#but it's one step further removed from The Inherently Traumatising Nature Of Current Educational Institutions And Academic Culture

[il3x]

Ohhh, this is good!!

I think I have that connecting thread. The teacher could have an Architect Tinker trigger - someone whose own school experience was traumatising (maybe they were poor, or disabled, or any one of various groups that the school system is basically designed to screw over) and goes into teaching to change things, but the system blocks them at every turn. There's potential for a Changer trigger around becoming what you sought to destroy, but I lean more towards powerlessness. They're still stuck in a rigid, hierarchical environment, suffering mistreatment from their superiors, and unable to prevent their students from suffering like they did. Trigger when they try to help the Schemer and the Desperate, and fail spectacularly.

That also works as a catalyst for Desperate + Schemer, but it's hard to tie the Empty into this. Pity, since I like their trigger. I actually had something similar in mind when I made the first post lol - character with encroaching depression convinces themselves that the reason they feel unfulfilled is because their academic performance is imperfect, devotes themself wholly to becoming valedictorian while the rest of their life gets abandoned. They succeed, they're up on stage with everything they ever wanted, and all they can feel is emptiness. Lose hope for recovery, trigger. I was thinking to tie that in with a competitor for the valedictorian position, someone with intense familial or social pressures to excel in academics. Idk.

Anyways, powers! I've been rotating these in my head since I saw your reply this morning, and my top ideas are:

Teacher - Architect Tinker, tech that alters itself autonomously. This loosely fits the trigger themes of chafing against a rigid system, and well-intentioned actions that spiral out of control... but mostly, I just think it's cool. Picture a giant tank or mecha that cannibalises surrounding material to upgrade itself... you prep for a mission and then NOOO your tank has decided to become a crane and you can't use it until it's finished... fall asleep too close to it and wake up to it Eating You... have to destroy all your creations before they become unstoppable, because in theory, they could subsume the earth... H.oughh. it's just Very Cool i think >:)

The "autonomous alteration" would be preserved for secondaries, not the architect aspect.

The Schemer would definitely get a Tinker-Mover permutation, the Empty might get the ability to modify existing tech but not make anything themselves... The Desperate feels like they're destined for a Tinker primary too (hello, my penchant for Tinker-Tinker clusters), so this'll probably augment that. Maybe they appear to be a dual specialisation Tinker because of their two powers.

The Schemer - Mover, with some Shaker/Stranger flair. Desperate wish to get away, with secondary elements of a hostile environment and negative attention (from parents, maybe from peers if they trigger publicly at a graduation ceremony). The example I thought of to explain how these might fit together was "teleportation that leaves sense-scrambling fog behind". I'm not attached to that specific power, but taking it as an example...

I like the idea of splitting up the Mover and Shaker/Stranger aspects in the secondaries. I don't see the Empty as having Shaker or Stranger powers, but a Mover secondary focused on anchoring (anchoring to a set point, kinda like Rain, or maybe teleporting back to previously placed mark(s)) might fit. Stuck in the past and all. For the Desperate, a pure Stranger ability to mask weakness or injury would have some nice power irony from the "invisible disability" angle. The teacher might get Mover, momentum transfer between themself and others.

The others: idk (yet). Well... as previously stated, the Desperate feels like a Tinker of some description. The Empty is giving Breaker or Changer - more Changer the way you described, more Breaker in my old concept.

Feel free to add on, nix stuff that you think doesn't work, and generally workshop this concept!

deep sigh... High School Graduation Cluster Trigger is an incredibly compelling idea, but I'll never be able to follow through because getting into the headspace of anyone involved would probably make me throw up.