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Name: Spazzy
Personal LJ: wanderingspaz
Contact Info: (AIM) Spazthelegion
Other Characters Played: heartstar_blues
Preferred Housing: N/A
Character Name: Aaron Taylor
Character Age: 17
Background:
Aaron's life was full of bad luck, from before he was born on April 12, 1981 in northern New Jersey until... well now.
It always seemed like such a joke. Too bad no one was laughing. His mother was the youngest daughter of a more than well off family. Needless to say she rebelled. Dating all sorts of strange men and going against daddy's rules. In the end she got pregnant at 17. It was a huge scandal. It became more so because she wouldn't name the father and no one showed up to help her through it. It was something her father would have loved to had buried.
Aaron's conception lead to a lot of strife in the family and a lot for his would be mother. Then she died in childbirth. After some consideration into the fate of the child, his mother's oldest sister, Elizabeth, and her husband took the child in. They would raise the bastard and take over the shame his mother left behind. Where as his mother, his aunt and most of their family had blond hair and hazel or blue eyes, Aaron had black hair and brown eyes.
Elizabeth had two children of her own. Twins named Samantha and Samuel. A wicked pair who were 3 years older than Aaron and loved to torment him growing up. They picked up on the tabboo subject of his existence and made his life miserable for it. It wasn't hard to pick up on as his good aunt and uncle sometimes argued loudly about it. Enough so that by the age of 10 Aaron had figured out what a bastard was and just what that meant for him.
Over those ten years, random accidents and minor incidents made life less than enjoyable. On top of the bullying he had more broken bones as a kid from falling, tripping, and random things beyond his control than most his age. He healed well and became a resilient child for it. He also grew fast too. He was already as tall as his 13 year old cousins.
It wasn't even a month after his 10th birthday that his bad luck decided that his birth wasn't a bad enough punishment on the family. The twins noticed how fond he was of a toy he had gotten from their parents on his birthday. It was a wind up clock with Disney characters on it. It also looked easily breakable and Aaron was determined to not let this toy meet the fate of most fragile things in his presence. They stole the toy and decided to play keep away. Aaron grew more fearful for the fate of his toy and more angry at his cousins with each through. Finally after Samuel tossed it, Aaron gave him a hard shove to put this game of keep away to an end.
Samuel did not fall over right away like Aaron hoped. Instead he stumbled backwards, tripped over a stick and rolled across the side walk and off the curb. Just in time for a car to be speeding by, not paying attention. Samuel was close to the curb and the car ran him over, pinning the poor boy to the curb and killing him instantly. Aaron just stood there to witness the horrific scene and didn't look away until his heart broken and furious uncle dragged him away.
It was determined to be an accident. The child was not close enough to the street to think that this could be intentional. Aaron received both physical and emotional attacks from his Aunt and Uncle until finally they decided to give him up for adoption no more than a month after the loss. A cousin of Aaron's aunt offered to take the child in. The man was a childhood friend of his mother's and had periodically checked in on the family since the incident of Aaron's birth.
Aaron much preferred this life. The man named Joseph Mallory had a wife Trisha but no kids. They had wanted one even though they were incapable of having them. Adopting Aaron seemed a good choice considering he was family. Joseph and Trisha were very kind and generally pleased to have the boy. Aaron was not yet old enough to realize this was a bad sign. Trisha died of a stroke less than a year after they adopted Aaron.
Joseph took it hard, but stayed strong for Aaron's sake. Joseph ran a local car shop and let Aaron stay with him while he worked, learning the trade. When Aaron turned 15 he was hired on officially. The person who ran things when Joseph was away was Kyle Turner. A goofy man who took time babysitting Aaron when he was younger to help out Joseph during those years.
Aaron didn't have many real friends. He would hang out with people and many students would say he was the nice guy from their class, but no one really knew too much about him. Only what he did not who he was. Aaron kept his distance even when he deep down wanted to be part of the fun he saw others having.
When Aaron was 16, two major events happened. The first of which was his change. Aaron was prone to getting picked on and beat up at school. One day a few guys from school decided to follow Aaron on his way home with plans to give him the beating of his life before he ever made it. When the time was right they ran after him, chasing Aaron and trying to corner him with speed and numbers. Aaron was afraid and ran as hard as he could. Adrenaline pumping, the fear drove him to run fast. At the peak of it he even blacked out.
Aaron came too an hour later behind a vacant lot, thankfully alone. He tried to push himself up to stand when he realized he didn't have arms! In front of him were two scruffy furred paws and legs he wasn't quite sure how to use right. Aaron freaked out and tried to leap back from them, changing back and finding himself sitting naked in that lot. After a few more awkward accidents, Aaron began to catch on to the triggers that changed him. It still wasn't perfect but it seemed easy. It took a bit of work and arranging a standing mirror to find out that he could turn into a coyote. Sometimes though he changed into something slightly larger than the coyote, something a little scarier. He found when that happened he could also mimic sounds but not actually talk. From that point on Aaron also had another quirk. His dreams were always plagued by a mocking laugh, as if this was all some big joke.
It wasn't until a week before his 17th birthday that something brought the rest of his change to light. Joseph was closing the shop alone. On the way out after turning off the lights he tripped over an oil pale. Joseph cracked his head open on the ground and bled to death before anyone knew what happened. Aaron ran away when that happened and spent his birthday alone in the rain. It was in that anger, sadness and confusion that Aaron changed again. This time to something that stood on two legs. Something with fur, claws and canine like teeth. It is also where he learned to control it.
Aaron was a were-coyote. With practice over the next few months he learned that "the change" actually had a few stages. Aaron also learned quick that he wasn't invincible, even if he did recover faster than normal. While experimenting with what he was, he badly hurt himself after trying to make a long jump over a ravine and falling from a near fatal height. It took him a bit to recover from that but in the end he came home without a broken bone to show for it. Aaron would spend part time working to help Kyle maintain the shop and more of his free time avoiding school and testing out his new ability.
((This is where I am leaving off.))
Aaron's ability to change is genetic, not contagious. He does not know this yet though the thought of spreading it through a bite had not occurred to him yet. He is a Nuwisha, a were-coyote, and is not going to be found and mentored by anyone until he is 19, leaving him to deal with this alone. His bad luck is more of a curse from the spirit Coyote. It was something to make him strong for what was coming. He knows nothing of others and has no away of finding out more on his own.
Personality:
Aaron is a joke. Later in life the cruel joke will be over and his luck will change for the better. Until then Aaron is still just the butt end of it and it is not that funny.
For all that was bad in Aaron's life, he tried to stay optimistic. His more angst-y younger teen years were spent with a man who generally cared for him. When he was younger he may have been bitter and quiet, but thanks to Joseph he ended up being a fairly nice young man.
Growing up he wanted to be the good son Joseph deserved, even more so because of the loss of Trisha. Helping people out, doing a good job at the shop, always smiling for strangers and listening to what he was told.
Joseph taught him to be respectful and be thankful for your place in life. Aaron might not have learned every idealistic lesson Joseph taught but he did try his best with what he could do. Like any teenager he sometimes rebelled. Aaron got drunk for the first time at 15. Aaron one time got arrested when he was 16 for shop lifting. He got into his fair share of fights, most of which he fled from or lost. Aaron was not tiny, standing at 5'10" with a lean strong build thanks to hard work. He just wasn't any good at real fighting and didn't really want to hurt anyone.
As for friends, Aaron never kept a long term or very close friend. Deep down he knew he was cursed and he feared something bad happening if he got too close to people. Those he considered friends rarely saw him outside of school or the few social events he got invited to. He was nice, though always had an excuse or last minute chore to keep him away. He longed for the type of friendship he saw others have. Though anytime he started to get close he remembered the horrific scene with his cousin. He remembered what happened to Trisha. He thought of the chain of events that lead him to this point and let his fear push those he got close to away.
He couldn't give up Joseph though. Joseph was the first parental figure to treat him well. Joseph was the closest thing to a father he could hope for. He knew enough to know that his real father was long gone and never identified, so having someone to bond with was a big part of Aaron's life. Aaron took to the shop and repair work just to impress Joseph.
Aaron can find almost anything and anyone interesting. Usually picking up on someone else's idea of fun or useful and going with it. His deep desire to actually have connections leads to him making minor ones throughout his life. To stay close to Joseph he picked up practical skills though has a few random hobbies just to have an excuse to talk to people at school. He knows very few phrases in several languages and can juggle for instance.
Aaron really does not like to hurt people if he can help it. It all goes back to killing his cousin. The thought of using superior strength to beat someone draws out terrible memories. He might have had plenty of good reasons to, but he rarely ever threw a punch. This only made matters worse with bullying when it became apparent he was easy to beat. In the end though, if anyone got seriously hurt around him, he could lie to himself because he did not do it directly.
Aaron never had a real girlfriend. He had a date or two, a dance partner once but nothing serious. Again the thought of everyone who died and all the bad that went on his life drove such things away. Again always with an awkward and shy seeming excuse. He couldn't help it, and it was something he could never shake. When the laughter started it got worse. Either he was going insane or something was causing bad things to happen in his life. It only made him more convinced things could never be normal.
After the change, he began to think of ways to use it. Using it to flee bad things or to escape situations by getting out of sight and changing became a natural defense mechanism. Working on mimicking sounds to draw others away before fleeing at full sprint on four legs. It fit him well, always running from the bad luck that chased him down and ruined everything good in his life.
Then Joseph died. Aaron's last real strong connection. Kyle came close but Aaron avoided working for the man full time to avoid having the same thing happen to another good person. Without it Aaron began to work on being stronger. Being strong enough to be alone and survive on his own. With the new changes he was literally a monster. With no one to share it with he kept that secret to himself. If he could get stronger, no one would ever really get hurt by him again.
Aaron isn't too good at the loner thing though. He can't cut himself off from society or people. Even if he hasn't made any real lasting connections, he can't let it go. Being a monster doesn't help the situation any either. Even in his deepest dreams he wishes for a life where he can have friends and live life without fear of himself.
Abilities:
Shape Shifting: Aaron can change his body to a limited extent with five total stages. Only in the first two can he actually talk. He is not effected by the moon nor does he seem all that bothered by silver. Regular bullets can kill him though it's harder when he is in were-coyote form.
--His natural state is perfectly normal.
--The next stage involves minor changes to his physical size and hair. Looking almost normal though any hair growth might seem thicker or shaggier.
--The next stage is a bit more drastic, a were-coyote with claws fur and teeth. Standing only about 6 inches taller and a bit stronger in build, it is not as impressive as most assume were-wolves to be.
--The next stage is a step down in the other direction. Now forced to stand on all fours it looks like a somewhat over sized coyote and can actually mimic sounds like crying or screams.
--The last stage is full coyote.
Sample Entry 1:
A)
"I'll have it done as fast as possible sir. I'm still not used to these older cars yet but I had the best teacher and promise I will get it done right. If you want you can relax here or come back later."
[[Hood up, leaning over the engine to frown at it. He isn't technically a mechanic here and he isn't getting paid. Whoever did work here didn't seem to mind or know about the droning punishment. Aaron knows he has to do his own job and school work to avoid droning, and that he is cutting it a bit close.]]
"Looks like something got in here and cooked itself. Not wear and tear, just terrible..."
[[Aaron takes a breath and reminds himself this isn't home.]]
"Terrible luck. It may take a while but I'll make it up to you by not charging you, just don't tell my boss."
[[Whoever that would be. Aaron figures if he didn't get caught, this town couldn't punish him. Right?]]
B)
[[Aaron was trying hard to focus on his class. The window was open and it was bright and sunny out though. The teacher called him out on staring off into space yet again
Wincing, he flips to the right page and begins going over it. So many classes and not one on language. This was math class but Aaron figured it was worth asking. Raising his hand.]]
"Umm, how do you get into a Spanish class around here? I'll even settle for German."
[[Aaron didn't know what to do about the blank stare he got from the drone. Looking around the class to see who else thought it was strange.]]
"Sorry about that, heh. So, about those graphs?"
[[Looking back to the teacher trying hard to take the attention off himself. Failing horribly. What was with this town?]]
Sample Entry 2:
A)
[[Aaron wakes up and stretches. Still amazed at how soundly he could sleep in this town. For over a year now he has had laughter mocking him in his dreams and he rarely got a full night of sleep. With the bad that happened around him his nightmares were usually pretty horrific without the addition of the laughter.
That didn’t follow him here. This is a different life. He’s different, he’s treated differently.
Maybe this would be good. His last strong connection back home is gone. He can’t afford to make anymore in that life. Nothing good ever came of him being happy. If this town really does take things away then it might have stolen away his bad luck as well. It took the monster inside of him away, so why not?
It is all he could refer to it as. A monster. It isn’t one that wants blood. It doesn’t really change him, at least not mentally. It does lower his inhibitions and heightens the thrill of taking on some dangerous stunts, but nothing that he hasn’t been able control. He can live without it if all the bad goes with it. Maybe it is a part of all the bad in his life. Either way, Aaron is not sad to see it go.
Then the familiar and friendly voice of his drone mother calls up to let him know breakfast is ready. Breaking him from his idle thoughts.]]
B)
[[Aaron’s sitting up in a tree in his back yard, hiding from the chaos that is going on around town. Also he still can’t get over having a tree in his yard again. Joseph’s place was home but it had few things of interest and a very tiny yard.
Watching the part of the street he can see from the tree and between the houses, he just leans back to rest.]]
“This isn’t my fault. The laughter is gone, that means I’m free.”
[[He really wants to believe that. They told him this place is terrible and that bad things had happened before. Just because this occurred a week after Aaron came in did not mean it was his fault. Just another one of those terrible things this town was known for. Still, it’s a hard feeling to shake.
Then there were screams.
Aaron knows he cannot fight whatever is out there. Even if he still had the monster inside it would be beyond him. That was just something to help him escape, it wasn’t a weapon he could use. Now he had nothing he could use.
Thinking about running he let his mind wander to dangerous areas. Maybe he was faster than what was out there. Maybe he could get some people to safety and they could all hide together. Then he saw a kid run by his limited field of vision.]]
“I’m only going to run, not going to fight. The kid won’t make it on his own.”
[[Pushing away the idle thought that getting involved will only make it worse, Aaron climbs down and stalks through his yard. The moment he hits open ground and spots the kid he runs. He isn’t playing hero, he just can’t keep letting bad things happen around him.]]