Deconstruction of Teens Gaining Superpowers

Exactly What It Says on the Tin.

What would be the psychological effects of suddenly finding out you had gained superpowers overnight?

Ideas? Opinions?

Well, I'm on my twenties now, and if I got superpowers now, I could get nasty.

Were I to get them when I was a teen... Gods! It would probably be much worse.

There's a reason that superpowers typically manifest at puberty. Most writers won't talk about it, but think about it—puberty is like gaining superpowers. Suddenly there are all these new chemicals in your bloodstream, new abilities, new thoughts, new urges, new dangers. It takes time to learn how to control those abilities and urges. Some people never learn.

There's a reason the "great responsibility" meme resonates. Puberty, in some societies, is when you become an adult. You have new powers, yes, but you must learn when you can use them and, at least as important, when you should not use them.

They all get their superpowers from watching strange, cosmic lights happening in the sky.

At first they keep their powers secret, from their families, and even each other, keeping it to themselves.

Several of the powers range from the mundance, like being able to make fire, to the extreme, such as growing wings and being able to warp reality.

What's their age range?

As for deconstructing it, step one would be portrayal. Make sure you show that while some use it for good, some use it for less savory things or for nothing at all. Make sure it's clear the new power users aren't exclusively Stupid Good or Stupid Evil.

@Zolnier: They're sophomores.

We don't have that term where I came from, what does that mean?

Second year of high school.

So fourteen to fifteen?

Yes.

They will all use them for several reasons: vigilantism, fun, 'fun'...

Most of the time peor that get powers want to cecine superhéroes or supervillains. But in Real Life most people would use them to improve their lifes.

See the trope—> Comes Great Perks

Have you read the Animorphs? That's a pretty good example of deconstruction teens with super powers.

edited 1st Apr '11 6:10:44 AM by storyyeller

How will the plot progress? Does it involve fighting Big Bad kind of story or a Mundane Fantastic story?

Its going to start off light hearted but swing into dark, scary territory as one of the characters go insane after gaining their powers. All the others have to band together to try and stop him.

So the conflict is just among the friends, then?

Yes.

How many super teens are there?

Six for now, four boys, two girls. Possibly might add more later.

Some random ideas off the top of my head:

• Do you honestly know any 15-year-olds that you'd trust with any sort of superpower? Think about it.
• Would the kids feel pressured to use their powers in a meaningful way, even though that wasn't what they wanted to do with their lives? (Think about it; assuming each power is unique, if the guy who can read minds doesn't want to be a detective, there'll never be another. Imagine the pressure.)
• Having superpowers doesn't necessarily have to be cause for epicness. Perhaps, after a period of testing the limits of their abilities, the kids settle down into their old routines, with the added benefit of being able to shoot fireballs at bonfires.

EDIT AFTER ACTUALLY READING THE DAMN THREAD: The antagonist doesn't necessarily have to go insane (unless he was mentally unstable to begin with or the powers explicitly erode his mind, you probably shouldn't; an insane antagonist can quickly mutate into a does-this-action-because-the-plot-says-so antagonist, sometimes even intentionally).

Teenagers are notoriously shortsighted and emotionally immature, and it could be that he doesn't know how to set limits for his behaviour now that any given authority figure can be fireball'd.

Perhaps he does something really bad on an impulse, continues like that because he's afraid to face judgement from his friends, and it snowballs from there? (Basically, I'm using my Alternate Character Interpretation of Porky Minch).

edited 1st Apr '11 3:10:02 PM by superfroggy

Seconding the idea of having the antagonist nuts prior to getting powers. Maybe borderline personality? A borderline might at first agree to not use powers for evil, but as soon as she/he gets upset, he/she impulsively uses powers to get what he/she wants. (Which would probably be something like petty revenge or keeping someone from leaving.)

I want to read this book, even though it been done a million times (the teens gaining superpowers, with things going wrong part).

I know someone that I think was diagnosed borderline personality disorder... they are freaking nuts/want attention/cause drama for their own benefit/are self-centered, and she is in her damn 60's. I can't imagine this in a high school student.

If you go for crazy, borderline or narcissism would work well. Bipolar wouldn't, though, to many issues for when the villain snaps into a depressive/manic state and he will at times be normal and remorseful for what he did. A narcissist won't feel this though, and a borderline person won't give a damn cause everyone will be paying attention to their dumb drama/idiotic acts

If you choose a certain disorder, I'd do some research first if you want to be accurate about how it works, given my understanding of deconstructions are typically realistic.

As someone who never had any love for the Improbable Age I would recommend taking Ralph's and superfroggy's advice to heart.

"Teenagers are notoriously shortsighted and emotionally immature, and it could be that he doesn't know how to set limits for his behaviour now that any given authority figure can be fireball'd." - superfroggy.

Seconded. Kids are selfish and have no strong sense of justice or some greater good. The only justice they know is the justice around them and they will abuse their powers. For example: If one of the characters gets pyrokinesis (s)he will use it the next morning to roast the school's local Jerk Jock or The Libby as a payback.

Additionally to this I have a suggestion for the plot: Since With Great Power Comes Great Insanity have most of the teens abuse their powers and turn them into either Neutral Evil or even Chaotic Evil. While they kick some dogs, cross some Moral Event Horizons and are only one step or two away of turning into outright villains, the villain of yours might take things a bit too far and become a Complete Monster since Evil Tastes Good. As for those who don't run amok, they might be overwhelmed with this new situation and even turn to emotional wrecks since it's too much for them. Use Shinji Ikari as an inspiration.

edited 2nd Apr '11 4:06:55 PM by AdeptusAlpharius