Complete Control Design Notes

For the general show, I wrote:Characters
The 4 main characters.
-Alexander Everest, the telekinetic.
-Olivia, the alchemist/biomass manipulator/thermokinetic.
-Emily's character, the space-time warper/electrokinetic/photokinetic.
-Isaac Testardo, the telepath.

Villains.
-Ueli and his Dozen's Demise 14 right-hand-people who do his business three main associates, the Queen, Farmer and Storm.
-Terrorist group, or something. I dunno...they have guns and they're more prevalent in the beginning (due to being small fry compared to the big bad). They're objective is to control the neo population and prevent the Nova Stimulus so as to stop Decay.

The Nova Stimulus and Media
It is a natural trend for superpowered humans as a whole to get stronger over time. Growth and training gradually increase the potential superpower energy (hereby referred to as Elixir [probably gonna come up with a better name later]) of any human. The combined Elixir of all living humans at any given point is called the Collective.

Eventually, the collective gets too large to stay stable. There is so much power that something needs to be done with it. The Collective pivots towards Media (neos with the power to manipulate other powers) The process of the Media connecting with the Collective is called a Nova Stimulus.

There are two theoretically possible outcomes:
1. By either choice or lack of control, the Media reject the Collective. All of the Elixirs rapidly convert into other forms of energy (kinetic, nuclear, thermal, etc.). This process is catastrophic and can take many forms. It may even be more than one specific event (such as multiple large weather patterns). The elixirs are lost and the Collective is set back to zero. This is called Decay.
2. The Media manage to take control of the Collective and spread its power across the whole planet. All people have their Elixirs unlocked, and everyone gets powers. This is the Supernova Stimulus.

Scale of power
Over the seasons, the heroes' powers strengthen exponentially. What they can accomplish in Strike is many times greater than what they can in Life. Here's a rough guideline showing the range/destructibility of someone's attacks for each season.
Season 1, Birth: Car.
Season 2, Life: DCVI's property (school, field, etc).
Season 3, Strike: Stratford.
Season 4, Dark: London.
Season 5, Light: Greater Toronto Area.
Season 6, Anarchy: Nova Scotia.
Season 7, War: Texas.

Openings, Soft Phases and Scarring
The activation of an elixir is spontaneous but undetectible. It is referred to as an opening. While it is a very instantaneous event in itself, there is a much longer timespan of several days before and after opening that leaves the elixir very fragile. At the very start of the show, the heroes are in their soft phases. This is why they are attacked by Ueli's henchman (I've decided they are work for Ueli).

If a neo-to-be is put is somehow gravely injured, this can interfere with the elixir's activation severely. It will open only somewhat. The result is scarring, a narrowing of a neo's set of skills. For instance, a telekinetic who is scarred may only be able to move earth.

This is what will make our heroes special. As I will delve into later, Ueli has a very large task force dedicated to finding neos and scarring them in order to weaken them.

Regarding the forces of good, I wrote:For now, the good guy leader's name is Mason, and his organization will be called Encore.

Scale of Power Revised
Remember this?

Mogotoo wrote:Season 1, Birth: Car.
Season 2, Life: DCVI's property (school, field, etc).
Season 3, Strike: Stratford.
Season 4, Dark: London.
Season 5, Light: Greater Toronto Area.
Season 6, Anarchy: Nova Scotia.
Season 7, War: Texas.

I did some calculations, and...some things need to be adjusted.
First, here's the area of each region above, in square kilometres:

Car: 0.00013 (using a parking space's dimensions.
DCVI's property: estimated at 0.0625.
Stratford: 27.
London: 420.
Greater Toronto Area: 7124.
Nova Scotia: 55 283.
Texas: 696 241.

Okay. So it's not perfect, but if you add a bit to each area, there's about a factor of 10 between two adjacent regions. With the obvious exceptions of the first two. Those are gonna have to be adjusted dramatically. New scale, by season, in square kilometres:

1. 0.7
2. 7
3. 70
4. 700
5. 7000
6. 70 000
7. 700 000

I'm actually quite happy with how well most of the areas worked out.

How elixirs work
Right from the get-go, this series already has some bullshit. People can't just move cars because they will it. That said, I'd at least like to make an attempt at some hard science.

An elixir is a term which refers to the maximum amount of energy that a neo can have on hand at any one point in time. It's mostly theoretical; you can't really look into an elixir, just the mind that houses it. But we know there's some sort of quantity because of conservation of energy.

So if an elixir powers a neo, what powers an elixir? Um...dark energy? Yeah, let's go with that. That's where all the unknown universal energy is; in elixirs.

If a neo wants to stop something (ie: a telekinetic sees a car hurtling at them [geez I have a thing for moving cars]), they need to provide energy in the opposite direction. You can't take away energy; you have to fuel a force that slows down the object.

Using an elixir's power depends on knowing two data: location and what is there. To use your powers, you need to have a clear picture of where you're hitting and what is there to be affected. This means you can't set a tree in China on fire when you live in Canada, and you can't move anything inside a house unless you've already been in there.

Elixirs "close" as suddenly as they open. There is no societal pattern determining when exactly one's powers stop working, they just cease to exist. This is what prevents alchemists from indefinitely sustaining their bodies and telepaths from hopping from physical form to physical form, lest either group attain immortality. Granted, an elixir can last for much longer than the average human lifespan, which gives us individuals like our villains.

Those with scarred elixirs have limited powers, but they learn and get stronger faster than those with "healthy" elixirs. This is because there is less to "learn" about the elixir.

This is something the main characters struggle with. They keep facing neos who have better grasps on their powers.

So I'm gonna allow time-travel. Travel towards the future shouldn't be problematic. The problem will be implementing travel towards the past. That's a big deal, resetting events and potentially making preventing them from ever happening. So I'm gonna set up a proverbial barrier, make it require a lot of energy. So much energy that there's only a handful of back-travellers on record for all time.

How it works is that the time-traveller becomes a focal point. The rest of the universe switches directions, going the opposite way in time, while the focal point remains unchanged relative to themselves. There isn't any alternate timelines; the original universe is just wound back, like a roll of paper.

So what if two time-travellers were to both go back at the same time? Well, the one going farther back would probably win over, and both would end up in the same place in time.

I want to make a three-year time skip between seasons 4 and 5. It gives time for the world to recover from the Queen's reign. I also feel some seasons need to be longer. How about this?

Birth: Two years (one-year time skip and one year of plot)
Path: One year
Strike: Two years (one year of training and one year of missions)
Eve: Three years?
Generation: Four years (three-year time skip and one year of plot)
Anarchy: Two years (one-year time skip and one year of plot)
War: Two years?

So that's 16 years of plot.

Can animals get elixirs? Yes very small ones. The most powerful non-human neo in all of the world is a gorilla housed in Finland who can rip apart cars with telekinesis.

To put that in perspective, the Farmer can literally level the entire United States of America in a single day. Animals do not make very good neos.

I'm having trouble giving names to people. Like, I have character ideas, but I don't know what names to give them. Should everyone have a meaningful name? Should I stop thinking too hard about all of this? And I don't want to give everyone the only names I know (aka western names) if there's gonna be characters from all over the globe.

For now, I'll start naming new characters, but none of them are permanent. For instance, the university girl mentioned on the previous page is named Stella now.

For biographies, I wrote wrote:

For Olivia Eichel I wrote:Olivia Eichel is an alchemist and thermokinetic. By adding energy to a system, she can start up any chemical reaction. This extends to organic substances, which means she can regenerate and shapeshift herself and others. She can shoot flames in a variety of shapes, directions, sizes and intensities. Later, she gains electrokinesis.

Olivia is quirky. She does what she feels like doing. She's very open, and likes other people to be so as well. She doesn't have a long-term plan for herself, but every possibility looks good to her. She is very lax about her life.

When her powers manifest, Olivia takes it pretty well. She's scared, but also very curious. As villains come after her again and again, she displays her natural leadership skills and level-headedness in the face of immediate danger. Those skills get called upon more and more as the big threats make the stage. For Olivia, the next 16 years are about her rise to leadership of the Third Act. Something that at first Olivia just shrugs off gradually becomes something she has to- and will - take very seriously.

Olivia is an only child.

I was thinking of cannibalizing that chemistry show I had in mind and just using the idea for Neo. Like, Olivia would be O, and other characters that interact with her would be based on the other elements. A group of friends based on H, C, N and B, perhaps an antagonist based off of F.

For Isaac Testardo I wrote:Isaac Testardo is the brains of operations. The smart guy, the one who gets into people's heads. His telepathy allows him to make calculations and process thoughts hundreds of times faster than normal. He can read minds and take control of them. Assuming they're not telepaths, he can control whole crowds of people.

Isaac values the ends over the means. When he works on a project, he does so with great determination and enthusiasm. He finds things to do and sticks with them. He does not cut corners to hasten completion, and does not waver from his goals. He tends to ignore criticism and is slow to change his mind. At best, he is steadfast and loyal. At worst, he is unforgiving and stubborn.

Isaac enjoys all sorts of arts, like painting and music. He likes to test his boundaries, both with himself and with other people. This tends to get him in trouble.

Over the course of the show, Isaac contemplates how his powers affect his worth as a human being. His powers effectively grant him the mental manpower of an entire city, but does that make him a priority? How many can be sacrificed for the sake of a definite victory? Does having an elixir give him a right to rule?

His arch-enemy will be the Queen Alight, a tyrant who desires nothing less than the whole world to be subject to her reign.

More on Isaac. Over time, Isaac develops a psychic sense of death. When a person dies, he feels it, and it's not very nice. This will tie in with his contemplations of the relations between him and the people he protects. As the wars get bloodier and bloodier, he becomes one of the bitterest characters about it all.

Isaac's mother is a CEO, his father is a Member of Provincial Parliament. He has an older brother, who acted like a bit of a delinquent at Isaac's age.

Isaac's mental scenery consists of abstractly set strings and glass panes. His methods involve misdirection, illusion and traps. A victim of Isaac's telepathy is likely to feel tugged at by many strings, and trapped in a sort of hall of mirrors reflecting different parts of their past and personality.

For Alexander Everest I wrote:Alexander Everest is the main telekinetic. He can move any piece of matter in any direction he wants, on a number of scales. He can fly, shoot cars like bullets, obliterate mountain sides, and split off a chunk of material into a thousand tiny bits. Tends to take on the action role in the Quartet.

Alex is a thrill-seeker. He loves sports, the outdoors, and roller coasters. He doesn't do very well in school, not that he doesn't give an honest effort. He's impulsive, goes for straightforward solutions and is a little naive. He does not like being talked down to and is quick to temper.

Over the course of the show, Alex gets overall smarter. He learns just how versatile his elixir is, how it can be used for more than blowing shit up. As he matures, he becomes more and more haunted by the senseless mistakes he makes with his powers.

He eventually gets the attention of the Farmer, and dedicates his efforts to eliminating him.

Alex's father was a firefighter who died on the job when Alex was just 6.

The development of Alex's powers will focus on versatility. At first, his abilities are simple: making cars hover, flinging boulders, flying in a straight line, etc. Over the years, he will learn to control more objects at once, grab smaller objects, and maneuver them with greater detail.

For Emily Durnin I wrote:Emily Durnin is the Warper of the Quartet. She can open rifts in space to teleport volumes of matter instantaneously, as well as temporarily open up portals to send things through. As her powers develop, she gains access to minor time travel and alternate dimensions that she can use to augment reality around (leading to effects like energy loss and changing fundamental constants).

This is the mild-mannered one. Her idea of a day off is sitting down with a good book. When there's a scuffle between friends, she's the one to resolve things. Her mother's a chemist, her father's an accountant, and her two younger brothers are in high school. Her home life is rather idyllic. During the first season, she is going to university for psychology.

Emily hates her powers. She doesn't want anything to do with superheroes or supervillains, partially because her powers in particular freak her out. Her character arc over the course of the show will be about her adaptation to new scenarios. Given her powers, she's bound to get stuck in an unfamiliar place then and again. The isolation she feels when her powers first manifest evolves into an independence as her elixir's uniquity gradually shows itself.

Emily's powers revolve around reality warping. She achieves this by breaking the energy barriers that hold up the fabric of reality and separate universes. When the walls collapse, Emily can send objects through the holes to instantaneously change their positions in the universe. This is how teleporting works.

Also, by accessing other universes, Emily can alter the laws of physics in specific regions. For instance, there is a universe where thermal energy works in reverse. If Emily is in the region, she can make things cold with her thermal elixir.

I have a number of ways of theming the quartet. For one, there's the classical elements:
Earth for Alex.
Water for Olivia.
Air for Emily.
Fire for Isaac.

The idea is that the less solid elements (i.e. air and fire) go to the neos with the more abstract powers (Emily with her reality-warping and Isaac with what I've essentially written as spirit-powers).

Also, there's a day/night dynamic.
Alex is morning.
Olivia is afternoon.
Emily is evening.
Isaac is night.

I was thinking, sometimes, when a character has their moment to shine, it would take place during "their" time of the day.

Quartet character designs!
Alex - short, straight blonde hair. Hazel eyes. Caucasian. Tall?
Olivia - long brown hair, green eyes, tan skin.
Emily - redhead, wavy hair, blue eyes, caucasian.
Isaac - black, with short curly hair, brown eyes.

So far, when it came to heroes, I've only really discussed a few heroes, the Quartet. Thing is, I plan to have more main characters right from the get-go. The Quartet are just the ones who stick around for the whole show. One may drop out, another's elixir may close early, and a few will probably die. Tis no fun if all of the main characters make it through without any losses.

This is one of the new main characters I've come up with. Her name is Yvonne. She's the one with photokinesis and electrokinesis. I'm thinking she'll be around the longest of the non-Quartet heroes, until around season 5.

For season 1, I wrote:In the very first ever post, I listed the seven seasons of Neo, and in point form stated a few key events in each one. I've recently realized that those few points don't really say much. Now, for the next seven entries, I will give more detailed synopses. Let's start with Birth:

This is the season where are four protagonists' powers manifest. They don't notice them at first, or at least that the power is coming from them. Once they realize they're getting superpowers, they start investigating what caused them. They look for others like them, finding traces of the secret organization Encore along the way.

What sets this from later seasons is that the heroes are on their own, without Encore's direct assistance. They're just kids on the run from a gang who's gunning them down. Encore is still trying to keep secret, but that secrecy slowly erodes away over the course of the season.

Season 1, Episode 1 Overview
We are introduced to our main characters on a bus to a field trip to a science museum. We get a few minutes of them just walking around, letting the audience get accustomed with them. Then a bunch of shady guys (having trouble choosing their allegiance) set up some shit and blow everything the fuck up. Or, something.

Okay, the main point is that the main characters have a brush with death, and their powers begin to activate.

What kind of accident should the series start with, that has Alex, Emily, Issac and Olivia all in the same place at the same time? I'm thinking a high school trip, particularly to somewhere with dangerous high-tech stuff. It could lead the heroes to think that the accident gave them their powers. The first episode will have them go through the accident, and then a one-year time skip occurs that leaves them all in university.

The setting. Where should our four heroes come from?

I had always thought St. Marys or Stratford, someplace small. But I'm beginning to think that Toronto would be a better setting for season 1, somewhere where crime is more rampant.

Regarding episodes, I wrote:I`ve mentioned the big accident that starts the show, and the protagonists recuperating during a one-year time skip. I`ll make the accident and hospilization episodes 1 and 2.

Episode 3 should focus on a day in the life of one of the four protagonists, one year after the accident. I think I will pick Olivia. Near the end of the episode, her elixir starts acting up, as is common for most new neos. Small fires start periodically sprouting around her over the next few weeks. This freaks her out, so she attempts to solve this mystery, meddling-kids-style.

Episode 4 will switch to another character, Alex, who has also been going through some strange shit. When he's alone, objects everywhere around him start vibrating. At the end of the episode, he manages to make the quaking stop on command and can lift small objects with his telekinesis consciously.

Episode 5 features Emily on the run from a group of people (did a friend of hers get in with the wrong crowd and now they're chasing the both of them? Did she have a fight with her family?). Her power starts warping her all over a nearby building, culminating in her teetering over the roof.

Episode 6 features Isaac and his telepathy showing through. Throughout the episode, he begins hearing the thoughts of the people around him. One friend secretly has a crush on him, another is doing drugs, etc. The episode ends with Isaac arguing with one friend. In a fit of rage, he unknowingly uses his telepathy to force the friend to give him an answer. From the friend's reaction, Isaac can tell something's up.

Episode 7 focuses on an agent of an unspecified organization (later revealed to be Encore, the good guys) investigating new neos, who happen to be our main heroes. Their mission is to garner a profile on each one, to see whether or not they're dangerous. In later episodes, this and other agents will indirectly guide the four neos to each other, so that they may learn more about themselves and superpowers in general.

[Ji-hu is sent by Encore to scout out the neos opening in Toronto. So his powers should revolve around stealth and reconnaissance. Flight, invisibility, and he can open up portals to view targets.]

Episode 8. So the agent from before (let's call him Ji-hu) wants to guide our quartet to each other. What he doesn't know is that he's drawing the attention of a couple of Daniel's thugs. Here could be the beginning of the main story arc of Neo Birth.

I want the Quartet to meet each other in parts, not all at once. Like, Alex will meet Olivia, then Olivia finds Isaac, then Isaac discovers both Alex and Emily. It would give each character more development and allow for some one-on-one interactions.

Olivia's sub-plot for season 1. She wants to figure all of this out on her own, so she doesn't tell anyone about her powers. But shit keeps happening around her, and she gets roped into various skirmishes across town. It reaches a point where she gets mistaken as a member of Daniel's gang. So now she's being chased by the police.

Isaac Testardo's sub-plot for season 1. He has super-intelligence, so of course he goes investigating into the recent gang activity. Part of him wants to use his powers, but another part of him just thinks he's going crazy. He's keeping all of this a secret from his parent because he doesn't want them to think he's going crazy in case he actually isn't crazy.

Alexander Everest's sub-plot for season 1. He does the smart thing and tells someone about his powers. Namely, his family. So his mom, step-dad and half-brother take Alex to remote locations to hone his powers. Despite the Everests' efforts, Ji-wu finds out, and Encore starts offering Alex opportunities to learn more about his powers and neos in general.

Emily's Durnin sub-plot for season 1. Between pages 3 and 4 I touched briefly on each main character undergoing Power Incontinence. For Emily, I figured this would take the form of her teleporting randomly, unable to return home. She's freaking out because she has no idea what's going on. Meanwhile the public cites her as missing, and her family is terrified of the idea that someone has gotten to her. Which, to be honest, could happen with Daniel picking out neos.

Neo Birth is all about the mystery of superpowers. So at first, aside from the Quartet, I don't want to actually reveal any other neos. They will be represented by "phenomenon" that begin occurring around Ontario. Molten craters, floating chunks of concrete, piles of dirt heaped around the ocean. Indicators of neos with out-of-control powers.

Villain of Birth
The terrorists are now more of a cult. The main villain is a regular old blue/white/idunno-collar worker, who had his elixir opened, and went crazy with power? I think he'll serve as a nice foil to eventual Big Bad Ueli. This guy isn't that strong, relative to, say, Mason Smith. Meanwhile, Ueli is MUCH more powerful, and much more level-headed. But with very similar ambitions.

Now I just need a name.

Regarding characters, I wrote:Character idea for season 1: University student, spearheads her own little group promoting acceptance of neos.

Regarding villains, I wrote:Daniel's elixir consists of telekinesis and photokinesis, both used by Daniel to instill awe in his audiences.

As Daniel schemes in Birth, he'll happen upon other, younger neos. Some may be seizing territory like Daniel, some may just be laying on the down low. Regardless, Daniel makes it a point to capture these neos and subject them to his rule.

Let's make Yvonne one of the neos that Daniel rounds up in season 1. It would be a different point of view and make for a sympathetic opponent where there would otherwise be a flat character.

Character idea for Neo Birth: twenty-year old girl, no powers, but is Daniel's second-in-command. She is his lead adviser, encouraging him to reach his long-term goals and acting as an alternative point of view when making decisions. She found him shortly after he discovered his powers.

She's enamoured with him, and in turn, he's inspired by her earnesty. She keeps the role of lieutenant by staging scenes with Daniel that have her "standing up to him" as he "threatens" her with a superpowered beating.

Let's name her Beatrice.

Mason should have his own crew of super-superheroes. Larger than Ueli's, but individually weaker and younger. We'll see them all the way in season 1, but the full extent of their powers will gradually be revealed.

For season 2, I wrote:Neo Path:
The Quartet are revealed to the public as superheroes. Encore reveals its existence, as well as the existence of the possibility of more supers (they already exist, but Encore's covering them up for the moment). It establishes itself as a completely independent organization that has no ties to any one country.

The Quartet are brought in to a program run by Encore that teaches new neos everything about their powers. Professionals coach them as they reach the extents of their abilities and discover new powers. Positions in Encore are offered, though the students are hesitant. They are much more comfortable just using their powers in their everyday lives.

This season introduces loads of new neos, all over the world and each differing in experience. Much of Neo Path will follow Encore's efforts to find these people and help them control their powers. Some will join, some will run away in fear and cause harm to themselves and those around them. And during all of this, the whole world is reacting to the existence of superpowers. Some nations fear this massive new source of power, others get right to implementing elixirs into society. All of this and more will affect what the protagonists decide to do with their powers, as it becomes more and more evident just how severe this all really is.

A plot point that could come up in, say, season 2 would be concentrated appearances of neos in certain countries. There's no pattern to openings; some countries will get more neos than others. Politically speaking, it would be a game changer. Imagine if Belgium announced one day that it just discovered 1000 neos inside its borders. It's a massive power source. All sorts of industries would skyrocket: efficient mining, faster manufacturing, and all sorts of new services.

And then you've got everyone else's reactions. Fear of attack, movements to build stronger relations, and alliances with other nations. Encore's job will be to keep track of it all and maintain peace.

Regarding characters, I wrote:Character idea: a small group of three young members of Encore (mid-to-late twenties) who go on special missions. They're lax and wacky, and they serve as big-sibling figures to the new recruits.

Character to be introduced in season 2: Paul, a French man in his early twenties trekking through Europe. He is an orphan from an early age, raised by a butcher until he decided to go out on his own. Meant to invoke the Fool Archetype. His elixir grants him access to his own little pocket of subspace.

Addendum to Paul's elixir. Along with the subspace pockets, he can swipe chunks of matter from other universes.

Which begs the question, couldn't other universes steal from ours? Technically, yes, but it's unlikely.

There's an urban myth in Toronto about a woman who was walking home one winter night when the weather got real bad. She didn't make it back home that night. Now, whenever there's a snowstorm in Toronto, her silhouette can be seen as she tries to return home.

In actuality, her elixir lets her teleport anywhere with a similar temperature. Later, she gains the ability to expel thermal energy, and redistribute thermal energy in an area without actually adding any.

Powerset idea: a girl who can regenerate and manipulate her body mass, but only in the form of a humanoid sea creature. The new tissue has scales, fins and gills, among other things. The sea-creature effect can be worn off after an hour or so.

Powerset idea: a person who can open a door to an alternate dimension habited by various demonic species. The demons vary in size (from baseballs to skyscrapers), shape (humanoid to eldritch) and texture (plain skin to scales and horns). But all of the demons can shoot fire, and a few have other powers.

This guy's gonna be a hero, by the way.

Character ideas. Pair of pranksters. One can teleport, the other can make matter vibrate. Introduce them in season 2.

Powerset idea: someone who can turn into a liquid/solid form. They can also turn other solids into fluids and absorb them, effectively relocating the solids.

Powerset idea: a neo who can telepathically send any sound or sight they themselves hear, but only whatever they're currently hearing/seeing. If they're listening to music with earphones in, they can send the sounds to the minds of everyone in the area.

Powerset idea: a neo who can reshape matter with their hands like putty.

I've kinda reset on writing Peter's character. Here's everything I've kept with the character.
Peter is going to be a defector. In Neo Path, the enemy is going to attack, family is going to be endangered, and Peter is going to be pissed. He's gonna leave Encore, try to make a difference on his own. Over the next few seasons, he's going to commit acts more and more reprehensible, growing more and more desperate to do things on his own.

Now that I've written that out, it kinda makes Peter look like a strawman. Maybe I should write another lone wolf who doesn't stoop to Peter's level.

Peter has a varied elixir: telekinesis, thermokinesis, electrokinesis, etc. His main theme is that his power works in short, large bursts. Jumping up on to a skyscraper instead of gradually flying, a massive shockwave instead of a gradual push, massive blasts instead of complex streams. This makes his powers work best as weapons.

Regarding revelations, I wrote:So I was thinking about how the presence of powers could explain a lot of real-life myths and legends in the Neoverse. And then I thought, wouldn't that just make more potential for myths?

So I'm thinking of doing that, throwing in a bunch of myths, both ancient and modern, that will be revealed to be of Neo origin.

In the early seasons, several characters are shown in school learning about an old nomadic religion whose god was born to them in their own kingdom and lived a life of hardship to ascend to the throne. This will turn out to be the Queen Alight and her cult.

A significant plot throughout the show will be about all the different factions of neos trying to establish civilization on the moon. Large groups of neos transport various gasses to set up an atmosphere, as well as water and basic vegetation. I'm hoping that this will keep higher-level neos busy during the first few seasons.

There will be (mostly) no secret identities in the Neoverse. One quarter of the neo population is telepaths, and identifying a masked vigilante is relatively easy. To compensate, Encore offers reliable protection for families of neos.

Won't stop a few idiots from donning costumes at night.

Regarding the main plot of season 2, I wrote:What will season 2 build up to? There's a small group of neos (somewhere) who feel like society/Encore has screwed them over. They're master plan is to harness the power of an incontinent neo as an act of revenge. The neo in question, for the record, doesn't actually want this. (S)he is kinda "out of it".

Villain team idea: the "Halogens". Not they're actual name, just what I think of them as. They're a hierarchy of criminal neos that are out to ruin society. The weakest ones represent the lower halogens. So "Chlorine" (Chloe?) is their leader. Or so we're led to think.

Villain idea: Chloe, the (supposed) leader of the "Halogens", seen in season 2. She's the one trying to use an out-of-control neo to wreck havoc on the world. Her power is a telepathy that lets her use other people's powers.

Villain idea: Bronislav. Second-in command of the "Halogens". Has the power to break down compounds and mixtures into clouds of pure substances, and telekinesis to move such substances around.

Villain idea: Ian, the weakest member of the "Halogens". Has the power to teleport, but also drags surrounding matter with him to wherever he goes.

Regarding Oblatio, I wrote:NEW ORGANISATION!! I'd like to introduce Oblatio. We see them occasionally starting from season 2, and their appearances grow more frequent over time. They are like Encore, a group of neos anticipating Ueli's master plan. Encore and Oblatio share the same goals, but a difference in principles keeps them separate.

Oblatio has a tendency to get in people's faces, so to speak. Whereas Encore works from behind the scenes, recruiting new neos when convenient, Oblatio is more direct. One day, you might be a neo walking down the street alone when an arm grabs you and you get pulled towards...the wall. Suddenly you're in a dimly lit room, sitting on a rather comfortable couch. An old man sits across from you, wearing a suit, grinning widely. You've been invited.

Oblatio's aggressive, but friendly and fair. They're constantly telepathically scanning cities across the world for any newly opened neos, which is one of those big things Encore disagrees strongly about. You get teleported to a secret base to discuss options with your potential new boss. If you don't like their special brand of help, they'll be happy to leave you alone...gradually. Oblatio's nothing if not persistent.

They're not quite as strong as Encore or Ueli's factions (they've got no trump card like Mason to deal out), but they're large and organized. They are to be watched out for.

Character idea: Bachir. The original founder or Oblatio, and head of it to this day (Oblatio is young compared to the likes of Encore and Ueli). An old man with strong telekinesis, he's the one that our protagonists first see from Oblatio, and the main one they talk to from then on. He's charming and jovial, which makes him a good recruiter. Passes away between seasons 4 and 5.

For season 3, I wrote:Neo Strike:
Several heroes, the Quartet included, have recently joined Encore's department of protection. They will undergo a training regime to prepare them for police-work, and split off into different squads. Much of this season will be of the Quartet tracking down rogue supervillains terrorizing the public. This is where they begin to develop a sense of professionalism towards their superheroics.

Hints will be dropped throughout of another group, rivalling Encore, that is planning to make an attack on the whole world at an undisclosed time in the future. The Quartet is curious, but Encore is not giving details. It all comes to a head when the group invades North America, being led by the Queen Alight. Completely outclassing every hero known in the story at this point, the Queen brutally crushes all resistance. At the end of season 3, our heroes are scattered across the planet, with no way to stop the Queen's army from settling on society.

In battle, wouldn't it be easiest to just rip apart your opponent's body right away? Probably, yes. This is why Encore enforces all groups to consist of a balanced assortment of neos, to keep a low level of guard against all types of attack.

Human bodies are nothing to the sheer raw power of an experienced neo. When your enemy can rip apart a skyscraper with their mind, people seem really fragile. This is why most (all?) Encore employees are required to undergo surgery that replaces many of their body systems with synthetic organs made out of much durable materials.

Regarding characters, I wrote:Evil rival character for season 3: Gus Smith. First seen in season 2 as a nobody delinquent who's disposed of in a matter of seconds, then comes back stronger and backed by minor forces of the Queen. Once he Takes a Level in Badass, he gets real arrogant and starts calling himself Augustus to sound cooler. The idea is that he wants revenge for being dealt with so easily, and he actually is quite a personal threat in season 3. 

His elixir is lazers. In my mind he is voiced by Egoraptor.

FUCK, I gave Gus the same last name as Mason! I didn't have them planned to be related at all! I need to change Gus's last name to something equally ordinary. Maybe Wellington.

Yes, Gus Wellington, I like it.

Powerset idea: a neo who can move around bacteria and only bacteria. Gather them together, push them out, migrate them from one town to another.

Question is, do I go the obvious route and make them a villain? Make them a very well-intentioned and very unfortunate anti-hero? Maybe I can make them zig-zag between the two.

Powerset idea: a neo who's constantly phasing in and out of his current location. Let's him phase through stuff. He's a master thief.

Scene idea: The scene is a cafe. There is a man sitting with a small child. The following dialogue is exchanged.
Man: Hey, looks like you need a little fixing up.
Child: I-I'm okay.
Man: Here, let me fix you up. *plays around with the child's jacket*
Child: *Visibly uncomfortable*.
Man: There, you look, you look sharp. Now we're just gonna sit around a bit, have our meal, and in a few minutes...it's gonna be twelve o'clock.

The idea is for the man to be as creepy as humanly possible. The child is not his, and he is about to do something horrible to the child. But he does not want to scare them, so all he says is that it's gonna be twelve o'clock.

And now, for more of Kason's Kreepy Konversations with Kids!
Man: Here, put this [bracelet] on.
Child: Mmm (grunt of discomfort).
Man: It's okay, it's okay, I just want you to put this on your arm. See it? It's pretty.
*The man struggles to fit the bracelet on the child.*
Child: It hurts.
Man: That's okay. It always hurts at first.
*The bracelet is fitted on. Nothing else happens.*
Man: Hmm, must be broken. *Takes it off.* Let's go find you another toy.

I am destined to write this duo in somewhere.

For season 4, I wrote:Neo Eve:
The Queen Alight rules over North America. Encore is scattered. And there is no one who can come close to challenging the Queen. Nuclear threats are made, but all missiles are stopped pre-detonation. The bulk of this season is the Quartet and the rest of Encore finding each other and recovering from the Queen's assault. While the Queen seems unstoppable, Mason Smith assures everyone that if they can dismantle the rest of her regime, she will back off.

And so begins a rebellion against a mad god-queen way out of her time. People are afraid, not knowing what to do but unable to do anything other than whatever the Queen and her subjects say. Protests are made endlessly, and are stopped violently. Free nations attempt coalitions to take on the Queen, while some nations consider surrender in the wake of invasion. Across the planet, all eyes are on the one neo responsible for all of this mayhem. One human can burn the planet.

A time will come, a day will rise
When the shadows swim across the skies
The hills will sink, the seas will fade
And I will stride across the glade

The pride of men will break and flee
All with life will bow to me
A time will come, the world will burn
When the Queen Alight makes her return

Regarding my villains, I wrote:When I was little, I had a Spiderman toy. It was a giant mecha of sorts, if I recall correctly. When I was little, I made the toy into a character, a Big Good leader-type. And then I made an evil version. I used him in my Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfic ideas. Another villain with him was Sladeth, a dark-clothed woman with a black mask for a face.

The Queen, one of the main villains throughout all of Neo, is kinda of my modern Sladeth. So I think I should bring back the evil cyborg. Except turn it into an actual mecha piloted by a human being.

Let's give a story to the robot-piloting guy who works for the Queen Alight. Served in an army (not sure which one). Loves to fight. Got lost in a battle, accidentally killed one of his own men, fled. Queen took him up, sheltered him until her grand assault on the world. Uses electricity and light with great efficiency to power his giant mecha.

Let's introduce him in Eve.

It's not the Queen's reign itself that makes her a villain, really. It's more the fact that she's susceptible to bouts of psychotic rampaging on account of having lived for over half of a millennium and experienced many hardships over that time. Stubborn person that she is, she continues on her conquests despite the risks her authority come with.

Whenever the Queen arrives in a new nation with intent to conquer, she always selects one neo to be her Knight. This Knight is her mouthpiece, her bodyguard and her connection to the people she is about to enslave. When she arrives in Canada at the end of season 3 and during season 4, she's already set her eyes on a candidate. One of the neos that Carlos helped to create.

Isaac Testardo.

Isaac's main conflict for all of Neo is with the Queen Alight. In season 4, he's brainwashed into being her Knight. By the time he's freed in the season finale, he's in a vegetative state without the Queen to guide him. His story in season 5 will be about him recovering from the psychological trauma that was inflicted on him by the Queen.

Regarding revelations, I wrote:Four neos. All exceptionally strong. All from one city.
Seems suspicious.

I'm gonna blame somebody. The Queen Alight. She had this guy run an experiment, decades ago. A way to breed the perfect neo, one with no scarring, and raise them under her rule. The experiment went about as well as could be hoped.

So let's introduce Carlos. This scientist was forced by the Queen to run this experiment. Although he was willing to do it per se, he recognized how wrong it would be to let the Queen handle them. So he set measures to keep them safe, to let them grow up healthily.

His elixir involves reshaping matter of all states (prefers metals) and shifting it between states without heating or cooling it.

For season 5, I wrote:Neo Grasp:
The Queen Alight has dropped off the face of the earth. Millions are still reeling from her brutal regime, although Encore has stepped in full-force to assist in the recovery. The Quartet and their allies have taken more of a leadership position, as a means to reconcile the poor image that the Queen gave of exceptionally powerful neos.

But the Queen's reign was just the beginning. Cedric has stepped in to continue the global takeover, under the guise of a benevolent independent party outside of Encore. Corruption runs deep, as the Quartet discovers governments, corporations and more all answering to Cedric's group in one way or another. And Mason Smith finally makes known the existence of Ueli, the mastermind behind the Queen, Cedric, and more in a centuries-old plot to attain a new world order.

In light of all of this, our heroes will have to make their stand. Ueli's plans involve tragedies on an unprecedented scale, but defying him may mean the end of civilization as they know it.

Regarding characters, I wrote:Character pair to be introduced in season 5: reporters who don't have superpowers but want to get into the thick of all of this neo business anyway. Let's call'em Clarice and Ryan for now.

Regarding revelations, I wrote:Alchemists, once skilled enough, can form entire new bodies for themselves with completely different molecular structure than our regular bodies. In fact, deep within the planet is a mental network of alchemists. They pretty much stay to themselves.

Back on page 1, I alluded to a civilization of neos living as part of the earth, literally. They're mostly apathetic to the conflicts above. They rise up to fight whenever someone starts causing just a little too much mayhem for nature. Doesn't matter who they are: Encore, Third Act, Queen Alight. You piss off the rock, it's gonna fall on you.

Powerset idea: a telepath that spreads their power across a large area gradually. The telepathy takes the form of a demonic warping of the landscape, and everyone who is caught in the field is lost to the telepath.

The Big Bad
He was born in the mid-1700s. He lived a fairly normal childhood, but then his elixir opened. He soon made contact with a secret group of neos, the nomads known as the Troop, who encouraged the growth of his powers. He was a truly exceptional specimen; his elixir was varied and growing rapidly. However, a tragedy struck; many lives were lost, and the young child was scarred.

Witnessing first-hand the evil of elixir, he dedicated himself to warning neos not to let themselves run loose, pleading them to hinder their elixirs. The Troop ignored him, calling him paranoid. This greatly angered the young man, and one night, he ambushed them. Killing dozens, the group was scattered.

He was powerful, but not enough, It was one thing to deal with one Troop, it would be another to take on a whole world of neos. And so he bid his time, making acquaintances, gathering knowledge, honing the elixir he so despised.

He had a plan, but it would take years, decades, perhaps centuries. Even with regenerative properties, he might not survive to go through with his entire conquest. And so he constructed a sanctuary. With a combination of super-speed and time-manipulation, the young man shot through time while his associates carried through with his plans, stopping only when absolutely needed.

This young man's name,
is I don't fucking know. I'm thinking something European.

Regarding the Big Bad's name, I wrote:Temporary name for Big Bad is Ueli. It is the Swiss nickname for German Ulrich (which means "prosperity and power"). I choose Switzerland as his nationality simply out of irony (Switzerland is known for its neutrality).

Regarding my main villains, I wrote:So there's the Big Bad, Ueli, the most powerful Neo in the world, with a wide assortment of power. He has three main subjects.

The first is the Queen (name pending), around 700 years old. Born into a low-class family, her elixir opened at a young age. As she grew up she used her power to rise to authority in her kingdom, to the point where she was regarded (and regarded herself; she's a little crazy you see) as a god. Her presence will be felt at first in seasons 3 and 4, indirectly through servants. She has a varied elixir.

Next up is the Farmer (again, name pending), around 250 years old and raised in the old west. While nothing quite sufficient for combat, his elixir contains a little bit of chemical power that sustains his body, if ever so barely. Bitter about his life but so very eager to keep on living, he seeks other powerful neos to kill so that no one may ever do the same to him. Reigned in only by Ueli. Has a slightly varied elixir, known mainly for two things: his absolutely unmatched and terrifyingly destructive telekinesis; and an odd sort of telepathy that, while a minor attribute of his elixir, is notable in that it only kills others.

Third is the Storm, around 1000 years old. Their origin is not completely understood, even to Ueli. One thing is certain; that...thing is insane. Often appears as a giant swirling cloud, or a slender person of ambiguous gender in either a royal Chinese robe or a German WW1 outfit. Encounters with the Cloud reveal possible information: telepaths will recount seeing what appeared to be a massive hive of smaller minds, all trying to steer the one being. Eventually, it's revealed that the Storm started out as a neo with an unfortunate form of telepathy that took nearby minds and "glued" them to itself. This hive-mind set-up makes the Storm unpredictable, sometimes joining battles, sometimes not. But when motivated, it loves to kill masses of people indescriminantly. Has a varied elixir.

These three replace the 14 now.

Villain to be introduced in season 5: Cedric. Tall, short black hair, English. Cedric is Ueli's most powerful sub-ordinate as well as his connection to the modern world, being only 50 years old as of the first episode of season 5. He has a varied elixir, as well as a mind that has been engineered to naturally block telepathy.

Cedric's role is to organize people and events. He leads troops, makes business deals, and controls public relations. He has a sharp tongue, and a sadistic streak a mile wide. He's the kind of guy who would make you want to hand yourself over before getting you himself.

And with that, we have a solid Five Bad Band:
Big Bad: Ueli.
Dragon: The Farmer.
Evil Genius: Cedric.
Brute: The Queen Alight.
Dark Chick: The Storm.

So who tried to scar our heroes' elixirs all the way in the beginning of season 1? There's probably a long chain of command ending at the top with Cedric. I imagine scarring would-be neos that can't even light a match would be something that Cedric would assign to run-of-the-mill mooks.

Peter's downward spiral to villainy comes to a peak by season 5. After abandoning Encore in season 2, he searches for a cause to fight for. But he keeps screwing up. He continuously lashes out at potential allies for not meeting his standards and makes calls that piss everyone off. All alone, there's only one person who will pick him up.

In season 5, after losing Isaac, the Queen Alight makes Peter her new Knight.

Villain idea: a main nemesis, on the same level as Peter. A woman with a semi-decaying body, immensely powerful, crazy. Her powers lean towards the out-of-control type. Kinda appears out of nowhere during season 5. She'll have a particular rivalry with Olivia (although, like Peter, she means trouble for all of the Quartet). She turns out to be in charge of the Halogens (she is Fluorine).

Character idea: Aster. When we first meet her she just seems like an odd child, but she's later revealed to be an artificial human being created by "Fluorine" for kicks.

Lots of people are probably going to die at some point. As in, a single disaster. It's bound to happen when both the heroes and the villains hold the magnitude of powers that they do. At some point, the Cold War between Encore and Ueli is gonna bubble over, and someone like Cedric or the Queen is going to lash out against a state or something. In a later season, probably 5.

It could be a game-changer (probably should), seeing all the different factions respond to the massacre that was committed with the flick of a wrist. Events will be set in motion that affect every life on the planet, and repercussions are bound to be felt everywhere.

Why Don't you do Anything, Mason?
Remember in a previous post when I said the heroes would be able to nuke Texas by the end of War? Well, Mason, Ueli, and his associates are each stronger than that. Each of Ueli's inner circle could probably nuke, say, 3 Texases. Mason can take the Farmer, Storm and Queen by himself, hypothetically speaking, and Ueli is even more powerful. It's a very Cold-War-esque situation, where both sides have their fingers on their respective buttons, ready at a moment's notice to nuke a shitload of Texases.

Mason hides his true power from the majority of Encore, because a lot of people would have trouble understanding the plight that Mason is in. He'd love to flatten the brigade coming at you with a flick of his wrist, but he has to look out for the dozen-or-so physical gods with their eyes on him like a group of Texas-nuking hawks.

So, yeah, don't piss off Mason, or he'll nuke Texas.

Mason and the rest of Encore don't go out fixing the world's problems with their vast resources because Ueli won't let them. If they were to indulge in philanthropy, it could garner them a lot of the world's support. So that becomes as restricted for the higher-ups as regular fighting is.

Mason Smith likes to sail. It's a hobby of his. He is in his 50s. He's married, with a single adolescent son. Neither his wife or son have powers.

For season 6, I wrote:Neo View:
Anarchy. Every single nation's borders have been erased. Ueli's machinations, along with Encore's resistance to such, have left billions of humans with no system of government to look after them. Crime runs rampant, food runs short, and cities are wrecked. The only thing keeping the average man alive is his relatively small elixir. Encore and Heteros are quick to help. With their vast resources, they provide newly growing congregations of people with the means to rebuild towns, roads, and utility systems. Both on Earth and the Moon, the two groups establish themselves.

All that's left is to grab land. Encore reaches out to young countries-to-be via the Third Act, in an effort to unify the world against Ueli. As our heroes grow ever stronger, they come across the true players of the game: the Farmer, the Storm, and the Queen Alight. Meanwhile, the handful of new nations that span the planet have their own ideas, and they have the firepower to make themselves heard. In this season, the Third Act becomes much more informed of Encore's actions behind the scenes. There is talk of war starting, and everyone is scrambling to get in position.

Mason Smith and Ueli make their final plays before the big event, and the Third Act is not about to be left behind.

By the final few seasons, the main heroes will have been condensed into their own group of a few dozen neos after several disasters in season 5 bring them together. They are the Third Act. They are headed by the four main heroes.

The Troop is visiting (North England, early 1700s).
You're chopping wood for your family. Your wife is preparing supper, your five-year-old son is inside playing. You're just going through the motions, when you feel something behind you. You turn around and see a lightly-tanned man standing before you, wearing a calm smile.

He begins to speak long enough for you to recognize that he's not speaking English. He seems to notice too, as he abruptly switches to English. "Greetings sir, you've been invited".
"To what?"
"To the performance!"
As excited as the stranger appears, his words mean nothing to you. "And what kind of performance may that be?"
"Oh, I can't tell you. Not just yet. It's a secret." You begin to obje-"At the inn in your town, just tell the man in brown 'the Troop has invited me'".

The man walks away.

The Troop is visiting 2 (North England, early 1700s).
You go to the inn. Sure enough, a tall man, all in brown, stops you at the door. Slightly irritated, you are asked "what is your business here?". You answer as you were previously instructed; "The Troop has invited me". The tall man relaxes visibly. "Follow me".

You and the tall man in brown go to a table with 4 other people: a man and woman on each side. The pair by the wall begin to talk. They don't sound English.
"We want nothing from you. We just want to make an offer. And we choose you three to receive this offer."
"Stick out your hand". You do as they say, and they hold it, lightly. All of a sudden, a small flame appears, hovering just above your fingers. Instinctively you pull away and look around. "Don't worry. No one saw. We made sure of that."

You look at the man and woman on your side. "They already know. Although...they learned more by accident. A shame we couldn't meet sooner."
A pause. "We need to know: does this scare you? There's more of this. So much more. And we do not want to force anything. We are simply here to provide you with the support in any path you choose."
"And so we ask: will you walk with us?"

If you stay, you forget everything the next day. They are skilled in leaving no traces of their actions. It's better that way.
But if you walk, you join the Troop, a nomadic band of extraordinary people from many lands. Their goals include exploring the extents of elixirs and helping people open them up. But most importantly, they strive to live with these powers to the fullest. These are wondrous gifts from the heavens. There is nothing to fear; the power is yours.

I have no idea if 18th-century Europeans would talk like this. I also have no idea if I'm subconsciously ripping off the Matrix or not.

Regarding revelations, I wrote:Decay tends to happen every century or so. Usuallyly the few dozen strongest neos get out of it with their elixirs fully intact. Most neos lose their elixirs entirely, while a few hundred may notice their powers have severely waned.

I oughta make it happen at some point in the plot, to demonstrate it instead of just talking about it. But what would be the best time to do so? Maybe at the end of Anarchy. Just as society has begun to rebuild itself for a new age of superpowers, the proverbial rug is swept from right under everyone's feet. And the vox populi are left at the mercy of the strongest few.

For season 7, I wrote:Neo War:
Encore versus Heteros. Ueli and his associates are in full force now. Every neo is contributing to the war effort. Many battles are fought: telekinetics obliterate opposition, alchemists wreck resources, warpers arrange military factions, and telepaths partake in espionage and strategy. The Third Act has risen as a leader in this war, practically standing on its own alongside Encore as a nation. They may well be the deciding factor in this war.

As the end approaches, the Third Act is forced to answer: if not Ueli, then what? Where does humanity go on from here? Does someone else just take the throne? Are we to be left to our own devices? Is every man, woman and child to be entrusted with the power to tear down a city block? The past 16 years have all been for the sake of this; to guide the Third Act to make that choice.

While delirious, I wrote:So I  was lying in my bed last evening to rest my left knee. The room was dark, and the window was behind me. The lights that got through the curtains made weird lines across a portion of the ceiling above me and the wall in front of me. And what I saw really intrigued me. The light looked like a pair of very skeletal legs. The feet were on the wall, and the legs ran "up" the ceiling. I got the idea that the creature was very large, on account of me being able to see only its legs.

I want to see this thing get written into something.

While admittedly not-delirious, I wrote:This idea is less about Neo and more of a community thing. I was thinking of making a public domain character. I would gather a group of writers from various works - TV shows, games, books, etc. We would design a character that we would all use. The character would have the same personality, same appearance, and same backstory in every universe. What would change is what happens to the character in every story. One universe has the character raising kids in a suburbia, another has them rebelling against a global tyrant. It's more of an experiment than anything.

Cephalo the Pod wrote:Friday:
Powerset idea: a telepath that spreads their power across a large area gradually. The telepathy takes the form of a demonic warping of the landscape, and everyone who is caught in the field is lost to the telepath.

Vyzor wrote:Ya, I went to go read page 9's summarization. When I saw how long it was I: