>> We already know that Antimatter can do a form of speed-healing on himself. <<
First, remember that it's an active ability, not a passive one like true regeneration.
>> You'd think a bruise would be easier to handle than an open cut; <<
Easier to contain, but not necessarily easy to erase quickly, and the mechanism for making a bruise go away is different from the ones required to stop bleeding and replace skin because it requires breaking down the pooled blood. Lawrence can only do what he understands.
>> why doesn't he minimize these things on his way to school? <<
Second, it's challenging to do. Speed-healing is something he's learned relatively recently and he's not very adept at it yet. It requires concentration. Physically, the damage is roughly equivalent to what he healed at the Mall, so it's within his power range. He may or may not have managed to get a grip well enough to stop the bleeding sooner than it would have stopped on its own. But still, it's hard to concentrate on a delicate task when you're injured. Emotionally, Lawrence is a wreck. Imagine a really horrible fight in which somebody you love knocks you into a wall. Now imagine trying to do something delicate and complicated immediately after that, such as writing a computer program.
Third, being able to control superpowers under stress is a learned skill, and it's harder for some powers than for others. Sometimes Lawrence can keep a handle on his in a crisis, other times not. He has nowhere near Stan's ability to keep a cool head, and a large part of that is because Stan has training that Lawrence just doesn't yet.
>> Especially since he knows it draws unwelcome attention when he's got bruises on his face. Would this come under the heading of "a cry for help"? <<
Definitely not. Look at the rest of his behavior. He hides behind his hair, lies about what's happening, and goes apeshit when somebody does intervene. That doesn't mean he isn't in need of help, just that he is highly resistant to it, due to a combination of messed-up headspace and bad experiences with previous attempts to "help."
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dancing_serpent
Well...
Date: 2014-07-15 05:39 pm (UTC)First, remember that it's an active ability, not a passive one like true regeneration.
>> You'd think a bruise would be easier to handle than an open cut; <<
Easier to contain, but not necessarily easy to erase quickly, and the mechanism for making a bruise go away is different from the ones required to stop bleeding and replace skin because it requires breaking down the pooled blood. Lawrence can only do what he understands.
>> why doesn't he minimize these things on his way to school? <<
Second, it's challenging to do. Speed-healing is something he's learned relatively recently and he's not very adept at it yet. It requires concentration. Physically, the damage is roughly equivalent to what he healed at the Mall, so it's within his power range. He may or may not have managed to get a grip well enough to stop the bleeding sooner than it would have stopped on its own. But still, it's hard to concentrate on a delicate task when you're injured. Emotionally, Lawrence is a wreck. Imagine a really horrible fight in which somebody you love knocks you into a wall. Now imagine trying to do something delicate and complicated immediately after that, such as writing a computer program.
Third, being able to control superpowers under stress is a learned skill, and it's harder for some powers than for others. Sometimes Lawrence can keep a handle on his in a crisis, other times not. He has nowhere near Stan's ability to keep a cool head, and a large part of that is because Stan has training that Lawrence just doesn't yet.
>> Especially since he knows it draws unwelcome attention when he's got bruises on his face. Would this come under the heading of "a cry for help"? <<
Definitely not. Look at the rest of his behavior. He hides behind his hair, lies about what's happening, and goes apeshit when somebody does intervene. That doesn't mean he isn't in need of help, just that he is highly resistant to it, due to a combination of messed-up headspace and bad experiences with previous attempts to "help."