][p o l y c h r o m a t i c a p p
[nick / name]: Alms
[personal LJ name]: gossamerrain
[other characters currently played]:
☆ Brian Moser :: Dexter :: cold-dry-pieces
☆ Allison Cameron :: House M.D. :: as-damaged
☆ Neil Perry :: Dead Poets Society :: had-not-lived
☆ Frankie Dalton :: Daybreakers :: never_very_good
[e-mail]: tygrei [at] aol [dot] com
[AIM / messenger]: cold dry pieces [aim]
[series]: Young Avengers
[character]: Tommy Shepherd, aka Speed
[character history / background]: wiki is my friend
[character abilities]: blowing things up, going really fast, not stopping.
Also, as of Children's Crusade anyway, he can apparently vibrate his (and other people's!) molecules fast enough to let them pass through a solid wall. Without accidentally blowing anyone up, even! Mad haxx. However though this is clearly his potential, at the canon point he's coming from i don't think it's happening without a lot of practice and probably some horrific mishaps along the way. Still it seemed relevant to mention.
[character personality]:
Tommy is cocky, quick tempered, and somewhat aggressive but not out of control; he's generally the first (and often the only one) to suggest violence, but is willing to abide by the Young Avengers' policy of not killing people without more than some token grumbling. This is at least partially related to the fact that it's their way or... you know, back to juvie, but he's really not a bad kid. As much as he genuinely enjoys blowing things up, he's not a sadist, he doesn't really want to hurt people. Blowing up his school-- the crime that landed him in juvie in the first place-- was allegedly an accident, and for both personal and legal reasons he's not saying otherwise. However, these days he's kind of getting into this whole save-the-world thing, because it feels pretty good. It means he gets some respect and appreciation for his powers, rather than fear and guilt and isolation and being a guinea pig for the government, so it's kind of a sweet deal.
This is not so say he's a selfless altruist. Tommy is arrogant and self-assured, in a way that is kind of charming at first but verges on being a jerk depressingly often. He will mock you, even if he likes you-- no, especially if he likes you. He is a master of the backhanded compliment. But he's not a bad kid. He doesn't really respect authority, but it manifests more as being a pain in the ass than being disobedient on principle. He respects his teammates more than their elders, partly because they'll disobey higher authorities right along with him when it's necessary. He's definitely not the leadership type himself-- what kind of nutjob would want that much responsibility?-- but he's certainly got a mind of his own. And a mouth.
He's also not above a bit of petty crimes for a good cause, or for kicks. Or to impress Kate girls. He's kind of a flirt. He's extremely impulsive. He's impatient, and will whine incessantly if he's stuck moving slowly for any reason. And that means slowly by his standards, which are ridiculous.
He's surprisingly good with younger kids, possibly because he's a bit immature himself; he'll try to put on an air of authority, but when it comes down to it he'd rather have a good time. When he can get away with it, Tommy's a teenager first and a superhero second.
[point in timeline you're picking your character from]: After the Secret Invasion run.
[journal post]:
[At first, there's just a rush of air over the mic. It stops short for a long moment, instead picking up only the normal background noise of the City. Then, softly and irritably,]
Oh, man...
[The rush picks up again-- in the other direction, not that you can really tell. It pauses again. Then picks up for a minute. Then pauses. Starts again. Then, having traversed the City four times or so, Tommy stops and sits down on a convenient bench, not tired but certainly frustrated.]
Sooner or later one of the others will-- Hey, what's-
[BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP]
[third person / log sample]:
Tommy's never thought of himself as a team player, and if you'd told him... well, at just about any point before he joined up that someday he'd be a Young Avenger, he would've laughed and flipped you off. On the other hand, Tommy's never had a team that would let him play, before. Even before his powers had properly manifested in the rubble-causing threat-to-national security way, he'd been an over-energetic and impulsive kid, more interested in pushing the limits than following the rules; and while the skills might've helped his case the attitude didn't, so he's never really had friends before. Privately, Tommy thinks his some of peers probably regard him in a fonder light these days, what with having destroyed the oppressive institution of learning they'd shared, but it's not like he's ever had the chance to ask. Or like he would, given the opportunity.
Tommy's always moving, and he's moved on from that.
Tommy's had a family, for all the good it did him. It's not exactly that his parents didn't love him; they just never knew what to make of him, couldn't figure out how to deal with having a kid that moved faster than they could think. He's had defense attorneys, who at least cared a little about clearing his name, but that's not much of a support system. It kind of baffles him that Billy's so hung up on this crazy spiritual family thing of theirs, because from everything he's heard his maybe-brother had it pretty good; parents who were a little weird but always supportive, little brothers to boss around. Tommy's barely thought about his parents since the Young Avengers busted him out of juvie; and though he's got his doubts about the whole Scarlet Witch thing he's willing to go along with it, because it's more than he really has otherwise.
Sometimes he still doesn't feel like a team player, because sometimes the team makes it hard for him. It doesn't help that he's effectively the new kid, the late-season addition to pick up a little extra slack when they lost some of their firepower. It doesn't help either when they break into sets, leaving Tommy with no one but Tommy, and not even having the decency to give him free reign of the Pay-Per-View channels. Some little part of him knows they don't mean it like that-- that they just need a break, a private moment to unwind; that Billy doesn't owe him anything for maybe being his brother and he's usually pretty damn good and he deserves a minute with his alien boyfriend; that Kate is head over heels for Eli, no matter how much she flirts with him; that he'd probably end up giving Cassie a heart attack if he talked to her for too long and then he'd have to contend with a pissed-off android made of a giant I.W.I.N. button from the future. Tommy's pretty good at being alone, at this point; he's just not good at standing still, and for whatever reason he's not ready to leave, even when he feels like he's going nowhere.
And sooner or later it'll break; Eli will scowl and grumble when he flips to some softcore Skinemax flick and Kate will laugh, but not at Tommy; or Billy will come to tell him some new variation on his theories about why they share a face, and he'll roll his eyes but he tests the idea out, thinking of the other boy as his little brother. Little, because big brothers are always the cool ones and well-- there's just no contest. And he'll remember that when he feels left out of the team, he's still got a team to feel left out by.
And that's usually when he goes. Sometimes all-out, as fast as he can until there's nothing but the roar of the wind, as indistinct as the blur of what he passes; rarely, just for a walk around the block like no one special, because he can and doesn't have to.
But he's got something to go back to, when he's ready. Tommy's not used to that, but he thinks he likes it.
[Revised First-Person Sample]
Okayso.
I've done this whole stuck with no way out thing before and it really doesn't get any better the second time around, but at least this isn't Hell. Long story. If we're really caught I guess I should make myself comfortable and stuff.
My name's Tommy. My name is not "Billy, what did you do to your hair?" Don't feel bad though, pretty much everyone says that at first. He's my brother. Maybe. And for the record anything he's said about me is a total lie, unless it was nice, in which case it was probably an understatement.
O-kay, I think that about covers it, right? Good.
[personal LJ name]: gossamerrain
[other characters currently played]:
☆ Brian Moser :: Dexter :: cold-dry-pieces
☆ Allison Cameron :: House M.D. :: as-damaged
☆ Neil Perry :: Dead Poets Society :: had-not-lived
☆ Frankie Dalton :: Daybreakers :: never_very_good
[e-mail]: tygrei [at] aol [dot] com
[AIM / messenger]: cold dry pieces [aim]
[series]: Young Avengers
[character]: Tommy Shepherd, aka Speed
[character history / background]: wiki is my friend
[character abilities]: blowing things up, going really fast, not stopping.
Also, as of Children's Crusade anyway, he can apparently vibrate his (and other people's!) molecules fast enough to let them pass through a solid wall. Without accidentally blowing anyone up, even! Mad haxx. However though this is clearly his potential, at the canon point he's coming from i don't think it's happening without a lot of practice and probably some horrific mishaps along the way. Still it seemed relevant to mention.
[character personality]:
Tommy is cocky, quick tempered, and somewhat aggressive but not out of control; he's generally the first (and often the only one) to suggest violence, but is willing to abide by the Young Avengers' policy of not killing people without more than some token grumbling. This is at least partially related to the fact that it's their way or... you know, back to juvie, but he's really not a bad kid. As much as he genuinely enjoys blowing things up, he's not a sadist, he doesn't really want to hurt people. Blowing up his school-- the crime that landed him in juvie in the first place-- was allegedly an accident, and for both personal and legal reasons he's not saying otherwise. However, these days he's kind of getting into this whole save-the-world thing, because it feels pretty good. It means he gets some respect and appreciation for his powers, rather than fear and guilt and isolation and being a guinea pig for the government, so it's kind of a sweet deal.
This is not so say he's a selfless altruist. Tommy is arrogant and self-assured, in a way that is kind of charming at first but verges on being a jerk depressingly often. He will mock you, even if he likes you-- no, especially if he likes you. He is a master of the backhanded compliment. But he's not a bad kid. He doesn't really respect authority, but it manifests more as being a pain in the ass than being disobedient on principle. He respects his teammates more than their elders, partly because they'll disobey higher authorities right along with him when it's necessary. He's definitely not the leadership type himself-- what kind of nutjob would want that much responsibility?-- but he's certainly got a mind of his own. And a mouth.
He's also not above a bit of petty crimes for a good cause, or for kicks. Or to impress Kate girls. He's kind of a flirt. He's extremely impulsive. He's impatient, and will whine incessantly if he's stuck moving slowly for any reason. And that means slowly by his standards, which are ridiculous.
He's surprisingly good with younger kids, possibly because he's a bit immature himself; he'll try to put on an air of authority, but when it comes down to it he'd rather have a good time. When he can get away with it, Tommy's a teenager first and a superhero second.
[point in timeline you're picking your character from]: After the Secret Invasion run.
[journal post]:
[At first, there's just a rush of air over the mic. It stops short for a long moment, instead picking up only the normal background noise of the City. Then, softly and irritably,]
Oh, man...
[The rush picks up again-- in the other direction, not that you can really tell. It pauses again. Then picks up for a minute. Then pauses. Starts again. Then, having traversed the City four times or so, Tommy stops and sits down on a convenient bench, not tired but certainly frustrated.]
Sooner or later one of the others will-- Hey, what's-
[BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP]
[third person / log sample]:
Tommy's never thought of himself as a team player, and if you'd told him... well, at just about any point before he joined up that someday he'd be a Young Avenger, he would've laughed and flipped you off. On the other hand, Tommy's never had a team that would let him play, before. Even before his powers had properly manifested in the rubble-causing threat-to-national security way, he'd been an over-energetic and impulsive kid, more interested in pushing the limits than following the rules; and while the skills might've helped his case the attitude didn't, so he's never really had friends before. Privately, Tommy thinks his some of peers probably regard him in a fonder light these days, what with having destroyed the oppressive institution of learning they'd shared, but it's not like he's ever had the chance to ask. Or like he would, given the opportunity.
Tommy's always moving, and he's moved on from that.
Tommy's had a family, for all the good it did him. It's not exactly that his parents didn't love him; they just never knew what to make of him, couldn't figure out how to deal with having a kid that moved faster than they could think. He's had defense attorneys, who at least cared a little about clearing his name, but that's not much of a support system. It kind of baffles him that Billy's so hung up on this crazy spiritual family thing of theirs, because from everything he's heard his maybe-brother had it pretty good; parents who were a little weird but always supportive, little brothers to boss around. Tommy's barely thought about his parents since the Young Avengers busted him out of juvie; and though he's got his doubts about the whole Scarlet Witch thing he's willing to go along with it, because it's more than he really has otherwise.
Sometimes he still doesn't feel like a team player, because sometimes the team makes it hard for him. It doesn't help that he's effectively the new kid, the late-season addition to pick up a little extra slack when they lost some of their firepower. It doesn't help either when they break into sets, leaving Tommy with no one but Tommy, and not even having the decency to give him free reign of the Pay-Per-View channels. Some little part of him knows they don't mean it like that-- that they just need a break, a private moment to unwind; that Billy doesn't owe him anything for maybe being his brother and he's usually pretty damn good and he deserves a minute with his alien boyfriend; that Kate is head over heels for Eli, no matter how much she flirts with him; that he'd probably end up giving Cassie a heart attack if he talked to her for too long and then he'd have to contend with a pissed-off android made of a giant I.W.I.N. button from the future. Tommy's pretty good at being alone, at this point; he's just not good at standing still, and for whatever reason he's not ready to leave, even when he feels like he's going nowhere.
And sooner or later it'll break; Eli will scowl and grumble when he flips to some softcore Skinemax flick and Kate will laugh, but not at Tommy; or Billy will come to tell him some new variation on his theories about why they share a face, and he'll roll his eyes but he tests the idea out, thinking of the other boy as his little brother. Little, because big brothers are always the cool ones and well-- there's just no contest. And he'll remember that when he feels left out of the team, he's still got a team to feel left out by.
And that's usually when he goes. Sometimes all-out, as fast as he can until there's nothing but the roar of the wind, as indistinct as the blur of what he passes; rarely, just for a walk around the block like no one special, because he can and doesn't have to.
But he's got something to go back to, when he's ready. Tommy's not used to that, but he thinks he likes it.
[Revised First-Person Sample]
Okayso.
I've done this whole stuck with no way out thing before and it really doesn't get any better the second time around, but at least this isn't Hell. Long story. If we're really caught I guess I should make myself comfortable and stuff.
My name's Tommy. My name is not "Billy, what did you do to your hair?" Don't feel bad though, pretty much everyone says that at first. He's my brother. Maybe. And for the record anything he's said about me is a total lie, unless it was nice, in which case it was probably an understatement.
O-kay, I think that about covers it, right? Good.