It's been a while since I've posted an update. I've graduated vet school, and have been working as an emergency veterinarian for the last several months. It's a stressful job with really really long hours and usually involves delivering bad news to pets and their owners, which isn't fun. I'm still working to get into the zoo animal medicine field, which is wicked competitive, but I'm doing well.
- If you know anyone who is interested in becoming a veterinarian, I'm happy to talk with them about it :)

It's been a while since I left the superhero group, but I've had a ton of ideas, from characters ideas (at the bottom) to story ideas to themes, that I'd like to share. Feel free to use any of these!

-Add some headaches to your character's lives to help flesh them out. Give them appointments (doctor, dental, optometrist, bank, landlord, etc) that they need to schedule around. After a night on the job, have them need to grow grocery shopping. How they handle these everyday inconveniences amidst the dramatic heroing work can be interesting.

-With how much borderline sexual contact there is in the superhero biz (whether consensual or not), the BOS could offer regular and anonymous STI testing. Promote safe sex in your work :)

-Fighting and combat gets rough, and not everyone will come out without a scratch. Maybe they need a brace or splints on knees or fingers, or get some cracked or lost teeth and need some dental work after fights. I know it's not exactly 'pretty,' but it could give some minor character development opportunities.
-Ex: After a fight, a hero is broken up about needing a fake tooth. Another character comforts them with a 'Yeah, I've gotten a few of those already. No big deal! Here's my dentist's contact info, they do a great job!'
-Or it could even be like a 'who-has-it-worse' contest, with who has gotten the worst injuries.
-We're all aware of the minor theory in the MCU that Tony Stark has been nursing a left arm injury since the first Iron Man movie. Small attention to detail like this for your characters can really help bring you into the scene.

-Having a popular soap opera or tv show that only appears briefly, but across multiple stories, could be fun and world building. Only give really brief updates, but it could be important to the characters. If you know the Ratchet and Clank series, I'm thinking of their soap opera "Lance and Janet."
-When heroes are eavesdropping, goons could discuss random stuff, like the hot show or movie, instead of the villain's plans. If the goons reach a spoiler, the hero could blow their cover, yelling "No spoilers!"

-If knockout gas is anything like anesthetizing animals, it isn't benign or pretty when succumbing or recovering. When anesthetizing patients, they usually go through an excitement phase, with vocalizations and uncoordinated movements. A similar thing happens when they are waking up. Recovery isn't immediate either. There can be a continued clumsiness, spasms, headaches, grogginess, etc. It also affects certain people and breeds more (especially the huskies and other northern breeds). Also also, patients can rouse and look aware for a little bit with stimulation, but then basically fall back asleep for a while longer. Maybe some of the knockout gases have similar effects?
-Could be funny if a villain has captured a hero, and the hero keeps rousing slightly, the villain starts their maniacal speech, and the hero slumps down for a few more minutes. The villain is just itching or annoyed to continue with his/her planned events, and gets more impatient when restarting the speech.

-This could fit with the last one, but have heroes misjudge distances or the strength needed to perform an action. Some might be practiced and trained enough to not make these kinds of mistakes, but some of the more rookie characters might. It could add an interesting dynamic or plot device, even if only minor.

-Some of the heroes who get the metahuman powers (strength, endurance, etc) may have old hobbies or sports that are no longer tiring, or they don't feel sore. By noting this, you can show some character growth. Are they happy at how well they do, or are they disappointed in the lack of a challenge...?

-Show your character's passion for their job/career (not the heroing, if they have another job). They decided that this job was what they wanted to do for the rest of their life, and committed to pursuing it. The career should have a pretty big impact on their lives. Why do they like it, why are they good at it? What makes a bad day on this job?

-On the other hand, not all heroes will have jobs they want or enjoy. Maybe they wish they were at gunpoint or brawling with dangerous villains instead of taking another shift.

-On a similar note, characters should also be passionate about their hobbies, especially with their limited free time. Show them wanting to do the hobby, and angry when they can't, or even considering ditching other obligations just to have the time to do the hobby.

-In real life, marsupials have lower metabolic rates, and don't need as much energy, and often run at a lower temperature. This could be shown if marsupial characters either eat smaller portions, or are more prone to gaining a few pounds.

-How does the weather play a role in characters' lives? Is their outfit too hot or cold? Could they have more than one outfit? Is it slippery, foggy, bright, loud? Could their glasses/goggles/visors fog up?

-Superheroes, even villains, are under a lot of stress. Maybe they don't develop the best coping mechanisms (Ex: binging Netflix, tobacco, drugs, masturbating, napping, overeating, impulse buying).

-The Pink Lady Powder, or other gender-swapping powers, could be used to show support for people going through the trans-gendering procedure, or LGBTQ+. It could be utilized in demonstrations or parades or something.

-Some heroes may want to participate in charities, as these are great ways to foster community and show that they really care. As important as fighting criminals is, it's a reactionary outlook that doesn't help the general population very much (Batman does this religiously yet Gotham is still a cesspool of crime). Heroes can act as examples and try to inspire civilians to care and do the right thing.
-Or even, force your begrudging heroes to participate in a charity event for some community service. Do they actually enjoy it in the end?

-Heroes can help with routine things, like traffic stops, stalled/broken down cars, window washing, tossing money to street performers or homeless, building low-income housing, etc. It's not gritty or glamorous, but it can help flesh out some characters who just want to help, whether large-scale disaster or mild inconveniences.

-Spiderman Homecoming was full of gems, but one of the things that stands out is that it felt more real world than a lot of superhero movies, in terms of the normal people in the universe. Spider-Man can swing around by web, jump high, cling to walls...and some guy just wants to see a backflip. Or he helps someone with directions. Or people discuss superheroes lightly, like who the like, or FMK.

-Civilians may want to interact with heroes, or possibly try to help, for better or worse. Perhaps they get in the way, or rubberneck. Perhaps our heroes could pose for selfies, or give shout outs to random citizens. Maybe there is a public relations issue if a hero was rude to some civilians. Maybe heroes meet their personal local heros (athletes, newscasters, etc).

-With so many prison breaks, maybe heroes are assigned to guard the prison. This opens many routes for further stories and conflicts to continue (ex: A villain is caught in one story, and the start of another is about securing them in the prison). Maybe the posted hero can be bribed, or is a traitor, or a villain's henchman in disguise, or just doesn't show up for their shift.

-Not all civilian identities have great living situations. This article by Dorkly does a pretty good job explaining how compelling a character's, in this case Spider-Man's, story is when there are multiple layers of stress to deal with. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n_UvCH8VZY

-A story from the conflict's loser perspective is an untapped market. This could be a hero or a villain, and offers a chance to see a character at a low point.

-Characters could spontaneously remember an embarrassing moment from their past. It could be funny or relatable, and give a little depth to the character.

-Maybe a position in the BOS is looking for applicants. Characters discuss who would be a good and poor candidate, and maybe spur each other on. The application process could take place over several stories, as characters work up the courage to apply, and as the application pool is narrowed. Even stories focused on characters that aren't involved can have some mention, helping with crosstalk between stories and making the universe feel more alive.

-Maybe there is a villain who doesn't hold grudges against heroes. After all, the hero's job is to stop villains, it's hardly personal.
-Then maybe the villain gets beaten by a hero who is cocky and gloats and brags about beating them down, even publicly.

-I think that more conflict between characters' personal and professional relationships could add a lot of drama and development. For example, 2 heroes have a negative personal relationship, but have a shared opinion concerning how to handle a disaster or plan a response during a meeting. They may be annoyed at agreeing, or grow to realize that each other isn't all bad. Have more complex characters, that are less easy-to-hate or easy-to-love. No one gets along with all their coworkers, but we understand their role.

-One idea I always wanted to develop was a journalist trying to write a deep, honest look into what being a superhero is all about. They could be allowed into the BOS or other such institution, or unregistereds, and interview various heroes about their philosophies, experiences, complaints, and so on. Of course, the meetings are in pre-arranged locations, with secrecy and security the most important aspects, and will remain as anonymous as the hero would like.
-Heroes could comment on the difficulties in their personal lives (love/family life, loss of free time, financial difficulties, working holidays, the joys and headaches dealing with civilians, how they feel about being heroes, opinions of other heroes or villains, the highs of victory or the devastation of losing a partner or civilian on their watch).
-It could be very light-hearted and cherry, or emotional and somber, based on the hero. Some heroes may be comfortable with disclosing info, or happy to have a chance to vent to a large-scale audience, or shifty and uncomfortable. This is a great chance to explore and develop other aspects of your characters!

-A character could have had a recent scare/trauma on the job. They could try to 'avoid' heroing duty by working more at a desk job in the BOS or spend more time at their civilian job (or lie about being at their civilian job more).

-So often a hero tries to take care of a situation they're not equipped for. It'd be interesting to see a character who is aware of their limitations, and is willing to call in more qualified help. This offers a chance for them to be mature and realize what is at stake. Further, it'd be interesting to see someone operate within but apart from the regulation and bureaucracy of BOS. For example, an unregistered hero may need to get backup through a direct call or anonymous tip to the BOS.
-The story could then switch perspective of the hero who has been assigned to the mission.
-This could be very interesting to see what each character struggled with, and how it was no big deal for another hero to handle.

-With how much stress heroes are under, it may be BOS mandated that they regularly receive psychiatric debriefing, and help if indicated.
-I had the idea of Waverider, my most jovial and light-hearted character, going to his appointment cheerfully, and as they talk, he gets uncharacteristically somber, and even bursts into tears from a tragic happening. As he leaves the appointment, he takes a second to compose himself, and steps out cheery, putting up a front.

-A personal alliance between a hero and villain could be crazy interesting.
-For example, my character Ice Queen and French Rose would discover each other's identities, and blackmail each other into silence. This alliance would definitely be tenuous, but it's also an interesting dynamic that could grow to a friendship, or remain skeptical.

-Brands can help flesh out the universe, either as a place regularly attended by a character, or just mentioned. Here's a few ideas: Buck Naked clothing, Bare Arms Boxing, Sole Purpose shoe store, Pretty Cut and Dry hair salon, A Cut Above hair salon, Gazelle Gazette newspaper.

XXX Possible character ideas from here on. These may be mainly heroes or civilians. Some of these are silly, others gripping, and most barebones in terms of development. They can be as developed or background material as you want, and feel free to use any.

-A character that is truly invincible, but maybe not strong (even scrawny) could be fun and interesting. He can enter fights with the strongest of calamities and come out unscathed, but he can't hurt them very badly either, or may even struggle when fighting a normal henchman. He'd have to improvise with these powers. Maybe he's just a distraction, or a human shield. It may take some creativity to be fun. It also offers a chance to practice describing combat, without suffering from headaches or injuries, but still becoming disoriented with being thrown and suddenly stopping.

-A hero could adopt 2 personas; One that is a mainstream hero that seeks to be a good example and champion of the people, and the other is more of an antihero, who does the more extreme, less kosher things to keep everyone safe. This hero basically acts as 2 heroes with distinctly different goals, and keeps it secret to hide any drama or fallout. He could struggle with the conflict and disparity between the two identities. kinda thinking of Robin and Red Hood.

-The news is overstuffed with stories of tragedies. Maybe there is a journalist who remains positive and optimistic, and tries extremely hard to chase down or find stories that are pleasant and uplifting.

-A registered, but inactive super, who never intended to use their powers, must suddenly defend themselves. Maybe they don't know any self-defense techniques or how to control their powers. Suddenly we have a novice super in a fight for their life (or wallet)!

-A musk deer character could have a muzzle mask or full head helmet, with the muzzle portion being extra large to hide his tusks and help keep his identity/species secret.

-A deer character could have fake antlers for his uniform, so that when they are shed seasonally, he can delay the reveal and help keep his identity secret.

-A Klipspringer character that is a ballet dancer or Cirque de Sole performer, what with the teeny narrow and upright hooves.

-A superhero that is a pilot/stewardess for a civilian job may be neat, as their super identity could appear seemingly randomly across the globe.

-Undeveloped super names:
-MesmerEyes, AnalEyes
-Circuit Breaker
-Caldera
-Rerun, Flashback
-Chloro-Phil, Dandy Lion, Hedge Hog
-Virga
-Turntable
-Hard Reset
-Birdshot, Buckshot, Bloodshot, Hotshot
-Deadshot, Deadeye
-Apocalips, Apocalisp, Atacolypse
-Doomsneigh, Doomsbray, Doomsplay

These next few are a bit more developed, and if you're interested, just ask and I'll be happy to give you any more info I had on them :)

-Echo: can mimic others' powers, but perhaps they are slightly warped?

-Blink: an underage pacifist with super speed, who works in the BOS as a receptionist, not an active field agent. She likes to race the computer system

-Lifeline: an opossum who can animate objects, bringing them to some semblance of life. Hero, villain, or rogue.

-Pallet or Swatch: uses various powers based on the colors in the immediate area. (Admittedly, I haven't been able to figure out how these work yet...)

-Unknown name: The powers are about vibration manipulation. This character can attack with the frequencies targeted to do the most damage, or shatter objects (which also offers the opportunity for a character lacking super strength to compete with tough opponents). It may take a little fine-tuning to get the proper frequency for the material. This power also grants something similar to the seismic sense in Avatar (feeling the vibrations through the ground to get a mental map/layout of the area). This could work, or not work, on liquids.

-Also, if anyone is interested in any of my more established characters, I may be willing to give them up. I feel bad that all the work was put into creating them and now they just gather dust.