Mark Rand Posted February 17, 2006 Report Share Posted February 17, 2006 I had a few thoughts on Solara recently and I'd like to share them with you. Solara started out in Japan in the sixteenth century and didn't come to the United States until the mid-nineteenth century. The first Solaras were women from Samurai families and were thought of as avatars for Amaterasu, the sun goddess. They used their real names then. The first to call herself Solara was Keiko. She claimed that she's received a vision from Amatersau, telling her how to become Solara and telling her where the bracelet was. Solara's costume and look have varied throughout the ages. Tim Clark was the first male to become Solara. He looks like Sailor Mars because, being a Sailor Moon fan, he was thinking about her when the transformation occurred. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superskrull Posted February 17, 2006 Report Share Posted February 17, 2006 Re: Thoughts on Solara So, have you considered whether this chain of magical girls has any companion lines? Is it actually a creation of Amateratsu or were they designed by Earthly or Infernal agents? Wouldn't it have made just as much sense to have the original channeller have been a priestess or some such? After all, one would think that might be a criterion for recruitment into the priesthood considering spiritual forces implicitly exist. OTOH, it seems entirely possible that this may have been a form created by some untrained but gifted mystic who created the trappings, powers and equipment believing she was channelling divine will and power. After all, Japan has many stories of items and weapons filled with dark or light powers simply by virtue of being made at a certain time or in a certain way, such as a swordsmith who accidently creates a blade containing a dark spirit. Eennh, -shrug- regardless it's your call one way or the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Rand Posted February 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2006 Re: Thoughts on Solara Many of Amaterasu's priestesses and miko, or shrine attendants, have come from Solara's family. The bracelet was bought by a priestess who, after a vision from the goddess, prepared it for Keiko, then placed it where she was told. In ancient times, her companions were Samurai. Nowadays, there probably aren't any. Fortunately for Tim, one of his high school teachers is secretly Isis. She can probably give him some advise on being a superhero. Tim's Solara isn't a true magical girl. She just plays the part to the hilt. If she gets into a major battle, she just may stop playing that role and act more like the avatar she is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Rand Posted February 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2006 Re: Thoughts on Solara I edited my posts in this thread yesterday to correct spelling problems. In her civilian identity, Isis is simply a teacher in his high school and may not be one of his. Even so, she probably will seek Solara out and, once she discovers Solara's identity, try and mentor Tim. Since Tim is on the swim team and plays youth league soccer, he is in good shape. However, he has no hand-to-hand combat skills. Solara's form is Tim's, if he were four inches taller, female, and six years older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Rand Posted March 11, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2006 Re: Thoughts on Solara I've done some quick figuring. His mother, Ruth, is the school nurse at the high school he's to attend. She was born in 1957 and started as a school nurse, at age 24, in 1981. She wore a white uniform and cap back then. She stopped wearing the cap in 1986, just before going on maternity leave. She started wearing scrubs in 1992. Tim himself was born in 1987 and turned 15 in 2006. He'll start 9th grade in September. He's in the Drama Club, is a member of the swim team, and plays soccer in a co-ed youth league. When we first meet Tim, he says that he and two other guys were cast as female nurses in a school play. Ruth tells him that he might find a suitable costume in her old uniforms. He also says that each person in his history class has to do a report on a little-known super. His is Solara, a super who has showed up from time to time, each time looking different. He doesn't know that there have been many Solaras and Ruth herself was the most recent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Rand Posted June 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2006 Re: Thoughts on Solara Thought you may want to know where the idea for Solara first hit me. Back, when Sailor Moon was on here in Pittsburgh, I came up with the idea for a "Sailor Sun". She would be able to fly, have several attack powers, and use martial arts and a sword. I didn't think more about her until I found out that a sailor scout could have a male identity. Then, i started on the road that would lead to Solara's creation. Her costume has the same style as those the other sailor scouts wear, the colors, however, are yellow, orange, gold, red, and white. Her hair is either red or blonde. Her change is caused by an item. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Johnston Posted June 4, 2006 Report Share Posted June 4, 2006 Re: Thoughts on Solara Tim's Solara isn't a true magical girl. She just plays the part to the hilt. If she gets into a major battle, she just may stop playing that role and act more like the avatar she is. The difference being? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Rand Posted June 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2006 Re: Thoughts on Solara The difference being? How she acts. Solara is easily capable of acting like Isis (from the old Saturday morning television series Secrets of Isis) did. She simply prefers to act like a character from Sailor Moon because it makes her foes underestimate her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomGM2602 Posted September 2, 2006 Report Share Posted September 2, 2006 Re: Thoughts on Solara How she acts. Solara is easily capable of acting like Isis (from the old Saturday morning television series Secrets of Isis) did. She simply prefers to act like a character from Sailor Moon because it makes her foes underestimate her. Kinda like a certain princess of the Dreamzone when she has to hide her secret Id from the other kids and did'nt want to seem different from the other kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Rand Posted September 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2006 Re: Thoughts on Solara Kinda like a certain princess of the Dreamzone when she has to hide her secret Id from the other kids and did'nt want to seem different from the other kids. Cool. Is there a copy of her character sheet, in any form, floating around here somewhere? Edit: Found it. It's in the "A Different Kind of Supermage" thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Rand Posted September 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2006 Re: Thoughts on Solara I know I've always thought that Tim's Solara was the latest in a line, but let's look at it another way. what if Tim is the first Solara? How would it have happened? The cosmic forces for good, like the Buffyverse Powers that Be or the Charmed universe Elders, decided to empower someone to help fight the good fight. Thus, the bracelet was created and dropped into a pile of costume jewelry in the women's section of a discount store. All the wearer had to do was posess the right character qualities and, when the powers were needed for the first time, she'd see the activation words. When she spoke them, she'd become Solara. Tim Clark, who had to play a woman for a school play, chose it for part of his costume. After his transformation, he was too amazed to be in shock, then the crisis occurred and he decided, as the bracelet knew, to fight the good fight. As for his mother, many years in nursing, and seeing many superheroes, has helped her keep her cool. Now, all I have to decide is one thing, is Solara going to be a sailor scout or geisha? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomGM2602 Posted September 6, 2006 Report Share Posted September 6, 2006 Re: Thoughts on Solara Cool. Is there a copy of her character sheet, in any form, floating around here somewhere? Edit: Found it. It's in the "A Different Kind of Supermage" thread. Good Thing too because the disc witch contains her stats may be lost and I may have to find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superskrull Posted September 6, 2006 Report Share Posted September 6, 2006 Re: Thoughts on Solara Now, all I have to decide is one thing, is Solara going to be a sailor scout or geisha? I vote Sailor Scout. Solara is supposed to be a fighter. A geisha seems more support personnel than superhero. 'Sides, he's a teenage boy. All drama club jokes to the side, teenage males tend to be aggressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Rand Posted September 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 6, 2006 Re: Thoughts on Solara I vote Sailor Scout. Solara is supposed to be a fighter. A geisha seems more support personnel than superhero. 'Sides' date=' he's a teenage boy. All drama club jokes to the side, teenage males tend to be aggressive.[/quote'] True, however, Solara could be considered a mage who also knows how to fight. Also, in Japan in the Middle Ages, female samurai fought while wearing kimokos, as, probably, did female ninjas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superskrull Posted September 6, 2006 Report Share Posted September 6, 2006 Re: Thoughts on Solara True' date=' however, Solara could be considered a mage who also knows how to fight. Also, in Japan in the Middle Ages, female samurai fought while wearing kimokos, as, probably, did female ninjas.[/quote'] Sure but those aren't geisha. Admittedly, being one would make a good cover for a kunoichi, but it's not their primary focus. Geisha weren't renowned for their occult skills either. Slightly off the current topic, I was wondering if you'd come up with a recurring enemy for Solara. Does he/she fight generic badness or is there some darkly-empowered figure or family to oppose? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Rand Posted September 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 6, 2006 Re: Thoughts on Solara Sure but those aren't geisha. Admittedly, being one would make a good cover for a kunoichi, but it's not their primary focus. Geisha weren't renowned for their occult skills either. Slightly off the current topic, I was wondering if you'd come up with a recurring enemy for Solara. Does he/she fight generic badness or is there some darkly-empowered figure or family to oppose? What I'm thinking is that the bracelet chose the strongest nonstandard apparel image to base the costume on. As it happened, Tim and Ruth attended a performance of the Japanese Tea Ceremony at the Frick Museum the night before. The lecturer was a professor in the University of Pittsburgh's East Asian Languages and Literature department. On stage with him were two geisha. The senior acted as hostess while the younger acted as a guest. By some chance, Tim and Ruth were the other guests. What Tim didn't know, but Ruth did, was that the hostess, the professor's wife, had been a geisha in Kyoto before comming to the city and earning her PhD at Pitt and joining the faculty. She also knew the guest was their daughter, who had learned the art in Pittsburgh and Kyoto and was one of Tim's high school teachers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superskrull Posted September 7, 2006 Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 Re: Thoughts on Solara Hmm. Well, it's your character, knock yourself out. I can only breathe a sigh of releave that Tim wasn't looking through Skin 2 or reading up on shibari or some such before finding the bracelet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Rand Posted September 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 Re: Thoughts on Solara Hmm. Well' date=' it's your character, knock yourself out. I can only breathe a sigh of releave that Tim wasn't looking through Skin 2 or reading up on shibari or some such before finding the bracelet.[/quote'] I chose the geisha look because it's expected. Bad guys look at her and think "Victim", not "Solara". Boy, are they in for a surprise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomGM2602 Posted September 8, 2006 Report Share Posted September 8, 2006 Re: Thoughts on Solara Solara's gonna need a whole lot of NPCs,an archenemy[preferably an ET emperor type like I'stava V'ahn] plus anTuxedo Masktype hero[ine] who appears in the nick of time whenever Tim gets in over his/her head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Rand Posted September 8, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2006 Re: Thoughts on Solara Solara's gonna need a whole lot of NPCs' date='an archenemy[preferably an ET emperor type like I'stava V'ahn'] plus anTuxedo Masktype hero[ine] who appears in the nick of time whenever Tim gets in over his/her head. As it happens, Solara isn't the campaign focus. She's someone the heroes occasionally run into, and may try to get help from them, when she's fighting supernatural foes. As far as an archenemy goes, she'll probably have one. I'm still working on that. The universe itself is the "Black Widow revisited" thread at http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47208. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomGM2602 Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 Re: Thoughts on Solara As it happens, Solara isn't the campaign focus. She's someone the heroes occasionally run into, and may try to get help from them, when she's fighting supernatural foes. As far as an archenemy goes, she'll probably have one. I'm still working on that. The universe itself is the "Black Widow revisited" thread at http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47208. Well why don't U create two Versions of your PC:{a}A Dark Champions Version and [b} a Teen Champions Version who has just discovered her powers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Rand Posted September 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 Re: Thoughts on Solara Well why don't U create two Versions of your PC:{a}A Dark Champions Version and [b} a Teen Champions Version who has just discovered her powers. She is a teen champions character who has just discovered her powers. I'm just trying to figure out the character's abilities before creating the character sheet. Anyone have a magical girl template for Hero Designer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomGM2602 Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 Re: Thoughts on Solara She is a teen champions character who has just discovered her powers. I'm just trying to figure out the character's abilities before creating the character sheet. Anyone have a magical girl template for Hero Designer? Here's an idea: check out the Anime hero thread in the other genre section if it does'nt then use Dreamstar as a template for Solara.[better yet, enter Dreamy's CS into HD3 as a magical girl template]. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Rand Posted September 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 Re: Thoughts on Solara Here's an idea: check out the Anime hero thread in the other genre section if it does'nt then use Dreamstar as a template for Solara.[better yet' date= enter Dreamy's CS into HD3 as a magical girl template]. Got to get HD3. All I have is HD1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomGM2602 Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 Re: Thoughts on Solara Got to get HD3. All I have is HD1. don't worry it's only $25.00 in the online store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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