First time at this blog? Check out Home for details on the project and the Character Index for more of an overview of the characters.

Adria Altes (80)

Project: Film (Four Part Harmony)

Known as: No nicknames

Real name: Adria Altes

Group affiliation: Extra Adar Rhiannon (EAR – a college A Capella group)

Physical description: Adria is in her early 60ies and is well put together. She clearly cares about her appearance and has likely had plastic surgery. She is platinum blond and dresses like she could go to a party at any point.

Personality: Adria is confident to the point of brashness. She’s the type to light a cigarette in a restaurant and dare the world to do something about it (fortunately Angie is one of the few people not cowed by Adria and would put it out). She cares very much about appearances and loves to judge others. She is skilled at throwing shade and is bitingly funny. Angie and her verbally duel regularly (in a mostly loving way) and her and Harmony would have dramatic fights. Adria would NEVER say anything cruel to Sara Jane, however – she clearly prefers feisty targets (and may have a heart underneath it all). She HATES Harmony’s partner. She assures everyone that she has the best, most enviable life enough that it is pretty obvious she is profoundly unhappy.

 

History: Adria grew up the daughter of a successful attorney and a socialite in Columbus, OH. She wanted for very little and went to the best schools. Her family adhered to conservative Judaism though she was mild in her faith at best. She was smart, and an excellent debater, and her father had great dreams of her being a prominent attorney. The only challenge to this was that she was an uninterested student.

Her attending Ohio State was a bit of rebellion as the family’s expectation was that she’d go to a private school. She was hesitant to leave the life she had built in Columbus and ultimately her family was happy to have her stay. She was quite happy to feel superior to her fellow students (all of which was masking some insecurities). She fell into that rich person zone where she was generally disliked but didn’t lack for hangers-on. Additionally, she was very attractive which caused her to get a lot of attention.

She took an introductory course with Angie and Sara Jane and was an immediate rival of Angie. Having similar exceptional intelligence and confidence, they pushed one another. Both were protective of Sara Jane and they made an odd trio in the course. Angie knew Adria could sing (one of their classroom arguments led to a sing-off) and Angie was on the fence about Adria joining her A Capella group (the frenemy status warred with Angie’s drive to create the best possible group). It was moot, however, as Adria certainly considered such an effort beneath her.

Until Harmony came along. Although Harmony was not wealthy, Adria seemed to find her extremely threatening. They were quick to argue, however arguing with Harmony could be extremely frustrating. Mostly because Harmony didn’t seem to actively debate but still managed to win the argument. Adria was fairly easy to manipulate (all Harmony had to do was suggest that Adria might not be good enough for the group) and she ultimately joined EAR.

While they were in the group together, they were all become close friends. Still Harmony seemed to have an usual gift for getting under Adria’s skin and seemed to be able to fluster Adria like no one else could. When Sara Jane left the group suddenly, the remaining three carried on for a bit longer but it wasn’t the same. Then at the end of the year, Adria left Ohio State as well, stating that it was a waste of her time.

To her father’s disappointment, Adria found a wealthy beau and also became a socialite. For years she ruled all the choicest foundations and associations with an iron fist and was the intimidating terror of the Columbus social scene. She had one child, who was largely raised by staff.

Now, years later, she has gotten an invitation to attend Harmony’s funeral. Those she acts put out and cranky, secretly she is thrilled to see her old friends again. She is less thrilled when she is assigned the disposal of a portion of Harmony’s cremated remains, especially when she is asked to throw the ashes in the fireplace of a local landmark at a certain time.

It turns out that a support group will be holding a meeting at the location at the time specified. It will be an LGBT support group which will force Adria to remember how she once kissed Harmony but was rejected (in an extremely gentle way, “I can’t be the person you need”). She has been an extremely closet lesbian ever since and Harmony has now manipulated her into a situation where she might finally be able to deal with this.

Role in the narrative: She’s one of our protagonists.

Abilities: She’s smart, witty, and manipulative.

Inspirations: She’s a bit like Samantha from Sex and the City (minus the joy). There is plenty of precedent for characters in the closet who suffer as a result (e.g., American Beauty).

First time at this blog? Check out Home for details on the project and the Character Index for more of an overview of the characters.

Sara Jane Lawrence (80)

Project: Film (Four Part Harmony)

Known as: No nicknames

Real name: Sara Jane Lawrence

Group affiliation: Extra Adar Rhiannon (EAR – a college A Capella group)

Physical description: Sara Jane is a small woman in her early 60ies. She has gray hair and tends to dress conservatively in neutral colors.

Personality: Sara Jane is quiet and introverted. She is also very sweet and wouldn’t hurt a fly. She’s the first to offer comfort when someone is sad. She asks very little for herself and is timid.

History: Sara Jane grew up the dutiful and meek daughter of a single mother in rural Ohio. Her mysteriously absent father made Sara Jane at times question who she could trust in the world. Her at times bitter mother was quick to reassure Sara Jane that she could always count on her mother – and only her mother.

Sara Jane grew up a wallflower and was easy for people not to notice (a situation Sara Jane preferred). She had a beautiful singing voice that she only used at home by herself or for her mother. She was a good student however and one of her teachers (an Ohio State alum) encouraged and helped pave the way for her to attend Ohio State as well. With her caring nature, Sara Jane studied to be a nurse.

Sara Jane was equally withdrawn in college. Her friends were largely limited to her roommate (Heather) and Angie (who took an intro class with Sara Jane). She largely spent her time studying and nursing a crush on her roommate’s dashing and friendly brother (Mason). Angie overheard Sara Jane singing to herself once and began to aggressively try to persuade Sara Jane to join the A Capella group Angie was starting. To no avail – Sara Jane was simply to shy.

At least until Harmony entered the picture. Harmony had a way of seeing into people and had a tendency to take one by the arm and lead them where they needed to go (rather than asking where they wanted to go). After meeting Harmony, Sara Jane found herself a part of the group without having exactly deciding to join. She even sang lead for a song at their first concert (with an admiring Mason in attendance).

Just when things seemed to be looking up for Sara Jane, tragedy struck. Her roommate, Heather, died a death ruled accidental and Sara Jane found the body. Traumatized, Sara Jane left school and went home despite all efforts from her friends to get her to stay. Ultimately getting a job as a bookkeeper at a local business, Sara Jane spent a quiet life with her mother.

Now, she has gotten an invitation she can’t refuse: to Harmony’s funeral. She is happy to be reunited with her friends but is surprised when Harmony’s partner shares that Harmony left special instructions for Sara Jane and the others. Harmony’s cremated remains had been divided into several parts and Harmony had left instructions for each on how she wanted her remains scattered. Sara Jane was the first to receive her portion and instructions and suddenly found that once again Harmony was taking her arm and leading her.

Sara Jane’s instructions were to scatter Harmony’s remains at a park at a certain day and time and to read aloud a poem. Sara Jane did so but was surprised when Mason came by walking his dog. Mason greeted her warmly and shared how he walked his dog every day at this time and it was evident to Sara Jane and her friends that Harmony arranged this meeting. On the surface, it seemed that Harmony was playing matchmaker from beyond the grave and reuniting two people who were meant to be.

Sara Jane, however, suspected that there was more to it. Though it seemed impossible, she suspected Harmony knew Sara Jane was keeping a secret about Heather’s death. The meeting with Mason was not about rekindling some spark (at least, it wasn’t completely about that), but instead was about Sara Jane unburdening herself with the truth so many years later.

Role in the narrative: She’s one of our protagonists.

Abilities: She is good with numbers and taking care of people.

Inspirations: My wife and I volleyed ideas back in forth around what Sara Jane’s central issue might be. Certainly, secrets are a well-used plot device. At the moment, I can’t think of a single inspiration for Sara Jane as a result, though I did think about a nun in Sister Act who found her voice in singing.

First time at this blog? Check out Home for details on the project and the Character Index for more of an overview of the characters.

Starting a new project, “Four Part Harmony.” Check out the index page for an overview, but it is a film about a group of women in their early 60ies who were friends in college and are reunited when one of them dies.

Angela Parkins (79)

Project: Film (Four Part Harmony)

Known as: Ange, Angie

Real name: Angela Parkins

Group affiliation: Extra Adar Rhiannon (EAR – a college A Capella group)

Physical description: Angie is thin and attractive and in her early 60ies. She has salt-and-pepper hair (with perhaps more salt than pepper). She dresses well but not extravagantly.

Personality: Angie is organized and industrious. She has a keen sense of responsibility to others; sometimes too much so. She can be a bit anxious and hard on herself when things don’t go according to plan. She can also sometimes get exasperated when others fail to follow a plan. At the end of the day, however, she is loved by most because she sincerely cares about others.

History: Angela grew up in a middle-class family in a small town in Ohio. She was an easy child to raise – studious, respectful, obedient and friendly. She didn’t meet too many extracurriculars she didn’t like and was often the leader of her endeavors (e.g., captain of her basketball team, president of a number of clubs and her class, etc.). One exception was chorus, where she had a good voice but wasn’t “solo material.” She had big plans to start or run a business. While she understood she was disadvantaged as a woman, she used this as fuel to work harder (she was the type to succeed no matter the impediment).

She got a scholarship to attend Ohio State University in the seventies. There she continued to excel, though her first semester was harder than she anticipated. Leaving home and moving to a bigger pond was a challenge, though like all challenges she was up to it. Still, while she came to the university to build her career, she found she missed all her extra curriculars and friends. After attending a chorus concert, she somewhat impulsively decided to start her own A Capella singing group. Inspired by the three mythical singing birds, she decided the group would be “Adar Rhiannon” (and was aiming for three members).

This proved trickier than she expected. Most of the stellar singers were already in the music department and involved in existing groups. Angie was nothing if not persistent, however, and she targeted a few good singers in her dorm. She reached her three, but the group was failing to gel. That was when Harmony joined.

Harmony was a free-spirited force of nature and chaos that shook each member of the group to challenge their personal status quo. For Angie, this meant making her accept that unplanned things happen in life and sometimes they are the best thing (Sheldon, her eventual husband, was an example). The group was filled with diverse personalities and Harmony’s stirring of the pot lead to the group coming together (now more than three, they became “Extra Adar Rhiannon” or EAR).

After college, some stayed friends but drifted apart. Angie showed she did indeed have a talent for business and rose up the executive ladder across several companies. Once she proved to herself she could succeed, she found the work unsatisfying. Ultimately, she started her own non-profit to support the arts in schools (a national and very successful organization while she ran it).

Now retired, she is restless. Having been a workhorse her entire life, she found all the projects she retired to work on were addressed in short order. She finds herself unsettled, without knowing exactly why (she and her husband are happy and have no major needs). She then gets an invitation to return to Columbus because Harmony has passed away (this is the beginning of our film).

After Harmony’s funeral, Harmony’s partner calls the former members of EAR together to share Harmony’s unusual deathbed request. Harmony has been cremated and her remains have been divided. She has left special instructions for each of the members of EAR on what they should do with their assigned portion of her remains. It quickly becomes clear as each gets her instructions that Harmony is again shaking up their status quo from beyond the grave. Angie, who gets her instructions last, is stressed. She both has to help the other members get through their changes and is dreading what she’ll be asked to do (Harmony was also intimidating – she peered into your soul). Angie is worried about what Harmony might make her (Angie) face.

Role in the narrative: She’s one of our protagonists and all-around good egg.

Abilities: She is smart, organized, motivated and caring. She is a sharp business person.

Inspirations: I’m not sure exactly where this came from (I am enamored of the idea). Certainly, it’s not new to have a group of older characters reflect on their lives and flashback to an earlier time (Momma Mia is a recent example). So, some well-traveled devices here. Still, I’m not sure if I know where the idea of divided remains comes from (although there are plenty about scattering ashes – e.g., https://scattering-ashes.co.uk/news/scattering-ashes-in-the-movies/). I did some web searches and didn’t come up with much. Maybe it is that I just like the pun around “four part harmony.”

First time at this blog? Check out Home for details on the project and the Character Index for more of an overview of the characters.

Podcast (78)

Project: Comic (Mizfits)

Known as: Podcast

Real name: Pacey Campbell

Group affiliation: CounterAct

Physical description: Podcast is middle aged and notably overweight. He has a scraggly red beard that matches his long, scraggly hair. He wears thick glasses and is obviously profoundly nearsighted.

Personality: Podcast has never been noted for his intelligence or sparkling repartee. He’s quiet and has few friends and the cornerstone of those friendships are not conversation (they mostly drink beer and watch sports together). Occasionally they commit minor misdemeanors (and the occasional felony) together (hey, life has been unfair to them).

History: Podcast grew up in rural Oklahoma. A middling student (at best) his family was poor and was the first place the police would stop when there was a crime to solve. While both his parents had committed crimes that they got away with, they were ultimately convicted on a murder they did not commit. A young Pacey moved four houses down to a foster home and his life largely remained unchanged, although he did miss his parents (who were largely absentee). Their circumstances gave him a worldview that you might as well do crime you can get away with, since you’ll probably be put away for something you didn’t.

Still, he mostly kept his nose clean and didn’t get caught for anything (this was probably due to his natural laziness as much as anything). He worked at a local grocery store stocking shelves and so forth. He did commit minor larceny with his employer, but it was so minor the employer knew and ignored. Specifically, Podcast tended to poach items past their expiration date.

This may have created his powers (or maybe it was time spent at the dump shooting rats; or the blends of cheap alcohol he drank; or even things he did on dares), but no one knows for sure. He’s one of the members of the cast of Mizfits that did not get his powers from All Saint’s Anarchy. The strange thing is that because he spoke relatively little, and was pretty boring when he did, it took a long time to realize he had an ability.

He eventually posted a video showing him using his powers on his friends, which people ignored as a hoax (his power only works when he is in person). Counter and his gang had been watching for people with abilities and Post was dispatched to verify with Pacey. Though not actually having much potential as a member of CounterAct, Post recruited him as soon as she realized she could brand his powers as complimenting hers and her brother’s.

He doesn’t do a ton for CounterAct, though he can be useful with proper preparation (both in resisting his powers and giving him material to use).

Role in the narrative: An incompetent antagonist and possible source of comedy (his ramblings could get funny).

Abilities: When Podcast speaks, anyone who listens to him for a full minute becomes mesmerized and unable to do anything else but listen to him. This will continue as long as he keeps speaking and the listeners can hear him (note, his power only works in person – despite his name). If the listeners stop hearing him for a full 15 seconds, they are freed. This can be by someone plugging their ears or Podcast simply running out of things to say.

Probably the greatest limitations to his powers is a) it can be hard to get people to listen for a full minute and b) he quickly tends to run out of things to say. He has memorized a few long speeches but often forgets parts or gets bored himself.

Inspirations: I’ve been watching “Innocent Man” on Netflix. Another chilling docuseries about how innocent people can be sent to jail. I reflected what that might be like for the children (note those in the documentary turned out great). So it inspired this character, though the character provides little commentary on the wrongfully convicted (I might want to do something around this later). There are lots of mesmerizing type characters out there (the Ringmaster, Mesmero, etc.). A little bit of Purple Man in that his power is embedded in his voice.

First time at this blog? Check out Home for details on the project and the Character Index for more of an overview of the characters.

Meme (77)

Project: Comic (Mizfits)

Known as: Meme

Real name: Sebastian Church

Group affiliation: CounterAct

Physical description: Meme is sixty-seven but looks older. He is very thin, nearly bald, and wrinkled.

Personality: Meme is the opposite of his sister, Post. Extremely introverted, he is exhausted being around other people. He also has social anxiety and no people skills. When left alone, however, he is a talented artist and interior designer (of course, he does interior design under a pseudonym and avoids meeting clients directly).

Meme tends to follow strong personalities and is absolutely ruled by his sister Alexandria (Post).

History: Sebastian Church (Meme), like his sister (Post), was also born to a well-to-do Manhattan family (he was actually the first born). Unlike his sister, he was very much a homebody and felt more grateful that his family had a great home than that they lived in a great city. His family, other than his sister, indulged his hermit ways. Hiring teachers to homeschool him and getting whatever, he needed delivered, his family didn’t make him a complete recluse but did enable his natural tendencies.

Of course, his little sister did not understand his liking of loneliness. Minimally she would pester him when she was bored and occasionally make him go out with her. She legitimately loves him, while he considers her a force of nature to which he has to bow. Fortunately for him, she eventually found many distractions and would only go to him to bother him on principle. When her troubles arrived, her brother was a stalwart supporter. He actually hoped it would give her a new perspective in life and she would stop valuing the regard of others so much.

He was to be disappointed. She in fact was trying to encourage him to consume social media when the All Saint’s Anarchy hit (where Boost amplified Random’s powers and reality was altered). He ended up swallowing the radioactive bee that stung his sister. Although neither got bee powers, both got social media powers. Where his sister gains power from “likes,” he became a shapeshifter based upon memes (see below).

As an artist, he is mortified that his power involves him memorizing memes (which he considers the lowest form of art). He is still manipulated by, and feels responsibility for, his sister so he is also a part of CounterAct and feels he needs to be ready.

Role in the narrative: A reluctant antagonist. He represents a class of people who try to understand memes while disliking them.

Abilities: Meme’s power is unusual and somewhat unpredictable. Like his sister, he somehow taps into the mental energy of those who consume memes, but this gets expressed in a very different way. He is basically a shapeshifter, who can “become” any meme he has studied thoroughly and memorized. If the meme is associated with an image, he will become a replica of that image (e.g., a cat meme enables him to become a cat). Furthermore, if the theme of the meme is strong enough, he can also gain additional abilities in that form. For example, if he used the meme around a clown summoning people to a storm drain, he would become the clown and have the ability to draw people to him against their better judgment. Note that he will not get all the abilities of the fictional clown, just the one tied up in the meme.

He does have a number of limitations. First, the time he can stay in the alternate form is directly proportional for how long the meme was popular. Second, he can only become each meme once. Third, he must have a good knowledge, and understanding, of the meme and its form. Finally, as mentioned above the form will only have advanced abilities if the meaning of the meme was especially strong.

Inspirations: At this point I’m riffing on social-media inspired villains (my son referred to this one as “cringy,” which I took as a compliment). I was going to stop at two, but something he said gave me an idea for “Podcast” so watch for that one tomorrow. Shapeshifters are not new (hello Beast Boy) and superheroes are fantastic meme generators.

First time at this blog? Check out Home for details on the project and the Character Index for more of an overview of the characters.

Post (76)

Project: Comic (Mizfits)

Known as: Post

Real name: Alexandria Church

Group affiliation: CounterAct

Physical description: Post is sixty-two, thin with gray hair. She is in good shape and takes her appearance seriously.

Personality: Post is extremely extroverted. She loves parties, concerts and big events; and gets more energetic when she is around people. If she spends too much time alone, she gets very restless and eventually depressed. She is fun, and people love her parties. She is also vain and overreacts to criticism (a bit dramatic at times).

History: Alexandria Church (Post) was born to a well-to-do Manhattan family. She loved living in the city and was constantly asking to go and see things. She quickly built up a large circle of friends and rare was the weekend (or weekday night) she didn’t have plans. Attractive and charismatic, she grew into the type of socialite that made the newspapers.

Her family very much approved of her as she built an impressive network that greatly benefitted the family’s business. She did some modeling, party planning, and generally found doing whatever her impulses lead her to was quite lucrative. Unfortunately, one day a musician she was dating secretly videotaped them having sex. He shared the tape liberally and it caused quite a scandal. While the media at the time wasn’t so gauche as to cover it as a news item, it was rather well known and bootleg copies became quite popular. She became scorned (while the musician’s popularity only rose) and, being sensitive to criticism, became overwhelmed and was admitted for psychiatric treatment (leading to further scandal).

Eventually what she valued so much (fame) faded and she was able to go back into public being only occasionally recognized. Still loving to be around people, she opened a successful nightclub to give her a place where she could (mostly anonymously) still be around lots of people having fun. Happiness eluded her, however, especially as she realized she was simply born a little too early. Society’s views evolved and what caused her downfall proved to only increase the fame of her modern equivalents. Bitterly, she became obsessed with consuming social media.

She was with her brother (who would become Meme) when All Saint’s Anarchy hit (the event where Boost overloaded Random’s powers and the laws of reality were suspended). She was trying to convince him to get into social media when her tablet turned into a radioactive bee and stung her (it then flew down her brother’s throat and died). It is unclear if the bee had anything to do with it (she didn’t get bee-themed powers), but Post emerged from the event with super human abilities.

Discovering that her powers were tied to people’s positive feelings towards her, she paid for a documentarian to create a sympathetic film about her. People became interested in her story and her fame rose (many feeling like the morays of society at the time had treated her unfairly). In modern times, Post feels the line between fame and infamy are so paper-thin that she has joined Counter’s group of miscreants. She either feels Counter’s challenging of the status quo will help make her more popular or set up another redemption story for her down the road. She has sworn to herself that no one will forget her again.

Role in the narrative: An antagonist. She was originally going to be younger but that felt like too much of a cliché (even for me who has been known to embrace cliché). Her character formed up after that (to further tweak clichés I wanted an older character who has failed to find wisdom).

Abilities: Post’s powers are at the same time strange and subtle while also being direct and destructive. Whenever someone has a positive thought or reaction to Post she gains some power (no matter the distance). The power gained from each moment of positive regard is fairly small, so she needs many, many such moments for her power level to increase to a notable degree. The positive reaction need not only be focused upon her but can also result from something she has created.

She can store up this power indefinitely and she can use it to fly and shoot beams of concussive force from her hands. While using her power, she is highly resistant to damage. If she has stored up many viral moments, she is an absolute wrecking ball of force.

There are limitations however. Once she uses up her reserves, she needs many moments of positive regard to replenish. Also, negative thoughts and reactions can weaken her. As a result, she is constantly working social and other forms of media to get positive attention (she’s gotten pretty good at it).

She will likely eventually find that hitching her wagon to Counter is a mistake and may eventually find that the negative reactions begin to outweigh the positive ones. What she will turn into when this is the case will be startling.

Inspirations: There was a comic I read once that I can’t recall the name of where people could donate small bits of their energy to a hero. Therefore, this hero had to stay popular with the people to have power. So all credit to that creator for the concept – I’ve been Googling and unable to find so far (I’ll edit to add the name of the title if I can find it). I just combined the concept with the trope that people who value popularity above all else are often evil (think Mean Girls).

First time at this blog? Check out Home for details on the project and the Character Index for more of an overview of the characters.

Morgan Henry (75)

Project: A short story (A Connecticut Idiot in King Arthur’s Court)

Known as: YaBouy (yes, he spells it that way)

Real name: Morgan Henry

Group affiliation: None

Physical description: Morgan is 16 and skinny. He has a long, stringy, dingy blond hair and a soul patch. He usually wears dirty cargo shorts and a band t-shirt.

Personality: Morgan (or YaBouy as he likes to be called) is chill – almost critically so (he’s been checked for a pulse on numerous occasions). He is an uninterested student and isn’t that bright but has a burning confidence despite this. On the topics of memes or Twitch videos he is an expert, and these are the only topics upon which he places any value. He plans to be a successful social media personality and he knows he will succeed as he is an interesting guy who is always right. He just hasn’t gotten around to recording nor editing anything.

History: YaBouy grew up in urban Hartford, CT; raised by a single mother. His mother works two jobs to support them and loves her son desperately. Things might be a little easier for her if YaBouy didn’t need the latest device and games, but she wants her talented boy to reach his full potential. Her biggest disappointment is that she is unable to send him to a private school, as so far, his special sort of genius doesn’t seem to align with public school curriculum.

One day YaBouy is skating home, anxious to get to his console gaming. Unfortunately, his weed dealer has ran out of patience around money owned and opts to smack YaBouy with a baseball bat. Knocked unconscious, YaBouy awakes in a field, where a man in armor (Sir Kay) rides up. He challenges YaBouy to a joust and YaBouy isn’t about to let some try-hard flex on him and agrees. YaBouy breaks his ankle trying to mount a horse, and Kay declares himself the victor.

Captured, YaBouy first assumes that this is either a bad trip or a bunch of out-of-control LARPers. Eventually he begins to suspect he has somehow traveled back in time. Fortunately, a few video games and movies have prepared him for this moment and he knows exactly what to do: use his knowledge of the future to rule over the people of this era.

At King Arthur’s court, YaBouy claims he is a wizard and that he can create wonders. As his garb and speech are so unusual (and mostly because things were a little boring at Camelot), they give him some resources to try to build things. The blacksmiths create something that roughly looked like a gun based upon YaBouy’s description and even bullets. Of course, they didn’t know what to do when he kept saying “make gunpowder for the bullets.” His descriptions of toilets showed some early promise but as he did not know what made water come out of pipes (nor what pipes were made of). Ultimately, this concept created a bit of a mess.

This continued for a while. They fabricated a skateboard based upon his description, but he was frustrated with their inability to create the right kind of wheels (“you know, little plastic ones that spin easily”). The tricks he could do were quite limited, especially given the quality of roads. By the time he was describing a helicopter and “you have to get the gas out of the ground” the amusement of creating things for the clearly crazy man had begun to wear thin.

Unfortunately, he was good for nothing else – he couldn’t fight, bake (“where’s the microwave?”), care for animals, farm, or do any other basic tasks (he couldn’t even scribe up to standards). Finally, he was put in motley and made a jester, but this was more out of pity than his abilities there (though he thought he was living the medieval version of his dream).

He eventually gets back to his home time. Unfortunately, he had learned very little during his time there and was largely useless to modern historians. He did finally make a YouTube channel about his experiences and was soundly ridiculed for a couple of weeks when he tried to recreate his motley.

Role in the narrative: He’s our protagonist, just not an impressive one.

Abilities: He doesn’t even play video games as well as he things he does. His natural respiration does create CO2, which is beneficial to plants.

Inspirations: To be clear, I’m not generalizing to a whole generation here. This was inspired by Twain’s “Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.” When I read it, I was struck about how lame of a time traveler I would be. I’ve grown up in a time of modern devices and have relatively few skills and little knowledge that would be useful to per-industrial societies (I know nothing about mining or smelting; little about applied Chemistry, etc.). So where in Twain’s story his protagonist creates gunpowder and a lightning rod to blow up Merlin’s tower, it would be hard for me (nigh impossible) to approach something similar (I might be able to make gunpowder given lots of time and experimentation). I’ve wanted to do a more modern retelling for a while now and since then if anything things have gotten worse. As devices become more and more intuitive there is simply still less reason to bother to learn how they work. So I think most folks today are bright, I do think that there are a small few that are actually celebrated for not doing much.

First time at this blog? Check out Home for details on the project and the Character Index for more of an overview of the characters.

Shortcut (74)

Project: Comic (Mizfits)

Known as: Shortcut

Real name: Jaimie Winters

Group affiliation: CounterAct

Physical description: Shortcut is young (18), petite, and is usually wearing a smile.

Personality: Shorcut is an adrenaline junky. Surfing, snowboarding, skydiving, bungee jumping, you name it. The main reason she is a “bad guy” is that the rush of crime and battle is one of the best highs she has encountered. She generally avoids harming people too much (though she won’t be overwhelmed with guilt if she does – that’s life).

History: Jaimie was an action kid that was the child of action parents. Extreme sports heroes, her parents actually made a decent living endorsing skateboards, snowboards, and the like. This allowed the family a great deal of freedom in pursuing extreme experiences.

Looking to follow in their footsteps, Jaimie began competing as a teenager (motocross). She never seriously considered college, as she only barely managed to get her high school degree (she was just too distracted). Her relationships mirrored her hobbies and she dated a string of edgy people she was never serious about.

Recently, she and her parents were extreme skiing and got caught in an avalanche. Jaimie barely escaped, and her parents were not so lucky. While many might find this a life-altering experience, for Jaimie it only fueled her extreme nature. She knew her parents lived life hard and died the way they wanted to. She missed them terribly but felt she could honor them best by continuing to push the envelope.

She was free scaling a skyscraper when All-Saints Anarchy hit (the even were Boost overloaded Random’s powers and the laws of reality were suspended). Jaimie gained the ability to create portals linking two distant locations, which saved her life when the building she was climbing turned into a pile of yak hair. She found that she could dismiss the portals at will. Anything partially through the portals when they were dismissed is instantly severed (part stays at one location, the other part stays at the other location). So far, this has not failed to neatly sever anything (including a steel beam). She gave herself the name “Shortcut” both for her ability to go to distant places while skipping the distance between and the side effect of being able to sever things.

Puzzle approached Shortcut to join the Mizfits but Shortcut turned her down. The Mizfits are about learning control and cooperation, and Puzzle’s ability focuses primarily on order. This was not appealing to Shortcut, who was more on the chaos/danger side of things. Counter’s offer (heh), however, was more appealing. The rush of committing crimes, getting shot at, etc. was just too tempting.

Shortcut is not particularly a bad person, but neither is she good. At the end of the day she is self-centered, and perhaps suicidal.

Role in the narrative: Shortcut and Swap could have some crazy battles.

Abilities: Shortcut can open round portal connecting two distant locations. She can control the size of these portals, up to a maximum of about 2’ across (enough for her to dive through fairly easily). One portal must be opened within a few feet of her, while the second can be at any location she has visited before. The portals have a direction and she can control which side is “open.”

While transportation is an obvious benefit, her powers have several non-obvious applications. For example, Shorcut has been deep-sea diving. She can open a portal to a deep-water location she has been to and create a geyser of high-pressure water at her current location. She’s also been on airplanes, so she can connect to a lower-pressure area and create an explosive decompression effect.

Inspirations: The name is a nod to the Bionic Woman. The Spider-man villain the Spot has a similar power (though his is more amped up) and lots of teleporters are around (e.g., Nightcrawler, Keith’s wolf on the new Voltron, etc.). I had an idea years ago for another “Shortcut” (a friend of mine even drew a picture of him – thanks Dan). But while reusing the power concept (which in turn isn’t that original) the character above is a new one.

First time at this blog? Check out Home for details on the project and the Character Index for more of an overview of the characters.

Kyle Greene (73)

Project: Short story (Heartless)

Known as: No nicknames

Real name: Kyle Greene

Group affiliation: Techcorps

Physical description: Kyle is in his early 30ies at the start of the story. Not bad-looking, he is thin and doesn’t invest much in his appearance.

Personality: Kyle (with heart) is high-strung and anxious. He is overly hard on himself when he makes mistakes and is afraid of letting others down. He takes criticism too hard and perseverates on problems. That being said, he is a good and kind person.

Kyle (without heart) is confident, cool, and collected. He is also ruthless and uncaring.

History: Kyle has always been anxious. A fearful child, Kyle was an easy target for bullies. He was however easy to please, which made him a fine student beloved by adults. Also beloved by his close friends as he grew, he was unlucky in love mostly due to a notable lack of confidence on his part.

Outstanding in Computer Science in college, upon graduation he was snapped up by Techcorps. To say he was an exemplary employee would be an understatement. He was the one everyone could count on to deliver. No work/life balance at all, he worked long hours and weekends. As he moved from project to project, Techcorps and his managers made it clear that every project was urgent. As a result, he felt stress constantly and berated himself for any mistakes he made (they were all minor).

Despite his focus on career, his advancement was limited. Not assertive, managers and colleagues were happy enough to take credit for his work. Additionally, it was better for his department that his salary stayed contained (not to mention that some advised him to not seek a raise, as a higher salary made him more open to being laid off). Finally, the technical staff such as himself had limited advancement in general. The modern-day “factory workers” the MBAs and business-types held the most powerful (and lucrative) positions in the company.

All this implies that Kyle thought about his career, though he rarely had time for that. So, focused on the next project, problem, or ask, Kyle barely had time to ponder his own happiness. One night, when working late again, the stress and anxiety threatened to overwhelm him. He made a sort of wish – that he could just turn off his feelings for a while. On impulse, he put his hand on his chest and his fingers melted ghost-like. Reaching into his chest, he pulled out a wispy, bright light – his heart. Not the one made of meat, but his spiritual heart. He felt immediately better and put it in a drawer to finish his work. He replaced it when done, went home, and fell asleep.

The next day he assumed it was all a strange dream from overwork. Until the next time his anxiety got the better of him and he found he could do it again. Without his heart he was able to work faster and more efficiently. He also saw the world more clearly and realized things he would need to do to advance himself. On the other hand, the world was more muted without his heart – the lows were not low, but the highs weren’t that high, either.

Kyle sought the right balance for when to be heartless and when to have his heart. He started to rise in the company quickly when heartless but then would feel guilt for some of what he had done after he restored his heart. He began to wonder if life just wouldn’t be easier if he never put his heart back and began to spend more and more time without it. He did notice that his heart had begun to glow less brightly and ideally wondered what would happen to him if it went out.

Then one day his heart got stolen and everything changed.

Role in the narrative: He’s our protagonist. It’s a story around how modern corporations can sometimes take advantage of great people. It’s also about how we all blunt our feelings to get through this thing called life (to quote the purple one). It will have something of a positive ending – a metaphor for how we sometimes need someone to steal our heart when we aren’t so good at taking care of it ourselves.

Abilities: Very bright, fantastic coder.

Inspirations: This would be a very “Twilight Zone” sort of story. In my experience, smart, competent but risk-adverse people are the bulwark of most major companies.

First time at this blog? Check out Home for details on the project and the Character Index for more of an overview of the characters.

Ethan Barton (72)

Project: Nighttime soap (War of Joy)

Known as: No nicknames

Real name: Ethan James Barton

Group affiliation: Cooper family/Spring Toys

Physical description: Ethan does not stand out in a crowd. Average height and weight, his brown hair is cut short and neat. His suits are fine but tend towards unassuming blues and grays. About Clive’s age, Ethan wears wire-rim glasses and has an unremarkable face.

Personality: Just like his appearance, Ethan has a personality that causes him to fade into the background (especially around an attention-stealer like his constant companion, Clive). Quiet and precise, he seems like the note-taker in most meetings. This is something he has deliberately cultivated. In reality, he is the sharpest business mind of our whole cast. Clive has charisma, but not much else going for him when running a company. The best maneuvers Spring Toys does are all from Ethan, though he’ll never take credit. He’s the snake in the grass that you discover too late has fangs.

History: Gabriel sensed that his son Clive, while the golden child, was destined to be more figurehead than leader. He very deliberately hired and groomed what he thought would be Clive’s ideal number two: Ethan Barton. Academically gifted, Barton came with a tremendous reassume but a quiet, unassuming nature. Gabriel thought he had found an ideal person to run the company without trying to take it from Clive.

And he was right. What he didn’t anticipate is that Ethan would take the company from him. Whispering in Clive’s ear, it was Ethan who masterminded the ouster of Gabriel. Not that anyone realized this – even Clive. Such is Clive’s ego that he conveniently forgets the source of “his” brilliant ideas. Which suits Ethan fine. He prefers to work things from the background and have a shield/fall guy if necessary. Ethan is the most dangerous of people: ability without ego.

And thus, everyone underestimates them. In truth, it would be hard to OVERestimate him, given he is only merely two steps ahead of everyone else on a bad day.

Some secrets and points of drama we may or may not encounter:

• Ethan might apply to Joy for a job.
• Maybe Ethan is secretly an investigator for the FBI and has been using his business connections for years to bring people down.
• Maybe Ethan will embezzle and ruin the company (this point and the one above are not mutually exclusive).
• If we need to go extreme and wackado, Ethan is our best candidate to secretly be a demon.

Role in the narrative: Ethan is critical as I have characterized Clive as incompetent yet arrogant. He almost needs his opposite number working for him to make the success of Spring Toys plausible (without Ethan, Joy would have taken down Clive long ago).

Abilities: Super-smart and has no life outside of business.

Inspirations: An evil Lucius Fox and a bit of Owen from Gargoyles.