Player Name & Pronouns: Churby, She/Her Preferred Communication:churbooseanon but also available on discord at Churby#4290 (I'm not in game discord and will not be)
Character Name & Journal: Mark Bryant atypical_echo Guild Affiliation: Unless someone builds a bond with him and invests in trying to convince Mark to go Alliance, he's going to be super Unaffiliated. (please someone over time encourage this boy to be second string Alliance or Society for giggles) Character Motivations & IC/OOC Goals: Short Term Mark doesn't trust that the things the Guilds have given them to get settled don't have serious strings attached, so he's going to be looking pretty early for a way to establish himself until he can figure out how to get home. This includes looking for employment (he's a photographer), a home (he's going to be Unaffiliated and likely either in Central or Sunset), and honestly, people to talk to who have more experience here. Any advice he can get will be appreciated.
Long Term Mark is going to come to realize over time that, as before, he's really stranded. At least this time he can interact with people. However the boy has been through a LOT of trauma in the last several years, which hasn't really ever stopped being a thing. He's got untreated PTSD, tons of personal traumas, and experience in life at dealing with strange powers and not always having control. Anything that feels like he's being trapped or used by someone else triggers serious panic attacks. To this end the boy needs to develop an emotional support network. Including a sober buddy or sponsor.
Longer term than that, I would love to see Mark getting into messes because of his powers, perhaps even being used by others because of his mimic powers (see below). He's a great pinch hitter in emergencies because he can copy powers around him, meaning he's a great tool to kidnap for villainous plots, or great backup when you need some unique power but you need more of it.
Mostly Mark needs people who are like him, people who grew up with abilities rather than gaining them here as Metas, or people who knew those who were born with powers. In his world he's very scared of people not in the know, or in the know but malicious, coming after him. To get to know people who deal with this stuff on a daily basis and don't mind him around is a serious boon.
Also please someone recruit him into a guild or unaffiliated support group because he won't do it himself, he will actively avoid it, and his life might be more interesting with them.
Plot/CR Hooks: Mark's best, at first, as a bystander to plots that is accidentally a wrench in the works. This could be a positive wrench that helps clear up a gap, or a negative one, where his power mimicry (see below), ends up ruining a plan. While he likes to act like he's a normal kind of guy, Mark definitely attracts trouble in his own canon and is likely to here as well. As he gets to know more people he might be a great pinch hitter for other people who might want to stretch their powers to do more, or cover more area metaphorically by having two people using some key ability at the right time and place.
In canon Mark is sort of a MacGuffin at first. He's the goal that the central character is reaching toward, an attempt to claw at freedom. Later he serves more as a Chekhov's gun, in that his powers and the research that was based on them distorts the lives around him until at least power balances are usurped. But Mark doesn't want to be involved in all of this mess, he wants to refind purpose in life, acceptance, and safety. Which, well, that's never going to happen back home.
Here he's not hunted. Here he doesn't need to fear experimentation (though he doesn't know it). Here he might actually be able to be open with who and what he is, and he doesn't know it. Mark will, at first, only get into other people's things by accident and proximity, but with time it might be possible to lure him into helping others because that is in his nature, no matter what he denies. Mark's pure support, but in a strange way. He can be the powerhouse Meta if he's with another powerhouse. Need more telepaths to read a city? Well, he's there too. What about some help redirecting some sort of super storm? Well, put him near another person who can control weather and he can do that too.
Really, he's a chameleon that, once you point him at a task, will be very helpful. The problem is first someone has to find a way to assure him that they'll have his back and keep him safe and free. Then they just have to remind him that, as others saved him before, sometimes people need a hand up. So really, he's the guy you need in most situations, you just have to find a way to get him into the situation and helping.
Otherwise, Mark's a delightful burst of chaos to add to any situation. Would your plot become just a bit more complicated if there was another person that could accidentally be blamed for a villainous plot because they're using the same powers? Please, have Mark. Have a character who doesn't know one of their new Metapowers and you need to find a way to get them to realize it? Mark's your man to reveal it. Or do you just want a sorta damsel in distress that accidentally saves himself or makes more problems? Look over here at Mark, he's got you covered.
Important Opt-In Note! One of mark's powers is that he can mimic many different types of powers/abilities of Metas within 30 feet of him. I am keeping this power completely opt-in. I will include in every Log TL/Starter he is in a link to his opt-in post, and under no circumstances will he ever copy a power without a player first actively opting-in on this. If I tag in to someone I'll also direct them there. None of this will prevent me from tagging out with Mark to just about anyone and everyone, he just will not have this power figure in without you actively opting-in. If you have any questions or aren't sure about whether powers apply, feel free to contact me. I'm still refining the wording on the Opt-In to make sure it's as clear as I can manage.
As alluded to above in Plot Hooks, I definitely want to play some with the fact that copying powers in no way means Mark knows what he's doing with them and that getting him in trouble, but this is only possible with those who opt-in. Otherwise I'll get him into trouble around NPC Metas.
Mark Bryant | The Bright Sessions
Preferred Communication:
Character Name & Journal: Mark Bryant
Guild Affiliation: Unless someone builds a bond with him and invests in trying to convince Mark to go Alliance, he's going to be super Unaffiliated. (please someone over time encourage this boy to be second string Alliance or Society for giggles)
Character Motivations & IC/OOC Goals:
Short Term
Mark doesn't trust that the things the Guilds have given them to get settled don't have serious strings attached, so he's going to be looking pretty early for a way to establish himself until he can figure out how to get home. This includes looking for employment (he's a photographer), a home (he's going to be Unaffiliated and likely either in Central or Sunset), and honestly, people to talk to who have more experience here. Any advice he can get will be appreciated.
Long Term
Mark is going to come to realize over time that, as before, he's really stranded. At least this time he can interact with people. However the boy has been through a LOT of trauma in the last several years, which hasn't really ever stopped being a thing. He's got untreated PTSD, tons of personal traumas, and experience in life at dealing with strange powers and not always having control. Anything that feels like he's being trapped or used by someone else triggers serious panic attacks. To this end the boy needs to develop an emotional support network. Including a sober buddy or sponsor.
Longer term than that, I would love to see Mark getting into messes because of his powers, perhaps even being used by others because of his mimic powers (see below). He's a great pinch hitter in emergencies because he can copy powers around him, meaning he's a great tool to kidnap for villainous plots, or great backup when you need some unique power but you need more of it.
Mostly Mark needs people who are like him, people who grew up with abilities rather than gaining them here as Metas, or people who knew those who were born with powers. In his world he's very scared of people not in the know, or in the know but malicious, coming after him. To get to know people who deal with this stuff on a daily basis and don't mind him around is a serious boon.
Also please someone recruit him into a guild or unaffiliated support group because he won't do it himself, he will actively avoid it, and his life might be more interesting with them.
Plot/CR Hooks:
Mark's best, at first, as a bystander to plots that is accidentally a wrench in the works. This could be a positive wrench that helps clear up a gap, or a negative one, where his power mimicry (see below), ends up ruining a plan. While he likes to act like he's a normal kind of guy, Mark definitely attracts trouble in his own canon and is likely to here as well. As he gets to know more people he might be a great pinch hitter for other people who might want to stretch their powers to do more, or cover more area metaphorically by having two people using some key ability at the right time and place.
In canon Mark is sort of a MacGuffin at first. He's the goal that the central character is reaching toward, an attempt to claw at freedom. Later he serves more as a Chekhov's gun, in that his powers and the research that was based on them distorts the lives around him until at least power balances are usurped. But Mark doesn't want to be involved in all of this mess, he wants to refind purpose in life, acceptance, and safety. Which, well, that's never going to happen back home.
Here he's not hunted. Here he doesn't need to fear experimentation (though he doesn't know it). Here he might actually be able to be open with who and what he is, and he doesn't know it. Mark will, at first, only get into other people's things by accident and proximity, but with time it might be possible to lure him into helping others because that is in his nature, no matter what he denies. Mark's pure support, but in a strange way. He can be the powerhouse Meta if he's with another powerhouse. Need more telepaths to read a city? Well, he's there too. What about some help redirecting some sort of super storm? Well, put him near another person who can control weather and he can do that too.
Really, he's a chameleon that, once you point him at a task, will be very helpful. The problem is first someone has to find a way to assure him that they'll have his back and keep him safe and free. Then they just have to remind him that, as others saved him before, sometimes people need a hand up. So really, he's the guy you need in most situations, you just have to find a way to get him into the situation and helping.
Otherwise, Mark's a delightful burst of chaos to add to any situation. Would your plot become just a bit more complicated if there was another person that could accidentally be blamed for a villainous plot because they're using the same powers? Please, have Mark. Have a character who doesn't know one of their new Metapowers and you need to find a way to get them to realize it? Mark's your man to reveal it. Or do you just want a sorta damsel in distress that accidentally saves himself or makes more problems? Look over here at Mark, he's got you covered.
Important Opt-In Note!
One of mark's powers is that he can mimic many different types of powers/abilities of Metas within 30 feet of him. I am keeping this power completely opt-in. I will include in every Log TL/Starter he is in a link to his opt-in post, and under no circumstances will he ever copy a power without a player first actively opting-in on this. If I tag in to someone I'll also direct them there. None of this will prevent me from tagging out with Mark to just about anyone and everyone, he just will not have this power figure in without you actively opting-in. If you have any questions or aren't sure about whether powers apply, feel free to contact me. I'm still refining the wording on the Opt-In to make sure it's as clear as I can manage.
As alluded to above in Plot Hooks, I definitely want to play some with the fact that copying powers in no way means Mark knows what he's doing with them and that getting him in trouble, but this is only possible with those who opt-in. Otherwise I'll get him into trouble around NPC Metas.