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Amanda Halle/Phoenix
What is the color of the character's hair, eyes, and skin?
Blonde hair, a light golden color, reaching almost to her waist with a bit of curl/wave to it, and bangs that tend to fall into her eyes. She often wears it braided. Grey eyes and very fair, ivory-toned skin. I might cast Robin Wright or Gwyneth Paltrow to play her in a movie. What is the character's general appearace? Does the character stand erect or stooped? Dress anachronistically, stylishy, or inauspiciously? Look intimidating or casual? What might someone seeing the character for the first time think?
Her wings, when visible, have about a sixteen-foot span. The feathers are a lightly dappled, pale gold color, close to that of her hair. They often serve as clues to her mood; relaxed and neat when calm, slightly ruffled when agitated, pulled in tight around her when worried.
Where was the character born? Lexington, Kentucky. What is the character's age? 26. Her birthday is August 14, 1973. What was the character's family life like? Robert Halle: Amanda's father is the prototypical self-made man. He's pushed his sons hard to "succeed" the way he has; he genuinely wants the best for them, but has a somewhat narrow view of what constitutes "the best." Something of an old-fashioned sexist, he doesn't have quite the same ego investment in his daughter's career as his sons', and has been more nonplussed than angry with her failure to do as expected with her life. He's more or less tolerated Amanda in her role as a cultural adornment for the household, with a vague (although sincere) and not quite comprehending, affection. They have had occasional serious conflicts, mainly over her music; there was a lot of arguing for a period in high school when she started experimenting with alternative genres. He was adamantly against her moving to New York by herself, certain that nothing good could come of it (drugs and violent crime just being the start of his worries), and continues to make it clear that he disapproves of most of her friends. The conflicts have mostly died down by this point though, and he seems more or less resigned to her path. Amanda, in turn, sees his good qualities and is genuinely fond of her father despite their many differences. She has been shaken to the core by recent evidence that he is almost certainly a powered, and on the "other side." She has no idea what to do about it. Rose Halle: her mother plays the woman-behind-the-scenes role to a T. She's a tall, elegant, lovely woman who enjoys entertaining and gardening, and views her husband with fond tolerance of his occasional excesses. She also takes part in local volunteering efforts, currently at a day-care center; she is perhaps a bit saddened by the fact that the kids seem so slow to start families of their own (David has a son, but lives on the other side of the country). Her role wherever she may be is that of quietly facilitating harmony and smoothing over disputes. It's largely thanks to her unwavering faith that Amanda has pursued her art so determinedly; they have a very close bond, and Amanda has always trusted her mother with everything that was going on in her life. Amanda is sometimes frustrated by her mother's self-effacing tendencies, seeing an immensely talented woman who has to some extent sacrificed much of what she might have had in favor of helping her husband's career. The two have their differences of opinion, but can agree to disagree. Amanda is currently experiencing a conflict: she doesn't like having to lie. She is worried that harm might befall her mother thanks to what they've recently learned about Robert, but fears that making Rose aware of the powered side of her life might wind up being even more dangerous. Anthony is the oldest of the kids, a very driven, type-A guy working as VP of Acquisitions at Time Warner; he tries the hardest to be like Robert and carries on a certain level of competition with his father, striving to outdo him in as many fields as possible ever since childhood. He and Amanda don't have anything in common and don't have a lot of contact. "Cordial" describes their relationship pretty well, although Anthony has always had a slightly condescending attitude toward her lack of ambition; he hasn't expressed an opinion on the sudden change in her fortunes to date. With David, the next oldest, she gets along well but also doesn't see or speak to often; he's distant from the rest of the family, both physically and emotionally, centered on his job and family in California, where he has part ownership in a newly public internet company. David got through early life with the family by attending to everything he was expected to do in school and doing it well enough to meet the family's standards, meanwhile applying himself to computers in every spare second, and escaping to CalTech immediately upon graduation from high school. Joe, who is younger than Amanda, has the closest relationship with her. His rebellious streak is largely unacted upon, leading mainly to resentment of their father, the occasional act of petty vengefulness, and a certain amount of envy of Amanda, whom he perceives as having "escaped." He's attending Yale for law, in accordance with paternal decree, although he's not applying himself particularly diligently. He has another two semesters to go. Joe's ultimate plans tend to change frequently, but he currently wants to be a crusading journalist. His sister sees a lot of potential in him, and tries to encourage him to do the things he wants to (in a nondestructive way), but sometimes becomes very frustrated with him. Has the character begun her own family? No. When or how was the character educated? Amanda attended Lexington's School for the Creative and Performing Arts as a child, then the main regional high school. She was a very quiet, shy child, a trait that remained into her mid-teens (blame the braces, maybe), and slightly awkward both physically and socially. She's always been pushed toward performance, but then and now prefers that people pay attention to the music rather than to her, though she's become comfortable with being a center of attention over the years. During her last two years of high school she more or less blossomed, became more active in the school, joined the cross-country team and made more friends. She learned to play bass a bit and became more assertive in her relationship with her parents; the usual teenage stuff. Upon graduating, she successfully beat down her father's objections, went to Julliard and got her masters degree in piano (with occasional detours). Since then, trying to make her living as a musician has been an education in its own right. Her tendency to oscillate between the classical music world and a more street-oriented milieu has left her with a wide range of acquaintances in the city. Has the character ever done anything else for a living? She's been lucky enough that she has always found work that touches in some way on what she loves; she could fall back on her family for financial support in dire straits, although she has always tried to avoid doing so (successfully, for the most part). She has changed jobs frequently. Did a lot of tutoring (she enjoys teaching) while still in school, played with a couple of bands that ultimately didn't work out in New York, had intermittent session work, one string quartet, and a couple of orchestral places. What about the character's political and religious beliefs? Relatively apolitical. Most of her family tends to conservatism, with the notable exception of her younger brother. Her own base loyalties have drifted far from her bourgouis upbringing, and she would define herself as liberal, but she's not really interested in arguing about the subject. She feels strongly about issues insofar as they affect people she knows, but doesn't follow political news beyond headline scanning most of the time. She often doesn't bother to vote, tending to view most politicians as small-time crooks and hypocrites, and both parties as far too willing to abandon the arts -- her life's focus, after all -- to appease socially conservative constituencies. Religion is much the same; raised Baptist, but drifted away thanks to other influences, and nothing has really replaced it. She does believe in God, sort of, but would be hard-pressed to define her religious views. What is the character's moral code? Do unto others is the core of it. She likes helping people; in the past this was expressed mainly in direct friendship relationships. The Millennium works on a somewhat more abstract level, but with the same general motivation. Personal connection is everything; it's doubtful that she would be as active if she was on her own, for instance, but having formed an initial bond with the rest of the group she's not likely to abandon it. Does the character have any goals? Having attained a level of material success she really wasn't looking for all that hard, she feels a bit conflicted about the situation. On the one hand, it's a dream come true. On the other, and despite repeated reassurances, she feels that she more or less lucked her way into it. Her immediate goal is to assimilate the changes in her life her new situation is sure to bring, and to work toward a point where she can feel that she deserves it. In general, events since New Years have somewhat disturbed her usual emotional equilibrium, leaving her feeling off-balance, more unsure of herself and prone to depressed moods, which she'd like to do away with. She wants to sort out some of the issues with her family, but has yet to come with an approach and in fact has a hard time even contemplating the situation at this point. Long-term, she hopes to eventually understand the New Years phenomenon, and work toward acceptance of powered people in society (the latter half of this is as yet vague and unformed). What is the character's personality? Friendly, although not incredibly extroverted; she attracts people, but quietly. She's usually cheerful and optimistic in outlook. A very stable person emotionally. She tries to be open-minded and not pre-judge anyone. Tends to see the best in people and prefers harmony, traits she has in common with her mother. What special qualities does the character posess? This doesn't necessarily refer to skills, but to what the character can do well. Does he get along well with other people? Is he skilled at taking care of business? Prioritizing tasks? Planning ahead? She is generally good at gaining peoples' trust and friendship, and at reciprocating such. When she wants to be, she can be very focused on a particular goal. Once she makes a committment of loyalty she doesn't often change her mind. Are there certain things the character just cannot do? Get close to people? Perceive himself realistically? Not a leader type. Amanda can be indecisive and sometimes has trouble asserting herself, especially in unfamiliar situations, though these tendencies are diminishing slowly as she gets older/gains confidence in herself. Generally dislikes conflict; she'll fight if pushed hard enough, but doesn't really like arguing, and physical violence has been entirely absent from her immediate life until quite recently. She's having a bit of a hard time integrating the new experiences the Millennium has brought into her view of herself. There is a certain enjoyment of it all, even the danger, that represents a hitherto-unknown facet of her personality. She's a rotten liar, although good at keeping others' secrets if necessary. Though she doesn't lack discipline, she has little ambition and competitive instinct. Her attention is easily caught by new things, abetted by a love of learning. This has resulted in a relatively broad range of musical expertise, particularly given her age, but she has yet to attain the height she's probably capable of with any one instrument. This partially explains the wandering from job to job, although other factors have also been involved there. She's concerned that this tendency might also be part of her abiding failure to maintain a long-term relationship (other factors, again, but it worries her...). What does the character hate? Hypocrisy - Part and parcel of her own forthright nature. Prejudice - She's seen the harm it has done to some of her friends over the years. Also had to deal with some on her own account; people tend make assumptions based on her looks and her family background that don't necessarily apply. People who like to use and manipulate others - She's got a pretty strong protective streak. What does the character love? She is unswervingly devoted to her friends and family. Most of her time is dedicated to music in some form. She'll listen to just about anything. On a smaller scale, flying has become one of the principal joys of her life. What is the character's full name? Nicknames? Amanda Grace Halle (middle name is her maternal grandmother's). Occasionally referred to as 'Manda. Never Mandy. How does the character perceive government? Those who are opposed to the government? See politics. "Live and let live," might describe her opinions there. It's capable of doing things right once in a while, but she doesn't expect much from it. Tends to be suspicious of military activity. As far as the police, she has heard very little good about the NYPD from those of her friends who've had close encounters, and SORT makes her nervous. She hasn't had any direct dealings, however. Her younger brother Joe went through a devout communist phase (granted, it was partly just to annoy their father -- he remains relatively anti-capitalist); she thought the whole thing was kind of silly. She has no problem with peaceful activities of any stripe, but would not consider terrorism acceptable no matter what the cause. How does the character interact with other members of the group? Are they protective of some members? Has the character developed a rivalry with another character? Are there any romantic interests the character would like to pursue?
In general, she's very aware (maybe more than she needs to be) of how little experience she has with the side of life the Millennium tends to deal with, and hence is often a bit hesitant to put forth ideas and opinions. She tries to smooth over the occasional incipient verbal conflict. How did the character gain her abilites? What was her first reaction? What motivates her to act as a hero now? Powers gained due to a mysterious worldwide event on New Years Eve; her first reaction was shock due to the physical metamorphosis involved, and a certainty that her life was over. She has since adjusted pretty well, although she's concerned about the sometimes unpredictably destructive nature of her powers. She loves flying, and chafes at the need to remain secret. Currently, she's mainly motivated by her belief that if one can help, one has a responsibility to do so, and by her loyalty to the group, whom she now considers friends. Photo of peregrine in flight from the Marineau Walker Peregrine Falcon Information Centre, celebrity photos from wherever Dan found them, used without permission, so sue me. Character created by Rebecca Stevenson View Phoenix's V&V Character Sheet
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"Wow." Amanda is an attractive woman. She smiles a lot. Given her very casual work environment, she often eschews makeup and stylish clothing, gravitating toward jeans and old concert t-shirts for utility and comfort. On occasion she does enjoy making an impression, however. Tends to prefer simple, classically styled clothing, which suits her very well, over the latest goofy trend (she does not own any bell bottoms). Her build is slim and somewhat athletic; she still enjoys running.
