Hero alias: Pendragon
Real name: Arthur Kensington
Powers/abilities: lexiconicyBy writing the name of an item in the air before him (using his finger), Arthur can manifest that item by slashing his hand through it.
check out changes in purple!! 8DDDThere are some restrictions:
- he has to write neatly. Otherwise, he might get a garbled version of the item or end up hurting the hand he swipes through the word.
- nouns only.
- correct spelling. Similar to the first condition, if the word he writes isn't legible or spelt correctly, then Arthur risks injuring himself or getting something different than what he wrote.
- slash through the same place in the air. Because he needs to move his hand through the word (think striking it out) in order to grab the item, if the air around Arthur is in motion (i.e, he's falling) his power won't work. Effectively, he needs to be able to touch the same air twice.
- no new knowledge gained. Arthur has to know how to use what he's manifesting, otherwise it'll be useless to him. E.g., if he summons a sword and hasn't been training to use it, then he probably won't be able to lift it or really use it effectively in battle.
- only Arthur can touch the item i.e., if someone else touches it, it disappears. As he gets more experienced with his power, he'll be able to manifest items that other people can touch and use as well, but he'll have no control over to make the items disappear. As he achieves mastery, he'll be able to have his things handled by others as well as control when/if they disappear (e.g., if an enemy gets an item of his, Arthur could "dispel" it where he wouldn't have been able to do that before).Maybe as a rookie he'll either only be able to manifest small, hand-sized objects or less, or as he goes up through the ranks he'll be able to manifest adjective'd items (e.g. "purple jacket" rather than "jacket").
Likewise, as Arthur matures, he will be able to write longer things to summon. But as a rookie, he'll start out small.Which area is the character based/from: Upper SewitAge upon entering academy: 14
How did your character get their powers: (artifact)
Arthur read a lot as a kid, grew up with his nose mostly in books and spending the bulk of his time by himself. For this reason he also grew up to be very unsociable. One birthday, he came into possession of a strange book and read it. After that, he felt like something about him had changed, that there was something new singing in his blood, but it was weeks later, when he was idly practicing his cursive in the air that he found out what power he had gained.
The book itself has a red cover, with the picture of a quill embossed in gold on it. Arthur's memory of reading it is rather hazy-- it's perhaps the first book that he's ever read that he cannot recall the story or characters belonging to it-- but he's certain that he was able to read it, that there were words contained within it. Now, strangely enough, all the pages in the book are blank, like the words disappeared as soon as Arthur read them (or they were absorbed into Arthur somehow). Arthur's not sure how the book had this enchantment placed on it, but he'll eventually find out that the book was meant to be a curse delivered to a baron who liked to write in the air from one of his irritated servants. It was intended to showcase the dangers of being imprecise and of wanting too much. However, the lord never ended up reading the book (he also suffered from being very lazy), and it was passed down through generations and estate and antique sales until it came into Arthur's parents' possession, and from there, to Arthur as a birthday gift. He still keeps it hidden away under a floorboard, even though all the words are gone. People would probably be more likely to think it's a diary rather than an actual artifact.
Since the book was meant to be a curse, though, it makes sense that it wouldn't grant this power for nothing. The words, after all, have disappeared, ostensibly going into Arthur. While the book isn't malicious now, it wouldn't be unheard of, though, for it to try and take those words back and maybe something else as well, something Arthur does not want to give up... Motivation for entering academy: Very little.
Arthur suspects that it will be just like all the other schools he's been to, and he's acting pretty nonchalant about it. His major motivation is getting out of the house and away from his family for a while, hopefully just to be left in peace to read. And, truly, his parents are really making him do it. His father is very pleased that his son has a useful power and can contribute to society rather than just bumming around and reading books all day (his greatest fear was that his son would pursue
a "useless" profession) while his mother wants Arthur to make some friends, since he's usually too haughty and holier-than-thou with respect to intelligence to do so at his current school, she's hoping that being with like-powered individuals will make Arthur more sociable
(and socially acceptable, too).
However, while these intentions seem nice, they speak to his parents' lack of interest in his life. Truthfully, what would make his parents happiest would be for Arthur to be normal, to have friends like the other kids in Upper Sewit who would ride the steam trains to all hours of the night and hang out in cafes. Arthur being extraordinary would be as equally welcome as him being mediocre; as long as he didn't call too much attention to himself, or make himself a nuisance to them, they would be more than happy to leave him alone.
However, Arthur's love for being alone is too conspicuous. His parents' friends comment on him with concern, and Mr. and Mrs. Kensington have, quite frankly, had enough. They are ready to go back to moving through society unaccosted about their son and are already enjoying bragging to their friends in the high circles of society that their son is going to the Academy, though both are convinced that it's just an exclusive school for gifted children rather than a superhero training center. Strengths: literary references, obscure facts, good handwriting and spelling, likes to practice calligraphy in his spare time, able to write in cursive, printing, as well as knows how to use a fountain pen.
Weaknesses: gets caught up in thought a lot, can be overly cautious, perfectionist when it comes to writing, especially his handwriting and getting facts about books correctly, hates not being the most well-read in a group of people.
Personality: - snarky
Arthur loves to unleash his acidic tongue on those whom he considers lower than himself in education, and takes special delight in coming up with insults that his antagonist cannot decipher. Even with friends, he tends to put things in a snarky light, comical, but with a definite bite in the tail. Overconfident at times, after years of lording his brains over the other students at his schools (he's had several), Arthur is accustomed to being the best. His pride sometimes leads him to underestimate his enemies or overestimate himself, and has gotten him beat up more than occasionally. Still, Arthur sometimes lets his vanity run wild, especially when it comes to his clothing. He's often wearing something outrageous and more than a little crazy, but in his mind, it is the height of cool.
- intelligent
Perhaps his greatest boon and bane, Arthur is possessed of an uncannily high knowledge of books. He is good at remembering what he has read as well as what other books he has no yet read are about. Though his mind is very focused and sharp, his imagination is also a finely trained muscle. From reading so much, Arthur is able to imagine very well what worlds or items from different stories would look like.
- independent
Arthur is quite comfortable spending a lot of time to himself. He marches to his own beat as far as fashion is concerned and has no qualms about being the only one in the library on a beautiful day. However, his independence can also be a hindrance. Coupled with his pride, Arthur has difficulty accepting help from others sometimes, as well as recognizing that he cannot always take on challenges by himself. When he does get lonely, he often guilts himself into doing something productive (like reading or schoolwork) rather than addressing the fact that a part of him does crave companionship.
- resourceful
Arthur can think up creative ways to get himself out of messy situations. He hates giving up more than anything, partially because he doesn't like to admit that anything can get the best of him and also because it would be an affront to his own creativity. He's read a lot of books and has gotten a lot of ideas from them about how to escape from various situations and how different kinds of characters react in social situations. Though he has significantly less experience in real life seeing how people react (and this always throws him off), what he's read provides a good base point for him to infer ways to alter the situation to his favor.
- cautious
Not one to enter battle without a plan, Arthur prefers to plan things out in advance before taking action. Sometimes, this means that he's the last one to act in a crucial situation, but still, he prefers to weigh his options thoroughly before committing himself to a choice. This gives him greater peace of mind, as once he has decided on something, he doesn't waver about the choice after. Still, while he is deciding, which can take ages, he tends to go back and forth between his options, trying to look at things from as many viewpoints as possible. He tends to give every choice his fair consideration, but if there's a decision that needs to be made on the spur of the moment, Arthur is definitely not the person to ask. Sometimes, this can be a bit of an Achilles' heel in battle, as Arthur won't always be able to settle on the right item to manifest for a while.
General backstory:Arthur grew up well-to-do in
Upper Sewit, though he's always been dreaming of going other places. He likes the fantastic aspects of his home, how it's able to combine technology and history, but some of the people strike him as less than interesting.
Since he was young, Arthur has loved books. His parents, though they were baffled when Arthur did not want a clockwork horse for his birthday, were determined to use their vast wealth to make him happy by other means. At first, they bought him books in volume, using those that Arthur had finished reading to decorate a library and bookshelves throughout their home. Arthur's father, a train engineer for the Upper Sewit Transportation Agency, prided himself on an impressive and slightly imposing home, and Arthur's books seemed like just the thing. His mother, a socialite and seasoned balloonist (she met her husband while piloting), had long been anxious for Arthur to establish himself as a reputable member of the family. She is probably the one who hears the most about Arthur's disdain for friends and human company.
Arthur, though, has always marched to the beat of his own drum. Frequently, he either made enemies of other students at his schools due to his lording his intelligence over them or so confounded the teachers that his parents were forced to transfer him to several different establishments and once took him to a psychiatrist, the last of which Arthur saw as a great betrayal. He knew from an early age what was interesting to him and what wasn't, and he thought that he was just following the advice that his parents had laid out for him: do what he loved. He just didn't want to waste his time on people that weren't worth it.
It was his mother's idea to take him in for psychological counseling. She was distraught and nothing seemed to work. Arthur wriggled his way out of every question, but since then has felt very unsettled in his home life, like the last safe place he had (home) had become a battleground. His father convinced his mother not to press the issue of counseling, and while Arthur has calmed down a bit, he's still wary.
His parents placated him with a very expensive-looking book with a quill on it, and that book has become the catalyst for changing his life. Arthur gained from it a strange, new power that he's still trying to figure out, and his parents have been talking to themselves about how this new development might just resolve all of their problems.
Change, though, doesn't come easy.
Arthur is not very wise to the ways of the world, being primarily book smart and not very streetwise. He's been shepherded from place to place by overly protective parents and nannies, and since he was young he has not had to look out for himself. He's grown up without wanting for anything and being able to afford whatever he likes, and still doesn't understand how money doesn't come easily to everyone.
His future is still a jumble to him. Arthur once thought about becoming a writer, but he's willing to do just about anything to get out of the house. Even if it means that he's going to become a superhero.Looks department: 8D very hipster-ish, lots of purple plaid, wearing kinda awkward glasses and oxford shirts.
His symbol will be a fountain pen. ;D
For an Upper Sewitan, he dresses more toward the Sewitan side of things, though not to the extreme of bodily alteration. Really, it's more of an act of rebellion against his parents' steam-fashion that he tends to dress more modernly, a little towards the hipster side rather than the Victorian sensibilities of his mother and father.
Reply
