Misfits: What is Wrong with the Youth of Today? [Original Supers, Interest Check

[Foxy DeVille]

Maybe you committed a crime, maybe you didn’t. The result remains the same…

Arrested.

Tried.

Convicted.

Sentenced.

Sure, community service beats jail but that doesn’t make picking up trash and scrubbing graffiti less of a drag. Even worse when you’re stuck outside during the freakiest lightning storm you’ve ever seen. Now you and your fellow offenders have superpowers, like life wasn’t complicated enough already.

You’re not heroes.

You’re not villains.

You’re…

This idea for a game utilizes the core concept of the British television show Misfits in which a group of young people performing community service gain supernatural abilities. It will involve original characters and a new setting of Seattle. Knowledge of the show isn’t a prerequisite, the themes stand pretty well on their own…

1. Characters are mainly young people, thinking 18 - 24, sentenced to community service for a minor crime. Other backgrounds are possible but there should be a core group to center action on.

2. Powers are quirky. They tend to reflect a character’s psychological drives and personality traits, such as someone shy being able to become invisible. They can be difficult to control and some are borderline useless.

3. Enemies will tend to be of the villain-of-the-week sort and the characters getting themselves in trouble will not be uncommon. Got half a dozen or so already sketched out.

4. The overall feel will be a mix of darkness and humor. One reviewer described the show as a mix of Heroes and Buffy but a better comparison might be X-Men and Trainspotting. It involves young people who might not make the best decisions and with goals that maybe don’t make it much further than the next high or lay. But over time there's a chance they actually manage to grow up a little.

Some links about the show if one wishes for more background on the concept…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misfits_(TV_series)
https://e4-misfits.fandom.com/wiki/Misfits_Wiki
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/Misfits

Feel free to reply with any questions, comments, or declarations of interest.

Edit: While there were a couple small bursts of interest, I don't feel like there was enough to go forward with this. Thanks to all that chimed in, maybe I'll revisit it later.

[Praxis]

Fantastic show.

Love the idea.

How are you settling on powers?

Do the writers decide?

Or is it more of a random assignment like from an online generator so you get some of the really edge-case stuff like you could encounter on the show?

[Foxy DeVille]

Writers' decision, since powers are connected to the characters' personalities. That's one of the ideas from the show I find especially nifty.

[AndyZ]

Seen the show.  No ideas yet but will see if anything pops together.

[Praxis]

Writers' decision, since powers are connected to the characters' personalities. That's one of the ideas from the show I find especially nifty.

Roger that Foxy!  Thanks for taking the time to respond.  :)

[MightyMaiden]

oooh!! HUGE fan of this show, I literally watch season one about once every couple of months.

I don't have a character ready off the top of my head, but I'm definitely interested in this and I'll happily work up a concept if there's enough interest.
Would this be set in America? UK? Non-specific country of origin?

[Xerial]

So... I have perhaps the most ridiculous of powers that I used for a character back in the day with this show in mind. One that could be useless, but also could be daaangerous.

...not lactokenisis, but inspired by it.

Color me interested.

[tobisquestion]

This sounds interesting, planting a flag. I was about to say I've never seen the show, but Xerial's mention of 'lactokinesis' makes me realise I have actually caught part of an episode, because there was definitely some of that going on and I'm not sure how many TV shows have included it as a feature! :-)

[Foxy DeVille]

oooh!! HUGE fan of this show, I literally watch season one about once every couple of months.

I don't have a character ready off the top of my head, but I'm definitely interested in this and I'll happily work up a concept if there's enough interest.
Would this be set in America? UK? Non-specific country of origin?

It will be set in Seattle.

Glad to see some more interest!

[MightyMaiden]

I'm thinking I'd like to be a mouthy female character who is always spouting off, both arrogant and flirty, but just doesn't shut up. A sort of cross between Nathan and Kelly's initial feels, quick to anger and lash out verbally, not able to back it up physically.

Barb(ara) Mück

Power: Doesn't need to breathe. She and her body are so used to breathing, that she wouldn't even notice. It's not like you can actively stop yourself from breathing, but it would no longer be a requirement for her to live/exist. (I was thinking if we wanted to get technical, she would absorb oxygen through her skin now, almost like full-body gills, so she could survive underwater, but not encased in plastic.)

Crime: Disturbing the peace, contempt of cop, verbal 'assault' of a peace officer.

Faceclaim/inspiration: MeganRandom X:@ItsMeganRandom

[Xerial]

Ask Abrams

Face Claim: Wil Wheaton
Crime: Arson
Personality: Sarcastic, evasive, always seems to have a lighter.
Quirk: Always picking at his clothes:
Power: Naprokinetic, Ask has telekinetic control over bits of fabric that separate from the surface of fabrics... aka lint.

[HopeFox]

Ooh, this seems like a lot of fun! I do like the idea of super... somethings, and playing youngsters on the wrong-ish side of the law sounds like great fun.

[Captain Whitebread]

This is a job for ZERO MAN. 

He's a skinny little guy with uncontrollable hair.  He's been picked on all his life.  Now, nothing affects him.

He can't be moved unless he wants to be.  It's like he's anchored to the ground.

He can't be injured if he's not moving.  He could be hit by a speeding train and it would either stop or be deflected.  If he's moving, all bets are off.

He can't be set on fire, electrocuted or drowned.  It's like he has some sort of force field that keeps him from being harmed.

Of course he still can't fight his way out of a paper bag, can't lift 40 pounds without straining and will likely NEVER get the girl.

Crime - he decided to lose his virginity with a hooker, who turned out to be an undercover cop.