(no subject)
Justin “Shimmer” Gray
As a boy I believed I could make myself invisible. I'm not sure that I ever could, but I certainly had the ability to pass unnoticed
~ Terence Stamp ~
Full Name: Justin Wilson Gray
Age: 25
Birth Date: September 16th
Birthplace: Olympia, Washington
Citizenship: American
Location: Military Training Grounds; BDW Unit
Occupation: Sergeant First Class
PERSONALITY
A practical joker Justin often uses this to maintain his distance from those he might call friends getting close enough but not too close. That doesn’t mean he isn’t loyal to his team, his CO and his friends, but he doesn't really make too much time for people outside of it. That’s why to most others he comes off as brash, a little conceited, and very arrogant but what more can you expect from someone who has spent most of their life since the age of fourteen being told that they are unique, special and one of a kind. You hear that enough and you start to believe that it is true.
So the ego just comes naturally.
With a past like his Justin doesn’t trust people easily, years of neglect, abuse and robbed of his childhood Justin often aims too high and then finds it hard to accept it when he fails. Whilst he walks the walk and talks the talk with an air of confidence and charm, in truth it’s little more than a mask. A front put up to hide how little he believes in his own self-worth. He won’t admit it but his relationships with his team-mates keep him grounded, and without that he sometimes feels a little lost, and over-compensates with bravado.
Despite being trained by the military Justin is not your typical army boy, though he isn't too far off it. Rules, regulations, the orders he's given, he tries to follow them to the letter but sometimes things get ahead of him and Justin doesn’t quite handle it the way he should. The problem is Justin has a bit of a temper, so when Justin gets a little riled he tends to put his pride before a fall.
Now this isn’t to say he’s a violent individual but if pushed Justin can fly off the handle and he can be rather argumentative and will occasionally resort to allowing his fists to do the talking. He has discovered though that arguing with the wrong people gets him in more trouble than it is worth most times. Justin was trained to lose his accent, to be as ambiguous as possible for when he was sent on missions so he doesn't have an accent as such. He does however have a tendancy to put his hand near his mouth which means from time to time the words can be muffled. It's a habit he'll revert to when really under pressure.
APPEARANCE
Justin is 5'11”, with brown hair, dark eyes. He doesn’t do clean shaven and his style is often described as just rolled out of bed. To be honest he's a bit rough around the edges from his military training, the occasional scar here and there but he is in peak health condition. Justin takes care of his body, works hard to maintain it and finds physical exercise less of a chore and more of a method of relaxation. Boxing is just one of the many methods of exercise that Justin enjoys and over the years he’s built up his upper body strength so when he packs a punch you’ll feel it.
He’s not a guy of fashion; Justin likes to keep it pretty casual. Khaki pants, jeans, wife-beaters with shirts, your normal outdoor jacket. The style is definitely military, but it has to be easy to remove and easy to put back on, due to the nature of Justin's ability. This is why Justin doesn't wear socks and never bothers to lace up his boots. He wears few accessories too, his dog tags, a velcro watch and a braided leather band. When clothing doesn’t easily just fade away you tend to lose sentimental value over clothing. When Justin enters a room you tend to know about it.
With an air of confidence, a mouth that gets him into trouble more often than not and an innate ability to make friends, people tend to know when Justin enters a room. Far from forgettable you tend to know when you've met Justin.
Gender: Male
Nationality: American
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 182lbs
Build: Slim, athletic
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
Skin: Natural Tan
Distinguishing Marks: Several scars acquired through childhood and training.
Ability: Justin has the inherent ability to transform his own body into a transparent shell. His entire body will become see through, though he is unable to transform just one part of his body. When he does use his ability the whole surface of his skin, organs and bones transform one after the other to leave an empty space, a process which he can complete quickly now within a matter of seconds. Justin can maintain this form for no longer than one week and this can be very draining on his body. He cannot turn just anything invisble, turning the clothes that he wears transparent only lasts a few days max and the more layers he wears the harder this is to do, as such, Justin tends to carry a backpack at all times.
Relationships
Orientation: Straight
Status: Single
Significant Other: N/A
Children: None
Parents: Father; Wilson Gray. Mother; Maria Jones
Sibling(s): None
HISTORY
Justin Gray was born outside Olympia, Washington, in 2016 to Wilson Gray, an alcoholic who talked with his fists and Maria Jones, a woman who spent more time on her looks than she did on raising her son. To them Justin was nothing more than an inconvenience, another mouth to feed and body to clothe. So from an early age Justin learned not to rely on his parents, to not expect much from them at all really and over time, developed into a quiet, lonely boy. His parents cared little what their son did as long as he didn’t get into trouble and bring the police around, so Justin did what he thought was best and attended a local public school, purely for something to do and to discover real contact with other people. In time, despite the lack of support from his parents, Justin came out of his shell. He was adventurous, good at sports, sharp tongued, willing to stand up on stage, quick to learn but bad at maths. He made friends easily, but never invited them over to his house, and never accepted invitations to anyone else's house.
Since the age of about six onwards, Justin had been the outlet for his drunken father's disappointment, frustration and regret. He never explained his injuries, and while teachers at the school suspected, they couldn't do anything without Justin talking to them. And Justin didn’t like to talk about home-life or family. After a particularly bad month, when Justin was thirteen, he discovered quite suddenly that he could disappear and not in that why that all kids dream and imagine they can do. He did actually disappear. Justin spent three days completely invisible, and when neither of his parents were affected by his sudden disappearance, Justin packed his meagre possessions and ran away from home. Managing to live on the streets while still attending class, Justin avoided answering questions as best he could, until an accident in school revealed Justin's unique ability. Taken into custody by the police force and then handed over to the military, Justin Gray was suddenly something special. It was the first time he'd ever felt wanted in his life for just being him.
Just because Justin was still a child the training wasn’t any less brutal, and his control was severely tested. Pushed to his limits and beyond Justin strived to overcome all expectations placed on him, his instructors and the military officials telling him time and again just how unique, special and important he was. Sent on several low key missions on home soil, Justin proved his worth when he broke into private funded laboratories for information into rival science labs for sabotage.
The nickname Shimmer came about during these years of training and it stuck, as much as he grumbled and complained that he sounded like some My Little Pony Toy.
The problem was Justin still couldn’t quite control his temper so rather than being placed on an active team, he was allocated a position on one of the back-up teams and was often utilised as a 'secret weapon' on home soil and enemy turf in covert operations.
Aware that he was being treated with some kind of mood suppressing drug, Justin was never subject to extensive treatments with the cocktail of tablets that others had been subjected to, he did however participate in the base wide break out in 2040, leaving the Washington State with his team-mates. Justin spent little over six months on the run with his group; Beta-Delta-Whiskey, keeping a low profile and being viewed as little importance while the military sought out the front line teams first.
Random Trivia
* He has an aversion to any songs sung by Dolly Parton, her voice reminds him too much of his childhood.
* Keeps people at a distance because he’s scared of getting hurt by those he trusts and lets into his life. This has only once ever been touched upon by a Military Psychiatrist who limped away with two black eyes and a broken nose.
* Has a wicked sweet tooth placated by all things sugary and gummy.
* Enjoys being a bit of a prankster when it comes to his team. Would quite happily take the piss out of someone just for kicks even if it earnt him a black eye.
OOC Information
Played-By:Shane West
Mun:Charlie
Disclaimer: Shane West is not mine; he belongs to his parents and himself. The concept of Justin Gray and the world in which he exists was created by squidded
and has been kindly lent to me. Any similarity to copyright material is unintentional and accidental. I intend no infringement, this is for roleplay only.