Something fun I've been talking about with my headmates (the ones who have special interests). It's a really fun question I like asking people now. It's completely open to interpretation but the goal is to think of a power that is narratively interesting, so not too omnipotent, but also makes sense for how your special interest affects you individually and personally. So, two people with the same special interest in, say, paleontology, might have two different powers; the person who focuses more on the geological timeline may be able to time travel, while the person who focuses on the animal biology may be able to shapeshift into dinosaurs. It goes for special interests in specific media too. Someone with a special interest in Avatar could say they have elemental bending powers, or a special interest in Doctor Who could give you immortality on a technicality.
Foxglove's special interests are botany, mineralogy, and possibly psychology. Psychology is obvious; she's psychic, she can read minds, and maybe even influence them. She got stuck on the other two, but eventually decided (after a perusal of Superpowers Wiki) that she has mineral property manipulation, and "just a very good green thumb." She can alter the chemical makeup of minerals to a different structure, thus changing the type of mineral. And she is real good at growing plants, though I'd interpret that as having very slight plant-growth-influencer powers.
Ziv's special interests are weaponry and wilderness survival. Zie thinks it would display as innate skill. Zie'd be able to expertly wield any weapon zie picks up, even if zie has never set eyes on it before. Zie'd have innate understanding of wilderness survival tactics and knowledge, from building a fire to flintknapping to navigation, and wouldn't even have to think about it or look up guides. Zie's a simple wolf, zie says hir superpower would just be impressive skill in the area of hir interest.
My special interests are art, biology, and (in as few words as possible) cultural change over time. My favorite idea for these was for the latter, which is my main special interest. I call it object postcognition. I'd be able to touch any object (or living thing!) and see into not only just its future, but also its past, and at my most capable, I'd be able to time travel to the moment of either is creation or destruction; but I would be simply an observer, and cosmically unable to alter timelines; no matter what actions I take, they would be negated or simply zap me back before they can take effect. For biology, I could shapeshift, but only animals for which I know the scientific name and the placement in the taxonomic tree of life, as well as having an intimate knowledge of their biologics. I can flub it in rare moments of confidence though, and convince my powers that I am intimate with how, for example, a Smilodon, or a dragon works. As for art, I've thought of something interesting, but a bit abstract -- which fits. I have two hand-in-hand powers: what I call artistic divination, and something similar to "probability manipulation" but based on artistic engagement. Obviously for the first, I receive signs and messages on things through art, not as in it warps to tell me things, but I kind of psychically interpret it into true things. And the second, with the example of music, if I am listening to a specific song, reality will shift around me to match the mood of the song. But it's simultaneously a very weak power, because I have to be actively engaging with a piece of art for it to work and most pieces won't do anything drastic, and potentially a very dangerous one, because it could also go very wrong.
Lumi's special interests are snails, Nintendo, shapeshifting mythology and folklore, and possibly Ancient Greece. For starters the most obvious power would be shapeshifting, especially as they already are one. They said the shapeshifter power inherently includes turning into snails, so they can also communicate with gastropods (but understand snails the most). And that was their idea of a really cool enviable power. We got stuck on the last two because they're so broad with so many different unique stories between them. They think that because of their Nintendo special interest, they can manifest objects from different games, but due to the overpowered nature of this, greatly struggle to use it to its full advantage. And due to their ancient Greece special interest, they are an "oracle."
V'vohu may not have traditional human-level neurology, but if it had special interests, based on what it takes interest in, we think they would be outer space, Kabbalah, deep time, and Welcome to Night Vale. So V'vohu is obviously the most powerful of all of us. But honestly, how could we assign it superpowers based on these without stumbling onto things it can probably already do?
I want to ask more friends with autism this question. Specifically narratively-minded ones. I want to see what other people come up with that would make for a cool character in a story.
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