Zandra Thorne is a college student in New York City. In her free time, she's a magnet...for trouble!
Background[]
Born 23 years ago to Jake and Marci Thorne in a small georgia town. Her father was a park ranger, her mother a home maker. By age two her hair began to darken and turned blue. Her parents sought out doctors but they couldn't find a reason for it. Her parents started to dye her hair to hide it. As she grew school was difficult but manageable, her family supporting her when she was teased. By the time the 4th grade rolled around Zandra's father had been transferred to a different post. The family moved on out to another city in GA, Valdosta. The new school was pretty good, and she did have a few friends. She was enrolled in to the GirlScouts and did camping. Zandra's parents marriage failed when an old flame of her fathers appeared. They soon divorced and Zan bounced between the homes. She didn't get along with her step mom and there were many problems. Around her 13th birthday her powers manifested when Nikki and she were having a verbal fight. The oven, microwave and other kitchen appliances suddenly exploded and caught fire. After that she no longer stayed with her father and he stopped talking to her.
After the explosion, she moved with her mom to Jacksonville, Fl. she enrolled in High School and her life began to improve.She excelled in her art classes, the computer classes and English. The first few months or so was quite lonely and difficult but thankfully she fell in with a few other kids. During the 9 th grade Zandra and her friends went to a Renaissance festival. While there Zandra picked out a copper talisman, a rune. She was told it was the rune of power, Uruz. Shortly after she begun wearing the necklace a number of strange things began to happen. She could see odd colors, felt odd tingles. And of course a number of electronics would at random short out. She stopped wearing the talisman and the strange things stopped happening. One day she had a confrontation with a bully on her way home from school. The hand in her pocket grabbed some loose change and she felt something change. And she glowed a bright blue, levitating off the ground. When the tense situation was over, the boy ran away, frightened by Zan's show of power and a veiled threat if he told anyone.
Over the year and a half Zandra tested out her various theories, learning first what she did and then, working out ways to use it. Despite what many people would do, (like freak out) Zandra embraced her abilities. It took time, and a number of misadventures before she worked things out, and she even searched the internet to help her with what was happening. She commissioned her art teacher to make her a pair of copper bracelets after countless weeks of experimenting with various metals that seemed to enhance her abilities.
Zandra finally graduated she decided to leave Jacksonville. Using her powers she visited beaches, lakes and other places that had seen a lot of use over the decades. She was like a living metal detector and it did not take long for her to take advantage of that boon. Over the next two years she worked part time jobs and sold the things she found. She a trip up to the Smokey Mountains and found a few places that let you pan for your own gold flakes. By the time 2006 rolled in she had earned enough money to pay what her college scholarships wouldn't. While she was reluctant to leave her mother and few friends Zandra eventually got up enough courage to make the trek up to New York. Her mother had a friend who's daughter lived up in NYC who was also attending art school. So they met and agreed to share an apartment. Which is where Zandra's life now leads. She's been a quiet student at Columbia, kept good grades and has managed NOT to blow any thing up. She gets along all right with her roommate but doesn't see her much. She still meanders about the beaches and parks, using her ability to find treasures. She is content for the moment but is still troubled by her growing powers and her curiosity of the controversy of mutants. She reads every thing she can on the subject but still she wants more.
Personality[]
Humor: While she often seems to have a frown on her lips, behind it can be a silly smile. She can be cheerful and is often quite sarcastic. It doesn't take much for her mood to change and for her to forget her troubles allowing her to be just plain silly.
Protective: Zandra gets terribly attached to her friends. She will do anything it takes to keep them safe. It's her personality type that makes her this way. She just has a need within that makes her some what controlling. She naturally wants to step in and save those who cannot save themselves. She'll even try to save people from themselves making her seem some what bossy at times.
Loyal: Zandra has had a small number of friends in her life, some of course were closer than others. Either way Zandra is always there for her friends. If she finds they are in trouble she will do her best to help them out or just be there for them in times of need.
Confident: Zandra is rather self confident, but she is far from over confident. There are many aspects of her new abilities that out right frighten her. She's not sure why this has happened but it's like a dream come true for her. So she does not have a problem with it. She does not want to hide. She feels hiding her form would be like lying to every one around her, and in a way confessing that being what she is wrong or bad. Unfortunately she's found that few share her opinion and she will hide it when she must.
Creative: Zandra is very creative. She loves to draw and daydream. She has a tendancy to think outside of the box both with her art and how she deals with life.
Powers[]
Zandra is able to manipulate the Earth's electromagnetic spectrum when she is in physical contact with metal. This allows her to do the following stunts: Manipulate ferrous and nonferrous metals within a range of 1500 feet up to 10,000 tons. She is most comfortable with around 4,000 tons. Sense Energy fields (psionic, life auras, heat/light,electric), sense direction, create and manipulate bubble shields around herself and others within a second, fly at a speed of 50 mph. She can also create Electromagnetic pulses that have a range of 1 mile. Using the EM fields she can create brief telekinetic like shoving forces that range from 15 feet by 15 feet and resist up to 5,000 tons. She also can deliver a powerful static shock capable of knocking out or knocking back people who touch her unexpectedly, and it can also damage electronics.
She can boost the raw power of other mutants who have similar magnetic powers, to twice their original strength. This does not boost their skill of control. She can effect 1 person at a time for up to 5 hours, but they must stay within of 10 ft. of her.
Due to her potent EM nature she also has a minor psi-shield. It can resist low level psionic attacks, communications, or probing by creating a loud psionic static.
Skills[]
Artist: Zandra is a natural artist and minored in art in college. She's always enjoyed drawing and has an instinctual knowledge of how to proceed when creating things. Coupled with the techniques she's learned Zandra can do most things she sets her mind out to do. She enjoys painting, drawing and even sculpting. She is beyond average for her age due to the practice she's put in to it over the years and her natural talent.
Art History: Zandra is by no means an expert art historian but she's taking several college classes in the subject and has a good general understanding of major art styles, artists and famous artworks. She can generally tell the difference between a Jackson Pollock and a Picasso.
Outdoor Skills: Thanks to a few years in the girl scouts she learned a good bit about outdoor skills. Most of her knowledge comes from a few Native American information days and from the few camping trips she did. She is not trained the same way some one from the army or other 'professional' survivalists are but she knows enough that it bares listing. She also has several copies of survival guides and worst case scenario books to aid her. What this means is she can tie really good knots, knows how to tan a hide and can identify a few wild plants that are edible. She can be considered a novice, which means she knows just enough to get her into trouble.
Computers: Before Zandra's powers started to manifest more often, she had a big interest in computers and still does. While she's no hacker, she does know how to work a computer with a bit more knowledge than the average Joe on the street. She is internet savvy and is no technophobe and if she doesn't know how to do something she generally knows who to go to get the job done.
Roller Blading: While definitely not a all star athlete, Zandra is very good at this sport. She rarely falls down but doesn't really know any tricks. She can skate backward, spin and do a few other average things. But it's something she enjoys greatly. It's a hobby.
Flaws[]
Power Flaws: Without her bracelets or at least touching a handful of metal, Zandra cannot access many of her powers. She cannot manipulate the EM fields, she cannot create shields, cannot power boost, or create the EM zap. It is also noted that when she is in contact with metal she has an invisible aura of coolness or unease about her person. Using her powers too much or having a shield bubble get destroyed can result in a psionic backlash and knock her out. At the very least her powers can be taxing and leave her emotionally and physically tired.
Unforgiving: While she is capable of forgiving, it's often a hard thing for her to do. She's distrustful (especially people she considers 'mundane' ) and may forgive, but NEVER forgets. She feels the need to blame some one. Vengeance might be wrong but that doesn't quite stop her. She glorifies vigilantes from books and comics and often day dreams about being one herself. So, if a trespass is great, especially if it has to do with the treatment of a friend, Sabine will lash out to protect her friends or herself even waiting for right time in the future to do so. Every one has a dark side, for the most part, unfortunately Sabine has let hers have free reign.
Stubborn: Once she has her mind set on anything. she can become rather blind to any one else's advice. This can be a bad thing too. While it does mean she is steadfast in her good decisions it also means she often won't heed some one else's good advice. If she's made her decision it takes a whole lot of convincing and or manipulation to sway her.
ENDS JUSTIFY THE MEANS: Zandra did not always believe that the ends justify the means. But as time has gone on and she's started really seeing what goes on in the world and how the governments act she has come to the conclusion there is the right way and there is the way things actually are. She does not like this aspect of herself but she has come to realize that some times you cannot play by the rules and the good guys don't wear white hats. This flaw is one of Zandra's worst. Following this path can lead her into a dangerous state of mind and in turn this can lead her to betraying friends, innocents and even her soul. Two wrongs do not make a right and she may end up too blind to see that.
Couch Potato: As a result of being an artist Zandra spends a lot of time loafing around. She's not extremely over weight but she could stand to loose about ten or twenty pounds. She does roller blade once or so a week but over all the girl is no athlete and it shows. She is no cheer leader, no gymnast and without her powers she is virtually helpless. She knows no self defense tactics or any sort of brawling skills. Some day Zandra's lack of physical prowess will mean the difference between success and failure. In the event she is without her powers she may find she isn't fast enough or strong enough to help herself or another comrade in harms way.
Obvious Mutant: Zandra is a bit on the strange looking side. Her eyes are an impossibly bright shade of blue and sometimes glow, her hair is a similar blue tone, but she generally tells people she dyes it. Her canine teeth are a bit fang like.
Logs Including Zandra[]
2010-07-18: Mechs Over Manhattan: Robots attack New York City, and Zandra is caught in the middle. Guest-starring the Uncanny X-Men!
2010-07-23: Is it Man-Bats or Men-Bat?: Zandra's trip to Gotham gets a little creepy, when giant batlike humanoids attack.
2010-07-27: An Aggressive Withdrawal: Zandra gets caught in the middle of an armed bank robbery. Thankfully, Nomad is there to save the day!
2010-07-29: Assemblies Clash: Zandra helps plan a protest, but when things get more aggressive than expected, things may turn violent. Hopefully with the help of the X-Men, she can keep things from becoming a full-on riot.
2010-08-21: Reverse Polarity: Magneto and Zandra meet to discuss her involvement with the Brotherhood.
2010-08-24: All You Can Eat : Zandra cons.. suggests that Fang volunteer to model for her art class after meeting him at an all you can eat Asian buffet.