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[easy_a]

-YOU-
Name: Rose Marie
Email : spiralnoir@yahoo.com
AIM : lottielogic01
DW username : singasongasixpence
Munhead or previous character journals (optional) : N/A
Timezone : Pacific (PST)

-THEM-
Character name : Alisha Bailey
Series : Misfits
Character history : Here you go.
Character personality : Please note that I am taking her from Series 2, Episode 2, as I feel this is the best spot for potential character growth.

To be perfectly honest, Alisha is not the sort of person anyone would actively seek out as a friend or be too proud to have as a daughter, niece, or sibling. For that matter, she’s certainly not a valued member of society. Though it is possible for her to be a loyal friend, and in that sense, a “good person”, she rarely, if ever, makes that as a first impression.

To start, Alisha is incredibly self-centered. As far as she’s concerned, the world revolves around her. Regardless of how much changes or how much she manages to stick her neck out for her friends, there’s usually a layer of “numero uno” underneath. Though she does progressively grow more empathetic over the seasons, she has much to learn in her current canon point. For instance, she initially “helps” her friends with less-than-legal activities (such as assisting in murders or helping to bury the murdered due to the deceased’s’ intertwining circumstances with the ASBO Five) in part because it benefits her as well; in this case, she won’t go to prison because there’s no evidence to convict her or the rest of the ASBO Five. Simply, it’s not a case of pure altruism towards her fellows. Other times, her self-importance can be seen in actions as simple as walking off or toning people out in hopes of avoiding a fight or unwanted annoyances. It’s not for the other’s sake, but for her own. She does this with Kelly on day one, after a joke causes the threat of a catfight; instead of pressing her luck and making a deal out of Kelly‘s lack of humor, she backs off for her own safety.

Speaking of fights, she’s not all that physically strong, as seen through the series; typically, she lets the other misfits do most of the hard work, be it rowing a boat, beating someone, or “mouse hunting.” Frankly, her strength lies in using her feminine wiles to manipulate the people around her. Because she‘s not physically inclined to fight, she tends to avoid any sort of physical confrontation. She will put a stop to her tongue, roll her eyes, and/or walk away if things get too heated, regardless of who she‘s talking to, even if it‘s a companion. Again, it’s mostly to keep herself in check and to avoid not only physical danger, but emotional upset as well.

Vanity certainly plays a large part into her narcissism. Throughout canon, it’s shown that she puts a great deal of effort into her appearance (from applying makeup several times a day, to never wearing the same outfit twice, to sporting as many hairstyles as possible despite her mass of curly hair). In fact, there’s even a scene where Curtis exclaims that because she’s beautiful, she thinks she can treat people any way she wants. Her reply: "Yeah, that's pretty much how it works; haven't you figured that out yet?" Though in her canon point she’s more conscious now of how she treats people, it never completely erases her vanity or her sense of self-importance or longing to be desirable (even if that‘s only extended to a single individual). Though she may not show it, the effect she has on people seems to regularly on her mind, whether she actually cares about said effect or not.

Of course, that doesn’t mean she’s a nice person; in fact, unless someone is close or of interest to her, she’s typically incredibly tactless, manipulative, rude, and insulting. Heck, she can even be all of those things to the people who do mean something to her. She doesn’t mind being called a “bitch” and is quick to throw the insults right back (pardon the language). More often than not, she won’t take crap from anybody; whatever she can’t argue away, once more, she ignores. Those low on the totem poll in her social circle often are subjugated to her purposeful indifference, ill regard, and a lack of effort when it comes to speaking to them (unless she absolutely needs their input). She actually does this with Simon in canon (for over a season), disregarding almost everything he says, throwing out a sassy statement, or not responding at all, even when he’s right. It’s not until the mysterious and inexplicable Superhoodie (the only person who can touch her and not be affected by her power) shows up that she actually seeks out and addresses Simon on her own; granted, it’s only in an attempt to find out more about the masked vigilante following her around. Once again, it’s about her and what she wants to know. However, if the person she’s interacting with is a loudmouth and she can’t simply ignore them, she’ll usually throw insults their way or tell them to “piss off,” as the case frequently is when Nathan’s antics lose humor.

Along those lines, Alisha has quite the mouth. The roughest, toughest sailor would be proud of her vocabulary. To put it bluntly, she isn’t afraid to speak up, even if it‘s not in the best and most civil manner. For instance, Alisha has no qualms with being vulgar, using curse words as freely and frequently as normal people use pronouns. Just as well, sarcasm is her middle name, and she flaunts it with ease and sass. She has absolutely no problem with speaking about the subject of sex or, for that matter, using it to mock someone else (in which case, it’s usually in the forms of pantomimes and insults). She’s comfortable being open about her sexuality and experiences (should she choose to be) and the experiences of others she either saw or heard about, readily gossiping about them. There’s little shame, if any, in her speech on lewd topics; to be more precise, there isn’t any shame shown that she wants people to know about. Thus far, any shame or guilt towards her sexual habits has been completely derived from the use (purposeful or accidental) of her power.

As we can imagine, her smart mouth has gotten her into trouble several times. In fact, it even assisted in getting her an ASBO in the first place (granted, she tried to seduce the cop that pulled her over by performing a blowjob on the breathalyzer). It certainly doesn’t help that she has very little, if any respect for authority figures. Be it probation workers or police officers, she treats them all with the same lack of courtesy and regard. For example, she spent time texting and talking on her cell phone -on more than one occasion- while the probation workers were trying to address her and/or the rest of the ASBO Five. Actually, it’s not difficult to assume that her disdain for the probationers helped her decide to out-right refuse Sally’s (the second probation worker) help when a police officer attempted to rape her; granted, his advances were brought on by her powers, and that also played into her decision. However, it’s pretty clear she wasn’t about to let the probation worker help her file a complaint.

In addition, she has also shown serious attitude, contempt, and overconfidence when dealing with police officers. As previously and briefly mentioned, there was the officer who pulled her over and initially protested for an ASBO. Of course, a breathalyzer BJ is certainly no way to show respect towards the officer, much less take his role in the justice department seriously. The other officer, as written about in the above paragraph, initially attempted to arrest her for breaking curfew too many times. During that time, she showed absolutely no remorse for her actions and didn't believe him about an arrest, instead insisting, “It was my friend’s birthday; what was I supposed to do?” She also stated that he wouldn’t go through with the arrest, a clear sign of such overconfidence and pride in her ability to get away with breaking the law (he did try put her into handcuffs and take her in, but as stated in the previous paragraph, he fell accidentally fell under her power; luckily, the confrontation allowed Alisha to walk away without being arrested). Along the miscreant lines and turning our attention to more personal authority figures, she has admitted that she used to jump from party to party, going out almost every night; it wouldn’t be farfetched to assume that she has no respect for any boundaries her parents had put up, if they put up any (it’s never revealed if they have).

Even if it’s difficult for “lawful people” to get along with her, that hasn’t deterred her from fitting into her crowds of choice. To put it in the simplest of terms, Alisha is very much a social butterfly. She thrives off of having a social life of some sort; before the storm, it was a life heavily comprised of partying and bonding with those who shared the same want to. Even when she started to change her habits and who she spent time with, it wasn’t and still isn’t uncommon to see her in a bar or club. Even at her canon point, she’s more than happy to drink, dance, flirt, smoke, and do a little recreational drug use (however, after she found out that her preferred designer drug, exstasy, affected her power, she never used it again). Most notably, she has stopped partying with her old “friends” and now sticks around her fellow misfits, even though community service hours are done for the day. Frankly, she most likely finds solace in being a reckless young adult, living life to its fullest... and sometimes it’s shallowest. For her, there’s no fear in approaching someone new, no concerns over flirting out in the open, and there’s certainly no issue with keeping conversation --well, as long as it keeps her positive interest.

Moving along, Alisha has a very cynical, sexual, and almost dark sense of humor. When surprising (but relatively harmless) misfortunes fall onto others, she can’t help but laugh. For instance, every time that Nathan hurts himself in the process of showing off or during his attempts to figure out his power, she let out a chuckle, even when the rest of the group was stone-faced; in addition, when Kelly went bald because of another girl’s power, Alisha couldn’t help but laugh at and joke about the scene, even though she felt bad for Kelly and hushed Nathan when he agreed that she “looked like a bald alien.” Alisha, in her dark, good spirits, has poked fun and pantomimed various sexual acts in order to tease and illustrate her gossipy stories: blow jobs, eating someone out, getting off on the gear stick of a car, how Curtis masturbates… nothing is off-limits when it comes to poking fun.

Perhaps most noted in her social behaviour (especially for the aesthetically-pleasing specimens of the male sex), is her flirtatiousness. Again, she has little shame in this area and goes about it as freely as the day is long… if she’s not in a relationship. Alisha will play coy, using all her lovely features to seduce and entice, from the way she walks, to what she wears, to where and when her gaze lands, to how she smiles. She knows she’s capable of seduction, and she flaunts that knowledge with pride. If she is in a relationship, though, she usually keeps her towards her partner; however, this behavior and loyalty is relatively new and has only come about since the storm changed her life.

Sadly, on the romantic side of things, she has issues with serious relationships; not because she finds it difficult to stay monogamous (nowadays, at least), but because she honestly doesn’t know how to handle the intense bumps along the road. "I can't do these big relationship moments,” she states in S1E5. Those bumps really got quite rocky when her recent-most beau, Curtis, changed the past in a way that kept his old girlfriend out of prison; this meant that despite the original history, it had changed to where they were still together in the present whilst he was in a relationship with Alisha. Though Alisha herself only had a few relations in the past that weren’t “one nighters,” and though she admitted (albeit on accident) that she was the one to cheat on them in the past, times change. Any sort of cheating on her behalf was before her power changed her life and before she got together with Curtis. He was the only one who seemed to understand her situation and who didn’t seem to mind the lack of physical intimacy; because of that, cheating (especially with her power intact) was out of the question. Though she comes to comprehend the misunderstanding over his ex, she still acted on her hurt and made it very clear to him, "You're the first person I've been faithful to, and you’re cheating on me? …Don't shag anyone else, and I won't either. And if I do, I'll tell you.” Although she’s letting off steam and acting discordant just for the heck of it, it shows her “relationship mindset” pretty well.

Alisha truly has many different barriers surrounding her heart, which is why she comes off as such a careless, stuck up, and “bitchy” person. Needless to say, each of the other misfits have made it past the initial barriers. However, even though some have made it further into the layers of her heart than others, deep down, one way or another, they’re all important to her in some fashion, even if she doesn’t recognize it entirely and/or won’t admit it. Only one person in canon has ever reached beyond that final barrier, and he’s a teensy bit off from her canon point; needless to say, it is indeed possible to get to the center of that heart-shaped tootsie pop. It’s just incredibly difficult for her to let someone in that far, and it took nearly everything she knew being flipped upside down for her to accept it.

Deep inside, she has a rather fragile heart, which is why she puts up so many fronts and confrontations instead of communicating her true feelings, especially those of shame and self-disappointment. It’s easier for her to push the blame instead of admitting her faults and shortcomings; it’s easier to assume that things aren’t going her way because of someone else, not herself. Though she knows she’s imperfect, it’s hard for her to admit it; in fact, the first time she actually readily said that “the problem is her” was after she was almost-raped several times in a row (an encounter brought on by her power, the same power that she had previously been abusing). To be honest, there is one emotion that seems to shake her heart more than the others: many times throughout canon, her power has her feeling untouchable, and it brings her down. Who can blame her, either? It ruins moments and relationships that had previously been or had the potential to be very intimate, easy to deal with, or important. However, with this “untouchability”, she’s forced to be distanced from such situations. Beneath all those layers of confidence and social expertise is a torrent of loneliness brought on by her inability to be touched; though it’s not always strong, it is always present. As Antonia Thomas (her actress) said, the power is very isolating, and even when there’s people around her, Alisha is lonely. However, this loneliness only seems to further her loyalty and dependability towards her fellow misfits.

Though she may not be a “good person,” she has shown she can be a good friend… even if she has to ignore, leave early, or take a breather from something or someone to keep her own levels in balance. When push comes to shove, and her fellow misfits need her, she’s there. For instance, when their secret gravesite under the flyaway was being dug up for the construction of an environmental monitoring station, she “borrowed” her dad’s car to help move the bodies of the first probation worker (killed by Kelly when he tried to murder the ASBO Five) and Gary (killed by said probation worker). Mind you, she had her driving privileges revoked, and yet she was willing to take the risk of getting caught in order to save their hides. In addition, she actually did do her part to help dig up and rebury those bodies, even if the boys did the majority of the grunt work. When the second probation worker was killed and her body rediscovered, Alisha went out with the rest of the group to sink it to the bottom of the lake; though she didn’t physically help row the boat, she was there to support her friends the best she could, even if it meant just sitting there with the rest of them (and eating a Cornetto; got to love them Cornettos).

All the facets of her personality play off of one another, pulling each others’ strings, though it’s probably safe to say no one aspect causes or is the source of any other. There are intricate connections to all her traits, both subtle and blatant, each one tied to every other in a complex web of emotion, fronts, and reckless, wild abandon.


On a separate note, though her powers are explained in the history link, I feel like I should spell them out with a bit more specificity and have that information out in the open. Each one of misfits obtained a power after being struck by lightning in an inexplicable, freak electric storm. Each of their powers represented something about themselves. In Alisha’s case, her power reflects her “nymphomania.” She’s essentially cursed with the power of instantaneous and extreme sexual arousal.

It might sound funny out of context, but this power is intense enough that it has not only impacted her social life and any chances of intimacy, but ruined them. Whenever something living makes skin to skin contact with her, regardless of gender, they become overwhelmed with the need to have sex with her at that very moment, to the point to where nothing else going on around them matters. Each time canonically, the person influenced by her power says aloud what they’d like to do to her before they commit the act. They will remain under her power until contact is broken, no ifs, ands, or buts. However, after contact is broken, the person who touched her will find that they cannot remember a single thing since the initial contact happened; it’s a complete blank. The power doesn’t affect her own arousal, and unlike the other person, she does retain all memories of what happened while contact was made. Antonia has mentioned in interviews that her power affects everything living, meaning it probably extends beyond humans to animals as well.



-SAMPLES-
Journal entry sample:

This is such bullshit.

[She shuffles down the hall, bucket in one hand, beeping mobile phone in the other. She slides her cell open to see whose call she missed: 1 Missed Call from Chloe. Well, there was a name she hadn't seen for a while. The surprise is clear on her face, as her brows raise in amused shock, bottom lip bit in eager curiosity. In but a moment, she raises the phone to her ear, drops the bucket, and finds a resting spot against the side of Shaun's car.]

Hey; haven't heard from you in a while. No, no, I’m not busy at all. Have to do this bullshit car wash job, but it can wait. How's everything been?

Wot? He did wot with a waffle iron? Shut the fuck up! [Laughter escapes her lips; as shallow as her friendship is with Chloe, it's nice to hear about her old group's misadventures, the kind that doesn't involve dead probation workers or weird storm powers.]

Oh my fucking God, I’m dying! How long was this going on before his girlfriend found out? You mean he was cheating on her with that slut when she showed up? ...Are you serious?! Oh my God, wot a retard! Wait, wot's that?

...Mel's party? Uh, no I wasn't planning about it. ...Well, yeah, I heard about it, but no, I’m not going. Ellie and her crew are going to be dicking around there, I just know it.

...Wot? [She scoffs.] No, I'm not making excuses. Look, sorry I don't want to go, alright? Maybe next week we could-

Really? Really? I'm not fucking "blowing you off." Why the actual fuck would you even say that? ...No, I’m not lying; why would I even bother to do that?

You know wot? Fuck you, Chloe; I have enough bullshit to deal with, I don't need you trying to guilt trip me about going to some stupid party full of drunkards and slags, okay?

[As quickly as she called, she hangs up, no hesitation crossing her features; actually, she's cynically pleased she cut off Chloe mid-sentence. What is it with all the idiots she has to deal with today? Any more of this sort of crap and she might actually burst.

With a sigh, she pockets the device, thoroughly done with most of the people around her. For now, anyway. How had this day turned so shitty so quickly in the first place?]


3rd person sample:

Here she was, minding her own business, doing exactly what she was told to do to the best of her ability, and the probation worker still had the audacity to reassign her to something else. Really, the nerve of some people knows no bounds, and if she wasn't sure of it before, she certainly was now. In all honesty, what right did that horrid, lazy Shaun have to complain about the state of his dilapidated, wanna-be Sebring? It was his fault it was filthy to the point of disgust, not hers. As far as Alisha cared, it wasn't her job to clean the mess up.

"Are you even allowed to make us do that?"

Not that the probation worker gave a damn about abusing his power or about her. He muttered something about being part of the community, though as far as she was concerned, that was a load of crap. Clearly he wouldn't -no, couldn't- possibly care about the fact that the cheap wash detergent equated with a bottle of lotion afterwards, 'less she wanted her hands to shed like a snake in the desert heat. And what about her nails, painted to perfection a mere hour before? At least her time then went to actual "good use". To think she had picked the color specifically to match her undergarments, ever-so-graciously keeping some behind-the-storage-doors bonding time with Curtis in mind. Furthermore, she'd have to brace herself for wearing half of the water used to clean the vehicle, knowing full-well that the water hose outside the community centre worked about as well as a football player in a wheelchair. Yet more sacrifices that must be made for the dick of a probationary; she wouldn't be surprised if he got off to all the free labor, all while he half-assed his job and they did all the actual work. Prick.

Begrudgingly and haphazardly, she snatched the empty bucket from its resting spot and threw a sponge and some soap inside; might as well get it over with. With one last glance at her fellow probationers, mainly to convey her disdain and disapproval of the situation, she idly started towards the exit, sauntering without any sense of haste out of the centre and towards the stupid car.

Though there was no way out of taking care of Shaun’s dirty work, he never said she had to do a good job.