User: | _touchless_ (641508) Kevin Ford
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Name: | _touchless_ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bio: | Player Info Name: Jaycee Email Address: witherthougoest at gmail dot com IM/MSN Username: witherthougoest
Basic Info Real Name: Kevin Nicholas Ford Nicknames: Kev, Ford, Deathboy Affiliation: n/a Occupation: Student Education Level: High school senior Physical Age/Birthdate: 17, 5/18 Height: 5’11” Build: Moderately broad shoulders, narrow hips, and lots of lean, wiry muscle Hair: Medium brown, shaggy, and frequently slightly unkempt Eyes: Hazel and slightly angular Appearance: Honestly, Kevin's face is probably best described as ‘striking’ or memorable rather than conventionally handsome, and from some angles he looks positively feline. His hazel eys are bright and slightly slanted and crinkle at the corners when he smiles. And he smiles (and laughs) a lot, bright and winning, and has very animated features. He’s exceptionally - possibly excessively - fit, but he finds that physical exertion can be a really good outlet for some of the issues his powers create for him. Besides, he’s been at one school or another in the system since he was eleven years old, and the physical training regime is not something he’s ever been allowed to slack off on. He doesn't carry any body fat to speak of, because ‘eating’ is a chore not a pleasure, but he does not suffer from malnutrition in any way, shape, manner or form. He keeps his hair long and tends to let it fall over his face because it helps break up the death and decomposition everywhere he looks when his powers aren’t sated or he’s overtired or stressed, which is fortunately only a hit and miss problem given his regular powers training schedule and fairly decent outlook on life. His hands are heavily calloused from years of working with metal, and his hands, forearms and torso are lightly peppered with small scars, some of them from burns and others from cuts. Clothes-wise, when he’s not in his school uniform (which he’s so used to it’s almost like a second skin) he tends towards slightly baggy cargoes or jeans and shirts in layers - tank top, t-shirt, long-sleeved hoodie, button down, with a jacket thrown over top if weather permits, and sometimes even if it doesn’t. Neither one really shows off his physique to best advantage, the layers going a long way to conceal just how fit and toned he is. In uniform he always wears the blazer and usually the sweater as well, even in hot weather, as layers make him feel safer around others. He always has gloves on, even when he sleeps, and he always wears a bright red med-alert bracelet on his right wrist that warns emergency responders to NOT TOUCH HIM. When he’s at school he keeps it tucked under his glove and sleeve, but when he leaves the campus the makes sure it’s visible just in case. Played By: Jared Padalecki Powers, Abilities and Stats Powers: Kevin’s power gives him the ability to decay all forms of organic matter by touch – a power which is involuntary. Contact with his skin breaks down the binding forces between organic molecules, causing organic materials to wither and reduce to a pile of dust within a matter of seconds once he touches them. This power is even more difficult to deal with due to the fact that it wants to be used, it ‘hungers’, and if he doesn’t use it he becomes restless, agitated, and extremely physically uncomfortable, like something’s itching and burning beneath his skin. It’s also addictive and the more he uses it the more it ‘wants’ to be used, creating something of a vicious cycle. He also sometimes sees organics in a decayed or dying state, a situation which is exacerbated by exhaustion, stress, pain, or simply going for too long without allowing his powers an outlet. Years of very intense training have actually expanded his powers somewhat and, while he still has nothing he’d consider actual ‘control’ and honestly can’t really imagine he ever will at this point, he can now ash things he’s not in direct physical contact with. He always could to an extent...with the most unpleasant example being that if he ashed a person their clothes would be destroyed as well, but this is a pretty distinct leap beyond that. If he touches a bush he can push his powers out hard and fast enough now to ash the bushes touching the one he’s actually in contact with. Or if he puts his hand to the grass at his feet he can push his powers out in a circle from that spot. He’s still limited to things within about ten to twenty feet of him, but his trainers are confident his range will only expand with practice and keep trying to convince him that if he can push his powers out in that way he can pull them in as well, reel them back far enough beneath his skin to make touch possible. He’s got a pretty big mental block on that point, unfortunately. Kevin cannot eat normally, as his power also affects the mucous membranes inside his mouth, though once past that point into any truly ‘internal’ portion of his body it no longer seems to be active. This means that to eat he must get nourishment past that point, which requires nutritionally enhanced liquids and medical grade tubing. He’s been ‘eating’ this way since he was eleven, and it’s simply a not particularly pleasant but routine part of his life that keeps him more than adequately nourished. There is no limit to how long he can use his power, as using it is actually an energy gain for him, not expenditure, though beyond feeling really damn good and keeping his death sight in check he doesn’t appear to receive any actual benefit from the energy he absorbs. Generation: First generation all the way, and his parents were so pleased. Still are, in general terms, though they’re hoping he’ll some day achieve enough control to allow them to touch him again. It’s been six years now. Hearing: average Eyesight: average Dexterity/Agility: he has VERY good manual dexterity when it comes to manipulating small items from his art Physical Strength: slightly above average and very physically fit General Health: excellent IQ: Kevin’s not a genius, but he does okay. His ‘intelligence’ runs somewhat more along artistic than academic lines; as well as to reading and relating to people, believe it or not. Mental Health: remarkably good, all things considered. He’s got some serious mental blocks going on about controlling his powers due to a very bad incident when he was twelve, but he’s mostly at peace with his powers themselves and pretty happy with his life over all. That’s partially due to a lot of intensive therapy over the last five years but, honestly, it’s mostly thanks to Josh. Skills: Despite a general lack of interest in guns or marksmanship, he's an excellent shot with a wide range of weapons and a fairly accomplished martial artist/hand to hand fighter, though his skill set there is heavily weighted towards evasive maneuvers. He’s also a pretty damned good fencer and has been on the fencing teams at both the Savannah and San Francisco schools. In addition, he’s a talented artist working primarily in scrap metal, glass, wire, and other found objects. He's played piano since he was four - his mother’s a teacher - and used to play violin as well, but that’s too difficult with gloves so he gave it up after he manifested. School Life School: High school Year: Senior Years at Xavier's: One at Xavier’s, from age 11-12, and five more spread between the Savannah and San Francisco campuses Relatives Attending: none Dorm: House, Floor, Room Number. Pierce Hall, 217 Roommate(s): Santo Vacarro Pet: He had a turtle (named Leonardo, leave him alone) but he (he thinks it’s a he) got a bit big for his tank so now he lives in Kevin’s parents’ backyard pond. He replaced Leonardo with a yellow corn snake named Midas when he started high school. Nice and slow and handle-able without having to worry about it accidentally getting at skin. http://www.buttercornsnake.com/img/tn_butter-corn-snake-02.jpg School Team(s): Fencing Activities & Clubs: Art club, Sculpture, LGBTS Background Family: Trent and Katherine Ford, parents (non-powered) Religion: Catholic, a bit lapsed History: Kevin was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to a middle school music teacher and an auto mechanic. It was a loving home and he had a good life, though money was sometimes a little tight. He started playing both piano and violin at an early age due to his mother’s influence, but it was his father who ended up having the most profound impact on his aspirations. He’d always liked art; coloring and finger painting and easter egg decorating and paper snowflake cutting. If it allowed him to express himself in a visual medium he loved it. And then he went to work with his dad and discovered the glory that was a welding torch. He’d learned to use one properly by the time he was nine and by ten he was taking trips to the scrapyard with his dad and constructing elaborate, and sometimes massive, sculptures with his findings. He had a definite talent for it and his parents were considering trying to enroll him in an arts magnet when the point became moot. He didn’t manifest gradually, and he didn’t wait for puberty like most kids seemed to. He was just past eleven when he was in class one day, doing a math problem at the board, and the nightmare of kids everywhere came true. He ended up stark naked in front of the entire class. He’d noticed he seemed to be awfully...dusty...throughout the day, but that really was all the warning he had before his clothes simply dropped away in a drift of ash. And when he ducked behind the teacher’s desk to hide while his classmates tried to decide if they should point and laugh or run in fear the desk disappeared at the touch of his hand. The teacher was panicking more than a little himself but fortunately had the sense to stay back and start herding the other children from the room as the wooden floor beneath the Kevin’s feet and then the wall he leaned against as he backed into the corner in building panic started to dissolve as well. Even more fortunately, the school had procedures in place for dealing with potentially dangerous manifestations - though it had never needed them before - and by the time the room was empty of everyone but Kevin and his teacher the school counselor had arrived and S.H.I.E.L.D. had been contacted to send an emergency team. Of course, by then Kevin was completely panicked, which just seemed to speed the pace of the destruction, and the counselor set about trying to talk him through it in the hopes that calming him down would get his new found power under control. Unfortunately it didn’t work and he ended up simply talking Kevin into keeping upright and moving so he wouldn’t ash his way entirely through the structural supports in any one section of the classroom and bring the walls or ceilings down. By the time the S.H.I.E.L.D. team showed up twenty minutes later the man had managed to get Kevin to move out of the classroom, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake all the way to the bathroom down the hall, where they’d finally found something that didn’t seem susceptible to his power. He ended up crouched on the tile floor in the far back stall, arms wrapped around his knees and shaking in fear, and it took well over an hour of trial and error and careful coaxing for the agents to be able to do a proper assessment. At which point they determined that his powers were capable of destroying any and all organic matter instantly on contact and, at least at that point, were completely beyond his ability to control. There was no question of him being able to stay home and go on as before, the way most other kids did when they manifested, and by the time his parents had been summoned to the school the determination had already been made that he should be moved to the Xavier Academy. His parents weren’t really given any choice, but it wasn’t like they actually had one to begin with. Not with as dangerous as his powers obviously were. He was given some inorganic clothing and his first pair of gloves that weren’t for playing in the snow and taken home to collect his things. His parents said their goodbyes very very carefully - and Kevin remembers to this day that they both insisted on hugging him goodbye, regardless of the supervising S.H.I.E.L.D. agent’s recommendation - and he and his belongings were bundled onto a private jet en route for the Xavier Academy. It was hard leaving his parents, he was only eleven years old and he’d never been away from home for more than a night or two at a time before, but it was obviously the right decision. It helped that his parents were incredibly supportive and incredibly proud of his new status despite the nature of his powers. They messaged him daily with encouragement and support, and the faculty and staff of the Academy made it abundantly clear that there was nothing wrong with him or his powers and that they were confident in his ability to learn to control them. He was even assigned room-mates once he’d learned the limits of his powers. With that kind of support he settled in quickly, made friends with his room-mates and the other - mostly un-powered, at his age - kids in his class, and started making a new life for himself. He was friendly, outgoing and bright, and was absolutely convinced that in no time flat he’d have control of his power and be able to live normally again. Even when the weeks stretched to months with no noticeable change he didn’t give up hope, though he had his moments of frustration. He just needed to work harder, obviously. He’d get there. The next year, when he was almost twelve years old, he gained a new room-mate, and a new instant best friend. Even though their powers and backgrounds could hardly have been more different, he and Josh Foley just clicked like he never had with anyone before. They were inseparable almost from the first day and, for some reason Kevin couldn’t quite manage to identify, having Josh in his life made him even more determined that he’d learn to control his powers and be able to touch again some day. And then The Accident happened. It wasn’t really an accident, but that’s the only way he’ll let himself think of it or refer to it. Apparently, at least partially inspired by his fast friendship with Josh, his trainers had started considering a new approach to helping him learn to draw his powers back. They were planning to match him with one of the older, trained healers, an eighteen year old senior who’d already been accepted into the Cadet program, with the expectation that his power would at least partially negate Kevin’s, and give him time in contact with another person’s skin to focus on the feel of his powers and work on reeling them in. The plan was for it to be careful and controlled and, if it proved successful, the potential first step toward pairing him with Josh, an already much more powerful though less trained healer, for powers training. The planned guinea pig was, unfortunately, ambitious and impulsive, as well as over-confident of his strength, and when briefed on his intended role decided that his instructors would be positively floored by his initiative, power, and planning if he got together with Kevin before the formal training sessions began and did some work in private. It couldn’t help but reflect well on him if the kid showed up for his first official session with some control already in place and singing his praises, after all. Kevin took a little convincing, of course, because he knew he wasn’t supposed to touch people, but the older boy was a Cadet, after all, or going to be. And he said that he didn’t just have permission, but orders to work with him. He’d even booked them a training suite. So Kevin followed along, did as he was told...and in the fraction of a second after the older boy activated his powers and wrapped his bare hand firmly around Kevin’s equally bare wrist and before Kevin jerked away in shock and horror the other boy’s arm disappeared to the shoulder in a fall of ash. The aftermath was...a nightmare. There was no question that it was his fault, but not being blamed didn’t change the fact he’d maimed someone. Someone who would apparently never recover. What made it worse was how incredible it had felt when he’d touched the other boy. A surge of power like he’d never known had washed through him and it terrified him. Apparently the incident also distressed a lot of other students, and rumors even circulated that he’d killed the other boy. He was long gone before those became widespread, though, as S.H.I.E.L.D. decided that it would be best to move him away from the scene of the trauma and, just incidentally, closer to home. He spent a week at home first, but then was transferred to the Savannah campus of the powered education system. He wasn’t anywhere near as open or optimistic here as he had been at Xavier’s, he was too frightened of his powers now, and he was put into three times weekly therapy to try and help him work through the experience. The therapy didn’t help nearly as much as the fact that Josh didn’t just keep in touch with him, he kept in almost obsessive touch with him. He stood by him through it all and assured him repeatedly that it hadn’t been his fault, that there was nothing wrong with him, and that he would get control someday. Josh had already become his best friend, but in the immediate aftermath of the accident he became his lifeline. They exchanged letters and emails, they skyped daily, Kevin’s art, an outlet he always maintained, began to focus more and more on Josh. If it hadn’t so obviously been almost the only thing pulling Kevin out of the depression and fear the incident had sent him into it might have been discouraged as an unhealthy degree of dependence. As it was, those involved with Kevin were simply pleased that he had something to hold on to and use to drag himself back to some degree of normality. Which he did, though it took most of the rest of the year. By the end of it, though, he’d pulled his grades back up almost to where they’d been, made a few friends again - though not as many or as freely as he had at Xavier’s - and was even toying with joining the fencing team at Josh’s suggestion. It was the perfect sport for him - no physical contact and everything was covered up. That summer, when he went home for the break, his parents extended an invitation for Josh to come visit for a week. Amazingly enough, Josh’s parents allowed it and the boys had an amazing time, exploring and goofing off and just generally being kids together. Powers or not, tragedy or not, Kevin had possibly never been happier, and his parents (especially his mom) loved Josh for making that possible. When school went back they maintained their friendship and, if anything, increased the level of their correspondence. Kevin did join the fencing team and did remarkably well, and also took to making the occasional smaller sculpture...small enough he could mail it to Josh. Another summer rolled around and another invitation was extended, this time for two weeks. And another amazingly good time was had, this time with the addition of some mildly awkward but mostly easy to ignore sexual tension. They were thirteen, though, and it didn’t stay so easy to ignore. By the time the next summer rolled around they’d been dancing around the issue on Skype and in letters and notes for months, and when Josh came to visit again the creativity of horny teenage boys who were pretty sure they were in love was quickly put to the test. They were incredibly careful, because Kevin will never be anything other than almost neurotically careful with Josh, but it’s amazing what you can do with a little determination and some heavy duty plastic wrap. By then, however, the relationship that had appeared beneficial before was starting to look less so to both of their trainers. They were spending so much time on skype that both their grades had been starting to suffer, as well as their involvement in outside activities. The decision was made to transfer Kevin again, with the justification that the San Francisco campus had a more intensive program and the trainers there might be able to help him make progress towards controlling his powers...and incidentally, the time difference between there and New York might force a bit of cooling off in his and Josh’s long distance relationship. It didn’t. Kevin’s social life just suffered even more, as he blew friends and activities off to be able to talk to Josh earlier in the day before his boyfriend had to crash for the night, and Josh stayed up later and got less rest so they could spend time together on-line. It got even worse when Kevin was encouraged to stay at school over the summer to continue working on his powers training...and try to get his grades up. But missing his annual couple weeks with Josh just blew his focus even more and it didn’t improve once the school year rolled back around. He was even starting to neglect fencing and his art and finally, after one disciplinary action too many, the decision was made to just give up and send him back to Xavier’s at the beginning of February, without even waiting for the end of the semester. It had been long enough since the incident, and he’d moved on past it so well, that his trainers and therapist didn’t anticipate any adverse effects from that, and since they’d failed so utterly in discouraging his and Josh’s relationship they’d decided it was time to see if simply allowing it to run its course wouldn’t be for the best. It might even fail under the pressure of reality, and at least they wouldn’t have to waste so much precious time locked in their rooms on skype just to communicate. Personality: Kevin’s remarkably well-adjusted and easy going, all things considered. He’s cautious around people, but not irrationally so, and makes friends fairly easily. He is very well acquainted with his own limits and will touch people he’s comfortable around and who are comfortable around him, and will even be fairly casual about it. It’s not like he isn’t always more than adequately covered, after all, and his powers are generally kept sated enough through training that ignoring their hunger isn’t really an issue. He’s a good listener and is generally up for hanging out or goofing around - or used to be before his last transfer screwed his schedule up so badly that it became hard to do much beyond barely keep up with his school work and training while keeping in what he considers the bare minimum of acceptable contact with Josh. Despite being pretty easy going socially he can actually be a bit of a control freak about his personal life. He can’t control his powers, or his own skin because of them, so he tends to try and control everything else he can within reason. He’s a bit of a neat freak as a result. He’s very attached to his pet snake; taking care of something else and keeping it alive and even being able to handle it carefully makes him feel less isolated by his powers, even if he’s still doing it all at one remove through gloves. He is 100% interested in absolutely no one but Josh, but given the constraints imposed by his powers he’s got the idea that Josh needs more than he can possibly provide. While he doesn’t come right out and say it he drops the occasional hint that he’d be fine with it if Josh felt the need to...do something. About things. With someone not him. Not that he actually would be fine with it, but he feels like he should be and he’d try damned hard to be if Josh were to take him up on it. At this point, getting any degree of control over his powers is like some sort of holy grail to him. He wants absolutely nothing more than to be able to safely touch Josh, even if it’s only for a few seconds at a time. Everything else, even being able to hug his parents again, comes in a very distant second. He actually has put a good bit of fairly creative thought into ways they might get around his powers if they ever get a chance again, though. Mannerisms and quirks: If he’s nervous at all he tends to tug on his gloves and sleeves, making absolutely sure they overlap, and if someone comes too directly towards him too fast, or in a way that gives him cause to think they might possibly touch him, he’ll flinch away reflexively. Conversely, he’s actually fairly casual about touching the few people he’s really close to and comfortable with, though that list will consist entirely of Josh when he shows up new, and he will touch Josh somewhere (safe) at all times if he’s in range. He watches hands a lot, and can sometimes get a bit lost in simply watching people touch skin to skin in even the simplest ways. Likes: Josh, art, his parents, fencing, skyping with Josh, school, Leonardo and Midas, his powers, the smell of hot metal, the satisfaction of finishing a piece, cold weather, the outdoors, really high quality synthetic fabrics, being alone behind a locked door so he can strip off at least a little...and skyping with Josh once he’s managed said stripping off. Especially if Josh reciprocates. Dislikes: not being able to touch people, not being able to eat, really stinking hot weather, being separated from Josh and not having seen him in person for nearly two years, animals that dart around and jump at you or climb on you. Relationships: Friends: He’s just coming back to the school after a lot of years away, anyone who wants to have known him 5 years ago is welcome, though, and he’s open to being friends with just about anyone. Enemies: None, unless there’s anyone around who wants to hold a grudge from the kid he maimed 5 years ago. Marital status: single but very very taken Past Relationships: none Present Relationships: He's functionally been in a relationship with Josh Foley since he was 12 years old Planned Relationships: that'd be Josh still Sexual Preference: Sex. Sex would be really awesome. He’d like to have that some day and he’s even got some ideas on how to try going about it. Very carefully. With Josh. (Oh, and yes, he's gay) Info at a glance: He has a warm Georgia drawl that’s only faded a bit over the years. He’s always very well covered in layers, even in the hottest of weather. He always wears a bright red med-alert bracelet on his right wrist that warns people to NOT TOUCH HIM, but he only pulls it out so it’s visible over his gloves and long sleeves if he’s leaving campus...though when he first transfers in he’ll keep it visible for a week or two until he’s comfortable with the idea that everyone he interacts with regularly is well aware that he is not ever to be touched. Sample RP exempt Links to fanfiction/other games/other journals: exempt By submitting this application I confirm that I have read and understand the rules and that I am eighteen years of age or older. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Schools: | None listed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Friend of: | 37: _canttouchthis_, _firebug_, _incurable_, _kitzilla_, _supersoldier_, _touchless_, after_burners, agentelixir, be_a_lady, bloodandashes, deal_the_arcana, doctorlizardo, fatedtouch, fish_in_my_ear, gold_dust, goldentwin, hent_eye, hewhocometh, hotashell, modernmarvel, outsidemyself, petra_firma, power_vacuum, prima_frost, protective_seal, riosungod, riosungodling, rockem_sockem, rockstarglow, shake_me_up, skinny_girl, stark_raving, taiji_misc, taketotheheir, wannabe_wither, wingbearer, witherthougoest | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Member of: | 2: tensor, tensor_ooc | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Account type: | Free Patient | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date created: | 2010-03-09 17:39:45 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date updated: | 2011-06-14 19:56:49, 674 weeks ago | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Clients used: | Web: 2.0.0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Journal entries: | 15 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Comments: | Posted: 506 - Received: 92 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Posting Access: | 2: tensor, tensor_ooc |