Xavier's School for Gifted Young Adults - X-Men

Started by Secretwriter, November 28, 2010, 08:28:14 PM

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Crovonovin

#650
I think I'd like to apply for the Groundskeeper role, if that's alright.  I doesn't have an "Open" beneath it, but there's no name either.  I figure that will be a good excuse to have my character roaming around all the parts of the school, which will probably help me get acclimated to this impressive setting you've put together here on Elliquiy.

Oh, and that reminds me, are you only accepting a certain gender at the moment?  I imagine with a game this size you must like to keep a careful balance.

Adonis

There is no gender restriction at the moment, no. However, when possible, we do encourage the play of males, as it seems that for some reason lately, all we tend to get are female applicants, and we have to fight to keep that balance now and again. As I said though, at the moment, there are no restrictions.

And yes, the Groundskeeper position is available. That would entail general custodian, as well as outdoor care for the place, so count on being always busy with this destructive bunch ;)

If you find the role too demanding, Im sure we can set up some NPC cronies, or make the kids do hard labor as punishment  >:).
You can't change who people are at their core. You can only love them for what they've given you.
O/O's
Current Muse Status: Overdriiiive

Crovonovin

Considering the concept of my character is essentially "The Human Garbage Disposal", I think she'll at least have an advantage when it comes to cleaning up the aftermath!

If there does get to be a bit of an imbalance later on down the line, I could always set up a new guy to even things out for ya'll. 

I'll get on that character sheet right away!

Crovonovin

#653
Character:

Code-Name: "The Mouth"
Real Name: Ellie Hammond
Ethnicity: African American
Sex: Female
Age: 28
Relationship Status: Single
Team Affiliation: Xavier
Position at the School: Groundskeeper/Janitor

Appearance:

Hair: Dark brown
Eyes: Hazel
Skin: Rich Brown
Weight: 130lbs
Height: 6'2"
Other: Slender and awkwardly gangled, like she got starved then run through a taffy puller.  Has a tendency to go barefoot most of the time and wear clothing that breathes easily.
   
Date Of Birth: June 17th, 1983
Place Of Birth: San Diego, California
Citizenship: American Citizen


Information:

Personality:

Ellie exudes a warm confidence in both herself and those she meets, her easy smile and twinkling eyes always inviting anyone and everyone to say their fill.  She's the type of person who'd strike up a conversation with you on the subway or just walking on the street, seemingly oblivious to the concepts of personal space.  Hardly one to pry into personal business, she's nevertheless exactly the kind of individual that most folks wind up opening up to.  Ellie isn't a counselor by any stretch of the imagination, but sometimes help comes from the unlikeliest of places.

Background:

Ellie was born to a single father, a much beloved English professor at the University of San Diego.  She never knew her mother, and though curiosity strikes now and again that is one loose end that she does not expect to ever see tied up.  It wasn't something her Old Man seemed much inclined to talk about, as if the mystery woman's fate was less important to him than the bundle of joy that she left in his care. 

Though Derrick's flexible work hours gave him ample time to spend with his daughter, their relationship was not without its ups and downs.  She was a rough and tumble kind of kid, always coming home with roughed up elbows and pants with the knees worn out and a fresh coat of dust and dirt everywhere in between.  Ellie was the sort to be just as at ease trying on clothes with the girls of the neighborhood as she was playing mock-rugby with the boys, and at that early age gender roles didn't seem to matter one lick to her.  Her father eventually gave up trying to be obsessively protective of her once it became clear she could handle herself, but in a city like San Diego the nagging worry never quite managed to fade.  It would be a point of contention between them all through her teenage years, but it was never so much of an obstacle that they couldn't simply enjoy one another's company in the city park, or discussing a book they loved, or just running up and down the sidewalk in the rain.

It was at the age of fourteen that Ellie and her father first began noting the peculiarities, foremost among them being her almost insatiable appetite.  There was hardly a moment of the day when she wasn't snacking on something or another, whether it be nibbling on a strip of jerky or scarfing down a few double cheeseburgers from the local diner and washing it down with a side of hash browns and a stack of pancakes.  Her female friends were all too quick to note how she never seemed to gain a single pound in spite of all the food she was packing away at every meal, unable to hide the hint of bitter jealousy that can't help but bubble up from time to time whenever a woman's figure is called into question. 

Though her father preferred to just ignore the signs, she also had about as active a sexual life as was healthy for a girl of her age, her kindness and balance of masculine and feminine sensibilities proving quite the formidable combination.  Nothing ever seemed to last long, but many a friendship of hers was born amidst sweaty sheets and tangled bodies.

It wasn't until the age of seventeen that Ellie's latent mutant powers finally manifested, and the normal life she had planned to lead shattered forever.  Coming home from school one late afternoon with a terrible hungering gnawing at her emaciated stomach, she nearly demolished the kitchen in her attempt to devour every single scrap of food she could manage to find.  From the bottle of cooking oil to the package of muffins on the counter, the still-frozen pizzas in the fridge or the sack of flour in the pantry, everything was forced down her burning throat into the cavernous space that seemed to be expanding with every passing second.

That's when her father came in from his midday classes, his bags thumping to the floor at the bewildering sight that greeted him.  The rancid stench of burnt hair and linoleum choked the room, the girl curled up on the floor only barely registering the acidic effluence sloughing off her flesh in waves.  All at once she could feel her body growing, her head bloating into an obscene caricature of a human being with a too-wide mouth lined with endless rows of chomping incisors, looming over the pallid man at the door, his quivering voice muted over the hiss of vapor in the air.

And then, it was over.  A pair of bloody shoes slowly melted away in a pool of yellow ichor, the only thing that remained of a loving, devoted father.



Ellie ran for years after that, moving through the world as if in a suffocating fog.  She hitchhiked across the country, never taking up permanent residence anywhere for fear of harming another innocent.  She subsisted on whatever scraps she could find, discovering with some disgust that even garbage could satiate her now, metals and meat alike dissolving easily when exposed to her putrid bile.  The Otherness, that all-consuming hunger she named "The Mouth" was never again allowed to manifest itself in the company of others, but no matter how much she denied its existence she could feel that base urge every time her stomach growled with need.

Discovering the existence of the Xavier Institute was like a calling from on high.  It was a place where she could work in relative peace, perhaps amongst those who could understand the sort of trauma she had experienced.  The years have done much to mellow her, but a bit of real peace is something she's been searching for for quite some time.


Mother:

Name: Unknown
Race: Unknown (Presumed Mutant)

Father:
   
Name: Derrick Hammond
Race: Human

Other Relatives:

Grandmother:
Name: Delilah Hammond
Race: Human


  • Ellie also has a number of cousins, uncles, and aunts residing in Louisiana, but has never been able to work up the courage to visit them.

Powers:

Major: Ellie possesses a most singular and horrific ability.  Her epidermal layer can, in times of extreme duress, hunger, or deep concentration, produce an extremely potent acidic concoction capable of eating its way through most known materials.  The liquid is bio-degradable and apparently non-toxic, but extreme control is necessary to avoid producing any excess that might damage the surrounding area.

Though it can be excreted in a coating around her body, it is most commonly expelled from mouth-like orifices that are capable of manifesting on nearly any part of her body.  The acid and mild shapeshifting seem to be intrinsically linked to one another; the more acid that is produced, the greater and more disfiguring the physical changes typically become.

Power Limitations:

Major: Producing acid for any extended period of time (such as during a fight) burns calories at an alarming rate, with several minutes of use easily equaling a fairly rigorous workout.  Unless she consumes raw material, she runs the risk of passing out or having the glands under skin run dry.  Starvation is a very real, very large threat to her during combat.

Hobbies and Interests:


  • Ellie has more than a passing interest in gardening, which is primarily why she was attracted to the position of Groundskeeper.  The campus of the Xavier Institute is an absolute paradise compared to some of the dives she frequented during the past decade, and she seems fully committing to cultivating its many gardens and topiaries as best she can.
  • As should probably be obvious, she also enjoys cooking quite a bit.  While she can technically eat just about anything and gain nourishment from it, she tends to prefer actual food over stray cans or or cigarette butts.  Littering within sight of her is ill advised, to say the least.
  • Her father fostered a love of reading in his little girl right from the very beginning, encouraging her to explore a variety of works from authors both famous, infamous, and virtually unknown.  Though she hasn't had the luxury of time and library access in many years, there's nothing quite as wonderfully enriching and nostalgic to her as curling up in the shade with a good book.  Though she has dual interest in science fiction and the classics, Ellie also has a bit of a guilty pleasure when it comes to trashy romance novels-which she sometimes attempts to write in her spare time when she's absolutely sure no one is looking.


OOC Ons and Offs:   There's very little that weirds me out, as I typically have a very open mind.  However, do shoot me a message to clarify things if you're uncertain about how I might react.  I promise I don't bite!  Well, not unless you want me to, anyway.

Ellie will accept advances from either gender, and her own interests are only as vanilla as the person she happens to be with at the time.  She has quite a flexible personality, even if the idea of relationships gets her a little skittish at times.

LunarSage

Quote from: Kendra on April 17, 2011, 04:22:24 PM
I am curious and very intrigued by him.
when you say a better fighter can you give an indication as to how good.
We certainly don't want a student coming in being 'the worlds' greatest anything' there has to be limits and a realistic ballpark on the characters ability.

I wouldn't say the world's greatest... he's no Thor or Hercules.

But he'd be able to give characters like Captain America, Wolverine or Shang Chi serious pause in a spar.

Obviously Wolvie has other advantages that'd put him over the top like a Healing Factor (can you even really call it that anymore?  Nowadays it's outright Regeneration) and the Adamantium claws and skeleton, but in a fair fight it could go either way as I envision him.

-------------

One of my other ideas is a guy (and no, I'm not stealing this idea from the Initiative... they just happened to have come up with as similar idea separately) who's one and only power is complete invulnerability.  No super strength, no super speed, no -nothing- else.  Someday he may develop other powers but that wouldn't be for a long time (and would probably never happen at all in this game).  He's just a normal (in shape) 17 year old guy otherwise. 

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Adonis

Invulnerability in any way, shape, or form is a no-no.

QuoteAbilities Not Allowed
Subject to change at any time.

    Time Travel
    Mind Control
    Invincibility
    Long Term Invisibility
    Anything that would cause instant death, i.e. Death Touches
    Ability to completely paralyze someone for extended periods of time, or over 15 mins without GM permission.  This one could be fun to play in the right contexts, but it would need to be plotted out.
    Immortality
    Powers cloned or obviously combined from Canon characters - this will be studied case by case. We'd rather someone play a canon than just blatantly rip one off.
    Superdupermegastrength - the ability to lift tall buildings with one finger.  Mashing cars up and using them as basketballs.
    The ability to turn into food - Cause seriously, there's always the one time someone turns themselves into a corn dog and the ending is never pretty.
    Unapproved magical items.
    Reality manipulation.
    Cosmic/Heavenly/Demonic Entities.


Shihong - As cool as the concept is, her demonic "other halves", controlled or suppressed would fall under the "Cosmic/Heavenly/Demonic Entities" section. I had to turn someone's sheet down either yesterday or the day before for something similar in nature, but not function. If you can re-work her bio to remove that aspect, we'd love to take another look.
You can't change who people are at their core. You can only love them for what they've given you.
O/O's
Current Muse Status: Overdriiiive

Pumpkin Seeds

Maybe focus on the "bad shapeshifter" sort of focus.  Maybe something happened that turned what would normally be a shape shifting power into something darker and hungrier.  Make use of chemicals on her skin that work like acid to digest before her body engulfs whatever it is seeking.

Crovonovin

Alright, I'll have to rethink it a bit.  I was partially inspired by how Cyclop's eyes are, essentially, portals to a dimension of energy, and how Nightcrawler (at least in some interpretations) travels briefly through a rather hellish dimension when teleporting.  Only instead of energy or travel, it was some rather ugly things. 

I'll let you know when I've made the appropriate edits.

Adonis

Both canon's though ;) We're trying to keep extra-planar stuff as far from the game as possible with original characters. Demons just don't fit the storyline that we have worked out in the slightest.
You can't change who people are at their core. You can only love them for what they've given you.
O/O's
Current Muse Status: Overdriiiive

LunarSage

Quote from: Adonis on April 17, 2011, 09:55:24 PM
Invulnerability in any way, shape, or form is a no-no.

Not to question you (I'm cool with it), but I am curious about the reasoning behind that.

What about the first idea?

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Adonis

If the guy were a professor, no biggie. He'd give Harada a run for his money, and something to do other than make the kids feel useless :p (In respect to the fighting avatar guy).

As for the invulnerability, in a game where we're dealing mainly with students who are still developing, the concept is game breaking. Hence why we're not even entertaining the thought of several of the canon's being introduced as good or evil (such as Juggernaut).
You can't change who people are at their core. You can only love them for what they've given you.
O/O's
Current Muse Status: Overdriiiive

LunarSage

Quote from: Adonis on April 17, 2011, 10:13:43 PM
As for the invulnerability, in a game where we're dealing mainly with students who are still developing, the concept is game breaking. Hence why we're not even entertaining the thought of several of the canon's being introduced as good or evil (such as Juggernaut).

Ahhh alright, gotcha.  No worries.  :-)

QuoteIf the guy were a professor, no biggie. He'd give Harada a run for his money, and something to do other than make the kids feel useless :p (In respect to the fighting avatar guy).

I thought only student spots were available, though.  You wouldn't want to see him as a student?


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Adonis

Like Kendra said earlier, I have a hard time wrapping my mind around a be-all-end-all sort of student, as we've worked so hard at keeping the powers at a certain level. When we start introducing characters such as the two you had in mind, it throws the whole game off-tilt in power, as there *is* an opposing force that will constantly be nipping at their heels as soon as things really get moving with that aspect of the game. If we introduce a kid who is basically a combat god, it pretty much removes the struggle aspect, as well as the difficulty that will drive the game forward, and make other players *want* to work together to overcome challenges that they couldn't were they as super/mystically powered as what you're suggesting.

The game is meant to center around development of the mutations at hand. If you have a character enter who has no room for development, or furthering of his power, then it starts to become a game of one upping on the GM's part, where we have to constantly throw harder things into the game to compensate and maintain that balance. In doing so, the characters that are believably powered for the setting get left behind as useless for the most part, because they can't contend on that level.

*Takes a deep breath.*

Yallrighty, that massive explanation spewed, do you understand a bit better where we're coming from?
You can't change who people are at their core. You can only love them for what they've given you.
O/O's
Current Muse Status: Overdriiiive

Crovonovin

They weren't really demons, at least not in the Christian sense of the term.  Less human religion, more H.P. Lovecraft.

Anyway, I'd made what I believe to be the proper edits!  I have to give credit where credit is due and thank PumpkinSeeds for the "Digestive Enzymes" idea (with some additional inspiration by a character from a series of novels I read as a kid). 

By the way, nice to see you again!  It's been ages since that game Urbanzorro was running, but I always did love your posts.

LunarSage

Alright can you give me some canon examples of the kind of power levels you want?  Are we talking Beak and Cypher (Doug Ramsey)?

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Adonis

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=90296.0

Not exactly sure how to explain it, other than to give you the thread with the active characters we have. If you need more reference than that, there's another, smaller bank of inactive/retired characters.
You can't change who people are at their core. You can only love them for what they've given you.
O/O's
Current Muse Status: Overdriiiive

Secretwriter

Application process is going to be very, very slow for the next week at the very least.  We GM's all have a lot going on in real life.  We thank you for your patience.

Secret's Bio | Tanja's Bio


I see hell in your eyes. Taken in by surprise. And touching you makes me feel alive.

♦ Kitty's Brain ♥ Pockets's Lucky Charm ♥ Doom Cookie Monster ♥ Shade's Spanking Machine ♥ Najdan's Sinful Little Devil ♦

Secretwriter

#667
Quote from: Aether on April 17, 2011, 06:50:42 PM
Kendra and Adonis approve Desumo, are you good with him, Secret?

Aye.  As well as SinX's too.  Please understand that I'm in the process of adjusting to my preemie's first few nights at home.  I'm going to be sporadic. I apologize for not being here as much but my real life does come first.



And how to explain it?  No one should be god, no one should be a canned coke and a whole bag of dorito chips.  I want to see realistic playing of the characters struggling to accept who they are and finding themselves both sexually and emotionally while they learn to control their powers.  This is a game chock full of sex as well as character development.  In the real world, it's been my experience that the bigger the power or the hunger for it, the smaller the dick... Try to play your characters accordingly.  ;)  What that means is, if a character has super duper omfg powers then they likely have something to make up for.  I can't stand Mary Sue/Gary Stu characters and we do our best to keep them out of the game.

Secret's Bio | Tanja's Bio


I see hell in your eyes. Taken in by surprise. And touching you makes me feel alive.

♦ Kitty's Brain ♥ Pockets's Lucky Charm ♥ Doom Cookie Monster ♥ Shade's Spanking Machine ♥ Najdan's Sinful Little Devil ♦

Pumpkin Seeds

Loved your stuff too Shishong (sp?).  Always did love how realistic and crazy the character felt that you made.  Looking forward to playing with you again.

Aether

Lunar, its a bit of s trudge, but read through the character thread, its alot like our cosmic game to a third scale, and thats if you are playing a cannon character.  Its what gave me an idea for what power levels were being talked about.

Pumpkin Seeds

I can kind of see where Lunar is going with this idea and perhaps there is a way to blend the idea into the school.  Using the idea of wanting to see mutants developed their power, what if he is slowly doing that by deciphering the information.  He is a great physical specimen, perfect in every human way.  That is the first part of his power and perhaps the most obvious.  He is fast, strong and healthy.  Immune system works perfectly, he suffers from no disorders or imperfections in his genes. 

Then maybe as time moves on he starts to notice things.   Perhaps he can see the weakness in a style.  He doesn’t copy the style like one of the other characters in the game already does, but he can see where the flaws are.  When he picks up a weapon he just feels familiar with that weapon.  Whether he is holding a sword, a gun or a rocket launcher.  Movements on the battle field come natural to him like a chess master seeing the moves on a board.

He just gets it.  Slowly he is able to decipher through the information, growing into a man with a tactical mind and vicious combat prowess.  The power level is still constrained because he is not super human, merely a peak specimen.  Yet he is still dangerous because he has the knowledge and if he can apply that knowledge right he can take an advantage. 

SinXAzgard21

#671
This is a quote from wikipedia.org, "Captain America has no superhuman powers, although as a result of the Super-Soldier Serum and "Vita-Ray" treatment, he is transformed from a frail young man into a "perfect" specimen of human development and conditioning. Captain America's strength, endurance, agility, speed, reflexes, durability, and healing are at the highest limits of natural human potential."  Don't get me wrong, I like Lunar's idea but if we are staying away from mirroring 'Super Star" Mutants powers then that's where it looks like it falls.


EDIT- Or he could just be placed there by the government to watch the school.... Just an idea.
If you know me personally, you know how to contact me.

LunarSage

Quote from: Secretwriter on April 18, 2011, 12:08:13 AM
And how to explain it?  No one should be god, no one should be a canned coke and a whole bag of dorito chips.  I want to see realistic playing of the characters struggling to accept who they are and finding themselves both sexually and emotionally while they learn to control their powers.  This is a game chock full of sex as well as character development.  In the real world, it's been my experience that the bigger the power or the hunger for it, the smaller the dick... Try to play your characters accordingly.  ;)  What that means is, if a character has super duper omfg powers then they likely have something to make up for.  I can't stand Mary Sue/Gary Stu characters and we do our best to keep them out of the game.

I fully understand this and I -really- hope I didn't leave the impression that I had hoped to play a Marty Stu type, because I abhor them every bit as much as I take it you do.  I like to play characters who have character flaws that make them interesting to play... I never expect a "free ride" and I wouldn't describe any character I play as anywhere close to what anyone would consider perfect.  I like strife, conflict and character development.  However, I also like to play characters that have some sort of advantage that sets them apart from other characters and makes them feel somewhat unique and special.  My best example would be Krillin from the Saiyan and Freiza Sagas of DBZ if you're familiar with it.  Was he even close to the most powerful protagonist?  Hell no, but he had a distinctive personality and the Destructo Disk, a special attack that no one else had that while it could be dodged (and it was), it was still something the villains had to take super seriously because if it did hit it would have cut them in half.  So no, I don't want to play the "Goku" of the setting, but at the same time I have no interest in playing the "Oolong" (the useless pig) of the setting.  That's why I asked for clarification about the power levels you're actually looking for.  Is it a lower X-Men level or a New Mutants level... or perhaps a bit lower than that?

As a side note, I don't believe that power level has anything to do with a character being a Mary Sue.  I think it's more a matter of character power level compared to the power level of the game.  Disclaimer:  I run a cosmic level Marvel game (not a power level I'm used to playing) here on E that has been fun thus far.  This does not indicate anything regarding my expectations of this game.  I can appreciate varying power levels in different settings.

Quote from: Adonis on April 17, 2011, 10:46:57 PM
https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=90296.0

Not exactly sure how to explain it, other than to give you the thread with the active characters we have. If you need more reference than that, there's another, smaller bank of inactive/retired characters.

*Reads... and blinks*

Wow... alright, I totally misunderstood things.  You guys want -really- nascent powers that haven't even developed yet.  This isn't even New Mutants level.  Not even close.  Alright.  I can deal with that as long as everyone's on the same playing field. 

Knowing that I'd have to come up with something completely new. 

Thanks Pumpkin Seeds.  You do understand what I was saying and I appreciate that.  :-)

What about this for a power set? 

Major power:  Enhanced Healing
Minor Power:  Doesn't Fatigue (with a flaw that he can't sleep without the aid of special drugs)
Minor Power:  Resistance to Fire (or would that be a major power?)

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Kendra

Okay so ...

Aether and SinXAzguard21 your characters can be moved to the character bio thread
it is unlocked.

Lunar - I'm okay with these powers but make sure to give decent limitations to coincide with them.

Minor Power:  Resistance to Fire (or would that be a major power?)  - I'm good with this as long as it's just manifesting itself perhaps. He is a highschool student, so having one major power already is fine but if this is dummied down in its limitations then it should be passable.

ie .. minor power - resistance to fire
       limitations - his body generates a waterproof and heat resistant layer providing him with sufficient heat resistance capabilities during a fire ( much like a firefighters suit ) - heat protection of 200F  / 95 C only!

anything more than that and I'd say switch that power to be his major power instead. ;)


Secretwriter

#674
I have issue with those powers since two of them are Amber's powers.


Quote from: Secretwriter on November 28, 2010, 07:35:25 PM
Powers:
Major: Resistant to Fire
Minor: Healing of herself and others
Minor: Static shock… minor pain but a great party favor. When angered it can paralyze someone for all of about a minute. 


Power Limitations:
Major: Resistant to Fire - Cannot start fires, or control fire in any way, it just doesn't burn her. She is resistant to smoke.
Minor: Healing of herself and others - If she's healing others, she can't heal herself at the same time.  She has to choose others over herself or herself over others at any given point.  This ability fades when over used and has to recharge.
Minor: Static shock - it's a very small ability, it might get stronger, but if it does, one of her other abilities will fade.


If you really want to have almost the same exact powers, it might be interesting... Amber thinks her powers are bullshit and wonders how she's even really a mutant sometimes. 

Secret's Bio | Tanja's Bio


I see hell in your eyes. Taken in by surprise. And touching you makes me feel alive.

♦ Kitty's Brain ♥ Pockets's Lucky Charm ♥ Doom Cookie Monster ♥ Shade's Spanking Machine ♥ Najdan's Sinful Little Devil ♦