Editing Dinah Alcott (section)

==Abilities and Powers==
Dinah has the ability to see the likelihood of something occurring in the future, which her power resolves into a percentage chance. She does this by perceiving trillions of possible universes<ref>If each of the tens of trillions of universes were like pictures, then they were organized into a mosaic, constantly rearranging itself and shuffling.  Taken in as a whole, it was a muddle.  Depending on how it shuffled, sometimes patterns emerged.  A predominant color, perhaps, or lots of scenes that were blurs of motion and activity.

But there was more to it.  There were faint sounds, for one thing, and they weren’t just two-dimensional.  Just the opposite – they were each a fully realized world, and each was continuous, like a slideshow or film reel that extended vast distances forward and backward from any of the scenes of focus. - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2012/06/21/ Excerpt] from [[Interlude 11f]]</ref> and sorting them into groups based on a single event.<ref>She concentrated, and the mosaic organized into two portions, one slightly larger than the other.  In one half, that death-terminus came very soon.  In the other, it was some distance off.  She judged the size of the individual parts, and the number snapped into her head.

''43.03485192746307955659 percent chance she would die in the next thirty minutes''. - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2012/06/21/ Excerpt] from [[Interlude 11f]]</ref>

At [[Coil|Coil's]] insistence, Dinah also demonstrated the ability to pick out a single timeline and interpret it, which was used to see a future where Crawler did not kill her, Coil, and the Travelers.<ref>She picked out one of the paths where they survived.  Even looking too closely at it made her head throb, like it was in a massive vise and someone had just cranked it a fraction tighter.  Some of the possible worlds around the fringes of her consciousness disintegrated into a mess of disordered scenes as she pushed forward.  The scenes and images of the less possible worlds flew around her mind like razor-sharp leaves in a gale, cutting at everything they touched.

[...]

She focused hard on that scene, taking it from an image small and vague enough that it could have fit on the end of a pencil to something full size.  Her head exploded with pain.  She caught fragmentary images as she felt herself double over and heave the contents of her stomach onto the metal catwalk and Sundancer’s legs and feet. - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2012/06/21/ Excerpt] from [[Interlude 11f]]</ref> It allowed them to find a situation where they could escape and then employ it.

If someone asks Dinah a question, she does not have to answer that question.<ref name="I26.a e12" /><ref name="I26.a e16">''Break it down.  Attack, left for blue.  Group, forward for red.''  “Again.”<br><br>“Golem, we can’t waste questions like this.  We-“<br><br>“Please.”<br><br>“Red.” - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/08/06/interlude-26a/ Excerpt] from [[Interlude 26a]]</ref><ref>“''Yes'',” Dinah said, but from the reactions, she spoke only to Golem.  “''Seven questions, Theo.''”<br><br>Seven questions.  Seven chances to make this count.<br><br>Red or blue wouldn’t cut it.<br><br>“We called for reinforcements.  Chance of assistance from outside?” he asked.<br><br>“''I can answer that for you,''” Tattletale said.  “''You’ve got capes converging on your location.''”<br><br>“''I’m not asking'',” Dinah said, “''You’ve still got seven questions.  But the more time that passes, the worse chances are getting.  I can see a lot of dead ends coming up.  You need to act.''” - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/08/08/interlude-26b/ Excerpt] from [[Interlude 26b]]</ref><ref>Tagg was rubbing his temples.  “Fine.  Now, when you said that the outcome of this improves the numbers, I understand that includes sending her to the Birdcage?”<br><br>“When I said I was done, I meant it,” Dinah said.  She pushed her chair back.  Her parents joined her, standing.  “You want more answers, get in contact with my dad, he’ll let you know my rates.  They change every day.” - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/05/04/cell-22-1/ Excerpt] from [[Cell 22.1]]</ref> However, she instinctively looks at assorted futures in response to a question.<ref>“You’ll charge us for a number you won’t provide?”  Tagg asked.<br><br>“Yes.  Because I charge you for ''asking''.  I can’t help but look for the numbers, so I have to look.  And that makes my head hurt if I do it too much.” - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/05/04/cell-22-1/ Excerpt] from [[Cell 22.1]]</ref><ref>“You want rules in place.”<br><br>“Laws, consequences.  The goal was to have all violent retaliation fail, to put Gary Nieves at the head of an outraged and energized majority of the population, letting him choose a course of action.  Gary?”<br><br>“You’re asking what I’d do?”<br><br>On the screen, Dinah could be seen wincing.  “No questions, please.  And yes.  Your actions, assuming you were in charge.” - [https://www.parahumans.net/2019/08/20/from-within-16-3/ Excerpt] from [[From Within 16.3]]</ref> For this reason, she appreciates it if other people can avoid phrasing things as questions.<ref>“Sure.  If you could avoid phrasing things as questions, I’d appreciate it.” - [https://www.parahumans.net/2019/08/20/from-within-16-3/ Excerpt] from [[From Within 16.3]]</ref> If Dinah lies about an answer provided by her power, it messes up her power for a while after,<ref>“Headaches,” Dinah answered, pressing her hands to her head, “It breaks my power. It takes days, sometimes weeks before everything is sorted out and working again. Headaches the entire time, until everything is sorted out, worse headaches if I try to get numbers in the meantime. Have to be careful, can’t muddle things up. Can’t lie about the numbers, can’t look at what happens, or it just becomes chaos. Safer to keep a distance, to make and follow rules. Safer to just ask the questions and let things fall into place.” - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2012/06/21 Excerpt] from [[Interlude 11f]]</ref> likely because actions relating to this answer affect the results.

Over time, Dinah could ask more questions per day. When [[Coil]] revealed Dinah to the [[Undersiders]], he initially wanted her to answer six questions.<ref>Coil bent down and pushed the hair away from the girl’s face.  She looked at him, then looked away.<br><br>“I need some numbers,” Coil spoke, gently.<br><br>“I want candy.”<br><br>“Alright.  Candy after six questions.” - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/buzz-7-11/ Excerpt] from [[Buzz 7.11]]</ref> On the day [[Crawler]] visited Coil's base, Dinah asked around 15 questions.<ref name=":0" /> About two years later, after saving her power for the [[Slaughterhouse Fight in Los Angeles]], Dinah was able to ask around 36 questions that day.<ref name="I26.a e2">“''Thirty one,”'' she said.<br><br>“Thirty one?”<br><br>“''More uses of my power.  I’ve been testing it, straining it, figuring out my limits.  I can’t make promises.  Might be less.  Might be able to squeeze out more.  But it’s the best I can give you.''“<br><br>The numbers clued him in, belatedly.<br><br>Dinah Alcott. - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/08/06/interlude-26a/ Excerpt] from [[Interlude 26a]]</ref><ref name="I26.a e12">“Saving Tecton, red or blue.”<br><br>“''Golem, we didn’t get a chance to go over this earlier, but you need to know… I can’t ask that many questions.  I’ve been saving my power for the last big confrontation.  Tattletale said this is the time to act.  I used my power twice to answer big questions earlier today.  Another three to figure out who I needed to talk to, and that told me-''“<br><br>“I’m the best partner for you?”<br><br>“''Right now, yes.  Listen.  Twenty-six questions left.  We haven’t even found Jack.  I can’t figure it out.''“ - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/08/06/interlude-26a/ Excerpt] from [[Interlude 26a]]</ref> After the [[Attack on Teacher]], she mentioned how she could ask 40 to 50 questions per day.<ref>“Understood.  I understand you can ask more questions than you used to.”<br><br>“Forty to fifty.  It’s not as many as it sounds like, but it’s more than it used to be.” - [https://www.parahumans.net/2019/08/20/from-within-16-3/ Excerpt] from [[From Within 16.3]]</ref>

===Blind Spots===
[[Scion]] recoded Dinah's [[shard]] with strict limitations before directing it to her.<ref name="26.x e1">The shard that allows the entity to see the future is broken up, then recoded with strict limitations.  It wouldn’t do to have the capabilities turned against the entity or the shards.<br><br>The fragment it just used is sent off, directed to a small female.<br><br>The other fragments in that same cluster are retained.  To see the future is resource intensive, but the entity will harbor it as a safeguard. - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/08/10/interlude-26/ Excerpt] from [[Interlude 26]]</ref> Thus, she cannot accurately see past the [[Entities]] themselves,<ref>“Blue.  I’m-  My power’s getting fuzzier.”<br><br>''Scion''.<br><br>He looked up at the sky.  Weaver with her swarm was there, forming a great wall across the sky, as if to draw attention to herself.  Scion was approaching, a ray of golden light streaking across the overcast sky above.<br><br>Scion shut down precog abilities. - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/08/06/interlude-26a/ Excerpt] from [[Interlude 26a]]</ref> the [[Endbringers]],<ref name="28.3 eFiveGroups">“Dinah told me the defending forces would be divided into five groups.  Armies, individuals, some of the biggest capes, and unknowns.”<br><br>“She said that to others.  It’s on record in the PRT,” Defiant told me.<br><br>“Five groups in different places, and Dinah couldn’t see ''why'' they were there, she couldn’t see the particulars.  She said there could be too many precogs there, but what if that’s not it?  What if she’s blind about the particulars because the ''Endbringers'' are there?” - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/09/05/cockroaches-28-3/ Excerpt] from [[Cockroaches 28.3]]</ref> [[shardspace]],<ref>“If you ask ''here''-” Tattletale said.<br>[...]<br>“I think if you ask and find out specific answers, you’ll screw up Contessa’s odds and spoil things.  Don’t ask for…” Tattletale trailed off.<br><br>''For the particulars about the option we took?''<br><br>Dinah was unreliable, Contessa was… if she was on the up and up she was playing with big moving pieces in a way that was awfully scary and hard to extend any trust to. - [https://www.parahumans.net/2019/09/21/from-within-16-12/ Excerpt] from [[From Within 16.12]]</ref> and other blind spots to the typical [[Thinker]] [[precognitive|precognition]] (i.e., [[Eidolon]], [[Sleeper]], [[Valkyrie]], and [[Pastor]]).<ref name="II11.4 e1">It wasn’t Jeanne who answered.  Cinereal gave me my reply.  “Thinkers say no.  They’re either drawing blanks or they don’t like what they see.”<br><br>“Nothing specific?  No details?”<br><br>“No,” Cinereal said.  “But if you look at some of the other major thinker blind spots, you’re going to find yourself running into topics like Eidolon, Sleeper, the Endbringers, Valkyrie, the Island-state, the Pastor incident…”<br><br>“Concentrations of power,” I said.<br><br>Jeanne shook her head.  “''Complexity'' of power, most often.  Whatever thinker powers come into play, with these cases, there’s often too many variables to fully consider, thinkers report that their powers are fuzzy, inconsistent, or blacked out.” - [https://www.parahumans.net/2019/01/01/blinding-11-4/ Excerpt] from [[Blinding 11.4]]</ref> Dinah also cannot see a [[trigger event]] directly.<ref>“We’ve heard of incidents where one person became a very large-scale effect.  The kind that would cover this whole colony, and then some,” I said.  “I think the catch is that most precogs and danger sensers can’t see triggers coming, even broken ones.” - [https://www.parahumans.net/2018/10/02/gleaming-9-12/ Excerpt] from [[Gleaming 9.12]]</ref> 

Dinah's [[precognitive|precognition]] is not [[All-or-Nothing]]; other precognitives can interfere with her power.<ref name="24.4 c1">'''hitherbydragons:''' I think the interference works like this:<br><br>When a precog sees the future, it changes how they act. That change in their actions changes the future.<br><br>Each future-seeing power has a way of solving for that—a way of bringing that to a point of convergence.<br>[...]<br>But when you get two different modes of prediction interacting, then there’s a feedback effect.<br>[...]<br>Only, Contessa isn’t actually going to do all of these things: it’s just that she’ll do those things _in the world where the Simurgh is doing that plan._ So her power becomes a shape, a shadow, over the set of futures that the Simurgh can build. And normally vice versa, except that Contessa’s power apparently wins.<br>[...]<br>'''wildbow:''' That is pretty much exactly right.<br><br>I’d say that it’d be a relatively rare non-precog thinker power (like Coil’s) that would really trip up precogs, and even then, some precogs would handle it better than others. - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/06/18/crushed-24-4/#comment-28540 Conversation with Wildbow] on [[Crushed 24.4]]</ref><ref name="18.1" /><ref name="28.3 eFiveGroups" /> Indeed, [[Contessa]]<ref name="II16.2 e2" /><ref>“I made no mistakes.  I wasn’t reckless.  I was careful and she woke up, blinded me, and slapped everything I was setting up out of my hands, and she did it for a reason. And in every one of those eventualities I talked about?  She makes it through.  She’s there, after all the blind spots pass, and she leaves us to our fates, for as long as we still exist in any sense.” - [https://www.parahumans.net/2019/08/20/from-within-16-3/ Excerpt] from [[From Within 16.3]]</ref> and other precognitives and situ change [[Thinker]]s are blind spots.<ref name="21.7 e1">The other three-quarters of that board were almost entirely clear, but for one index card in the upper-right:
:limits to Dinah ability: can’t see accurately points of interaction with power immune capes, precogs, situ change Thinkers. Limited sight past points of interaction.  these are ‘stoppers’<br><br>Hartford: No known stoppers in area.<br>Enfield: No known stoppers in area.<br>Chicopee: No known stoppers in area.<br>Southbridge: No known stoppers in area.<br>Boston, Charlestown Area:  Yes stoppers, no direct interaction b/w any stoppers and Nine.  <s>call to dble check with Still</s>.  no interaction<br>Toybox: No known stoppers.
It made a lot of sense.  Tracking Jack’s trail of destruction from the point he’d left the city, finding the point where Dinah couldn’t or ''shouldn’t'' be able to see, using them to narrow down possibilities. - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/04/25/imago-21-7/ Excerpt] from [[Imago 21.7]]</ref>

[[Shard]]-derived sensory powers cannot perceive [[Mantellum]] (i.e., he blinds shards);<ref>Mantellum	'''Case 53.  Blocks out sensory aspects of powers progressively more with proximity.'''	Irregulars - [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pgn9rgYutpBqJg1lSBP3NHnq9WK4ToLq9K4ys_I4cRc/edit Parahuman List], bolded edit by Wildbow</ref><ref>'''ReekRhymesWithWeak: ''' Edit: Can we also have clarification on whether Mantellum could beat Cherish or not?<br><br>'''Wildbow: ''' Mantellum operates in a different way than Hatchet Face, blocking all power use into or out of his radius. It becomes a contest of strength. Make your decision accordingly. - [https://www.reddit.com/r/Parahumans/comments/32y8lk/comment/cqfwj5i/ Conversation with Wildbow] on Reddit</ref><ref name="Reddit eBlindShards">'''Torrieltar:''' How do you nullify a power in Wormverse? Would any old power nullifier from another universe work, or does it need to be done in a specific way? Similarly, what would it take to duplicate a Wormverse power?<br><br>'''Wildbow:''' Depends, really. Mantellum was a power nullifier who basically blinded shards. He arguably wouldn't have any effect on a sensory power that wasn't a Worm power. - [https://www.reddit.com/r/whowouldwin/comments/5jmo6d/_/dbnr64k Conversation with Wildbow] on Reddit</ref> he and anyone in his radius are presumably a blind spot as even [[Contessa]] cannot perceive him with her [[All-or-Nothing]] power.<ref>Fog approached.  A wall of it, moving down the corridor.  She could see normally, but the effect on her powers was absolute.  It was impossible to make out any steps that moved within the fog.<br>[...]<br>She ducked.  “-have a perception blocker, beware.”<br>[...]<br>“Cornered.  They’ve got a thinker, I think, they planned this ahead of time, knowing I wouldn’t pick up on their presence.”<br>[...]<br>This ‘Mantellum’ had been close enough that he should have been able to block her power.  He hadn’t.<br><br>Because he’d been on the other side of the portal.  The power didn’t cross dimensional boundaries.<br><br>She’d been lucky. - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/10/12/interlude-29/ Excerpt] from [[Interlude 29]]</ref><ref name="Reddit eProcessingPower">'''Torrieltar:''' How fast can Path to Victory react to unforeseen changes?<br><br>'''Wildbow:''' All changes are foreseen, as a rule. Can't cite anything, but there's a line that sorta appears in the story, where you run into the perfects (perfect defense, perfect offense) and stuff gets fucky - and the rule of thumb is that 'unless your ability beats -everything-, it doesn't beat this'. For processing power Contessa's ability would be on this level (as with Flechette's Sting, Clockblocker's inviolability, Siberian's invulnerability). - [https://www.reddit.com/r/whowouldwin/comments/5jmo6d/_/dbnr64k Conversation with Wildbow] on Reddit</ref>

Although Dinah has limited sight past the point of interaction with a blind spot,<ref name="21.7 e1" /> she can work around them to some extent by seeing everything around them as well as the immediate future right behind their point of influence.<ref name="II16.2 e2" /> Thus, she is better at seeing past blind spots than [[Contessa]] as long as she asks questions about them.<ref>A lot to consider, and dimensions to consider when weighing why Contessa hadn’t tackled them.<br><br>Then there was Dinah.  The other circle in my little venn diagram.  She was better at seeing past blind spots, as far as I could tell.  But she had to ask.  No solutions were neatly handed to her.<br>[...]<br>“Entertain me,” I said.  “Threats.  I’m thinking they’re… blind spots for Contessa, and-or they’re threats so minor Dinah hasn’t thought to ask questions about them.” - [https://www.parahumans.net/2019/10/29/sundown-17-9/ Excerpt] from [[Sundown 17.9]]</ref><ref>''What are you missing, Contessa?  What lurks near your blind spots or what serves your purposes?  Which is it?''<br><br>''What does Dinah fail to ask?''<br><br>I couldn’t do anything about Dinah, not in this moment. - [https://www.parahumans.net/2019/11/02/sundown-17-10/ Excerpt] from [[Sundown 17.10]]</ref> For example, this allowed Dinah to predict [[Gold Morning]],<ref name="18.1">“What’s the chance the world ends, Dinah?  That these billions die because of something Jack Slash does?  Has the number changed?”<br><br>“It’s changed.  Ninety-seven point seven nine zero seven three percent.”<br>[...]<br>“Can you give me more details?  How am I different?  Which of the others are there?”<br><br>“I don’t know.  There’s too many capes and too many capes with powers that make it fuzzy, because some powers make it harder and a bunch of those powers together make it impossible.   I don’t know what happens to start all of it and I don’t know much of what happens ''during'', but billions are dead afterward.”<br><br>''Damn''.  “Okay.  You said we’re spread out?”<br><br>“Yes.  Five big groups, lots and lots of capes from all around the world, and armies.  Coil asked a lot about that.  He wanted to know about his chances for survival or the total number of casualties if he focused on one area over another.” - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/01/19 Excerpt] from [[Queen 18.1]]</ref><ref>“Why, Dinah?” Miss Militia asked.  “Why do this?”<br><br>“For everyone.  Because we got this far, it makes the numbers a little better.  Whatever happens from here on out, it makes the end of the world a little less bad.”<br><br>“A little less bad,” Triumph echoed her.<br><br>“But it still happens,” Tagg said.<br><br>“Almost always.  The world ends, in two years or in fifteen or sixteen.” - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/05/04/cell-22-1/ Excerpt] from [[Cell 22.1]]</ref><ref name="II8.y eOrders" /><ref>Those areas had overlap.  Contessa had blind spots.  Dinah did too, but they seemed to operate differently, and Dinah had seen more clearly through the end of the world than Contessa had.  According to Dinah. -  [https://www.parahumans.net/2019/10/29/sundown-17-9/ Excerpt] from [[Sundown 17.9]]</ref> engineer [[Khepri]],<ref>“We’re absolutely looking into this, Dinah.  But as clear as your power is to you, we have to make our own judgment calls.  We have two people with very credible powers with apparent agendas, sitting opposed to one another.”<br><br>“My agenda is and always has been what’s best for humanity.  I predicted the end of the world.  I positioned the right people in the right places.  Khepri.” - [https://www.parahumans.net/2019/08/20/from-within-16-3/ Excerpt] from [[From Within 16.3]]</ref><ref>'''Wildbow:''' That wasn't the Simurgh apologizing. It was her reminding Taylor of what Dinah wrote.<br><br>'''Doctor Mod:''' Best Girl my blind eye! Thanks for the insight. Seeing that and even seeing Dinah in the final chapters I never thought of that. It feels like so long ago she got that note. Literally and in story!<br><br>'''Wildbow:''' What do you think Dinah was apologizing for, if not for Khepri? - [https://forums.spacebattles.com/posts/33897007 Conversation with Wildbow] on Sufficient Velocity, archived on Spacebattles</ref><ref>“This isn’t a solution,” she said, without looking up.  “You said a second trigger wouldn’t work.  This is… it’s so crude you couldn’t even call it a hack job.”<br><br>The Simurgh’s screaming continued.<br><br>Dinah had left me two notes.<br><br>The Simurgh had reminded me of the second.<br><br>''‘I’m sorry.’''<br><br>It wasn’t an apology for the consequences of the first note.  No, Dinah hadn’t approached me since.  She hadn’t decided I’d fulfilled the terms and deemed it okay to finally contact me again.<br><br>Two words, telling me that something ugly was going to happen.  Directed at me.<br>[...]<br>But there was a possibility that it referred to me.  That it was tied to our ability to come out ahead at the end of all this.  To some slim chance. - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/10/08/venom-29-9/ Excerpt] from [[Venom 29.9]]</ref> and determine that just kicking [[the Simurgh]]'s ass will suffice.<ref>“''What question!''?”<br><br>“Kick her ass, or kick her ass ''more''?” I asked, quiet.<br><br>There was a pause.<br><br>“Just kicking her ass will suffice.”<br><br>I used my aura, putting every iota of violent, righteous, angry sentiment I was feeling and transmitting it to every cape present.  Dinah directed, it gave us what we needed to make a final set of moves without ''her'' seeing them coming. - [https://www.parahumans.net/2020/03/15/last-20-6/ Excerpt] from [[Last 20.6]]</ref>