Claudine Salonga |
|
Portrayed By |
Claudine Barretto |
Gender |
Female |
Date of Birth |
July 4, 1989 |
Age |
18 |
Zodiac Sign |
Cancer |
Aliases |
'Dine |
Place of Birth |
San Nicholas, Philippines |
Current Location |
New York City, NY, USA |
Occupation |
Columbia University - Freshman and Company Agent |
Known Relatives |
Mariano (father), Carmela (mother), Marilou (youngest sister), 6 older brothers (as to be named) |
Significant Other |
Orion Granger |
Known Abilities |
Terrakinesis |
First Appearance |
Sandwiches and Mustard Gas |
College coed meets sooper seekrit Company agent. Yeah..that's hawt. I know. But on a more serious note, Claudine is a freshman at Columbia University, majoring in biochemistry and studio art. She's an immigrant from the Philippines, and has the ability to literally rock people's world. She's also an intern for Primatech Research and is on full scholarship to cover for her position as an agent for the Company. But she's the sweeter, softer side of them..yeah.
History
In a small and humble province of San Nicolas in the Philippines, Claudine Constance Salonga was born to Mariano and Carmela Salonga eighteen years ago on a sunny July 4th. The sixth child of this farming family, Claudine grew up amongst three brothers and two sisters, and she in time learned to help out with the family farm. Fortunately for her, her family was well known in the province especially considering the fact that nine generations ago, one of her relatives founded the province, and thus she was treated well by the others, being the baby of the family. Now all knew in this province, that education was the only way out, and thus she worked very diligently and quite hard, learning to read at a young age, and being fluent in English, Tagalog (the main dialect of the Philippines), and Ilocano (the preferred dialect of the province).
Considering the educational system in the Philippines, (where there is no middle school), she progressed quite well in her studies, particularly favoring math and science, though she was quite enamored with the arts (particularly sculpture). Her family, seeing that she was quite proficient in these subjects decided that they would save up for her to be able to travel to the capitol city of Manila, where she could try to gain admittance into one of the top high schools in the country, Manila Science. Upon hearing this, she studied harder, often borrowing books from the local library and going to visit doctors in the area to have them try to teach her more. Considering her agricultural background, she naturally leaned towards the biological sciences, as she used the practical talents which she had which she tried to use to help make the family farm have more productive yields.
In the mean time, when she was not studying for the upcoming preparative exams, she worked more on her sculpting, seeming to have the gift to manipulate the clay in the area into definite shapes. This caught the interest of some of the local tourists in the area, who bought her sculptures and through this way, she was able to garner enough monetary support to be able to travel to Manila. The only thing in her way was the exam..
For several months, she studied all the time, not letting anything else distract her. Her family let her study and even offered to reduce some of her chores, but she refused, being able to work the farm as well as study at the same time. With the day of the exam, Claudine went off rather confident that she would do well, and thus for the next three hours, she tried to put what she had learned from school and on her own to good use.
She scored the best in the biological sciences portion of the exam, which due to her experience with farming gave her extra help when it came to the topics of breeding and population genetics. Chemistry is what she did the next best in, with math coming in at a close third. her verbal score wasn't exactly great, but it was good enough to get her admittance into Manila Science. Her family was very proud and the entire province had a celebration on Claudine's acceptance. Not very many in the province had actually made it out to the more cosmopolitan world, and she had a good time with her friends and the other people in the province. She eventually set out on a jeepney headed to Manila.
To get to Manila however, they had to trek through the beautiful yet sometimes dangerous mountain ranges in Baguio City. On a rainy night, as the jeepney was traveling on, a landslide started to happen due to the washing of the water down its slippery slope. Claudine was still asleep for the most part in the jeepney, but the sounds of the screams of terror from the other passengers woke her up to the sight of several tons of wet earth heading down their way which would've led to a seemingly inevitable doom.
However as fate would have it, this would not be her end as with a massive headache of her burgeoning mutant gifts occuring, she willed the oncoming landslide to take another course, her arms stretched towards the landslide, and the others on the jeepney proclaimed her as an incarnation of Anianihan, the Philippine goddess of healing and the earth. Exhausted by the experience, Claudine fainted from the experience, and when she woke up, she found herself in the local hospital in Manila.
When she woke up, she found her family surrounding her, as well as those she had saved in the jeepney proclaiming that God had given her a gift which she should use for the betterment of humanity. Not knowing what or how she had caused the landslide to move away, she herself also thought it was a miracle from God that they survived. However, one of the local American doctors there seemed to think otherwise, that she was one of the evolved, and a seemingly powerful one at that, though he had kept it to himself (at least so they had thought).
Years had past, and Claudine did quite well at Manila Science. She was at the top of her class and was quite popular with the others, having also acquired the position of Student President as well as officerships in the Art Club and other such things. In the past years, she had grown in her gifts, subconsciously using her powers to manipulating the clay to make incredibly beautiful and sophisticated sculptures.
These sculptures were quite the rage with her classmates who wanted some as well, and so, asides from studying for most of the day, she worked at her potter's wheel, doing what she could. They even suggested that she should become an artist instead of a scientist, but she dreamt of going to the University of the Philippines - Diliman (the top University in the Philippines) to pursue her degree. Considering she sent many of her sculptures back home to San Nicolas where she thought they would end up in relative obscurity and thus have nothing more than her local people admiring them, a Columbia university professor who had come to San Nicolas (to study crop-insect relationships in the farming community) had come across her sculptures and were enamored by their sophistication. He went everywhere trying to find out who made these, and eventually it led him to the Salonga home where he asked Mariano who made the sculptures.
Mariano was quite proud and mentioned that his daughter, Claudine, made the sculptures, and realizing that he was a professor at a top American University, almost mentioned and bragged how his daughter went to Manila Science and was at the top of her class. The professor was also part of the admissions committee, and searching for a more well rounded class, wanted to meet the creator of the sculptures to perhaps recruit her at the university. When he eventually traveled to Manila, he went to Manila Science administrators and asked to speak with Claudine, who was conducting a student council meeting at the time. He requested to see her grades, and saw even more of her sculptures which were proudly displayed in various cases throughout the hallways. Impressed with her grades, he was intent on giving her an opportunity at Columbia, and thus he went and spoke with her immediately.
Shocked that she was actually noticed by someone outside the Philippines, Claudine graciously accepted his offer and he worked with her for several months (as she was set to graduate), so that she could apply and get into Columbia. Graduation came and she gave her speech and everyone was excited that she got into an ivy league university in the States. She had accomplished what so many had hoped for, and thus many were proud of her.
However, Claudine was sad that she was leaving her home country and in all honesty, did not want to leave. She was a simple girl who lived a simple life in a farming community, but her parents told her that it was time for a change, and that this was a sign for her to go onto better things. Having heard her parents' advice, she left and headed to New York where she is now a student at Columbia, majoring in biochemistry so that she can hope to achieve the life that her parents want her to have. She has continued to make her sculptures in the area, which are selling quite nicely, sending home money that she can. Due to her talent and grades, the university was able to offer her a full scholarship, thanks to Primatech and so she is now a freshman, and who knows what will await her.
Abilities - Terrakinesis
Terrakinesis/Geokinesis: Claudine's power is that to manipulate earth (rocks, soil, clay, etc) in any manner that she chooses. She is still quite untrained in this ability, and therefore, these stunts that she has performed only come as a matter of reflexive and subconscious nature. The following sections are the stunts she has performed sometime in her life..
- DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER - This is a very specialized ability in which Claudine can force phase changes in materials such as coal or graphite into diamonds sedimentary into igneous and igneous into metamorphic rocks. The degree of success determines how much material can be changed and it's quality. For higher quality material phase changes a LOT of success must be rolled and it takes time. Multiple rolls are needed with 30 minutes of pure uninterrupted concentration. Of course at the moment concentration for more than an HOUR will cause internal bleeding hemorraging and all sorts of bad stuff to Claudine since this is an incredibly difficult application of her power.
- GAIA'S TIMEOUT - An extension of her earth shaping ability Claudine manifested this stunt while under the training and supervision of Orion Granger and Mohinder Suresh. A giant hand of earth rises up from rocky earthen materials to grab a person. Of course this can be dodged and it will effectively hold that person. The hand can be destroyed depending on the material it's made out of though it's integrity is based on the number of success that was rolled to make it. However success that goes to integrity can be used to instead try to make a better hold on the target. For example a GREAT success can be turned into GOOD success if one success is transfered to add a penalty onto actions by the target.
- GAIA SPANKS YOU - Instead of making a fist of earth to imprison a target the giant hand of earth can squash punch or even swat at a target and all dodging is normal. Not too difficult to understand here. Damage depends on number of success as usual.
- I FEEL THE EARTH MOVE (aka OH NOES! EARTHQUAKE!) - A stronger application of her will over the earth Claudine has the ability to manipulate the tectonic plates to create shear planes/faults to create earthquakes within the radius of a city block. It's an incredibly localized ability and depending on her degree of success is how much the earthquake will affect her surroundings. This is generally an uncontrolled application of her abilities as strong emotions like fear anger and even lust will create tremors in the earth. In order to stop the earthquake from happening she must succeed on a WILLPOWER roll that matches her success on the earthquake roll. As such only a GREAT willpower will nullify a GREAT earthquake though GOOD willpower can weaken the GREAT earthquake. Of course she doesnt have to turn it off but it just happens on instinct.
- THE SCULPTOR'S TOUCH -The easiest power stunt for her is the ability to shape earthen materials such as rocks clay and soil to her whims. This ability extends over asphalt and cement as well as they are simply sedimentary rocks that she can manipulate. In terms of her current abilities she can shape up to one ton of earth at maximum as of right now and the shapes that she can make depend on how much mass she is working with at the time. For example the more sophisticated shaping can only work on small amounts such as her sculptures and with bigger masses she can make crude shapes such as walls spikes and different large bulky objects such as those. If she is working with her power to work on a sculpture there is no strain on her though more strain will take into effect the more she tries to shape. If she attempts to shape one ton of earth it will take an entire day to recover due to her headaches body aches etc.
Timeline
- July 1990 - Claudine is born
- September 2003 - Discovers her powers by moving and stopping a landslide in her native Philippines. The locals declare her an avatar of a goddess. The Company becomes aware of her potential..uh oh!
- January 2006 - Gets recruited to go to Columbia University on a full scholarship sponsored by Primatech.
- August 2006 - Moves to New York City to begin her studies as a biochemistry freshman. Marcus, a grad student also on a Primatech Scholarship, is assigned to be her mentor. School begins and classes start. Huzzah!
2007
Crazyness ensues with her finally realizing her powers when Orion, shoots at her during a jog. This leads a freaked out Claudine to go to Enlightenment books to pick up a copy of 'Activating Evolution' from Cass while almost destroying her store from the shifting and rumbling of the earth underneath their feet. D.L. comes in to save the day though. Huzzah!
- 1) Claudine confides in Marcus about her abilities and shows him the wall she created.He looks around trying to find clues as to who the shooter could have been, and they're witnessed by Xander. Xander displays his own powers and explains there are others like them,and there's an organization who would harm such evolved humans as them. Now,she's a bit wary and has his card.
- 2) Crazyness ensues when going for some coffee: she witnesses Julie, a barista gettig killed and freaks out. Meets more 'heroes' such as Ianto, who whizzes her out of the fray and then runs off. In her freaked out state, daniel-mp brings her back down in a special way that only he can, and she goes off to calm down and study.
- 3) She sees TC at the library and they discuss and find out about each other's powers. The two end up going back to her place to STUDY. The morning after, he takes her out to breakfast and they decide to have dinner together at another time. It's so not a date though. Awwww.
- 4) She meets up with Ianto once more and has a minor little freak out when she finds that she cant use her powers when near Rochelle. Of course, she doesnt know this and the pair headoff to Starbucks, where they're taken in by Anders and Elle. She's now in Company custody,having met with Mohinder who promises to help her gain control over her powers.
- 5) She was just released by Mohinder and is out and about once more, living her life. Yes, she's been tagged.
- 6) She's reunited with her friends and runs into Rianna and finds out about the Foundation. What she finds out isnt something she really likes and thus turns down the offer for an internship.
- 7) After an incident in Central Park, where Drake, dressed up as a superhero saves her, a gang of thugs wants their revenge, hoping to draw him out once more. Instead Max and Seamus comes to her and daniel-mp's rescue, revealing a bit about her powers.
- 8) Max tells her what he knows, particularly about the tag that she's now been marked with. She wants to tell him more, but doesnt trust him yet.
- 9) Bob Bishop and Leandro come down to recruit her and bring her into the fold. She agrees to be PR, with her cover as an intern at Primatech Research. She receives her first assignment to track down and bring in Heather Noyes.
- 10) Had an encounter with Stefanie Pratt. She wasnt going to turn herin since she seemed harmless, but once Anders was there, she had no choice but to bag and tag the girl. At least Stefanie was willing!
- 11) Frustrated at her interrogation with Eliana, she decides to let the more experienced agents Angie and Orion to do their dirty intimidations tactics. Either way there was information to be had.
- 12) Detailed observations of Sakura and Sean. During this operation, she and Orion pretend to be a couple and hilarity ensues. Awkwardness happens and the two decide to go out afterwards to see what happens.
- 13) Date with Orion. It's sweet it's fun, and the two admit they like each other. Sweetness ensues.
- 14) A walk in central park turns violent. Max reveals his true, or rather twisted colors and a battle between two evolved ensues. Claudine gets pwned. Badly.
- 15) Lots of dates with Orion. Yeah..I kinda stopped logging stuff here.
- 1) Meets Steven Savant. She finds him to be a bit aggressive in trying to pursue a relationship and just decides to be friends. They reveal each others powers to each other and she explains to him to not go around telling everynoe about them so easily.
- 2) Gives Steven a bit more advice, particularly with who he should and shouldnt be talking to.
- 3) Lots of traveling: Freaking out from everything that's happened, she heads off to San Diego with T.C. for a bit of R&R. Hilarity ensues.
- 4) Even more traveling!: Claudine and Orion head to upstate New York for a camping trip. Fun is had.
- 5) The baby of the Salonga Clan, Marilou, makes it to the U.S. Orion and Claudine are there to pick her up from the airport and some mysterious breezes start to occur..inside the airport. Wierd. Orion is suspicious and Claudine is oblivious, or maybe in denial.
- 6) After her sister freaks out and starts explaining the wierd things that's been happening, CLaudine gets first hand proof that her sister is evolved. In an incident at the park, Marilou lifts a young boy with a strong gust of wind into the water. Several heroes save the boy, while she tries to comfort the youngest of the clan.
- 7) Meeting with Noah, Claudine is assigned as Mohinder's lab assistant to assist with research. Maya visits to speak with Mohinder, and the two chat amicably for a bit. Later on, Bob comes in to speak about Marilou and Drake and the current situation.
- 8) What has she gotten herself into? Saying yes to Elle may be her undoing, and so she's running some experiments and trying to find out whether some photos have been photoshopped or not. She confides in Heather and they decides to work together, like Mystery Inc. cept without the dog.
- 1) Out at Times Square, Marilou unleashes her powers once more on accident in front of many people, creating a tornado of sorts with lots of people present. Orion has to knock her out, Claudine almost starts and earthquake and they bring baby sis to the Company.
- 2) With Marilou's status as an evolved comes out, Dine angsts as to whether her whole family will be tested. Orion is there to comfort her of course.
- 3) Marilou is killed by Sylar. Not quite sure how to explain things, Claudine gets extremely pissed. Orion decides to teach her more about her powers so she can get revenge for what happened to her sister.
- 1) Claudine meets Ryan Cochrane, an atmokinetic while she's observing new evolved in Company settings. He wants to know more, and she warns him about the dangers of getting too deeply involved.
- 2) Ryan seems to have a crush on little miss thang, and while dancing one evening they kiss. Dine feels horrible about it and Ryan backs off.
- 3) To try to make an effort at friendship, she gets Ryan and Orion to hang out (awkward). However, Ryan and Orion seem to enjoy making fun of the young Filipina, so she's not sure if getting them to meet each other was such a good idea.
- 4) Orion pretty much trains Claudine throughout the entire month. She gets snubbed once by her beau and decides to head home for a bit. She is still grieving for the loss of her sister and takes some time out in the Philippines to explain what happened to her family.
- Having returned in time for her birthday, Orion takes Claudine out for a romantic dinner on the beach. It turns out hilariously disastrous as when she kisses him over the table, she knocks over the candles, starts a fire and both are burned. They head back, and finally consumate their relationship. Awww.
Quotes
- "No cake for you!"
- "Would you like a cookie?"
Relationships
- Marilou Salonga: The youngest of the Salonga Clan has recently revealed aerokinetic abilities, much to the surprise of Claudine. Knowing what's out there now, she's very overprotective over her younger sister and wants to keep her safe.
- Mariano Salonga: Daddy's little girl. She's always done what she can to impress her father, and she works very hard to make sure that all the sacrifices her family has made is not in vain.
- Orion Granger: It started off simple enough. He was assigned to keep an eye on her to see if she manifests powers, and her powers manifested after he shot at her. Who knew that the two would share an interesting relationship, starting off as a sortof mentor to pretending to be dating to be dating. His boyscout-ish tendencies and rather blunt attitude are refreshing, and the two are quite close. and yes, she occasionally gets jealous..
- T.C. Davis: Claudine's first crush at Columbia, they've moved onto good friends. He's one of her main confidants and she tells him everything. He disapproves of her affiliated with the Company, but she believes it's right, and they often have debates as to whether the Company is needed or not. They have a couple of classes together, and he tutors her in molecular biology and ecology.
- Marcus Brooks: He's her official mentor as part of the Primatech Scholarship. She's astounded by his knack for languages and suspects more, but considering he's Company affiliated, she thinks they know.
- Steven Savant: She finds him rather aggressive, as he did hit on her a bunch, but he's just a good friend now. She's worried that reports of Omega Man have made him want to be a superhero, and so she constantly tries to bring him back down to reality by telling him thoughts like those are idiotic.
- Heather Noyes: Her BFF in the Company, the two share similar backgrounds as they're both farm girls with superpowers. Ice cream, stories and clubbing experiences are what bonds them together.
- Sean Cho: Though she doesnt like his girlfriend, Claudine is still on amicable terms with the older Asian, seeing him as a sort of pseudo-older brother. That's why she's protective as well.
- Jeremy Wakefield: He's just too innocent and gullible. She genuinely likes him, but she's made him a contact for any reports from various superhumans right now. As long as he thinks he's a sooper seekrit agent, then it's all good.
- Sakura Kimura: A bubbly Japanese girl, Claudine definitely enjoys her company. She's trying to get the girl to join Primatech, but slowly and surely. Her powers are intriguing afterall.
- Riya Dawar: Slut ho. Needs to be rock smashied. Nuff said.
- Drake Maxwell: Not really on the shitlist to where it's full out hate, but she is leery of him being a superhero, or at least trying to be a costumed vigilante. Also needs to be rock smashied.
- Peter Petrelli: Tool. Major Tool. Having to be him was not a pleasant experience.
- Nathan Petrelli: He was mean to her after he got released. He knows she works for the Company. Not good.
Trivia
- Her cover with the Company is an intern at Primatech Research and Development. Now she's doing science-y stuff.
- After the incident with Hiro's escape, she's now more than willing to get her hands dirty to bring in people.
- She has a 'birthmark' of the Symbol on her back, just around her left shoulder.
- Her favorite food is: Chocopie by Orion Confectionaries. Coincidence? Perhaps.
- For some unknown reason, the use of her powers causes her to dehydrate. She needs lots of water when using her powers for an extended period of time.
- She's based off of the Marvel Characters: Magma and Petra.