Magical Powers I Wish I Had (For Totally Mundane Purposes)

Everyone wants magical powers, am I right? Or superpowers, if you prefer that term — they're honestly about the same thing, just with slightly different connotations and sources. Anyway. We frequently pick the powers we'd want based on sheer Rule of Cool — I mean, how absolutely storming awesome would it be to be able to fly or shoot fire from your hands or use most standard forms of gravity manipulation? But at the same time, most of those would be pretty impractical or even dangerous if you're not a superhero or fantasy adventure hero. And then there are powers that might not be flashy but would actually be incredibly helpful for the average person (and some that are flashy or cool but would still be really useful even in the every day). Today, I thought I'd highlight a few of those powers that I'd particularly like to have, not because I want to have adventures but because they'd make my life easier or better. And, just to make things a little more interesting, I'm going to limit myself to only specific powers from books, movies, and so on, so I can't just wish for generic time manipulation (because we all know that's the best superpower).

Magical Powers I Wish I Had
(For Totally Mundane Purposes)

1. Ashna's color manipulation (Lady Dragon, Tela Du). Some of you may be asking "Sarah, what the heck? Why is this topping your list?" And to that I ask: why is it not topping yours? Maybe it doesn't solve the "big problems" that some of the other items on this list will deal with, but if I had this power, I would use it literally every single day. Or at least a couple times a week. It has basically a million applications. Can't find a matching or coordinating outfit for the day? Bored of the color of your phone or laptop case or backpack? Change it, then change it back later! Thinking of dying your hair but not sure if you want to commit? No problem, and no expense! Colors just won't come out right on the poster you're working on? No need to spend your whole print quota trying to fix it! Just nip in and adjust them on the print you've got. Boom. (Obviously this won't work if you have a large number of items, but if it's just a few things, you're fine.) And just think of the possibilities for cosplay! All you have to do is find or make pieces that are the right shape or fit, then change the color to suit. We've already mentioned the possibility for hair color, and if you're cosplaying, say, Gamora or some other character with a non-human skintone? No need for body paint or makeup! You have the power! Storms, you could even make money off of it. So, yeah; this is about as non-flashy as you can get, but it takes the cake for most practical magical power.
2. Sliding/Subsuming, aka Bendalloy Twinborn Compounder (Mistborn: The Alloy Era). Y'all knew this one was going to be on the list. For the uninitiated, Sliding in the Mistborn world is the ability to create a "bubble" in which time is expanded (giving yourself more time relative to the outside world). Subsuming is the power to basically store energy for later without having to do the whole convert-it-to-fat-and-burn-it thing. Either on their own is pretty great, but if you can use them both, it would be the the second-best-power ever, possibly the best power ever, for someone like me. Without getting into the nitty-gritty details, if you have both the Allomantic and Feruchemical versions of a metal power, you can get ten times as much power on the Feruchemical side. So, basic M.O. with this power:
   1. Eat whatever the heck I want and, instead of it all turning to fat and making my life more difficult, I store everything except what I really need in my metalminds (the pieces of metal used to store Feruchemical power). Boom, I've already eliminated one source of stress.
   2. Whenever I have a lot to get done, tap into the Allomantic side of the power to create a time bubble until I'm done, have accomplished a decent amount, or need to move outside the bubble.
   3. Once I'm done, tap the Feruchemical side of the power to restore all the energy I just used up.
   4. Repeat.
   5. Use some of my extra time to go to the gym more often.
   6. Profit (emotionally and physically, because I'm less stressed and more fit).
3. Gold Feruchemy/Bloodmaking (Mistborn, both eras). Ok, yes, there are much more practical and efficient healing powers out there, most of which don't require you to make yourself sick so you can store up health to use later. But most of those more efficient healing powers require just as much energy as being sick does — and the Feruchemical version of healing comes with a built-in bonus, even if you're not a Compounder (which would, of course, be the ideal). What's that? Simple: an instant out of any undesirable social situation. No one wants to hang around a sick person, so you can provide yourself a future benefit and give yourself a perfectly legitimate reason to stay home instead of going out at the same time. And, yeah, being sick isn't fun, but if you're not an action hero, you wouldn't have to spend nearly as much time storing up health for later because you wouldn't use it as quickly. (The downside of this, of course, is that it somewhat increases rather than decreases the time you spend being sick, even if your usual approach is "If I'm sick anyway, just make myself more sick and get all the misery over with at once", but I currently can't think of a singular healing ability that does ward off sickness, so, yeah. If anyone knows of one, let me know.)
4. Basically any force field ability (various media). I'm going to cheat a little with this one because there isn't one specific version of the power that I'd want, and there's a very simple reason I would want it: instant umbrella. This would be particularly helpful if you're a college student at any campus that has a lot of wind. For one thing, you wouldn't have to worry about your umbrella flipping inside-out or getting pulled out of your hands. For another, you could potentially adjust the shape or angle of the force field to be the most effective against wherever the rain is coming from. (Water manipulation could also work for this purpose, but force fields have the bonus advantages of giving you a personal space bubble, which is practical in a lot of situations, and letting you make yourself a hoverboard, which sounds great to me.)
5. The Arc of Time (Fairy Tail). Ok, so this is a slight spoiler for one of the Tenrou Island villains, but basically this lets you turn back the clock on the state of non-sentient objects so you can restore them to a previous condition or fast-forward them to a future condition. And while the wiki page says this ability is primarily used in combat, let's be real: it would have so many everyday applications that there's no way the people who have this magic wouldn't use it all the time. Just think about it. Stain or tear in your favorite shirt? Arc of time it back to its previous condition! Need bananas but everything in the store is green? Doesn't matter; get them anyway and fast-forward the amount of fruit you need to the perfect ripeness. Dropped your final project in a puddle and now it's ruined? Never fear; you can fix that in an instant with this power! You could even use it to make a ton of money restoring artwork and architecture if you so chose.

So, yeah. What about you? What magical ability or superpower would you love to have for mundane reasons? Any ideas for other uses of any of the ones I've mentioned? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)

Fight Song Chapter 11

Last time on Fight Song, we left Callie in a rather tight spot, being attacked by a group of men who seemed more interested in her than her money. This week, we see the outcome of her fight— an outcome that will lead to a most unexpected meeting!

Many thanks to my roommate, who patiently answers my science questions that are too random for Google, and to the friend who let me borrow her character. And thanks to you all for reading; if you have any thoughts, suggestions, or questions, feel free to comment!

Chapter 11: A Helping Hand

A car pulled up beside us and rumbled to a stop, its front tires level with my face. A man stepped out. “Ready?”

“Yep. Just have to gag her so she can’t sing her way out.” A hand gripped the back of my jacket. “Get ready.”

I tensed. This was my last chance to escape. I couldn’t afford to waste it. Oh God let this work.
The attacker gripping my jacket jerked me off the ground. I opened my mouth, forced song past the pressure of my collar against my throat. I managed three notes before one of the other men pulled my scarf away from my face and stuffed a piece of cloth in my mouth. I choked, trying to push the cloth out with my tongue, but the leader of the group slapped a piece of duct tape across my lips before I could succeed.

“There— sing your way out of that, girl!” The leader nodded to the car. “Toss her in and we’ll get out of here.”

“I don’t think you will.” The tires of the car abruptly disappeared with a rippling shift in song that only I could hear, dark liquid flowing away from where they’d been. A slim figure clad in black and silver stepped lightly off the roof of a nearby building and strode down the air as if it were a flight of stairs until she hovered a few feet above the ground. A black domino mask hid the upper half of her face. Though she carried no visible weapon, the way she held herself and the fact that she was literally standing in midair told anyone watching that she didn’t need one— as if they wouldn’t know that anyway. Everyone in Foundry City knew of Starlight.

 “You have two options, gentlemen. Either you release her, or I do. Which will it be?”

The men holding me hesitated. I could guess their thoughts: Starlight was, of course, Starlight, but there were four of them and one of her, and they had me as a hostage. How bad could their chances be? They’d end up the same place if they fought and failed as if they surrendered.  And Starlight didn’t kill; everyone knew that; she wasn’t some vigilante toeing the line between good and evil . . .
The leader made his decision. In one swift move, he drew his pistol and shoved the muzzle against the back of my head. “Or you leave us be and we don’t kill her. How’s that option for you?”

“Strangely unappealing.” Starlight didn’t so much as twitch a finger, but the pressure of the gun against my head suddenly disappeared, and my attacker let out a string of curses. If I could’ve moved my mouth, I would’ve grinned.

The tape and gag disappeared next, dissolving into vapor. I didn’t waste any time, singing the leader’s jacket into flames again. He let go of me with a yell. I hit the ground and rolled, narrowly avoiding the hands of the other thugs.

With a shimmer and a sudden shift in melody, the air around the four thugs solidified into a box. For a moment, all I could do was stare. The wall was only inches from my face, and it was strange to see the men push against it, so close and yet contained. Then I came to my senses and hummed another string of notes. The plastic ties around my wrists and ankles softened until I could push them apart. I sat up, rubbing my wrists, and looked at Starlight. “Thank you.”

“Naturally.” Starlight nodded curtly. She stood on the concrete now, not in the air, and with her feet on the ground it became immediately evident that she was short— petite, even. But she had a presence far greater than her size, built on confidence and power.

I stood and turned to face my attackers again, tucking my scarf back across my face. “You were going for me. Not my money. Not my violin. Why?”

“You think we’re gonna answer that?” The leader scowled at me. “Use your brain.”

“I am. But I want facts, not guesses.” I crossed my arms. “You must have been trying to get me specifically, or someone like me. Otherwise you wouldn’t have kept going even after I put up a fight and showed you what I’m capable of— not unless you’re idiots.”

“What makes you think I’m gonna tell you anything, girl?” The leader snorted. “You already know I’m not stupid.”

“No. But you probably like breathing, don’t you?” I hummed, pulling air from his throat like I had with the robbers, and kept going until he looked suitably panicked. “Tell me why you wanted me and I won’t do more.”

The leader’s scowl deepened, and he rubbed his throat. “Fine. There’s word out that someone— I’m not gonna name names— is willing to pay well for you. Specifically. He asked for alive, but dead would get a guy something too. That’s all you’re getting.”

“That’s what I asked for.” Welsh. It has to be. I backed away from the prison of air that held the men. Had he secretly orchestrated the holdup at the café too to see what I could do? No. No way. I’m overthinking things. And that would mean he knows my real name . . . How could he know my real name? He’d never seen my full face; we’d only encountered each other in darkness, with one or both of us masked. No. The café was just a coincidence. It has to be. All the same, if Welsh had offered some kind of reward for my capture or death in the criminal underworld, however that worked, I’d have to be careful from here out.

The police arrived not long after that, apparently called by Starlight. I had just enough time to pull down my scarf before they arrived. They took statements and my attackers and left again without trouble. I expected Starlight to leave too, but she lingered. “You didn’t handle yourself too badly.”

Was she complimenting me? Despite my exhaustion, despite my bruises, I stood a little straighter. “Thanks. And thanks for coming to my rescue.”

“It’s what I do.” Again, I thought Starlight would leave, but still she stayed. “As someone who’s been at this a touch longer than you have, can I offer you some advice?”

“Sure. Definitely.” I definitely wasn’t going to pass up advice from Starlight. As far as I was concerned, she was one of the best, maybe the very best, superhero in the city. Whatever she wanted to say, I was going to listen.

“Make up your mind. And while you’re at it, be a little more careful.” Starlight crossed her arms. “Word’s getting around about you and your quest for justice . . . Ava. If you keep this up, someone’s going to put two and two together and guess who you actually are.” Starlight’s tone said she’d already figured that out, and my stomach twisted as I wondered who else had. Not Uhjin or Jonathan, please . . . Of course, Jonathan already knew my real name, and he'd been in the cafe. He might have guessed at my powers too. “And if someone is the man you’re hunting or another Big Bad, you aren’t the only one in danger. A person who knows your face, your name, can find your family and friends easier than you think. And those kind of people won’t think twice about using anyone you love against you.”

My stomach twisted again. Surely Momma and Dad and my siblings were far enough away to be safe, surely . . . but what about Uhjin? My friends from college- Kearsten and Stephen and Jess and the rest? Jonathan? The people at my church? “What are you saying I should do?”

“Make a choice, like I said. Either take up the mask and keep fighting or don’t take the mask and save these powers of yours for emergencies.” Starlight shook her head. “Neither option will solve everything, but either will help. And it’s not a choice to make lightly. But you have to decide sooner or later.”

Her words solidified what I’d known for weeks now. The knowledge sank like stones in my gut. “What do you think I should choose?”

“I don’t know you well enough to tell you that.” Naturally. We’ve never met before tonight. I’d be amazed that Starlight knows who I am at all, except that, as she pointed out, I had been talking to a lot of people and doing more of this amateur-heroing. Surely Starlight, who probably kept her ear to the ground and had dozens of contacts all through the city, would know about my mission. “I will say that you have power and talent to use it. Wasting that would be a shame. But it’s your choice. Think about it.”

With that, she finally left, climbing back up invisible stairs in the air until she reached the rooftop and disappearing into the night. I, too, set off for home, mulling wearily over Starlight’s advice.

When I reached the apartment, I found Uhjin on the couch watching Supergirl on her laptop. Her silky black curls were down; her makeup wiped away; and her fashionable outfit from earlier replaced by yoga pants and a pajama shirt that read “Bear-ly awake.” Seeing her make me stop short. Wow, I’m back late. Normally on a Saturday, she returned after I was comfortably asleep.

Uhjin paused her show and turned around. “You’re late.” She did a double-take. “You look terrible.”
“I’m fine,” I mumbled, though I probably wasn’t. The various cuts and scratches on my face and hands stung, my ribs were sore, and every part of me ached. Not that Uhjin needed to know that. “Hello to you too. And goodnight.”

“You aren’t fine.” I expected Uhjin to ask what happened. But instead, she got up and fetched me a bag of frozen peas for my bruises and antiseptic and Band-Aids for my cuts and scrapes. Only once I was thoroughly patched up did she return to her show and let me fall into bed. I was asleep before I hit the pillow.

Hero Time

Time-related superpowers are seriously underrated.

There's no denying it. Ask just about anyone what superpower they'd most like to have; not many will say something time-related. Few superheroes have powers that have to do with time, and those that do generally aren't very well-known. It's not hard to guess why. Time-related powers don't appear as exciting as things like flight, lightning, or telekinesis, nor are they as easily applied in a fight scene like super strength, invisibility, or the aforementioned powers. However, if given my pick of superpowers, I would definitely take something time-related over any of those things.

Why? Quite simply: no matter what variety, time-related superpowers are the best possible blend of coolness and practicality. A few examples:

• Time Travel. This is probably what most people think of when someone says "time-related powers". The awesomeness factor is pretty obvious: who wouldn't want to travel back and forth through time? It's not quite as practical as other powers, since trying to change things in the past is likely to cause paradoxes and trying to avert disasters you learn about by going to the future is likely to make those calamities occur (for the same reason that trying to avoid a prophesied death is likely to bring it about). However, being able to visit any period of history you want would definitely make up for any non-practicalities.
• Slowing down or speeding up time. These two aren't quite as exciting as time travel, but they're still cool and useful. Speeding up time for yourself (or slowing it down for others) gives you a little extra time to think in stressful situations, to give yourself a few extra minutes to get ready when you're running late, or, if you happen to be a legit crime-fighting superhero, to  get out of  your enemy's way or catch him off-guard. Slowing down time for yourself (speeding it up for others) is slightly less applicable, but it would be helpful in situations where you're waiting for something. For example, if you were anticipating a test, an audition, or anything else you were nervous about, slowing down time for yourself would actually make what you're anticipating get there faster. For a superhero application, need to detain the baddie until backup arrives? Slow down time for both yourself and him! (Also, giving credit where credit is due: I got several of my ideas for applying these powers from The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson. Like most of Sanderson's work, it's pretty awesome, and you should definitely read it.)
• Stopping time or stepping outside of time. This is actually the time-related ability I'd most like to have. Despite having quite a bit of free time, I never seem to get everything done that I want to do. By stopping time, or better yet, stepping out of it, I could get extra time on busy days for things like writing, reading, and possibly schoolwork. Obviously, the internet and similar things wouldn't work until I'd gone back to real time, but if I'm trying to get stuff done, that's probably for the best. And, of course, the applications for a superhero are endless: freezing time to escape if you're caught, stepping outside time to go over clues and strategies without the pressure of a ticking clock, pausing time to assess the situation if you're attacked, and more. 

You can probably tell by now why I like time-related powers so much, and how they can be useful not only for the fantastical life of a superhero but for the everyday life of a normal person. I'd like to see more characters in both books and movies with these kinds of powers- not just in time-travel or superhero stories, but in fantasy in general.

What about you? What superpower would you most like to have, and if you had it, how would you use it? Are there any superpowers (or special powers in general) that you think are underrated? Please tell me in the comments!

Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)