#power analysis

[bastard-eyeless-bigshot]

I’m having enrichment time in my enclosure in the form of excessive biochemical anatomy & physiology research as applied to our favorite flaming homosexual, I was interested in examining how his powers work in addition to what realistic drawbacks are to his power usage similar to the drawbacks Chase experienced, please enjoy!

Images posted below will be in relation to the molecular structure of fats and sweat glands

When I started this research I was trying to examine how metahumans, specifically Flambae, manifested their powers and how that would change the function of his internal biological systems. We know that magic exists in the dispatch universe but we also know most metas, unless specified otherwise, are regular genetic mutations (non-magical)

As a brief explanation of my start I examined the basics of fire. An exothermic chemical reaction that’s color is dependent on the type of fuel involved in the combustion. Things that can produce/fuel flames include but are not limited to: oxygen, hydrogen burning in chlorine, and certain metallic fuels. The most common flame color, including Flambae’s flames, are hydrocarbon flames. This led me to types of materials burning and the temperature they corresponded to; one of which being animal fat which has a max flame temperature of 1,472-1,652 degrees Fahrenheit (800-900 degrees Celsius).

Additionally Flambae’s fire exclusively ignites from his skin directly. He does not seem able to summon the fire (and the flame) from a distance. My theory of his anatomical process combines the idea of that animal fat burning with the emission from direct skin to that of a biochemical process internally allowing for ignition as well as examining which parts of his anatomy would allow his skin to not burn / why his hair still can.

My working theory is his powers are a conversion from fat to fuel in a literal sense. I did not calculate his bmi but I determined on baseline stats that he has to have a low fat ratio to his design as he is, quite literally, burning it before it develops. The basics of how fat works in the human body can be broken into three main stages: lipolysis, transport and oxidization, and the use of hormones. A very basic breakdown of the process is:

1. Fat is stored in the body in the form of triglycerides as seen above. Lipolysis breaks down the fat into fatty acids and glycerol.

2. Fatty acids and glycerol are transported through the bloodstream to various tissues and cells that require energy. The mitochondria break down the acids through a process called beta-oxidization into smaller units then burned through the Kreb’s cycle producing ATP (your body’s energy to function)

3. Hormones control when and how the fat is used. Insulin stores fat, glycogen burns it when blood sugar levels drop, adrenaline stimulates fat burning, cortisol attempts balance deciding when to store or burn based on the body’s needs in interpreting stress

Considering Flambae’s powers are tied to his emotions it only seemed practical his powers would be directly correlated with his hormones as well. If we think of the fire both as a chemical process as well as a physical extension of a muscle he practices we can then determine fat is the primary fuel to his flame.

Considering, as I stated before, that his fire is summoned from his skin and not from afar, I determined the easiest area for the fat to be distributed as energy from the body would be through his sweat glands (also known as eccrine glands as those are the more common ones in the general exposed regions of skin on the human body). But if the fatty acids are his muscular energy the question of the usage of glycerol came into play.

Glycerol is a sugar alcohol that’s structure is found as the backbone of lipids known as glycerides. Glycerol is mainly metabolized in the liver and, when not properly processed, can be elevated in cases such as diabetes. In the food industry glycerol serves as a sweetener and preservative commercially. Glycerol is not considered flammable or combustible under normal conditions but can burn if subjected to high heat and open flames. Auto-ignition occurs between 698-752 degrees Fahrenheit (370-400 degrees Celsius). I believe that this is one of the compounds excreted from his sweat glands after going through its own process internally to be better ignited. In a way leaning into the “sugar alcohol” name. If we have fun with it we can say that his sweat could have a sweet alcoholic tinge to it to allow for easier ignition / combustion.

To accommodate for the fact that his body burns a majority of fat in this case to use his powers he would have to accommodate that with a significant increase to his daily caloric intake. The ballpark caloric intake required of an approximately 6’4” 180lbs physically fit male is 3,200 calories per day. I would say, with his intensity and prolonged use of his flames, he would have to double that number to keep up with his body consuming nutrients faster than the average person. Working out in this scenario would only be useful for muscle definition and strength training. No need for aesthetic toning when your body is constantly burning fat (literally).

That’s my comprehensive analysis of his power and compounds in the body. I’m not sure if anyone’s also interested but I also have a bit of analysis on how his increased internal temperature could affect his reproductive systems as I’ve seen different mentions of it in certain fics and went down a different rabbit hole of research. If you’re interested in that portion, lemme know! But for now I hope you enjoyed my ramblings

[princessofghosts-posts]

It's strange how Apollo's kids take both after Apollo and their parents talents,but not Will.

Austin's mom is a music teacher,she and Apollo meet during one of her theoretical lessons,and Austin powers focus more on music than anything else. Same with Kayla. Her dad is an archery instructor,he and Apollo meet because of his skills,and Kayla's abilities are focused more on archery. Both her and Austin are show multiple times in their own elements (the music room and the archery targets) and both of them are connected to their parents's jobs and,of course,to Apollo's domains.

And then we have Will. Naomi is an alt-country singer but canonically Will isn't that good at singing (and he also doesn't excell in archery),he is an healer. The only scenes where Will and Apollo interact are when someone is hurt and Will is healing them,nothing related to singing or songs or even music. Right now he is the only expection to this pattern.

Is there a reason for that or am I just pointing out something stupid and irrelevant-?

[terrestrialnoob]

I reckon Hamato Ninpo is something similar to what's found in some Asian stories. Where a Martial Art or Tradition is a passed down set of martial techniques and philosophies that usually have a mystic power set that goes with them. While it can be passed down through families, it's usually more because parents teach their children and isn't genetic (except in some stories where it is specifically genetic). This comes from Buddhist, Taoist, and pre-writing folklore, fairly clearly presented in traditional stories, including The Journey of the West.

Ninpo, as presented, seems to fit this trope. A Tradition passed down through both blood and bond that unites those who learn it in a clan and gift those who accept its philosophy mystic powers (though usually everyone in the same clan gets the same powers and there's some kind of war between clans whose philosophy/tradition is best, and in a lot of the stories, there isn't a correct philosophy but a correct combination and balance of philosophies).

Ninpo isn't passed through blood, but through teaching, and functions on that thesis-antithesis-synthesis model where it absorbs techniques and mystic powers from other clans and folds them together, building them into a new thing that allows individuals in the clan to have mystic powers specific to the person that works both best for their personality and philosophy and together with the overall magic and techniques of their clan. So, a student will have a power that works well with both their mentor and their generation mates because that's who they are and how they fit into the clan- as a student of their teacher and a friend to their friends.

[valenteal]

Chuuya’s ability is weird and idk how scientifically accurate it is supposed to be but I am going to share what I think is going on.

It’s not just telekinesis, it’s gravity control. But he doesn’t control how much gravity an object has but how much gravity is affecting the object and in what direction. I’ve been thinking about this for a while and it seems so me that when Chuuya touches an object it is affected only by the gravity created by his ability and not by the natural gravity of the Earth. But his ability is not bound by space, it operates almost on another plane of existence. Like when something is affected by his ability it enters something comparable to an added layer of reality. Chuuya creates enormous gravity only within that separate layer of reality, and as you likely know gravity is created by mass so he’s creating large amounts of mass and or energy whenever he uses his ability but it paradoxically takes up no physical space. To make it even more complex, it isn’t just one added layer, every time he uses his ability on an object it creates a new, separate layer, as we can tell from the fact that they move independently. To get the kind of movement he does it makes me think that these gravity layers are that red glow, and it’s almost like he consciously decides what point/angle/direction the gravity is coming from and it pulls the object in its own direction while being connected to it kinda like when you dangle a carrot in front of a horse to get it to move, a self perpetuating system. And Chuuya controls placement of gravity wells as well as their strength and can even make multiple points of gravitational pull act on a single object at once.

It fascinating and totally OP. But it also requires precision and skill.

[EDIT: just want to say that this post explains my initial thoughts before diving down this mind boggling rabbit hole and I will later post a more comprehensive and revised version when I’m done. This one isn’t entirely accurate.]

[aureallegories]

Thank you to everyone who responded to this post now I can talk about this with complete confidence

Does anyone realize how truly terrifying Jay's powers really are? Yes we all know that Jay has control over lightning which is a powerful thing but I don't think we really realize how scary it is that he has this ability.

Jay is treated as more of the joke of the team their "weakest link" if you will but I propose Jay's power is actually stronger than everyone else's.

Let me explain, so basically your brain communicates by sending off electrical signals or pulses to the rest of your body to tell it what to do. And Jay can control electricity.

If you haven't realized by now, what I'm saying is, this little twink:

Could turn off your brain with the snap of his fingers or control your body and there'd be nothing you could do about it.

[candlestar]

Here are a few possible interpretations for a Seer of Blood's powers:

Kankri style, whatever you take that to mean.

One who sees the connections between people. You are surrounded by people, and your place in their lives makes an impact. Similarly, your life is impacted by a endless web of people having an impact on other people. Take for example, the food on your plate. You might have gotten the food from the grocery store, who got it from a supplier, who got it from a manufactorer, who got it from a producer. In this instance, your life was impacted by AT LEAST four people, not counting all the people who work at the store, the people who handle the shipping, the people who invented the machinery to make it possible, or the countless other people involved in this process. The Seer would be able to see this web of connections, discerning the way one person is part of the greater whole of the community. This is the type of skill that can be unfathomably powerful in the right hands, yet is certainly difficult to master.

One who sees family and bloodlines. This is a lot more specific, and so has more niche applications. Great for all sorts of politics such as distinguishing royal birthrights, maintaining historical continuity, remembering everybody at the family picnic, and so much more! But not that much, reel it in now, no need to get so excited.

One who sees literal blood. This one might be veering too close to Mage of Blood territory, if there is such a thing. The power may take the form of a type of thermal vision, identifying anything in an area which may have blood circulation or blood that is not its own. Take it up a notch and see the still-beating hearts of everyone around you. Maybe this vision would also apply to other organic things like bones, cartilage, viscera, and other bodily goo. Now you can see real-time medical diagrams of people! Very useful, very creepy.

One who sees through literal blood. Now we're talking! Seeing visions reflected in pools of fresh blood, or scribing prophecies written in bloody ink? Making a bloody sacrifice of your enemies to gain forbidden knowledge and further your craft? Delve into the horror, and embrace the dark power that beats within us all! (Villainous applications optional.)

These are just a few ways a Seer of Blood's powers can take form.

[rotg-goc-headcanons]

Okay I’m having some Thoughts™ so everyone has to deal with it.

There’s a lot of posts about how Jack was powerful at no belief— so he must grow in power exponentially with his new believers. However, the Guardians were only weakened from lack of belief due to their Guardianship, and once becoming a Guardian the same would apply to Jack. Now, I’ve seen a few people mention that had Jack taken the oath earlier, without believers, he would’ve died immediately due to all his power being dependent on something he didn’t have. Unless drastic measures were taken, even at the end he still would’ve begun fading fairly quickly

This.... makes me sad, so I’m offering another option. Pitch was after belief, yes, but his primary target was fear. It isn’t the belief necessarily that makes him stronger. I know he’s not a Guardian so this isn’t the greatest base to this theory, but consider: his purpose is to spread fear, and having fear spread makes him stronger. The Guardians’ purpose is to protect and serve children, therefore having no children(‘s belief) weakens them. Jack’s purpose is.... ?

After taking the oath, yes, part of his purpose would be to protect children, so he draws power from belief— specifically, that little fun magic thing he does is tied to children. However, he serves some other purpose if he was around for three hundred years before being called to the Guardians. Therefore, that other purpose- winter, most likely- is still where the vast majority of his power comes from.

In conclusion, while yes, his power will wane and grow with believers, it and his life force aren’t entirely dependent on it like the other Guardians.