Synopsis
THE CARDINAL; Judging you
Description
HELLO, HELLO!
Leland Plantaget
MIRROR, MIRROR
Like
his other brother, Leland inherited his father's messy, blonde hair. In
spite of his best efforts it enjoys draping around his face and
sweeping out in all sorts of directions, giving a sort of a cowlick if
he doesn't properly style it. Then again, good hair doesn't happen on
its own does it? His eyes vary between an amber and gold color depending
on the lighting, a trait that he allegedly received from his grandpa
(although he can't really tell given that his grandfather had gone blind
many years ago). One thing that didn't seem to be inherited however,
was his height. Standing at five feet and nine inches, Leland is one of
the shortest males in his family and perhaps his group of friends.
His
build is similarly unimpressive as it stands somewhere between lean and
gangly. Unfortunately for him, the four years of cross country did little to
build muscle, only turn him into a running machine. If nothing else he
is nimble and graceful in his movements and does well to dodge whatever
comes his way in combat (something polished by Hell's harsh regimes).
Clothing
wise, Leland is particular to semi-formal and formal clothing such as
ties, blazers, and collared shirts. No matter the occasion he seems to
be dressed all too formal (and all too fashionable if his girl friends
are to be believed). From time to time one might see him wearing a scarf
as a product of his mother's frivolities since she appears to have a
penchant for sending him scarves every time she visits (not that he
minds).
Personality
The Good...
Cordial
Leland understands the importance of diplomacy, even in the face of stupidity. He speaks with tact and politeness, even to those that he does not respect. He chooses his words carefully and stamps out any signs of resentment or smugness no matter how much he may actually feel about them. Generally he will be the first to try and diffuse a conflict between him and another person as he doesn't like the thought of someone thinking bad of him. If people provoke him he maintains his composure nonetheless, although his words may become passive-aggressive in return.
Realistic
Fantasy is better left for books and television in Leland's eyes. As a man grounded in reality he looks at things through a rational perspective and does his best to interpret the world in the same way. Even if it is nice to hope for the best he knows that unrealistic expectations will only lead to disappointment. His motto for achievement is (and always has been) to set high, but obtainable goals.
Tenacious
Talent is meaningless without work. Work is meaningless without effort. Effort is meaningless without tenacity. He knows this by heart and puts determination into whatever task he is focused on finishing. Whether it is self-improvement or the betterment of a close friend he will do whatever is in his power (and the confines of the law) to get it done. If he finds himself unable to finish he will seek the help of his peers (the ones he respects anyway) to help him as he is not above asking for help so long as the help comes from someone that he respects. Otherwise, he will stick to helping himself no matter how long it may take.
...And The Bad
Uppity Self-Righteous
Having been a hard worker Leland views his achievements as a reason to have the ego that he does. He feels superior to the underclassmen as well as the upperclassmen that are below him in terms of academia or skill. His respect is rather limited, reserved only for those he believes are either better than him or in a higher position of authority. He understands that age is neither an indicator of experience nor maturity, therefore he does not live by the phrase "respect your elders" so much as "respect your superiors." In that sense, he feels that he has the right to judge others despite that he may not be above them in other areas.
Distant
In matters that do not catch his sympathies Leland will hang in the background. It isn't so much that Leland cares only for himself but rather that he prefers to spend his time on more pressing matters at hand. He doesn't have very many friends because of this, his head in his books rather than joining clubs. Reaching out is something of a chore for him when it doesn't involve the advancement of his academic or physical skill so he comes off as cold to his classmates (and even handful of friends that he has).
Dishonest/Stubborn (with his feelings)
Leland, in spite of himself, is generally not honest when it comes to expressing his feelings. He keeps the guise of neutrality and when asked, acts happy for the sake of seeming as though he's on top of things or as though he's satisfied with his current standing in the academy. There are many times when he won't admit to certain things (such as feeling threatened) and those feelings sometimes manifest in his powers if not properly controlled (i.e. suppressed).
Equipment / Abilities
Ability -> Pertinence
With a strong mental image and a bit of channeling time (this gets longer the further the distance), Leland has the ability to teleport anywhere be it across the room or overseas. According to Leland, the details of how he is transported is unclear although it seems to be entirely thought dependent. As one might imagine, he must have a decent amount of concentration and desire to teleport where he needs to go successfully, otherwise he may end up somewhere entirely new. Because of that, anger and sadness are his greatest enemies. If he is unable to suppress his resentment toward a person he is likely to end up teleporting straight to that person rather than where he intended. Similarly, a feeling of love or happiness will speed up his teleportation to the object of his desire. To counter this, he'll often listen to white noise while channeling so that he may better focus on his destination. Additionally, he is able to bring objects and people along with him during teleportation; however, this comes at the expense of his own energy and stability. Generally, his chances of arriving at a destination in once piece are larger when he is alone than with others (he found this out the hard way when his mom arrived at the academy without a shirt on).
Unrelated Skills
Exacerbated by Hell, but originating from his running in high school, Leland is nimble which makes him hard to catch be it in combat or when playing sports. Combined with his natural dexterity and teleportation abilities, he makes for a tough duelist and even deadlier assassin. His preferred weapon is a rapier, although he is more known for his knife work. Additionally he has a knack for learning information as quickly and efficiently as time allows, even if it is at the expense of his sleeping and eating habits sometimes (all the time).
History
Leland was born the third in a family of five children, three step-siblings and two of his mother and father's blood. When he was young he could still remember the way that his mother and father would fight, the way that it wasn't simple bickering but full blown yelling. He didn't understand it at first, often bursting into temper tantrums whenever his mother and father would yell but it didn't matter. By the age of seven his blood parents divorced and two years later, his mother married his stepfather, an older male by the name of Reginald. Being the child that he was, Leland was uncomfortable with the idea that his mother was being "taken away" by her husband but was smart enough to know that acting out for attention would only result in punishment. Instead he devoted his time to trying to get high grades and achievements so as to stand out among his other siblings. As conceited (and oedipal) as it sounded, he felt as though he deserved to be his mother's favorite since he was the oldest blood son and the one that loved her the most (in his mind). Luckily for him, his mother caught on to her son's antics and reassured him that she loved all of her kids and that no one could ever replace that. It did little to stop Leland from continuing his long list of achievements but at least he didn't seem to have a mother complex anymore.
He spent the rest of his childhood getting along with his siblings. In particular, his eldest sister, Delilah had the power to transmute objects which gave them something to bond over once Leland realized that he could teleport wherever he pleased. They had a fair age gap (four years) but were the closest out of everyone in the family, even after seeing her away to Heaven. She had helped Leland gain a handle on his power and prevent the initial mishaps of teleporting whenever he felt any sort of emotion (as well as teleporting with all of his clothes in tact). In high school, he signed up for cross country under the "suggestion" of his mother who wanted to ensure that he had the best chance possible of being accepted into one of the two academies. Having looked at the pros and cons of both academies, Leland decided to apply for Hell because he admired their more strict methods of teaching and pragmatic approach to fighting off the Null.
Four years and a girlfriend later, he was set to head off to Hell academy where he quickly learned that high school was nothing compared to the schooling he had to undergo. Harsh, unforgiving, and apathetic were the best ways to describe the experience that he had to undergo. Even his parents had come down on him for having anything less than an "A" in the class. Any hope of a life outside academics was quickly diminished (as was his relationship, but he doesn't want to talk about it). He had to allocate his time to focusing on himself and in the end, found himself discarding the rest of his friends to pursue his grades and came out in the fifth percentile of his class before Heaven and Hell combined. As it is now he has transferred to Brimstone and finds himself feeling a tad bit empty. Perhaps the new institute will mean a new start? He isn't so sure, but supposes that it's worth a shot.
Extra
Theme SongWalking The Dog by fun.Additional References:
HereMyers-Briggs Test:
INTJ
- You have moderate preference of Introversion over Extraversion (28%)
- You have slight preference of Intuition over Sensing (12%)
- You have strong preference of Thinking over Feeling (100%)
- You have strong preference of Judging over Perceiving (78%)
Originally Played In:
Burn in Heaven
