#ca:taken

01. BASICS

NAME: Elena Arias Montero TITLE: The Loner DATE OF BIRTH: March 4th, 1995 ( Twenty-three years old ) PLACE OF BIRTH: Madrid, Spain PREFERRED PRONOUNS: She/Her SEXUAL & ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Bisexual & Demiromantic OCCUPATION: Undergraduate student FIELD OF STUDY: Architecture

02. PERSONALITY

MBTI: INFJ POSITIVE TRAITS: Sympathetic, Diplomatic, Creative & Determined NEGATIVE TRAITS: Self-destructive, Perfectionist, Insecure & Isolated

03. BIOGRAPHY

(tw: eating disorders)

Elena’s mother was out of the picture early on in her life and it was only as a teen that her father talked to her about what led her mother to her death. It was entirely up to Emilio to raise his daughter on his own and for the most part he did a great job. He taught his little girl how to play various sports, took her out on Sundays to ride a bike and took her out for ice cream whenever he could. As part of the Spanish Armed Forces his duty took him to various parts of Spain and for that reason Elena grew up as an army brat, transferring from one place to the next constantly. At first there was a sense of adventure to it but eventually having to uproot her life every one or two years lost any charm.

She was nine when her father’s duty took them to Barcelona for a few years. By that time Elena had become a little more withdrawn and struggled to make friends at school, but at least she was introduced to something that she fell in love with: classical ballet. Most of the girls at her class already had some experience dancing and teased her inferior skills. But it wasn’t just her lack of ability that they mocked the most, they mocked her for being her. They often said a tomboy didn’t belong there and took to calling her ugly. They made fun of her short hair, saying she looked like a boy. They picked on her because of her nose, because she had crooked teeth back then, because she wasn’t as tall or as skinny. Regardless of what she did to try to appease those girls and their insults, she didn’t fit in. They didn’t let her. Her father almost took her off the classes but the girl refused. She didn’t want to give up something she loved, not for those girls.

When she was twelve she was freed from those mean girls as she moved to Seville, but the damage they had done on her self-esteem was there, she had already turned too self-conscious about her appearance. Miss Silvia, her new ballet teacher there, was a much stricter woman and that made Elena work harder, striving with more determination to attain that perfection all ballet dancers seek but few ever get. She wasn’t the most naturally gifted dancer in her class but she sure as hell was the most dedicated. Ballet became her whole world and she knew that was the path she wanted to follow, training as hard as she had to for years in order to be able to pursue classical dance as her career when she finished high school. She wanted to become a perfect ballerina and even though no one was calling her ugly this time, she felt she was exactly that. Her body didn’t fit into the ideal she was after and that was when she started to skip meals. Her body became more nimble and graceful, and her subtle drop of weight wasn’t something alarming at the time. Not at first, at least.

What Elena did to her body wasn’t a secret that could last forever because the effects began to reflect more dramatically on her when her means to stay thin turned more extreme. Her passion and her obsession to become the best ballerina she could be ended up becoming her downfall. Her frail body just gave out, causing her to have a major ankle injury three years ago which effectively ended her path as a dancer. The loss of her dream went hand in hand with earning her father’s disappointment in her and since then she’s been stumbling in life, trying to find what to do. After dropping out from different fields of study she finally settled for architecture, if only because she feels she owes to her dad to finish something. Elena arrived to Boston last June to start her year abroad at Turing Academy, getting settled during the summer and started her classes in September. The academy itself hasn’t been all that interesting but the people she’s met there have made coming to the US worth it for one simple reason: The Grid.

04. FAMILY

Emilio Arias: Father (estranged)

Laura Arias (née Montero): Mother (deceased)

05. CONNECTIONS

The Leader: Becoming friends

The Phoenix: Becoming friends

The Hacker: Colleague at The Epigram (Turing Academy student newspaper)

06. AVATAR

AVATAR’S FACECLAIM: Sofia Boutella (Jaylah) SPECIAL SKILLS/POWERS: Sound Manipulation (she can emit low frequencies to the point of being fatal for oponents, or reach high frequences that serve for sonar-like purposes), Mimicry (she blends into her surroundings to the point of being seemingly invisible) & Bo staff combat (she is equipped with a collapsible bo staff that shes uses to fight and defend herself). WEAKNESSES/LIMITATIONS: Her Sound Manipulation can be rendered useless if her oponents somehow have a way of shielding themselves from her sound waves. She is unable to use her Mimicry power if she doesn’t have all of her 3 lives. Her combat skills are limited to her Bo staff, if she somehow can’t use it, she isn’t a skilled fighter with other weapons.

01. BASICS

NAME: Jacob Denning TITLE: The Catalyst DATE OF BIRTH: May 24th, 1990 ( Twenty-nine years old ) PLACE OF BIRTH: Venice, Italy (Moved to San Francisco in 1995) PREFERRED PRONOUNS: He/Him SEXUAL & ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Bisexual & Biromantic OCCUPATION: Artificial Intelligence Scientist / Works at The AI Lab (Brown University) 

02. PERSONALITY

MBTI: INTJ POSITIVE TRAITS: Rational, Decisive, Strategic & Determined NEGATIVE TRAITS: Insensitive, Arrogant, Self-critical & Cynical

03. BIOGRAPHY

From childhood and even through his early teenage years it wasn’t glaringly obvious what path Jacob would follow later in life. His younger sister Celine always excelled in chemistry and biology, determining early on where her interests laid. His little brother Ian displayed had a particular talent for languages and an insightful mind for their structures, rules and phonetics. Their futures were clear: a biochemist and a linguist. And Jacob was tumbling from one thing to the next, never quite figuring out what was his thing.

Somehow, his appreciation for computer games (a useless hobby, according to his mother) led him to learn some basics of code. And over time it wasn’t just basics anymore but a fairly good understanding, above what average sixteen year-olds might know about it. And then on his sophomore year of high school he had the luck of being taught Maths by one Ms. Fielding. Jacob had never been labeled an excellent student, never a genius in any capacity, but he truly began to soar then. Suddenly it became clear to him how much he loved the subject and that he’d simply always lacked someone passionate in their teaching that could make the subject genuinely interesting. It was fascinating for him and embraced how much he enjoyed Ms. Fielding’s class fully, asking questions after class that went beyond what had been taught that day, doing his own research and reading just to sate the hunger for more knowledge in that field. At last he knew what his path was.

Jacob moved from his hometown of San Francisco to go study at Applied Mathematics and Computer Science at Brown University. Unlike his average performance for most of his school years, he absolute excelled there. He got his Master’s degree at his alma mater and even left the country to get a Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence in the Università della Svizzera Italiana. Since his return to the US in 2015, he’s been giving lectures in various universities (but most often at Brown University) and after joining efforts with experts in the field of Biomedical Informatics, he has been working at The AI Lab in Brown University since early 2018.

04. FAMILY

Milo Denning: Father

Luzia Denning (née Schiavone): Mother

Celine Denning: Younger sister

Ian Denning: Younger brother

05. CONNECTIONS

THE HACKER: Friend

THE DAREDEVIL: Acquaintance

THE ESCAPIST: Acquaintance

01. BASICS

NAME: Sebastian “Bas” Reyes TITLE: The Timebomb DATE OF BIRTH: May 4th, 1994 ( Twenty-four years old ) PLACE OF BIRTH: Austin, TX PREFERRED PRONOUNS: He/Him SEXUAL & ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Pansexual & Panromantic OCCUPATION: Undergraduate student FIELD OF STUDY: Mathematics + Computer Science

02. PERSONALITY

MBTI: ESFP POSITIVE TRAITS: Outgoing, Creative, Persuasive & observant NEGATIVE TRAITS: Intense, Ostentatious, Outspoken & Rowdy

03. BIOGRAPHY

Sebastian Reyes learned when he was young that everyone was out there for themselves and that he too must watch out only for himself. Outspoken, rebellious, and sneaky, Bas was the walking and talking definition of trouble. He hated any kind of authority and walked to the beat of his own drum. Whenever he entered a room, chaos ensued. He was unpredictable and had his own moral code that he followed. His parents struggled to restrain him, especially when they were trying to take care of his four other siblings. In an attempt to take care of him without “neglecting him,” they sent him to boarding school in San Francisco. There, he was still just as much of a trouble maker. 

Bas eventually moved on from random chaos and rebellion to putting his brain to good use when a teacher tried to get him to straighten out. He started picking up books and doing his own research. He discovered a knack for coding and mathematics. That was when he started going down a very different path. While he was researching computer science and the law, he came across a software programmer who soon became his inspiration. Sebastian hacked into websites, emails, and other systems, exposing dark secrets from companies and politicians anonymously under the pseudonym, El Cucuy.

Everything escalated after that. Sebastian began posting and releasing previously out of reach information like textbooks and research papers for free online for students. He released federal documents to the public to show people how they were tricked by their own local government and gathered secret files from companies that took advantage of their clients and customers. He started transferring money from big companies and banks into other people’s checking accounts to help pay their debts. He created free apps for people that ranged from being able to download textbooks and research papers to monitoring cop activity. He even created viruses to infect other systems of larger companies.

Eventually, the authorities caught up to Sebastian and his crew of hacktivists and he was arrested. He pleaded guilty to everything he was charged with and was sent to prison. However, after a few months into his sentence, a lawyer and government official approached him with a deal. He could continue with his jail sentence, or he could put his skills to use. Sebastian proposed another deal instead to give him more time to figure out a plan. He proposed they send him to college instead to get his degree before making his decision. With that, they allowed him to apply to a few colleges and he was accepted into a few. 

Bas was dropped off at Turing Academy, but was placed under high surveillance. He could only be on a computer for school work, activity that would be monitored closely. Additionally, he was given an ankle monitor and was allowed to go only on the campus and within a one mile radius of the campus. He was able to attend school based on a scholarship, with his acceptance being a “publicity stunt” of sorts in an attempt to expand their reach to potential students. While Bas is biding his time, he yearns for some kind of freedom away from prying eyes and ankle monitors. 

04. FAMILY

Adrián Reyes: Father (estranged)

Laila Khoury-Reyes: Mother (estranged)

Gabriela Romano (née Reyes): Older sister (estranged)

Vincent Reyes: Younger brother (estranged)

Rodrigo Reyes: Younger brother (estranged)

Diego Reyes: Youngest brother (estranged)

05. CONNECTIONS

The Anarchist: Former childhood friend

The Pretender: Hang out at the same bar

The Hacker: At odds with

01. BASICS

NAME: Jonas Hartmann TITLE: The Mastermind DATE OF BIRTH: January 28th, 1994 ( Twenty-five years old ) PLACE OF BIRTH: Lübeck, Germany PREFERRED PRONOUNS: He/Him SEXUAL & ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Bisexual & Heteroromantic OCCUPATION: Graduate student (at Harvard University) FIELD OF STUDY: Computer Science + Mechanical Engineering

02. PERSONALITY

MBTI: ISTP POSITIVE TRAITS: Curious, Affable, Adaptable & Creative NEGATIVE TRAITS: Fickle, Distant, Headstrong & Easily bored

03. BIOGRAPHY

Ever since he was a little boy Jonas enjoyed pulling things apart to explore and understand them, and then he put them back together just a little bit better than they were before. He was a tinkerer by nature and his parents encouraged him to play around with machines and tools when most kids his age were more interested in playing sports. He was no born genius or anything like it, merely a boy with peculiar interests and a talent that got nurtured from an early age. He was either too good or too bad at school, no middle point. He excelled in certain subjects and then came close to failing others that just weren’t to his interest. He didn’t graduate top of his class in high school even though he had all the potential to be the best. Sharing various interests with his mother, Jonas followed in her footsteps and went on to study computer science as well when he was admitted in Universität Hamburg.

All his professors agreed that he was a bright young man but one who lacked the necessary drive to channel his intellect and talents to truly unlock his full potential. Maybe it was due to a lack of inspiration, a lack of challenge, or a lack of a set goal and yearning to achieve it. Jonas became even more aware of that something that was missing after his mom passed away. Her death took its toll on him, for sure, but at least Jonas took comfort in something his dad told him at her funeral: his mother’s vision, her teachings, her creativity... in a way, it all lives on in him.

At twenty-three Jonas got his first master’s degree at his alma mater and he stayed on the path of studying and widening the scope of his knowledge. He did so by applying to get another master’s at Harvard and came to the States last summer. For the most part his stay in Cambridge and Boston has a pretty ordinary experience until he came across something that was a glimpse of the extraordinary.

04. FAMILY

Christoph Hartmann: Father

Gabrielle Hartmann (née Eaton): Mother (deceased)

01. BASICS

NAME: June Maslow TITLE: The Hacker DATE OF BIRTH: December 12th, 1994 ( Twenty-three years old ) PLACE OF BIRTH: Providence, RI PREFERRED PRONOUNS: She/Her SEXUAL & ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Demisexual & Heteroromantic OCCUPATION: Graduate student FIELD OF STUDY: Psychology + Computer Science

02. PERSONALITY

MBTI: INTP POSITIVE TRAITS: Ingenious, Self-determined, Independent & Hard-working NEGATIVE TRAITS: Reserved, Perfectionist, Blunt & Envious

03. BIOGRAPHY

June never knew much about her biological parents and frankly, she has never had the interest to find out anything about them, not even their names. For her, it’s been better that it all remained vague in regards to them. The only thing she was told by her adoptive parents was that they were a couple freshly out of high-school, much too young to give up their big ambitions in order to become parents and lacking all the economic means to raise a child on their own. On the other hand there were Carl and Abigail Maslow, who wanted to have another baby one a couple of years after their son was born, wishing for a larger family. That dream had been thwarted again and again, one miscarriage after the other, so adoption was the couple’s choice to fulfill their dream of a bigger family. That was June came into their lives, a baby girl of nearly a year at the time the adoption papers were signed.

From the moment she could grasp what the concept of adoption was, the little girl was taught about it by her parents so she would always know the truth of her origin and how she came into the Maslow family. Some might say that knowing she was adopted could have made her feel unwanted but with June it was the opposite: it made her feel chosen. Her mother, prone to believe God had a hand in all things, always considered it was always meant to be that June would come into their lives to complete their family.

For many years the Maslow family was picture perfect: a happy family that went on trips together during the holidays, had lunch every Saturday with Grandma Lennie, and went to church every Sunday. Even when Carl began cheating on his wife, something that Abigail knew about, but the picture of perfection that was the Maslow family wasn’t altered because she didn’t want it to. Their marriage could still be saved, she said. And what would others say? No, no one had to find out about his indiscretions. The children shouldn’t know that their dad loved another woman. No secret can be kept forever. For four years the lie festered, and June and her brother could begin to see some tiny cracks in their parents’ marriage in spite of well they kept their act together. When the truth finally came out it did so in the most spectacular and terrible way, shattering everything the family was, and resulting in Carl leaving the house for good. Abigail forbid him to ever set foot there again and inevitably the relationship the man had with his children began to strain.

Her mother took refuge in her religion and doing work at their local church, June in her hobbies and getting good grades at junior high, and Eric in his friends and his girlfriend. Each went their own way after that like three arrows shot in different directions, never to meet in common ground again. June excelled at school, not because she was naturally bright, but because she was naturally hard-working. Raised by the greatest liars she has ever know, it was no wonder she took an interest in people and wanting to understand them. She went to Brown University and majored in Psychology, but as she was accepted at Turing Academy as a graduate student she didn’t hesitate to leave home to head to Boston. Not that her mother and Eric would miss her much, after all. These days the only family member with whom she keeps a relatively close relationship is her Grandma Lennie.  In the academy she chose to pursue Computer science as well as Psychology, devoting herself to the two passions she has discovered in her life.

June was one of the first people that the Genius took to The Grid after he discovered it through his creation of Code A.R.V.I.S. She is grateful for the extraordinary experience of getting to visit that virtual world but part of her wishes she was the one to find that source code of The Grid in that old computer room and not him. Being transported there is the most fun she has had in ages, but more than anything she wants to understand that virtual reality from within, she wants to reach the core data of The Grid.

04. FAMILY

Unknown biological parents

Carl Maslow: Adoptive father (estranged)

Abigail Evans-Maslow: Adoptive mother (estranged)

Eric Maslow: Adoptive older brother (estranged)

Marlene “Lennie” Evans: Grandmother

05. CONNECTIONS

The Genius: Friend, classmate

The Phoenix: Friendly acquaintance, live in the same apartment building

The Loner: Colleague at The Epigram (Turing Academy student newspaper)

06. AVATAR

AVATAR’S FACECLAIM: Fan Bingbing (Blink) SPECIAL SKILLS/POWERS: Self-teleportation, Opening and closing portals & Energy absorption (which considerably weakens or even kills opponents).  WEAKNESSES/LIMITATIONS: There’s a range to how far she can teleport and when she brings someone with her, the distance she can travel is much shorter. Her portals only can access places where she has been before, and if she uses too many it takes a toll on her energy, bringing her at risk of even losing a life. The excessive use of her Energy absorption skill also takes its toll on her because she cannot handle absorbing that much energy, which can ultimately case her to damage her lives

01. BASICS

NAME: Piper “Jack” Vargas-Jackson TITLE: The Maverick DATE OF BIRTH: August 5th, 1998 ( Twenty-one years old ) PLACE OF BIRTH: New York, NY PREFERRED PRONOUNS: They/Them and She/Her SEXUAL & ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Pansexual OCCUPATION: Undergraduate student, Actor FIELD OF STUDY: Biology + Chemistry

02. PERSONALITY

MBTI: ISTJ POSITIVE TRAITS: Balanced, Dedicated, Resourceful & Direct NEGATIVE TRAITS: Self-critical, Opportunistic, Reserved & Strong-willed

03. BIOGRAPHY

Jack was born via surrogacy to Mila Vargas and Amelia Jackson in Manhattan. Shortly after they were born, their mothers divorced and eventually moved on with new wives, creating one large blended family. Jack loved having their four mothers around with so much positive, supportive, and feminist energy, but as an only child, they felt trapped at times and stifled because of the many different personalities that surrounded her. All of their mothers got along well enough, but Jack found it hard to find a place to call their own, be independent, and have their opinions be heard.

Part of the reason she felt so smothered was because Mila and Monica wanted Jack to become a model and actor. When they were young, they were taken from audition to set to audition to set. They were homeschooled and went to acting and modeling classes when they weren’t at auditions or on a set. They were on children’s shows, in magazines, and even starred in a movie. Jack was admittedly a natural and was very talented, but their heart wasn’t entirely in being an actor. While they enjoyed it at times, they couldn’t be a regular kid and they hated having to fit the perfect image what of they should look like caked in make-up and shoved into garish clothing.

Unfortunately, as Jack’s popularity grew, Mila and Monica became more like “mom-agers” than moms and Jack found solace with Amelia and Sarah. Mila and Monica became more demanding and more opinionated about what Jack could and could not do. When Jack asked for some time off, Mila and Monica begrudgingly agreed and they went to stay with Amelia and Sarah. During their time with them, they fell in love with biology and chemistry after going to Amelia and Sarah’s places of work. They wanted more in life than being a pretty face and took the opportunity away from their other mothers to study biology and chemistry. Shortly after they completed high school, they publicly announced that they would take a break from acting much to Mila and Monica’s chagrin.

Jack applied to Turing Academy, a smaller college in Boston, which seemed like the perfect place from prying eyes. In a school full of people focused on their studies, surely there wouldn’t be many, if any, students trying to catch a selfie or autograph. Jack pursued both biology and chemistry, but hasn’t quite figured out where to go from there whether it’s forensics, neuroscience, becoming a doctor, or looking into something else like genetics. Jack isn’t even sure if they want to completely give up acting since they still love film and acting as an art form as long as Mila and Monica are nowhere to be seen.

Somewhere along the way in Jack’s first year, they met an artist, an astronomer, and a writer and became friends with them. And somewhere along that path, Jack discovered the wonders of The Grid. They fell in love with the Grid and everything that came with it. The friends, the powers, the ability to be anyone without prying eyes or overbearing mothers. It was freedom, joy, excitement, and independence. Jack stuck with the group throughout the first semester that they all discovered the Grid. However, Jack took a leave of absence to take care of their mental health for one semester, then did study abroad for another semester as well as the summer session. They’ve just recently returned to Turing for the fall semester, but everything has changed immensely since they were last there.  

04. FAMILY

Mila Vargas-Almodovar: Mother

Monica Almodovar: Step-mother

Amelia Jackson: Mother

Sarah Schmidt: Step-mother

05. CONNECTIONS

The Pretender: Friend

The Artist: Friendly acquaintance

The Loner: Becoming friends

06. AVATAR

AVATAR’S FACECLAIM: Alita (Alita: Battle Angel) SPECIAL SKILLS/POWERS: Healing (Jack can heal other avatars), Enhanced Durability (Jack can withstand more attacks than some of the others in the group) & Energy Absorption (Jack can absorb different kinds of energy from attacks or kinetic energy from hits and redistribute it for their own use) . WEAKNESSES/LIMITATIONS: Extent of their healing depends on their own energy level and they cannot heal their own avatar. Their enhanced durability can be weakened with the number of attacks and lower energy levels. Lower energy levels makes it harder to absorb energy. Energy absorbed can be difficult to control if they’re overwhelmed by large amounts of it.

01. BASICS

NAME: Shadia Abassi TITLE: The Daredevil DATE OF BIRTH: January 1st, 1996 ( Twenty-two years old ) PLACE OF BIRTH: Los Angeles, CA PREFERRED PRONOUNS: She/Her SEXUAL & ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Pansexual & Panromantic OCCUPATION: Graduate student, Bike courier FIELD OF STUDY: Mechanical Engineering

02. PERSONALITY

MBTI: ENTJ POSITIVE TRAITS: Adventurous, Confident, Innovative & Perceptive NEGATIVE TRAITS: Demanding, Self-Destructive, Crafty & Impulsive

03. BIOGRAPHY

Shadia from the start was always a curious case. Insanely intelligent and always craving an adrenaline rush, many wondered how she functioned. A child prodigy, Shadia skipped several grades, finished school through homeschooling, and graduated early. She started college at the age of fourteen and expressed an interest in engineering, physics, and mathematics. She was sure to be a genius to go down in history books for discovering something extraordinary. She was a wizard at puzzles and games. She liked winning and she liked feeling her heart flutter. She liked the feeling of being alive.

Her desires to feel something escalated and she did more and more risky things when she’d sneak out in the middle of the night. Her favorite activities? Street racing and cliff jumping. They provided a rush that she couldn’t feel during anything else and nothing could get her to stop. It was an addiction. Even when her parents caught her, they couldn’t stop her. She always found a way. Sometimes, books were just too boring and slow for her brilliant mind. She had to be active and she had to feel her heart pounding inside her chest.

After she graduated from college at seventeen with degrees in engineering and physics, Shadia started to lose her grip on things. When she was with her family, celebrating her graduation, they were in a car accident. Shadia was the sole survivor and she was left on her own. After months in a coma, she finally woke up and had months of therapy and recovery. During her recovery, Shadia turned eighteen and was able to access the funds her parents and brothers left behind, a small fortune. Shadia kept quiet for a long time as she tried to figure out her next move. She called it her dark year and hardly spoke to anyone about her personal life. Everyone knew Shadia only by her reputations: a washed up prodigy, coma girl, the daredevil, anything but girl with dead parents. She sold her family home and lived in her car for a time working odd jobs and street racing for extra cash as she traveled aimlessly.

She was eventually picked up by a cop, the same cop who was a first responder to the accident that killed her family. Officer Zachariah St. Crow took her in, becoming a father figure, hoping to set her straight. He helped her get back on her feet by giving her a place to stay and giving her something to eat every day. She liked the feeling of belonging somewhere again and decided to go back to school. Wither Zachariah’s help, Shadia located Turing Academy in Boston and applied. There was no surprise when she got in. After that, she packed her bags and left to go across the country.

At the age of twenty-two, Shadia is finishing her Master’s Degree. She didn’t think she’d stay to do a PhD, but after learning about The Grid, she couldn’t leave. How could she? The Grid was exactly what she wanted all her life. She wanted to be free and have a rush of adrenaline at every turn and that was exactly what she got. It was a place she could forget about everything and it didn’have the same risks as real life. At least, that’s how it seems for now. The best part? She had a new group of friends, something she didn’have before. As a child prodigy, she had been alienated from her classmates and even her own family because of her own hedonistic habits. But at Turing and in The Grid, she belonged somewhere with people who had something in common.  

04. FAMILY

Farhad Abassi: Father (deceased)

Jasmine Abassi: Mother (deceased)

Vahid Abassi: Older brother (deceased)

Basir Abassi: Older brother (deceased)

Zachariah St. Crow: “Adoptive” father

05. CONNECTIONS

The Genius: At odds with

The Hacker: Friend

The Escapist: Drinking buddy

06. AVATAR

AVATAR’S FACECLAIM: Tasya Teles (Echo) SPECIAL SKILLS/POWERS: Shapeshifting (she can shapeshift into any person, which can help with stealth missions), Size Manipulation (she can grow or shrink in size to fit into places or crush enemies) & Freezing (she can freeze time or specific aspects in the Grid like enemies or weapons or vehicles).   WEAKNESSES/LIMITATIONS: Shadia can shapeshift only into humanoid avatars and programs and cannot always replicate voices. With decreased energy, it is more difficult to shift. Her glamour also has a time limit of a few minutes before she goes back to her normal avatar. Growing or shrinking in size can sap Shadia’s energy and she’ll need to replenish her energy levels if she wants to continue it. Freezing things takes energy and does not last long. The size or strength of what is frozen depends on the amount of time the freezing lasts. Some things are resistant to her freezing ability.

01. BASICS

NAME: Riley Elizabeth Fairbanks TITLE: The Artist DATE OF BIRTH: March 1st, 1995 ( Twenty-three years old ) PLACE OF BIRTH: Portland, OR PREFERRED PRONOUNS: Ze/Zir/Zim SEXUAL & ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Panromantic Gray Asexual OCCUPATION: Graduate Student FIELD OF STUDY: Graphic Design

02. PERSONALITY

MBTI: ISFP POSITIVE TRAITS: Imaginative, Passionate, Inquisitive & Cooperative NEGATIVE TRAITS: Shortsighted, Unassertive, Unpredictable & Fanciful

03. BIOGRAPHY

Art became Riley’s way of self expression from a young age. First, it was an escape from zir parents as they were working through a divorce that was catalyzed by the early passing of zir brother. Then, later in middle and high school, as a way of exploring zir gender identity and orientation. Placing the pencil on paper was therapeutic for zim as ze had issues reaching out with people beyond a screen.  Of course, ze was forced to come out of zir shell after Riley’s mother remarried and ze was suddenly sharing a house with two other people. While ze was hesitant of Britney at first, the two eventually bonded over their mutual love of video games, and the rest is history.

Originally, Riley entered college as an Computer Science major at Portland State University, as high school counselors, as well as several family members had informed zim that ze would struggle as an artist. Although it may have been the ‘practical’ option, ze found none of the courses that interesting and felt lost in the degree. So, Riley eventually made the switch to Graphic Design and flourished in the program. While Riley had never been academically strong, zir accomplishments were finally being recognized. Impassioned, ze went above and beyond in class assignments and art organizations which landed zim several summer internships with design companies. Even beyond that, ze gained a small amount of recognition through zir social media and doing paid commissions. Yet, even when graduation came around, ze was still unsure of what direction ze should go. So, rather than start taking full time positions, ze applied for graduate school and was accepted into Turing Academy.

This turned out to be an amazing decision. Thus far, ze has continued to build their portfolio and network. Most notably among them was the Genius. Shortly after the two had gotten to know each other, he left zim a cryptic message one day about a private meeting. It was this meeting that changed everything. Ze was shown an augmented virtual reality system that inspired Riley to create like never before. The Grid allowed for artistic expression that ze would not otherwise have the capabilities to do. It has almost become addictive to enter and create art pieces that are unreal. However, this has put Riley in an odd position. On a whim, ze applied for a program at La Sorbonne, doubting ze would get in. To zir surprise, ze was accepted…but is that what ze wants at this point? Riley would be a fool to pass it up, but the ability to enter the Grid has been the inspiration for all of zir recent pieces. What if leaving that behind meant killing zir ‘art high’?  

04. FAMILY

Markus Fairbanks: Father

Katherine Cook: Mother

Keith Cook: Step-father

Alexander Fairbanks: Younger brother (deceased)

Britney Cook: Step-sister

05. CONNECTIONS

The Leader: Best friend, classmate

The Genius: Friend

The Loner: Becoming friends

06. AVATAR

AVATAR’S FACECLAIM: Brianna Hildebrand (Negasonic Teenage Warhead) SPECIAL SKILLS/POWERS: Explosion Manipulation (Riley can create, shape and manipulate explosions), Ink Generation (Riley can create ink in liquid or gaseous form) & Enhanced Speed (Riley can move at speeds above human capabilities).   WEAKNESSES/LIMITATIONS: The force of the explosion is still experienced by Riley and uses, ink generated is really only useful for distractions, enhanced speed only lasts as long as zir endurance holds up for.