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2000-May-02, Tuesday
Application
2000-May-02, Tuesday 00:01CHARACTER INFO
Name: Billy Prior
Age: 25
Appearance: Young and physically fit, with pale skin, fair blond hair, light blue eyes.
Canon: The Regeneration Trilogy
Canon Point: following the events in The Ghost Road
History:
Content Warnings: child sexual abuse, child prostitution, war, war-related injuries, homophobia, mental illness, dissociative disorders, and death.
An only child born in the north of England, Prior was described by his parents as a "frail child." Suffering from severe asthma, he was coddled by his mother and mistreated by his father to the point of abuse. At a young age he witnessed multiple altercations between his parents which eventually led him to create an alternate personality — a fracture in his psyche — to cope with his anger and inability to put a stop to what he was seeing. (This personality is entirely divested from his primary personality and he remains largely unaware of the switch between the two parts of himself when it happens. It's not until decades later that its presence is revealed to him through a series of events that leads this alternate personality to reveal itself to Prior's doctor who corroborates its existence and presence.)
Being particularly intelligent, Prior is seen early on in his youth taking advantage of those taking advantage of him. For example, his relationship with the head of the local parish — Father Mackenzie — is "turned in his favor" by Prior eventually charging the priest for their sexual encounters thereby "inventing" prostitution in his own mind. It was a childish take on obvious and grotesque abuse, but something Prior somehow takes pride in even at the current time he's being taken from.
In school he was ostracized, mostly due to the way he was perceived as weak, and while he did not entirely lack friends, he wasn't considered overly social and often got into fights with other children. He typically lost these fights, and it wasn't until he received encouragement from his father to fight back that he succeeded in winning a schoolyard brawl. Unfortunately, he took things a bit too far, as those who snap often do, and nearly beat the other child to death, a fact that did not solidify his popularity in school by any means (but was noted to be the only time Prior's father had remarked on being proud of his son).
Following school, he briefly worked at the docks with his father — light office work due to the fear his asthma would get in the way — but when World War I began, he immediately felt the need to enlist despite his mother's concerns and his father's insistence that it "wasn't their war" (in this case referencing the fact that wars are created by people with power and money for reasons working class folks aren't privy, and therefore a fight that doesn't belong to the people actually tasked to fight it). Surprisingly enough, Prior is accepted despite his near-crippling asthma, and is one of the few working class individuals quickly worked up to the rank of officer.
During his first tour of duty, Prior is faced with a plethora of terrible sights and sounds — an erosion of the psyche, as it's deemed by his doctor — and it's during a particular bombing that he's faced with the utter decimation of a good number of men and suffers a breakdown that renders him psychosomatically mute. From there, he is sent to a hospital in Scotland called Craiglockhart to undergo evaluation as to whether or not he'll be fit to return to the war.
It's at his time at Craiglockhart that he meets Dr. Rivers, a psychiatrist working for the war department. Initially, Prior butts heads with Rivers; however, Rivers remains patient and vigilant, which leads to several breakthroughs. Prior eventually regains his ability to speak. It's explained that psychosomatic mutism is a trait more commonly attributed to officers and "the upper class," a fact that Prior takes personally as he consistently describes himself as "working class." Rivers goes further to tell Prior that the typical reason behind the sudden mutism is a desire to avoid "speaking out," typically against those in greater authority, such as those who waged the war in the first place.
It's also during this time that Prior meets Sarah Lumb, a young working class woman employed to make munitions for the war. They hit it off, so to speak, with Sarah being reminded of her late fiancé (killed in a gas attack) and Prior simply looking for someone to connect with (physically at first, and emotionally later). Lumb, along with Rivers, also helps Prior to cope with the war and his own perceived inadequacies.
Following these breakthroughs, Prior is asked to appear before a board to decide whether he's fit to return to duty. Despite his desire to return to the front, he's denied an opportunity to go back and ordered "home service" where he would continue to work for the military on the home front. This deeply saddens Prior to the point of tears as his dedication was to returning to the soldiers that he felt needed a "working class representative" like himself (although it's up for debate as to whether he preferred to go back simply to punish himself or for more altruistic reasons).
During his home service, Prior serves the Ministry of Munitions as a spy (for lack of a better word). He is charged with seeking out conscientious objectors and anti-war protestors, gathering evidence in order to jail them for what, at the time, was considered illegal.
Prior struggles with this concept greatly, and it becomes clear that throughout this time, his alternate personality is taking over more and more. This is when he becomes fully aware of its existence, and though the help of his friend and former doctor, Rivers, comes to realize that he is responsible for many things he was otherwise unaware, including sending several of his friends to prison for their anti-war rhetoric.
Desperate to return to action and relieve himself the unfortunate duties of home service, he petitions again for a board appearance. Due to the escalating tension and high death toll being experienced nearing the end of the war, Prior is approved to return to the front (much to his own relief and the chagrin of many others).
He says goodbye to Sarah — now his fiancée — in a startling dispassionate display, but says goodbye to Rivers in a more warm and open manner, agreeing to write, proving yet again that Prior is an enigma.
Once shipped out, he spends the rest of the war serving his men as a somewhat stoic father figure. He refuses to fraternize despite his broad proclivities towards both sexes, and acts as the necessary buffer between his soldiers and those who call the shots.
His last battle is the beginning of November, just days before the armistice is signed. Prior, along with what remains of his men, charge the line to lay duck bridges — portable modular bridges — to allow for more soldiers to pass through and seize the German stronghold. He is bombarded and succumbs to his wounds on the battlefield.
Name: Billy Prior
Age: 25
Appearance: Young and physically fit, with pale skin, fair blond hair, light blue eyes.
Canon: The Regeneration Trilogy
Canon Point: following the events in The Ghost Road
History:
Content Warnings: child sexual abuse, child prostitution, war, war-related injuries, homophobia, mental illness, dissociative disorders, and death.
An only child born in the north of England, Prior was described by his parents as a "frail child." Suffering from severe asthma, he was coddled by his mother and mistreated by his father to the point of abuse. At a young age he witnessed multiple altercations between his parents which eventually led him to create an alternate personality — a fracture in his psyche — to cope with his anger and inability to put a stop to what he was seeing. (This personality is entirely divested from his primary personality and he remains largely unaware of the switch between the two parts of himself when it happens. It's not until decades later that its presence is revealed to him through a series of events that leads this alternate personality to reveal itself to Prior's doctor who corroborates its existence and presence.)
Being particularly intelligent, Prior is seen early on in his youth taking advantage of those taking advantage of him. For example, his relationship with the head of the local parish — Father Mackenzie — is "turned in his favor" by Prior eventually charging the priest for their sexual encounters thereby "inventing" prostitution in his own mind. It was a childish take on obvious and grotesque abuse, but something Prior somehow takes pride in even at the current time he's being taken from.
In school he was ostracized, mostly due to the way he was perceived as weak, and while he did not entirely lack friends, he wasn't considered overly social and often got into fights with other children. He typically lost these fights, and it wasn't until he received encouragement from his father to fight back that he succeeded in winning a schoolyard brawl. Unfortunately, he took things a bit too far, as those who snap often do, and nearly beat the other child to death, a fact that did not solidify his popularity in school by any means (but was noted to be the only time Prior's father had remarked on being proud of his son).
Following school, he briefly worked at the docks with his father — light office work due to the fear his asthma would get in the way — but when World War I began, he immediately felt the need to enlist despite his mother's concerns and his father's insistence that it "wasn't their war" (in this case referencing the fact that wars are created by people with power and money for reasons working class folks aren't privy, and therefore a fight that doesn't belong to the people actually tasked to fight it). Surprisingly enough, Prior is accepted despite his near-crippling asthma, and is one of the few working class individuals quickly worked up to the rank of officer.
During his first tour of duty, Prior is faced with a plethora of terrible sights and sounds — an erosion of the psyche, as it's deemed by his doctor — and it's during a particular bombing that he's faced with the utter decimation of a good number of men and suffers a breakdown that renders him psychosomatically mute. From there, he is sent to a hospital in Scotland called Craiglockhart to undergo evaluation as to whether or not he'll be fit to return to the war.
It's at his time at Craiglockhart that he meets Dr. Rivers, a psychiatrist working for the war department. Initially, Prior butts heads with Rivers; however, Rivers remains patient and vigilant, which leads to several breakthroughs. Prior eventually regains his ability to speak. It's explained that psychosomatic mutism is a trait more commonly attributed to officers and "the upper class," a fact that Prior takes personally as he consistently describes himself as "working class." Rivers goes further to tell Prior that the typical reason behind the sudden mutism is a desire to avoid "speaking out," typically against those in greater authority, such as those who waged the war in the first place.
It's also during this time that Prior meets Sarah Lumb, a young working class woman employed to make munitions for the war. They hit it off, so to speak, with Sarah being reminded of her late fiancé (killed in a gas attack) and Prior simply looking for someone to connect with (physically at first, and emotionally later). Lumb, along with Rivers, also helps Prior to cope with the war and his own perceived inadequacies.
Following these breakthroughs, Prior is asked to appear before a board to decide whether he's fit to return to duty. Despite his desire to return to the front, he's denied an opportunity to go back and ordered "home service" where he would continue to work for the military on the home front. This deeply saddens Prior to the point of tears as his dedication was to returning to the soldiers that he felt needed a "working class representative" like himself (although it's up for debate as to whether he preferred to go back simply to punish himself or for more altruistic reasons).
During his home service, Prior serves the Ministry of Munitions as a spy (for lack of a better word). He is charged with seeking out conscientious objectors and anti-war protestors, gathering evidence in order to jail them for what, at the time, was considered illegal.
Prior struggles with this concept greatly, and it becomes clear that throughout this time, his alternate personality is taking over more and more. This is when he becomes fully aware of its existence, and though the help of his friend and former doctor, Rivers, comes to realize that he is responsible for many things he was otherwise unaware, including sending several of his friends to prison for their anti-war rhetoric.
Desperate to return to action and relieve himself the unfortunate duties of home service, he petitions again for a board appearance. Due to the escalating tension and high death toll being experienced nearing the end of the war, Prior is approved to return to the front (much to his own relief and the chagrin of many others).
He says goodbye to Sarah — now his fiancée — in a startling dispassionate display, but says goodbye to Rivers in a more warm and open manner, agreeing to write, proving yet again that Prior is an enigma.
Once shipped out, he spends the rest of the war serving his men as a somewhat stoic father figure. He refuses to fraternize despite his broad proclivities towards both sexes, and acts as the necessary buffer between his soldiers and those who call the shots.
His last battle is the beginning of November, just days before the armistice is signed. Prior, along with what remains of his men, charge the line to lay duck bridges — portable modular bridges — to allow for more soldiers to pass through and seize the German stronghold. He is bombarded and succumbs to his wounds on the battlefield.
How's My Driving?
2000-May-02, Tuesday 00:02Permissions
2000-May-02, Tuesday 00:03IN CHARACTER INFORMATION—
Physical Affection: Yes.
Physical Violence: Yes. Scrappy and likely won't back down even when out-classed.
Romance/Flirting: Yes. M/F and M/M.
Sexual Content: Yes. Possibly triggering sexual content is very likely. Check out my opt out if you want to avoid one or all potentially triggering content and/or avoid my character altogether.
Psychics/Telepathy: Yes. Prior has no defenses against psychics or telepaths, however he does have a separate personality that will likely cause some issues. Feel free to PM for a more complete picture of what your character may have to deal with.
Magic/Superpowers: Yes. Prior has no defenses against magic or superpowers.
Medical Information: Prior has suffered from PTSD (referred to as "shell shock" in his era), as well as psychosomatic mutism. He is severely asthmatic and is also diagnosed with a dissociative disorder.
Offensive Subjects/Triggers: religious insensitivity, child sexual abuse, child prostitution, war, war-related injuries, homophobia, mental illness, dissociative disorder(s), and death
OOC INFORMATION—
Backtagging: Yes.
Fourth Walling: Yes.
Threadhopping: Yes.
Offensive Subjects/Triggers: child abuse, images of Godzilla
Tagging Speed: Slow. I also phone tag almost exclusively, so I tend to default to prose, but will match format.
Thread Dropping: Totally okay! Hit me up if you want to handwave details.
Physical Affection: Yes.
Physical Violence: Yes. Scrappy and likely won't back down even when out-classed.
Romance/Flirting: Yes. M/F and M/M.
Sexual Content: Yes. Possibly triggering sexual content is very likely. Check out my opt out if you want to avoid one or all potentially triggering content and/or avoid my character altogether.
Psychics/Telepathy: Yes. Prior has no defenses against psychics or telepaths, however he does have a separate personality that will likely cause some issues. Feel free to PM for a more complete picture of what your character may have to deal with.
Magic/Superpowers: Yes. Prior has no defenses against magic or superpowers.
Medical Information: Prior has suffered from PTSD (referred to as "shell shock" in his era), as well as psychosomatic mutism. He is severely asthmatic and is also diagnosed with a dissociative disorder.
Offensive Subjects/Triggers: religious insensitivity, child sexual abuse, child prostitution, war, war-related injuries, homophobia, mental illness, dissociative disorder(s), and death
OOC INFORMATION—
Backtagging: Yes.
Fourth Walling: Yes.
Threadhopping: Yes.
Offensive Subjects/Triggers: child abuse, images of Godzilla
Tagging Speed: Slow. I also phone tag almost exclusively, so I tend to default to prose, but will match format.
Thread Dropping: Totally okay! Hit me up if you want to handwave details.
| You may also opt out of any or all of the following subjects that are more likely to come up: |
asphyxiation religious insensitivity child sexual abuse child prostitution death dissociative disorder(s) homophobia mental illness war war-related injuries |
I will do my best to avoid mentioning these items without warning or checking first, but if you find a subject I've referenced is offensive or triggering, please reach out to me so I can avoid mentioning it again and/or add appropriate warnings.