What's your superpower?

[lirazel]

I am very good at name and voice recognition. If I see an actor in one project, I can tell you everything else I've ever seen them in. If I'm listening to Podcast A, I may think, "That voice sounds familiar," and I go look up the person and find that they were once on a single episode of Podcast B that I listened to last year. When I was watching Arcane, obviously I recognized Shohreh Aghdashloo's voice, but she has a VERY distinctive voice so that isn't a surprise. What is a surprise is that I recognized Even Lindley's voice from the handful of You Are Good episodes she's been on, even though her part in Arcane is definitely a bit part.

I'm so good with faces that if I see you at one event and didn't even get introduced or learn your name, I'm still probably going to recognize you when I see you at another event. I'm so good with faces that I don't understand the whole "these white guys all look alike!" memes that go around the internet often. I'm so good with faces that I was truly and deeply shocked the other day when I finally put it together that Vanozza from The Borgias is Sorsha from Willow. (In my defense, the two projects were made more than 20 years apart and I hadn't seen Joanne Whalley in anything in the interim, so I didn't know how she aged.)

elperian assures me that this is my superpower, and I think that is probably correct.

So what is your superpower? What's the thing you're really good at that most people aren't?

Comments

[princessofgeeks]

I can find lost things in the house.

[lirazel]

Oh that's a good one! I am envious!

[dolorosa_12]

This question always reminds me of the comedy song 'Very Mild Superpowers', which sums up the vibe quite accurately (although obviously these 'mild' superpowers can be useful).

Mine is that — no matter how crowded, no matter what kind of queue has started to build up, I can always get a seat (and seats for whoever is with me) on public transport (trains, buses, ferries, etc) when there are no assigned seats. I just have a very singleminded focus that works well in this kind of situation.

[lirazel]

Oh, that's a good one! I am envious of that one! A superpower indeed!

[watersword]

kaberett posted about tiny magics a few years ago.

[lirazel]

Fun!

[ceciliaj]

I don't know if I have any, but I definitely don't have yours! I spend half my life in State College having the "I'm sure we've met before" "oh me too, you seem so familiar" "yasssss" "but no idea" conversation. It's pleasant though.

[lirazel]

Haha, as long as it's pleasant! <3

[elperian]

I feel like this is so hard to answer because, well, you didn't see your own superpower as a superpower. You saw it as normal until I pointed out it was different! So who knows, maybe I have many superpowers and just don't know it!

[genarti]

The one which is very rarely of any use, but which on at least the couple of occasions I've shown it off has gotten astonishment that I find wildly disproportionate (it's easy! you just do it! ...no?) is writing back-to-front. By which I don't mean mirroring the letters, but starting with the last letter, then the next to last, and so on, until you've written a normal readable word that doesn't show the fact that you started from the end.

(I started doing this when I was taking Arabic, you see. I'd take my normal notes on most of the page, and then on the right-hand edge if I wanted to note down a new word for later I'd write the Arabic, =, and then the English equivalent -- starting from the right, of course, since that was a more surefire way to make sure it all fit than to start from the left and guess how much space I was going to need. It just made sense to do it that way!)

...Yours is a lot more useful, lol. I suspect I have one that's at least slightly more practical in ordinary life, but I can't think what it might be.

[lirazel]

Hahaha, I love that! It's so random but delightful!

It just made sense to do it that way!

Absolutely! I need to start doing this with Hebrew!

[thevagabondexpress]

i've been told a lot by many people that i have a frighteningly good memory, and they're right. to the point there sometimes i have to fake not remembering something right away so i don't scare people.

[lirazel]

to the point there sometimes i have to fake not remembering something right away so i don't scare people.

Omg same!

[thevagabondexpress]

it's an insane way to live

[elisi]

I don't know if this is a superpower, it certainly has zero practical applicability, but I am very good at cross-overs. Give me two (or more?) canons and I can stitch them together. (And do! Frequently.)

[lirazel]

Ah, but that's so FUN!

[elisi]

It sure is. (Except when I end up with yet another 100k fic...)

But like - I came across a Tumblr post that talked about a crossover between (thinks) Dead Boy Detectives, Sherlock, Doctor Who, Good Omens and Supernatural? And I figured out a way in like 2 minutes. Thankfully I've never watched SPN so I wasn't tempted to write it. ^_^

[lirazel]

Lol!

[tetralogy]

I think I might have the exact opposite of your superpower! I can sometimes identify voices across different works, but faces are a disaster. If I'm used to seeing someone in a certain context (at work, at the gym, etc) and I see them out and about outside of that context, they might as well be a stranger. It's kind of embarrassing tbh!

My own far less useful superpower comes from living on top of a bar with a very loud jukebox for three years: I can identify songs through their basslines alone. Despite having zero musical talent myself lol

[lirazel]

Faceblindness is WAY more common than most people think! You are not alone!

living on top of a bar with a very loud jukebox for three years: I can identify songs through their basslines alone.

I love this so much!!!

[pauraque]

I'm good with voices too, but I feel like it's less an innate power than something I honed when I got interested in voice actors and started consciously listening for them in games and animated media. I enjoy picking out prolific voice actors even when they're "doing voices" and noticing the tiny differences between the different actors who have portrayed classic cartoon characters that have iconic voices. But maybe I'm only able to do that because I had some ability for it to start with!

Faces are horrible for me though. If I'm not faceblind I'm at least very face-nearsighted and usually go by other cues to recognize people. It's a good thing all those white guys don't sound alike because they sure do look alike.

There have been a lot of people who thought I could magically make electronics work by standing near them. When I worked in retail management I was often called over to fix a computer or cash register but as soon as I got close it fixed itself. But I suspect the magic was not coming from me, but from the evil spirits that conspire to embarrass people by causing the car to stop making the noise as soon as you try to show it to the mechanic, etc.

[lirazel]

I enjoy picking out prolific voice actors even when they're "doing voices" and noticing the tiny differences between the different actors who have portrayed classic cartoon characters that have iconic voices.

This is delightful! I'm glad it brings you joy.

There have been a lot of people who thought I could magically make electronics work by standing near them.

Well that's the premise of a short fantasy story if ever I heard one!

But I suspect the magic was not coming from me, but from the evil spirits that conspire to embarrass people by causing the car to stop making the noise as soon as you try to show it to the mechanic, etc.

Yes, that is some strong magic!