Travis Vincent Hetfield-Carr

[Travis Hetfield-Carr]

NAME: Travis Vincent Hetfield-Carr
NICKNAME:
AGE: 22
GENDER: Male
ORIENTATION: Heterosexual
POSITION: Computer Technician Intern (while finishing his degree in IT at the Academy)
FACE CLAIM: Brendon Urie

POWER:
Ambiguous Animal Shifting
Travis is, in the simplest terms, and animal shape shifter. That is, he's capable of changing his human form into that of an animal. This is, however, only scratching the surface of Travis' curious power. To date, Travis and his Academy trainers have identified six animals in which he's changed shape into. Unfortunately, Travis will forever be incapable of choosing which form he takes. He can merely instigate the change, he does not determine where it goes from there. It seems Travis is only able to take on forms of the rodentia order. His recorded forms, so far, are a golden-mantled ground squirrel, the common house mouse, a springhare, a common hamster, an Eastern chipmunk and, the black tail prairie dog.

Limitations
Travis power comes with many limitations, each, on their own, can lay claim to being the largest detractor of the ability. First, Travis can not in anyway determine which form he takes regardless of situation. He can shift at will and has, with years of training, been able to keep the pain and discomfort to a minimum, but will never be able to choose the end result. It's seemingly at random, with no form appearing more than the others.

Secondly, every form Travis takes is an extremely young version of that animal. He's yet to shift into anything even closely resembling an adult animal. His forms are very tiny, fragile, and largely lacking in the precise motor functions of their adult counterparts. This makes Travis very vulnerable to injuries from being stepped on or mishandled by drunken colleagues. On more than one occasion, Travis ended up in a friend's backpack and taken for a ride. Any injuries sustained while in any form, obviously, carry on to the next.

Due to the immature age of Travis' forms, they are, in effect useless in many contexts. At best, Travis would be able to make an escape from danger as baby squirrels aren't typically known for their ferocity and hamsters, in spite of being adorable, rarely make news for being a danger to humans. Or, well, anything other than the occasional carrot stick.

Side-Effects
Shifting back to his human form is uncomfortable and takes a few hours of rest and stretching to fully remove the affects. His joints remain stiff, his vision a blurry, his thoughts fogged. He's usually disoriented for the first few minutes of the shift as his brain begins to operate with its higher functions and the world becomes much smaller than it had probably been previously.

If feeling especially rowdy and Travis shifts more than a couple times within a 24 hour period, he tends to grow fatigued quickly and almost enter into a semi-drunk state as his brain struggles to acclimate itself with the drastically different methods of processing information between forms.

Even when not shifting, Travis is prone to joint and tendon stiffness and has to maintain an aggressive stretching regimen to stave off the affects. If he fails to do so, and misses more than a handful of days a week, his entire body will begin to ache and he'll (as he's done in the past) be force to take pain medication in order so he can loosen himself up properly over the next few days.


Recording taken from interview for Kalispell Times-Review article 'Spotlight: Local Musicians Making Good'.

“So you want to know where I came from? Oh, you mean the story of how I got here? Yeah, alright. You're gonna be disappointed, man. There's not much to tell but here goes.

“I grew up in a small town in California called Hollywood. You probably never heard of it. It was cool, though, I couldn't complain. We didn't have the typical family, you know, white picket fence, two-point four kids, all that, but we did alright. My brothers and sisters and I split time between our parents' houses and that could've been rough because it was obvious they hated each other. The temperature in any room they were in would instantly drop. Thankfully, they kept us kids out of all the bullshit, and that was huge, you know? They'd fight with each other, but not around us. I guess it was as good an arrangement as any.

“I was twelve when I found out I wasn't right. I hear it's a traumatic experience for some kids, like, blowing shit up or something out of nowhere, but I dunno. It really wasn't so bad for me. I mean, hell, man, I change into fucking puppies and kittens and shit. The bulk of my training at the Academy was just so I didn't wake up in the middle of the night, not being able to breathe because I shifted into some weird, fish looking thing without realizing it. Overall, it was cool, being at the Academy. Never really had any problems with the students or teachers, hell, it beat public school in California.

“The best thing about going to Bellefonte? Yeah, that was the music program. I've been playing anything I could get my hands on since I was a little kid so to be able to come here and be able to not just improve my talent level, but to collaborate with some of the badass kids and teachers that are around here? Man, it was something else. That's probably why I ended up sticking around. It may not look it, but there's a pretty damn vibrant music scene in the area and I think it's all because of that big place up on the hill.

“What? No, you're crazy, man. I don't have a life without music. Never have and never will. Music is just a versatile method of expression. It's aggressive, it's sensitive, it's playful, it's serious. It's everything and nothing. A song can move you to tears, or just be something that's playing while you're knocking down shots or blazing up with friends. Whether the message is poignant and thoughtful, or basic and goofy, every song says something and that's what it's all about.

“Oh? That? Yeah, that's exactly what it looks like. That is, in fact a blanket fort in my room. I get asked that a lot. Well, come along, let's go inside and I'll tell you all about it. See, when I look at the previous generation, and even a lot of my own, I see people trying desperately to hold onto this facade of maturity and acting like an adult. Life sucks, then you die, yeah, I get it. As we get older we're all supposed to put away the toys, stop watching cartoons, fix our hair, put on our work clothes and enter out into the world to be a productive, mature member of society. That's all fine and great if that's what you're all about, I'm not gonna judge. But for me? I feel when you lose the capacity to look at the world with that childlike wonder that made things so great as a kid, that's when you lose the game of life, my friend. When did it become wrong to get excited that your favorite show just got renewed? Why aren't we allowed to keep getting that same thrill when your favorite song comes over the radio? Why, can't I find enjoyment in Batman: the Animated Series? I take care of my rent and bills, just like everyone else. When I'm at work or in class, I'm professional and carry myself as I'm supposed to. But what the hell is wrong with paying my bills or filing my taxes from inside a blanket fort?

“Alright, I know, I got a little ranty there. Don't worry, I'm off my soapbox now. But you asked, you should be prepared for the answer. What else ya got? You guys always have to end with that one, don't you? Alright, where do I see myself in ten years? Don't have a clue. Don't really care. As long as what I've got is working, why change it? I've almost got my Bachelor's degree from the Academy where I also scored a paid internship in the IT department, I play music at nights and on the weekends, hell, I've got a pretty good gig going here. I might get a bug up my ass one day and move on but it's pointless to think about it at this point. It's best to just go through life and find whatever, or whoever, you can to connect with, even just for a moment. Because that's all life really is, a serious of moments.”


SAMPLE: See: Any of my other creations.

USERNAME: Puppy

AGE GROUP: Ancient. I am Pupthulu.

EXPERIENCE: Too long.

WHERE DID YOU FIND US? Found by Mel in a dumpster behind a Taco Bell (what she was doing in a dumpster behind Taco Bell I'll never know)

Template made by MEL, inspired by NU

[Mel *]

If you don't know what to do by now, I'll have to spank you with my ruler and give you a stern look.