Entry tags:

information, ooc

000; Information

basics
Name: Willem Niklaas Van Vechten
Nicknames: Will
Pseudonym: Tech
Sex: Male
Age: 16
Birthday: January 22
Nationality: Dutch; Netherlands
Sexuality: Straight, but he also is open to the idea that someday he might meet a guy that interests him as much as girls romantically/sexually
Year: 6th
House: Mathey
Type: Witch
Special Ability: Technopathy ~ "Ability to manipulate technology. Manifested as a special form of electrical/telekinetic manipulation, a special form of 'morphing' which allows physical interaction with machines, or even a special form of ESP that allows for mental interface with computer data." What this means for Will is that he has the ability to access the internet, and everything on it, without actually having to physically touch a computer. He can turn on most machines that run off electricity through thought, though occasionally he needs to actually touch them for it to work, and several years ago he discovered that he was able to bypass and control security systems efficiently, as well as hack computer programs or user accounts without any real trouble. That's not to say that he can do whatever he wants, whenever he pleases. If he's feeling particularly emotional,mainly sad or angry, his power actually ceases to work. In order for him to be able to access his technopathy he cannot have any inner turmoil that's exceedingly stressful, although once or twice he's actually been unable to use his technopathy while extremely happy as well. In addition, he can become physically ill if he comes into contact with computer viruses. It is the equivalent of catching the flu for him, and for this reason he doesn't make it a habit of using his ability without purpose or in systems that he isn't sure will be clean of viruses. In terms of player interaction, Will doesn't make it a habit to hack into other people's e-mails, or access their phones to snoop through text messages ,so he won't have any knowledge that he shouldn't have unless someone approaches me and presents an idea involving him finding out something!
Electives: Magical Balance and Language Studies (French)
Campus Activities: Blitzball defense and Captain, Mathey Senator, as well as well as a staff writer and editor for the newspaper.

appearance
PB: Michael Angarano
Height: 5'5"
Build: perfectly average, not too thin, not overweight but not very toned/muscular either; occasionally he might get termed "chubby"
Eye Color: hazel
Hair Color: brown

Will isn't the type of guy that you'll pass by in the halls and stop dead in your tracks because he's so incredibly gorgeous. He likes to think that he's an acquired taste. At first he might not seem too appealing but over time he grows on you. All in all he has a more 'cute' look than anything, and overall he tends to be considered fairly harmless based on appearances alone. He is in the process of trying to make himself a bit more healthy, so that he loses some of his baby fat and develops some muscles but it's slow going. In terms of clothing, Will dresses casually when he's not in school uniform. It's usually jeans paired with polo shirts that typically are striped or have some sort of patter on them. He's not really a fan of solid colors when it comes to his shirts, though he likes converse in varying (green, blue, black, white, grey, purple) solid colors. He has no tattoos, no piercings, and wears his hair semi long in a shaggy look since he thinks that having his hair any shorter makes his face look fairly fat.

personality
Strengths: determined, compassionate, responsible, open-minded, non-threatening
Weaknesses: introverted, tends to seem a bit cold/uncaring, curiosity from time to time that causes him to invade the privacy of others, a bit too relaxed when it comes to his duties as Senator
Weird Quirks: He randomly will steal pens, pencils or other random and meaningless objects that people leave unattended. Typically he always returns them, but the writing utensils tend to come back a little chewed on. Despite the fact that he's a technopath he actually doesn't like using computers/phones that much. Instead of sending an e-mail or text message, he's more likely to hand write a letter/note and leave it somewhere for the intended person.
Secrets: Occasionally if Will doesn't like someone he purposefully comes into contact with a computer virus, even though it will make him sick, and transfers it to someone's computer that he doesn't like. However, since none of the students are aware that he gets sick from computer viruses, and he's extremely careful not to raise suspicion from teachers, no one is aware he is the culprit if a virus pops up randomly on the computer of that girl he secretly finds annoying and in real life doesn't even actually pay that much attention to.
Likes: reading actual books with paper pages rather than stuff online, Blitzball, free-spirited individuals, stimulating conversations with the right people, orange sherbert, trying new things despite his lack of outward excitement about it
Dislikes: accidentally finding out horrible secrets about other people, confrontation, intense emotions, people who complain all the time, people who assume that because he is a technopath that he's incredibly smart, being called a robot, his step-mother Liev, key lime cheesecake

To a lot of people Will seems as much a machine as the devices his ability allows him to control and communicate with. In reality, he's got emotions, he's just learned over the past few years not to get too excited about anything. That means that he's developed the ability to anticipate things in a way where he is incredibly calm, and even if he's extremely angry with you, you're more likely to get a shrug and seeming disinterest in the entire affair than a heated argument. On the inside Will might be seething, but for the most part it's temporary. Will's technopathy is important to him, and since his ability seems to either work or not work based on intense emotions, he's developed the capacity to quell strong feelings before they become overwhelming. It's similar to meditation, because Will tends to just empty his mind of any thought that might distress him, or excite him. In a lot of ways this means he's missing out on the life that others his age are leading.

Will rarely laughs loudly, or plays, and he even doesn't smile all that much. Most mistake that as a complete lack of feeling, but Will feels strongly, and he does enjoy life very much. More often than not when he seems to be sulking, or dispondent and bored, he's actually quite content and couldn't be happier. He might not talk much, but Will is an exceptional listener. Despite his shortcomings in the social department, those who have befriended him have rarely regretted it. It's true that he won't be the most stimulating in conversation, and if you're ecstatic that you just aced a hard test, Will won't be the one to offer you a big smile and congratulate you with a celebratory party. He'll sincerely tell you he's proud, that he knew you could do it, and then he'll go back to doing whatever it was he was doing. It might seem to those who don't know him that he's blowing whoever this friend might be off, but he isn't. If said friend were hurting, or upset about something, Will would drop whatever he was doing just to listen to them, to extend whatever comfort his presence could lend.

Whatever his quiet, unemotional facade might seem, he's a deeply caring and compasionate person. It just takes people a while to see it, and it's not even because Will keeps up walls to keep others out. He has no reason to, because truthfully he's not shy, or insecure, he's just introverted and has no real desire to go out of his way to actually make friends. As for school, Will takes it seriously, though not extremely so. He isn't an exceptional student in terms of intelligence, and despite the allure, he has never once used his technopathy to cheat on tests or alter his grades. Using his ability in that manner is unappealing to Will, and in any case, he's content with the average marks he makes using his own mind to turn out answers and work. What he lacks in smarts he makes up for with determination and ambition.

All in all, Will just wants to prove that he can actually accomplish things without having to use his ability to help him, and he takes great pride in the fact that he doesn't lower himself to cheating to get ahead. Besides, he's invovled in student government, and values his position and role he plays. If he were to cheat and get caught, he would lose everything that he's gained on his own. It's a risk he's never willing to take, for no reason. But that isn't to say that he's never used his ability to gain him knowledge he shouldn't have. Just like everyone, Will succumbs to the lure of curiosity. Though it's not common knowledge, Will has used his ability to catch glimpses into the personal lives of others and has learned certain secrets about other students, and even some teachers, that would be disastrous if he ever told anyone. But just as Will likes his privacy, he also respects the privacy of others (for the most part) and never has any intention of divulging the secrets of others to anyone other than himself. They just simply aren't his to tell.

history
Family Residence: Enschede, Overijssel, Netherlands
Languages: Dutch, English, some French
Father: Kas Van Vechten (Mundie)
Mother: Annelies Oudekirk, formerly Van Vechten, with maiden name of Metternich (Mundie)
Siblings: Jacomina Van Vechten (sister, Mundie, 24) and Mannes Van Vechten (brother, Mundie, 21); Grieta Oudekirk (half-sister, Mundie, 12); Marten Van Vechten (half-brother, Mundie, 7)
Other Family: Hendrik Oudekirk (step-father) and Margrit Oudekirk (step-sister, Mundie, 17); Liev Van Vechten (step-mother); Janssen Van Vechten (uncle, Mundie), Jasmijn Van Vechten (aunt, Mundie) and Liesbeth Van Vechten (cousin, Mundie, 19)

Will was born into a family that was neither very rich, nor very poor. They were at a happy medium, where they always had enough to pay for food and bills but also weren't able to buy the most expensive or outlandish things. There was really nothing particularly exciting, or terrible for that matter, about his childhood. He and his siblings got along rather well compared to some other families he knew, and though his parents did divorce when Will was only two, it was an amicable split. His mother married several years later and as a result Will got himself two more sisters, though only one of those was actually related to him. The new additions to his family went well. He had nothing to complain about his step-father or step-sister.

When his father remarried it was when Will was 8, and this time he didn't enjoy it very much. He's never really liked his step-mother Liev, and as a result he tends to spend much more time with his mother's family. Regardless his life is still relatively average. Fights happen, but there isn't any overly traumatic drama that occurs and on a whole, both his families coexist quite peacefully with one another. It's not uncommon for the entire lot of them to spend holidays together, as Will's mother and father remained close friends even after their divorce. Things really got interesting for Will when he came into his power and began to realize that he had some control of machines and technology.

Idris contacted the family and they, along with Will, were quite happy to learn that he was special. It was decided immediately that Will would attend Idris. Attending the school did change him slightly. When he was younger he was more open, friendly and enthusiastic, but once he began to learn that his abilities were influenced by his emotions he slowly began to learn to keep them in check. Despite it all, no one in his family really cared about the transition. That's not to say that every once in a while someone doesn't get frustrated that Will seems completely uncaring about something, but on a whole they're a very understand and accepting bunch that love Will regardless. It makes it easier to handle the difficulties he faces with some of the other students misunderstanding him at Idris.

ooc information
Name: Jamie
Sex: Female
Age: 21
Timezone: Pacific
Email: jamietootles@gmail.com
SN: jamiedoodlepants (AIM)