let's fall in love.

Recently, I’ve been playing “Infamous: Second Son”. I really liked it and I took notice to one detail in particular that I really liked. In the beginning, when Delsin gets his powers from Hank, Delsin began to turn into smoke and dash around and turn back uncontrollably. As soon as this started happening, Delsin started freaking out. When he got to his brother, Reggie, he started to break down and needed Reggie to help him calm down. People always wonder what super power they would want, but they never imagine learning how to control it. For example, flight. Let’s say you wake up one day with the ability to fly. How hard it be, right? Have you ever flown before? I mean, with your own body and nothing else? If not, then good luck getting back on the ground. You’ll probably be spending most of your day on the ceiling trying to figure out how to turn your powers off. This could be applied to any power, really. Fire powers, you’ll burn down a lot of stuff before you find a way to stop it. Teleportation, you’ll probably go to every place you can think of until you control yourself. The list keeps going on. But powers can still be fun once you learn how to control them. Key word: control. If you plan on being a writer, remember this just in case you want to make a character with powers. Thanks for reading, and good luck.

At the time it was kind of shocking, but now that you’re a little older it does make sense, since you two really don’t look much alike. It’s also very clear to you that your sibling processes some sort of ability you don’t, it seems psychic, but they refuse always to talk about it or are just very dismissive when the topic gets brought up.

They seem to be able to predict future events, they have an inexplicable strong bond with non-sapient living creatures and you can swear you’ve seen things float around them for a brief-second once.

“Tch, look at you,” the antagonist said. “You’re so afraid of hurting the world that you hurt yourself instead.” 

The protagonist whipped to face them, breathing hard.

The antagonist’s gaze raked over the protagonist’s body - the fractures, the hairline cracks, the scars as if they were literally coming apart at the seams of them. “Power, my dear, is a wild thing. It is not meant to be contained.”

Fear lashed through the protagonist’s blood. They curled their arms tighter around themselves as if that could slam the lid back on it. On all of it. They hadn’t wanted this. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, just stay away from me.”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about.” The antagonist approached them, unafraid. “And it’s not going to go away, you know, just because you try to pretend that it’s not there. There’s too much of it.” The antagonist sounded like they were relishing that fact. 

The protagonist stepped back again. “Who are you?” 

“You can consider me a concerned party.”

“A concerned party. Well, thanks, but I’m fine.” 

The antagonist reached out a hand, tracing a fingertip along a bloodied cut on the hero’s arm, giving them a ‘if you’re going to lie at least do so well’ look. “If you keep going the way that you’re going, it’s going to eat you up alive. Gnaw on your bones until there’s nothing left.”

The protagonist swallowed thickly. Their stomach squeezed. The fear jabbed at them again, and some of their facade crumpled. “How do I stop it?”

“You need to learn how to control your gift - I could help you there.” 

“Why? Why would you?”

“Because if you die, all that power is going to die with you. I think that would be a shame,” the antagonist said softly. They were inches apart now, closer than the protagonist had been to anyone in days.“You don’t need to be frightened. Don’t you see? You’re a miracle. One of the few. You never need to be scared again.” 

The protagonist’s brow furrowed, not sure what answer they would have expected instead. Something more compassionate. At the same time - they didn’t want to die. They didn’t want to hurt anyone, but they didn’t want to die. Exhaustion tugged at them, aching and relentless. The power whispered and begged to be set free, hungered for use, for more than the thin contains of human skin and ribs and lungs. 

“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” they confessed. “Can you stop me? You said you could teach me to control it, but can you stop me? If you need to?” 

The antagonist slammed out a hand. 

The protagonist hit the wall with an invisible force, gasping, wide-eyed. 

The antagonist offered them a small smile. “Oh, I promise.”

For the first time, the protagonist relaxed.

The force dropped from their aching body and they hit the ground, black spots dancing in their vision.

I feel like there’s an issue mind-readers would have to deal with that most superhero shows and novels don’t address: Intrusive thoughts.

I mean, we always see mind-readers learning the deep dark secrets of everyone around them immediately, but what if that wasn’t how it happened? What if we had a protagonist walking along, head swimming as they realize they can read minds… And hearing “I should put that leaf in my mouth” in their head. And they look over to see someone staring at a leaf in irritation.

Or what about the darker intrusive thoughts?

When someone bumps into someone else, and that person thinks, “Bump into me again and I’ll kill you.” And they don’t mean it, they freak out the next second… But they still thought it.

I feel like the hardest part of having the ability to read minds wouldn’t be finding out what people really think of you, but hearing the things people think but don’t actually believe. The scattered thoughts ingrained into them by society, that they have to consciously choose to ignore.

The unexplainable impulses to do random things.

The disconnect between what people think and who people are.

Write about what their room looks like

Write about what they carry in their purse/suitcase/backpack/etc.

Write about what they pack for vacation. Do they overpack? Underpack?

Write about what they make themselves to eat when they’re home alone

Write about their self-care routine

Write about what kind of dreams they have

Write about how they’d act on public transportation

Write about how they’d handle being stuck in traffic

Write about them being late to something important

Write about them being sung happy birthday to in a restaurant