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A Brief History


In 2009, a strange and deadly new airborne plague, named Baker's Syndrome after Nelson Baker, the first known patient, swept across Earth in a matter of months. The disease had a strong effect on the minds of its victims, breaking them down and causing them to lose all touch with reality. Most of the people who contracted it were soon dead, and the survivors never fully returned to the way they had been before. Happily, progress was quickly made in fighting the disease and, by the year 2014, it was finally eradicated by a global vaccination campaign.

The vaccine came too late for the estimated 600 million people killed by the plague, and the world reeled from the death toll. Besides the dead were nearly 300 million survivors (most of them from the later years once effective treatments made the disease somewhat less fatal). As time wore on, it became clear that the survivors had been altered somehow, and they became known as the Changed. Many of them now possessed powerful (and sometimes uncontrollable) psionic abilities. The more they used them, the more powerful they became, but at a price. Each increase in power raised the chances of a relapse into Baker's Syndrome. The disease was no longer contagious during the relapse, but it was invariably fatal. By 2020, all the truly powerful Changed were dead, but those of more modest ability seemed alive and perfectly well. Life began to return to normal.

The year is 2032. The first generation children of the Changed have begun to grow up, and they are watched carefully for any sign of Baker's Syndrome. At first it appeared that they were totally normal, but the teenage years told a different story. The stress of adolescence began to bring out the psionic abilities of the Changed in them, although at much lower levels of power than their parents. Happily, none of the children has relapsed into Baker's Syndrome, but the threat is still there.

In many countries, a number of special schools have been set up to to meet the needs of the Changed. In these schools, the students are not only provided with a mundane education, but also taught how to control their abilities. They meet and mingle with others who are in similar circumstances, and in many cases are taught by original survivors of Baker's Syndrome. Frequently, these schools provide a safe haven from a world that doesn't understand the Changed, and sometimes outright fears them.

摂理 (Setsuri) Senior High, located near Osaka, Japan, is a school specifically designed to serve the next generation of Changed. Setsuri is a boarding school that accepts students from all across the Kansai area (the western half of the main island of Honshu). It's one of four such Japanese schools (there is another one near Tokyo, and two smaller ones near Kumamoto on the island of Kyushu and near Sapporo on this island of Hokkaido).

A few words about schools in Japan


This section is entirely optional (and probably pretty boring, too), but if you're unfamiliar with how schools work in Japan, you might find it helpful.

Both Japanese Junior High and Senior High schools are three year institutions. Students at most schools are required to wear uniforms (anime is usually pretty accurate at portraying school uniforms, although the skirts are a bit short). Students are arranged into classes, and they will usually stay in their homeroom while the various teachers come to them each period (obviously, for PE and other classes requiring special facilities, this isn't the case). The class divisions carry over from year to year. For example, the same students from class 1-B will become class 2-B the following year.

There are three terms in a year, each one lasting a bit less than four months. Spring term, for example, begins in April and runs until mid July. A term break follows each one, with the longest term break in the Summer (late July and all of August).

Older students are expected to provide guidance and a good example for younger students, and strong students are expected to help their classmates who are having difficulties. Younger students are supposed to treat older students with respect (although it's usually a bit more complicated than all that) This setup is totally intentional, and it helps prepare the students for the way Japanese society as a whole functions. Likewise, there are rules for how students interact with teachers. In most classes, the teacher provides information (through lecture and such) and the students receive the information. Class discussion is rare. Students are expected to show respect to teachers at all times (although that doesn't always happen), and not talk back (this happens more often than some teachers will admit).

For students who are interested in romance, PDA (public displays of affection) are a bad idea, especially in school. Kissing your boyfriend/girlfriend before class could land you in the principal's office if the wrong person sees it. Of course, after school is another story entirely (just keep it PG-13 and we won't have any problems at all).

School clubs are a big deal in Japan. Most students are involved in one, usually with their friends. There is a club for just about everything: baseball, kendo, swimming, physics, English, painting, band, tea ceremony, shodo (calligraphy), you name it. The clubs are overseen by a faculty member, but often the students themselves run the show (teachers are often assigned to clubs based more on when they began working at the school rather than what their interests are). Student government is also very important in some schools. Class representatives are responsible for making sure that their classes are in order, sorting out disputes between students and otherwise helping the school run smoothly.

Breakdown of powers and abilities

The following psionic abilities are well documented:

Telepathy
Telekinesis
Pyro/Cryokinesis
Precognition
ESP (this includes things such as the perception of auras and psychic impressions)
Teleportation (this is very rare)
Astral Projection (this is also very rare)

Other abilities are possible in rare or unique cases. For example, there was a Changed living in South Africa who had the ability to phase through solid objects (including his clothes... that was a little embarrassing). At least two Changed have been documented with “hyper-accelerated nervous systems,” giving them superhumanly fast reflexes and reaction times (the faster of the two couldn't turn the ability off, so she had a lot of difficulty interacting with people operating at a normal speed). If you want a different or unique ability, please let me know. As a general rule, only one of any particular kind of rare or unique ability will be approved.

For each ability you select, please note your level of power: 'weak,' 'average,' or 'strong.' This is mostly a guideline for RP, a measure of raw power or a way to help resolve contests between two characters using psionic abilities. Below 'weak' is 'latent,' meaning that the potential for an ability exists, but hasn't manifested yet. Beyond 'strong,' there is also 'very strong,' 'extreme,' 'monstrous,' and finally 'SMC!!!' (SWEET MERCIFUL CRAP!!). There hasn't been anybody stronger than the 'extreme' level in 12 years, though (since 2020). The stronger an ability is, the more psionic 'muscle' there is behind it. Also, the stronger it is, the more likely a character is to suffer side effects from using the ability. Side effects begin to occur once a character has a 'strong' ability. The worst of these side effects is a fatal relapse of Baker's Syndrome. Also, bear in mind that a good imagination will beat raw psionic power every time. Bigger is not always better. If you like, you may also select a specialty within an ability that you are particularly good at. An example might be “Telekinesis: working by touch.” This would allow you to manipulate things that you can't see by 'feeling them out' with your telekinesis beforehand. All sorts of useful things become possible, like turning the tumblers in a lock with telekinesis or moving an object that you know is behind you but can't see. Both of those things would be much more difficult for somebody without a specialty. The flip side is that you are a little weaker than average at everything outside your specialty. Again, this is entirely optional. For the most part, it is flavoring that may occasionally be useful.

Teachers





Students


Name: Miyazaki Rin
Gaia username: xGaara-sanx
Age: 16
Class: 1-c
Club(s): Art
Personality: Artsy. Quiet. A bookworm.
Background: Her parents had a library in their house, and she mainly stayed in it. They never cared, and she didn't see them much. She now loves to read and draw, the things she would do at home all the time.
Abilities: Pyrokinesis-weak
Cryokinesis-average
Appearance:


Name: Tanaka Yumi
Gaia username: Tarma_Falloner
Age: 18
Class: 3-A
Club(s): Student Government, Tennis, Art, Music.
Personality: As an even-tempered, cheery individual, Yumi seeks to make others comfortable and happy. She has a very accepting and often sympathetic nature, and is often eager to please. Though seemingly soft of personality, she has a fierce drive to succeed and help others do the same. A strong sense of responsibility and duty keep her grounded and focused on her studies. While soft-spoken, it is not uncommon for Yumi to speak up about something she feels strongly over. Level-headed, she has earned the respect of her peers for her willingness to listen and consider both sides of any argument. She is wary of negative emotions, often striving to bring balance and positivity back into uncomfortable situations.

Background: Yumi comes from a well-to-do family, where pressure to succeed and please her parents(especially her father) was bred into her from the cradle. It was not a completely restrictive household, though, and Yumi was encouraged to develop interests in whatever areas pleased her as long as her schoolwork came first. The founders of Setsuri High contacted her after an incident in her household that she refuses to speak of. Within the week, she was living in the dormitories and attending classes again. For all intents and purposes, the young woman seems content with the arrangement. For hobbies, she plays piano and tennis, paints, and holds the position of Class Representative for class 3-A.

Abilities:
Average: Empathy

Weak: Telepathy


Appearance:
Height- 5'5"
Weight- 128 lbs.
Eye Color- Green-hazel.
Hair Color- Brown.