In order to understand Ari as a character, it is very important to understand the life he has had. Having forcibly gone under genetic experimentation after being abandoned by his father. Being trained to hunt, to become a living weapon to be used until his now severely limited lifespan had expired. When his time finally ran out and his body finally decided to quit on him, he was only 7 years old.
To say that he has become mentally and emotionally twisted because of this is an understatement. He legitimately doesn't understand why being violent, even towards the people you love, is wrong. He expresses his desire constantly throughout the first 2 books that he would like nothing more then to kill the flock- even Max. So that with them out of the way his father would show him the love and respect that he had given them instead. It's something he strives for, that he attempts to plan for, in the best ways his seven year old mind can manage. Even when he had switched his plans to kidnap Max instead of kill her, he had very twisted ideas about making friends. Thinking that she would get used to him and be his friend if he took her away and cut off her wings, and then kept her alive with food and water. Even his own father isn't immune to violent fantasies, and Ari has to make a physical effort to not try and literally strangle the love into him when Jeb doesn't treat him with love and respect.
Ari was also a danger to himself on top of being a danger to those around him. He never learned how to cope with his emotional pain, so instead he bites himself to create physical pain. Which, sadly is something that he is accustomed to and would much rather deal with. Though he is only shown to do this twice throughout the 3 books when he was alive, and only under particularly emotional breakdowns.
Ultimately the driving force behind all of his anger and internal pain, and the volatile personality he had for the majority of his life, is loneliness. Despite at times acting more mature then is appropriate for his age, he is ultimately still mentally and emotionally a 7 year old child. A boy who had been been abandoned and emotionally neglected by his father, abused by the scientists at The School, and for the vast majority of his life had never had his needs as a child met. While the driving force behind his emotional distortions are based in his life experiences, his primary motivation throughout the course of the books is to be loved, but more than that, he wants to be loved as if he was the only thing that mattered in the entire world. Which isn't an achievable or healthy goal, but is still understandable given that he is still more or less developmentally the same as a small child.
And being a little kid, Ari's decisions are based on his emotions and impulses rather than thinking thing through and making long term goals. He wanted to kill the flock to gain his father's love and attention, so he tried doing that. Even wen he knew that they were designed to save the world, that's not something he cared about. He wanted to take away Max and have the others captured, he didn't think about being found. He just thought he knew a place that was secret enough and went for it. He felt like he deserved a present, so he stole a gameboy and scared away the security guards with his eraser form, not caring about blending in. In fact, he is well aware that he sticks out in appearance, and feels that blending in is a pointless effort for him anyways. Ari is frequently reprimanded for not blending in and for letting his emotions control his decisions.
It had also been hinted at, though never explicitly confirmed, that Ari's brain is physically damaged. Genetically and chemically modified, and that is also is cause for some of his problems when it comes to controlling his impulses and his lack of a moral compass. Indeed there have been smaller hints that at the very least he thinks this is true regardless of whether it actually is or if he just thinks that he is because he's not fully capable of understanding the concept of trauma that isn't physical. (one of his favorite songs is "Brain Damage" after all). When Max was teaching him how to write his name, he wrote the R backwards, and she wondered if that was because of his age or because of his brain. He is at the very least capable of making and at least attempting to execute plans beyond that should be possible for his age, even if it was still rather simple (initially being kill the entire flock -> blame it on another eraser -> have them killed -> have his dad finally love him. However it then changed into: capture the flock -> take Max away and hide her in a place he thought was secret -> have Max all to himself forever). Oddly enough his father was proud of him for thinking like an adult when he found out about his plan to capture Max, and it was one of the happiest moments in his life. He also loves Max in a way that's muddled and confusing, somehow blurring between innocent and intense with his feelings of attachment usually reserves for children and admiration (even jealousy) expected of someone older than 7.
Under all of the twisted, emotional, psychological mess that is Ari, there is still very much a normal child. A little boy who enjoys playing, whether it's video games, card games, or games outside. He thinks cars, electronics, and rap music are really cool. He wants stories read to him since he can't read them himself. Like any kid his age he wants to be loved and taken care of instead of being treated like an unwanted burden. To be honest at times he can act downright silly too, from rubbing his hands gleefully to practicing his scary faces in the mirror. It's a softer side of him that had been forcibly buried for a large part of his life, and was only allowed to resurface the days before his death.
Because as he swiftly began to approach his own death, it understandably changed his personality. This was something that he wasn't going to get out of. He knew he would have died earlier had he not been Jeb's son. It had completely shattered his anger, after all, there was no point to holding onto grudges or dreams with the knowledge that you were going to die in a matter of days. Instead he became more solemn, accepting, and quiet. He was described as still not being normal, however he was significantly more subdued. It is noted that he rarely speaks "as if he didn't think he had a right to an opinion" but when he did speak, there was a noticeable difference. Without his anger consuming him he was just a kid, and kind of a sweet kid too. A stark contrast towards his earlier self who was always on the offensive. He swore to protect Max, and made good on that promise as he fought by her side even as his health was deteriorating.
And almost as importantly as letting go of his anger, Ari became more aware of his life and his relationship with his father. Perhaps because he was no longer being constantly polluted by anger, he began to see what it really was. He always knew that he had hated Max because his father loved them more then he loved him, however he also realized that his father was using this anger for his own agenda of emotionally manipulating Max. He knew that Max was just a kid like was, and that neither of them were to blame for what had happened in their lives. It was after the fact that he learned that Max was actually his half sister, due to Jeb being her father as well. They had different mothers though, and Ari's died shortly after he was born. This wasn't information that he was upset or even pleased by, he was initially shocked and it needed time to absorb.
Even though he knew he was going to die, he was still confused by what was happening to him as he was dieing. It all happened incredibly quickly, as his body simply shut down on him before he could fully understand what was happening. This is the mindset that he died with- not as a vitriolic hate machine, but as a somewhat sad, confused 7 year old.
Abilities: Ari had wolf DNA grafted into him at a young age. Since this series runs off of x-men style laws of genetics where mutations = superpowers, this allows him the ability to change his body into a more wolf like form, complete with fur, claws, and fangs. Unlike the other wolf/human hybrids who were modified in the womb, Ari's transformations aren't "seamless". He's basically in a perpetual state where he is somewhat between a normal human being and a werewolf no matter how much he morphs one way or the other. Aside from being generally scary and gross looking as a result, morphing into a more wolf like form isn't comfortable either and it has a tendency to burn and feel like his body is being pulled on. A side effect of all this was his rapid maturation- basically going through all of the childhood and teenage growth spurts and into a fully drown adult from the time he was 3-7.
He also had a pair of wings "retrofitted" on him after his first death. Even though he could fly with them, the fact that he was never really made to fly, along with how massive they were (roughly 18 feet or 5 and a half meters) meant that not only was it awkward to fly but also difficult to actually stay in the air. They also couldn't fold up nicely and were at least initially really, really painful.
Aside from his freaky mutant animal abilities, Ari also has a few other freaky mutant traits. Genetic recombinants were built to survive, and erasers specifically were built to fight and kill. He has enhanced strength, speed, endurance, and heals more quickly after injuries.
[There was an awkward pause in the video feed before Ari began talking. Despite his voice sounding as rough as someone shaking pebbles around in a coffee can, his tone was almost childish. Sort of scared, confused, and quiet, all wrapped into one.]
Who knew heaven would be so... suburban-y
[Making a sort of vague hand gesture to refer to well... everything in the background. It looks like someone didn't read the lease. Or in his case, didn't know how. Ari assumed he was in heaven. Ok so there wasn't any fluffy clouds and his neck still hurt and the cellphone thing was weird. But it's not like he was on fire so it wasn't hell. And he knew the whitecoats wouldn't bring him back to life. Again.]
Third Person:
There was no way Ari was going to school.
What was he even going to say? "Hi, my name is Ari. Now, I know I might look like a mutant freak of nature who is like... 5 times your size, but I used be an even bigger freak of nature! Let's be friends!" Maybe all those little kids could teach him how to read the alphabet or something. Or color between the lines. Or whatever normal 7 year olds are supposed to be doing. He was bored just thinking about it.
But Ari had a plan, he was going to leave for school, and then instead of walking there he would walk somewhere else. Maybe he would make a secret fort in the woods or something where nobody would find him. That would be fun.
It's not like any of it was going to matter anyways. Ari knew what was going to happen already. He was going to stay here for awhile, make friends, have a family, all of that warm fuzzy stuff that the landlord wanted. Then he was going to go "home" and go back to being worm food. Dead as a door nail. For a moment the thought made him feel weird- sort of heavy and tired. He frowned and tried not to think about it, instead casually grabbing his school bag and heading out the door.
"I'm going to school!"
He had a hideout to build.
OTHER Housing Request?: preferably with his sister but if that isn't possible than a house close by would be nice Did you read the rules and FAQ?: Yes and yes Would you like your application to be unscreened?: sure why not
ACCEPTED Congrats, your application has been accepted! Your character is now living at 1485 in Holly Heights, with a child slot. In order to get the ball rolling, here's what you need to do:
Comment back with the journal you'll be using for your character so that they can be accepted into the communities.
Create an IC Mailbox post on your characters journal that is not friends only. You are also free to treat this as an information holding post with your character's family and address listed if you wish.
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Re: Ari Batchelder | Maximum Ride | Not Reserved
Personality:
Abilities:
Ari had wolf DNA grafted into him at a young age. Since this series runs off of x-men style laws of genetics where mutations = superpowers, this allows him the ability to change his body into a more wolf like form, complete with fur, claws, and fangs. Unlike the other wolf/human hybrids who were modified in the womb, Ari's transformations aren't "seamless". He's basically in a perpetual state where he is somewhat between a normal human being and a werewolf no matter how much he morphs one way or the other. Aside from being generally scary and gross looking as a result, morphing into a more wolf like form isn't comfortable either and it has a tendency to burn and feel like his body is being pulled on. A side effect of all this was his rapid maturation- basically going through all of the childhood and teenage growth spurts and into a fully drown adult from the time he was 3-7.
He also had a pair of wings "retrofitted" on him after his first death. Even though he could fly with them, the fact that he was never really made to fly, along with how massive they were (roughly 18 feet or 5 and a half meters) meant that not only was it awkward to fly but also difficult to actually stay in the air. They also couldn't fold up nicely and were at least initially really, really painful.
Aside from his freaky mutant animal abilities, Ari also has a few other freaky mutant traits. Genetic recombinants were built to survive, and erasers specifically were built to fight and kill. He has enhanced strength, speed, endurance, and heals more quickly after injuries.
Other: N/A
Re: Ari Batchelder | Maximum Ride | Not Reserved
SAMPLES
First Person:
Third Person:
There was no way Ari was going to school.
OTHER
Housing Request?: preferably with his sister but if that isn't possible than a house close by would be nice
Did you read the rules and FAQ?: Yes and yes
Would you like your application to be unscreened?: sure why not
Accepted
Congrats, your application has been accepted! Your character is now living at 1485 in Holly Heights, with a child slot. In order to get the ball rolling, here's what you need to do:
I hope you enjoy your stay here!