Porter Larue
Porter Larue
David Gallagher
David Gallagher as Porter Larue
Name Porter Larue
Status Alive
Age 24
Occupation Psychologist
Place of Origin Paris, France
Date of Birth November 12, 1988
Player Falrose
Timezone EST
Notes Notes for Porter Larue

Psychologist for the Watch who was touched through his mother's experience with the Gloom while in the womb. It has left him with healing powers, along with psychic empathy and the ability to breath underwater.

Background

In late fall of 1988, Porter was born in Paris, France. His mother, Renee, had been committed to an asylum a few months before his birth, so he was quickly assimilated by the state's child care system.
Sometime in his second year of life, Porter was taken in by members of the Watch in Paris, officially adopted by Vincent Clay, a medical doctor in the organization. While Clay was whose name appeared on the paperwork, Porter was actually cared for by the community of Watch members, even having a nursery in their hideout. His oddity manifested rather quickly, spending much of his time sick and dehydrated. Slowly, those caring for him began to figure out his need for hydration and extended baths.
As he grew up, raised communally, his unusual take on things grew more obvious. He was never a normal person, so in a strange, backward way, being broken as a Touched was all he ever knew and what he equated with as normal. This left him longing to understand what it meant to be human, and he began studying the behaviors of the other Watch members.
Essentially home-schooled by the Watch in Paris, Porter had nearly perfect grades. He was a bookworm, reading increasingly fast with an insatiable need for more knowledge. Porter attended college online and achieved a degree in Psychology. Ready to try to branch out on his own, Porter headed to London in hope of finding a place amongst the Watch there.


Personality

Porter has never been normal. He has only known what it’s like to be Touched. This has left him perfect for helping other Touched learn to accept and deal with being how they are. His own Touched personality is quirky and prefers small groups who can give him more personalized attention. As groups get larger, he finds himself fitting in less and growing more uncomfortable. Porter is incredibly smart, having spent so much time with books and simply studying during his youth. An odd quirk of his Touchedness, however, is an inability to grasp a few simple things, such as contractions in speech and romance. His understanding of the human behavior of others as observed, however, is uncanny because it is unhindered by personal experience.
Porter still has some of the same torments that all Touched experience, though for him, they are a bit skewed. The scary nightmare that lies just beyond his memory is based in thoughts of his mother’s humanity. He’s never quite able to grasp the 'memories' of hanging out with friends at a party or being in a movie theatre with others, and those things horrify him.
Porter is, for the most part, rather friendly. He has a childish sense of humor and an obsession with the old time radio programs of the 1940s and 50s. The intimate feel of those serials are predictable and comforting for him, providing the experience of the outside, normal world, without having to actually see any of the things that make him uncomfortable.


Paranormal Abilities

Healing: With an exchange of body fluids, Porter can heal another’s wounds, but takes half of those wounds onto himself. The recipient does not need to consent, though they may attempt to physically stop Porter from making contact with them for the length of time the healing takes. The target's wounds do not scar, though the damage Porter takes unto himself in this process may.
Emotion and Memory Exchange: Porter can share memories and emotions with another (giving his to the target, or giving the target’s to himself), but must also exchange bodily fluids. The things in the dark corners of a Touched's mind don't bother him (they are normal to him, since he's never been unTouched). Reading strong emotions like passion, love and hate in someone who is not Touched makes him uncomfortable, sometimes rattled - the feelings that he and others who are Touched usually experience less of because of their isolation.
Empathy: By touching a person, Porter can gain a general sense of that person’s current underlying demeanor (friendly, deceptive, defensive, aggressive, etc.).
Aquatic Breathing: Porter can breathe underwater. He is not immune to cold or the affects of pressure, and is affected by such diving hazards the same as a normal human.
Moisture Resistance: Porter is quite resistant to the effects of prolonged exposure to moisture and water.
Porters powers of course come with drawbacks.
Dehydration: Porter is always bordering on dehydration, and spends most of his day drinking a bottle of water. As such, he can easily be light headed, distracted or experiencing foggy thinking or painful hot flashes. He also does his best thinking in a bath.
Ochlophobia: Because Porter has never been “normal,” he is particularly uncomfortable with large groups of people, resulting in childlike behaviors up to curling up in a fetal position and mentally shutting down.
Touchy: Porter needs to be touched and loved. He’s almost clingy, needing to shake hands, have his hair mussed or have his shoulder patted. Failing to receive this sort of close contact makes him stutter and get nervous, up to and including needing to leave the scene.


Skills

Psychology: Porter has a degree in Psychology and is licensed to practice as a psychologist/therapist.
Biology: Porter's minor in college was in Biology, supplementing his Psychology expertise.
Speed Reader: Because he spent so much time alone in his youth, Porter is incredibly fast at reading.
Firearms: Worried he would be an easy target, Porter was taught some firearms while with the Watch in Paris. He's not an incredible shot, but he's sufficient.
Old Time Radio Show Expert: In his spare time, instead of watching television or movies, Porter listens to CDs and MP3s of old time radio shows, such as Buck Rogers, The Shadow and Dick Tracy.
Piano: In an attempt to help him be more normal, Vincent gave Porter piano lessons. It is about as normal human as Porter really is able to get.
Swimming: Porter's need for hydration and his ability to breath underwater resulted in Porter spending a lot of time in pools. He's quite a good swimmer.
French: Grew up in France, so he speaks French as well as English.
Accent Mimic: Because of imitating the radio shows, Porter is able to do almost any accent he hears perfectly.


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