Emerys Harper

[Emerys Harper]

Emerys Dean Harper
FACE CLAIM: Cody Christian
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AGE: 16
GENDER: Male
ORIENTATION: Bi Sexual
POSITION: Student

POWER: Shapeshifter: Koi
Emerys has the ability to change his form into that of a common koi fish. 
While in his fish form, he is no different from a regular household koi, though he does retain his human intelligence. The morphing process is distinctly painful for Emerys, as it requires his bones to not only break and reform, but shrink noticeably as well. In order for him to actually shift, Emerys must imagine himself in his desired form, whether human or fish, and it instigates the 'change'.

His human body has adapted certain aspects of his fish form.
His lungs retain the ability to breathe both air and water. He has a pair of gills high on both sides of his rib-cage, filled with blood vessels. If he tries to breathe in water in his human form, he will choke just like any other person. However, he can force water to be pushed through his gills, where he can absorb oxygen into his blood-stream.

Similarly, while he is in his koi or human form he can survive on a fish diet. He is able to filter feed, and absorb nutrition from the water by filtering it through his gills. However this method of feeding never fully satisfies him, and when in his human form he is almost constantly hungry and trying to make up for the nutrition he loses in his other form. The energy it takes to actually transform burns calories from his body rapidly, so he is constantly left in a state bordering on malnutrition.



LIMITATIONS:
- Koi are fresh-water fish, and as such if he changed his form in the ocean or a body of salt-water, he would almost certainly die. He can, however, still breathe underwater in bodies of salt water while in his human form, as fish gills work the same way regardless of water type, and it causes him no harm since gills are the only bit of permanent fish physiology he has.
- Breathing in chlorinated or treated water is similarly dangerous for him, as it would be for any other fish. He does have the option to stop using his gills when in a pool, and simply breathe and swim like a normal person, but it takes actual effort on his part not to. Just like in salt water, swimming in chlorine with his fish form would certainly kill him.
- He is only able to morph into a common pond koi-fish, and is no larger than their average size
- The change itself is painful, and often time consuming, meaning it does not provide a helpful escape or protection method. The shortest amount of time it has ever taken Emerys to change is one minute, and this was with the aid of rushing adrenaline and fear. The average time that it takes to change is approximately five minutes.
- The longer he stays in his fish form, the more of his humanity he loses, just like the majority of animal mutations. His intelligence does not diminish, but his human memory deteriorates remarkably fast, as does his ability to reconstruct his original body. If he were to remain in his animal form for too long, he would be rendered nothing more than an above-average fish.
- He cannot speak 'fish', as fish communicate through a complex series of movements and sounds, none of which Emerys was ever taught.
- The longest he has ever gone in his koi body is 12 hours, and doing so resulted in a permanent tail. He cannot maintain his koi body for long periods of time.

SIDE-EFFECTS:
- A permanent set of gills that allows him to breathe underwater in both forms
- Intense pain after shifting.
- Continuous or rapidly shifting between forms without the necessary concentration can result in a half-form, where Emerys' body is torn between human and fish. This state can result in a grotesque appearance created by any combination of fish and human parts. This state is both horrifying to witness as well as excruciatingly painful for Emerys. In some instances (such as shifting and fully replacing his lungs for gills while on land) it could easily result in death.
- After long periods of time in his fish form, it is much harder for Emerys to turn back to human. In extreme circumstances his body can be left in a permanent half-state between fish and human
- Transforming takes a lot of energy, and takes this energy in the form of calories. In his human form Emerys is almost constantly eating or hungry to regain what was lost.
- While in his human form and in water, his skin will secrete something almost considered slime; a waterproof cover that is commonly used to protect fish scales, but in this instance protects his human skin from water damage or from wrinkling. Once he dries himself, the secretion will dry as well, and he is left with normal skin outside of the water. Since the protective cover only exists within water, he has no need to fear for drying out.
- His gills are incredibly delicate, and Emerys is required to soak them in water at least once a day to keep them from drying out or tearing.


HEIGHT: 5'8" in his full human form, in his current state his koi tail is approximately 1.5 metres long from the waist down.
HAIR: Caramel brown with natural gold highlights from time spent in the sun. It is kept short, as constant time in the water makes it hard to actually maintain long hair.
EYE COLOR: Emerys was born with Heterochromia iridum, so his left eye is a watery brown, while his right is a dull blue.

MISC:
Due to the energy it takes to transform, Emerys has always been rather thin. Due to his life in the water, what fat he does manage to store is quickly turned into muscle. He's a lanky boy, with too much limb and muscle, and no fat behind it, so while he's strong, he's also an un-intimidating stick to look at.

Emery's whole body shows the effects of life in the elements. His skin is tanned while his hair is has similar golden sun-streaks. His skin is extraordinarily smooth and soft, thanks to the secretion of oils his mutation causes. 

From the waist down Emerys has lost his legs, and in their place is now a koi tail. Like the common koi, the tail is a solid white, with a combination or red and orange patches. The tail is approximately 1.5m long and covered in soft, circular scales. A dorsal fin stretches from the small of his back, down his human skin to the middle of his tail. 


PERSONALITY:

Emerys is the kind of person that would stop and admire a rock because of how the light fell on it. He has a terrible memory and becomes distracted easily, usually by shiny things, or things he finds beautiful. He has the rare ability to see beauty in anything and anyone, and as such, is almost always buzzing from place to place, never finishing what it was he set out to do. He loves people, all people, but isn't exactly great at socialising since he tends to hit others with the full brunt of his personality straight away. He's direct and always eager, saying exactly what he is feeling and saying in the moment, usually regardless of social protocol or the emotional delicacy the situation demands. Emerys has never believed in holding himself back or pretending to be something he isn't, and so anyone interacting with him will receive the full effect of his flightly personality.

He is an incredibly empathetic person, but lacks the social skills to actually act upon it. Placed in a sensitive situation, he may be dying inside on the behalf of someone else in pain, but when turned to for comfort or advice, can do little more than pat their shoulder and go 'there, there'. Due to the solitary way in which he's been forced to live, Emerys has long since learned to bottle his emotions and act without them, since he has figured out showing them wont get him sympathy or progress in life. Unfortunately, this is the same method of thinking he blindly attributes to others, and rather that actual comfort, he would always try to give advice or instructions on how to help. Being 'in the moment' with emotions is something he's never been able to face.

The boy is still kind, incredibly so, to the point where he would stop whatever he was doing to save a butterfly from a spider's web. Years without proper and constant social interaction have left him a little desperate and forceful when it comes to conversation, almost as if he's trying to convince people to stay near him by being desperately earnest. He's hard-working and loyal, and while he may forget important secrets that friends share, he wont forget that they told them to him in the first place, and that's the important part, right?

Due to Miles' treatment of Emerys, he has become slightly more closed off. His kindness remains, but it is almost flippant, in an attempt to keep people at a distance. He is kind to anyone, and as such, treats no individual in a particularly special manner, so no person has ever been 'special' or truly important to him. This is only in an attempt to protect himself while trying to treat everyone with the kindness he believes they deserve.
Emerys has always craved acceptance. At one time he never had to work for it, because of his born heritage and well as his inherent personality. Now, it is something he believes has to be fought for and earned, which is probably a sad mentality to have. 


SECRET(S):
- For a few years he was convinced he could talk to fish, even though he never received any proof or indication of this.
- He is secretly afraid he'll never get his legs back, despite how he tries to be positive


FATHER: Jonathon Harper
MOTHER: Liza Harper
SIBLINGS: n/a
WORTHY MENTIONS: He likes to think that all of the other fish in the lake are his pets, but considering he neither feeds nor cares for them, they're really just random fish.

CHILDHOOD:
Emerys was born into the wealthy Harper family, and lived in the town over from Bellefonte. The Harpers were a mutant family, and from a young age Emerys was both aware of his hopeful future as a mutant, as well as being groomed to one day take over the family business. Harper Publications was a family run cooperation that of course, published books. As a child Emerys had very little interest in growing up to run anything, though the evenings when his mother read a book to him while he sat on her knee were the highlights of his day.

An only child, Emerys never wanted for anything. He was a bright light of energy, running everywhere and trying everything. On days when he would go with his father to the office to be watched, he would wander the building inviting publishers, edditors and authors to play, or speak with him. Most of the time they would stop to chat, not simply because he was their bosses' son, but because Emerys was that kind of person. He drew people in with his earnest smile and youthful energy. He spent the majority of his childhood loved and without a care.

ADOLESCENCE:
When Emerys turned fifteen his life truly began. In the years leading up to his manifestation he'd suffered no pain or harm. His genuine kindness had earned him piles of friends and followers in school, while his parent's pressure ensured his grades were at the top of his class. Rather than feeling stressed by the expections on him, Emerys was simply glad to do something that made them happy. When his mutation manifested at the age of fifteen, his parents personally escorted him to Bellefonte the very next day. He had accidentally changed his shape while feeding his pet goldfish, and was incredibly lucky his father was in the room with him and thought to throw his son into the fishtank. When Emerys finally shifted back, he was waterlogged and scared. Even if he'd known his whole life that he would more than likely become a mutant, nothing had prepared him for that.

At Bellefonte Emerys was alone for the first time in his life. He wasn't particularly worried, since he'd never had toruble making friends in the past. However, it seems that bullies resided everywhere, even at a school for mutants. Someone like Emerys, naturally harmless and kind, and then with nothing but the ability to change his shape to that of a fish, was an easy target. From the day a boy named Miles Gulldarn overheard Emerys telling a flower to have a good day, he was marked.

For the first month of school Emerys suffered hell without even knowing why. It turns out asking bullies why they're bullying you, then offering them homebaked cookies wasn't the way to go. Yet still, he wasn't the type to ignore people. Perhaps it was incredibly naive of him, but Emerys refused to believe Miles and his group couldn't be his friend. It was his stubborness that probably saved him more pain, as trying to socialize with anyone else wouldn't have paid off, considering Miles had effectively ostrasized him.
One day the group went too far. It was Halloween night and Miles was hyped on both punch, and the pocket of fire crackers in his pocket. The idea was to attach the crackers to Emerys then wait for them to go of. Whoever's location was deemed 'the best' was the winner. They waited till Emerys appeared, late at night and away from the Halloween party, as thanks to Mile's treatment he'd become much more skeptical about trusting others. With no options left, Emerys turned and ran at the first sign of the fire crackers.

Instinct drove him to the lake, the one safe haven he had found during his six months at Bellefonte. It was where he spent most of his time. He'd stopped communicating with his parents after his grades had dropped, since he very rarely went to class. The cut communications were mostly due to his own shame, rather than anything Miles had ever done to him. The lake, with the empty boathouse and plenty of water to swim in was the only place he felt able to escape and be himself. It was where he ran that night, and out of fear, his transformation was already taking place before he hit the water.

He stayed in his fish form for 12 hours, even thought Miles and his friends had grown tired of waiting for him to crawl out of the lake after one 1. For a time they'd simply yelled at the water, but Emerys had hid in the sediment at the bottom of the lake and hadn't appeared. After a time they wasted the last of the crackers, throwing them at the boathouse and water in rage, then disappeared. Emerys was inconsolable though, and didn't move. The twelve hour period was the longest he'd ever gone in his fish form.

When at last he swam to the shallows and tried to change back, he was already beginning to forget how to. The change, when it finally happened was slow and painful. When it was finally over and Emerys looked down, he realized to his horror that instead of legs, he was still equipped with his koi tail. During the transformation it had grown to human size, and he now resembled something similar to a mermaid from myth. Try as he might, and no matter how much he concentrated, he couldn't coax his legs to form.
He was found, sobbing, the next day. The fact that he hadn't returned to his dorm had raised concern amongst the supervisors, and a witness placed Miles as the last person to have seen him. Though it was with reluctance, the boy finally told the teachers where he had last seen Emerys, as well as what he had been doing with the boy. When the small search party actually arrived at the lake, Emerys hid immediately at the sight of Miles. He'd never blame his classmate for the seemingly permanent state of his legs, but the fear his bully had ingrained in him was still there. Considering he refused to leave the lake, or even come to the shallows, Emerys was forced to reveal the treatment he'd been receiving for the past months.
He almost started crying again when Miles was expelled on the spot. Of course they couldn't just turn a teenage mutant out into society, but to the best of Emerys' knowledge, he was sent to another college overseas. It was something he still felt bad for, and the guilt plagued him acutely.

As it was, Emerys was left stranded in the Bellefonte Lake. He was quite prepared to lose himself completely to despair; and the light that had always burned so brightly within him was almost diminished. However, he felt hope begin to flourish when one of the teacher's explained that it was quite plausible that he could get his legs back, given proper training and time for his mutation to develop. Considering he knew next to nothing about his mutation, and had been ditching class because of Miles, Emerys didn't feel he had enough knowledge to be pessimistic about his chances, and agreed pretty eagerly to go back to class, if it meant a chance to get his legs back.
Of course he was faced with the no-legs problem as soon as he decided to restart his education. Luckily his education wasn't the only thing he tried to fix at that time. With his bully vanquished, the bright spark within Emerys was given a chance to return, and since his hope was rekindling, Emerys decided to reopen communication with his parents.

The explanation of events was...intense, to say the least. Though in the end everything seemed to be understood, and his father even had a good laugh about the tail. It truly paid off to have a wealthy family then, as his father paid for underwater cameras to be placed around, and within the lake, allowing Emerys to attend class through webcam. He is currently in his second year at Bellefonte, and still taking classes via webcam. His marks have once again climbed, though there is little else to celebrate. His tail remains instead of legs, and those that do know of him prefer to either laugh or whisper about Bellefonte's mermaid, than actually become his friend. At this point he considerings himself more a legend than an actual person.

In terms of his power, just as he was unable to turn fully human, he has also been unable to turn fully fish, and is currently still trapped as a 'mermaid' in the lake. The faculty of Bellefonte have attempted many times to coax Emerys out of the lake, pointing out the obvious fact that he could very easily travel above ground if he had a wheelchair, since he still has his human lungs. The boy is, however, absolutely terrified of such a thing. The lake has become his security blanket, and while he has a tail he has a tail, he refuses to leave it behind.
After a year, while Emerys still remembers exactly who he is and what he is doing, there is a part of him that doesn't even feel human any more, and so he lacks the confidence to actually rejoin society without his legs. To compensate for this, the staff have allowed Emerys to continue taking classes via webcam, while a power training visits the lake every week or so for a session.

ADULTHOOD:
n/a


SAMPLE: Show us an example of what you can do! It can be anything, either from this character or another site. Do not use links.

USERNAME: Trick

AGE GROUP: 19ish

EXPERIENCE: 6 Years or so

WHERE DID YOU FIND US? I don't even remember anymore

[Fate]

Blah, blah, you know what to do.
Here's a link to the CLAIMS!