expendableasset: (Default)
"jack" | timothy lawrence ([personal profile] expendableasset) wrote2015-05-30 11:36 pm

APPLICATION

OOC INFORMATION
Name: Jasper
Contact: gravekit @ aim, dandyesque @ skype, adorabloody @ plurk
Other Characters: Mami Tomoe @sorprese

CHARACTER INFORMATION
Character Name: "Jack"/Timothy Lawrence
Age: ~24-26, not specifically stated
Canon: Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
Canon Point: Just before the opening of the Vault

Character Information: Before the events of the Pre-Sequel, Tim was a college student studying creative writing. Even in the future, college debt is still a significant thing to deal with, and so Tim was advised by an academic counselor towards a position at Hyperion, one of the universe's larger mega-corporations, as a body double for a programmer named Jack.

Taking this position resulted in full-body plastic surgery, vocal modification, a faked death, and a 20-year contract that stated that for all intents and purposes, Tim was Jack. He actually wasn't prepared for any of these things and went into the position virtually clueless (ECHO logs discussing the process here). Jack wasn't exactly great to Tim from the get-go, making frequent lewd comments fueled by his narcissism (some of their first interactions consist of this.

As part of said contract, Tim was then sent with a team of five others to hunt something called a Vault, an ancient cache of alien technology and knowledge left around the universe by a race called the Eridians. This was a dangerous task that involved a lot of travelling and shooting the shit out of people, something quite new to a nerdy and presumably mostly shut-in writer like Tim.

For the most part, he took to his new role in life remarkably well, gradually learning to more accurately emulate Jack's personality as the hunt for the Vault went on. This isn't to say that his "real" self fell to the wayside, however. There were still moments where his own personality shone through.

Soon, Jack hit a turning point in his life and thus in Tim's. Jack grew increasingly more violent and impulsive, leading Tim's previously already-not-great opinion of of him to take a deeper nosedive. Tim witnessed multiple incidents of Jack killing innocent people (or ordering others, including him, to do so). He was literally trapped. Tim's way of coping was through small rebellions; upon being instructed to execute a surrendering soldier, he refused, responding with "I'm not you, Jack."

The point he will be taken from is just after the hunters find the Vault, but before opening it.

Personality: First and foremost, Tim is a huge nerd. There's no other way to put it. He flusters like your stereotypical late-twenties virgin around women, writes novels about anthropomorphic animals for fun (and intended to do it for a career), coos at cat macros, and hyperventilates when subjected to heights.

In general, he's easily excitable and prone to panic, but almost always rises to the occasion in situations of stress, even if it's accompanied with a lot of stammering and his voice hopping up a few octaves (in part because there's no other option for him, and then on the other hand because growing up with a shitty mom gave him an intense desire to prove himself). Even without the influence of being expected to be Jack-like, he has a somewhat dry and sarcastic sense of humor and a significant pottymouth, swearing when injured, startled or just because he feels the situation calls for it.

There's a sizeable portion of his reactions that are exaggerated for no good reason other than that that it comes to him naturally. There's nothing indicative of it being a show for others or to garner sympathy or other favorable reactions -- he just does it, even when there's nobody around to witness the ridiculous things he says or the way his voice changes. Truth be told, he probably just likes to hear himself talk, but not in the traditional egocentric sense: he just finds himself funny.

Overall, at his core, Tim is a good-natured person despite some of his more biting commentary. Violence wouldn't typically be his first reaction to any situation, but on Elpis it's a necessity for survival. He may get an adrenaline high through killing for the sake of his own life and be proud with himself for accomplishing it, but it's not the sort of sadistic satisfaction one would see in some of the other Vault Hunters. In other situations where he's not immediately being shot at, he'd definitely prefer to at least attempt conflict resolution that doesn't end in death.

Sometimes, despite his best efforts to power through, Tim expresses distress about his situation. Even knowing that his own mother laughed when she was notified of his "death", he still expresses a desire to go back home to her rather than run around on the moon shooting bandits. When he hits lows, they're pretty damn low and exude desperation and regret.

There is another layer to his personality entirely influenced by his role as Jack's body double. He's forced to feign some degree of narcissism and an inflated ego, something foreign to him. Jack also has a hero complex that convinces him that almost every action he takes is the morally superior one, which Tim isn't obligated to emulate as deeply, but it does affect the image he puts on.

There are times that he plays his role so well that he has moments where he forgets himself, which leads to a good deal of self-hatred, as Tim's opinion of Jack is far from fond. There are several instances where Tim comments about how Jack's ego is ridiculous due to his low position in Hyperion ("you don't need a body double, nobody's going to try to assassinate you"!) and his general disdain of everything about him, especially his womanizing aspects.

Tim's relationship with Jack is complicated. He is obligated under contract to follow any and all orders Jack may give him and to emulate him to the best of his ability in both appearance and personality for the purpose of Jack's protection. Though initially he is offered pay, he is denied it throughout the course of the game, given a nebulous and likely false timeframe in which he will recieve it. Jack is given freedom to punish him as he sees fit for any breach of contract, which becomes more and more of a threat as Jack gradually becomes more violent; on top of that, it is implied that there is an explosive mechanism that will trigger if he attempts to surgically modify his face in any way. Most of Tim's cooperation stems from the threat of death or injury, and he'll happily talk shit to anyone about Jack as long as he's absolutely sure it won't get back to him.

Tim's moral code becomes somewhat distorted due to his position as a double for someone like Jack. While eventually he has no problem shooting bandits in the face, he's not keen on violence without a cause (as mentioned earlier), though it's a toss up with how it'll affect his opinion of someone else. For instance, Nisha's violence is personally and somewhat selfishly justified due to the fact that she helps keep Tim safe. Jack's, however, screws him over, as it can put him in direct danger on top of the fact that he's expected to emulate it.

A transcription of his non-plot-related dialogue can be found here.

I've also compiled some audio quotes, some of which are linked in various points in the rest of the app, since I'm unable to provide screenshots.

5-10 Key Character Traits:
Awkward
Adaptable
Theatrical
Good natured
Multi-leveled
Sensitive
Excitable
Witty
Bitter
Self-conscious
Strong-willed

Would you prefer a monster that FITS your character’s personality, CONFLICTS with it, or EITHER? Either! Opt-Outs: Noting that Mami's a harpy here and I'd rather not play two harpies! Otherwise: werewolf, demon, troll, gargoyle, and arachne.
Roleplay Sample: TDM threads here!