werepanther | ooc | Witches Reign Application

Character Name: Thomas "Tom" Bronson | Wildcat
Series: DC Comics
Gender: Male
Age & Canon Point: 21-22; after Justice Society of America #20
Requested Sponsor: N/A
Entry position (Cadet, SeeD, Instructor, other): Instructor
History: Overview of Tom

In-Game History: When Tom first arrived in Balamb Gardens, he was incredulous. What kind of strange world had he just walked into? It felt like some of the video games he'd played as a kid - and yeah, he totally called it World of Warcraft for the first couple of months - but once it was obvious that he couldn't go home, Tom threw himself into his new life. He never joined the Disciplinary Committee (it felt more like a pain in the neck than a group of heroes), but he kept himself active in the Triple Triad club and even tried to start a Boxing club - with little success, he might say - while he was a student at Garden.

Regardless, Tom was a well-respected student for strongly adhering to his ideals, even in a brand new world where he didn't know all the rules, and he graduated from Garden with high marks. (He may be a college dropout, but he does do well when he pays attention in school.)

Using his Weapons Specialist degree (Tom was specifically a "Weapon Specialist: Martial Arts" major), he successfully completed missions for SeeD in feline form and worked his way up from the bottom to acquire a decent reputation. However, after months in the field, Tom started to feel that perhaps fighting all the time - especially solo - wasn't the best fit for him. So he decided to call Headmaster Cid for a favor - maybe Tom could gain another degree at Garden and gain some more experience? Instead, Tom somehow ended up in a discussion about teaching. The old Boxing teacher was finally retiring, and well... they needed a new Boxer. Headmaster Cid knew that Tom's dad had been a heavyweight prizefighting champion, and Tom knew that they'd need a new teacher.

Tom secured a new job from the Headmaster, so back to Garden he would come... right after he spent a leisurely vacation in Trebia. (Un?)Fortunately for him, the school would come to him during his vacation. So much for a well-earned rest, huh?

Abilities & Physical Abnormalities: Tom's a metahuman (the DC Universe's word for people with superpowers) who can transform - at will - into a werepanther. As a werepanther, he has the following abilities:

Enhanced Strength, Agility, Speed, and Resistance: While he's nowhere near Superman's level, he's been shown to handle the impact of cars head-on... and he can take at least a few hits without passing out.
Enhanced Senses: He can see in the dark! Not to mention, he has the abilities of a cat (ie, better sense of taste/smell/hearing) in this form too. His vision also extends to infrared; he can see not only in the dark, but he can sense heat easily too.
He packs a mean punch. (His dad was the original Wildcat, a ridiculously powerful non-superpowered human.)
He has the typical flexibility of a cat; people've joked that Tom has nine lives just like his dad, but that one's just a manifestation of Tom's dexterity.
He can understand other cats! Fluent in Cat Language get! In exchange, dogs don't seem to like him as often as they used to...

(He can hold his alcohol like no other; and he was trained in self-defense prior to arriving in Garden. He's also dismal when it comes to finance, and he tends to be the master of the hideous pick-up line.)

Personality: Generally, Tom is a very easygoing and laidback guy. He loves life - even if it ripped his mother away from him - and acts like it. People are incredibly important to him, so he'll do anything to ensure that his teammates, family, and allies are unharmed in battle. He may still be a technical pacifist, but he will not hesitate to take someone down if threatened. That being said, he's also normally the guy who'll try to keep the peace and "lay down the law" if people're being too rowdy.

He's polite to his elders - and his own father, oddly enough - to a certain extent. Tom respects figures of authority and knows when someone's better-suited to a leadership position. He automatically defers to others (and he even admits it!), so he doesn't often take charge. When he does, he's not a bad leader - and he's pretty good at it - but he's so used to older and wiser people assuming the reins that he's actually insulted when people insinuate he's an old man. (The original Green Lantern - the one that fought the Nazis in the 1940's! - is one of his leaders, after all.)

That being said, Tom's laidback demeanor hides his clinical depression. It's not as bad as it used to be, but he became addicted to alcohol and tobacco after his mother's death - and while he still loves life, he still can't stop the cravings for the occasional smoke. (He tries to tone it down in front of the kids-- and he definitely doesn't smoke in front of little ones. Still, he manages to go through two packs a day.) His year in Garden didn't change this addiction; it only made it the "not-secret" of the Garden. They did manage to cure him of his alcoholism - thank god - but the smoking still remains to this day. Tom, to his credit, keeps it under control, but a particularly striking loss or other sudden events could bring his addiction back to square one.

Like every adult, Tom tries to take responsibility. He acts like a big brother to Maxine, Courtney, and the other youngsters on the JSA. His superhero team isn't just a team: it's a family. Despite their awkward moments and insistence on "the family that fights together stays together," Tom strives to re-create that environment in his new world. (He doesn't want to admit it, but the JSA was his strongest support system... and without them, he felt incredibly lost.)

He's also slightly cynical. It's not obvious or apparent, but Tom can make wisecracks like most other people, and does he make them often! He doesn't purposefully try to belittle people - in fact, he usually makes jokes to tease people (him calling Power Girl, another leader, "Mom" comes to mind) and lighten the mood - but he does have a slight biting wit that can cause people to wince occasionally.

He does have his weaknesses - he loves Ma Hunkel's cooking more than anything - but most of them are in the form of his actual vices. However, Tom really is a "good guy." He follows nearly every other rule, and has a respect for authority when necessary. He's just been thrust into a situation where he's the one in charge - a weird enough concept for him - and instead of blindly leading people, he wants to stop and think about the consequences first.

In short? Tom may seem like a loitering, drinking and smoking hooligan, but he's really one of the nicest - if not cuddliest when in cat form - people you could ever meet. (He just smells too much like smoke for most people to notice initially.)

What are your plans for the character in-game? Besides being a Boxing teacher? I want Tom to get into hilarious situations where he has to lecture kids against the dangers of drinking and smoking (because uh, Tom is sorta-kinda an alcoholic AND a chain smoker; what a brilliant combo) and just... derp his way around. 8D It'll be awesome.
Anything else? His age actually calculates the year he spent in Garden: when he first arrived, he was actually 21 years old. (I'm sorry for not making it clear earlier! I just figured it was easier to add the year from the beginning.)

i) IC Questionnaire
What do you prefer to be known as?
Tom Bronson, thanks.
How old are you?
I'm 22.
Do you have any history in combat?
Some: I've defended myself when I've absolutely had to. My dad's also a boxer, so I've had plenty of lessons.
If so, have you ever killed?
That's just.... man, no. I can't imagine ever doing something like that.
i) How do you feel when you get involved in some project that calls for immediate and rapid activity?
Great! Sometimes overwhelmed, but that's been my life for the past couple of years, and the adrenaline rush that usually follows's been pretty fun.
ii) Do you organize and initiate leisure activities?
Not... always? I go with the flow, so I'll usually let my friends organize whatever we're doing and I'll just go along with them.
iii) What role do you take when working in a group?
I'm usually a follower. Someone else takes charge - thank god - and I'll be the one who carries out their orders and makes sure the order sounds right in the first place.
iv) How talkative are you around other people?
I'd say pretty talkative! I like hanging out with people, so it's never been that much of an issue. It's only been tough when like, someone tries to force "quality bonding time." Seriously? What kind of lame joke is that?
v) What three things would you want to have with you on a desert island? State your reasoning.
A compass, a case of beer, and a fully-functioning rowboat. [sheepish grin] You never said if I had to stay on the deserted island, so I'd bring something to get me back to civilization as soon as possible.
vi) Is it important to be liked by a wide range of people?
I'd say so. Variety is the spice of life, as Mom'd used to say. If you only hang out with people who're like you, then well... you're not gonna get much outta life.
vii) When the odds are against you, is it worth taking a chance?
Oh yeah. The more odds that're stacked up, the harder they'll all fall when we - or I, in this case - will prove them wrong.
viii) Do you consider yourself to be an impulsive person?
Sure. I don't always plan things - and God knows I leave SO much out - enough to consider myself a "OCD planner," so I'll buy into that idea.
ix) Would you agree that planning things ahead takes the fun out of life?
Ehhh... I wouldn't agree, but I wouldn't disagree either. Some people that were on my team back home planned, planned, planned, and it worked out for them; it also works for people who don't plan. So basically... if we just do what works for us, the fun'll naturally come.
x) Do you like surprises?
Depends on the surprise and your definition of it. [snorts] Some're definitely better than others!
xi) Do you sometimes wonder if there is something wrong with you?
[he has to laugh at that] All the time. Hasn't everyone felt like that at some point in his life? Whether or not he's the abnormal one while everyone else is perfectly ordinary? It sucks, but... you've just gotta learn to deal with it and move onto something better.
xii) Do you consider yourself to be smarter than your superiors, and disagree with their decisions?
Not always. Sometimes, Dad'll be really stupid - he was convinced that some guy named Magog was going to take over the world - and I'll butt heads with him over it, but he's also pretty smart sometimes. I don't consider myself "smarter," but I won't hesitate to say something if they're acting dumb.
xiii) Lastly, how do you feel about cabbages?
.... Please tell me you're kidding. I'm not being Punked, right?

iv) Thread Link
In Which Tom Gets Escorted Out of Hot Topic.