Tyler Jennings

[Tyler Jennings]

The Basics

Name: Tyler Waylon Jennings
Nicknames: Ty
Age: 23 (October 14, 1991)
Orientation: Homosexual
Desired Rank/Job: College Student
Powers: Cellular Regeneration: Ability to regenerate cells quickly, healing oneself. An involuntary ability. Side-effects include hunger and fatigue after regenerating.
Play By: Zach Roerig

The Details

Hair Color: Dark Blonde
Eye Color: Blue
Any Piercings? No
Any Tattoos? No
Any Scars? 3: on the bottom of his chin, on his elbow, and on the top of his left foot
General Appearance: At a glance, one of two things about Tyler’s appearance. Often it is his sheer size and physique. Standing at 6’2” he is easily spotted in a crowd and his muscle mass is also impressive. However for those who look closer, Tyler has an infectious smile and it is a feature that often adorns his features. Whether it is a smirk or a full out grin, he is a relatively optimistic person and it reads on his face.

Suffering from nearsightedness, he relies on vision correction. He owns several pairs of glasses as it is not at all uncommon for him to lose a pair. He also does wear contacts, mostly when he is working or sometimes when he goes out. His blue eyes are quite expressive though, which is only magnified by his lenses. His dirty blonde hair is kept on the shorter side, namely because he isn’t willing to put the effort into maintaining a style.

As far as attire goes, he tends to stick with a very simple look - plain cotton shirts or a button up paired with jeans. Generally dressing in solid colors, though he does have a fondness for plaid. He can nearly always be found in jeans with very few exceptions, dressing for comfort over style. This isn’t to say that he can’t or doesn’t dress up, but only when the situation demands it. Given his overall casual country boy style, people are often surprised by just how well he can clean up.

Also worth noting are the several scars he acquired before his manifestation. One on the bottom of his chin from running in his grandfather’s workshop as a small child; another from falling off a ladder trying to clean the gutters (which earned him a broken arm in addition to the lingering scar on his elbow). The worst of which was the one on top of his foot from when he dropped a chisel, which is also the reason why he now always remembers to wear boots when working.


Personality: Were those who know him asked to define Tyler with one word, likely it would be patient that most settle on. Being a middle child, not to mention the only boy surrounded by 4 sisters growing up, learning patience was a necessity for him growing up, and it was a lesson he learned well. Handling chaos and crises is a breeze for him because he is able to keep a calm, level head. He also has a bit of a skill for calming others and knowing when it’s best to just give someone space.

Tyler has always been optimistic at heart and though he has been through his share of hardships, this has not changed. If anything, his experiences have proven that where there is a will, there is a way. He’s never been afraid of hard work and so he has persevered through his circumstances.

He does have a strong hatred for labels though. As he’s matured, it has become more apparent to him that the world seems set on filing people away into little boxes with one dimensional labels. Everything is three dimensional and so he refuses to prescribe to that way of thinking. He might not always be vocal about his feelings on the matter, usually being the one to act as the peacekeeper, but it is perhaps the surest way to anger him. In the same vein, he often holds his opinions close and does not share them unless expressly asked. Likewise, he is hesitant to intervene in situations because he fears influencing others choices or creating conflict. In his home he was always taught that maintaining the appearance that all was fine and proper than honesty, and though he encourages others to speak their minds, he has difficulty overcoming this habit in himself.

While he is a very warm person, he tends to be quiet, choosing his words carefully and absorbing all around him. Some find this unsettling or even stand-offish, but he prefers to make informed choices, even in something as simple as a conversation - a symptom of being overly thoughtful. There is always another side to a situation and this is something he tries to always remain conscious of. However, this is not to say that he can’t cut loose and have fun. He doesn’t do it often, but he enjoys social activities and he’s not afraid to make a fool of himself, whether its hamming it up at karaoke or bowling ten gutter balls in a row. As long as he’s comfortable in the situation, he can relax and just enjoy himself with an easygoing sort of confidence.

It would be impossible to neglect to mention Tyler’s faith as well. Though he does not participate in organized religion or any sort of church, he still identifies as a Christian. Maintaining his faith has not been the easiest thing for him, but it is important to him and an innate part of who he is as a person.

On the downside, Tyler can get a bit task oriented, particularly when he's feeling especially inspired. However, life doesn't always cooperate with the whims of inspiration, so when something pulls him away from his project or distracts him, he can get more than a little moody. 

Lastly, it is important to note his southern pride. While it isn't quite as thick as it once was, he still has a very predominant southern accent. Combine this with frequent wearing of plaid, driving a truck and working as a carpenter, it is not at all uncommon for people to roll their eyes and assume he is just some dumb hick. It is also the surest way to piss him off and actually hear about it. 

Your Vices

Likes: cooking, sweets, exercise, country music, karaoke
Dislikes: labels, assumptions, nosy neighbors
, miracle whip, bland food
Strengths: art, patience, faith, figuring out what a person needs
Weaknesses: speaking his mind, enduring judgmental lectures, crying in front of people, 
Fears: losing his family, losing his faith, pushing others away, conflict
Secret: Sometimes he wishes that he could speak his mind freely, but he is too afraid of creating conflict or unintentionally manipulating someone to do so without careful consideration and planning.

Family Ties

Father: Ward Jennings
Mother: Suzy Jennings
Siblings: Maggie Jennings (29), Allison Jennings (26), Louisa Jennings (22), and Grace Jennings (18)
Any Other Important People: Paternal Grandfather - Victor Jennings (deceased)

History

Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, Tyler Jennings was born in the early hours of an October morning. At the time, he was the third Jennings child, and the first boy. As it would turn out, he was destined to be the only boy in the family, and one of five children.

As he grew up, Tyler was in many ways the quintessential middle child. He was, as his mother put it, ‘gentle-hearted’ and as such sought out the love and adoration of all around him, though a simple not now could cut him to the core. He hated conflict, and by the time he was in school, he was already firmly cemented in the role of peacekeeper. With so many sisters, someone was always fighting it seemed, and so Tyler took it upon himself to be the one who gave way and to soothe everyone’s emotions.

Ever since he was a child, he heard that as the only boy, he had certain duties in the family, and it seemed he took that quite to heart. He tasked himself with the responsibility to seeing to his family’s happiness, whether that meant giving his baby sister the last cookie or using his allowance to buy his elder sister the eyeshadow she wanted at the drugstore.

However, while this made the women in his household happy - and even a bit spoiled - his father was concerned by young Tyler’s behavior. He only had one son, and he didn’t want him to be some bleeding heart artist sissy boy. So as he began school, his father began enrolling him in sports. Luckily, he was naturally athletically inclined. A bit of a crier at times, but that was something he grew out of after being yelled at for acting like a wimp.

At the time, Tyler couldn’t comprehend the way his father was trying to mold him. In fact, he rather appreciated the extra coaching time and loved watching his father restore cars. It wasn’t until he was nearly a teen, that his father began teaching him the mechanics behind it and soon it was a favorite hobby for son as well as father.

Young Tyler was practically a sponge, soaking up all around him. While he learned thoughtfulness and mediation skills from his sisters, cooking and cleaning from his mother, and sports and cars from his father, it was his grandfather who taught him about woodworking. Many of his fondest memories involve his grandfather’s woodshop, watching and eventually helping him. By the time he was a preteen, he was his family’s Mr. Fix-it - or at least he tried his best to be when it came to the smaller things, like building his sister a new bookshelf or changing a flat tire. 

It was during try-outs for the football team the summer before his freshman year that it happened. He was caught in a pile up and managed to break his leg. It hurt something terrible but by the time he was seen in the ER, it no longer hurt and the x-ray showed that there was no harm. The doctors performed a blood test after the x-ray came back and within three days, a Hammel recruiter arrived to inform Tyler and his family that he was a metahuman with cellular regeneration.

Moving to Vermont was quite the change for the southern boy. Not only was the change in climate shocking, but the culture as well. However within a few weeks he had adjusted rather well. However, he didn’t pursue football any longer. Rather, he began exploring other interests, such as cooking. His mother had taught him some, largely due to his insistance upon helping with dinner from the time he was a small boy, but now he had an opportunity to learn more without hearing how it was meant to be women’s work.

Things began to change in other ways as well though. Even from a distance, his father pressured him about dating. Surely there must be some girl he liked? The truth was that there wasn’t. He had plenty of girl friends, but none he thought of in that way. Still, he ended up going out with several girls, though none lasted beyond a couple dates.

It was when he was 15 that it happened. A group of his friends were hanging out and someone decided to start a game of spin the bottle. He had been kissed before, but he didn’t really understand the fuss. The same was true tonight until his friend Jacob’s spin landed on him. Of course, he laughed it off, but they all insisted that they had to follow the rules and kiss. So they did.

Finally, he understood why people liked kissing.

There was a residual awkwardness that followed that, but soon the two found themselves often breaking from the group to spend time together. Tyler knew he was developing feelings for his friend, and that terrified him. Especially since he couldn’t stop thinking of kissing him again. He knew it was wrong, and yet, he couldn’t remove himself from the temptation.

It took several months for either boy to work up the courage to talk about the kiss, but finally Jacob did, admitting he had a crush on Tyler. After that, though they kept things quiet, the two became more than friends. Jacob had been raised in a more liberal family, and so he was comfortable with the conclusion that he was gay. Tyler however, struggled more with it, given the church and his family’s opinion on the topic. In the end, this fear tore apart his first closeted relationship.

More specifically though, the decision came after a particularly emotional trip back home, for the funeral of his beloved grandfather. His grandfather had been a devout man and Tyler couldn't help but worry that the choices he was making - the sins he was committing - would have shamed his grandfather. It was then that he resolved to abstain no matter the struggle and he told Jacob the very same when he returned to Hammel.

Tyler did his best to resist temptation after that, though there were lapses, if few and far between. Mostly, it was his thoughts that betrayed him more than his actions. Even when he wasn’t with a boy, he wanted to be. He tried to date girls but he just couldn’t get anything out of it and it seemed wrong to string a girl along if he wasn’t interested. So finally, he just stopped dating anyone. Aside from the occasional hook up at a party, he stayed alone.

A more pleasant part of this time in his life was his sixteenth birthday. He used the money he received to buy a motorcycle. It wasn’t operational, but it was a solid frame still. Over the next year he used most his money towards buying parts and by the time he was seventeen he had not only a functional bike but his license as well.

Graduation came all too quickly and in truth, Tyler dreaded that fact. His father had laid out his future for him. Studying business at Wingate University and eventually joining and taking over his father’s company. However, running a chain of restaurants wasn’t really what he wanted to do - especially all the corporate aspects of it. But he didn’t have an alternative plan. He did think he’d like to be a carpenter perhaps, but his father insisted manual labor was beneath him and so he had done the only thing he could - fall in line.

Returning home to North Carolina brought mixed feelings. It meant giving up his freedom, but he hoped that might also mean freeing himself from temptation.

However, he found the reality to be far worse.

College was difficult if solely because of the pressure placed upon him to succeed. His first year was all gen ed classes, but he found he rather enjoyed most of them. Particularly the art appreciation class he had to take. Soon he began attempts at sketching, but found that while they made sense to him, they seemed a bit more abstract to most. Drawing was not his medium it seemed. It was also in this class that he met a boy - Cole.

Cole was what could best be described as a hipster artist. He was passionate and loud and he made no apologies for it. Tyler admired that about him. For some reason Cole took an interest in Tyler and though the freshman tried to resist, he was curious about the older boy. Exactly one year his senior and yet Cole seemed to have his life together. He knew what he wanted and he lived how he wanted. He was also openly gay.

So Tyler didn’t tell his family about Cole, but he didn’t avoid him either.

When they got together, it seemed inevitable. Cole was understanding about Tyler’s fears and hesitation, having dealt with similar issues himself, albeit at a younger age. In fact, he had been thrown out by his parents, turning instead to friends. He had a scholarship to Wingate though, and so his future had remained secure. The two dated for over a year, and Tyler felt certain he was falling in love.

He just didn’t know how to share this with anyone else in his life.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have to. A neighbor spotted him and Cole at a coffeeshop near campus, and told his parents about his concerning behavior.

His father was outraged - yelling and screaming about how he had shamed them all with his sins. His mother was heartbroken, crying and praying for his soul. His sisters were a bit more accepting, though the youngest - and most devout - was disgusted by him. Tyler was crushed. This was virtually his worst nightmare and he didn’t know what to do.

In the end, as it always was, his parents decided for him. His father had wanted to throw him out and cut him off, but at the behest of his mother, a different choice was made. He would come back and live at home. College was out of the question. Clearly he needed to be kept an eye on. He was commanded to volunteer at the church in an attempt to redeem himself. He was to make sure no one else learned of his disgraceful behavior and he was to reform. It was not to be spoken of again.

He tried his best to repair the relationships, but it was an impossible task. Whether his shame was a secret or not, his father viewed him as a stain on the family name and wanted nothing to do with him, tolerating Tyler only to please his mother. His mother was in denial - if they acted as though it had never happened and nothing had changed, then everything would be fine - and at the slightest mention of the incident or his orientation she either left the room, burst into tears or dismissed it entirely. Pretending was better than reality for her. His youngest sister though was the most concerning. She did as her mother asked, never mentioning it. But when the topic arose, she was the one to spew bible verses and curse him for his sin.

It was in his other sisters that he sought solace, but even they could do only so much.

At his parent’s command, he had ended things with Cole. It broke his heart, but he couldn’t lose his family. More than that, he couldn’t act in a manner that would condemn him to Hell.

Of course as it is in any sort of close-knit community, there is no such thing as a secret. The rule of thumb was to deny deny deny, but nothing stopped the whispers. Everyone knew he wasn't taking time off of school because he had been suddenly moved to give back to the church or whatever other lie his mother used to assure people that everything was as fine and Christian as ever. Most were content to gossip merely as he passed, but there were still the ones who had to ask or even worse, assure him that they were praying for him. It was stifling. 

Only a few months later, just after his 20th birthday, he ended up moving out -the strain of pretending and being preached at proving to be far too much. He began attending the local technical college, studying both carpentry and welding. He knew he enjoyed the work and it would at least keep him fed, clothed and hopefully sheltered.

He once more found a joy in life as he revisited the work he loved to do. He got a job assisting a construction job and with that money was able to buy truck of his own, if a bit of a junker. But fixing it up gave him something to do in his free time at least. Having a project and work gave him some sense of purpose and there was comfort in that.

It was during this time that he began experimenting using scraps of supplies and developed a love of sculpture. While drawing had not been his forte, sculpture it seemed was, and at last he had the creative outlet he had so long craved.

While so much of his life was finally beginning to feel right for the first time in quite awhile, there was one piece that was still very much wrong. He was having a dark time reconciling himself with God. Church had become a place of judgement. Perhaps it had always been with the way it instilled fear into them, warning them of the hellfire that waited those who strayed from the one true path, cautioning against the temptations and nonbelievers who would entice them from what was good and pure... But it was so much more personal to know that a whole horde of people were talking about his life as though they had any authority there, praying for his soul as though he were some tainted thing that needed saving even if they suspected he was broken beyond repair. How could he believe in a God that made him irreparably broken with the intent to punish him for it?

But believing in nothing seemed far too bleak. There had to be something...

A year later, he received his diploma and finished with school, but in the time that had passed, he had also come to terms with the fact that there was nothing for him here. His time with his parents was tense at best and his littlest sister seemed intent on maintaining her grudge. It hurt too much to stay.

So he moved back to Vermont where he still had some friends. He crashed on their couch until he could find work and began to save his money. He knew what he wanted to pursue now that he was free of the pressure of his family. Art.

After some time and distance, he was able to find a renewed sense of clarity. God was meant to be a force of love, guidance and most importantly, forgiveness. Perhaps the church had lost sight of that in their need to create this fervor of obligatory worship. No longer would he allow that way of thinking to control him, nor to rob him of his relationship with God. It was too important to him. With this way of thinking, he was finally able to come to terms with his sexuality and shed the sense that he was somehow wrong for feeling as he did. At long last, he gave himself permission to explore this side of himself and finally, he felt content in who he was. 

After he had some saving, he began attending the local community college, finishing the gen ed credits he would need. Better to pay a more affordable price since not all the credits from his first two years at Wingate had transferred perfectly.

This fall he is finally independent and about to start his final two years of school, at last working towards the major that he desires. He still does handyman, construction and craftsman work as he can fit it into his schedule as this provides his income, but at long last his life is in a good, secure place and he’s regained a confidence in himself, able to look towards the future and smile.

Roleplay Example

See Alanna Darlington, Zoelle Heroux, Talia Spencer, Sydney Emerson, Avery Fields, Chris Rossi, Cori Moliere and Jocelyn Freeman

What About You?

Name: Faraday
Age: 24
Experience: so long
How Did You Find Us? I'm a resident
Ready To Play? ALWAYS

[Tyler Jennings]

Done and ready for review

[Pam*]

Almost!

Hey Fara! Nice to see a new character from you Only one minor change and we should be on our way. Would you please pick an avatar for Tyler? Once up just bump the thread and we’ll get you accepted! Thank you so much for your patience! Tyler seems like an awesome character and I hope to plot with you

[Tyler Jennings]

Bump again!

[Pam*]

ACCEPTED!



Yay! You know what to do!