[hider=James Isaac Keening]
[center][h2][color=8493ca]James Isaac Keening[/color][/h2]

[color=8493ca][b]Gender[/b] [/color]
Male

[color=8493ca][b]Age[/b][/color]
 20

[color=8493ca][h3]Appearance[/h3][/color][/center]
James stands at around 6'1" with an average frame, though on the slightly broader end of average, and a general lack of muscle. His head is an unkempt mess of dark hair that is technically dirty blond, but rarely reveals that fact outside of particularly bright conditions. His face is framed by thick rectangular glasses and marked by unfortunately light and patchy stubble. He generally appears to have Germanic and Irish features, though he's descended from a broad mishmash of nationalities.

James' unkempt appearance tends to come off through his choice in clothes as well, often plain colored wrinkled shirts, dark colored hoodies, and jeans. Plain and functional, but lacking in grace, style, or any sort of wrinkle-prevention.

[color=8493ca][center][h3]Personality[/h3]    
[b]Analytical | Honest | Sluggish[/b][/center][/color]

James would likely describe himself as tired, and little else. He's a classic burnt-out gifted kid. He lacks internal motivation for important tasks, and requires external motivators, usually routine and obligation. James will often engage himself with puzzles, and enjoys trying to figure out problems analytically. He's the sort of person who thinks through his emotions more than he feels them, and can often be slow to build really emotional responses. Unfortunately, when he does build up that emotional inertia, it takes a very long time to de-escalate, making James the extremely spiteful, grudge-holding sort. James can come off as rather antisocial, idiosyncratic, and rude, especially given recent events.


[color=8493ca] [center][h3]History[/h3][/center][/color]
    
How one raises a child as if they're the next Einstein in Cleveland of all places will forever be a mystery to James Isaac Keening. 

His parents were the eternally middle class sort, shifting up and down from basic data entry jobs to management position over many years. They always had enough money to live, never enough for all the amenities one could want. It was a family of 4: James, his parents, his sister Annabelle. 

The siblings were only separated by two years, but there was a gulf in expectations between them from a young age. Annabelle was rebellious, got held back in kindergarten, and was nearly expelled multiple times during high school. James, however, tested into the school district's gifted program, and did well in school for a long time, his parents pushing him to do better because he's just that smart and should be capable of it. That pushing only got more severe over time, and eventually James gave up.

The shining star child disappeared at the start of high school, replaced with the exhausted, unresponsive young adult that James was always doomed to become. He suddenly had a lot more in common with his older sister who he had fought with all his life. They talked about how awful their parents were often, but there was always the silent belief that the other child of the pair was the cause of their parent's treatment.

James had given up most of what he used to enjoy, now staring into a computer screen for most of the day and disassociating from his living situation. He did gain new interests, however; primarily puzzles and games, and the general joy of learning new things and digging through strange systems and ideas. He still enjoyed learning, but could no longer function in his former structure. James barely passed high school, only picking up in the last year after some guidance councilors and friends encouraged him to create his own routines, resulting in a couple of A grades. 

James started going to a community college, as it was all he could get into at first. He did eventually transfer to a larger college, working on a bachelor's in physics. Of course, he still didn't magically do better, and his grades kept slumping intermittently every time there was a mild change in his routine. Luckily, James at least had support, in the form of a small group of friends, and his sister who had followed him in going to college. Life was bearable for a while.

Unfortunately, good things don't last long for a Keening. James had been watching the conversation about supposed magic online for a while, and assumed it was all a hoax. That was, until he unknowingly developed one. He speculates that he might've had it the moment powers started showing up in the world, and he was none the wiser for months.

Then he got too stressed during a test.

The paper turned to ash under his hand, leaving his mouth agape. A second later, he tried to take a deep breath to calm himself and rationalize the situation, and instead it was as if he breathed the pencil in through his hand, that too disappearing into dust. His muscles went rigid, the fear and confusion coursing through him. He excused himself and ran to his dorm. 

He spent ten minutes pacing before he noticed a letter that had been slipped under his door. James wasn't exactly thrilled that someone somehow knew about this strange power before he did, but he didn't want to show his face on campus ever again. He brought the situation up to his sister, and it was her idea to get the hell out of Ohio and follow the letter. Within a few days' time James, Anna, and a few of their friends got into Anna's car and started toward Massachusets.

James doesn't discuss the weeks that followed, and why they resulted in him arriving to the address alone on foot, but the bruises, dirt, and frayed clothing give insight that the young man refuses to elaborate on. 


[color=8493ca][center][h3]Equipment[/h3][/center][/color]
[center]Nothing but his frayed, dirty clothes, a small leatherbound notebook, and a pocket full of rocks.[/center]

[center][color=8493ca][h3]Magic[/h3][/color]
[i]The following is an excerpt from James' notes[/i][/center]

[color=8493ca]It appears that I can turn small objects to dust with little effort. Rocks, paper, marbles and such. All I need to do is touch something, then I get this sensation like I can almost breathe the object through my hand, sucking it in, and then the object disintegrates. The thing needs to fit in my palm, I think. Anything larger takes too much force, like breathing through a straw filled with concrete. Same thing happens with stuff with a lot of parts, most things with little mechanisms or any sort of circuitry. I'm not exactly sure what the use case for this is. I can become the world's most effective paper shredder, I suppose.[/color]
[/hider]