❛ IT’S A BIRD, IT’S A PLANE – NO! IT’S 〈 KIM, MINSEOK 〉◞ A HERO IN TRAINING WITH ANIMAL MORPHING ; THEY’RE KEEPING STEADY IN THE RANKS AT #262. DON’T WORRY THOUGH, YOU CAN FIND THEM AT OSBORN HALL, RM. 301.
ANIMAL MORPHING
the ability to transform into animals and possess the special abilities of animals
STRENGTHS
Animal Communication: Minseok learning that he could communicate with animals was about as natural as it was for him to learn English and Korean. He didn’t think it was strange until a group of people stared at him in amazement when he was having a conversation with a common snake (in which he asked the snake if he ever heard of a book called The Little Prince. He was curious if it knew of its motives in the story).
Intelligent: Minseok’s parents are travelers; his father is a zoologist and his mother is a doctor. His father gets employed by different companies around the world after it was infamously spread around that his father was also an animal whisperer. Minseok has been home schooled because of how often they travel, but he’s learned a lot from books, novels and medical books alike, and hands-on training from his parents.
Eidetic Memory: Once his parents learned about his mutation’s capabilities, they did what they could in their power to progress it and maybe sometimes risked his life within reason. Minseok’s power can only work if he’s been in close contact with the animal to be able to study and remember it diligently. He’s done things such as climb trees to play with the monkeys and cuddled with the cubs in a lion’s den. He grew up being in contact with at least 100 different species but there are definitely a handful he rather prefers to change into.
Adaptable: Because of the variety of animals he knows, he’s learning how to apply each animal to his needs. When he’s hungry, he turns into a wolf or lion to hunt. If he’s in a hurry to send a message, such as if an animal is in trouble and needs help, he takes to the skies as an eagle. The threat he’s most concerned about are poachers, seeing as he might be hunted too when he’s in animal form. Despite his young age, he’s been very good at preventing them and fighting them off.
WEAKNESSES
Selective Mutism: Being around animals and mainly his family has made his social skills underdeveloped. For people he’s not familiar with, the most that the lucky ones would get from him is a simple sentence addressed towards them. It has been something he’s struggled with since his youth. Back in his adolescent days, if there wasn’t an animal with him, then he felt like he could never talk to others. To this day, he would take his blue Parakeet named Lena wherever he can so it can talk for him instead.
Insecurity: He wonders how helpful he’d be to other people if he didn’t have his power. Being in the academy makes him question his worth as a human and, because of his homeschooling, wonder if he’ll be able to assimilate into mainstream society.
Gullible: The only people he knew how to share generously with were his parents. Animal instincts taught him to take what he needed and always follow the ones in a higher ranking. It was never questioned; always told to respect the ones above him and that goes for anyone who seniors him. Although, animal instincts have also taught him how to sense when a situation gets dangerous.
Susceptible: Depending on the size of the animal, shapeshifting can take up to a minute to achieve. In his animal form, his sensitivity is heightened like the animal’s. Something can cause him to writhe on the ground in pain when the human ear can’t hear it at all. He can smell a scent kilometers away as long as there isn’t another overwhelming one closer to him. Learning the ways of the animals was good enough to learn how to hunt and survive. If something catches his attention, his entire focus is on that and any distractions will render an irritated Minseok.
• • to be human, is to be ordinary • •
where do you lie?
❛ IT’S A BIRD, IT’S A PLANE – NO! IT’S 〈 KIM, HANBIN 〉◞ A VILLAIN IN TRAINING WITH WING MANIFESTATION ; THEY’RE KEEPING STEADY IN THE RANKS AT #324. DON’T WORRY THOUGH, YOU CAN FIND THEM AT OSBORN HALL, RM. 202.
WING MANIFESTATION
the ability to develop or have wings allowing flight and may also protect from rear attacks or detach and re-grow for quick getaways.
STRENGTHS
Primarily, flight had taken much practice. Hanbin could not do more than simply glide in the air until his feet reached the ground once again– and like a little bird, he had taken cautious steps towards falling freely. One step at a time, one simple set before the other was all it took to step closer to the edge. To step closer to the freedom that his wings allowed him. Hanbin had been only nine years old when the wings had first appeared, and they had the most positive effect because they saved his life. It had been that day, a sunny day, that his family had spent at the beach. And when saying “his family”, what was really meant was Hanbin and his care-taker. For, the woman that raised him, had not been his mother.
His mother had always been taken by such futile concepts as for example beauty. She was always perfecting something about her exterior and often forgot about the child, whom used to cling to her side– soon enough he began to hold onto his caretaker instead of his mother. The little boy began to turn to her for help, whenever anything destroyed his little perfect reality. But, that day at the beach, he had slipped out of her grasp. The little boy had decided,I can absolutely climb up there. And he did, he climbed so high that he was looking over the beach from the top of a little cliff. If only his caretaker had not snoozed off beneath the umbrella, perhaps then, he would have never found out about his wings.
But, she did. She had snoozed off, and Hanbin had stood too close to the edge. One foot slipped, and the other followed suit. Before the child knew it, he was tumbling down, and a pain began to surge through his back, skin ripping open to reveal wings. Bright, light feathers, like those of a bird, which spread across his back, and pulled him up once again. It was at that moment that Hanbin had primarily struggled to gain control over the mass that had then appeared on his back, and he had struggled to make them disappear again– when the boy landed on the ground he was as good as unharmed, and his caretaker had come rushing to his side– the wings were long gone.
They had been a blessing and a curse, mainly, because Hanbin could not fathom whether or not he had dreamed their existence. For the longest time he would laugh about it, and shake it off– but then they came back again. And slowly, he understood how to bring upon their existence. They would slip out from under his skin, each time tearing open wounds, which would heal slowly after the wings had disappeared again. He had to become one with them in his soul, to make them fold open. The young man needed to make himself feel as though he was as light as a feather, as soft as a cloud during a storm– he had to go into a different mind-set, one that had always been unlike the lively boy.
Over the years he began to adapt, his wings created a calmness within his soul. The energetic boy had faded into a grown man. His caretaker continued to mean the world to him, and his parents painted the perfect image of an enemy to him. His wings could protect him from falling to his death, but they could not protect him from the disgusting beings that were his parents. People who feigned innocence and kindness, simply to wear the mask of success. This was a life that the young man never desired to live– and so, he did everything to go against them. At first it was little things, such as the fact that he indeed had wings and they did not. Then, it became stealing from them, stealing their possessions and thus their happiness.
Over the years, Hanbin quickly learnt what it meant to flee– to run away. To run away from his parents, and then from the police. At first he had simply let his wings glide him to safety, not even letting people realize who – or what – had robbed them in the first place. Then, he learnt how to make himself light enough to fly out of a standing point on the ground. This had been his greatest achievement, letting his wings carry him higher and higher into the sky until his worries became nothing more in size than an ant. Something which he could easily step on, or ignore. But, he chose a different approach, instead, he kept his calm. The young man pressed his lips together, hues remained half shut– and his entire demeanour screamed nothing more than apathy.
These were the teachings of his wings, and soon enough his parents decided that their son needed to be sent elsewhere. Why not send him some place where everyone was like him? Everything was different, and he would no longer be in their sight– he would no longer anger them with his “childish” desire for something real. A real family.
Future abilities, which are known with wing manifestation, include the fact that with the right amount of practice he might be able to deflect bullets with the help of his wings. They would create a shield around his entire being, flesh would remain vulnerable to weapons, but the wings are as hard as titanium. Which also means that they would be able to be used as a weapon, creating strong winds or also simply hitting another person, knocking them out.
WEAKNESSES
Whilst the wings did much good in the life of Kim Hanbin, they also did a lot of damage. They distorted the young man’s image of the world, whilst everything became so small he felt as though he was untouchable. Nothing in this world could get to him, and he wouldn’t let it. Whilst his parents continued to treat the young man as a criminal, he felt the deepest desire to live up to this image. With disdain in his voice, and a broken heart, the boy grew up to become a man that truly did not believe he could care about another. It became at times difficult to approach him, because he had found a simple way to escape from this reality: his wings. They were his safe haven and his destruction, all at once.
When Hanbin had been younger he found difficulty in the ability of retracting his wings– they were heavy and whilst he grew, they grew as well. The pain of bones as they elongated was nothing in comparison to the wings itching to escape his skin, to rip it open and be free. The pain of growth spurts was nothing in comparison to the fact that these wings continued to grow as he did. And each and every time they became visible on his back, they tore apart his skin, one bit at a time. Leaving two long scars to run down his shoulder blades when the wings were retracted as a constant reminder of their existence.
But it wasn’t only the distortion of his body that pained him, it was also the change in altitude, offering the young man the suffering that cold had to offer. People would often say, to fly must be the most beautiful feeling in the world, and he did agree, when flying close to the earth’s surface, but once he climbed higher things became a little more uncomfortable. His throat began to burn, and often he would remain sick in bed for days after having flown a bit to high. He should have learned from the tale of Icarus, flying too close to the sun never ended well. But, the young man would never learn. He was too stubborn for such things, instead he continued to fight against everything that came in his way.
He remained bitter, until the end of his days. And, not even the academy could straighten up his act, he was alone– so completely utterly alone. And the fact that he could fly away from all his problems made him feel even more alone. Solitude became his best friend, and his worst nightmare. But, the worst part was the fact that he couldn’t bring himself to do anything against it, instead, he followed the calling of his wings, and the desire to crush anyone that reminded him of his parents: narcissistic, vain and intolerably rich. Hanbin continued to push everyone in his life away from himself, pushing them further, and thus pushing himself closer to the edge of insanity.
Some further weaknesses which are known for wing manifestation include: Needs enough thrust and lift, so the size/condition of wings and the thickness of air are obvious problems to overcome. Because of the size of the wings needed, has to have enough room for both the lift-off and flight itself, not to mention enough speed to avoid stalling. Flight-ceiling depends of both the density of air needed to fly and breath, and how cold-resistant the user is. May expend energy if user has to flap their wings, either when taking off or while flying.
• • to be human, is to be ordinary • •
where do you lie?
❛ IT’S A BIRD, IT’S A PLANE – NO! IT’S 〈 TUAN, YIEN 〉◞ A VILLAIN IN TRAINING WITH PYROTECHNIC PROJECTION ; THEY’RE KEEPING STEADY IN THE RANKS AT #261. DON’T WORRY THOUGH, YOU CAN FIND THEM AT OSBORN HALL, RM. 101.
PYROTECHNIC PROJECTION
the ability to generate fireworks of any color.
STRENGTHS
mark would think that after hearing all of those tales about his parents charmspeaking their way through strongholds and very important nightly outings, he would grow up to be as charismatic as they are. he and his parents don’t find out how wrong he was until he turned five. there were balloons, there was cake, and there were sparklers. little sizzling gold-colored sparklers emitted from the boy’s index fingertips. this brought dismay to his parents, as they actually did buy a thick pack of sparklers on a stick.
the parents figure it out after assisting their son doing light-hearted experiments in a week. they also became his mentors from then on. they didn’t know much about fireworks (the mother highkey hates them) but they helped mark try to keep his ability in check. and since the boy found himself intrigued by his own power, he succeeds.
of course his parents didn’t have all of the time in the world to give their boy more pointers. they still haven’t settled down– not completely, so they left him to the family maid to deal with his broadened curiosities. eventually mark managed to have a bit of a firework show in his own backyard.
once time called for it, mark began attending the academy, where he eventually learned that he could cast multi-megawatt flash bombs.
what a surprise!
WEAKNESSES
of course, his stealthy-powered parents had to worry about their adoring son’s abilities in the long run. he is able to cause a distraction, though mark will also risk being seen whether it’s intentional or not if unfortunate situations allow it.
as old as he is now, they still wonder if he wears his heart on his sleeve, as his emotions may have an effect on his control. literally, once he is flustered or angry enough, mark’s hands will get lit for all to see. and if that happens while his sparkling fingers are near anything, he’ll just might start a fire.
mark finds himself more comfortable practicing his abilities in a wide-open area. anything compacted would be too risky for him and anything else with mirrors or reflective objects would be severely worse, for his sparks can bounce off and create unfortunate incidents.
• • to be human, is to be ordinary • •
where do you lie?
❛ IT’S A BIRD, IT’S A PLANE – NO! IT’S 〈 AHN, JAEHYUN 〉◞ A HERO IN TRAINING WITH PRECOGNITION ; THEY’RE KEEPING STEADY IN THE RANKS AT #247. DON’T WORRY THOUGH, YOU CAN FIND THEM AT CLARK HALL, RM. 204.
• • to be inhuman, is to be extraordinary • •
× TW : TRIGGERS BLINDNESS, DEPRESSION, DEATH MENTION
PRECOGNITION
the ability to perceive future events before they take place.
STRENGTHS
Jaehyun is able to obtain direct knowledge of the future through waking visions, dreams, and on blank canvass. Most of the precognitive experiences happen within a few days prior to the future event. In rare cases precognitive experiences occur months or even years before the actual event takes place. His powers started when he was five, future events shown through dreams that would often become nightmares. Well known for being gifted in the arts, visions would often show upon his paintings before Jaehyun stopped without an explanation despite the wishes of his parents. The discovery of gene X after test results for signs of depression led to discussions of enrollment to Deviance Optimum, which Jaehyun refused to go initially.
Most visions concern unhappy events, such as death, illness, accidents, and natural disasters. Intimacy is also a major factor, with about 80 percent of such experiences involves a romantic partner, family member or anyone whom Jaehyun has emotional ties with. The remainder involves casual acquaintances and strangers; most of whom are victims in major disasters.
Up to the age of nineteen, Jaehyun tried to maintain a life uninfluenced by his ability, ignoring whatever visions he saw. Too stubborn to acknowledge the possible death of his then boyfriend, Jaehyun failed to prevent him from dying in a car accident. Struck with grief and guilt, Jaehyun found himself enrolled into Deviance Optimum.
WEAKNESSES
Most visions are not prophecies, depending heavily on possibilities and chance as the future is subject to frequent shifting. Precognition experiences that does not come through painting causes a major mental strain on Jaehyun, often leading him to temporary blindness that could last for a day to weeks.
Foretelling is involuntary and random, something Jaehyun has absolutely no control over. He cannot see the future when desired nor is able to choose which part of the future he wants to see. Most visions consist of near events, and it’s rare that he sees anything that is set in stone. Precognition experiences through art may be difficult to decipher if it’s drawn or painted too abstractedly.
• • to be human, is to be ordinary • •
where do you lie?
❛ IT’S A BIRD, IT’S A PLANE – NO! IT’S 〈 KIM, JISOOK 〉◞ A NEUTRAL IN WAITING WITH PLANT MANIPULATION ; THEY’RE KEEPING STEADY IN THE RANKS AT #120. DON’T WORRY THOUGH, YOU CAN FIND THEM AT SELINA HALL, RM. 202.
PLANT MANIPULATION
the ability to create, shape, and manipulate plants
STRENGTHS
kim jisook, a name is all she has. a privilege, she’s told, compared to what others among her group receive. lot numbers, barcodes, and labels. children that wear their hearts on their sleeves are put on the shelf, only brought out if they prove to possess a gene thought to be repulsive to the rest of the general population. the label of a freak becomes one of gifted, but none know the truth of it. too young to understand, too young to say no, too young to realize they’re being used. above all else, too naive to understand that when they entered their ‘home,’ they had done so with a price tag looming over their heads.
‘games’ are played, results are kept, and, by all definitions, jisook is a late bloomer. the concept of nature versus nurture is put to the test and she’s proof that even small flowers can break concrete. confined to the darkness of a loveless house, she still looks to the sun for strength. a sunflower that somehow doesn’t wither because she mistakes a cruel hand for light. adolescence comes and goes, her height doesn’t increase much to her disappointment and neither do her abilities much to her captor’s disappointment. a weak smile is sent her way as they discuss options and jisook mistakes the moment as more nourishing rays. her body is not as easily fooled as her mind.
fallen petals scatter at her feet and she’s completely uprooted. without improvements or a “practical” power, there’s no longer a use for her, not in the original sense intended. innocence is stolen away without the need to continue preserving her and she has nowhere to call home, not for more than one night. it’s then she understands that she hadn’t been rejoicing in the sunlight but she was shunned away into darkness from the start.
nature, on all accounts, saves her. if only she knew to how great an extent it did so.
her health begins to fail her without proper nurture and, like a plant, she only comes back to life at the hand of an angel with a green thumb, her savior, someone that carries true sunshine in their voice and smile. a florist with a quaint, hidden away shop in the middle of a concrete jungle such as seoul. unknowingly, she takes strength from the plants she’s now surrounded by ( flora energy manipulation ) and flourishes as brilliantly as the flowers do in the greenhouse. blossoms of cheerfulness and joy from corner to corner, head to toe.
the flowers grow thrice as quickly as she does in spirit, liveliness that can’t be countered by any other florist in miles. but that is the complete extent of her powers as far as jisook knows. therein lies her greatest weakness, a lack of knowledge.
WEAKNESSES
the decision to attend the academy is made reluctantly, one that essentially isn’t made by her at all. it’s the urging of the florist that encourages her to go and, from a young age, jisook still hasn’t learnt how to say no. it doesn’t suit her, she often says. defense and offense isn’t a possibility with how she can create flowers at whim and help those in place extend their roots, reach out their leaves, and bloom beyond expectation.
what she enjoys most is the fact that the experience is the closest she has to a normal school experience and open, fresh air. her priorities lie within the creation of flower crowns in abundance and finding anyone willing to don one atop their precious head. for a person whose abilities focus on nature, jisook’s greatest feature is how nurturing she is despite her past. secrets treated as fertilizer to grow a cheerful disposition but her most significant secret is one unknown to her as well. she can manipulate plants in general, not simply flowers and their energy is exactly what saved her when she was so easily cast aside. although she can create flowers at whim, not limited to those in the surrounding area or native to it, jisook is completely oblivious to the other applications of her power. the only application she even attempts outside of flower creation and manipulation is creating a petal blizzard.
other weaknesses include an extreme susceptibility to attacks involving fire or ice as well as radiation. she also has no specific way to completely strengthen the flowers she creates, rendering most of them as weak as one would expect flowers to be.
• • to be human, is to be ordinary • •
where do you lie?
❛ IT’S A BIRD, IT’S A PLANE – NO! IT’S 〈 KIM, JINHEE 〉◞ A VILLAIN IN TRAINING WITH DRAGON PHYSIOLOGY ; THEY’RE KEEPING STEADY IN THE RANKS AT #251. DON’T WORRY THOUGH, YOU CAN FIND THEM AT SELINA HALL, RM. 103.
DRAGON PHYSIOLOGY
dragon physiology is the ability to embody the power of a dragon.
STRENGTHS
i. ) the blood that courses her veins isn’t ordinary; its fiery, blazing with honor. its the blood of only the most elite, dragons. long before her birth, a beast of that kind was slain & his blood was left in a veil; used millions of years later to conjure her. at first, she’s just an egg made in a laboratory, mixed with the fierce ancestry; until she’s inserted into some poor soul. referring to her as mom would be a stretch but what else would she be? body donor, perhaps that’s a better word. though, since she died shortly after, confirmation not essential. one life in, another one out. you could say this is the first life Jinhee has took, but definitely not her last. she doesn’t cry when she’s born & the doctors make no big deal of it, they just clean her. as soon as the sticky web of red leaves her eyes, they open wide to reveal chocolate hues. her adorned orbs meet the fawning ones of masked men. its too much for the infant, being eyed by strangers, so she erupts in cries of agony. probably hoping to be whisked away by the mother she killed earlier, but of course that never happened. instead the doctors assure the tiny infant she’s in good hands.
ii. ) despite the circumstances of her birth, she’s cared for & nurtured like any other child. she’s surrounded by the same two men & women for most of her childhood, and they didn’t inform her of her true being until age six; when signs of her abilities show. a random tail sprouts on her lower back, she burps fire, she grows scales–then she questions. hiding it would be futile so they explain her bloodline, how she was created. they make it out to be a gift only the best receive, & her feeble six year old mind believes it. though she’s ripe now, they conclude she’s still too young. they postpone her “training”, giving her three more years of normalcy.
iii.) peace doesn’t last long; she’s just short of nine when they drag her into hell, or as they like to call it, “training”.
“ don’t you want to hone your abilities?”
they ask this question billions of times. and she was never reluctant with her nods & enthusiastic “yes!”. she trusted them. they raised her, gave her everything she wanted & more. why wouldn’t she trust them? she figures out later, this was a big mistake, never trust anyone. it starts off light at first, actual training. she goes through mazes, obstacle courses, weight lifting; normal things. and once things start to get too repetitive and easy, they switch it up. give her a new curriculum.
“don’t you want to be stronger?”
every blood curdling plea for mercy is met with this phrase. she feels like dying. in fact, everyday she prays something will go wrong and end her life. morbid thoughts for such a young mind. she used to be so full of grace & innocence. this color doesn’t fit her at all. red, for the blood that drips down her back & onto the cold cement. red, for her bloodshot eyes from lack of sleep & tears. red is her color now. along with black, the color of her cell walls. though, she never complains to the abusers. she doesn’t blame them. they only want to help her, she tells herself this to keep from hating them. they want to help, you’ll become stronger. the words she utters while she kneels on the ground, back raw & stinging. her weary head nods to the scientist & not long after she’s screeching; followed by a cracking whip.
“it’ll make you stronger, I promise.”
iv. ) dead promises. everyday she’s met with a new method of torture. anything you could name has been dished at her these past seven years. she’s seen it all, been through it all. she’s numb now, doesn’t have any feelings, barely feels pain. why does she let them do this? she doesn’t even know anymore. it takes her seven years, SEVEN GRUESOME YEARS of abuse to get a grip on reality. would of taken longer if she didn’t find out just exactly what they thought of her. the walls of her cellar are hollow, she can hear every creak. she over hears their conversation one day & that sends her over edge. dragons are famous for destruction, right? that’s why you don’t piss them off & boy, did they do it. they unknowingly unleash the trait infused in her being & she’s out for revenge.
She turns them into subjects of her own cruel punishments, pushing them all to the brink of death. she has fun reversing the roles. instead of her screeches its theirs while she erupts with laughter. she puts them through every form of torture possible before finishing off the job. the warmth of blood engulfs her flesh, washes coldness she’s so used to. now she’s finally free.
v.) she’s thrown into reality & somehow stumbles into Seoul where she’s forced to start anew. though, its not as easy as one would think. she’s so used to dark & dull, that the liveliness of the city scares her. normal human interaction fills her with anxiety since she’s been isolated for so many years, she doesn’t know how it works. she struggles every day but still puts forth her best efforts. though, somewhere along the way she gets too stressed & picks up a bad habit. she relieves her stress with white powder & pills. BUT, only when she’s entirely overwhelmed. other than that, she envelops all her time in schooling. she excels in her studies & that’s how she managed to snag a scholarship. now, she’s truly normal.
WEAKNESSES
Her abilities are endless, but they all come with their respective weakness. she’s able to shoot flames, but the width is never stable. they range from tennis balls to basketballs in size, and there’s no way for her to predict them. she usually just prays for the most appropriate size to come out. Her scales act as armor, she can coat most of her body in them to shield from physical damage but with such great defense, she sacrifices her speed & agility. dodging attacks is impossible unless she handicaps her victim somehow. also staying wrapped in the armor too long creates excruciating pain. during the first thirty minutes, the pain kicks in & when it starts, she can only hold out for thirty minutes, forty if she’s in very good condition. minor things are the bruising it leaves behind, also leaves her skin sensitive for a while.
• • to be human, is to be ordinary • •
where do you lie?
