Real name: Arvid Adler
Powers/abilities: Avian Communication: Fluent in the language of birds, Auspex can understand and communicate with birds of all species. Making sense of bird vocalizations and observing the posture and behavior of birds comes as naturally as following a human conversation and reading the body language of humans, respectively. When speaking his mind with them, he may choose to mimic their simple calls and intricate songs or communicate with them via telepathy.
Even after his telepathic abilities develop, he prefers to rely as much on his normal senses as possible, as those expend far less energy. The effort required to maintain telepathic communications increases exponentially from a base value until it hits an upper threshold in distance or in number of linked minds. Never does his telepathy extend to mind control, however, so he resorts to some mix of persuasion, bribery, and sheer force of personality to sway the local birds to his cause. He also devotes time to training the brighter, more cooperative ones for specific tasks.
As a rookie, Auspex can listen to birds, observe their body language, and converse with them in chirps and the like. All of these activities expend about the same amount of energy and concentration as would be required if he were operating in a human language he is perfectly fluent in, with one notable exception. The vocabulary he is able to articulate varies across species, but is at most three-quarters of what he can understand when listening. Often it's well less than half that. As talented a mimic as he is, the human vocal cords simply weren't made for the full range of sounds that the avian syrinx can produce. What's more, bird calls and songs have their limitations in vocabulary and expressiveness as well, just as one human language may lack certain words that appear in another language. Coordinating complicated aerial maneuvers is out of the question at present. Even so, his current skills suffices for simple, reasonably straightforward communications, and he tends to listen more than he talks, anyway. For missions at this stage, Auspex tends to deploy his avian allies as scouts and informants.
As a sidekick, Auspex finds that his avian telepathy has grown strong enough for him to receive a mental headcount of avian minds present in the area (but with no eavesdropping on birds' minds, now or ever). He can broadcast a message in a mental shout that reaches up to five meters away, spamming -- well, spreading the message to every bird in the vicinities. He can also establish mind-to-mind contact with up to three birds in the style of a conference call, where it's one shared conversation rather than three separate, simultaneous conversations; he can hold the connection between birds so long as their straight-line distances from Arvid add up to a total less than or equal to fifteen meters. At maximal range, he can keep up communications for five minutes at a time, with three hours of cooldown to follow. The psionic output requires the least concentration when his latest avian conversationalists are close, so he's gotten used to having them perch on him for extended conversations or detailed instructions, which can last for half an hour before it's necessary to take a break. At this stage, Auspex can direct his avian allies to carry out light tasks (pick up this, take that there, keep that guy distracted, etc.) and simple aerial maneuvers.
As a hero, Auspex's avian telepathy increases in range to a maximum of ten meters for broadcasting his thoughts. Also, he can establish mind-to-mind contact with up to seven birds over a cumulative distance of seventy meters, and images can also travel across the mind links. At the very limit of his abilities, he can keep up communications for fifteen minutes at a time, with the same three hours of cooldown to follow, as before. Coordinating intricate flight patterns or swarming attacks like the ones in Hitchcock's "The Birds" is now totally feasible.
Which area is the character based/from: Upper Sewit
Age upon entering academy: 15
How did your character get their powers: Arvid was born with his powers. His father's psychometry and his mother's affinity for animals (neither ability quite so pronounced as to be recognized as a superpower) were passed on to him with a novel twist.
Motivation for entering academy: Sharing his family's strong sense of duty and justice, Arvid wants to use his powers to protect and serve those very ideals. Subsidary to that, defeating villains for the common good is a worthy vocation. It'll keep him on his toes, and it's sure to win his parents' approval without the shadow of their accomplishments looming over him, so it's all to the good.
Strengths:
diverse allies: Bird species are many and varied. With them at his beck and call, Auspex is well armed with a diverse set of allies, ready for a variety of situations. For example, a peregrine falcon can certainly outpace a running boy, and an owl's stealth makes it an easy pick for nocturnal scouting. Even without accounting for the individual strengths of each species, it definitely helps to be able to call on some extra eyes and ears when arriving on a crime scene or tracking an elusive villain across busy city streets.
a shrewd eye: Auspex learned early on to pay attention to social nuances in both people and birds. His powers offer him more conversational partners and, thus, more opportunities to practice reading subtle behavioral cues so as to suss out what's really going on and what buttons to push. As a rookie, he is better than average at noticing small details and understanding what he observes, though he's far from the astuteness of, say, an experienced courtier. It will take time yet before he develops more finesse in discerning calculated deceptions and navigating social waters. And he totally needs to learn to stop hamhandedly trying to push people into revealing more of themselves, because subtle he is not.
a flexible mind: Auspex's powers bring him into contact with many different personalities, species, and capabilities. It's not always easy for Arvid to put himself in someone else's shoes, but he makes a point of reminding himself to do so. This has fostered a relatively open-minded attitude, though his upbringing has thus far limited his exposure to other cultures. His developing powers and the diversity he'll encounter at Sidekick Academy and beyond will help this side of him stretch and grow even more. Over time, he'll come to consider any new situation from multiple angles and alternate perspectives.
a long contacts list: A sociable soul, Auspex enjoys the company whether he's meeting new faces or catching up with old friends. He has a remarkable memory for names and faces and the details that come up in conversation, and he makes liberal use of these remembered tidbits when renewing an acquaintance.
Weaknesses:
competing agendas: Birds are prone to all the inattention, forgetfulness, and other issues that plague human spy networks. What's more, biological imperative just about always trumps the entertainment factor of talking to a human who can talk back. Really, Auspex's bird allies constitute less a private army than a very informal militia. It's a militia of easily sidetracked irregulars at that, all too ready to take off after other pursuits. Some might even set upon each other, given that there are prey and predators alike. It might not always be the predators in the role of aggressors, either; a lone owl might find itself mobbed by a flock of birds it would normally regard as prey. Having to monitor their needs and keep them on task keeps Arvid on his toes, and his efforts at fostering community among them have fallen flat. Villains might also find ways to distract or scare off the birds he sends after them by exploiting their avian nature.
cultural barriers: Birds view the world through their own lens, and what catches their eye about a situation might not mesh with Auspex's human concerns. A magpie might pay more attention to the shiny coins rolling around on the sidewalk than the bank robber who dropped them. Also, while his frequent avian companions may have picked up some understanding of human words and human behaviors, the vast majority of birds know little of human culture. Sending a bird to eavesdrop on a conversation isn't much help when the bird don't know what is being said, for one.
sensory overload: Just as the average person needs to make an effort to tune out the distraction of a talkative crowd, Auspex needs to make an effort to tune out the distractions of both human conversation and bird vocalizations. A flock of sparrows chirping away merrily just outside a classroom leaves him feeling like he's trying to listen to the lesson through the hubbub of a crowd. As his telepathy develops further, it can get even busier inside his head.
wheat amongst chaff: Just because someone has something to say doesn't always mean it's worth listening to, and the idea applies even in the case of birds. When Auspex isn't busy reframing the latest avian intelligence in human context, he spends a fair amount of his time sifting through the mass of information to find information he can use.
Personality:
Traits: assertive, impulsive, ambitious, image-conscious, daredevil, ebullient, dutiful
Every expression, every movement, every outfit sends a message, so Arvid takes great care in what he chooses to show the world. He radiates energy and confidence. An assertive manner, whether or not he happens to be bluffing, serves him well as both armor and sword. Content to fake it until he makes it, his show of self-assurance grants him the momentum to push past insecurities and shape the situation in the midst of doubt and uncertainty. In social situations, Arvid's manner oscillates between the debonair gallantry he's been schooled in and the warm enthusiasm that comes more naturally to his ebullient nature. Surprise is one of his cherished allies, and he is never shy about taking charge of a situation while others are still floundering in disorientation.
Arvid might not volunteer his help, but he does have a keen sense of social responsibility, especially to those he deems his subordinates. His equals encompass his friends and his rivals, and these are expected to be self-sufficient for the most part, to challenge him as much as he intends to challenge them. The motives differ between friends, who are challenged because he wants to see them improve, and rivals, who are challenged because he wants to one-up them; this fine distinction has escaped some of his friends in the past. His superiors have his loyalty and obedience, as duty dictates, but respect and liking must ultimately be earned.
Active in both mind and body, Arvid speeds through life at breakneck pace. Preferring to do rather than think, much less plan, he needs simply a broad goal in mind before jumping right in. It's when he's landed in the thick of the action that he sorts out what tactics to employ. He has a politician's savvy for sizing up social dynamics and a bricoleur's talent for improvising solutions out of what a situation hands him. Usually he thinks quickly on his feet to pull out of an impending nosedive into disaster, but his impulsive nature can hurtle him right into trouble as well, all the more frustrating because it might have been prevented with a few moments more of planning. Not one to stop for introspection or prediction, he tends to ignore the ticking of an emotional or relational timebomb until it blows up and then has to scramble to pick up the pieces.
If Arvid is at his best in the center of the action, he is at his worst when given plenty of time to think and rethink and overthink. Here, his vivid imagination is more hindrance than help, generating speculation after speculation for how things might unfold, getting more and more far-fetched with every iteration. Partly to blame is his heartfelt belief that what is worth achieving has to be worth overachieving. Never content to do anything by half-measures, he dismisses fulfilling expectations as merely settling; he wants to exceed expectations, to raise the bar and change the field for any who would follow.
Given how alert Arvid is to signs of social maneuvering and political machinations, it can be surprising how readily he takes up a dare that pushes the limits of his capabilities. It's less surprising when one comes to realize that, while he revels in his strengths and talents, he likes to test his limitations or, worse, willfully ignore them. He doesn't fuss too much over being liked, but he does feel a need to be noticed, to be remembered, to matter, and at the moment he believes that getting attention is the way to go.
Arvid demands a great deal from his friends and allies. Nonetheless, he never asks them to take on challenges he doesn't think they can face, nor does he ask them to sacrifice what he wouldn't. This knowledge is a lot less reassuring when these friends and allies come to realize just how much of a daredevil he is, how willing he is to put everything on the line when the stakes are worth it. His parents, distant and preoccupied with their responsibilities, nonetheless impressed on him a strong sense of duty, and he devotes to duty all the passion and intensity he brings to his other pursuits.
Hobbies: socializing, making mischief, meeting new faces, reading military history and pulp adventure novels, feeding the birds, playing strategy games, exploring new hobbies and sharing them with an willing audience (well, he would totally take an unwilling audience too if he couldn't find anyone willing)
Myers-Briggs: ESTP (the Promoter, aptly enough)
Birthday: October 4
Zodiac: Libra
Favorite food: Whole-wheat bread. It's also convenient for sharing with his feathered friends!
General backstory:
Born in a kingdom of northern Upper Sewit, Arvid grew up at the heart of the royal court. His aristocratic father had once served the local sovereign as a capable investigator before settling into the comparatively more sedentary life of a justiciar. As the king's sister and one of his closest siblings, Arvid's mother wields no official authority but presides over the social milieu in lieu of the shy, politically indifferent queen consort.
Duties and social obligations kept Arvid's parents busy, busy, busy, though to be fair, they made as much time for him as they could. Politics and intrigue was a reality of their lives; feeling that it would be a disservice to shield him overmuch, they began his political education early. Under their careful tutelage, he took to court life like a duck to water, insofar as a child could. Being a quick study let him spend more time in their company and frequently won him the approval that he sought not only from his parents but also from his royal uncle and aunt, though he continued to yearn for more of their time and attention.
Arvid's parents left him largely to the care of household servants and, later, a succession of governesses and tutors. The family's warm, kindly household steward Karina and stern but no less kindly butler Benedikt took it upon themselves to provide more of a parental presence for the young lordling. Their care and affection for him is returned in kind, though the boy will hardly admit to it. He also paid a great deal of attention to his parents' social and professional circles; from time to time, he would develop a certain degree of hero worship for a particularly astute investigator or a particularly witty courtier, but these fits of admiration tend to be fickle.
Though an only child, Arvid grew up alongside plenty of age-mates, including three royal cousins. Putting his parents' lessons to practice, because why not, he often led his friends on wild schemes and madcap adventures. He was closest to the king's heir, though the two were a study in contrasts. Arvid respected grave, thoughtful, conscientious Erik for seeing right through his bluff and bombast and for confronting his more thoughtless actions.
In another of his countless bids for attention, he proved a brilliant student, though his tutors were often less than thrilled with his mischief and his habit of staring out the windows after the birds during a particularly long lecture. His powers manifested very young, with his understanding of bird vocalizations arriving first. When he wasn't playing with his peers, he liked to while away the hours in the company of birds. In the mews, he could listen to the raptors boast of their triumphs in royal hunts. In the lofts, he teased out stories of distant lands from messenger birds.
As Arvid developed his ability to communicate with birds, he tried to organize the birds into a miniature of the court life he knew so well, with himself at the fore, though resistance to his efforts have convinced him to accept a place as the first among equals. His improved communication skills have also allowed him to strike up closer friendships with a number of birds, including a cheerful trio of bluebirds whose nest had fallen out of its tree; a wry young owl he'd rescued one day from being mobbed by vengeful corvids; an intractable, cantankerous peregrine falcon whom he claimed from an aspiring young falconer not quite up to the task of taming her; a dapper penguin who liked to escape the boredom of life in the royal menagerie; and more besides. His feathered friends are free to flit in and out of his life as they wish, though he tends to be seen with one or more in the immediate vicinity.
When the invitation arrived from Sidekick Academy, Arvid pushed for permission to go, to his family's surprise. His mother, in particular, greeted his proposed departure with a quiet bafflement, unable to understand why anyone would want to leave, barring exile or missions in the king's service. Even so, they agreed that it would be useful for their son to improve control over his powers, and it's not like he's necessarily leaving forever, so off he shall go.
All bright-eyed optimism for the adventures that wait ahead, Arvid has, thus far, spared nary a thought for the culture shock he'll encounter in a different setting, nor for what he'll have to leave behind when he goes. One way or another, he's sure he'll keep moving forward.
Looks department:
