Taylor Brennan

[Taylor McCarthy]

NAME: Taylor Monroe Brennan
NICKNAME: n/a
AGE: 19
GENDER: Male
ORIENTATION: Heterosexual
POSITION: College Student
FACE CLAIM: Josh Bowman

POWER:

Super Agility and Heightened Reaction Time
Taylor is, to put it simply, capable of athletic feats centering around quickness, agility, and precision beyond that of a normal human.  While not any stronger than a human in good physical condition, Taylor has topped a foot speed of over 40 mph, logged a 57 inch standing vertical leap and a plus 17-foot broad jump, and recorded a 2.8 second 40-yard dash time.

Furthermore, Taylor's hand-eye coordination enables him to perform tasks of manual dexterity with remarkable efficiency.  He's shown to be adept at sewing (a hobby he picked up when he was 16), and is an avid card player well versed in tricks utilizing sleight of hand and subterfuge.

The second part of Taylor's mutation is an enhanced reaction time.  Taylor's mind is able to analyze and process information much faster than a normal human.  This allows Taylor to remain calm and stoic even under extreme duress.  He's rarely, if ever, caught off guard and always seems to be one step ahead of everyone else, especially when this power is coupled with his physical traits.  With his body and mind able to move so quickly, Taylor is adept at avoiding danger so long as he can see it coming.


Limitations

- The enhanced athleticism only extends so far into the realm of pure strength and endurance.  While he's in stellar physical condition, he's not exceptionally powerful or tough.  He's just as susceptible to fatigue and injury (like from falling) as the next guy.

- Although it may seem as though he is reacting before something actually happens, Taylor doesn't posses a 'danger sense' or anything similar.  He's incapable of sensing anything through anything other than normal means.  For example:  If an object is thrown at him and he's not able to see it he can't react to it.

- The height of his power so far as been the capacity to dodge an arrow shot from a bow at a moderate distance.  He's nowhere near capable of dodging bullets and he doesn't wish to test this theory.


Side-Effects

- Because of the way Taylor's mind processes stimuli and information, he's prone to growing bored and restless.  He can typically keep this at bay while in class, but it's not uncommon to catch him doodling, daydreaming, or otherwise not paying attention to his instructor.  This condition manifests physically through severe insomnia.  Even now Taylor has trouble sleeping without making use of medication.

- With enhanced physical traits comes the need for enhanced nutrition.  Aside from eating notably more than the usual 19 year old, Taylor supplements his diet with a steady stream of protein shakes and nutrition bars.  He doesn't have to constantly eat, but going more than a few hours without some sort of viable sustenance causes headaches, dizziness, weakness and nausea.

- Much like a high performance super car just seems to crave being opened up and driven fast, so, too, does Taylor's body desire to be pushed to its limits.  Taylor is a gym rat simply because his enhanced body all but requires the attention.  If he goes more than a few days without at least a deep stretching session he's prone to joint and muscles stiffness, aches, and cramps.  Failing to stick to his strict physical training regimen also makes his body much more susceptible to injuries such as strains, sprains, and muscle tears.

* Recorded excerpt from behavioral assessment *
Subject: Taylor Brennan, age 15

"Mister Brennan has shown a remarkable aptitude for maintaining his calm under pressure, even at such a young age.  He's scored high marks in both practical applications of quick thinking, as well as timed testing.  Public speaking and social situations come naturally as indicated by high academic marks in projects centered around oral presentations or debates.  Furthermore, Mister Brennan's penchant for volunteering in on and off campus events displays an openness for new experiences.

However, this may be countered by constant feelings of restlessness and growing bored easily.  Mister Brennan requires a constant challenge in order to remain engaged in a given activity.  His academic record is clean, though, and he maintains an excellent habit of attendance and has yet to have been subjected to any formal disciplinary actions.  Interviews with his teachers and other staff indicate he's adjusted to Academy life well and since arriving two years ago as been a model student."

---

* In this clip from a school project focused upon students' perception of life philosophies, a well-built young man with dark hair and eyes who looks to be in his late teens sits in front of a camera.  He regards the audience with a calm, yet somewhat mischievous smirk before speaking *

"Sometimes I feel like the least high strung guy at the school.  That's not to say I don't care about anything, I do.  I care about a number of things but you'll just kill yourself if you let yourself get upset.  As I'm fond of saying, don't sweat the small stuff.  And everything is small stuff.  

Take me, for example, I was part of a junior track team when I was a kid.  It was fun, a lot of fun.  I liked the coach, the other kids, I'd always loved competing, but everything changed when I, a scrawny thirteen year old, ended up running the hundred meters in ten seconds flat.  That's hardly an Olympic record, but it's the kind of thing that stops a track meet so the officials can check to see if the clock malfunctioned.  At first it was cool, finding out I could do things most people couldn't, but it turned sour quickly when the recruiter came knocking three weeks later. I know I'm not the only one who didn't want to leave their family, and I'm thankful my powers didn't come out in a violent or painful way like so many others, but it was still hard.  Right then I decided I was going to accept life as it came and look at everything that happened as an experience and not allow myself to dwell on the negatives.

Really, though, it's not just about letting things get to you.  It goes beyond that.  I guess it comes down to understanding that you can dictate more of your life than most seem to realize.  I like to look at life as a series of experiences.  I'll do anything once, just so say I did it, and why not?  Having a closed mind destroys who we are by by inhibiting our actions, by inhibiting our decisions out of fear of some intangible societal expectations.  My advice to anyone is to take life as it comes.  To learn through trial and error what gives you satisfaction regardless of what you're told it should be.  To find something, or someone, you can connect with, even for a moment.  Because that's really all that life is.  It's a series of moments.  You have to seize yours."

* There's a bit of laughter from off camera.  Taylor merely grins and throws his hands up in a resigned shrug *

"Yeah, I got it from a movie.  But it doesn't make it any less true."

---

* Transcript of letter received in conjunction with official request for transfer form submitted on behalf of Taylor Brennan *

To Whom It May Concern,

In order to fully understand the reasons behind my formal request to transfer to Bellefonte Academy, one must understand the circumstances of my childhood.  It was about nine years ago, just after my tenth birthday, when I discovered one of the most dreadful secrets a child could.  I had been adopted.  I was shocked, as you could imagine, but in the end there was little I could do, nor did I blame my parents.  I was, and remain thankful for the life they gave me.  Growing up in Belfast, Ireland with a pair of hardworking, but loving parents and a close-knit family was something that many children aren't lucky enough to experience.

However, I always remained curious about the family I never knew.  As soon as I was able, I began to dig into my past in hopes of finding my birth parents.  It became a bit of an obsession of mine over the years.  I found myself latching onto the idea of having family somewhere out in the world that might, in some way, be thinking the same thing.  It may sound cliche, but it's true.  A few months ago I got a lead and learned of a half-brother who is attending Bellefonte Academy in the United States.  This, coupled with my desire to make use of the exceptional educational opportunities available had prompted my request for transfer.

I hope you'll take my request under consideration and look forward to your final judgement on the matter. 


Thank you,

Taylor Brennan

SAMPLE: See:  Alexandra Lawson

USERNAME: Bards works

AGE GROUP: I'm legal in all 50 states

EXPERIENCE: A while

WHERE DID YOU FIND US? Pulled from the depths

Template made by MEL, inspired by NU

[Kam *]

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Be sure to do your CLAIMS and have fun!

[Taylor McCarthy]

NAME: Taylor Monroe McCarthy

NICKNAME: There was a time when he was referred to as "Corporal McCarthy" but those days are no more.

AGE: 23

ORIENTATION: Heterosexual

POSITION: Local - Private Security Contractor (Helios)



POWER: Taylor's physical gifts had been honed and refined by the nearly three years he's spent in the tough environment of the Irish Army.  His muscles are still prone to strain and damage if over exerted and the mental aspect of his power, while also increased in efficiency, remains susceptible to bouts of mental fatigue, vertigo and blackouts if used too much.





Taylor left Bellefonte under less than desirable circumstances.  Three years ago he was called back, all but forced to return home to Ireland where his adopted family still lived.  Almost immediately upon his arrival, as a sort of defiant gesture toward his father, Taylor enlisted in the Irish Army and changed his last name to McCarthy, his biological's father's name and that of the only blood relation he'd ever met.  The fiercely enforced disciplined served Taylor well as it taught him to slow himself down and make better use of his mental power while also taking advantage of his physical prowess.  He excelled as a soldier though always had trouble shedding his lax morals and penchant for mischief.  He lasted almost three years in the Irish infantry before being 'separated' from the military for a series of incidents of poor conduct.

Having finally severed ties with his family, Taylor was free to return to the States after his enlistment was terminated and opted to do so when he accepted a position as a security operative with Helios Defense's all-mutant division stationed in Kalispell, Montana.  He's now returned to the place that had started to feel like home even though it's a completely different city then when he'd left.

The only family Taylor has kept in contact with throughout the years is his brother, Jack.  Taylor did what he could in supporting Jack while he endured his struggle with cancer from afar.  There were months in between correspondence but his little brother obviously grew to become incredibly important to him and he hoped, vice versa.