I can already summon rain, so I'm set. And despite part of my job literally being a graphic designer, I kind of suck at art with traditional media. So I'll take the art.
All I have to do to make rain is show up somewhere with camping equipment. I have about an 80% success rate, and as a consequence a very comprehensive clothing and equipment loadout for dealing with wet.
No joke, I once cured a drought in Wyoming back in, like, 2012. I rocked up with my homies in Dubois, WY outside of Shoshone and we stopped at a little diner there. The waitress was bellyaching about the dry spell they'd been having and we told her not to worry, we'd go up the mountain and pitch our tents and it'll rain, guaranteed. She laughed. She didn't believe us. So we did, and it immediately rained for 3 days solid. It started to tail off just as we were leaving.
We stopped by that diner again on our way out, and I stuck my head in the door just to say, "You're welcome."
Make it rain. As in walk into a strip club and “make it rain” by throwing money all over the place.
I already cannot art.
So if I have to choose between a talent billions of others already have (and cannot make a living on), or a talent literally nobody has, which could save countless lives and entire ecosystems...
Yeah, not even a question. Rain.
Bit of a silly question, isn't it? With the ability to create rain you could end global hunger and stop climate change.
Behold, the Sahara Jungle!
No. Jeez, think about it for 2 seconds.
If you summoned rain you'd be ruined forever. Exit consensual reality. Goodbye certainty about all that. You are now one of the crazies. Alone.
Even if it's real, it's scary.
You are losing your position as one of the sane adults. All of the knowledge you were fed all through your life is a little bit like poison now.
You just broke your world.
I wrote a couple University papers while tripping back in the early 90s. They weren't great, but they were passable. Weed now, I see people writing "I'm so high" or some variant of that, and all I can think is,"I wouldn't even be able to write that much if I were that high!".
I feel like you're asking me would I give up the ability to make art in order to gain the ability to make rain.
Yes. Yes I would. I would be sad but saving lives would be worth it. I can think of dozens of drought regions that desperately need rain.
This was my thought process as well.
I did consider whether making good art could help fund other global issues, but I think there's too many variables. Whereas being able to make it rain would have an arguably more immediate impact.
Can we also control when to turn it off? xD
Can we also control when to turn it off?
That's a good point! This could be some real monkey's paw stuff. Or if it has knock-on effects to global weather patterns.
That probably makes it a guarantee, but I think it would paint an enormous target on your back for governments or worse to want to experiment on you.
I think I'd agree with you and I'd want to blow up on social media first ensuring that if anything were to happen to me, like a sudden disappearance, that it would be easily noticed and there'd be uproar.
But maybe we can do it without anyone seeing? Like just turn up as a tourist (or NGO volunteer), wait a few weeks, then secretly make it rain.
I have a feeling it'd be a monkeys paw of sorts. Summoning rain would fuck up some part of an ecosystem.
Monkey's paw, you wanted to water your garden and now you're trapped in a perpetual downpour.
Is making art with the rain an option?
Sand darkens when wet so that could make a cool canvas, theoretically.
You could also play with that "wall of rain" effect you sometimes see when you are just outside of a heavy rain area.
Alternatively, just make "social commentary" like a torrential downpour on the financial district. Sometimes art is just revenge.
I can already make rain, in small amounts. First I drink water, then I get very upset and douse myself and anything just beneath me in a somber rain.
I can also make art too! O--[---< see? Look at the Lil guy!
FR though, I do love downpours and heavy rain, such beautiful and peaceful weather so I'd love to be able to have that whenever
I don't really understand art. So creating it, if I didn't also receive the ability to appreciate it, would be dumb. I guess I'd go for rain, and then just go to drought areas around the world.
I hesitate to use the word skill because I suspect there is a better word choice. However, depends on the level of skill bestowed upon me.
Am I able to safely summon a typhoon, Sharknado, monsoons? Could I create 3D waifu models with ease, draw a full length cartoon with no effort, well and quickly?
Personally, I enjoy the idea of art and if I was given ability above and beyond what AI and your average artist's capacity I'd want that. I don't believe I should be trusted with the capacity to create dangerous weather anomalies.
Only if the rain magically creates the water otherwise I'd probably screw up some weather patterns and would be responsible for horrible famines or devastating floodings or whatnot.