The Devil You Know…
Everybody knows at least one Boy or Girl Next Door. They’re the ones who everyone gets along with, everyone wants to see succeed, and hardly anyone’s really jealous of because they’re so nice. Boys and Girls Next Door are genuinely kind, friendly, innocent and wholesome – at least, as far as anyone else knows. Since most people don’t really consider them any further once they’ve labeled them as a Boy / Girl Next Door, it’s rare for anyone to even try to uncover any of their flaws.
In reality, just as many Boys and Girls Next Door are into all kinds of freaky things as are truly innocent and wholesome, but what they all have in common is that everyone else thinks they’re completely pure. As far as anyone else knows, there’s really nothing remarkable about them except how nice, friendly, innocent and (normally) physically attractive they are. And all of these things just come naturally, or at least it appears that way from the outside.
In short, every popular kid would probably like nothing better than to be a Boy or Girl Next Door – but as soon as you start trying to be one, you’ve failed at it. Because of how universally liked and admired they are, and because other people often fantasize about corrupting them, Boys and Girls Next Door have an undeniable sex appeal, and if they’re smart, they turn this to their advantage – subtly, though, to avoid anyone ever finding out. People also tend to naturally trust them – who wouldn’t trust someone that’s nice, innocent, wholesome and friendly not to be judgmental?
This archetype used to be one to which a great many people aspired, particularly in the 1950s in the U.S. (Think Leave It To Beaver.) As life has become more complicated and society more permissive (or corrupted, depending on how you look at it), Boys and Girls Next Door have become quite a bit rarer. They stand out more now than they used to, which is why most of the ones that do exist today are pretty heavily connected to the archetype. Conscious or not, they’re this way because it’s a big part of who they are (or want to be).
Taboos: No matter how many weird, unusual, or freakish things the Boy / Girl Next Door is into, he or she may never let anyone else know about them. While they may have friends, even they usually only know the most basic information – your nice car, your nice job, your nice boyfriend or girlfriend, the nice college you go to, etc – with the exception of your parents, siblings, spouse or significant other, and one “best friend”, who can know anything you like. It’s okay for you to give other people advice, but it must not reveal anything that breaks the taboo or your connection to the archetype is weakened.
This also means that if an avatar of the Boy / Girl Next Door is a member of the occult underground, they can’t admit it to anyone, not even another person who’s part of it. To others who don’t realize they’re an avatar, it probably just looks like they’re a tourist.
Becoming famous, being valedictorian, or really standing out in any way other than through your personality and physical appearance all weaken the connection to the archetype as well.
Finally, acting in any way that could be considered unkind, angry, upset, sad, sarcastic, or otherwise negative when anyone else is watching is a violation of this archetype. Physically hurting someone in self-defense, or in defense of someone else, is fine; however, using excessive force (e.g.,killing someone who only tried to take your wallet) is not. The GM has final say on what’s considered “excessive”.
None of these prohibitions apply to people who engage in your chosen weird, unusual or freakish activities with you, but you must make sure they don’t tell anyone.
Symbols: Blond hair, blue eyes, cheerleading, football, white Anglo-Saxon Protestantism (all of these apply more to the U.S. than other parts of the world). Boys and Girls Next Door usually dress and style their hair in whatever’s the most “average” but still good-looking style of their culture. In the U.S., this usually means collared shirts and khaki pants for men, and nice casual dresses for women. Some people have taken to referring to avatars of this archetype as “Preppies”.
Masks: Nothing comes to mind… Gods and other religious / mythological figures are usually a little too unusual to be masks for this archetype.
Suspected Avatars in History: Since fame is taboo for this archetype, there have probably been plenty throughout history, but only their family and friends would remember them. It’s possible that some of the models featured in famous paintings were Boys or Girls Next Door, but it’s hard to say for sure.
Channels:
1% – 50%: Your aura of innocence, wholesomeness and niceness makes others want to tell you things. This channel can’t be used offensively or on purpose; rather, it’s always on because it’s part of you. People won’t normally tell you sensitive or secret things unless they’re troubled and really in need of someone to listen (and in that case, they’ll always choose you over anyone but an avatar of the Confessor), but they’ll share much more with you than they normally would with someone they don’t know well. (And let’s face it, because of the taboo, hardly anyone knows you well.)
51% – 70%: At this level, you can use the inherent innocence of this archetype up to three times a day to resist stresses. If you fail a stress check, you may reroll it using your Avatar: The Boy / Girl Next Door skill instead of your Mind stat. If you succeed, you gain neither a Failed nor a Hardened notch – in fact, you’re so overcome with naivete that you’re unable to believe the event really even occurred.
71% – 90%: You can now call upon the inherent sex appeal of the Boy / Girl Next Door. You may use your Avatar: The Boy / Girl Next Door skill as if it were Seduction (or something similar approved by your GM) at the same level. You may only use this skill on people over the age of majority where you live (so normally 18 or over, in the U.S.) and of the opposite sex. (Whatever your feelings on homosexuality, it is indeed unusual, and thus openly engaging in it violates taboo.) People much older or younger than you are okay, as long as you don’t actually date or have sex with anyone more more than 5 years older or younger.
91 – 99%: People just can’t bring themselves to hurt you, physically or otherwise. In order to perform any action that would directly harm you, or that they believe is likely to harm you indirectly, the person must first make a rank-9 Self check. After all, they can’t really be a good person if they want to harm the nicest and most innocent person they know.
A few additions: Small-time modeling that doesn’t lead to fame outside the person’s city or neighborhood actually increases the connection to the archetype.
What you hear: The Godwalker of the Boy / Girl Next Door is able to temporarily appear as any other Boy or Girl Next Door, including memories of anything they can tell a stranger without violating taboo. No one knows who or where this person is, or even whether they’re male or female.
Balder as a mask?
I don’t see why being famous, in certain very restrictive ways (such as being known for playing the B/G ND type while also presenting that front when interviewed, etc.) couldn’t occasionally work, but I agree that it would usually weaken the connection, at least in part because they’d then be more likely to be channeling some other archetype (the Star, the Sex Symbol, the Actor, etc.). Still, since a major way of gaining ascension into the Statosphere is public perception and there are some actors who are routinely defined as “B/G ND”, it doesn’t seem entirely like it follows. Same with being valedictorian, as long as they aren’t nerds. I guess I always say B/G ND as the Likeable But Also Peak Normal.
Aging, or more being perceived as old, would probably also weaken the archetype. After 30, unless you’re big on the metrosexual face creams and deception, most would probably have lost a lot of their connection because by then they’re expected to BE something (which might overshadow the BGND aspect of them) and if they’re NOT then they’re generally losers (which also overshadows them), though some can keep up the appearance even in the face of that. Relatedly, with “wholesome” being integral to the identity also not being something associated with middle age (though something you can re-acquire with old age), it would still be weakened at least as old BGND goes against the public image, which is what empowered the archetype to begin with.
Shouldn’t the first channel be more along the lines of “People Like You” or “Perceive You as X” than trust? It seems that trust is less central to the archetype.
Other than that specifically (and note, it IS a hard archetype to come up with), shouldn’t the ranks have to do more with their innocent-desireability and defining-of-what’s-considered-“normal”, even their “Normal but Better” trait?
Like inspiring people to love normalcy (“Shoulda married the girl next door.” etc.?)
You know, I did think of Balder as a possible mask, but I didn’t remember my Norse mythology well enough to be sure.
I think what you say about age is right – as they get older, B/G NDs who don’t get married would probably turn into Barren Spinsters or Dirty Old Men. Ones who do get married, probably Mothers, Supermoms…. I don’t recall an archetype for fathers, except the abusive ones, but I suppose all that repressing negativity could backfire later in life.
I’m not sure about the normalcy. While it’s a part of the B/G ND archetype, I don’t see it as something they really spread…. just something they cling to themselves. But if you want to write up an alternate first channel, by all means go ahead. 🙂
Reminds me of the skill “Good Old Whatsisname”.
I like this, but, as always, have a major reservation. Why is acting sad a bad thing? I think that crying, rather than retaliating somehow, after someone hurts you should only make girls and young boys look even more innocent and enhance the connection.
I think crying when you skin your knee is fine; it’s serious misery or depression that break taboo.
I agree with stange_person. Crying briefly in response to something bad happening to you is fine – you’re not supposed to be a robot, after all. But then you have to get over it pretty quickly or you’ve turned into a Whiny Goth or Emo Kid, rather than a Boy / Girl Next Door.
Yes.
For masks… what about Generika, Goddess of the Mundane?
http://planetkaren.girl-wonder.org/index.php?strip_id=455
Fourth channel isn’t going to work on some random mugger though is it? They’d need some idea who you are wouldn’t they since oozing innocence or anything else THAT much is just as likely to attract attention as walking around with a sign on your shirt.
Well, that’s just it. Oozing innocence, attractive, charming: these are the marks of someone just waiting for a stalker. And then, see, “Direct harm”. They will never beat you, never say a harsh word. But they will lock you in a plush (to them) basement room with no windows. They’ll bring you magazines and whatever food they think is the Best! (like food that’s not off the dollar menu from the Scottsman) and movies and toys and the best clothes they can scrounge the money to pretty you up with. But they won’t let you go. And you’re stuck there… unless you start losing your connection with the avatar. Such as by becoming famous as that poor kidnapped girl… or by letting your Dear Protector Knight see you blow an Isolation or Helplessness stress check. Soon as you know it, you’re not in the 90th percentile of Avatar Skill anymore… and then there’s nothing to protect you from the madman who thinks he’s just doing what’s best for you…
Neville, once again I have to say I like the way you think.
Shucks. T’weren’t nothin’.
Yeah okay but that still doesn’t quite cover what i’m trying to get at which is the random street attack type senario, being stalker bait is fine but if the attacker only meets you for the half second it takes to pull the trigger and take your wallet will you be protected from a purely casual murder and theft gambit?
Well, it’s supernatural, isn’t it? I mean, saying your innocence provides a sort of shield, that’s less weird than having to pay for every attack (Merchant). It’s just saying that the way you appear to others has become so in line with the archetype, and able to therefore tap into its power, that it has become both nearly-palpable and able to transcend logic slightly. Mechanically, it works as stated, but story-wise you can explain it as just a sense of off-limits because of (depending) a sense that the avatar is just not someone you resent at all OR triggers a sort of logic breakdown (i.e. they’re innocent and good, but violence is not, so how could I do violence to them?) like how you wouldn’t attempt to break physics casually. You could see it, too, as the way that archetypes tend to be story-oriented and so their avatars are more likely to follow the appropriate stories and for the BGND, violence just doesn’t happen to them. In essence, though, it’s just that at a high level, you’ve played your role so well that it applies even to people that never saw the performance. Literally a transcendent ability.
Though I tend to be of the opinion that the higher the channel, the more susceptible to change it becomes as the archetype is least defined there and most vulnerable to changes in public perception. So, if “innocence = no violence” doesn’t jive, it’s easy to see why you’d change it. It does work, though.
Yeah okay I suppose the innocent ones do always survive the slasher flick, somehow.