Devyn Dell
Oct 3, 2015 19:58:39 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2015 19:58:39 GMT -5
The BasicsName: Devyn Ethan Dell
Nicknames: Dev
Age: 17
Orientation: Homosexual
Desired Rank/Job: Student
Powers: Adoptive Muscle Memory (AMM)--
Simply put, adoptive muscle memory is the ability to mimic movement upon observation. Though, that is just the uncomplicated description of it, in reality the actual application of AMM can get much more complicated. The ability works in four steps: perception, analysis, manipulation, and replication.
It all begins with perception, which is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information. For Devyn the only sensory information that applies to his abilities is what is gathered by sight. So, basically it starts with him seeing something. Simple enough concept in theory, but the bare bones of Devyn's ability is that his brain is wired very differently from other peoples. Its geared to gather information in a much more mechanical way, rather than identifying motion by its end product or goal intended (ex. walking, kicking, throwing etc.) it is identified by its components. A lot like how someone musically inclined can pick out particular notes or techniques when listening to musical piece. Devyn's brain picks up on the tiny details that are usually perfected through training and practice, he can target the exact differences between the movements of a novice and a master.
After he sees a movement is when the real bulk of work for his brain begins. Near instantaneously his brain analyzes the components of the observed motion, very similar in fashion to a computer analyzing inputted data, and determines what moves what? Why? How? How fast? As his brain determines these things it begins manipulating the information, altering it to fit Devyn's body, adjusting for things like height and relative strength.
Finally is the simple replication of the movement.
Though with every ability, Devyn's included, there are pros... and there are cons. Due to his ability he is incredibly observant but this leads to him also being easily distractible from sometimes more important things by the movements around him.
One of the main drawbacks of Devyn's ability is that he can't magically do things that he is physically incapable of doing, for example he can't copy other abilities or anything that is out of his strength, flexibility, or general ability range. Another drawback, or side effect, is that due to AMM being a somewhat passive ability every new movement is analyzed and logged and so in an environment with many movements vastly different from what he's experienced before can cause him to undergo a kind of sensory overload. This overload of information can cause painful headaches and intense nausea.
The period directly after replicating of movement he experiences fatigue and must rest for ~30-40 minutes before returning to a somewhat normal state, with the necessary period of rest increasing by about twenty minutes for every time he mimics an additional movement or sequence.
Despite Devyn personally having an above average memory, the movements he mimics are lost within a 24 hour period of when they were observed. Devyn also can't store too many movements even for the allotted 24 hour period. So while he can mimic a related sequence of movements for that set time period, if he adopts another sequence the previous will be overwritten.
He has gained a pretty fair mastery over his ability and is able to keep himself from overwriting observed movements in cases where he happens to observe another (though it can still happen if he isn't careful) but he is mostly focusing on 'turning off' the ability so that he can focus easier.
Play By: Colin FordThe DetailsHair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Green
Any Piercings? None
Any Tattoos? None
Any Scars? A linear scar along the right side of his hairline from falling off the side of a building(Full origin in history)
General Appearance:
Devyn is not very tall for most guys his age, he comes in roughly somewhere around 5'8", his parents want to blame it on late blooming, but Devyn is pretty comfortable with not growing any taller than he is. He works out almost everyday so he has a healthy amount of muscle and is stronger than his thinner frame would suggest.
He has a well balanced face shape, with wide cheekbones and a narrow jawline that makes his neck appear thicker than it is. Often it is commented that he looks very much like his mother, sharing the same in between features where they are neither angular nor rounded. His hair is very thick and he gets it cut often so that he doesn't overheat when he is training or working out, but it grows very fast so on occasion he will allow it to grow out until the longest pieces of hair are just past his ear lobes. He is often seen pushing it back out of his face when it gets this long and seems to be in a near permanent mess from him running his hands through it all the time.
He dresses rather casually, outfits consisting mostly of layered pieces (typically hoodies and button ups or t shirts) but also often wears "sporty" brands of clothing. He has a particular fondness for hoodies and track pants.
Devyn has a very characteristic walk, the way he holds himself could be attributed to confidence or an overwhelming sureness of himself mixed with a bit of laziness that is uncharacteristic of him. To most he appears to be a sure footed, charismatic kind of guy that allows himself to drift along undisturbed.
Personality:
To teachers and the general population Devyn is an easygoing kind of guy. He seems to get along with many different kinds of people with an enviable ease and seems to go with the flow and not care too much where it leads him.
Though this is not how his truly how he is, but merely mannerisms of his older brother that he has memorized and mimics due to a fear that his own personality will not be enough to get others to like him.
Devyn is a very easily stressed person, through his parents putting pressure on him he has begun to also tear himself down and hold himself to high and almost unreachable standards. When he becomes very stressed his fuse can shorten though he hides this very well from those around him. The only people who have seen glimpses of these characteristics are his roommates who witness just how hard he works himself.
Because he is very hard on himself Devyn thinks that these traits make him a bad person, or rather someone that people wouldn't want to be around. But if allowed to cut loose and be himself he can be very goofy. He has a very childish sense of humor, often making the same jokes now that he made when he was twelve. He can be very silly when excited and has an odd almost obsession with mimicking dances, particularly ones that don't fit him (ie. Beyonce).
Devyn is envious of natural athletes and those with natural physical abilities in general, he feels that his own physical successes don't necessarily count because he feels he did not have to work hard, practice, or show much discipline at all in order to master them. This sometimes tends to take form in a kind of competitiveness rather than any kind of apparent admiration.
With the right kind of friends and influences Devyn could open up and be comfortable with who he is, not tear himself and actually allow himself to be proud of what he has been able to accomplish.Your VicesLikes:
-Cakes, particularly cupcakes
-People with natural physical abilities
-People who are musically or artisitically inclined
-Attempting to do things without having seen them beforehand, he wants to accomplish things on his own without his ability doing it for him
-His older brother
Dislikes:
- Cockiness, it kind makes him want to show off and beat them at something
-English class
- Yellow, this extends to food as well, he doesn't really have a particular reason he just really hates the color yellow.
- Loud noises
- Large bodies of water
Strengths:
- Above average memory, can recall events in great detail with a short exposure
-He has almost flawless coordination, mostly due to his ability and that analyzes even the smallest movement and that throughout his life he has gathered a lot of data and examples of the movements that allow people to be coordinated or being aware of what causes people to falter.
-Native speaker of body language. Movement works a lot like a language does for Devyn, he can read movement and compare to past experiences with people.
-He is a very determined and hardworking person, he studies every day to do well in school and manages to make time to go to the gym everyday so that he can maintain the strength, fleibility, and stamina so that he has the skill level for almost any movement he wants to imitate.
-Very good at Physics
Weaknesses:
-His mind is more inclined to mechanical ideas and lacks artistic creativity or skill.
- Terrible at writing, he is often teased about his almost elementary writing skill.
-Also terrible at interpretation of things like art and music.
- Once at a breaking point with his stress he can have a very short fuse.
-Competitive
-Picky eater
Fears: Large bodies of water, such as the ocean. His parents being disappointed in him.
Secret: While he has figured out that he is gay, he is not out or open about this out of fear of his parents resenting him for it. He is afraid to challenge their idea of him being their perfect/better son.
Family TiesFather: Trystan Dell (47) Accountant
Mother: Mary Dell (43) Nurse
Siblings: Doryn Dell (22) He is currently working as bartender somewhere in Chicago but Devyn and his family are unaware of his location.
Any Other Important People: His five year old Tabby cat, Creature, or Creech for short
HistoryDevyn was born in mid-September, just as the temperature began to shift to a more fall like feel in Fairfield, Connecticut. His brother was almost five when he was born, and some of his earliest memories involved looking up at Doryn from his crib and seeing the older brother grin at every move or sound he made.
They were close from the start, even as an infant it was obvious who the younger child favored in the family. Even as Devyn grew into a toddler Doryn was patient and kind with him, sitting with his mother as she put him through the same early childhood mental exercises they performed with him.
Trystan and Mary had done all the research after all, they owned books, cut out magazine articles, all the things they could do early in life to make their children successful, enviable people.
As early as their entrance to preschool their parents made it all a competition and when Devyn entered school the two were constantly compared to each other and other children. Friends were frowned upon they were competition, someday they'd be competing against them for entrances to college or for a promotion.
Doryn grew more rebellious over the years, resenting the way his parents checked on his grades and performance, telling him he could do better even when he had made the top score. He could always do better they said.
Devyn was less rebellious, he bowed to the pressure and was very meek around adults or authority figures. He always did whatever they asked, took it to heart when they criticized and worked hard to try and make his parents proud.
There was an almost five year age gap between the two but it only made them closer, Devyn looked up to his brother who was infinite amounts of cool to him, who always seemed to be laughing or out with friends. Doryn felt bad for his brother, but he also loved him, it frustrated him that the younger wouldn't rebel as he had but felt even more protective over him because he wouldn't.
Doryn just wanted his younger brother to have a chance to be a kid, after all Devyn had no hobbies that weren't turned competitions, nothing he wasn't held to some high standard for. So he brought him along with him when he hung out with his friends, they didn't care too much for they too felt some small amount of pity at knowing how their parents were. It was odd to them to think of an eleven year old so obsessed with doing well, they couldn't remember even attempting to study anything at that age.
His parents weren't happy about how often the older son dragged around Devyn, saying that it cut in to the time he could be working on other things, but Doryn refused to back down about it.
It was on one of these days, just hanging out along the road all their houses were on. Devyn had recently turned thirteen and was starting to grow taller, he was still quite shorter than his brother who had somehow manage to grow taller than their 5'11" father and towered over their mother who was a meager five feet tall. Two of Doryn's friend, Tom and Matt, were moving around on their skateboard and bike respectively, obviously trying to impress the only girl in their group though she'd had her eyes on Doryn for as long as he'd known her.
"Hey Dev!" they'd given him the nickname when he joined the group, "Why don't you try?" Tom was giving him a sour look due to the snicker he'd let out when the older teen fell off the board. When Devyn turned him down, stating he had no clue how to skate Tom demonstrated for him, ending with a flip trick he never intended for him to copy.
But when Devyn stepped onto the board it was almost like watching a recording, everything he did was the exact same as Tom. Doryn and Devyn exchanged confused looks as their friends teased, asking why he lied about not knowing how to skate.
From there it turned into a bit of fun, over the next week they would pull up videos and see if Devyn could copy them, yelling and high fiving every time he managed to. They thought it was amazing, and googled anything that could describe what kind of ability it could possibly be.
They never guessed it could be considered a meta-human ability. It seemed so simple, Devyn didn't realize all the extra things going on in his head, didn't everyone see what he saw? They'd been borrowing the family camera to record Devyn pulling off stunts, and one day it went bad. He'd been playing with something he didn't understand and didn't know his limitations and attempted stunts that required more strength than he had.
He was climbing up a wall, using only a pipe along the side, his arms burned as he moved, when he fell he could hear his brother yell his name. After that things got warm... and fuzzy.
Turns out he'd hit his head pretty hard on the ground when he fell, and needed stitches along the right side of his head, right at the hairline. He remembered hearing his brother try to explain to his parents over their yelling, they wouldn't listen. They listened when the doctor talked to them though, they'd drawn blood simply for check up reasons making sure the cut hadn't gotten infected, and something about the older brother's fantastical story about the last week made them wonder.
After the test it didn't take more than a few days for a recruiter to show up, and even less for him to be packed up and sent along to Hammel. He was anxious as he left, not having his brother there for him in this new place but they kept in touch for his first year.
But then he heard nothing from Doryn for months, and finally his parents told him the Doryn had left the house shortly after he turned eighteen and not even his friends knew where he had gone. At first he grew sad and lonely without his brother, he still worked hard to do well in school and to gain a better understanding of his powers. Whenever he grew nervous in social situations he thought of his brother and how he handled things, and soon he began to use that template all the time. Until he became something he thought of as fake, a cheap imitation of his older brother.
But it allowed him to move through his school years in relative ease, he maintained a kindness to all those around him but even at Hammel he felt the pressure to perform well from his parents and didn't do much that would jeopardize his standing. Occasionally he would allow himself to be a teenager and go out and have fun but was often followed by a consuming regret that forced him to work twice as hard to make up for it.Roleplay Example((this was a kind of opener I did for a oneXone I do. There are some f-bombs and stuff but I promise I won't be a potty mouth on here. ^^; This was just a much darker rp))
The house was almost empty now, the week of day long meetings slowly wrapping up as the last few drifted out of the house sucking down the last drops of hospitality cognac as they did. The few that remained were the permanent residents and maybe a few who, somehow, found the household and its staff charming.
Though that was unlikely and Pierce put his money –which was surprisingly more than people would assume he had- on ass kissing instead. Just a few street-wise moochers taking advantage for as long as they could in hopes of leeching out information to sell or, even more hard to come by, the favor of the house’s oh so great and mighty –and fucking insane- leader.
And as there inevitably was at the end of these kinds of things it was the eve of day one of the house cleaning. This entailed not only the actual in depth cleaning they had to do, but the figurative purging of any information or information givers that may have slipped through during the event.
And thus here he was in the middle of the night employing what little computer knowledge he had to try and prevent his only friend- though he wondered what the other was even thinking about that situation most of the time.
“Ugh,” Pierce stopped tapping at the keyboard and pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes, his circular thoughts replaced but a brief flash of white at the back of his eyelids and slight pain. They of course returned once he moved his hand to prop up his head and stare at the computer screen.
Why was he even doing this? He pretty much had the situation figured out and it didn’t look very good for him. Not that a potential assassin lurking about sounded good for /anyone/ really.
Fucking hell. This is what he got for checking up on things. If he had never looked into it things would have worked out on their own right? Even thinking that made him feel a bit sick, he didn’t know how that would end up for Alex or him and he didn’t like the vagueness of that situation.
Once more he sighed before resuming typing, inputting Alex’s name into their records as if he’d always been there. He paused to think about giving him some kind of insulting surname before settling on something simple. Carroll, for example, it wasn’t exotic but it wasn’t anything so obvious as Smith.
Double checking his work, thinking of every possible clue he might have left behind, eradicating it before turning off the desktop and backed away, dragging his hands down his face.
What’s done is done but it didn’t help that he didn’t actually know if his thoughts were true. The evidence was damning but maybe it could be a coincidence? Shit, he was too much of a cynic to actually believe that.
Ever since he’d fallen ill Alex’s time with him were mostly threatening him to get better, Pierce had no idea how he managed not to burn down the kitchen all week. He suspected the other maids had chipped in to ensure they didn’t all get punished for his fuck ups.
Finally after several somewhat decent bowls of soup and a few shots from March he was somewhat back in good health. He lost his breath easily, but that was nothing new, but there was less fear that they’d find him dead in his bed the next morning.
So, Alex had been feeding him mysteriously well cooked food, managing to run meetings –that he was glad to hand over the reins on-, all while becoming a permanent fixture on Matt’s lap. He should feel a bit guilty that he was sneaking around and checking out the man’s credentials but he’d had suspicions that he wasn’t who he said he was, nothing /this/ dramatic but he’d been suspicious nonetheless.
He was a bit mad at himself now for being right.
All he could do for now though was sleep and hope everything checked out. He had yet to decide if he even wanted to ask the blonde about his discoveries. Though that dilemma was solved for him when he found himself alone with the man and without any self preservation awareness whatsoever he blurted.
“I need to talk to you,” as soon as he said it he shifted on his feet a bit and looked around cautiously, “My room preferably.”
It was the least vulnerable to eavesdroppers being far away from any high traffic areas of the house.What About You?Name: Jack
Age: early 20s
Experience: twelve years ^^
How Did You Find Us? I believe it was rpg directory.
Ready To Play? Yes!! It's been a while since I joined a new community though so I'm very nervous and excited!
