Welcome to Gaia! ::

Evan grabbed his stuff and moved with the rest, smiling at Reina's comment about her drawings. The thought of sitting with a group of people was comforting to him. A lot better then being left behind to sit alone for the rest of class.

When sitting at the new seat he withdrew his own sketchbook to share his own drawings. It would be weird to see another's drawings without offering your own. Or at least it was weird to him.

Vaguely, he registered Alex encouraging the others to join them, a move that Zane approved of. Evan had seemed lonely where he was. Reina's drawing come-to-life, on the other hand, drew a confounded ack sound in his throat. She hadn't been ruffled in the slightest at being called insane. In fact, it appeared that she had been expecting it all along. What was wrong with this woman?!

He reached the rock man and did as according to Sigma's prompt. In spite of the doubtful face he was wearing, Zane felt somewhat safe pressing his hand against D'cund, as he had seen the drawing RPer do the same thing earlier. Besides, he would be grateful not to listen to the man's thick rock accent.

Some of the teacher's explanation registered in his mind, but what captured the majority of Zane's attention was Sigma's words, and his eyes flickered over to him. Chaos? The strange man's words sounded to be only one half of a conversation, but Zane put two and two together and concluded the subject to be character alignments. "So... what exactly would make you do something that's not..." Zane fished in his mind for the right words. "...do something that is not as desirable?" In other words, what might be the button that might turn him to the darker side of chaos.

The teacher looked up to the clock on the back wall then out at the class and half shrugged. "Thinkin' it's about time for another assignment," he announced as he walked around his desk to perch on the edge. "So far we've been focusing on you. Well, we're gonna back it out a little and take a look at the people you came from - namely, your family. Everyone's got one. They don't necessarily need to be blood relations and they don't need to still be part of your lives but no one survives childhood completely alone.

"And as much as some of us loathe to admit it, our families are big factors in the shaping of our personality. Even if they're dead to us now we spent our formative years living with and learning from them. For better or worse, family will always be a part of who we are - some more than others. Giving your character a family also opens them up to plot vulnerability, something GMs love because it can be used to create storylines. For example, having a little sister means that if she suddenly goes missing you'd generally be inclined to go looking for her. Having a crazy uncle means you might get pulled into one of his hair brained schemes. Having a father that was some sort of local hero could make you want to live up to his deeds.

"And that's not even getting into the potential of characters to have families of their own. Lovers and children open up an even deeper vulnerability where (most) characters will do just about anything to save/protect/avenge them. Sure it's cliché but that's because it works. Just use caution when giving a character the old ball and chain. Talk with your GM about potential problems/perks of it and come up with a logical way for your character to be spending most of their time away from their family - unless their family is made up of other PCs.

"Having other PCs in your family can be a good way of bringing players together and establishing relationships between them. Brothers don't have to like each other but are more likely to work together than strangers when things get tough. Again, relationships between PCs need to be cleared with the GM (and the other players of course)." Vay paused with a smile to look out at the students then gave them a curt nod.

"So, turn to the next page in your workbooks and fill out the questionnaire about your family to get it started. If you want you can add more information but always keep in mind the other information you've already provided and make sure it all fits together nice and neat."

Family Questionnaire

Mother Figure
Name:
Age:
Brief description:
Do you get along?
Do they get along with the rest of the family?
Is she your biological mother? If not how did they come to be your family and what do you know about your biological mother?

Father Figure
Name:
Age:
Brief description:
Do you get along?
Do they get along with the rest of the family?
Is he your biological father? If not how did they come to be your family and what do you know about your biological father?

Sibling(s) (one for each)
Name:
Age:
Gender:
Brief description:
Do you get along?
Do they get along with the rest of the family?
Are they your biological sibling? If not how did they come to be your family and what do you know about your biological sibling(s)?

Other Family and Close Friends (one for each till you get bored)
Name:
Age:
Gender:
Relationship:
Brief description:
Do you get along?
Do they get along with the rest of the family?
Are they your biological family? If not how did they come to be your family?

At his close range, he noticed them now. Behind the fabric of the lab coat were feet like bird talons, or perhaps talons themselves. Who was this man? Or more precisely, what was he? Isa's comment about him and the rock man popped into his mind. Adorable was the word she'd used. It was with the sincerest hope that not all role players had such skewed perceptions, for Zane couldn't find anything adorable about Sigma in the slightest.

He shifted on the spot a little, having found that it was much easier to press up a shoulder against D'cund in a similar manner to Alex than to lay his palm flat against him. It freed up his arms for other things, such as crossing them. It was as if he was leaning against a wall, he reminded himself. A cold stone wall. A cold stone wall with a face on it. He frowned. Zane didn't usually take to leaning on people, and Alex's inquiry suddenly made him wholly aware of that fact. He wasn't sure what to make of it though.

The sudden voice in his head, as if another mind had wormed into his consciousness, made him jump back from the rock man, wide-eyed. Calm down. What was it that bird man had said? That leaning would equate to him not having to talk as much. "I guess that answers it," he said in response to Alex's earlier question before scowling at Sigma's words. "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to find out," he retored irritably.

Meanwhile, the family questionnaire was submitted to the teacher via email.

Family Questionnaire

Father Figure
-Name: ____ Vincent
-Age: late 40's
-Brief description: His father invented a machine that allowed for human intercranial self stimuation (ICSS), where electrical shocks are administered to a certain part of the brain to incite feelings of pleasure that is equal or beyond that gained from taking illegal drugs.
-Do you get along? Zane has mixed feelings about him; he appreciates having a father figure in his life, but he couldn't help but blame his father for what happened to his mother.
-Do they get along with the rest of the family? He cares about his sons, although his circumstances do not always allow him to provide as much emotional support for them as he should.
-Is he your biological father? If not how did they come to be your family and what do you know about your biological father?
He is his biological father.

Mother Figure
-Name: unavailable
-Age: died in her 30's
-Brief description: addicted to ICSS, hit depression when taken off the machines, committed suicide
-Do you get along? Moderately well; Zane was eight when she died. Whenever she hadn't shown as much attention to him as she should have, he was told that his mother was 'in her happy place'.
-Do they get along with the rest of the family? She was fine for the most part until she started using ICSS. Her own parents died when she was young.
-Is she your biological mother? If not how did they come to be your family and what do you know about your biological mother?
She is his biological mother.

Sibling
Name: Kyler Vincent
Age: 14
Gender: Male
Brief description: missing
Do you get along? Yes.
Do they get along with the rest of the family? Yes.
Are they your biological sibling? If not how did they come to be your family and what do you know about your biological sibling(s)?
Kyler is Zane's biological sibling.

Alex didn't move a muscle as D'cund spoke/hummed into his mind. This wasn't the first time something like this happened so he just nodded.
"Oh, that's pretty neat, D'cund? That's how you say it right? Are you actually speaking though or are you just vibrating?"
Alex was interested in this rock man now. He had an interesting ability that he hadn't seen before. Whether or not this guy was telepathic or just creating sound through vibrating, it was still pretty cool. His notebook opened itself on the desk in front of Alex and wrote in his answers.
Mother Figure
Name: Miranda Hughes
Age: 42
Brief description: Alex's mother worked as an engineer for a rather large construction company and has since picked up her job again now that Alex has moved on with his life(or she kicked him out, he never could figure out which). A stout, proud woman, who never judged a person on their appearance.
Do you get along?
Alex got along fairly well with his mother, doing whatever she asked, even if he didn't want to.
Do they get along with the rest of the family?
Not a whole lot of other family living. I think Alex has an aunt in Maine, which his mother talks to rather frequently. That's about it.
Is she your biological mother?
Yes.

Father Figure
Name: Jason Richards
Age: 68
Brief description: An old white haired man, who was surprisingly active for a senior. Often went on walks through the woods and worked often in his homemade forge in his backyard.
Do you get along?
Alex picked up and nurtured his love for making things watching and helping Jason out with his work. Often Alex would join Jason for his walks, talking about whatever and receiving advice from the old man in return.
Do they get along with the rest of the family?
Is he your biological father? If not how did they come to be your family and what do you know about your biological father?
No, Jason became a prominent figure in Alex's life when Alex accidentally set fire to Jason's back yard.
Alex hasn't been told much about his father from his mother, other than the fact that his last name was from him and that apparently he has his father's looks. Other than that, his father is an absolute mystery to him.

"Ok, kids," Vay stood back up from his seat, "One last assignment before we get into the final project and exam. Yeah. Exam. Hope y'all were payin attention." He flashed the class a wry grin as he took a perch on the edge of his desk again. "Anyone not done with the last assignment," he looked pointedly at the rock and cowboy, "Can turn it in with this next one. We're movin' on." Vay smiled back at the rest of the class.

"So, we've got our personality more or less figured out, a bit on our family, touched our history, got some skills and follies. This next assignment is going to revisit some and bring them all together. We're going to take a more structured look at your background, put it together with your skills and personality to develop some preferences.

"Personal taste is a major factor in a person's life. It's part of what keeps us from being just like everyone else and often defines how we get along with the people around us. Now I'm not saying just because we like a different kind of ice cream we can't be friends but I am saying it's going to be difficult for us to get along if say, we like opposite types of activities. There's nothing we can do together and both be happy. People say opposites attract but that doesn't work when preferences are involved. We like people who like the same things, some more than others but at some point everyone has thought, 'Oh, you hate my favorite band. . . I like you less now.' It's human nature, don't be ashamed just be aware and try to keep an open mind.

"Because it's such an integral part of what makes us who we are you should include a few likes and dislikes in your characters. But rather than just making a list of favorite this and that, let's come up with some things that actually matter. And things that matter tend to be rooted in experience. Somewhere down the line something happened to cause you to love, or hate, certain things. Now they don't all have to be life altering changes or even important preferences. Take my wife's favorite flower (something every man should know).

"I learned early on her favorite flower was a tiny little blue thing that grows in pockets between rocks at high altitudes in cold climates. Like Alaska. We live in the South by the way. At first I figured her preference for the flower was just another example of her quirky, difficult, and often expensive nature seeing as it is almost impossible to find these flowers in stores and they absolutely do not grow in this climate. Then one night I couldn't sleep and through a series of clicks on Wikipedia came across the entry for this little flower. It's called a Forget-Me-Not and, as the name suggests, is one of the most bittersweetly romantic flowers in all existence. It was popularly used in Victoran times in funeral arrangements and as memorial pieces. Rings, pendents, and brooches featuring the flower were often worn in remembrance of a dead loved one, particularly a lost child. Knowing my wife, I knew she knew this already and started to wonder just why she liked such a morbid, impossible to find, little thing. So I asked her.

"Turns out when she was a little girl her great-grandmother had a porcelain Forget-Me-Not pendant that she always wore. Mel thought it was pretty and, being a young child, asked often if she could have it. Her great-grandmother always said no, it was very dear to her, and usually gave her candy instead. Then her great-grandmother died. Mel was about four. She was given the pendant. In time the memory of her great-grandmother's face faded. Her voice went quiet in forgotten memories. Even her smell was something only triggered by similar scents when old house would mix just right with bacon and floor polish (yeah, I don't get that mix either). All she had left was that pendant, those delicately painted little blue flowers. They came to be her great-grandmother as much as any old photograph. And that is why they are her favorite flower." Mr Vay paused to look out over the class briefly before continuing.

"Now then, you don't all need soppy little bits like that but I do want substance, something meaningful, and I would also like some meatier preferences - something that actually effects you more than a favorite something. You can have a few favorite somethings but they better have good stories behind them and you need at least one major preference to every minor one. What makes a major preference? Well, it's a measure of the effect it has on your life. For instance, a favorite color is minor as it really doesn't have a big play in the course of your life whereas a passion for music could lead you to the ill-advised career of being a musician," the teacher grinned wryly for that then shook his head before going on.

"Other factors in meaningful preferences are skill and personality. These should be taken into consideration as well. Most people tend to enjoy what they are good at and dislike things they can't do. Some are stubborn and try anyway but they don't tend to be major preferences - unless the person is in denial about their lack of skill. For the most part though the people will passions for an activity are fairly good at it. Sometimes someone will be good at something and hate it but there is usually a reason for that hate.

"As for personality, certain types tend to like certain things. Extroverts usually like a good party while introverts would rather enjoy a good book. We use preferences to define personalities so they should really match up," the teacher paused a moment letting them soak that up before continuing.

"So. What do I want from you? I want a list of preferences - at least five likes and five dislikes. You can have more but not less and each of them should fit your personality, take into account your skills, and have something in your background that caused them. Which means I also want your backgrounds. Some of you have already given me them in a form but to make things easier on everyone (mostly me) I want you to fill out this handy dandy History Sheet. Page 17 in the book I believe. Just fill it out and put your preference histories in there where they belong."

History Sheet
Birth
Date of Birth: [You can include day of the week and time if you like but I need the month, date, and year.]
Location: [where you were born]
Conditions: [any special conditions of your birth]
Childhood:
Location: [town/city/village/whatever location and did you live in a house, apartment, hovel, or on the streets?]
Conditions: [were you rich, poor, middle class, were both parents alive, was it a broken home, were you happy?]
Early Education: [Where did you go to primary school and how did you do there? If you did not go to school then why and what did you do instead?]
Middle Education: [Same as early but for middle school.]
Relationships: [Did you have any significant relationships at this time?]
Events: [anything interesting happen as a child?]
Teenage Years:
Location: [town/city/village/whatever location and did you live in a house, apartment, hovel, or on the streets?]
Conditions: [were you rich, poor, middle class, were both parents alive, was it a broken home, were you happy?]
Occupation: [Did you work at this time?]
Secondary Education: [Same as early but for high school.]
Relationships: [Did you have any significant relationships at this time?]
Events: [anything interesting happen as a teenager?]
Adulthood:
Location: [town/city/village/whatever location and did you live in a house, apartment, hovel, or on the streets?]
Conditions: [were you rich, poor, middle class, were you still living with your parents, were you happy?]
Occupation: [Did you work at this time?]
Higher Education: [Same as early but for college.]
Relationships: [Did you have any significant relationships at this time?]
Events: [anything interesting happen as an adult?]

The elf looked unsure but decided to trust Zane. She had no reason to believe he would lie to her when he'd been so polite to her earlier. But then the professor spoke up and told them about their next assignment. Reina sighed and turned to Evan to retrieve her sketchbook so that she could grab another sheet of paper. Although she was still angered by the last question, she wouldn't disobey the teacher. "Maybe once I'm done with this assignment."

History Sheet: Reina Trasfer
Birth
Date of Birth: August 26, 2706
Location: Vallendale
Conditions: She was born of two Sigil users, which was considered ominous.
Childhood: She tended to be alone. No one really wanted to play with her, so she learned to be creative on her own. She'd make up imaginary people who cared for her. Undiscovered worlds and alien species were created to keep her going, and because she wasn't very good at explaining herself, she turned to art to describe her ideas.
Location: Living in a small one story house.
Conditions: Both of her parents lived, and they were rather happy. Her mother worked for the city which let the family live relatively well. The family dynamic was rather odd in that her mother was the leader of their family unit (whereas other families were patriarchal), but this never bothered her.
Early Education: Vallendale Elementary
Middle Education: Vallendale Middle School
Relationships: She had none.
Events: There comes a time in a person's life where hardships lead to one of two options: rebellion or acceptance. Rather than fight with the other kids or fight to get her mother's understanding (who had never understood her daughter’s soft nature), Reina accepted the situation and learned to be extremely polite. If she were a polite girl, then people would get over their fears and realize she wasn't a bad person...right? Her manners became her defense, which some people eventually came to see as a good thing.
Teenage Years:
Location: Same house as in her childhood
Conditions: Her parents were still together, and the family retained middle class status.
Occupation: None
Secondary Education: Vallendale High School
Relationships: She had a friend named Flare, who also had Sigil user parents.
Events: It was at this point that Reina’s powers flared up. She got terrified by her abilities, but she learned to somewhat control them.
Adulthood:
Location: Vallendale
Conditions: She left the city to go on a quest. Much of her time is spent backpacking across the country. She is also learning how to use pistols since she cannot always rely on speed sketches.
Occupation: Higher Education: She never went to college. People usually tried to find places to apprentice from. She got caught in a mission before she found a place to apprentice from.
Relationships: She’s actually got a group of allies in the quest to prevent an apocalypse: Solar, Flare, and Phalanx. Solar is an awkward friendship since he is very rough around the edges, and Phalanx likes to try and tease her by acting suave.
Events: She got somewhat drunk one night and had a drawing tattooed on her back. Reina got someone else to do it for her after she supplied the drawing she wanted. Her parents never found out, and no one else has ever found it since it is always covered up.

Likes:
1) Pencils – it was her first artistic medium because they were cheap to get at the marketplace. However, it never really stopped the loneliness she felt. She thought it was fine because it gave her more time to perfect her artistic abilities. Reina still loves drawing with pencils because pencils were the only thing that never failed her - when she needed to leave notes or describe things with pictures. It gave her an outlet, and she will always remember pencils fondly for it.
2) Her father – he was always there to listen to her. He held her when she cried as a child, and he never pushed her to be something or someone she wasn’t.
3) Creating stories and characters – since she spent quite a bit of time alone as a child, she got really good at creating imaginary friends
4) Her hands
5) Camping – when she felt the need to get away, she would go camping in the forest nearby and just unwind. No one would catch her cry or yell (or try to tell her what to do like her mother), and she could draw to her heart’s content.

Dislikes:
1) Watercolor – as a child, something about the delicate colors used to sooth her. Each imperfection made the art unique; there would never be another like it again. As she got older, she started to hate the paleness of the colors and found them utterly sad. The splotches where her tears hit the paper made her feel ashamed. You couldn't hide imperfections in watercolor, which irritated her to end. A mistake was still a mistake, regardless of excuses.
2) The lack of understanding from her mother - The fact that her mother didn't understand Reina's suffering led her to believe that Reina wasn't good enough. If her own mother couldn't understand her, then there must have been something wrong with her.
3) Xenophobia
4) Bullies
5) Her shyness and apparent social awkwardness
6) Alcohol. Every single type. Doesn't matter what it is or how good it might taste to others, she will stay away from it like it is going to burn her. Seeing as her first experience with alcohol lead to her having a tattoo on her back, she thinks it would be a good idea to never drink ever again.

Once everything was written, she turned to the group still surrounding the rock creature. She stood up and very slowly put her arm on D'cund's arm. If anything was supposed to be happening, she couldn't tell.