Mindwyrm
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| Mindwyrm | |
| Player: @Mindwyrm | |
| Origin: | Science/Incarnate |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Dominator/Scrapper |
| Security Level: | 50 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Alyssia Torlaw |
| Known Aliases: | Mindwyrm, Wyrm, Bladewyrm |
| Species: | Human (Mutate) |
| Age: | 26 |
| Height: | 4'4" |
| Weight: | 61.2lbs |
| Eye Color: | Orange |
| Hair Color: | Red |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | 'Student |
| Place of Birth: | Marion, OH |
| Base of Operations: | Columbus, OH |
| Marital Status: | Unmarried |
| Known Relatives: | Unknown |
| Known Powers | |
| Mind Control, Telekinesis, Radioactive Adaptation, Invisibility, Blessing of Echidna | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Above-Average Intelligence, High-school Diploma | |
| Equipment | |
| Implanted PSI-Booster, Blood of Echidna, Z-P Combat Suit, licensed firearm | |
| No additional information available. | |
Initial Thoughts
Sometimes even meta-humans are just trying to get by. Alyssia Torlaw, better known as the 'supervillain' Mindwyrm is a perfect example. A mutate who was lucky enough to come away from a radioactive brawl with psionic powers instead of cancer, and unlucky enough to come away from the ordeal with scales and a tail, Alyssia found herself thrust into the world of superpowers with little preparation, and while her first plan may have been to sign on as a hero, an unfortunate incident at the recruiter's office left her both disillusioned and unqualified. Still, life in the city was far from free, and with her powers, it wasn't long before she took a less legal approach to paying off her growing debts. That was her start, but through a combination of the right friends, the right thefts, and the right application of her psychic abilities, she's since grown into quite the capable, if illegally independent, super. Just a shame about the criminal record she built up along the way. And with the realization that her every action had pulled her further away from the life she actually wanted, she found herself faced with a problem she was ill-equipped to handle alone. With all the bridges she's burnt over her career, would she truly be able to turn things around?
Mindwyrm, Herself
Alyssia Torlaw is a short, scaled, psionic mutate. Physically, she's not very imposing at all, measuring a little above four feet. She's light, rather flexible, and has a bright glow to her eyes, hands, and tail. As far as unassisted physical powers go, though, the best she can claim is that she's got a minor healing factor, and that she's got the physical capabilities of a literal gecko. Psychically, however, she's a powerhouse. Telepathic, telekinetic, her mind can act on the world in VERY direct fashions. Her body has also adapted to most forms of radiation in a relatively positive way, able to use it to harden her scales, and vastly accelerate her healing factor.
Personality-wise, she's a generally affable, if somewhat shy sort. She's curious to a fault, inquisitive to sate that curiosity, and a repository of information that often holds very little actual value to anyone around her. She loves to gossip, and takes a secret thrill in anything she can find out about someone without the use of her powers. She has hobbies, and, aside from a love of superhero TTGs, she'll tell you all about them if you give her the chance. At the end of the day, she's a dorky city girl at heart, and she's slowly been coming to the realization that she hasn't changed as much as she thought, even with the scales.
Early Life
Born in Marion, OH on August, 24, 1997, the world of superheroes was a distant dream for a young Alyssia Torlaw. With her father working in a washing machine factory, and her mother working on call at a service center, she had few expectations of life, and life had few expectations of her. Her early life wasn't the most notable. She went to school, where she was considered a gifted, (if unfocused), student, spent a good deal of time at the park, and an almost excessive amount of time at a quiet arcade. At the age of twelve, she moved to Columbus to live with her grandfather, in the hopes that she might get a head start on a scholarship for OSU. With an easier time finding friends that shared her hobbies, and her grandfather's encouragement, she was well set for a quiet, happy life. She even got an autograph from her favorite local superhero! Sure, he was also one of the only in her area, but does that make it any less special? She didn't think so!
In high school, she joined a local club called the 'Paragon Champions'. A bunch of kids playing tabletop games starring their favorite heroes, and even printing comic books starring their own original characters. She worked her way into advanced placement, with a particular love for Advanced Biology, and a teacher who was all too happy to encourage her to prep for a Biomedical Engineering program. And after graduating from high school, she had a few months of vacation before she would start her first year at college. Her grandfather, proud of her progress, decided to surprise her and a few of her friends with a trip to Paragon City as a graduation present. And with the chance to see the world of heroes in person, even if for a few months, how could she be anything but excited?
The Incident
At first, the reality of superheroes lived up to Alyssia's dreams. Her and her friends managed to collect no small amount of autographs, and meeting their favorite heroes. But when a meet and greet with the hero Atom Splitter, a radioactive swordsman, was interrupted by a supervillain seeking easy hostages, her friends ended up captured. And though Atom Splitter was able to save them, an unfortunate Alyssia was used as a human shield. And while she wasn't directly harmed, the up-close exposure to Atom's radioactive blade left her sick. Insurance paid out, though, and hey! They got out with their lives, and even a special piece of memorabilia from Atom Splitter himself. A thrilling end to the vacation, right?
At first, her symptoms seemed like normal radiation poisoning. Treatable, if a little rough on the body. Sure, she was losing hair in some places, but her doctors assured her she'd make a swift recovery. But as her condition worsened, her symptoms became far more abnormal. Skin flaking away to reveal scales, irregular growths on her legs and back, and the loss of far more weight than was predicted... But nothing she couldn't eventually recover from, right? She kept telling herself that even after the doctors themselves seemed to lose hope. And then she started to get better. The symptoms stayed, and the woman herself had seemingly 'devolved' into a more reptilian form about half her height, but she was starting to feel fine. She even had a brief surge of hope. Her mutations were clearly not normal, so, just maybe, she had walked away from the mishap with actual superpowers?
Early Career
It was hope she'd keep with her for some time yet. Sure, what 'powers' she could find were fairly lackluster, and sure, since her alteration, people had less than charitable things to say about her and her ambitions, but she had a plan all the same. Due to her new lizard-like state, she planned on taking on the theme of a komodo dragon, arming herself with a dart gun complete with home-made tranquilizers, and calling herself 'Toxic Dragon'. Finally, the time came to sign on with the FBSA.
To say it was a disaster would be an understatement. A confused recruiter seemed to alternate between encouragement and utterly tearing apart her concept, her 'powers', and her chances of survival. He even had the gall to call her crazy and to claim that he had never even said these things. Alas, she ended up fleeing the office before things could be cleared up. And having spent the last of her insurance claim on this attempt to make the best of her situation, she was left in a desperate state, and a direly irrational mindset. And in that mindset, she ended up taking yet more drastic actions. And while she eventually came to the realization that she was hearing the thoughts of those around her, and worse, even influencing them... The damage was done, and the would-be hero had earned herself no few petty crimes for her record, including a robbery of one of Atlas Park's own banks. With little else to do, and the feeling she had already ruined any chance of doing better, she took up the name of Mindwyrm... And started her career as a psychic supervillain proper.