Kaitlyn Davies ~ Facade (Complete!)
(OOC: I was thinking of a way to get Kaitlyn into the school and had an idea but Angie I dunno if this is okay with you... would it be okay to have Kaitlyn, a petty thief, try and take from the wrong person and try to pickpocket from Gambit and he'd see her change and realise she was a mutant and bring her with him to the institute? If not then just let me know and I'll find another way...)
Name: Kaitlyn Davies Nickname: Katie-Lynn, Kate, KD (also called Kraft Dinner), Kay Code Name: Facade Affiliation: X-Men Legal Status: Unregistered, no criminal record. Has participated in petty theft but has never been caught. Occupation: student at Xavier's, formerly an actress in NY (often with small plays) Place of Birth: New York City Marital Status: single Gender: Female Age: 17 Birthday: November 11th Hair: long, straight and chocolate brown. Eyes: two extremely bright blue eyes Height: 5"7 Weight: slim-average weight so whatever would be about normal for her height.
Mother: Mary-Lynn Starr (changed her maiden name of Davies to Starr for the stage) Father: David Sanders Other Important Relatives:
Kate has an older male cousin, Todd now 22, who lives in Ohio that has on occasion bailed her out of trouble. On her mother's side she has grandparents but her mother is estranged from them and she has never met them nor does she now know where they live.
Powers:
Kaitlyn gets her codename of Facade directly from her powers which most likely manifested and grew as a result of her spending much of her young life upon the stage and around actors.
Kay has the ability to change her appearance at will but rather than doing this by shapeshifting she can mask herself in a special kind of illusion. By using her powers of illusion she can make herself and only herself appear however she wants to, the limit being that she cannot appear as an inanimate object, plant or animal. Kay can only change her form into other humans.
There is also the fact that this change is only superficial and not skin deep. While Kay may appear a certain way to anyone around her (so long as her energy holds up and she maintains concentration) she does not take on qualities such as a person's powers, mindstate or behaviour and her form can not fool the senses other than the eyes. She will still sound like herself, smell like herself and if a person touches her they will feel her and not the illusion. For example if Kay were to mask herself in an illusion that resulted in her having a shaved head and someone were to touch her head it would look like there was no hair there but the hair on her head would still be felt to the touch. The same goes for if she were to become a heavyset person, she would still feel like her slim self to the touch. Kay's voice does not change nor does her movement since she is still herself and her figure has not really changed. As a result if she wants to immitate someone's actions she can do this only as well as she can through watching and immitaing, practice makes perfect.
As for clothes Kay is able to change any sort of clothing or jewelary on her body, to mask it that is and make it different or make it disappear etc. Again however this is only superficial and clothing made of cotton may look like silk but it won't feel that way.
This masking of herself that can cover up who she really is or the unpleasant sides of her personality has resulted in her earning the codename Facade and in her being a true actress and eyes and ears anywhere in any form. Her powers have also helped her in her acting career on stage and in petty theft.
Like any power though Kaitlyn's abilities have their limits. Her control over her powers is newfound and since she is still fairly young her disguise cannot be held up for long, probably five-ten minutes at the present point in time. Her powers depend on her health and how difficult the form is as well as on her concentration but as she matures and practices usage of her abilities that time limit will continue to slowly but surely grow. By the very height of her powers and health she could go for as long as forty-five minutes or an hour tops.
Since the form she takes on is not neccessarily a person she has seen and could just be a particular hair colour she imagines for example than she doesn't need to picture a person all the time as she maintains her disguise although she does need a clear picture when she first changes. She must have some amount of focus though because if she slips and completely forgets that she is in disguise than her cover will fall as well so it must always be in the back of her mind that she is doing this but she doesn't have to be actively thinking about it.
History:
Kaitlyn's mother Mary-Lynn was the child of a pair of wealthy but strict parents who kept a careful watch on their social daughter. Her childhood was very strict and as a result she rebelled when she hit her teens, deciding that she was going to pursue her passion for acting against her parents' wishes. Mary-Lynn headed to New York without the blessings of her parents and this resulted in a crack between parents and child that never fully mended.
Mary-Lynn got some jobs in smaller plays in the Big Apple, enough to get her a dingy appartment and enough so that she was able to live independantly and feed herself but she was a bright teen with so much potential and her parents hated to see it wasted. They didn't realise that acting was her dream, her passion and that she was happy despite her dingy life. For the next few years they came together only on special occasions and holidays, rarely calling one another or sending postcards. Once Mary-Lynn's parents came down to see a show she had the lead role in but they barely commented at all on the production, preferring instead to criticize their daughter's lifestyle and the production itself for it was a smaller play with little budget allowed.
From then on they talked even less yet there was still a connection there. That would all change in the next year however. Having spent two years in New York by the time she reached eighteen Mary-Lynn was beginning to settle in and she joined a smaller theatre company where she played opposite a dashing young man in several different roles. It was not long before they were involved on stage and off and their romance seemed straight out of the movies. Mary-Lynn was young and full of dreams though and after only a year she was convinced that they were meant to be. She gave herself to him one night and discovered shortly afterwards that she was pregnant.
The director could not have the young romantic lead in his play pregnant and the aspiring actress was forced to drop out of her lead role. David, her co-star, never seemed thrilled by the idea of a baby but he continued to stay by Mary-Lynn for a few months. He however was still the romantic lead and Mary-Lynn's replacement was a fresh faced blonde full of the same beauty and innocence that had once attracted him to Mary-Lynn. David had never promised marriage or any sort of committment and he became romantically involved with his new co-star, telling Mary-Lynn he'd send her a check or something for the baby but saying specifically that he didn't want to be involved.
Mary-Lynn contacted her parents who with their old fashioned beliefs were appalled by the thought of a woman unmarried with a child. They said they would take care of their daughter however that would entail a life where Mary-Lynn's baby would grow up being controlled by it's grandparents and constantly she would be reminded of the mistake she had made by her controlling mother and she didn't want that. She cut off ties with her family. Mary-Lynn gave birth a few months later to a tiny beautiful daughter who she named Kaitlyn, after a favourite acting role of hers.
Mary-Lynn got right back into acting, taking on a part time job as well because she had to pay for everything somehow. She cared for her baby with love despite not having anyone else there to support her. What Mary-Lynn was unaware of however was that David had carried a dorment X-Gene that would manifest itself in his daughter.
Kaitlyn was a child of the theatre and she grew up there, as a toddler she would be left backstage in the hands of one of lighting or set design instructors and from an early age the stage was her home. The director of the company she was a part of took full advantage of having a child around, using her in productions when she was old enough to memorize lines. He figured he was entitled since Mary-Lynn brought her daughter to the theatre and left her in care so much there.
Kaitlyn matured quickly as a child who is raised around adults with few children playmates often does. She learned to help out backstage in various capacilities and she was at home on the stage under the bright lights, a natural actress like her mother. Socially however Kaitlyn was a failure. The acting she had been doing from such a young age became a front to her and she was often cheery, outgoing and smiley on the outside, putting on a front for all the world to see and smiling for the audience. Inside was a lonely quiet girl who always felt like an outsider. Around people she learned not to be herself because herself was a quiet rather dull girl who liked to be left alone to read, her other passion in life aside from the stage. People wanted stories and people wanted smiles and Kaitlyn gave the people what they wanted. She was taught not to be herself and so she began to forget where she ended and the fake her or the characters she portrayed began.
As she entered her teen years Kaitlyn's X-Gene began to activate although she was not aware that the change was even happening to her. The powers she began to manifest were subtle at first and fit so well in with her profession that they were not noticeable for a good year or two. In the theatre makeup artists began to notice that Kaitlyn often looked the part she was going to play on performance nights, the change wasn't drastic enough for anyone to question it, it was simply a trick of the lights or an odd coincidence. She didn't require as much makeup however as most others playing roles. Although she was unaware of it Kaitlyn was tapping into her mutant powers.
As she grew into a young woman however her mother was also aging and the years were not so kind to her as they were to her beautiful young daughter. She began to grow too old to appear in many of the main roles that had been her livelihood for so long and as a result Mary-Lynn and Kaitlyn's income faltered. When it got to the point where they were months past paying rent they became desperate. Kaitlyn's theatre roles were now supporting the both of them and the strain was difficult. Without even realising it one night she changed completely in front of the eyes of one of the supporting actresses in the production, her mutant abilities flaring up suddenly in a burst of emotion. The girl had been raised against mutants all her life and told the director of the show who couldn't risk a leak that the lead actress in his play was a mutant. He fired her from the production and from all further shows immediately.
Kaitlyn wasn't able to cope with the thought that she had lost her part and her source of income and she was used to covering up problems or running away. She packed her bags and left town leaving only a note for her mother saying she was sorry and that maybe she'd keep in touch. She hitchhiked and walked through the state for the next several months, taking odd jobs with little pay as she needed money and leaving whenever her uncontrollable mutant powers presented themselves once again and she unwillingly transformed. Soon the now fifteen year old came to a realisation though and she knew that if she could even partially master her abilities then she would be able to survive better on the streets. Kaitlyn worked at controlling her abilities even though she didn't know where to begin and although she couldn't control how she would change her appearance she did begin to be able to transform at least some features of herself when wanted.
Kaitlyn took to the malls then and the crowded streets and began a life of petty theft and pickpocketing that got her the money she needed for food and board. She would take a wallet or some cash but by the time the victim realised they had been robbed she was an entirely different person blending into the crowd. In that way she gained enough to keep her going and she would sent money on occasion to her mother but with no return address and only a postcard, never a full update on her life, such as it was.
By the time she turned seventeen theft was life for Kaitlyn and everything that came before it was fuzzy, her previous life as an actress only a dream. She moved around the country, going where she wanted, especially to tourist attractions since tourists often carried large amounts of cash on them. She became sloppy though, no longer scopping out her victims and choosing the easy picks, the rich travellers too absorbed in the sights to see anything else. She challenged herself and she failed for Kaitlyn unknowingly tried to rob Remy Lebeau and was caught in the act of changing her appearance. Recognising she was a mutant he took her back with him to the institute and after a meeting with Professor Xavier Kaitlyn became a student at the school.
The adjustment has been understandably hard for her because she has lived her life alone and has never had to rely on or trust others. So long spent on the streets and away from people who cared has toughened her shell and Kaitlyn now doesn't know how to be herself for that happy but quiet child died as she took to the streets. Settling in and getting used to life among others of her kind is difficult but at least with help from some of her professors Kaitlyn has mastered her powers and is able now to write to her mother and to begin to repair the relationship she fractured years ago.
Personality:
At one point in time, when she was just a child on stage then everything else would dim in comparison and she couldn't stop smiling. Kaitlyn loves the feeling of being on stage and of becoming someone else but she took on so many roles that she forgot herself in the process. Although she's really a quiet and well behaved introvert, often moody and with a sharp reply to anyone who bothers her, her facade to the outside world is one where she smiles and talks pleasantly, where she is the perfect teenager. She is disconnected from her emotions and withdrawn from people unless she is pretending around them and as a result will rarely willingly go to social events. She is also distrusting and is not trusted much in turn by fellow students who don't know her and can't seem to get to know her try as they might. Overall she is lonely but unable to let anyone in and to admit it to herself.
Likes:
Being on stage/acting, her powers, her eyes, books, plays/movies, sarcasm and being critical, getting what she wants
Dislikes:
Snotty or disrespectful people, being denied what she wants, team work, most people
email: cdinsmore@sympatico.ca
Sample Post:
*flashes stage spotlight that blinds the bio reader so Kay can sneak past*
Edited by: 0x Tempest x0 at: 6/17/05 4:21 pm
Aaaaand once again a Lady of Arendor product... sooo little work for me to do *pretends to regret that* It's kinda funny how we mostly pick up loners when having such a strong focus on teams here, eh? ^^"
You know me, I'm no many of many words *coughs* sooo...
- please add an approximate time limit for her power
- does she need to have seen the person she wants to disguise as? is it necessary for her to "keep the picture in mind" so to speak or is it self-stabilizing? (guess the second one would be better because otherwise, she'd have to picture every side of her at the same time)
.. and that's it. Well, what I expect... I mean, you nagged at bios long before I even started playing *bows* Her power isn't overly new and super-creative but her past is well thought-through and original... I like it.
As one of the oldest members, I believe you can start playing with just one stamp of acceptance
~ Matt
"There is a way out, I know there is. Mother, sisters, guide me for the Balance needs to be restored!"
Re: Kaitlyn Davies ~ Facade (Complete!)
Thanks Matt and yup you're completely right about their being so many loners *pretends she doesn't play half of them* Well I'm not much of a fan of teams or group work so that stems from reality I guess for me but I can't speak for anyone else.
- please add an approximate time limit for her power
Well she's relatively recently gained complete control over her power and she's still youngish among mutants so at the moment not long. She could probably keep up her disguise for 5-10 minutes depending on her health and how difficult the form was as well as on her concentration but as she matures and practices usage of her abilities that time limit will continue to slowly but surely grow. By the very height of her powers and health she could go for as long as forty-five minutes or an hour tops.
- does she need to have seen the person she wants to disguise as? is it necessary for her to "keep the picture in mind" so to speak or is it self-stabilizing?
Since it isn't neccessarily a person she has seen and could just be a particular hair colour she imagines for example then no she doesn't need to picture them all the time although she does need a clear picture when she first changes. She must have some amount of focus though because if she slips and completely forgets that she is in disguise than her cover will fall as well so it must always be in the back of her mind that she is doing this but she doesn't have to be actively thinking about it.
Yah I know the powers aren't awesome but I thought up the codename first (Facade is such a cool word! *watches people stare* What?) and they just completely fit with that and yah the past was the main focus.
Re: Kaitlyn Davies ~ Facade (Complete!)
Haha glad I'm not the only one. I keep having cool words come into my mind that just scream codename and then I feel the need to create a character around that...yes I know I'm strange.
Alright I'll add the info now. Should we keep the bio here for Angie to see the bit about Gambit which I would probably need her permission for or is it a small enough detail that you don't think she'd mind?
Re: Kaitlyn Davies ~ Facade (accepted &lingering for Ang
well, I don't think she'd mind but still it's her character so we should wait for her to accept or decline that detail. If you don't mention that part, you can start posting IC with her anyway though..
Re: Kaitlyn Davies ~ Facade (Complete!)
Lady.. sheesh, of COURSE you can have Gam-*screams as doggie tries to pull out the net cord, scares him off and cackle while hugging it tightly*-bit, you, Loza, Matt, all the lot of you who I RP with forever have my full trust in abusing my characters! *Watches Matt drag Max off into a secluded corner*....hmm..
*stamps* Could only skim it, sorry...*runs off to open 40 opens she needs to catch up with in so sort an amount of time*
Will you have this dance with me... will dance in my arms forever?
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