Iris Frost

IRIS VERONICA FROST

 AGE 18
 BIRTHDAY June 3rd, 1997

 SPECIES Human
 ETHNICITY N/A

 GENDER Female
 SEXUALITY Heterosexual?

 DORM Lyra

 POWER Iris is able to utilize the energy around her, the very material that keeps the world in motion, and manifests it physically in various forms through her palms. Most commonly, it appears to be almost liquid like when in the air, yet cool and jolting to the touch. A multitude of colors and hues swirl vivaciously about each ribbon of the energy, making its color indiscernible, however depending on her mood and how much power she applies, the color can reflect that. However, its form doesn't have to be so loose, for like the fluid and solid properties of water, the energy can harden and become stiff. These long shards of raw energy can be maneuvered in the air to Iris's will, or they can return to their visually water-like state, always controlled by her hands. She's even been able to morph the pliable energy into swords or weapons, however she wasn't taught how to wield them, and thus rarely ever uses such items.

When this energy comes in contact with another creature or person it can deal a fair amount of damage, for the pain circulates throughout the target's entire system before exiting through the ground or another medium, similar to electricity. Even without that much power behind each attack, to the victim, it feels far worse in the moment due to how the damage is spread over the largest area possible. So, Iris can create the illusion that they're experiencing a devastating attack when they truly aren't.

Along with these abilities, Iris sees the rest of the world in a different way than most. Whenever she encounters someone, or any creature for that matter, her mind identifies them as a wide range of traits and emotions, even within seconds of a first impression, in colors. For example, if she met an angry, arrogant man with an underlying air of mystery, he would appear to be a scarlet color, with black flecks surfacing and moving throughout his body. Anything else like trees, grasses or inanimate objects are simply monotone colors, for even people Iris hasn't met before appear white and aglow in comparison to the rest of the world. The more she gets to know a person, the more diverse and uniquely identifiable their pallet becomes.

Iris can feel through the energies in those around her. For example, when others' emotions are strong in positive or negative ways, she can sense the origin of such energy very lucidly, and thus can see/feel their vibrant emotion, making it easier for Iris to spot them from a distance. But, this vibrancy can be muted depending on how obvious these emotions are to her. Her mind simply compartmentalizes the emotions and traits she physically witnesses. Her abilities do not have the capacity to physically or mentally repair or heal anyone.

 APPEARANCE For the most part, Iris doesn't appear to be any different from a typical 18-year-old girl. She's about 5'6'', slender, lean, with delicate, almost porcelain-like features. Having grown up without quite enough to fill her belly, she's bordering on being underweight, however you couldn't truly tell unless her torso was exposed. Her long, wavy, brunette hair reaches down to the bottom of her spine, usually evenly parted so that some lays both on her front and back. Although Iris likes to be neat when she can, rarely does she alter her hair in any way, not really being experienced with anything hair-related other than smoothing over knots. Matched with both a pale complexion and vibrant, green eyes, Iris appears to have some Northern decent, although she isn't quite certain of her heritage. And, despite her complete disregard for appearance, she has a pleasant figure, even though its usually hidden beneath a long, baggy yet light, faded-green sweater that's a bit too large for her, indicated by the sleeves that fall over her hands. She finishes off her basic look with simple, black leggings and brown, ankle-high, old combat boots, so that she can move about fluidly. The light sweater tends to slope off of her shoulder as well, with the neck's hole stretched out and the elastic pulled out with age.

Iris doesn't have many clothes and mainly keeps to either worn skinny jeans, leggings with those boots and various, tattered sweaters, none of them quite fitting correctly. For summer attire, she simply switches out her over-sized sweaters for loose-fitting, plain blouses and either the same jeans or jean shorts, if it's truly that warm. A rather interesting feature to her appearance would be the long necklace that drapes down to the bottom of her sternum. It may only be on a thick strand of a basic, brown cotton string, however, the main visual interested is the array of white stones gathered in a clump at the end of the strand. Upon closer examination, the tips of each of the stones are tinted with a dark, scarlet color from her own blood flecks.

 PERSONALITY To be frank, Iris isn't mentally stable anymore. On the surface, she's just exceptionally quiet, perhaps almost to the point where strangers would consider her a mute. However, occasionally she'll murmur a color over and over again out of habit, as if she wants to convince herself that the person's identifiable color (or colors) is what she sees. She seeks for reassurance, even if it can only be given by herself, for her confidence is incredibly low. When stressed out or anxious, probably due to the lack of the incentive, she has the tendency to either run her fingers through her hair, or, more commonly, rub the stones on her fingertips until they begin to bleed, feeling a sort of release in the small quantities of suffering. Obviously, Iris isn't quite sure how to express such issues without difficulty, and thus will find other means to do so. Plus, with an incredibly submissive demeanor, she listens to anything anyone tells her.

Iris's trust has run extremely thin, so unless she's familiar with you, talking won't really be something she's keen on doing. She highly dislikes being around too many unfamiliar people at once for this reason, especially because she isn't sure what to do or say around others without seeming out of place. In the past, when she attempted to speak up it only ended in either ridicule or being ignored, so she found that not talking at all is much safer. However, talking is the least of her troubles. It's mainly her habitual trembling and social anxiety that keeps her at bay from socializing. At Foresta Academy, she promised herself that her main focus would be the education portion of the school, in order to better control her powers.

If Iris does manage to make some friends, her loyalty would be unwavering and powerful, however she doesn't anticipate that happening. The few times that she was able to keep herself under control and act like herself around those she trusted, she had a pleasantly friendly manner. For, on the inside, she's just another, frightened soul, either cursed or blessed with an unnatural ability.

 WEAKNESSES In a power's sense, Iris has a couple of weaknesses. Because she is able to move and use the energy with only her hands, if they are bound together, nailed down or something of that nature, she won't be able to utilize the energy's power at all. Or, if the beings around her are able to upset her to the point where she cannot focus as a result of the feelings she's experiencing, then she won't be able to conjure any energy. However, it's also if she exerts too much energy at once, she will enter that susceptible state as well. Without her powers, she has a shortage in crude, brute strength. Emotionally, though, Iris's submissiveness puts her at a disadvantage, causing her to listen to anyone who even think that they have a shred of authority.

 STRENGTHS Oddly enough, Iris has a fairly nice voice, even having developed the beginnings of vibrato (a desirable element for singers that occurs in a maturing voice, when it fluctuates around a note), even if she rarely sings in front of others. And although Iris doesn't really know martial arts, she's skilled in dodging attacks and using her hands with the energy to surge herself in any desired direction; a skill she quickly learned as a child. It's more like fighting with a twist, not really punching or kicking. Finally, due to her ability to read the different layers of emotional traits one may have, she is able to understand everyone on a much deeper level, if they've opened themselves up, even a little bit, to her. The emotions she witnesses are always going to be visually evident to her.

 HISTORY Iris was born on June 3rd, 1997, into a chaotic life of a foster home in an urban city. Her 27-year-old mother had died during childbirth, her father having fled when the news of pregnancy had reached his ears, and no other family was available to give Iris to. In the beginning, the social workers had an incredible amount of takers for this adorable baby girl, and presumed that she'd be an easier child to place. However, they were sadly mistaken...

Even at such a young age, Iris still commanded the energy around her without fail, giving her caretakers affectionate little zaps without really knowing it. Of course, nobody was pleased with this nor did they understand the type of abilities the child wielded. Soon, she was known as the "Buzzing Kid", always finding herself back in the foster home with a pair of very disappointed people. No matter where she was placed, the same issue continued to surface, confusing both the social workers and the clients. Nobody could stop her from this bizarre "zapping", despite their persistent reprimands.

Other children that weren't as difficult to place would tease her in a fairly light manner, but Iris wouldn't stand for it. Once the "friendly" taunting intensified, so did her reaction, and as she aged into a toddler, she began to take action. Iris had actually distributed a jarring jolt of energy to one of the orphans who truly was persistent with the childish antics and, as a result, the adolescent to leap back and shriek in fear and pain. Within moments from when the scream was emitted, the caretakers and other nearby adults flocked to them, surrounding and confining Iris to one of the rooms on the upper floors as they tended to the crying boy. Even Iris herself was appalled at what she'd done, as if it hadn't really been her that had attacked another person. Sure, he was only playing around with the "buzzing" remarks, but she didn't realize... She didn't realize she could hurt someone so badly with the touch of her fingers.

From then on, Iris wasn't quite the same. She'd tremble and become inconsolable, clutching her hands over herself if anyone asked her to demonstrate her abilities for them, usually potential parents or just interested people walking by. However, as the word got out that there was a "special" child within the foster home, less and less applicants began to show up for her, going for the other children instead. Throughout Iris's life, she was met with this same result, everyone else being favored just so that she wasn't an option. People would enter the home, noticing the little girl with the vibrant, green eyes, but one glance from another leaving client would send them on their way. Iris, meanwhile, was beginning to accept this undeniable fact that she was unable to be placed, even when the other children would blatantly point it out to her.

And, as she felt her ability to harness energy develop, as did her sight. Inanimate such as trees, walls, rooms, buildings... Their colors had faded into blurred, monotone grays and blacks. It was people who had absorbed all of the lost colors, their personalities reflecting in the brightest of hues. She could literally see people green with envy or red with rage, and varying intensities of emotions also affected the vibrancy and shade of the colors. No matter how she tried to explain this to anyone, they brushed her off as if it was her mind that was deteriorating. Rumors of her gradual insanity began to weave throughout the town, and as years flew by, hardly anyone would dare to even consider adopting her.

But, not everything was bleak. Some of the caretakers, like Minnie, a kinder, short, middle-aged woman with large glasses and an endearing, toothy smile. She was the only one that Iris had ever trusted within the foster home, the only one who tried to understand her and comfort her. Whenever she was being teased by the other children or accidentally would hurt them with her ability, she'd curl up in the soft, perfume-scented lap of Minnie. "It's all right, dear," she'd hear oh so often as an encouraging, gnarled hand stroked her head until her composure returned. And, if Iris was struggling through an anxiety attack, it was Minnie who would rush to her rescue, enduring any accidental zaps Iris would distribute in her moment of fear. The rest of the staff preferred to stay out of it to avoid any unnecessary pain, finding that she could work it out on her own or with Minnie. Iris also received her signature necklace from Minnie during her fifth birthday, always using it to soothe her nerves and think of more jubilant moments.

Upon her eighteenth birthday, Iris received surprising news from Minnie. She was being sent off to Foresta Academy, a school where people with her types of skills were trained and groomed into much more functional children.. Or, that's how the other staff members worded it. Minnie assured that she would be able to go with some new clothes and supplies, having paid for it out of her own pocket. So, riddled with anxiety and an unstable set of abilities, Iris decided to attend Foresta Academy, in hopes that her life might take a turn for the better.

 IN CHARACTER SAMPLE Footsteps sounded outside of Iris' door, slow and thumping gently against the ground with each painstaking movement. Of course, she'd listened to that specific rhythm countless times in the past: Minnie. "M-Minnie?" she murmured softly, rising from her messy cot to tip-toe to the door. "Iris! I have such exciting news, come! Open the door my girl!" Minnie exclaimed, clapping in enthusiasm. Iris permitted a brief smile to tug on her lips, knowing Minnie's little quirks and ways she displayed her emotions better than anyone. Clapping only meant good things to come, so, the girl opened her door swiftly, her eyes ignited with anticipation, "What is it?"

"You've been accepted, my child!" Minnie cried, holding a crisp, clean sheet of neatly folded paper in her quivering hands. "Accepted?" Iris echoed, gazing fondly down at her favorite caretaker. Absent-mindedly, she began to fiddle with the white stones slung loosely around her neck, feeling over the smooth quartz as she tried to share in Minnie's furor. "Foresta Academy, Iris! A school where other children, like yourself, can learn to wield their powers!" The caretaker was aglow with a vibrant, orange hue as her stimulation increased, "If we could show a potential pair of parents that you went and graduated from a school where you controlled your abilities, why, you'd be out of here in no time!" Was that truly what Minnie thought would occur? Nevertheless, it was an incredibly amiable gesture, and Iris couldn't deny that. "Th-Thank you, Minnie," she murmured, closing the distance between them and flinging her arms around the motherly figure, "I-I hope it d-didn't cost too much!" The woman shook her head, waving her arms as she squeezed Iris affectionately, "Don't worry about it, dear!"

Iris appeared somewhat crestfallen at this point, releasing her grip from Minnie with dismay written all over her face, "B-But where did you g-get--"

"Nevermind that pumpkin, let me worry about that!" Minnie interrupted her, cupping the girl's face in her bony fingers, "Now, let's pack your bags, you're going to Foresta!"

Faceclaim/Art Credit N/A

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