InsaneJournal

HISTORY LINK

IN GAME PERSONA
In Westview, most things seem pretty perfect, but the new district attorney has spent the first few years of his term with a surprising amount to do to keep things that way. At least so far as the official court record would have it. If some of those cases have been embelished a bit, well...at least it's for a good cause.

There's a time, after all, when ideals fall short, and when you do whatever there is within your power, legal or not, to make the world a better place. When given cause to take it further, to make that world in your own image, there is no limit to what a man is willing to do.

Michael Perry learned that lesson young, and he learned it well enough to put it into motion here and now, though it has been a long, strange trip, to borrow an expression from that band his auntie liked, even if that's putting it mildly.

Born a few towns over from Westview, Michael grew up rough, and was an early student of the infamous School of Hard Knocks. With his aunt serving as the single parent in a family made up of Michael and his little sister and their cousins, at least since he was six years old, money was tight and the situation was the same for most of his friends. When his friends started to get into trouble, Michael joined them and it was only by a stroke of luck that he was at his sister's school play when the lot of them were arrested. This left him alone, and vulnerable, to an extent, so he learned not to be vulnerable, and, when his friends seemed to change in the letters they were allowed to send, he didn't quite need to wonder why.

When those friends got out worse than changed, a few things became clear. Determined not to end up like them, and to avenge one friend who couldn't deal with the demons that came after his time in juvenile detention, Michael decided he was going to rise above his surroundings, with the clear goal of bringing the powerful down to their knees.

First, there was the matter of finishing school with decent enough grades to get a college scholarship. Well, he'd always been smart enough, and now that there was a fire lit under him, he moved through the rest of high school with a new purpose, gradually becoming the beloved of the teachers, who nominated him to student council in his sophomore year. Two years later, he was nominated student council president. Now, there were some who seemed to think that the good boy thing was a bit of a con job, and that the election may have been fixed, but who really cares enough about high school elections to do that?

Students who need scholarships that require proof of leadership ability definitely do. The act served as Michael's introduction to the art of solving problems using more than adrenaline and pure dumb luck to pull things off, and truth be told, he liked it. He liked it so much that he managed to get top positions in nearly everything of importance during senior year (though, to be fair, the thing where he became valedictorian would have happened anyway, on the basis of his improved grades), and pulled several impressive full ride scholarships. College, once he'd chosen it, was more of the same, making friends, influencing people, and working his ass off along the way. Going Pre-Law was a given, and so was his eventual acceptance to a top law school, and then, an internship in Westview, at a firm where he eventually worked on staff, then became a partner, all the while building up his acumen and becoming known in court.

The next thing to do was establish his position and begin protecting those who deserved it most, and when a case came up for a cop who he knew for a fact had assaulted a childhood friend, but had no evidence to establish a claim, there was only one thing to be done, and his time to change the world had come. When all the dust had cleared and Michael had his first victory against a known aggressor, he liked the way it felt, and went on to do more, eventually making him a popular choice when he finally ran for District Attorney a few years ago.

Michael still prides himself that his election was totally fair and not fixed. After all, he was always in this to fight for the people would couldn't fight for themselves and wanted to do more of that now. Here was, and still is, his chance. Of course, after the fact, playing fair hardly solves anything, so old lessons can, and do, apply.
Planting evidence, uncovering surprise evidence and bringing in witnesses with air tight alibis, even if the defendant claims to have never seen or met these people in their lives are all part and parcel of Michael's style in court, and planning for a case. When he knows he's charging someone who has, without a doubt, harmed someone or something who can't fight back, Michael makes damned sure they won't have a chance at hiding any longer. He should be ashamed for tampering with evidence, sure, but needs must, after all. He's working for the greater good and who cares how he gets there, right?
ABILITIES Superpowers, abilities, afflictions, etc.
Tommy has no superpowers, but he's a damned good shot, strategic thinker and knows how to play just about anyone's game. He's adept at screwing people over, making things come out on top for himself and his allies, and is a schemer and a thinker, along with being braver than he is smart, even though he's pretty smart.

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