Penny Gardner
Name Penny Marie Gardner
Role Teacher: Drama
Character Information
| Gender | Female | |
| Powers | Bio-Luminesence, Photokinesis (Light Manipulation) | |
| Powers Description | Penny has a deep love of putting others in the spotlight and has a natural flare for the dramatic, which is why light manipulation seems like such a natural power for the Drama Teacher. She is able to generate limited about of bio-luminescent light using her own energy reserves, however it consumes energy at a much higher rate, causing sustained use to leave her drained, sluggish and incredibly hungry. The default colour for this is a soft blue, if she shifts this into the red spectrum, she will consume even more energy. She is also able to manipulate light from outside sources. She can slow or speed up the the light waves, moving through the visible and non-visible spectrum. When she moves light into the non-visible spectrum it may appear she has turned out the lights for the normal human eye. She does however have an eye condition. While she can increase a light source, making it appear brighter, she is just as likely to blind herself as she is others. |
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| Alias | Prismatic (Pris) | |
| Age | 30 |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 1.85m | |
| Hair Color | Dark-Blonde | |
| Eye Color | Grey | |
| Physical Description | Penny has a tall, statuesque appearance that means she is able to command attention, but ironically is happier with others being the focus. She is often seen to be wearing warm, comfy clothes that are easy to move in. On bright days she often wear sunglasses to protect her In the Scottish winter she comes into her element, with big-knitted sweaters and layers of tweed and scarves. She is also a fan of berets and hats, and believes there is always a perfect hat for every occasion. When her bioluminescence activates she glows a soft blue colour. |
Family
| Significant other | None | |
| Parents | Richard (father) - Math Teacher Gladys (father) - Chemistry Teacher |
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| Sibling(s) | Simon (younger brother) - Freelance software engineer (working on the new fangled internet things) | |
| Other Family | James (Grandfather) Various aunts and uncles, whom she is not very close to. |
Personality & Traits
| General Overview | Penny was raise middle-class in a family who placed a big emphasis on academics. As such her more artistic route into theatrics was somewhat of a disappointment. Because of this Penny places a strong emphasis for personal exploration and growth in terms of her teaching, believing it is just as important for children to be given space to express and understand themselves as it is to learn about the Theatre as a subject. She also believes that Drama is a route for children to learn co-operation over competition. | |
| Strengths & Weaknesses | Penny is a creative, free spirit with a gentle nature. She thrives in spaces where people are able to make decisions with their gut, and where there may be no one right way to do things. Because of this she struggles in situations which require binary thinking and where she has to rely on logic alone. "One way of looking at speech is to say that it is a constant stratagem to cover nakedness." - Harold Pinter Penny is, strangely, inherently shy and sensitive. She uses her 'drama' persona to cover up her shyness, but she is most at ease when she is behind the curtains and someone else is on stage. Her cheerful banter and babble are used just as much to keep people from seeing her true self. |
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| Ambitions | Aspiration to teach everyone that co-operation and stories are a way of reaching understanding and balance within communities. | |
| Hobbies & Interests | As well as reading and cooking, Penny also enjoys knitting and can often been seen with needles and yarn in hand when listening to kids on stage. She also helps build all the sets, and make all the costumes for the school plays, roping in anyone who can pick up a paintbrush or thread a needle. |
| Personal History | Penny was born into the 60's and grew up in the 70's, carrying the free spirit of the age of Aquarius with her into adulthood. Penny enjoyed school, particular subjects such as History and English which were about humanity. She grew up in a small village in Kent, where she and her brother were able to wander into the woods near their home and play games for hours. She went to the local primary, and later grammar school where both her parents were teachers. She struggled with Maths and Sciences, which was often a cause of her concern for her parents. She was close with her younger brother, and would often make up stories for him when they were little. While there was always a deep affection between the siblings, as they grew older, Simon excelled in the areas where Penny struggled. This put a little distance between the siblings, although Simon's natural caring nature never let it get too competitive. Whenever she struggled in school, he would help her with her Maths and Science homework. Although it stung her pride a little her younger brother helping, she never turned down his goodwill. When their parents divorced, Penny retreated into herself. The previously bright and jolly child becoming insular and shy. In a bid to help draw her out of her shell, her parents began to send her to her Grandfather's house after school, who was a member of the village amateur dramatics society. Here she picked up a love for Shakespeare, Wilde and Pinter. As she helped him prepare for the performances in the local village hall, she began to find her confidence again. Learning there were ways to be more comfortable in your own skin, while pretending to be someone else. It was her Grandfather who interceded on her behalf when it came time to chose a subject and apply for university. Together they brokered a deal where she would be able to study Drama if she promised to also complete a teaching qualification as a sensible plan B. It was there, at university where her powers first manifested. On the night of her final graded performance, she started to glow in the middle of a speech as Titania. Luckily most in the audience thought it was simply a theatrical effect. The professor grading her gave her a near perfect score for her extra initiative, however internally, Penny was terrified. From that moment on she began to cover up, wearing long sleeves even in the middle of summer and scarves to hide her neck lest it happen again. Her parents when she told them were extremely shocked. In a bit to help her fit in, they advised she should try and limit her powers, and not use them in front of people. After all, in a middle-class village where everyone was pretending to be picture-book perfect, having a freak in the family was less than ideal. She went onto lead a rather sedate and unassuming life, getting her teaching qualification, and working in a neighbouring village to where she grew up as a teacher. Her grandfather sadly passed away in the late 80's and she had continued to help him with his shows right up until the week he died. Using her powers to turn the simple village hall lighting rig into something that always made those in the audience feel like they were watching something special. After her grandfather's death she found it difficult being in the Am-Dram Society without him, so started to look for a way to help others and honour his legacy. As the political environment toward mutants became more wary, she became convinced the best way to help, was to start teaching young mutants ways to co-operate and tell their stories. She felt mutant kids would need spaces where they could be themselves, have fun and learn how to work to build communities, and for her that was what her Grandfather had taught her through theatre. That's when she applied to work with the Avalon institute. |
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| Mutant Registration Status | Unknown Entity | |
| Assigned House | None |
