/r/TheBirdCage
Expertly designed by our best tinkers, r/TheBirdCage serves to protect the sensitivities of the Parahumans fandom by isolating and containing the most heinous content of all: random reference posts and low-effort shitposts.
Expertly designed by our top tinkers and thinkers, r/TheBirdCage serves to contain the worst villains of all (i.e. low-effort shitposts and reference posts) in order to protect the delicate sensibilities of r/Parahumans and r/WormMemes.
/r/TheBirdCage
How This Works:
You make a comment with a threat rating, or multiple if so desired, and someone else responds to you with the description of a cape fitting that rating. This is not a hard rule; as will be demonstrated in the comments of this post within a few hours, you are free to be more abstract with your prompts.
Ratings can have hybridized and sub-classifications:
Hybridized ratings are at least 2 different ratings being linked together, and are designated with a slash, e.g. Tinker/Thinker.
Subratings are side effects and applications belonging to another category, and are designated with parentheses, e.g. Mover (Shaker, Brute). The numerical classification of a sub-rating can be higher than the main one, e.g. Breaker 5 (Master 7, Tinker 6).
No. 134's Top Comment: Evening_Accountant33's Tarot Vials
Response: Luciferase
[This is a placeholder line, for the future link to 136. Ignore it for now.]
How This Works:
You make a comment with a PRT threat rating (or multiple, if desired) ; someone else responds to your comment with a cape fitting the ratings. This is not a hard rule, you are free to do more experimental prompts, as I'm sure the regulars of these threads will demonstrate. No wrong way to go about it, really.
Ratings can have hybridized and sub-classifications:
Hybrid ratings are 2 or more ratings being directly linked to each other, and are denoted with a slash, e.g. Brute/Blaster.
Subratings are side-effects and applications belonging to another category, and are denoted with parentheses, e.g. Shaker (Stranger/Trump). The numerical classification of a subrating can be higher than the main one, e.g. Breaker 4 (Mover 8, Blaster 9).
No. 133's Top Comment: Stormtide_Leviathan's Prompt List
Response: John Stillson a.k.a. "Lucky"
EDIT: Thread 135
(Sorry for being a few hours off, my sleep schedule has been all out of wack lately.)
How It Works:
You comment a threat rating, and someone else responds to you with a cape matching that rating. A prompt doesn't have to be a threat rating, you can be more abstract with it- there's no wrong way to do this.
Ratings can have their own sub-ratings, as well as hybrid classifications:
Hybrid ratings are 2 or more ratings being inextricably linked to one another, and are designated with a slash, e.g. Mover/Thinker.
Subratings are applications or side-effects belonging to another category, and are in parentheses, e.g. Blaster (Brute); a subrating's numerical classification can be higher than the main one, e.g. Shaker 2 (Changer 6).
No. 132's Top Comment: Radiant-Ad-1976's Prompt List
Response: Kashmir
EDIT: Thread 134
Context: he's a superhero name "Surprise Attack" from the YouTube Shorts who has the power to come back to life whenever it's least expected.
And when I say he comes back to life, I mean he can come back to life from literally ANYTHING!
Cause a person like Taskmaster who's essentially has Thinker powers cannot use them on Deadpool because of his unpredictable insanity.
Let's say that our Parahuman is a rogue with a very minor power (maybe thinker or stranger) which doesn't help him any form of combat and so he continues on living a normal regular life although now with powers.
One day, he is suddenly is caught up in a dangerous terrorist attack by the hands of some radical capes. He and a bunch of other people are captured and used hostages.
In order to prove how serious they are, they slaughter a bunch of civilian leaving a few survivors (including the Parahuman), this stressful situation causes the Parahuman to trigger coincidentally just as when the other hostages begin to form a cluster trigger.
So my question is: does the Parahuman become a part of the cluster? And if so how would it effect it differently?
(Also, do you think it's possible for a cluster cape to immediately multi-trigger, and if so how would it effect the other clustermates?)
Throughout your whole life you were pushed around for how you looked. No matter where you ran or hide, they would catch up to you and then proceed to make your life a living hell.
Often they would make you get on your knees and beg for your life. You hated every moment of it. You hated being judged by others for your appearance.
You blamed the cause of your overweight physique on losing the "genetic lottery" instead of trying to improve yourself for the better. This resulted in you suffering from severe body dysmorphia that plagued your life.
This did not pair well with compulsive eating disorder you had also acquired as a a form coping mechanism against all the stress.
When highschool was over, you thought you were finally free, but one of your bullies wouldn't let you go that easily. He would continue to follow you around and torment you seeing how you were an easy victim.
Eventually you snapped and couldn't take it anymore, you took your father's gun and killed your tormenter's dog. Of course he came after you for revenge so you shot him in the leg, crippling him.
At first you felt good, but when you realized what you had done you began to panic. You were now a wanted criminal and the police were after.
There was nothing you could do except run.
Trigger.
Quick question: is it possible for a cape who took a cauldron vial to be able to multi-trigger from the stress of immediately witnessing their transformation or would they have the potential to trigger again in the future?
You've know your friends since childhood.
You almost be considered them as a family with close and loyal you were all to each other. No matter what, everyone looked out for one another.
Whether it be bullies, exams or even just family or emotional issues, you guys made through it together like a team.
You were considered the teddy bear of the group, always supporting your friends through their probles when things got emotionally rough..
However as the years went by, you slowly start to become more and more distant from your friend group. What was strange was that the others stayed strong together, it was only you who was slipping through.
You didn't understand why so you tried your best to push yourself back into the group but it only made things worse and you soon saw your friends see and talk to you less and less.
Eventually, somehow you found out that the reason why because they were all Capes and part of the Wards! The reveal was shocking and then you thought you realized why they left you.
They were all worried about safety, they thought that them being around you only endangered your life! Of course! You friends had always been looking out for you.
You weren't even jealous by the fact that they had powers, you were actually proud of them! And that's when you came to another wild realization.
Your friends had probably gone through a horrible traumatic event which had led them to develop these powers. All these years they've been carrying this trouble in their hearts and meanwhile you had been completely neglecting your role.
And so against your better judgement, you started to push your friends for answers regarding their problems, hoping that they would use you as a supporting figure.
Instead what happened was that your own friends, those who've been alongside you, laughed alongside, cried alongside you, publicly humiliated you Infront of the whole school during the cafeteria.
They pushed you to the floor, yelled some small insults at you with eyes filled with rage and then left as they didn't know you at all.
And that's when you realized that your friends had abandoned you not to protect you, but because you were weak and annoying.
Trigger:
(Extra Challenge)
After immediately triggering, you showcase your powers to your friends hoping that they would let you back into their friend group. A last desperate measure for acceptance.
Instead they look at you with faces of disgust.
Double Trigger.
How This Works:
You comment a PRT threat rating (or two, or three, or exactly forty), and someone else replies with a cape that matches up with that rating. Your prompts don't have to be ratings, you're free to get more abstract with it.
Threat ratings can have hybridized and sub-classifications:
Hybrid ratings are 2 or more ratings being directly linked to each other, and are designated with a slash, e.g. Brute/Tinker.
Subratings are applications belonging to another category, and are in parentheses, e.g. Master (Changer). A subrating's numerical classification can be higher than the main one, e.g. Shaker 3 (Thinker 5).
No. 131's Top Comment: ExampleGloomy's Prompt List
Response: Nimbus & Phalanx
EDIT: Thread 133
So for context: I'm planning on writing a worm fanfics where somehow a random regular person falls into the shard network and gets connected to it, becoming something of a system administrator and possessing full control over all the Shards in the world.
He uses his newfound power to change the trigger conditions because he personally believed that the reason why there are so many villains is because they go through tragic events that make despise society rather than protect it.
So what he does is that he reprograms all the Shards to give people powers whenever they experience a strong emotional dream in their dream.
Basically: the shard would attempt to compile the information for entire day of events of the host's daily life and when they're unconscious, it creates a beautiful and symbolic dream for the host which resonates with the host's emotions. And the dream that resonates the most after reaching past a certain threshold causes them to manifest powers.
Now I've written what I think would be the new conditions to trigger for each classification so I was wondering if anyone could review and tell me what they think and what should I change.
Mover: requires a great deal of constant exploration and a sense of adventure within the dreamworld.
Shaker: requires a prominent heavy "theme" within the dreamworld which is clear to the dreamer and repeatedly highlighted to them.
Brute: requires the dreamer to experience a strong connection or physical sensation within the dream which often carries on after waking up.
Breaker: requires the dreamer to perceive the world through a 3rd person perspective and not have a physical presence within the dream.
Master: requires the dreamer to be in position of great responsibility/skill or hold strong emotional feelings towards a companion or family within the dream. Additionally communication with an inanimate object or animal may also result in master.
Tinker: requires the dreamer to possess understanding over an alien/absurd/unique concept which they can utilize for practical means in order to change/alter their dream.
Blaster: requires the dream to take place within a small or limited space/location such as a room or field, is connected to the theme of the dream.
Thinker: requires the dreamer to possess understanding over an alien/absurd/unique concept which they can utilize through a practical method, granting them possession of a unique skill.
Striker: requires a face-to-face confrontation with a single individual within a dream along a physical element whether it may be a brawl, assistance or a game between the two.
Changer: requires the dreamer to possess a form or appearance in the dream which does not match their real life appearance, the dreamer must be aware of the fact that this is themselves and their current form is not of their own.
Trump: requires the dreamer to be in a state of semi or complete lucidity, aware that that they are in a dream.
Stranger: requires the dreamer's existence to have a lack of focus and attention by others within the events of the dream with the everything unfolding without their involvement.
Basic Context: Gone is a young adult series by Michael Grant set in the small town of Perdido Beach which gets trapped in a translucent indestructible dome while all adults above the age of 17 disappear. Additionally some of the kids start to manifest special abilities.
The powers are simple so I'm gonna write them all down here, you don't have to do all of them. Just pick the ones you like.
(Note: bonus points if you can create a cape name for them)
Andrew (shockwaves): can create powerful shockwaves that can break the sound barrier and destroy brick walls.
Bette (light orbs): can make balls of light.
Brianna (super-speed): can run 700-miles per hour, slower than bullet and the speed of sound.
Brittney (immortality): can regenerate from even the most smallest clump of mass, no longer basic sustenance or oxygen.
Bug (camouflage): can perfectly hide himself when still, but can be spotted when moving.
Caine (telekinesis): His range is roughly eighty feet, although he can throw objects weighing tons much further. He can also use his power as if it is a giant invisible fist or invisible walls, he can also fly.
He can lift large heavy objects with ease. His power focuses through the hands and if they sealed he becomes powerless
Darla (phase-shifting): can phase through walls but is vulnerable to energy and can get stuck in walls and die.
Dekka (gravity suspension): can negate gravity in a 20 foot-radius.
Diana (reading power levels): can detect and read powers through handshakes, classifies them using phone bars: 1-bar (weak) 2-bar (mediocre) 3-bar (strong) 4-bar (very strong).
Drake (whip arm & immortality): has a long fleshy tentacle for an arm which can choke and whip people to death.
Later fuses with Brittany and gains her immortality, also randomly shapeshift back and forth into her during which she takes over the body.
Duck (density control): when angry he can increase his density causing him to uncontrollably sink through the ground but also gain superhuman durability.
When happy, can reduce his density to float high up in the air but not fly.
Emily (space manipulating): primarily uses it to teleport her family house around with ease.
Firestarter (napalm production): can shoot liquid fire from her hands.
Frederico (super-agility): has cat-like agility.
Hunter (heat projection): can produce microwave rays and is immune to his own power.
Jack (super-strength): allows him to lift enormous weights, tense his muscles to resist being choked, and jump large distances at a time.
Jill (siren singing): anyone who hears her sing cannot move.
Lana (healing): can heal people with a touch but cannot cure illnesses and restore limbs or eyes. Instead she grants people tentacle limbs or the ability to see the aura's of people and detect invisible entities as a result of attempting.
Orsay (dream walking): can enter nearby people's dreams, has long range.
Orc (stone regeneration): replaces his injuries with permanent wet gravel-like stone substance. Grants him the strength to punch through concrete, through motorcycles with one arm and resist bullets. Only a small portion of his face is vulnerable.
Penny (illusions): can create powerful mental illusions that also trick the senses.
Pete (reality warping): can do literally anything but is limited by his autism.
Sam (light lasers): can shoot large powerful green lasers from his hands which can incinerate entire hordes of people and animals easily within seconds. Can also create permanent floating balls of light as well as control the intensity of lasers.
Sinder (plant growth): can accelerate plant growth.
Taylor (teleportation): can teleport freely in her line of sight or to places she has already been.
Toto (truth detection): can sense lies.
Virtue judgement): can read the subconscious nature of others and sense if they are hostile or friendly.
These posts appear every now and then and I just felt like trying them out. I'll go first!
Browbeat becomes Brownbeat who is an Empire 88 cape who, uh, targets brown people. He gets stronger when fighting against people he deems "inferior" and so he fits right in with that crowd.
Skitter becomes Sitter. She's a master (thinker) who can choose a target within eye sight. When Sitter sits down, so does her target. Sitter then gets to learn information that her target knows. The longer they stay sitting, the more info Sitter can glean off of them with the more time spent sitting meaning the more juicy or useful the data she gets.
Coil becomes Foil
Fog becomes Bog, a shaker x changer (stranger) who slowly turns any area into a boggy mess while Bog slowly turns into a creature adept at pulling people into the murky water, able to breathe under water, gains webbing between their fingers and toes, and so comes to resemble an amphibious crocodile.
How It Works:
You comment a threat rating. Someone else replies with a parahuman matching that rating. This isn't a hard rule; feel free to get looser with your prompts.
Threat ratings can have hybrid and sub-ratings:
Hybridized ratings are at least 2 ratings being inextricably linked together; they are designated with a slash, e.g Breaker/Stranger.
Sub-ratings are applications and side-effects belonging to another category; they are designated with parentheses, e.g Shaker (Mover). A sub-rating's numerical classification can be higher than the main one, e.g Brute 4 (Striker 6).
No. 130's Top Comment: bottomofthewell3's Prompt List (hey, that's me!)
Response: Zmei Gorynych & Precious (as a note on this- if multiple responses have the same score, I will choose the one I find most interesting.)
EDIT: Thread #132