◼ W E E K 0 0 2:With the IC right around the corner, what are your hopes for the plot? What sort of conflicts are you hoping to face, whether external, internal or otherwise? Do you have any plans for your characters, any particular path you want to grow and develop on?
Esther's father is still out there, somewhere. The conflict will be between the two of them, both internal and external. Her memories are fragmented, distorted, the lines between reality and dream blurred. Esther's father wants to correct that, believing that she has been brainwashed in the aftermath. So, some of my posts will take place in hallucinations and dreams wherein Esther meets her father and tries to reconstruct her memories. However, those narratives will not match with reality or the memories that she has been told by her mother and legal council. This endeavor will also further her still in development abilities, somewhat, in addition to assistance given by the Program. At some point, Esther and her father should meet in the real world — when, where, and how that will happen I don't know. There is a lot to consider here, but these hallucinations and dreams will give bits and pieces of Esther's past.
God damn, sign language is no joke to learn. I gave up after a few videos. I'll probably have to color-code different kinds of 'speech' that Esther has, at least when it's words. Like, a quote like "this" is sign language; "this" is telepathy; and "this" is written text.
I noticed that too; How drastically different their father relationships are. Benjamin admired his father and Esther was scarred by hers. I'm currently trying to figure out who he would be friends with. Eventhough Ben might have his suspicions of her, I imagine Esther would probably be one of his few friends since she's mute and her innate empathy allows her to understand him better than most. Also, they have the daddy thing going on.
"My dad's a Mad Scientist and mentally tortured me for years."
"My dad's dead."
"Oh cool..."
XD! Honestly though, I do see some kind of interesting dynamic between them. Whatever it may end up being.
Cheers!
Awesome. I think their friendship could also have a deeper statement to it—Ben being of Jewish heritage and Esther's father and grandfather sympathizing with World War II German ideology, which makes them opposites to say the least. Their friendship would be a rebellion in itself.
The dad thing is a good lead-in for Esther trying out the whole hallucination/dream side of her ability. Maybe Ben would agree to having her practice on him at some point and have him meet his father based on memories? Lots of possibilities for bonding and better understanding.
I'm not sure what concrete plans he has. Probably trying to mobilize people and trying to build a community for Hypes and those who don't believe every Hype's a weapon and should be locked up. He's got plenty of resources and people skills to try and make something happen. He's very new to being 'out' as a Hype, so he'll probably need some time to adjust and mature in his identity before he starts making big moves.
I was thinking that Esther would look up to Marcus, like a 'fan' or something due to who he is, wanting to join his 'club' as she would call it. I'm not sure about the timeline here, but either she would be somewhat into it already or beginning to see it this way. It's tricky to explain, but I think I've seen this kind of dynamic somewhere in a movie or show.
• Eye Colour | Dark //Piercings/Tattoos/Scars: • None | None
Abilities, Skills and Resources ___________________________________
//Abiliites: • Hyperhuman Ability | TELEPATHY Esther is a telepath. The initial stages and development has shown typical proficiencies such as mind reading, profound empathy, and direct thought communication. Experiments with her still in development abilities has been conducted with mixed results. These include aspects such as memory alteration, hallucinations, and shadowing—the latter involves perception denial in various forms.
• Limitation(s) | Esther cannot hear the thoughts of or manipulate animals. She is unable to manipulate those with mental immunity or psychic resistance. The range at which her ability will work is sporadic. Certain helmets will block her ability. She is susceptible to psychic ‘overload’, which causes her to faint. Mind reading is restricted by language. Most individuals will feel that she is inside their head.
• Weakness(es) | Esther has aphonia. It is the inability to produce voiced sound due to nerve damage linked to the larynx. It is unclear if she was born with this disability or if it happened in early infanthood. However, she understands spoken language, as her hearing is intact. Esther also knowns sign language. Most of them time she will communicate through physical action, drawing pictures, or writing. The girl is also frail. She has a meek stature that is easily shaken and disrupted. It is possible that she has hyperalgesia, which is increased sensitivity to pain. Esther is also a heavy sleeper and easily becomes sick. //Skills: • Drawing | Esther is not particularly artistic. However, years of practice with drawing pictures in order to express herself has developed some manner of aesthetic sense. Most of her drawings are quick sketches mainly used for communication, but she does have plenty of ‘complete’ works littering her room and workspace. //Paraphenalia: • Galaxy s8 | Obviously for texting and video conversations. • Notebook | Trusty pieces of paper for writing and drawing.
Appearance Details ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
Various braids, glasses to see, oversized sweaters, tight jeans and leggings, brightly colored sneakers, lots of ink stains on hands, wide thighs, tiny chest, plump features. Most of Esther’s glow will follow from her expressions. Smiles and frowns, sadness and bewilderment—all of it carries their own extremes that eliminates all sense of observer interpretation. She is an open book with a font large enough for the blind. Esther does not shy away from happy returns, physical or otherwise.
Character Synopsis ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
Esther was born in Dresden, Germany on May the 4th. Her father was Sebastian Hermann Whäner and her mother was Lieselotte Hilde Whäner. Esther was named after her great-grandmother.
Esther’s story begins with her father, Sebastian Hermann Whäner. He was born somewhere in Germany, 1955. That household slumbered upon a peculiar past and a patriarchal figure interested in experiments of the mind and human behavior. Sebastian was twelve years old in 1967, when everything changed. The following years are shadowed by strange interpretation and fractured memories, but it sparked in Sebastian a similar interest that his father had, only many times as destructive.
Sebastian graduated with honors and dedicated his life to research and experimentation. Some of his pursuits and methods were rather extreme and frowned upon by colleagues. He eventually got himself ejected from that esteemed community after having exposed his terrifying ‘gift’. Years of unemployment and misery followed. Eventually, he and his wife was able to leave Germany for North America, having secured a similar line of work without previous shame.
By the time Sebastian’s daughter had reached a young age, his gift had grown beyond his understanding. He had become obsessed with his own ‘legacy’ and research, convinced that his daughter carried an identical ambition. Between Esther’s seventh and thirteenth birthdays, Sebastian subjected her to a series of what has later been labeled ‘Mental Abuses’. He entered her dreams and created vast spaces of his own altered memories and visions of the future. He subjected her to daily hallucinations that were designed to change her way of thinking and feeling. Esther was never directly harmed, but her mother seems to think so, and all those who have analyzed the account concurs.
Eventually, Esther’s mother severed all contacts with Sebastian through divorce and law enforcement. Esther and her mother were relocated to Crestwood Hollow after Sebastian failed to show up in court, and subsequently deemed dangerous. Esther was originally submitted to the Program for ‘memory therapy’, but she decided to stay for other reasons.
Personality ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
Esther communicates primarily through physical action. If it is not through sign language, it is through facial expressions, touch, and drawing and writing. This mode of communication instills the illusion of an exaggerated individual. One might even think of actors at the theatre and their overt testimonies. It used to be tiresome for Esther, but she has grown to enjoy it at times. She personally prefers communication through physical touch, especially with friends. It is one of those things that seems to have been lost in the modern age. People are so distant, so cold, so robotic—at least to Esther. Sometimes she deliberately ‘forgets’ her notebook, so that she cannot write or draw, but is forced to communication through either sign or touch.
If there is anything about her ability that has affected her the most, then it is empathy. It is the one part of her extra sensory input that she does not ignore. Esther dreams of being able to work with people in the future, where she can put that part of her ability, empathy, to good use. Esther’s way of being has come to be directed by how those around her feel, their state of mind. It is almost as if she is an ‘emotional support animal’, short and cute, but a bit more complex and a bit more dangerous. Esther hopes to train herself to be able to enter other people’s dreams or create hallucinations of alternate realities in which she and another person can tackle emotional demons and regain happiness, as a form of therapy. Seeing as she cannot speak, Esther has ruled out the option of becoming a psychologist.
Due to what her father did, Esther has a strict code of conduct when it comes to ‘invasive’ telepathy. She knows when a person’s sense of integrity is broken, where the line is drawn. She has never felt herself ‘power hungry’ or ‘villainous’ in the sense of wanting to know secrets about people, or to know what they think. As she does not randomly hear peoples’ thoughts, it is quite easy for her to be ‘normal’, and to communicate by other means. However, Esther does promote the use of her empathic ability, but she considers it to be non-invasive—normal people can have great empathy as well. But, when it comes to the still developing aspects of her ability, such as creating hallucinations or perception denial (shadowing), she will only test it on people who are clearly hostile.
Miscellaneous ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
Esther will always ‘ask’ if she can telepathically speak with a friend. If the friend agrees, that friend will hear a voice from Esther as if she was speaking, but her mouth will not move. The voice Esther uses is usually whatever female voice she likes, but never the voice of who she is speaking to. Esther is very careful when it comes to ‘invasive’ telepathy. One would have to be a diehard enemy for Esther to force herself into the mind.
Esther reads and watches a lot of horror books and films. While it is mostly personal preference and interest, it is a useful abstraction to have when inserting images into someone’s mind or creating nightmare visions for the plain eye. Also, Halloween is Esther’s favorite thing ever. Everything—absolutely everything—has to be perfect and included during that time of the year.
Due to her expressive nature, it can be difficult for Esther to show that she likes someone in particular without bluntly stating it through writing. To most people it will seem as if she loves them at first glance, but, of course, that is not the case. Esther has troubles with distinguishing between genuine and non-genuine affection, as she is always affectionate as a form of communication. If someone likes her, they might have to bluntly state it, just as she has to, in order for Esther to understand—unless they allow her to enter their mind and find out.
Esther’s favorite sweet is Chocolate Pudding.
When Esther speaks: "sign language", "telepathy", "written text".
_____________________________________________ Symbol | Noah William Gallagher Jr. | Symbol _______________________________________________ "A quote about the character reflecting their relationship." _______________________________________________
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This is where a detailed description of the relationship between the two characters would go.
_____________________________________________ Symbol | Marcus Nathaniel Weston | Symbol _______________________________________________ "A quote about the character reflecting their relationship." _______________________________________________
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This is where a detailed description of the relationship between the two characters would go.
_____________________________________________ Symbol | Felix Alexander Brooks | Symbol _______________________________________________ "A quote about the character reflecting their relationship." _______________________________________________
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This is where a detailed description of the relationship between the two characters would go.
_____________________________________________ Symbol | Jiao-long Wenrong | Symbol _______________________________________________ "A quote about the character reflecting their relationship." _______________________________________________
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This is where a detailed description of the relationship between the two characters would go.
_____________________________________________ Symbol | Ivy Marie Harper | Symbol _______________________________________________ "A quote about the character reflecting their relationship." _______________________________________________
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This is where a detailed description of the relationship between the two characters would go.
_____________________________________________ Symbol | Benjamin Samuelle Hope | Symbol _______________________________________________ "A quote about the character reflecting their relationship." _______________________________________________
Relationship Details ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
This is where a detailed description of the relationship between the two characters would go.
@Lord Wraith@Roman The relationship sheet is something that we should fill out beforehand? I saw the the update/announcement, but I assume that's something that us 'accepted' people can work on now?
@Aeolian You know what's interesting? Esther's and Benjamin's conflicting family histories. It could make for a decently dramatic subplot in the story. Perhaps doubt and suspicion directed at Esther, thinking that she is or will become her father is and grand father was? Maybe there is something to dig in there.
@Hillan What will Marcus do when he works for Hyperhuman rights? Would it be something that's already on-going or something that he'll pick up along the story? Esther could potentially be all over it, wanting to help.
◼ W E E K 0 0 1:The world of Crestwood shows Hyperhuamns as being possibly one of the most oppressed races in history, they're unable to hold positions of authority nor able to use their gifts without fear of punishment. How does this affect your character and their relationship with society both as a whole and within the confines of a highschool social heirarchy? How has discovering that they are a Hyperhuman changed their worldview?
Worldview is the problem for Esther. The primary issue isn’t the discovery itself, but the mode of discovery through her father’s constructed illusions and dream worlds. She has no recollection of when it began, just that it began at some point during memories that might be fabricated. Knowing which parts of her past that are real and not is a struggle that consumes plenty of energy, but eventually she will feel the cracks of this reality and its cruelties concerning those who are different. When it dawns on her that what she wants for her life might not be possible, Esther might feel a bit lost. The danger lies in the possibility of that disappointment radicalizing her in the same way it did her father, which means that he will have the last laugh.
Esther knows that she can hide her ability unlike others. She feels for those who bring upon the world destructive impulses that causes fearful reaction. However, Esther has a strange relationship with the laws of nature, things of the mind, and action and reaction—all of it is but mud ready to be shaped by someone. Her father once convinced her that she was a cat, but Esther did not realize until after he released her from that perception. The point is that she believes that anyone can be persuaded, and that some kind of agreement can be reached. She forgave her father, whereas nobody else ever did, but that doesn’t mean that what he did was moral.
However, Esther has issues with the fact that she and those like her are considered a separate ‘race’. She knows, through shared memories with her father, what her great grandfather meddled in during the devastating war that Europe suffered at that time, and their view on ‘race’. Esther is strictly against radicals that speak for or against Hyperhumans as being separate, superior, or inferior. She will not bear the Great shame that comes with her name and ethnic history.
• Eye Colour | Dark //Piercings/Tattoos/Scars: • None | None
Abilities, Skills and Resources ___________________________________
//Abiliites: • Hyperhuman Ability | TELEPATHY Esther is a telepath. The initial stages and development has shown typical proficiencies such as mind reading, profound empathy, and direct thought communication. Experiments with her still in development abilities has been conducted with mixed results. These include aspects such as memory alteration, hallucinations, and shadowing—the latter involves perception denial in various forms.
• Limitation(s) | Esther cannot hear the thoughts of or manipulate animals. She is unable to manipulate those with mental immunity or psychic resistance. The range at which her ability will work is sporadic. Certain helmets will block her ability. She is susceptible to psychic ‘overload’, which causes her to faint. Mind reading is restricted by language. Most individuals will feel that she is inside their head.
• Weakness(es) | Esther has aphonia. It is the inability to produce voiced sound due to nerve damage linked to the larynx. It is unclear if she was born with this disability or if it happened in early infanthood. However, she understands spoken language, as her hearing is intact. Esther also knowns sign language. Most of them time she will communicate through physical action, drawing pictures, or writing. The girl is also frail. She has a meek stature that is easily shaken and disrupted. It is possible that she has hyperalgesia, which is increased sensitivity to pain. Esther is also a heavy sleeper and easily becomes sick. //Skills: • Drawing | Esther is not particularly artistic. However, years of practice with drawing pictures in order to express herself has developed some manner of aesthetic sense. Most of her drawings are quick sketches mainly used for communication, but she does have plenty of ‘complete’ works littering her room and workspace. //Paraphenalia: • Galaxy s8 | Obviously for texting and video conversations. • Notebook | Trusty pieces of paper for writing and drawing.
Appearance Details ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
Various braids, glasses to see, oversized sweaters, tight jeans and leggings, brightly colored sneakers, lots of ink stains on hands, wide thighs, tiny chest, plump features. Most of Esther’s glow will follow from her expressions. Smiles and frowns, sadness and bewilderment—all of it carries their own extremes that eliminates all sense of observer interpretation. She is an open book with a font large enough for the blind. Esther does not shy away from happy returns, physical or otherwise.
Character Synopsis ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
Esther was born in Dresden, Germany on May the 4th. Her father was Sebastian Hermann Whäner and her mother was Lieselotte Hilde Whäner. Esther was named after her great-grandmother.
Esther’s story begins with her father, Sebastian Hermann Whäner. He was born somewhere in Germany, 1955. That household slumbered upon a peculiar past and a patriarchal figure interested in experiments of the mind and human behavior. Sebastian was twelve years old in 1967, when everything changed. The following years are shadowed by strange interpretation and fractured memories, but it sparked in Sebastian a similar interest that his father had, only many times as destructive.
Sebastian graduated with honors and dedicated his life to research and experimentation. Some of his pursuits and methods were rather extreme and frowned upon by colleagues. He eventually got himself ejected from that esteemed community after having exposed his terrifying ‘gift’. Years of unemployment and misery followed. Eventually, he and his wife was able to leave Germany for North America, having secured a similar line of work without previous shame.
By the time Sebastian’s daughter had reached a young age, his gift had grown beyond his understanding. He had become obsessed with his own ‘legacy’ and research, convinced that his daughter carried an identical ambition. Between Esther’s seventh and thirteenth birthdays, Sebastian subjected her to a series of what has later been labeled ‘Mental Abuses’. He entered her dreams and created vast spaces of his own altered memories and visions of the future. He subjected her to daily hallucinations that were designed to change her way of thinking and feeling. Esther was never directly harmed, but her mother seems to think so, and all those who have analyzed the account concurs.
Eventually, Esther’s mother severed all contacts with Sebastian through divorce and law enforcement. Esther and her mother were relocated to Crestwood Hollow after Sebastian failed to show up in court, and subsequently deemed dangerous. Esther was originally submitted to the Program for ‘memory therapy’, but she decided to stay for other reasons.
Personality ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
Esther communicates primarily through physical action. If it is not through sign language, it is through facial expressions, touch, and drawing and writing. This mode of communication instills the illusion of an exaggerated individual. One might even think of actors at the theatre and their overt testimonies. It used to be tiresome for Esther, but she has grown to enjoy it at times. She personally prefers communication through physical touch, especially with friends. It is one of those things that seems to have been lost in the modern age. People are so distant, so cold, so robotic—at least to Esther. Sometimes she deliberately ‘forgets’ her notebook, so that she cannot write or draw, but is forced to communication through either sign or touch.
If there is anything about her ability that has affected her the most, then it is empathy. It is the one part of her extra sensory input that she does not ignore. Esther dreams of being able to work with people in the future, where she can put that part of her ability, empathy, to good use. Esther’s way of being has come to be directed by how those around her feel, their state of mind. It is almost as if she is an ‘emotional support animal’, short and cute, but a bit more complex and a bit more dangerous. Esther hopes to train herself to be able to enter other people’s dreams or create hallucinations of alternate realities in which she and another person can tackle emotional demons and regain happiness, as a form of therapy. Seeing as she cannot speak, Esther has ruled out the option of becoming a psychologist.
Due to what her father did, Esther has a strict code of conduct when it comes to ‘invasive’ telepathy. She knows when a person’s sense of integrity is broken, where the line is drawn. She has never felt herself ‘power hungry’ or ‘villainous’ in the sense of wanting to know secrets about people, or to know what they think. As she does not randomly hear peoples’ thoughts, it is quite easy for her to be ‘normal’, and to communicate by other means. However, Esther does promote the use of her empathic ability, but she considers it to be non-invasive—normal people can have great empathy as well. But, when it comes to the still developing aspects of her ability, such as creating hallucinations or perception denial (shadowing), she will only test it on people who are clearly hostile.
Miscellaneous ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
Esther will always ‘ask’ if she can telepathically speak with a friend. If the friend agrees, that friend will hear a voice from Esther as if she was speaking, but her mouth will not move. The voice Esther uses is usually whatever female voice she likes, but never the voice of who she is speaking to. Esther is very careful when it comes to ‘invasive’ telepathy. One would have to be a diehard enemy for Esther to force herself into the mind.
Esther reads and watches a lot of horror books and films. While it is mostly personal preference and interest, it is a useful abstraction to have when inserting images into someone’s mind or creating nightmare visions for the plain eye. Also, Halloween is Esther’s favorite thing ever. Everything—absolutely everything—has to be perfect and included during that time of the year.
Due to her expressive nature, it can be difficult for Esther to show that she likes someone in particular without bluntly stating it through writing. To most people it will seem as if she loves them at first glance, but, of course, that is not the case. Esther has troubles with distinguishing between genuine and non-genuine affection, as she is always affectionate as a form of communication. If someone likes her, they might have to bluntly state it, just as she has to, in order for Esther to understand—unless they allow her to enter their mind and find out.
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