breaking the world
Jan. 22nd, 2023 01:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
marycatelliThere are powers that can break the world. Not so much the world itself -- most supervillains regard the world as a good place to keep their stuff, and those who don't will get all the superheroes and the vast majority of the supervillains to team up against them.
But there are powers that would, given their head, break the world-building so much that the new world would be only vaguely like the original.
Superspeed. Intangibility such that you can pass through walls. Above all else, teleportation. The ability to infiltrate means, for instance, that assassination has become incredibly easy.
Shape-changing to resemble other humans and mind control would be worse. Paranoia runs deep. How can you convict anyone of anything? Or acquit anyone of anything?
Harsh limits on the powers. Strong defenses against the powers, and cheap too. Or else the world is shattered because everything goes toward trying to defend against these powers.
But there are powers that would, given their head, break the world-building so much that the new world would be only vaguely like the original.
Superspeed. Intangibility such that you can pass through walls. Above all else, teleportation. The ability to infiltrate means, for instance, that assassination has become incredibly easy.
Shape-changing to resemble other humans and mind control would be worse. Paranoia runs deep. How can you convict anyone of anything? Or acquit anyone of anything?
Harsh limits on the powers. Strong defenses against the powers, and cheap too. Or else the world is shattered because everything goes toward trying to defend against these powers.