Individual Character's full name: Christopher 'Chris' Berg
Alias/ Nickname/ Code name: Grey, Fishboy
Gender: Male
Age: 21
Date of Birth: March 3rd 1993
Place of origin: Wisconsin
Nationality: American
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Appearance:
Here's a ref sheet!
Hair color and style: Doesn't have any hair growth
Skin Tone: Grey, slightly slimy
Eye Color: Yellow
Height: 5’4’’ (he always walks crouched with his knees bent - if he stretched his back he would reach 5’8”)
Build: Short and skinny. Digitigrade legs (walks on his toes, not on the soles of his feet like a human)
Visible mutation: Gray skin covered with a thin layer of mucus; digitigrade; only four fingers on every hand; three toad-like toes on every foot; no finger- or toenails; web between fingers and toes. No external ears; flat nose; bulging, yellow eyes; sharp, pointy teeth.
Scars/ Tattoos/ Piercings: The webbing is missing between his third and fourth finger on the left hand.
Other features: He smells strongly of fish.
Everyday clothing style: Loose and comfortable; he mostly dresses in gray, black and dark blue. Not a fan of bright colors. He usually wears the same clothes for at least a week or two. He’s always barefoot, even during the winter.
Uniform: When he goes swimming he wears a wetsúit.
Sleepwear: In his wetsuit (he sleeps in a tub.)
Miscellaneous clothing: When he needs to see clearly on land he wears transparent swimming goggles which he fills with fresh water (see Mutations: Weaknesses and limitations below)
CharacterPersonality: Chris used to be a bundle of nerves; his visible mutation and almost constant fear of the people around him made it hard for him to fit in. He even had a hard time relaxing around other mutants because of his isolated upbringing.
He doesn’t try to hide his deviating sides; earlier he was ashamed that his appearance and inability to socialize made him different, now he’s learned to accept it. He has given up his desperate attempts to fit in, and thinks of himself more as an observer than a member of society.
Chris is subdued when it comes to showing his emotions, and has trouble understanding sarcasm and social cues. He never laughs out loud. Has a tendency to state the obvious. He tends to be wary around people he doesn’t know, and even though he’s not as nervous around people as he used to be he likes to err on the side of caution.
His personal space is very important to him, and if someone he doesn't feel relaxed around tries to get close to him he reacts instinctively and sometimes violently.
Chris usually flees from dangerous situation, but if he's cornered he will not hesitate to fight. He reacts quickly to sudden movements and loud noises.
His grandfather only taught him basic reading, nature science and math when he was a kid. He studied two years at Xavier's, but had troubles keeping up. This has lead to a very uneven education; some things other people would consider basic, like how a vaccine works or who Thomas Edison was, he has no idea about.
Sex, flirting and romantic advances from the opposite gender frightens him. He is convinced he can't have and never will have a relationship with a woman, and tells himself it's no idea to even try.
Chris isn't interested in earning money for money's sake, he mostly just takes what he needs.
Hobbies/ Interests: Loves swimming and fishing, and just to be outdoors in general.
He’s skilled at hunting birds and small animals with his bare hands, and usually eats them raw since his stomach can’t handle cooked food.
Chris loves people-watching. He doesn't like people staring at
him, but from a hidden vantage point he can spend hours watching people go about their daily lives. How people move, talk, interact, dress, dance... He's very curious about people, why they do the things they do and how their minds work, but prefer to observe society instead of take part.
Job or part time job and description: He lives in his van and hunts/fish his own food. Does some stray jobs in the seedier parts of town.
Fears/ phobias/ concerns: Chris hates feeling surrounded. He never visits big, open spaces without hiding places. He's also afraid of drying out - being caught in a hot, dry wasteland with not a drop of water in sight is his worse nightmare.
Special talents: A decent pick-pocket. Expert at wilderness survival. Worthless when it comes to technology. He barely knows how to use a computer, doesn’t own a phone, and touch screens are the bane of his existence because of his slimy skin.
MoralityNeutral: Chris feels very alienated from the human world, and therefor he doesn't feel that society's rules and regulations apply to him. Why is it wrong to steal something he needs? He doesn't have a job, so he can't buy it. Sometimes life gives you lemons, sometimes life takes your lemons away. One day you do a bad act, like stealing, the next day something bad happens to you. Karma.
His morality is karma-based, even if it is very scewered. He would do a selfless act, like helping a lost kid in the woods finding their way home, and to him, that would justify all the stealing he might have done that week. It all balance out in the end.
Debts and favors are important to him. If he owes someone a favor he will take it very seriously and considers it his duty to repay it in one way or another. If you owe him a favor he expects you to repay it in turn.
MutationsMutation description: Enhanced lung capacity, quick reflexes, altered physical appearance, senses enhanced in water.
Strengths: Chris’ superior lung capacity combined with his webbed hands and feet makes him an extraordinary swimmer. He can hold his breath up to ten minutes. He can not, however, breathe under water and would drown if he stayed under the surface for too long. Even though he has fish-like attributes he's not a 'true' fish mutant since he doesn't have gills.
The protective mucus covering his skin keeps him warm. This means that he can swim in ice-cold water or walk barefoot in snow while barely freezing at all. When the air temperature is getting under 20 ºF he starts to freeze.
His reflexes are quicker than a normal human’s. He cannot dodge a bullet, but is quick enough to dodge punches delivered at regular speed and to catch fish with his bare hands. His senses (sight, hearing, smell) are much improved underwater. His underwater hearing and sight are better than human hearing and sight on land, and his sense of smell is very good. He can sense a human, for example, if said human is within a 100 feet area of him.
Weaknesses and Limitations:All in all, his mutation makes him pretty worthless on land. Chris' body is adjusted for swimming, so he walks a bit clumsily. His slimy skin is very sensitive and has to be kept moisturized; he has to shower or swim at least four times a day, or else his skin becomes dry and he gets itching red rashes all over his body. If he stays away from water too long, his skin starts to crack open. This happens extra fast on hot, dry days. Also, his skin only tolerates fresh water. Chlorine water or salt water stings him all over his body and gives him rashes if he stays in it longer than 4-5 minutes.
His sight is diminished on land. This can't be changed by glasses or lenses since his eyes were built to see with under water. Just like the human eye can't focus properly under water, his can't focus properly in air. The longer he stays away from water, the drier his eyes get. Salt or chlorine water stings his eyes and after a few minutes in it he's practically blind.
On land his hearing is the same as a regular human's (the lack of outer ears give him a disadvantage in pinpointing the direction of a sound, though) and his sense of smell is a bit better than a regular human.
Physical AbilitiesGeneral Physical Capabilities: Chris is small and quick, not strong. In terms of raw power he’s weaker than average humans. He’s a slow runner because of his digitigrade legs, and moves quicker on all four. But he has quick reflexes and really good stamina; his lung capacity makes it possible for him to hold his breath for around 10 minutes, after all. Chris spends a lot of time outdoors and in the water, so he’s in good shape.
Fighting Style: He’s a scrappy fighter who’s never had any formal training, but he’s learned to look out for himself. Chris is not above fighting dirty to keep himself alive, he’ll often bite or use a hidden knife if he’s forced to defend himself. His teeth are sharp enough to punctuate skin. However, he doesn’t like fighting and would rather slink away than to stand his ground.
Fighting Style Pros/Cons: He can get himself out of a pinch, or debilitate/distract a single opponent. Against a trained or multiple opponents he's pretty smoked.
History Of Your CharacterChris was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin. His visible mutation caused his father to leave and his mother to go through a mental breakdown, and she killed herself soon after. His grandfather decided to take care of the baby, mostly out of pity.
He grew up in a small cottage out in the forest. For the most part of his childhood, the rest of the world seemed like an abstract idea; to Chris, nothing else existed except the forest and the lake and the cottage. He and his grandfather were the only people in the world. His grandfather didn't like having him inside of the house, so when Chris got old enough he mostly slept outdoors or in the woodshed.
When he was 10 his curiosity got the better of him and he started to explore his surroundings; he eventually found a nearby village. Chris spent much time sneaking around the village and since no-one discovered him he got bolder. He even struck up a friendship with a girl his age, who seemed as curious about him as he was about her.
One night a couple of teenagers found him creeping around and gave him a really bad beating. He managed to escape into the forest, but since then his peaceful existence was over. Earlier, the old man living in the forest together with his mutant grandson had just been a rumor, and people had left them alone as long as they kept to themselves. Now people started to harass them, breaking their windows and leaving threatening notes in their mailbox. His friend's parents were furious with him for hanging around their daughter. The father, together with a couple of grown men from the village, managed to catch Chris one day, and they started to cut the webbing off between his fingers. They'd probably taken it all off if he hadn't been able to slink away. He and his friend didn't speak after that.
His grandfather died when Chris was 17, and he was now completely alone. The isolation finally grew too strong, and he left for New York and the Xavier’s Sister School, since that was the only place he’d heard of that accepted mutants. He stayed in New York for two years, but no matter how much he tried he never seemed to fit in; the unfamiliar surroundings, constant threat of the mutant-haters and his awkwardness in social situations were too stressful. He didn’t feel at home at Xavier’s, and finally fled the city to go back to his childhood home in Wisconsin. The cottage was still empty and pretty run down, and he lived there for a couple of months.
When he got tired of the cottage he took off in his grandfather's old GMC Savana '96, to live in the wilderness. He's been avoiding people and living of what nature provides the last couple of years.
RoleplayWhere did you learn about this site?: Google
Do you have any other characters on MRO, if so who: None
Sample RP:When Chris finally arrived at New York it was so early in the morning it was still dark outside. Still, the city that never slept lived up to it’s name; cabs where passing him as he drove slowly down the streets, and now and then he passed a late party-goer on the way home, or a homeless man or woman pushing their belongings in a cart in front of them. As he didn’t have a plan he was just driving aimlessly; passing residential areas, storefronts, squares. Dark alleyways that opened up like big maws. He smiled slightly as he remembered the first time he arrived in New York; at the age of 17 he’d been to frightened to walk down the brightly lit streets, and instead had tried to find his way to Xavier’s through New York’s dark, infamous alleys. Not even five minutes had passed until two muggers attacked him, giving him a warm welcome to the city. Luckily enough he’d managed to escape and hide behind a garbage can, scared out of his wits. Good times.
As he drove his mind went to Xavier’s once more. He didn’t intend to go live there - he’d left them abruptly, and he was to old to live at a boarding school. His grandfather’s dark red van had served him fine the last three years. However, he definitely would visit the school and see if any of his old… friends, he guess… were still alive and kicking. Like Henri, or Locke, or maybe even his old partner-in-crimesolving Saphirus. Just not yet.
Chris slowed down as he got close to Central Park. Next to Xavier’s, this was the spot where he’d spent most of his time, and he had some fond memories of the park… and some not so fond. He drove up to the side of the street and stalled the car. Chris was slightly aware that this was a no-parking zone, but he didn’t intend to stay there for long anyway. As he stepped out he could feel the familiar pavement under his bare feet, and the fragrance of budding trees and fresh grass came drifting from the park. He locked the car and closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. In the distance he could hear traffic and, some blocks away, sirens. He had actually missed the constant noise.
He started to walk slowly through the park. The snow had mostly melted away, except for a few grayish piles that still littered the lawns. He passed a sleeping homeless guy, curled up under a blanket on a bench. Some things never changed. After a while, he arrived at the slender Bow Bridge, popular motif in an abundance of movies. Chris stopped at the top of the span, resting his elbows towards the handrail as he looked out over the lake. It had started drizzling slightly, but he didn’t mind. It was getting lighter, and the sun was probably about to rise over the horizon.
After all the time he’d spent away from civilization, the sight of New York’s skyline felt surreal to him, like the backdrop in a movie. Almost alien. However, he was glad to be back.
