The ability to force the user to use a power only in the most direct and literal sense. Sub-Power of Logic Manipulation and Omnipotence.
Also Called[]
- Anti Cheat/Circumvention
Capability (Short version)[]
This power forces other power users to use their powers in the most literal and direct sense.
For a power to be affected by this power, it must have an if...then... structure, and a concept associated with the if... then... structure
- e.g. Nothingness Manipulation manipulate nothingness
- The if: Target need to fit the criteria nothingness
- The question: What is considered as/fit the criteria to be nothingness?
- The then: manipulation
This power can then limit the target power via the following pathways (or combinations thereof)
- Applying the narrowest and/or earliest definition of a concept (e.g. Possession as owning physical items, Kill as making an organic living thing ceased its life functions, Destroy as taking apart a physical object so that it can no longer carry out its intended function). Thus it can attack some conceptual powers because they are emergent from an unusual or indirect interpretation of the core concept it is based on.
- Forbid the use or interpretation of a concept in a way that can span all possibility, thus causing broad spectrum effects. This restrict the range and strength of the power in question
- Restricting or completely forbid endless progression or repeated application of a concept (e.g. Can only manipulate the cause or probability of an event that is directly linked to it)
- Does not allow usage of a concept via analogies (e.g. the physical world being like computer data, or music, or energy or matter etc.)
There are however still exist ways to bypass them, due to the power itself also possessing an if.. then.. structure...
Capabilities[]
Users can force other power users to use their powers in the most literal and direct sense thus limiting the ability to use the power in extended and creative ways thus limiting the combat ability of the user via creative uses of their powers, provided their powers require a condition to be used.
For example, a Solipsistic can use a power in a creative way to protect their friends by extending the condition "belongs to them" to their friends. However this is not a direct possession thus is disallowed under the influence of Word Play Inhibition.
Another example is Unrestricted Murdering, because concepts are indirect, thus using "kill" is an extension of the literal meaning of this concept. However such user can still circumvent it by redefining the condition with "destroy, eliminate etc." rather than kill, then the meaning becomes more direct and the power is useless against them.
The property of this power means it is most powerful when combating any type of powers where the indirect and creative use of it can achieve higher level capabilities.
(e.g. deleting the absence of something to create it, manipulating an indirect cause, manipulating only the probabilities of events directly linked to the target in question, manipulating concepts by their analogy with the various aspect of music, etc.).
To basic elemental powers, which is the simplest example of a power without an if...then... condition (or require the reference of some property of the target, e.g. Fire Manipulation users can create fire, without need to met certain requirements, or need to reference other concepts) this power does nothing to them (A user who tried to use this power against element users will only be seen waving hands or whatever actions and the users will ponder what he/she is doing)
Associations[]
Limitations[]
- Absolute Powers are immune, as absolutes necessarily apply independently of context.
- A superpower without an if...then... structure cannot be affected by this power. This applies to any powers that does not specify a fixed condition to be met, this usually means the simpler powers such as the element manipulation powers (Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Time, Gravity, Space etc.), or some powers with a general outcome that does not care about the nature of the target (e.g. A power which turn everything into gold)
- Since this power itself is also based on an if...then... structure (the if condition is "indirect, not literal"), the irony is that a sufficiently creative user can still counter it or render if useless against them by another subtle wordplay such that the indirect condition becomes direct (See the example of unrestricted murdering above).
- Useless against powers that make use of uncertainty such as Uncertainty Manipulation, since uncertainty can be pretty much anything that is not understood.
- This power can have unintented side effects when interacting with some powers such as Irreversible Destruction, which will empower it by removing the indirect countermeasure against it such as "undoing the damage by regression to a point before it is done".
Known Users[]
- Sōgon Kenzaki (Aquarion Logos); via Book of Verbalism
- Vector Pilots (Aquarion Logos)
- Jack McCall (A Thousand Words)