Season

Born to two uber-conservative and no-nonsense parents, Skylar Woods always had the vibe of someone who drifted through life the way dandelions drift through an open field—gracefully and aimlessly.

He was everything his parents weren't. Introspective. Free-spirited. Passionate. Reasonable. As a kid he held hobbies like stargazing, collecting insects and playing guitar. His parents urged him to be more studious but they'd convinced themselves he'd grow out of it as he matured. Unfortunately (for them), he didn't.

He bounced between majors like they were Netflix recommendations, never quite landing on anything that told him, “Yes, Skylar, this is your destiny,” and absolutely certain that whatever his destiny was, it didn’t involve wearing a tie and arguing motions in front of a judge. His father, a granite-faced attorney with a voice like a gavel, disagreed. Thus, Skylar drifted. They called him a directionless hippie. He moved out shortly after that. Then he took a year off to "find himself" before he decided where the rest of his life would lead. It didn't go so well.

He spent most of the time couch-surfing. After six months of indecision and listlessness, he was afraid his parents may have been right after all and he'd chosen the wrong path. It was only after his latest roommate invited him to a music festival to lift his spirits did his life finally take a turn for the better. Well not exactly better. More interesting is more like it.

A summer music festival tucked deep in a national forest, a synth-folk band playing an eight-minute song about the cosmic rights of mushrooms, and a girl dancing barefoot in the dirt who Skylar swore he'd met somewhere before. Hair that reached her waist, headband made of flowers, and the greenest eyes Skylar had ever seen. With a name he couldn't pronounce and an accent he couldn't place, she did more giggling than talking, but Skylar was entranced. They spent most of the day together. She offered him herbal tea that tasted like no plant he’d ever met, and they spent the evening talking about the arrogance of corporations, the miracle of photosynthesis, and his father’s crushing expectations.

As the sun went down she held out her hand and offered him something. "Magic beans" she called them. Two of them. They looked like ordinary Lima beans to Skylar but she promised him a high he would never forget. Not wanting to look like a loser and still depressed at the turn his life had taken, he didn't hesitate eating them. And as he did so, with a wide grin on her face, his paramour skipped away. Before he could chase after her Skylar hit the dirt. Hard.

Skylar woke up the next morning with vines wrapped lovingly around his ankles and a hangover made entirely of enchantment. She was gone, leaving only a note written on an enormous leaf: Protect what grows. The seasons will guide you.

Skylar’s abilities came slowly, like sprouts pushing through soil. First he heard whispers from houseplants. Then grass shivered under his feet in recognition. Soon he could convince roots to lift a car, coax vines to form a makeshift hammock, and summon small flurries of magical energy when the situation demanded it. Spellcasting never came easily—he had the discipline of a squirrel mid-espresso—but he could manage little bursts of nature magic with enthusiasm if not precision.

He became Season because he couldn’t pick just one aesthetic. Spring’s optimism? Summer’s wild energy? Autumn’s melancholy beauty? Winter’s calm? They all fit, depending on his mood or the playlist he was using for inspiration.

As for his mission… that one stayed gloriously murky. He knew he wanted to protect nature, help people, push back against the corporations treating ecosystems like disposable plates. But the whole “life plan” thing? Still working on it...

Chlorokinesis

• "The world is my garden." - Skylar
  

Skylar possesses the ability to commune with all earthly forms of plant life, primordial or otherwise, and control its growth and form. He can summon forth vines and roots from the ground to ensnare criminals or wrap thick oak tree bark around himself in defense.

He is able to cause flowers and other plants to bloom instantaneously, control spores and pollen, bring plants back to life and make them sprout seeds/fruits/berries, and use plant chemicals to heal people or manipulate their properties for a wide range of effects. Skylar is also immune to all toxins, bacteria, and viruses.

Sorcery

• "Abrakadabra, loser." - Skylar

As a Guardian of Nature, Skylar possesses various spellcasting abilities. By stating an intent and focusing on the outcome, Skylar is capable of a variety of feats including, tracking and locating others, illusionary disguises, teleportation, enchantments & charms, and telekinetic manipulation.

Even before he was appointed as a protector of nature, Skylar was a die-hard environmental activist. He cares deeply about the state of the planet and humanity's impact upon it, often going out of his way to urge others to "care more". He's been told he can be a bit preachy.

He wears his heart on his sleeve and sometimes gets too emotional for his own good. When he's depressed flowers and other plants in his immediate vicinity may wilt and wither.

Skylar often feels self-conscious around other heroes and guilty about being considered a hero himself as he acquired his powers not through a noble sacrifice or valorous act; he was just trying to impress a girl. But he makes up for it by being the best hero he can be.

• Green Thumb - The power of supernatural control of plants via magic. Skylar can essentially cause plants to grow, make them move around like animals, create vines from the earth, summon poison ivy, sic trees on people, and so on.

• Friend to All Living Things - Though he doesn't possess the ability to literally communicate with animals, as a Guardian of Nature Skylar has demonstrated a sort of natural affinity with all manner of wild woodland creatures. Deer will shyly eat out of his hand, chipmunks will frolic at his feet, and if outstretched, birds may alight upon his finger.

• Blessed with Suck - Being a powerful mage means his mistakes can spin out of control and spell doom for everyone. It also draws attention, from forces that seek to destroy, manipulate, control him or just plain steal his powers.

• Squishy Wizard - Skylar possesses no physical superpowers. He's just as vulnerable to mortal injuries as a regular human, despite his magic.

"Looks Like Rain" by Passion Pit
"Fireflies" by Owl City
"Daylight" by Matt & Kim
"Sleepyhead" By Passion Pit
"Don't Wait" by Dashboard Confessional
"Mansard Roof" by Vampire Weekend
"Marching Bands of Manhattan" by Death Cab For Cutie
"The Kids Don't Stand A Chance" By Vampire Weekend

Art Links — Wild and Season by @Valiant — Bella and Skylar by HapisSkun