Ernest Wright

Ernest West Wright is an orange-band Alpha with enhanced strength and inhuman durability.  A legacy poster, he has lived at Foundation with his father his entire life.  At the beginning of the third block, he is partnered with newcomer June Hovick.
==Biography==
===Early life===
Ernest is the son of celebrated public hero John Wright and so-called villainess Gloria Goldstein. Gloria is a pink-band poster with the power to produce pheromones with which she can attract and influence others. It is an uncontrolled power, one which she cannot turn off, although she has certainly used it to profit herself in the past, hence the 'villainess' label. John was the first person she had met who was not affected by her powers, and the two quickly fell in love, eventually marrying.
This alarmed the Foundation, which believed John had succumbed to Gloria's influence. Both protested that this was not the case, but as they were unable to provide any solid proof, their word held little weight. The marriage was annulled, Gloria was institutionalized, and the moment she gave birth to her son, he was taken away from her. Fortunately for Ernest, his super strength began developing in utero, assuaging the Foundation's fears that he might inherit his mother's pheromone powers.quipquipquip: "Does the public know that Gloria is Ernest's mom? Was there ever any worry about what Ernest's powers would be because of her?"
Although it is well-known that John was briefly married to a woman named Gloria, the full story is known only to a few. The official version is that the relationship ended after Matt Underwood's grisly murder gave Gloria cold feet. She was frightened that the Commander's enemies would attempt to get to him through her, and so sought an annulment. She left Ernest in John's care because she believed he would be the safest there. Even though Ernest knows the true story, he is not allowed to see Gloria and has never met her face-to-face, their only contact being via brief phone calls a couple of times a year.
John and Ernest live in a small clearing at the edge of the campus grounds.  Their house is near Amira's and the Galán-Grants', but further back in the forest underbrush.Origins, Issue #2  Growing up in Foundation, Ernest became close friends with fellow legacy posters Mal Underwood and Rosario Galán-Grant, and the three often met in the woods outside the Academy to play with each other.quipquipquip: Things To Know About Rosario Galán-Grant
===At the Academy===
Ernest has been attending the Academy since he was eight years old.Origins, Issue #1, p. 16 He was granted a hero's permit at the age of eleven, allowing him to act as his father's sidekick under the moniker of Li'l Champ.
At the end of the second block, Ernest was at the top of the class.Origins, Issue #1 By the end of the block, he had achieved a combined score of 93.Origins, Issue #5, p. 230
In his father's absence, Ernest led the campus tour for the new third block students, where he first met June Hovick and Maks Petrov.  June's feistiness made such a strong impression on Ernest that he asked his father to approach the Foundation board about making her his third-block training partner.
==Personality==
June describes Ernest as being "painfully genuine", "a shy fat kid with glasses who hadn't figured out yet that he was grade-A cut of all-American beefcake". He wants badly to do the right thing, to be the right person, and he feels the weight of others' expectations heavily.Origins, Issue #4, pp. 188-189 As the son of the much-beloved Commander, he has collossal shoes to fill, and he is terrified that he might prove to be a failure. He doesn't want to disappoint anyone, particularly not his father, so he tries his hardest to succeed.quipquipquip: "Things to Know About Ernest Wright"quipquipquip: "Is there ANYONE who genuinely doesn't like Ernest Wright?"
Ernest has struggled with anxiety and panic attacks since childhood. When he was little, he suffered from separation anxiety; whenever John arrived home after being on call for a substantial period of time, Ernest would follow him around like a duckling. Clinginess remains a big problem for Ernest, and being left alone is a big trigger for him.quipquipquip: "NOTP: Ernest/Forever Alone"
He is continually trying to convince everyone, including himself, that everything is okay. He keeps most of his objections, anger and feelings to himself: the majority of the time, when he says that he doesn't mind something, the exact opposite is true.quipquipquip: "Ernest: mood and sex" He is cautious to a fault.quipquipquip: "I've been thinking about June's costume..."
Ernest is not a strong leader or strategist — in June's words, he "couldn't lead a kitten out of a paper bag" — but he does have a natural capacity to rally and inspire others.Origins, Issue #7, p. 319
He does not like to get involved in fights, since he is rarely evenly-matched: his reputation as the Commander's son alone packs a punch, and his strength is such that if he does not exercise restraint he could seriously hurt somebody. He cannot tolerate unfairness, however, and is not afraid to stand up for others, as he does when he finds Kenneth beating up Maks.Origins, Issue #2, p. 52
Ernest loves knitting and cooking.quipquipquip: "Do people call him Ernie as a nickname?" John began teaching him how to cook as soon as he was able to reach the counter-top while standing on tiptoe, and he's very skilled at it, often baking for his father and friends.Origins, Issue #1, p. 18quipquipquip: "Are Betas and Alphas always paired together?" His cooking habits are a good barometer for his mental state: if he is cooking for a specific purpose, he is happy. If he is cooking for no apparent reason, he is worried.Origins, Issue #5, p. 220-221
Ernest is actively terrified of sex. He's conscious of how easy it would be for him to hurt somebody if his control were to slip and the thought of accidentally harming a lover scares him.quipquipquip: "Ernest: mood and sex"
==Physical appearance==
Ernest is blond and muscular, "all broad shoulders and thick arms", and tends to favor button-up shirts, sweater vests and cardigans, all at least a size too big for him. He has blue eyes and wears thick-rimmed glasses. He hit six feet tall a little after his fourteenth birthday;Origins, Issue #2, p. 54 by the end of Origins, he is 6'1" and still growing.quipquipquip: "How tall are the kids?" He takes after his father in looks; Ernest observes that the only thing he inherited from his mother was her poor eyesight.
Ernest went through a chubby phase between the ages of five and twelve. When Mal disappeared, he reacted badly and lost an unhealthy amount of weight, which he afterwards worked to keep off because the public response to his slimmed-down figure was so positive.quipquipquip: "Are there any fat-fabulous guys at the Foundation?"
==Powers and abilities==
Ernest has enhanced strength and durability, as well as enhanced hearing, and is impervious to extreme temperatures. At fourteen, he can lift up to four or five tons, and his strength is increasing with age.Origins, Issue #3, p. 125 John saw to most of Ernest's early training himself, as it would have been too easy for Ernest to accidentally hurt others before he learned restraint.Origins, Issue #6, p. 262
Ernest has an enhanced metabolism, and as a result his core body temperature is warmer than an average baseliner's.quipquipquip: "Do the Wrights' body temps run higher than baseliners?"
===Weaknesses===
Because his powers are purely physical, Ernest is an infighter.
Like his father, Ernest is bulletproof, but not stab-proof.  Their skin doesn’t protect them from this different application of force.  The Wrights' weak spots are the same as a baseliner's, meaning one well-placed stab could cripple or kill them.quipquipquip: "Is there anything you can say re: Wright durability?"
Ernest is horribly allergic to broccoli.
==Relationships==
===John Wright===
Ernest loves and admires his father. When he thinks about heroes, he thinks about John. He's terrified of the prospect of one day having to fill the Commander's shoes, because he doesn't believe he is as good as his father and is afraid of being a disappointment.
He knows how many lives John has saved, and he tells himself that he doesn't have the right to be upset that he spent half of his childhood alone. Sometimes, however, he just wishes his dad could be there for him, even though he feels horribly selfish for thinking it.
===Mal Underwood===
Mat and Ernest have known each other since they were five years oldGunsmoke, p. 2, possibly longer. Ernest was a shy little boy, despite being physically bigger than all of his peers, and struggled to interact with children his age. Nevertheless, the first time he met Mal, Ernest realized that Mal was a lonely boy. He dragged Mal to the lake and taught him how to catch orange-bellied newts, and the two quickly became friends. Mal and Ernest remained friends throughout their childhood and would regularly play in the woods with Rosario.quipquipquip: "What's the Ernest/Mal dynamic like?"
Ernest was Mal's first friend and Mal has never forgotten it that, even if he does think sometimes that Ernest is a little hopeless.
===Rosario Galán-Grant===
Ernest has been close friends with Rosario since childhood and would regularly play with her and Mal in the woods. Being the only one of them with real social skills, Rosario became the ringleader of their group.
===June Hovick===
Ernest is initially drawn to June because, unlike most people, she is not intimidated by him or his father's reputation. He rarely meets people who treat him like an ordinary person rather than the son of a legend, so he is struck by her when she challenges him to a fight over a candy bar. She makes such an impression on him that Ernest asks his father to pull strings with the school board to make June his partner.Origins, Issue #1, p. 19
At first, June is displeased at being paired with Ernest, whose niceness she believes must be at least mostly an act. As she gets to know him, however, she realizes that there is no ulterior motive to his kindness.Origins, Issue #4, pp. 188-189 Over the course of their first year together, their partnership develops into a real friendship and a budding attraction. The two finally start dating around Christmas.Origins, Issue #7, p. 362
Teamwork with the two of them tends to involve Ernest trying to handle things himself, convincing himself that he is going to fail and panicking before June calmly steps in and takes the reins.Origins, Issue #5, pp. 220-221
===Maks Petrov===
Before Ernest met Maks, he was afraid that he couldn't make friends on his own. All of his other friends are to some degree obligated to stick by him — Rosario and Mal are children of his father's colleagues, and June is his partner. Maks was the first person who befriended him for his own sake.Grinder When Maks looks at him, it makes him feel like a hero.quipquipquip: "Can you tell us more about the dynamic between Maks and his partner, or between him and Ernest?"
===Gloria===
Even though Ernest knows the true story of John and Gloria's marriage, he has not been allowed to see his mother since he broke the safety glass in a visit as a toddler.quipquipquip: "Has Ernest seen his mother since that incident in "Say Please"?" The Wrights' handlers are careful to avoid mention of Gloria, which privately frustrates Ernest as he desperately wants to know more about his mother. quipquipquip: "re: Gloria being Jewish - does Ernest consider himself Jewish?"
===Maillardet's staff===
As the Commander's son, Ernest is allowed certain privileges that none of the other students have and the staff are generally prepared to cut him extra slack.quipquipquip: "Are Betas and Alphas always paired together?"
==Public image==
The Wrights have an official fanclub and a quarterly newsletter.Grinder As the Li'l Champ, Ernest wore a costume consisting of tights, spandex, an orange capelet and a domino mask. It was a particularly unflattering look on him, and more than once he was likened to a chubby pumpkin.Origins, Issue #4, pp. 183-184 If you look up "Li'l Champ" online, one of the autofill options is "Li'l Chub".Origins, Issue #3, p. 134 In fact, there is a blog dedicated entirely to videos, pictures, and the occasional fanart of Wright family costume malfunctions.quipquipquip: "Would any of the Posterchildren characters usual social networks?"
==Trivia==
*Ernest's full name is Ernest West Wright. West was supposed to be his first name, because his father loves old spaghetti westerns, but Gloria was so drugged up when Ernest was born that she got the names mixed up on the birth certificate.Origins, Issue #4, p. 186
*The only type of music he really doesn't like is Mal's Angry Music, because it stresses him out. If given a choice, he likes to listen to his mother's old records.quipquipquip: "What kind of music does Ernest like to listen to?"
*Ernest's favorite color is green.quiqpquipquip: "What are the kids' favorite colors?"
*During his sidekick internship, Ernest got out of the habit of eating meals in the mess hall, so he usually eats at home by himself.quipquipquip: "What're the typical "cliques" sitting together at mealtimes?"
*Although his mother is Jewish, Ernest doesn't consider himself Jewish.
*Ernest was a tiny bit disappointed that the costume June made for him didn't have a cape. Despite the fact that his Li'l Champ costume, with its spandex and orange capelet, was something of a laughing stock, he was quite fond of it.quipquipquip: "Headcanon: Maks would love to have a cape with his costume..."
*He keeps cookies in his utility belt for snack emergencies.quipquipquip: "What factors make a posterchild an Alpha?"
*If Ernest were at Hogwarts, he'd be a Hufflepuff.quipquipquip: "Hogwarts houses"
==Appearances==
*Origins (POV character)
*Grinder
*Target Practice
==References==
Category:Characters
Category:Orange-bands
Category:Alphas
Category:Sidekicks
Category:Origins characters
Category:Grinder characters