APPLICATION | sirenspull
PLAYER INFORMATION
NAME: Till.
AGE 18+
AIM SN: lyckatill.
EMAIL: notforconsumption [at] gmail [dot] com.
PREVIOUS LJ BASED EXPERIENCE: a_facility | witchesreign | anteceded
CURRENTLY PLAYED CHARACTERS: NONE.
C O N D I T I O N A L OFFICIAL RESERVE LINK: HERE
CHARACTER INFORMATION
G E N E R A L
CANON SOURCE: DC COMICS | Detective Comics VOL 1 #847 & #848 | Streets of Gotham VOL 1 #1, #2, #7 #10, #10, #11 & #12.
CANON FORMAT: Comic verse.
CHARACTER'S NAME: Colin Wilkes | ABUSE.
CHARACTER'S AGE: Ten.
C O N D I T I O N A L UNDER 13 PLAY: Colin is a unique case and as far as survival is concerned he is perfectly capable, particularly in his alter ego and secondary form of Abuse. Not only does he contain the power to transform into a much larger and more powerful figure of natural state thanks to the introduction of VENOM into his blood, he is particularly strong willed despite his mental repercussions due to simply having maintained a hard life thus far and struggled to survive living within the city of Gotham, a city of perpetual trouble.
FORM OF NV: A composition notebook.
A B I L I T I E S
CANON ABILITIES: Due to his negative interaction the villain the Scarecrow (Jonathan Crane) Colin was kidnapped and injected with the substance known as V E N O M, which is a highly addictive super-steroid. This allows for Collin transformation into a much larger, much more powerful man: his alias known as A B U S E. The drug was originally injected through his neck and was in constant supply, transforming him into a creature of unbridled physical strength. While the effect is supposed to wear off without a constant stream, the venom stayed alive within Colin’s system and he soon learned to control the transformation to use towards his benefit in disguised heroism. It is not covered in canon that if Colin suffers from the withdrawal period that is normally associated with venom injection, involving a state of deliberation and hallucinations.
Abuse maintains a range of physically prowess which are: superhuman strength, durability and healing. Even though he is held back by his conscious hosts child-like state of mind.
He is able to maintain his strength due to the time he has taken in learning to control the powers of Abuse. In this form, he holds the ability to lift and press weight that no average human could. He wields it well when fighting which is still quite brutish, is handled through basic skills within hand to hand combat. His durability as Abuse is also increase to unnatural levels, holding the ability to withstand physical harm from blunt attacks to stabbing/slashing. He has accelerated healing that assists his durability by allowing any wounds put onto his person to heal in a faster speed than that of a normal human being. This faster recovery period means he can jump back into a fight.
It should be noted that if he is not able to focus that the transformation it can be difficult to do and will take some time, it is not something immediate and often starts in his limbs. With his ability to work as a unit, his need to do what is right and stand up for those weaker, he works well with others and he can be seen as a valuable ally despite his appearances.
WEAPONS: As Abuse, Colin maintains the weapon of venom and also utilizes a set of brass knuckle dusters.
H I S T O R Y | P E R S O N A L I T Y | P L A N S | E T C
HISTORY: DC WIKI | Colin’s history is riddled with disaster for someone his age, though in the setting of Gotham City it is nothing out of the ordinary against the darkness of the backdrop the city provides. Colin spent most of his early childhood passed around between several foster homes and orphanages while undergoing therapy sessions at the Children’s Hospital. Introduced to the concept of superheroes by George, a janitor at one of the orphanages he grew up in, he was immediately enthralled by the concept of them. From then on he started collecting newspaper clippings of the cities local heroes and their efforts. As an orphan he lacked any personal possessions of significance asides his teddy bear by the name of Rory. Other than that, the clippings became everything he had ever owned.
“Ever since I can remember, it’s always been about Heroes. Even at the very beginning, in the orphanage. My first memory was of old George showing my their pictures. They were strong. They were powerful and better than that, they were good.”
During his stay at the Children’s Hospital, Colin was introduced to the world of heroes in a most unfortunate manner. Jonathon Crane, otherwise known as the villain the Scarecrow, abducted Colin and experimented on him with a synthetic venom in the hopes that Batman, Bruce Wayne, would not fight a child, claiming it as his weakness. Still, Batman was aware that despite appearances the creature that he was fighting was still a child a heart and noting his attention and attachment to Rory whom was present for the ordeal, used it to his advantage. Batman used his batrope to stick Colin’s teddy bear to Crane, the tables turned and Colin attacked Scarecrow instead of Batman which lent ample opportunity to severing the venom lines to his system. It prevented the death of the Scarecrow and brought Colin back to his normal state but not without consequences.
The Scarecrow was arrested and Colin was moved to a hospital.
After healing, Colin was placed at St. Aden’s Orphanage. Still suffering from the side effects of the venom-treatment he soon found out that when he concentrated he could activate it, changing himself into a rather large behemoth of a man. With the effects of the venom not wearing off, he decided to use this nearly indestructible form to fight crime even though he knew he did not look the part. Wanting to be a hero but realizing that no one would view him that way based on appearances, he donned a trench coat and custom-made brass knuckle dusters that carried his new name: Abuse.
"I knew I’d never be like Flash or Green Lantern. Not one of the friendly-looking heroes people are happy to see, but even if I looked like a monster, I could still act like hero. I wanted to protect kids like me who had been given a crap deal in life. Turn some of that suffering back on the creeps who abused kids, with a way of letting the world know of what they did. So far it’s been pretty sweet. No one knows the monster tearing through Gotham’s dirtbag’s is a kid. After all, who would think to look for him in an orphanage?"
His first efforts in becoming the hero involved stopping robberies and extracting vengeance on the bullies of the city, those who acted poorly towards children and treated them as he had been treated in the past, with abuse. Later though, Colin would move to something bigger when he began finding children’s bodies washing up in the river. Hitting close to home, he began his own personal investigation of the matter which brought him to the character Humpty Dumpty, a fairly innocently minded character with a mildly skewed way of thought. After a conversation and eavesdropping on Robin (Damian Wayne) and Batman's (Dick Wayne) interaction with the other after having found him caring in holiday cheer for dead children tucked into beds, he came to meet Damian Wayne in person one evening patrolling the banks of the riverside.
After a conversation, the two found themselves approached by the henchmen of Mr. Zsasz, a man who was delightfully and contently running an illegal fighting ring for children, forcing them to battle against one another to the death. While Damian was quick to dismiss Colin as just a kid by knocking him out before he could help him, Colin woke up and broke himself free of the cage he had been locked in. Due to a lack of focus, it was a slow transformation but eventually he joined the fight as Abuse and alongside Robin, they both took Zsasz down and ended the operation, shutting it down. While he was hesitant to kill the other, the thought was all based on his innocence and ultimately the villain fell to in the river that he threw so many children to.
"Did you kill him? -- What do we look like, homicidal maniacs? -- He brought it on himself. We just defended ourselves. -- Is that what happened? -- That’s what happened."
Later, Damian would quietly bring Colin into the fold of heroics by offering him his own motorcycle and garage to store it in free of charge. He would say that he looked stupid, running around in a trench coat and hat like he does and while it’s never explored exactly what happens after that it is assumed within popular opinion that Colin and Damian would become close allies, presumably seeing each other after the altercation with Zsasz and after his integration into the trusted circle. Remaining in contact, assuming he does some form of patrol amongst the streets of Gotham and remains in a friendship with Damian outside of his alias as Robin, he keeps close and in this he is content to not only trust someone but to be part of the heroes that he idolized so frequently.
CANON POINT: End of STREETS OF GOTHAM VOL 1, #12. | Colin is being brought from a decently secure point in his life. At the end of his canon point, he has just been brought silently into the fold by Damian Wayne, who has offered him not only to a manner in which to assist those in Gotham but to work alongside him which is something Colin has always desired since he found out about his abilities after his altercation with Scarecrow. He is feeling secure in who he is and while likely his arrival will throw him off course, there is the chance for a much quicker recovery time and with his security the ability to work along side others without just being the nervous child he tends to be.
PERSONALITY: For a supporting character, Colin is brimming with personality negative and positive. A child at heart despite which form he takes. Colin is a strong willed in either circumstance. In his first appearance in canon he is described by the villain Scarecrow as quite claustrophobic. He’s a ball of neuroses, really. Fear of strangers, abandonment issues, prone to lash out violently when scared. The poor dear really should be lobotomized. Needless to say, a great deal of Colin’s personality stems from issues that he has acquired from his early childhood, presumably from his upbringing in which negativity creates intense situations on Colin. His childhood he was an orphan, spending years repeatedly moving from between several foster homes and orphanages that in turn made him paranoid and rather aggressive.
Colin grew up rather neglected throughout his early youth because he was written off as a lost cause. Long-term neglect on a child his age creates patterns and responses that become characteristics. With his personality type and selected characteristics made it likely the reason that he was never able to find a stable home since it takes a great deal of time and counseling in a controlled environment to break out of established behavior quirks. With the two general types of neglected children there are the type that withdraws themselves and becomes anxious, and then the assertive extroverted types that try to take charge of the situation in attempts to control them. Colin seems to be a combination of both and it also happens to be active type that tends to develop behavioral problems, the anxious developing mental health problems. Trust is one of the huge factors in these behavioral issues in which Colin can seem trusting of other children, but remains wary and on-edge of adults.
Yet, in later canon it is clear that Colin did start moving past all of his fears and anxieties. But not because of any therapy he might have been through but because of his alternative form known as Abuse which pretty much became and developed into his coping mechanism for these problems. His strength and power that is associated with that form made for a good confidence boost and while he was not completely and utterly cured in the STREETS OF GOTHAM series he seems to have a better grasp of himself. Essentially he had become a ten year old that was forced to grow up and act the role of the adult to deal with the consistency of abuse that was in his life, though he is still very much a child despite his best efforts to be otherwise. Earnest, mindful, curious and mildly talkative. He is brimming with good intentions and despite his issues he is honest in his intent to help out others and make a difference, believing that no should ever have to suffer like he has. He is bold to an extent and never beats around the bush about things. Honesty and to-the-point, he is like most children his age in the fact he does not feel shame for stating his opinions unless degraded by his peers.
His disorders range from various forms of problems that can develop in the early childhood stages. Colin suffers from claustrophobia (--the fear of having no escape and being closed in small spaces or rooms, an anxiety disorder and often results in panic attacks, and can be the result of many situations or stimuli, including elevators crowded to capacity, windowless rooms, and even tight necked clothing) and chiroptophobia (--the fear of bats, phobia associated with bats and to common negative stereotypes and fear of bats stemming from prejudices and misinformation. The fear of bats may be naturally reinforced by natural startle response experienced by an unsuspecting person. I.E when a disturbed colony of bats dashes out of a cave. Gives rise to abnormal anxiety that requires treatment). Alongside a series of abandonment issues and paranoia, which is influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationally and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs concerned a perceived threat towards oneself. All these issues can be presumed as something he developed either in the care of his biological parents at some point in time or are often results of displaced children, even those neglected by their foster families.
Asides his apparently physiological issues, Colin is pretty average in personality. Naïve to a point, he is trusting his knowledge of a person but otherwise distrusting to those he knows nothing or little of. Per example in canon, Colin is utterly terrified in the presence of Batman but when he is ultimately rescued by him he becomes understanding and open to the idea of his friendship and alliance amongst the cape crusaders of the city of Gotham, hopeful even. Wary, he does not have issues in crowds amongst strangers but the one to one seems to be the problem. Later on the series he is able to maintain his calm around confrontation but this is presumably because of his link and ability to defend himself through his form of Abuse.
His role in the DETECTIVE COMICS is progressively different from his role in STREETS OF GOTHAM. He begins in a state of negativity, the issues he possess being apparent but by the second series he has changed with his realization of strength and power. In the second set of comics he switches from the nervous and frightened individual to someone who is seemingly able to hold it together well. Dedicated, loyal and seemingly outwardly content with knowledge of both the negative and positive ways of life, he is a character that seems quiet amongst other children, on the sidelines of play during his time at the orphanage when he is shown. He is able to spend time alone in his own world without many worldly possessions, the only thing he comes to own being his teddy bear Rory and the many snippets of news articles about the heroes of Gotham that he comes to idolize. Self-sufficient in his own entertainment, he is idealistic for a ten year old boy who can transform into hulk of a man, owns a set of brass knuckles and has grown up abandonment issues all of his life.
Religiously, Colin grew up knowing the ways of the Roman Catholics through his placement in orphanages and ultimately ending up at St. Aden’s Orphanage. While he was raised sporadically in a religiously based environment, canonly it is hard to say that Colin himself believes in these expectations of religion and while he knows of them, it is presumed that he himself is not of the Catholic religion.
"Anyone who pays for the “pleasure” of watching kids kill each other deserves everything I can deliver and even then, it’s not enough. The sisters try to teach us a lot of Bible lessons at St. Aiden’s. Lots of “turn the other cheek” and Noah’s Ark. It’s boring. They sugarcoat the rougher stuff. But one time Sister Agnes told me the story of Cain and Abel. Cain murdered his own brother in cold blood. When the Lord found out what Cain had done, he exiled Cain from the Garden of Eden and he marked Cain. This meant no one would harm him--but they would all know what he’d done, and he’d have to live with that. Most of the other kids thought God should have just killed Cain and been done with it. I figure if it works for God, it works for me."
Colin’s naïve nature is transparent, he is easy going to an extent, a seemingly not as easy to upset as he was in the past and has his state of hero worship towards the masked crusaders of Gotham adds to that image. Honest and straight-forward to a point, he maintains an easy going attitude and can be extremely easy to talk to once someone has gained his trust. Quietly optimistic, his anger issues have become hidden to a point, controlling them very well and it can be presumed that it was the venom that concentrated it and through Abuse he is able to release these pent up problems of his earlier youth. He brands the people that he deems worth his fists with the word abuse that is imprinted on one of his dusters, an act that was performed on him and what these people do to others. It can be assumed that he does this because in his younger years, he never had the chance to do this to whoever performed such acts upon him, a form of misplaced vengeance.
Through this, there is a darker side to this boy. Certainly, he is a child but he is a child who transforms into a man who dishes out reparations against the ill of society, those who beat up children, those who he claims deserve it. He is the strength that Colin never had as a boy, the ability to step away from all of the negativity, the coping device that he maintains within his life. As Abuse, he is strong, understanding and has an intense belief of right versus wrong while still maintain his childlike air. While he does not seem to believe in killing others in extracting revenge, his idea of injuring them to the point of maiming while keeping them alive is somewhat sadistic, revenge perceived in a childlike manner. His speech patterns change in attempts to sound more adult in his role, more grown up and knowledgeable, a play on adulthood. Abuse is protective with his power and understands his powers to an extent. He is a formidable powerhouse and while it does not do much favors in terms of maneuverability, he uses his strengths for what he deems good and what he deems good is extracting revenge, protecting other children that were given a hard deal in life by society. He is not ashamed of his mildly monstrous appearance, he knows he sets himself out to help and be heroic to an extent, to work along side others.
PLANS: I've always played Colin in settings where is strength is limited and I'm exceedingly thrilled to actually bring him to a setting where he can find strength. Since he is child riddled with mental instabilities I felt that here it would be interesting to play out those insecurities and problems with the ability to learn that he can survive on his own and of course help where he is needed. Since he is a child these things are always interesting to play out but here his strengths and alternative form can be used in a way to assist which is what he wants to do so badly in Gotham. I feel that his initial introduction to the world would be iffy but there would be a much quicker recovery time in which he learns about the area and then learns that he can help. My plans thus far are simply to place him in an environment where he can be strong, useful and continue to learn of his own abilities as well as learn to trust those around him since he is initially so wary of such things.
APPEARANCE:
I M A G E: COLIN
Being an orphan from Gotham, Colin is essentially an average ten year old boy in physical appearance. He is of basic height and a lean build, he has vivid red hair and hazel eyes. He is often shown in clothing that seems too large for him and it hangs loose on his thin form. He wears a variety of patterns and mostly neutral tones or browns, oranges, reds, blacks and yellows and his fashion is far from forward, being funded solely by an orphanage and donations.
I M A G E: ABUSE
Abuse is a exceedingly large man, he is broad, thick and has large muscles. Often dressed in a trench coat, suit and hat he remains hidden under the layers. He is far taller than your average human and his strength matches his size. He is not as quick as his smaller form, but he more then makes up for it with his durability.
WRITING SAMPLES
F I R S T P E R S O N S A M P L E
[The text scrawls, it proceeds slowly--as if someone is writing the reply and letter by letter it forms.] I was greeted by a man in the baseball field. I kind of understood what he was talking about but--
I really could use some help, maybe something more descriptive from someone in the same situation. I just woke up and I'm really not sure what to do.
Thank you for anything you can give.
T H I R D P E R S O N S A M P L E
Inhale, exhale--it was all going to be alright he just needed to keep a level head. The last thing he remembered was watching Damian drive away and then there was this pull. It was an unexplainable feeling but the best way he could describe it was being ripped apart, as if someone tugging at his soul and quietly he considered that maybe he was just dying, maybe finally everything he had been through was getting to him and maybe it was the venom that was killing him but when he awoke, Colin Wilkes knew that this could neither be heaven nor hell. It was a shame, he thought, that he had finally started to get his life on track and now he had awaken in this strange place but when he came to, it felt like he was going to have a minor panic attack; his heart was beating rapidly within his chest and his extremities felt numb. All he could do was rub his hands together and repeat in his own mind that everything was going to be alright, that this was not worth working himself up over and he figure everything out. It was a hard thing to consider though, for a ten year old boy, that he had awoken within an alternative universe to expend his services to where they needed to be distributed.
He arrived rolling, he was fairly certain because with a huff of breath he finally stopped amongst the dust of the field. At first he could not focus, the world was turning around him and felt mildly like he was going to be sick. He really could not tell how long he laid on the ground and how long he felt like lying there but suddenly he was sitting up. In ways a looked a lot like home, with the countless graffiti which was somehow comforting but after taking in the basic glance around it was clear that something was off here because this was nothing like Gotham. Pushing himself to his feet, Colin felt his chest rise and fall heavily beneath his layers of clothing, his brows knitting together as he felt the soreness of it all envelop him and suddenly everything hurt. A groan of pain and a look to the ground then suddenly feet.
Feeling his heart jump, he stumbled back, falling down into one of the craters that surrounded the area and after the focus of his gaze took place there was someone, or something standing at the edge of the pit he had just fallen into. Inhale--
"Hello."
Quietly stated the mysterious man. Colin opted to remain silent as what had happened to him was explained and in that silence he realized that his life was about to change, forever.
NAME: Till.
AGE 18+
AIM SN: lyckatill.
EMAIL: notforconsumption [at] gmail [dot] com.
PREVIOUS LJ BASED EXPERIENCE: a_facility | witchesreign | anteceded
CURRENTLY PLAYED CHARACTERS: NONE.
C O N D I T I O N A L OFFICIAL RESERVE LINK: HERE
CHARACTER INFORMATION
G E N E R A L
CANON SOURCE: DC COMICS | Detective Comics VOL 1 #847 & #848 | Streets of Gotham VOL 1 #1, #2, #7 #10, #10, #11 & #12.
CANON FORMAT: Comic verse.
CHARACTER'S NAME: Colin Wilkes | ABUSE.
CHARACTER'S AGE: Ten.
C O N D I T I O N A L UNDER 13 PLAY: Colin is a unique case and as far as survival is concerned he is perfectly capable, particularly in his alter ego and secondary form of Abuse. Not only does he contain the power to transform into a much larger and more powerful figure of natural state thanks to the introduction of VENOM into his blood, he is particularly strong willed despite his mental repercussions due to simply having maintained a hard life thus far and struggled to survive living within the city of Gotham, a city of perpetual trouble.
FORM OF NV: A composition notebook.
A B I L I T I E S
CANON ABILITIES: Due to his negative interaction the villain the Scarecrow (Jonathan Crane) Colin was kidnapped and injected with the substance known as V E N O M, which is a highly addictive super-steroid. This allows for Collin transformation into a much larger, much more powerful man: his alias known as A B U S E. The drug was originally injected through his neck and was in constant supply, transforming him into a creature of unbridled physical strength. While the effect is supposed to wear off without a constant stream, the venom stayed alive within Colin’s system and he soon learned to control the transformation to use towards his benefit in disguised heroism. It is not covered in canon that if Colin suffers from the withdrawal period that is normally associated with venom injection, involving a state of deliberation and hallucinations.
Abuse maintains a range of physically prowess which are: superhuman strength, durability and healing. Even though he is held back by his conscious hosts child-like state of mind.
He is able to maintain his strength due to the time he has taken in learning to control the powers of Abuse. In this form, he holds the ability to lift and press weight that no average human could. He wields it well when fighting which is still quite brutish, is handled through basic skills within hand to hand combat. His durability as Abuse is also increase to unnatural levels, holding the ability to withstand physical harm from blunt attacks to stabbing/slashing. He has accelerated healing that assists his durability by allowing any wounds put onto his person to heal in a faster speed than that of a normal human being. This faster recovery period means he can jump back into a fight.
It should be noted that if he is not able to focus that the transformation it can be difficult to do and will take some time, it is not something immediate and often starts in his limbs. With his ability to work as a unit, his need to do what is right and stand up for those weaker, he works well with others and he can be seen as a valuable ally despite his appearances.
WEAPONS: As Abuse, Colin maintains the weapon of venom and also utilizes a set of brass knuckle dusters.
H I S T O R Y | P E R S O N A L I T Y | P L A N S | E T C
HISTORY: DC WIKI | Colin’s history is riddled with disaster for someone his age, though in the setting of Gotham City it is nothing out of the ordinary against the darkness of the backdrop the city provides. Colin spent most of his early childhood passed around between several foster homes and orphanages while undergoing therapy sessions at the Children’s Hospital. Introduced to the concept of superheroes by George, a janitor at one of the orphanages he grew up in, he was immediately enthralled by the concept of them. From then on he started collecting newspaper clippings of the cities local heroes and their efforts. As an orphan he lacked any personal possessions of significance asides his teddy bear by the name of Rory. Other than that, the clippings became everything he had ever owned.
“Ever since I can remember, it’s always been about Heroes. Even at the very beginning, in the orphanage. My first memory was of old George showing my their pictures. They were strong. They were powerful and better than that, they were good.”
During his stay at the Children’s Hospital, Colin was introduced to the world of heroes in a most unfortunate manner. Jonathon Crane, otherwise known as the villain the Scarecrow, abducted Colin and experimented on him with a synthetic venom in the hopes that Batman, Bruce Wayne, would not fight a child, claiming it as his weakness. Still, Batman was aware that despite appearances the creature that he was fighting was still a child a heart and noting his attention and attachment to Rory whom was present for the ordeal, used it to his advantage. Batman used his batrope to stick Colin’s teddy bear to Crane, the tables turned and Colin attacked Scarecrow instead of Batman which lent ample opportunity to severing the venom lines to his system. It prevented the death of the Scarecrow and brought Colin back to his normal state but not without consequences.
The Scarecrow was arrested and Colin was moved to a hospital.
After healing, Colin was placed at St. Aden’s Orphanage. Still suffering from the side effects of the venom-treatment he soon found out that when he concentrated he could activate it, changing himself into a rather large behemoth of a man. With the effects of the venom not wearing off, he decided to use this nearly indestructible form to fight crime even though he knew he did not look the part. Wanting to be a hero but realizing that no one would view him that way based on appearances, he donned a trench coat and custom-made brass knuckle dusters that carried his new name: Abuse.
"I knew I’d never be like Flash or Green Lantern. Not one of the friendly-looking heroes people are happy to see, but even if I looked like a monster, I could still act like hero. I wanted to protect kids like me who had been given a crap deal in life. Turn some of that suffering back on the creeps who abused kids, with a way of letting the world know of what they did. So far it’s been pretty sweet. No one knows the monster tearing through Gotham’s dirtbag’s is a kid. After all, who would think to look for him in an orphanage?"
His first efforts in becoming the hero involved stopping robberies and extracting vengeance on the bullies of the city, those who acted poorly towards children and treated them as he had been treated in the past, with abuse. Later though, Colin would move to something bigger when he began finding children’s bodies washing up in the river. Hitting close to home, he began his own personal investigation of the matter which brought him to the character Humpty Dumpty, a fairly innocently minded character with a mildly skewed way of thought. After a conversation and eavesdropping on Robin (Damian Wayne) and Batman's (Dick Wayne) interaction with the other after having found him caring in holiday cheer for dead children tucked into beds, he came to meet Damian Wayne in person one evening patrolling the banks of the riverside.
After a conversation, the two found themselves approached by the henchmen of Mr. Zsasz, a man who was delightfully and contently running an illegal fighting ring for children, forcing them to battle against one another to the death. While Damian was quick to dismiss Colin as just a kid by knocking him out before he could help him, Colin woke up and broke himself free of the cage he had been locked in. Due to a lack of focus, it was a slow transformation but eventually he joined the fight as Abuse and alongside Robin, they both took Zsasz down and ended the operation, shutting it down. While he was hesitant to kill the other, the thought was all based on his innocence and ultimately the villain fell to in the river that he threw so many children to.
"Did you kill him? -- What do we look like, homicidal maniacs? -- He brought it on himself. We just defended ourselves. -- Is that what happened? -- That’s what happened."
Later, Damian would quietly bring Colin into the fold of heroics by offering him his own motorcycle and garage to store it in free of charge. He would say that he looked stupid, running around in a trench coat and hat like he does and while it’s never explored exactly what happens after that it is assumed within popular opinion that Colin and Damian would become close allies, presumably seeing each other after the altercation with Zsasz and after his integration into the trusted circle. Remaining in contact, assuming he does some form of patrol amongst the streets of Gotham and remains in a friendship with Damian outside of his alias as Robin, he keeps close and in this he is content to not only trust someone but to be part of the heroes that he idolized so frequently.
CANON POINT: End of STREETS OF GOTHAM VOL 1, #12. | Colin is being brought from a decently secure point in his life. At the end of his canon point, he has just been brought silently into the fold by Damian Wayne, who has offered him not only to a manner in which to assist those in Gotham but to work alongside him which is something Colin has always desired since he found out about his abilities after his altercation with Scarecrow. He is feeling secure in who he is and while likely his arrival will throw him off course, there is the chance for a much quicker recovery time and with his security the ability to work along side others without just being the nervous child he tends to be.
PERSONALITY: For a supporting character, Colin is brimming with personality negative and positive. A child at heart despite which form he takes. Colin is a strong willed in either circumstance. In his first appearance in canon he is described by the villain Scarecrow as quite claustrophobic. He’s a ball of neuroses, really. Fear of strangers, abandonment issues, prone to lash out violently when scared. The poor dear really should be lobotomized. Needless to say, a great deal of Colin’s personality stems from issues that he has acquired from his early childhood, presumably from his upbringing in which negativity creates intense situations on Colin. His childhood he was an orphan, spending years repeatedly moving from between several foster homes and orphanages that in turn made him paranoid and rather aggressive.
Colin grew up rather neglected throughout his early youth because he was written off as a lost cause. Long-term neglect on a child his age creates patterns and responses that become characteristics. With his personality type and selected characteristics made it likely the reason that he was never able to find a stable home since it takes a great deal of time and counseling in a controlled environment to break out of established behavior quirks. With the two general types of neglected children there are the type that withdraws themselves and becomes anxious, and then the assertive extroverted types that try to take charge of the situation in attempts to control them. Colin seems to be a combination of both and it also happens to be active type that tends to develop behavioral problems, the anxious developing mental health problems. Trust is one of the huge factors in these behavioral issues in which Colin can seem trusting of other children, but remains wary and on-edge of adults.
Yet, in later canon it is clear that Colin did start moving past all of his fears and anxieties. But not because of any therapy he might have been through but because of his alternative form known as Abuse which pretty much became and developed into his coping mechanism for these problems. His strength and power that is associated with that form made for a good confidence boost and while he was not completely and utterly cured in the STREETS OF GOTHAM series he seems to have a better grasp of himself. Essentially he had become a ten year old that was forced to grow up and act the role of the adult to deal with the consistency of abuse that was in his life, though he is still very much a child despite his best efforts to be otherwise. Earnest, mindful, curious and mildly talkative. He is brimming with good intentions and despite his issues he is honest in his intent to help out others and make a difference, believing that no should ever have to suffer like he has. He is bold to an extent and never beats around the bush about things. Honesty and to-the-point, he is like most children his age in the fact he does not feel shame for stating his opinions unless degraded by his peers.
His disorders range from various forms of problems that can develop in the early childhood stages. Colin suffers from claustrophobia (--the fear of having no escape and being closed in small spaces or rooms, an anxiety disorder and often results in panic attacks, and can be the result of many situations or stimuli, including elevators crowded to capacity, windowless rooms, and even tight necked clothing) and chiroptophobia (--the fear of bats, phobia associated with bats and to common negative stereotypes and fear of bats stemming from prejudices and misinformation. The fear of bats may be naturally reinforced by natural startle response experienced by an unsuspecting person. I.E when a disturbed colony of bats dashes out of a cave. Gives rise to abnormal anxiety that requires treatment). Alongside a series of abandonment issues and paranoia, which is influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationally and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs concerned a perceived threat towards oneself. All these issues can be presumed as something he developed either in the care of his biological parents at some point in time or are often results of displaced children, even those neglected by their foster families.
Asides his apparently physiological issues, Colin is pretty average in personality. Naïve to a point, he is trusting his knowledge of a person but otherwise distrusting to those he knows nothing or little of. Per example in canon, Colin is utterly terrified in the presence of Batman but when he is ultimately rescued by him he becomes understanding and open to the idea of his friendship and alliance amongst the cape crusaders of the city of Gotham, hopeful even. Wary, he does not have issues in crowds amongst strangers but the one to one seems to be the problem. Later on the series he is able to maintain his calm around confrontation but this is presumably because of his link and ability to defend himself through his form of Abuse.
His role in the DETECTIVE COMICS is progressively different from his role in STREETS OF GOTHAM. He begins in a state of negativity, the issues he possess being apparent but by the second series he has changed with his realization of strength and power. In the second set of comics he switches from the nervous and frightened individual to someone who is seemingly able to hold it together well. Dedicated, loyal and seemingly outwardly content with knowledge of both the negative and positive ways of life, he is a character that seems quiet amongst other children, on the sidelines of play during his time at the orphanage when he is shown. He is able to spend time alone in his own world without many worldly possessions, the only thing he comes to own being his teddy bear Rory and the many snippets of news articles about the heroes of Gotham that he comes to idolize. Self-sufficient in his own entertainment, he is idealistic for a ten year old boy who can transform into hulk of a man, owns a set of brass knuckles and has grown up abandonment issues all of his life.
Religiously, Colin grew up knowing the ways of the Roman Catholics through his placement in orphanages and ultimately ending up at St. Aden’s Orphanage. While he was raised sporadically in a religiously based environment, canonly it is hard to say that Colin himself believes in these expectations of religion and while he knows of them, it is presumed that he himself is not of the Catholic religion.
"Anyone who pays for the “pleasure” of watching kids kill each other deserves everything I can deliver and even then, it’s not enough. The sisters try to teach us a lot of Bible lessons at St. Aiden’s. Lots of “turn the other cheek” and Noah’s Ark. It’s boring. They sugarcoat the rougher stuff. But one time Sister Agnes told me the story of Cain and Abel. Cain murdered his own brother in cold blood. When the Lord found out what Cain had done, he exiled Cain from the Garden of Eden and he marked Cain. This meant no one would harm him--but they would all know what he’d done, and he’d have to live with that. Most of the other kids thought God should have just killed Cain and been done with it. I figure if it works for God, it works for me."
Colin’s naïve nature is transparent, he is easy going to an extent, a seemingly not as easy to upset as he was in the past and has his state of hero worship towards the masked crusaders of Gotham adds to that image. Honest and straight-forward to a point, he maintains an easy going attitude and can be extremely easy to talk to once someone has gained his trust. Quietly optimistic, his anger issues have become hidden to a point, controlling them very well and it can be presumed that it was the venom that concentrated it and through Abuse he is able to release these pent up problems of his earlier youth. He brands the people that he deems worth his fists with the word abuse that is imprinted on one of his dusters, an act that was performed on him and what these people do to others. It can be assumed that he does this because in his younger years, he never had the chance to do this to whoever performed such acts upon him, a form of misplaced vengeance.
Through this, there is a darker side to this boy. Certainly, he is a child but he is a child who transforms into a man who dishes out reparations against the ill of society, those who beat up children, those who he claims deserve it. He is the strength that Colin never had as a boy, the ability to step away from all of the negativity, the coping device that he maintains within his life. As Abuse, he is strong, understanding and has an intense belief of right versus wrong while still maintain his childlike air. While he does not seem to believe in killing others in extracting revenge, his idea of injuring them to the point of maiming while keeping them alive is somewhat sadistic, revenge perceived in a childlike manner. His speech patterns change in attempts to sound more adult in his role, more grown up and knowledgeable, a play on adulthood. Abuse is protective with his power and understands his powers to an extent. He is a formidable powerhouse and while it does not do much favors in terms of maneuverability, he uses his strengths for what he deems good and what he deems good is extracting revenge, protecting other children that were given a hard deal in life by society. He is not ashamed of his mildly monstrous appearance, he knows he sets himself out to help and be heroic to an extent, to work along side others.
PLANS: I've always played Colin in settings where is strength is limited and I'm exceedingly thrilled to actually bring him to a setting where he can find strength. Since he is child riddled with mental instabilities I felt that here it would be interesting to play out those insecurities and problems with the ability to learn that he can survive on his own and of course help where he is needed. Since he is a child these things are always interesting to play out but here his strengths and alternative form can be used in a way to assist which is what he wants to do so badly in Gotham. I feel that his initial introduction to the world would be iffy but there would be a much quicker recovery time in which he learns about the area and then learns that he can help. My plans thus far are simply to place him in an environment where he can be strong, useful and continue to learn of his own abilities as well as learn to trust those around him since he is initially so wary of such things.
APPEARANCE:
I M A G E: COLIN
Being an orphan from Gotham, Colin is essentially an average ten year old boy in physical appearance. He is of basic height and a lean build, he has vivid red hair and hazel eyes. He is often shown in clothing that seems too large for him and it hangs loose on his thin form. He wears a variety of patterns and mostly neutral tones or browns, oranges, reds, blacks and yellows and his fashion is far from forward, being funded solely by an orphanage and donations.
I M A G E: ABUSE
Abuse is a exceedingly large man, he is broad, thick and has large muscles. Often dressed in a trench coat, suit and hat he remains hidden under the layers. He is far taller than your average human and his strength matches his size. He is not as quick as his smaller form, but he more then makes up for it with his durability.
WRITING SAMPLES
F I R S T P E R S O N S A M P L E
[The text scrawls, it proceeds slowly--as if someone is writing the reply and letter by letter it forms.] I was greeted by a man in the baseball field. I kind of understood what he was talking about but--
I really could use some help, maybe something more descriptive from someone in the same situation. I just woke up and I'm really not sure what to do.
Thank you for anything you can give.
T H I R D P E R S O N S A M P L E
Inhale, exhale--it was all going to be alright he just needed to keep a level head. The last thing he remembered was watching Damian drive away and then there was this pull. It was an unexplainable feeling but the best way he could describe it was being ripped apart, as if someone tugging at his soul and quietly he considered that maybe he was just dying, maybe finally everything he had been through was getting to him and maybe it was the venom that was killing him but when he awoke, Colin Wilkes knew that this could neither be heaven nor hell. It was a shame, he thought, that he had finally started to get his life on track and now he had awaken in this strange place but when he came to, it felt like he was going to have a minor panic attack; his heart was beating rapidly within his chest and his extremities felt numb. All he could do was rub his hands together and repeat in his own mind that everything was going to be alright, that this was not worth working himself up over and he figure everything out. It was a hard thing to consider though, for a ten year old boy, that he had awoken within an alternative universe to expend his services to where they needed to be distributed.
He arrived rolling, he was fairly certain because with a huff of breath he finally stopped amongst the dust of the field. At first he could not focus, the world was turning around him and felt mildly like he was going to be sick. He really could not tell how long he laid on the ground and how long he felt like lying there but suddenly he was sitting up. In ways a looked a lot like home, with the countless graffiti which was somehow comforting but after taking in the basic glance around it was clear that something was off here because this was nothing like Gotham. Pushing himself to his feet, Colin felt his chest rise and fall heavily beneath his layers of clothing, his brows knitting together as he felt the soreness of it all envelop him and suddenly everything hurt. A groan of pain and a look to the ground then suddenly feet.
Feeling his heart jump, he stumbled back, falling down into one of the craters that surrounded the area and after the focus of his gaze took place there was someone, or something standing at the edge of the pit he had just fallen into. Inhale--
"Hello."
Quietly stated the mysterious man. Colin opted to remain silent as what had happened to him was explained and in that silence he realized that his life was about to change, forever.