Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2013 2:01:02 GMT -5
Full Name: Zakarie Abel Crowe.
Gender: Male.
Age: 17.
Power: Zak has the ability to effectively understand and communicate with birds. He can replicate the song of most all avian creatures, and as such, can interact through brief, simple phrases. Zak has been able to understand and translate these bird calls since he could first understand language of any kind, and gained the ability to replicate all calls when he first learned to whistle at the age of 5. His powers were mostly used in assisting his father, alongside utilization for communication with the companion birds he keeps. It is unknown whether his power was pure ljuck or genetics, although there were rumours passed down through the generations that his great-great grandfather could speak to animals. His father jokes that Zak has powers because he had "wished really really hard".
Appearance: Roman Italian in descent, Zak has an aquiline nose and black, curly hair. He has a lighter skin tone derived from the non-Italian side of his family, and is of average height and weight. He has fairly large eyes with everlasting dark circles under them and dark blue irises. He has a long face and chin and a fairly rounded jaw.
Zak has decent posture and no physical handicaps, aside from an issue in his left wrist that stems from him falling out of a tree as a child. He wears a wrist brace on occasion, if it's being particularly unruly. He wears comfortable clothes, mostly old tees and pants with a sweater or hoodie, alongside the occasional button down. Most of his clothes look old and worn even if they're not, as his constant desire to be either out conversing with birds or inside making sciencey things tends to make a mess of his clothes.
Picture:
Personality: The quintessential introvert, Zak much prefers his own company and that of animals to other humans. He is a reasonable, logical thinker, solving problems through careful thought as opposed to emotion. He has an affinity for science and technology, often spending his free time messing around with mechanical devices and on occasion creating his own. If an idea is conjured in his mind, he feels an obligation to act on it immediately, should it fade away and never return. As such, his actions often seem sudden and unusual to others, as he tends to get up and act upon whatever thought he's dedicated himself to immediately.
He is quiet and kind around both friends and strangers, seemingly constantly in thought. At the mention of birds, the outdoors, or any sort of engineering he tends to act more bubbly and outgoing, and can go on endlessly about said subjects. Though not a particularly loud person, Zak is rather charismatic and is proficient in conversation with authority, working his way out of problems fairly easily. However, he typically gets along less smoothly with those of the same age, as he tends to find other young adults thoughtless and trivial. However, when introduced to other pragmatic individuals, he reverts to such a charismatic state.
Unless in a conversation about his passions, Zak is a very, very boring person. He has a tendency to be unenthusiastic and disinterested, as he believes the dramaticism of normal teenage life to be absolutely ridiculous. Others find him droll, however, as he has a tendency to make entertaining facial expressions and has odd mannerisms, such as the aforementioned aptness to spontaneously run off and do whatever he's thinking.
Zak is frustrated at those who undermine his intelligence due to factors like age, ability, or appearance. As previously stated, he also strongly dislikes dramatics and triviality. He despises the ignorant, the brute, and the gossipers, and, although he does dislike cats due to his allergy to them, absolutely abhors any animal abusers. Though he tends to not express extreme emotion, any bouts of anger tend to stem from ignorance or abuse, as he's intolerant to such things. He deals with many things physically rather than verbally- anger included. He reacts predominantly with his hands- clenching fists, fumbling with nearby items, popping his knuckles. He also tends to pull his legs, shoulders, and arms defensively inwards when angry or distressed. When speaking in these states, his voice is quiet and low, and his face tends to close in- eyes squinting, mouth a thin line, and eyebrows pressed downwards. He often attempts to separate himself from others, as in privacy he finds the typically yelling and stomping more appropriate.
Weaknesses: Zak has a fair amount of anxiety and is prone to panic attacks, a problem typically caused by over-thinking and worry. He has no social anxiety, however- any anxiousness is typically a construct of his own mind. Most of his panic attacks come from stressful situations and an excess of negative thought, as he's prone to bouts of depression and anxiousness. Most of the time, these feelings are brought up on their own- not influenced by outside events. He's also allergic to cats and deathly afraid of snakes, so on occasion panic attacks may occur due to exposure to those animals. His panic symptoms include heart palpitations, hyperventilation, light headedness, numbness in the extremities (mostly hands and feet- it's almost impossible for him to walk while having an attack) and, on occasion, depersonalization. The majority of the time during a panic attack he feels either an overwhelming sense of self-awareness or an unnatural lack of such- he has described it before as an out of body experience, like spectating oneself.
Though not egotistical, he is at least fairly arrogant, as he fully realises his advantage in intelligence. In power, however, he retains little arrogance other than knowledge of the fact he has a tactical advantage over others through communication with birds- Zak finds his power to be unimpressive and believes his real strength to be his intellect. Also, as previously stated, he has a wrist problem, which tends to obstruct some of his personal projects, alongside classwork, on occasion.
Although he has no true limit to his power (as in, he can converse with birds at will), the primary issue with his power stems from the lack of accurate descriptors in a bird's song. Most of the time the statements that birds make are simplistic, equating to about the vocabulary of a five year old. The only birds that tend to provide adequate conversation are crows, and for whatever reason most crows are repelled by Zak. He does, however, have one "pet" crow who he enjoys talking to.
Strengths: Zak is very, very intelligent. He is in the upper tier of IQ, and his brain works extremely fast. Though he has his lapses in brilliance (what is this... abstract art?), he is, for the most part, an extremely clever fellow. He also has an astounding sense of self-motivation, mostly because he figures that if he procrastinates on anything nothing will ever get done at all. He is almost always working, and if he's not he's talking to his precious avian creatures, which is constructive on its own as it allows him to develop his powers. Lastly, he is very good at convincing others of things, be it to do something for him or to believe a lie, to the point where some question whether or not it's a part of his powers. As it is not, in fact, one of his powers, his ability to deceive and convince is likely due to his almost constantly serious look and tone, alongside his extensive vocabulary.
History/Family: The son of an Ornithologist and a Science professor, Zak was almost destined for his powers. His father showed an interest in birds at as young of an age as Zak did, and his mother was always intrigued by biology and ecology. An only child due to his mother's difficulty with having children, Zak was raised with the best his parents could provide him. The three were always close as he was growing up, and his parents tried their best to treat him like a human being as opposed to something to spoil. He was home-schooled up until his freshman year, resulting in an exceptional education, especially in the areas of science. Truly his father's protégé, all throughout childhood Zak traveled with his dad, learning every note and hum of the birds they encountered.
Zak's parents truly fostered his ability, refusing to neglect him in any aspect aside from egotism. From the moment that the child informed his parents of what the birds had told him, his parents encouraged a life of decent normalcy, ensuring that Zak didn't think himself better than others simply because he could do something others could not. They always wished the best for their son, as he was all they had to give to.
The three lived in the countryside for the majority of Zak's life, in a small house stuck back in the woods. It was the perfect place to raise a child and foster his powers. He grew up climbing the trees and chittering at the birds around, filling the many bird feeders surrounding the house and befriending those who ate there. At the age of nine Zak fell out of one of the trees after climbing a bit too high for what it could support, landing on his left wrist and breaking it alongside two of his fingers. His parents grew far more careful with him after that point, and since then Zak's wrist problems have persisted, despite a few surgeries.
When his parents first learned of Foresta, they were excited at the idea of Zak being able to hone his powers. Though it was hard for his mother, who began to have second thoughts as the time neared for her son to leave, both she and Zak's father eventually grew to fully support his decision to leave, as long as he promised to visit on holidays and summers. Upon graduation, Zak plans to return home and follow his father's footsteps as an Ornithologist.
In Character sample:
High, staccato, continuous. Goldfinch. Long, cheery, rhythmic. Robin. Slur, whistle, trill. Cardinal.
It was how Zak kept in practice- he'd ignore the words, ignore the conversations and cries and sweet music and focus. What made a song a song? Every creature had its own- its own way of communicating, of trying to be heard. To an untrained ear they were all the same; the whistling, the singing, the purrs and trills. But Zak knew them all. He knew every bunting and raven and woodpecker and finch; every caw and squeek and hoot and chirp. All the passerines, all the cathartiformes, all the owls and fowls and falcons and parrots. All of those songs were his, and he knew what every note, every song, every trill meant.
But this activity was all about forgetting that and going back to the basics. Who made what sound? It was like identifying what language a country spoke, like telling what voice goes to which face. It was simple, it was relaxing, and it was helping his dialect, as he saw it- the more he listened, the better he spoke. The whole activity brought him back to a childhood spent sitting on the front porch, listening but saying nothing, basking in all the different things being spoken that no human could understand but him or, at least, he liked to imagine.
He definitely preferred a conversation with a songbird than a person. It was so much simpler, so much more beautiful, and so very enriching. Although the vocabulary was definitely not of the highest tier, Zak preferred that, at times- living a vocabulary of eloquence and expressiveness was such a bore, and it was amazing how one could get a message across in such a simple but effective way. He knew that west a swallow had a nest with three babies, that there was a falcon terrorizing everything south-east, and that there had been a girl that had walked into the forest two hours ago and still hadn't come out and that no one had seen her since she walked into a large, gaping tree that all the birds avoided because it gave them a bad feeling. He had eyes in the sky and ears in the treetops, and he could get any information he so desired with a well-posed statement.
Zak had no spectacular powers like the others. He couldn't lift five tonnes, or move things with his mind, or conjure fire or ice or wind. He could talk to birds. But, he reminded himself as he shot a reply to a crying warbler, he would always have the insight others didn't. He would always be a step ahead. And he would always be listening.
((side note- not the best work, but it's late and I need to go to sleep. If you'd like me to lengthen my sample I can totally do it tomorrow, I'm just too worn out to do anything else right now.))
Gender: Male.
Age: 17.
Power: Zak has the ability to effectively understand and communicate with birds. He can replicate the song of most all avian creatures, and as such, can interact through brief, simple phrases. Zak has been able to understand and translate these bird calls since he could first understand language of any kind, and gained the ability to replicate all calls when he first learned to whistle at the age of 5. His powers were mostly used in assisting his father, alongside utilization for communication with the companion birds he keeps. It is unknown whether his power was pure ljuck or genetics, although there were rumours passed down through the generations that his great-great grandfather could speak to animals. His father jokes that Zak has powers because he had "wished really really hard".
Appearance: Roman Italian in descent, Zak has an aquiline nose and black, curly hair. He has a lighter skin tone derived from the non-Italian side of his family, and is of average height and weight. He has fairly large eyes with everlasting dark circles under them and dark blue irises. He has a long face and chin and a fairly rounded jaw.
Zak has decent posture and no physical handicaps, aside from an issue in his left wrist that stems from him falling out of a tree as a child. He wears a wrist brace on occasion, if it's being particularly unruly. He wears comfortable clothes, mostly old tees and pants with a sweater or hoodie, alongside the occasional button down. Most of his clothes look old and worn even if they're not, as his constant desire to be either out conversing with birds or inside making sciencey things tends to make a mess of his clothes.
Picture:
Personality: The quintessential introvert, Zak much prefers his own company and that of animals to other humans. He is a reasonable, logical thinker, solving problems through careful thought as opposed to emotion. He has an affinity for science and technology, often spending his free time messing around with mechanical devices and on occasion creating his own. If an idea is conjured in his mind, he feels an obligation to act on it immediately, should it fade away and never return. As such, his actions often seem sudden and unusual to others, as he tends to get up and act upon whatever thought he's dedicated himself to immediately.
He is quiet and kind around both friends and strangers, seemingly constantly in thought. At the mention of birds, the outdoors, or any sort of engineering he tends to act more bubbly and outgoing, and can go on endlessly about said subjects. Though not a particularly loud person, Zak is rather charismatic and is proficient in conversation with authority, working his way out of problems fairly easily. However, he typically gets along less smoothly with those of the same age, as he tends to find other young adults thoughtless and trivial. However, when introduced to other pragmatic individuals, he reverts to such a charismatic state.
Unless in a conversation about his passions, Zak is a very, very boring person. He has a tendency to be unenthusiastic and disinterested, as he believes the dramaticism of normal teenage life to be absolutely ridiculous. Others find him droll, however, as he has a tendency to make entertaining facial expressions and has odd mannerisms, such as the aforementioned aptness to spontaneously run off and do whatever he's thinking.
Zak is frustrated at those who undermine his intelligence due to factors like age, ability, or appearance. As previously stated, he also strongly dislikes dramatics and triviality. He despises the ignorant, the brute, and the gossipers, and, although he does dislike cats due to his allergy to them, absolutely abhors any animal abusers. Though he tends to not express extreme emotion, any bouts of anger tend to stem from ignorance or abuse, as he's intolerant to such things. He deals with many things physically rather than verbally- anger included. He reacts predominantly with his hands- clenching fists, fumbling with nearby items, popping his knuckles. He also tends to pull his legs, shoulders, and arms defensively inwards when angry or distressed. When speaking in these states, his voice is quiet and low, and his face tends to close in- eyes squinting, mouth a thin line, and eyebrows pressed downwards. He often attempts to separate himself from others, as in privacy he finds the typically yelling and stomping more appropriate.
Weaknesses: Zak has a fair amount of anxiety and is prone to panic attacks, a problem typically caused by over-thinking and worry. He has no social anxiety, however- any anxiousness is typically a construct of his own mind. Most of his panic attacks come from stressful situations and an excess of negative thought, as he's prone to bouts of depression and anxiousness. Most of the time, these feelings are brought up on their own- not influenced by outside events. He's also allergic to cats and deathly afraid of snakes, so on occasion panic attacks may occur due to exposure to those animals. His panic symptoms include heart palpitations, hyperventilation, light headedness, numbness in the extremities (mostly hands and feet- it's almost impossible for him to walk while having an attack) and, on occasion, depersonalization. The majority of the time during a panic attack he feels either an overwhelming sense of self-awareness or an unnatural lack of such- he has described it before as an out of body experience, like spectating oneself.
Though not egotistical, he is at least fairly arrogant, as he fully realises his advantage in intelligence. In power, however, he retains little arrogance other than knowledge of the fact he has a tactical advantage over others through communication with birds- Zak finds his power to be unimpressive and believes his real strength to be his intellect. Also, as previously stated, he has a wrist problem, which tends to obstruct some of his personal projects, alongside classwork, on occasion.
Although he has no true limit to his power (as in, he can converse with birds at will), the primary issue with his power stems from the lack of accurate descriptors in a bird's song. Most of the time the statements that birds make are simplistic, equating to about the vocabulary of a five year old. The only birds that tend to provide adequate conversation are crows, and for whatever reason most crows are repelled by Zak. He does, however, have one "pet" crow who he enjoys talking to.
Strengths: Zak is very, very intelligent. He is in the upper tier of IQ, and his brain works extremely fast. Though he has his lapses in brilliance (what is this... abstract art?), he is, for the most part, an extremely clever fellow. He also has an astounding sense of self-motivation, mostly because he figures that if he procrastinates on anything nothing will ever get done at all. He is almost always working, and if he's not he's talking to his precious avian creatures, which is constructive on its own as it allows him to develop his powers. Lastly, he is very good at convincing others of things, be it to do something for him or to believe a lie, to the point where some question whether or not it's a part of his powers. As it is not, in fact, one of his powers, his ability to deceive and convince is likely due to his almost constantly serious look and tone, alongside his extensive vocabulary.
History/Family: The son of an Ornithologist and a Science professor, Zak was almost destined for his powers. His father showed an interest in birds at as young of an age as Zak did, and his mother was always intrigued by biology and ecology. An only child due to his mother's difficulty with having children, Zak was raised with the best his parents could provide him. The three were always close as he was growing up, and his parents tried their best to treat him like a human being as opposed to something to spoil. He was home-schooled up until his freshman year, resulting in an exceptional education, especially in the areas of science. Truly his father's protégé, all throughout childhood Zak traveled with his dad, learning every note and hum of the birds they encountered.
Zak's parents truly fostered his ability, refusing to neglect him in any aspect aside from egotism. From the moment that the child informed his parents of what the birds had told him, his parents encouraged a life of decent normalcy, ensuring that Zak didn't think himself better than others simply because he could do something others could not. They always wished the best for their son, as he was all they had to give to.
The three lived in the countryside for the majority of Zak's life, in a small house stuck back in the woods. It was the perfect place to raise a child and foster his powers. He grew up climbing the trees and chittering at the birds around, filling the many bird feeders surrounding the house and befriending those who ate there. At the age of nine Zak fell out of one of the trees after climbing a bit too high for what it could support, landing on his left wrist and breaking it alongside two of his fingers. His parents grew far more careful with him after that point, and since then Zak's wrist problems have persisted, despite a few surgeries.
When his parents first learned of Foresta, they were excited at the idea of Zak being able to hone his powers. Though it was hard for his mother, who began to have second thoughts as the time neared for her son to leave, both she and Zak's father eventually grew to fully support his decision to leave, as long as he promised to visit on holidays and summers. Upon graduation, Zak plans to return home and follow his father's footsteps as an Ornithologist.
In Character sample:
High, staccato, continuous. Goldfinch. Long, cheery, rhythmic. Robin. Slur, whistle, trill. Cardinal.
It was how Zak kept in practice- he'd ignore the words, ignore the conversations and cries and sweet music and focus. What made a song a song? Every creature had its own- its own way of communicating, of trying to be heard. To an untrained ear they were all the same; the whistling, the singing, the purrs and trills. But Zak knew them all. He knew every bunting and raven and woodpecker and finch; every caw and squeek and hoot and chirp. All the passerines, all the cathartiformes, all the owls and fowls and falcons and parrots. All of those songs were his, and he knew what every note, every song, every trill meant.
But this activity was all about forgetting that and going back to the basics. Who made what sound? It was like identifying what language a country spoke, like telling what voice goes to which face. It was simple, it was relaxing, and it was helping his dialect, as he saw it- the more he listened, the better he spoke. The whole activity brought him back to a childhood spent sitting on the front porch, listening but saying nothing, basking in all the different things being spoken that no human could understand but him or, at least, he liked to imagine.
He definitely preferred a conversation with a songbird than a person. It was so much simpler, so much more beautiful, and so very enriching. Although the vocabulary was definitely not of the highest tier, Zak preferred that, at times- living a vocabulary of eloquence and expressiveness was such a bore, and it was amazing how one could get a message across in such a simple but effective way. He knew that west a swallow had a nest with three babies, that there was a falcon terrorizing everything south-east, and that there had been a girl that had walked into the forest two hours ago and still hadn't come out and that no one had seen her since she walked into a large, gaping tree that all the birds avoided because it gave them a bad feeling. He had eyes in the sky and ears in the treetops, and he could get any information he so desired with a well-posed statement.
Zak had no spectacular powers like the others. He couldn't lift five tonnes, or move things with his mind, or conjure fire or ice or wind. He could talk to birds. But, he reminded himself as he shot a reply to a crying warbler, he would always have the insight others didn't. He would always be a step ahead. And he would always be listening.
((side note- not the best work, but it's late and I need to go to sleep. If you'd like me to lengthen my sample I can totally do it tomorrow, I'm just too worn out to do anything else right now.))