#worm fusion

I figure this’d be a setup that leads to getting a Trump power, since the trigger directly relates to another parahuman’s powers. Plus, a Trump power that allows for a bunch of different facets would align with his array of ghost powers from the show.

Specifically, it’d probably fit the “Infinity/Ten” subtype of Trump; those are caused by triggers that involve “a power breaking reality in the vicinity.” I think an unstable portal being opened on top of you should definitely count for that.

…But then idk how one would design a power of that type well. The description of “Power sets nearly limitless in both option and choice” feels hard to design for in a way that isn’t too OP, even with the “but where other large drawbacks often apply” caveat. Mainly from like, the word “limitless” interfering with my ability to tell what restrictions are reasonable.

…although. The subtypes are’t meant to be strict in-universe guidelines; I could just rebalance it based on ideas from other Trump power types that I find easier to conceptualize and it’d be fine even if it’s not “objectively correct” for the Infinity type.

Heck even if I felt that need to strongly justify it, the situation fits pretty close to triggers for the “Four” subtype (power sets that are limited to a few usually weaker/clunkier power options). His parents were obsessive tinkers; powers would have been a factor influencing his life for a while.

Also, outside of Trump power stuff, a Breaker state would make sense to fit closer in line to his ghostly nature from the show. Not 100% sure if that’d fit his trigger, but whatever. Maybe could just argue that the portal mucked with his senses/thoughts enough to justify an intertwined mental aspect of the event, idk.

…oh I just had an idea for what the actual power could be!

What if he has to be in his breaker state to use powers, and he can only select which powers to use at the moment of transformation? Meaning he has to choose his powers before he enters any fights and likely stick with just them for the duration of that fight.

Limits could be imposed based on what he chooses (e.g. if his powers are weaker the more he has active) and how he switches back and forth (he’d have to deactivate all of his powers to swap any out and maybe he has to recharge them before he can access them again, leaving him vulnerable in the meantime).

Might want to limit his power options too (unless just limiting the strength of the powers would be enough), but idk what a good rule for that would be. Like it could just be an arbitrary list of options I guess, but something more distinctive might be interesting. Maybe he has to experience something similar to a power before he can use it? Idk.

…would ideally want to make it mirror his trauma somehow too, because powers like doing that. Making the transformation reminiscent of the portal could be a good start, but idk if there’d be anything else.

Also, outside of his powers, I’m not fully sure how one could best work in an equivalent to the ghost fights from the show. Like they could absolutely just be other capes in Amity Park, but I feel like it’d be cool to connect them to Danny or the portal somehow.

For some possible ideas for that, I guess:

They could have been in a cluster trigger with Danny (as long as the other triggers could be reasonably justified to have coincided with the portal activation)

The portal could have let some Eden material leak through, causing some people in the area to randomly gain powers (and probably mutations too) after consuming anything contaminated

If the portal is a unique phenomenon (e.g. if the straight-up Ghost Zone is included on top of the Worm stuff), the Shards could be incentivized to create more triggers in the area or prod existing hosts towards Amity Park to create more conflict and help them study it

If the portal leads to another world (or periodically connects to multiple other worlds), they could just be “regular” capes but pulled through from there

It wouldn’t be related to that portal incident, but if Vlad Masters was a power-granting Trump (akin to Worm/Ward’s Teacher), the ghost-analogues could be his empowered minions sent after the Fentons

…or they could just still be ghosts I guess, but I’m trying to lean this more on the Worm side of worldbuilding things than DP.

And some even more one-off random thoughts:

The GIW would just be a government-backed group akin to the PRT. Heck they could just be replaced by the literal PRT and Protectorate if it’s meant to be a full-on fusion with Earth Bet

If the portal is causing Eden material to leak through, Amity Park might end up evacuated/made into a quarantine site.

Instead of being given tech by Vlad like in the show, Valerie Gray’s situation could be reworked into a trigger event, with her probably being a vigilante afterwards (like as opposed to joining an actual hero team). Or if you wanted to keep the “given powers” thing in a slightly more directly parahuman-y way, she could get a Cauldron vial (maybe one supplied by Vlad to keep more similarity with the show). (though that would require including Cauldron in the fic too, at least in the background)

Skulker could be a Deviant/Case 53 who is similar to Trainwreck

I guess the implication of Fenton Works existing would be that Jack and Maddie are rogues who are open about their identities

this is meant to take place on like. their second or third night out as capes? Tubbo's power (Inventing power with a specialty in Drones) has been active for maybe two weeks at this point, and they've been getting everything ready! getting the materials, making their costumes, making the drones, everything has fallen into place!

Tommy has yet to have a trigger event and gain his powers, although that happens soon after the events of this comic!

Neither of them are official heroes yet - the Protectorate/local hero organizations have yet to spot them and offer them an official spot on the local Wards team <3