hnnrgh | the_devils

Entry tags:

the_devils_see

P L A Y E R
☓ Name: CAPS
☓ Personal journal:

puzzley
☓ Age: 17
☓ Other characters in The Devils See: -
☓ Email: deathbybrawl@yahoo.com
☓ AIM/MSN/Yahoo! Messenger: MA YO NAI SU (aim)

C H A R A C T E R
☓ Name: Bart "Impulse" Allen
☓ Series: DC COMICS
☓ Reference:
☓ Canon point:
☓ Age:

☓ Personality:
☓ Abilities:
☓ Weaknesses:
☓ Strengths:

☓ Intranet post sample:
☓ Log post sample:

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

☓ Name: Bart "Impulse" Allen
☓ Series: DC COMICS
☓ Reference:
001. DC Wikia (http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Bartholomew_Allen_II_(New_Earth))
002. Hyperborea (http://www.hyperborea.org/flash/bart.html)
003. Comic Book Database (http://www.comicbookdb.com/character.php?ID=54)

☓ Canon point: Impulse #69, Young Justice #28
☓ Age: Chronologically about 4, but looks 14.

Edited 2011-03-10 09:36 (UTC)

X Background.

See those tiny text up there? I know what you were thinking when you read them, "Chronologically 4?! You have got to be kidding me!" Rest assured it's neither a typo nor an attempt at trolling. It's very much the truth. You see, Bart Allen isn't exactly your normal 9th grader.

In fact, 'normal' is quite the understatement. (Though he might tell you otherwise.)

Born in the 30th century, Bart is the latest addition to the Flash family; A group of superheroes capable of running at speeds far greater than the speed of sound. He inherited his connection to the mythical Speed Force directly from his grandfather Barry Allen, the Silver-Age Flash, who had traveled to the future to be reunitied with his wife. It's a really long story, so I'll cut it short. Generally, this power turned out to be more of a curse than a gift.

You see, though high-speed sounds like a pretty good deal, there are times when it is just not what it's cut out to be. With speed comes hypermetabolism, with hypermetabolism comes a hyperaccelerated growth rate, and with hyperaccelerated growth comes premature death. Most speedsters can control their hypermetabolism, but it would take training and concentration; Bart was only an infant at that time. At a chronological and mental age of 2, he looked physically 12; And his family could only watch him solemnly with the knowledge that his boy was going to die of old-age before even graduating.

A few years after his birth, Bart was taken by the Earthgov President, Thaddeus Thawne, who sought to observe his powers and perhaps destroy the Allen lineage by crafting Bart's mindset and personality in his favor. Because Bart was growing at an incredibly fast rate, he could not survive in the real world. He was not getting mental stimulation at the pace he needed, and would most likely go insane. As such, Earthgov scientists planted him in a Virtual Reality chamber, feeding him life experiences and skills at a pace that synchronized with his growth rate. It became increasingly clear to Bart's grandmother Iris West, however, that these scientists had no intention of actually saving his life. Their job was to observe, and only observe. Her grandson was still going to die, only now an unfortunate lab experiment.

So, yeah, that's how Bart ended up in the 20th century. Iris broke him out of that chamber and brought him a millennium into the past; right to her nephew Wally, the current Flash, in hope that he could solve his problem. Wally, a speedster with years of field experience in his arsenal, forced Bart into an extreme burst of speed that shocked his system, rewiring it to age at a normal pace. There was another issue, though. Bart had nowhere to go. Legally speaking, he did not exist. He had no home, no friends and could not return to the 30th century because this chronological toddler was already very high on the 'Wanted' list. To assimilate him into the 20th century, Wally West used his many connections to set up identity papers. He sought out the help of Max Mercury, the Zen Master of Speed, to take Bart under his wing and care for him. Now, Bart lives in the quiet and, in Bart's opinion, exceedingly boring town of Manchester, Alabama and protects it under the (very precise) superhero mantle 'Impulse'.

X Personality

Imagine a world where every single mistake you make can be rectified by the simple flip of a switch. That's right: Accidentally get eaten by raptors in silly hats? No problem, just use your second life. Got your house burned down by a giant matchstick rebellion? It's all right, let's pretend it never happened. Lose an arm to fire-breathing centipede aliens? Just restart the game already.

Now imagine growing up in that world, then being thrown in the real world where the word 'consequence' actually means something. How would you turn out? There's no need to imagine, actually. Just take a look at Bart Allen - that's how you would turn out.

Edited 2011-03-10 04:43 (UTC)

Raised in a Virtual Reality chamber, Bart's not exactly an expert in distinguishing the imaginary from the genuine; particularly when it comes to life-threatening peril. He demonstrates - or rather, suffers from - a behavioural pattern Wally West likes to call the Single Synapse Disorder: Thought to deed in one nanosecond of a leap, possible consequences never crossing his mind. The moment he thinks, he does; whether it's running off before even knowing where he's supposed to go, employing the most unconventional methods to defeat his enemies or saying the darndest things that might nullify his struggling efforts to keep a secret identity. Sometimes it works out for him, sometimes it doesn't. And when you're a superhero, there's simply no room for such mistakes.

An inability to register 'danger' is not the only way his inherited power has shaped him. Bart is impatient; very, very impatient. He has to be repeatedly reminded to do things at a normal pace, otherwise he would be finished in less than a second with time for video games (And that wouldn't really help the secret identity thing, now would it?). His impatience is further evident in his inability to walk with normal people without complaining, or figure out just why fast food is 'fast'. This impatience, though not his best trait, is not unjustified, however. Bart, like many other speedsters, simply has a different perception of time. For example: To many of us, the ceiling lamp turns on at the flip of a switch. To Bart, however, it can take minutes or maybe hours if he's particularly in-tune with the Speed Force.

Bart is the poster-boy for ADHD. If you asked him what the word 'torture' meant to him, his immediate answer would be 'Keeping still and quiet'. When not under the pressure to keep his identity secret, Bart can be seen everywhere, trying out everything. Quite literally, too - if you don't have the eyes of a speedster. Concentrating on something is just something extremely hard for him. There are two possible reasons for this: One, being the fact that he may not take the task that seriously because it does not sink it as 'real' to him, and two, being the fact that his accelerated perception of time simply makes it slow and boring. Luckily for him, a dynamic job like crime-fighting does not need that much of an attention span. Now, if only high school could be the same. . .

At first glance, Bart looks like any normal teenager. He has a small stature, unruly brown hair, and big, innocent-looking golden eyes. He's quite a nice and easy-going guy - not one to hate someone or throw a tantrum over petty things. The way he speaks is very straightforward, honest and simple. The way he dresses reflects this as well, though he isn't above putting on the occasional disco outfit or dress if the situation calls for it. Despite being the most popular guy in his high school (a reputation he earned from being the most reckless, of course), he's not exactly a social butterfly. Unlike most teenagers, Bart does not actively seek a social life - he never had to in the VR chamber, after all. 'Making friends' was actually a task assigned to him by Max -- and one that, despite the lack of effort on his part, he eventually accomplished anyway. Even though he had to be asked to make friends, he truly does care about the ones he made - even the acquaintances. When Bart, as Impulse, learned that his friend Preston was being abused, he was ready to give up his secret identity and report the issue. He also kept his friend Rolly out of danger on multiple occasions.

Edited 2011-03-08 14:53 (UTC)

Bart's mindset can be compared to that of a child. He cannot quite grasp the deeper meaning of things yet, and may sometimes assume that he is being asked to do something for the sake of it. When the Principal called Bart in and told him to stay close to Preston (to look out for signs of abuse), Bart's immediate assumption was it was a trick, and that the Principal was asking him to make friends just like Max had. At times, Bart also does things to avoid punishment - not understanding the principle or reason behind them. The only reason Bart keeps his superhero alter ego secret is to avoid a punishment from Max. He does not realise that letting his secret out would put everyone he knows in jeopardy - not yet, anyway.

The closest person he has to a father is Max, his tutor. They have quite an odd, maybe snarky relationship. Bart infuriates Max by being impulsive, impatient and incapable of heeding his advice. Max infuriates Bart by making him do everything at a normal pace. Despite their occasional banter, Bart really looks up to Max and wants to do him proud. For example: When Inertia, Thaddeus Thawne, impersonated Bart and surpassed him in many aspects, Bart took the praise Max had given Thad as an indication that his own performance was a disappointment, and was pretty down as a result. However, after Bart saved his life and Max gave him heartfelt praise of his own, Bart perked up and consciously tried to improve his performance to live up to it.

When Bart truly gets serious, he becomes able to overcome his many flaws and work toward his desired outcome. This is especially true when a loved one is in danger - his determination becomes so strong that he would sacrifice his own life if need be. Bart did just that to save the then frail and wasting Max. It could be said that the realisation that his tutor could actually die, that there was no 'second life' or 'restart' for him this time, finally sunk in - and for the first time, Bart focused. Without a care for his own life or a distraction in his mind, he braved the Speed Storms and brought Max to the Speed Force where his body would be renewed.

Edited 2011-03-09 17:40 (UTC)

☓ Abilities:

✈Super Speed
Bart inherited an ability to tap into the Speed Force, and thus possesses an ability to move his limbs at superhuman speeds. This ability can be used in a variety of ways: Running, creating wind vortexes by moving in circles, creating air cushions by moving his legs, running on water and running up the sides of buildings.

✈Super Stamina
Bart's stamina recuperates at a superhuman speed, enabling him to run across countries at high speed without tiring.

✈Air Friction Reduction Aura
An aura surrounds him and protects him from the effects of friction when running at high speed. It can also protect him partially from weather conditions.

✈Molecular Control
Bart can control the vibration of his molecules, thus enabling him to vibrate himself and other things he's touching through solid objects. This ability can be used offensively to disintegrate organic material, but he has never used it that way.

✈Resistance to Time Alteration
As Bart's existence is a paradox (Bart is living in a timeframe where his parents have not met), he is thus resistant to any changes in the timestream.

✈Others
Bart is also bilingual (Speaking both English and Interlac, the designated communication language of the 30th century.), can draw, pick locks, kick butt at any form of video game, speed-read and speed-write.

☓ Weaknesses:

✈PHYSICAL
Bart has the physique of a toned teenage boy. His physical strength is average, and if he is unable to evade an attack or vibrate through it, he can be fatally injured. Bart is also unable to run on slippery surfaces such as ice.

✈EMOTIONAL/MENTAL
Bart is, as mentioned many times before, impulsive. He will rush into the scene without a strategy and do the first thing that comes to his mind - usually something you would never expect to see a superhero doing. He is also easily distracted, so orders and advice, especially if long-winded, devolve into a continuous loop of 'blah blah blah' in his head. He is . . . not too terribly good at keeping his alter ego a secret; sometimes disappearing and appearing as Impulse without thinking about how it would look to the people around him, and other times even blurting out the big secret before he can shut his own mouth. Bart is still emotionally immature, thus romance can be very shocking or confusing to him - particularly if he's not 'interested' himself. This was evident when Arrowette, Bart's teammate, gave Bart a fake confession that shocked him (with intended results) from an unstable vibrational frequency to normalcy. This is also evident in his confused and uncomfortable reactions to his schoolmate Ayana, who quite clearly has a crush on him.

☓ Strengths:
✈PHYSICAL
Most of his physical strengths have already been mentioned in the abilities section. Besides super speed and the other accompanied powers, he has as much strength as a normal human who engages in regular exercise.

✈EMOTIONAL/MENTAL
Having a single-synapse brain does have its perks: Bart is close to fearless. When danger does not even register, how can there be fear? Close to nothing phases him. Not dinosaurs, not monsters, and definitely not super-villains. His super-speed (when allowed to use it) enables him to learn things at an accelerated rate. He can pick skills up very quickly through hyper-speed trial and error, and pick up knowledge just as quickly if he's interested. Mindgames don't work on him, because he's a simple-minded person. For example: When The Riddler planted bombs in Manchester, he gave Bart riddles to solve in order to find them. Bart, however, simply searched the entire vicinity in super speed and removed them himself.

Edited 2011-03-09 16:43 (UTC)

Come on, come on! Cripes, can this thing be any slower?

Finally. Hey, is anyone out there? What's with this place?!

Edited 2011-03-10 09:33 (UTC)

Bart didn't think.

Make no mistake, he had more than enough chances to turn back. The moment he stepped onto those inviting waters, he felt his arm grasped - like one would grasp another stepping over the edge to suicide - and pulled back. A fisherman, one of the locals, with eyes so wide and pupils so dilated. That fisherman fought hard to convey a warning to him, using gesture after gesture to beat the language barrier, but to no avail. A raised eyebrow, a crinkle of the nose, an expression of bewilderment -

"Huh?"

And that warning was brushed off. Bart did not know why he was so drawn to this sea. He never had any particular fascination with water; in fact, he rarely went swimming at all. It was almost as if the command, the urge, was planted into him supernaturally. He did not question it, though. Bart Allen - 'Impulse' - isn't the type to stop and contemplate over his own motives. When he wants to do something, he just does it. Right knee flexed, left knee extended behind it; and he was off. Not unlike the Basiliscus lizard, speedsters have an uncanny ability to run on water. It's not rocket science, really. When you're running at 770mph, gravity just doesn't have the chance to catch up.

At least, that's how it's supposed to work. That's how it's been all Bart's life. So, why -- Why was water starting to gather his ankles? Why did each step seem heavier and heavier? How did the water climb up to his knees? It didn't take Bart long to figure out. Speedsters have a sort of intuition when it comes to the Speed Force, you see. When they start to decelerate, when the Speed Force becomes harder and harder to tap into; they know. Bart was losing his speed, and fast.

Bart didn't think. So now he is drowning.

Gravity plunged Bart into the cold waters, cruelly holding him down as he struggled to lift his head above the surface. On regular days, he would simply propel himself upward by kicking his feet - but today was different. Every attempt to kick or flail was futile - as if an invisible force was dragging him downward. Bart clamped a hand over his nose to prevent water from rushing into his lungs, but his lungs repaid by fighting to breathe - building up what felt like an unbearable pressure in his chest. It was under this pressure, this searing pain in his chest, that Bart realised: He actually might die.

That was a thought that rarely ever occurred to him, but given the situation, it seemed all too real. So this was why so many people in the past have urged him to think things through. So this was what they were trying to prevent.

As his eyelids became heavy, and the dark closed in, Bart had one thing to say to someone, 'Sorry Max.'

Edited 2011-03-09 17:41 (UTC)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

the_devils_see

CHARACTER

PERSONALITY

Re: PERSONALITY

Re: PERSONALITY

Re: PERSONALITY

ABILITIES/WEAKNESSES/STRENGTHS

INTRANET POST SAMPLE

Re: INTRANET POST SAMPLE

LOG POST SAMPLE

Re: LOG POST SAMPLE