|| Written test || Mr. Tyler showed phenomenal prowess in the decision making section of the test, and displayed a mind more than competent enough for fieldwork. Based on his video supplement, one might not of expected such a high score, but there is apparently more here than meets the eye. If his scores on the morality questions are anything to go off of, Mr. Tyler will be a fine addition to Crystal Peak.
|| Practical test || Mr. Tyler put on an excellent showing during his practical exam. Speed was obviously off the charts, but his strength and endurance were impressive as well. It's clear that despite no formal training, he has kept himself in shape, and familiar with his powers. He still has much to learn in the control department, but he is certainly up to the task.
|| Written essay topic || Mr. Tyler submitted an essay about three major heroes from the last fifty years, and the influences they had over society as a whole. A surprisingly well written piece considering the in-person interactions we had with him, he demonstrated a strong grasp of the repercussions heroes have throughout society.
|| Video supplement || James Tyler is sitting as still as he possibly can, which for him, involves an absurd amount of fidgeting. His foot raps out an impossibly fast rhythm against the floor
"I guess, if I had to say, I'm all about helping the little guy. Or, not the little guy, but the people who can't help themselves. My dad and my brother don't have powers, and, I don't know, I think I couldn't sleep if I didn't know that I was out there, making the world a better place for them. I mean, it's great that I can get from coast to coast faster than you can say 'Where the fuck did he go?' but it doesn't mean anything unless I do something with it, right? That's who I want to be.
S C H O O L
Crystal Peak
Y E A R
Junior
C L A S S I F I C A T I O N
Personal/Transportation
O C C U P A T I O N
"My dad's are rich as fuck, why the hell would I get a job?"
L I V I N G A R R A N G E M E N T
The Towers at Crystal Lake Commons
I N T E R N S H I P S
Interned with Nextwave this past summer, studying under famed speedster, Whiplash.
Lovable and loathsome all at once, James is something of an acquired taste. He's not the type to hit the books day in and day out, in fact, he might seem like he doesn't take any of this seriously at all. Still, no one can say much about his antics, considering he regularly places in the top ten portion of his class. A prankster, a man-whore, and the guy who knows where every party is. Love him or hate him, James Tyler is an essential part to the Crystal Peak experience.
James Tyler was blessed with the gift of super speed, as well as an enhanced physiology to support the intense speeds he can reach. He's fast, like, really fast. If the sound barrier were the law, he'd be in jail, cause all he does is break it. His speed is not limited to running either. He's able to move individual parts of his body at intense speeds, allowing for rapid fire punches, kicks, and other attacks designed to inflict bodily harm.
L I M I T A T I O N S
James may be resistant to insanely high speeds, but aside from his super suit, very little of his equipment is. That's fine by him though. Far as he's concerned, all he needs are Righty and Lefty. While James is hell to fight one on one, he's not without his weaknesses. Anything that restricts or impairs his movement is incredibly difficult for him to overcome, as are tight spaces where he is unable to build up speed.
C O M B A T
Simply put, fighting James Tyler is a pain in the fucking ass. He likes to attack in waves, moving too fast to hit before launching out of seemingly thin air to land a devastating blow, and continuing the cycle. James' biggest weakness in combat however, is his ego. He often falls into traps when he underestimates his opponent, and is far too fond of proving his prowess with words in the heat of battle.
Scars, Tattoos and/or Piercings: Scar along his right side from when he wiped out going Mach 2. Resistant is not the same as invincible.
S U P E L O O K S & S T Y L E
Skintight body suit made of specially designed kevlar, with pieces of body armor attached to the shoulders, chest, and knees. His mask is simply a pair of goggles, designed to transmit his view back to HQ and provide visual markers in a field operation. Goggles are also designed to track speed and trajectory, not just his own, but also those of his enemies as well.
P E R S O N A L I T Y T R A I T S
James is the best (or worst, depending on who you're asking) parts of his father's combined. Witty and resourceful like Jamie, but brave and outspoken like AJ, needless to say, he was a menace growing up. James is happiest when everyone around him is laughing, giving him a bit of a reputation as the class clown. He's high energy, in every sense of the term. Of course, as far as flaws go, James is full of them. He's impulsive, and arrogant, and all too often he seems to forget that he is not the center of the universe. He's lovable though, and much too fast to smack across the head anyways.
Jamie Tyler (nee Callaghan) - Father; Polished and put together, Jamie is the Hero editor at the LA Times, focusing on the exploits of the countries most famous and beloved heroes.
AJ Tyler - Father; Owns his own autoshop line and gets involved with some more unsavory clientele on the side. AJ is the heart of the Tyler family in a lot of ways, and James' role model. Gifted with accelerated perception and reflexes, and enhanced healing. Don't challenge him to a drag race.
Nathan William Tyler - Older Brother; Two years older than Nathan, and unpowered. He's spent most of his life harboring a decent bit of jealousy towards his brothers, but he's a good kid at heart. Currently in talks to take over the Tyler family business one day.
Cole Phillip Tyler - Younger Brother; He'd be a genius, if he just applied himself. A botanokinetic who spends more time growing weed in his room than training for heroics. Too smart for his own good, currently working on giving Jamie a heart attack.
Katie Callaghan - Aunt; Jamie's sister and a famous actress, best known for her recent work in Brilliant: The Shining Spector Story
Molly Tyler - Aunt; Marine biologist, based out of Monterey. She watched the boys a lot when they were kids, and James has always enjoyed running up to Monterey to spend time with her.
Haylee Summerfield-Tyler - Grandmother; AJ's mother and an actress with an illustrious career behind her.
Dominic Tyler - Grandfather; AJ's father, retired from the family business, but always good for a beer, when James just wants to talk.
Jamie Callaghan and AJ Tyler weren't met to be the first time they met. Or the second. The third try though, well, that was something. Jamie was home from college, recently graduated, and AJ was doing his best to move past the cycle of addiction that had been plaguing him for years. The result? A risky rekindling, that grew and grew until there was no way they could run from it anymore. They were married by twenty four, and had their first son, Nathan, by twenty six.
Jamie and AJ Tyler weren't expecting Gifted children. Sure, AJ had some powers, but nothing groundbreaking. Nathan had been perfectly mundane, normal in the most perfect sense of the word. James on the other hand, started manifesting his powers shortly after his second birthday. Ever met a toddler with super speed? It stops being cute very quickly. Jamie wrote about heroes for a living, but he'd never expected to have one living under his roof. He tried his best with James, but try as he might, Jamie was never good at letting go of control. AJ on the other hand, he knew what it was like to want to go faster, faster, faster.
James grew up trying to emulate AJ. He developed a love of fast cars, a stubbornness that drove both his dads insane, and an inclination towards caring way more than he should. James never got the training of a hero, hell, he hardly has the attitude. But god damn it, he has the heart for it, and that much was obvious to anyone who encountered him on his way to adulthood.
Crystal Peak was always the goal. He'd been worried about acceptance, not that he'd ever admit that to anybody, but his Aunt Katie called in a few favors and made sure they took an extra hard look at his application. Hey, he's never claimed to be against nepotism, so don't come bitching to him about it. His acceptance was a milestone for the family, who'd yet to experience having an honest to god Hero among them. Even now, that day the letter came is one of his happiest.
James took to Crystal Peak like a duck to water. In Beverly Hills, he wasn't the only kid with powers, but he was one of the few who cared to actually do something with them. Sure, he didn't take it as seriously as some of the others, but hell, half of them were from families that lived and breathed this hero stuff. Simply put, James Tyler is so fast, he had time for everything.
"In the end, we did all the damage that you could want, but the emptiness will go on and on." "And you could be my enemy and you could be my judge if you could start remembering all the time that you used up..."
– Matt Berninger & Lauren Mayberry, My Enemy
╟ April 29 (22) || English/Welsh Caucasian || Female (she/her) || An/Com Feminist || Lesbian || Single, but not without benefits ╢
|| Written Test || "I did well enough, I think. Good enough to be here, not that it would have mattered. I don’t really get the drive to go all out, yeah? I don’t need that shit botherin' me." - Bexley proved more than capable on her written exams, but that wasn’t the true worry when it came to her status.
|| Practical Test || "I’m not goin’ to be one of these supers who is just all about their powers and knows everythin’ they do down cold. I just figured out this was even possible a couple years ago. I have no idea what the fuck I can do. I’m still learnin’. But I’ve learned enough to fuckin’ get ya if you drop your guard.” - Given her status as a candidate wasn’t acquired until later in her life, Bexley did well considering the circumstances. Her raw knowledge of what she can handle was enough to get her through the test and if she applied herself, she could become a very effective operative for whatever organisation secures her talents.
|| Written Essay Topic || Cracks in the System
"If they couldn’t find me until I did what I did, what other supers are out there? This whole system is fucked." - While the colorful language did little to further her case, Bexley’s unique situation was well-explained in her essay.
|| Video Supplement || The video is recorded on Bex’s Samsung S20 with the young woman lazed out on a couch, eyeshadow haphazardly applied as she stares dead-eyed at the phone camera, a Garbage-branded cropped t-shirt the only clothing visible.
"I’m not even sure I want to fuckin’ do this. Crystal Peak is a fuckin’ world away from what I know, I’m goin’ to stand out like a fuckin’ sore thumb, a bunch of kids who already know the shit they do, what they’re gonna be, ‘n me? I got not a damn fuckin’ clue about that shit. I know if I wasn’t crazy, I wouldn’t be in this mess. But, if y’all are gonna protect me, and keep me fam safe from all the fuckin’ fascist nutjobs out there, then I guess I don’t got much choice. If you lot can help me figure this shit out, figure out what the hell I got to do to make… whatever the hell I am… viable for somethin’ other than winnin’ bar bets ‘n petty larceny, then I guess I’ll play along for a while."
|| Overall Summary || Under ordinary circumstances, a case like Ms. Crosby wouldn’t warrant consideration from Crystal Peak. Not with her… abrasive personality. However, there are circumstances regarding her powers and how she came into them that behooves the academy to take her in and give her not only guidance but protection from those who would seek to take advantage of her situation as well as that of her family. Surely even with her sardonic and self-destructive tendencies, Ms. Crosby will find enough reasons at Crystal Peak to seek a full degree and eventually hero certification. At the very least, some important pieces of the super puzzle may finally be filled in.
S C H O O L
Crystal Peak Academy
Y E A R
Senior
C L A S S I F I C A T I O N
Personal Physical, with hints of Elemental
O C C U P A T I O N
Part-time bartender at The Foggy Glass / Full-time guitarist/backing vocals for East of Eden
L I V I N G A R R A N G E M E N T
Cypress Apartments in a two-bedroom with her bandmate
I N T E R N S H I P S
Last summer, Bex interned at Marray-Finlay Tech, a research facility and animal sanctuary with its headquarters in Marietta, Georgia. It was tough being away from the band for the whole summer, but the Crowne family was insistent she take the opportunity. Not only to learn about the various work the company had been doing procuring natural neurotoxins from their collection of reptiles and amphibians but to also learn about the medical techniques being developed there in hopes that she could begin to use her powers to help people instead of just inflicting pain. She was not very interested in that path. But working with poisonous animals is pretty fun. She did make the Crownes fly her back for East of Eden gigs though.
There are two schools of thought when it comes to Bex Crosby’s importance in the super community. To the majority, she is a rock star destined to burn out quickly. A poisonous element in the Crystal Peak system with her sardonic life views, her lack of respect for a good portion of authority figures, particularly the Wardens, and her makeup stylings that clearly should only be used for superhero disguises. To the minority who know exactly why Bex was accepted into Crystal Peak, she is an anomaly, an impossible opportunity to pass up. She is a walking artefact that could contain the key to discovering how supers got their powers, whether powers can be induced in the general population, how enhanced they can be, how they can be improved. She is to be protected at all costs… even if she herself is the person who least wants her to be protected.
To a varying extent, Bex can create, control and repel toxic foreign elements that come in contact with her body, including all sorts of acids, poisons, and chemicals that would normally be fatal to human beings. She can ingest them and store them for use at a later time, usually when she decides to spit them at targets or enemies. She could deliver it via touch, but where’s the fun in that?
Since coming to the academy, Bex has been working on expanding her abilities beyond simple chemicals. The Crystal Peak faculty have been insistent that with her powers awakened, she should be able to control more foreign substances inside a human body, potentially removing cancers, tumors, and other diseases with the ease that she conjures the various toxins and pulls them into her body.
The ability to just force poison into bodies directly instead of spitting it in faces is just a bonus.
L I M I T A T I O N S
Once whatever chemical leaves Bex's body, she has no control over it, which means that collateral damage is always a possibility if she is relied upon as a main offensive threat. She also can’t generate anything herself. She has to ingest the element and store it to be able to use it in battle.
Also, her resistance to poisons means technically she can't get drunk, which depresses her greatly given her closest friend at Crystal Peak is able to do that at will.
Plus she’s not bulletproof. If the poison is frozen into a bullet and fired at her, it will kill her. But metal works a lot easier.
C O M B A T
Bexley has never been a fighter. She didn’t inherit her father’s physique or her mother’s athleticism, at least not in obvious ways. Maybe it’s buried under years of neglect, but she hasn’t bothered to find it. She is never going to be a straightforward brawler. She prefers to work in the shadows, waiting for the moment to strike with whatever poison or concoction she has in holding. It makes Bex and Eve a potent combo with Eve luring people in and Bex finishing them off.
However, Crystal Peak demands some proficiency in combat, so Bex has been working on pressure point strikes. They don’t require much force, just a quick hand, and Bex has those from years of playing guitar. It seems to be coming along.
Hair: Naturally black, but dyed other colours at her whim | Wavy | Shoulder-length, occasionally tied up in a loose ponytail for certain shows.
Eyes: Brown
Height: 5'6"
Body Type: Lightweight, little muscle tone if any.
Clothing Style: Leans heavily into the punk rock stylings of 80’s Britain, with some modern twists to suit her needs. She lives for music, and it shows in her attire with her leather + denim jackets and crop tops, her array of necklaces and chokers, all accented with spiked boots and black fingerless leather gloves.
Makeup Wise: Very heavy. She favours dark eyeshadow around her eyes, pale foundation, a collection of thick lipsticks and will wear it at all times. Got to maintain the rock star image even as poison drips from her lips.
Scars, Tattoos and/or Piercings: Bex has two piercings in each of her lobes as well as her left nostril, usually favouring rings of various sizes in the holes. She has an East of Eden tattoo on her ribcage that has the dates of their first gig at the Glass, and room for other more prominent dates. She also paid to have her tongue split last May, allowing her to lean into her Mamba mentality, as well as freak out some norms. All it cost her was some blood. Easy trade.
S U P E L O O K S & S T Y L E
Bexley hasn’t given much thought to her superhero look. She usually works in darkness, striking from the shadows, hence her look is very similar to her on-stage look… and her off-stage look. She sticks with the dark leather jackets and tops and darker jeans or leggings. She’s not built for movement, she’s built for a quick strike so what does it matter what she looks like? ”Not like I’m all that remarkable, anyway. People see some 'goth' chick and they just ignore me. It works.”
P E R S O N A L I T Y T R A I T S
Again, this is a tale of two women. On the surface, Bexley has a healthy disdain for humanity. The stiff upper lip she brought over from Britain is usually scowling, much like the warning colours on venomous creatures of nature, as a warning to others to stay away. She is cold, uncaring and willing to spit trash on anyone, which makes her a perfect running mate for Eve Harding. The cynical women are quick to dish that philosophy out to whoever doesn’t ask. However, while Eve has the charisma and allure to balance her nihilistic views out, Bex doesn’t have that mask. She is pure poison...until you get to know her.
Once you break past the hardened exterior, Bex proves herself to be a loyal, capable friend. She will be caustic with the truth, but the veneer of contempt is lifted and it’s shown to come from a caring place. She will even be insightful at times. She isn’t lovey-dovey or anything. The lone attempt at showing feelings for someone led her to this place, and she’s not keen on repeating it unless she’s damn sure. However, she will be a considerate, thoughtful, downright human. Except with Zak. Too much sunshine makes her snap.
F E A R S
It’s definitely not death at this point, but the loneliness that led Bexley to discover her powers in the first place forever lingers. She puts up a tough rock star front but if she were ever forced to go solo against her wishes, she would soon be back in the same crippling doldrums that drove her to look death in the eyes and welcome it's embrace. And now she knows that she’ll have to resort to different methods. At least she has a ride or die band to roll with in New York, so those thoughts are at bay.
Biological Mother: Kerry Crosby (née Neville): A hospital administrator and part-time singer originally from Leeds, England who moved to Bristol in her 20s following a failed stint in a Spice Girls-inspired vocal act and married Ian Crosby. It is thought she has dormant powers similar to that of her daughter, but baseline tests have not revealed anything conclusive. FC: Melanie Chisholm
Biological Father: Ian Crosby: A roofing contractor and part-time guitarist in a Blur cover band called “Band 2” in Bristol, England. He has no known powers, although if asked, he will tell you he “can definitely lift that tree stump ‘n huck it over that Nissan Cherry.” FC: Russell Howard
The Neville side of Bex’s family contains her grandmother Linda (FC: Joanna Lumley), three aunts and numerous cousins that are rumoured to be under surveillance by the British and EU governments for potential signs of emergent powers.
R E L A T I O N S H I P S
East of Eden:
Alyssa Cashmore - Manager, Potential FWB in Training? If she can get past her obsession with Eve? Evelyn “Eve” Harding - Co-leader of the band, Lead Vocals, Best Friend Zac Lee - Drummer, Tolerated Ray of Sunshine Krista Müller - Strings, Smol babe must protecc Shepard Frasier - Guitars, student of the riffs, Confirmed Bi-lure James Tyler - Guitars, student of the riffs, Is all right
Bexley Sarah Crosby was not born for greatness or history, or notoriety, or even mediocrity. She was never supposed to have all this attention on her. Attention doesn’t agree with her. Even with a mother who has a brief taste of fame in the early 00's as a member of Xenon Light and a father that still gets to taste the spotlight with his cover band, Bexley was never inclined to take after them in that way. Still, her father convinced her guitar lessons were cooler than piano lessons and her mom was always singing in the house so she was infused with musical talent from a young age. For the first decade or so, things were relatively normal for the young girl from Bristol. The first sign that she wasn’t going to be the next Theresa May came when she was 13. She was watching The X Factor with her parents and realised that she was attracted to Abi Alton for more than just her ability to play “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” for an audience. There was no chance of her acting on her blossoming desires then though. Britain was starting to open up to the LGBTQ community, but it still wasn’t welcoming, and would have brought some unwanted attention. So Bexley didn’t say anything.
In fact, it was two years before she said something. A girl in her Year 9 class, Emily Porter, looked like she was giving a vibe Bex's way. They collaborated in a couple class projects and even hung out a couple times outside of school. It went well. So Bexley took a risk and asked her to be her girlfriend. Emily was flattered, but straight. Bexley played it off like it was nothing, but Emily remembered and discussed it with a couple of her friends… who were less discreet and spread it like wildfire around the school. Bexley already had a reputation with her dark matter of dress, but adding confirmed lesbian to that dossier got her a lot of negative attention. Especially from football player Mason Davies, who decided he could fix Bexley’s issue. By force. He got her under a stairwell and broke new ground against her wishes. As Mason left, Bexley was horrified by what happened. Yet again, her solution was to not tell anyone. But it didn’t work nearly as well as her other secret. It ate her up inside. So a couple weeks after it happened, Bexley waited until her parents went out for one of Ian’s gigs, locked the bathroom door, grabbed the half-filled five-litre jug of Sechelle Bleach and poured it down her hatch. And that would be the story of Bex Crosby, dead at 15, unable to carry the weight of her own truths and the crimes committed because of them. She was content to wait for the release of death… but it never came.
Bexley waited in that bathroom for 30 minutes, then she had a snack, then she watched some TV. Not even a gurgle. When her parents came home, Bex finally came clean about something she did and showed them the empty bottle. They took her to a hospital but she was perfectly fine. The bleach wasn’t even present in her stomach contents after she was forced to vomit up the packet of salt and vinegar crisps she ate. It took a blood test to reveal that the chemical was now floating in her body, and unable to do anything to it. She was discharged from the NHS since nothing was actually wrong with her. She went back to school the next day, and yet again Mason Davies cornered her, intent on round 2. She responded by spitting in his eyes… and then watching him collapse to the ground in the stairwell, clutching his head in pain. Bex let him writhe there for 20 minutes, then finally decided to walk to a nearby pharmacy, use their phone and tip them to the student in the hallway. It turned out Mason got hit with a heavily concentrated dose of liquified chlorine gas and his corneas were burned away, leaving him blind and with his football career in tatters. When asked how it happened, Mason couldn’t tell them why he was in the stairway, so he pulled a Bex and bottled up. But the black-haired girl knew. Some research on bleach when it didn’t actually kill her told her that bleach plus the vinegar from the crisps made her spit deliver the toxic payload on her rapist. She told her parents, and it was time for far more rigorous tests.
Over the next few months, Bex’s life was no longer school. It was various pokes and prods from… not even NHS doctors, special doctors she didn’t recognize. She ingested various corrosive liquids in a win-win situation. If she died, she died. If she didn’t, more stuff she could spit at sexual predators. Her parents were tested with miniscule amounts. Her father had a bad reaction to the diluted bleach but her mother… Nothing. Kerry was just as confused as Bexley was. She couldn’t handle nearly as much as her daughter and wasn’t going to chug bleach to find out but the conclusion was that Bex’s attempt to end her life activated some dormant genes in the Neville family line that enabled her to not only survive the toxic cocktail, but allow her to use the non-natural components of the chemical mixtures for defence. The genes were believed to be related to that of the first known hybrid human, Epiphania Lascaris, which meant the Nevilles could be direct descendants. It was a remarkable development… one that could prove the theories of Frederick Webb correct after all these years. It was dangerous. To those who believed superpowers could not be acquired or awakened in normal people, Bexley Crosby was now a major problem.
Unsure what could happen to Bex if someone more evil than a wannabe Ryan Giggs got a hold of her, the Crosbys decided they need to move somewhere that Bex could be protected, and since they weren’t exactly trusting of British authority figures after reading about what happened to Webb, they made a plea to the Crownes of Crystal Peak Academy to admit her for a proper education in the Gifted lifestyle. Bex was not warm to the idea and lazed on her application a little but the potential to have a descendant of the original Gifted on campus? The fact that she actually completed the tests was all she really needed. Bex was heading to America.
Miss Crosby wasn’t thrilled to learn Crystal Peak was farther outside New York City than she wanted and was prepared to spend a lot of time with her Yamaha Pacifica, setting up shop around campus… if she wasn’t spotted by another frosh named Eve Harding while picking out some “London Calling” by one of the cafe kiosks. The two hit it off very quickly, enjoying similar coffee tastes, musical stylings and negative views on life. Eve told Bex about her desire for a new band and they decided quickly to form a new group: East of Eden (A reference to the John Steinbeck novel as well as Ms. Harding’s nickname and Bex’s hometown being way farther east than New York). The group has steadily grown since the two of them started it, and it's done more than that for the Brit. It's given Bex more purpose than she had felt in years and served as a necessary release… especially since she found out her powers meant she couldn’t get drunk as alcohol technically poisons the system and her system rejects all poisons. But she knows it brings Eve joy so she tolerates it when her lead vocalist partakes.
It’s taken a while for Bex to embrace what happened to her, but she is finally in a better spot with things, which she grudgingly accepts is because she came to America. Her main goal now is to see the band succeed. If she can do something with these powers she’s gained, all for the better but she’d much rather be able to play her guitar, enjoy not hiding her sexuality, and tell everyone who finds her to be a monster exactly what they can do with their opinions.
Her current guitar is a Yamaha Pacifica, but she would love to find an instrument that better suits her mood. She can only put so many vinyls on the Yamaha to mask the light blue finish.
Her favorite food since she's come to New York is fugu. She loves ordering it and eating the whole thing, just to watch the chefs squirm.
She designed the band's logo, using two mirrored capital Es with the o in negative space and tree branches on the left E. It's the only non-musical artistic thing she's done, and if you ask her to do another one, you will leave with holes burned in whatever clothing you're wearing.
|| Written test || Ms. Styles’ academic scores exceeded expectations, given her lineage this isn’t all too surprising. However, most of the prompts involving hero work were answered with her saving as many lives as possible, often to the detriment of herself. While her intelligence is without question and her morals admirable, she has a lot to learn.
|| Practical test || Ms. Styles' performance with the power suit was quite impressive. Her strength, agility and endurance have been greatly enhanced. Although we were curious to see the full capabilities of the suit, we were advised by Dr. Styles himself that this was a prototype and not to go too hard on it.
|| Written essay topic || Ms. Styles' essay drew a great deal of inspiration from her own mother, who even though gifted with powers so limited, great change is still possible. All in all with the lofty goal to help others and save the world. Her heart is in the right place and she certainly has the lineage and assets to achieve these goals, but does she have the willpower?
|| Video supplement ||
Kayla says it with as much assuredness as she could muster, her stance an attempt at confidence, but her shaking frame and fidgeting hands give her away. The panel of professors and admins before her conferred amongst each other, which left the young girl to the thoughts in her head. Discouraging ones like an angry swarm, ‘why are you here?’ ‘Don’t you believe your abilities could be beneficial elsewhere?’ ‘you’re wasting your time, little girl.’ Some days these thoughts were too much to handle, today they came close, but the desire to be here outweighed the negative; until the silence was broken, and the swarm scattered.
“Ms. Styles,” spoke one of the instructors, “you’ve given an impressive display, truly you have, but what this school demands is not for the faint of heart. Even with your fantastic suit, I’m not sure if this school can take someone with-”
“My limited powers? Sir, there is a reason I came with this suit, but I’m not here because of my powers, I’m here because I want to be a hero, isn’t that what you train people here for?” She could feel a lump forming in her throat, but forced it down to continue on, “Ever since I was 6 years old I knew I wanted to be a hero, standing here, even now shows how dedicated I am to that belief. I know I’m not the first student who has had to struggle at this academy and once I graduate, I know I won’t be the last.” She awaited an answer, unsure how the instructors would react to her candid outburst.
A woman’s voice speaks up, “I have a feeling, you’ll be able to handle yourself just fine here.”
S C H O O L
Crystal Peak Academy
Y E A R
Sophomore
C L A S S I F I C A T I O N
Personal Physical/Energy & Passive Mental
O C C U P A T I O N
Works part-time Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at the campus cafe between 7:30am - 11:00am before afternoon classes and part-time work study on fridays and saturdays at the campus library between 3:00pm - 6:00pm
Kayla is perceived as innocent and naive, definitely the kind of person that doesn’t belong in a school of wolves like this. Her black and white standpoint on morality may also tick the wrong boxes with some people.
Mindblock - An ability that renders Ms. Style’s mind all but null and void to telepaths, psychics and mentalists. She cannot be detected by, communicated with, or manipulated with, by any mental based abilities. Quiksilver Armour - Outside of the mental blocker, Ms. Styles doesn’t have any powers to speak of, yet she was able to perform a demonstration using a power suit designed by her father, Dr. Brennan Styles. The suit itself seems to enhance the user's strength, agility and reaction time. The suit also seems to have an enhanced jumping mechanism to allow the user to traverse greater heights and distances quickly. This will certainly help Ms. Styles to keep up with the other students.
L I M I T A T I O N S
We were informed by the doctor the suit is only a prototype, therefore it does have a limited power supply and is not entirely impervious to having its power drained, although it has some resistances to these forms of attacks, it cannot sustain these resistances for long. As for her mental ability, Ms. Styles isn’t even sure how she was able to turn it on, let alone how to turn it off. This will make her somewhat of a detriment if paired with a mental based partner or a telepath that could rely on her for a stealth operation.
C O M B A T
The suit seems to have a generalistic range of weaponry from non-lethal wrist mounted projectiles,based on Dr. Styles’ ionic pulses, to smoke and flash grenades as well as concussive shot rounds.
Hair: Platinum blonde hair, straight and neck length
Eyes: Pale blue
Height: 4’8”
Body Type: Petite (less than 90lbs soaking wet)
Clothing Style: casual, yet modest tops, jeans or jean shorts
Makeup Wise: minimal application
Scars, Tattoos and/or Piercings: N/A
S U P E L O O K S & S T Y L E
A silver colored power suit to fit her body profile, electronics glowing an incandescent blue/white, the same coloring as her father’s ion powers. There is no discernable face, only a reflective mirror where a face should be.
P E R S O N A L I T Y T R A I T S
Kayla’s greatest aspiration is to be a hero and she tries her best to live up to that role every day by showing kindness, compassion and empathy to those around her. Despite always wanting to help those around her, she can barely help herself stand on her own two feet. Regardless she is loyal to a fault, ready to help her friends in a scrap if they’re ever in trouble.
F E A R S
Her greatest fear is that she will never be good enough in the eyes of her family and peers, that her lack of any control over her powers will make her less than those around her. Outside of that, definitely spiders.
“Dad is probably the smartest person I know, and I know a lot of kids say that about their parents, but he’s a scientist, started up his own tech and energy company, even built superpowers just for me. He’s always been my biggest support, always believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. He seems preoccupied lately and I miss talking to him like we did when I was living at home. I know he’s busy running his own company and everything, but it feels different than before."
Mother -
Codename: Leona FC: Anne Hathaway
“Mom has always been the doting caretaker, she shows her love to my dad and I unconditionally, but to say she really loves plants would be an understatement. Mom said her biggest dream was to open up her own flower shop and she finally made it a reality. I just wish she hadn’t opened it so close to the college campus…though it makes sense given our lineage.”
R E L A T I O N S H I P S
Kayla’s family history does stem from the Lovelace line through her mother Elizabeth, which makes Kayla and Illuria cousins. They spent a lot of their childhood together, but it’s been years since they’ve interacted with one another.
For as long as Kayla could remember, she’s wanted to be a hero. Having grown up around such influential people and heroes like her parents, how could she not want to be one? Every day she studied hard and tried to figure out when and what her powers would eventually be. As the years went on, however and no powers developed, her confidence slowly began to wane and eventually the reality of her situation was accepted. Kayla Styles, daughter of Dr. Brennan Styles and Elizabeth Lovelace-Styles, was born without powers; ergo she could not become a hero like her parents before her.
Fate had other plans for the young Styles though and one day while playing with her cousin Ria, she had fallen and struck her head against a rock. Several hours had passed before she awoke in the hospital to the confusion of the staff who had pronounced her brain dead sometime before. After some personal tests done by her father, as well as a visit from some family from the Crownes and Lovelaces, it was determined that her powers had awoken. Somehow that accident jumpstarted Kayla’s powers and blessed her with the ability to prevent access to her mind. Beyond ecstatic, Kayla declared with renewed confidence that she would attend the academy like her parents before her and become a hero.
Her parents tried to talk her out of attempting to go to Crystal Peak, but Kayla was hellbent on this one goal in life. Rather than let her go at it with the clothes on her back though, her father had other plans and began development of a prototype suit for Kayla to use. When it was completed and finally presented to her, there was a mixed bag of emotions floating in Kayla’s brain. On one hand she could finally achieve her dream with this suit, but on the other hand, this was not something she had earned on her own, it was a tool to give her an advantage; in other words, she’d be cheating. Her father argued that without any real control over her powers, she wouldn’t survive at the academy. Reluctantly though, a deal was made, that if Kayla could one day actually control her abilities, that she could return the suit to her father; for now though it was hers.
After a difficult first year, struggling through her courses, but overcoming her handicaps with high marks, the young student returns, ready for what this year may bring. Though the new inclusion of Crestview students has her worried, she’s treating it like being a freshman all over again. Hopefully this time though, she’ll actually be able to make friends this year.
|| Written test || ”I don’t think I could’ve failed, even if I tried” - Mr. Maxwell scored above average in all categories. But what stood out was his perfect score in history. The open questions on this subject were also remarkably detailed. Morality questions had a number of dubious answers but were overall adequate.
|| Practical test ||”After that showing, how could they not admit me? I sent them all packing!” - Although Mr. Maxwell certainly did perform very well during the practical exams; they did put on display his questionable principles and priorities. He used his powers to disarm and and repel the villain-acting teachers attacking the civilians. But in some cases he just went too far. A few were left in their underwear, stripped even of attire that clearly did not provide combat benefits. Furthermore, he did not hesitate to attack teachers that were retreating, even when higher priority targets were available. It seemed like he was having some sort of sadistic fun with this.
|| Written essay topic || ”The system has never been any more fucked. We’re just not seeing it clearly.” - Mr. Maxwell gave a colourful description of past scandals in the upper echelons of the superhero community. He proceeded to contrast this with the increasing degrees of bureaucracy and commercialization of the industry, accompanied by the increasing accumulation of wealth at this industry’s top and acquisition of the media. He theorised that the decrease in recent scandals is not an improvement of the industry, rather an improvement in their ability to cover them up. An interesting read, but perhaps lacking in foundation.
|| Video supplement || ”It’s easy to say you want to be a hero. It’s another thing to show you’ve actually got the balls to do the job.” - A self-assured Griffin attaches the camera to his body, then teleports high into the air. He goes into freefall, screaming his lungs out in excitement. Several screams of onlookers are audible in the background as he nears the ground. Just before he hits the ground, a portal opens up, and he is redirected straight into the air. Once gravity has slowed him down, he teleports back to the ground just before he starts falling again.
S C H O O L
Crystal peak, but was meant for Crestview (NHA program)
Y E A R
Freshman
O C C U P A T I O N
Delivery, mail in the morning, meals at night. He makes sure to get paid for services rendered instead of hourly. He makes bank.
As a freshman he has yet to truly build up a reputation. But he is sure to do so. Griff is an undeniable presence. He is a man of the people, someone who loves a good time. Yet not above some mischief. Need something smuggled? Need to go somewhere you can’t? Need a ride home? Then Griff is your man. Either you learn to love him, or you’ll learn to find him useful.
Pocket dimension: Griffin has his own personal pocket dimension. He himself is a living portal for this dimension. He can use this dimension for storage, travel and to manipulate the space around him. The plane manifests as an ethereal plane of sorts, a reflection of the material plane. His abilities manifest as a blue-silvery miasma.
Storage: Any physical object that comes into contact with Griffin can be immediately pulled into his pocket dimension. Any force behind the object when it comes into contact with him is lost. Objects in this dimension are suspended in time and space.
Release: Griffin can open a gate somewhere in a limited range around him, expunging any objects held in the pocket dimension of his choosing. If he chooses, the expulsion can be done with a great amount of force.
Spatial awareness: Using his awareness of his own plane, he can notice changes in the area around him. Giving him awareness of the space around him.
Wormhole: Using his own plane as an intermediary, he can open a wormhole between two empty locations in range, through which anything can pass from one to the other.
Blink: Griffin can pull himself into the pocket dimension for a short time, protecting him from harm in the material plane. When he reappears, he can do so a short distance from where he originally was. He can take along anything he touches with his hands.
Teleportation: Griffin can use his pocket dimension as an intermediary for short- and long-distance travel, teleporting to a different location .He can take along anything he touches with his hands.
L I M I T A T I O N S
While in their pocket dimension, they cannot use their powers on the material plane in any way.
When exceeding a certain size, his storage technique starts taking an exponentially larger amount of time to pull the object into the pocket dimension. Small objects can be pulled in instantly. An entire car might take him a second of focus. An entire truck would take perhaps three seconds, and so on. He cannot move away from an object while it is being pulled in, leaving him open. This ability can also only be used on non-living, physical objects. He can’t store people or energy.
He can only open portals in a limited range. In about a 10 meter radius around him. This may increase with training.
There is a limit to the amount of wormholes he can open at the same time, two pairs. This limit might increase with training.
Long-distance teleportation requires knowledge of the location he wishes to travel to. If he hasn’t been there before himself, a detailed description, geo coordinates , a photo or an object associated with the location may suffice.
At the end of a day, he is physically the same as any ordinary human. Very vulnerable to death in many different ways.
C O M B A T
Griffin’s fighting style revolves around avoidance and redirection primarily. Any attack launched at him is at risk of being redirected through a wormhole. Although he has few offensive abilities of his own, an opponent’s offence can be used against them. But with the combat training he has had, he can throw a solid punch from unpredictable angles.
Besides that, he is particularly potent at disarming opponents. Contact with their equipment is all it takes for it to disappear into his personal void. Particularly useful stolen tools might be turned against their owners. There is no such thing as an underhanded tactic in his books.
”I have no idea, man. But I really want a jetpack.”
P E R S O N A L I T Y T R A I T S
Intelligent and cunning or sly and devious. It depends on who asks, truly. But everyone would call him a loveable smart-ass. Griff is a brazen and outspoken individual who makes friends easily. He is not afraid to get their hands dirty. A cause isn’t worth a damn if you won’t fight for it yourself. He’ll forever stand for what he believes in and with the people who have his trust. And a slight to him or his people may mean a vendetta he will carry until the end of the world. But all this doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a playful side. After all, only boring people can’t enjoy a good party.
He is confident and proud, but not necessarily honourable. His lies are stone-faced and intentional and he is not above even the lowest of ploys to get his way if they prove necessary. All ends justify the means, in his eyes. That is to say, he gets shit done where others chicken out. In short, he’s a troublemaker.
F E A R S
Abandonment. Once already gives you enough questions for a lifetime.
Where exactly Griffin was born is not known exactly. The first known memory of his existence was when his mother shoved him into his fathers arms on his doorstep. And that was that. If she had ever visited afterwards, then Griffin did not remember. And neither did his father ever disclose the reason why she had abandoned them. Perhaps even he did not truly know. All that truly matters was that she has never dared enter his life.
All his mother was, was one half of a picture with his father’s arm around her. His father never did open up about her.
Dr. Wesley Maxwell tried to be present in his son’s life, but that proved increasingly difficult with a budding and turbulent career, involving a lot of late hours and travelling. Griffin was left largely to daycares and nannies to raise. He was an energetic and mischievous child, difficult to handle when not watching the ever-popular superhero shows and cartoons on TV. And unfortunately for everyone involved, Griffin’s powers manifested at quite a young age as well. If one energetic child proved difficult to handle, try one that began to teleport all over the place.
That was until he one day teleported a little too high and broke his leg. That knocked a little bit of sense into the boy, at least. Weeks where he was confined to a room with nothing but his father’s books for entertainment. Surprisingly, he took quite an interest in his work. A window into heroes of the past. A display of how every age had heroes deified and revered (even if not quite as commercialised) and remembered for their deeds.
Wouldn’t it be amazing? To be remembered like that? That was the start of a dream.
Perhaps the incident served as a wake-up call to Wesley. Soon after, he found himself a stable job lecturing at New York University. Something that gave him comparatively more time to spend with his son. The two grew closer than ever before. And when his father decided to pick up hiking again (a hobby he had to neglect because of how busy his life had gotten), the father and son duo went on many trips together.
Griff never truly lost that rough-and-tumble edge of his, however. Far too often did he get into trouble in high school. He never really was above bullying the bullies, so to speak. And once he got caught smuggling things into the school a kid his age really was not supposed to have yet. (Stuck up adults and their rules…)
Perhaps if he had listened to his teachers and father in regards to that attitude of his, he wouldn’t be sent to Crestview Academy. Maybe he would’ve had a place at Crystal Peak like he should’ve. Whatever. Others only got in because they had money, anyway. Yeah, that was it.
But then the fire happened and he was going to Crystal Peak after all, apparently miracles do exist!
Wolfgang Novogratz, #615c98 It often surprises people how bookish Griffin is in truth. He is a huge history buff. He also loves historical fiction and science fiction. He also reads a lot of dystopian stories. He also loves sports. Has been into swimming ever since he was young. Started martial arts once he decided to go into the hero field.
”Time takes it all whether you want it to or not, time takes it all. Time bares it away, and in the end there is only darkness. Sometimes we find others in that darkness, and sometimes we lose them there again.”
– Stephen King
╟ 22nd March (19) || Haitian American || Male || Agnostic (Raised Christian) || Heterosexual || Single
|| Written test || ”It is apparent from his test that Mr Batiste has clear leadership skills and a quality work ethic. Unfortunately due to his past criminal behaviour and legacy that comes before him, we deemed it best he not be accepted at Crystal Peak and that Crestview would be a better fit for him”
|| Practical test ||“Physically, Delmond is one of the most gifted athletes we have seen come through our doors in quite some time that didn’t have any enhancements. He also displayed strong leadership and tactical instincts that likely stem from his impressive football background. His mastery of his powers was limited but this seems to be a choice rather than a lack of ability”
|| Written essay topic ||“The topic of Mr Batiste’s essay was the question: if there was a cure for power, would you take it? He wrote quite an in depth piece of work, lacking in basic punctuation and vocabulary but an interesting read nonetheless”
|| Video supplement ||“I…yeah…well you see…Listen, I ain’t no superhero. I’m not some paragon of virtue. It ain’t about truth, justice and the American way for me. I’m just a corner boy, who shouldn’t be paid no never mind. Yet here I am. I got this thing that I don’t want and I didn’t ask for but I’m making the best of it. I didn’t come here to be the next great hero. I’m just here to make sure I don’t become the best great villain. Y’all feel me?”
As a new transfer, Del has yet to build on his reputation at Crestview. At his previous schools, Delmond was known as a quietly confident and affable guy who just wanted to keep his head down and do the work. That’s not to say the big man can’t party because Delmond can go hard when it gets down to it but as often as he can, he likes to keep a cool head, figure out a game plan and apply it. Strike Smart. Strike Hard. Don’t Miss.
Voodoo & Magic Practitioner: Del possesses potent magical blood, being a descendent of the voodoo queen Marie Lavaeu and as such has the potential to be one of the most powerful magic users ever. However, Del has many mental blocks and walls that he has created for himself to prevent this as he is very reluctant to even use his powers. Current Spells:
Hex: A concussive blast of magic which can be used to knock an opponent back.
Guilt: Del can induce an intense feeling of guilt in his opponent, bringing up every sinful deed in their past and transforming it into a physical pain in their body.
Summon: Del has the ability to summon a skeletal familiar who acts as his second in battle. As it is only a skeleton it can easily be defeated but as long as Delmond is conscious it can always be reformed.
Whisper: A form of necromancy, Delmond can absorb the memories of the deceased into his own mind but so far this can only be done with the recently departed. For a few moments during the transfer, the deceased can live on but once it is complete they pass on into the afterlife.
Intuitive Occult Knowledge and Aptitude: Del’s magical legacy is very much a part of him, with the very blood in his veins holding much of his ancestors power and knowledge. He is able to unlock these abilities as he matures and practices and has discovered that latent magic allows him to read ancient texts and understand spells without much revision.
Minor Transformation: When using stronger spells, Del physically undergoes a small transformation where the left side of his face burns away, leaving half of his skull exposed and engraved with ancient ritual markings.
Bone Manipulation: Del has the ability to control the growth, shape, and toughness of his bone structure. His body generates bony protrusions which he can remove, though not without pain, and wield as weapons. Even acting as a form of protective shielding or armor by covering himself with it. Del can utilize this power in many ways, including the creation of knuckle guards, spears, blades, rigid tendrils, bone claws, both fingernail & knuckle protrusions, and even projectile spikes.
Minor Regeneration: This power allows Del to heal from the wounds he gives herself while removing the bones from his body but does not stretch much beyond that.
Fear Empowerment: Del has discovered that his powers can be increased if he is surrounded by fear. If someone is scared or feeling terror in his vicinity, the strength and potency of Delmon’s spells are increased.
L I M I T A T I O N S
Calcium Deficiency: Del must keep his calcium levels up in order to use his bone manipulation abilities. If he does not have enough calcium in his body, these powers are rendered unusable.
Compulsion: Since the awakening of his powers, Del has been compelled to learn what he can about all the magics of the world. He does not want to do so and as such spends much of his time resisting this urge. Unfortunately as he believes this compulsion itself is supernatural it cannot always be ignored and Delmond can find himself using spells and conducting ceremonies that he has had no training in which can lead to disastrous consequences.
Beyond the magics, Delmond is physically a normal human and as such is susceptible to regular forms of attack.
C O M B A T
Delmond is a mixed bag as a fighter. Much of his power lends to him being on the front line, casting spells to knock back enemies and keep them at bay. However due to his overall reluctance to use too much magic, he relies on his bone manipulation ability, specifically creating sharp knuckle guards so that he can use his boxing skills in a fight. A golden gloves boxer as a youth, Del hs light feet, fast hands and hard strikes
Scars, Tattoos and/or Piercings:Del has both of his ears pierced and has a tattoo that reads “Greatness is a Choice” on his left shoulder over a stab wound.
S U P E L O O K S & S T Y L E
None Currently
P E R S O N A L I T Y T R A I T S
Loyal
Brave
Affable
Self Loathing
Prideful
Aggressive
F E A R S
Delmond’s biggest fear is turning out like his father and grandfather. Having now awakened to his gifts, Del can feel the pull of the dark and with every new step he takes into the occult, with every new spell and incantation, the shadow of his ancestors loom over him like a great storm cloud, ready to downpour evil upon him.
Delmond Batiste was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Even as a boy, Del knew it as a magical place. Every morning, he and his mother Katheryn would walk hand in hand down the French quarter, watching the buskers play their songs, the artists paint their souls onto canvas and tour guides tell their ghost stories. It was the last of the fond memories Del would have in a while. His young life was turned upside down when Katrina hit. He and his mother lost everything they had, which even then wasn’t a lot and after what felt like an age they were relocated.
Unfortunately for them, Del and Katheryn were moved to a very low income neighbourhood in Washington. She began working as a nurse to pay the bills and Delmoind sadly found himself on the corner slinging drugs from the age of eleven. The young boy was never a fan of the violence of gang life but he didn’t have a choice, he had to survive as best he could. The life of a corner boy was all Del could expect to enjoy, until the day he was caught up in a violent altercation with a rival gang. Delmond went to hospital with a stab wound and when the nurse walked in, it just so happened to be his mother. Seeing the pain in her eyes, the young man knew then and there he couldn’t go back to the corner, he couldn’t break her heart again.
Deciding to return to New Orleans, to aid in the rebuilding of the city they called home, Del transferred schools and Katheryn got a job working for Blackwell Innovations. At his new school, Delmond found football and thanks to an early growth spurt and the workout he got every other night running from the police, he got real big, real quick and damn, the boy could play. It became apparent that Del was a star player and that a scholarship was definitely on the cards for him. When not on the gridiron, the your man began helping at construction sites and aiding in the relief efforts.
Towards the end of his senior year, he began working on the construction of a new library when a new disaster struck, the villain; Baron Samedi. The Baron began destroying building after building as he searched feverishly for something in the rubble. When Delmond came face to face with the villain, in a foolhardy attempt at heroism, something inside of him awakened. A burning sensation rushed through his bones and a surge of light exploded from his being, knocking Samedi out long enough for some of the Betchel 8 to arrive and take him into custody.
This whole event was caught on camera, watched by millions including Delmond’s mother. It was then that she revealed a terrifying truth, the Baron was Del’s father and he was the product of rape. Years ago, when Katheryn was at college she met the Baron, although back then he was known as Rene. He showed her his gifts and at first she was enamoured until he began conducting a ritual; a ritual that unfortunately required the forceful taking of her virginity. Rene vanished soon after before eventually resurfacing with his father as villains. Katheryn had hoped Del would never inherit his father and grandfather's connection to the supernatural but fate had chosen otherwise.
Lucky for Del, Blackwell Innovation took an interest in him and decided to take him on and help him with his abilities. Now fully aware of his heritage, Delmond was massively reluctant to even learn about his powers, he just wanted them gone. Sadly for him, since there didn’t seem to be a cure for the gifted, the most he could do was learn to control it. After a year of working with Blackwell, it was decided that Delmond was ready to apply for Crystal Peak where he could continue his education, whether he really wanted to or not…
“I’m incredibly privileged to have all the study sessions I had available to me in preparatory school. Uncle Norman was also very helpful, he told me what to write word for word.” || Ms. Cypress’s knowledge of history was incredibly strong, much like her morality. You will be hard pressed to find someone that is less likely to commit even the smallest discretion against someone than Ms. Cypress. However, she seems to have no leadership skills or drive to take charge of any situation a hero might find themselves in.
███████████████████ Practical Test Practical Test
“The practical test was tough… I couldn’t take off my gloves to help. I got scared and I think that's why I failed.” || Ms. Cypress’s performance at the practicals were near non-existent. She supported the evacuation of civilians but never stepped up to participate actively against the teachers. It can be noted that she never once displayed her abilities either. Her fear almost cost her a place on this program.
███████████████████ Essay Topic Essay Topic
“Don’t laugh, okay? But I talked about how afraid I am of my powers.” || Lucia’s essay was almost written like a personal diary. In the essay she discussed how her abilities were uncontrollable despite the special training she had gone through. She briefly touched upon an incident in her past that forced her to completely reject using her abilities, hoping that by getting into Crystal Peak she can learn how to finally control when she wants her abilities to be active. A hero cannot be afraid, and should not be afraid, of what they are capable of.
███████████████████ Video Supplement Video Supplement
Luciana is sitting in a room brightly lit up by opened curtains to her left. She seems to be sitting on an unmade bed, with paint across her cheeks and all over her gloves. She seems to be dressed more relaxed, in a simple pinafore dress and sheer turtleneck, but refuses to take off the gloves. “I’m not a hero, I don’t think I can be with the type of power and lack of willpower I have. I know this, so I will not waste your time trying to convince you that I am something I am not.”
She paused to take a deep breath, fidgeting with the paintbrush in her hands and watching blue paint drip against her dress from the movement.
“Being a hero would be great but before that... I just want to be able to control my abilities. I don’t want to keep living in this room, with these uncomfortable clothes and these stifling gloves. I want to be able to sit with my family and not terrify my mother. If I can be free of these powers… even if it means giving it up, I’ll do it. But I need your help for it.”
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███████████████ School & Year School & Year
Crystal Peak, Freshman (Actually offered a place at Crestview College on the NHA program)
▅▅▅▅ Lucia's ability allows her to induce oxidation, the process of oxygen combining with matter. Her ability works through skin to matter contact, where contact with her skin will begin the oxidation process. Oxidation depends on the matter she touches - for example, touching metals will begin to rust and corrode them, touching wood or other ignitable objects will combust into flames and touching organic matter like human skin will induce extreme oxidative stress that can be dangerous for the target.
The longer the contact held by Lucia, the greater the damage caused. Prolonged skin to skin contact can lead to lasting cell and DNA damage, inducing cases of inflammation, cancer, arthritis and necrosis.
As a result of her abilities, she is invulnerable to metallic weapons as any direct touch to her skin will lead to the metal to rust and rendered useless.
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███████████████ Combat Combat
▅▅▅▅ Lucia has very little combat experience outside what little physical training was mandatory by her family. Even by her personal trainer she has been consistently scoring the least in physical combat compared to her other studies. She's more of a diplomatic soul than a fighter.
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███████████████ Limitations Limitations
▅▅▅▅ Lucia's abilities, as of currently, have no way of switching off. Without careful care of what touches her, Lucia risks causing more damage than she expects by simply being in a crowded or busy area. As she cannot figure out the off-switch to her ability, Lucia has taken to wearing tight, protective clothing that have been custom designed to withstand her ability from combusting and causing a show. She also always wears her custom, elbow length gloves (usually tucked under her clothes for double protection), and because of her fear of her abilities refuses to take them off.
Additionally, different materials that she touches also have different reaction times, for example touching organic matter like skin means it takes slightly longer for her abilities to cause lasting permanent damage compared to touching a simple metal. None of her damage is reversible through her, though other abilities may be able to counter her (eg. people that can control their own molecules and resist the oxidation process). Finally, her combustion ability may allow her to set flammable items on fire, but she cannot control the flames.
⚝ Round, blue-green eyes. ⚝ ⚝ Shoulder length, straight, platinum blonde hair. Typically worn down or in a messyhairstyle when busy. ⚝ ⚝ 159.8cm ⚝ ⚝ Business-casual style. Often full-sleeved and covered no matter the weather. Pair of gloves on at all times, both of which minimise the chance of her skin touching anything.⚝ ⚝ Natural base makeup, with a preference for bright red lips for a boost of confidence ⚝ ⚝ A birthmark on her left shoulder bone ⚝
Lucia is only a first year. She has only a vague idea of what she wants and that is mostly because having an idea was instilled in her by her father if she wanted to attend Crystal Peak. She wants a design that makes her look more warm and welcoming, though she has yet to decide how she wants to design her gloves. That is a fear to tackle some other day.
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███████████████ History History
Luciana is the youngest child of Colin and Melania Cypress, born into wealth and fame that came with the Cypress name. Lucia grew up as a happy child, never wanting for anything. She bonded closely to her family, making them her everything. But the illusion shattered the day Luciana's abilities manifested at ten years old.
Melania and Luciana had been playing in the garden, Lucia chasing after her mother in a playful game of tag that ended with the youngest Cypress grabbing her mother's hand in an attempt to win. Instead of laughing, however, her mother's expression dropped in silent agony that only Colin was able to recognise. He ran to his wife and child, his eyes glued to the hand clutching her mother's but all he could see was her inflamed hand getting discoloured, pale skin turning muddy brown to black. Forcing Lucia's hand didn't work, the panicked girl's grip grew tighter and only caused Colin pain himself. The only way he could grab her hand was to use his abilities, make his skin emulate properties of sand to pry Lucia's hand away.
Melania was sent to hospital immediately as a result of the injury, the inflamed pain only getting worse. At the hospital it was revealed that Melania had a sudden onset of stage 1a local melanoma from the prolonged contact with Lucia's hand. It was also at the hospital where Lucia was tested, to check how dangerous her ability truly was.
That night in the hospital changed everything for Lucia. She was told she could no longer touch her family, only her father could initiate any touch - and only if he was using his abilities. Her room was quickly rebuilt to withstand her abilities, wardrobe changed and most importantly, a pair of gloves to ensure the girl could not touch anything even unintentionally.
The family dynamics changed as well. Melania all but distanced herself from Lucia after finding out her ability was constantly active. Colin was the only member of family that Lucia could meet on a regular basis. Even her relationship with Noah, which had been going so well previously was suddenly impacted. No longer could the girls hang out with their pets and play or study together under her mother's watch, though Noah often found a way to sneak into Lucia's room behind their mother's back. The only other consistent face Lucia would meet was the hired trainer her father personally selected for her in an attempt to find Lucia's off switch but to no avail.
With no progress, Lucia's hopes slowly dwindled. Noah left home to attend Crystal Peak when Lucia was 15, but the girls decided that they would attend Crystal Peak together one day. Maybe the expertise of the teachers at the Academy could help where the instructors couldn't? Lucia's application was a failure, however. Her fears locked her in place, causing her to fail her practical exams. The admissions committee had a hard choice to make, whether to reject the first Cypress in the College's history, but a better option came up that satisfied every party. Lucia was placed on the NHA program within Crestview College, giving her one last opportunity to get her abilities under control.
███████████████ Reputation Reputation
Luciana's reputation is near non-existent. Half the time people are surprised when she introduces herself as a Cypress, especially as the freshman sister of Noah Jean Cypress. Their personalities couldn't be any further apart, with Lucia being rather timid and distant when she does make a rare public appearance. That's not to say Lucia is hard to get to know, as long as you're willing to ignore the constant measure of distance Lucia checks between the two of you.
███████████████████ Fear & Motivation Fear & Motivation
Lucia is motivated by her fear. She never wants to be in a situation where she is the reason a loved one is hurt ever again. The guilt still eats at her alive and she doesn't think she can go through it again. She doesn't want to be a hero, she just wants to control her ability and be free.
Father: Colin Cypress Ability: Sand Manipulation & Mimicry FC: Michael Fassbender
Mother: Melania Cypress Ability: Oxygen Manipulation with Metal Purification FC: Jessica Chastain
Sister: Noah Cypress || Terra Ability: Earth Manipulation FC: Sophie Turner
Uncle: Norman Cypress || Cast Iron Ability: Metal Manipulation & Skin FC: Aaron Eckhart
███████████████ Relationships Relationships
Noah Cypress || Sister Krista Müller || Cousin Erick Anderson || Cousin
███████████████ Other Other
⚝Lucia was home-schooled after her powers manifested. ⚝Painting and art became a form of escapism that Lucia indulged in, her room back home now overtaken by easels and equipment more than personal artifacts. ⚝She really likes the colour red. Red lipstick makes her feel powerful and confident in situations where she feels less than. ⚝Lucia isn't necessarily shy or introverted... she just wants people to respect her personal bubble. ⚝Art Inspo 1 | 2 | 3 ⚝Font: Madelyn Fill
|| Written test || Mr. Santos’ applied academics are somewhat lacking, average at best. Where he lacks in knowledge, however he more than makes up for in leadership, management and organization. In a scenario involving leading civilians through hostile territory, he was able to determine the most dangerous paths and avoid them with ease, saving the most lives possible.
|| Practical test || Mr. Santos was given an obstacle course to complete when he had discussed his powers with us. The amount of forms he was able to transform into allowed him to complete the course efficiently and with ease. Mr. Santos was able to demonstrate a fluid transition between each form he took and seems to have a plethora of animals to choose from.
|| Written essay topic || In the Dark Knight Rises, Harvey Dent tells Bruce Wayne at a fancy dinner, “You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” Well what if the opposite were true? I’m not saying I’m a villain, but I ran with a gang, did petty crime, hurt a lot of people and just did things I’m not proud of. I’ve seen plenty of friends end up on the other end of a gun barrel and I’m not ready to go out that way. I’m not a good person, but I’m trying to be, not just for myself, but for my son too. I lived long enough for me to stare hard enough at myself and ask what I really want out of my life and this is what I chose.
|| Video supplement ||
He sits down, exhales and claps his hands together before speaking, “Hola, my name is Kanan Antonio Santos, I’m 23 years young, and I want to be a hero. Sounds weird saying that, but it feels right, ya know?” He clears his throat, “I know I did a lot of dumb stuff back in the day, I can blame it on being a kid, ya, but your conscious lets you know, you try to bury it, but it just yelled louder; and won. That’s why I’m here and ready to do my part, and to endorse me in my acceptance. I give you, my personal hero, the great and powerful, ‘Niño Pequeno’.” He swings off to the side as he grabs a small child by the sides, a powerful and joyful laughter erupts from the two as he swings the boy up and around to sit on his shoulders. The young man looks up and meets the boy’s shining gaze, his wild and curly hair softly swaying to and fro along with his head. “Hey kid, what’s your name?” the man asks and the child responds, “My name is Julian and I’m 6 years old, and my papi wants to be a HERO!” he says the last word rather exuberantly.
S C H O O L
Crystal Peak Academy
Y E A R
Senior
O C C U P A T I O N
Captain of the Wardens
L I V I N G A R R A N G E M E N T
Campus Castle
I N T E R N S H I P S
Occasionally does volunteer work for the local shelter for gifted individuals
Out of all the wardens at the time, Kanan was always considered the most lowkey of them. Often identifying the situation ahead of time to figure out which kids were the troublemakers, and which ones were just being stupid, who needed to go home and sober up. For this he’s generally respected, and people know they screwed up when he actually has to bring them in.
Kanan has the ability to morph his form and physiology into any animal with whom he has absorbed the DNA from, inheriting their traits and abilities. He has a wide array of land, air and aquatic creatures to choose from and the transformation is near instantaneous.
L I M I T A T I O N S
Kanan can only transform into an animal he has absorbed DNA from and switching into too many forms too quickly can result in him straining his muscles and going into a painful, yet temporary paralysis. Also depending on what animal he turns into, his clothes often end up torn to shreds.
C O M B A T
Kanan’s style is very much being a jack-of-all-trades on the battlefield. Given his wide array of animal forms, he can switch from an aggressive deterrent like a lion or wolf, to an elusive distraction like a bird or mongoose. So long as he doesn’t transform too often he can fit the bill for whatever situation the enemy or environment throws at him and his team.
Hair: shoulder length, wavy, and black hair that is often kept back as a pony tail when out and about.
Eyes: Green/Gray
Height: 5’11”
Body Type: Lean and toned
Clothing Style: tanks tops, shorts that are a size too big or jeans and generally an unbuttoned overshirt slightly Ace Ventura-ish
Scars, Tattoos and/or Piercings: Has a full sleeve of his personal history, ask him about it sometime. He has a massive amount of scars, like blades raked across his upper back, they appear to cover a mostly faded tattoo. There is also signs that he was branded with an X just above the collarbone
S U P E L O O K S & S T Y L E
Kanan's costume is exactly the way he's always dreamed; simple, sleek, and form fitting. A gift from his former Head Warden, Leon, this jungle green, skin tight suit was designed with his powers in mind. The molecules within the suit's fibers almost act like a chameleon's skin, yet rather than changing to blend in with the environment, they blend with the physiology of the current user. In layman's terms, the suit can morph with Kanan into fur, hide, feather or hair without damaging the fibers. In Kanan's words, "I won't have to shop for underwear at Target every weekend now!"
P E R S O N A L I T Y T R A I T S
Generally down to earth and easy to talk to, Kanan is a realist who’s honest to a fault and isn’t afraid to tell it to you. He’s not being a jerk, he’s just telling you like it is, though not everyone is able to handle his level of truth. His mind is always thinking two steps ahead, the result of having lived a life in survival mode for so long. Though he has a friendly face and voice, he hasn’t made many friends, even among his fellow Wardens. The friends he does have, however he’s loyal to without question.
F E A R S
The dreams that haunt him most nights from his gang days. The people he’s hurt, the crimes he commited, the choice he made when he decided to leave and the consequences that came with it.
“Yea, my sister was the smart one in the family. Even surrounded by gang violence and drug addiction, she graduated highschool and made her way into college, and now she’s a hero too. She’s good with her kids and mine, but my god does she have a mouth on her, surprised she hasn’t been struck by lightning yet.”
Brother-in-law -
Powerless FC: Jay Baruchel
“Jeremy’s a good dude, real level headed and helps keep the peace when my sister is losing her cool. He’s always a bit guarded around me, he came clean one time that my past troubled him, especially with how it affected my sister. He made a promise to me, that if I ever did anything to betray my sister, or lose her trust, that he’d…well for a powerless dude, he’s got a pair of huevos. Even though he’s wary of me, I respect him and he treats my son like his own, not much more I can ask.”
Son -
Has powers, underage FC: Marcel Ruiz
“Jules is…the best thing that has ever happened in my life. He opened eyes to the possibilities, that there was more to the petty life I was living; he saved my life. Now I want to repay the favor, to show him that his old man is all the good that he sees in me.”
R E L A T I O N S H I P S
Currently Kanan has a rather complicated relationship with Sylvia Vargas. Complicated in that they're roommates, but he's also supposed to be her bodyguard and caretaker, a responsibility specifically for the head warden.
From what Kanan can remember, more than half of his life was spent on the streets of San Antonio, running around and getting into trouble with his brother Joshua. It wasn’t long until others started following the two and they had formed ‘The Sons of Dorado’, a gang that dealt in narcotics, racketeering and gun violence. The two of them ruled the streets and having powers only made it easier to maintain control of the area; together they were unstoppable.
It wasn’t until he was in his mid teens that he knocked a girl up and left him with the baby that he started opening his eyes to the world around him. People were hurting, families were being torn apart and his son was even a product of a mother who abused the narcotics that his own gang dealt. The child was strong and he would live, but the boy was slowly turning into a man and it wasn’t until his brother began to talk of expanding the territory that Kanan made a decision to leave.
The road to get out was long and arduous, and it involved sending his son away to his sister far up north, away from his brother’s influence before proceeding. The fury in his brother’s eyes was intense and the pain and torture that Kanan endured that night was unlike any he had ever suffered before. He was nearly left for dead when it was all said and done, but he knew that he could never return to the city he grew up in or there would be no next time to consider. Weeks passed during his recovery time and all the while he worked through the pain so he could be ready for the next step. Next it was time to make something of his life, to become someone that his son could be proud of, perhaps even a way to help redeem his soul; next he wanted to become a hero.
|| Written test || "Miss Cypress’ test scores were well under the minimum allowed for acceptance at Crystal Peak. However, at the behest of her parents, we repeated the test, but in verbal format. When being examined through this method, Miss Cypress was able to answer the majority of the questions correctly, elaborating on those that required her to do so and obtaining slightly above average scores. It is clear that she is unable to sit still for long periods of time, so accommodations would need to be made in order for her to academically succeed in our institution."
|| Practical test || “I went in with the plan to do what I do best: let everyone else do all the work while I mooch off them. But something just kicked in when I was on the field, this protective instinct I only got when Lucia was in trouble, and before I knew it I was springing to action. Everyone was impressed with how well I worked with others and how helpful I ended up being-- myself included. They said cooperation, protective instincts, sense of urgency and courageousness were my best qualities on the field."
|| Written essay topic || "I wrote about how I wanted to prove my family wrong by carrying on the Cypress legacy, but in my own way and on my own terms. I don’t like people to expect this or that from me. I am my own person with my own capabilities and outstanding qualities, and the only standards that will be set in my life are ones I deem for myself.
Would I want to do this as a hero? Absolutely not. That’s too much responsibility. But that part wasn’t included in the essay.”
|| Video supplement || "To be quite honest with you, I completely forgot we had to do a video supplement. Turns out that Lucia had submitted something for me: a video I had made for her of me dancing to Queen's 'Another One Bites The Dust' while doing all these crazy things with my powers. I know my parents wanted to kill me when they found out, but apparently the submission was so unique and unexpected that that it got me the spot at Crystal Peak."
S C H O O L
Crystal Peak Academy
Y E A R
Junior
O C C U P A T I O N
Living, laughing and loving
L I V I N G A R R A N G E M E N T
Cypress Apartments, Top Floor
I N T E R N S H I P S
“At the request of my great-grandmother and the insistence of my mother parents ‘in honor of my 21st birthday’, I was forced to spend my summer interning with Uncle Norman-- or, as everyone and their mother knows him by, Mr. Norman Cypress ‘Cast Iron’ himself. Whoop-dee-fucking-hoo. I know for some people the idea of being an intern to Bechtel's #2 is like, fucking goals or whatever, but Uncle Norman is a hardass and a half. Did I learn a shitton from him? For real-- I won’t deny it. I went into the whole thing with this really salty ‘woe is me’ mindset, but came out of it with some slick new moves and tons of knowledge I can use both on the field and daily life. Would I ever voluntarily do it again? Ehhhhhhh… Probably not. Ask me again later when the blood and sweat I put into things is less fresh.”
Noah Cypress is the girl your parents tell you to avoid because she’s a ‘bad influence’, and it may seem that way upon first impressions. Her extroverted demeanor, devil-may-care attitude, frequent partying, and fearless way in which she will stand up against anyone or anything for her loved ones and her beliefs can be intimidating to some. Yet those who get to know her on a personal level will swear to Noah being an incredibly supporting person, loyal to a fault, fiercely protective, and just someone you can trust with your life who you know will have your back. Do you need someone to listen to you? She’ll be there. Do you need unfiltered, honest advice? She’ll give it to you with your best interests at heart. Do you need someone to convince you to buy that expensive item you’ve been eyeing for months or go out tonight? She’s got you. Do you need a wingwoman for a night out, a cheerleader and/or someone to fight with you because someone did you wrong? She’s your girl.
Noah is able to create, shape and manipulate soil and soil-based structures regardless of their state. Uses of her power include: ☄️ Burrowing ☄️ Causing earthquakes and mudslides. ☄️ Extracting boulders from the ground and hurling them at the enemy at high speeds. ☄️ Impaling the enemy with soil-made spikes. ☄️ Shaping huge walls/barriers from the ground. ☄️ Creating an omni-directional wave of soil around herself as defense from attacks. ☄️ Flight by standing on a piece of levitating earth. ☄️ Small mountain creation by causing the surrounding terrain to rise.
L I M I T A T I O N S
Noah is unable to create soil, as she is only able to manipulate from already existing sources. She is also fairly new at utilizing some of the uses mentioned above, so even if they’re utilized they can still have defects prone to exploitation by enemies or may only be effective for a limited amount of time.
C O M B A T
In the rare occasions Noah is forced to see combat, she is able to infuse earthen materials in her physical attacks, covering her fists and feet in soil. She also utilizes the earth beneath herself and/or her opponent for defensive or offensive purposes.
D A I L Y L O O K S & S T Y L E ☄️ Hair: Naturally blonde but dyed red | Straight | Usually worn down in all of its silky glory. ☄️ Eyes: Blue-Green ☄️ Height: 5’9” ☄️ Body Type: Tall & Willowy ☄️ Clothing Style: Grunge & Alternative || T-Shirts of favorite bands, shows and movies | Denim Jeans and Shorts | Button-Down Flannels | Doc Martens | Converse | Vans | Leather Jackets | Windbreakers | Sunglasses | ☄️ Makeup Wise: Winged Liner, Mascara and Pinky Mauve Lip Colors ☄️ Body Markings:
This breathtaking golden ensemble made out of materials strong enough to offer protection from any offensive attacks and the earthly elements she handles. Pretend the wings and the lasso aren’t there :)
☄️ Any harm coming to her younger sister, especially under her watch or responsibility. ☄️ Being unable to find a purpose in life. ☄️ Not finding her forever partner in crime, though she would never outright admit this.
☄️ Colin Cypress | Father | Sand Manipulation & Mimicry | FC: Michael Fassbender ☄️ Melania Cypress | Mother | Oxygen Manipulation with Metal Purification | FC: Jessica Chastain ☄️ Luciana Cypress | Sister | Oxidation Inducement | FC: Josefine Frida Pettersen ☄️ Norman Cypress AKA Cast Iron | Uncle | Metal Manipulation & Skin | FC: Aaron Eckhart ☄️ Erick Anderson | Cousin | Pressure Manipulation | FC: Joseph Gordon-Levitt ☄️ Krista Müller AKA Sensa| Cousin | Perception Manipulation | FC: Virginia Gardner
R E L A T I O N S H I P S
☄️ Damon Day- Ex-Boyfriend- "Let me set the scene for you--" Noah begins, making use of her hands to add some dramatic gestures for ultimate flair as 'Rock You Like A Hurricane' plays in the background. "First day of class, West Wing hallway. I'm minding my business, being quiet and playing nice (it's only the first day, after all) and there he was, straight out of a wet dream: Damon fucking Day. Messy blonde hair, athletic build, a sleek leather jacket, a devil may care attitude, and a smile that had me believing maybe God was a real thing after all. I was into him right off the bat, but when I saw him rip out of his clothes and turn into that big ole' beast tearing everything up during our first field practice? I truly thought I was going to cream my pants right then and there-- it was so fucking hot. Shit. Sorry for being graphic, but it's the God-honest truth. I laid eyes on that man and in my infinite teenage wisdom, I wholeheartedly believed I was meant to marry him. We jumped into things quickly and impulsively after I gathered enough balls to make a move, and we ended up dating for a few very fiery, very intense, very passionate months…” she trailed off, reminiscing about her times with her ex before clearing her throat and carrying on. "But as you can see, it obviously it didn't work out. I realized it was infatuation, not love, and our personalities were so similar they clashed where it mattered the most. There’s no hard feelings, though! We're cool, and I'm happy he's found someone that compliments him in the best ways. He deserves that.”
When you think of the Cypresses, you think of intelligence, prestige, elegance, and their invaluable contribution and legacy to our world. When you look at Noah Cypress, you think of what would happen to that legacy if it were to fall on the shoulders of someone like her.
Noah Jean was born on the 31st of January of 2001. From the day of her early arrival, the first child of Colin and Melania Cypress had been going against any expectations set to her by others. Her parents, who had expected a boy, were surprised to find out at birth that they were now parents to a girl. When Colin and Melania had expected a soft-spoken, gentle, cuddly lady for a daughter, they got a loud, adventurous, thrill-seeking wild child that pushed the boundaries and tested their limits with her antics and evolving soil manipulation powers. Fortunately for them, their dreams of a little lady became a reality when Luciana was born. While Noah had resented the attention her younger sister got at first, her feelings were quick to change upon realizing she had gained a confidante, cheerleader, companion and someone to distract her parents while she got away with murder. And for a while, the Cypress family lived in happiness and harmony.
Noah’s life shifted the same day Lucia’s did. After the incident with their mother when Lu was 10 years old, while Colin focused on meeting the needs of their younger daughter, Melania became all but fixated on her eldest daughter. There was obvious friction between the two strong-willed women, and arguments between mother and daughter soon became a norm in the household. While Melania disapproved of most of Noah’s behaviors and choices, Noah resented being placed under the microscope of scrutiny and the unreasonable expectations being asked of her, and Colin was forced to be the referee and mediator between the two. Leaving home to attend Crystal Peak Academy, although a difficult decision because she hated leaving Lucia alone, was a choice the older Cypress girl had to make for the sake of her mental sanity.
The distance away from Melania’s overbearing, watchful eye has done wonders for Noah. She’s made friends, she’s had lovers, she’s earned average marks on her studies and surprised herself with what she’s capable of. She has blossomed into the woman she’s always wanted to be, while learning, growing and becoming better each day. And now that Lucia would be joining her in this adventure, things could only go up from here.
FC: Sophie Turner | Color: FF6347 | Gradient Color: 6A5ACD ☄️ Is an 80's rock music and movie girlie at heart. ☄️ Drives an orange custom Harley Davidson Fat Boy. ☄️ Her favorite movies are IT, both the 1991 and the 2017 and 2019. ☄️ Offers free admission concerts in her shower that can range from twenty minutes to an hour. ☄️ Stranger Things is her favorite show of all time (#I🧡EddieMunson), with DARK being a close second. ☄️ Indulges in Mary Jane consumption a few times a week 'to take the edge off', and the occasional cigarette. ☄️ Can be found at The Elysium during some of her free time in the weekdays, but she will never miss karaoke night at The Foggy Glass. ☄️ The Noah Playlist ☄️ Font: fontmeme.com/fonts/milky-rainbow-font
|| Written test || ”I will be completely honest with you, bro. I suck at these things. Studying and me is like not washing your rice when Uncle Roger reacts to your video. You know what I mean? You’re gonna be hella disappointed and you’ll make Uncle Roger lower his knee. You never make Uncle Roger lower his knee. But This is my dream man! Like obviously I wanna be here. I wanna be a hero and save people! I’m just not so good at showing that on exams, ya know?”
Despite Mr. Himura’s less-than-stellar performance on the written test and even less impressive academic feats, his knowledge about certain aspects of the gifted was surprising and, in all honesty, refreshing for someone’s whose academic scores were subpar. He displayed an earnest desire to become a symbol of sorts, a hero that someone could look up to and tested high on the leadership portion -- though side comments and tangents did leave some clarity on his full potential as a leader.
|| Practical test || ”Fuck yes! This is my jammy jam! The bread to my butter! The peanut butter to my pad thai! I will totally ace this! Academics are the bane of my existence and I’m still not even sure if I passed I hope I did, but what I do know are my powers. Not fully developed yet, but fuck me sideways, they will be so goddamn shocking to these proctors! They won’t know what hit them!”
Despite Mr. Himura’s…colorful language, which set an impression that no examiner were appreciative of, his display of his powers and general control of his powers was most impressive. In addition, his ability to balance multiple facets of his powerset with admirable agility and moves that fell no lower than perfect, Ryusuke Himura impressed beyond any expectation. His weapons prociency also impressed the examiners, though not part of the required assessment, Ryusuke insisted on showcasing that end of his skillset.
All in all, they were very pleased with what he showed and Ryu passed with flying colors (no pun intended to the…Crimson Arc). || Video supplement || Just a little something to show what I can do!" - but imagine all moves with electric-based strikes and with several waves of fighters
Panting, obvious signs of hours spent on perfecting every move sequence, reshooting, redoing every round of beating up men almost twice his size, Ryu walks up to the camera. He has scrapes and bruises on his face. He is wearing the first version of his superhero costume. "You know me. Everything about my life is in my file. I know you know what I went through, what I had to endure, but I'm not going to focus on that and, fo all that is holy in this world, don't fucking fixate on that either. I am more than my past - I proved that I am. My moves, my ability to endure, and if I do say so myself, my electrifying presence - I mean did you see my kicks? They were fucking amazing--"
"Ryu!" Said Hiroshi, who was operating the camera.
"Okay okay, yeah back to what I was saying. I know I'm not what you thought I'd be and my test scores aren't the best, but I need this chance. I need to prove to myself that the Himura name isn't tarnished. My uncle has done this in his way, but I have to make my own way! The choice is yours but you'd totally like it if I were at Crystal Peak! I'm totally badass!"
Bro Manor? Idk the shitty party pad that the boys all collectively live at
I N T E R N S H I P S
This past summer, thanks to Ryu's test scores in his junior year (not academics but everything else), Ryu scored an internship with famed Japanese hero, Inazuma, otherwise marketed as Blue Streak in western markets. He is an electrical-based hero. Little is known about him, but he is sponsored by Himura Enterprises. Despite this, under him, all those who intern were said to be driven to insanity due to how...unorthodox his methods were. These unorthodox methods were hardcore physical training (both in costume and not), soloing in heroics, and intense sparring sessions (spoiler alert, Ryu had a recorded 75 losses against Inazuma).
"My mother always used to tell me that even the wildest flower could find humility in the face of adversary. I didn't know what she meant, but I was literally five-years-old. I knew she meant about my father, but I'm applying it to how many times I strike out! Never give up, right mom?"
And this truly is what makes Ryusuke truly himself. He never apologizes for what he is - for who he is. He, of course, owns up to anything he may do wrong (thanks in large part to the teachings of Kaito-Ojisan instilled in him when he came to live with him). Always one to be there for anyone that needs him and an automatic hype man, Ryu is the guy who literally electrifies any room he's in with his pure spirits, undoubtable energy, and the most loyal guy you'll ever find.
He also happens to be very much about the "never give up" approach when it comes to the women of CHA. You will never catch him getting down after the first, second, twentieth rejection. Fall seven times, you stand up eight! As classic of a proverb as that is, it's always been his life motto for as long as he could remember. Ryu never lets the disappointment last long. He'll cry about it (or vent to the boys), play some games, and hop right back on the horse. Somewhere out there is his soulmate who doesn't mind his stupid humor and overtly positive attitude. Also he curses a lot, so that would be cool if they did too!
As a result of experiments his father ran on him when he was younger, Ryusuke came to develop strange powers in which he could freely manipulate electricity in its purest, rawest, and most powerful form of pure energy. Whether it was from absorbing electricity from a computer or any random street lamp, an incoming thunderstorm, or even activating his own internal electricity via the electrons in his body, Ryu came to understand and further develop his natural control over lightning. As an additional bonus, his ability to produce electricity came with the startling realization that, unlike other electro-users, Ryu's was a color deep in red hue. Like blood.
In the beginning, Ryu's control was limited to exsiting sources of electricity and when he ran out, like any electronics, all he needed to do was recharge. This is still an issue, but because he learned how to harness the electrons in his body, it's not as much of an issue for him now as it was when he first started at CHA.
Electrical Telekinesis - Another byproduct of his experimentation but specifically the Cashmore blood in his veins, Ryu is able to physically manipulate electricity through means of sending his red lightning to grab onto physical matter (steel anything is the most common) and manipulate to fit his needs. Whether that's pulling an object to it, wrapping electricity around it and flinging it at a target or towards him, Ryu can do it in a way that seems to fit a myriad of purposes (most of them offensive). Red Lightning Aura - By far one of his most advanced achievements with his power, Ryu can produce a crimson-colored aura of pure lightning that hugs, clings, and surrounds his body in a way that it crackles and flashes like real lightning. Some even say it might be alive - but that's all just rumors at this point. Charge time to produce it takes almost a minute but when it is active, it's both a protective barrier from most physical attacks (unless they're really strong like Danny's metal form) and the perfect source for offense as it empowers all his physical feats while enhancing his mental faculties (with him that's a big plus!)
Electricity-enhanced condition - in this state, Ryu's body moves faster, he responds quicker when defending, and his punches and kicks are more deadly and stronger than when it's inactive. As mostly a melee fighter, Ryu possesses a skillset that makes this ideal for the kind of fighter he is. Close, personal, and quick to strike, with enhanced senses, as well as enhanced capabilities with his power, this is like super saiyan Ryu.
L I M I T A T I O N S
As impressive as Ryu’s powers are and they are indeed shocking, there are some fundamental weaknesses that even Ryu has not been able to make invisible to the untrained eye. First and foremost, while not necessarily a limitation per se, if wet by any means, Ryu’s powers become unstable and beyond even his control (despite the level of control he’s at currently). This is due to water being a natural conductor of lightning and there would be no telling who or what his lightning would hit when he’s too close to a source of water or if he’s not dry.
It’s been established many times when he uses his powers that, because his powers are often reflective of his own emotional state, the state of his control may also depend on Ryu’s emotional state. If he’s calm, happy, or neutral, he has near-perfect control. Literally no problems will arise. But if Ryu is agitated, angry, or feleing overtly negative, his powers reflect this. While more destructive and powerful, the same could be said for how erratic his usage of said powers would be. In Ryu’s case, he does have a habit of losing control. Much like a mindless beast, the lightning inside him blinds his sense’s link to common sense and self-awareness, resulting in a rage, destruction, and quite frankly, one could even spin this as the spirit of his ancestors from the Ketsuryu emerging.
The Blood Dragon lives on in Ryu, the Crimson Arc.
C O M B A T
Ryu has trained in various martial arts all his life. His father had a bad habit of overworking his children. Hours and hours spent physically conditioning the body, training in marital arts: karate, jiu jitsu, taekwondo, boxing - you name it. A myriad of martial arts, even those not native to Japan, were grilled into Ryu’s mind and he retained the muscle memory. As he grew up and his powers manifested and he began training and developing that, eventually, Ryu’s fighting style became one-third marital arts and weapons training, one-third powers and one-third pure athleticism.
Like a true ninja (minus the stealth), Ryu’s fighting style is fast. With a power that enhances his overall physical abilities, he uses it to his advantage. Gymnastics and free-running factor in too because, despite everything, Ryu is a naturally gifted athlete. It’s just something he’s always been. When he fights, he does so close and personal, seldomly does he ever cower. He faces his opponent with honor - something Kenji never taught him. Kaito taught him that and fast. When he fights, he might be quick but he’s never deceitful (another aspect of a “ninja” that he lacks). Ryu likes to strike fast and hard, often being a wrecking ball who likes to think he’s a needle being shot from a distance.
When using his powers, though many offensive capabilities exist, Ryu honestly prefers to use them to enhance his physical capabilities and optimizing his ability to fight. If outnumbered, he will use his powers to thin the herd but his preferance will always be close, personal, and with honor.
D A I L Y L O O K S & S T Y L E 🗲 Hair: Black || Neck-length, typically stylized with minimal gel and hair spray to appear spiked - occasionally dyed green or red depending on his mood. 🗲 Eyes: Brown 🗲 Height & Weight: 5’6” || 72kg/158lbs 🗲 Body Type:Athletic || Minimal body fat, lean muscles, strong core 🗲 Clothing Style: Ryu has always been very fashionable. When he lived in Japan, he wore a lot of tunics and kimonos and, while he has upgraded it to t-shirts and whatnot, Ryu hasn’t strayed too far from his Japanese roots. He fashions himself with elaborate, sometimes flamboyant shirts that are ripe with patterns and other similar designs. Some floral and some like an early 2000s kid with the flames. He wears a lot of jeans, but typically wears loose-fitting pants for comfort and a familiarity that he grew up with. Additionally, he has a number of hoodies and jackets that go with almost every outfit. Yeah, one might say that Ryu likes to dress himself. He also has a bunch of shoes and spends a great deal of time with the aphrodite kids to get opinions. 🗲 Scars, Tattoos and/or Piercings: Due to his upbringing and the intense physical labor he underwent, Jackson has several, permanent scars along his torso, back, and upper arms. Jackson also has the tattoo of a Japanese lily over his heart in honor of his mother, whose name means “small lily”.
S U P E L O O K S & S T Y L E
Being half an original design and half based on the armor that the infamous Ketsuryu warriors that Ryu descends from. It's crafted from a special material that is durable and comfortable, but equally so, it's the ideal design because it allows for nearly limitless freedom for movement. It's lightning proof, which was something that Ryu specifically requested due to his powers. He needed something that wouldn't be damaged form his own powers and that allowed him to move as he has trained to for so many years.
The costume itself is an all-black, sleeveless body-suit. The helm is crafted from a special metal that acts as a lightning conductor and a face mask that covers Ryu's entire face but his eyes. The helm has a protective covering, modeled and fashioned after a part of a japanese dragon's face (specifically molded after Seiryu, the Azure Dragon). Protective coverings for his feet and shins, as well as on his forearms were added at some point during his sophomore year. Made from the same lightning conductor materials that his helm is crafted from, they both act as protection and natural conductors for his powers, which makes it ideal for his style of fighting. As a last note and likely more cosmetic than anything else, Ryu wears a red scarf. It was given to him by his Uncle Kaito, a gift for passing the practical and entry exams. It never left his side.
Ryu fights not only with powers, but has had extensive weapons training, as a result, it is part of his supe costume. All weapons were made from the same material as his helm, shin, and armguards were made from.
Straight-Bladed Katana - This katana has a shorter blade than most and resembles the historically-inaccurate ninjato. It has a red hue to the blade, black handguard, and red and black hilt. When not straight up melee, this is Ryu's primary weapon that never fails him. It also happens to be the type of sword he is most proficient with and bases most of his fighting style (even with powers) around. Kunai Knives - SImilar in design and color as his Katana is, these kunai knives are ideal for mid-range assaults. When charged with lightning, they can cause mild shock damage when hit. Ryu was trained in accuracy by his father and has honed these skills. They have a deep red wrapping. Six-Pointed Shuriken - Best for long-ranged assaults, these shiraken are fashioned after traditional throwing stars. Ryu uses these for diversions and always with his charged lightning into them. They are black with silver tips and a red insignia of the Himura family crest, not to be confused with a similar design the Ketsuryu used back in the feudal eras.
It's hard to describe Ryusuke because, at times, it seems like there are two people living simultaneously within him, though never seeming like an alter personality or anything of the sort. More like two sides of the same unique coin. There is the gifted warrior whose valor and guts have carried him far at Crystal Peak Academy and through life, really. The warrior whose anger and temper knows only a few equals, all of whom are tied back to his shinobi ancestors. The warrior who proves time and time again that he isn't afraid to rise to the occasion when push comes to shove. Ryu shows very little fear and if he does show fear, he also displays a willingness to conquer said fear. He likes to push himself past his limits so that he might be able to figure out if they truly are his limits.
The other person that lives within him is dim-witted and doesn't always think with his brain (implying he has one, right?). He is foolish, reckless, and above all else, tends to say things without really thinking what they actually mean. Or if he does know, he doesn't have the self-awareness to realize that what is coming out of his mouth is absolute garbage. Ryu doesn't know when to give up. Actually, he doesn't know the meaning of the word. He might have a silver-tongue, but he often uses it to get him and others into trouble, which might just be the reason why he has made frequent visits to the dean’s office and had private beratings meetings with the dean about his actions and how it's almost always him getting others into trouble.
Yeah, not his fault he likes to have fun in the name of fuck the rules.
But all of that aside, Ryu has a gentle soul and one that might be a bit of a romantic. He has an unique way of going about romance and might strike out more than he doesn't, but you can't say that he isn't earnest about what shots he shoots. As idiotic as he might be and as dumb he might appear to most (if not all) people he interacts with, Ryu is probably the most authentic person you'd meet at CPA. He says what he means and means what he says. He's also one hell of a loyal friend. If you truly do something that might get you in trouble, Ryu is the one person you’d not only expect but count on to not rat you out.
He is a true ride or die..
F E A R S
Ryu has two primary fears. One is superficial and probably would make him seem even more of an idiot than most perceive him to be. The other is more of a meaningful fear, one that only his boys know about.
Always striking out - as superficial as it might be to admit, Ryu fears that because of who he is, regardless how much the boys build him up, he does always seem to strike out. He tries and he tries, but no matter what, there doesn’t seem to be any hope in his love life. Ryu knows he’s not that unbearable. Perhaps senior year will be the year? He hopes so.
Becoming like his father - Ryu knows he's not like his father, Kenji. He's not a cold-hearted bastard who uses others for his gain. He doesn't have the malice that Kenji did, yet the blood of Kenji Himura runs through his veins. The blood of the Ketsuryu runs through his veins. The Blood Dragon exists within him. Ryu suffers from controlling his emotions sometimes. It's why he practices Tai Chi and other destressing activities, but somewhere in the back of his mind, there's Kenji's voice, taunting him. Whispering in his ear to give into his worst impulses. And sometimes, they win. Sometimes, regardless how much Ryusuke doesn't want to admit it, at least a part of him embodies everything that it means to be a son of Kenji Himura.
Himura Kenji || Forever 47 || Father || Deceased || Hero (public) and Villain (secretly) || Ex-Head of the Himura Family || FC: Hiroyuki Sanada Powers: Superhuman Condition, Blood Property Manipulation Himura Sayuri || Forever 38|| Mother || Deceased || Former Hero turned Lady of the Himura family(also a botanist in her spare time) || FC: Tao Okamato Powers: Plantspeak, Photosynthesis Himura Ichiro & Himura Genji || Forever 22 || Older Brothers (twins) || Deceased || Previously ran the Kyoto Yakuza || FC: Kazuma Kamakura Powers: Enhanced condition and senses - trained fighters and several degree of black belts in at least 4 martial arts before they were 18 (both brothers) Himura Ayame || Forever 18 || Older Sister || No previous occupation (had a dream to go to Crystal Peak Academy) || FC: Anna Akana Powers: A wide range of psionic abilities including aura manipulation, psychokinesis, and minor ergo kinesis
Extended Family
Himura Kaito || 59 || Uncle || Alive || Current head of the HImura Family and CEO of Himura Enterprises || || Electrolytic Blood || FC: Ken Watanabe (nee. Takahashi)Himura Hikari || 55 || Aunt || Alive || Senior VP of Technological Development of Himura Enterprises’ California Branch and Creator of SuperGram || FC: Tamlyn Tomita Himura Hiroshi AKA Ross || 32 || Older Cousin || Alive || DJ, Producer, Social Media Superstar || Powerless || FC: Ryan Higa
The origins of the Himura family is tied to a dark past that everyone who doesn’t have a blood tie to them doesn’t know about. The truth is, the Himura family, who in Japan are known to be quite reputable and philanthropic in every sense of the word, have a tie to one of the most notorious “clans” of feudal japan.
The Ketsuryu, otherwise infamously known by the Blood Dragons of Japan.
Back in the era of samurai, there existed some who were not cut from the same cloth. Samurai, who were honorable and bound by that honor, were the mightiest warriors of the Sengoku and Edo periods, hired for protection and respected among the citizens as great protectors to the people. They served the shogun but they fought for the little people. They fought for them and, should honor demand it, they’d die for them. A wariror’s death was the highest honor.
Yet there existed some who did not abide by this code. It remains unclear how many exactly started, but somewhere in the height of that time, a handful of samurai went rogue, even more so than your typical ronin, became greedy, violent savages. There were seven of them, in fact. Like the tales of the Samurai 7, who were known for being hired by villagers to take on an army of bandits.
Well what we told you that tale was inspired by these seven samurai who were corrupted by the most vile yokai spirits? There’s no way of knowing whether any of this is true. Honestly, there’s no way of knowing for a fact that these seven were even samurai. History long forgot about the Ketsuryu, but the Himura family hasn’t. They know the truth. For generations, those that descended from the Seven Oni of the Blood Demon, a name given to them years later by one of the recent heads of the Himura family, each oni represented a carnal desire that the bible referred to as “The Seven Deadly SIns”.
Each one may have represented one of these sins, but they were vile and violent in every sense. The rumors of the Ketsuryu is tied into their brutality. Whether ex samurai or just mindless savages, what remains to be a common theory among historians is that these seven killed as many people, pillaged as many villages, and assaulted as many women that they could. In truth, they had more in common with vikings than anything else.
This is the dark truth that the Himura family hides still to this day and it is the dark truth that follows the current members around and why they continue to deny any association.
Several dozen generations later and so far removed from the stain that the Ketsuryu left on Feudal Japan, the Himura family, a great dynasty of aristocrats, super family (emphasis on super) who led and almost pioneered the effectiveness of Japanese superheroes via their impressive technology and contributions to the advancement of biological studies within the gifted gene. Truly a far cry from the origins that so many allege the Himura Family come from. These origins are simply tales that conspiracy theorists and rival families back to discredit over a hundred years of achievements.
Kenji Himura, the oldest of two brothers, refused to stand by and let everything his father and grandfather worked so hard to establish so that his family of five: a wife, three sons, and a daughter, may find success within Himura Enterprises. These slanderous stories that they descended from savages, no matter how true, was not something to be celebrated in the modern age,b ut no matter how much he tried, Kenji could never quiet those who dared to discredit his family’s credibility and his company’s.
So he had them murdered.
This was Kenji Himura. A proud businessman. He is as tenacious as he is effective. The old ways of his ancestors may leave a bad taste in his mouth, but even he could admit that there was a reason the Ketsuryu were so infamous. EVen now, many stories inspired by their acts: stories that have been adapted into manga, into anime, into plays and even Americanized (though whitewashed to a disrespectful level), the story of the Ketsuryu Ichizoku is now essentially mythology.
And if that isn’t something Kenji Himura takes great pride in.
This ruthlessness just didn’t extend into business, however. Unfortunately, Kenji Himura was as ruthless with his children as he was with his rivals in the business world. As mentioned before, Kenji and his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather all made incredible strides for Japanese superheroes. Technological breakthroughs and breakthroughs in power development and assessment. Like those before him, they were obsessed into analyzing the science of what made a gifted so powerful. This obsession took many forms but, for Kenji, it meant using live human test subjects. Those who had the gene. Many in Japan went missing because of his efforts. Using every single one as lab rats for what became the success stories. These success stories were made possible through a cashe of blood samples that were not just from any source, but the Cashmores. Once proud and loyal business partners with the Himura family were now just another stepping stone for Kenji and at some point he...acquired samples of Cashmore blood to use in his experiments and to make his success stories undoubtedly legendary.
And those success stories? His four children.
His two oldest - twin boys, Ichiro and Genji - were the first. They showed excellent promise in not just their potential for powers but natural-born killers. They excelled at everything from swordfighting, martial arts, killing tactics, and just so much more. Both had the powers of heightened condition and senses, which only added to their fierceness.
In the case of the third born, Kenji’s daughter, Ayame, they considered her a too-gentle-for-this-world kind of girl. Powerful as she was and she was indeed terrifying in her potential, the tests that Kenji and his team of scientists ran on her broke her mind. Ayame possessed a gentle and powerful, yet splintered mind. She tested low on most combat tests, but she was insanely intelligent and that manifested in the form of pure psionics. Raw psychic power fuelled by emotions. It was at the point that she caused widespread destruction: sent chairs and tables and heavy machinery to the walls, almost completely destroyed the underground facility underneath the Himura mansion with a shear force of will. If it hadn’t been for the microchip that Kenji had implanted in all of his children that would send a minor, yet effective, electric pulse that would knock out her own, death would have been the immediate future for everyone in the area.
But the pulse wasn’t enough. Ayame, who was incredibly close to her younger brother (only younger by 3 years) resisted until Ryusuke was brought in personally. He didn’t have to say much. Just his voice alone calmed her. Ryu, for all of his disappointments in Kenji’s eyes, had this ability to make Ayame feel safe.
If only Ayame could have been that for Ryu.
You would think that Ryusuke Himura wouldn’t have anything to complain about, right? He was the baby of four children that were born to Kenji and Sayuri Himura. Two older brothers and one older sister. The baby always has it easiest, right? Not as much pressure put on him. Not as much light was shown on him because his older siblings would be in the spotlight whereas he would be able to do whatever he wanted (within reason).
But none of them had to deal with the fact that, in Kenji Himura’s eyes, Ryu being the youngest didn’t mean he would be ignored. The truth of the matter was, Ryusuke faced the worst that Kenji had to offer. His dreams were made reality with his two oldest sons. They inherited their father’s brutality and Kenji wanted to repeat that success in his youngest son. But Ryusuke wasn’t built like Ichiro or Genji. He wasn’t a murderous monster like them. He didn’t want to kill nor did he want to indulge in overtly-violent acts. He was more like his mother, who was sweet and tender-hearted but also had a love and a thrill for adventure.
And that was something that lit a fire under Kenji’s ass to the point where the frustrations he had about it all only made the training and punishment that Ryu endured for fifteen years like an endless loop of hell.
From an early age, it was evident that Ryu didn’t have the same ferocity that Kenji had nor did he have what Kenji wanted. He wanted all of his sons to be ruthless killers int heir own right. Publicly the family was not related nor embodied by the Ketsuryu, but privately[, the murderous spirit reigned supreme in Kenji Himura and it was that same vile hatred of human life that fuelled the rigorous training that Ryu had to endure. Whether it was physical conditioning, power development, and so many times spent with a needle injected into it -- a needle, mind you, that was pumping weird substances into his body -- that Ryu spent more and more time with his father watching from behind a one-way window-mirror than with anyone else. The more time being spent as a lab rat by his own father, the more Ryu came to resent him. But he couldn’t do anything about it. Both he and Ayame were in the same boat.
Both had incredible powers and potential (Kenji’s own words), but they needed each other. Brother and sister needed each other because as much as Ryu hated Kenji, he had been the only person who could calm Ayame down.
The training and abuse continued for several years until there was one night where every thing changed. Nothing about this night seemed like it was necessarily bad. It was one of those regular days -- rare days, at that -- where Kenji did not torture his children. Ryu and Ayame spent time with their mother, who had fallen ill in recent weeks. She was bed-ridden but all the two could do was sty by their mother’s side. Time spent with Sayuri was some of the most cherished moments they both had.
But then everything went to shit when Sayuri passed away a week before her birthday in May.
And it wasn’t just because the Himura family lost their light, but Ayame specifically lost all sense of control of her emotions, of her powers, and most importantly of herself. It happened on May 15th, 2014, just a day after Sayuri’s memorial service. Eight years ago. Eight years ago when Ayame’s psionics became the death of the Himura family. The foundation of the mansion crumbled on itself. Kenji, Genji, Ichiro, Ayame, and (alleged) Ryu were buried in the wreckage.
It was said that during those final moments before widespread destruction came to the Himura compound, that Ayame’s screams could be heard in the distance and all throughout the entirety of Japan. It is also said that the spirits of those that were killed by Kenji Himura’s hired hands, Genji and Ichiro’s victims, and the thousands of victims slain by the Ketsuryu over 800 years ago were embodied in those final moments, their ire and desire for vengeance manifesting in Ayame’s grief.
But what hadn’t been expected and even more importantly, thought to be nigh impossible, was Ryusuke’s survival. Whether it was just dumb luck or truly a representation of his connection with Ayame and how out of everyone in the compound, which included his father and brothers, and the scientists who experimented on all children on Kenji’s orders, Ryu was the only one to survive. Ryu never made sense of that day even now. Over time, he believed that maybe Ayame’s powers only responded to whoever she wanted to kill and because he was so instrumental to her sanity and making her feel safe, that maybe that was what brought Ryu some sense of peace.
Truth be told, he may never understand how or why he survived, but when he did, at just fifteen, Ryu fled the compound, used whatever yen he had to his name, and bought a one-way ticket to California. He knew of one surviving family member - his uncle Kaito. Kaito was the older brother of Kenji. He was not like his father. He was a good man, unaffiliated with the company until his brother’s death, and the only person that Ryu had in this world when it came to family. Kaito always told Ryu that if he ever needed anything, that all he needed to do was call him.
Ryu had a different idea and showed up on his doorstep the day after his family literally was wiped off the face of the earth. He had nobody and Kaito took him in. Kaito had a family, too. A wife and two daughters, so Ryu would have a family. In the three years he lived with them, Ryu’s mannerisms were like of old and eventually he found his way into applying and being accepted into Crystal Peak Academy.
Despite his beginnings and the terrible thing that happened to him, Ryu went forward. Positivitiy and a never-quit attitude carried him as far as his senior year, a far cry of who he could have been. That was something he would never forget.
Ryan Potter || #dc143c/Crimson 🗲 Save for the occasional muffin or cupcake from whatever bakery he's nearby (Daylight Delicacies as of late) and a twelve pack of Dr. Pepper almost weekly, Ryu takes great pride in his body through regular visits to the gym, training his body (father might be gone but his teachings aren't)
🗲Speaking of training, Ryu holds black belt degrees in karate, jijutsu, and taekwondo, as well as a practitioner of boxing. Additionally, he practices Tai Chi in the park for fun (helps him relax on a stressful day).
🗲 Ryu is always looking to spar. Whether with the boys (especially with Danny Metal Man himself) or whoever the fuck will take him on. He wants to prove his strength and what better way than to attempt to win. 🗲 Ryu has a pair of Japanese Sparrowhawks for pets: Hayate and Yuri. They are generally harmless but require a special diet of rodents and spam. Apparently they really love spam. 🗲 Ryu loves aggressive, powerful, in-your-face music. As it just so happens, all of that could be found in the glorious decade of the 2000s - Ryu's preferred decade of music. We're talking Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Foo Fighters
Ryu would be lying if he didn't vibe to Backstreet Boys too. It's 2022, so it's not lame to be into them, right? Oh and Babymetal. He loves him some Babymetal.
