•••NOVA•••
• The semi-amphibious Alien with big dreams •
• Name • Nova
• Pronounced • No - vah
• Age • Approximately 14 Earth years
• Birthday • Unknown, instead plans to celebrate her 'Earthday,' the day she arrived on Earth, on January 8.
• Status • Student
• Grade • Grade 9
• Gender • Female
• Species • It's complicated. Technically, her DNA is evolved from that of humans, but she has branched off so much from them that she seems to be a different species. Most Earthlings would consider her an Alien by species, so that is what she introduces herself as to save trouble. Scientifically speaking, she could produce fertile young with a human or human hybrid, which basically qualifies her as a different breed of human. On her home planet, the race called themselves Escapee.
• Orientation • Mostly heterosexual
• Appearance • Having stemmed from humans, all Escapee have a similar body shape to them. The arms, legs and opposable thumbs as well as spinal structure did not evolve as quickly as some of the external body features.
Build Most Escapee are built athletically, as they must climb and swim on a regular basis. It is very rare that one would be overweight, because they wouldn't cope with the conditions that way. Nova is no exception, being an average height of 5'5" and weighing 115 pounds. Her still developing body consists of a stable frame, her legs being slightly larger and more muscular in proportion to her torso. There is visible muscle definition in most parts of her body without looking like a bodybuilder.
Skin Nova's skin is green, as it evolved to have the chemical Quexo in it to protect the species from their ocean's harmful substance. It is also slightly more smooth and rubbery in consistency compared to humans' skin, and does not sprout hair apart from on the scalp. Her face is also patterned with pastel pink spots, and no two Escapee have the same configuration. Her skin is a little bit harder to cut and bruise than most.
Ears Nova's ears are long cylindrical tubes widening at the end. They sit atop her head like the ears of a cat would, enabling her to be underwater but still hear from above or below the surface. They have a filter in them preventing water from seeping into them.
Facial features Female Escapee tend to have just slightly more delicate facial features in comparison to their male counterparts. Nova's lips have the same coloration as her spots, but her eyes are a bright blue pigment. They help her to see clearly above and below the water.
Hair Both male and female Escapee have very long, thick blue hair on their scalp. They evolved this way so that they could hide in the forests by curling up in a ball and letting their hair cover them. The hair is also very water resistant, meaning it dries instantly and doesn't produce too much drag underwater. If cut, Nova's hair will quickly grow back, and babies sprout waist-long hair within a month of birth. It also will not fall out or lose pigmentation with age.
Gills Nova has gills on her neck, helping her breathe underwater. However, they are weak and so she will easily feel out of breath underwater and generally only stays there for under an hour without resting above the water.
Clothing Although some Escapee civilisations wear no clothing as the climate is always warm, Nova's group preferred to wear tight-fitting singlets, shorts and swimsuits tightly woven from hair strands so as to remain water-resistant. Nova herself, upon arrival to Earth, continued to wear the same kind of clothing which she now sources from sports apparel stores.
• Personality •
Extroverted Like many Escapee, Nova is very sociable. She loves being out and about not for the attention, but for the fun of being surrounded by people. She is not shy and is not afraid of strangers.
Enthusiastic Nova loves to participate in group events, projects and parties. If she is invited to do something, chances are she'll accept.
Adventurous There's always somewhere waiting to be explored or something new to be tried, and Nova knows it. Her easily bored nature enhances this characteristic further, making her actively seek out new experiences.
Energetic Nova will often be bouncing off the walls like a young child, overfilled with energy and ready to do something. However, if the hunger for activity is not satisfied, she will quickly become bored.
Hardworking An overachiever in most things that she does, Nova will stop at nothing to reach and complete her goals.
Easily bored However, Nova finds life dull at times and needs something to keep her going. Her dissatisfaction with a simple life leads her to doing things some may consider stupid.
Over-analytical She also has a tendency to read into situations too much. Her mind is constantly working and sometimes she expects everything to be done for a meaningful reason when in reality, it's not.
Secretive Although she does lead a very social life, most of the time Nova's true self doesn't show. She has plenty of secrets, particularly about how she feels, that she won't tell a soul if she can help it.
Self-conscious A side effect of her analytical mind, Nova is secretly a little self-conscious. She thinks others think as much as she does, which in most cases is not true, so she draws the wrong conclusions about what others think about her.
Feels like an outsider She'd never admit it, but she feels so different to others on Earth, who usually look a lot more like humans. Her coloration especially makes her a bit awkward when in groups of other species.
Talkative Nova loves to talk. She could talk all day about nothing in particular. She craves someone who she could hold a conversation with for ages about anything at all, and not get bored.
Crazy She has too much energy for her own good, and Nova is a little crazy sometimes, especially at night. (See weaknesses).
Smart Although it can backfire sometimes, Nova is very smart without being inhumanly intelligent. Her book smarts and hardworking personality give her grades to be proud of at school, but her perception of the things around her is what makes her especially clever.
Laid-back This can also get her in trouble occasionally as well as win her a few friends, but Nova is quite easygoing. She will go with the flow without being overly passive.
• Species Abilities •
Breathing underwater Nova can breathe underwater with her gills located in her neck. They allow her to stay submerged for as long as she likes, as long as no extensive physical activity is done.
Water resistance With her hair being waterproof and her skin water resistant, Nova can move around water with very little drag and can fully dry within thirty seconds.
Enhanced agility In order to easily climb, swim, dive and navigate around her home planet, Nova is extremely agile, with quick reflexes and good balance.
Thick skin Nova's thick skin gives her increased resistance to cuts and bruises. For example, it would be virtually impossible for her to get a papercut, although a knife would still go through. If she was to fall over or scrape herself, she probably wouldn't receive a cut or bruise, but it depends on the scenario. As for bullets, they would still easily pierce the skin but probably wouldn't be lethal.
• Weaknesses •
Night Fever The Escapee population all possess a side effect from the chemical in their skin, which they call Night Fever. It means that at night time, they are known to be more animal than usual. If they were to kill, get drunk or do something stupid, chances are it would be at night time.
Vulnerability The Escapee is very much a human, and although they have thicker skin than most, they are very vulnerable to magic and other abilities such as mind control.
Humanity The race is a kind one by day, and remorse, empathy and other human emotions are all very prominent.
The Escapee were originally a small spiritual group in Medieval England. They believed the world would end within their lifetimes, and so they hastily tried to save themselves, building what appeared to be a primitive rocket. Of course, it didn't fly an inch off the ground, but the group were desperate and unwilling to share their theories with the corrupt monarchs or general population.
Luckily, they didn't have to because a certain coven of Witches in hiding stumbled across their group. The coven had access to mind-blowing but untested magic and were eager to develop it on unsuspecting, overly trustworthy people. Of course, the group agreed to letting the coven send them into the stars and 'be saved.'
First, the Witches located a satisfactory planet in a nearby solar system and surveyed the climate, landscape and living conditions, before the Escapee race underwent some... alterations.
The spells the Witches conducted on the group were successful, injecting a chemical into their skin to help with the radiation and water acidity and fusing them with weak gills for prolonged breathing underwater.
Within a month, when the planets were aligned, the Witches combined their power and slingshotted them towards the Escapee's home to be. Little did the coven know, that spell would be their last. They hadn't predicted the sheer distance between the Earth and the planet, so their powers overcame them and they perished. After that, nobody on Earth had any knowledge of the Escapee group, who named themselves that due to their belief the Earth would soon end and they escaped.
The group were teleported through space magically a thousand times faster than the speed of light. As soon as they landed on the planet they noticed how hot it was. The sun boiled the green (due to the chemical) skin on their face, producing pink spots which were etched into the Escapee genes.
The world was more magical than they ever imagined. It was covered in a pastel pink water-like substance which was over twenty feet deep, with tall pink tree-shaped organisms stretching up to the sky, with blue tufts all over them. The pink tree trunks were made of a hard material which could be carved or whittled, but didn't splinter, and the tufts could be woven into a strong but soft waterproof fabric.
The group immediately went about creating their new homes, by gathering sharp objects they found on the ocean floor and using them to slice tree trunks. Eventually, they had made a small treehouse-like village, after making the error of trying to get the houses to float. This was all supported by tufts woven into thick ropes and tied to make ladders, bridges, support bars and safety nets. It was a hard first few months, but since they had plenty of time on their hands, the Escapee finished their first fully supported house quickly.
As time passed and generations of Escapee were born, they began to look significantly different to humans. The original group had green skin, pink facial spots and gills, but the new generations were evolving quickly. Their gills grew a bit stronger, they became more athletic and no longer needed the ladders or most of the bridges. Their skin became very thick to resist the close sun, and rubbery to resist drag in the water. Hair started growing only on their head, and it began to get longer, thicker and resemble the blue tufts on trees. But there was a very good reason for that particular evolution.
As the Ecsapee population grew to hundreds, a group decided to leave the village, forming a tribe who roamed, swam and climbed their way through the island. As the planet was only small, though, they kept finding their way back to the village. Every visit, they would kidnap a few children and force them to join. They didn't want to deal with babies, so they waited until a child was about nine before taking them away. Every time they came to the village, everyone would hide their children away. The ones who showed their faces were more likely to be taken.
So, it was the ones who hid the best who stayed to have children in the village. Over decades or even centuries, Escapee hair turned into what appeared to be one of the tree tufts on their head. Another way they hid well was underwater. Their ears became tubes above their heads so they could hear what was happening while still submerged.
The village soon turned into a town and eventually a city. Treehouses held up to ten people comfortably, boats made from hollow wood were constructed as an alternative means of transport and large theatres, sporting stadiums and schools were constructed. The Escapee were now more than just runaway humans. They were a whole new race.
Luckily, they didn't have to because a certain coven of Witches in hiding stumbled across their group. The coven had access to mind-blowing but untested magic and were eager to develop it on unsuspecting, overly trustworthy people. Of course, the group agreed to letting the coven send them into the stars and 'be saved.'
First, the Witches located a satisfactory planet in a nearby solar system and surveyed the climate, landscape and living conditions, before the Escapee race underwent some... alterations.
The spells the Witches conducted on the group were successful, injecting a chemical into their skin to help with the radiation and water acidity and fusing them with weak gills for prolonged breathing underwater.
Within a month, when the planets were aligned, the Witches combined their power and slingshotted them towards the Escapee's home to be. Little did the coven know, that spell would be their last. They hadn't predicted the sheer distance between the Earth and the planet, so their powers overcame them and they perished. After that, nobody on Earth had any knowledge of the Escapee group, who named themselves that due to their belief the Earth would soon end and they escaped.
The group were teleported through space magically a thousand times faster than the speed of light. As soon as they landed on the planet they noticed how hot it was. The sun boiled the green (due to the chemical) skin on their face, producing pink spots which were etched into the Escapee genes.
The world was more magical than they ever imagined. It was covered in a pastel pink water-like substance which was over twenty feet deep, with tall pink tree-shaped organisms stretching up to the sky, with blue tufts all over them. The pink tree trunks were made of a hard material which could be carved or whittled, but didn't splinter, and the tufts could be woven into a strong but soft waterproof fabric.
The group immediately went about creating their new homes, by gathering sharp objects they found on the ocean floor and using them to slice tree trunks. Eventually, they had made a small treehouse-like village, after making the error of trying to get the houses to float. This was all supported by tufts woven into thick ropes and tied to make ladders, bridges, support bars and safety nets. It was a hard first few months, but since they had plenty of time on their hands, the Escapee finished their first fully supported house quickly.
As time passed and generations of Escapee were born, they began to look significantly different to humans. The original group had green skin, pink facial spots and gills, but the new generations were evolving quickly. Their gills grew a bit stronger, they became more athletic and no longer needed the ladders or most of the bridges. Their skin became very thick to resist the close sun, and rubbery to resist drag in the water. Hair started growing only on their head, and it began to get longer, thicker and resemble the blue tufts on trees. But there was a very good reason for that particular evolution.
As the Ecsapee population grew to hundreds, a group decided to leave the village, forming a tribe who roamed, swam and climbed their way through the island. As the planet was only small, though, they kept finding their way back to the village. Every visit, they would kidnap a few children and force them to join. They didn't want to deal with babies, so they waited until a child was about nine before taking them away. Every time they came to the village, everyone would hide their children away. The ones who showed their faces were more likely to be taken.
So, it was the ones who hid the best who stayed to have children in the village. Over decades or even centuries, Escapee hair turned into what appeared to be one of the tree tufts on their head. Another way they hid well was underwater. Their ears became tubes above their heads so they could hear what was happening while still submerged.
The village soon turned into a town and eventually a city. Treehouses held up to ten people comfortably, boats made from hollow wood were constructed as an alternative means of transport and large theatres, sporting stadiums and schools were constructed. The Escapee were now more than just runaway humans. They were a whole new race.
• Biography • Nova had quite the average Escapee life up until she was about thirteen. She was born to a loving couple, raised to be an energetic, precocious child. She participated in every sport and club the city offered and always managed to dodge the tribe when they visited. She was part of a giant group of friends who were so tight that they were sure they'd all grow up and live in the same house cluster and start up a big business together. That never happened.
Why not? Because disaster struck one day, much worse than the generally harmless roaming tribe. A spaceship landed on their planet, and grotesque Aliens spilled out of it. Like usual, the whole city hid in their hair, as the Aliens scouted the area from the safety of the trees. Again, like usual, the Escapee ran. They hid themselves in the spaceship, anywhere they could find, and waited for the Aliens to realise the planet was way too hot and acidic for them.
Soon enough, that happened, and once again the Escapee race were up in space. It didn't take long for the Aliens to realise their spaceship was infested with Escapee, however, and they began killing off any they found. After realising there were thousands hiding around the ship, they were forced to make an emergency landing on the nearest planet - Earth.
As the Aliens creatively ridded themselves of the thousands of Escapee, Nova saw an opening to escape. She really wanted to help everyone, but knew there was no way. Instead, she signalled to the doorway and ran out of it into the cool air of the beach. She had landed on a Hawaiian island, to be exact. It was unclear if any other Escapee made it out, or if any others survived anywhere, but Nova knew she had to run from humans after they screamed in fear at the sight of her. She spent the next year of her life on the beach finding her own food and learning about the new world she lived on from a dropped phone she found on the sand.
One day a year later, a human who wasn't scared of her turned up on the beach. They invited her to a school 'for people like her.' Clearly curious, Nova accepted. She was then taken to another island called Manta Carlos and told it was her new home.
After the winter break, Nova (who named herself that once she found out what it meant on the Internet, her own name being too foreign for Earth, in her opinion.) will attend school at Starlight Academy as well as live in a dorm there. She knows she will make plenty of friends and learn so much about the world there. After all, she wouldn't fit in anywhere else.
• Recent History •
• Relationships •
Victor Castleton (Griffin) // Budding friendship // Victor saved Nova from a falling branch.
Alex Talbot (Saberteck) // Unknown // Nova saw Alex in the Student Lounge.
Habitat Nova comes from another planet which is covered in a twenty foot layer of a pink watery substance that is acidic and would burn humans. Pink tree-like organisms make a forest-like environment, although Escapee impact made clearings and clusters in order to construct their homes. The trunks are a light pink, very solid and smooth, can be chopped, sharpened, hollowed but not splintered, and don't break easily. On the ends of branches, blue tufts of a strong furry material are present. These can be woven into strong ropes or clothing, and also do not break easily. In the city, large treehouses and public buildings are built.
Diet Nova and the other Escapee had a mostly vegetarian diet of blue berries found in the tree tufts and plants on the sea floor. They also ate a small amount of marine creatures which taste sweet. The water they drank was a flavoured, filtered version of the water they swam in. Now, Nova eats most human foods but is still adjusting to spice.
Customs The Escapee are no longer religious, although they do believe in destiny. They are quite traditional and had annual festivals. They are also very intimate, and it is not unlikely for one to casually cuddle as a greeting, for warmth or for affection. They do not like to style their hair and always leave it down.
Diet Nova and the other Escapee had a mostly vegetarian diet of blue berries found in the tree tufts and plants on the sea floor. They also ate a small amount of marine creatures which taste sweet. The water they drank was a flavoured, filtered version of the water they swam in. Now, Nova eats most human foods but is still adjusting to spice.
Customs The Escapee are no longer religious, although they do believe in destiny. They are quite traditional and had annual festivals. They are also very intimate, and it is not unlikely for one to casually cuddle as a greeting, for warmth or for affection. They do not like to style their hair and always leave it down.
