Jacob Herschz
Color Key -
Tan - Set
Yellow - Changed
Red - Subject to Change
Orange - Inserts
Birthday
Taproot
All you'd show is love
Yet all I see is hate
You know that something's wrong
I know I can't relate
Wind is blowing pleasure by
And I don't feel a thing
Emotion fills the sky
Erosion clouds my brain
I can't seem to breathe in
I can't seem to see then
Through the deafening silence of pain
Imprisoned by this selfish reign
I think I'm breaking down...
And if I had just one more day
I'd tell you everything
Everything I had to say
I miss you
And if I had just one more day
I'd show you one last thing
Honesty believes in fate
'Cause fate is what I've gained
Strength has come and gone
So now I lie in wait
The void is never long
The core belief in fate
I've been down this lonely road
Before I know the way
As situations change
The answers will remain
Now I've got a reason
As time has brought new seasons
To carry me from this pain
Living proof of selfless gain
I think I'm breaking down...
And if I had just one more day
I'd tell you everything
Everything I had to say
I miss you
And if I had just one more day
I'd show you one last thing
Honesty believes in fate
'Cause fate is what I've gained
Fate is what I've gained!
I've been down this road
The answer's still the same...
And if I had just one more day
I'd tell you everything
Everything I had to say
I miss you
And if I had just one more day
I'd show you one last thing
Honesty believes in fate
'Cause fate is what I've gained
And if I had just one more day...
Name: Jacob David Herschz
Codename: CopyCat
Age: 20
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 167lbs.
Eyes: hazel
Hair: brown
Birthdate: July 22nd, 1990
Known Family:
---Richard Herschz (Father)
---Maria Herschz (Mother)
---Daniel Herschz (Brother, older - deceased)
Alliance: X-Student
Current Copy List:
(see POWERS below)
1. Superspeed - Client showing off
2. Superspeed - Client showing off
3. Telekinesis - Jackie, co-worker
4. Telekinesis - Jackie, co-worker
5. Telekinesis - Jackie, co-worker
6. Telekinesis - Jackie, co-worker
7. Psychometry - Sidewalk Showman
8. Psychometry - Sidewalk Showman
9. Psychometry - Sidewalk Showman
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
HISTORY - updated
Jacob Herschz was born to Richard and Maria Herschz and is the younger brother of Daniel Herschz. He loved and idolized his brother, older by seven years, throughout his early childhood. He always aspired to be like him...even after Daniel turned out to be a mutant. Jacob was five when Daniel revealed to their parents that he was a mutant, and could control light. Unfortunately, Richard and Maria Herschz turned out to be the “mutant-hating” types and Daniel was thrown out of the house, disowned. Jacob didn't quite understand what was happening, only that Daniel and their parents were equally angry at each other. Though his parents were over-reluctant to discuss the matter with him, Jacob eventually got them to talk when he was older, thirteen to be exact. They explained to him the mutant "threat" in the world and how they are dangerous, unrelenting villains bent on destroying all of mankind. They used the news coverage and negative media perception that mutantkind was receiving to strengthen their point.
Jacob felt sorry for his brother when their parents threw him out of the house because he was a mutant. Jacob secretly disagreed with his parents about the mutants. After all, how could they all be bad if his own, beloved brother had been a mutant? Daniel sure wasn’t bent on world domination. Though little did he know that he, too, would undergo a similar situation to Dan’s when he discovers that he, too, has the X-gene in him.
Jacob’s powers manifested a bit unusually, in that it wasn’t during a moment of stress or high-adrenaline or heightened emotions. When he was fourteen, Jacob was watching the news on TV when he saw reports of mutant attacks and mutant groups fighting in the streets. Jacob thought some of their powers were really "cool," and he wished he had those powers too. He thought it'd be really awesome to be able to create ice, or control the weather, or shape-shift. Being the young, imaginative boy he was, Jacob began jumping over the couch and reenacting the mutant fights in the city, pretending to shoot ice and create wind. He was so wrapped up in his game and so in the moment...that suddenly he actually did creat a burst of wind that tore through the living room. Confused and intimidated, Jacob kept experimenting, trying to duplicate the mutant powers he saw on TV. Jacob realized quickly that he could imitate almost any kind of mutation, as long as it didn’t interfere with his physical body.
So Jacob hid his ability from his parents, fearing they would disown him as they did Daniel. He worked with them as much as he could in the time frame he had when he was alone in the house everyday...but, of course, how could he keep such a huge change from his parents. They soon found out after prolonged suspicion from neighbors hearing strange things when Jacob was alone in the house, or teachers from school suspecting he could be a mutant (who could resist showing off just a little bit?). Jacob had turned sixteen one month prior to his parents discovering his abilities, which gave him two years of practice time. Jacob, fearing confrontation and a lifetime of bitter resentment with his parents, packed up and left home...in search of his brother. Jacob did not go back to school, as Daniel had.
He spent a couple of months searching the city, looking for his brother, for he knew that Daniel could help him cope with his new lifestyle and his new abilities. He knew it was a longshot to find one person in such a big city, but he always had hope. Unfortunately, like his brother, Jacob had to resort to some...unorthodox methods of living. He was homeless, and had no money for food or shelter. So, Jacob ended up finding Dan's old employer, Raul Rodriguez, and hoped that, despite Raul's lack of morality, he could survive on the street.
Jacob and the underlord, Raul Rodriguez
Though it wasn’t long before Jacob found the job to be not as worth it as it had originally seemed. He tried to run off, quit, and quickly found himself living on the streets again. It wasn’t long after that Jacob actually found his brother, Dan. Jacob was minding his own business in the city one day when he saw some guy getting beat up by a huge monster-looking man, Lobo. Jacob ran over to help the guy and didn’t find out through about half the fight that it was Daniel getting beat up (because he tipped over Lobo’s bike after he parked it on top of a line of people). They were reunited after nine years.
Not long after this happy reunion, and a trip to the hospital from Lobo’s inflictions, Jacob and Daniel would suffer another separation. Dan and Jake met a girl from Xavier’s school on the streets one day, Kageri, and Dan showed her his power by shutting off the light in front of her eyes, blinding her in essence. She cried for help and a nearby hero, Toxin, came over, threatening Dan and Jake to leave or else. A misunderstanding ensued, and Jacob unleashed a torrent of lightning in the alley. As the heat rose, Jacob’s stored abilities began to have an adverse effect on him…and all of the copied X-Gene signatures began fighting for dominance and, basically, Jacob went insane.
[060530 10:29] 3c9, §Daniel Herschz: Ho-lee.... *Dan looks at Toxin, seeing those teeth, and starts walking backwards slowly* C'mon, Jacob.... Let's get out of here. Smiley's not worth it....
[060530 10:32] 3c9, §Jacob Herschz: *But Jacob doesn't exactly hear him. Something triggers in his brain. Remember when Kageri was telling David Stone about how genetics is a touchy thing? How the slightest change in alleles can make someone insane? Well...there's been a slight shift as the sheer number of abilities Jacob has catalogued begins to overwhelm him. The potential power he holds surfaces and his eyes cloud over to an all-black, eeking off little wisps. Jacob takes a step forward, getting closer to Toxin. The ground shakes around him as he approaches...his face twisted by anger*
[060530 10:33] 3c9, §Jacob Herschz: DON'T...THREATEN...MY BROTHER!!!
Jacob exploded with all of the stored abilities he had copied, and went on a rampage, destroying a city block of property and injuring, possibly killing, innocent bystanders in this uncontrolled fury. It’s a bad idea to mess with genetics, and that’s exactly what Jacob’s X-gene does. After the energy output reached way past the breaking point, Jacob “short-circuited” and blacked out, the abilities fading away. Wolverine, Jubilee and Nightcrawler, of the X-Men, showed up to the scene and whisked Jacob away before any mutant-haters could harm his unconscious body.
The two were kidnapped some time later and brought to Raul's Hotel, where they were tortured for what he says they've done. That's when Jacob found out that Dan also worked for Raul while living on the streets.... Dan also stole a lot of money from Raul before he, too, ran off. For this, Raul had his revenge...and shot Dan to death only inches away from Jacob, while Jake was powerless to do anything about it. Raul then laid into Jacob, cutting him across the chest and stabbing him in the stomach...only to be interrupted by Sally Cahill - who had a vendetta against Raul and attacked the Hotel. Raul fled, leaving Jacob to bleed to death. Sally found Jacob and Dan's body, and was able to save Jacob. He was then returned to Xavier's Mansion.
CURRENT -
Jacob, it seems, has met someone. Knives, a new student who is also gay, has become a close friend of Jacob's, and they two have shown interest in each other. Jacob appears to be falling for the guy, who's one year younger than him.
POWERS
Jacob fashioned a name for himself while living on the streets, so he wouldn’t have to give out his real one: CopyCat, and, as the name implies, his mutation is that he is able to imitate and mimic another mutant’s abilities just by witnessing them. And "witness" is just a summary of what actually happens.
~~PRE-SHORT-CIRCUIT~~
Jacob's real mutation/ability is a perceptive ability. His retinas and nerve pathways to his brain are mutated so that he can percieve the energy waves given off by the X-gene when a mutant uses their power. And, of course, every mutant has a signature to their genes, so each energy wave given off by an individual mutant is unique. Jacob's brain interprets these waves and then, in turn, copies them onto his own X-gene...allowing him to use the other mutant's unique signature, or power. Thusly, if he were to be traced by any leftover fragment of energy, it would lead to the original mutant and not to him. Jacob must "see" the mutant power happening, either at the source or the destination, to percieve the energy signature and copy it. His "catalogue" of mutant powers also suggests another mutation to allow for this, an ability to retain massive information and memory. For instance, Jacob is able to remember each and every ability that he has copied, with just a thought. Going through the catalogue is like flipping through a rolodex for Jacob.
Though there are limitations. Jacob cannot alter his physical form too drastically. If the mutation specifically involves growing three feet taller or twenty pounds larger or if it changes the color of his skin or hair or changes his bone-structure, he cannot copy it. Also, the power won’t be exactly as strong or potent as the original’s…at least not until Jacob matures more. But remember, he's had his powers for two years now, and he's had a LOT of practice, so he knows his limits and he knows what he can do. If the ability involves something not directly related to appearance, like telepathy, telekinesis, pyrokinesis, or super-strength, super-speed or healing etc., Jacob can copy it almost flawlessly.
STRENGTH AND LONGEVITY:
Jacob's state of body has a good deal to do with how well he can function copying abilities. But, strangely, if he's being hindered by a mutant power, he can feed off of that, creating a sort of loop, and use it back...therefore becoming inocculated by the power. As he grows, Jacob's strength and quality of his copied abilities will grow. At the moment, he can mimic an ability at about %47 functionality, but he has the latent ability to reach %70 under dire moments of stress and need. Also, once Jacob has copied the mutant ability, it is stored in a sort of facility in his brain, for instant use at any time.
Jacob was involved in sports at his school while he attended and even participated in some gymnastics, so he’s quite agile and very quick on his feet. He’s a bright kid, well-spoken and quick thinking, but very shy and reclusive. He keeps to himself a lot of the time and doesn’t speak much.
~~POST-SHORT-CIRCUIT~~
After Jacob had short-circuited his powers, they changed. New abilities came forward, as well as new limits. His powers are, to date, as follows:
= Jacob still possesses the ability to mimic and copy another mutant’s X-gene signature. This act of copying is entirely voluntary. He has complete control over what he copies and doesn’t copy. His ability is, however, still limited to non-form-altering mutations and to mutants only…not meta-humans, evolved humans or altered humans.
= He can still create the feedback loop, taking the energy signature of a mutant power being used against him, and laying back on itself, cancelling it out and creating that feedback. Once this happens, neither mutant is affected by the ability. This power is currently locked.
= Jacob, currently, can use one copied mutant power at a time, unlike before when he exhibited the potential to use upwards of four. Jacob’s full-capacity is still only at about 40% strength of the original user, and his untapped potential has dropped to about 66%. Jacob has the potential to use two copied powers at once, but if he does, the second ability will be even further inhibited: about 50% of his own maximum strength level, not the original mutant's.
= Jacob’s catalogue storage capacity has been decreased greatly, so now he can only store up to 16 copied abilities at any one time. Jacob can tap into these at any time, and use them. The 16 catalogue slots are taken up based upon what the Mutant Class Level of the ability is. If the ability is Class 3, it takes three slots. Class 4 takes four slots and so on.
= Jacob’s ability to copy has been somewhat inhibited. He must now be in close proximity to a mutant power, either its source or destination, to be able to copy it. He’s lost the ability to copy it from far distances, for example from watching on television.
= Jacob's copied abilities stay with him now for a limited time. The limits are:
a. They work like fuel. Jacob can use them sparingly and keep them longer, or use them quickly and burn through the copied DNA quickly. But once it is used, Jacob loses the power and must re-copy it.
b. Jacob can selectively delete copied abilities to make room for others. If Jacob wants to replace an ability with another, he can delete however many he needs to make room for the new one. If the power cycles out - is deleted - Jacob loses the power and must re-copy it.
= Jacob has a new mutant ability, unlocked upon short-circuiting. Jacob can mentally "sense" another mutant's strength capacity, similar to Callisto. Here's where it differs: He cannot sense the Class level or what power they have, but he can sense their maximum output level, how strong they are in their ability. There are a couple of quirks to this mutation:
a. While in proximity to a Class 6 or 7 mutant, Jacob experiences a mild, vibrating headache. Just being near them, about a train car length away.
b. If Jacob "senses" the power output of a Class 6 or 7 mutant, he experiences what is called a "spike" or "flash" headache. This is an excruciating headache that lasts for about a minute or three, going away as quickly as it came. This way, Jacob knows that their power is very dangerous to copy for himself. Jacob has discovered this, but is still learning about it.
Jacob, a wide-eyed and naive youth
"The Red"
Chevelle
They say freak
When you're singled out
The red, well it filters through
So lay down, the threat is real
When his sight goes red again
Seeing red again
Seeing red again
This change, he won't contain
Slip away, to clear your mind
When asked, who made it show
The truth, he gives in to most
So lay down, the threat is real
When his sight goes red again
So lay down, the threat is real
When his sight goes red again
So lay down, the threat is real
When his sight goes red again
Seeing red again
Seeing red again
Seeing red again
Seeing red again
Seeing red again
Seeing red again
Seeing red again
Seeing red...
They say freak...
When you're singled out
The red, it filters through...
~This character has been reviewed and approved by the Administration. Any questions or comments will be directed either to the player or an Admin.~