Post by Liz Sherman on Jul 16, 2009 19:45:47 GMT -7
LIZ SHERMAN
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◊ FULL NAME: Elizabeth Anne Sherman
◊ CODENAME: Liz
◊ GENDER: Female
◊ RACE: Pyrokinetic
◊ AGE: 34 (at time of death)
◊ APPEARANCE:Liz stands at 5’7, and probably weighs 145 lbs soaking wet. Her skin is very pale and usually a bit darker around her eyes. Her hair is black, and chopped to about chin-length. Her eyes are a dark brown color, like rich chocolate. Her build is usually slim, but what with her pregnancy, she now has a small belly that protrudes forth, no matter what kind of clothing she wears. Her fingers are long and slender. She has no scars or distinguishing marks on her body worthy of noting, except for a small, almost nonexistent scar on her forehead that has to be really looked for to notice.
Liz usually has a scowl on her face due to several things -- Hellboy, her powers giving her trouble, or as of lately - indigestion from the twins. Since her stomach has been growing with the developing children, she now bears angry purple stretch marks on her abdomen, a memory she'll always have of pregnancy. She uses her pyrokinesis, she is engulfed in flames and her eyes glow a bit red. The flames have progressed from blue to fiery orange as she has gained control with her abilities.
◊ ATTIRE: All of Liz's clothes are fire retardant. Off duty, Liz generally wears black jeans/trousers with a black t-shirt or tank-top. She doesn’t really stray into brighter colors. She usually wears boot with her off-duty clothing. If it’s needed, she’ll wear a black trench coat and gray scarf. At night, she usually wears boy shorts and a black tank-top or wife-beater to bed. There’s always a pair of black sweatpants nearby for her so pull on if the need arises during the night.
On missions, Liz wears a black leather jacket and pants with steam-punkesque leather shoes. The leather is used mainly because it doesn’t burn easily, and it puts up with Liz quite well. She has also taken to wearing a metallic crucifix around her neck on a metal choker rather than a chain.
◊ FACE CLAIM: Selma Blair
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◊ AFFILIATION: BPRD
◊ PROFESSION: Field Agent
◊ PERSONALITY:As a result from the episode that happened when she was eleven, Liz is usually withdrawn and shy around new people because of guilt she has felt for not being able to control her powers. This is something she’s been getting better at fighting as she has brought her powers more within her control. However, if she was to have another episode where she lost control, the guilt would be too much to bear, and she would go inside of herself until she was ready to come back out.
With members of the Bureau that she has known for a long time, however, she is not afraid to speak her mind or let them know exactly how she feels. She can be sarcastic at times, and usic a cynic wit to deal with certain problems. It's much easier than being nice and hunky dory about it. With Hellboy, she tries to be patient, but when her patience has been tried to its end, she ends up exploding -- sometimes literally -- into a fight with him. She really does love the big ape, though, and she would go to the ends of the earth for him.
Liz hates it when people stare at her. It makes her feel terrible inside, like they’re judging her, or looking at her in a circus sideshow. If anyone trains attention on her for very long, or if she’s the focus of unwanted attention, she gets extremely uncomfortable. When it comes to her friends and loved ones, she will vehemently defend them.
◊ ABILITIES: Liz has a fire that lives inside of herself. She has only recently learned how to control this -- her first manifestation of this power was disastrous, destroying an entire city block. When Liz’s power manifests itself (based on whether or not she can control it), it can be generated through either her hands, envelope her entire body, or explode forth, destroying everything that is not fire-resistant in its path. The fire lives inside of her, and Liz uses intense concentration and a chant to reign in the fire to her advantage. If Liz’s emotions get too extreme, she can spontaneously combust -- she must always make sure have concentration and be as calm as possible.
◊ SKILLS: Liz considers herself a bit of a photographer. Nothing fancy, of course, but she has spent many years taking photographs of her friends and loved ones at the Bureau and developing them. Maybe she could use it as a profession, but she doesn’t see it like that. She also has a rudimentary knowledge in first aid, just enough to clean and dress wounds, and she is well versed on how to treat burns. She is a fairly good marksman with a handgun, as demonstrated by accurately shooting the small and very fast tooth fairies at a successful rate until their sheer numbers overwhelmed her and her fellow agents.
◊ WEAKNESSES: Liz has a fear that she’ll have another episode like the one when she was a child, or like the episode at the hospital. This debilitates her ability to control her powers, but she’s trying to work through it.
Her fear of losing Red also affects her judgment and decision-making. He is her rock, her port in the storm, her constant. She cannot imagine life without him.
Liz’s pyrokinesis also poses a threat, as it can be unpredictable and uncontrollable should her concentration waver or her emotions run too high.
◊ EQUIPMENT: BPRD belt and sidearm
◊ RESIDENCE: N/A
◊ FAMILY: Philip Sherman (Father, Deceased), Anne Sherman (Mother, Deceased), Geoff Sherman (Brother, Deceased), Trevor Bruttenholm (Father-in-Law, Deceased, Hellboy (Husband, Deceased), Trevor Thomas Bruttenholm (Son), Magdalena Katherine Bruttenholm (Daughter)
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◊ HISTORY: Elizabeth Anne Sherman was born to Anne and Phillip Sherman in Kansas City, Kansas one spring day, and a few years later was joined by her little brother Geoff. Her childhood was a happy one, playing hide and go seek with Geoff, climbing trees, or playing baseball with neighborhood kids. Her family was strictly Catholic, going to mass twice a week, and when she was old enough, she went to a Catholic school. Everything was normal, and everything was good.
When she turned ten, however, her pyrokinetic abilities began to manifest themselves in little fires caused by strong emotion. Liz felt that these fires were caused by some sin so, guilt-ridden, she contained her powers through prayer and her own will. When she was eleven, however, some cruel kids chased her to a playground near her family’s apartment complex, calling her ‘freak’ and throwing rocks at her. One of the rocks struck her forehead and cut it, and as blood seeped down into her eyes, her arms erupted in flame. She was overcome by fear, and began screaming for help. The kids stared at her in awe, until suddenly -- FOOM! Fire exploded from the little girl in a spectacular show of destruction, killing everyone within the city block, including her mother, father, little brother, and pet dog. Liz blamed herself and her inability to control the fire inside of her. She became quiet and withdrawn and was juggled among family members until the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development found her and took her in. She grew up there, with Professor Trevor Bruttenholm acting as a father figure, and her Bureau brothers Abe and Hellboy watching over her. She still had uncontrolled manifestations of her power, but the Bureau was equipped to deal with that.
While Liz’s relationship with Abe and Professor Broom were that of a loving family, Hellboy’s intentions turned a bit to the romantic side. This confused her and troubled her, and a few years ago, she voluntarily left the Bureau to try to learn how to control her powers on her own. She went to a mental hospital in nearby New York City and slowly learned how to control her powers through concentration. Her progress even made it to the stage where she could erupt flames from her each separate hand and then extinguish them.
With a visit from Hellboy, though, and the arrival of a new agent at the Bureau, Liz had an uncontrolled manifestation that destroyed the entire hospital, caused by Rasputin. Rasputin was a monk thought to be dead, but he proved otherwise. He had unleashed creatures known as Sammael into New York City, and the Bureau had already had encounters from them, and the wounds to prove it. Using his mystical powers, he caused her to dream of the day that she had killed so many. With the fresh reminder of that day with the pain, the rampant emotions, and uncontrolled manifestation, Liz erupted into flames, as did the entire hospital. Once more, she was a lone survivor of a disaster that she caused. After this, with coaxing from the new Agent Myers, Liz returned to the Bureau, though she told herself "It's only for the weekend."
Liz arrival back at the Bureau was marked by Hellboy threatening Manning and causing some destruction, so Myers, in an attempt to make her feel better, took her out for coffee. It was nice to have someone who was at least trying to understand, even if they were doing some cheesy and old-fashioned tricks to try and perhaps turn the evening into a date. It was rudely interrupted by someone pelting Myers with a rock, and then the arrival of agents from the Bureau with the news that Professor Broom had been murdered by Kroenen, an agent of Rasputin.
Losing Professor Broom was like losing her family all over again, though it was undoubtedly much harder on Hellboy. While Liz was able to attend the professor's funeral, Hellboy was not. Afterward, Liz went to see him, and he told her something she would always remember. "I will never give up on you."
Manning, taking Professor Broom's place, then sent the team to Moscow, where Rasputin's corpse was located. Liz, Myers, Manning, and Hellboy went off to Russia and entered a mausoleum, where Myers and Liz were separated from Hellboy and eventually found their way to a nest of Sammaels. Hellboy, who had defeated Kroenen with Manning, made his way to them, but he could not take on the beasts single-handedly. To manifest her powers, Liz besought Myers to hit her. Once he did, flames erupted from her hands. "You should be running." She told him. Once he was safe, Liz's fire exploded, incinerating the eggs and the beasts, but rendering the three agents unconscious.
Liz found herself in darkness, a darkness so complete and unending until she heard a familiar voice, Hellboy's voice. She awoke in Hellboy's arms. Rasputin had taken her soul from her, and in order for it to come back, Hellboy agreed to release the Ogdru Jahad. At the beckoning and words of Myers, though, Hellboy rebelled against Rasputin and killed him, but a creature of the Ogdru Jahad emerged from Rasputin. Hellboy killed the monster, and then came for Liz, who was showing no vital signs. Liz asked what he had said. He replied, "Hey, you on the other side. Let her go. Because for her I'll cross over, and then you'll be sorry." Liz kissed Hellboy, and the two were enveloped in flame.
After the Moscow incident, the love that Liz and Hellboy had for one another grew. Liz went to a monastery and learned a chant from the monks to help control the fire within her, and some concentration methods as well. Before her return to the BPRD, Hellboy 'discreetly' had Myers transferred to Antarctica, and soon after her return, Liz and Hellboy married and Liz moved into Hellboy's room.
While she did her best to put up with the cats and sloppy way of living, things sometimes came to a head and the couple fought. On one heated occasion, Liz blew Hellboy's door off its hinges, and Hellboy with it. What was sure to be a heated discussion was postponed by a sudden call on a mission that soon catapulted HB, Liz, Abe, and Manning back into mortal danger once more. It was on this mission, with a single touch from Abe, that Liz learned that she was pregnant. Liz was able to demonstrate her control over her powers by burning the tooth fairies that had infested the building, but Hellboy was blown outside, and revealed his presence to the world. Hellboy seemed more preoccupied with the TV coverage he was getting than the royal seals that had been found on the mission, seal only used in a time of war. Liz, on the other hand, took several pregnancy tests that confirmed that, yes, she was pregnant. She struggled with how to tell Hellboy, and in the mean time, a new agent came to the Bureau.
Johann Krauss was sent from Washington to keep an eye on Hellboy, and Liz was slightly amused with the aversion that Red had to him. While Hellboy, Abe, and Johann went into the troll market, Liz stayed behind with Manning, still wondering how to tell Hellboy that she was pregnant, even thinking of going away for a little while to sort out what she was feeling. Would Red be a good father? Was she ready to be a mother? Those thoughts were driven out of her mind when a forest elemental was unleashed upon New York City. When Hellboy killed it, and saved a baby, he was treated like he had done something wrong. Liz did her best to defend him and his actions, but the mob that had gathered called him a freak, and one man pelted Hellboy with a stone. It drew blood, as did the stone that had caused all of Liz's troubles years before. She erupted into flame and stood in front of her man, ready to do or die at the drop of a hat.
Back at the Bureau, they were joined by Princess Nuala, the sister of Prince Nuada, who had released the warring seals and the forest elemental. Liz disinfected Hellboy's wound and tried to encourage him. That soon deteriorated when Liz voiced her thoughts on leaving for a little bit and Hellboy asked whether or not she could just stay and do her thinking at the Bureau. She left him with the question, "Does everyone have to like you...or am I enough?"
She went to bed, but was awoken hours later just as an inebriated Abe was about to tell HB about her pregnancy. It was interrupted as the alarm stemming from the library went off. Liz did not arrive at the library until after Hellboy and Abe had arrived, but she made it just in time to warn Hellboy too late of Prince's Nuada's lance. The piece broke off into his chest, and the demon fell to the floor hard. Nuada left with the princess, demanding the crown piece that he needed to awaken the Golden Army, so that he may wage his war on man. In exchange for the crown piece, he would ensure that Hellboy would live.
Liz and Abe went to the infirmary with Hellboy, but when Abe tried to remove the lance head in the demon's chest, it just moved closer to his heart. Liz vowed to stay with her husband, and he told her that he knew what was important: her. She also realized that, whether or not he was going to be a good father, he was what was important to her.
After learning that Manning and Krauss had no intention on saving Hellboy's life, Liz and Abe conspired to go to the Giant's Causeway, in Anterim, where Nuada would be waiting and make him heal Hellboy. Johann met them on the way and joined them in their quest to help Hellboy.
Once in Anterim, a goblin agreed to show them the way to the Golden Army in exchange for the lance head in Hellboy's chest, for he knew someone who could remove it without killing him. The goblin led the four into the Earth and to an archway. He told Abe and Johann to wait outside, and Liz and Hellboy followed the goblin into a chamber, where what could only be described as an angel waited. The angel had no eyes on its face, but many on its wings. Just as they entered the chamber, Hellboy collapsed on the floor. The angel knew Hellboy, and Liz, and said that she would decide whether or not Hellboy lived. The angel made it clear that Hellboy's destiny was to destroy the world, and when that time came, Liz would suffer the worst. "I'll deal with it. Just save him." She said.
"It is done." From the air, the angel plucked the lance head, and Hellboy's chest was healed. "I have done what I can. Now give him a reason to live." With that, the angel disappeared into thin air, and the metal clunked to the floor.
Liz kneeled down to speak into Hellboy's ear. "Listen to me, you big ape." She whispered. "You have to get up. You've got to get up. Because..." At that moment, she didn't care about how good of a father he would or wouldn't make. All that mattered was that he would live, "You're going to be a father."
Hellboy's eyes opened, and he looked into her eyes with his yellow ones before rising. "I become...Father?" he asked. Liz nodded, and they embraced. The goblin interrupted them so that they could go to meet Nuada. Hellboy acted like nothing had happened, and the group went forth to the chamber of the Golden Army.
Upon arrival, Abe offered the crown piece he had found to Nuada in exchange for Nuala's and their own safety. Nuada, assembling the crown and asserting his authority over the Golden Army immediately commanded the army to kill the four BPRD agents. After a short battle, in which ground was not gained by the agents, Hellboy challenged Nuada to battle for control of the Golden Army. Liz begged her husband not to, but he fought against the elven prince. And, to Liz's shock and horror, her husband lost. "Victory is mine," Nuada declared, but instead of dealing Hellboy a mortal blow, prince let him escape to watch the destruction Nuada would wrought with his invincible army.
The four agents retreated to the Bureau to try and prepare for the coming war. BPRD agents from all corners of the globe gathered in New Jersey, including John Meyers, and the Bureau tried to pool its resources to face the Golden Army. Liz, on the other hand, was entering her second trimester and her stomach was ballooning with the growing twins. She was pulled off of field operations, but did what she could in support roles to try and bolster the BPRD.
All of their effort was for naught. Nuada and the Golden Army cut through New York like a knife through cheese, and once New York City fell, the Bureau in Trenton was their next stop. Kate Corrigan died ensuring that Liz was safely extracted from the base. Tom Manning was killed holding off the Golden Army at a choke-point while the others evacuated. The tattered remains of the BPRD retreated to their base in Colorado, effectively allowing Nuada and his army to destroy the east coast while they tried to find some way, any way to stop them.
Liz had repeated the words of the Angel of Death to her husband as they left the Giant's Causeway. With them, Hellboy thought that he knew the solution. Liz begged for him not to, said anything that she could to convince him that there was another way out, but Hellboy was determined. To him, the only way to stop Nuada and the Golden Army would be to release the Ogdru Jahad onto the mortal plane. "If there's one thing I can do, I can save this world for our kids." Hellboy kissed his wife goodbye and Liz never saw him again. Hellboy became Anung un Rama and unleashed the Ogdru Jahad.
Guilt tormented Liz and the Angel of Death's words echoed in her head as she stayed safe in Colorado and out of the fight. She was unable to fight beside her friends and the man she loved and that began to devour her. She was still at the base in Colorado with a token force of protectors when the final battle began. Perhaps it was fate or just incredibly bad timing, but Liz went into labor as her friends and her husband fought for the earth's soul. Attended by Dr. Foster and Tabby Whitman, Liz gave birth to two twins, a boy and a girl, each taking after one of their parents. What should have been one of the happiest days of Liz's life was instead shrouded in darkness and uncertainty and then --
Liz's heart rate began to drop and life began to quickly ebb from her body. She lived long enough to name her son Trevor Thomas after Hellboy's father and the man who died so that the Bureau could escape, and her daughter Magdalena Katherine, in part after the woman who saved Liz's own life. And then... Liz just faded away, never knowing the fate of the man she loved or of the world they tried so desperately to save.