Across the Pond (Worm Quest)

[Oshha]

It is the start of 2011 and it has been almost thirty years since Scion's first public appearance. Since then, parahumans have risen and society has fallen. Africa and South America are in chaos and the rest of the world is in little better shape. Endbringers roam the planet, periodically attacking with devastating results each time.

The United States of America events will soon be set in motion, other stories play out on Earth-Bet. This particular story takes place on the other side of the pond as the British Isles gain a new budding superhero.

***​

You are a secondary school student in their final year of school as they prepare for their final exams and you prepare to go to college next September.

What is your name?
[] Write-in.

And against all odds, you have gained superpowers over the Christmas holidays. While some ignorant fools might consider that to be a good thing, for you, it was the worst day of life and your newfound powers are a silver lining if that.

So what exactly happened to you?

What is your trigger event?
[] Write-in.

No plan voting. Both write-ins are subject to QM veto if I feel they are too silly or I don't feel comfortable writing them. The choice of name and trigger event here will determine the rest of your character such as background and powers.

If you want some advice on coming up with a trigger event, here are some sources from Weaverdice: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Uwibph29yyTtWmCP8QFv5YGMOvbm54QLw9g6qJPVsnw/edit#heading=h.oakolew1fimn & https://docs.google.com/document/d/12tImipAt6tMhokKB0bwW9h7lWdvA1pgvnUMXw2FP7JQ/edit

***​

This is a Worm quest set in Great Britain. I was originally going to do it in a random USA city or possibly a generic made up one to give me some freedom from Brockton Bay and canon, but then I realised I don't know much about American culture. Then I realised I do know a lot about British culture as a Brit so I figured why not set the quest in Britain? Sure, it means working with limited canon info, but I can make it authentic.

Anyway, you will be playing as a newly triggered parahuman in the British Isles. You will be a hero because that's what I want to write. Your character will be in their final year of secondary school and approaching college, which will put you at the age of 16.

This initial post isn't the biggest of updates, but that is mostly because there isn't much to write yet. I don't feel like re-hashing the setting and the character will be built around the choices made in this update.

Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to.

 

[Oshha]

[X] Finn Blaney
[X] Overbearing expectations. You got into a good school based on your grades, which let you move up in the world from your lower class origins. Everyone in the family always said you were "gifted"; that you would go on to do great things, be the Blaney to strike it rich. This drove you ever harder to take on more and more work, excel further and further, even taking on excess course work over break to get ahead. But you reached too far and hit a wall; no matter what you did, how much you studied, the material refused to make sense. You agonised; this was your future, everyone depended on you to get this why can't you get this-

You are Finn Blaney, a prodigy yet not a genius and you are the future hope of your family, bearing heavy pressure and expectations as a result. From your parents to your aunts and uncles to your grandparents to your cousins have all been working class, forced to slave away at the menial jobs so when you got high enough grades to get a scholarship into King George VI Secondary School, everyone in the family was happy and proud of you. You would be the first Blaney in living memory to escape poverty, to become rich even if you were only middle class in the end. To no longer have to worry about being able to put a roof over your head or put food on the table, to have enough money to buy new clothes for everyone instead of making heavy usage of hand-me-downs.

You did best to live up to those expectations and for the last four and a half years, you have done so admirably. Your grades aren't the best in class, but smarts combined hard work have made up for a lack of real genius. It has been hard being the poor kid who got in on merit rather than their family's wealth, but you endured. You even made a handful of friends.

But as your GCSEs got ever closer, things became more difficult. You started to struggle more in class and more and more of the coursework didn't make sense to you. You took on more homework and coursework than you needed to over the Christmas holidays in the hopes you could get away, that you could figure out what was making things so hard. You spent more time studying than relaxing over the break and it had to be worth it.

Except it hadn't been worth it and it wasn't enough. You got back to school and things had been as difficult as they had been before the holidays. None of it was making sense anymore and you couldn't understand why you could do it.

You broke down in a corner of the library afterschool on the first day back. It would have been a big deal except most of the students had already gone home for the day and there had been an incident in the playground that drew the attention of everyone, including staff. Especially the staff.

You weren't the only one at the school to get powers that day. At the same time you were having a breakdown in the library, one of the local bullies had snapped. Charles Rainbridge was a piece of work, but one whose attention you had managed to avoid thanks to the colour of your skin.

While everyone knew that Charles was a bully, he had never been caught at it. No, that wasn't quite right. Charles got caught in the act plenty of times, but no matter what evidence or witnesses were brought to the table, Charles was the eldest child of a rich racist family who had a lot of upper class connections and contributed a good deal of money to the school. So no matter what he did, his father ensured he got away with it. Sometimes the matter was dropped, other times the victims were punished and the worst thing that happened to Charles was a warning. The dirtbag never even got a single detention.

Officially, the school claims that a bunch of other students jumped him unprovoked, but as a student of King George VI Secondary School, you know better. Charles obviously started the fight and bit off more than he could chew. But Charles is Charles and he is being treated as the victim despite the fact he sent several people to the hospital.

How you hate him for that. He gets taken away by the member of a King's Mens and not just any member, but the leader of the local branch, Seasouth. Charles is going to get away with no punishment and even worse is that they are going to turn him into a hero simply because he has powers. Charles doesn't deserve to be in the King's Men as the racist bully would fit in better with White Lightning. Or the graveyard.

But that isn't your concern as you throw yourself into bed after an exhausting day. Having powers has opened up a whole bunch of new opportunities for you, but first you need to figure out what your long term objectives are.

What are your current overarching goals? Pick two. No plan voting.
[ ] You want to become rich.
[ ] You want to pass your GCSEs.
[ ] You want to get into college.
[ ] You want to defeat a supervillain gang.
[ ] You want to kill Charles Rainbridge.
[ ] You want to become a famous superhero.
[ ] Write-in.

Spoiler: Finn Blaney

You are a sixteen year old girl of Irish descent and a working class background. You aren't a genius, but your smarts and work ethic have made up the difference to do well in class until your final year of secondary school. You had a mental breakdown on the first day back at school following the Christmas holidays, resulting in triggering and becoming a hero.

Primary Power (Thinker ?): Thinker ability to have an eureka moment where you have a moment of clarity or breakthrough towards trying to figure something out. Except it isn't a real eureka moment because your power only grants you the final result and nothing on how you came to that conclusion, giving you an answer without understanding. You cannot pull an answer out of thin air, but so long as it is technically possible, you can do it. The more relevant information that you have, the easier it is to get an answer while working on minimal information is an instant Thinker headache.
Minor Power (Tinker ?): You feel the urge to make things, but you have no idea what sort of things.
Minor Power (Thinker ?): You gain instant mastery of any tool you are wielding so long as you are holding the item in question. Mastery is instinctive and lasts as long as you are using the item.
Minor Power (Stranger ?): You go unnoticed with people either not realising you are there or if that isn't possible, they assume that you are allowed to be present. If you draw undue attention to yourself, then the effect breaks.
Minor Power (Changer ?): You can physically transform to fit a role. This grants only a physical transformation with no knowledge, skill or memories nor any ability to convince people of your chosen role.
Minor Power (Striker ?): You can make close-ranged attacks in rapid succession, faster than what is humanly possible.

***​

Second update. I would have had this out sooner, but I wanted to pick a second vote and more things into it before realising I didn't need to. We have established Finn's basic character and trigger and one of the other parahumans in her cluster while the vote focuses on what Finn wants to do with her new powers. I was planning to let you vote on her family and Finn's relation with them, but I'm going to save that for the next update or something like that.

Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to.

 

[Oshha]

[X] You want to get into college.
[X] You want to kill Charles Rainbridge.

As you get up for school the next day, you find yourself with the pleasant surprise of it being closed for the day. Apparently the fight which resulted in a student gaining powers and promptly using said powers to put several others in hospital is enough to have the place shut down so an investigation can take place. That leaves you with a free day to whatever. You'll study of course since you want to get into a good college regardless of your new powers, but there is more to life than just studying.

Like taking care of Charles Rainbridge. The man is far from an innocent one, a racist prick who hides behind the wealth and connections of his family to pick on the less fortunate. Now the universe has proven unfair enough to give that arsehole superpowers and a ticket into the King's Men. That isn't acceptable and what's the point of superpowers if you can't do good deeds like permanently taking care of a certain prick.

Of course, you'll need to be careful, especially if Charles does end up joining the King's Men. Getting caught as his killer would easily ruin your reputation, no matter how justified your actions may be, but nobody needs to know that you are going to be responsible for his death. You just have to be discreet, avoiding the blame or if you can, frame someone else for the deed. God knows that Southampton has plenty of villains who could take the fall for the murder of Charles.

After checking the local news, you begin to change out of your school uniform that you put on by habit before looking at the headlines. As you put on some casual clothing, you can see two possible plans for actions for your morning.

You have powers and while your main power last night gave you some idea of what you can do, there are still a lot of unknowns to them. You could find somewhere nice and quiet to practise your new powers or you could do some research online of how parahumans work.

Alternatively, there is that investigation at school and you could probably sneak into that using your powers. You aren't sure what you will find, but given they are investigating the circumstances around Charles getting his illfound powers, you bet you could get something useful out of it. Maybe find out some more details on what he can do or what will be happening to him. If you are lucky, you might be able to nudge things so the blame falls on him for once.

What do you do today? No plan voting.
[ ] Research your powers.
[ ] Check out the investigation.
[ ] Write-in. Subject to QM veto.

What other traits does Finn have? Use plan voting.
[ ] Fit. Finn is notably fit and healthy thanks to an active lifestyle and excising. -1 Point. Cannot be taken with Fat.
[ ] Pretty. Finn is notably attractive and good looking. -1 Point.
[ ] Strong. Finn is strong as a result of working out. -1 Point. Cannot be taken with Weak.
[ ] Sociable. Finn is outgoing and gets along well with others. -1 Point. Cannot be taken with Unsociable.
[ ] Weak. Finn is weak and lacks physical strength. +1 Point. Cannot be taken with Strong.
[ ] Unsociable. Finn struggles to get along with other people. +1 Point. Cannot be taken with Social.
[ ] Fat. Finn is overweight and out of shape. +1 Point. Cannot be taken with Fit.
[ ] None. 0 Points

Spoiler: Finn Blaney

You are a sixteen year old girl of Irish descent and a working class background. You aren't a genius, but your smarts and work ethic have made up the difference to do well in class until your final year of secondary school. You had a mental breakdown on the first day back at school following the Christmas holidays, resulting in triggering and becoming a hero.

Your current goals in life are to get into a college, preferably a good one, and to kill that racist monster Charles Rainbridge.

Primary Power (Thinker ?): Thinker ability to have an eureka moment where you have a moment of clarity or breakthrough towards trying to figure something out. Except it isn't a real eureka moment because your power only grants you the final result and nothing on how you came to that conclusion, giving you an answer without understanding. You cannot pull an answer out of thin air, but so long as it is technically possible, you can do it. The more relevant information that you have, the easier it is to get an answer while working on minimal information is an instant Thinker headache.
Minor Power (Tinker ?): You feel the urge to make things, but you have no idea what sort of things.
Minor Power (Thinker ?): You gain instant mastery of any tool you are wielding so long as you are holding the item in question. Mastery is instinctive and lasts as long as you are using the item.
Minor Power (Stranger ?): You go unnoticed with people either not realising you are there or if that isn't possible, they assume that you are allowed to be present. If you draw undue attention to yourself, then the effect breaks.
Minor Power (Changer ?): You can physically transform to fit a role. This grants only a physical transformation with no knowledge, skill or memories nor any ability to convince people of your chosen role.
Minor Power (Striker ?): You can make close-ranged attacks in rapid succession, faster than what is humanly possible.

***​

A bit on the shorter side, but I'm trying a new approach to this quest by going for smaller, but more frequent updates. Anyway, you get to choose what Finn does now that she has powers and no school for the day. You also get to decide some of her other traits because while I wasn't going to do anymore character creation, I saw no harm in letting the thread decide those. It should be self-explanatory, but you need the chosen traits to add up to zero points. If you don't want any of those traits, select none.

Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to.

 

[Oshha]

[X] Check out the investigation.
[X] Plan: permanent boosts
-[X] Pretty. Finn is notably attractive and good looking. -1 Point.
-[X] Sociable. Finn is outgoing and gets along well with others. -1 Point. Cannot be taken with Unsociable.
-[X] Fat. Finn is overweight and out of shape. +1 Point. Cannot be taken with Fit.
-[X Weak. Finn is weak and lacks physical strength. +1 Point. Cannot be taken with Strong.

In the end, you decide to check out the investigation. You put on a worn, but still usable coat for the cold weather before making your way to school. As much as you would love the catch the bus, you lack the funds to pay for public transportation as your family simply doesn't have the cash to spare for such a thing.

Besides, you do need the exercise as just the walk to school leaves you out of breath and somewhat sweaty. If you want to be a superhero, you are going to need to get into shape as focusing solely on your academic studies has resulted in you getting fat. Alas, changing that is easier said than done and none of your powers are helpful when it comes to that.

When you arrive at school, the place looks more like it is the weekend than a school day. If it wasn't for the fact that there are a few students turning up in uniform and sometimes with their parents, you wouldn't even peg it as a school day. As things are, there are a handful of staff cars in the school car park along with a police car and a police van.

Those last two vehicles must be here as part of the investigation. You wonder what they are up to-A public trigger, especially one where multiple minors were injured by the new parahuman, requires an investigation. Due to the new parahuman being in King's Men custody and cooperative alongside how stretched thin the Hampshire Constabulary is, the response sent has been minimal. Just enough to get the investigation done quickly and pick up on anything concerning. Barring an unexpected issue popping up, the bulk of the investigation will be done today and school will be back to normal tomorrow.

Thanks power. Okay, you have today to get involved with the investigation one way or another. You will need to sneak in and you can see two ways to do that. You could attempt to pose as one of the police officers who are performing the investigation. A quick change and then your power should keep anyone from calling you out unless you draw attention to yourself. Alternatively, you could try to do the same as a teacher. Honestly depends on which way you want to go at it.

Just as you are about to make your decision, something catches your eye. Or rather someone. There is a tall, blonde girl and while she is currently in casual clothing like you, you have seen her around school so you know she is a student like you. Though you don't remember her being so good looking. It must be the fact she is wearing an outfit of her choice rather than her school uniform

Of course, this leaves you with a dilemma. Do you go ahead with your investigation or do you check out that girl who is making you question your sexuality?

No plan voting.

How do you infiltrate school and the investigation?
[ ] Disguise yourself as a policewoman.
[ ] Disguise yourself as a teacher.

Do you check out your fellow student?
[ ] Investigate that (hot) girl.
[ ] Stay focused on your task.
[ ] Write-in. Subject to QM veto.

Spoiler: Finn Blaney

You are a sixteen year old girl of Irish descent and a working class background. You aren't a genius, but your smarts and work ethic have made up the difference to do well in class until your final year of secondary school. You had a mental breakdown on the first day back at school following the Christmas holidays, resulting in triggering and becoming a hero.

Your current goals in life are to get into a college, preferably a good one, and to kill that racist monster Charles Rainbridge.

You are an attractive if chubby redhead young lady who has a natural talent for getting along with others. You have also allowed your fitness to get away with you thanks to your overfocus on academics, resulting in an overweight and physical unimpressive body.

Primary Power (Thinker ?): Thinker ability to have an eureka moment where you have a moment of clarity or breakthrough towards trying to figure something out. Except it isn't a real eureka moment because your power only grants you the final result and nothing on how you came to that conclusion, giving you an answer without understanding. You cannot pull an answer out of thin air, but so long as it is technically possible, you can do it. The more relevant information that you have, the easier it is to get an answer while working on minimal information is an instant Thinker headache.
Minor Power (Tinker ?): You feel the urge to make things, but you have no idea what sort of things.
Minor Power (Thinker ?): You gain instant mastery of any tool you are wielding so long as you are holding the item in question. Mastery is instinctive and lasts as long as you are using the item.
Minor Power (Stranger ?): You go unnoticed with people either not realising you are there or if that isn't possible, they assume that you are allowed to be present. If you draw undue attention to yourself, then the effect breaks.
Minor Power (Changer ?): You can physically transform to fit a role. This grants only a physical transformation with no knowledge, skill or memories nor any ability to convince people of your chosen role.
Minor Power (Striker ?): You can make close-ranged attacks in rapid succession, faster than what is humanly possible.

***​

Another short update, both in word count and how long it took to write it. Anyway, you get a choice on how to go about your investigation and whether or not to investigate that plot hook I'm dangling in front of you. And don't worry if you decide to not investigate it now as she will be showing up again in the near future of the quest.

Also we get the first on-screen usage of Finn's primary power. Let me know what you think of it.

Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to.

 

[Oshha]

[X] Disguise yourself as a teacher.
[X] Stay focused on your task.

Deciding to put the girl who is making you question your sexuality to one side for now, you stay focused on your task. You have come here for a reason and if your power is anything to go by, you have a limited window of opportunity to carry out whatever it is.

You go back a couple of streets until you can find a spot where you won't be spotted. Your power might let your transformation go unnoticed, but you would rather test that out in a friendly environment first. As things are, you call upon your power to take the role of a teacher and you feel the strangest sensations as your body changes.

And a quick glance down reveals that it isn't just your body that has changed as your outfit has been altered to match your new body. You're wearing a long black skirt, a white blouse and your coat has become a woolly beige turtleneck sweater. You also have the id badge of a teacher called Fionna Brady and you have apparently gained a decade in age from the date of birth on it.

Extensive as it is, this transformation is only physically deep. You have no memories or skills to go with the transformation so you'll have to wing getting into school. You aren't even sure how useful your id badge will be. It should fool anyone who looks at the physical copy, but you doubt it will be any help with the electronic systems. You doubt that your power extends to adding your transformed self into the IT systems of the school.

Taking a deep breath, you begin your return to school and you quickly realise that your transformation is no fitter than your regular self. You march up to school and thankfully none of the gates before the reception building are closed. Nobody pays any attention to you and a quick showing of your fake badge is enough for the disinterested receptionist to let you into the building.

Great, you got into the building without any hassle. Now you just need to find out what is going on with the investigation. While you expect they will later once they realise that no Fionna Brady is employed by King George VI Secondary School, you should be able to avoid discovery for now. Certainly long enough to get out without being arrested. Hopefully.

You go looking for the closest police officer, who turns out to be a youngish man who appears to be older than your actual self, but younger than you currently are. He is currently occupied with his work rather than a member of staff, which is good because you don't want to risk any of the real teachers calling you out.

"Excuse me, sir," you say as you walk up to him, drawing his attention, "But I was wondering if you could explain to me what was going on? I came into work today only to find that it is apparently closed and undergoing a police investigation. I might have an email about it, but I usually check those upon arriving at work."

"One of the students gained powers during an after school fight, ma'am," replies the policeman, "As policy, we are investigating the matter, especially since several other students were hospitalised in the fight by the newly triggered parahuman."

"Ah, are you allowed to share the name of the student?" you ask since you can't reveal that you already know that it is Charles Rainbridge, "I might be able to provide some insights into his behaviour and personality."

"Charles Rainbridge, ma'am," replies the policeman

"Oh," you say, letting your distaste for him show on your face, "Can I provide my insights anonymously? There are some things you ought to know about him, but I'm fairly certain that I would lose my job if the headmaster found out what I told you. He's friends with Charles' father you see. We're a private school and the Rainbridge family has made some notable donations."

"I'll have to speak with the inspector," says the policeman and for good or ill, I have his attention now, "If you could follow me…?"

"Of course," you say and you follow the man further into the school, feeling distinctively out of place to walk through these corridors, not as a student.

It isn't long before the two of you reach a pair of police officers, a blonde policewoman who reminds you of that hot girl outsider and another policeman, an older man who is talking to a real teacher. You almost tense up for a moment before remembering to keep your cool and wonder how you can avoid dealing with the true teacher

Fortunately, you don't have to as the policeman you are with marches up to one of his fellows and whispers something in his ear. This man gives your policeman a nod before passing off the teacher to the oddly attractive policewoman and making his way over to you with the first policeman.

"Miss," says the second policeman who must be the inspector, "If you could step in here."

"Of course," you answer and follow him into an empty classroom.

"Okay, Miss…Brady," he says as he peers at your fake id badge, "I am Inspector Harper. Constable Moore said you had some insights into our new parahuman that you wished to share discreetly?"

"I do," you tell him, trying to put some confidence into your voice, "The first thing to understand is that Charles comes from a rich, white family who have connections and donate to the school. Because of that, his blatant bullying gets covered up. I don't know how many other teachers will speak up, but if you speak to any minority students or their parents, I'm sure they will have stories to share. You should also be aware that Charles runs down with White Lightning members and heavily associates with them. Nothing on record thanks to his family, but it is something I feel you should investigate if he now has superpowers. Even if he is innocent until proven guilty."

"I see," says Inspector Harper as he notes down what you are telling him, not sounding particularly surprised by my words, "I can't promise anything will come of it, but we will be looking into what you have reported. A shame that this case couldn't be simple, but in hindsight, it was to be expected."

"Are parahuman cases ever simple?" you inquire, genuinely curious.

"Only when it is a false alarm and there isn't actually a parahuman involved," answers Inspector Harper with a sigh, "Anything else to share, Miss Brady?"

"Only that I am curious about what is happening with the students involved," you reply.

"Charles Rainbridge is with the King's Men and the other students are still in the hospital," Inspector Harper informs you, "Anything more than that is confidential, you see. I'm only telling you this much because they are your students and it is semi-public knowledge."

"And I appreciate it," you say, "If there isn't anything else, I would like to get back to work. Even if there aren't any classes, a teacher never has any shortage of things that need doing."

"You may," replies Inspector Harper, "We may need to get back in touch with you regarding what you reported so expect a possible call or visit in the future."

Not likely given you aren't a real teacher here, but you give an affirmative response before disengaging yourself from the investigation. After that, it is easy enough to slip back out of the school and you change back into Finn Blaney as you no longer have any need for Fionna Bradey.

Now you have the rest of the day ahead of you.

What do you do next?
[ ] Experiment with your powers.
[ ] Research becoming a superhero.
[ ] Look into the local cape scene.
[ ] Write-in. Subject to QM veto.

Spoiler: Finn Blaney

You are a sixteen year old girl of Irish descent and a working class background. You aren't a genius, but your smarts and work ethic have made up the difference to do well in class until your final year of secondary school. You had a mental breakdown on the first day back at school following the Christmas holidays, resulting in triggering and becoming a hero.

Your current goals in life are to get into a college, preferably a good one, and to kill that racist monster Charles Rainbridge.

You are an attractive if chubby redhead young lady who has a natural talent for getting along with others. You have also allowed your fitness to get away with you thanks to your overfocus on academics, resulting in an overweight and physical unimpressive body.

Primary Power (Thinker ?): Thinker ability to have an eureka moment where you have a moment of clarity or breakthrough towards trying to figure something out. Except it isn't a real eureka moment because your power only grants you the final result and nothing on how you came to that conclusion, giving you an answer without understanding. You cannot pull an answer out of thin air, but so long as it is technically possible, you can do it. The more relevant information that you have, the easier it is to get an answer while working on minimal information is an instant Thinker headache.
Minor Power (Tinker ?): You feel the urge to make things, but you have no idea what sort of things.
Minor Power (Thinker ?): You gain instant mastery of any tool you are wielding so long as you are holding the item in question. Mastery is instinctive and lasts as long as you are using the item.
Minor Power (Stranger ?): You go unnoticed with people either not realising you are there or if that isn't possible, they assume that you are allowed to be present. If you draw undue attention to yourself, then the effect breaks.
Minor Power (Changer ?): You can physically transform to fit a role. This grants only a physical transformation with no knowledge, skill or memories nor any ability to convince people of your chosen role.
Minor Power (Striker ?): You can make close-ranged attacks in rapid succession, faster than what is humanly possible.

***​

So short updates might be harder than I expected though part of that was my fault. I had mostly written up the update last night, went to bed and then woke up and got an idea that led to me rewriting half of the update.

Anyway, we are here. Finn has concluded her impromptu investigation and infiltration of the school and next is for her to do some research.

Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to.

 

[Oshha]

[X] Experiment with your powers.

As you walk away from school, you decide to practise with your powers. You have a rough idea of what you can do, but you don't know their limits. You certainly weren't expecting your transformation power to extend to your clothing like it did let alone give you a fake ID, but it did.

You don't know how to control your main power and right now, you lack the funds to support a Tinker power so you put both of those to one side. You would like to test your ability to go unnoticed, but that is something to best test with people that you know and trust.That way if your power fails you, it won't expose you to a bunch of strangers.

That leaves half of your powers. You could test just how rapidly you can make your punches, your ability to master any tool and your transformation power. You aren't really sure how to test that first one and given the odds that it will tire you out, it is probably a good idea to leave that one until the end.

Testing your ability to master tools requires having access to those tools, which means you will need to get some tools for your tests. Which leaves your shape shifting as the first power to test since you just need a private place so you don't get spotted. Not to mention that you already sort of tested it earlier.

You consider seeking out another alley, but you soon realise that you should try to get a mirror. Maybe you can use a changing room? You'll have privacy and a mirror there and hopefully no one will barge in. But going to a clothing store means a lot more walking which you would really rather avoid.

In the end, you can't deny that a changing room would be more effective than an alley, which means more walking for you. Joy. A good number of minutes later and you have walked your sweaty arse to a clothing store on the closest high street. Catching your breath outside, you head on inside and make your way to one of the changing rooms.

You have your privacy and a mirror so now it is time to get started.

Looking into a mirror, you think of taking the role of a teacher again and you shift back into Fionna Brady. Is it intentional that you have become the same teacher as before? Do you have a singular appearance for each role?

You swift back before taking on the role of a police officer and this time the exchange is more extensive. Like the teacher transformation, you become a little older, early twenties this time by your estimate, and your features like your red hair and green eyes remain the same. Your clothing also changes, becoming the uniform of a police officer and not only that, you also gain the assorted equipment of a policewoman. The stab vest and radio is the most obvious, but a quick inspection reveals that you also have handcuffs, a notebook, pens and other tools that the police use.

Not only that, but your level of fitness has changed this time around. Your teacher transformation was as chubby as your regular self, but this policewoman body is clearly capable of meeting the fitness requirements of the job. That's interesting and you suspect that it is because the police officer role requires fitness while the teacher role did not.

Deciding to test your theory, you become a barista then a soldier then a cashier then a lifeguard. Each time, your attire changes to become the uniform and equipment of the role though the soldier lacked any guns even if you did get a knife. The barista and cashier were as fat as your regular self, but the soldier and lifeguard were fit young ladies. Interesting.

What about animals? You have taken upon job roles so far, but can you become a nonhuman creature? You try to become a cat then a dog then a rabbit, but each time, nothing happens. It seems you cannot become an animal so your transformations are likely limited to remaining human.

What about gender? All of your transformations have been female like you so far, but about deliberately taking on a male rule?

You attempt to become a butler, but to your surprise, your power transforms you into a maid, ironic dress and all. Huh, that is interesting. You try to become a prince and end up as a princess who looks like she steps out of a fantasy world minus the fact you are overweight. You decide to try a policeman next and find yourself as the policewoman you become earlier.

Okay, so you are limited to remaining both human and female. Good to know. What else? Ah, you have tried job roles, but what about stereotypes? Can you take the role of a goth? Well, it turns out that you can and boy are you wearing a lot of black. Honestly, black hair and way too much makeup are not your style though you note that this is the first time that your hair has changed colour.

Can you think of any other roles that would change your colours? You try to become a 'dumb blonde' next and as you change, you are thankful that your power doesn't extend to altering your mind. As you look at yourself, you take a moment to admire the downright pretty woman looking back. Your red hair is now blonde of course, but you are somewhat surprised to see that your chubby curves have been replaced by a very different type of curves. You poke your oversized breasts to confirm that yes, you have boobs the size of your head and a butt to match.

You can change your colouration, but what about race? Can you become a different race? You spend the next few minutes becoming a Chinese woman than a Japanese one than an Indian one before finally becoming an Arabic woman. Each time you gained both the stereotypical colouring of the chosen race whilst your clothing became the cultural dress. The Chinese woman got a Cheongsam while the Japanese one got a kimono and the Indian woman got a sari. Even now as an Arab woman, you are wearing a hijab with your modest and concealing dress.

As you decide you want to make a cute Muslim lady, you wonder what would happen if you took an non-racial role? Would you say an Arab or would you become that role as yourself? Since you are testing, you decide to try being a police officer again and to your mild surprise, you remain as an Arab woman even as you become a policewoman. You look the same as before when you were a policewoman except you are Arabic instead of Irish and you are still wearing that cute hijab.

As you wonder what else you can do, your stomach rumbles. You realise that you are more than a little hungry, you glance at your phone and are surprised to see that it is already lunch time. Oh how the time flies.

Sticking your phone away, you prepare to turn back to normal so you can head home to make yourself lunch before something occurs to you. You check your wallet where you find both a fake ID calling yourself Farah Karim and enough cash to buy yourself a quick bite to eat if you wanted. You could stick to your original plan, but part of you want to grab a bite to eat as Farah. The thrill of going out in public as someone else and having lunch without anybody realising it is you just has something appealing to you.

What do you do for lunch?
[ ] Eat out as Farah the Arabic Policewoman.
[ ] Head home and have lunch as yourself.
[ ] Write-in. Subject to QM veto.

Spoiler: Finn Blaney

You are a sixteen year old girl of Irish descent and a working class background. You aren't a genius, but your smarts and work ethic have made up the difference to do well in class until your final year of secondary school. You had a mental breakdown on the first day back at school following the Christmas holidays, resulting in triggering and becoming a hero.

Your current goals in life are to get into a college, preferably a good one, and to kill that racist monster Charles Rainbridge.

You are an attractive if chubby redhead young lady who has a natural talent for getting along with others. You have also allowed your fitness to get away with you thanks to your overfocus on academics, resulting in an overweight and physical unimpressive body.

Primary Power (Thinker): Thinker ability to have an eureka moment where you have a moment of clarity or breakthrough towards trying to figure something out. Except it isn't a real eureka moment because your power only grants you the final result and nothing on how you came to that conclusion, giving you an answer without understanding. You cannot pull an answer out of thin air, but so long as it is technically possible, you can do it. The more relevant information that you have, the easier it is to get an answer while working on minimal information is an instant Thinker headache.
Minor Power (Tinker): You feel the urge to make things, but you have no idea what sort of things.
Minor Power (Thinker): You gain instant mastery of any tool you are wielding so long as you are holding the item in question. Mastery is instinctive and lasts as long as you are using the item.
Minor Power (Stranger): You go unnoticed with people either not realising you are there or if that isn't possible, they assume that you are allowed to be present. If you draw undue attention to yourself, then the effect breaks.
Minor Power (Changer): You can physically transform to fit a role. This grants only a physical transformation with no knowledge, skill or memories nor any ability to convince people of your chosen role. Transformation is limited to being a human female and only diverges from your regular self when necessary for the role.
Minor Power (Striker): You can make close-ranged attacks in rapid succession, faster than what is humanly possible.

***​

Sorry about how long this took. I could have gotten this done yesterday, but I ended up binge-reading a new fanfic instead. Anyway, here is Finn experimenting with her changer power. I did plan to have her also test her striker power and tool mastery power, but the update got away from me and I didn't want to make it too long so here we are.

Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to.

 

[Oshha]

[X] Head home and have lunch as yourself.

As tempting as the idea of eating out as someone else is, it is probably too risky for you to do on your first day having real powers. Sighing, you decide to take it safe and not play about with your powers until you are ready to handle the consequences of any fallout. Still, that doesn't mean you have to turn back straight away because God knows there is no way in hell that you are walking back as yourself when you can do so as fit and raring to go policewoman.

Of course, you need to make sure that nobody knows the discrepancy between Finn Blaney walking in and Farah Karim walking out. No people might notice, but you don't know if your power extends to electronics. You make your way into the staff area until you find a computer, hoping to log on. If the shop has any IT security amongst the staff, you will have a problem, but hopefully the retail staff will be lazy or apathetic enough to not practise proper IT safety.

And it turns out that you're in luck as you find a staff computer. The previous user left themselves logged in and there aren't any passcodes though you doubt that would be a problem if there were. As you sit down at the computer, you feel another of your powers activating as the machine registers as a tool that you are using.

To your annoyance, it works like your main power where you have knowledge without understanding. You just know what to do without knowing why to do that, just that it will work. And to irritate you further, it does work as you easily switch your current profile to one of a manager and access the security footage. You erase it from shortly before your arrival and set the cameras to be off for the next half an hour, which will be plenty of time for you to exit.

Satisfied that you have sufficiently covered your tracks, you get up and head home. You won't go right up to the house as Farah, but you can make most of the journey back before becoming Finn again. Then you'll only have a small walk home as your fat and overweight self.

Hmm, should you be concerned that you aren't thinking of yourself as Finn all the time? That you view your normal self as a separate person to your transformed self? Or is it just an aspect of your power that you will just have to live with? If only you knew an expert that you could consult. As things are, you will have to go off whatever you have learnt over the years and what you can find online.

Your journey home is uneventful and you find an alley to transform in that is only a couple of blocks away from your house. You let yourself in and after making yourself a light lunch, you have a boring afternoon doing your studies, only using your power a couple of times to figure out something you weren't getting on your own. As evening approaches, you find yourself having to deal with your family as the school day and workday comes to an end.

How does Finn get on with her family? No plan voting.
[ ] Finn is close to her immediate family.
[ ] Finn is on good terms with her immediate family.
[ ] Finn has mixed feelings about her family.
[ ] Finn dislikes her immediate family.
[ ] Finn hates her immediate family.

How many siblings does Finn have? Use plan voting. Please indicate how many of each type you want such as two older brothers or three younger sisters.
[ ] Older sister.
[ ] Older brother.
[ ] Younger brother.
[ ] Younger sister.
[ ] None.

Spoiler: Finn Blaney

You are a sixteen year old girl of Irish descent and a working class background. You aren't a genius, but your smarts and work ethic have made up the difference to do well in class until your final year of secondary school. You had a mental breakdown on the first day back at school following the Christmas holidays, resulting in triggering and becoming a hero.

Your current goals in life are to get into a college, preferably a good one, and to kill that racist monster Charles Rainbridge.

You are an attractive if chubby redhead young lady who has a natural talent for getting along with others. You have also allowed your fitness to get away with you thanks to your overfocus on academics, resulting in an overweight and physical unimpressive body.

Primary Power (Thinker): Thinker ability to have an eureka moment where you have a moment of clarity or breakthrough towards trying to figure something out. Except it isn't a real eureka moment because your power only grants you the final result and nothing on how you came to that conclusion, giving you an answer without understanding. You cannot pull an answer out of thin air, but so long as it is technically possible, you can do it. The more relevant information that you have, the easier it is to get an answer while working on minimal information is an instant Thinker headache.
Minor Power (Tinker): You feel the urge to make things, but you have no idea what sort of things.
Minor Power (Thinker): You gain instant mastery of any tool you are wielding so long as you are holding the item in question. Like your main power, the mastery is instinctive without understanding and lasts as long as you are using the item.
Minor Power (Stranger): You go unnoticed with people either not realising you are there or if that isn't possible, they assume that you are allowed to be present. If you draw undue attention to yourself, then the effect breaks.
Minor Power (Changer): You can physically transform to fit a role. This grants only a physical transformation with no knowledge, skill or memories nor any ability to convince people of your chosen role. Transformation is limited to being a human female and only diverges from your regular self when necessary for the role.
Minor Power (Striker): You can make close-ranged attacks in rapid succession, faster than what is humanly possible.

***​

And with the vote to not doing anything interesting, we reach the point where you vote on the Blaney family or at least Finn's part of it. This isn't a high stakes vote, but it will an important one as it will shape a good part of Finn's home life and character. Like does she comes from a large family or is an only child? And how well or poorly she gets on with her family? Finn could be trying to escape her relatives or she might be motivated by a desire to help them out or she might just be indifferent towards them.

Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to.

 

[Oshha]

[X] Finn is close to her immediate family.
[X] Conservative package
-[X] 1 Younger sister.

Your younger sister Nessa is the first of your family to arrive home. Despite also being in secondary school, she goes to a different school as she was unable to get into a private school like you. As a result, she had to spend the day at school as it wasn't closed for a police investigation like yours.

In some ways, you and Nessa are alike with the same cheerful personality and the same looks, but in other ways, you are quite different. While Nessa isn't dumb by any means, you are clearly the smarter sister though Nessa has done a better job of looking after her weight. In that regard, you are jealous of your sister as she hasn't let her health go in the pursuit of studying like you have.

Then again, Nessa doesn't have to worry about the hopes of the family resting on her. Though you aren't entirely sure if that is something desirable or not.

"Hey, Finn," says Nessa, both looking and sounding surprised to see me as she tosses her school bag on a chair, "You're home early."

"School was cancelled," you explain, "I arrived there to find that it was closed and there were a bunch of police there. Something to do with one of the students gaining powers."

"Cool," says Nessa, "So we might have a new superhero in town soon."

"Oh, Charles isn't going to be a superhero," you reply confidently, frowning at the mention of the racist bully, "He's going to be a supervillain."

Nessa opens her mouth to say something, but freezes after one look at your face. Which is fine by you because you do not need her trying to defend or stand up for Charles Rainbridge.

"So how was your day?" asks Nessa after a moment to break the awkward silence.

"I was already out so I spent the morning out of the house before coming back for lunch," you answer with a shrug, "I've spent the afternoon studying."

"Of course, you did," says Nessa good-naturedly, "My day was the same as ever. I did well in PE, but Mrs Jameson is still a bitch like always so Maths sucked like it always does."

After that, the two of you descend into sisterly chatting as you discuss your respective days though you spend more time discussing Nessa's day than your own. It isn't like you can tell her about using your powers when you have yet to decide if you are going to let Nessa in on that little secret of yours.

You end up preparing dinner that day as it will be a while before your parents get home and you don't feel like waiting. If Mum isn't home by now, something must have come up at work and Dad is always late to come home. It is unfortunate, but they have to make sacrifices to make sure your family has enough money to survive and your parents are good enough to make those sacrifices themselves over forcing you and Nessa to get jobs.

As things are, you whip up a chicken stir-fry as while the meal isn't that expensive, it is still tasty and the leftovers can be eaten later or tomorrow. It helps that your new powers help with the cooking as your tool mastery extends to your cooking implements. As Nessa congratulates on the delicious meal and the two of you tuck into your shared dinner, you are left to your thoughts.

You want to be a superhero, but what will you call yourself? What sort of costume will you go for? Actually, no, you'll need to come up with a theme and then see what you can come up with. You don't have the budget to plan a costume instead of working whatever scraps you can get your hands on.

And then as you glance at Nessa, other thoughts occur to you. Who will you tell about your powers? Will you let Nessa or your parents know or will you attempt to conceal your new abilities and your activities from your family?

Whatever you decide, you know that none of these decisions are to be made lightly.

Use plan voting.

Who does Finn tell about her powers?
[ ] Her sister.
[ ] Her parents.
[ ] Both her sister and her parents.
[ ] None of them.

What is your cape name?
[ ] Write-in. Subject to QM veto.

What costume theme do you go for?
[ ] Write-in. Subject to QM veto.

Spoiler: Finn Blaney

You are a sixteen year old girl of Irish descent and a working class background. You aren't a genius, but your smarts and work ethic have made up the difference to do well in class until your final year of secondary school. You had a mental breakdown on the first day back at school following the Christmas holidays, resulting in triggering and becoming a hero.

Your current goals in life are to get into a college, preferably a good one, and to kill that racist monster Charles Rainbridge.

You are an attractive if chubby redhead young lady who has a natural talent for getting along with others. You have also allowed your fitness to get away with you thanks to your overfocus on academics, resulting in an overweight and physical unimpressive body.

Your mother is Brigid Blaney, a retail worker, and your father is Fergus Blaney, a janitor. Your little sister by two years is Nessa Blaney, who shares your good looks, but lacks your smarts. You are close to all three of them and love them all dearly.

Primary Power (Thinker): Thinker ability to have an eureka moment where you have a moment of clarity or breakthrough towards trying to figure something out. Except it isn't a real eureka moment because your power only grants you the final result and nothing on how you came to that conclusion, giving you an answer without understanding. You cannot pull an answer out of thin air, but so long as it is technically possible, you can do it. The more relevant information that you have, the easier it is to get an answer while working on minimal information is an instant Thinker headache.
Minor Power (Tinker): You feel the urge to make things, but you have no idea what sort of things.
Minor Power (Thinker): You gain instant mastery of any tool you are wielding so long as you are holding the item in question. Like your main power, the mastery is instinctive without understanding and lasts as long as you are using the item.
Minor Power (Stranger): You go unnoticed with people either not realising you are there or if that isn't possible, they assume that you are allowed to be present. If you draw undue attention to yourself, then the effect breaks.
Minor Power (Changer): You can physically transform to fit a role. This grants only a physical transformation with no knowledge, skill or memories nor any ability to convince people of your chosen role. Transformation is limited to being a human female and only diverges from your regular self when necessary for the role.
Minor Power (Striker): You can make close-ranged attacks in rapid succession, faster than what is humanly possible.

***​

Now we reach the bit where you decide upon Finn's superhero identity. It is a bit of a short update, but I would like to start getting to the superhero aspects of this quest sooner than later. Because of this, you get to choose who Finn tells the truth to, her superhero name and what sort of theme she is going for with her costume. I've decided upon letting you pick a theme for Finn's costume because as mentioned in the update, she is on a budget and has access to limited resources so I won't be letting you choose whatever.

Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to.

 

[Oshha]

[X] Plan: Soft Steps
-[X] Tell her sister.
-[X] Name: Whisper
-[X] Costume: Thoroughly Average, able to fit in anywhere. Intending to hide in plain sight and gather intel for more extensive organisations like the cops to take down criminals. Always shifted at least one feature away from her civilian appearance.

That night, you make your decision. You will become Whisper, the heroine who hides in plain sight and gathers information for others to act upon. It is the best that you can do since you lack any real combat ability despite your powers. You can punch really fast, but you lack the strength to make those punches hurt. You can master any tool and that should include weapons, but you are still limited by what your overweight and out of shape body can do.

You will call yourself Whisper because a whisper here and whisper there will be the downfall of your enemies. You might even find a team to support you some day, but for now, you will work alone.

Your costume will be basic, something that will conceal your identity, but at the same time, it won't make you stand out. You aren't that type of hero that draws attention to themselves. If anything, you are the opposite where the spotlight shining on you is a bad thing. Plus you won't be able to afford much when it comes to your costume. Your disguise will be further strengthened by your shapeshifting as whenever you are out as Whisper, you intend to be at least one step removed from your regular self in terms of appearance.

And you will only tell Nessa about this. You love both your parents, but you can't afford to weigh them down with this. They have enough burdens to shoulder without having to worry about their daughter being a superhero. At the same time, you don't want to keep it secret from everyone as unless you want another breakdown, you will need someone to confide in. What choice is there, but Nessa? You hate the idea of placing your burdens on your little sister, but you doubt Nessa will mind. If anything, your sister will be delighted to help you in any superhero activities from what you know of her.

You consider telling her tonight, but you decide against it. You've already been through a lot today and it isn't like you are going to go out as Whisper right away. You still need to sort out a costume and do a lot more research before you consider going out as a superhero, which means you have plenty of time to bring Nessa into the loop.

You go about your evening normally, the only thing out of place being that you spend some of your studying time researching the local cape scene. Or least you try to as you quickly find yourself being distracted by Turret Knight's signature turrets, wondering how you could improve upon the local King's Men Tinker's work. When you fall asleep, you do so pondering the best way to link up Turret Knight's turrets to an overarching control network.

***​

When you wake up in the morning, you log onto the family computer to see if your school is open today and as your power predicted, it is though it is with the caveat that some of the investigating police officers might want to speak with you. With that knowledge, you quickly get ready for school and begin the walk to it. You are tempted to use your powers to transform into a fitter body, but you resist the urge. Your powers aren't something to be used frivolously like that.

School seems fairly normal at the first. People are talking about what happened from Charles getting powers to the day off to the people who are still in hospital from the fight, but other than that, it feels like another day at a school. Except someone in your first class of the day isn't in because they still haven't recovered from whatever Charles did to them.

Of course, that all goes out the window when they find you.

Who does Finn run into at school?
[ ] The classmate who hates her.
[ ] The classmate who loves her.

Spoiler: Finn Blaney/Whisper

You are a sixteen year old girl of Irish descent and a working class background. You aren't a genius, but your smarts and work ethic have made up the difference to do well in class until your final year of secondary school. You had a mental breakdown on the first day back at school following the Christmas holidays, resulting in triggering and becoming a hero.

Your current goals in life are to get into a college, preferably a good one, and to kill that racist monster Charles Rainbridge.

You are an attractive if chubby redhead young lady who has a natural talent for getting along with others. You have also allowed your fitness to get away with you thanks to your overfocus on academics, resulting in an overweight and physical unimpressive body.

Your mother is Brigid Blaney, a retail worker, and your father is Fergus Blaney, a janitor. Your little sister by two years is Nessa Blaney, who shares your good looks, but lacks your smarts. You are close to all three of them and love them all dearly.

Primary Power (Thinker): Thinker ability to have an eureka moment where you have a moment of clarity or breakthrough towards trying to figure something out. Except it isn't a real eureka moment because your power only grants you the final result and nothing on how you came to that conclusion, giving you an answer without understanding. You cannot pull an answer out of thin air, but so long as it is technically possible, you can do it. The more relevant information that you have, the easier it is to get an answer while working on minimal information is an instant Thinker headache.
Minor Power (Tinker): You feel the urge to make things, but you have no idea what sort of things.
Minor Power (Thinker): You gain instant mastery of any tool you are wielding so long as you are holding the item in question. Like your main power, the mastery is instinctive without understanding and lasts as long as you are using the item.
Minor Power (Stranger): You go unnoticed with people either not realising you are there or if that isn't possible, they assume that you are allowed to be present. If you draw undue attention to yourself, then the effect breaks.
Minor Power (Changer): You can physically transform to fit a role. This grants only a physical transformation with no knowledge, skill or memories nor any ability to convince people of your chosen role. Transformation is limited to being a human female and only diverges from your regular self when necessary for the role.
Minor Power (Striker): You can make close-ranged attacks in rapid succession, faster than what is humanly possible.

***​

Sorry about how long it has been despite the shortness of this update. I've been busy with other stuff, but hey, here we are. So regarding the update itself, while Finn will be telling Nessa, she hasn't done it just yet. As for the vote, you are getting a somewhat meta-vote between running into a future ally and running into a future enemy.

Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to.

 

[Oshha]

[X] The classmate who loves her.

She finds you at break and she catches you halfway down the corridor, apparently having moved fast after her own class concluded. It is the tall, blonde girl that you saw outside of school yesterday. The one who made you question your sexuality with her full figured curves, her gorgeous face, sharp blue eyes and noticeable muscles and wow, you are wrong about her not looking good in a school uniform.

"Hey, I'm Astrid Norgard and we need to talk," says the girl as she grabs you by the wrist and pulls you along, not waiting for an answer.

You don't resist her pull, instead fighting the urge to blush because you like boys and not girls. What makes this girl so special? Why does this Astrid make your heart flutter more than any boy? Astrid drags off you to a secluded part of the building, where you have some measure of privacy provided that nobody comes by.

"You're a parahuman," states Astrid confidently and you go pale at being called out like that.

"I'm-I mean-" you start to stutter only for Astrid to cut you off.

"You have a high-level eureka moment power, a lesser power about mastering any tool you are holding, a Tinker ability of unknown speciality, a power that lets you to go unnoticed, a shapeshifting ability to take on roles and a power that lets you punch really fast," says Astrid as to your utter shock, she lists off your various powers.

"H-how do you know all that?" you squeak out, horrified at being found out so easily as fear of Astrid now battles your infatuation for her.

"I'm a Trump," answers Astrid before clarifying, "A power copier so when I touched you, I knew exactly what powers you had. And I know you are trustworthy from using your own powers."

"Ah, okay," you say as you aren't sure what else to say in the face of this confident and hot girl, "So what now?"

"We only have a few minutes before break is over and that includes the time we need to get to our next classes," replies Astrid, "Okay, so you want to be a superhero too?"

"Yes," you answer as you think back to last night, "I'm going to call myself the Whisper. I can't really fight, but I can use my powers to spy on the villains and report back to others."

"I can do that, but I can also fight just as well," says Astrid as she flexes an arm, "I'm not just a Trump, I got a Thinker power to figure out powers, a Tinker speciality which is working on Tinkertech, an upgraded body, the ability to use my powers undetected, the ability to take on the skills of role and the ability to steal healing ability by touch. Thinker ability lets me figure out what powers I have and how to use them, my body is that of a low Brute and so long as I'm not too blatant, I can use my powers without anybody noticing. Just as you can transform into a role, I can choose to get the skills of one. And when I touch someone, I can sort of transfer their healing ability to me so they heal slower and I heal faster. Longer touch means I take more healing and how hard I touch them is how long it lasts."

"That's a lot of powers," you comment, "How normal is that? I've only heard of capes having one or two powers?"

"Extremely rare," answers Astrid, "Most parahumans only get a single power. Most parahumans with more than one power tend to be either second-gen or grab-bags like us."

"What do you mean like us?" you inquire as Astrid clearly knows more about parahumans than you do.

"Grab-bag capes are the result of multiple parahumans triggering at once," explains Astrid, "Our main power gets weakened, but in exchange, we get a lesser power from each of our cluster-mates that is based on their power. The fact we each have six powers means that we are in a cluster of six. Me, you, Charles Rainbridge and three of our fellow students here."

"So Charles has six powers as well," you decide to confirm because that will be important information.

"Yes, he does," confirms Astrid, "Okay, we're running out of time so one last thing. Those feelings you have for me? They come from being a grab-bag cape, it's called the kiss-kill effect.

"W-wait!" you exclaim, blushing at being called out like that, "How did you know about my feelings?"

"Because you are bad at hiding them," replies Astrid with a laugh, "If it helps, my powers make me feel similarly about you. Something to be grateful for as it isn't always a given. Now, we really have to get to class, bye!"

***​

You don't see Astrid again until the end of the school day. You spot her during lunch, but she is in the midst of people who are clearly her friends and you don't feel like interacting with her in public. At least not until you get those feelings for her under control.

It makes sense that your powers are responsible for them. After all, straight girls don't explicitly develop feelings for another girl overnight. Of course, this leaves you with the dilemma on what to do with them. On the one hand, you do have feelings for Astrid, but on the other hand, those feelings are apparently artificial and you aren't sure what to make of that? Does love count if it is power-induced? Do your powers just want to hook you up to make a superbaby from you?

No, wait, two girls can't have a baby together and you are getting silly. You'll just put these feelings of yours aside until you can figure out what to do with them.

"Hey, Finn," calls Astrid and you freeze up, fighting the urge to blush at the sound of your name from her voice.

Why does being about Astrid make you feel so emotional? You aren't normally sappy like this.

"H-hey, Astrid," you reply as the blonde girl joins you in the library.

"Studying?" inquires Astrid as she peers over your shoulder.

"I need to keep up my grades," you answer, "I get by on both smarts and hard work, not pure genius. Because I'm not one. Just a smart hard worker."

"Right, you're one of those scholarship kids," says Astrid, "My family is rich enough to just pay the fee."

That's right, like almost all students here at King George VI Secondary School, Astrid must come from a wealthy family who can afford the price to get a regular place at the school. Past you might have been jealous, but the last four yours have taught you that being envious of your classmates is pointless. You are poor and they are rich because the world is just unfair like that.

"So, what now?" you inquire as Astrid clearly has something in mind.

What do Finn and Astrid do?
[ ] They discuss teaming up and their cape identities.
[ ] Astrid shares her cape knowledge with Finn.
[ ] They go back to Astrid's place to attempt some Tinkering.
[ ] Write-in. Subject to QM veto.

Spoiler: Finn Blaney/Whisper

You are a sixteen year old girl of Irish descent and a working class background. You aren't a genius, but your smarts and work ethic have made up the difference to do well in class until your final year of secondary school. You had a mental breakdown on the first day back at school following the Christmas holidays, resulting in triggering and becoming a hero.

Your current goals in life are to get into a college, preferably a good one, and to kill that racist monster Charles Rainbridge.

You are an attractive if chubby redhead young lady who has a natural talent for getting along with others. You have also allowed your fitness to get away with you thanks to your overfocus on academics, resulting in an overweight and physical unimpressive body.

Your mother is Brigid Blaney, a retail worker, and your father is Fergus Blaney, a janitor. Your little sister by two years is Nessa Blaney, who shares your good looks, but lacks your smarts. You are close to all three of them and love them all dearly.

Primary Power (Thinker): Thinker ability to have an eureka moment where you have a moment of clarity or breakthrough towards trying to figure something out. Except it isn't a real eureka moment because your power only grants you the final result and nothing on how you came to that conclusion, giving you an answer without understanding. You cannot pull an answer out of thin air, but so long as it is technically possible, you can do it. The more relevant information that you have, the easier it is to get an answer while working on minimal information is an instant Thinker headache.
Minor Power (Tinker): You feel the urge to make things, but you have no idea what sort of things.
Minor Power (Thinker): You gain instant mastery of any tool you are wielding so long as you are holding the item in question. Like your main power, the mastery is instinctive without understanding and lasts as long as you are using the item.
Minor Power (Stranger): You go unnoticed with people either not realising you are there or if that isn't possible, they assume that you are allowed to be present. If you draw undue attention to yourself, then the effect breaks.
Minor Power (Changer): You can physically transform to fit a role. This grants only a physical transformation with no knowledge, skill or memories nor any ability to convince people of your chosen role. Transformation is limited to being a human female and only diverges from your regular self when necessary for the role.
Minor Power (Striker): You can make close-ranged attacks in rapid succession, faster than what is humanly possible.

***​

And here you get to meet Astrid Norgard, Finn's mutual Kiss buddy within their cluster and arguably the strongest member of the cluster so long as she has access to Tinketech and other parahumans. Astrid also is abnormally knowledgeable about parahumans for reasons that are currently unknown to Finm, but you are welcome to guess at.

Anyway, Finn and Astrid are going to be teaming up. I was going to put it to a vote, but frankly, their mutual kiss is too high for them to be anything other than allies so here you are. As for the vote, it is a choice between sorting out your future team, Finn getting the inside scoop on the cape life and attempting to use your Tinker power.

Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to.