My group decided that they wanted Lovecraftian Monsters in a 90s setting (because the 1920s are overdone).
Our Bruiser-Brute is a guy who lived in an apartment full of monsters, was once human, and has been augmented against his will for use as a weapons test subject.
Our Hearth-Heart is the camp dog who had an unfortunate encounter with a car but the child wasn't ready to say goodbye and the dog somehow came back.
We gave our child the "Human Translator" power, but flavored it more toward they can speak to the zombie puppy and some other horrors the group may encounter through one of the factions. That's caught the interest of the U.S. Government who wants the kid (sort of like in Winter Tide and Shadows Over Innsmouth).
Some group of Feds invaded the summer camp where the kid was and now this group of three is on the run. The Camp owners who are married into a family of Deep Ones are a patron faction.
We're leaning heavily into "Change of the status quo brought on by external forces" as a metaphor for coming-of-age.