THE SPIDER QUEEN SINGS HER SONG OF PAIN...
Delicate as a black window spinning her web, the Mother of Spiders traces her long, narrow fingers over her victims skin. She takes care of her hands, her deep red nails perfectly manicured, her cool touch soft and gentle. Then, a wicked smile. Then, agony.
Visualization: There’s little to no visual component to Sunhwa’s gift. Someone deeply familiar with Sunhwa and her methods might know the signs: the careful movement of her hands, the slowing of her breathing, the slight knit of her brow. All anyone else would see is the Mother of Spiders with her hand on someone’s skin, and then the pain on her victim’s face, their collapse to the floor.
Senses: I imagine Sunhwa’s manipulation of her ability akin to playing an instrument — the violin or piano, something requiring dexterous hands — or, as she pushes her ability to its limits, to conducting a grand orchestra. It requires a delicate touch, intense focus, and practiced fingers. To use her ability does not necessarily drown out her other senses so much as they must be deliberately tuned out. Focus is paramount, and thus she must not allow herself to be open to distractions. Even when not using her ability, Sunhwa experiences a slightly heightened sense of touch, and thus is thus rather particular about textures, adorning herself and her home in only the highest quality fabrics.
Strengths: With a single touch, Sunhwa senses the pain of a target, and amplifies, soothes, or creates it of her own accord. She controls the intensity and quality of it, playing her victim’s nerves like a violin, creating sensations of stinging, throbbing, aching or burning as she desires. The pain she creates can be focussed on a specific area or broad, usually radiating from the point of contact or the site of existing pain, and with time and focus, is able to envelop the victim’s entire body. Sunhwa is at peak performance in a controlled, familiar setting, free of distractions, ideally with her victim already subdued. Under such circumstances, she is only truly limited by her own stamina and ability to focus. Conversely, Sunhwa is able to take pain away from a target, soothing those suffering even the most extreme wounds. In extreme cases, she may not be able to eliminate the pain entirely, but can dull debilitating pain down to a dull ache.
Weaknesses: One slip of focus, one wrong note, and she loses control of the song. It becomes cacophony reflected back at her, utterly overwhelming. Centuries of practice, of steeling herself against it, and still one moment of faltered focus can bring her to her to the floor. Extended use leaves her feeling mentally and physically drained. Her power is easiest to use alone with her target, no distractions. Sunhwa has, over time, gotten very good at tuning out cries of pain and other typical ways of lashing out; they're expected, she’s prepared and planned for them. While alone in a controlled space with the target is the ideal setting in which to use her power, she can and does use it in more uncontrolled settings. After all, bringing an enemy to their knees in agony with a single touch is an effective, if somewhat crude display of power. However, as it requires intent focus she has to tune out her surroundings to an extent, making her vulnerable to surprise. Thus, she either keeps such attacks brief, or ensures that one of her spiders is watching her back. Even so, it is always a risk.
Function: The Spider Queen’s abilities are no secret, either within her house or to the broader world. The gift of her touch is one she relishes. Every handshake, every brush of her fingers, is a test of trust. Will you allow me this, when I could make every nerve sing with pain? There are moments it has been invaluable in extracting information, in striking fear into hearts, in exacting simple revenge, but Sunhwa prefers to use it sparingly, using it only at the moments in which it is most valuable. Still, she almost always chooses to forgo gloves, and engages in casual touches often, keeping the threat of pain ever-present if rarely acted upon.
Other: As a closely held personal rule, Sunhwa only uses her abilities on her Spiders to relieve their pain, never to cause or heighten it. Only emotional pain for her dear children of the night.