Postby The-Case » Thu Jan 20, 2005 5:23 pm
Name: Latem
Age: Around 16-18, but he cannot be sure.
Abilities:
Latem is a metal elemental, being able to sense; manipulate; and, to some extent, manifest his element. He is not by any means made of metal, but because of the nature of his body, he is very, very dense, and so precariously heavy in spite of being almost light-framed. Around 700 lbs. He never steps onto a new branch without careful and nervous assessment, and cannot set a single tread on any of the great Rope Bridges—fearing above all things: falling through into the infinite sea. Absolutely incapable of swimming, he sinks like an anchor. If he slips into the expanse, there is no telling how fast he would plummet or how long he would suffer under the immense pressures before drowning. His body, however, also allots him great endurance and resistance to injury. He requires little food or drink to survive and only a couple hours of sleep a night. The rest of his night-time he spends taking thoughtful walks about the heavy branches or lying in his favorite nook. His strength is supernormal as well, but its prominence is nearly consumed by having to move and control the momentum of his own limbs. He must pay great attention to being gental.
His elemental ability of manifestation is limited. Though he can create nearly all species and alloys, he is incapable of producing any truly large amounts of metal before becoming exhausted and falling faint. Fainting is something he greatly fears because it could cause him to fall off a branch and into the dreaded water. Like shiny, cool liquid from his hands, it wells from nowhere, and once made, he is expertly able to fashion and form it by will, whether its origin lies in him or not. It is far easier for him to manipulate meal through touch, but with fine effort and concentration he can manipulate it from a distance. His improficiency in manifestation is because of a lack of motivation to refine it. He doesn’t think it is very practical to risk swooning off into the merciless ocean in training, when he sees no real reason he would ever want to make more than a few cubic decimeters at a time, anyway.
Hobbies:
For his abilities, he is asked every now and then to perform odd repairs and such things around the Tree, whereby he makes the little money he requires to sustain his minimal needs. But this is not where he uses most of his power. He finds himself most often using his abilities in creating hand-sized statuettes and ornaments, which he will fashion to satisfy his mood; allow to glisten in the sun for a few moments in his hand; and then absorb it back into his body. A few of these creations, however, he does not destroy but gives as special gifts to some of his closest friends. The detail of these works is exquisite; indeed, plucked right out of his imagination.
Latem enjoys playfully animating his sculptures in his hand to emulate blowing trees, flying winged-creatures, and things that interest him. As an occasional joke, he will entertain his friends with comical depictions of willing volunteers and school teachers. His work with these trinkets is why his manipulation of metal through touch is so fine.
He has also made a few small calling devices of unique, easily-distinguishable metals that Latem can sense from anywhere in the Tree. His friends call him by moving the devices a certain ways to catch Latem’s attention when they want to meet. Latem has been known to playfully destroy these devices from time to time as his friends use them for good-humored practical jokes.
Personal Day-Dream:
Though not a bitter person, from time to time Latem secretly accuses his body of being a clumsy defect. In spite of his its inherent protection and low upkeep, he is faced with many limitations because of his body. Indeed, much difficulty, entrapment, and fear accompanies his abilities and endurance. He must constantly be wary of deep water, and he cannot wrestle or play sports with his friends because he may accidentally crush someone under him or, in excitment, use his strength unchecked and hurt one of his friends.
He is jealous of the light, and agile bodies of the air-beings. He longs with an aching heart for their wings that he may perhaps be unbound. He often imagines himself among the Winged—those flittering angels of the sky—darting and soaring in defiance of gravity and the gaping waters. The Winged are, to him, his most exact opposites. Where he is tethered to only the thick and normal branches of the Great Tree, they nimbly grace the air and perch on far shoots to watch the sun disappear to the evening.
His statuettes very often depict the winged creatures in flight or, perhaps, perching whimsically on a bough. However, his favorite musings of all are those of himself with feathery expansions of his own. He fashions these figures only by himself and promptly destroys them before anyone sees. He is embarrassed by his day-dreams, but he can’t help but wish it were true.
Though he does all this in private, he fools no one.
Hey it's me,
----Chase the Case