Name:Alec Holland
Alias:Swamp Thing
Origin:Boy Tsigane de la Louisiane (Gypsy Boy of Louisiana)Alec Holland was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was not planned. Alec’s mother and father were acts at a travelling carnival, they had zero notions of planting roots anywhere, they were gypsies and having a child was not what they wanted. However neither had it in them to abort the child, so on the morning of his birth, a child was placed on the edge of the bayou and left with only a name badge; Alec Holland. Found and raised by a swamp dwelling “witch”, Alec grew with very little contact with the outside world of the bayou other than from television or when his mother sent him out into the quarter to fetch her supplies. Over the years his face became known but not his name and in and around New Orleans, the blonde haired blue eyed rascal came to be known as “Boy Tsigane” or “Gypsy Boy”. Throughout his childhood, Alec began to have a fondness for plant life and nature. Being raised away from normal society was the catalyst for this love. Young Alec would spend hours upon hours in the swamp, unaware of how big a part it would play in his future.
Le lieu au-delà du Marais (The Place Beyond the Swamp)
(Alec Holland)A second love of young man’s life was his moto bike. Enamoured with everything from the sound of the engine to the touch of the steel on the body, he love dit wholeheartedly. When his mother was dying of cancer, she often told stories to Alec of when she was a young girl about how one night during a massive thunder storm, she got caught out in it and became lost. Alone and frightened, she saw a light and followed to « a place beyond the swamp. A magical, wonderful place » she hoped that Alec would find his way there one day. Upon her death, seventeen year old Alec climbed onto his bike and took off. The Bayou wasn’t the place for him anymore.
After touring the country on his bike, Alec finally decided to turn his love of nature into a career, becoming an enviormental expert, mountaineer and explorer. Alec travelled not only the USA but the world, taking his bike with him wherever he could (except when he climbed the likes of Everest aged just 19). He had become the Gypsy Boy once more.
Racines de plantation (Planting Roots)
(Alec and Abigail)After several years of riding the roads, climbing mountains and traversing sees, Alec returned to Louisiana. Looking to relax after a few hectic years of extreme sports and normal adventures, he took a job as a gardener for the wealthy Arcane family. Alex thought it would be a relaxing gig. He only had to work a couple of hours every morning, then he could get on his bike and ride the roads at night. It was supposed to be relaxing but it was oh so far from it. Upon their first meeting, Alec did not trust his new boss Anton Arcane, he was for the lack of a better term « creepy little bastard » who had made a fortune out of science experiments. Two weeks after Alec started ,a second visitor arrived at the plantation, Abigail Arcane , Anton’s daughter. And thus of course, an ill fated romance began. One would not think that these two lovers were made for each other. Alec was a crude, rude and tattooed rider, Abby was a prim and proper princess. What drew the two together was their love of plant life, a love that evolved to one for each other. For them, it was like catching lightning in a bottle. The two eventually married and settled in a small cottage just outside the bayou where Alec had grown up. Not long after, Abby gave birth to a baby girl, Tefe.
La Mort de Alec Holland (The Death of Alec Holland)
(Alec, Abigail and Tefe, three hours before his death)With the birth of Tefe; everything seemed to be perfect for the new Holland family. Sadly, Anton Arcane had finally had enough of this outsider ruining his family, his life’s work. Anton had spent the better part of his life trying to tap into something called The Black; an elemental force strongly ascociated with decay, rot and death. Believing he had finally found a way to tap into the Black, Anton began machinations that change the course of fate forever. Asking his son William to take Abby and Tefe out for the night, Anton approached the Holland home in the dead of the evening and knocked on the door. When Alec opened, the elder Arcane shot the young gardener point blank in the chest. He then quickly doused the two of them in a formula of his own making and set the house ablaze. Both men were engulfed in fire and Anton could feel himself being pulled into the Black. Alec with what little strength he still had in his dying body, smashed Anton in the face with a framed picture of his young family and fled the house. His body still alight from Anton’s ritual, Alec fell into the nearby swamp and his heart beat its final beat.
L 'avatar du Vert (The Avatar of the Green)In the moment of his last breath, Alec awoke in an ethereal place, a green place. Was this The Place Beyond the Swamp his mother had told him about all those years ago? Entranced by the mystical elements that now surrounded him, Alec was told that he had been chosen by fate to become a champion of Earth, an avatar of the parliament of trees. Without really being given a choice, Alec was imbued with the magical properties of all of Earth’s plant life, becoming the living breathing embodiment of nature. Emerging from the bayou changed, Alec had become encased in thick vegetation, he could not vocalise his words and he had knowledge of strange magics and ancient ways.
Despite a new duty to the world, all Alec wanted was to see his wife and daughter, rushing to his home, Alec was shocked to discover that his modest little house was now an auto shop. Scaring away the mechanic with his terrifying appearance, the creature searched for answers, discovering the date; 2016. It had been twenty years?! How was that possible? He could only have been gone two hours! Despondent, Alec moped around the garage that was once his home and the swamps that had created him, stories starting around New Orleans and eventually crossing the country about the mythical Swamp Thing. In a moment of true peace, the Swamp thing reverted back to Alec Holland and came to a sudden realisation, his old life was gone and now he had a second chance, it was time to make the most of it. Finding his old bike at a garage sale, Alec took to the road and became the Gypsy Boy once more, his goal? Serve the Parliament of Trees where necessary but in reality, get back that which he had lost; his family.
Attributes:Unique Physiology: As the Avatar of the Green, the Swamp Thing's body is composed of plant-based stem cells that are capable of forming into any form of plant life imaginable.[7]
Elemental Control: As the Avatar of the Green, Swamp Thing has complete control over plant life.
Chlorokinesis
Self-Sustenance: The ability to nourish oneself, typically via an external energy source. In Swamp Thing's case, likely through a form of photosynthesis.
Superhuman Strength: The Swamp Thing's strength level is directly tied to his connection to the Earth. Occupying his most commonly used body, the Swamp Thing is capable of lifting volumes of mass many times greater than his own body weight. With additional power supplied to him by The Green, his ultimate strength level is nearly incalculable
Botany: Alec is an expert in botany and vegetation with an expansive knowledge of plant life, fauna and fungi.
Skilled Motorcyclist: A daredevil of the highest calibre, if he wasn’t so interested in nature there would no doubt that Alec would either have been a rider or a stuntman.
Hand to Hand Combat: Although never trained, Alec can definitely hold his own in a fight.
Survival Tactics: Before becoming the Swamp Thing, Alec was a well-known mountaineer, explorer and adventure who would often head out on his own to some of the most dangerous locations on the planet, so he is well versed in how to survive in the wild.
Bilingual: Alec is fluent in French.
Stomping Grounds:- New Orleans, Louisiana
- The Arcane Plantation
- The Bayou
- The Open Road
People of Note:Friends/AlliesAbigail Holland: Alec’s great love. He has searched all over that internet thing to finds her but he cannot. He must find out where she is, even if they never speak, he must see her, one last time.
Tefe Holland: Alec’s daughter with Abigail, now 21, studying botany in college and dating some fool called Buddy Baker (according to something called Facebook, Alec isn’t exactly sure what that is). He would love to re-connect with her but finding a way to say “Hi, I’m your father. I know I look twenty seven and I’ve been dead for twenty years but you know, here I am” is a difficult task.
Chester Williams: A kid of out of time much like Alec, Chester is a wannabe hippy biker whom Alec met upon his return to the land of the living. Initially terrified of the Swamp Thing but eventually after discovering his human nature (and his ability to grow hallucinogenic herbs), Chester became his first confidant.
Buddy Baker: Some wannnabe rockstar dating Tefe; oh Alec really wanted to meet this butthead.
Alex Olsen: The first Swamp Thing in the 1930’s and a direct ancestor of Alec Holland, it seemed the poison of the bayou ran deep in that family. Now the avatar used by the parlimant of trees to communicate with Alec, he acts as his guide and mentor; fun fact, nobody else can see him.
John Constantine: A potential ally Alec has heard about through the grapevine.
EnemiesAnton Arcane/The Rot: Abigail’s father and a right creepy bastard. The very definition of a mad scientist, Anton’s obsession with sorcery vs science was what created the Swamp Thing. Vanishing on the night of the Holland Cottage fire, no one has seen or heard from Anton since. Unbeknownst, he had gone through his own transformation and is ready to finally reveal himself.
Jason Woodrue/The Floronic Man: Once an ambitious young scientist, an ill fated apprenticeship with Anton Arcane led to a similar obsession with the elemental forces of the universe. Imbued with the power of The Green, The Floronic Man began a quest to build an army of followers to await his masters return.
Cyrus Gold/Solomon Grundy: The Avatar of the Grey and the flip side of Alec’s coin. Both hulking beasts sworn to do a duty. The two have clashed several times but Alec can never bring himself to end Solomon as he always come back inside that shell of a monster is an innocent, broken and lonely man.
Avery Sunderland: Head of the Sunderland Corporation and a research scientist; Sunderland had become obsessed with discovering the true nature of the Swamp Thing. With a private army and a limitless budget at his disposal, he will stop at nothing to get to the truth.
Character Goals:Swamp Thing I believe is a character that does not get the love he deserves in the rp community, hence why I de decided why he was right for this roleplay. My version of Alec is a man out of time, searching for the family he never really had a chance to get to know, while forcibly bound to become a terrifying creature by the powers that be. He's fighting for control of his life. I see him very much like Bill Bixby's David Banner in the old Hulk TV Show. Drifting from town to town, searching for something, something that can save him.
Sample Post:Pulling one hand from the warmth of a pocket, long standing detective Darryl Frye squats down to grab the dead girls chin, pushing the head slowly to the left side until the wounds that were once hidden becomes visible as two small, ovate holes in the right temple ooze red and white. “Ain’t she pretty?” A young officer, clad in a black leather jacket and converse shoes watched as the February sun set onto the still warm body and blood leaked into the pale grass. “Two puncture wounds to the head, no other signs of trauma or struggle. This definitely wasn’t some random act of violence, this, Harrper was an execution. You know, if Corrigan was still here, he’d have this solved in five minutes” It was painfully obvious to anyone watching that the younger detective, Harper, was sick of hearing about this Corrigan fellow. As the two officers chatted casually over the body, the piercing blue eyes of Alec Holland narrowed. He stood in the gathered crowd, listening and watching. He certainly wasn’t in the swamp anymore. He gazed at the body; a sparkle of gold, a trail of pollen. They couldn’t see it but he could.
Leaving the crowd, Alec subtly followed the pollen trail. It was unusual for such high traces be in the air at this time of year but here it was, like breadcrumbs. Holland would find the girls killer and when he did, he would be the judge, the jury and the executioner; this was the right given to him by the parliament of trees. They had chosen him. Not that it was what he wanted but you can’t fight fate. Alec had been in Gotham for just over three weeks. He doesn’t plan on staying much longer. He just needed to stay until he had enough cash to move on; being dead for twenty years doesn’t help a man’s financial situation.
A heartbeat. That’s all he needed. Alec had spent months honing his newfound talents. He had learned to read a heartbeat, even identify its owner from the rhythm of the beats. Walking the downtrodden neon streets of the Bowery, he could hear everyone. Those that were lost, those that did not want to be found, those preparing to, those that were and those that had committed terrible, unforgiving acts. The vapour trail lead Holland to a familiar place, one he had come to know over his time in the dark city….Of course, it all made sense now.
When he had first arrived in Gotham, Alec had managed to very swiftly gain some employment at a store in the Bowery. At first it was just watering plants but the owner Raf; he didn’t seem much like the gardening type. Sure enough, he soon revealed why he had really hired Alec; to take care of some rivals. Since resurrecting from the dead, Holland’s view point of right and wrong had become very skewed. Now in his mind, if the Green deemed a man evil enough, the Swamp Thing would take care of it. Dispatching the Kush’s was not an issue. Now there was a new target on the Green’s list and Alec knew what he had to do, what the parliament was asking him to do, the question was, did he have the balls to do it?
Before leaving Gotham, Alec had one last bit of business to take care of at Raf’s flower shop. The place was all but empty except for one other man; an Middle eastern male sitting in the centre of the room. Alec took a seat opposite him and the two men sat in silence for at least a minute. “Is it done?” The man asked placing a roll of cash on the table. Alec’s electric eyes never moved from the flower man’s face. “I told you I’d do it didn’t I?” The gypsy responded in kind. “I always keep my word, Raf. The Kush brothers will not be bothering you again” The man now identified as Raf broke his stoney faced façade to breathe a great sigh if relief. “And me? You said you would not let me come to harm at his or his thugs hands” Alec placed his hand on top of Raf’s and gave him a subtle smile. “I did” Raf removed his hand, allowing the gypsy boy to pick up the money that had been beneath it. Alec stood up and placed the dollars in his pocket. “I gave you my word that you would come under no harm by their hand. I said nothing, about harm under my own” Raf began to feel a burning sensation in his hand, his throat tightening. “I normally don’t particularly care for what my employers do, but you Raf, spend your days turning young children into your personal sex slaves and then discarding them like they were trash. That is one thing, I cannot let lie” Every word Alec spoke was deliberate, calm and with class. “The poison that I just introduced into your system acts fast, so you’ll die quick. Your lungs will close, your blood will boil and eventually your brain will shut down. You have maybe a minute, probably less. Your heartbeat betrays you. The Parliament of trees has judged you and I have just executed you”
