Fledgling Scribbler

Okay, I lied. I’m making two characters. One will be a “good guy” and the other one will have the role of villain. Both will have the power to teleport.

Adrien: A recent college graduate in his early 20’s, he discovers the power to teleport when he is shoved by someone unknown off the top of a building. Until that point, he was unaware of his power. His first experience is devastating however, when he accidentally teleports himself into the middle of a crowd. The 3 minutes between his disintegration and reintegration seems like an instant to him and when he regains his faculties, he finds himself amid chaos as people are either running away or screaming in pain on the floor from various injuries. It takes him some time to figure out what is going on and to gain control of this power, but the traumatizing first experience inhibits him from using this power too much. Or at all, if he can help it.

Thomas: He discovers this power from a very young age. Having also had a traumatizing first experience, Thomas is at first hesitant to use his powers. However, it was his bad luck in life to grow up in an abusive household. One day, he can no longer take the pain and he deliberately teleports himself around in the vicinity of his parents, doing it several times until he is sure that his parents are dead. After the initial rage, he is extremely remorseful, but he also likes the feeling of power that teleportation gives him and he eventually gets used to doing it more and more. At one point, his sole method of travel is teleportation, though he often stays away from populated areas due to his distrust of mankind, so the number of accidents he is involved with is infrequent, though it happens. The amount of remorse he feels lessens each time as he fills himself with this addicting feeling of power. However, a mysterious organization appears to be sending agents after him when he causes more and more accidents, even being caught and almost killed at one point. This deepens his distrust of mankind, but also makes him more cautious with using his powers.

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Later, I will create character diamonds for these two.

Okay, so I’ve been watching The Lost Room , and I really like how it establishes its own rules and then goes on to develop it in detail, as well as establish limitations of these rules. Unfortunately, I am not nearly that creative in doing something on that scale. So I was thinking I’d take the concept from the last post and limit it to one power rather than have a scattershot of powers to deal with. This way I can develop it in detail, as well as explore limitations, rather than have an opening for whatever I want. For now, I will try teleportation.

Only a select number of individuals have the power to teleport. No one knows what grants these people the power to teleport, and indeed, so few individuals can do it that most people assume the power to do so is just a fairy-tale.

How teleportation works: the individual “disintegrates” in his/her current location and “reintegrates” at the new location from new matter at this location. The teleporter can transport his/her body anywhere, as long as the needed materials are there to be able to reintegrate. It is possible, though painful (and sometimes fatal), to partially reintegrate if not all the required matter is there, and most teleporters will go back to their previous location (if the disintegrated matter is still there) to reintegrate themselves wholly. There is a 42-foot radius that the materials need to be in in order for someone to reintegrate. The teleporter does not choose where the materials to reintegrate him/herself comes from. This can be devastating if the teleporter lands in a populated area, since his/her reintegration may pull matter from passerby, heavily injuring or even killing people around him/her. Many teleporters learn early on not to do this, and mostly do teleportations within 42 feet of their previous location. There are occasional unscrupulous teleporters though, and those who know of the teleporters’ existence often carry a device to measure a drop in entropy to see if someone is reintegrating in their vicinity (a simple device to do this can be constructed, e.g. a jar of differently colored sand which would separate into the constituent colors if entropy dropped). There is a 3-minute window between the time someone disintegrates and reintegrates wholly in a new area. So if there is an unexplainable pain or unexplainable aggregation of various materials, one can check this entropy device or just go ahead and get the hell out of the area.

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Hm, this concept shows promise. Next I’ll develop a character with this power.

I’ve noticed in the things I watch and read (the ones I really like anyway) create a pretty consistent and interesting world, following certain rules. The plot then works around with these rules and this world, sometimes following the rules and sometimes exploring the boundaries of the setting. So maybe I should try to see if I can come up with something like that (or at least steal ideas like some hack).

Setting: near future
All over the world, there have been certain individuals popping up with exceptional gifts. Superpowers, if you will. Some are useful, some are not. Some example abilities include controlling the elements, making plants grow, alter someone’s reality, etc etc… It is soon discovered that the link between these individuals is the production of a certain unknown chemical, though it is not known how they came to produce it. With some experimentation and lab studies, some scientists are able to mass produce this chemical. However, for every person for whom this chemical works, three others die from it. Studies are still being conducted in the hopes of creating better odds, but it is not looking hopeful. A small but significant portion of the world’s population is getting this chemical on the black market despite the grim odds for their survival in the hopes of becoming more special. This is creating some friction in the political world, who try to get the chemical banned and the studies shut down.

There is also a divide between people of special abilities and normal people. Some of the people with special abilities are getting god complexes, while others are preaching to the world to join them or be condemned to being among the weakest of the population. Certain “normal” people find this threatening, especially in terms of Darwin’s evolution. The more radical types believe that the only way to remove this threat is to unite the “normal” population, who are still a significant portion of the world’s population, into a force against the superpowered population and eradicate as many of them as possible. There are those in the middle of the spectrum of both special and normal abilities who are anxious to prevent disastrous conflict.

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Too cliched maybe? Overly done by too many shows? Oh well. Maybe I’ll think of something better later. Or I could try to create a story in this context anyway and see whether I get bored or not.

I was going to start a new character for this story, but it just occurred to me that I can just use Benjamin since I’ve already developed his character and I haven’t actually done anything with him yet. So here’s a sort of plot outline/summary for what I had in mind.

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After being lost in the woods around Bluewater for a few days, Benjamin finds himself in the village nearly dying of thirst and hunger. The children of the village spot him first. Barely conscious, Benjamin’s prone form alarms the adults in the village, most of whom have never seen someone from the outside world. But a kindly woman, Jessica, chases off the curious children crowding around his body and takes Benjamin into her house for shelter to nurse him back to health. Before long, however, the newly appointed matron is alarmed by this and persuades the woman to give care of Benjamin over to her. At the matron’s house, just as Benjamin has recovered enough to be conscious of his surroundings, the matron interrogates him about his purpose in the village. It eventually becomes clear that he stumbled here by accident and that he has no hidden purpose here. Benjamin has no idea why the matron is so paranoid about outsiders entering the village, and is unable to get any clear answer out of her.

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Bleh, this didn’t turn out to go anywhere. I’ll think of something else later.

If this were set in the history of earth, it would be set around the Middle Ages.

Bluewater is a tiny village of population 257, and is an isolated community. The community’s form of government, though primitive, is enough to keep law and order for its citizens. The matron of the village is generally a post held by the oldest and wisest woman of the community. How this tradition got started is unknown.

Surrounding the village is a dense forest. Within a day’s walk of the village is a river, which the community relies on if the village well runs dry. It is common knowledge around the town that there is no civilization within a couple days’ walk around them, and curiosity of the outside world is generally frowned upon, especially from a young age.

The logistics of law enforcement work a little differently, since everyone knows each other. Miscreants are generally brought before the matron since law-breaking is strictly enforced by the village. The matron has the power to solely decide the innocence (or not) and the appropriate punishment for law-breakers. Children are apprenticed by the age of thirteen. The profession is usually the child’s choice, but most often, a child chooses one of his/her parents’ professions.

Beasts occasionally wander into the village from the forest around them, but the village usually can either scare the animals off or kill them if they pose a continuous threat to the village. Occasionally, someone from the outside world may stumble on the village, usually someone who got lost in the woods. However, the matron often sends such a person away as quickly as possible; the motives for this is generally not known among the population and the matron never speaks on the subject.

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Hm… I’m not sure where this setting is good enough for a story, but I may explore it a little… still deciding whether the story should be told from an outsider’s point of view or from a villager’s point of view. Maybe I can get something out of a newly appointed matron’s point of view.

All right, as requested, I will be working on a villain character today. Not sure if I’ll make it a part of the story I’m doing right now or if I’ll just start a whole new story.

1. Naive: Nicole has lived a very sheltered life. She has not had much contact or experience with the outside world. This causes her social habits to be about the same level as a 5 year old’s.
2. Amoral: Nicole does not understand/has not been taught what is or isn’t moral. Even if she were taught these things at some later point in her life, she would not understand the point or benefit to her.
3. Spoiled: She is used to getting her way. She has not had much experience with not getting what she wants.
4. Sadistic: Anytime something displeases Nicole, she likes to cause pain around her to make herself feel happier. Other’s suffering making her own suffering feel insignificant often helps make her feel better.

Hm… I’m just thinking about it, but I’m not sure I can do much with these two characters… maybe because Father Calico is a lot less developed in my mind compared to Benjamin. I guess tomorrow, I can see if I can make another character for Benjamin to interact with. For now, I’ll just see how a scene between these two will go.

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Benjamin had had enough. He joined the church in the hopes of feeling at one with God. But everywhere he went, it seemed as if all he saw were so-called “good” Christians looking out only for themselves and screwing their neighbors over every time they had the chance. Sure, he had met some genuinely good people, but it seemed that he kept seeing more and more hypocrisy everywhere he went. And as each day passed, it seemed like he found himself doubting more and more the very existence of God. This feeling disquieted him.

He walked into the church courtyard, pondering this so deeply that he bumped rather hard into a passerby.

“Ho! That’s quite a greeting,” the passerby said.

Recovering himself, Benjamin found that he had bumped into Father Calico. “Sorry, Father,” Benjamin sighed, hugging the priest. He bent down to pick up the books Father Calico had dropped.

“Something bothering you, kid?” Father Calico queried, raising an eyebrow as Benjamin handed him his books.

Forcing a laugh, Benjamin said he was fine, perhaps a little too uncertainly. He could tell Father Calico didn’t really believe him.

“C’mon, I’m taking you to the confessional. I’m buying,” Father Calico said, dragging Benjamin along.

“Wha- no, I’m fine,” Benjamin said, ineffectually.

They ended up at a bar within walking distance of the church. After getting two beers, Father Calico looked at Benjamin sternly.

“Well, are you going to tell me? Or am I going to have to get you drunk?”

Sighing, Benjamin related his doubts and feelings about his position in the church. Throughout Benjamin’s confession, Father Calico listened with a thoughtful expression on his face.

“… and I just don’t know whether I belong in the church anymore if I have these doubts. I feel like a hypocrite myself to stay in the church when I believe in less and less of the church’s teachings.”

Father Calico sat in silence for a few moments, sipping his beer, pondering Benjamin’s revelations. “Look, Benjamin, there are many people, myself included, who have not seen evidence for the existence of God, but that doesn’t mean He’s not there.”

“Doesn’t it? Why should I believe in God’s existence when I have no reason to do so?”

It appeared as if Father Calico wanted to say something about this, but he stopped himself. Instead, he reached over to Benjamin and patted him on the arm.

“Look, just because I raised you doesn’t mean you’re obligated to believe in what I believe in. I want you to decide for yourself what you believe. Just… stay with the church for a little while longer until you’ve figured things out, all right?”

Benjamin smiled hesitantly at Father Calico, thankful for his understanding. He stood up and hugged Father Calico and said, “Thanks, Father.” Father Calico rubbed Benjamin’s head in that old affectionate gesture and Benjamin left, still feeling uncertain about his future.

Since I briefly mentioned him yesterday, I guess I could expand on his character a bit.

1. Devout: Being a priest, he is a loyal follower of God. He is, however, respectful of others’ religious beliefs. He does not see himself as a vessel for the word of God, but rather a follower who helps his fellow mortals live their lives on earth.
2. Compassionate: As evidenced by his founding of an orphanage, he is a selfless man and often acts as a father figure for the children who never leave his orphanage.
3. Irreverent: Even though he holds a position in the church, he sees no need to be gravely serious all the time. His attitude toward life is that it is no sin to make a satisfying life however one can, as long as one follows moral social codes.
4. Protective: He is, sometimes to the point of pettiness, very protective of those he helped to raise.