Laser Kiwi

The Coven of Briarwood Community College

Hey everybody! Quick poll: would y'all prefer to have a set posting order, or to let anyone post as long as at least 2 others have posted since their previous IC post?

What Are You Reading Right Now?

@Vyce I LOVE Hobbes & Bacon. It's probably my favorite piece of fan media ever created tbh. It's the resolution I didn't know I needed.

The Haunting of Emily

Pandora Blair

pic

Name: Pandora Blair

Age: 26

Gender: Female

Occupation in the group: Psychic Medium

Fears: being alone, bugs (especially maggots), going crazy

Bio: Pandora has always been sensitive to the presence of spirits around her. Like many young children, her earliest encounters and premonitions were dismissed as imaginary friends or dreams until they persisted into her teen years. They took her to a variety of psychologists and psychiatrists, who never found any apparent cause for her "delusions", which no medications helped. If they had believed her, they might have listened when she begged them not to go to the beach one night - but they didn't, and they both died in a crash caused by a drunk driver. Only sixteen at the time, Pandora was taken in by her older brother until she turned 18. She finished high school online, but after moving out she's come out of her shell and found a group of close friends. Though she's a bit of mess, her talents and her kind personality make her a valuable asset to the group and she cherishes the rare people who actually believe her. She's determined to learn how to use her powers properly instead of always being victim to random flashes of past and future.

Looks: 5'2 and very petite, Pandora is usually the shortest one in a crowd and first to be mistaken for a high schooler. Her hair is currently silver-blonde with dark roots cut to shoulder length, but she dyes it frequently. She has several piercings: two in each earlobe, right side industrial, bellybutton, and both nipples. She also has a handful of tattoos including her parents' initials over her heart, a semicolon on her left wrist, and a large dreamcatcher on her back. She usually wears light makeup with plain leggings & a hoodie, but likes wearing boho dresses with Doc Martens and cardigans for special occasions.

What Are You Reading Right Now?

@Dark Cloud@Kenshi

Oh man, the C&H discussion gives me some major nostalgia. Hot summer days, coming back from the pool to a tall glass of Kool-Aid (remember the invisible watermelon kiwi flavor?? shit was dope), a tuna sandwich, and half a book of C&H before a nice siesta.
My favorite storylines were Revenge of the Baby-Sat and the Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goon. Honorable mention to the mysterious noodle incident.

What Are You Reading Right Now?

@V a s h@Pilatus

It's funny, I re-read the book with my partner recently. I studied archaeology, he studied computer science. We both feel that he oversimplifies the basics of our respective specialties while grasping most of the complexities of the opposite - I consider that the mark of good accessible literature.
The humor, though, is definitely what makes the novel. It's probably the most fun read I've had reading since WWZ.

Community College Coven Concept (Starting, applications open)

Bye for now @Dark Cloud! I look forward to seeing you around, maybe our schedules will line up better in the future. :)

@Blazion no worries, I should still be working on the main thread tomorrow. Earliest start would be the day after, if we have enough characters by then.

The Coven of Briarwood Community College

Briarwood Community College

Background

background

Community College isn't usually full of thrills and danger. The student body is the typical unassuming mix of high school underachievers, working class kids with a dream, and older people going back to class after years in the workplace. BCC, like the ox it has for a mascot, is a hardworking but unassuming campus. Most of the 62 students who signed up for Sociology 171: Witchcraft & Superstition were expecting a marginally interesting humanities credit.

This semester is not going to go as planned. As per the syllabus, the third day of class involved a discussion of Covens & Supremes. To demonstrate the power of superstition, the professor had the class read aloud an incantation which, supposedly, will awaken any latent Supreme.

Then the lights all went out. A few students screamed or shouted, and one or two people ran for the doors. The lights switched back on a few moments later and the the professor calmed everyone down, explaining that it was nothing more than a demonstration illustrating the power of superstition and suggestion. Most people laughed, went to sleep that night, and forgot about it.

Most people, but not all. A few people had very strange dreams that night, and every night since. The days are little better. In the two weeks since that class, there have been a lot of strange incidents around town: A student's car burst into flames and he was badly burned before he could escape, a wild deer walked into the food court at peak lunch time, and several exams have been cancelled by fire alarms which were manually triggered despite security cameras showing empty halls.

But things are about to get even weirder. The awakening Witches' dreams are getting more vivid and more powerful, and they're starting to sense each others' presence. As the new Supreme comes into their power, Briarwood may get its first full-fledged Coven in decades... unless everything goes terribly wrong.

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Friday 22 September 2017
4:10pm

Sociology 171 has just ended and most students are leaving quickly, eager to start their weekend plans. The weather is overcast and cool, a brisk early autumn day. The ascendant Witches on campus are starting to really feel their magic, and sense the presence of other Witches in the area. Today, they are going to find out they aren't the only ones with powers.
Currently, the group is headed to Poor Yorick's. Ostensibly this is for a study group, but magic has pulled them inexorably together.

The Coven of Briarwood Community College

Announcement: if you're interested in having your character be the Supreme, please send me a PM. If there's only one taker you'll probably get it, if several people are interested I'll make the most fair decision I can. :)

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Two format rules for the time being:

1. Please put your CS behind a hider so it's easier for me to find everybody.
2. Outside of the hider, please put "Character Name - WIP". WIP can be removed once you're happy with your character and their powers are balanced.

Thanks!

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Kalama Guynn

Kalama Guynn

Kalama Guynn {20F}

Stubborn ⚝ Passionate ⚝ Loyal

Pansexual ⚝ Sophomore Sociology Major ⚝ Part-time Barista at Poor Yorick’s Cafe

Song: Dark Water by Dragonborn

A future social worker, Kalama firmly believes that she can and will change the world some day. Though not the most gifted academically, she works hard for her grades and takes school seriously. Passionate about social justice and human rights, Kal wants to fix some of the broken things in the world starting with child advocacy.

She lives in a modest apartment across the street from campus, on the same block as popular student hangout Poor Yorick’s, where she picks up a shift most mornings before class and every other weekend.

Kalama is motivated strongly by doing the right thing and being loyal to those she loves, though she is also quick to pick a fight when she perceives injustice and responds harshly to betrayal. The Coven presents the opportunity for the family she’s always wanted, but also the risk of being backstabbed by the strangers she’s forced to trust.

Relationships:

• Caleb Walker: enemy. Kalama didn't know Caleb before she caught him and Daria together, so her only opinion of him is a very negative one. He was in Daria's car with her when Kal set fire to it, but he doesn't know that she is responsible.
• {NPC} Daria Mueller: ex. A dreamy theater girl, she and Kal became girlfriends in their senior year of high school. The breakup was bitter, as Kal caught Daria cheating on her with Caleb last month. Eleven days ago, Kal saw Caleb and Daria sitting together in her car and set it on fire. Daria was badly burned in the blaze, but so far Kal has not visited her at the hospital.
• Rowan Childe: Roommate. Kalama hasn't gotten to know Rowan very well yet, since things have been so busy since moving in. He made soup for the whole flat, which she really appreciated, but she's nervous about learning to cook a vegan dish to return the favor. She respects his lifestyle, but feels like he's judging her choices and thinks it might lead to a confrontation at some point.
• {Unfilled/NPC} Roommate Beta:
• {Unfilled/NPC} Roommate Gamma:
• {NPC} William Guynn: father. Accountant who lives in Briarwood, in a nice house on the other side of town. Texts Kal daily to check in on her, wishes she would visit more and learn to get along with Kathy.
• {NPC} Katherine Guynn: stepmother. Has two teenage daughters who live with her & Liam. She considers Kalama a bad influence; frequently tries to get her to go to church and tells her how pretty she would be if she just kept her hair and makeup more "neat".
• {NPC} Olivia Benoit: mother. Real estate agent who lives in Hawaii. Is terrible at returning calls and texts, but good at updating social media.
• {NPC, Deceased} Maude Benoit: grandmother. Lived in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. Taught Kalama to cook, and had the same Knack for making it magically good. Died of a sudden stroke when Kal was living with her at the age of seventeen.

History:

Kalama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her early childhood was filled with fresh fruit, lots of time on the beach, and two loving parents who were trying hard to make it work. Unfortunately, their differences ultimately couldn’t be reconciled and William moved back to the mainland when Kalama was eight years old. In an attempt to make things fair, her parents agreed to split custody 50/50 - six months in Honolulu, then six months in Briarwood.
Unfortunately, moving around so much did not work out well for Kalama. Feeling unwanted and out of place no matter where she went, she struggled to make any lasting friendships or be accepted by her classmates. By thirteen she was in full-blown rebellion, taking off from school to smoke and drink. This hit a head when she was fifteen and her father got engaged. Two weeks later she got caught trespassing with a joint in her purse. After her community service finished, her parents packed her off to live with her grandmother in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana.
It was her grandmother’s influence, and the stability of her new life, that encouraged Kal to get her life back on track. It was her Grandma who taught her how to cook, stand up for herself & others, and the importance of community. Unfortunately, her good cooking caught up with her and Maude passed away after just under two years together, and Kalama went back to Briarwood to finish high school.
Her juvenile record was sealed when she was accepted to BCC, and even though she still smokes and drinks on occasion she’s more focused on her education and community activism than partying… at least until her Gift manifested so suddenly. Now she’s trying to figure out what’s going on with her body, testing her abilities nearly every night down by the river where she thinks nobody can see.

Magic:

Knack: Like her grandmother, Kalama’s cooking is mildly magical. Her gumbo can soothe a broken heart and a slice of her devil’s food cake could lead a pastor into temptation. It tastes good, but more importantly you can really feel the love that was put into it. Even her coffees seem unusually capable of brightening your day, and she has loyal customers who will specifically request that she makes their drink because they swear it’s better when it comes from her hands.

Gift: Kal is a Pyrokinetic, meaning she can create and feed a fire using only her mind. This Gift does not extend to extinguishing the fires nor does it protect her from them. Small uses, like lighting a candle or a cigarette, will give her a hot flash and maybe a small headache if she does several in a row, but large blazes will give her serious fevers and debilitating migraines. After she set Marcus's car on fire, she spent nearly 24 hours in bed with a serious migraine and fever.

The Coven of Briarwood Community College

Applications to join are open to all! We could take maybe 2-3 more Coven members at this time.

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Rules:

1. Keep the OOC conversations kind. Please bring up any concerns or questions in a constructive way, and respond to them without getting defensive. Leave the drama to the characters and be nice to your fellow humans.
2. This RP will contain mature subject matter, hence the 18+ and horror tags. Violence, abuse, intoxication, adult language, and reference to sex will all be included, but please mind the site rules and keep any actual sex acts off the public board.
3. While I reserve the authority to remove players who are disruptive, I prefer a democratic approach to guiding plot arcs. Everyone has the right to suggest how things should progress, and everyone has the right to agree or (politely) disagree. Once we've reached a consensus on where to go next, I'll update the first post of the IC tab.
4. All NPCs are fair game for anyone to control as needed, unless their creator requests otherwise. You are not allowed to write thoughts or actions for another player's main character/s.
5. Please let us know in advance of any extended absences, and make plans for what your character will be doing if you need to skip few posts (i.e. "Jane Doe will complete the spell she is casting with Dick & Jane, then get an unexpected call from her mom and go outside to answer it").
6. Posting standards: please keep posts between 1 and 3 paragraphs (per character) and with legible style, grammar, & punctuation. Post headers are recommended but not required.
7. Posting order will be kept up-to-date on the first post of the IC thread. Each player has 24 hours from the previous post (or skip) to take their turn and post. You may request an additional 24 hours in the OOC thread if necessary. This is a 2 week trial run, on March 7 (NZDT) we can discuss whether to keep or get rid of the posting order.

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Lore

Witches

About 1% of people have some latent witchcraft in them, but the vast majority will never awaken their powers. A witch's magic cannot awaken or function properly without a Supreme. Typically this only happens once they're in a Coven and have bonded, but in rarer cases (like this RP), it can also happen if they spend time in the presence of an ascending Supreme who has yet to learn how to focus their powers. All witches have access to all three types of magic, but it's rare for someone with powerful Gifts to also be a talented Spellcaster and vice versa.

Supremes

Supremes are a rare type of Witch that serve as a conduit to bring magic into the world. Though not necessarily more powerful than their fellows, magic comes more easily to them than to other Witches, best exemplified by their myriad of Gifts. Even the weakest Supremes still manifest at least five Gifts which they can use at will, and most will manifest additional abilities if their lives or their loved ones are threatened. Their spells almost always go through, though not with any more accuracy than a regular Witch. A fully mature Supreme can detect other potential Witches and choose whether or not to awaken the magic within them, but before a Supreme has come into their own their presence is enough. This makes it very difficult to tell which dawning Witch is the Supreme, since everyone in the Coven will be supercharged by the presence of an unrestrained Supreme's power.

Magic

• Knacks: Everyone with some latent witchy abilities has exactly one Knack - this is the only sign that someone has the potential to become a witch. Knacks are usually subtle, the sort of thing that could be mistaken for dumb luck, strange coincidences, or natural talent. A Knack can neither be gained nor lost, but is with a person from birth til death. Ex. this person's dice roll 7s half the time, they have an unusually tight bond with exactly one animal (a familiar), they get a sense of impending doom before something bad happens to their loved ones, or they can throw things with near-perfect accuracy despite never practicing.
• Gifts: Gifts are the true magic witches can perform on instinct, without needing to focus their power using a spell. Gifts will only work if the Witch has a magical connection to a Supreme; if cut off from their Coven, a Witch will lose all of their Gifts. Every Gift comes with a price, and the powerful Gifts tend to make their users very sick or weak afterwards. Every witch has at least one Gift. Reasonably powerful witches have two, and very powerful witches have three. Supremes typically manifest 5-7. Ex. pyrokinesis, telekinesis, telepathy with 1 or 2 other people or certain animals, precognitive dreams.
• Spells: Spellcraft is where the real power of witches comes to light. While Gifts usually only allow a Witch to use her magic to slightly shift reality in her general vicinity, Spells can be used to cause much greater changes that are less constrained by time and space. A curse might cause a rival's car to crash several hours or days from the time of casting, or abruptly shift the weather in the Bahamas. Spells require focus instead of instinct, have certain rituals and practices, and usually need 2 or more witches to cast correctly. Spells feed off of the magic of the environment around them, making powerful spells impossible without either the presence (not necessarily consent) of a Supreme or powerful magical source. Improperly cast spells may work differently than intended or even backfire against the Witch trying to cast them. Ex. love charm to make the quarterback enamored with the cheerleader (if it backfires, could cause him to stalk her), curse to make a the roof leak onto a stack of exams (cast improperly may cause the roof to collapse), ward of protection against dark spirits.

Community College Coven Concept (Starting, applications open)

@Laser Kiwi It's 12:00 AM here and I need sleep.

@Dark Cloud

No problem, the thread will be there when you're well-rested. :)