"Good afternoon everyone and welcome to Powers 101 in our new Community Auditorium. Happy to see quite a few people from Mutant Town in attendance as well. As many of you know, I'm Ashlie Minamida, head-mistress and the organizational part of our community outreach. My co-docent is Laura Kinney, also known as X-23, in charge of security as well as power training." Laura gives a very curt nod in response to being introduced.
"Some of this is probably going to be things many of you already know or have intuited from living with your mutations, but bear with me and I do think you'll find there's something for everyone here. Some quick basics, I promise I won't go into too much detail as much as I might want to. Mutations are a result of two interlinked factors. One is a highly variable sequence of DNA responsible for the kind of potential powers someone might express. This part is also found in many non-mutants and can be artificially induced though the mechanisms are poorly understood, potentially dangerous and unpredictable. In mutants, this latent sequence is coupled with what's colloquially called the X-Gene that is usually activated during puberty, though outliers exist."
"Even outside of the scientific side of things, our understanding of powers constantly changes as we learn more. They're varied and often defy categorization, which is why I've worked with Laura to adjust my old system to be a bit more focused on practicality rather than pure theory and underlying mechanics." She steps to the side of the electronic whiteboard which displays a list of categories along with simple animated pictograms.
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Striker, Shaker, Tinker, Breaker
Tuner, Stranger, Mover, Changer
Thinker, Caster, Brute and Blaster
"They're by no means comprehensive and only somewhat touch on how a given power works 'under the hood', focusing more on the effects they can have on the world and people around them. This can give a quick way to decide on how to respond to emergencies or aggressive situations, but also foster compassion and understanding for the unique quirks and difficulties some powers have. They can often have co- or sub-categories, combining to better represent the individual power. I used to assign numerical values to evaluate severity and potential but I've been informed that this would foster unhealthy competitiveness-"
"Dick measuring."
"Yes, thank you Laura. As well as set expectations too high or low for little benefit. Anyway. Brute is something I'm sure everyone is familiar with. It's increased toughness, strength, resilience. It's very common and minor expressions of it are often found. Generally a little resilience isn't enough to put one into this category as it's mostly reserved for those whose main expression is enhanced physicality or resilience. For instance, the Hulk as a prime example but also Wolverine and X-23."
"Blaster too is fairly straight-forward. Discharging energy or projectiles at varying ranges. Cyclops, Quill, Toad to name a couple. But also telekinetics, usually paired with Thinker. The main factor is range with a slightly lesser focus on projectiles."
"Striker begins to be a little broader. It indicates powers that require touch or close physical proximity. It often includes healers or touch-based telekinetics, but can be a sub-category for others to clarify the vector of a given power."
"Shaker describes someone who predominantly affects the physical space in their vicinity; ground, buildings but also air and other omni-present things. Storm and Quake for instance. They change and control the world around them."
"Thinker encompasses a lot of cerebral abilities and is often connected to others to differentiate it. Hallmarks are telepathy, psychic abilities and increased intellect. Reed Richards and Professor X."
"Caster is... new." she says with a little sigh. "It includes magic users. The resulting powers are often incredibly versatile and adaptable but not always. More than perhaps any other power they strongly follow culture, tradition, mythology or stories, sometimes inconsistently or even in contradictory ways. Depending on capabilities and skills this can result in effects that strongly correspond to any of the other categories. In that sense it is aggravatingly similar to the next one."
"Tinkers. The ability to interact and adapt technology, producing results that are well beyond the norm. This often manifests in the field of physics and engineering like for yours truly, but can extend to others such as biotechnology or medicine. Technopaths, inventors and your general 'Mad Scientists'. Tony Stark is a foremost example, mainly producing suits that impart Blaster and Mover capabilities."
"Speaking of, Mover is fairly self-explanatory. Increased movement, flight, teleportation. Often a sub-classification, especially concerning flight, but quite impressive as a main expression of power in people such as Quicksilver."
"In that particular case, Quicksilver's speed comes with a side of Breaker. Breakers adapt their body through and for the use of their power, usually in very specific ways. Quicksilver becomes immune to many physical forces when he uses his power, negating friction but also the effects of aging and even some psychological strain through warping his perception of time. Breakers in particular high-light how accommodating to their user powers can be but also the issues that arise when they aren't. Another example would be the Human Torch."
"Sometimes confused with them are Changers, but the distinction is that Changers can generally take on a number of different forms and have direct control over it. Shapeshifters such as Morph and our very own Will Stanton. Incredibly versatile, especially when creatively used, Changers can display their powers in ways that mimic many of the other categories to the point that assigning them sub-categories only really applies when a distinctive second power is present."
"Tuners are incredibly rare. They interact with other peoples' powers directly. Mimicking or stealing them, enhancing or adjusting how they work, blocking or disabling them. Rogue is a famous example, as is Leech. They can often be the focus of those seeking to exploit their unique abilities to enhance their own, though that's certainly not unique to them."
"Finally Strangers. Their powers make them difficult to perceive or identify through a variety of means. Invisibility, psychic manipulation either active or intrinsically. They evade senses or blend in seamlessly. This is often seen as deceptive through no fault of their own and can in fact be a huge detriment to them in terms of cultivating relationships."
