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arts / rec.arts.sf.written / Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers

SubjectAuthor
* [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor SuperpowersJames Nicoll
+* Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of MinorLynn McGuire
|`* Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowerspeterwezeman@hotmail.com
| +- Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of MinorLynn McGuire
| `- Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor SuperpowersRobert Carnegie
+* Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor SuperpowersDavid Duffy
|+- Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor SuperpowersDefault User
|+- Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor SuperpowersJack Bohn
|`- Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor SuperpowersJoy Beeson
+* Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor SuperpowersAhasuerus
|+- Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of MinorLynn McGuire
|+- Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor SuperpowersJames Nicoll
|+* Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowersted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan
||+* Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor SuperpowersAhasuerus
|||+* Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of MinorLynn McGuire
||||`- Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minorted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan
|||`* Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of MinorDavid Johnston
||| `* Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minorted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan
|||  `- Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of MinorDavid Johnston
||+- Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor SuperpowersJames Nicoll
||`- Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor SuperpowersJack Bohn
|`- Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor SuperpowersJ. Clarke
`- Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor SuperpowersDefault User

1
[tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers

<t636he$r8h$1@reader1.panix.com>

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From: jdnic...@panix.com (James Nicoll)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
Date: Wed, 18 May 2022 16:23:10 -0000 (UTC)
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 by: James Nicoll - Wed, 18 May 2022 16:23 UTC

Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
https://www.tor.com/2022/05/18/five-characters-who-make-the-most-of-minor-superpowers/

Well, more characters who do what they can with minor super-powers and trivial
spells.
--
My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers

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From: lynnmcgu...@gmail.com (Lynn McGuire)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor
Superpowers
Date: Wed, 18 May 2022 15:26:47 -0500
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 by: Lynn McGuire - Wed, 18 May 2022 20:26 UTC

On 5/18/2022 11:23 AM, James Nicoll wrote:
> Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
> https://www.tor.com/2022/05/18/five-characters-who-make-the-most-of-minor-superpowers/
>
> Well, more characters who do what they can with minor super-powers and trivial
> spells.

Zero for five again !

Orson Scott Card calls these micropowers in his "Lost and Found" series.
The first books is excellent.
https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Found-Orson-Scott-Card/dp/1094091197/

Lynn

Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers

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From: dav...@qimr.edu.au (David Duffy)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
Date: Wed, 18 May 2022 23:17:42 -0000 (UTC)
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 by: David Duffy - Wed, 18 May 2022 23:17 UTC

James Nicoll <jdnicoll@panix.com> wrote:
> Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
> https://www.tor.com/2022/05/18/five-characters-who-make-the-most-of-minor-superpowers/
>
> Well, more characters who do what they can with minor super-powers and trivial
> spells.

Many examples of people with the superpower of being easily
ignored, _A Gift from Earth_ came to mind. The related power of
being boring is not necessarily supernatural.

Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers

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Subject: Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
From: ahasue...@email.com (Ahasuerus)
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 by: Ahasuerus - Thu, 19 May 2022 00:42 UTC

On Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 12:23:14 PM UTC-4, James Nicoll wrote:
> Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
> https://www.tor.com/2022/05/18/five-characters-who-make-the-most-of-minor-superpowers/

Lawrence Watt-Evans's _With a Single Spell_ (1987) was like that.

And then there is _Worm_. I remember starting it and thinking "OK, so
the main character's superpower is bug control. I know that many
stories take a seemingly minor or useless ability and prove that it can
be surprisingly powerful. I guess you can probably do a bunch of nifty
things even with bug control. Still, it can only take you so far. It's not
like you can beat Superman, kill Godzilla or save the world with bugs..."

Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers

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From: lynnmcgu...@gmail.com (Lynn McGuire)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor
Superpowers
Date: Wed, 18 May 2022 19:46:02 -0500
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 by: Lynn McGuire - Thu, 19 May 2022 00:46 UTC

On 5/18/2022 7:42 PM, Ahasuerus wrote:
> On Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 12:23:14 PM UTC-4, James Nicoll wrote:
>> Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
>> https://www.tor.com/2022/05/18/five-characters-who-make-the-most-of-minor-superpowers/
>
> Lawrence Watt-Evans's _With a Single Spell_ (1987) was like that.
>
> And then there is _Worm_. I remember starting it and thinking "OK, so
> the main character's superpower is bug control. I know that many
> stories take a seemingly minor or useless ability and prove that it can
> be surprisingly powerful. I guess you can probably do a bunch of nifty
> things even with bug control. Still, it can only take you so far. It's not
> like you can beat Superman, kill Godzilla or save the world with bugs..."

I am about 10% through Worm.
https://parahumans.wordpress.com/

Lynn

Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers

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Subject: Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
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 by: Default User - Thu, 19 May 2022 00:58 UTC

On Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 6:17:49 PM UTC-5, David Duffy wrote:

> Many examples of people with the superpower of being easily
> ignored, _A Gift from Earth_ came to mind. The related power of
> being boring is not necessarily supernatural.

That's the main power that Discworld's Susan Sto Helit has initially. This can be a problem when some teachers at her school don't think she's been attending class. She does develop more of the powers inherited from her adoptive grandfather (because it's Discworld), Death (because it's Discworld) later.

Brian

Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers

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Subject: Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
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 by: Default User - Thu, 19 May 2022 01:07 UTC

On Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 11:23:14 AM UTC-5, James Nicoll wrote:
> Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
> https://www.tor.com/2022/05/18/five-characters-who-make-the-most-of-minor-superpowers/
>
> Well, more characters who do what they can with minor super-powers and trivial
> spells.

The only one I have read is the Stross. Fine telekinesis is also useful for picking locks and opening safes after exploring the inside for booby-traps and such.

That brings to mind Niven's Gil "The Arm" Hamilton, with his psychic replacement for his missing arm. Mostly it serves as a weak replacement for the real one, but he can do things like reach through a TV phone screen and some things like that.

Brian

Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers

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From: jdnic...@panix.com (James Nicoll)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
Date: Thu, 19 May 2022 01:10:15 -0000 (UTC)
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 by: James Nicoll - Thu, 19 May 2022 01:10 UTC

In article <ff57bf2e-e45c-4636-b015-ecd3f39f8ed2n@googlegroups.com>,
Ahasuerus <ahasuerus@email.com> wrote:
>On Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 12:23:14 PM UTC-4, James Nicoll wrote:
>> Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
>>
>https://www.tor.com/2022/05/18/five-characters-who-make-the-most-of-minor-superpowers/
>
>
>Lawrence Watt-Evans's _With a Single Spell_ (1987) was like that.
>
>And then there is _Worm_. I remember starting it and thinking "OK, so
>the main character's superpower is bug control. I know that many
>stories take a seemingly minor or useless ability and prove that it can
>be surprisingly powerful. I guess you can probably do a bunch of nifty
>things even with bug control. Still, it can only take you so far. It's not
>like you can beat Superman, kill Godzilla or save the world with bugs..."

In a mage campaign, my generally no good at combat character used his not
particularly impressive affinity with animals spells to summon every ant
within a mile to deal with vampires. Ants are terrible at resisting magic
and there are lots of them.
--
My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers

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Subject: Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
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 by: ted@loft.tnolan.com - Thu, 19 May 2022 02:22 UTC

In article <ff57bf2e-e45c-4636-b015-ecd3f39f8ed2n@googlegroups.com>,
Ahasuerus <ahasuerus@email.com> wrote:
>On Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 12:23:14 PM UTC-4, James Nicoll wrote:
>> Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
>>
>https://www.tor.com/2022/05/18/five-characters-who-make-the-most-of-minor-superpowers/
>
>Lawrence Watt-Evans's _With a Single Spell_ (1987) was like that.
>
>And then there is _Worm_. I remember starting it and thinking "OK, so
>the main character's superpower is bug control. I know that many
>stories take a seemingly minor or useless ability and prove that it can
>be surprisingly powerful. I guess you can probably do a bunch of nifty
>things even with bug control. Still, it can only take you so far. It's not
>like you can beat Superman, kill Godzilla or save the world with bugs..."

Wildcards had (has?) a whole raft of characters like this: The Deuces
I believe they were called.

In the Powder Mage setting these minor gifts are called Knacks, and those
having them The Knacked. Currently the only one I recall is that
a fairly major character, Olem, did not need to sleep.
--
columbiaclosings.com
What's not in Columbia anymore..

Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers

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Subject: Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
From: ahasue...@email.com (Ahasuerus)
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 by: Ahasuerus - Thu, 19 May 2022 03:02 UTC

On Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 10:22:38 PM UTC-4, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
> In article <ff57bf2e-e45c-4636...@googlegroups.com>,
> Ahasuerus <ahas...@email.com> wrote:
> >On Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 12:23:14 PM UTC-4, James Nicoll wrote:
> >> Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
> >>
> >https://www.tor.com/2022/05/18/five-characters-who-make-the-most-of-minor-superpowers/
> >
> >Lawrence Watt-Evans's _With a Single Spell_ (1987) was like that.
> >
> >And then there is _Worm_. I remember starting it and thinking "OK, so
> >the main character's superpower is bug control. I know that many
> >stories take a seemingly minor or useless ability and prove that it can
> >be surprisingly powerful. I guess you can probably do a bunch of nifty
> >things even with bug control. Still, it can only take you so far. It's not
> >like you can beat Superman, kill Godzilla or save the world with bugs..."
>
> Wildcards had (has?) a whole raft of characters like this: The Deuces
> I believe they were called.
[snip]

I should probably clarify that it was my take on bug control when I
started reading _Worm_. It changed ... significantly, not to say
drastically, over the course of the serial.

I should have kept in mind that there are estimated ten quintillion --
or ten billion billion -- insects on Earth. And that's not counting
other arthropods.

Couple it with the kind of person the protagonist is -- or rather
becomes over the course of the serial -- plus her absolute control
over her minions in a large area and the results are surprising, to
say the least.

Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers

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From: jdnic...@panix.com (James Nicoll)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
Date: Thu, 19 May 2022 03:17:00 -0000 (UTC)
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 by: James Nicoll - Thu, 19 May 2022 03:17 UTC

In article <jelnv9F5bm1U1@mid.individual.net>,
Ted Nolan <tednolan> <tednolan> wrote:
>In article <ff57bf2e-e45c-4636-b015-ecd3f39f8ed2n@googlegroups.com>,
>Ahasuerus <ahasuerus@email.com> wrote:
>>On Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 12:23:14 PM UTC-4, James Nicoll wrote:
>>> Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
>>>
>>https://www.tor.com/2022/05/18/five-characters-who-make-the-most-of-minor-superpowers/
>>
>>Lawrence Watt-Evans's _With a Single Spell_ (1987) was like that.
>>
>>And then there is _Worm_. I remember starting it and thinking "OK, so
>>the main character's superpower is bug control. I know that many
>>stories take a seemingly minor or useless ability and prove that it can
>>be surprisingly powerful. I guess you can probably do a bunch of nifty
>>things even with bug control. Still, it can only take you so far. It's not
>>like you can beat Superman, kill Godzilla or save the world with bugs..."
>
>Wildcards had (has?) a whole raft of characters like this: The Deuces
>I believe they were called.
>
>In the Powder Mage setting these minor gifts are called Knacks, and those
>having them The Knacked. Currently the only one I recall is that
>a fairly major character, Olem, did not need to sleep.

Block's Evan Tanner had that, thanks to a brain injury in ... Korea, I
think. Gave him lots of time to indulge his hobbies, like funding
quirky nationalist movements.
--
My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers

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Subject: Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
From: peterwez...@hotmail.com (peterwezeman@hotmail.com)
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 by: peterwezeman@hotmail - Thu, 19 May 2022 04:26 UTC

On Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 3:26:55 PM UTC-5, Lynn McGuire wrote:
> On 5/18/2022 11:23 AM, James Nicoll wrote:
> > Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
> > https://www.tor.com/2022/05/18/five-characters-who-make-the-most-of-minor-superpowers/
> >
> > Well, more characters who do what they can with minor super-powers and trivial
> > spells.
> Zero for five again !
>
> Orson Scott Card calls these micropowers in his "Lost and Found" series.
> The first books is excellent.
> https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Found-Orson-Scott-Card/dp/1094091197/

Somewhere on the scale between superpowers and micropowers are there powers?

Peter Wezeman
anti-social Darwinist

Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers

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From: jclarke....@gmail.com (J. Clarke)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
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 by: J. Clarke - Thu, 19 May 2022 16:09 UTC

On Wed, 18 May 2022 17:42:52 -0700 (PDT), Ahasuerus
<ahasuerus@email.com> wrote:

>On Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 12:23:14 PM UTC-4, James Nicoll wrote:
>> Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
>> https://www.tor.com/2022/05/18/five-characters-who-make-the-most-of-minor-superpowers/
>
>Lawrence Watt-Evans's _With a Single Spell_ (1987) was like that.
>
>And then there is _Worm_. I remember starting it and thinking "OK, so
>the main character's superpower is bug control. I know that many
>stories take a seemingly minor or useless ability and prove that it can
>be surprisingly powerful. I guess you can probably do a bunch of nifty
>things even with bug control. Still, it can only take you so far. It's not
>like you can beat Superman, kill Godzilla or save the world with bugs..."

I remember a certain Lensman owing a debt to a spider . . .

And cockroaches eat plastic. Eat the right piece of plastic and your
ICBM doesn't launch or blows up in the silo.

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From: lynnmcgu...@gmail.com (Lynn McGuire)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor
Superpowers
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 by: Lynn McGuire - Thu, 19 May 2022 17:58 UTC

On 5/18/2022 11:26 PM, peterwezeman@hotmail.com wrote:
> On Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 3:26:55 PM UTC-5, Lynn McGuire wrote:
>> On 5/18/2022 11:23 AM, James Nicoll wrote:
>>> Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
>>> https://www.tor.com/2022/05/18/five-characters-who-make-the-most-of-minor-superpowers/
>>>
>>> Well, more characters who do what they can with minor super-powers and trivial
>>> spells.
>> Zero for five again !
>>
>> Orson Scott Card calls these micropowers in his "Lost and Found" series.
>> The first books is excellent.
>> https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Found-Orson-Scott-Card/dp/1094091197/
>
> Somewhere on the scale between superpowers and micropowers are there powers?
>
> Peter Wezeman
> anti-social Darwinist

Mediumpowers of course ! Or would that be Medianpowers ?

I have no idea if sidekicks are rated too.

Lynn

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Subject: Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor
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 by: Lynn McGuire - Thu, 19 May 2022 18:00 UTC

On 5/18/2022 10:02 PM, Ahasuerus wrote:
> On Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 10:22:38 PM UTC-4, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
>> In article <ff57bf2e-e45c-4636...@googlegroups.com>,
>> Ahasuerus <ahas...@email.com> wrote:
>>> On Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 12:23:14 PM UTC-4, James Nicoll wrote:
>>>> Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
>>>>
>>> https://www.tor.com/2022/05/18/five-characters-who-make-the-most-of-minor-superpowers/
>>>
>>> Lawrence Watt-Evans's _With a Single Spell_ (1987) was like that.
>>>
>>> And then there is _Worm_. I remember starting it and thinking "OK, so
>>> the main character's superpower is bug control. I know that many
>>> stories take a seemingly minor or useless ability and prove that it can
>>> be surprisingly powerful. I guess you can probably do a bunch of nifty
>>> things even with bug control. Still, it can only take you so far. It's not
>>> like you can beat Superman, kill Godzilla or save the world with bugs..."
>>
>> Wildcards had (has?) a whole raft of characters like this: The Deuces
>> I believe they were called.
> [snip]
>
> I should probably clarify that it was my take on bug control when I
> started reading _Worm_. It changed ... significantly, not to say
> drastically, over the course of the serial.
>
> I should have kept in mind that there are estimated ten quintillion --
> or ten billion billion -- insects on Earth. And that's not counting
> other arthropods.
>
> Couple it with the kind of person the protagonist is -- or rather
> becomes over the course of the serial -- plus her absolute control
> over her minions in a large area and the results are surprising, to
> say the least.

Supposedly the total mass of insects on Earth is 100X that of the total
mass of human beings on Earth.

Lynn

Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers

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From: davidjoh...@yahoo.com (David Johnston)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor
Superpowers
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 by: David Johnston - Thu, 19 May 2022 18:05 UTC

On 2022-05-18 9:02 p.m., Ahasuerus wrote:
> On Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 10:22:38 PM UTC-4, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
>> In article <ff57bf2e-e45c-4636...@googlegroups.com>,
>> Ahasuerus <ahas...@email.com> wrote:
>>> On Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 12:23:14 PM UTC-4, James Nicoll wrote:
>>>> Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
>>>>
>>> https://www.tor.com/2022/05/18/five-characters-who-make-the-most-of-minor-superpowers/
>>>
>>> Lawrence Watt-Evans's _With a Single Spell_ (1987) was like that.
>>>
>>> And then there is _Worm_. I remember starting it and thinking "OK, so
>>> the main character's superpower is bug control. I know that many
>>> stories take a seemingly minor or useless ability and prove that it can
>>> be surprisingly powerful. I guess you can probably do a bunch of nifty
>>> things even with bug control. Still, it can only take you so far. It's not
>>> like you can beat Superman, kill Godzilla or save the world with bugs..."
>>
>> Wildcards had (has?) a whole raft of characters like this: The Deuces
>> I believe they were called.
> [snip]
>
> I should probably clarify that it was my take on bug control when I
> started reading _Worm_. It changed ... significantly, not to say
> drastically, over the course of the serial.

It helps that she could temporarily increase the capability of the bugs
as well as control their actions.

Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers

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 by: ted@loft.tnolan.com - Thu, 19 May 2022 18:36 UTC

In article <t660jv$85m$3@dont-email.me>,
Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>On 5/18/2022 10:02 PM, Ahasuerus wrote:
>> On Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 10:22:38 PM UTC-4, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
>>> In article <ff57bf2e-e45c-4636...@googlegroups.com>,
>>> Ahasuerus <ahas...@email.com> wrote:
>>>> On Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 12:23:14 PM UTC-4, James Nicoll wrote:
>>>>> Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
>>>>>
>>>>
>https://www.tor.com/2022/05/18/five-characters-who-make-the-most-of-minor-superpowers/
>>>>
>>>> Lawrence Watt-Evans's _With a Single Spell_ (1987) was like that.
>>>>
>>>> And then there is _Worm_. I remember starting it and thinking "OK, so
>>>> the main character's superpower is bug control. I know that many
>>>> stories take a seemingly minor or useless ability and prove that it can
>>>> be surprisingly powerful. I guess you can probably do a bunch of nifty
>>>> things even with bug control. Still, it can only take you so far. It's not
>>>> like you can beat Superman, kill Godzilla or save the world with bugs..."
>>>
>>> Wildcards had (has?) a whole raft of characters like this: The Deuces
>>> I believe they were called.
>> [snip]
>>
>> I should probably clarify that it was my take on bug control when I
>> started reading _Worm_. It changed ... significantly, not to say
>> drastically, over the course of the serial.
>>
>> I should have kept in mind that there are estimated ten quintillion --
>> or ten billion billion -- insects on Earth. And that's not counting
>> other arthropods.
>>
>> Couple it with the kind of person the protagonist is -- or rather
>> becomes over the course of the serial -- plus her absolute control
>> over her minions in a large area and the results are surprising, to
>> say the least.
>
>Supposedly the total mass of insects on Earth is 100X that of the total
>mass of human beings on Earth.
>
>Lynn

That seems way low to me.
--
columbiaclosings.com
What's not in Columbia anymore..

Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers

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From: ...@ednolan (ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan)
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Subject: Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor
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 by: ted@loft.tnolan.com - Thu, 19 May 2022 18:37 UTC

In article <t660to$1as9$1@gioia.aioe.org>,
David Johnston <davidjohnston29@yahoo.com> wrote:
>On 2022-05-18 9:02 p.m., Ahasuerus wrote:
>> On Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 10:22:38 PM UTC-4, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
>>> In article <ff57bf2e-e45c-4636...@googlegroups.com>,
>>> Ahasuerus <ahas...@email.com> wrote:
>>>> On Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 12:23:14 PM UTC-4, James Nicoll wrote:
>>>>> Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
>>>>>
>>>>
>https://www.tor.com/2022/05/18/five-characters-who-make-the-most-of-minor-superpowers/
>>>>
>>>> Lawrence Watt-Evans's _With a Single Spell_ (1987) was like that.
>>>>
>>>> And then there is _Worm_. I remember starting it and thinking "OK, so
>>>> the main character's superpower is bug control. I know that many
>>>> stories take a seemingly minor or useless ability and prove that it can
>>>> be surprisingly powerful. I guess you can probably do a bunch of nifty
>>>> things even with bug control. Still, it can only take you so far. It's not
>>>> like you can beat Superman, kill Godzilla or save the world with bugs..."
>>>
>>> Wildcards had (has?) a whole raft of characters like this: The Deuces
>>> I believe they were called.
>> [snip]
>>
>> I should probably clarify that it was my take on bug control when I
>> started reading _Worm_. It changed ... significantly, not to say
>> drastically, over the course of the serial.
>
>It helps that she could temporarily increase the capability of the bugs
>as well as control their actions.

What does it mean to increase the capability of a bug? Just intelligent
direction, or they are actually stronger/faster/more venomus?
--
columbiaclosings.com
What's not in Columbia anymore..

Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers

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Subject: Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor
Superpowers
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 by: David Johnston - Thu, 19 May 2022 20:35 UTC

On 2022-05-19 12:37 p.m., Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
> In article <t660to$1as9$1@gioia.aioe.org>,
> David Johnston <davidjohnston29@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> On 2022-05-18 9:02 p.m., Ahasuerus wrote:
>>> On Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 10:22:38 PM UTC-4, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
>>>> In article <ff57bf2e-e45c-4636...@googlegroups.com>,
>>>> Ahasuerus <ahas...@email.com> wrote:
>>>>> On Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 12:23:14 PM UTC-4, James Nicoll wrote:
>>>>>> Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>> https://www.tor.com/2022/05/18/five-characters-who-make-the-most-of-minor-superpowers/
>>>>>
>>>>> Lawrence Watt-Evans's _With a Single Spell_ (1987) was like that.
>>>>>
>>>>> And then there is _Worm_. I remember starting it and thinking "OK, so
>>>>> the main character's superpower is bug control. I know that many
>>>>> stories take a seemingly minor or useless ability and prove that it can
>>>>> be surprisingly powerful. I guess you can probably do a bunch of nifty
>>>>> things even with bug control. Still, it can only take you so far. It's not
>>>>> like you can beat Superman, kill Godzilla or save the world with bugs..."
>>>>
>>>> Wildcards had (has?) a whole raft of characters like this: The Deuces
>>>> I believe they were called.
>>> [snip]
>>>
>>> I should probably clarify that it was my take on bug control when I
>>> started reading _Worm_. It changed ... significantly, not to say
>>> drastically, over the course of the serial.
>>
>> It helps that she could temporarily increase the capability of the bugs
>> as well as control their actions.
>
> What does it mean to increase the capability of a bug? Just intelligent
> direction, or they are actually stronger/faster/more venomus?

Well to take one example, it's impossible for spiders to produce that
much webbing so fast. Yes, they do seem to be stronger/faster/more
venomous.

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Subject: Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
From: jack.boh...@gmail.com (Jack Bohn)
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 by: Jack Bohn - Fri, 20 May 2022 11:26 UTC

David Duffy wrote:
> James Nicoll <jdni...@panix.com> wrote:
> > Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
> > https://www.tor.com/2022/05/18/five-characters-who-make-the-most-of-minor-superpowers/
> >
> > Well, more characters who do what they can with minor super-powers and trivial
> > spells.
> Many examples of people with the superpower of being easily
> ignored, _A Gift from Earth_ came to mind. The related power of
> being boring is not necessarily supernatural.

The character Colin Robinson in the TV series "What We Do in the Shadows."
A psychic vampire, or, as the others call him, a daywalker.
One (we've all met them) who will waste your time, almost literally boring you to death.
The only vampire that can feed on other vampires!

--
-Jack

Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers

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 by: Jack Bohn - Fri, 20 May 2022 11:56 UTC

Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
>
> In the Powder Mage setting these minor gifts are called Knacks, and those
> having them The Knacked. Currently the only one I recall is that
> a fairly major character, Olem, did not need to sleep.

There was a story... "A Trick or Two" by John Novotny, where possibly everyone had a minor ability, but only one. The minor powers seen in the story had the appearance of stage magic (a friend of our main character shows an ability to stack tumblers and have one disappear, he himself later finds he can transfer an assistant from one cabinet to another) leaving the implication that others had discovered some throughout history.

"The Never-Ending Penny" by Bernard Wolfe is my epitome for a minor power or magical gift: able to always find a penny in your pocket. Written in 1960, when the power would be minor, but not totally useless. Read by me in the late '70s where it sparked the thought that a never-ending quarter would at least mean free videogames. (If I could fly like Superman, I suspect I would go around early one morning and throw all the frisbees down from the roofs.)

--
-Jack

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Subject: Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
From: rja.carn...@excite.com (Robert Carnegie)
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 by: Robert Carnegie - Fri, 20 May 2022 18:39 UTC

On Thursday, 19 May 2022 at 05:26:08 UTC+1, peterwezeman@hotmail.com wrote:
> On Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 3:26:55 PM UTC-5, Lynn McGuire wrote:
> > On 5/18/2022 11:23 AM, James Nicoll wrote:
> > > Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers
> > > https://www.tor.com/2022/05/18/five-characters-who-make-the-most-of-minor-superpowers/
> > >
> > > Well, more characters who do what they can with minor super-powers and trivial
> > > spells.
> > Zero for five again !
> >
> > Orson Scott Card calls these micropowers in his "Lost and Found" series.
> > The first books is excellent.
> > https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Found-Orson-Scott-Card/dp/1094091197/
> Somewhere on the scale between superpowers and micropowers are there powers?

Any super-human ability is a superpower, but some
powers get you your own comicbook about you, and
some don't.

I have a lot of short sight in one eye, so I can focus on
something a lot closer to me with that eye, compared
to my normal eye... so I have magnifying-vision, effectively.
And, eyeglasses.

Re: [tor dot com] Five Characters Who Make the Most of Minor Superpowers

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 by: Joy Beeson - Thu, 9 Jun 2022 02:45 UTC

On Wed, 18 May 2022 23:17:42 -0000 (UTC), David Duffy
<davidD@qimr.edu.au> wrote:

> Many examples of people with the superpower of being easily
> ignored, _A Gift from Earth_ came to mind. The related power of
> being boring is not necessarily supernatural.

I have the superpower of writing things that are read exactly opposite
to what they say. The example I remember most vididly was when I said
"safer" when I meant "not as dangerous". It's quite possible that
someone died of that mistake.

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at centurylink dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/

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