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Are You Afraid of the Dark? [Worm AU fanfic]

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zhuull said:
Pretty ballsy to put your usual disclaimer on this fic when you've apparently decided to remake Hookwolf's power here nearly out of whole cloth.

It works narratively for this story, but don't pretend you didn't just basically substitute how Kaiser's power works for Hookwolf's here and rather sloppily at that.


On the other hand the story is good enough that you've actually tempted me to go watch John Wick, so well done there.
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Please explain what you mean by this.

Hookwolf's power is to extrude metal from his body. His 'core' retreats deep inside when he does this. What happens to a soft, fleshy core when the metal on both sides of it is attracted--hard--in one direction by a powerful magnet? It gets sliced up by the blades surrounding it, that's what.

Hookwolf's mask, on the other hand, is something separate from his powers. So when Danny turned the magnet on to 'high', it flattened Hooky's skull anyway.
 
Ack said:
Please explain what you mean by this.

Hookwolf's power is to extrude metal from his body. His 'core' retreats deep inside when he does this. What happens to a soft, fleshy core when the metal on both sides of it is attracted--hard--in one direction by a powerful magnet? It gets sliced up by the blades surrounding it, that's what.
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Assuming that Hookwolf's power generates a ferrous metal (I don't think there's anything in canon to contradict this, but it's definitely not canon) then the shell around his core would get pulled towards the magnet, and depending on how much power his power can exert possibly immobilized. However the shell would be pulled as a single unit so it would not crush or cut the fleshy core inside, not unless the acceleration of flying towards the magnet and sudden stop were enough to overcome the protections that prevent that from happening when he jumps.

As for the mask, I don't recall hookwolf wearing any mask in canon, and if he did it wouldn't matter once he transformed because the mask would simply be pulled to the metal hookwolf extruded so even if there was a fleshy skull underneth to be crushed, it wouldn't exert any force on it.

Not that any of this matters for the story, it was a very well done scene and the fact that it works by ignoring RL physics and substituting some form of comic book physics doesn't make make it any less enjoyable.
 
I don't see the problem with Hookwolf. He gets caught by the magnet, some cutting happens. He tried to get free by reducing his metal, but he still has his mask. Squish.

In fact it's kinda beautiful. If Hookwolf tried to hold out? Use the magnet to induce heat and cook him to death. He manages to get free? He can't use his power until he's clear, in which case Danny can take him.
 
TheUnicorn said:
Assuming that Hookwolf's power generates a ferrous metal (I don't think there's anything in canon to contradict this, but it's definitely not canon) then the shell around his core would get pulled towards the magnet, and depending on how much power his power can exert possibly immobilized. However the shell would be pulled as a single unit so it would not crush or cut the fleshy core inside, not unless the acceleration of flying towards the magnet and sudden stop were enough to overcome the protections that prevent that from happening when he jumps.

As for the mask, I don't recall hookwolf wearing any mask in canon, and if he did it wouldn't matter once he transformed because the mask would simply be pulled to the metal hookwolf extruded so even if there was a fleshy skull underneth to be crushed, it wouldn't exert any force on it.

Not that any of this matters for the story, it was a very well done scene and the fact that it works by ignoring RL physics and substituting some form of comic book physics doesn't make make it any less enjoyable.
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Okay, here's the thing.

Hookwolf doesn't generate his metal as a shell. It's not a single piece. It's hundreds or even thousands of bits of metal that are all working together to create the shape he wants. When he's up against squishies, his blades are sharp enough and whatever's holding them in that shape is strong enough to not give him a problem. However, if and when he's subjected to enough magnetic force to lift a car, and it's all pulling in the same direction, the bits of metal on the side of his core away from the magnet is going to be subject to forces strong enough to pull them through his core.

Buzz 7.7 said:
The blender of dangerous looking metal bits dissolved, each of the hooks and blades retracting into the skin of the man at the center of the thing's chest. As the front legs withdrew into his shoulders, he dropped into a crouch on the street. He wore a wolf mask of sheet metal that had been crudely bent into place, framed by long, greasy blond hair. Hookwolf.
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His problem was that so long as he had his metal out, he was stuck to the magnet. If he was between the metal and the magnet, the metal would be trying to go to the magnet through him. If he withdrew that metal, it would leave him vulnerable to being shot.

Yes, it's a Catch-22. Yes, Danny planned it this way.

And yes, the metal is ferrous. Most metal that's durable enough to make a blade out of is. And powers don't make exotic compounds unless it's literally a major part of the power; if it wants to make metal, then it goes into the parahuman's mind and asks "What's a good metal to make blades out of?" It's not gonna be very creative if it doesn't have to be.

If he created metal to cover his skull, then that metal is in pieces. It doesn't have any structural strength to prevent it from being pulled through his head in bits. The most substantial piece of metal on him is his mask ... and guess what. It killed him.
 
Ack said:
Hookwolf doesn't generate his metal as a shell.
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No, here's the thing - it doesn't matter how he generates it, assuming the metal will react to magnetic fields (most metal doesn't) applying such a magnetic field will make it become a single shell. Anything that was preventing two pieces of a feromagnetic metal from coming into contact would be cut/crushed, but once they were in contact they'd be part of a single magnet and there wouldn't be any force attempting to compact it smaller.

Ack said:
Most metal that's durable enough to make a blade out of is
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Nope. This is wrong. Most metal that's CHEAP enough to make blades out of is an Iron alloy (although not all of them respond to magnetic fields) however there are plenty of other metals you could make a blade from, depending on your exact requirements anything from copper, or titanium to platinum or even Uranium could be used for a blade. The big advantages of iron alloys in making blades are that it's plentiful, easy to work with, non toxic metal which we have a lot of experience with. None of those (possibly excepting being non-toxic) would be things Hookwolf's shard would be concerned about.
Granted Iron alloys do make useful blades so it's certainly plausible that the shard used it, but it could have also used any number of other metals. Heck given that the metal doesn't need to last long and it's many small blades it could even be made from an Aluminum alloy.

EDIT:Thanks for the cite about the mask, I forgot about it.
 
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TheUnicorn said:
No, here's the thing - it doesn't matter how he generates it, assuming the metal will react to magnetic fields (most metal doesn't) applying such a magnetic field will make it become a single shell. Anything that was preventing two pieces of a feromagnetic metal from coming into contact would be cut/crushed, but once they were in contact they'd be part of a single magnet and there wouldn't be any force attempting to compact it smaller.

Nope. This is wrong. Most metal that's CHEAP enough to make blades out of is an Iron alloy (although not all of them respond to magnetic fields) however there are plenty of other metals you could make a blade from, depending on your exact requirements anything from copper, or titanium to platinum or even Uranium could be used for a blade. The big advantages of iron alloys in making blades are that it's plentiful, easy to work with, non toxic metal which we have a lot of experience with. None of those (possibly excepting being non-toxic) would be things Hookwolf's shard would be concerned about.
Granted Iron alloys do make useful blades so it's certainly plausible that the shard used it, but it could have also used any number of other metals. Heck given that the metal doesn't need to last long and it's many small blades it could even be made from an Aluminum alloy.

EDIT:Thanks for the cite about the mask, I forgot about it.
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That's not how magnetism works.

Metal is attracted to a magnet.

If a piece of metal is in contact with a magnet, it becomes magnetised, but this attracts it to the magnet even more strongly.

Also, Hookwolf would not be really aware of other metal options. As far as he'd be aware (as a cage fighter) the best metal to use for a blade would be carbon steel. So when he triggered, his power has decided to make him able to extrude sharp metal from his skin. It wants to know what sort of metal, and it asks him. So his brain goes to its ideal knife metal, and so his blades are carbon steel.

While this isn't specifically noted in canon, nor is it stated anywhere that Hookwolf's blades are any sort of exotic alloy. Thus, the assumption can be made that they're exactly what they look like; steel. (Also, aluminium sucks when it comes to being bulletproof).
 
hehe. smushed wuff. hmm. looking forward to more soon please. this or one of your other fics.
 
eonmoon said:
hehe. smushed wuff. hmm. looking forward to more soon please. this or one of your other fics.
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Not smushed. Shredded.

Tidbit: ANY object can be attracted to a magnet, but only if the field is strong enough. To affect wood or exotic alloys, you'd need a magnet thousands if not millions of times stronger than the strongest man-made magnet; strong enough to deform atoms.
 
Ack said:
That's not how magnetism works.

Metal is attracted to a magnet.

If a piece of metal is in contact with a magnet, it becomes magnetised, but this attracts it to the magnet even more strongly.
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Actually it is how it works. If you have an enclosed, or even mostly enclosed feromagnetic container the magnetic field lines of an external field will flow around the container so there won't be any force pulling the front of Hookwolf's armor to the back. Each indiviual piece will be pulled strongly to the pieces next to it, but that wouldn't crush Hookwolf, quite the opposite.

However as I said nothing wrong with using comic book physics in a superhero story.

Finagle007 said:
strong enough to deform atoms.
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I think that's overstating things, but paramagnetic materials response to magnetic field is around a million times weaker than ferromagnetic ones.
 
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Tie a pig carcass to the top of a car. Turn on a car-lifting magnet. I don't think the pig carcass will remain in a condition that Dr. Frankenstein - or even Bonesaw - could revive.
 
So we need what 2 cars worth of shredded steel surrounding a pig to test this properly right? Personally I know that blood is technically repelled by magnets while the steel most likely will not be. Probably going to need to put said cars through an industrial shredder multiple times apiece for this to be reasonable.
 
Malcanthet said:
So we need what 2 cars worth of shredded steel surrounding a pig to test this properly right? Personally I know that blood is technically repelled by magnets while the steel most likely will not be. Probably going to need to put said cars through an industrial shredder multiple times apiece for this to be reasonable.
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Are... are you trying to set up a fanfiction Mythbusters?
 
Segev said:
Tie a pig carcass to the top of a car. Turn on a car-lifting magnet. I don't think the pig carcass will remain in a condition that Dr. Frankenstein - or even Bonesaw - could revive.
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Of course, but that's not what we're talking about. Stick that pig carcass inside the car and you're much closer to the scenario in the story. Or possibly just wrap it in chicken wire, or some sort of chains - basically anything that simulate the the "body surrounded by metal in contact with itself" scenario you get with hook wolf.
 
wrap the pig in razor.wire lenths. it isnt a single mass but many peice. now where can we do this experiment....
 
Omg SV, never change.

Randomly this is actually a topic I have a knowledgeable opinion on. I am an amateur bladesmith and make kitchen and belt knives. With any tool you need to make decisions based on three key attributes and a 4th lesser attribute.

These attributes are hardness, durability, and corrosion resistance. The 4th is weight.

The harder a blade is, the better it will keep the edge you put on it. However this comes with the trade off of being brittle. Too hard a blade will crack into pieces if dropped.

The tougher a blade is the better prepared it is for abuse and the more likely it is to survive being used improperly. Like being used to split wood.

A great example of these properties are the bowie knife compared to a scalpel. A scalpel is scary sharp, but could not survive standard kitchen levels of abuse. A bowie is crazy durable but would be useless on the operating table. Could be useful in the kitchen however.

Neither of these extremes makes one blade better than the other.

Now corrosion resistance is gained by making iron and carbon steels an alloy - predominantly by adding magnesium and nickel. Doing so reduces both hardness and durability depending on which elements you add and in what quantities. These days almost everything is a blend. We call steels with these addional elements "stainless" even though they will rust eventually. Various blends of Stainless steel can be more or less magnetic.

The challenges we run into when using non ferrous materials is that the above values drop massively. Where they tend to increase is in weight. Aluminum is useful because it is so light compared to steel, it also has a lower melting temperature and can be easily cast into shapes without expensive tooling. It has great corrosion resistance, however it has very poor hardness and durability. A blade made from aluminum would need to be sharpened very frequently and would easily deform if abused.

Titanium on the other hand requires very specialized tools to work with and is proportionally very expensive to steel. Even if you have those tools you will destroy them turning a titanium block into a blade. Rather than go into an in depth comparison between steel and titanium, I am instead going to point you to this link and tell you to read if you care.
Difference Between Steel and Titanium | Difference Between

If I had to guess at Hookwolfs material makeup I would bet on a carbon based steel simply because it would be all one material which seems more likely -instead of blends.

If you want to see me make a fool out of myself smithing checkout ramforged.wordpress.com.
 
As someone who uses a magnet to pick up nails on a regular basis I can tell you for certain that individual peaces of ferromagnetic material continue towards the primary magnet even when they come into contact with other pieces of Ferromagnetic material that have been magnetized by the primary magnet largely because the secondary magnets extrued a weaker magnetic field and as such a collection of independent blades surrounding a fleshy core would shred said core if subjected to a high enough magnetic primary magnet.

on the note of if its a single piece surrounding the fleshy core I am not currently familiar enough with the physics of magnetism to predict the result I can however see arguments for both arguments that it would remain in one shape or crush the nazi
 
Warhicks said:
As someone who uses a magnet to pick up nails on a regular basis I can tell you for certain that individual peaces of ferromagnetic material continue towards the primary magnet even when they come into contact with other pieces of Ferromagnetic material that have been magnetized by the primary magnet largely because the secondary magnets extrued a weaker magnetic field and as such a collection of independent blades surrounding a fleshy core would shred said core if subjected to a high enough magnetic primary magnet.

on the note of if its a single piece surrounding the fleshy core I am not currently familiar enough with the physics of magnetism to predict the result I can however see arguments for both arguments that it would remain in one shape or crush the nazi
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I suggest you read the discussion on the subject, so you'll realize why your example is irrelevant.
 
Narrative requires Hookwolf to be very dead.

Physics says Hookwolf is very dead.

Problem solved. With extreme prejudice and sufficient, though not excessive, velocity.

Forum title drop. Roll credits.

:D
 
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