The Watercolors then…

…And now!

Amateur primary school dramatists, young superhumans; children who spend a lot of time in a barn:

Allison Kinsey/Myriad: Daughter of a rural banker and his New Australian wife from the Old Country, wherever that is. A child prodigy’s child prodigy, since being torn from her home and family, Allison has discovered she can mimic the powers of any nearby superhuman.

Maelstrom: Son of the water-elemental Melusine and the acidic South African Basilisk, Maelstrom has inherited his mother’s powers. Raised as Dr. Herbert Lawrence’s protege; he has high hopes for the boy.

Mabel Henderson/Phantasmagoria: Almost Maelstrom’s only friend, blessed with the ability to bring any illustration to terrible, terrible life. Creative head of the Watercolours, does not actually need eyeglasses.

Arnold Barnes/Elsewhere: Allison Kinsey’s defacto best friend from the same small town, Arnold possess the ability to teleport almost anything almost anywhere… except himself. He’s not bitter.

William “Billy” St. George/Growltiger: The cloistered son of a rich couple, Billy’s powers of matter transmutation, invisibility, and acoustikinesis (roaring very loudly) have left him with the appearance of a bipedal tiger. Very happy to be here.

New Human Institute Staff and Graduates

Dr. Herbert Lawrence: Oxford educated psychiatrist and superhuman advocate, founder of the New Human Institute. Australian, despite the accent.

Eliza Winter/Żywie: A German-Polish healer and biokinetic hailing from the Free City of Danzig. Splits her time between teaching English and doing awful things to vegetables.

Hugo Venter/Basilisk: The Institute’s South African maths teacher, all of Basilisk’s bodily fluids are corrosive to everything except living flesh. Keeps busy. Father of Maelstrom.

Françoise Barthe/Melusine: A hydrokinetic (theoretically) from the south of France. Mother of Maelstrom, in charge of athletics and power development classes.

Alberto Moretti/Tiresias: A clairvoyant and telepath Lawrence rescued from Italian blackshirts as a boy. Oenophile.

Chen Liu/AU: Lawrence’s first student, a third generation Chinese-Australian with the ability to telekinetically manipulate gold. Left the school long ago to aggressively borrow gold mines.

Mary Gillespie: English former primary school teacher recruited by Dr. Lawrence after the London Blitz. Surnames, please.

Therese Fletcher: Fresh faced science teacher hired by Lawrence in the wake of the Cuban Crisis. Shaky, but earnest. Avoid loud noises.

Bryant Cormey: Civics teacher brought on around the same time as Miss Fletcher. Favours a return to Athenian democracy. Don’t laugh.

Other Students

The many other children who knock about the campus:

Thomas Long/Haunt: Member of the Stolen Generation with the ability to become intangible, often seen with Britomart.

Bella Wilson/Windshear: Six year old mistress of the Institute’s black market, not to mention the wind itself. Picks on Maelstrom.

Louise Michelson/Britomart: Chief minion of Windshear, her ability to manipulate kinetic energy makes her faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, etcetera, etcetera. Picks on Maelstrom less. Is not a supermarket.

Brian Peters/Snapdragon: A fire-conjurer whose flames only burn as he wills them. The Institute’s other supplier of spectacle, allergic to hippies.

Lucy Andrews/Automata: What Mabel is to drawings and paintings, Automata is to models and toys. Her plush legions scurry beneath the Institute, waiting for their lady’s call to arms.

Troy Willes/Talos: Able to shift from flesh and blood boy to biomechanical android; takes soccer very seriously.

Mavis Nowak/Reverb: One of the Institute’s original students, Reverb’s congenital muteness has not prevented her from earning her keep as the school PA system, thanks to her power over sound.

Lucius Owens/Linus: The only boy among the Institute’s first crop of students, Linus credits his many musical talents to being a son of Apollo. However, everyone knows Apollo lives in Greece, and not Australia.

Sadie Jones/Stratogale: Another of the Institute’s eldest students, Stratogale possesses the almost boring powers of flight, enhanced strength, and near-invulnerability, as well as the ability to communicate with and command all manner of birds. They don’t have much to say.

Lana Firrens/Ex-Nihilo: The middle-child of the Institute’s early students, Ex-Nihilo is blessed with the power of matter conjuration, which she will explain in great length is different from matter transmutation, thank you very much.

Robert Carroll/Gwydion: Currently muddling his way through his early teens, Gwydion can manifest his will into invisible, geometric constructs. Too cool to play with little kids.

Jennifer O’Keely/Veltha: The last member of the Institute’s elemental quartet, claiming dominion over earth itself. The dirt apparently does actually come off.

Tina Vicks/Cardea: A portal generator who still doesn’t know what she’s named after. Is certain her power is better than hoary old teleportation.

Jimmy Wallis/Jumpcut: Line of sight teleporter. At least it works on him.

Bran Davies/Metonymy: Welsh migrant with the power of recreating a whole object from fragments, likely wishes he’d stayed at home.

Sheilah Brown/Artume: A insomniac young woman with access to a dimension of platonic shadow. Keeps to herself.

Jeremy Smitt/Abalone: Able to surround himself in a beautiful, protective bubble. Perhaps it’s for the best his headmaster is a psychiatrist.

Dawn Brown/Ēōs: Born with the power to create solid light, Ēōs is queen of the Institute come blackouts.

Adam Sinclair/Panoply: The New Human Institute’s newest student, with over thirty distinct superpowers, because life is unfair.

Chant, Chorus, Ophelia, and Spitfire: Babies with powers, check back in a few years.

The Powerless of This World

Trust some, fear the rest:

Angela Barnes: Mother of Arnold Barnes, breadwinner for the family as the town butcher. Made of materials unreproducible by science.

Frederick Barnes: Arnold’s father. A retired corporal in the Australian Army,  Fred Barnes was honourably discharged after losing his legs in the Korean War. Spends much of his time writing angry letters.

Drew Barnes: Angela and Fred Barnes’ eldest son, proud new father.

Sophia Barnes: Drew’s wife, who he met tooling around the country in a combi-van.

Julia Barnes: Drew and Sophia’s baby daughter, check back in a few years.

Jack Kinsey: Accountant father of Allison Kinsey. Deeply ashamed.

Drina Kinsey: Allison’s mother, a European World War 2 refugee of somewhat vague origins.

Bartholomew “Bazza” Finch: Surprisingly steady young hippie from the town of Northam. Very curious about those far-out kids in the valley, man.

Aleister “Al” Johnson: Bazza’s less steady mate. Very conflicted about this whole super business.

Eddie Taylor: Bazza and Al’s other childhood friend. Apparently an electrician’s apprentice. Loving boyfriend.

Dr. Stephen Carter: Journeyman scientist in charge of studying Allison Kinsey’s powers at McClare Demi-Human Containment Centre. Somehow both bored and terrified, all the time.

Other Uncanny Individuals

Superheroes, retirees, villains at large:

Elsa Lieroinen/the Singular Elsa: Owner and Operator of the Lieroinen Family Circus; broomstick riding, cauldron stirring, house haunting witch. Offers fortune telling for those interested in the truth. Pronounced “Ilsa”.

Myles: Ringmaster of the Lieroinen Circus, Elsa’s loyal friend and companion. Avoids mirrors.

Ávrá Lieroinen: Elsa’s young daughter/maid. Someone give her a hug.

Ralph Rivers/the Crimson Comet: Australian superhero operating during the 30s and 40s, retired to obscurity shortly after World War 2 for unknown reasons. Confirmed bachelor.

Timothy Valour: Former airman and adventurer, current reluctant head of the Department of Demi-Human Affairs. Tolerates Lawrence.

Unprintable/the Physician: Alien metaphysicist whose eyes change with the weather. Don’t take his lollipops. Musically challenged.

Helen of Whenever/Strikepoint: The longest interred inmate at McClare’s Demi-Human Containment Centre, who claims to be Helen of Troy herself, and backs this argument up with fire and lightning. Likes her stories.

Peter Frum/Menagerie: A former zoo-worker unjustly fired for his ability to communicate with animals, who proceeded to form the supervillain team known and feared as the Frightful Fearsome Four Three. Implores you all to keep your pets collars up to date.

Barry Robson/Fo-Fum: A former construction boss with opaque, but potent mass-moving abilities. Keeping an eye out for a lair. Peter Frum’s oldest comrade.

Hettie Haldor/Chisel: Former housewife turned stone and crystal woman one day at the markets. Reluctant member of the Fearsome Three.

Benjamin “Benji” Rousel/Redcap: Vicious, changeable supervillain with the power to manipulate human blood, both inside and out of its owner. Attack dog of the Perthite supervillain league known as the Coven.

James Bower/The Fox: Sober-minded, utterly heartless zoot-suit wearing leader and founding member of the Coven. Powers unknown.

Jonna Lieroinen/the Witch of Claremont: Founding member and indirect namesake of the Coven, assisting them with her copious magical powers. Never ask about her mother, or her tattoos.

Alma Naylor/The Fey of Femurs: Blessed with power over bone, not nomenclature. Girlfriend of Redcap, currently whistles in the wind.

And the one and only:

The Flying Man: Thought to be the world’s mightiest superhuman, the Flying Man single handedly dismantled every nuclear weapon on the planet in under three days. Here to help. Possibly.