pesto: (0)
ᴀɢᴇɴᴛ ʟ. "ᴅɪsᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ ᴍᴄᴜ" ꜰɪᴛᴢ ([personal profile] pesto) wrote in [personal profile] thenine 2017-03-04 01:21 am (UTC)

Character



Name: Leopold Fitz
Age: ( 27 in canon + 3 years = ) 30.
Memory Option: 1 — AU deterioration.
Established Status: Yes — 3 years.
Canon: Marvel Cinematic Universe — Agents of Shield
Canon Point: s3e1 — "laws of nature"
Citizenship: Leithian
Job: Company R&D Team Lead ( / private tech consultant )

* Level: n/a

Abilities: Literally as human as things can get. No special powers or anything even remotely close to that.

However, Fitz is an Marvel-canon tech genius! Which means he understands things no normal person understands, and has an affinity with tech that's at a level of "take a look and know exactly what needs to be done", or "make a cool new invention in a few days" ( which could be a super power on its own ). Technology in Marvel is already ridiculous, so his intellect is also a little ridiculous, basically. His specialties are in robotics and in quantum physics, but thanks to being around Simmons for years/being her lab-mate he probably has some understanding of biochemistry too. Basic first aid, stuff like that.

Also by the virtue of being a SHIELD agent he has some experience with fire arms, and got through more than his fair share of sticky situations. Frankly his hand-to-hand is awful but he can take a few hits, which is nice.

Personality: NOTE: there are spoilers in this app for agents of shield ( surprise ).

Leopold Fitz is a socially awkward genius who just really wants some friends. That's it — and he owns up to every single part. Which means, to talk about Fitz, all one has to do is examine the "socially awkward genius" bit, then the "really wants some friends" bit.

So. He's a socially awkward nerd, indulging in all things nerdy, complete with the whole "talk about a lot of really complicated topics really fast" tick. He's squeamish, brings fragrant sandwiches to infiltration missions, and has jokes directed at him go right over his head. Yet he's unparalleled ( almost, because Tony Stark exists in this universe ) in his intelligence. It's the one thing, while surrounded by a bunch of really badass people who can probably snap him in half, he can boast about — and he knows this very well. He congratulates his teammate for being able to "string 3 words together in a sentence", and lets another know "don't worry, you're not the one with a degree in quantum physics". Unsurprisingly, his humor also tends to be dry and sarcastic, with a penchant for drama.

It's obvious that a lot of his self-esteem comes from his intelligence — as does almost everything about him, really. He's almost the mad-scientist archetype, if he isn't so good ( more on that later ). It's thanks to his intelligence that he's able to play up his pride, his competitiveness, his temper as a point of charm, through the inventions and the rapid solutions to technical problems. Proof that he's useful, if not necessary, on the team — despite smashing a brand new communications device with a hammer, or throwing a prototype at a wall; these things are seen as quirky. So once you strip his brain away from him, he's out of his element, and his confidence nosedives. The brain damage he suffers is traumatic for this very reason — he believes that his intelligence, the only thing that put him above all others, is turning against him. Coincidentally, it's when Fitz's worst traits ( the pride, the competitiveness, the temper ) are shown in the worst light; and from this point forward, take a more hostile edge than ever before. He isolates himself away from the rest of the team, trying to become the "old Fitz" that was useful. When that doesn't work, his temper flares up, prone to angry outburst that leaves a room silent. He only breaks out of the destructive pattern when brand new teammates begin to befriend him, because they don't hold the same expectation that his old teammates did; they're crucial in allowing him to accept himself, first. But even now, past the worst of his condition, he's still prone letting his temper to get the best of him — outbursts, while now "charming" once again, also hold more weight than before.

Yet it's the most important development Fitz has, because while he's too stubborn to change parts of himself, he gains new traits. Ironically, he becomes extremely accepting of change — if not the most accepting on the team. While he's still stubborn, the stubbornness is kept within the boundaries of what he believe is right, and he becomes extremely adaptive to the rest. The trauma forces his hand — he becomes the first to change, and only when he "accepts" himself does the rest of the team follow suit. He's the first person to protect the inhumans ( specifically, Skye ), when everyone else seems to handle this new unknown with the same wariness they felt towards Fitz. He's an extremely empathetic, forming personal attachments despite the whole nerdy archetype — the fact that he had to adapt to a huge change helps him along.

Though that can't all be credited to how well he adapts. This is also a great time to examine the "really wants some friends" bit, because it points to Fitz's most defining trait: his loyalty. He would, without a doubt, go at lengths to stand up for and protect the people he cares about. Somehow, on a show about spies that turn on each other and have their alliances questioned, Fitz's loyalties have passed every single test thrown at him. It does take him a bit before he can warm up to people — shyness, once upon a time, was also a defining trait — but once he does, there's no shaking him on his faith on another person without some drastic measures. He refuses to believe that Simmons is dead when the rest of the team believes she's lost forever. When Ward, a former teammate and someone Fitz considered a "brother", is found out to be a sleeper agent for HYDRA, he's the last person to believe that Ward is a bad person; at least, until aforementioned brain trauma becomes Ward's fault. This extends just past his friends, too — his fundamental beliefs have him believing that there is no complete evil in a person, and that's seen time and time again with the new characters that join the show ( as well as the number of times he's betrayed ). With loyalty, kindness, sympathy and bravery are traits that closely follow.

Despite this, he can't claim to have a lot of friends. Part of it comes from working at a spy organization where his existence has been wiped off the map, but he has never had a lot of friends. In fact, before the start of the show he has only had one friend — Jemma Simmons. A biochemist genius who had also been too smart for her age, and so the only person that he had ever related to. Yet the fact that Simmons thinks that he hated her when they first met says something about how terrible he is at first impressions ( it's also because he basically fell in love with her at first sight, but that's neither here or there ). For all of the traits that make him a great friend, for how personable he could be, these parts of him only show up when he's in a situation he feels comfortable in. He really does want friends, really — but many of his friendships have happened because the other side has made some kind of first step.

Luckily, Fitz's world has been slowly expanding; even if now, his only friends are people who can snap his neck in half plus Simmons. Since the start of the show he has forged relationships and experiences that he has never thought possible. Yet he's still a pasty nerd with a passion for monkeys, and prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella sandwiches with a hint of pesto aioli. A nerd with a huge heart that will protect every friend he has.

AU History: No one knows Fitz is a genius until he's in his late teens. The education system has him feel like he's wasting away, and he nearly fails most of his classes. His mother, after the departure of her husband when Fitz was 8, has no idea what to do with her boy — she knows he's brilliant, as all mothers believe, yet the grades he gets suggests otherwise.

It's through a freak accident during science class ( surprise, surprise ) when he nearly blows up a part of the school building that authorities in suits come to take him to an elite academy in Qresh, full scholarship and everything. The awkward boy who was always made fun of in school is — well, no, he's still the nerdiest kid in school. He's one of the brightest the academy has ever produced, a PhD ( or two ) under his belt in almost record time.

One of the brightest, because his best friend is the other — they both graduate the academy 3 years early.

Her name is Simona, but Fitz calls her Simmons. They meet in first year and somehow she instantly clicks with him; she follows his fast, rambling way of speech, keeps up with every single one of his ideas ( he does the same for her ). She challenges him, supports him, and for the first friend he makes, she's more than what he could have hoped for. She's bio-chem, but that hardly matters with Simmons. He would have liked her if she didn't know Newton's Second Law of Motion.

They're scouted by the Company almost instantly after they graduate, and together they lead a division of research and development, making cutting-edge equipment for the enforcers. Unsurprisingly, they excel, and together, they're unstoppable. A force to be reckoned with. In the few years they work, they bring enough new tech to the Company to keep them ahead of the game for at least a few years.

And then Simmons decides she wants to try being a field agent, and continue their work while being right in the middle of action. Fitz hates it, and they argue like they've never argued before. But because Simmons is Simmons and no one knows how stubborn she is except Fitz, he eventually gives in. They get assigned to a small, investigative team, with a small lab space for the two of them, and frankly — Fitz sees more action and gun fights than what he bargained for, but somehow, it's fine.

Until one day, when he goes on a mission while Simmons is told to stay behind in the lab. It's supposed to be simple, until something goes sideways and — this is when his memories get hazy — a blast knocks him into a lake. They tell him he was knocked out immediately; while he was rescued, he stayed too long underwater, and the lack of oxygen caused brain damage. Hypoxia. Aphasia. A group of terrorists, it seems, are the reason for all of this.

Apparently when it rains, it pours — they tell him that Simona had been working with those terrorists for a long time — she confessed her crimes, they said, and was executed. Any other attempt at gathering information leads him to dead ends, files that he doesn't have the authority for.

Fitz goes from one person to less than a half in a span of 24 hours.

Therapy is long — difficult and frustrating in ways he's never experienced before, trying to make himself whole without the thing that made him whole in the first place. But a few years of work, he gets his tremors down to a small fraction of what it was, his words flowing in rapid fire sentences just like before. He returns to the R&D division once they find him fit enough to do so, taking team lead by himself this time around. Everything's back the way it is — within a week or so, he begins producing his finest for the Company. He dutifully ignores the occasional pity glances that are thrown in his direction. If anyone asks, he says that it's better this way — Simmons is a traitor, after all.

( Everyone believes him because Fitz is supposed to be a terrible liar; and he was, when he didn't have a good enough reason to lie. So he starts a side business in the shadier parts of the Quad, fixing tech for people that need it. Nothing that'd get him in trouble, at least not on the surface — as far as people know he's just fixing old phones ( for the possible resistance network, but he can turn a blind eye to that ) for a hobby. He's probably screwed if this gets out, but if Simmons died a traitor then he might as well too ( not that he plans to die. He's not suicidal, thank you, and he's going to live for as long as he can ). )

( note: because jemma simmons is such an integral part of his canon backstory and personality, i decided to substitute her with someone else entirely (and then killed her off so that he's not entangled with her). this way, should a jemma simmons app into oj, they can do so without being so closely entangled to a pre-established back story (if you give me a simmons, stranger/friend, i'll love you!! alternatively if you do want to fit your au together with the mess here, shoot me a pm and i'd be happy to hash things out)!! and as they get their memories back fitz can casually curse at the assholes who made him forget about jemma. it'll be a great time all around )

Original History: here!

Inventory:
→ a SHIELD issued phone which just translates to the network device here
→ the clothes on his back which are probably some nerdy sweater vest, pants, and a collared shirt

Samples: some tfln thread, oj tdm top level

Miscellaneous Notes: it's time to space scottish the shit out of everyone!!! also as always i'm sorry for the assault on your inbox

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