Kevin Ford
Kevin Ford is a Southern boy who finished his high school diploma via correspondence courses while at the Muir Island Research Facility. He's an amateur artist, specifically focusing on abstract sculpture, and general doom cloud totting fellow. Whatever you do, don't touch him. Not anywhere.
Contents
Details
Character Journal: x_wither
Real Name: Kevin Ford
Codename: Wither
Aliases:
First Appearance: June 2, 2006
Date of Birth: July 17, 1989
Place of Birth: Atlanta, GA
Citizenship: US
Relatives: Tyler Ford (Father, deceased), Charlotte Ford (Mother, deceased)
Education: HIgh School Graduate
Relationship Status: Single
Occupation: None
Team Affiliation: None
Biography
It's All About Your Roots
Kevin was born to Tyler and Charlotte Ford in Atlanta, Georgia where he spent nearly all of his life. His mother died when he was four years old, killed by a drunk driver while she was walking across the street. He'd been quite attached to her, as most children of that age are, and he wept for days once he truly understood she'd never come back. His father assured Kevin he'd always be there for his son and it assuaged his sorrow some. As he grew older, Kevin still missed his mother, but he was grateful even more so for his father whom he'd grown quite close to. Tyler worked hard in the Ford Automotive factory down near the Atlanta airport. He managed a lower-middle class living for himself and Kevin and they got on alright, all things considered. Kevin never wanted for the things he needed (meals, heat, clothing, braces).
Kevin was all over average as a child. He got B's and C's in school. He wasn't particularly bright, lazy, stupid or bored. He had a small group of friends, though like all kids there were those who liked to bully him every so often. Mostly he didn't notice. Kevin never really found much of a niche academically. It was all stuff he had to learn because the school system told him that he had to. The average teenager deal came crashing to a close when Kevin was sixteen.
One morning Kevin woke for school just as he had countless days before. He dressed for school, and then his clothing was melting. The cloth disintegrated off of him as if acid burned through it. His brain started to race and he thought of plants, flowers and patches of grass that had withered into lifeless brown things when he'd come in contact with them over the past week. It'd happened faster after a couple days. And now his clothes? His pulse jumped into his throat and he did the first thing he could think of, yelled for his father. Seeing his son so distraught, Tyler tried to comfort and calm Kevin. The skin contact took its effect quickly, though. The decaying was almost instantaneous. Kevin held on, trying to help, prolonging the contact and ultimately reduced his father to nothing more than dust due to his own attempts to help.
Absolutely horrified, Kevin took off. He found clothing that, for some reason, did not disintegrate, and took up residence in a junkyard. The guard dogs of the yard posed little problem. Kevin simply grabbed on and did not let go until there was only ash left. Life on his own was not something he was prepared for, but he adjusted. At first he used what money he had, then he sold his metal constructions. Life in the junkyard was hardly stimulating and Kevin had taken to creating sculptures of the spare metal around the yard. He found he had quite a talent for it and managed to make money by selling his art to buy things like food. He couldn't figure out why he could eat food without it decaying, but if he held it in his bare hand it would. None of it made any sense to him.
Meanwhile, the death of Tyler Ford was ruled as a homicide. The cops set out to not only locate the deceased's son, but also his killer. Kevin was unaware of both facts, as well as a third, the police suspected him as the killer but had no proof to substantiate such a theory. Rumor did manage to circulate about a boy with a "death touch." It came to the attention of members of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters who set out to find him. Kevin agreed to attend the school provided he could learn to better control his abilities.
An Attempt At Normalcy
Once at the school Kevin took the time to explore art in ways he had been previously limited. He made a few acquaintances during the few months he was at the school, but nothing particularly close. That was, of course, until he accidentally touched Jono Starsmore while the older boy was playing soccer and nearly completely reverted him to an energy-based state. Kevin, being reminded of his father's death once more, agreed to go with Jono to the Muir Island Research Facility in hopes they could help him gain better control of his abilities.
Fallout
Kevin stayed at Muir for nearly a year. Finally he simply grew too frustrated. They poked and prodded. They took blood samples, urine samples, tissue samples, DNA samples. They ran tests, MRIs, and radiographs. All they came up with was a big "So, you decay things at a molecular level if they're organic." Well, thanks to all those brilliant minds for coming up with something he already knew from his time at Xavier's! So he ditched out. They asked him not to but all the doctors and scientists and researchers at Muir had were untested hypotheses, theorem, and conjecture. A whole lot of guessing which had yielded no answer beyond "Damn, not that one," so far.
Returning to the States, Kevin's flight landed in New York City. For now he's deciding where to go. He certainly doesn't want to return to Atlanta and he's unsure if he wants to return to Xavier's. He's gone back to his former life, making art and selling it, sleeping in motels when he can and sleeping elsewhere when he can't.
Physical Characteristics
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 145
Eyes: brown
Hair: brown
Other Features: none
Powers
Kevin has the power of Organic Decay. It manifested one day as he was dressing for school, an event that culminated in his father being the first victim of his mutation as Tyler Ford was reduced to ashes. They had been building for years previously, plants wilting at his touch, though he hadn't noticed it until a week before full manifestation as the beginning results were so small he didn't link them to himself or even notice at all many times. The touch of his skin breaks down the binding forces between organic molecules causing organic materials (anything made from a plant or animal) to break down at a molecular level by first withering and then progressing to full disintegration, resulting in mere dust. As time progresses his mutation's effects happen more rapidly. Decay happens within seconds of his touch currently. Full disintegration takes a maximum of three minutes but can happen in less time if his temper is particularly hot. He has not realized yet that it is starting to feel good to actually use his powers. Their "hunger" is growing, however he rarely uses his mutation if he can help it. Without sating the hunger of the decay noticing the hunger itself has not occurred.
Equipment
Kevin has no special equipment. He does, however, wear only clothing made of synthetic fibers, including gloves and long sleeves all year 'round.
Trivia
Plots
2006
Meta
Player: Nichole
E-mail: 140px
AIM: winter withers
Player Icon Base: Kevin Zegers
Meta Trivia
Formerly played by Margaret.
