Poem: "A Different Kind of QUILTBAG"
Oct. 26th, 2017 01:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the September 5, 2017 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from siliconshaman, kellan_the_tabby, and callibr8. It also fills the "pirates" square in my 9-1-17 card for the Pirates Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by ng_moonmoth. It belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics.
Warning: This poem contains some touchy topics. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. Life in a sharehouse is complicated to begin with, all the more so when supervillains and superheroes live together. This includes mirror twins, mixed-alignment relationships, people who have nowhere else to go, crappy pasts, references to past tragedy, traumatic grief, disgruntlement with India's caste system, a feral catgirl, reference to past mad science abuse and sexual slavery, anxiety, depression, shame, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.
"A Different Kind of QUILTBAG"
Ticker has seen the young Americans
traveling between the youth hostels with
their badges showing patchwork hearts.
He has learned that, like the Sankofa pins,
those mark people who are more likely
to be understanding about differences.
He doesn't chase them out of the Merry Wren.
He does ask them what the badge means,
and they explain the whole QUILTBAG acronym.
Ticker smiles at the explanation, because he
lives in a different kind of QUILTBAG, but
it's every bit as interesting as theirs.
Ireland has its own way of describing
people with superpowers and cape politics.
Ticker finds it hard to imagine how
other countries can get by with
only two or three terms for them --
white, black, and maybe gray.
Ireland has co-opted most of
the old Color Ogham to describe
the diversity of ethics and energies.
Ticker appreciates this because
he's sharing a house with most of them.
Cúirt Phíosála, they call the place,
Patchwork Manor or Patchwork Court.
It's a clever bit of word-cracking across
cuilt phíosála, a patchwork quilt.
Ticker freely admits that it was
the Merry Wren which gave him
the idea to try turning a safehouse
into an actual sharehouse, and
damn if it's not working.
Sure, they drive each other spare
as often as not, but so far there
have been no serious injuries,
and people have a place to stay
who wouldn't otherwise.
Diancecht "Dian" MacGillabrede
has red hair just a little lighter than
Ticker's own and gentle, precise hands.
He shares one of the two-bedroom flats
along with his partner Gaines Aldana
and their recently adopted son Sein.
Dian is a healer and an empath,
so pure that everyone calls him
irfind, the whitest of whites, and
he helps everyone get along.
He is their white stag, and
they try not to get mud on him.
Jarlath MacNiadh is another leader,
and sometimes he sparks off Ticker,
but they're good at such different things
that they try to work out their disagreements.
One thing that helps is that Jarlath and
his girlfriend Nainsi Magorian share
the other two-bedroom flat, fortunately
in a different wing than Ticker's room.
The other is that Jarlath is sodath,
his energy so fine-colored that it has
a satiny sheen like luxurious cloth,
a kind of kingly aura that inspires
other people to follow his lead --
sometimes even Ticker himself.
He is their role model, and they try
to live up to his example, or at least
live up to their own expectations.
Silfra lives on the third floor in a room
next door to her fraternal twin sister Eldrid.
They are equals, yet nearly opposites.
Silfra has blue eyes and blonde hair that
glow whenever she uses her Air Powers.
Like the fey of legend, she is sorcha,
a brightness that cannot be contained.
She is their lighthouse, and they
heed her warnings of dangerous shoals.
Quaid and his girlfriend Tlachtga share
the middle bedroom on the second floor.
They are easy to reach there, and
they help keep people balanced.
Quaid has super-strength and he
loves to save the day. He is bán,
the everyday white typical of heroes,
but he doesn't demand everyone else
give up their own ways to follow his.
He is their hero because of this,
and they try to be as gentle with
his needs as he is with theirs.
Nainsi is Jarlath's girlfriend,
and she always has his back.
She has everyone's back,
even though she doesn't
have any special powers.
She just likes to pitch in.
Nainsi is bánbhuí, cream,
the kind of off-white that goes
with everything. She is not into
cape politics but is favorably inclined
toward people with superpowers.
She is their neighbor, and
they try to make the community
comfortable for her in turn.
Bretta Terris lives in a little room
near the dormitory where they keep
the children and adolescents who
have nowhere else to go, and
sometimes adults as well.
Like Nainsi, Bretta is bánbhuí,
but she is also a bard, and as such
she uses her superpowers not for
saving the world but for inspiration.
She gives music lessons and, when
the mood strikes her, performances.
It helps keep the peace at home.
She is their muse, and they
try not to block her energy.
Gaines is devoted to his son Sein
and his platonic partner Dian. They
can ask him anything, but everyone else
has to wait patiently for him to offer.
He got enough nagging from his parents
growing up -- brilliant was never good enough
for them, and he is not a vending machine.
Yet it's Gaines who writes the software
that coordinates all the electronics in
Patchwork Manor, who programs
the lights and music in the disco, who
builds whatever adaptive equipment
someone happens to need this week.
He is liath, light gray, leaning white
but able to interface with gray or black ...
and you really don't want to piss him off.
He is their computer wizard, and
they try to appreciate the wonders
he works without hounding him for more.
Gormlaith looks like she walked out of
a legend with her tinted skin, pale blue hair,
and eyes the ever-changing color of the sea.
It was the sea where she and her father traveled
in her childhood, and the storm that swept them away,
from which only she returned. It was her Water Powers
that saved her, but could not save her father, and she
has never really forgiven them, or herself.
She is glas, blue and green, silver and gray,
dark and light. She is shifty, bountiful, and
dangerous like the sea itself. Her housemates
have learned to respect her, and she can relate
to all of them, for she is fluid enough to span
the spectrum in time with her own tides.
She is their siren, and they are enchanted
as much as daunted by her power, even as
they try to soothe her fathomless grief.
Tlachtga lives with her boyfriend Quaid
in the middle bedroom, accessible yet apart
from the light and dark wings of the manor.
She prefers it that way, because she
never wants to take a side in anything.
(Loving Quaid is taking a mate, not a side.)
Arguments remind her of her parents,
always fighting, never a good thing.
She is necht, the clarity of the true neutral,
and thus a trusted messenger as well as
a teleporter. Her housemates understand.
She is their go-between, and they know better
than to ask her to choose between them in disputes.
Animesh "Ani" Paraiya comes from India, but he
believes the caste system is bullshit. He is dalit, but
his superpower can glimpse what was or will be or
is mysterious, and so the brahmans hate him.
He is alad, piebald, and his alignment is
black and white in whole different fields.
He lives on the third floor, in
the lower left bedroom near
the ping-pong table and
his good friend Lalor.
His housemates understand
that his past has left him sensitive
to social divisions and craving touch, so they
turn to him when their skin gets hungry.
He is their advisor, and they try to heed
his counsel even when it is difficult.
Lalor grew up in the IRA and this is how
Ticker knows him, even though Ticker wasn't at
the fateful incident where attempts to sabotage
a chemical plant left Lalor with an ugly version
of Regeneration. He is mbracht, speckled.
Now he is one of Ticker's favorite enforcers,
living on the third floor next door to Ani
and across the hall from the twins.
It's fairly quiet up there, which is good,
because Lalor tends to hide when he's hurt,
even if some medical care would help him
feel better and heal faster. He's been rejected
too many times over his appearance to trust it.
He is their protector, but they are just as
protective of him when he needs it, and
they try not to hit him in the sore spots.
Gogarty is a mystery. That's the only name
she's given anyone, and it's obviously not
the one she was born with. She also has
an old tattoo in faded blue of a snake dancer
in classic hippie style on her right shoulder,
marked 1971, which she likes to claim as
her birth year, but nobody believes it.
They know she ages slowly, and
they know it got her kicked out of home,
even though she refuses to specify
exactly where or when that was.
She is a skilled spy and a capable fighter.
Over the years, she has amassed a lot
of money and information, which she
shares generously with her friends.
She likes Ticker and the IRA because
they don't mind her superpower and they
keep other people from pestering her.
She invests in their ventures and gets
a reasonable return. Everyone wins.
Gogarty is quiar, mouse-colored
and quiet. She is the plain gray
between black and white, and
she doesn't feel passionate
about any particular cause.
She is their enigma, and they try
to appreciate her for what she is,
instead of trying to crack her code.
Eldrid is fierce where her twin sister Silfra
is placid. They balance each other out,
and they refuse to split up even though
Eldrid leans dark while Silfra leans light.
They've heard enough horror stories of
"mirror twins" on opposite sides of the cape
who wound up fighting each other, and they
have no intention of repeating that mistake.
So they agree to disagree, and they both
try to avoid the temptation of extremism.
Eldrid is an artist, and her works
increasingly decorate the walls
of Patchwork Manor. She is
living proof that Fire Powers
can create as well as destroy.
She is dearg, lit from within and
glowing with intensity. When she
gathers her power, it spills outward in
ruddy light glinting from her eyes and hair,
and sometimes that scares people.
Her housemates don't care that
other folks are afraid of her, because
their home is full of fierce people.
She is their spark, and they
warm their hearts at her hearth
even as they keep watch
for her hot temper.
Dustbin is shy and retiring,
but also kind of creepy.
He's a cleaner, who works
for soups and mobsters when
they need someone to mop up
the mess that they just made.
He also volunteers to clean up after
suicides, murders, and other tragedies
when traumatized families can't
afford to hire professionals.
Dustbin has the bedroom between
Ticker and Gogarty, along with
the private office beside Ticker's.
That lets him handle organization
without wading through a crowd.
The walls are full of intricate calligraphy
in English, Gaelic, and even Ogham
and the room is always spotless.
Like Ticker, Dustbin is temen,
dark gray, a scary mercenary who
still has a light streak even though
most people have never seen it.
His housemates know it's there.
He is their backup in case of calamity,
the one they can call when everything
has gone to pot, and they try not
to make extra work for him.
The girl who is not to be called Pussy
(even though that was engraved on her collar
when they rescued her) is now housed in what
used to be the counseling room in the dormitory,
closest to the nurse's station at the head of the wing.
They gave her another name, Giolla Seireadan,
although she never seems to answer to it.
She looks much like a ginger cat with her bright fur,
slitted amber eyes, and sharp teeth and claws.
She hisses and scratches at anyone who comes
too close, or else hides underneath her bed.
She steals whatever she wants to have.
They sit with her anyway, hoping that
someday she will form a connection
with one of them, with anyone.
They don't count sexual exploitation
as real contact -- as well call it child abuse,
since she seems like a teenager, although
there's no way to tell her actual age. They're
pretty sure she was made in a mad science lab,
and that always complicates estimations.
Giolla is dubh, dark and dismal,
like so many other supervillains.
Dian mutters, "Dubhachas," and
theorizes that all supervillains are
trauma survivors one way or another,
which starts an argument that Ani
has to reach in and defuse, which
is awkward because Dian is
usually their mediator.
It is Ticker's turn to visit
Giolla, so he brings a book of
fairytales and reads to her about
the Cait Sidhe and the King of Cats.
Giolla doesn't like him, but she
hides under the desk next to his chair
instead of under the bed, and Ticker
feels so grateful he could just about cry.
She is their shame, the one they couldn't save,
although they will never give up trying to teach her
that Patchwork Manor is a safe and friendly place.
People call them pirates or paladins, and
tease them about flying a black flag (it's actually
confetti fabric, featuring all their colors) when
they take Gormlaith's yacht out to sea.
In defense of their critics, the red sail
with the giant sword on it does not help,
but Gormlaith loves French literature
and the Athos is a homage to that.
Ticker thinks of this when he is
cuddled up in the lower salon with
the rest of his housemates, watching
the reruns of Firefly season six.
It doesn't matter that other people
consider them superheroes or supervillains
or completely crazy. It only matters that
they get along with each other and would
not want to be anywhere else in the world.
Gormlaith is singing a favorite song,
and Ticker raises his voice to sing with her,
"It's a fool don't know that his family's his crew."
* * *
Notes:
Gaelic is remarkably well-set for colors, not just the usual, but ones that other languages don't even have words for. Now map these onto a cape spectrum:
irfind ("very white," a luminous or reflective quality) -- Unsullied Heroes like Stalwart Stan
sodath ("fine-colored," which can mean a satiny sheen as of luxurious cloth, or a kind of kingly aura) -- heroes who are inspiring and/or leaders
sorcha ("bright") -- people whose superpower tends to bleed off excess energy as visible light, typically in the silver or pale blue range; also fey energy
bán ("white) -- typical heroes
bánbhuí ("cream," sometimes rendered as off-white) -- what they call someone who isn't into cape politics but is favorably inclined, like a blue-plate healer; also supportive naries
liath ("light gray," sometimes said "silver-gray" or "light blue") -- someone who leans white but can interface with gray or black also, like the Finns; and you really don't want to cross these people
glas ("sea-colored," or any of its apparent colors such as blue, green, gray, silver, or dark; with connotations of being changeable, bountiful, and dangerous) -- people who command the respect of everyone, who can relate to the entire spectrum because they move fluidly through it and yet are offset in their way, like Valor's Widow
necht ("clear") -- the true neutrals, including some healers or teleporters who won't take a side in a fight at all, and some people who are known to the cape community but refuse to pick a side in its politics
alad ("piebald," referring to large-spotted patterns such as a pinto horse) -- people like Dr. Infanta who can be seen as white capes by some and black capes by others, if the speaker is inclined to acknowledge both perspectives
mbracht (variously rendered as "speckled" or "variegated," referring to small-spotted patterns such as merle or heather) -- people who are a mix of light and dark, rather than a smooth blend, tending to behave like white capes in some specific circumstances but black in others; consistent rather than changing
quiar ("mouse-colored," with connotations of quiet or camouflaged) -- typical gray capes, most of whom are involved but not passionate for a side or a cause
dearg ("red," but an orangey red like vermilion, "lit," "glowing," "intense") -- firebugs and/or people whose superpower gives off a golden or ruddy light; Irish slang for people with Fire Powers is "Red Hugh"
usgdha ("resinous," having a murky sheen and sticky texture) -- people with a particular quality of energy that makes you want to wipe your hands on your pants after touching them, like the Reamer
temen ("dark gray") -- scary mercenaries, but also people who would normally be thought of as darker but who have a light streak: assassins such as Stiletto or the Trashman
dubh ("black," but also "dismal") -- standard villains
huath ("terrible-colored," and variously mistranslated as *brown or *purple; it's used in reference to things like a killing bruise, a violent storm, or a murderer's eyes) -- whackjobs like the Mandible
The Irish are about as impressed with the typical three-step spectrum as English speakers are of a language that only names black, white, and red.
For color references, see "In Lebor Ogaim," "Expanded Ogham Guide," and "Irish Colours." Note that spelling and pronunciation vary.
* * *
Quaid (Kalen Rooney) -- He has fair skin, blue eyes, and short dark hair. He is 39 years old. He lives in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin, where he and his girlfriend Tlachtga (Bairre O'Buachalla) share the bedroom in the upper middle between the staircases on the second floor. A typical superhero, he loves saving the day. He is bisexual and secretly submissive.
Origin: His superpowers grew in gradually.
Uniform: On duty, Quaid wears a white jumpsuit with a gold krevel utility belt and gold-and-white boots, plus a cape of fringed wool in very subtle shades of white plaid, with a bit of gold thread running through it. Off duty, he favors white button-up shirts with dark pants.
Qualities: Good (+2) Bán, Good (+2) Citizen, Good (+2) Constitution, Good (+2) First Responder, Good (+2) Kinesthetic Intelligence
Poor (-2) Nosy
Powers: Average (0) Super-Strength
Motivation: To serve and protect.
In this picture, Quaid is the man in the white shirt.
Gormlaith (Muireann Mulryan) -- She has tinted skin, glas eyes, and long straight hair of pale blue. She is 22 years old. She lives in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin, in the room on the upper right of the second floor which overlooks the indoor swimming pool below. A talented singer, Gormlaith often performs at taverns, where she is quite popular. In her personal life, however, most people feel uneasy in her presence, which makes it difficult to have friends and family. She is arovague abrosexual, with attractions varying by mood. Among the more dramatic swings is a taste for rough heterosexual sex sometimes straying into hatesex when she's in a stormy mood, through aromantic queerplatonic interests when calm, into strongly woman-identified romance and soft erotic activity when she feels dreamy.
Origin: She grew up traveling with her father, and one day a storm swept their yacht out to sea. Her father and their crew died of exposure, and she almost did too, but then her superpowers saved her, washing the ship up on shore. She didn't exactly appreciate that at the time. It left her with cianalas, a melancholy sadness, the Gaelic term form traumatic grief; and that influenced her superpowers.
Uniform: On duty, Gormlaith wears a dexflan jumpsuit in shades of gray, green scaled boots, blue krevel gloves, a black-and-silver utility belt, and a cape of veil-thin capery in watercolor shades of blue and green. Off duty, her wardrobe is quite eclectic, but she loves cool colors, aquatic motifs, diaphanous or sparkly fabric, and big dangly earrings.
Qualities: Good (+2) Fan of French Literature, Good (+2) Glas, Good (+2) Going with the Flow, Good (+2) Musical Intelligence, Good (+2) Singer, Good (+2) Wealth
Poor (-2) Uncanny Aura
Powers: Average (0) Water Powers
Motivation: When you're going through hell, keep going.
cianalas (Scottish Gaelic)
Noun: cianalas m, gen cianalais
1. homesickness, sadness, melancholy, longing, nostalgia
-- Wordsense
Arovague - Is someone whose status as an aromantic is uncertain or affected by mood.
-- A List of Romantic Orientations
Abrosexual: having an orientation or feelings about it that constantly change and cannot be pinned down for this reason
-- A Complete List of All Tumblr Sexualities So Far
In this picture, Gormlaith is the woman in the middle with blue hair.
Tlachtga (Bairre O'Buachalla) -- She has tawny-fair skin, bright blue eyes, and long straight hair streaked in shades of lighter and darker blonde. She is 35 years old. She lives in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin, where she and her boyfriend Quaid (Kalen Rooney) share the bedroom in the upper middle between the staircases on the second floor. Bairre grew up in a dysfunctional family where her parents argued constantly and eventually divorced. Her father served in the Army, which made them move around constantly; her mother wanted to put down roots, but could not; and Bairre was torn between the two. She refused to take sides, and wound up estranged from both parents because each thought she favored the other. To this day, she refuses to take sides, and doesn't deal well with conflict. However, that makes Tlachtga very popular as a neutral party, both as a messenger and as a teleporter. She is bisexual and openly dominant, with a particular kink for clear vinyl and other transparent materials.
Origin: Secret military testing led to a sudden burst of light throughout the base. Some people began to sicken, including Bairre's mother, although the Army denied any connection between the events. Unlike many zetetic exposures, they didn't get much better even after leaving the base, and were left with chronic illness. Bairre developed superpowers.
Uniform: On duty, Tlachtga wears a white jumpsuit with short sleeves and long pants, short white boots, and a clear vinyl cape. Off duty, she wears casual women's clothes, and she likes denim.
Qualities: Good (+2) Christian, Good (+2) Messenger, Good (+2) Necht, Good (+2) Spatial Intelligence, Good (+2) Strength
Poor (-2) Coping with Conflict
Powers: Good (+2) Teleportation
Limitation: Tlachtga needs to make skin contact in order to carry a passenger. Her uniform is designed to protect against accidental contact.
Motivation: To keep the balance.
In this picture, Tlachtga is the woman in shorts on the far right.
Lalor (Marl O'Murdock) -- He has fair skin, brown eyes, and short curly brown hair. He is 33 years old. He lives in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin, in the lower right bedroom beside the private loft on the third floor, next door to his friend Ani. Lalor has grown up in the IRA and serves as an enforcer. Despite this, he is surprisingly gentle with plants, animals, and traumatized youth. His use of tobacco, alcohol, and other substances doesn't harm his body due to his superpowers, but often annoys other people. Lalor likes to combine them, frequently appearing with a cigarette in one hand and a drink in the other. However, he can walk into any pub and within minutes have a dozen new friends who will buy him drinks, sell him information, and keep him out of everyone else's hair for hours. At home, Lalor is sensitive about his appearance, and tends to hide while his body heals itself, even if medical attention would make the process quicker and eaiser. He is sex-repulsed asexual, generally uncomfortable with his body, and uneasy with relationships. Ani has managed to get inside his defenses anyhow.
Origin: Marl was an ordinary enforcer for the IRA until a fight broke out while they were trying to sabotage a chemical plant. Terrorism being a risky business, he was exposed to an unknown combination of toxins and left for dead. Eventually his superpower put him back together and he returned, only to have people scream and run away due to the appalling appearance of his body still healing itself. This is how he got his cape name: Lalor means "half-leper."
Uniform: His uniform includes a gray shirt, gray gloves, black pants, black krevel boots, and a wool cape woven in black, gray, and white merle. His balaclava is black at the base, medium gray in the middle, and light gray on top; he wears it with silver mirror sunglasses and a gray fox fur hat. He almost always wears spots, even off duty.
Qualities: Good (+2) Enforcer, Good (+2) Kinesthetic Intelligence, Good (+2) Mbracht, Good (+2) Pub Friends, Good (+2) Strength
Poor (-2) Substance Use Issues
Powers: Average (0) Regeneration
His ability is very effective at keeping him alive, but it's slow and ugly to watch. His flesh often takes on a lumpy, mottled appearance during repairs and it looks even worse if he uses points to speed up the process.
In this picture, Lalor is the man on the far left in the speckled shirt.
Gogarty -- She has tinted skin, dark gray eyes, and short black hair slicked back with gel. She hasn't told anyone a name other than Gogarty, which is obviously not the one she was born with. She has several tattoos, including a very old one on her right shoulder of a snake dancer in classic hippie style marked 1971, which she claims as her year of birth, but most people don't believe it. Gogarty has been around long enough to amass a lot of money and information, which she uses to excellent effect. She just doesn't feel passionate about any particular cause. She likes Ticker and the IRA because they don't try to drag her into the spotlight. She invests in their ventures, gets a reasonable return, and they keep people from pestering her. Gogarty lives in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin, in the lower left bedroom nearest the central hub on the second floor, beside Edric's room. If she has orientations, she hasn't specified any, and her activities tend to be eclectic. The one thing she doesn't do is look for permanent, exclusive relationships.
Origin: Once past puberty, her aging slowed dramatically, and became obvious within a few years. It got her kicked out of home, although she refuses to say where and when that was.
Uniform: On duty, she wears a gray double-breasted skirt suit with a gray fedora, dexflan face mask, gloves, and boots. Her wool cape is reversible, solid gray on one side and striped on the other.
Qualities: Master (+6) Wealth, Expert (+4) Existential Intelligence, Expert (+4) Spy, Good (+2) Do Not Notice Me, Good (+2) Hand-to-Hand Combat, Good (+2) Quiar
Powers: Good (+2) Slow Aging
Motivation: To get by.
In this picture, Gogarty is the woman third from the left in a black minidress.
Dustbin (Edric Dewayne) -- He has tinted skin, black eyes, and short dark hair. He is 27 years old. He lives in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin, in the lower left wing of the second floor, where he has the bedroom between Ticker and Gogarty. As a cleaner, Dustbin mops up after messes made by other soups and the IRA. On the light side, however, he also volunteers to clean up after suicides, murders, and other tragedies. Unlike some cleaners, he won't dispose of live victims, and he won't keep his mouth shut about someone murdering women or children. The police don't want to mess with him partly because he is quietly scary, and partly because he's the only cleaner in the Dublin area who does pro bono work for crime victims who can't afford to hire professionals after a messy death. As a hobby, Edric enjoys Celtic calligraphy including English, Gaelic, and Ogham along with zoomorphic figures and knotwork. He's shy and quiet, though, easily overwhelmed by other people. It doesn't help that many people find him creepy because of his job and general demeanor. Edric is mildly heterosexual but into watersports and some other odd kinks that make him unappealing to most potential partners. Consequently he prefers to hire professionals, and since he has plenty of money, everyone is quite happy with this arrangement.
Origin: Edric got his Super-Immunity from the Aegis vaccine base. He considers it quite an asset in such a dirty job.
Uniform: On duty, Dustbin wears a charcoal gray cape of wool over a charcoal gray janitorial jumpsuit with a black-and-gray utility harness, gray hat, black gloves, and gray muckboots. He carries patches from many different menial services to decorate his hat and jumpsuit. Off duty, he favors comfortable men's clothes in dark colors.
Qualities: Expert (+4) Cleaner, Good (+2) Celtic Calligraphy, Good (+2) Street Fighter, Good (+2) Temen
Poor (-2) Shy
Powers: Good (+2) Super-Immunity
Motivation: To go unnoticed.
In this picture, Dustbin is the second man from the left in all black.
Jarlath MacNiadh -- He has ruddy skin, blue eyes, and short brown hair that sticks up in tufts. He is 21 years old. He lives in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin, sharing the 2-bedroom apartment below Dian's with his girlfriend Nainsi Magorian. Jarlath uses the second bedroom as an office, although it has a hide-a-bed couch in case anyone needs extra sleeping space. He is heteroflexible vanilla.
Origin: He started out helping people with superpowers and it rubbed off on him.
Uniform: On duty, Jarlath wears a silver jumpsuit with a fine satin cape, a white krevel cap, and white krevel boots. Off duty, he likes bright colors and busy prints such as plaid.
Qualities: Good (+2) Activist, Good (+2) Fast, Good (+2) Interpersonal Intelligence, Good (+2) Sodath, Good (+2) Team Sports
Poor (-2) Being Alone
Powers: Good (+2) Superpower Manipulation
So far he has learned how to control his own energy, give and receive energy, temporarily share his superpowers with other people, and merge powers belonging to different people.
Limitation: He can only use his superpowers with other people if they are in close proximity (about a room-sized area) and already familiar with each other.
Motivation: Bringing people together.
In this picture, Jarlath is the second man from the left in the red-and-blue plaid.
Silfra (Heidi Varanger) -- She has pale skin, blue eyes, and long straight hair of wheat blonde. She is the older fraternal twin sister of Eldrid (Hilda Varanger). They are 18 years old. He lives in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin; Silfra has the upper left bedroom on the third floor, and her sister Eldrid has the upper right bedroom. Silfra is learning about garden plants with an eye toward feeding people, and she also enjoys raising epiphytes indoors.
They left their home in Norway because Eldrid was terrible at fitting in and Silfra wasn't much better. For a while they wandered around Europe staying in youth hostels, which has given Silfra a cosmopolitan flair. At one point they couldn't get a place to say, and since they had superpowers, someone quietly referred them to Patchwork Manor. They crashed in the second-floor dormitory for a while, then moved upstairs. Although Eldrid seems to be leaning dark while Silfra leans white, they are utterly unwilling to separate. They've heard horror stories of "mirror twins" on opposite sides of the cape who wound up fighting each other, and have no intention of repeating that mistake. So they agree to disagree, and they both try to avoid the tempation of extremism.
Furthermore, the twins are duosexual, only willing to get involved with a man attracted to both of them. So far they've had a lot of one-night-stands but no steady relationship. It's hard to find a match for both when the two of them are so different.
Origin: Her superpowers emerged at puberty.
Uniform: On duty, Silfra wears a light blue sport suit with a silver krevel utility belt, a holographic cape, and holographic boots. Off duty, she wears fashionable women's clothes.
Qualities: Good (+2) Calm, Good (+2) Cosmopolitan, Good (+2) Gardener, Good (+2) Naturalistic Intelligence, Good (+2) Sorcha
Powers: Average (0) Air Powers
When she has lots of energy, especially when she uses her superpowers, her hair and eyes give off a silvery light.
Motivation: To stay with her sister Hilda.
In this picture, Silfra is the second woman from the right in the black-and-white dress.
Nainsi Magorian -- She has fair skin, blue eyes, and golden-blonde hair with just a little wave. She is 20 years old. She lives in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin, sharing the 2-bedroom apartment below Dian's with her boyfriend Jarlath MacNiadh. Nainsi does her best to support Jarlath and other soups, maintaining relationships and encouraging them to take good care of themselves. However, she doesn't have much experience yet.
Qualities: Good (+2) Bánbhuí, Good (+2) Kinesthetic Intelligence, Good (+2) Massage Therapist, Good (+2) Neighborly, Good (+2) Stamina
Poor (-2) Inexperienced
In this picture, Nainsi is the second woman from the left in the flowered scarf.
Bretta Terris -- She has fair skin, brown eyes, and long straight brown hair. She is British. She is 19 years old. She lives in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin, in the room at the upper right of the dormitory, across from the nurse's station. She is a blue-plate music teacher. Bretta has allergies bad enough to require a special diet, so the smaller common kitchen and dining room on the first floor are reserved for hypoallergenic foods. She is heteroromantic heterosexual, but not currently in a relationship.
Origin: She entered a music competition in high school, and winning her seat activated her superpowers.
Uniform: Bretta wears a cream jumpsuit and cream boots with lacy cutout patterns, and a fringed cape of cream wool.
Qualities: Good (+2) Bánbhuí, Good (+2) Community Spirit, Good (+2) Languages, Good (+2) Limber, Good (+2) Teacher
Poor (-2) Severe Food Allergies
Powers: Average (0) Bard
Motivation: To spread the music.
In this picture, Bretta is the third woman from the left with dark brown hair.
Gaines Aldana -- He has caramel skin, brown eyes, and short dark hair with a beard and mustache. He wears glasses. He is Basque, from Spain. He is 24 years old. He is the queerplatonic partner of Diancecht "Dian" MacGillabrede. They have adopted an abused toddler named Sein from Spain. They live in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin, sharing the 2-bedroom apartment in the upper left corner. As smart as Gaines was, it was never good enough for his parents, who always pushed him to do more. He succeeded, but he's still very touch about being asked to do brain work. He volunteers all the time, though. Gaines is generally nonviolent, but turns ferocious in defense of his family or other vulnerable people -- and he can do devastating damage through the use of technology. He is homoromantic flexisexual, which means he likes to be with men but doesn't care what their sexual orientation is; as long as they're interested in him, he adapts to their sexuality. Since Dian is homoromantic asexual, that means Gaines is not having the usual sort of sex; but Dian is happy to provide orgasms using his Healing to manipulate his partner's nerves, so long as Dian doesn't have to engage his own genitals. Everyone enjoys this a great deal.
Origin: He bootstrapped himself from ordinary to super intelligence by designing a program to enhance mental function, and then working with it diligently.
Uniform: Gaines wears a light gray tracksuit with darker gray stripes, a gray toolbelt, and gray-and-black boots. His wool cape is reversible, light gray on one side and striped in shades of gray on the other.
Qualities: Expert (+4) Gizmology, Good (+2) Fast, Good (+2) Liath, Good (+2) Wealth
Poor (-2) Mierda! I Am Not a Vending Machine!
Powers: Average (0) Super-Intellect: Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
Motivation: To make things work.
In this picture, Gaines is the man on the far right in glasses.
Animesh "Ani" Paraiya -- He has sorrel skin, brown eyes, and short curly black hair. He is 35 years old. He lives in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin, where he has the lower left bedroom near the ping-pong table on the third floor. Ani works as an advisor, helping people make good choices. He craves skin contact and is good at sharing healthy touch. He is considered a superhero by the dalits and a supervillain by the brahmans, but he considers the whole caste system to be bullshit and his cape to be reversible. Ani is casually sexual, intensely omnisensual, and open to romance. He likes a wide variety of kinks as long as they provide plenty of physical stimulation without pain. Currently his deepest relationship is a close friendship with Lalor. Ani is currently studying first aid with Dian to learn how to take better care of Lalor and Giolla.
Origin: He was born with his superpowers.
Uniform: On duty, Ani wears a black-and-white spotted jacket over a white shirt and black pants, with white krevel gloves and black krevel boots. His krevel hat is quartered black-and-white. His wool cape is reversible, black on one side and white on the other. Off duty, he favors casual men's clothes in deep colors.
Qualities: Good (+2) Advisor, Good (+2) Alad, Good (+2) Healthy Touch, Good (+2) Intrapersonal Intelligence, Good (+2) Sitar Player
Poor (-2) The Caste System Is Bullshit
Powers: Average (0) Seer
Ani can see the unseen, the unknown, the numinous, the mysterious, the distant, the past and the future. He only gets glimpses, though. It still still drives the brahmans bugfuck, and they hate him for it.
Motivation: To fight the caste system.
In this picture, Ani is the man on the far left in the red plaid shirt.
Eldrid (Hilda Varanger) -- She has pale skin, amber eyes, and straight hair of strawberry blonde that falls just past her shoulders. She is left-handed. She is the younger fraternal twin sister of Silfra (Heidi Varanger). They are 18 years old. They live in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin; Eldrid has the upper right bedroom on the third floor, and her sister Silfra has the upper left bedroom. Although Eldrid is not particularly athletic, she enjoys sports and has a good sense of sportsmanship. She is also a talented artist.
They left their home in Norway because Eldrid was terrible at fitting in and Silfra wasn't much better. For a while they wandered around Europe staying in youth hostels. At one point they couldn't get a place to say, and since they had superpowers, someone quietly referred them to Patchwork Manor. They crashed in the second-floor dormitory for a while, then moved upstairs. Although Eldrid seems to be leaning dark while Silfra leans white, they are utterly unwilling to separate. They've heard horror stories of "mirror twins" on opposite sides of the cape who wound up fighting each other, and have no intention of repeating that mistake. So they agree to disagree, and they both try to avoid the tempation of extremism.
Furthermore, the twins are duosexual, only willing to get involved with a man attracted to both of them. So far they've had a lot of one-night-stands but no steady relationship. It's hard to find a match for both when the two of them are so different.
Origin: Her superpowers emerged at puberty.
Uniform: Eldrid wears a wool cape of red plaid with metallic red threads running through it over a black dexflan bodysuit and black ankle boots with silver studs.
Qualities: Good (+2) Artist, Good (+2) Dearg, Good (+2) Hand-Eye Coordination, Good (+2) Sportsmanship, Good (+2) Visual Learning Mode
Poor (-2) Fitting In
Powers: Average (0) Fire Powers
When she has lots of energy, especially when she uses her superpowers, her hair and eyes give off a ruddy light.
Motivation: To stay with her sister Heidi.
In this picture, Eldrid is the third woman from the right in the pink flowered dress.
Diancecht "Dian" MacGillabrede -- He has pale skin with freckles, blue eyes, and short wavy hair of vivid copper red. He wears a short beard and mustache. He is 29 years old. He is the queerplatonic partner of Gaines Aldana. They have adopted an abused toddler named Sein from Spain. They live in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin, sharing the 2-bedroom apartment in the upper left corner. Dian is homoromantic asexual. He enjoys men very much, but finds sexual activity distracting; for some reason, engaging his genitals tends to unbalance his energy. So instead, he uses his Healing ability to induce orgasms for Gaines, who is entirely happy with this situation.
Origin: His exploration of traditional Celtic herbalism awoke his superpowers.
Uniform: On duty, Dian wears a white satin cape and hat over scrubs of any color and style, with white krevel shoes. Off duty, he wears comfortable men's clothes, often in soft neutrals.
Qualities: Good (+2) Dexterity, Good (+2) Emotional Intelligence, Good (+2) Irfind, Good (+2) Mediator, Good (+2) Paramedic
Poor (-2) Sensitive Skin
Powers: Expert (+4) Healer, Good (+2) Empath
Limitation: Having an orgasm disrupts his energy to the point that he can't use his superpowers afterwards, until either 1) he meditates and uses a Hero Point to refocus himself, or 2) he has a shower, a meal, and a good night's sleep. Dian dislikes the feeling of disruption and finds that sex is not worth the amount of work required to clean up after it.
Motivation: Care and compassion.
Sein Aldana -- He has light brown skin, brown eyes, and short wavy hair of dark brown. His heritage is Basque. He is the adopted son of Gaines Aldana and Diancecht "Dian" MacGillabrede. He is 1 1/2 years old. Sein's traumatic past has left him anxious and ambivalent. However, he is starting to warm up to his new fathers.
Origin: Sein's parents abused him casually until he developed superpowers. Offended by the fact that the boy was suddenly much harder to hurt, his father picked him up by the arm and bashed him against a wall. Gaines Aldana witnessed this and called his superhero friends, who beat the crap out of the father and took the injured toddler to a healer. Gaines and his partner Dian later adopted Sein.
Uniform: Play clothes.
Qualities: Good (+2) Quiet
Poor (-2) Traumatic Childhood
Powers: Average (0) Toughness
Motivation: Survival.
Giolla Seireadan (formerly called Pussy) -- She has pinkish-fair skin, amber eyes, and straight ginger hair that falls just below her ears. She has strongly feline features that include slitted eyes, pointed ears, sharp teeth, gray nosepad and lips, and thick nonretractable claws on her hands and feet. Her age is unknown but resembles that of a human girl in her mid-teens, so they're calling it 15 years. She lives in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin, in the large dormitory room adjacent to the nurse's office, which used to be the counseling room.
Giolla was rescued from sexual slavery by some of her housemates, who believe that she was probably created for that purpose by a mad scientist. So far she has been unable and/or unwilling to connect with anyone else, but they refuse to give up. Her housemates take turns sitting with her while she snarls at them or hides under the bed, trying to show her that they're friendly. They don't even know her real name, if she has one. When they found her, she wore nothing but a collar that read Pussy. They cut it off and gave her a new name, but she doesn't answer to it. Her actual orientation(s), if any, remain unknown, having been obscured by sexual exploitation and presumed abusive/neglectful upbringing.
Origin: Mad science.
Uniform: Comfortable girl clothes. She gravitates to black when possible.
Qualities: Good (+2) Fast, Good (+2) Fierce, Good (+2) Sensual
Poor (-2) Dubh
Powers: Good (+2) Feline Features
She has the feline abilities of enhanced hearing, enhanced vision, bite/claw attack, balance, flexibility, jumping, and enhanced healing. And just to make things extra challenging, she only needs an hour or two of deep sleep per night, although she catnaps periodically through the day.
Vulnerability: Thus far, Giolla is stuck in feral mode. She behaves more like a cat than like a human -- pretty much the only human things she likes are clothes for the protection and more interesting food. She is violent in general and territorial in particular. She hisses and claws at anyone who comes near her. She is also strongly susceptible to catnip.
Motivation: Survival.
Ticker (Alroy Collins) -- He has fair skin with freckles, amber eyes, and short wavy red hair. He is tall and slim. He has numerous tattoos, including a melted clock over the back of his left hand, inspired by his Time Control gift. Ticker belongs to the branch of the IRA that is more-or-less precise in its use of terrorism to protest British dominion and bring justice where the courts won't. He is an ally of the Marionettes.
Origin: When Alroy was seventeen, his mother fell ill suddenly and was dying. There was no way to save her, and the family was scattered far and wide. His superpower manifested, buying enough time for the family to gather and say goodbye. Which was great until he passed out on the floor from overexertion, making everyone think they were about to lose another relative. They've never really relied on him knowing his own limits since then.
Uniform: Street clothes.
Qualities: Expert (+4) Revolutionary, Good (+2) Dexterity, Good (+2) Drinking Buddies, Good (+2) Spirited, Good (+2) Storyteller
Poor (-2) Nervous
Powers: Expert (+4) Time Control
Motivation: Irish freedom and reunification.
* * *
Cúirt Phíosála -- Patchwork Manor, or Patchwork Court
cuilt phíosála -- patchwork quilt
TORTHAÍ IN FOCLÓIR GAEILGE—BÉARLA
píosáil, v.t. (pres. -álann; vn. ~f, gs. -ála).Piece together, patch.
ABAIRTÍ IN FOCLÓIR GAEILGE—BÉARLA
obair
~ phaistí, phíosála, patchwork.
-- Foclóir Nua Béarla–Gaeilge
patchwork quilt
noun CRAFT, TEXT
cuilt phíosála
cuilt bhreac
-- New English-Irish Dictionary
cúirt, f. (gs. ~e, pl. ~eanna). 1. Court. (a)~rí, ríoga, royal court. (b)~bhreithiúnais, dlí, court of justice, of law. ~ achomhairc, court of appeal. ~ airm, court-martial. ~ bhréige, mock court, mock trial. ~ choiriúil, criminal court. ~ dlínse achoimre, court of summary jurisdiction. ~ éadála, prize-court. ~ ghearr, petty sessions. ~ íochtarach, lower court, court of first instance. ~ taifid, court of record. An ChúirtDúiche, Chuarda, Uachtarach, the District, Circuit, Supreme, Court. ~ a chur ardhuine, (i) to try s.o. in court, (ii) to sue s.o. Dul, teacht, os comhair ~e, to appear in court. ~ ina suí, court in session. I g~ iata, phoiblí, in camera, in open court.(c)~eaglasta, ecclesiastical court. ~ easpaig, episcopal court. (d)~ éigse, bardic court. (e) Cara, focal, sa chúirt, (backstairs) influence. 2. ~, teach ~e, courthouse. 3.Manor-house, mansion. Hist:~ bharúin, baronial court. 4. Courtyard. ~ caisleáin, the courtyard of a castle. 5. ~ imeartha, leadóige, playing-, tennis-, court.
-- Foclóir Nua Béarla–Gaeilge
See the exterior of Patchwork Manor and the basement floor plan.
On the first floor, the little circle beside the helipad is a teleport pad. The arrow points north, showing that the wide angles of the house are oriented east and west to catch the sunrise and sunset. The square office at the near end of the dance hall is a quiet room with insulated walls. The small kitchen and the small dining room adjacent to the salon are reserved for hypoallergenic foods and people with food allergies. The larger kitchen and dining room below them are for general dining.
On the second floor, Gaines Aldana, Diancecht "Dian" MacGillabrede, and their son Sein share the 2-bedroom apartment in the upper left. Jarlath MacNiadh and Nainsi Magorian have the matching apartment across the hall. Ticker has the big bedroom on the lower left with the private office. Dustbin (Edric Dewayne) has the bedroom next to Ticker's and the matching office. Gogarty has the bedroom next to Edric's room. Quaid (Kalen Rooney) and Tlachtga (Bairre O'Buachalla) share the bedroom in the upper middle between the staircases. Gormlaith (Muireann Mulryan) has the bedroom in the upper right. Bretta Terris has the room at the upper right of the dormitory, across from the nurse's station. Giolla Seireadan has the dormitory room adjacent to the nurse's station.
On the third floor, Silfra (Heidi Varanger) has the upper left bedroom, and her sister Eldrid (Hilda Varanger) has the upper right bedroom. Animesh "Ani" Paraiya has the lower left bedroom near the ping-pong table. Lalor (Marl O'Murdock) has the lower right bedroom.
See the specifications, side plan, and deck plan for the yacht Athos. In this picture you can see the deck better. Here are the bow nets, side stairs, and stern boarding.
This is the wraparound seating looking toward the stern and toward the office. The master office has a desk and seating. The dining room has two seating areas and a control panel. This sitting area has a cinema.
Several of these benches appear on the deck. See the cockpit looking toward the wheel and toward the dining room. Here are the navigation console and wheel. This is the engine exhaust.
Going downstairs, you come to the guest lobby and its doors. These are the double bedrooms. See double bedroom #1 and its bathroom; double bedroom #2 has the same style of bathroom. The master suite has a bedroom, study, and ensuite with a shower and a bathtub. This is the twin suite and its ensuite.
In the lower salon, the panel over the fireplace lifts out to reveal the viewscreen. The galley provides cooking space.
A QUILTBAG Club covers the full range of sexual orientations. Here is a pattern for the nine-patch heart often used as an emblem. Youthspace and the QUILTBAG Babysitters Club are examples of similar organizations here. Read about starting a QUILTBAG group.
Sankofa Club is a multicultural club, it's named for an African symbol that means "If you forgot it, go back and get it." Sankofa grew out of the Civil Rights Movement and is a key source of T-America's better race relations. Many schools and community centers have a Sankofa Club, where members can present interesting bits of their own culture and explore those of their friends. A Sankofa Home is a group home for children, offering long-term foster care. The goal is to create a permanent placement for children who are unlikely or unable to be adopted, with a mix of many ethnicities. A typical home has about 12 children and 4 houseparents, although size varies depending on the facility. A Sankofa House is a student residence at college, which may be like a fraternity or sorority house, or co-ed. Most hold between 10 to 15 students, although the larger ones go up to 25, again aiming for a rich ethnic mix. They customarily have a housemother and a housefather, although larger houses may add extra staff as aunties, uncles, or specialists.
Safehouse is a more polite word for lair, and can apply to any secret sanctuary, but most often a house or apartment.
A sharehouse is communal living on a small scale: a household made of people who are not all related. It works for some people but not everyone. There are tips and apps to help make it comfortable.
The white stag is sacred in Celtic mythology. Interestingly, it is said to appear when a taboo has been broken. Presumably superheroes and supervillains living together is breaking all kinds of taboos. But it's working.
The Fey or Faery are mystical people in Celtic lore.
Bards are mystical musicians with historic as well as super references. Learn how to become a bard.
Computer wizard is one of many terms for people who excel at technology, as mentioned in this list of famous hackers. It is best described in the song "World Inside the Crystal," which you can enjoy on YouTube. Read about becoming a computer wizard. Note that this is one of the places where magic and science meet, because in cyberspace, things written in programming language literally become what they name. You create a firewall by telling some energy that it is a wall, and it believes you, so it keeps out whatever you tell it to keep out.
A siren is a type of mermaid with an enchanting voice.
The caste system has been outlawed in local-India, but it still causes serious problems. This is one of the rare cases where Terramagne isn't ahead of local-Earth: T-India hasn't explicitly banned the caste system, although it is increasingly seen as backwards and undesirable. Dalit or Untouchable is not the lowest caste, but rather outcaste -- not even good enough to be counted in the system. Attitudes are slowly changing. Many Indians are unwilling to wait and are converting to Christianity, Islam, or other religions to escape. The latter probably comprise a steady flow of soups into the Maldives, where of course converts to Islam are showered with praise and welcome. However, emigration doesn't always allow people to escape the caste system, no matter how much bullshit they think it is.
Skin hunger happens when people don't get enough contact. Here are some ways of exchanging healthy touch.
Catgirls may fall into the trope of Petting Zoo People, or other categories, in this case with feline physiology. Among the reasons why people love catgirls is that the nonhuman features legitimize objectification. This is much more of a problem in Terramagne than here. Anthropomorphic powers are quite common, and a handful of types such as cat and rabbit are consistently seen as sex objects.
Dubhachas (melancholia, depression, the "Celtic blacks")
-- Wordsense Dictionary
Cait Sidhe or Cat Sìth are feline faeries. The Kellas cat, a type of wild feline, is associated with them. "The King of the Cats" is a fairytale appearing in many versions across several cultures. Read more about cats in Celtic lore.
This is the confetti flag.
Athos was originally a character in The Three Musketeers.
"It's a fool don't know that his family's his crew" is a line from "Mal's Song" by Vixy & Tony. It comes from the TV series Firefly.
siliconshaman, kellan_the_tabby, and callibr8. It also fills the "pirates" square in my 9-1-17 card for the Pirates Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by ng_moonmoth. It belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics.Warning: This poem contains some touchy topics. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. Life in a sharehouse is complicated to begin with, all the more so when supervillains and superheroes live together. This includes mirror twins, mixed-alignment relationships, people who have nowhere else to go, crappy pasts, references to past tragedy, traumatic grief, disgruntlement with India's caste system, a feral catgirl, reference to past mad science abuse and sexual slavery, anxiety, depression, shame, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.
"A Different Kind of QUILTBAG"
Ticker has seen the young Americans
traveling between the youth hostels with
their badges showing patchwork hearts.
He has learned that, like the Sankofa pins,
those mark people who are more likely
to be understanding about differences.
He doesn't chase them out of the Merry Wren.
He does ask them what the badge means,
and they explain the whole QUILTBAG acronym.
Ticker smiles at the explanation, because he
lives in a different kind of QUILTBAG, but
it's every bit as interesting as theirs.
Ireland has its own way of describing
people with superpowers and cape politics.
Ticker finds it hard to imagine how
other countries can get by with
only two or three terms for them --
white, black, and maybe gray.
Ireland has co-opted most of
the old Color Ogham to describe
the diversity of ethics and energies.
Ticker appreciates this because
he's sharing a house with most of them.
Cúirt Phíosála, they call the place,
Patchwork Manor or Patchwork Court.
It's a clever bit of word-cracking across
cuilt phíosála, a patchwork quilt.
Ticker freely admits that it was
the Merry Wren which gave him
the idea to try turning a safehouse
into an actual sharehouse, and
damn if it's not working.
Sure, they drive each other spare
as often as not, but so far there
have been no serious injuries,
and people have a place to stay
who wouldn't otherwise.
Diancecht "Dian" MacGillabrede
has red hair just a little lighter than
Ticker's own and gentle, precise hands.
He shares one of the two-bedroom flats
along with his partner Gaines Aldana
and their recently adopted son Sein.
Dian is a healer and an empath,
so pure that everyone calls him
irfind, the whitest of whites, and
he helps everyone get along.
He is their white stag, and
they try not to get mud on him.
Jarlath MacNiadh is another leader,
and sometimes he sparks off Ticker,
but they're good at such different things
that they try to work out their disagreements.
One thing that helps is that Jarlath and
his girlfriend Nainsi Magorian share
the other two-bedroom flat, fortunately
in a different wing than Ticker's room.
The other is that Jarlath is sodath,
his energy so fine-colored that it has
a satiny sheen like luxurious cloth,
a kind of kingly aura that inspires
other people to follow his lead --
sometimes even Ticker himself.
He is their role model, and they try
to live up to his example, or at least
live up to their own expectations.
Silfra lives on the third floor in a room
next door to her fraternal twin sister Eldrid.
They are equals, yet nearly opposites.
Silfra has blue eyes and blonde hair that
glow whenever she uses her Air Powers.
Like the fey of legend, she is sorcha,
a brightness that cannot be contained.
She is their lighthouse, and they
heed her warnings of dangerous shoals.
Quaid and his girlfriend Tlachtga share
the middle bedroom on the second floor.
They are easy to reach there, and
they help keep people balanced.
Quaid has super-strength and he
loves to save the day. He is bán,
the everyday white typical of heroes,
but he doesn't demand everyone else
give up their own ways to follow his.
He is their hero because of this,
and they try to be as gentle with
his needs as he is with theirs.
Nainsi is Jarlath's girlfriend,
and she always has his back.
She has everyone's back,
even though she doesn't
have any special powers.
She just likes to pitch in.
Nainsi is bánbhuí, cream,
the kind of off-white that goes
with everything. She is not into
cape politics but is favorably inclined
toward people with superpowers.
She is their neighbor, and
they try to make the community
comfortable for her in turn.
Bretta Terris lives in a little room
near the dormitory where they keep
the children and adolescents who
have nowhere else to go, and
sometimes adults as well.
Like Nainsi, Bretta is bánbhuí,
but she is also a bard, and as such
she uses her superpowers not for
saving the world but for inspiration.
She gives music lessons and, when
the mood strikes her, performances.
It helps keep the peace at home.
She is their muse, and they
try not to block her energy.
Gaines is devoted to his son Sein
and his platonic partner Dian. They
can ask him anything, but everyone else
has to wait patiently for him to offer.
He got enough nagging from his parents
growing up -- brilliant was never good enough
for them, and he is not a vending machine.
Yet it's Gaines who writes the software
that coordinates all the electronics in
Patchwork Manor, who programs
the lights and music in the disco, who
builds whatever adaptive equipment
someone happens to need this week.
He is liath, light gray, leaning white
but able to interface with gray or black ...
and you really don't want to piss him off.
He is their computer wizard, and
they try to appreciate the wonders
he works without hounding him for more.
Gormlaith looks like she walked out of
a legend with her tinted skin, pale blue hair,
and eyes the ever-changing color of the sea.
It was the sea where she and her father traveled
in her childhood, and the storm that swept them away,
from which only she returned. It was her Water Powers
that saved her, but could not save her father, and she
has never really forgiven them, or herself.
She is glas, blue and green, silver and gray,
dark and light. She is shifty, bountiful, and
dangerous like the sea itself. Her housemates
have learned to respect her, and she can relate
to all of them, for she is fluid enough to span
the spectrum in time with her own tides.
She is their siren, and they are enchanted
as much as daunted by her power, even as
they try to soothe her fathomless grief.
Tlachtga lives with her boyfriend Quaid
in the middle bedroom, accessible yet apart
from the light and dark wings of the manor.
She prefers it that way, because she
never wants to take a side in anything.
(Loving Quaid is taking a mate, not a side.)
Arguments remind her of her parents,
always fighting, never a good thing.
She is necht, the clarity of the true neutral,
and thus a trusted messenger as well as
a teleporter. Her housemates understand.
She is their go-between, and they know better
than to ask her to choose between them in disputes.
Animesh "Ani" Paraiya comes from India, but he
believes the caste system is bullshit. He is dalit, but
his superpower can glimpse what was or will be or
is mysterious, and so the brahmans hate him.
He is alad, piebald, and his alignment is
black and white in whole different fields.
He lives on the third floor, in
the lower left bedroom near
the ping-pong table and
his good friend Lalor.
His housemates understand
that his past has left him sensitive
to social divisions and craving touch, so they
turn to him when their skin gets hungry.
He is their advisor, and they try to heed
his counsel even when it is difficult.
Lalor grew up in the IRA and this is how
Ticker knows him, even though Ticker wasn't at
the fateful incident where attempts to sabotage
a chemical plant left Lalor with an ugly version
of Regeneration. He is mbracht, speckled.
Now he is one of Ticker's favorite enforcers,
living on the third floor next door to Ani
and across the hall from the twins.
It's fairly quiet up there, which is good,
because Lalor tends to hide when he's hurt,
even if some medical care would help him
feel better and heal faster. He's been rejected
too many times over his appearance to trust it.
He is their protector, but they are just as
protective of him when he needs it, and
they try not to hit him in the sore spots.
Gogarty is a mystery. That's the only name
she's given anyone, and it's obviously not
the one she was born with. She also has
an old tattoo in faded blue of a snake dancer
in classic hippie style on her right shoulder,
marked 1971, which she likes to claim as
her birth year, but nobody believes it.
They know she ages slowly, and
they know it got her kicked out of home,
even though she refuses to specify
exactly where or when that was.
She is a skilled spy and a capable fighter.
Over the years, she has amassed a lot
of money and information, which she
shares generously with her friends.
She likes Ticker and the IRA because
they don't mind her superpower and they
keep other people from pestering her.
She invests in their ventures and gets
a reasonable return. Everyone wins.
Gogarty is quiar, mouse-colored
and quiet. She is the plain gray
between black and white, and
she doesn't feel passionate
about any particular cause.
She is their enigma, and they try
to appreciate her for what she is,
instead of trying to crack her code.
Eldrid is fierce where her twin sister Silfra
is placid. They balance each other out,
and they refuse to split up even though
Eldrid leans dark while Silfra leans light.
They've heard enough horror stories of
"mirror twins" on opposite sides of the cape
who wound up fighting each other, and they
have no intention of repeating that mistake.
So they agree to disagree, and they both
try to avoid the temptation of extremism.
Eldrid is an artist, and her works
increasingly decorate the walls
of Patchwork Manor. She is
living proof that Fire Powers
can create as well as destroy.
She is dearg, lit from within and
glowing with intensity. When she
gathers her power, it spills outward in
ruddy light glinting from her eyes and hair,
and sometimes that scares people.
Her housemates don't care that
other folks are afraid of her, because
their home is full of fierce people.
She is their spark, and they
warm their hearts at her hearth
even as they keep watch
for her hot temper.
Dustbin is shy and retiring,
but also kind of creepy.
He's a cleaner, who works
for soups and mobsters when
they need someone to mop up
the mess that they just made.
He also volunteers to clean up after
suicides, murders, and other tragedies
when traumatized families can't
afford to hire professionals.
Dustbin has the bedroom between
Ticker and Gogarty, along with
the private office beside Ticker's.
That lets him handle organization
without wading through a crowd.
The walls are full of intricate calligraphy
in English, Gaelic, and even Ogham
and the room is always spotless.
Like Ticker, Dustbin is temen,
dark gray, a scary mercenary who
still has a light streak even though
most people have never seen it.
His housemates know it's there.
He is their backup in case of calamity,
the one they can call when everything
has gone to pot, and they try not
to make extra work for him.
The girl who is not to be called Pussy
(even though that was engraved on her collar
when they rescued her) is now housed in what
used to be the counseling room in the dormitory,
closest to the nurse's station at the head of the wing.
They gave her another name, Giolla Seireadan,
although she never seems to answer to it.
She looks much like a ginger cat with her bright fur,
slitted amber eyes, and sharp teeth and claws.
She hisses and scratches at anyone who comes
too close, or else hides underneath her bed.
She steals whatever she wants to have.
They sit with her anyway, hoping that
someday she will form a connection
with one of them, with anyone.
They don't count sexual exploitation
as real contact -- as well call it child abuse,
since she seems like a teenager, although
there's no way to tell her actual age. They're
pretty sure she was made in a mad science lab,
and that always complicates estimations.
Giolla is dubh, dark and dismal,
like so many other supervillains.
Dian mutters, "Dubhachas," and
theorizes that all supervillains are
trauma survivors one way or another,
which starts an argument that Ani
has to reach in and defuse, which
is awkward because Dian is
usually their mediator.
It is Ticker's turn to visit
Giolla, so he brings a book of
fairytales and reads to her about
the Cait Sidhe and the King of Cats.
Giolla doesn't like him, but she
hides under the desk next to his chair
instead of under the bed, and Ticker
feels so grateful he could just about cry.
She is their shame, the one they couldn't save,
although they will never give up trying to teach her
that Patchwork Manor is a safe and friendly place.
People call them pirates or paladins, and
tease them about flying a black flag (it's actually
confetti fabric, featuring all their colors) when
they take Gormlaith's yacht out to sea.
In defense of their critics, the red sail
with the giant sword on it does not help,
but Gormlaith loves French literature
and the Athos is a homage to that.
Ticker thinks of this when he is
cuddled up in the lower salon with
the rest of his housemates, watching
the reruns of Firefly season six.
It doesn't matter that other people
consider them superheroes or supervillains
or completely crazy. It only matters that
they get along with each other and would
not want to be anywhere else in the world.
Gormlaith is singing a favorite song,
and Ticker raises his voice to sing with her,
"It's a fool don't know that his family's his crew."
* * *
Notes:
Gaelic is remarkably well-set for colors, not just the usual, but ones that other languages don't even have words for. Now map these onto a cape spectrum:
irfind ("very white," a luminous or reflective quality) -- Unsullied Heroes like Stalwart Stan
sodath ("fine-colored," which can mean a satiny sheen as of luxurious cloth, or a kind of kingly aura) -- heroes who are inspiring and/or leaders
sorcha ("bright") -- people whose superpower tends to bleed off excess energy as visible light, typically in the silver or pale blue range; also fey energy
bán ("white) -- typical heroes
bánbhuí ("cream," sometimes rendered as off-white) -- what they call someone who isn't into cape politics but is favorably inclined, like a blue-plate healer; also supportive naries
liath ("light gray," sometimes said "silver-gray" or "light blue") -- someone who leans white but can interface with gray or black also, like the Finns; and you really don't want to cross these people
glas ("sea-colored," or any of its apparent colors such as blue, green, gray, silver, or dark; with connotations of being changeable, bountiful, and dangerous) -- people who command the respect of everyone, who can relate to the entire spectrum because they move fluidly through it and yet are offset in their way, like Valor's Widow
necht ("clear") -- the true neutrals, including some healers or teleporters who won't take a side in a fight at all, and some people who are known to the cape community but refuse to pick a side in its politics
alad ("piebald," referring to large-spotted patterns such as a pinto horse) -- people like Dr. Infanta who can be seen as white capes by some and black capes by others, if the speaker is inclined to acknowledge both perspectives
mbracht (variously rendered as "speckled" or "variegated," referring to small-spotted patterns such as merle or heather) -- people who are a mix of light and dark, rather than a smooth blend, tending to behave like white capes in some specific circumstances but black in others; consistent rather than changing
quiar ("mouse-colored," with connotations of quiet or camouflaged) -- typical gray capes, most of whom are involved but not passionate for a side or a cause
dearg ("red," but an orangey red like vermilion, "lit," "glowing," "intense") -- firebugs and/or people whose superpower gives off a golden or ruddy light; Irish slang for people with Fire Powers is "Red Hugh"
usgdha ("resinous," having a murky sheen and sticky texture) -- people with a particular quality of energy that makes you want to wipe your hands on your pants after touching them, like the Reamer
temen ("dark gray") -- scary mercenaries, but also people who would normally be thought of as darker but who have a light streak: assassins such as Stiletto or the Trashman
dubh ("black," but also "dismal") -- standard villains
huath ("terrible-colored," and variously mistranslated as *brown or *purple; it's used in reference to things like a killing bruise, a violent storm, or a murderer's eyes) -- whackjobs like the Mandible
The Irish are about as impressed with the typical three-step spectrum as English speakers are of a language that only names black, white, and red.
For color references, see "In Lebor Ogaim," "Expanded Ogham Guide," and "Irish Colours." Note that spelling and pronunciation vary.
* * *
Quaid (Kalen Rooney) -- He has fair skin, blue eyes, and short dark hair. He is 39 years old. He lives in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin, where he and his girlfriend Tlachtga (Bairre O'Buachalla) share the bedroom in the upper middle between the staircases on the second floor. A typical superhero, he loves saving the day. He is bisexual and secretly submissive.
Origin: His superpowers grew in gradually.
Uniform: On duty, Quaid wears a white jumpsuit with a gold krevel utility belt and gold-and-white boots, plus a cape of fringed wool in very subtle shades of white plaid, with a bit of gold thread running through it. Off duty, he favors white button-up shirts with dark pants.
Qualities: Good (+2) Bán, Good (+2) Citizen, Good (+2) Constitution, Good (+2) First Responder, Good (+2) Kinesthetic Intelligence
Poor (-2) Nosy
Powers: Average (0) Super-Strength
Motivation: To serve and protect.
In this picture, Quaid is the man in the white shirt.
Gormlaith (Muireann Mulryan) -- She has tinted skin, glas eyes, and long straight hair of pale blue. She is 22 years old. She lives in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin, in the room on the upper right of the second floor which overlooks the indoor swimming pool below. A talented singer, Gormlaith often performs at taverns, where she is quite popular. In her personal life, however, most people feel uneasy in her presence, which makes it difficult to have friends and family. She is arovague abrosexual, with attractions varying by mood. Among the more dramatic swings is a taste for rough heterosexual sex sometimes straying into hatesex when she's in a stormy mood, through aromantic queerplatonic interests when calm, into strongly woman-identified romance and soft erotic activity when she feels dreamy.
Origin: She grew up traveling with her father, and one day a storm swept their yacht out to sea. Her father and their crew died of exposure, and she almost did too, but then her superpowers saved her, washing the ship up on shore. She didn't exactly appreciate that at the time. It left her with cianalas, a melancholy sadness, the Gaelic term form traumatic grief; and that influenced her superpowers.
Uniform: On duty, Gormlaith wears a dexflan jumpsuit in shades of gray, green scaled boots, blue krevel gloves, a black-and-silver utility belt, and a cape of veil-thin capery in watercolor shades of blue and green. Off duty, her wardrobe is quite eclectic, but she loves cool colors, aquatic motifs, diaphanous or sparkly fabric, and big dangly earrings.
Qualities: Good (+2) Fan of French Literature, Good (+2) Glas, Good (+2) Going with the Flow, Good (+2) Musical Intelligence, Good (+2) Singer, Good (+2) Wealth
Poor (-2) Uncanny Aura
Powers: Average (0) Water Powers
Motivation: When you're going through hell, keep going.
cianalas (Scottish Gaelic)
Noun: cianalas m, gen cianalais
1. homesickness, sadness, melancholy, longing, nostalgia
-- Wordsense
Arovague - Is someone whose status as an aromantic is uncertain or affected by mood.
-- A List of Romantic Orientations
Abrosexual: having an orientation or feelings about it that constantly change and cannot be pinned down for this reason
-- A Complete List of All Tumblr Sexualities So Far
In this picture, Gormlaith is the woman in the middle with blue hair.
Tlachtga (Bairre O'Buachalla) -- She has tawny-fair skin, bright blue eyes, and long straight hair streaked in shades of lighter and darker blonde. She is 35 years old. She lives in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin, where she and her boyfriend Quaid (Kalen Rooney) share the bedroom in the upper middle between the staircases on the second floor. Bairre grew up in a dysfunctional family where her parents argued constantly and eventually divorced. Her father served in the Army, which made them move around constantly; her mother wanted to put down roots, but could not; and Bairre was torn between the two. She refused to take sides, and wound up estranged from both parents because each thought she favored the other. To this day, she refuses to take sides, and doesn't deal well with conflict. However, that makes Tlachtga very popular as a neutral party, both as a messenger and as a teleporter. She is bisexual and openly dominant, with a particular kink for clear vinyl and other transparent materials.
Origin: Secret military testing led to a sudden burst of light throughout the base. Some people began to sicken, including Bairre's mother, although the Army denied any connection between the events. Unlike many zetetic exposures, they didn't get much better even after leaving the base, and were left with chronic illness. Bairre developed superpowers.
Uniform: On duty, Tlachtga wears a white jumpsuit with short sleeves and long pants, short white boots, and a clear vinyl cape. Off duty, she wears casual women's clothes, and she likes denim.
Qualities: Good (+2) Christian, Good (+2) Messenger, Good (+2) Necht, Good (+2) Spatial Intelligence, Good (+2) Strength
Poor (-2) Coping with Conflict
Powers: Good (+2) Teleportation
Limitation: Tlachtga needs to make skin contact in order to carry a passenger. Her uniform is designed to protect against accidental contact.
Motivation: To keep the balance.
In this picture, Tlachtga is the woman in shorts on the far right.
Lalor (Marl O'Murdock) -- He has fair skin, brown eyes, and short curly brown hair. He is 33 years old. He lives in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin, in the lower right bedroom beside the private loft on the third floor, next door to his friend Ani. Lalor has grown up in the IRA and serves as an enforcer. Despite this, he is surprisingly gentle with plants, animals, and traumatized youth. His use of tobacco, alcohol, and other substances doesn't harm his body due to his superpowers, but often annoys other people. Lalor likes to combine them, frequently appearing with a cigarette in one hand and a drink in the other. However, he can walk into any pub and within minutes have a dozen new friends who will buy him drinks, sell him information, and keep him out of everyone else's hair for hours. At home, Lalor is sensitive about his appearance, and tends to hide while his body heals itself, even if medical attention would make the process quicker and eaiser. He is sex-repulsed asexual, generally uncomfortable with his body, and uneasy with relationships. Ani has managed to get inside his defenses anyhow.
Origin: Marl was an ordinary enforcer for the IRA until a fight broke out while they were trying to sabotage a chemical plant. Terrorism being a risky business, he was exposed to an unknown combination of toxins and left for dead. Eventually his superpower put him back together and he returned, only to have people scream and run away due to the appalling appearance of his body still healing itself. This is how he got his cape name: Lalor means "half-leper."
Uniform: His uniform includes a gray shirt, gray gloves, black pants, black krevel boots, and a wool cape woven in black, gray, and white merle. His balaclava is black at the base, medium gray in the middle, and light gray on top; he wears it with silver mirror sunglasses and a gray fox fur hat. He almost always wears spots, even off duty.
Qualities: Good (+2) Enforcer, Good (+2) Kinesthetic Intelligence, Good (+2) Mbracht, Good (+2) Pub Friends, Good (+2) Strength
Poor (-2) Substance Use Issues
Powers: Average (0) Regeneration
His ability is very effective at keeping him alive, but it's slow and ugly to watch. His flesh often takes on a lumpy, mottled appearance during repairs and it looks even worse if he uses points to speed up the process.
In this picture, Lalor is the man on the far left in the speckled shirt.
Gogarty -- She has tinted skin, dark gray eyes, and short black hair slicked back with gel. She hasn't told anyone a name other than Gogarty, which is obviously not the one she was born with. She has several tattoos, including a very old one on her right shoulder of a snake dancer in classic hippie style marked 1971, which she claims as her year of birth, but most people don't believe it. Gogarty has been around long enough to amass a lot of money and information, which she uses to excellent effect. She just doesn't feel passionate about any particular cause. She likes Ticker and the IRA because they don't try to drag her into the spotlight. She invests in their ventures, gets a reasonable return, and they keep people from pestering her. Gogarty lives in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin, in the lower left bedroom nearest the central hub on the second floor, beside Edric's room. If she has orientations, she hasn't specified any, and her activities tend to be eclectic. The one thing she doesn't do is look for permanent, exclusive relationships.
Origin: Once past puberty, her aging slowed dramatically, and became obvious within a few years. It got her kicked out of home, although she refuses to say where and when that was.
Uniform: On duty, she wears a gray double-breasted skirt suit with a gray fedora, dexflan face mask, gloves, and boots. Her wool cape is reversible, solid gray on one side and striped on the other.
Qualities: Master (+6) Wealth, Expert (+4) Existential Intelligence, Expert (+4) Spy, Good (+2) Do Not Notice Me, Good (+2) Hand-to-Hand Combat, Good (+2) Quiar
Powers: Good (+2) Slow Aging
Motivation: To get by.
In this picture, Gogarty is the woman third from the left in a black minidress.
Dustbin (Edric Dewayne) -- He has tinted skin, black eyes, and short dark hair. He is 27 years old. He lives in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin, in the lower left wing of the second floor, where he has the bedroom between Ticker and Gogarty. As a cleaner, Dustbin mops up after messes made by other soups and the IRA. On the light side, however, he also volunteers to clean up after suicides, murders, and other tragedies. Unlike some cleaners, he won't dispose of live victims, and he won't keep his mouth shut about someone murdering women or children. The police don't want to mess with him partly because he is quietly scary, and partly because he's the only cleaner in the Dublin area who does pro bono work for crime victims who can't afford to hire professionals after a messy death. As a hobby, Edric enjoys Celtic calligraphy including English, Gaelic, and Ogham along with zoomorphic figures and knotwork. He's shy and quiet, though, easily overwhelmed by other people. It doesn't help that many people find him creepy because of his job and general demeanor. Edric is mildly heterosexual but into watersports and some other odd kinks that make him unappealing to most potential partners. Consequently he prefers to hire professionals, and since he has plenty of money, everyone is quite happy with this arrangement.
Origin: Edric got his Super-Immunity from the Aegis vaccine base. He considers it quite an asset in such a dirty job.
Uniform: On duty, Dustbin wears a charcoal gray cape of wool over a charcoal gray janitorial jumpsuit with a black-and-gray utility harness, gray hat, black gloves, and gray muckboots. He carries patches from many different menial services to decorate his hat and jumpsuit. Off duty, he favors comfortable men's clothes in dark colors.
Qualities: Expert (+4) Cleaner, Good (+2) Celtic Calligraphy, Good (+2) Street Fighter, Good (+2) Temen
Poor (-2) Shy
Powers: Good (+2) Super-Immunity
Motivation: To go unnoticed.
In this picture, Dustbin is the second man from the left in all black.
Jarlath MacNiadh -- He has ruddy skin, blue eyes, and short brown hair that sticks up in tufts. He is 21 years old. He lives in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin, sharing the 2-bedroom apartment below Dian's with his girlfriend Nainsi Magorian. Jarlath uses the second bedroom as an office, although it has a hide-a-bed couch in case anyone needs extra sleeping space. He is heteroflexible vanilla.
Origin: He started out helping people with superpowers and it rubbed off on him.
Uniform: On duty, Jarlath wears a silver jumpsuit with a fine satin cape, a white krevel cap, and white krevel boots. Off duty, he likes bright colors and busy prints such as plaid.
Qualities: Good (+2) Activist, Good (+2) Fast, Good (+2) Interpersonal Intelligence, Good (+2) Sodath, Good (+2) Team Sports
Poor (-2) Being Alone
Powers: Good (+2) Superpower Manipulation
So far he has learned how to control his own energy, give and receive energy, temporarily share his superpowers with other people, and merge powers belonging to different people.
Limitation: He can only use his superpowers with other people if they are in close proximity (about a room-sized area) and already familiar with each other.
Motivation: Bringing people together.
In this picture, Jarlath is the second man from the left in the red-and-blue plaid.
Silfra (Heidi Varanger) -- She has pale skin, blue eyes, and long straight hair of wheat blonde. She is the older fraternal twin sister of Eldrid (Hilda Varanger). They are 18 years old. He lives in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin; Silfra has the upper left bedroom on the third floor, and her sister Eldrid has the upper right bedroom. Silfra is learning about garden plants with an eye toward feeding people, and she also enjoys raising epiphytes indoors.
They left their home in Norway because Eldrid was terrible at fitting in and Silfra wasn't much better. For a while they wandered around Europe staying in youth hostels, which has given Silfra a cosmopolitan flair. At one point they couldn't get a place to say, and since they had superpowers, someone quietly referred them to Patchwork Manor. They crashed in the second-floor dormitory for a while, then moved upstairs. Although Eldrid seems to be leaning dark while Silfra leans white, they are utterly unwilling to separate. They've heard horror stories of "mirror twins" on opposite sides of the cape who wound up fighting each other, and have no intention of repeating that mistake. So they agree to disagree, and they both try to avoid the tempation of extremism.
Furthermore, the twins are duosexual, only willing to get involved with a man attracted to both of them. So far they've had a lot of one-night-stands but no steady relationship. It's hard to find a match for both when the two of them are so different.
Origin: Her superpowers emerged at puberty.
Uniform: On duty, Silfra wears a light blue sport suit with a silver krevel utility belt, a holographic cape, and holographic boots. Off duty, she wears fashionable women's clothes.
Qualities: Good (+2) Calm, Good (+2) Cosmopolitan, Good (+2) Gardener, Good (+2) Naturalistic Intelligence, Good (+2) Sorcha
Powers: Average (0) Air Powers
When she has lots of energy, especially when she uses her superpowers, her hair and eyes give off a silvery light.
Motivation: To stay with her sister Hilda.
In this picture, Silfra is the second woman from the right in the black-and-white dress.
Nainsi Magorian -- She has fair skin, blue eyes, and golden-blonde hair with just a little wave. She is 20 years old. She lives in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin, sharing the 2-bedroom apartment below Dian's with her boyfriend Jarlath MacNiadh. Nainsi does her best to support Jarlath and other soups, maintaining relationships and encouraging them to take good care of themselves. However, she doesn't have much experience yet.
Qualities: Good (+2) Bánbhuí, Good (+2) Kinesthetic Intelligence, Good (+2) Massage Therapist, Good (+2) Neighborly, Good (+2) Stamina
Poor (-2) Inexperienced
In this picture, Nainsi is the second woman from the left in the flowered scarf.
Bretta Terris -- She has fair skin, brown eyes, and long straight brown hair. She is British. She is 19 years old. She lives in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin, in the room at the upper right of the dormitory, across from the nurse's station. She is a blue-plate music teacher. Bretta has allergies bad enough to require a special diet, so the smaller common kitchen and dining room on the first floor are reserved for hypoallergenic foods. She is heteroromantic heterosexual, but not currently in a relationship.
Origin: She entered a music competition in high school, and winning her seat activated her superpowers.
Uniform: Bretta wears a cream jumpsuit and cream boots with lacy cutout patterns, and a fringed cape of cream wool.
Qualities: Good (+2) Bánbhuí, Good (+2) Community Spirit, Good (+2) Languages, Good (+2) Limber, Good (+2) Teacher
Poor (-2) Severe Food Allergies
Powers: Average (0) Bard
Motivation: To spread the music.
In this picture, Bretta is the third woman from the left with dark brown hair.
Gaines Aldana -- He has caramel skin, brown eyes, and short dark hair with a beard and mustache. He wears glasses. He is Basque, from Spain. He is 24 years old. He is the queerplatonic partner of Diancecht "Dian" MacGillabrede. They have adopted an abused toddler named Sein from Spain. They live in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin, sharing the 2-bedroom apartment in the upper left corner. As smart as Gaines was, it was never good enough for his parents, who always pushed him to do more. He succeeded, but he's still very touch about being asked to do brain work. He volunteers all the time, though. Gaines is generally nonviolent, but turns ferocious in defense of his family or other vulnerable people -- and he can do devastating damage through the use of technology. He is homoromantic flexisexual, which means he likes to be with men but doesn't care what their sexual orientation is; as long as they're interested in him, he adapts to their sexuality. Since Dian is homoromantic asexual, that means Gaines is not having the usual sort of sex; but Dian is happy to provide orgasms using his Healing to manipulate his partner's nerves, so long as Dian doesn't have to engage his own genitals. Everyone enjoys this a great deal.
Origin: He bootstrapped himself from ordinary to super intelligence by designing a program to enhance mental function, and then working with it diligently.
Uniform: Gaines wears a light gray tracksuit with darker gray stripes, a gray toolbelt, and gray-and-black boots. His wool cape is reversible, light gray on one side and striped in shades of gray on the other.
Qualities: Expert (+4) Gizmology, Good (+2) Fast, Good (+2) Liath, Good (+2) Wealth
Poor (-2) Mierda! I Am Not a Vending Machine!
Powers: Average (0) Super-Intellect: Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
Motivation: To make things work.
In this picture, Gaines is the man on the far right in glasses.
Animesh "Ani" Paraiya -- He has sorrel skin, brown eyes, and short curly black hair. He is 35 years old. He lives in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin, where he has the lower left bedroom near the ping-pong table on the third floor. Ani works as an advisor, helping people make good choices. He craves skin contact and is good at sharing healthy touch. He is considered a superhero by the dalits and a supervillain by the brahmans, but he considers the whole caste system to be bullshit and his cape to be reversible. Ani is casually sexual, intensely omnisensual, and open to romance. He likes a wide variety of kinks as long as they provide plenty of physical stimulation without pain. Currently his deepest relationship is a close friendship with Lalor. Ani is currently studying first aid with Dian to learn how to take better care of Lalor and Giolla.
Origin: He was born with his superpowers.
Uniform: On duty, Ani wears a black-and-white spotted jacket over a white shirt and black pants, with white krevel gloves and black krevel boots. His krevel hat is quartered black-and-white. His wool cape is reversible, black on one side and white on the other. Off duty, he favors casual men's clothes in deep colors.
Qualities: Good (+2) Advisor, Good (+2) Alad, Good (+2) Healthy Touch, Good (+2) Intrapersonal Intelligence, Good (+2) Sitar Player
Poor (-2) The Caste System Is Bullshit
Powers: Average (0) Seer
Ani can see the unseen, the unknown, the numinous, the mysterious, the distant, the past and the future. He only gets glimpses, though. It still still drives the brahmans bugfuck, and they hate him for it.
Motivation: To fight the caste system.
In this picture, Ani is the man on the far left in the red plaid shirt.
Eldrid (Hilda Varanger) -- She has pale skin, amber eyes, and straight hair of strawberry blonde that falls just past her shoulders. She is left-handed. She is the younger fraternal twin sister of Silfra (Heidi Varanger). They are 18 years old. They live in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin; Eldrid has the upper right bedroom on the third floor, and her sister Silfra has the upper left bedroom. Although Eldrid is not particularly athletic, she enjoys sports and has a good sense of sportsmanship. She is also a talented artist.
They left their home in Norway because Eldrid was terrible at fitting in and Silfra wasn't much better. For a while they wandered around Europe staying in youth hostels. At one point they couldn't get a place to say, and since they had superpowers, someone quietly referred them to Patchwork Manor. They crashed in the second-floor dormitory for a while, then moved upstairs. Although Eldrid seems to be leaning dark while Silfra leans white, they are utterly unwilling to separate. They've heard horror stories of "mirror twins" on opposite sides of the cape who wound up fighting each other, and have no intention of repeating that mistake. So they agree to disagree, and they both try to avoid the tempation of extremism.
Furthermore, the twins are duosexual, only willing to get involved with a man attracted to both of them. So far they've had a lot of one-night-stands but no steady relationship. It's hard to find a match for both when the two of them are so different.
Origin: Her superpowers emerged at puberty.
Uniform: Eldrid wears a wool cape of red plaid with metallic red threads running through it over a black dexflan bodysuit and black ankle boots with silver studs.
Qualities: Good (+2) Artist, Good (+2) Dearg, Good (+2) Hand-Eye Coordination, Good (+2) Sportsmanship, Good (+2) Visual Learning Mode
Poor (-2) Fitting In
Powers: Average (0) Fire Powers
When she has lots of energy, especially when she uses her superpowers, her hair and eyes give off a ruddy light.
Motivation: To stay with her sister Heidi.
In this picture, Eldrid is the third woman from the right in the pink flowered dress.
Diancecht "Dian" MacGillabrede -- He has pale skin with freckles, blue eyes, and short wavy hair of vivid copper red. He wears a short beard and mustache. He is 29 years old. He is the queerplatonic partner of Gaines Aldana. They have adopted an abused toddler named Sein from Spain. They live in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin, sharing the 2-bedroom apartment in the upper left corner. Dian is homoromantic asexual. He enjoys men very much, but finds sexual activity distracting; for some reason, engaging his genitals tends to unbalance his energy. So instead, he uses his Healing ability to induce orgasms for Gaines, who is entirely happy with this situation.
Origin: His exploration of traditional Celtic herbalism awoke his superpowers.
Uniform: On duty, Dian wears a white satin cape and hat over scrubs of any color and style, with white krevel shoes. Off duty, he wears comfortable men's clothes, often in soft neutrals.
Qualities: Good (+2) Dexterity, Good (+2) Emotional Intelligence, Good (+2) Irfind, Good (+2) Mediator, Good (+2) Paramedic
Poor (-2) Sensitive Skin
Powers: Expert (+4) Healer, Good (+2) Empath
Limitation: Having an orgasm disrupts his energy to the point that he can't use his superpowers afterwards, until either 1) he meditates and uses a Hero Point to refocus himself, or 2) he has a shower, a meal, and a good night's sleep. Dian dislikes the feeling of disruption and finds that sex is not worth the amount of work required to clean up after it.
Motivation: Care and compassion.
Sein Aldana -- He has light brown skin, brown eyes, and short wavy hair of dark brown. His heritage is Basque. He is the adopted son of Gaines Aldana and Diancecht "Dian" MacGillabrede. He is 1 1/2 years old. Sein's traumatic past has left him anxious and ambivalent. However, he is starting to warm up to his new fathers.
Origin: Sein's parents abused him casually until he developed superpowers. Offended by the fact that the boy was suddenly much harder to hurt, his father picked him up by the arm and bashed him against a wall. Gaines Aldana witnessed this and called his superhero friends, who beat the crap out of the father and took the injured toddler to a healer. Gaines and his partner Dian later adopted Sein.
Uniform: Play clothes.
Qualities: Good (+2) Quiet
Poor (-2) Traumatic Childhood
Powers: Average (0) Toughness
Motivation: Survival.
Giolla Seireadan (formerly called Pussy) -- She has pinkish-fair skin, amber eyes, and straight ginger hair that falls just below her ears. She has strongly feline features that include slitted eyes, pointed ears, sharp teeth, gray nosepad and lips, and thick nonretractable claws on her hands and feet. Her age is unknown but resembles that of a human girl in her mid-teens, so they're calling it 15 years. She lives in Patchwork Manor on the outskirts of Dublin, in the large dormitory room adjacent to the nurse's office, which used to be the counseling room.
Giolla was rescued from sexual slavery by some of her housemates, who believe that she was probably created for that purpose by a mad scientist. So far she has been unable and/or unwilling to connect with anyone else, but they refuse to give up. Her housemates take turns sitting with her while she snarls at them or hides under the bed, trying to show her that they're friendly. They don't even know her real name, if she has one. When they found her, she wore nothing but a collar that read Pussy. They cut it off and gave her a new name, but she doesn't answer to it. Her actual orientation(s), if any, remain unknown, having been obscured by sexual exploitation and presumed abusive/neglectful upbringing.
Origin: Mad science.
Uniform: Comfortable girl clothes. She gravitates to black when possible.
Qualities: Good (+2) Fast, Good (+2) Fierce, Good (+2) Sensual
Poor (-2) Dubh
Powers: Good (+2) Feline Features
She has the feline abilities of enhanced hearing, enhanced vision, bite/claw attack, balance, flexibility, jumping, and enhanced healing. And just to make things extra challenging, she only needs an hour or two of deep sleep per night, although she catnaps periodically through the day.
Vulnerability: Thus far, Giolla is stuck in feral mode. She behaves more like a cat than like a human -- pretty much the only human things she likes are clothes for the protection and more interesting food. She is violent in general and territorial in particular. She hisses and claws at anyone who comes near her. She is also strongly susceptible to catnip.
Motivation: Survival.
Ticker (Alroy Collins) -- He has fair skin with freckles, amber eyes, and short wavy red hair. He is tall and slim. He has numerous tattoos, including a melted clock over the back of his left hand, inspired by his Time Control gift. Ticker belongs to the branch of the IRA that is more-or-less precise in its use of terrorism to protest British dominion and bring justice where the courts won't. He is an ally of the Marionettes.
Origin: When Alroy was seventeen, his mother fell ill suddenly and was dying. There was no way to save her, and the family was scattered far and wide. His superpower manifested, buying enough time for the family to gather and say goodbye. Which was great until he passed out on the floor from overexertion, making everyone think they were about to lose another relative. They've never really relied on him knowing his own limits since then.
Uniform: Street clothes.
Qualities: Expert (+4) Revolutionary, Good (+2) Dexterity, Good (+2) Drinking Buddies, Good (+2) Spirited, Good (+2) Storyteller
Poor (-2) Nervous
Powers: Expert (+4) Time Control
Motivation: Irish freedom and reunification.
* * *
Cúirt Phíosála -- Patchwork Manor, or Patchwork Court
cuilt phíosála -- patchwork quilt
TORTHAÍ IN FOCLÓIR GAEILGE—BÉARLA
píosáil, v.t. (pres. -álann; vn. ~f, gs. -ála).Piece together, patch.
ABAIRTÍ IN FOCLÓIR GAEILGE—BÉARLA
obair
~ phaistí, phíosála, patchwork.
-- Foclóir Nua Béarla–Gaeilge
patchwork quilt
noun CRAFT, TEXT
cuilt phíosála
cuilt bhreac
-- New English-Irish Dictionary
cúirt, f. (gs. ~e, pl. ~eanna). 1. Court. (a)~rí, ríoga, royal court. (b)~bhreithiúnais, dlí, court of justice, of law. ~ achomhairc, court of appeal. ~ airm, court-martial. ~ bhréige, mock court, mock trial. ~ choiriúil, criminal court. ~ dlínse achoimre, court of summary jurisdiction. ~ éadála, prize-court. ~ ghearr, petty sessions. ~ íochtarach, lower court, court of first instance. ~ taifid, court of record. An ChúirtDúiche, Chuarda, Uachtarach, the District, Circuit, Supreme, Court. ~ a chur ardhuine, (i) to try s.o. in court, (ii) to sue s.o. Dul, teacht, os comhair ~e, to appear in court. ~ ina suí, court in session. I g~ iata, phoiblí, in camera, in open court.(c)~eaglasta, ecclesiastical court. ~ easpaig, episcopal court. (d)~ éigse, bardic court. (e) Cara, focal, sa chúirt, (backstairs) influence. 2. ~, teach ~e, courthouse. 3.Manor-house, mansion. Hist:~ bharúin, baronial court. 4. Courtyard. ~ caisleáin, the courtyard of a castle. 5. ~ imeartha, leadóige, playing-, tennis-, court.
-- Foclóir Nua Béarla–Gaeilge
See the exterior of Patchwork Manor and the basement floor plan.
On the first floor, the little circle beside the helipad is a teleport pad. The arrow points north, showing that the wide angles of the house are oriented east and west to catch the sunrise and sunset. The square office at the near end of the dance hall is a quiet room with insulated walls. The small kitchen and the small dining room adjacent to the salon are reserved for hypoallergenic foods and people with food allergies. The larger kitchen and dining room below them are for general dining.
On the second floor, Gaines Aldana, Diancecht "Dian" MacGillabrede, and their son Sein share the 2-bedroom apartment in the upper left. Jarlath MacNiadh and Nainsi Magorian have the matching apartment across the hall. Ticker has the big bedroom on the lower left with the private office. Dustbin (Edric Dewayne) has the bedroom next to Ticker's and the matching office. Gogarty has the bedroom next to Edric's room. Quaid (Kalen Rooney) and Tlachtga (Bairre O'Buachalla) share the bedroom in the upper middle between the staircases. Gormlaith (Muireann Mulryan) has the bedroom in the upper right. Bretta Terris has the room at the upper right of the dormitory, across from the nurse's station. Giolla Seireadan has the dormitory room adjacent to the nurse's station.
On the third floor, Silfra (Heidi Varanger) has the upper left bedroom, and her sister Eldrid (Hilda Varanger) has the upper right bedroom. Animesh "Ani" Paraiya has the lower left bedroom near the ping-pong table. Lalor (Marl O'Murdock) has the lower right bedroom.
See the specifications, side plan, and deck plan for the yacht Athos. In this picture you can see the deck better. Here are the bow nets, side stairs, and stern boarding.
This is the wraparound seating looking toward the stern and toward the office. The master office has a desk and seating. The dining room has two seating areas and a control panel. This sitting area has a cinema.
Several of these benches appear on the deck. See the cockpit looking toward the wheel and toward the dining room. Here are the navigation console and wheel. This is the engine exhaust.
Going downstairs, you come to the guest lobby and its doors. These are the double bedrooms. See double bedroom #1 and its bathroom; double bedroom #2 has the same style of bathroom. The master suite has a bedroom, study, and ensuite with a shower and a bathtub. This is the twin suite and its ensuite.
In the lower salon, the panel over the fireplace lifts out to reveal the viewscreen. The galley provides cooking space.
A QUILTBAG Club covers the full range of sexual orientations. Here is a pattern for the nine-patch heart often used as an emblem. Youthspace and the QUILTBAG Babysitters Club are examples of similar organizations here. Read about starting a QUILTBAG group.
Sankofa Club is a multicultural club, it's named for an African symbol that means "If you forgot it, go back and get it." Sankofa grew out of the Civil Rights Movement and is a key source of T-America's better race relations. Many schools and community centers have a Sankofa Club, where members can present interesting bits of their own culture and explore those of their friends. A Sankofa Home is a group home for children, offering long-term foster care. The goal is to create a permanent placement for children who are unlikely or unable to be adopted, with a mix of many ethnicities. A typical home has about 12 children and 4 houseparents, although size varies depending on the facility. A Sankofa House is a student residence at college, which may be like a fraternity or sorority house, or co-ed. Most hold between 10 to 15 students, although the larger ones go up to 25, again aiming for a rich ethnic mix. They customarily have a housemother and a housefather, although larger houses may add extra staff as aunties, uncles, or specialists.
Safehouse is a more polite word for lair, and can apply to any secret sanctuary, but most often a house or apartment.
A sharehouse is communal living on a small scale: a household made of people who are not all related. It works for some people but not everyone. There are tips and apps to help make it comfortable.
The white stag is sacred in Celtic mythology. Interestingly, it is said to appear when a taboo has been broken. Presumably superheroes and supervillains living together is breaking all kinds of taboos. But it's working.
The Fey or Faery are mystical people in Celtic lore.
Bards are mystical musicians with historic as well as super references. Learn how to become a bard.
Computer wizard is one of many terms for people who excel at technology, as mentioned in this list of famous hackers. It is best described in the song "World Inside the Crystal," which you can enjoy on YouTube. Read about becoming a computer wizard. Note that this is one of the places where magic and science meet, because in cyberspace, things written in programming language literally become what they name. You create a firewall by telling some energy that it is a wall, and it believes you, so it keeps out whatever you tell it to keep out.
A siren is a type of mermaid with an enchanting voice.
The caste system has been outlawed in local-India, but it still causes serious problems. This is one of the rare cases where Terramagne isn't ahead of local-Earth: T-India hasn't explicitly banned the caste system, although it is increasingly seen as backwards and undesirable. Dalit or Untouchable is not the lowest caste, but rather outcaste -- not even good enough to be counted in the system. Attitudes are slowly changing. Many Indians are unwilling to wait and are converting to Christianity, Islam, or other religions to escape. The latter probably comprise a steady flow of soups into the Maldives, where of course converts to Islam are showered with praise and welcome. However, emigration doesn't always allow people to escape the caste system, no matter how much bullshit they think it is.
Skin hunger happens when people don't get enough contact. Here are some ways of exchanging healthy touch.
Catgirls may fall into the trope of Petting Zoo People, or other categories, in this case with feline physiology. Among the reasons why people love catgirls is that the nonhuman features legitimize objectification. This is much more of a problem in Terramagne than here. Anthropomorphic powers are quite common, and a handful of types such as cat and rabbit are consistently seen as sex objects.
Dubhachas (melancholia, depression, the "Celtic blacks")
-- Wordsense Dictionary
Cait Sidhe or Cat Sìth are feline faeries. The Kellas cat, a type of wild feline, is associated with them. "The King of the Cats" is a fairytale appearing in many versions across several cultures. Read more about cats in Celtic lore.
This is the confetti flag.
Athos was originally a character in The Three Musketeers.
"It's a fool don't know that his family's his crew" is a line from "Mal's Song" by Vixy & Tony. It comes from the TV series Firefly.
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(no subject)
Date: 2017-10-27 12:22 am (UTC)Well ...
Date: 2017-10-27 01:19 am (UTC)They have a lot of people crammed in there, staff and a variable tide of hostel guests in addition to the residents shown here. Fortunately, they also have plenty of space, both in terms of reasonably sized rooms or suites, and the public areas. While not everyone has experience in communal living, the ones who do can teach the ones who don't, so it evens out eventually.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-10-28 08:31 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-10-27 01:44 am (UTC)That does it! Moving there ASAP!!!
Love this one, it sounds like a mad crazy tumbling helter-skelter sort of household.. that somehow works!
Yes ...
Date: 2017-10-27 01:49 am (UTC):D It's something Nathan Fillion said in an interview when asked what he wished he could've done on Firefly. Season six. So, this is the best I can do.
I have an idea for Lawrence introducing Stan to the show.
>> Love this one, it sounds like a mad crazy tumbling helter-skelter sort of household.. that somehow works! <<
Exactly. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Re: Yes ...
Date: 2017-10-27 02:01 am (UTC)Re: Yes ...
Date: 2017-10-27 02:18 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-10-27 02:10 am (UTC)Here's a better version of the video with Vix singing and Tony on guitar... and I love the exit line they left.
Thank you!
Date: 2017-10-27 02:25 am (UTC)Glad you enjoyed the poem. :D
(no subject)
Date: 2017-10-27 11:02 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-10-27 09:33 am (UTC)Aww ...
Date: 2017-10-27 05:22 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-10-28 04:13 am (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2017-10-28 04:20 am (UTC)Terramagne never ceases to fascinate me. I see all these superhero teams and occasionally supervillain organizations, and they're just so divisive. But if you look at history, people are always crossing the lines no matter how much society says they shouldn't. I figured that somewhere out there had to be a cross-cape group. Though I confess, I wasn't expecting it to be Ticker's!
(no subject)
Date: 2017-10-28 08:25 am (UTC)MORE COLOR WORDS YES PLEASE.
Must memorize. English is absurdly inadequate even if you look up a paint catalog. We don't even have an equivalent to 'claro' in Spanish, 'clear' maps only to transparent and not the other meanings of that word.
Thoughts
Date: 2017-10-28 08:50 am (UTC)Thank you!
>> MORE COLOR WORDS YES PLEASE. <<
:D
>> Must memorize. English is absurdly inadequate even if you look up a paint catalog.<<
I'm glad I could help. I agree, more colors would be helpful. So far, Gaelic is the only language I've found that really names a lot of, hm, connotative colors rather than literal hues.
>> We don't even have an equivalent to 'claro' in Spanish, 'clear' maps only to transparent and not the other meanings of that word.<<
In fashion, 'clear' is used similarly to 'claro' for light-bright-crisp colors.
https://www.collegefashion.net/fashion-tips/how-to-find-your-perfect-colors/
http://www.thechicfashionista.com/clear.html
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2017-10-28 09:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-11-02 06:20 am (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2017-11-02 06:36 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-11-04 11:52 pm (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2017-11-05 12:52 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2018-01-03 04:02 pm (UTC)