Alec McDowell

APPEARANCE
He’s pushing six feet if he isn’t all ready; this seventeen year old had a decent growth spurt somewhere along the way and, instead of feeling awkward about it, he seems to be handling it pretty well. His build’s leaning towards average but his time spent as a bike courier and swimmer has left him with a decent amount of muscle, mostly in his legs. He’s no weightlifter that’s for sure, but he’s no couch potato either.

His light brown hair’s cut and styled so it’s purposely messy, an ‘I just rolled out of bed and put no effort into my hair’ look that generally takes a half hour to perfect. His eyes are hazel leaning towards green, bright, and tend to glint mischievously. His voice matches his appearance; full of boyish charm and slightly cocky, when he speaks his voice is soft and humored unless he’s upset.

Along his nose and his cheeks there’s a dusting of freckles, just dark enough to stand out against the rest of his skin. He wears thin, wire frame prescription glasses for his farsightedness from time to time but for the most part prefers to stick with his contacts, so as not to appear nerdy.

He doesn’t wear any visible jewelry and keeps his accessories down to a plain black watch worn on his left wrist. When in the school uniform he sticks with black slacks and a blue polo shirt, along with black work boots. When going casual he sticks to well broken in blue jeans and t-shirts, but keeps the boots. The only other thing he has is a red courier bag, beaten up but still sturdy enough to carry his books and other items.

ABILITY
Cognitive Mimicry: By simply and consciously observing another person partaking in an act, be it physical (hand to hand combat, marathon running, operating machines, etc.) or mental (speaking a different language, learning skills faster, enhanced reading and understanding, etc.), Alec can replicate the skill himself like he’d been doing it all his life. He must be focusing on it or it won’t work, he just can’t be passing by someone discussing Mozart and be a world class pianist. This also doesn’t seem to work with the mystical powers of others (such as telepathy, kinesis of any sort, clairvoyance, etc.). He can’t duplicate another student or teacher’s powers, only skills. Since he’s had no formal training his use of this ability is limited.

For example, once he’s used the ability it fades away unless he keeps repeating it, similar to how the body naturally learns things. Picking the skill up for long term use after he’s mimicked it with his power means he has to learn it just like everyone else. He can only do them in flashes and for no longer than a few minutes at a time. Perhaps with proper training he could retain the skills for longer periods of time but, as he stands now, he is incapable of long term retention without dedicated effort and work on his part.

He also has a limit to how many abilities he can copy in a day; 1 is fine, 2 is tricky, 3’s really pushing it, and anything more than that is impossible at his current level. In fact, if he pushes himself to his limit of three it causes severe strain on his mind, leaving him with terrible migraines and nosebleeds from the pressure put on his brain. He also risks mental damage at his limits and, if pushed too hard, could easily put himself into a coma or vegetative state.

Another nasty side effect of his power is that, even though he knows how to do the new skill, he’s not always aware of the safety precautions one might have to take beforehand. For example, say he learns a hand to hand combat maneuver. He would be able to use it effectively but would risk damage to his muscles and joints from them being used in an unfamiliar way. It not only strains his mind but his body as well, so he usually chooses to read up on a newfound ability beforehand if he is even able to do so, which is rare. With proper training like any of the other students in the school he could become an effective user of his power without having so many side effects and risks, but that will take some time.

HISTORY
Born and raised in Seattle, WA, Alec and his twin brother Ben lived a somewhat strict military life. His brother took to following the rules while he, the so-called problem child, had an independent streak a mile long. He’d much rather do his own thing than bow down to his father and due to this he didn’t really spend much time at home. His mother noticed the clash between her one son and his dad and did her best to keep tempers from flaring. She enrolled both boys in piano classes at a young age, in hopes that the distraction and hard work might help balance Alec out a little more, help him be more respectful like his brother. It worked, for a while, until he hit his teenage years and started bucking against the rules all over again.

He took to spending time at school instead, dabbling in various groups (but never sticking in one for too long), even joining the swim team so that he could stay away from home more and enjoy the occasional away event. Anything that would help him avoid his father, really, while also hoping that maybe, just maybe, if he excelled at it like he did his piano classes, his father might show a little pride towards him. He also got a job at the age of 15 as a bike courier even though he didn’t need the money, but it was as good excuse as any to get out of the house during the swim team’s off season.

He always prided himself on being a fairly smart kid, not a genius or anything but enough that he wasn’t failing his classes, but once he hit 16 he began to find that he was learning things a little faster than before. His lap times got shorter and he won a first place trophy at a swim meet for the first time since being on the team. Another week he’d somehow ace a test he hadn’t even studied for, and had just listened to another student discussing it instead. It wasn’t a constant thing, just little oddities popping up here and there, and not all that frequently. It was maybe once a week, if that, at first.

The more time he spent thinking about it, however, the more he began to notice that it wasn’t all a stream of weird coincidences. So he began to test himself. He’d observe the team captain doing a perfect backstroke and wham! He’d be doing it perfectly too, the first time, but after that it seemed to fade, but he still remained better at it than he had been before if he kept practicing it. He spent one late night watching a televised poker tournament and went online to one of the many gambling sites, and his first game he ended up winning despite not being a player at all. Sure, all the games after weren’t anywhere near perfect, but that one stood out in his mind.

He kept this a secret from his family just in case they thought he might be going insane, but after a while he started using it for his own personal reasons. Hustle someone in a game of pool or cards. Earn more cash than working a week at his job. His brother noticed first when he found Alec with items that his parents never would’ve bought him out of the blue, like a new iPod and a high tech cell phone. Out of concern Ben brought it up to his parents, which in hindsight was probably a mistake on his part.

His father assumed the worst, that his son had joined a gang or had started stealing. While he wasn’t too far off the mark Alec decided to just take the blame for being a thief since trying to explain to his father and mother that hey, I’ve got nifty powers or something would land him in a mental hospital. Sure, he’d lose his parents trust, but it was better than being in a padded room somewhere.

Fed up with his son’s so-called criminal ways his father decided to enroll him in what he thought was a boarding school. In reality the school was actually the Quadritarian Collegiate Institute, and instead of being forced into a military school Alec would be learning how to better use his mental manipulation powers. Whether or not this is a good thing has yet to be seen.

PERSONALITY
On the outside Alec is one of those guys you either love, hate, or tolerate at best. He’s self assured, cocky, and tends to be a horrible flirt. He’s the sort of boy every mother hates. He strolls around like he owns the place. In short, he sees himself as the cock of the walk and refuses to believe otherwise. God’s gift? Why yes, yes he is, and everyone should feel blessed to be around him. Even with such a…positive outlook about himself he’s not really that bad a guy to know, if you can stomach the crushing weight of his ego.

It aside he’s actually decent, fun loving, and sports a sense of humor comparable in size to said ego. It’s hard to find him in a bad mood. He’s not one of those folks who view the world through rose tinted glasses, no, but he’s the sort who just doesn’t let anything get him down. A realistic optimist, I suppose you could call him.

He’s also got an aura about him, a charming energy that tends to attract others like bees to a flower. At a party he’s got a crowd around him, males and females alike, and he could probably sell ice to Eskimos in the dead of winter. He’s one of those guys other guys want to be pals with and girls all clamor over. This feeds his ego but oddly enough he doesn’t really use it for his own gain. It’s much easier to let others just give him stuff because they want to; instead of becoming a greedy sleazebag that others feel they have to bribe to be friends with. Not that this doesn’t happen, of course, but he’s not one to initiate it. It’d be rude to turn down a gift, right?

Like most teenagers with his personality he’s fallen into the golden child mindset. He won’t admit it but years of being put on a pedestal by his peers have given him a slight complex to negativity, such as being told no by someone. He won’t throw a tantrum but you can sure as hell bet that he’s going to do everything with his power to turn that no into a yes. He got his dad’s stubbornness, apparently, which tends to be more of a bad thing than a good thing.

He’s also fairly competitive, as well as being a bit of a showoff, and when the two combine with disastrous results it’s best to run. He is not a fan of being made a fool of, be it by outside forces or even by his own hand, and woe be the person that turns this upbeat clown of a kid into the court jester. If people are going to laugh at him he wants it to be on his own terms, and him holding a silent grudge isn’t unheard of.

Those who manage to peel off the many layers of cocky ego will surprisingly discover a sensitive, intelligent, caring young man underneath it all. Because of his popularity to date the only folks to see this side of him have been his brother and his mother, but it’s not impossible for someone outside his family to realize his true nature. No one’s really taken the time to get to know Alec the kid as opposed to Alec the social butterfly, however.

The real Alec, while still fairly cocky and fun loving, would much rather be hanging with a few close friends as opposed to being one of many in a crowd, only being talked to in hopes that some of his popularity will rub off onto them. He’s still a show off around close friends, but this time he’s doing it because it amuses them and not because he wants attention. To a dedicated person willing to get to know him more they’ll find he’s fiercely loyal and willing to do anything for a true friend. Giving them the shirt off of his own back is nothing, he’s been known to take the blame for things he didn’t even do just to spare a friend from getting into serious trouble.

Finding out that he’s actually pretty good at playing the piano and that he has hobbies other than swimming and chasing skirts is another big sign that he’s allowing someone to get close to him. For all his bravado he’s actually concerned about letting others in, out of fear they might not like the real him as opposed to everyday him. For him to reveal a hidden aspect of his personality to someone is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

This also affects his relationships with girls, as he would rather flirt and leave, or have a quick hookup than dating and risk getting emotionally hurt. It’s no surprise then that most people refuse to believe that he could ever settle down and focus his attentions on one girl. In reality he’d love to find that perfect someone but he honestly wouldn’t know how to settle down. He’s still very much stuck in his Casanova lifestyle. There’s always a chance the right girl might come along though.

Another surprising aspect is that, around the right people, Alec is not afraid to cry or show any sort of emotions that are usually deemed girly when displayed by guys. He’s a very caring person and for those able to see the signs, he occasionally does wear his heart on his sleeve. Even when flirting with a girl he can immediately turn around and offer her a shoulder to cry on, no strings attached, because he’s honestly that nice of a guy inside. He’ll even do the same for his guy friends, letting them vent and trying to help lessen the burden of whatever emotional turmoil they’re having.

Even though he’s a twin he sees himself as an individual with a brother that just happens to look identical. He prides himself on being different from Ben, which probably leads to him being the more social and outgoing of the two. He’s still very close to his brother, despite wanting to be his own person, and he’d move heaven and earth to help his brother out. He’s always got time to take a phone call or an IM from his brother.

RELATIONSHIPS
Ryan: Someone got super demoted to 'tolerate this guy at best'. Ouch.

Cletus: The little guy chugs wings like a pro!

Eloise: Medusa is a potential threat and rival. She must be stopped at all costs (IE: pranked and taunted horribly). But otherwise she's a pretty cool chick.

Lily: No longer gorgon. Avoiding just in case more punches get handed out though.

Clara: <3 <3 <3

Noah: Meh.

Lee: Awesome guy to chill with. Also in the friend category.

Poe: He feels really bad for what his roomie did to her, so he's being overly nice to her for the time being. Shoulder to cry on, braiding hair and painting fingernails, that sort of stuff.

Max: Nice girl, a bit quiet, but fun to talk to.

Dexter: Totally need to hang out with him more. Seems like a cool guy.

Tim: Also cool guy. Helped with the pillow fort so that gives him bonus awesome points.

Roman: So confusing! Is he a dick? Is he actually not that bad of a guy? Who knows!

OTHER STUFF
Alec loves swimming, and plans on joining the school's swim team if there is one.

Alec eats more than any kid his age should. He's like a human garbage disposal.

Even though he was forced into it at a young age Alec has gradually come to appreciate and even enjoy playing the piano, though he's a bit embarrassed about having such a nerdy skill.