Griffin O'Conner || Jumper || Siren's Pull
Player Information
Name: Ant
Age: 20
AIM SN: jdmgrl17
email: gd_int_ant@yahoo.com
Have you played in an LJ based game before? I've been doing it on-and-off for about six years.
Bonus: How did you hear about Siren's Pull? caveatwalls
Character Information
General
Canon Source: Jumper
Canon Format: Movie and book (Jumper: Griffin's Story)
Character's Name: Griffin O'Conner
Character's Age: 22
What form will your character's NV take? Griffin's NV will look a lot like a PSP, because he really likes his games. But there will be a touchscreen option for the keyboard and such.
Abilities
Character's Canon Abilities: Griffin has the ability to "Jump." That's the cool way of saying he can teleport. He can go anywhere in the world, as long as he's either been there before or seen a picture of it. He can take just about anything with him, as long as it isn't tethered to the ground. (He could try, but the odds are he would kill himself in the process.) Electricity jolts can stop him, as well as tethering him down to one spot.
And this isn't a superpower or anything, but Griffin also knows how to make bombs.
Weapons: All he'll have with him is his baseball bat. It's an item he's fond of for two reasons. One, well, he just likes violently beating things. Two, and importantly, a bat has less chance of disturbing his "Jump scars," the rips in reality he makes whenever he Jumps. If a bullet were to go into the Jump scar, there is no telling what it would do; it could go through to the intended destination, or it could ricochet and come back to hit only God knows what.
He'll also have a handy Swiss army knife tucked away somewhere in his leather jacket, as he likes having that on him all the time.
History/Personality/Plans/etc.
Character History: Griffin learned how to fend for himself very early one. He's been on the run ever since he was a kid. It wasn't for anything he done. At least, it didn't start like that. Griffin has been hunted for what he is; a Jumper. He's had the ability ever since he was a small boy. He first discovered his power when he was five years old, accidentally teleporting away from Martyr's Memorial in Oxford in front of a busload of tourists. Soon after, people began hunting for him. He never understood why, as his parents tried to make things as normal and safe as possible for him. But he understood the main point: With every power comes someone who wants to destroy it. There was a group called Paladins whose sole job was to seek out and kill Jumpers. They caused the O'Conner family to flee, moving all over the globe.
When Griffin was nine, they were in the United States, in San Diego. He was home-schooled by his mother, while his father taught him how to use his ability. Griffin knew this wasn't a normal childhood, but he didn't mind. It afforded him a great education, and he really loved being with his mom and dad. They still allowed him to join an afterschool activity for the sake of meeting children his age. One day after his karate lesson, he was approached by the class bully, who was looking for a real fight. Griffin couldn't help it. He Jumped away from the bully's punch out of instinct. The same night, the Paladins found his home. They posed as an educational service, but it wasn't long before they started to viciously attack. Griffin did a little damage got away, but the damage they had done was far worse. The Paladins killed his parents.
As a kid, Griffin Jumped from place to place, just trying not to get caught by the bloodthirsty killers. While most Jumpers are found and killed while they are young, Griffin eluded capture. His parents prepared him for this life. He went absolutely everywhere. Griffin picked up languages and cultures easily. As he traveled all over the world, he met all kinds of people. People he called care-givers and friends. At one point, he even fell in love with an American girl from New Jersey. Eventually, they were all killed or turned against him by Paladins trying to get to him.
As the years went by, losing everyone he remotely cared about did things to Griffin's head. Living like a rat, underground and all alone, paranoid about who was coming to get him, didn't help anything. Anger festered in him like a wound that went uncared for too long. His life was a mockery of what it should be, and it was all the Paladins' fault. His motive changed from survival to murder. Griffin wanted nothing more in the world to hunt every single Paladin down and rip their guts out. It became his life's work. He started this work at sixteen, learning how to track them down, bait them out, and then violently put an end to them. It became the only purpose to his life.
At the tender age of twenty-two, Griffin had become a recluse, a madman, a killer, and a seemingly selfish jerk. He became a master at hunting and killing Paladins, giving them a taste of their own medicine. He was also severely cut off from the world, hiding out in Egypt. By mere chance, while Griffin was getting a drink in London, he found another Jumper. Griffin followed him, most likely in order to find out if the other Jumper was being followed by Paladins or not. Along with saving his guy's ass (not that he particularly cared, no sir), it was a convenient way of locating his prey. Griffin finally confronted the young man in Rome, while the other Jumper was showing his new girlfriend the Coliseum. The Paladins tracked this Jumper down, and Griffin saved him from being captured. The new Jumper followed Griffin to his Lair in Egypt, something which Griffin did not expect or want. He threw the other out quickly, with the warning to never come back.
But within a day or so, the Jumper came back. Griffin learned that his name is David, and he wanted to know about the men who are following him. Griffin explains about the Paladins, a zealous group (with assumed religious ties) whose sole job was to kill all Jumpers. They believed that all Jumpers would use their power for evil. David left then, only to come back to the Lair again when he realized his girlfriend, Millie, was in trouble. He plead with Griffin to help him. He appeared to twist Griffin's arm into accepting by revealing that the Paladin after him is Roland, a man Griffin had been hunting since he was sixteen when he learned that Roland was involved with the hit on his parents.
David found Millie and brought her back to Griffin's Lair without his permission. Griffin was furious, because this gave the Paladins the perfect opportunity to find him. (The Paladins developed technology to follow a Jumper after he Jumps.) After a knock 'em down, drag 'em out brawl between Griffin and Roland, Griffin trapped all of the Paladins in Millie's apartment without their technology. His plan was to blow up all the Paladins in the apartment, including Roland, ending it once and for all. David wouldn't not allow this, because Millie was also trapped in that apartment. Another fight ensued, this time between the two once allied Jumpers. The fight ended when David trapped Griffin in an electrical tower in Chechnya. He was stuck, not being able to Jump while the broken tower sent electric currents through his body. He was still alive, just not going anywhere. At this was where Griffin's story ended, so far as we know.
Point in Canon: Right when Griffin's last seen in the movie.
Character Personality: Griffin's been called a lot of things by a lot of different people. The most common phrase would be 'crazy son of a bitch.' He's a young man at twenty-two years old. Sometimes, he can act like the oldest soul in the world. The wise man in him can be very perceptive. He's spent time with a variety of people and he knows how to read them. Griffin just isn't very good at responding to them. He has the social graces of a wild gorilla, not particularly caring about the feelings and opinions of others. With Griffin, it's (almost) always Griffin's needs first.
But then, more often, he's more like a Ritalin-addled five year old. Griffin grew up hard and fast, but the inner child refuses to die out. After all, he's had no one to guide him ever since he was nine; it should come as no surprise that he's severely underdeveloped in aspects like maturity and tact. He can definitely act like a kid sometimes. He loves comic books, cartoons, and especially video games. He has a sweet tooth. It helps the image that he looks no older than eighteen, even with the scars all over his body. (Neck, arms, torso, right hip.)
He does have a rouge charm about him. It's something about his blasé attitude of 'I can do whatever I want and get away with it.' The British accent may help too. It's a rough accent, but it gets the job done. He uses it to his advantage. Griffin is always an opportunist, being very handy with both his hands and his mouth. He has to be in order to survive. When he tries, he can pass himself off as a normal, all-together person, even charismatic. It's just getting him to try when he absolutely doesn't have to is the issue. The problem with that is that his mouth gets him into as much trouble as it gets him out of. He's very much a smart-ass, condescending to the core. In his eyes, he has seen and done absolutely everything there is to be done. (That can be argued. Although to be fair, he has done a lot.)
Griffin doesn't like sharing himself to others. He's got quite the sob story, but it takes a lot to get him to tell it. As it is, when others try to open up to him, he shuts them down with a sharp retort. He does have his weaknesses, though. His parents are always a touchy subject. It just might not be worth it to get him to open up. He can't afford to let his guard down, so when he does, he tends to lash out. Griffin has a violent temper and a very active, morbid imagination. Piss him off and you will regret it. That's a guarantee. Griffin goes out of his way to not make promises. But if he does? You can be damn sure he keeps it.
It takes a lot to earn Griffin's trust, maybe more than it's worth. But if you have it, he'll die for you, he'll kill for you, and he'll try like hell to keep you alive. After all, too many people in his life have died already.
Character Plans: At first, Griffin probably won't do much besides be snarky and suspicious at everyone. Then after getting to know the city a little better (i.e. - darkness and factions), I think he would put his skills to use by becoming a freelance bounty hunter, trying to get information on both sides about how to get home. Unless you guys are stocked in those. I could always think of something else.
Appearance/PB: PB: Jamie Bell. Icon set: Here.
Writing Samples
First Person Sample
[After a lengthy debate with himself, Griffin switches the NV to the text setting.]
David Rice
Mary Rice
Roland
Could someone help me find these people? It's really important that I get a hold of them right away. Life or death. It would mean so much to me. Thank you for your help.
[This is the most polite as Griffin will ever be.]
Third Person Sample
Living life as a Jumper, Griffin learned early on to expect the unexpected. He only survived for so long by being one step ahead. As he stared around the baseball diamond, he could not say he saw this coming at all. One moment, he was trapped in God forsaken Chechnya, the next he was lost in God forsaken Who-Even-Knew-Where. Pain reverberated throughout his body. His vision swam in and out of focus. Griffin did not yet put two and two together, assuming the effects came from all the electricity running through his body about twenty seconds ago. Was he somehow able to Jump even with that?
Flight instincts kicking in, he closed his eyes. He pictured one of his safe houses (really just a remote location with some non-perishable goods in case of emergencies) and Jumped--
His eyes flew open. Griffin was still in the baseball diamond. The Jump failed completely. "Abuh-- wh--" Panic gripped him tightly as his eyes flew around the field. Where was he, exactly? Nothing looked familiar. The graffiti did nothing to help him identify the spot; he had heard of a lot of places in his time, but never somewhere called "Siren's Pull." What kind of name was that, anyway? "... David?" Perhaps the weasel of a Jumper felt bad and got him out? Except there was no way he could have tampered with his abilities. "Roland? You son of a bitch, come out--"
He stepped forward, only to nearly trip on a bat. Not just any one; it was his bat. Griffin picked it up quickly. "The hell?" Movement caught his eye. Griffin looked up to see someone waiting in the dug out. His face set, looking very determined and rather pissed. If this guy didn't say what he wanted to hear, he was getting knocked out of the park.