Post by Zachary Ellis on Aug 10, 2015 16:35:02 GMT -5
Basics
Name: Zachary Ellis
Nicknames: Zack
Age: 16
Birthday: April 24, 1999
Grade: 11
Power:
Water Manipulation
Zachary has the ability to manipulate the element of water. Usually, he uses outside sources, such as water from a bottle or the ocean. He can create his own water by using the water vapor from the air, but this needs more energy and he gets tired easier if he does this. He touches the surface of the water he wants to use and raises his hands to lift up the amount of water he wants to use. Usually, the amount is around 1 or 2 gallons. He can use it for a variety of attacks, including beams of water shot at an opponent, whipping water drawn up from the source at opponents, cutting opponents with water by sharpening the edges slightly, and projecting spikes of water, usually near an opponent’s feet, to cause damage. He can also create disturbances in smaller bodies of water, like ponds, creeks and rivers, but it is difficult to control them once the ripple becomes strong.
Zachary’s water manipulation is limited, however. Unless he wants to drain his energy fast, Zachary must be near a source of water when he needs to fight. It should also be known that there are more applications for this ability that Zachary has not discovered yet. It is very difficult for Zachary to move a volume of water higher than 2 gallons because he is does not have super strength. It is also difficult for him to draw the proper amount of water that he needs for an attack from a moving body of water, such as the ocean, so he might “come up short” or have too much water for an attack. If he creates large disturbances, such as waves, in bodies of water, he does not have enough control to stop it, so he tries not to do it very often because he knows people will get hurt if he does so.
Water Mimicry
Zachary has the ability to mimic the texture, appearance, and form of water. This is a more passive power that only goes into effect when he submerges himself in water or when he is nervous. When he submerges himself in water, he takes on the properties of it, including color, so, essentially, he is a chameleon in the water. The only reason people would know he is there is if he spoke or started swimming and using proper breathing techniques to do so. When he is nervous, his solid form turns to a liquid state for about twenty minutes. Usually, the effect of the mimicry in the water wears off when he touches a solid surface, but he has to wait for the mimicry when he is nervous to wear off. It should be noted that he cannot control the water that makes up his form unless he wants to use the whole limb. For example, if he tries to send a water blast in his liquid form, the blast will consist of his entire liquified arm, leaving him with one “good” arm, so to speak. Of course, this will not affect him when he goes back to solid form.
Enhanced Stamina
The last power Zachary possesses is also a passive one that is constantly at work. He has an unusually high level of stamina that does not really need maintaining. He can last ten more minutes in a fight than most normal gifted people. This power also affects other events, such as swimming. He has used this ability unknowingly in the past to outlast his opponents in swimming tournaments. This ability does not mean he can take a large amount of damage before he weakens, however. It merely allows him to resist the effects of lactic acid in his muscles a little longer than the average gifted person. Eventually, though, he will succumb to the effects and tire out.
Member Group: Neutral
Canon or not: Aw hell naw
Appearance:
Zachary is a little taller than some people his age, standing at around 5’ 10”. He does not know his exact weight, but he knows that he is somewhere in the 140 range, mainly because of the large amount of muscle he has from swimming. He is rather physically strong, save for the limp that tends to slow him down on land, thanks to the fracture he received in the car accident that killed everyone in his family but him. He has fair, light skin that is contrasted sharply with the dark blue of his slightly messy hair. This strange color, he thinks, is most likely caused by the mutation that also gives him his powers. His eyes are actually blue in color, but, for some strange reason, they occasionally look violet, depending on how the light hits his face. People have described him as good-looking in the past, but he prefers to downplay this, mainly because he does not like being the center of attention.
Zachary has a hard time finding clothes that fit his upper arms properly. Because of this, he prefers shorter sleeves instead of longer ones, and, if he can get them, he would prefer not to wear shirts with no sleeves at all. Thankfully, his legs are not really an issue, so any kind of pants will do. His clothing style is usually casual, with shorts/jeans and t-shirts taking up most of the room in his closet. He does have some nicer clothes too, like button up-shirts and dress pants, but he only breaks them out on special occasions. He also has a bathing suit that he wears when he goes to the beach so he can swim.
Personality
Use at least six positive and negative characteristics and give a one sentence explanation. Also include at least one strength and one weakness.[/b]- Despite having been tossed into multiple homes over many years after the tragic death of his parents, Zachary has found a way to keep a /mostly/ clear head. He does not try to hide himself and is genuine and kind, even when it is hard to be. Many adults in his past have praised him for this, but he often says it is “just who he is”.
Positive:
* Resilient- Zachary tends to “bounce back” from something that “knocked him down”, such as a psychological or physical struggle. Of course, he needs his time to heal, just like every other person, but, for some reason, he finds that he can “get back to normal” faster than some. This might be because he is an optimist and tries to see the best in everything.
* Optimistic- Zachary is a person who would say “the glass is half full”. He always tries to look on the bright side of life, even when things seem grim. This does not mean he is happy all the time, but, when he sees someone down, he will often put aside his own worries and try to help them out.
* Driven- Zachary motivates himself, pretty much. He works very hard and tries to do his best in everything he can: school work, athletics, and even socially. The latter is slightly difficult because of his stutter, but he continues to truck along until he has no energy left.
* Empathetic- Zachary has a rather easy time tapping into the emotions of those around him. It may not be related to his powers, but that does not mean he cannot put himself in other people’s shoes. He tries to be kind and sensitive to others feelings a lot, because he knows that one little thing can cause someone to snap.
* Patient- Zachary has had to deal with a lot of different situations. He had developed a “long fuse”, so to speak. It takes a lot from other people to irritate him or make him angry. He may get frustrated with his stutter at times, but he tries not to let it bother him, because he knows it will stop eventually.
* Enduring- One constant in Zachary’s life was competitive swimming. He trained a lot and competed in many matches, and, because of this, he has a high level of stamina.The enhancement to his stamina that comes from one of his powers also certainly helps him in this area as well.[/ul]
Negative:
* Naive- Zachary has a tendency to trust people, pretty much without question. Because of this, he is vulnerable to manipulation and he does not even really know it. He also has a tendency to be rather gullible, so pulling pranks on him is very easy.
* Easily Stressed- Zachary may be a positive person, but he tends to get stressed out and overwhelmed very easily. Throwing him into a room with more than two people is not advised unless one is prepared to not understand him.
* Perfectionist- Zachary puts a lot of pressure on himself to be the best at everything. It is good that he pushes himself, but, at times, he holds himself to standards that he thinks he can attain, but he cannot. Sometimes, he needs friends to remind him that he can not always be 100% at everything.
* Awkward- Zachary is a very nice young man, but, he not always the best at interacting socially. He may try and inject humor into a situation to ease tension, but gain raised eyebrows instead of laughter. He also tends to linger at the edges of conversations that are going on around him and tries to contribute to feel connected to others.
* Passive- Zachary holds the belief that violence is not a way to solve problems. Normally, this would be considered a positive quality, but he tends to overuse his non-aggressive ideals. Yes, he will try to get what he wants, but he prefers a calm, open environment to talk in, and Ashford is not known for being calm or open, especially in times of chaos.
* Slow-moving on land- Zachary has a mild limp, due to fracturing his leg in the car accident that killed his family. This limp prevents him from moving quickly, so opponents who are speedy can easily overwhelm him by picking up the pace.[/ul]
Likes:
* Swimming- Zachary was taught to swim at a young age and was the shining star of his basic swimming class. He was encouraged by almost all of his foster parents to continue swimming and started competing locally. He managed to win more than a few competitions and was on his way to moving up when his powers appeared. He still swims for fun, though it might be hard to notice him because his powers allow him to blend in with water.
* Vegetables- Zachary is one of the very few people who actually enjoys eating vegetables. He usually eats them as a snack when he is hungry. He likes all kinds, but his favorite are carrots.
* Talking to others- Zachary really wants to be a social person. He wants to be able to talk to people normally, without having to worry about his stutter or turning into water because he is nervous. He likes making friends and gaining new experiences. He hopes that he can one day stave off the stutter and control his powers better so he can interact as much as he desires to.[/ul]
Dislikes:
* Dust- Zachary suffers from mild allergies. One of his big triggers is dust, so he tries to keep his room as neat and clean as he can.
* Heights- Zachary is used to being below the depths of the water, whether it is the pool or the ocean. He is not really fond of heights because he fears something bad will happen when he looks down. If he has to go somewhere up high, he will often look at to horizon so he does not feel so anxious.
* People in his personal space- Zachary likes to maintain a bit of distance between himself and others. He believes that it is polite to do so and he does not feel trapped when he is given the space he desires. Usually, this only applies to strangers, but sometimes, he prefers to keep his distance from friends as well, so he does not encroach on their space as well. [/ul]
Extra: Zachary has a stutter that is prominent only in situations where he feels stressed or out of place. Meeting a new person, for example, might bring out the stutter, but, once he interacts with the person once or twice, it will go away. The same would apply if he was placed in a new environment.
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History
Family Members/guardians: Ruth Ellis (30, Mother, Deceased), Jonah Ellis (30, Father, Deceased), Cody Ellis (5, Older Brother, Deceased)
History:
Ruth and Jonah Ellis grew up on the same street in the little town they lived in. At first, they did not really like each other, because they were so young. At their age, boys were supposed to play with boys and girls were supposed to play with girls. As they grew older, though, the childish feelings started to wear off and they became really good friends. Jonah would always walk Ruth home from school and Ruth would always give Jonah a bit of her lunch because he seemed to be hungry for more food than his parents could provide. Throughout middle and high school, they were practically inseparable. Sure, other kids their age made fun of them because they always seemed to be together, but it was not until their sophomore year of high school that they decided to start dating. They decided to put their relationship on hold once they got to college and enjoyed their time at separate universities, but, in the end, they chose to get back together and, in 1995, they got married and the next year, in 1996, their older son, Cody was born. The couple waited three years to have another child, and they hoped to have a girl. Zachary was born a boy instead, but the young couple hardly minded. They had wanted Cody to have someone to play with so he would not be lonely, after all, so it was not so bad that Zachary was a boy. From 1999 until 2001, the little family of four was quite content. The boys always seemed to play with each other nicely, though some teasing did occasionally happen. Their parents were loving and caring, but also tried to foster the boys’ sense of independence by letting them wander around the house alone once both of them could walk.
Sadly, a rainy day in April of 2001 altered Zachary’s life forever. His father was driving down the main road of the town with his mother in the passenger’s seat and Cody and Zachary in the backseat. They were on their way to the local movie theater to see a movie that they had been eager to see for a few weeks. The roads were rather slippery at that time because it had just started to rain. Jonah skidded across the road a few times, but he was always able to take back control of the car. There was one time he could not, though, and it caused a devastating accident. The car had not stopped until it smashed into the back of another car that was going a little slower. The Ellis’s car not only smashed into the back of the car in front of them, but because of the slippery road and the way Jonah turned the wheel, the car landed on its side, killing Cody and Ruth on impact. Jonah had flown out the windshield because he had forgotten his seatbelt and had died when he hit the ground. Minutes later, police officers scoured the area for any survivors of the Ellis family and were about to give up when they heard a wailing from the backseat. They quickly extracted two-year-old Zachary, who had been screaming bloody murder at the top of his lungs, and rushed him to the hospital. The little boy had large cuts and scrapes from broken glass, but the only major injury he sustained was a broken leg. The entire time he was at the hospital, the little boy repeatedly asked for his parents and his older brother, since he did not understand that they were gone.
Once Zachary was well enough to leave the hospital, he was placed in the foster care system. He continually stuttered and asked to ‘go home’, and see his family again, and he became frustrated whenever he believed his request was ignored. He started behaving badly, so his foster parents simply gave him back to the agency. After that, he hopped from home to home along the New Jersey coast. He spent a lot of his childhood summers at the beach and soon grew to love the water. He found that it was easier to move in the liquid than it was on land, because he did not have to worry about his limp. One set of foster parents noticed his love for the water and decided to put him in a basic swimming class with other children his age. Zachary became the star of the class, and once he had learned enough, he started competitive swimming. He really seemed to enjoy it, and his foster parents were happy, because he seemed like such a sad and quiet little boy. Swimming really opened doors for him, and he seemed much happier when he was able to channel his seemingly boundless energy into something. The fact that he was able to keep swimming for long periods of time made his foster parents wonder if there was something different about him, especially when they noticed that his hair continued to stay blue instead of turning to a darker black color. Of course, they could not find an explanation, so they simply hoped the strange things would go away by themselves.
The foster family that had cared for Zachary for ten years had to give him up just after he turned 13 because strange things started happening. Zachary had started blending into the water whenever he dived in and the only way to get himself out was to touch the side of the pool and climb out before he would “disappear” into the water again. The foster parents he had after the ones who had him for 10 years were kind to him, and they encouraged him to continue swimming competitively.They found his ability strange as well, but instead of giving him up, the decided to just keep the whole thing under wraps. Zachary invented the excuse that he “blended into the water” to throw off any of the people he was competing against. For a while, the excuse worked, but, when he got to high school, students at his new school became more skeptical. During that time, he also started to notice that water would gravitate toward him for some strange reason, and this scared him a little bit. He always tried to knock water cups or bottles over and clean it up with a napkin to disguise this fact, though his friends seemed oblivious to it, most of the time.
The straw that broke the camel’s back was a competition that Zachary competed in against a rival school as part of his high school’s swim team near the end of his sophomore year. He was in the medley relay, doing the butterfly stroke and close to the end when he completely disappeared into the water. He knew something was not right, because normally, he would start to reappear toward the end. He was struggling to breathe and he could not find the wall. Without thinking, he shoved all of the water out of his lane to get a breath of air and nearly drowned the other swimmers mid-stroke. The people at the match were amazed by the feat, but Zachary was mortified. In the end, his team had to forfeit in the relay, but he had still scored second in an individual event earlier on in the day. He tried to convince his foster parents to let him take a leave of absence for the rest of the school year, but they vehemently refused and sent him back to school only a day after the incident. Zachary recounted the scary story to one of his friends, who in turn told his father. That night, agents showed up at Zachary’s foster home and removed him from the premises. Zachary was not happy about the development, but he knew there was nothing he could do. He relented and let the agents take him into the Ashford project and to the Academy, where he would “be amongst his own kind”. He feels that what is happening at Ashford is a crime, but he is nowhere near brave enough to admit it or do anything about it.
Behind the Character
Name: Lily, Lilly, Alexis, just nothing offensive, really.
Chatango Name: waterlilly19
RP Experience: 7 (maybe 8) years
How did you find us?: I really don’t even remember at this point. XD
RP Sample: See Camila, Felicia, Michelle, or Damien
