most are usually the anti-hero types. Those that are neither good or bad.
My main character, Matthew Grayson receives a number of perks when he uses his gremlin body: sharp fangs and claws for offensive purposes, agility, quicker reflexes, heightened senses, and resistance to hazardous chemical and electricity. However, since the mind is still his own, whenever Matthew operates as the Gremlin of Cogsworth, his mechanical aptitude will invariably come into play. He uses his own facility and skill as a genius toymaker to disband other Tinkers’ creation, and doing it in the body of a gremlin just makes the job easier.
I also intend to impose on Matthew Grayson a subtle shift of character whenever he uses his power: while he’s always had a mischievous streak, this trait becomes more pronounced whenever Matthew uses the gremlin body. His antics as the Gremlin become more and more malicious in both thought and action, and he has to work hard to exert control over the Gremlin’s destructive nature. Since Matthew is an aspiring toymaker and engineer, his desires to build and to detroy often come to conflict with each other.
True to form, The Mind Is The Plaything Of The Body. Being a gremlin has a very negative effect on your psyche.
Much like how William Shakespeare “wussy-fied” the fairy folks in his play “A Midnight Summer’s Dream”, in my world, thanks to the success of one Mister Sponty Quackgrass’ children book, “Ghost In The Machine”, the image of gremlins to the average folk has been redefined into a race of jolly, if slightly mischievous and clueless, little goblins. In truth, they are not. Gremlins are nasty, nasty creature. As recorded in mythology, gremlins were psychopathic pyromaniacs who gave no qualm whatsoever in murdering humans and causing an irreversible level of property damage just to satisfy their neverending curiosity. They just wanted to take things apart and play with the “beautiful sparks”.
Matthew Grayson, as with the case of many children, grew up with Sponty Quackgrass’ work. Therefore, the, for lack of a better term, “Disneyfied” version of gremlins is rooted in his thought. As a result, he is shocked and horrified to discover that an actual gremlin is a much different creature than the one that has lived in his imagination.
What do you think?
I think the concept sounds interesting. The contrast between the character’s “Disneyfied” expectations and the reality of the situation strikes me as dramatically fertile. (Assuming that there’s some sort of high-stakes* plot going on. By itself, learning about gremlins and dismantling random inventions would probably not make for a very exciting story). I would recommend working on chapters.
*Not necessarily life-or-death, but the character definitely needs to regard the stakes as very important.
Well, the reason that the Cogsworth Gear-Muncher is out destroying other people’s inventions is that, while fooling around with his newfound power, Matthew encounters a mysterious entity known only as the Glitch. The Glitch has the abilities to possess and corrupt mechanical systems, causing them to do things they’re not supposed to do (which usually ends up with one or more person receiving a ridiculously nasty death). This proves to be very dangerous, since an average Tinker’s mind is highly unstable; so if he sees that his invention has a capacity for the powerful, he will immediately indulge in it, with all the carnage that entails.
After that incident, Matthew Grayson has taken hold of the belief that there is no bad Tinker, only ones who are corrupt by their own contraptions’ potential for evil and perversion.
Hence, the Gremlin mostly operates as sort of a pest within the University’s campus, sabotaging and destroying those machines and devices that he deems particularly dangerous or otherwise poorly thought-out (to prevent the Glitch from getting its hand on them), and he has succesfully thwarted many mad scientists’ schemes.
At first, no one in Cogsworth pays sufficient attention to the increasing number of things going haywire (things going haywire is to be expected of any large body of Tinkers). “A gremlin did it” is the oldest excuse in the book, since gremlins have long been extinct and thought of as a myth.
But after recent discoveries of teethmarks on destroyed gears, and sightings of a strange creature, it has been agreed that there is a gremlin lurking within the University of Cogsworth. Dubbed the Gremlin of Cogsworth, the Cogsworth Gearmuncher, etc. by the press, the creature is officially declared a vermin by the Chancellor and thus must be hunted down and taken to research.
So the Gremlin has to avoid being caught by the scientists, while at the same time trying to uncover the truth about the Glitch. How about that for stake?
Oh, and I intend to do several books on the Gremlin, with a number of short stories in between which showcasing the daily misadventures of Matthew’s supporting characters, with the Gremlin’s antics being kept in the background (what can I say, I just love strong supporting casts that can hold their own storyline).
Heh, I am still currently working on the world-building stuff. I’m more of an world-builder
. I just want my works to have an internal consistency. My belief is that, if you’ve created an intriguing enough, then the opportunity for good stories shall be endless.
My (admittedly very hard to reach) ambition is to make a sci-fi version of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. I just love how he systematically makes fun of fantasy tropes and cliches, and I would like to do the same to the science fiction genre.
I’m have plans for several other stories set in different parts of my constructed world:
- Lobotomia theme: Lobotomia is a parody of Transylvania/Germany. The main character will be Baron Isaak “The Necromancer” von Skalpellstrom; along with his associates: a borderline sociopathic grave-robber, a neurotic maker of music boxes and a homunculus.
- Cypher theme: set in the Nadelland Commonwealth (a pastiche of the Soviet Union). The main characters are a couple of brilliant crytalanalysts working for the Gremlingrad (heh) Intelligence Agency. They have been given the impossible task of cracking the Rätsel, a new type of cypher that the Lobotomians have created, and inadvertantly gets themselves involved in a crazy web of political intrigue. This is intended to be a parody of espionage thriller in general.
- Alchemy theme: this takes place roughly 300 years before the “present” continuity. It follows the misadventures of the greedy alchemist Christopher Abacus, who is recorded in history for having sold his soul to the King of Gremlins in exchange for the Philosopher’s Stone (so yeah, he’s a parody of Faust) and Friedrich von Uberwatt, an eccentric Lobotomian inventor ( a parody of Leonard da Vinci). This theme will serve as some sort of prequel to all the other themes).
Oops. Posted that in the wrong place…
No worries, LA. I took down the posting.
Hey I’m not sure where to post this question but it’s just quick one. I’m currently developing a story where the protagonists are a teenaged group of steampunk hearoes from another dimension. I’ve been trying to come up with a name for the group and have been unsuccessful thus far. However, a possible name just hit me about ten minutes before I posted this and I wanted to see what you guys thought. I’m thinking about calling them the Free Radicals. But I’m not sure that’s exactly IT. A good start perhaps, but maybe not the end point. Thanks guys.
It makes me think of biology before steampunk, but I agree it’s fine as a starting point.
@ Comicbookguy117:
http://www.superheronation.com/2007/10/15/character-naming-superheroes-and-otherwise/
That’s the better place to pose your question. It is also where you might even get the answer to your question. That page suggests using a theme, symbols, or even the character’s (or in this case, a group of teenagers’) goal as the basis for creating a name.
Personally, for the genre, I like “Free Radicals,” especially if you’re going for a very scientific feel or theme while also reflecting the often rebellious nature of teenagers.
But since you say you’re not sure if the name is “IT,” I ask you: What idea or theme do you wish to convey, or what is it do you feel the name lacks?
I want to use Radicals, I like for them. They’re steampunk superheroes from another dimension. I like that they’d call themselves Radicals, or maybe the media gives them the name. I don’t know at this point, theconcept is still way early in development. I just feel like I want a fun name with them, you know? Their story is gonna bee crazy. So I want that feel with their name.
So… the dimension they came from is a steampunk world? If so, I’m not sure how they would fit into our world (assuming your current setting is the real world).
Do they have superpowers of their own or do they utilise gadgets? Something tells me that steampunk-level of technology will not be too hot coming against modern tech.
But that’s just my opinion. Could you please elaborate on what are you intending to do?
Well, at this point the concept is still in its infancy. But basically, the fact that they are from a steampunk dimension and have somehow found themselves in a dimension similar to ours will be a major plot point for their story. They’re trying to find a way home, but while they’re here they help if they can.
And as for their technology. It all runs on steam obviously. But I also want them to utilize materials that are unknown to us. The metal in their machines and gadgets needs to immune to heat and possibly pressure. They are also goning to have tech that is widly different than ours. For example, utilizing steam-technology may have allowed them to design a hoverboard of some kind. They also may have a retractable exoskeleton to increase their strangth and durability. The possibilities are their and I’ll enjoy seeing what I can come up with. So hopefully this explains some things. But I still need a name for the group. I’d like to incorporate Redicals somehow. Thanks guys.
@Comicbookguy117: Well, I’m not very good with team naming, so I’m afraid I can’t help you there.
As a sucker for steampunk fiction, I find your concept very intriguing. I am working on a steampunk novel myself (well, more like a planned series of books set on a steampunk world).
So, have you come up with any character concept yet? And who will they fight in our world?
I only have bits and pieces of their characters, archetype really. But those archetypes will be flushed out soon enough. As for their enemies? Well various criminals, both common an uncommon. As I’ve said, I’m still working on it and twenty other projects. The comic book universe I am creating will be expansive and awesome.
“I’m still working on it and twenty other projects”
Geez man, when do you have time to sleep?
Sleep? HA! I’ll sleep when I’m dead, you know?
Hi i wrote a couple of novels and at the end i realized that some characters powers were almost identical to another for example
Name: Ricky
Powers: complete control of electricity and the ability to talk to it
(in norse mythology everything hhas a voice)
Name: Gravity Gabe
Powers: control of gravity and can only shoot electricity
Problem: Electricity is rickys only power, and he’s the demigod son of thor so it’s not like i can change it, and i hate unsuperpowered offspring, but i really want to keep it gabes power too, for long distance attacks( dosent have extreaam stregnth or endurence) plus that’s a weakness i planned, any help, could i pass it off or is it too much the same it’ll just tick off readers, and i want them to meet in a crossover book
Some thoughts and suggestions:
–You could give Gabe gravity but not electricity. (It’s not intuitive that a gravity controller would also control electricity).
–You could change Ricky’s powers. Being Thor’s son doesn’t mean that he MUST have electricity. For example, in actual Norse mythology, Thor’s children (Magni, Modi, and Thrud) embody strength, anger and strength respectively. None of them have electricity-themed powers. Nor does Thor’s father (Odin) have the same powers as Thor.
–When you’re ready to submit to publishers, I would recommend proofreading more aggressively. Otherwise, all is lost.
My character, Ian Luft (Hero name is Speakerbox), controls sound. He’s always faintly hearing music. He has the tendency to involuntarily say random thoughts with song quotes. Some voices and certain sounds can have extreme effects on him. He loses to a villian once because the villian used a tone of voice that, without being too vulgar, made him jizz his pants. Thanfully, the villian figures that it’s because he’s afraid of the trap he’s in.
His fellow hero, Scrawl (Natasha Ritter), can manifest her imagination. However, if she uses it too much, she could die from exaustion, but if she were to not use it at all she would “overflow”, or the constant stream of imagination coming through her would build up and explode over everything in a 5 mile radius. She can’t make anything bigger than an SUV without at least getting dizzy.
Are those fitting weaknesses, or should I add something?
And what about twin technopaths, Antha and Uel Sams? Is being prevented the materials and tools they need to build things enough of a hindrance? They’re from a rather welthy family, and money isn’t an issue, but they’re rather young, and they still have a Nanny, who was instructed to keep them from getting into their father’s lab, which means being prevented access to high quality stuff. They can get to a little lab in an old junkyard with the help of James, one of the cooks, but he doesn’t really get the chance to help them alot.
Using them less often would also apply to only using them in battle. An exception might be a power that is useful to everyday work, (Mr. Fanastic can reach all over his lab at once, or a supergenius-like power, which would obviously be useful) but you usually don’t see any [mature] superheroes fighting each other jokingly (Captain America doesn’t toss his shield at someone’s head just for a laugh).
B. Mac, could DC comics sue me for copyright infringement if I did a PARODY of Superman?
“Could DC Comics sue me for copyright infringement if I did a parody of Superman?” I’m not a lawyer, but if they did sue you, I think you’d probably be covered under “fair use.”
According to Stanford University:
…
The U.S. Copyright Office adds:
…
If you’re interested in past legal cases involving parody, Georgetown did a rundown here (covering cases up to 2004). Some points which may be of interest to you:
–The distinction between parody and satire (parody works are given more rights under copyright law)
–The distinction between copyrights and trademarks (parodists have more leeway with regards to copyrights)
–The “transformative” nature of the work–to qualify as a parody, it must add something new to the work (e.g. commentary of some sort)
New and random use for ice and cold controlling heroes: freezing blood, then snapping it (if possible) or, heck, freezing the heart…
I think an interesting take would be a superhero story in which all the heroes’ powers are completely taken away somehow (e.g. villainous nullifier machine, some cosmic phenomenon, etc.) right off the bat, and the duration of the story is actually how the team works together to have them restored (if that’s even possible).
By depending on true teamwork, counting on each other instead of what they ‘can do’, utilizing their own natural intelligence or understanding of situations to overcome them and calling more upon their training and friendship while upping the stakes by removing the elements of powers as an easy escape (yet still filtered through the lens of the superhero genre)… I think it would really help the heroes realize that what makes them ‘super’ actually has nothing to do with powers at all.
(as well as providing an interesting character drama about having to make that adjustment; some characters, depending on what their powers were, might have a much more difficult experience as a ‘normal’)
It also illustrates, I think *most* importantly, to the Reader that being super is something that’s inherently within each and every one of us. (awww
)
Lol, just a thought…
I think that idea could be exceedingly interesting if executed correctly. It could force the author to consider situations that they hadn’t needed to before, and be a thought-provoking experience for the reader as well. It could also work wonders for character development.
I may have to do this now.
It’s all yours!
“By depending on true teamwork, counting on each other instead of what they ‘can do’, utilizing their own natural intelligence or understanding of situations to overcome them and calling more upon their training and friendship while upping the stakes by removing the elements of powers as an easy escape (yet still filtered through the lens of the superhero genre)… I think it would really help the heroes realize that what makes them ‘super’ actually has nothing to do with powers at all.
(as well as providing an interesting character drama about having to make that adjustment; some characters, depending on what their powers were, might have a much more difficult experience as a ‘normal’)”
This strikes me as very promising! One tweak would be if it was one character (or a group of characters) adjusting to fading/faded superpowers which may or may not return (e.g. the last case of a retired superhero and/or the start of life after superpowers).
Your tweak was touched upon in the anime Tiger and Bunny (the main character’s powers begin to fade early in the series, and are almost entirely gone by the end), but I think it could be very interesting in its own piece.
I’m definitely using this idea now, though. Even if I’ve already got god knows how many projects going…but that’s never stopped me before, now has it?
[...] How To Keep Your Story’s Superpowers/Magic Extraordinary by B. McKenzie [...]
Just wanted to suggest a possible hindrance to using powers that I thought of while I was reading over that section; inexperience. You wouldn’t want to mess around with something that you haven’t had much practice with, right?
The character in the story I’m planning isn’t born with his power, but ‘given’ it by the main villain in an experiment.
He (Alex) develops telekinesis (common, I know) but it has a side effect, the more he uses the power in one go (strenuous things, like lifting or stopping heavy vehicles or flying) produces static electricity, which isn’t so bad in small amounts, but if he doesn’t stop using his powers for a sort of cool-down period, the static grows more aggressive and powerful; at worst it’s uncontrollable bolts of electricity that could harm both Alex and bystanders. So really, he’s limited to fairly mundane uses of his powers, but naturally, the villain sets up attacks in the city to attempt to force Alex into using his powers and potentially burning himself out or killing himself and other people.
At some point, perhaps after a hospital visit when he discovers he can’t control every aspect of his powers, Alex finds out that this static gets more aggressive the more he uses his powers, and it’s zapping parts of his brain, namely the Limbic system/Hippocampus, in turn making Alex himself more aggressive and causing memories to fade of his life before gaining his powers. I suppose that in the process of losing those memories, the memories of how he received his powers will be dredged up and he’ll go after the villain in a classic chase.
hey, I’m working on my fantasy world’s primary religion, which primarily focuses around fire and pyromancy, and I was wondering how powerful should I make the fire keepers(name for the clerics)? I was planning on making most of them weak and only powerful enough to sustain fire or weak mystical powers or just to make the fires mystical and for the keepers to just be knowledgeable, having extraordinary powers associate with the fire restricted to legends concerning ‘saints’ or ‘monks’ or if it can be extended to the arch-keepers (equivalent to high priests)?
Hey guys, I was wondering if you could give some ideas of how to use Telekinesis in a creative way?
most uses of telekinesis involve a detailed description of the experience. some have it be millions of hands shooting out of the characters flaming eyes, some have an invisible tentacle, some have invisible hands. try giving the character a unique way of using his or her mind.
In my novel, I have a secondary MC named Aerin Valus, a dark elf. (In my made-up world, dark elves have little to do with nature. Instead, they’re the most technologically adept race in the story. Many of them are violent warmongers; very few are civil to humans, nymphs, or demons, which are the other three primary races in my novel.)
She (Aerin) is a computer-hacking Seer-that is, someone who can touch either a person or object and can get a brief, jagged vision of its future. Oftentimes it rarely makes sense until it’s too late to alter the said future, as she only receives a few visions pertaining to said item. They’re rarely obvious clues, which makes her an unreliable helper.
I’ve decided that red-and-blue combos prevent her from using her sight (such as 3D glasses, police lights, etc.), and therefore she usually wears a pair of bi-colored sunglasses with one blue lens and one red.
What do you think? Is it a stupid idea, is it creative, or is it just downright weird? Should I come up with another way to keep her Sight in check? (Also, I apologize for any grammar or spelling errors. I’m only fourteen, so I’m not perfect, haha.)
“someone who can touch either a person or object and can get a brief, jagged vision of its future. Oftentimes it rarely makes sense until it’s too late to alter the said future, as she only receives a few visions pertaining to said item. They’re rarely obvious clues, which makes her an unreliable helper.” I think that’s an interesting and promising set of limitations.
…
“Is it a stupid idea, is it creative, or is it just downright weird?” I think there’s probably more reader interest in urban fantasy than there was, say, 20 or 30 years ago. That said, if my mental image of a dark elf rocking blue-and-red 3-D glasses is accurate, that would be a bit strange.
…
The race composition strikes me as more promising than something more reminiscent of Tolkien/D&D.
I just came up with a hero and villain, though they don’t have a story yet, based on abilities that I thought would be amusing to watch/read about.
Really there isn’t anything decided about them just yet, so the only description is their powers.
The hero’s power is the ability to “respawn”, as in a video game, in which, upon death, the player is given a new body and life to continue their mischief.
The villain’s ability is one I like to call “contagious incompetence”. The name is rather self explanatory, I think, as far as its function, but what I found amusing was the idea that it would be a passive/area affect, making all within a certain proximity become inexplicably useless for much of anything.
Thoughts?
It would appear that the above post is in the wrong place. I apologize. Is there a way I can take it down so I can put it up in the correct thread?
“The hero’s power is the ability to “respawn”, as in a video game, in which, upon death, the player is given a new body and life to continue their mischief.” My main concern here would be that a character that cannot actually be killed has very low stakes for pretty much all fights. One way to make it dramatic anyway would be to rely heavily on a ticking clock or some other limitation where the character could definitely fail even though he apparently can’t get killed–for example, in the movie Source Code, the main character is a soldier that can come back to life repeatedly, but he only has so many hours to stop the villain. I’d recommend making sure there’s some way for the character to actually lose–otherwise the action scenes (and perhaps the plot in general) are dead on arrival.
…
“Contagious incompetence.” I’m not feeling this power; I fear it will probably limit you to a plot where a lot of goofy things randomly happen because the characters have been turned into idiots.
…
“Is there a way I can take it down so I can put it up in the correct thread?” I can move it if you’d like, but it feels very well-placed to me. It’s a question about uncommon superpowers on an article about how to make your superpowers extraordinary. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of any more relevant articles. I’d like to keep it off of the List of Superpowers because if that article gets to 1000+ comments, the site will crash. (Every 1-2 months, I delete hundreds of LOS comments, so the comments on that article tend not to survive very long).
Thank you for the feedback.
The incredibly vague idea in my head was of many silly skits that may not even be related to each other. In fact, this idea would probably be best suited for a youtube, College Humor type of series with no real plot.
I think the point of my asking was more to see how amusing those here would find them than any real desire to put them into a novel (although a comic might be funny, if it went down the Dr. McNinja (weird) route).
I had an idea for a nature-based superhero that has a messiah complex, but I’m having trouble coming up with capabilities & weaknesses for him. Any ideas?
*an
Have him be weakened in poluted area’s harmful acids fire ex.
Basically in Urban areas right?
You could also have polluted rural areas as well (e.g. a forest used as a chemical dumping ground or something).
“The incredibly vague idea in my head was of many silly skits that may not even be related to each other. In fact, this idea would probably be best suited for a youtube, College Humor type of series with no real plot.” Ahh… it strikes me as a tough sell for a novel or a comic. (In contrast, I feel Dr. McNinja was much more coherent).
I’m having a bit of trouble. You see, I have a world set up (the average superhero world) and a main character, but I need some sort of twist to it, some workable ending or unforseeable surprise. Help me out? Here it is:
Jennifer Brave has had the worst week anyone’s ever had, and that’s in a town where there are far too many superheros than such a small town should be able to have (owing to the unusual amount of nuclear power plants near-by). First, she was hit by lightning when her school bus was hijacked by two mid-level supervillains on the run from a high-level superhero. Her sister was held at ray-point and the superhero couldn’t do anything so she hit him in the back of the head with a book. She helped out the hero– who saved the day– but she got hit by the ball of lightning that was the power of on of the villains. To everyone’s surprise, it has little to no effect on her, and she goes home fine until that very same night she climbs out onto the roof through her window to see the stars (a normal thing with her) and she get hit by a meteor. The next day she discovers that she has power over fire, wind, water, and erath, as well as the ability to fly.
What she does not know, and I haven’t written yet but plan to put in, is that her parents are also retired superheros, but they don’t plan to do a thing to help her because it’s a tradition amongst superheros that super-children who don’t know their parents’ secret have to make their way on their own. Oh, and once she starts her superhero life she’s gonna fall into a vat of radioactive waste within a week, which lets her substancially boost her abilities, but with a nasty side effect that I have yet to decide.
But now what? What kind of twist or problem can I give her to work out?
Oh, and I want some unexpected twist of both logic and the natural superhero laws that allows Jen to save the day, but the problem is that with superheros, there are no laws. Every concievable twist or impossible thing has been done!