On 3/14/2023 at 11:52 AM, Morphling said:The "Who, outside the team, helps you control your powers?" is your chance to connect your character to the world and create a bond with someone outside of the other PCs. I would not suggest squandering the opportunity.
Some things that I wouldn't mind seeing developed further:
How has Gamma Ray's life changed since the Tangee invasion? What has he lost? What pushes him to keep fighting? How has he avoided detection?
Who else has Gamma Ray hurt with his powers since his father? What sort of collateral damage has he caused? How does he feel about it?
Who does Gamma Ray live with now? Why did they take him in? What kind of hero do they want him to be?
All in all, solid effort. I would like to see what more you can come up with.
Thank you for the feedback. I definitely don't want to squander the opportunity, so I went and added a trio of his peers. They're edgier, likely heading down a more criminal path, so there's a pull from both sides of Ray's life: his father's lasting impact, or the new found family that are definitely not a positive influence on his life. I don't know if they'll ever come up in the story since there are bigger fish to fry, but they're around.
How has Gamma Ray's life changed since the Tangee invasion? What has he lost? What pushes him to keep fighting? How has he avoided detection?
Ray's life has changed dramatically since the Tangee invasion, but some of the events in his life coincide with his own family tragedies. His father grew ill with cancer, which later claimed his life, close to the time when the Tangee forces had amassed and began influencing the planet. Irrationally, he blames the Tangee for this, mostly because he needs someone or something to focus his frustration and loss on. Ray's adopted father was his best friend; he inspired Raymond to become more than a person, to contribute and positively change society, to make a difference. Losing him took away Ray's confidence and self-worth in a way, and now he feels somewhat aimless in life.
The Tangee invasion was a dark cloud on an overcast day, when before, Ray's new life in Halycon was bright and hopeful. He feels that now life is truly trivial and we, in fact, cannot master the universe and become our best self. However, Ray doesn't want to disappoint his father. Even though he's gone, he still wants to live up to his father's expectations. It's how Ray keeps his memory close to his heart. With his father gone, and the Tangee threat ever human, it's become challenging for Ray to keep his humanity. He has power larger than himself, and now he lacks a positive figure in his life.
Ray has been able to avoid detection by way of his lifestyle and the nature of his abilities. Ray lives a low-key life. This is due to his low sense of self-worth and melancholy, as a result of his dad's recent death. He tries to hide from the spotlight and go unnoticed. He's also subconsciously afraid of his powers and what might go wrong one day, especially since his dad and his connection's to the collider team are gone. Ray's energy signature itself is also very, very difficult to track. This is due to the fact that his head mostly consists of stabilized gravitons, matter that so far only the collider project had been able to detect, and just barely.
Who else has Gamma Ray hurt with his powers since his father? What sort of collateral damage has he caused? How does he feel about it?
Aside from Ray's father and a handful of nursing staff at the hospital post-hadron accident, Ray has caused more collateral damage than harm to people. Ray's a light sleeper ever since the laboratory accident, and this is due to an issue that plagues him. At night, Ray's "seal" loosens and the objects he keeps in his room are prone to being rearranged in chaotic fashion. When Ray has particularly frightening, distressing dreams, the pull from the black hole is stronger. He's awakened to shattered windows, cracked walls, pieces of ceiling missing, pencils piercing brick, and so on. Nowadays, Ray prefers a view-less room with next to nothing in it aside from the essentials, save for a collection of pillows uncharacteristic of a boy his age.
Ray had a delusion of grandeur once, shortly after his father died, in which he resolved to become a vigilante. Perhaps that would be his calling. He followed a man who he noticed stealing from a big chain supermarket. In broad daylight, he confronted the man, and in a heated exchange he dialed down the seal of his black hole in an attempt to retrieve the pilfered goods from the thief's hands. Instead, Ray sent the man sailing over his head and into the tree across the street. He stayed long enough to make sure he was okay, and then Ray sprinted away from consequence, leaving the bag of groceries behind in haste.
Ray has issues with the idea of again pursuing a career in dispensing justice. He believes his dad would find it to be a noble pursuit, but his power is just too overwhelming. Since the collider device on his body is not finished, he may never reach a level of confidence on his own. Part of him is afraid that he'll enjoy his powers too much, and that it'll send him down a dark path, which may be what happens if he stays with his motley group of friends.
Who does Gamma Ray live with now? Why did they take him in? What kind of hero do they want him to be?
Ray lives with his mother, who is now dating a pest control technician and has been for the last year. Ray's relationship with his mother is strained, and he spends little time at home. Growing up, he identified more with his father; he represented the future, hope, something to strive to become, while his mother often represented the harsh reality of circumstance. His mother isn't a scientist, and the rift between them widened post-accident and especially post-memorial.
Ray occasional spends the night at the home of one of his friends, but the environment there isn't much better. Still, they at least understand what it's like to have superhuman abilities. Right now, Ray just needs someone who understands him and can give him real hope for a better future. Deep down, Ray wants to be that for someone else, to hand it forward so to speak. Being inspiring and brave and good, in his opinion, matters more than how strong or indestructible you are.