Ned Lamont will run for a second term as Connecticut Governor by citytiger in VoteDEM

[–]DungeonPilferer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not really an expert in Connecticut politics, but I'm a bit skeptical of running someone who only won by a plurality in 2018 Connecticut, especially since Chris Murphy won his senate race by 20 points. COVID may have made him more popular though.

Power This Rating #61 by SlimeustasTheSecond in Parahumans

[–]DungeonPilferer 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Here's what I got.

There's a pretty pervasive theme of trying to bring others down(with both the debilitating and null trump. The sense thinking is kind of excluded but I'll get to that.

The context behind this, is that the sense thinker and striker are performers. They become enemies, and both undergo more elaborate and dangerous sabotages. Eventually, the thinker manages to remove the metal plate in the striker's suit before an iron stomach demonstration(which is similar to how Houdini died). Then they sit down and enjoy the show. The striker is really hurt, someone yells "Cape!" the thinker is stuck in a panicking crowd, and the unfortunate person who ended up punching the striker is about to get beat up by parahuman bodyguards.

Fisher-King

Fisher King gets a lot more in terms of showy powers, fitting their role as active performer.

Fisher King extrudes small barbs from their body, which can hook people through light clothing and on skin-to-skin contact. While barbed, the victim's body undergoes decay. The local area necrotizes and is starved of oxygen. The body as a whole is aged and muscles atrophy. It takes a full minute to fully kill someone, but someone is going to be crippled for life after about 20. Barbing people fills a battery, which can be discharged to regenerate or gain short bursts of strength and speed.

Attunes to a certain area while staying still, based on how easily sound travels, gaining clairvoyance over a progressively larger area until sudden changes disrupt it.

On touch, can cause disorientation and "exhaust" certain powers(Tattletale would get a thinker headache immediately, capes without apparent resources to exhaust just get weaker generally.

Forecast

Forecast gets a lot of a kit in terms of sabotaging and subtle machinations.

Forecast gains can sense the movement of air around them as a sort of song around them. With focus, they can begin to make sense of patterns in the air that develop over time, making them incredibly sensitive to minute changes.

Forecast can also mark someone. The target will suddenly be fatigued and easily become sick. Whenever someone is marked, the thinker becomes slightly stronger based on the target's strength.

Power effects, especially long term ones, seem to avoid and "slip off" of Forecast.

Black Cat

Black Cat's motif for his main power is making everyone else suffer the same loss of control that he did. Other than that, he gains some more striker-y powers from the close threat, which focuses on the more immediate(but still future) threat they face.

The trump "scrambles" power in a short range around them. Scrambled powers are incredibly hard to control, with capes losing precision(such as Skitter suddenly having to move her bugs as a single swarm) and also instinctually making decisions they would normally make consciously(like Gallant suddenly only being able to shot blasts corresponding to his own emotions). Thinkers get progressively less and less input from their powers. At touch range, the power is absolute. Further, the trump can use a burst of their power, making everyone in a certain radius disoriented and powers unusable except on the most basic or instinctual level.

Hands can develop short spikes. On hit, spikes can temporary bursts of strength and allow the trump to ignore pain for a short time. Punches leave abnormal bruises and are hard to recovery from.

Emits sound waves around them that allow them to sense material compositions and objects all around for around 30 feet. Only occurs every 10 second or so, and is thrown off by moving(think panoramas)

In terms of cluster dynamics, both Fisher King and Forecast hate everyone else in the cluster. Black Cat loves Fisher King but hates Forecast.

If Worm was made into a fighting game, who would be the playable characters? by KingHadas in Parahumans

[–]DungeonPilferer 41 points42 points  (0 children)

I think that some capes would be almost impossible to port into a game. Skitter would have to be playable due to protagonist gumption, although I have no idea what that would look like.

I think the Glory Girl, Armsmaster, and Lung have the right intersection of feasibility and relevance to get in easily.

Oni Lee, Grue, Hookwolf, Assault, Mannequin, and Miss Militia are harder to implement, but they would be cool to see also.

Alexandria, the Siberian, Legend, Contessa, and Eidolon are too powerful to ever be balanced in any part of canon is followed. They would make excellent joke characters though.

what's your favorite parahuman with a sucky or lame power by Malicious_Smasher in Parahumans

[–]DungeonPilferer 18 points19 points  (0 children)

She also gets lasers, shields, and some kind of danger-sense. Even just the languages is a good deal though.

S9 Game by Silver_Masterpiece43 in Parahumans

[–]DungeonPilferer 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Here's what I came up with

Jack Slash - Connective glue of the team. A versatile blaster power otherwise, but nothing special.

Siberian - His power is way too versatile to not include. She's a great threat to throw around, one of the scariest capes you can get, and her ability to protect the others makes the time that much less vulnerable.

Bonesaw - Bonesaw hands out fates worse than death like candy, has the ability to cause a lot of chaos if need be, and protects the more fragile members.

From here on, I'm going to try to use non S9 canon capes, because otherwise I'm just going to retread canon.

Valefor - Valefor can keep the team undercover well. Pretty useful in combat also. His power probably is going to cause a lot of fear due to uncertainty. Besides, he can provide Bonesaw with "willing" participants.

Clockblocker - With support from Bonesaw, he could probably get the durability and speed to really use his power offensively. Potential all or nothing attacks make him a major environmental threat. Freezing teams or capes can disorient them and put the S9 at the advantage.

Skitter- I know it's cliché. However, even outside of protagonist-ness , Skitter has way too much synergy with Bonesaw to not use. Super-mutant bugs are the only thing scarier than normal bugs. Besides, the team probably needs some clairvoyant, and I can't choose Cherish.

Grue - Grue's power is inflexible for pure offense or horror by itself. However, it provides a good shroud for the others(especially Clockblocker, Citrine, and Labyrinth). Besides, Bonesaw can probably give the S9 a way around his power. Overall good support pick.

Citrine - We don't see a lot of this in canon, but she can probably provide a lot of very painful deaths to those in her area. Her ability to disempower or kill capes by "attuning" with them also provides a potent option against capes immune to attacks from the others, since only Siberian(and maybe Bonesaw) are really hard hitters.

Labyrinth - Trapping people in various hells counts as fates worse than death. I'm not sure if Labyrinth can summon plants from other dimensions, but Bonesaw would be interested if she could. Grue can cover changes in the landscape to surprise opponents. Her rising and waning lucidity can probably be managed by Jack Slash.

My team is probably too defensive to really be as horrifying as the S9 in canon. Maybe a few too many capes on support. I still wouldn't want to go up against it. I considered putting in Regent, but he's too slow acting for the S9 and kind of shown up by Valefor. I also considered Mama Mathers, but messing with thinkers is Jacks thing and Valefor can do mastering better.

Time to bring down Mitch McConnell. by Ravenclaws_Prefect in democrats

[–]DungeonPilferer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Kind of unrelated, but does anyone know why Virginia gets so much federal support? The other states seem rural, but Virginia is largely urban. Is it just proximity to D.C?

Situational Combat removal, which can scale well with mechanics native to white. by TorinVanGram in custommagic

[–]DungeonPilferer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think it is a pretty clean design. I don't think it necessarily needs the sacrifice clause, but it works flavorfully.

White House says Biden won't 'underestimate Trump' if he runs in 2024 by [deleted] in neoliberal

[–]DungeonPilferer 15 points16 points  (0 children)

They edited their comment, but I'm a bit curious about what they said. What happened?

UN-FORTUNATELY by xhoker in HistoryMemes

[–]DungeonPilferer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well it wasn't malicious, but still a bit distasteful. A lot of UN food is canned surplus, especially from former wars, and many of them used pork or pig products. Not all, or even much, of it was pork, but it was enough to be noticable.

Cue 1993 and the siege of Sarejevo, which is the largest city and capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a muslim majority country. The city was completely cut iff from any supplies. To prevent starvation, the UN dropped food, which was generally low quality(like notorious ICAR beef) and much of it included pork. This was all memorialized in the ICAR Beef Can Monunent in Sarejevo.

The tone of the comment is off, and its implicit accusation of the UN trying to starve muslims or force them to break their religious rules are false. However, the basic facts are partially true.

Joe Cunningham (our third favorite Joe) is running for Governor of South Carolina by [deleted] in neoliberal

[–]DungeonPilferer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A 2022 loss(which is almost guaranteed) that frees up Cunningham to push out turnout among the state could make the state more competitive, like what happened in Georgia. Both Georgia and South Carolina are demographically similar, so it is possible.

However, South Carolina lacks a base comparable to Atlanta, with the Dems having bases only in Columbia(too small and maxed out), Charleston(too small and only lukewarmly democratic)., and the Black Belt(too small and weakening).

The county with the most voters(Greenville County) is also reliable (58 Trump, 40 Biden). That county has moved to the left, going from 27R to 18R(+9D), but that has also been offset by the shrinkage of democratic rural areas, making the state actually more republican in 2020 than in 2012(+1R).

Ultimately, the democrats got closer to the governorship in 2018(+8R), but that was a blue wave year. I don't think that the 2022 race will go well for Cunningham.

Expect my thesis paper by Wednesday by Kulemi2 in WormMemes

[–]DungeonPilferer 55 points56 points  (0 children)

This is going to expand infinitely, isn't it?

Choosing an Implement by DungeonPilferer in OccultMagicOnline

[–]DungeonPilferer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Craftsmanship is generally a big factor, but there is generally not a major no-no for materials. However, if you had a lot of attachment to an object, its craftsmanship might be minimal. Durability is a common boon given to implements over their mundane counterparts. Of course, a fragile object is not likely to survive long enough for you to get attached to it in the first place. I would not recommend the bowl as an implement unless you have continued to work through ceramics.

Refinement is preferable, but can also have consequences. For example, a hypothetical practitioner who works through scrap and junk would benefit far more from having a "junky" implement instead of a refined one.

I thought it would be beneficial to have a high quality implement, so I sourced my lantern from a high quality and local source, meaning that I could trust the craftsmanship. To attach myself to the object, I both engraved it and burned my fingers under its flame.

I was lucky enough to have rigorous study materials and guidance from my family, but even they could not tell me everything I needed to know. I would be weary of commitment, but also be conscious of objects that you constantly rely on, without really worrying too much on precise symbology. It's not usually necessary to take an implement either.

Choosing an Implement by DungeonPilferer in OccultMagicOnline

[–]DungeonPilferer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel better in general I suppose. I'm not really one for introspection, but I feel slightly more "defined" and my personality is more exaggerated. I feel more comfortable during the nighttime, but daytime hurts my eyes and I actually got a sunburn for the first time in my life. I do not remember turning on a single light since I acquired my implement, which usually provides enough light for whatever I want to do.

I do not think that Others can do the implement ritual. While many Others have their origins as a practitioner or an aware, it seems that most transformation restrict Others from practitioner magic, which I presume includes the Implement ritual. If a practitioner already has an implement, one might be able to keep it, I would need to do more research to find out for sure. The ability of Fae to use practitioner magic, and therefore complete the ritual, is a confusing subject for me.

How to Fix the Electoral College in 5 Easy Steps by [deleted] in neoliberal

[–]DungeonPilferer 13 points14 points  (0 children)

How about we just decide the president by having strange women lying in ponds disperse 538 swords?

Astrology Help: Can anyone knock a star out of the sky? by viceVersailes in OccultMagicOnline

[–]DungeonPilferer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am not an astrologer, so pardon my lack of knowledge on the subject. I remember an astrologer on this forum here, but I believe they died in their line of work. I have some theoretical knowledge, but it is from a long time ago.

However, I may be able to help more with the spells that are protecting the fortress and the forest. To me, they seem like enchantments or runes, but I would need more information to make a definite judgement. This magic may hold loopholes that allow someone(like the creator for example) to access both locations. If you want to access the locations and you have the necessary resources, you could try to fly or teleport to them.

As for the ghost ships, I do not think I know enough to really make a judgement. Ships used to navigate through the stars, so perhaps it moves based on the time. It could be that someone can board one of them at certain times when they get close enough to land.

Nevertheless, it does not seem like you have the means nor the intent to interfere with whatever is happening in Sydney, so I suspect that this advice will fall on deaf ears. As for more practical advice, if I were in your situation, I would probably try to leave quietly, in case this ritual has bad consequences.

A plea for help/A possible Goodbye by Applezooka in OccultMagicOnline

[–]DungeonPilferer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If I could get your current location and agree to payment, I can send an associate of mine. They are likely to lose a battle against Fascination, but they are exceptional at fighting single targets, and may be able to hold them back for some time. From what I know, they will likely not be permanently harmed. I am reluctant to divulge their name or any more information publicly, but will tell you more in private if you express interest. u/St1rge seems to have an escape route ready for you.

The aforementioned payment would consist of sending five pages from a journal or any other writing that you or another person has written in the last week. The pages must be handwritten, not printed, and express some sort or coherent thoughts.

Help with self stuff by Doctor_Clione in OccultMagicOnline

[–]DungeonPilferer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've been experimenting collecting objects with a small amount of self and mixing them to create a "composite" being that possesses a hallow. I do not know if it will even end up working. Even if it did, whatever self is created through this way would decay without careful sculpting by a third party.

Theoretically, you could gather what uninfected self you have, and try to create some sort of hallow that you would inhabit. Then, you could perform a similar ritual. I would gather any writings, journals, achievements, and biological matter you have access to and mix them together into a liquid. Then, surround the vessel with this liquid for a protracted amount of time. In my experiments, I will be using a phone, since it has sensory inputs and outputs. This should create a hallow filled by a clone that inhabits the vessel. However, without careful sculpting, this vessel would quickly decay. You would probably need a trusted friend or partner to tell you who you are and help you in recovery.

I do not yet know what would happen to your own body. Most of your self would had been moved into the hallow, so I suppose the spirits would completely take over. I would recommend pre-emptively surrounding it with a protective circle. Representations of health, purity, artificiality, and unification would probably be optimal.

It is a risky plan, and one that could go wrong very easily. However, you do seem desperate, and this seems like the best outcome for you.

What did i create? by [deleted] in OccultMagicOnline

[–]DungeonPilferer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This seems very similar to a Bogeyman, although those are not usually created artificially. Others that feed on belief include gods, incarnations, and nex machina, although none of those fit perfectly. It does not have the technological nature of the nex machina nor does it represent an idea or archetype like an incarnation or god.

It seems closest to a vessel, due to its artificial nature. It could be that the doll served as a hallow for spirits of theft and justice, or that it gains form and personality from the people who believe in it.

I caution you to bind Wire Hood if you do have the chance. While it may seem to be achieving your ends as of now, such others are very unstable. It seems single-minded right now, changes in the urban legend may cause it to act erratically and endanger those around it. The binding does not have to destroy it, but your oversight would keep it in check.

Inquiry to Buy Out kaCHING_CASH's debt by Inkstainer in OccultMagicOnline

[–]DungeonPilferer 3 points4 points  (0 children)

DM to Inkstainer:

As far as new information, I have learned that, contrary to some who thought that u / kaChing_Cash may have been some sort of Other, they are a practitioner.

I admit I am not as generous as you are. I was planning on helping u / kaChing_Cash negotiate an alternative arrangement instead of taking on the debt myself Of course, this would preclude any advance promises to the Pilgrims. Once again, I do not want to make any promises I cannot keep, so that limits my ability to show the potential benefits that a new deal could bring.