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Summary of the best rationalist/munchkinism ideas in Worm?
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Author: u/raymestalez *
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URL: https://www.reddit.com/r/rational/comments/3q64qr/summary_of_the_best_rationalistmunchkinism_ideas/
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Score: 12
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Created: 2015-10-25T17:28:21
Post:
You know what would be awesome? If someone could write a brief list of the most interesting and creative ideas from Worm.
I have tried reading the story several times, but just couldn't get through it, it's way too negative for my taste. I want to read about clever exploitation of superpowers without sitting through pages of misery porn.
Just wanted to ask that in case something like this already exists, or if anybody could mention their favorite examples.
Comments:
u/sanctaphrax [+12] (10 hours later)
From memory, so I can't promise these are all accurate:
Jack Slash has the power to extend cutting edges. He teams up with Hookwolf, who can transform into a swarm of metal blades.
Phir Se, who creates portals through time, temporally duplicates photons to make ridiculously massive explosions.
In order to contain one of those explosions, a cape called Dispatch draws Eidolon (whose powers, given time, become whatever powers he needs) into a bubble where time passes really fast. Eidolon uses that time to get an indestructible forcefield power.
Golem, who can make copies of his body parts out of nearby matter, creates a giant hand to serve as a lightning rod.
Oni Lee, who can teleport and make temporary copies of himself as he does so, carries grenades so that he can make suicide bomber clones.
In order to cut at the legs of a gigantic monster called Behemoth, they have a matter-warper named Annex create a gigantic chain which is then "charged" by Foil. Anything Foil charges can cut through anything. The chain is carried through Behemoth by a couple of giant mutant dogs created by a third cape.
Glaistig Uaine absorbs the powers of dead parahumans and creates shades of their original users. She uses a duplicator shade to create a huge number of her strongest attacking shade, Grey Boy.
Chevalier has the power to take similar objects and merge their traits. He uses it to combine a very very large gun-sword with a small and actually-usable gun-sword to get a truly fearsome weapon.
u/None [+11] (2 hours later)
You know the location of every big around you. Focus, and you know where every bug isn't.
You can extrude a hand from any surface as long as you're touching a surface that's similar enough. Carry a fan with a bunch of samples of common substances.
u/Transfuturist [+8] Carthago delenda est. (4 hours later)
Golem's costume held panels of common urban materials.
u/None [+7] (8 hours later)
[deleted]
u/None [+3] (11 hours later)
Fair enough, but it was the first I could think of off the top of my head. Anyway, I get the feeling that it's still munchkinry of a sort, as the "coolest", most obvious way to use that is to go around, slamming your palm into the ground and controlling the territory.
u/Protikon [+9] very model of a singularitarian (an hour later)
Spiderwebs lifted up in the air by flying bugs to catch grenades and throw them back.
Freezing a spidersilk thread in time (not lowering temperature, it's timestop) to cut a heavy, fast monster using its own momentum.
It's been a while since I read it.
u/Transfuturist [+3] Carthago delenda est. (4 hours later)
I question the ability of flying bugs to mass their lift together like that. Related is her ability to tether strong silk yarn to surfaces in a way strong enough to accomplish some of the things she did. It beggared my belief.
u/Protikon [+4] very model of a singularitarian (4 hours later)
It was kind of stretching my suspension of disbelief, yes. But it is smart, and she literally has millions at her disposal, so I gave it a rest for the sake of the story.
u/Uncaffeinated [+3] (8 hours later)
All it takes is insects that can support more than their own weight, and you can add a bunch to lift larger weights.
u/Transfuturist [+4] Carthago delenda est. (9 hours later)
I question the ability of flying bugs to mass their lift together like that.
I am talking about their ability to support each other and to retain positive lift when their space is being encroached on by the bugs that are so dubiously adding their own lift. I am aware that simple numeric addition of the amounts of bugs Taylor uses would be enough to lift an additively larger weight, I am saying that physically doing so with a condensed mass of bugs is not feasible.
u/Uncaffeinated [+3] (9 hours later)
I suppose it depends a lot on how spread out they are. I wonder if there's a way to get realistic numbers for this.
u/Transfuturist [+3] Carthago delenda est. (9 hours later)
They all have to physically contact each other, as there's no mention of using spider silk as tiny bug harnesses. I'm very sure it is an irreducible conceit of the story.
u/Uncaffeinated [+4] (21 hours later)
Oh, I assumed she was using silk to connect them.
u/Transfuturist [+3] Carthago delenda est. (22 hours later)
Well, now I've given you the image of tiny bug harnesses, so I hope you're happy.
u/eltegid [+2] (15 hours later)
I think it's obvious that they can be spread out, if they are already using spiderwebs to catch the grenades. Still a stretch but..
u/Transfuturist [+1] Carthago delenda est. (22 hours later)
Not spiderwebs, heavy duty nets of silk yarn.
u/eaglejarl [+1] (a day later)
I think I recall her having flying bugs ferry non-flying bugs, too...flies carrying spiders, maybe? It seemed odd at the time.
u/Transfuturist [+1] Carthago delenda est. (a day later)
That was believable to me. I wondered why there weren't any descriptions of using flying insects to disperse fleas onto people.
u/HylianHal [+1] (2 days later)
Dragonflies and the like carrying spiders actually, IIRC.
u/eaglejarl [+1] (2 days later)
Ah, right. Does that actually work? Can dragonflies carry other bugs?
u/HylianHal [+1] (2 days later)
Haven't the foggiest!
More familiar with the carrying capacity of swallows, honestly.
u/eaglejarl [+1] (2 days later)
African or European?
u/HylianHal [+2] (2 days later)
Well I don't know that!
whumpf
u/Chronophilia [+1] sci-fi ≠ futurology (2 days later)
Depends on their relative sizes. Some insects are less than a millimetre across, some are more than ten centimetres. Adult dragonflies are pretty big, they could probably lift a few spiders each.
u/TimTravel [+7] (11 hours later)
The Protectorate requires its tinkers to give it access to their blueprints so their meta-tinker can use them.
Bypass physical durability by drowning, with water or whatever else is available.
u/Frommerman [+4] (a day later)
I just gained the power to control capes within 16 feet of me, at the cost of everything I hold valuable! Whoopdee-doo! Wait, there's a cape who can grant omniscience, and a cape who can make interdimensional portals...
u/duffmancd [+7] (a day later)
To possibly clarify, with enough portals everything is within 16 feet.
u/duffmancd [-1] (a day later)
To possibly, clarify, with enough portals everything is within 16 feet.
u/SometimesATroll [+6] (4 hours later)
My favorite idea is to avoid making a big splash so the endbringers don't do to you what they did to Sphere.
Simurgh ain't nothin' to fuck with.
u/gameboy17 [+4] Canterlot Campaign (an hour later)
Read Amelia. After the initial bit, it's basically "Taylor and Amy take over the world with munchkinry and unlimited resources".
u/NotAHeroYet [+8] City of Angles Municipal Government (3 hours later)
Which, be warned, is really dull after a while. there's a reason half of the compelling plot arcs are soap opera, and the other half are all at the begining. It starts off strong, though.
u/gameboy17 [+2] Canterlot Campaign (4 hours later)
True, it really shouldn't have kept going for 4000 pages. Eventually I was just in it for the shipping.
u/NotAHeroYet [+5] City of Angles Municipal Government (6 hours later)
I quit around the fifth endbringer, i think. He's right that most superhero stories have invincible heros, but there needs to be a threat, even if the reader goes 'like you'd really do that'. Civilians are nice, but they don't matter enough to the reader.
now, if the resurection had a side effect- power loss, or degradation, for instance- it actually makes death more plausible, because now they've got a way to lose without the story dying. In that way, resurection can increase tension.