app for rivelata
PLAYER
NAME: Liz
PERSONAL LJ: rizumcbutt
EMAIL/MESSENGER(S): AIM = the p0rn nun
TIMEZONE: EST
CHARACTER
NAME(S): Jam [Tomlin Stuart]
PB: n/a
OCCUPATION: Tailor
BACKGROUND HISTORY:
Jam doesn't care to remember his parents. It doesn't matter to him that the two of them wielded powerful abilities -- his father with the ability to change, warp, effect, even enter dreams, and his mother a prophet. The two of them weren't around long enough to take notice of, and he likewise doesn't care to remember how they exited his life. He was, after all, too young to remember the wary tolerance of their neighbors building, rising into suspicion and hatred, and peaking in a sort of witchhunt. Too young to remember that, when it was too late for anything else, his father knocked his mother unconscious and sent their two sons into her dreams to hide them. These aren't important issues.
What he takes slightly more notice of, no matter how much he may claim the contrary, is his brother. Tomlin Stuart and Kaid Stuart grew up together, as close as siblings ever are -- which isn't to say they liked each other. Tomlin was 3 and Kaid was 7 when their father sent them into their mother's subconscious, and after the subconscious had been destroyed, deposited them in the place she'd been dreaming of: Rivelata. Neither of the two boys, however, were particularly keen on spending time in this new island's orphanage. It was quite possibly the only thing they ever agreed on. Kaid was the first of the two to recognize his hereditary powers, although his were very unlike what either their mother or father had had. He put to use the ability to puppet human beings with chilling efficiency. Tomlin watched as Kaid worked his will on adult after adult, growing more and more merciless with each target. Their first foster family returned them to the home with strange silence about what the problem had been, and four homes later their foster parents were both found dead. The orphanage never had the heart to collect the boys again afterward, who vanished into the city to fend for themselves.
The two, now aged 9 and 13, made their ways rather successfully without parental guidance. Kaid insured that the two were fed and housed, taking special delights in procuring their lodgings when people refused to cooperate, while Tomlin was willing enough to play the role of the silent younger brother in public. Out of sight though, he was an ideal target for the practice of Kaid's abilities, as he had been since their discovery. But without foster families to torment, Kaid's maliciousness began to focus onto Tomlin as well. Both understood, of course, that it was nothing personal. Even at such a young age Tomlin knew that Kaid's was the sort of personality that needed a release, an outlet. Tomlin was simply, for now, that outlet. That didn't change until Tomlin was about 10. It was then that he first discovered his own power, given to him from their father's side. Naturally enough he returned the favor to his brother, using Kaid as practice to work out this strange new ability. By day his body moved to his brother's whims, but by night he shaped the very thoughts and consciousness of his brother.
In the private war that neither sibling had ever attempted to define -- fighting in it was enough for them -- Tomlin began to take the upper hand. Kaid's waking thoughts began to move under Tomlin's subtle control, the extent to which he used his own ability began to lessen. It wasn't until the two were 12 and 16 that Kaid finally recognized just what was happening -- and the backlash was a furious one. Tomlin's powers, far less effective in a direct struggle, proved to be nearly useless, and he found himself at Kaid's mercy -- something Kaid didn't tend to keep in large amounts.
To this day it's Jam's opinion that Kaid meant to kill him. Something went wrong though: Tomlin proved too hardy, or the previous damage he'd done to his brother's subconscious had kicked in, or perhaps just simple luck on his part and miscalculation on Kaid's. Whatever the reason, when Tomlin awoke he was alive and Kaid had departed. The next few months seemed to confirm that Kaid had departed Rivelata all together. It was the last he saw of him, and as far as Jam's concerned all he's ever needed to see of him. Tomlin found a new name for himself (one he insists was picked at random, though is oddly fond of), a task that proved easy enough, as neither of the brothers had gotten close enough to anyone to give names, a job that wouldn't ask his age, and a small room that didn't care who paid for the housing as long as someone did. It was Jam that began his life without his brother, and lived it successfully enough. His experience with Kaid had taught him both how to look out for himself and that it was important to keep himself and his ability in shape. He toyed at night with the sleeping minds of those around him, diving into dreams like swimming pools and subtly twisting, tweaking, warping. It became a game to see what he could make people do, to see how differently he could make them see the next day. It was his private amusement, the solace that made the irritatingly mundane life worth it. And in a year's time, Jam managed to wreck a good deal of chaos around him. The building he'd been staying in closed down after the owner went insane and killed his wife and five of the residents. The incident taught Jam to reign in his abilities somewhat, at least while he still stood to gain from his target's continued sanity. Taking the lesson as it was offered, Jam moved on slightly wiser and a good deal more confident in his abilities to his next temporary housing.
Years down the road found Jam bored. He'd toyed with the minds around him, found them simple and generally easy to predict. However, then came the outsiders. The newcomers that had started pouring onto the island were interesting to watch, were new minds and consciousnesses. He'd seen with some jealousy the journals that they all carried, had learned easily enough how they worked. It was with nothing short of quiet delight that he found a journal of his own one morning. It put him just a step closer to all those terribly interesting people on the other side of its pages.
PERSONALITY:
Jam has done away with his old name. He gives no reason for the obvious alias, no serious explanation to any that ask. However, both the change and the reluctance to give a reason for the change are likely the most telling features of his personality. Above all else, Jam enjoys being unknown. He likes personal mystery, he likes lies. Not for the theatrics that they bring him, but for the distance. Knowledge is power, as he believes, and his greatest discomfort is that someone else should have power over him -- the best way that he can see to avoid this is to regulate the knowledge others are allowed to have of him. Jam is perfectly happy when he knows more than anyone else in the room, when he himself is nothing more than a dark, tall presence commanding unease, who's exact power and status remain unknown. This makes him, as one would expect, a man of few words. The impression this creates, combined with his aloofness and knowing smiles, tends to be an unnerving, even creepy one, which Jam is all too happy to encourage.
Hand-in-hand with this regulation of information comes a love of control. Powers, situations, people -- whatever it is, Jam finds it in his best interest to be in control of it. He's happy to smirk and glide smoothly through his day if he knows he has the power to turn any situation in his choice of directions -- which he often does, thanks to his ability. He's patient in achieving his goals, and doesn't mind if it takes him a week, a month, or a year. He'll get his way sooner or later, and he doesn't mind waiting for it. The first twinges of discomfort begin to show when control begins to slip. Reaction is slow at first, appearing merely as a distracted blankness to overtake the more usual pleased smile, but if control isn't regained (or even worse, slips further), anger begins to slip through. Physical twitches. Even, in extreme cases, a raising of the usually honey-smooth and evenly toned voice.
But no matter how angry, stressed, or nervous Jam may find himself, he never resorts to physical violence. This isn't for any noble sense of pacifism, but rather for an absolute loathing of physical contact. People are dirty, their touches are foul, and Jam will do anything in his power to avoid them. Even a touch with gloves on brings him discomfort, and he avoids it as carefully as any vegan avoids fast food. He doesn't find this a weakness, but rather regards it as a rule that is in everyone's best interests to follow. It's not for him to compromise, as he sees it, it's for everyone else to obey.
Another reason to avoid physical contact, although Jam would never admit it to himself, is for fear of being bested. To lose control over a situation, over a dynamic, over a relationship, these are all things bad enough on their own. But to be proven physically weaker, to lose control in the most direct way possible, would be to have his careful illusions of superiority, aloofness, and distance simultaneously shattered. It would be, of course, utterly unacceptable. And so rather than run the risk of some day being challenged and losing, Jam presents himself as a force too dark, mysterious, and powerful to even begin to contemplate challenging; distances himself far enough from the realm of physical contact to eliminate it as an option. It's worked well so far, well enough to give Jam the illusion of perfection in his methods, and a certain overconfidence that goes with it.
STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES:
Most of Jam's strengths are also, it could be said, his weaknesses. His ability to read people, while useful and typically accurate, leads him to believe that he's the only one with the talent. It's utterly unexpected when someone turns around and uses the same skill on him, and is usually met with shocked anger and, if possible, immediate withdrawal. Also counted as a strength, by Jam himself, is his levelheadedness, the ability to be absolutely unaffected by whatever happens. It's true, to an extent. But when people aren't phased by his own coolness, Jam isn't sure what other route to take. He invests so much time practicing the form of interaction that tends to work best for him that he has no backup plans. For all his knowledge of the human psyche, for all his typically accurate predictions of reactions and responses, he really doesn't know people at all. When they fail to react the way he'd planned, when they don't respond in the desired way, it's puzzling. When they begin to get the upper hand of an interaction, it's all but terrifying. Jam doesn't deal particularly well with being bested, and tends to have absolutely no courses of action planned out in advance for dealing with it.
On the physical side of the strength/weakness spectrum, Jam's height, while impressive, is all but useless. He uses it to create an impression of strength and dominance, but in a fight he would have no idea how to handle himself. He hasn't trained his strength at all (and so while he's not weak, he's nothing compared to those who have), has little coordination outside of the pretenses he keeps, and would almost certainly loose a fight immediately against someone who knew what they were doing.
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Jam's greatest strength is in the ability that's given him the power to back up the mask he routinely wears. This is a certain affinity for dreams. A sleeping mind is Jam's tool, and with enough time, he can do nearly anything with it. He can implant moods, vague memories, even mental imbalance. Of course these all take a lot of time, and all one or two nights of control would do is generate a few disturbing nightmares. But enough nightmares, formed in exactly the right way, for a long enough period of time... inflicting madness on someone else isn't entirely outside of Jam's grasp.
The range on this ability is less than a quarter mile, and he has to remain inside the radius for the duration of the dream he's sending to someone. It's best if he stays in a house one or two away from his victim's, as concentration is needed as well.
NAME: Liz
PERSONAL LJ: rizumcbutt
EMAIL/MESSENGER(S): AIM = the p0rn nun
TIMEZONE: EST
CHARACTER
NAME(S): Jam [Tomlin Stuart]
PB: n/a
OCCUPATION: Tailor
BACKGROUND HISTORY:
Jam doesn't care to remember his parents. It doesn't matter to him that the two of them wielded powerful abilities -- his father with the ability to change, warp, effect, even enter dreams, and his mother a prophet. The two of them weren't around long enough to take notice of, and he likewise doesn't care to remember how they exited his life. He was, after all, too young to remember the wary tolerance of their neighbors building, rising into suspicion and hatred, and peaking in a sort of witchhunt. Too young to remember that, when it was too late for anything else, his father knocked his mother unconscious and sent their two sons into her dreams to hide them. These aren't important issues.
What he takes slightly more notice of, no matter how much he may claim the contrary, is his brother. Tomlin Stuart and Kaid Stuart grew up together, as close as siblings ever are -- which isn't to say they liked each other. Tomlin was 3 and Kaid was 7 when their father sent them into their mother's subconscious, and after the subconscious had been destroyed, deposited them in the place she'd been dreaming of: Rivelata. Neither of the two boys, however, were particularly keen on spending time in this new island's orphanage. It was quite possibly the only thing they ever agreed on. Kaid was the first of the two to recognize his hereditary powers, although his were very unlike what either their mother or father had had. He put to use the ability to puppet human beings with chilling efficiency. Tomlin watched as Kaid worked his will on adult after adult, growing more and more merciless with each target. Their first foster family returned them to the home with strange silence about what the problem had been, and four homes later their foster parents were both found dead. The orphanage never had the heart to collect the boys again afterward, who vanished into the city to fend for themselves.
The two, now aged 9 and 13, made their ways rather successfully without parental guidance. Kaid insured that the two were fed and housed, taking special delights in procuring their lodgings when people refused to cooperate, while Tomlin was willing enough to play the role of the silent younger brother in public. Out of sight though, he was an ideal target for the practice of Kaid's abilities, as he had been since their discovery. But without foster families to torment, Kaid's maliciousness began to focus onto Tomlin as well. Both understood, of course, that it was nothing personal. Even at such a young age Tomlin knew that Kaid's was the sort of personality that needed a release, an outlet. Tomlin was simply, for now, that outlet. That didn't change until Tomlin was about 10. It was then that he first discovered his own power, given to him from their father's side. Naturally enough he returned the favor to his brother, using Kaid as practice to work out this strange new ability. By day his body moved to his brother's whims, but by night he shaped the very thoughts and consciousness of his brother.
In the private war that neither sibling had ever attempted to define -- fighting in it was enough for them -- Tomlin began to take the upper hand. Kaid's waking thoughts began to move under Tomlin's subtle control, the extent to which he used his own ability began to lessen. It wasn't until the two were 12 and 16 that Kaid finally recognized just what was happening -- and the backlash was a furious one. Tomlin's powers, far less effective in a direct struggle, proved to be nearly useless, and he found himself at Kaid's mercy -- something Kaid didn't tend to keep in large amounts.
To this day it's Jam's opinion that Kaid meant to kill him. Something went wrong though: Tomlin proved too hardy, or the previous damage he'd done to his brother's subconscious had kicked in, or perhaps just simple luck on his part and miscalculation on Kaid's. Whatever the reason, when Tomlin awoke he was alive and Kaid had departed. The next few months seemed to confirm that Kaid had departed Rivelata all together. It was the last he saw of him, and as far as Jam's concerned all he's ever needed to see of him. Tomlin found a new name for himself (one he insists was picked at random, though is oddly fond of), a task that proved easy enough, as neither of the brothers had gotten close enough to anyone to give names, a job that wouldn't ask his age, and a small room that didn't care who paid for the housing as long as someone did. It was Jam that began his life without his brother, and lived it successfully enough. His experience with Kaid had taught him both how to look out for himself and that it was important to keep himself and his ability in shape. He toyed at night with the sleeping minds of those around him, diving into dreams like swimming pools and subtly twisting, tweaking, warping. It became a game to see what he could make people do, to see how differently he could make them see the next day. It was his private amusement, the solace that made the irritatingly mundane life worth it. And in a year's time, Jam managed to wreck a good deal of chaos around him. The building he'd been staying in closed down after the owner went insane and killed his wife and five of the residents. The incident taught Jam to reign in his abilities somewhat, at least while he still stood to gain from his target's continued sanity. Taking the lesson as it was offered, Jam moved on slightly wiser and a good deal more confident in his abilities to his next temporary housing.
Years down the road found Jam bored. He'd toyed with the minds around him, found them simple and generally easy to predict. However, then came the outsiders. The newcomers that had started pouring onto the island were interesting to watch, were new minds and consciousnesses. He'd seen with some jealousy the journals that they all carried, had learned easily enough how they worked. It was with nothing short of quiet delight that he found a journal of his own one morning. It put him just a step closer to all those terribly interesting people on the other side of its pages.
PERSONALITY:
Jam has done away with his old name. He gives no reason for the obvious alias, no serious explanation to any that ask. However, both the change and the reluctance to give a reason for the change are likely the most telling features of his personality. Above all else, Jam enjoys being unknown. He likes personal mystery, he likes lies. Not for the theatrics that they bring him, but for the distance. Knowledge is power, as he believes, and his greatest discomfort is that someone else should have power over him -- the best way that he can see to avoid this is to regulate the knowledge others are allowed to have of him. Jam is perfectly happy when he knows more than anyone else in the room, when he himself is nothing more than a dark, tall presence commanding unease, who's exact power and status remain unknown. This makes him, as one would expect, a man of few words. The impression this creates, combined with his aloofness and knowing smiles, tends to be an unnerving, even creepy one, which Jam is all too happy to encourage.
Hand-in-hand with this regulation of information comes a love of control. Powers, situations, people -- whatever it is, Jam finds it in his best interest to be in control of it. He's happy to smirk and glide smoothly through his day if he knows he has the power to turn any situation in his choice of directions -- which he often does, thanks to his ability. He's patient in achieving his goals, and doesn't mind if it takes him a week, a month, or a year. He'll get his way sooner or later, and he doesn't mind waiting for it. The first twinges of discomfort begin to show when control begins to slip. Reaction is slow at first, appearing merely as a distracted blankness to overtake the more usual pleased smile, but if control isn't regained (or even worse, slips further), anger begins to slip through. Physical twitches. Even, in extreme cases, a raising of the usually honey-smooth and evenly toned voice.
But no matter how angry, stressed, or nervous Jam may find himself, he never resorts to physical violence. This isn't for any noble sense of pacifism, but rather for an absolute loathing of physical contact. People are dirty, their touches are foul, and Jam will do anything in his power to avoid them. Even a touch with gloves on brings him discomfort, and he avoids it as carefully as any vegan avoids fast food. He doesn't find this a weakness, but rather regards it as a rule that is in everyone's best interests to follow. It's not for him to compromise, as he sees it, it's for everyone else to obey.
Another reason to avoid physical contact, although Jam would never admit it to himself, is for fear of being bested. To lose control over a situation, over a dynamic, over a relationship, these are all things bad enough on their own. But to be proven physically weaker, to lose control in the most direct way possible, would be to have his careful illusions of superiority, aloofness, and distance simultaneously shattered. It would be, of course, utterly unacceptable. And so rather than run the risk of some day being challenged and losing, Jam presents himself as a force too dark, mysterious, and powerful to even begin to contemplate challenging; distances himself far enough from the realm of physical contact to eliminate it as an option. It's worked well so far, well enough to give Jam the illusion of perfection in his methods, and a certain overconfidence that goes with it.
STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES:
Most of Jam's strengths are also, it could be said, his weaknesses. His ability to read people, while useful and typically accurate, leads him to believe that he's the only one with the talent. It's utterly unexpected when someone turns around and uses the same skill on him, and is usually met with shocked anger and, if possible, immediate withdrawal. Also counted as a strength, by Jam himself, is his levelheadedness, the ability to be absolutely unaffected by whatever happens. It's true, to an extent. But when people aren't phased by his own coolness, Jam isn't sure what other route to take. He invests so much time practicing the form of interaction that tends to work best for him that he has no backup plans. For all his knowledge of the human psyche, for all his typically accurate predictions of reactions and responses, he really doesn't know people at all. When they fail to react the way he'd planned, when they don't respond in the desired way, it's puzzling. When they begin to get the upper hand of an interaction, it's all but terrifying. Jam doesn't deal particularly well with being bested, and tends to have absolutely no courses of action planned out in advance for dealing with it.
On the physical side of the strength/weakness spectrum, Jam's height, while impressive, is all but useless. He uses it to create an impression of strength and dominance, but in a fight he would have no idea how to handle himself. He hasn't trained his strength at all (and so while he's not weak, he's nothing compared to those who have), has little coordination outside of the pretenses he keeps, and would almost certainly loose a fight immediately against someone who knew what they were doing.
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Jam's greatest strength is in the ability that's given him the power to back up the mask he routinely wears. This is a certain affinity for dreams. A sleeping mind is Jam's tool, and with enough time, he can do nearly anything with it. He can implant moods, vague memories, even mental imbalance. Of course these all take a lot of time, and all one or two nights of control would do is generate a few disturbing nightmares. But enough nightmares, formed in exactly the right way, for a long enough period of time... inflicting madness on someone else isn't entirely outside of Jam's grasp.
The range on this ability is less than a quarter mile, and he has to remain inside the radius for the duration of the dream he's sending to someone. It's best if he stays in a house one or two away from his victim's, as concentration is needed as well.