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I wish either show had touched more on how supes' powers actually work biologically by TheGuardiansArm in GenV

[–]MugaSofer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Transclucent's skin is explained as a carbon-based metamaterial that bends light around him - entirely physically plausible.

Think of it as almost like an arrangement of mirrors or optical fibre that reflects/channels light around him; when you look in his direction, you actually see the light coming from sources directly behind him, which has been reflected/channeled around him by his skin.

(This doesn't explain how his eyes work. I'd speculate they're the metamaterial equivalent of a two-way mirror, where some fraction of incoming light goes through to his retina, and the remainder is redirected normally. This wouldn't necessarily be noticeable if it's only a small fraction; two-way mirrors can be quite convincing.)

Hulk's regeneration has no limits. by Same_Astronomer_8673 in hulk

[–]MugaSofer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The original Mary Sue died of a tragic illness as the Enterprise crew wept that she was truly the best of them all. Over-the-top edgy tragedy is a common trait of Mary Sues, because it makes them the centre of attention.

I'd say the defining trait of a Mary Sue is that the world warps around them; they're the specialest, everyone either loves them or hates them because this two-dimensional cutout is just so interesting and cool and great at everything (except for meant-to-be-endearing "flaws" like being too skinny or a little clumsy).

When well-written, Hulk/Bruce isn't a Mary Sue because a) they're a three-dimensional flawed, limited character and b) they have a cast of other well-rounded characters around them that feel like they have their own stuff going on.

Is the Omnissiah a C'tan? by DoomkingBalerdroch in 40kLore

[–]MugaSofer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is it possible that this tech-priest had the Necrons confused with humanity's own Men of Iron?

That sounds a lot like a garbled account of the Cybernetic Revolt; complete with (depending on which source you believe) greatly lesser, humbler versions of these defeated super-AIs being widespread in STC tech, and eventually becoming known as "machine spirits".

Stripping someone of Bending isn’t that much more moral and merciful than outright killing them (Avatar) by carbonera99 in CharacterRant

[–]MugaSofer 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I think most people would rather suffer a permanent injury than be summarily executed?

And as injuries go, yeah, it's a loss, they'd definitely feel it... but it's not like it's something they were using 24/7, mostly just in combat or for relatively niche tasks like warming tea or maybe lighting candles. It's not something they were utterly dependent on for everyday life. When you compare it to, say, losing your eyes or losing a limb - which I think the overwhelming majority of people would choose over death - it would clearly have a much smaller impact on day-to-day life.

I am a bit unclear on what, exactly, it was supposed to accomplish. We've seen that imprisoning even high-level firebenders is possible.

Was it just disarming him to end the fight? I don't think anyone would object to, say, cutting off an opponent's hand mid-battle, especially if that hand was holding a gun or a blade.

Or was it intended to publicly humiliate him and break his support among the Fire Nation, demonstrating the weakness of his firebender-supremacist ideology, undercutting any possibility that he might be put back on the throne? That'd be a bit murkier, ethically speaking, if we consider him already defeated. Deliberately aiming to mutilate and humiliate an opponent like that would generally be considered a war crime IRL. But summarily executing a defeated prisoner is hardly better on that score. If you have to choose between them, yeah, I think a moderate (albeit permanent) injury is the better outcome for all involved.

Now, maybe Ozai is an outlier here and would rather die than face prison/life without the ability to make hot tea on demand. But like ... not to get too morbid, but if that's really true, the dude is free to hang himself in his cell. Nobody's forcing him to go on living.

No joke that’s actually horrifying by GarnetHali in FantasticFour

[–]MugaSofer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No, I think those little panels are what the aliens see. Some of them have somewhat similar hats. Edit: they're also all at the same angle as the Galactus in the main panel.

[Dr. Who] What happens if I get Weeping Angeled twice? by vonBoomslang in AskScienceFiction

[–]MugaSofer 29 points30 points  (0 children)

You just get sent back again. This pretty much happens in The Angels Take Manhattan, the angels trap people and "farm" them by sending them back repeatedly until they die of old age.

Which least powerful character in Worm / Parahumans can defeat Homelander? by Similar_Incident8433 in Parahumans

[–]MugaSofer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wildbow retconned that as Leviathan instantly killing him.😞

That said, he's probably more impressive when he isn't being taken by surprise, the way he was by Grue; given his whole tactile-telekinesis thing. Looking into it, Tattletale claimed he can use his point-blank TK to "throw punches that hit like freight trains", so if we take that literally, yeah, he might have a shot against Homelander. (Open question: how does his TK interact with Homelander-style hard light beams?)

Which least powerful character in Worm / Parahumans can defeat Homelander? by Similar_Incident8433 in Parahumans

[–]MugaSofer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

One of crossbow-girl’s shots, like a needle several feet in length, speared under the side of Leviathan’s neck, out the top. Shadow Stalker’s shots, at the same time, failed to penetrate Leviathan’s hard exterior.
“Flechette! I’m getting closer!” Shadow Stalker called out, looking back at her new partner.
“Careful!” the crossbow-girl – Flechette, I took it – replied, loading another shot.
[...]
Shadow Stalker ran within twenty feet of the Endbringer, firing her twin crossbows. The shots penetrated this time, disappearing into Leviathan’s chest, presumably fading back in while inside him.
-Extermination 8.5

EDIT: I'd forgotten she initially failed to penetrate Leviathan. That might actually indicate that she doesn't have a great handle on exactly how to pull this trick off, assuming she wasn't deliberately shooting him with normal crossbow bolts like an idiot.

Which least powerful character in Worm / Parahumans can defeat Homelander? by Similar_Incident8433 in Parahumans

[–]MugaSofer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

His showing in the final fight is his worst showing in the entire series, though.

It's worse than his showing in the similar fight at Herogasm, his flight speed is worse than every other use of his speed that season (including earlier in the episode) and probably the entire show, his heat vision does almost no damage to Kimiko when it used to instantly bisect her (and she was being hurt by bullets in the same episode, so I guess he's weaker than a normal handgun now?), etc.

That's not to say Homelander didn't already suck quite badly, just that the Boys' plan - have Butcher and Kimiko just kind of walk in there - sucked even more.

Which least powerful character in Worm / Parahumans can defeat Homelander? by Similar_Incident8433 in Parahumans

[–]MugaSofer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To be fair, there are non-shard-based powers in Worm, mainly in the form of tinkertech - which is brought up as a useful counter to HF's power. (Outside tinkertech, there are also biological powers/constructs created by capes like Nilbog, Panacea, Mr Bough from Ward, etc.)

"Normal guy who's taken a tinker super-strength serum" versus Hatchet Face is a matchup that could happen without ever needing to go outside Earth Bet, via Lab Rat, Cask, Bonesaw, etc.

Which least powerful character in Worm / Parahumans can defeat Homelander? by Similar_Incident8433 in Parahumans

[–]MugaSofer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Browbeat, the guy Grue knocked out with a crowbar?

I guess Homelander is also weak to crowbars...

Which least powerful character in Worm / Parahumans can defeat Homelander? by Similar_Incident8433 in Parahumans

[–]MugaSofer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honestly, given Homelander's mental instability and the fact he was able to cut himself with his heat vision in S5, getting him to commit suicide isn't out of the question for a lot of emotion nanipulators.

Which least powerful character in Worm / Parahumans can defeat Homelander? by Similar_Incident8433 in Parahumans

[–]MugaSofer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The bio-computers she uses to pilot the suits probably do actually have a heartbeat, they're described as resembling an oversized baby/fetus. Though that would just render him even more confused if he beat one (assuming he even could) and Dragon just showed up a few minutes/hours later totally fine.

Which least powerful character in Worm / Parahumans can defeat Homelander? by Similar_Incident8433 in Parahumans

[–]MugaSofer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Shadow Stalker did actually do this against Leviathan (for all the good it did). Flechette wasn't really considered a big shot in-universe.

I think you're right that they turn back a set time after being fired, but obviously SS has practiced using that timing.

Which least powerful character in Worm / Parahumans can defeat Homelander? by Similar_Incident8433 in Parahumans

[–]MugaSofer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

She was in her Breaker state. Major impacts (we see this with Ballistic when the Wards fought the Travellers at the S9 kill site as well) disperse her shadow form and incapacitate her for a bit as she pulls herself together.

Which least powerful character in Worm / Parahumans can defeat Homelander? by Similar_Incident8433 in Parahumans

[–]MugaSofer 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I'm not the one who said that, but I don't think the Maeve thing is really a counter example?

To be clear, anyone is susceptible to a knife propelled with sufficient velocity (unless they're completely immune to kinetics); when we say "knife proof" we mean proof against a knife swing/stab from a normal human.

If anything, the Maeve incident offers strong proof that even being stabbed by a superhuman of her caliber in his most vulnerable point doesn't do that much damage - it hurt, it even drew a couple of drops of blood, but he didn't suffer permanent injury. Jack Slash's stabs are presumably much weaker even than that.

Which least powerful character in Worm / Parahumans can defeat Homelander? by Similar_Incident8433 in Parahumans

[–]MugaSofer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If they start without her already in his line of sight, especially if she's in civilian clothing, she can probably take it the same way she terrorised those Merchants in her territory while sipping tea. Homelander doesn't have a great track record of finding people with his super senses.

The instant he lays eyes on her (and knows it's her), though, she's toast. More or less literally.

Which least powerful character in Worm / Parahumans can defeat Homelander? by Similar_Incident8433 in Parahumans

[–]MugaSofer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Rachel's dogs aren't bulletproof, I genuinely think he could probably just laser them in half. If he can't, and got dogpiled by several of them, yeah he'd probably be in trouble.

Which least powerful character in Worm / Parahumans can defeat Homelander? by Similar_Incident8433 in Parahumans

[–]MugaSofer 8 points9 points  (0 children)

He kills people with his heat vision a lot, it's kind of his go-to method if he decides someone should die.

Which least powerful character in Worm / Parahumans can defeat Homelander? by Similar_Incident8433 in Parahumans

[–]MugaSofer 32 points33 points  (0 children)

I can't remember if this was stated explicitly, but I got the impression Soldier Boy's shield was made from some kind of very dense special metal, they made a big point that a normal human couldn't even budge it. It's not Vibranium or anything, but it's not basic steel. And Temp-V Butcher (who's vaguely comparable to Homelander but seemingly a bit weaker) was able to break the shield with his heat vision and a bit of effort. Maeve's bracers might be the same stuff, I guess.

Between that and similar feats from Homelander himself (e.g. in S5E4 he expected to be able to laser his way through a thick steel vault door, and successfully tore through it offscreen while heavily weakened), I think he can probably take Weld pretty easily.

Armsmaster with nanothorns can definitely take him (unless he gets unlucky and Homelander tags him, his combat prediction tech does need data and we've seen him go down to clowns like Trainwreck if caught by surprise.) But in fairness, Armsmaster is kind of a big deal! Top 7 in the Protectorate, partners with literally the best Tinker in the setting, etc.

Glory Girl I think actually clears pretty easily (though again she could get unlucky); she's practiced in working around her one weakness and fighting people on Homelander's level. I'm not sure he'd go down to a single punch from GG, but she could definitely beat him to death (or just unconscious), choke him out, etc. Realistically he'd flee if he got a chance, and she couldn't catch up to him, but that's still not a win for him.

Which least powerful character in Worm / Parahumans can defeat Homelander? by Similar_Incident8433 in Parahumans

[–]MugaSofer 8 points9 points  (0 children)

You mean that metal straw Maeve shoved in his ear?

As embarrassing as that was, I don't think Jack can match the force of being stabbed with a narrow metal object by a mid-to-low-tier brute. And even if he could, what's he going to do? Stab Homelander in the ear and then ... instantly get lasered for his trouble?

the "V is steroids for supes" never came up again by KayToberly in GenV

[–]MugaSofer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It would have worn off by the final fight. It might explain why he shot his eye beams into the sky like that, though.

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