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David Wyatt Beyond 101

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Full name: David Elmo Wyatt
Other names: Not one for nicknames, our David.
Age/DOB: 22
Physical/Mental Gender: Guy/Guy.  In this matter, as with many others, he's fairly straightforward.
Cultural Heritage: East coast US plus UK pick-and-mix
Parentage: Elmo David Wyatt, an unimaginative copywriter; Lucy Wyatt, an unimaginative elementary school nurse
Prosperity: Lower middle class and oddly proud of it.

~~

Height: 5'10"
Weight: 157
Build: To coin a phrase, aggressively average.  He's no slouch, but he's not exactly a body builder.
Skin-tone: Ruddy brown—a mixture of tanned and sunburnt at all times.
Eyes: Hazel, thick eyebrows, round, with premature crow's feet from smiling too much.
Hair: Long layers in front, cut shorter from the ears back, dark brown
Nose: Wide, nostrils flare when he's annoyed
Mouth: Big lips, crooked teeth
Ears: Stick out, sensitive about their impressive size
Scars/other markings: Old pimple scars on forehead and chin, constantly renewed welts and bruises from bailing
Glasses/piercings: Two holes in left ear, one in right.  Gifts from Jessie, who calls it an evil plan to make him stop hating his ears.  …David really indulges her like nobody's business.
Preferred Hand: Does most things with his right hand, but plays guitar left-handed
Other/Notes: Despite his intense dislike for his own ears, David doesn't often wear a cap.  Instead, he uses the long bunny-like parts of his hair to cover them.  He has no siblings, but still calls his "style" hand-me-downs because his clothes (hoodies and cargo shorts) are all second-hand.

~~

Level of physical fitness: Well high, for a guy his size.  In his baggy clothes, David doesn't look like much, but he has a six-pack, and legs you could use to beat a moose to death.
Physical age: Thanks to his deep voice, he has a habit of passing for mid- to late twenties.
Tone of voice: Comic baritone; tends to speak with a gently sardonic tone that is negated by a good-natured grin.
Smoker/drinker: When they were younger, David became hyper-aware of the close attention Jessie paid to him, and he developed a lot of PSA-style habits.  Even at this age, his worst vice is picking his nose.
Physical disabilities: Hypoglycaemia.  When he forgets to eat, he gets snappish and dizzy.
Traits gained from mother: Patience, smile and some hand gestures
Traits gained from father: Dangerously prone to contentment, thick skin (actual and figurative), geekiness
Traits gained from surroundings: Sense of humour, quick to pick up jargon, faster to spin BS
Dominant parent: Possibly his father, mostly because of the inherited geekiness
Masking ability: Moderate.  If he is really pissed, heartbroken, or otherwise gravely distressed, it shows, but he can hide small wrinkles in his cool without much effort.
Empathy/Reader: People-watcher.  Unless it's someone in whom he has an emotional investment, or threat to life is involved, David will leave people to their own devices.
Education: Community college drop-out.  He planned on a computer science degree, but he up and quit his second year in school.
Moral/Logical: Opposite of the problem that Jessie has, which is somewhat intriguing.  Where her instincts are on the moral side and her louder surface thoughts are on the logical, David initially thinks logically, and must consciously choose a moral standpoint in a conflict.  This is most apparent when he clashes with Leo.
Religion: Devout Christian.  He rarely misses church meetings, prays regularly, and never swears.
Views on...:
-Love: Is just one of those things.  He's a lonely guy, romantically, with a long list of past burns.  His idea of filial love is very traditional, and so it follows that he's a monogamous sort of guy.  Although he's best suited to marry the girl next door, he has an inexplicable attraction to cynics.
-Work: Longs for a month of Saturdays.  David is pretty blue-collar, and almost annoyed about it.  But he's got a lot of pride, and it's worth looking into why he lets Leo pay his way to conventions.
-Emotions: Thinks that oversensitive people should all be rounded up and beaten with a fish.  He isn't averse to emotions, but he did learn from his dad that boys don't cry and feelings are *gasp* gay.  Never mind that his best friends are Jessie and Leo.
-Racism: Discriminates and is discriminated.  Maybe if someone called him out on his preconceptions, he would learn, but no one has.  …I've been reading this as "Prejudice" for the sake of inclusiveness (ironically), I ought to change it at some point.
-Hate: Just another strong emotion.  If someone lectured him about how hate is bad, he would probably just ask them what they think about Uwe Bohl or Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull.
-Money: David is not a fan.  Money translates directly to food, rent, amenities, or a roadblock to obtaining them.
-Individualism vs. Conformity: A child of the true indie scene, David is refreshingly himself, although he does make fun of scene kids and posers.  It's probably the generation.
-Beauty: A minimalist at heart, David likes the dashing, brushed elegance of Chinese calligraphy, and that carries over to just about everything.
-Comfort: Indian food at the park, routines, the sound of skateboard wheels on asphalt
Hobbies: Riding anything with wheels, street-skating like a poor man's Rodney Mullen, listening to music, playing guitar
Phobias: He's afraid of flying, but does it anyway, and he's afraid of woman and men (or maybe just sensuality in general) but dates, and generally just makes a mess of almost ignoring his fears without dealing with them.
Philias: Cooking, superheroes and all that that entails, opinionated people
Likes: Ice cream, driving down long roads at night and in any weather, early mornings, the soft underside of a house cat's paws
Dislikes: The feeling of gravel tearing skin (worth noting because other injuries don't irritate him as much), idiotic drivers, low quality softserve machines, clear bandages
Preferences in a companion: David prefers people with a liberal outlook, who aren't too polished.  Which makes his friendship with Leo almost funny.  However, David's other criteria for companionship is geekdom.
Personality: Thoughtful and outwardly a mild, generous man, energetic and eagerly seeking joie de vivre.  He bears the marks of past troubles in deep but hidden places, and carries a great deal of repressed anger, preferring to express his distaste through exasperation.
Other/Notes: David is severely dyslexic, and required tutoring all through high school.  His patience is extremely difficult to exhaust, but once it's gone, he acts without restraint.  This rarely happens.  He does tease people he loves, but he isn't a great wit, and it's mostly carried by his intimate knowledge of that person.

~~

Line of work: Mostly construction or retail.  Currently works at a consignment store.
Dwelling:
-Describe their current one: Lives in his parent's house, in what was the guest bedroom.  His childhood room was converted to a storage room.
-Describe their childhood one: Looks the same living there now, but has a few physical additions.  David always felt lonely, even though it wasn't a small house, and his parents were around often enough.
-Describe their least favourite dwelling: His first flat.  He wasn't ready to move out and it was a rathole, so he was miserable.
-Describe their favourite dwelling: His third flat.  There were two other guys paying rent, so it was higher class than other places he's lived.  They were also decent people to cohabit with.
Allergies: Seasonal only
Talents: David is a passable guitar player, spends enough time on a skateboard that he ought to be better than he is, and probably sings a little.  He can also name every hero ever created by Stan Lee, in order of love to loathe.
Preferred method of transportation: Any car that can be called better than his.
Hygiene habits: Pretty much what you would expect from a twenty-something who spends most of his free time outside.
Companions:
-Preferred company: People he knows.  He isn't averse to strangers, but he has difficulty adjusting to them, and has a hard time letting new people get to know him.
-Preferred friends: Jessie for familiarity and Leo and Aurelia for verbal scrapping.  David likes Erika, but he doesn't take her seriously enough to wonder when she isn't around.
-Reasons for being around others: Necessity, more than anything.  While he enjoys Jessie's company, it can't be denied that he hangs out with her partially because she needs him.  It isn't that he's anti-social, he just isn't very outgoing.
Others/Notes: It's surprising how withdrawn David is.  He's almost like two people—the chill, easy-going skater who never really grew up, and the reticent, hard to impress young man sitting on a twelve-pack of bottled-up anger.  Except that he doesn't switch between the two.

~~

Backstory:

Nothing much was ever expected of David, and for good reason.  His parents are neither remarkable nor worried about it.  He lived and breathed Star Trek, Star Wars, and Marvel Comics—the latter was the only thing he would read until his dyslexia was discovered and he entered the world of Special Ed.  Remembering his father's entreaty that he play nice, David learned to be kind to a wide variety of his peers, but never really liked any of them.  His protective Guardian role regarding Jessie transformed into a Buddy role when he introduced her to Star Trek.

David moved out at eighteen and went straight to community college, but wasn't ready to do either.  He struggled the first year, then hit an uneasy groove thanks in part to Leo, but at the end of the second year, a misunderstanding cost him his job, which got him kicked out of his flat, and he stopped going to school.  Back at home, he got a new job and spent more time with Jessie, only breaking his routine of hanging out with her to go to conventions.


~~

Three Things You Want To Do Before You Die:
1.) Go to China and see the wildlife.  I don't even know if they have wildlife there.
2.) Land a 720 in front of people.
3.) Drive a Mack truck.

Three Names You Go By:
1.) Just David.  "Hey you with the face" doesn't as a name.
2.) Mr Wyatt, if you're nasty.
3.) I can't believe I'm old enough to make that joke…

Three Screen Names You Have Had:
1.) notaklingon
2.) …My school email was wyatt_dvd@tennielhs.com.  Which is almost cool.
3.)

Three Physical Things You Like About Yourself:
1.) I don't sunburn like certain people I could mention.  ;p
2.) Not to brag or nothin', but I've been told I have a sexy back.
3.) That's all I got.  Narcissism isn't my bag.  Ask Leo.

Three Parts Of Your Heritage:
1.) Rubber Ducky collection
2.) A hatbox with photographs
3.) An armoire bigger than my first apartment.

Three Things That Scare You:
1.) Evil chipmunks
2.) Angry women
3.) The future

Three Of Your Everyday Essentials:
1.) Prayer
2.) Cornflakes
3.) SUN

Three Things You Are Wearing Right Now:
1.) A cast that's gonna come off in a few days
2.) My watch—which needs new batteries
3.) Headphones

Three Of Your Favourite Bands/Musical Artists:
1.) Blink  :D
2.) Bob Dylan
3.) Either The Used or The Killers

Three Of Your Favourite Songs:
1.) Wave of Mutilation—the Pixies song, not any of the crappy covers.
2.) Our Lawyer Made Us Change The Name Of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued
3.) Something Yellowcard…  Cigarette.

Three Things You Want In A Relationship:
1.) Commitment.  Yeah, it oughtta be a given, but it ain't.
2.) Give and friggin' take.
3.) …clarity.

Two Truths And A Lie (in no particular order):
1.) I've memorised Monty Python skits
2.) I have worn a skirt before.
3.) Depending on if they're cooked or raw, onions go with anything

Three Physical Things About The Preferred Sex That Appeal To You:
1.) I'm gonna be a goober and say eyes.  There's something scary but kinda awesome about looking someone you like in the eyes, close enough to describe the colour in more than one word.
2.) Hands.  Maybe it's a fetish, but I have a thing about perfect hands.
3.) Physical fitness.  Softness is nice, but it's nice to have someone who can also keep up in a race.

Three Of Your Favourite Hobbies:
1.) Comics.  Need I say more?
2.) I play the guitar, and that gets me girls…sometimes.  It's fun too.
3.) Skateboarding in questionable places.

Three Things You Want To Do Really Badly Right Now:
1.) Sleep.  I was up all night cataloguing crap at the store.
2.) Get a soda and watch reruns of TV shows that were on when my dad was my age.
3.) Friggin' sleep.

Three Careers You're Considering/You've Considered:
1.) Pharmacist
2.) Soldier
3.) Green Lantern

Three Places You Want To Go On Vacation:
1.) Canada.  Just because it's there.
2.) Disneyland, or any of its cousins.
3.) Hmmm  DISNEYLAND.  What tops that?

Three Kids' Names You Like:
1.) This is such a girly question.
2.)
3.) Jack.

Three Ways That You Are Stereotypically A Girl:
1.) I just answered that last question thing.
2.)
3.)

Three Ways That You Are Stereotypically A Boy:
1.) Do I need to pants myself?
2.) I carry a pocket knife.
3.) My best friend and I arm-wrestle over the lunch tab.

//

"I need a new bike wheel…"

"Why?  What's wrong with the old one?"

David held up the mangled frame, then tossed it into a corner.  He was literally up to his elbows in spare parts, and had been for an hour.  But even after all that time, he still wasn't sure how much was parts and how much was junk.

"You give up too easily," Jessie chided him.  She walked over to the corner and plucked the wheel off ground, then carried it back over.  They were in his garage—a rare occurrence—but she had already set up a small workplace.  "It just needs to be beaten back into shape."

"Wouldn't that be too much beating?"  He took the wheel from her, a belated gentleman, and set it down on the concrete.  "Metal has a limit."

Jessie picked up a hammer and stepped on the wheel, steadying it.  David moved back.  "I still say you give up too fast."  She swung the hammer, forcing the wheel to flatten from its moaning curve.

He winced with each blow, standing well out of the way, but all too aware of the lack of available space.  "We can't all be obsessive compulsive.  Pharmacies might have to lower their prices."

A few feet away, two fans whirred in concert, but their efforts were barely noticeable.  David's hair was almost curling in the oppressive heat, and he could feel fat drops of sweat dribbling down the dip of his nose.  He looked down and saw one slap the concrete.

The hammering stopped, and Jessie took a step back, one hand massaging her lower back.  "There.  That oughtta do it."

"Bravo."

"Would you like the invoice now or later?"

He wagged a finger at her, almost too hot to remember to wink.  "Careful with that.  One day I might forget you're joking."

"Who's joking?"

"You are, if you wanna live to your next birthday."

She just laughed.  Her shoulder jerked with the weight of the hammer as she let her arm relax.  "That's a long way away, you know?"

"Is it?"  David walked over to stand in front of one of the fans, scratching the back of his neck.  "It's not even a year from now."

"Yeah, but it's still eight months.  Eight months is forever."  Now that the bicycle wheel had been taken care of, Jessie was sifting through the parts pile and separating the useful from the junk.

A smile tugged at the corner of David's mouth.  "Forever goes on for a lot longer than eight months, kiddo."

"I know that."

"Then what's with the Eggplants routine?"

She stared at him.  He grinned.  The expression was intentionally contagious, just after she caught it, she looked away, grudging, but still infected.  "Okay, okay.  You'll just bring it up again if I don't ask.  What is an eggplant routine?"

"Eggplants.  They're some kind of performance art group in Germany, they talk about the future all the time."  He stepped away from the fan, fighting down chills.  "They call themselves a live webcomic.  I got an email from Leo—"

"Oh, Leo."  Abandoning the smile, Jessie tossed a broken doll back over her shoulder.  "You always talk about him."

"Funny, he says that when I talk about you."

"You're lying."

"No way.  I'm a crappy liar."

"Why don't I believe that?"

"Because I'm a crappy liar."  Crouching down at the edge of the changing scrap pile, David reached out to pick up an interesting, if disturbingly mysterious, object.  "These guys, the Eggplants.  They talk about the future as if it's a big fat guy who lives far away, and the only way to make him come out of his house is to leave offerings on his doorstep.  But the problem is that they don't really know where he lives, or what makes a good offering, so they bring in all kinds of weird crap, like dwarves and pickled eggs."

He looked up to see Jessie blinking, her brow furrowed in a dubious expression.

"What?"

She folded her arms.  "You are making this up."

"I'm not, I swear."  But he was grinning, and he knew it.  "Okay, maybe I'm adding a couple things.  But the part about time being a fat guy is true—in the show, I mean."

"Puts a new twist on the idea of Father Time."

"Yeah.  But I think I still prefer the one in The Silver Chair."

"The what?"

"Never mind.  What is this thing?"  He held up the mysterious object, then made a face when a small shower of rust flaked onto his arm.  "A toaster?"

Using both hands, Jessie took it from him, as delicately as though she were painting a balloon.  "It's a watchmaker's lathe.  What part of this looks like a toaster?"  She held it up so that her eyes peered disdainfully over it.

"I dunno, the long part?"

Her eyes flicked down at the lathe, then back up at him.

David chuckled and reached for another piece of scrap.
This is what I meant about everyone else being more complex than Jessie. The thing at the end was the most fun though. :D

I probably even contradicted myself somewhere herein, but I'm too tired to go back through and look.
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Twisted-Tree's avatar
Everytime I read one of these, now, it makes me want to try it. I'm mentally starting to answer them for one of my own ocs. :)