Post by Sebastian Swift on Feb 7, 2015 18:47:43 GMT -6
NAME: Sebastian Alexander Swift
NICKNAME: Bast or Swift
AGE: 17
GENDER: Male
ORIENTATION: Heterosexual
POSITION: Bellefonte Student
FACE CLAIM: Colin Morgan
POWER:
Photokinesis
In its simplest terms, Bast's power allows him to generate a bright light by varying the acceleration rate of his body's molecules resulting in a cascade of photonic discharges. He has a certain degree of control over the type of light emitted, the most useful of which being a soft calming light that evokes positive emotions and memories in the target, thereby bringing them peace. He also has more offensive skills, such as the ability to generate a blinding light, as well as issuing electric-like shocks if touched at full luminosity.
There are perks to being a human lighthouse, which include heightened reflexes, accelerated metabolism and enhanced durability thanks to his accelerated molecules. However, the control of his powers relies on Sebastian being in both mental and physical peak, as control is often reliant on emotional stability whilst the force of his power comes from his physical state. In other words, the more he can bench press, the stronger (or longer - though never both) his light becomes.
Light generation can be focused on either a specific body part, or his whole body can become the beacon. More often than not he focuses his power through his hands, as the sight of his body made light can - and has - blinded someone. His powers are also far more dangerous for humans than fellow mutants, which is just one more reason that his control is so important.
Limitations
Unsurprisingly, the offensive side to his powers takes both a physical and mental toll upon Sebastian. Over time they have also taken a toll on his senses, and he has incredibly bad night vision, barely being able to see in anything less than half-light, as well as several issues with his hearing.
On top of this, there are very precise differences in the type of light he can emanate, and while Bast largely has his powers under control he still runs the risk of stunning someone when he means to calm them and vice versa.
Large or prolonged usage of any of his abilities can often mean that he will sleep for twelve hours at a time just to recharge his batteries, and his energy level can directly affect how well his regenerative powers work. That being said, a fully charged Bast who hasn't used his powers in a while will often go a day without sleeping with little physical toll.
Side-Effects
Restlessness - It might not sound like much, but Sebastian can go for a five mile run and still come home twitchy and full of energy, despite being physically exhausted. This in turn affects his concentration, and he's often incredibly hyperactive, particularly if he hasn't used his powers for a while. Truthfully, Sebastian more than likely suffers from both a sleep disorder and an attention disorder as a result of his powers, though has never been diagnosed officially as there's little modern medicine can do for him.
Tinnitus - Thanks to his ability to be a human flash-bang, Sebastian suffers from intermittent ringing in his ears that at times can be incredibly detrimental, particularly if it starts up when he's trying to sleep or in the middle of an exam. Although in all honesty his hearing is not quite what it should be for someone of his age, and many high-pitched sounds are beyond his range.
Hot flashes - No word of lie, Sebastian can often be worse off than a woman going through menopause. They can last for up to an hour, and it's unfortunately obvious when Sebastian is having one as the redness of his cheeks is quite the contrast to his usually pale skin. A pounding heart and intense sweating often mean a dunk in a cold shower for poor Bast. Dangerously, the intensity of the heat can occasionally lead him to almost instinctively lash out with his powers, like his body is quite literally trying to let some of the heat out. As a result, Sebastian often hides out until it's passed, as much because of the fear as the embarrassment.
APPEARANCE SECTION: Tall and lanky, Sebastian slouches around 6'1" and is all elbows and knees, with pasty pale skin stretched over the top. He keeps his hair short, though the unruly black waves have a tendency to resist any attempts to tidy them. His facial hair grows in awkward patches and as a result he keeps a clean face which helps somewhat with his otherwise unkempt appearance, although it has the unfortunate side effect of making him look younger than he is.
Despite his thin frame, Sebastian is stronger than he looks and on close inspection one can just about find his muscles lurking between all the skin and bone. He's more athletically fit than he is physically strong, however, and has always somewhat resented his bodies inability to bulk up.
His one redeeming feature - at east in his own opinion - are his eyes, which are a beautiful midnight blue, and are the reason he never wears his reading glasses despite his increasingly poor eyesight.
MUST HAVE APPAREL: Sebastian cares very little for the way he looks, at least in terms of clothes, and will always opt for comfort over style. He often insists this is why he never wears his glasses, though in truth he simply hates how they make him look. Jogging bottoms, jeans, hoodies and an excessive variety of t-shirts make up the majority of his wardrobe. The one thing he does seem to care about are his shoes (well, trainers). He has more pairs than most girls, each and every one with its own box and neatly appointed place in his cupboard.
PERSONALITY SECTION: When he first arrived at school Sebastian was every bit as socially awkward as one would assume him to be, particularly after being dragged halfway across the world to attend school. America was more of a culture shock to him than he imagined it would be, and his first year at school was long and lonely. However, with the development of his powers, Sebastian found his confidence also developed and it didn't take long after that for people to see the real Sebastian.
Selfless almost to a fault, Sebastian is kind and warm to both friends and strangers alike. That being said, his loyalty to those he cares about is unwavering. However his experience of being his mother's emotional leaning post for so many years often leads to him taking responsibility for other people's problems and shouldering more than he can handle.
Though he can still be a touch awkward from time to time, Sebastian is much more outgoing than he once was, with a cheeky tongue that can get him in trouble as easily as it gets him out of it.
EXTRA QUIRK: Sebastian has a tendency to obsess over things - one need only look at his collection of skate shoes to see this to be true. It's surprising, mostly due to the trouble he has on focusing, but from time to time Sebastian will find something he loves - be it a book, TV show, activity or food - and as soon as this happens he'll eat, sleep and drink it long past the point were everyone around him has gotten sick of it; much to the chagrin of those closest to him. In fact, his first girlfriend broke up with him because he chose Pokemon over her. They were only seven, but still. God help anyone who comes between Sebastian and his latest love...
FATHER: Bernard Swift. Estranged.
MOTHER: Johanna Swift
SIBLINGS: None - that he's aware of.
CHILDHOOD: Growing up on the outskirts of London, in a town called Guildford, Sebastian did not have the most enjoyable of childhoods. Sent to a private catholic school until the age of 12, he experienced only one year of ordinary secondary school before his powers emerged and he was whisked across the pond. The only reason he was sent to private school was because his mother worked there as a teacher and for most of his childhood he had no friends due to the stark difference in his and his classmates social status. It wasn't even that he was never invited to things - it was just that his mother could never afford for him to do anything, and after a while people just stopped asking. Sebastian didn't blame them, of course, but even as a child it was frustrating, particularly when he knew how hard his mother worked to provide a nice life for the two of them.
You see, Sebastian's parents broke up before his father even knew his mother was pregnant and while Bernard visited them every so often with gifts for Sebastian and Johanna, there was no real relationship between them, a fact that he was actually thankful for later in life. Bernard was flaky, unreliable, and Sebastian firmly believed that his family, small though it may be, was better off without him.
Secondary school was even worse, unfortunately, for despite his height Sebastian was one of the weediest boys in his year - and the rugby team in particular found great pleasure in tormenting him.
ADOLESCENCE: There are very few people that know the story behind Sebastian's power breaking out, and the facts surrounding it. It happened shortly after his thirteenth birthday; he was in year eight, and struggled with being an outsider even before his photokinesis manifested itself. Even though it was this abhorrent treatment at the hands of his classmates that resulted in his powers showing themselves, Sebastian regrets nothing more than the day it happened.
It was the first day back in school after their Christmas holidays, and Sebastian was even more quiet and withdrawn than usual. For the last few days he'd been experiencing piercing headaches, blurred or spotty vision and bouts of unimaginable heat. It was during one such hot flash, that he found himself hiding in the bathroom - it was cool and empty whilst everyone else was in class. However, a gang of his classmates found him as they returned from a rugby match and immediately began to tease him when they found him cowering in a corner. Sebastian scrambled to his feet to defend himself, but was not nearly quick enough - a swift kick to his chest and he found himself sprawled on the floor, cornered, frustrated and afraid.
Classes were still going on, which meant that the corridors were empty and the chances of someone interrupting or coming to his rescue were slim to none. His assailants realised this as well, and were more vicious than normal. With each insult and push, Sebastian's headache worsened and he could say or do nothing to defend himself. One of the boys surprisingly noticed his sickly demeanour and attempted to caution his friends, but to no avail. Sebastian doesn't really have a clear memory of what happened next, only that he squeezed his eyes shut and prayed for it to end, all of it - both the bullying and his bodies own betrayal - and when he opened his eyes all five boys were laid out on the floor in front of him, dazed, arms shading their eyes as if from the sun.
Sebastian did what most people would do in his position - he ran. Running had always been cathartic for him, and that day Sebastian ran for miles before he finally found his way home. It was dark by this point, but the troubles were not over. The school had, of course, contacted his mother and with a heavy heart the woman was forced to explain to her scared, confused thirteen year old that he'd somehow been responsible for blinding one his classmates. Permanently. The rest all suffered varying visibility issues, but only the one stood closest to him had caught the full brunt of Sebastian's newly awakened powers.
After that, Sebastian was unable to go back to school, and though the family of the boy he blinded sought to press charges they were thankfully unable without being able to prove how Sebastian had managed it.
Luckily, the relative publicity of the event meant that the Bellefonte Academy had no trouble in tracking him down, and within a fortnight Sebastian finally had answers, and better still, solutions to the physical issues that had been plaguing him. It was a true blessing, despite having to be so far away from his mother, and there is no doubt in Sebastian's mind that the Academy saved his life.
The next few years were challenging and exhilarating all at once. For the first time in his life, Sebastian felt comfortable in his own skin and though he still struggled with school work as he always had, he found other ways to excel, as well as having more support from his teachers for his learning issues than he ever would have received in public school.
SAMPLE: Saturday. Once upon a time, Saturday had been Nancy's favorite day of the week. Saturday meant dancing, drinking, and generally having fun. These days it was a day of rest - her only day of rest, busy as she was with school. Today, at least, was slightly different. Today was the first day of term, and contrary to her usual feelings about this day, Nancy was actually in a good mood. Well, a good mood for Nancy, at least. Pushing herself up on to her elbows, she glanced around her room, her brown eyes still thick with sleep. Ordinarily Nancy was the type to lie-in, but she'd awoken shivering, despite her cocoon of blankets.
Alighting her gaze on the empty bed where her roommate should have been, Nancy thought again about how this year felt different. She had a team that she liked - most of the time, anyways - a course she enjoyed, and a home that she loved. Things really did feel as if they were finally going her way. And so, with her new-found positivity spurring her on, Nancy hopped out of bed and into the shower.
A short while later and she was pulling on a simple tank top and a pair of jeans, all the while studying her reflection in the mirror. She wore minimal make-up, as she always did, just a lick of mascara and a touch of concealer where needed, but the effect was always enough. Nancy knew she was attractive, and whilst she loathed the male attention, she couldn't deny that it made her life a heck of a lot easier. Running a hand through her hair, Nancy gave her reflection one final appraising glance before heading for the door. Spotting Serafine's note at the last minute, she checked her watch and saw that there was still time for breakfast if she hurried.
Running for the fire exit down the corridor from their room, Nancy flung open the door, vaulted the railing and dropped two stories, conjuring a blast of air to slow her fall she landed on her feet, straightened her bag and jacket, and cut casually across the courtyard to the cafeteria. She'd disabled the alarm on the door the previous night, knowing full well that she'd be needing the short cut once classes started. It may have been unorthodox, but at least she was prepared.
Grabbing a bacon sandwich and the biggest mug of tea she could find, Nancy made her way over to where her fellow teammates were sat. "Well, fancy meeting you guys here..." She quipped, sliding into the seat next to Luc, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" The four had been mid conversation, and she waved for them to continue as she tucked into her breakfast.
"Goddamnit!" She mumbled through her final mouthful of food. Taking a hearty gulp of tea, she sighed mournfully "Why is bacon the one thing people here can't seem to make for shit? Seriously, I'd ship it over from home if I could..." For anyone who knew Nancy, this morning rant was a familiar one. Every day she complained about the food, yet everyday she ate the same thing, and god help the person who tried to tell her to eat something different. It was what helped the girl get through the mornings though, and her friends seemed to let it slide, for which she was grateful. Nancy was the opposite of a morning person, and needed all the help she could get, at least until she'd finished her first cup of tea.
Finally feeling alert enough to join in with the conversation, she eyed up the boy sat next to her, "Luc, huh? Tu es d'ou? Ma mere est de Lyon, you know it?" Switching effortlessly from French to English seemingly without even realizing she'd done so, Nancy smiled warmly at Luc. Both she and Serafine knew all too well what it was like to be a foreigner in a unfamiliar country, and whilst Nancy normally shied away from getting involved with the rest of the student body this morning had put her in an unusually good mood - luckily for Luc, Caleb and the girls who'd just joined them.
USERNAME: Jay/Jel/Jelleh/Jelz etc etc (jellehbeen)
AGE GROUP: 24
EXPERIENCE: Too long. Ten years, on and off D:
WHERE DID YOU FIND US? That darn googlemachine. Was looking for an X-Men RP, but this sounded more fun c: