User Tools

Site Tools


awakening

This is an old revision of the document!


Awakening

“Whoever opens this box will be turned into brimstone and ashes.”
-Dr. Soberin in Kiss Me Deadly (1955)


Teenage girl develops dangerous powers.

In 1983 Americans are scared to death of Soviet attack and nuclear war. To combat the Soviet threat a joint team of CIA and military personnel has been developing a new kind of weapon in a secret test lab. This weapon is Iris Lindstrom, a teenage girl with newfound psionic abilities. The team, headed by brilliant psychologist Dr. Sands, is trying to research, magnify, control and ultimately duplicate Iris’ power. In practice, this means endless tests in a sterile environment. The lab complex itself is hidden under a remote farm in Iowa, surrounded by an endless plateau of cornfields.

Iris’ mother June lives with her in the lab complex. June is a divorced waitress who sees the project as an opportunity to finally have some financial security, even if she dislikes some of the tests her daughter is subjected to. No matter how much Iris resents June now, years later she will understand, June believes.

On the screen of the small TV of the forest-colored lab lounge, an endless array of missiles is saluted by a cadre of ancient generals. Under a Wham poster there’s a pristine pair of skates, never used. And in the test room, without anyone witnessing it, a wall of green glass shatters into pieces.

Grains

  • We’re so close to a breakthrough
  • We are preparing for a war
  • Congress would shut this down


Iris Lindstrom

Iris is a long way from her classmates and her home in Minneapolis. She doesn’t hear from her real dad any more. Her dad here is Dr. Sands, a chilly man in white coat whose orders everyone always waits. During Basic Physical, she steals glances at a soft-skinned lab tech. He looks almost like Richard Gere.

Traits
3 Psychic
No one is quite sure what is the limit of Iris’ abilities.
2 Athletic
She has a strict exercise regime.
2 Perceptive
They talk like she’s not even there.
1 Charming
If only she would smile more.
Burdens
1 Under control
They never ask Iris.
1 Confused
Wouldn’t you be?

Discussion

Eero Tuovinen, 2017/06/15 14:48

There's an interesting backstory to this one: the other Eero wrote it as an improvement on Petteri's scenario Dangerous Mind. It's sort of a commentary on how precisely one should write a Firestarter/Akira scenario. I think we judged the match something of a tie in the end, as both scenarios have some contradicting virtues.

Eero Laine, 2017/06/30 22:59

I prefer my own version as it's tailor-made for my retro hipster tastes. :D But it doesn't really replace Petteri's scenario, as the setup is pretty different.

I still haven't seen Firestarter, but I might have unconsciously borrowed from its plot synopsis or something. Carrie, The Fury and X-Men were more direct influences for me. Stranger Things came much later, for those who are wondering. These tropes have been around for a while.

Eero Laine, 2017/06/30 23:11

Also, here are the original Triggers, I guess the current version don't have them. IIRC, they were some sort of Bangs, to use Forge terminology.

“The secret of Iris’ powers is revealed Sands goes too far Iris’ father comes to see her Able Archer 83 begins ”

Eero Laine, 2017/06/30 23:14

Damn. Let's try again.

“The secret of Iris’ powers is revealed

Sands goes too far

Iris’ father comes to see her

Able Archer 83 begins”

Petteri Hannila, 2017/07/06 14:46

Yeah, we've played both Dangerous Mind and Awakening and they both work.

The theme is similar, but Dangerous Mind works more with clashing the mundane family life with the paranormal (we had a psychiatrist of the boy as a character for example), while Awakening tended to fall more to the themes of young people with superpowers try to escape the inhuman surroundings they are forced into.

Enter your comment. Wiki syntax is allowed:
E M K​ D B
 
awakening.1512752177.txt.gz · Last modified: 2017/12/08 18:56 by entropyus