Trying to work out a Skin for 'The Psychic'

Hey everyone, I'm trying to create a Skin for 'The Psychic', and I was hoping to get your help with this.

I'm not really the sort of person who is good at this sort of thing, so I figured community outsourcing might be the way to go :P

I know the basic idea of what I'm after, and what tropes I'm tapping into with it, but I'm not too sure on how to express it properly.

Here's what I have so far. [notes as such]

The Psychic

Look
Circle one in each list:

sullen, unkempt, unassuming, [more adjectives needed]

piercing eyes, hooded eyes, burning eyes, knowing eyes [maybe one more eye type]

Origin [need to tighten this up, there's intersection between some concepts, not sure whether to go for evocative or more general eg. Near-Death-Experience vs Result of Trauma]

Circle one:

experimental subject, next stage of evolution, trained, near death experience, possesses the gift, abuse victim, outsider, contact with something greater, result of trauma

Stats [It was a toss-up between Volatile and Cold, but Cold won out]

Hot-1, Cold+1, Volatile-1, Dark+1

Your Backstory [Not too sure how happy I am with these, but they'll do for now]

You’ve caught glimpses from someone’s mind and learnt some of their secrets. Gain 2 Strings on them.

Someone witnessed you practicing with your powers when you thought you were alone,  and they’re convinced that there’s something going on. They gain 2 Strings on you.

Moves [This is probably the area that I need the most help with. Possibly debating doing something similar to Hex-Casting from The Witch, with various psychic disciplines taking the part of the hexes, including the whole 'choose two' aspect. There'd be Telekinesis, Telepathy, Clairvoyance, Pyro/Cryokinesis maybe?]

O   [Needs Name]: When you lash out physically, roll with dark.
        Additionally, add this option for a roll of a 7-9: There are unexpected side-effects.
[Using your psychic powers - whichever mode they take - as a weapon. Telekinetic strike, burst of flame, mind blast etc... ]

O   Overclocked Synapses: When using [assorted Psychic Moves], you may cause yourself 1 harm. If you do, add [1? 2?] to your roll.



Sex Move [Empathic pleasure-feedback loop, or telekinetic bedroom tricks. In any case, sex with you can be somewhat addictive, and prone to letting their mental-guard slip. Is the move too powerful or unbalanced? The partner gets experience in exchange for giving The Psychic more and more power over them, so I'm hoping it balances out okay]

When you have sex with someone, they mark experience, and you gain a String on them. You also get to ask a question of them. This may be spoken by your character, or simply player-to-player. The other person must answer honestly and directly.


Darkest Self
[Really not happy with how I've put this, but you get the general gist I hope?]

None of them understand you, not at all. They wouldn’t dare treat you as they do if they knew.
It’s time you showed them what you’re truly capable of.
You’ll follow your own desires, with no thought or consideration for the laws or morality of the insects that surround you. All restraints are out the window, and your amusement and revenge are the only things that matter. If they survive their lesson at your hands, then perhaps they'll have finally learnt who's really in control here.

You escape your Darkest Self when you wound someone you really care about, or you wake up in the hospital, whichever comes first.

[Also not too sure about this. The best-friend usually tries to talk the darkest-self psychic down in the movies, but usually ends up having to kill them. I do like the idea that when The Psychic goes Dark, either way someone's going to get fucked up.]


Advancements
[Standard list]
As for Gang, I'm not sure if some other psychics would work, or whether 'mind-controlled thralls' might be better?


I'd really love some feedback and thoughts on this if at all possible.

Cheers

I know the basic idea of what I'm after, and what tropes I'm tapping into with it, but I'm not too sure on how to express it properly.

Can you give examples of this kind of character in fiction? I'm getting a Chronicle vibe from it in places, but I'm not sure if that's where you're going with it.

Chronicle, Akira, sources like Carrie and Firestarter. Manga such as Psyren. I had more in mind, but I can't find the piece of paper I jotted them on >_<

I'm more than happy to hear other interpretations of The Psychic though.
How would you do it yourself?

Just read your 'The Chrysalis' Skin. A cool idea for when you know you want to explore a transition like that in the fiction of the game. I especially like the focus on 'establishing' that you have. It's all great for setting things up for even more drama!

Extemporising... one of the tropes of the Psychic in fiction is the inability to control their powers, whether it's Carrie losing it when she gets stressed out or Buffy not being able to shut out the psychic babble that is driving her mad in the Earshot episode. Maybe the DS should be more about blowing everyone's secrets, giving away all the little lies they tell themselves and the world, tearing down the barriers we all put up and forcing others to face the things they would rather not...?

A nice simple sex move would  be that the two characters gain a permanent, unwanted psychic connection to each other, so they both know all of the others thoughts and feelings all the time... until one of them has sex with someone else!

It seems like a  psychic really needs a way to get Strings easily on other characters, to reflect the idea of them knowing everyone else's secrets and having the power to manipulate their thoughts. Perhaps ssomething like this:
Mind Control: When you look into someone's thoughts, roll with cold. On a hit, gain 1 String against them. On a 10+, choose a condition to remove from them. On a 7-9, they choose a condtion to remove from themselves.

I had a move floating around for telepathy:

When you first encounter someone or spend time with someone, you read their minds, roll +hot.
On a 10+, they choose 2 of 3:
- Give you a String.
- Gain a Condition based on how they're feeling/what they're thinking that you can read.
- Tell you an important secret.
On a 7-9, they choose one, and also give you a Condition based on what they're thinking about you.

Also, reading the minds of people who are warped/evil/traumatized/supernatural seems like a good call for Gazing Into The Abyss.

Maybe there's minds you can't influence, because True Blood did it.

Maybe similar to the Witch, you'd have psychic disciplines: Telekinesis, Telepathy, Pyrokinesis, etc - And you'd also have moves that could modify those, such as "You can use these to Lash Out Physically using Dark, without it being obvious that you're the one responsible." You'd also want to include an option to write a new Psychic Discipline as an Advancement, like lactokinesis, obviously.

I think the Psychic should be Hot! instead of Cold. Because they can feel around someone's brain! And look at Carrie, she's pretty hot but she doesn't make a lot of good zingers and doesn't really hold her shit together. Plus it differeniates the Psychic from the Ghost, who also has 1cold+1dark+a "Use dark to lash out physically" move.

Also, a move I had floating around for Clairvoyance:

When you read someone's fate, roll+Dark. On a hit, give them a Condition of what's fated to happen to them. The Condition wears off when the event is supposed to have happened. On a 10+, the timeframe for the fate is within the season. On a 7-9, the timeframe for the fate is within the session. On a miss, you see your own fate, the MC gives you a Condition of what's fated to happen to you.