New Lunds Adventures! [Closed]

[Thunder Splash]

Hmm...they are on the same team. I mean if it happens in front of him a number of times I can see it go the rival/foil/nemesis route. Otherwise he's just sort of a white knight.

Maybe Niko could be part of the inciting incident that starts Serenity down the road to redemption. They’d have played together for 2 years at this point so I’ll let you decide how he would have gotten on with her. Serenity would be quick to get defensive but also isn’t smart enough to hide the fact that she’s a bully.

[Bowen]

Yes, I could definitely see this. He would try to reason with her. Offer help if she seemed open to it.

He loves football and she's on his team. I think he would try to get along with anyone on his team in the beginning. He heads home right after practice to do chores/homework though. So I can see him missing some of the bullying that is going on until it happens right in front of him. Then he would just get in between the two and try to de-escalate.

[Cold Heritage]

So, here are some game threads. Fresh out of the oven. Discussions can migrate and people are free to start posting in character when and as they see fit.

Out of Character Thread

Approved Character Sheets

General IC thread

Erotic Content thread

[Outcast]

I'm seriously tempted to sign up for this... though I'm not sure if I can muster enough brainpower to be very coherent at the moment. 

Vague character ideas thus far:

* British-born and raised; been in New Lund for a couple of years, having wound up with no other family but relatives of her American father (a local lad inspired by the nearby air base, who became a member of the US Air Force and spent some time posted in the UK)
* Struggling to cope with a change in culture and homeland in the wake of her mother's death
* Academically accomplished in a very different curriculum: has had to play catch-up and adapt to different expectations from teachers as well as all the social 'fun' provided by classmates for whom she's an exotic oddity (and one without a clique in place to defend her)
* Plays football (of the Association / 'soccer' variety) and is rather good at it - not that many people in New Lund care, given their predominant sporting obsession; misses her old school and the very different emphases there

For the 'super' side, I'm thinking of something defensive: passive immunity to being identified as a target by other people's superpowers.  Someone innately superstrong can clobber her without hindrance (swing arm; watch results) while a pyrokinetic can set fire to a building she's in as easily as he could to an empty one, but the kid who makes people's heads explode can't induce his ability to 'find' her as a target, and she 'reads' as empty air to telepaths and empaths.  With effort, she could extend this to make herself less-noticeable to mundane senses: not invisible, but easy to overlook should someone be at all distracted.

Basically, it'd be a manifestation of her desire for personal autonomy - she's sick of adults, bullies, and random chance imposing change upon her in ways over which she has no say.  Her life should be no one's business but her own!

Questions:

* Does any of that look remotely appealing or appropriate?
* And... would anyone like a troubled foreign step-sister / foster-sister?  I'm not set on her father being definitely alive or definitely dead; he could be another character's father, uncle, or just about any other sort of relation so long as she wound up in New Lund.

[Fiadh]

* And... would anyone like a troubled foreign step-sister / foster-sister?  I'm not set on her father being definitely alive or definitely dead; he could be another character's father, uncle, or just about any other sort of relation so long as she wound up in New Lund.

Abigail's mum is English so maybe we can find a connection there if they're cousins or some such? If you're for sure interested in a step-sister though I could retcon to have her parents separated if they share a father.

Edit cause I'm blind af: nix the sharing a dad bit, but I'm totally open to YC's father or mother being a relation to one of Abby's parents, however near or far. Time spent in the UK by YC's father could also be a catalyst to Abby's parents meeting overseas in the first place.

[Fiadh]

Hey CH, could I deviate from the CS to expand on the Plot Seeds section with Connections to keep track of current / upcoming relationships, plot arcs, etc?

[Cold Heritage]

Hey CH, could I deviate from the CS to expand on the Plot Seeds section with Connections to keep track of current / upcoming relationships, plot arcs, etc?

You may. Anyone else who wishes to may do this as well.

[Outcast]

Abigail's mum is English so maybe we can find a connection there if they're cousins or some such? If you're for sure interested in a step-sister though I could retcon to have her parents separated if they share a father, or if her father is Abby's uncle?

Oooh.  Thank you for the interest!  I was torn between having my stray come from very modest means, or a fairly wealthy background - certainly not filthy rich, but at the sort of level where it might seem convenient for her mother's career and lifestyle to have put her into a boarding school for a few years (that career probably being acting or another somewhat-genteel performing art).  If she were related to Abby, that sort of access to money would seem a lot more likely to be feasible.  And going from a British boarding school to a day-school in the Mid-West would make for even more of a culture shock!

Edit cause I'm blind af: nix the sharing a dad bit, but I'm totally open to YC's father as a relation on her father's side, however near o far. His time in the UK might also be a catalyst to Abby's parents meeting overseas.

*grins*  No problem.

If So-Far-Nameless the Brit has been in New Lund for a year or two, she'd have been there before Abby was certain to her 'guardian' there: perhaps an equally-distant relative has wound up taking in both of them?  Or perhaps So-Far-Nameless got sent out to Abby's home first, and the pair of them get bundled off to the middle of nowhere at the same time.  Either way, it might be hoped that they could be a good influence on each other.

And I like the idea of Abby's parents meeting being in some way linked to So-Far-Nameless's father happening to have been in the UK when his brother (or cousin, or whatever) came to visit.  Though if he's close kin to Abby's father, there'd need to be some explanation for his own connection to New Lund (if we keep that element).  Perhaps So-Far-Nameless's father was the first troubled teen in the family to be sent off to New Lund to get straightened out?  It might even be something that's been done a few times over the past couple of generations: Abby and So-Far-Nameless might just be the most recent to be sent to receive the benefits of a 'quiet life'.

[Fiadh]

Oooh.  Thank you for the interest!  I was torn between having my stray come from very modest means, or a fairly wealthy background - certainly not filthy rich, but at the sort of level where it might seem convenient for her mother's career and lifestyle to have put her into a boarding school for a few years (that career probably being acting or another somewhat-genteel performing art).  If she were related to Abby, that sort of access to money would seem a lot more likely to be feasible.  And going from a British boarding school to a day-school in the Mid-West would make for even more of a culture shock!

For sure! Should you be on the fence, a boarding school rich kid moving to the mid-west might be bigger culture shock if you're seeking that wow factor. Abby is well off on both sides so it's equally plausible that Nameless's late mother is related to Abigail's mum or her American dad. I'm sure we can figure out a connection. :)

*grins*  No problem.

If So-Far-Nameless the Brit has been in New Lund for a year or two, she'd have been there before Abby was certain to her 'guardian' there: perhaps an equally-distant relative has wound up taking in both of them?  Or perhaps So-Far-Nameless got sent out to Abby's home first, and the pair of them get bundled off to the middle of nowhere at the same time.  Either way, it might be hoped that they could be a good influence on each other.

And I like the idea of Abby's parents meeting being in some way linked to So-Far-Nameless's father happening to have been in the UK when his brother (or cousin, or whatever) came to visit.  Though if he's close kin to Abby's father, there'd need to be some explanation for his own connection to New Lund (if we keep that element).  Perhaps So-Far-Nameless's father was the first troubled teen in the family to be sent off to New Lund to get straightened out?  It might even be something that's been done a few times over the past couple of generations: Abby and So-Far-Nameless might just be the most recent to be sent to receive the benefits of a 'quiet life'.

I left it pretty vague about who the "guardian" is she's sent to stay with purely for potential connection purposes, so I'm easy there! Nameless's father could be Abby's distant uncle. The old money might not have gone down that branch of her father's family tree or it's new money via Abby's father being a cutthroat entrepreneur, which could explain why this guardian/Nameless's fathher is living out in New Lund rather than living it up elsewhere.

Either of those scenarios are great depending on whether you want an existing connection or something a bit more... volatile.

I'm totally happy to make amends to Abby's history to fit having a relative living with her before things go tits up at her high school in SoCal. They could both be shipped off together and are getting closer now (re: getting into shit together, especially as someone who is likely to be Abby's only friend at the start, and I use that term loosely cause it's totally up to you if they're water and oil or not). Maybe your Nameless gal is the only one Abby told about the car accident in more detail and is also probably the only person (thus far) to get a glimpse of her on a deeper level.

Alternatively, if Abby's shipped off to New Lund where So Far Nameless has already been living for a couple years, Abby will probably be an incorrigible bitch - at first. What should have been a helpful transition and someone to find common ground with is just an easier reason to put her hackles up because she'd rather maintain the catty Ice Queen vibe than admit things aren't great.

[Outcast]

For sure! Should you be on the fence, a boarding school rich kid moving to the mid-west might be bigger culture shock if you're seeking that wow factor.

I'm sure that all the locals would be very understanding when the foreign girl lamented the lack of fencing classes, and grumbled about having had to leave her swords an ocean away rather than taking them on a trans-Atlantic flight....

Abby is well off on both sides so it's equally plausible that Nameless's late mother is related to Abigail's mum or her American dad. I'm sure we can figure out a connection. :)

It certainly sounds promising to me.   

I left it pretty vague about who the "guardian" is she's sent to stay with purely for potential connection purposes, so I'm easy there!

I was latching onto that delightfully vague "guardian" reference, yes.   I'm wondering about the familial connection potentially being a little more remote - say, an aunt or uncle to Abby and Nameless's fathers: the younger sibling to one of the parents of the brothers, who is well-established in New Lund and who helped to 'straighten out' Nameless's father back in the day (to whatever extent that was achieved; perhaps it's very clearly Nameless's mother's fault that their marriage failed and they wound up on opposite sides of the Atlantic, maybe it was just one of those things, or perhaps her father never did get a firm grasp on his moral compass).

Now, the trusty old-timer has been sent two new troubled teens to try to 'fix' in turn....

But Nameless's father being the Lund-resident would certainly be a more straight-forward connection than having the pair of them cared for by a great-aunt or great-uncle!

I'm totally happy to make amends to Abby's history to fit having a relative living with her before things go tits up at her high school in SoCal...

Alternatively, if Abby's shipped off to New Lund where So Far Nameless has already been living for a couple years, Abby's will probably be an incorrigible bitch - at first...

Ooooh.  Both of those sound as if they could be really interesting!

For her part... Nameless is probably ornery and bitchy sarcastic a fair amount of the time, too, though mostly in response to things not being how they should be.  Some bits of culture clash will really, really grate on her - and some'll outright scare her.  She's probably likely to default to polite good manners with whatever relative(s) have charge of her, while butting heads with any teachers who don't respect the differences in her education and experience.  Throw in the impact of bullying and a hefty dose of emotional instability, and she's probably better-acquainted with the school counsellor than she is with anyone else in the establishment.

[Valerian]

*waves to Outcast*  Very cool power idea, I really like it.  :)

[Outcast]

*waves to Outcast*  Very cool power idea, I really like it.  :)

*waves back*  'Ello again!

And thank you.  I like it... but it's the sort of thing that can pose questions about how other people's powers actually work - which can be unwelcome, at times.  I find that kind of complexity and nuance really interesting, myself, but I might be a teeny bit nerdy.

[Thunder Splash]

The musical Heathers comes to mind when I think about Abby.

[Fiadh]

I was latching onto that delightfully vague "guardian" reference, yes.   I'm wondering about the familial connection potentially being a little more remote - say, an aunt or uncle to Abby and Nameless's fathers: the younger sibling to one of the parents of the brothers, who is well-established in New Lund and who helped to 'straighten out' Nameless's father back in the day (to whatever extent that was achieved; perhaps it's very clearly Nameless's mother's fault that their marriage failed and they wound up on opposite sides of the Atlantic, maybe it was just one of those things, or perhaps her father never did get a firm grasp on his moral compass).

Now, the trusty old-timer has been sent two new troubled teens to try to 'fix' in turn....

But Nameless's father being the Lund-resident would certainly be a more straight-forward connection than having the pair of them cared for by a great-aunt or great-uncle!

If their mutual guardian is Nameless's father that would be a neat one though because Abby has a poor relationship with her own father, and he and Nameless might be an opportunity to have that real family dynamic she's been missing her whole life. Being Nameless's father would also probably lend itself to scenario #2 where Abby is sent to live with them and Nameless has been a New Lund fixture for a few years.

If we went the distant mutual relative route, I think it would be funny to actually address it in their IC conversations. To clarify who the heck this great-uncle/second aunt twice removed person is to them and how they're related. I'm super indecisive as you can probably tell, haha.

For her part... Nameless is probably ornery and bitchy sarcastic a fair amount of the time, too, though mostly in response to things not being how they should be.  Some bits of culture clash will really, really grate on her - and some'll outright scare her.  She's probably likely to default to polite good manners with whatever relative(s) have charge of her, while butting heads with any teachers who don't respect the differences in her education and experience.  Throw in the impact of bullying and a hefty dose of emotional instability, and she's probably better-acquainted with the school counsellor than she is with anyone else in the establishment.

She sounds great. Abby's reception of her will depend a little on whether we want an existing connection or not, so once we nail down the niggling bits of history I'm sure the inspiration will come rolling in. Although I feel like we might be moving in the direction of Nameless already living in New Lund rather than the pair living together at Abby's place in SoCal prior to the big move. Totally up to you, though!

The musical Heathers comes to mind when I think about Abby.

I'm gonna go look this up!

[Thunder Splash]

I'm gonna go look this up!

This song in particular is a good start.

https://youtu.be/-jviZGERpqg

[Fiadh]

This. Is. Perfect.

[Thunder Splash]

This. Is. Perfect.

You’re welcome. That musical is a treasure trove of ideas for this rp.

[Outcast]

If their mutual guardian is Nameless's father that would be a neat one though because Abby has a poor relationship with her own father, and he and Nameless might be an opportunity to have that real family dynamic she's been missing her whole life. Being Nameless's father would also probably lend itself to scenario #2 where Abby is sent to live with them and Nameless has been a New Lund fixture for a few years.

That real family dynamic thing could be fun to explore - especially since Nameless probably felt she had it (at least some of the time) with her mother.  Conceivably, seeing the other's reactions might help each to acquire new (and better) understandings of what they do (and don't) have....

I did vaguely wonder about a living ex-military father resident in New Lund potentially providing some extra links for RP with other characters: he'd quite possibly help out at the school, in one way or another.  But then again, a long-established do-gooder who helps troubled kids get on the right track would also provide some potential links.  Hrmmmm.

If we went the distant mutual relative route, I think it would be funny to actually address it in their IC conversations. To clarify who the heck this great-uncle/second aunt twice removed person is to them and how they're related. I'm super indecisive as you can probably tell, haha.

*grins*  I've had to explain what a 'second cousin' is IRL: I could imagine Nameless launching into explanations of the family tree, having had to figure it all out after she first got told she was moving to another continent.

She sounds great. Abby's reception of her will depend a little on whether we want an existing connection or not, so once we nail down the niggling bits of history I'm sure the inspiration will come rolling in. Although I feel like we might be moving in the direction of Nameless already living in New Lund rather than the pair living together at Abby's place in SoCal prior to the big move. Totally up to you, though!

Hey, no fair!  I'm dithering indecisively, too! 

I think that Nameless having been in New Lund at least a little bit longer than Abby would make sense.  Probably no more than two years in total, perhaps less than one: I'm thinking of her being ripped out of school back home not too long before she acquired the sort of qualifications that could have helped her to claim the right to make her own decisions.  Now she's expected to jump through hoops she doesn't even know the names for and meet standards she's never heard of.

And then, just when she might at least be coming to terms with her new 'home' life, a new person moves into the house.

On a related tangent... if Abby is like that song, Nameless might be rather scared and / or stunned!

[Fiadh]

That real family dynamic thing could be fun to explore - especially since Nameless probably felt she had it (at least some of the time) with her mother.  Conceivably, seeing the other's reactions might help each to acquire new (and better) understandings of what they do (and don't) have....

I did vaguely wonder about a living ex-military father resident in New Lund potentially providing some extra links for RP with other characters: he'd quite possibly help out at the school, in one way or another.  But then again, a long-established do-gooder who helps troubled kids get on the right track would also provide some potential links.  Hrmmmm.

Creating that family dynamic slowly would be great fun and certainly to Abby's benefit as a character in need of much development. We could also achieve it with a distant relative who's become something of a family go-to when people don't fall into line or other troubling circumstances come up. Would you be keen to have Nameless reconcile with her father and make a big arc out of that? Or do you think the distant relative (Aunt May/Uncle Ben style) might help both of them to better cultivate a new, healthier outlook on life and relationships?

Hey, no fair!  I'm dithering indecisively, too! 

I think that Nameless having been in New Lund at least a little bit longer than Abby would make sense.  Probably no more than two years in total, perhaps less than one: I'm thinking of her being ripped out of school back home not too long before she acquired the sort of qualifications that could have helped her to claim the right to make her own decisions.  Now she's expected to jump through hoops she doesn't even know the names for and meet standards she's never heard of.

And then, just when she might at least be coming to terms with her new 'home' life, a new person moves into the house.

On a related tangent... if Abby is like that song, Nameless might be rather scared and / or stunned!

I think it's a personal goal of Abby's to induce fear and/or arousal in most people who have an interaction with her. She's spicy for sure and wouldn't cozy up to her relatives immediately. But over time and after some humbling experiences she'll begin to show that far lesser known part of herself. Privately and in small doses, of course.

[Outcast]

Creating that family dynamic slowly would be great fun and certainly to Abby's benefit as a character in need of much development. We could also achieve it with a distant relative who's become something of a family go-to when people don't fall into line or other troubling circumstances come up. Would you be keen to have Nameless reconcile with her father and make a big arc out of that? Or do you think the distant relative (Aunt May/Uncle Ben style) might help both of them to better cultivate a new, healthier outlook on life and relationships?

...yes? 

I think that both / either could work.  Hence much of the indecision.  Though that probably also has a lot to do with the fact that I really ought to be asleep by  now...

Hrmmm.  Looking at it from another perspective: it might be easier to keep the elder do-gooder of great experience to a cameo role, cropping up whenever required.  If Nameless's father is the guardian for them both, then he's probably going to have more screen-time, and be a more visible presence in things since he'd be very overtly filling a gap in both their lives.  Does that affect preferences?

I think it's a personal goal of Abby's to induce fear and/or arousal in most people who have an interaction with her. She's spicy for sure and wouldn't cozy up to her relatives immediately. But over time and after some humbling experiences she'll begin to show that far lesser known part of herself. Privately and in small doses, of course.

Great.  So, one day - if suitably lucky - Nameless might be terrified and traumatised only at those points when other people are around to watch it....

This makes her "don't notice me" power all the more credible as a development.

[Valerian]

*waves back*  'Ello again!

And thank you.  I like it... but it's the sort of thing that can pose questions about how other people's powers actually work - which can be unwelcome, at times.  I find that kind of complexity and nuance really interesting, myself, but I might be a teeny bit nerdy.

Well, I'm very nerdy.  :)  For instance, say there's a meteor about to land on your character, and Cassie grabs hold of her and tries to teleport them both to safety.  Would your character come along for the ride or be splattered?  Or would they both be splattered because the neutralizing power just completely messes up the teleport?  These are the questions that need answering!

[Fiadh]

I think that both / either could work.  Hence much of the indecision.  Though that probably also has a lot to do with the fact that I really ought to be asleep by  now...

Hrmmm.  Looking at it from another perspective: it might be easier to keep the elder do-gooder of great experience to a cameo role, cropping up whenever required.  If Nameless's father is the guardian for them both, then he's probably going to have more screen-time, and be a more visible presence in things since he'd be very overtly filling a gap in both their lives.  Does that affect preferences?

In that case I'm all for their mutual guardian to be Nameless' father! An opportunity for a plot arc with he and your character would be great, and he fills a big gap in Abby's life as well. So they each win out by taking that avenue. We could always also have an older do-good relative of the father's who comes in to dispense some much needed wisdom and get the best of both worlds.

[Cold Heritage]

Oh my gosh, sorry to have missed the intro, is there room for a farmgirl who can manipulate and animate cotton? Reinforce it for armoring and strength, use strips as tendrils, shape it with her hands as she designs her own fashions?

Sorry, this thread blew up a bit and I forgot to respond to this. That's probably an okay idea if it's stuff she could do while it's in direct contact with her. If she could do it remotely with her mind, then it'd need to be pared down a bit.

[Outcast]

Well, I'm very nerdy.  :)  For instance, say there's a meteor about to land on your character, and Cassie grabs hold of her and tries to teleport them both to safety.  Would your character come along for the ride or be splattered?  Or would they both be splattered because the neutralizing power just completely messes up the teleport?  These are the questions that need answering!

I was very much thinking of contact.  Her ability would probably extend a bit to someone touching her - say, akin to her "overlook me" option for mundane senses, she'd make someone harder to 'find' but not actually invisible to superpowers.  And yes, she could consciously suppress her talent and allow someone to affect her.  While someone who had direct hold of her could potentially work through the concealment / find ways to work around it ("I'll target the space between my hands, even though my power insists there's nothing there!").

Indeed, I was (while failing to get to sleep last night) wondering about having a 'quota' of 1 1/2 people that she can affect: so she could somewhat-protect herself and two others (in direct contact with her), somewhat-conceal herself and someone else to mundane sight but reduce her own protection against superpowers while doing so, etc.

In that case I'm all for their mutual guardian to be Nameless' father! An opportunity for a plot arc with he and your character would be great, and he fills a big gap in Abby's life as well. So they each win out by taking that avenue. We could always also have an older do-good relative of the father's who comes in to dispense some much needed wisdom and get the best of both worlds.

Or, to be very helpful (in light of our shared tendency to equivocate) there could be a third option: Nameless's father could be alive and well, but still in the Air Force.  Wise Old-Timer could be the 'full time' carer, while Dad shows up for plot-appropriate periods of time in New Lund whenever work permits him to either take a break or to get posted to the local base.

I'd be happy to be guided by your preferences - but thought I should raise option three, now that I've thought of it!

[Cold Heritage]

I was very much thinking of contact.  Her ability would probably extend a bit to someone touching her - say, akin to her "overlook me" option for mundane senses, she'd make someone harder to 'find' but not actually invisible to superpowers.  And yes, she could consciously suppress her talent and allow someone to affect her.  While someone who had direct hold of her could potentially work through the concealment / find ways to work around it ("I'll target the space between my hands, even though my power insists there's nothing there!").

Indeed, I was (while failing to get to sleep last night) wondering about having a 'quota' of 1 1/2 people that she can affect: so she could somewhat-protect herself and two others (in direct contact with her), somewhat-conceal herself and someone else to mundane sight but reduce her own protection against superpowers while doing so, etc.

This is good thinking.

Or, to be very helpful (in light of our shared tendency to equivocate) there could be a third option: Nameless's father could be alive and well, but still in the Air Force.  Wise Old-Timer could be the 'full time' carer, while Dad shows up for plot-appropriate periods of time in New Lund whenever work permits him to either take a break or to get posted to the local base.

I'd be happy to be guided by your preferences - but thought I should raise option three, now that I've thought of it!

If Dad is in the Air Force maybe for business reasons he bounces back between the USA and the UK because his job involves liaising with the RAF about a joint venture called Project Panoptes. New Lund's USAF base can have some research going on for Project Panoptes, so Dad could have visits as the plot demands rationalized by checking on Project business on the base.