You Choose Between Money and Power

[wjowski]

The money sounds like the better deal, yeah.

Probably sell the house and bunker though. Might invest some in local politics.

[frankiedetroit]

Yes, money. I have never had the need to stop 50-cal bullets, but I have often had the need to have money. A billion dollars would just about fulfill my needs. I wonder how much time would pass before I came across something that I didn't have enough to buy...

[Marvel-Studios Rep]

Id take the powers. Means id never have to get up for a beer again.

[The MunchKING]

The MunchKING didn't get that title by passing up power when it was offered to him!!

Besides Money is just a few battles away anyway. TK, that's harder to get...

[T'Challa Bruce Von Doom]

The money.

I've never been in a situation in which I wished I had the power to stop machine gun fire, so that isn't going to be particularly useful to me in the real, non-comic book world.

And I don't particularly care to be whisked away by the government and experimented on since I'd be the only real life telekinetic, and they'd want to know how they could duplicate the power. In this society, you can't avoid every single electronic camera or any of the cameras most people carry around as standard equipment for the rest of your life. You'd need an isolated place to be able to train with the power, find out the limits, etc., and you could never be spotted by anyone.

So long as the taxes are paid (which the OP says they are), the government won't have any reason to be anymore interested in me than they are in the other rich people. A billionaire is not unique. A telekinetic would be.

[Harbinger19]

"As with any power," says White Robe, "you start out with certain basic feats and functions, and then learn and develop further as you go."

Power it is then.

I’ll have to be careful for a while as I practice but once I get the unconscious autoshields and the passive physical enhancements going the government’s not going to be a threat.

Then I can figure out how to earn some dough in a way that’s interesting.

[Nik Hasta]

Pretty much echoing Sharp over here, I take the money and donate most of it.

Buy a nicer place for me and my housemates to live in in London. Sort my little sister out financially, pay for my mum to get bits of her house remodelled that she wants done. Maybe buy her a place in London if she wants to move closer as she gets older. Do something nice for my older sister but she's mostly got all of her biz together in her life. Maybe get myself a placei n Edinburgh so I can make my costs going to the Fringe every year cheaper.

Setup like... three media production companies with the mission statement that they need to make inclusive, niche and challenging media to make more interesting stuff that I like and wouldn't get made otherwise. Weird ****, y'know?

Keep like... a couple of mil or something to see myself and family through the remainder of our natural lives comfortably. Donate the rest to charity, research, causes I believe in.

Oh, buy Miburo and Gladdy a nice place in Edinburgh as well so I can constantly hold that over him. XD

[Shellhead]

“I was corrupt before I had power,” Random said, “and rich is better.” -- Roger Zelazny, Trumps of Doom.

Money is better, because money is more flexible. You can easily share your money with friends and family, but if you share power you will lose it all. Money can be saved, invested, spent, or given away, and there are always legal channels for these transfers. You can pay people to do things on your behalf, without your direct involvement. By contrast, exercising power often requires your direct involvement, depending on the nature of your power. Power must be used to be maintained, with periodic displays to remind people of your power. And while there are various situations where power is better than money, those exercises of power will tend to be illegal. And for all your power, you will need to sleep sooner or later.

“Power is like money,” I said. “You can usually get it if you’re competent and it’s the only thing you want in life.” (Merlin) -- Roger Zelazny, Trumps of Doom

[Guy1]

[Toreador]

Take the power. Money would be easy to come by with that kind of power. With a little practice and that fine a control hit the casinos a build up your fortune. Nudge a roulette ball into the right hole, jiggle the crap dice to come up with the right numbers, have the right numbers pop up in a lotto (sure it's a bit illegal but like they say 'it's not cheating if you don't get caught).

And they are hidden ways to help people if you choose.

[Captain Smith]

Most physical powers unless you are kryptonian, SS, Fate, Strange level are fairly useless in today's world unless you want to go into show business. You ain't fighting anyone without dying in awhile from a massive armed forces response. If you do have the higher level - you gonna go Superman Injustice on the world? That's an unpleasant life.

Good mental powers - might be fun and lucrative but not in the OP.

Thus, as many said - take the money.

[Starter Set]

Power i guess, i never cared much about money. Just to have enough to live comfortably, that's all i ever aimed for.

Telekinesis now, that sounds mighty cool.