A pair of potential songs

[Kheram Coldstar]

The Masochism Tango
by Tom Lehrer
This is one I can't see Doug playing without playing "I'll Play for You" first.

Lightning Does the Work
This one is a country song but it does have potential as an electricity manipulation song.

Kheram

[Bob Schroeck]

1. Oh, that's evil. "MT" is a song I've long stayed away from, but I never made that connection, so that's why.
2. I don't know it, but the title alone seems to suggest it, yes. For some reason, I can't reach the lyrics site you link to right now, so I can't say more.-- Bob
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Chaos isn't really chaos if it isn't Lawful part of the time.

[Shader]

I was able to get to the second site.... thus here is a text-grab of the lyrics on it.
Artist: Chad Brock
Album: Chad Brock
Title: Lightning Does The Work

(chad brock/john hadley/kelly garrett)
You know nothin's gettin' done when talk is all you hear
Like someone revvin' up a truck never put in gear
But you don't see a cowboy run his mouth and strut around
He just takes the bull by the horns and throws him to the ground
Takin' care of business not just puttin' on a show
When it gets down to it, everybody knows
It ain't the smoke, it's the fire that gets the burnin' done
If it wasn't for the bullet, nobody'd fear the gun
It ain't the bark, it ain't the growl, it's the bite that hurts
Thunder's just a noise, boys, lightnin' does the work
You can talk about the farm or you can plow the ground
Argue with a rusty nail or hammer it on down
You can stand there in the dark cussin' at the night
Or you can just reach out your hand and turn on the light
There ain't no limit in this life to how far you can get
But if you're goin' all the way you gotta break a sweat
It ain't the smoke, it's the fire that gets the burnin' done
If it wasn't for the bullet, nobody'd fear the gun
It ain't the bark, it ain't the growl, it's the bite that hurts
Thunder's just a noise, boys, lightnin' does the work
I've heard thunder talkin' up a storm
Rattlin' my windows and knockin' on my door
But i've seen lightnin' blow a cypress tree in half
The thunder's busy talkin', and lightnin's kickin'
It ain't the smoke, it's the fire that gets the burnin' done
If it wasn't for the bullet, nobody'd fear the gun
It ain't the bark, it ain't the growl, it's the bite that hurts
Thunder's just a noise, boys, lightnin' does the work
Thunder's just a noise, boys, lightnin' does the work
Ahh yeah
Gonna getcha
Getcha good
----
Hope it helps.
MicroHue

[Valles]

Well, yeah, you -could- call it 'Lightning's Hand Lite'...
But that's so -tame-.
Instead, say that it gives him the ability to summon/use any random -two- of the following:
An invisible simulacrum of an aurochs.
An invisible simulacrum of a wolf.
Shadow powers.
Fire powers.
Sonic powers.
Electrical powers.
Light powers.
A pinpoint kinetic attack (AKA, the elfshot effect).
Smoke.
An illusion of an aurochs.
or
An illusion of a wolf.
Ja, -n
===========

===============================================
"V, did you do something foolish?"
"Yes, and it was glorious."

[Kokuten]

I kept seeing it as not doing anything, but, indeed, tapping doug's metagift.. until one day he plays 'Lightning's Hand' afterwards..
And Lightning's Hand, when following that song, summons a semi-sentient telepathic (to doug) prescient energy being, that, well, 'takes care of business' on it's own, leaving doug free to do whatever else he cares to.
--- Kokuten Daysleeper, Retired Epicced Officered DorfWire Geek - Burning the weak and trampling the dead since 1979

[classicdrogn]

That's an interesting interpretation - thoguh rather than having to stack effects through the songs, maybe it just creates or summons or otherwise manifests an elemental - pick lightning or fire - or ... well, I probably have to explain Jeet more. Jeet (I'm preety sure that was her name) was Lunat!k's sidekick/honey in the Marvel Comics Presents chapters he appeared in, a wisecracking, raunchy pixie-girl small enough to fly into someone's ear (and blow up their head), strong enough to knock the Silver Surfer off his board and a considerable dstance backwards, and tough enough to survive being blasted halfway around the planet by him afterwards. How EXACTLY she could have anything to do with an oversized guy like Luu is something of a mystery, but not espescially relevant at the moment, because she's standing in for a Bullet Elemental here, essentially making like Travel-Sphere Tenchi in The Harem Saga.
That last effect occured to me for use with God is a Bullet first, but could go as well with this, and let Doug continue his (entirely sensible) avoidance of anything with the potential of attracting higher powers.
Say, have you cinsidered a Pokemon Stagger, Bob? Doug's various simalcra songs could support at least a superficial attempt at fitting into the local paradigm enough to avoid attracting too much attention before finding a working gatesong... Though even with the short glimpse of her character from the simalcra battle in DWII, I don't think Silverbolt would be as amused about such a thing as I am imagining it. From the native perspective, they'd probably figure her for some unknown Legendary Steel/Fighting type.
- CDHow many times have you stared mournfully into the coleslaw and thought "Gee, I wish I was a cabbage."
SERVO: Loook *deeeeply* into my eyes... Tell me, what do you see?
CROW: (hypnotized) A twisted man who wants to inflict his pain upon others.
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

[Evil Midnight Lurker]

Sadly, a Silverbolt simulacrum would attract less attention in the Pokegirl world.
...Which, in some of its better-written versions, is a place that would in fact make an interesting Step/Stagger.
--Sam
"Egad! Too much anatomy!"

[Sukael]

...
I am having a tremendously hard time not falling over laughing.
--

[Shader]

This may be a little to abstract for Doug's subconsious, or it might be a "translated in an unpredictable manner" situation (you know when his metagift pulls a fast one on him to keep him on his toes)... but...
As I read through the lyrics again, I get the impression of a *distraction* type event. I'll try to explain. To me the song is talking about how everyone pays attention to thunder, a gun, etc, but they do so without paying attention to the 'action' bit (lighting for thunder, bullet for gun).
Thus... the song causes opponents/all within AOE/target to focus on the evidence/results of an action rather than the action itself.
For example, in combat those affected would stop fighting and listen to the sounds of combat around them or see all the black eyes rather than Doug's fist. Or rather than trying to defuse a bomb or run away, they become fascinated by the beeping as the clock counts down.
The song would cause them to detach the evidence that they see from the cause.
...er, sorry, the idea is/was very clear in my head, but when I went to write it down, it evapored and refused to come out.
---
Alternative power: If play before "Lightning Hand", then "Lighnting Hand" is *loud* with *a lot* of thunder to accompany any 'action' that it does.
---
Possible Downside to song: Regardless of it's actual positive power, it give's Doug a slight case of BO. But if you're goin' all the way you gotta break a sweat
---
That's it, too tired to be clearer.... night!
MicroHue

[Shader]

Addeumn to above post:
While I haven't actually played a GURPS style RPG... I think I understand it's dynamics. After I posted the above, I suddenly thought of a way to explain it a little better.
When affected by the song, those who are defending have to roll an extra 6-sided die of [+X] against their focus/intiligence/defense. Failure means they got distracted, while success means that they only go part of their defense up. X changes with the degree of distraction (i.e. If Doug played it while they were surrounded by a burning building, during a thunderstorm with a growling dog by his side, then X would be say 18, while if it was just him and them in a sound-proof room, then X would be say 4)
Hope it helps,
MicroHue

[Bob Schroeck]

Actually, what you're describing bears more resemblance to FUDGE or Champions/Fuzion than GURPS.-- Bob
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Chaos isn't really chaos if it isn't Lawful part of the time.

[Shader]

Sorry, my mistake. But I hope you got the gist of what I was saying. Did it make sense, or am I shooting way off-centre?
MicroHue

[Bob Schroeck]

Oh yeah, no problem there.-- Bob
---------
Chaos isn't really chaos if it isn't Lawful part of the time.