David Kerrigan
Oct 31, 2013 0:36:34 GMT -5
Post by David Kerrigan on Oct 31, 2013 0:36:34 GMT -5
The easy S T U F F . . .Name: David Michael Kerrigan
Nickname: Dave, Davie, 'Dav-Dav' ( but only by his nephew )
Age: twenty six
Member Group: Physics Teacher
Power(s): Object Summoning - David is capable of teleporting objects over semi-long distances. He can teleport multiple items, up to a total weight of 100 lbs. ( 45kg ), up to a maximum distance of about half a mile (.7km ) He cannot teleport anything of higher 'living class' than plant - even insects are too complex for him to work with. As he cannot generate cognitive maps, he is incapable of sending things to specific locations outside of his field of vision, though he can send things to specific locations - within his radius - to places he can see, with relation to himself.
Since developing his powers, he suffers from what appears to be developmental topographical disorientation - that is to say, he is incapable of generating 'cognitive maps.' This makes it very easy for him to get lost, even in familiar surroundings such as the school, or even his own neighbourhood. If he has a map on him, that is strictly directional, he can use that to navigate, but anything that relies on landmarks is basically useless to him. As a side effect, he can only teleport objects in relation to himself, or if he has a clear picture of where it's going. Otherwise, the objects will just appear somewhere at random.
Play By: Anton ZaslavskiLet it F L O W . . .David shifted slightly in his seat, adjusting the collar on his button-down shirt. He wasn't in full three-piece suit, because... well, he didn't own one. But more than that, if the teachers weren't expected to dress that way, why would an applicant do so? He figured a dressier version of what he'd normally wear would work this time around.
The interviewer finally looked up from his ( admittedly sparse ) resume. He only just received his PH.D., so it wasn't as though he was unqualified. But most people gave a side-eye to professors who were only twenty six. He was used to it already - it didn't bother him as much as one would expect. After all, he'd done the same work... just a bit earlier.
It wasn't his fault he didn't waste time after high school! It would have just been boring!
"There's not much here, Mr. Kerrigan. You don't have much to work with." It wasn't a straight out 'no,' so David simply smiled, and decided that that meant he'd get the opportunity to at least plead his case.
"That's true - but when I finished my Ph.D., it made the most sense to come back to the one place I want to work. I'm familiar with the way you do things here, and I'm comfortable with the surroundings. I know that that doesn't speak much for what I can bring to Hammel... but that in itself is what I want to bring to the table." The interviewer looked a little confused, so the professor just nodded and gave him a grin.
"Comfort. I've been through Hammel. I know the ins and outs. I was a student here for six years, before I graduated. I can bring that to the table for the students - show them what this place is capable of producing. I remember what it was like, coming here the first time, and being afraid. Anyone who's survived that? Why do you think the best recruiters are graduates?" He asked, curiously.
"I've earned the necessary degrees to be a professor - even if you only want me to be an assistant professor, on a tenured track. This puts me in a unique position - if Hammel is my first teaching assignment, you will have the opportunity to mold me into the kind of teacher you expect, not just the kind of teacher you think you're getting." He rubbed his chin, heedless of the light scruff that was there.
"Fair enough. All right, Mr. Kerrigan - tell me a little bit about yourself."
David hadn't been holding his breath, but he'd hoped it would be enough to get him to this point.
"All right, I can do that. I'm originally from Philadelphia, but I came to Vermont a little after I turned eleven, I believe? My powers first manifested in school. I was doing a presentation on something - a potato battery, I think? either way, I was really nervous and... well, my powers kicked on for the first time. My clothes all sort of... teleported away." He laughed a little bit, to put the other guy at ease. "It was mortifying, I assure you - when my recruiter showed up and told me I would be transferring to another school? I almost cried, I was so relieved. Let me tell you, those dreams of being naked in front of your class? Nothing in comparison to the real deal." He was snickering, as he adjusted himself in the seat, crossing one leg over his knee.
"I was a nervous kid - really introverted. But when I figured out my powers have a tendency to trigger when I get nervous or really uncomfortable? I grew out of it. I went out and started talking to pretty much everyone. I joined the drama club, the dance team, and the forensics club. All so I could get good at facing a crowd. It really was the best thing for me - I haven't had an accidental trigger since I graduated."
He shrugged, genuinely hoping that that worked.
"But it was my powers that got me interested in physics in the first place. I got hooked on science. I was already in full AP courses, and working a year ahead of my grade. I was always a smart kid. I got to theorizing about what happens when I teleport things. String theory, matter displacement, other quantum phenomena... it was all very sci-fi until I got my hands on my first physics book."
His eyes were looking distant, as he remembered fond memories. "Hammel was where I got in to a lot of things - though not usually trouble. My only spotty record was attendance, and that's just because of my powers. When they emerged, they brought something with them. I was diagnosed with a topographical disorder that makes it very difficult for me to get places on my own. The school worked with me - one of my roommates had their schedule adjusted so he could take me to class, and back to my room... or anywhere I wanted to go, really. We were close."
"I went to Dartmouth University on a full academic scholarship, with a focus on quantum and condensed-matter physics. My roommate from Hammel came with me, though not to Dartmouth, he wasn't really in to college. He did still help me get around, though." He grinned, though it was wistful, his hand working a ring around his finger. After a second of thought, he shook his head a little bit. It was hard, but I got my Ph.D in six years. And... that's my academic life in a nutshell."
Of course, that didn't help the fact that he had no other career paths listed - he did have a few letters of recommendation from some of his college professors, but other than that...
"All in all, that's quite a solid background. Now... I do have to ask - you said your power used to trigger accidentally sometimes. Are we going to have to be concerned with something like that happening with students in the vicinity?"
David stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Not really. I'm pretty unshakable nowadays." He shrugged. "But even if it were, I can feel it coming, and can stop it. That's how I was trained, after all." He added, with an almost-amused grin.
Leaning forward, the interviewer steepled his fingers, looking a bit... confused, but not put off entirely. "And your personal life? Will you have a life outside of Hammel?"
"I... well, okay, for lack of a better term? I make my own costumes, and dress up as characters from video games and other visual media. I have to get up in front of a lot of people and... essentially... model for them. It's kind of... well, it's really intense, but it's a lot of fun. Either way, that's put me in a pretty good position overall."
David tilted his head a little at that. "Aside from the whole dressing-up thing? There's not much else I like to do with my time. I enjoy science, teaching, video games... all the little things. My... I was going to be married two years ago, but... it didn't work out. So yes, I will have a robust life outside of Hammel - but I don't have any family here in Vermont, if that's your meaning."
David watched the interviewer take notes, and finally, stood up.
"Well, David, we'll contact you soon if we have any further questions, or if we do decide to offer the job to you. I appreciate you coming in to talk with me." David rose, simultaneously, and the two shook hands.Behind the M A S K . . .Name: Ven
Age: Still old enough to drink!
RP Experience: Since I was old enough to be on a computer unsupervised?
How did you find us?: RPG-D I think?Show your S K I L L S . . .The movement caught his attention, as his hands drummed soundlessly on the top of the counter he was leaning on. He was about to let out a thankful sigh, when he realized that no, it wasn’t Milan. It was someone else – no one he knew. Again, the same problem, re-imaged. Seconds passed, and he realized he was clenching his jaw so hard that it hurt.
When the other guy said that Milan was gone, he was fairly certain someone had punched him in the stomach. He was verging on the edge of a panic attack – he could feel it creeping along his neck, threatening to overwhelm him all together. How did anyone do this? It wasn’t homesickness – that he could understand. It wasn’t longing, it was a feeling of complete and utter isolation.
Apparently, he wasn’t exactly hiding how frantic he was feeling. He could barely hear the other guy – younger than Milan, but older than himself – over his heartbeat, pounding in his ears. His fingers curled into fists, nails creating uncomfortable points for him to focus on. What were the ways to get over panic attacks? They weren’t common – they were something he’d thought he never had to worry about any more.
“I can’t—“ What. Breathe? That, too. The question as to his identity made him nod. “Yeah… yes…” He could feel his face burning, and the tears that wouldn’t stop threatening. He’d thought he’d been able to pull himself back to some semblance of ‘together’ – but now, knowing that he wasn’t going to be seeing the only person he had on his side?
The cracks in his wall were spreading.
“I can’t.” He said, his voice trembling, a desperate noise. “This is too much. Too fast.” He’d come to grips with the fact that he wasn’t like everyone else. That wasn’t his problem. It was a problem, certainly, but not the only thing that was making his knees weak, and his heart beat at racing speeds. He hadn’t known everything was going to be taken away from him in the span of a week.
His breath was coming out more raggedly than he’d originally meant it to, but he was trying his best to keep himself from hyperventilating.
He’d never been alone before. Never been so distant from everything he’d come to understand as ‘normal.’ He might as well be on a completely different planet, at this point. “I thought I could. I really did. I thought… I could… be here. But I can’t. I don’t know anyone, I don’t know what I’m doing. I can’t…” Too much talking, with not enough breathing in between. “I don’t know how to do this.”
Benny didn’t know the other man. He could be anyone. Could be the least compassionate, most hateful person in the world. But Benton couldn’t stop the words that forced their way out. His head was pounding in step with his heart, and his lungs were starting to burn. How had this become his life, when only a few weeks ago he was just starting to think about what color car he was going to want when he was finally able to drive?
