the blessed shroom reblogs got me thinking about superpowers like fungi and/or microbes manipulation, I wondered what your thoughts on that could be?
I could see it being a really useful ability! Although I think for a hero team it would always best suit a more supporting role than a combat one.
Fungi can do some remarkable things:
They constitute their own kingdom on the tree of life, like us they are heterotrophs (meaning they have to break down complex organic molecules for materials and energy) but they release a cocktail of enzymes into their environment and can thrive on things which animals would find next to impossible to digest (e.g. wood, bone, hair, soil, oil spills, certain rocks, some even derive energy from ionising radiation). They are also good at sequestering heavy metals like lead or uranium. Fungi control would be useful for containing environmental hazards and potentially getting through obstructions without brute force.
They can grow exceedingly fast and take any shape, even if they are a multicellular variety, because they have a strategy of forming masses of fibres called mycelium. Mycelium have continuous cytoplasm between cells meaning they can rapidly transport metabolites between them. The individual fibres are called hyphae and can branch and fuse amorphously to create a porous structure. Their cells have a rigid wall similar to those of plants but composed of an N-acetylated sugar called chitin which is more thermostable than the cellulose used by plants. In all, fungi can form a lightweight, insulating and flame-retardant foam, stronger pound for pound than concrete (imagine a density like cork). Which would be useful for environmental protection even if it wouldn't make great armour. It would also be able to fill gaps and bind things together to help stabilise dangerous structures, barricades, or composite armours.
Fungi's cavalcade of secondary metabolites is probably going to be extremely handy and the most obvious use. Psychotropics for incapacitation, antimicrobials or immunosuppressants for medical uses, and of course poisons for less heroic users of the power. Directly attacking flesh with fungus is certainly possible but crosses a moral line.
