Post by James Piper on Aug 3, 2015 16:56:58 GMT -5
Basics
Name: James Piper
Nicknames: Jesse (Stage Name)
Age: 17
Birthday: February 8, 1998
Grade: 12
Power:
Sound Absorption
James has the ability to absorb the sound that other people and things make. Usually, the best quality sounds to be be absorbed and used are those made by the vocal chords. He, more or less, absorbs the sound waves and can utilize them however he wants. The more powerful the wave, the more power he receives from it. For example, a sonic blast would give him more power than someone simply clapping their hands. He can fully absorb any sound wave, no matter how powerful. Of course, there is a limit to what he can absorb and, usually, when there is too much, he will release the excess in the form of electricity. His ears are just like any other human being’s and, because of it, he can have hearing loss from noises that can cause such damage. Lastly, he can only absorb sound waves created by other people and things. He cannot absorb self generated sound, such as his own speech, or the sound waves that occur when he claps his hands or whistles.
Sound Conversion
James can use the sound waves he absorbs to create various forms of energy. For now, the excess waves that he absorbs usually turn into electricity. It usually comes out in the form of a bolt that is either released from his hands, or, occasionally, the sound waves he emits from speaking or singing. How strong the bolt is varies on how many waves are being absorbed and at what rate he reaches the threshold. The stronger the waves and the faster the threshold is reached, the more powerful the bolt. Usually, when he reaches the threshold, sparks will start to bounce off of his skin. His tactic in combat is usually to have the opponent talk as much as possible so he can receive the maximum among of waves. Even better would be shouting or screaming, but he is not always in the mood for being antagonistic.
As with everything, there are limits to this power. He has to reach a certain threshold before he can release any kind of electricity. If he tries to attack and he has not reached the maximum limit of wave storage, it will be weak or will not work at all. Releasing powerful attacks from his hands can cause severe electrical burns if he cannot control this power. He has a very difficult time using this power at will instead of whenever it feels like rearing its ugly head. Even if he can master channeling the power correctly, he still has to learn how to keep the electricity under control so he does not shock every person he comes in contact with.
Musical Intuition
James has the innate ability to play any style of music he desires with little previous knowledge of the style in question. All he really has to do is look at a sheet music for a song or two of the genre he wants to play and his power guides him to do all of the rest. It should be noted that this only extends to the guitar, seeing as that is the only instrument he knows how to play. If he does learn how to play any others, it will also extend to them as well, but for now, it only applies to guitar. It should also be noted that this does not mean he knows the lyrics to every song ever written. He will still have to look at the lyrics if he wants to sing the song he is playing.
Member Group: Battle Front
Canon or not: Ain’t nobody got time for dat.
Appearance:
James, at first glance, does not appear to be the semi-popular singer he is. He is of average height, standing at about 5’ 7” and is rather lanky and thin. He has very little muscle, and because of this, he occasionally jokes that his diaphragm is his strongest muscle. Despite his best efforts to conceal it, he does have a bit of a country twang in his voice, though it mainly shows up when he feels extremely relaxed or when he is feeling intense emotions. His naturally blonde hair is dyed an inky black, mostly to conceal what is left of his country roots. The only thing he lets show are his aqua blue eyes, which are usually obscured by the wisps of wavy hair that have a tendency to fall in his face. He tends to have a grumpy look on his face, when, in reality, he is really just thinking. His posture tends to be relaxed and casual when he is both on and off stage.
James’s style offstage is mainly casual. He prefers lazing around in jeans, shorts, and t-shirts with varying degrees of wear and bagginess. Usually, his clothes are on the darker side, mostly shades of brown, black, or dark versions of typical colors, like blue or green. He is used to receiving hand-me down clothes from his brother, and even his sister, on occasion, so he is not bothered by getting clothes that were once worn by someone else. Comfort over style has always been his preference off stage. He has also gone through a bit of a rebellious phase since the band broke up after Aura’s disappearance, so his clothing style is also influenced by that as well.
Personality
Use at least six positive and negative characteristics and give a one sentence explanation. Also include at least one strength and one weakness.[/b]- Despite the fact that he may appear lazy, James actually works very hard and has a lot of goals he would like to accomplish. He always seems to be working on a new song or new project to keep himself busy. He will stop at almost nothing to accomplish what he sets out to do.
Positive:
* Courteous- As much as James tries to hide his country upbringing, he cannot leave his manners behind. At the very least, he is polite to everyone he meets, even if he is awkward in doing so. He extends his courtesy not just to women, but to other men as well. He is the person that holds open the door, no matter who is passing through.
* Witty- James may not have all of the book smarts that some other people have, but his observation skills are fairly good. Because of this, he can see certain situations and poke fun at them with his occasionally dark sense of humor. His jokes are often swift, so one must be listening carefully to him, otherwise, he or she might miss the humorous remark.
* Free-Spirited- James does not let anything or anyone constrain him. He prefers to live the way he wants and do things in his own time. This attitude is one of the many reasons he ran away from his small, backwoods country home and found his way into the big city.
* Straightforward- James does not sugarcoat anything. He always shares his honest opinion, whether it is put in the kindest words or not. He reports exactly what he sees, even if it is different than what someone else sees.
* Diplomatic- James tries his hardest to make sure that people within a given group can at least have a conversation without arguing constantly. While this can be contradictory to his aggressiveness, he knows that there is a time and place for his temper. He tries to “check it at the door” and focus on keeping everyone on the same page so that squabbles that can be dangerous for the bond of the group can be dealt with quickly.[/ul]
Negative:
* Pessimistic- James always seems to think the most negative things about situations and even people. He tends to see the worst in everything, and not the best. He always assumes that the worst thing in the world will happen so he can be pleasantly surprised when something good actually does happen.
* Aggressive- James may seem like a nice person, and for the most part, he is, even if he seems rather aloof at times. This does not mean he is a pushover by any means, however. It is very easy to irritate him and sometimes, he will even pick fights with people he is not fond of.
* Bitter- James will not admit it out loud, but he can be a very bitter person at times. He holds grudges very easily. He has a tendency to resent people who he believes have hurt or abandoned him. Of course, he forgets that he has done these very things to other people.
* Reserved- Despite being a semi-popular recording artist, James is very hard to get to know. He has built a lot of walls around himself to keep “poisonous” people out. The only people who know him well are Aura and their fellow band mate. Even then, both of them do not know the entirety of his life story. He feels that it is no one’s business but his own.
* Has a hard time saying ‘no’- James has a terribly difficult time refusing anyone. He dislikes saying no and will sometimes take on a burden much too great to help someone else. He finds it even harder to say no to friends or other people he cares about.[/ul]
Likes:
* Sweet tea- James does almost everything he can not to be a sterotypical southern type. However, no matter how hard he tries, he will always have a penchant for the sugary iced tea that used to fill his clear glasses in the hot, Tennessee summer.
* Poetry- Before he ever started writing tunes and words for songs, James was writing (and reading) poetry. Some of his favorite poets are Robert Frost, T.S. Eliot, and Sylvia Plath. He still has a few old poems that he wrote stuffed in a notebook that he uses for writing songs.
* Playing guitar- Another obvious one. In the band that he once used to be in, he played guitar and also sung with Aura. One of his favorite pastimes is playing the guitar, and he often will come up with random tunes on the fly. If he does not do that, he’ll play some of his favorite songs.[/ul]
Dislikes:
* Fried Chicken- James has never really been fond of fried chicken. Even though it was a staple in his house, he always refused to eat it. He believes that it is the grease that makes him nauseous and does not help his already small appetite.
* Pens- James has a strange dislike of pens. He always prefers to write with pencils, whether it is song lyrics, an essay, or even math problems. It is not so much the way a pen sounds against paper as it is the permanency. In short, one cannot erase pen, and it is better to write in pencil so mistakes can be corrected.
* Talking about his family- As far as James in concerned, his old life is far behind him. Not many people are able to get him to talk for long periods of time, but, if for some reason, they can get past some of his defenses, he will often make up a cover story for his early years up until he ran away from home and into the city, where he met Aura and three other people who were interested in starting a band.[/ul]
Extra: James chases the dream of every musical artist: being recognized. He is not sure how it will pan out, mainly because of being sent to Ashford, but he hopes that maybe, someone will come up with a good cover story to explain why he disappeared.
Deep down, James knows that what he did to his family was wrong, and he feels guilty for it. However, he refuses to let it show, and he will only talk to his closest friends about it. There are times when the guilt really gets to him, and causes him to close off and become a little down. These episodes can range from a day to a week. All that can really be done is to just remind him that he’s not the worst person in the world and, occasionally, let him be by himself so he can write or ruminate.
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History
Family Members/guardians: Carly Piper (40, Mother, Alive), Spencer Piper (45, Father, Alive) Julia Piper (20, Older Sister, Alive), Jayden Piper (18, Older Brother, Alive), Jennifer Piper (15, Younger Sister, Alive), Jake Piper (13, Younger Brother, Alive) Jackie Piper (13, Younger Sister, Alive)
History:
Carly and Spencer Piper were considered the strangest couple in their neighborhood. It was not the fact that they married at twenty and twenty-five, respectively. It was not the fact that they did not seem to be as devoted to religion as their small, backwoods Tennessee town seemed to be. No, what was strange was the fact that they had decided to have so many children. Not many people from their generation opted to have six children, but somehow, some way, they were able to do it.
James was third in line, and often, he felt pushed aside, especially when his younger siblings came along. It always seemed like he was blamed for everything, and he took it, because he believed that it was his responsibility to care for all of his siblings regardless of age. Despite his temper, he was the most mature out of all of them, and he often bargained with his parents when his siblings were too afraid to. Of course, they would not always get what they wanted, but, most of the time, James could persuade his mother with a bit of flattery and promises that he always managed to keep, even if they were not always the most sincere. He was also convinced that he was his mother’s favorite, mainly because he never gave her any trouble and kept the younger ones out of it. It also certainly helped that he shared her love of music, even if his father was not too fond of the idea of his son being a musician. His mother had always encouraged him to follow his dreams, but his father always seemed to want him to take a different route in life.
Don’t you want to be a doctor? What about a sheriff? A politician? Music won’t getcha anywhere, son.
James was determined to prove his father wrong. He started visiting the city during the summer and was awed by all of the lights and colors. During one visit, he stopped his sister, Jennifer, who was 9 at the time, from running into a girl who was walking down the street with her parents. James apologized to the girl, who later introduced herself as Aura. The two started to have a conversation, and, after some time, the girl’s parents ushered her along. At the same time, Julia and Jayden came along to take their brother and sister back home. Before they parted, James gave Aura his address and he started sending her letters over periods of time. In one of them, he explained that his hometown was not really sophisticated, and no one really had cell phones because there were no towers.
By the age of 12, James became more and more disgruntled with his life in the small town he lived in. One night, while everyone was sleeping, he took off and headed into the city. He knew it was a rash decision, but he knew what he wanted to do with his life, and in order to do that, he had to get out of where he was. While he was travelling, he bumped into a young man who would become one of his bandmates. The boy and his family helped him find his way to an office, where he was taken in by a wealthy family that took an interest in his life. In the meantime, he started at the local middle school and struggled, mainly because the school in his town had not been that great. It was at this school that he ran into Aura again, and she gladly helped him with his schoolwork when she was not busy doing other things. The two became really good friends, and they started to hatch an idea about starting a band. They got three other classmates to join, though they did not start recording until the awkwardness of puberty had passed them by.
Their group was popular, though James was convinced that Aura was really the reason they succeeded. She was beautiful, and she had a really nice voice. Of course, she could not play guitar very well, so James picked that up. At first, he was hesitant to co-sing with her, mainly because he did not believe himself to be a good singer, but, after some encouragement from the rest of the band, he agreed to do it. He found that he actually enjoyed it, though he much preferred it when only the other members of the bad were listening to them sing. For a while, everything seemed pretty good. That was, until something terrible happened.
James still remembers the day vividly. He was waiting at the front door, a present in hand to give to Aura. It was around her birthday, so he was going to give her something to commemorate it. Sure, her boyfriend would probably not be too happy, but they were best friends, so he would just have to understand. He started to become worried and pushed open the door slightly. Oddly enough, it was open, which was odd, because the McKinly’s were usually more cautious about their dwelling. He tried to alert anyone in the house to his presence, but, before he could, he saw a blinding flash of light. Before he knew it, he was helping his best friend get out of the house and chasing her soon to be ex down the street. Somehow, some of the things he yelled turned into electricity that, thankfully for the boy, got diverted to nearby metal poles. James was puzzled by this but wrote it off as nothing, in the end. He was rather irritated that Aura left without saying goodbye, but he could hardly blame her. A weird occurrence like the one that had happened might affect her career, so it was better for her to get away.
After Aura “disappeared”, the band fell apart, since James felt he was not ready to be a leader. Instead, he started writing his own music and songs and changed his appearence. He let his blonde hair grow out and dyed it black. He changed from a pop-country sound to a more rock style sound. He started performing on his own and honestly did pretty well, though the microphones would short out because of some of the noise he was making turning into electricity. He gained a small following, but he did not last very long solo, mainly because he caused a scene during a live performance. Someone provoked him during a set, and he more or less electrocuted the entire building, putting many people in danger. He was sent into the Ashford project right after that, and his family made sure there was a good cover story for him. James joined the Battle Front after being persuaded to join by a few members. (It also helped that Aura was also in it as well.)
Behind the Character
Name: Name you'd like us to call you by
Chatango Name: Alexis, Lily, you know the drill
RP Experience: A long time
How did you find us?: How many times are you going to ask me?!
RP Sample: See Camila, Felicia, Michelle, or Damien.