Post by Marcus Rodgers on Nov 17, 2010 23:46:14 GMT -5
Marcus Rodgers
Full Name- Marcus Elijah Rodgers
Gender- Male
Age- 38
Date of Birth- 24 December 1972
Sexual Orientation- Heterosexual
Location- Transient
Celebrity Claim- Vartan, Michael
What should we call you?- Rayne, Rayney, Raynedrop, etc.
Play anyone else?- Rayne Campbell, Dakari Johessman, Sparrow Akiyama, Marshall Quatrevaux
Have You Read the Rules?- No. Sly told me I didn't have to, and since he is the best cat evar, them haters will most certainly brrrrrrrm.
Personality-
In most circumstances, Marcus comes off as a cocky, arrogant jackass. He is very good at what he does, and he does not mind flaunting his skills. He is tactless, abrasive, and, to all appearances, does not care what anyone thinks of his brashness. While he does not go out of his way to offend people, he is not shy about stepping on some toes to get what he wants.
Once he decides that someone is worthy of his respect- and, being an excellent judge of character, he usually decides this within minutes of meeting a person- his caustic attitude becomes much milder, and he gradually begins to reveal a more amicable, engaging side of his personality. Among friends, he is laid-back and jovial; in stark contrast to the initial impression they probably formed of him, others find him easy to get along with.
However, there is also another side to him, one that he seldom lets anyone other than Mira see. Despite his usual disinterestedness, he is capable of caring about others, and of identifying the needs and emotions of others and responding to them accordingly. To him, being vulnerable is dangerous, so only the most trusted of his acquaintances ever see him at his least guarded.
His relationship with Mira may be the most telling facet of his life. The couple's relationship could be described as "unconventional," like a marriage of convenience; in many ways, this is actually true. They rarely show affection for each other in public, due in part to both of them having trouble expressing deep emotions. However, they are fiercely loyal to each other, and understand each other more thoroughly than even they could explain.
Likes-
- Practical jokes- Marcus has a variety of pranks and is constantly thinking of more, and will most definitely use them, if only to entertain himself.
- Computers- He is incredibly talented with computers and constantly picks up more about them- technological figures and methods that even computer designers don't think of.
- Puzzles- Anything that keeps his mind working. If his brain is idle, prepare to be pranked.
- Music- Just about any genre of music appeals to him, depending on his current mood. Just don't let him start singing along. (See "Flaws.")
- Squirrels- Something about the crafty little rodents amuses him.
Dislikes-
- Cheese- It's just icky.
- Crime procedurals- Having been an investigator for a considerable part of his life, he finds their inaccuracies annoying.
- Long flights- Thirty thousand feet in the air + locked in a narrow vessel run by computers = someone's getting Punk'd.
- Upscale restaurants- He finds them very pretentious. Duck? Snails? Turtles? Hamburger.
- Stupid people- He has very little patience for people he views as lacking intelligence. This can include, but is not limited to, poor drivers, the technologically disinclined, and people who use the word "like" as a, like, interjection.
Strengths-
- Attentive- Marcus does pay very close attention to his surroundings and the people he associates with. Sometimes he uses this strength in a helpful way, and sometimes he uses it to uncover someone's weaknesses and exploit them. It depends.
- Witty- While his sense of humor tends to be dark and occasionally (often) offensive, he does know how to make anyone laugh, whether that involves straight comedy or twisted irony.
- Slow to anger- Getting him upset is next to impossible; anything you could think to say or do to him, he would simply shake off or ignore. Even stupidity doesn't make him mad. Mess with Mira, however....
- Innovative- His mind is incredibly versatile, and he can visualize just about any scenario in seconds. Moreover, he is intelligent and adept enough to put his imagined plans into action.
- Thinks quickly- He can literally think on the run, and imagine ways to use whatever is at his disposal.
Weaknesses-
- Distrustful- He trusts no one, with the sole exception of Mira; he always assumes that no one is entirely who they claim to be. This stems in part from the fact that he, as a private investigator, has had to be someone he is not in order to get the job done.
- Unemotional- While he is often happy or sad or annoyed, he has difficulty expressing more profound emotions, such as love or hatred.
- Disregards the feelings of others- Unless you are on the short list of people he respects, he does not care what you think or what happens to you.
- Abrasive- He is honest and straightforward, sometimes to the point of being offensive; while he is aware that he does this, again, he usually does not care.
- Apathetic- Unless a situation directly concerns him or someone he cares about, he really does not pay attention to it. Examples include politics and disasters.
Skills-
- Expert computer technician- Marcus knows more about computers than most people could imagine even exists, and can easily identify and repair problems with them- or just exploit them.
- Brilliant mathematician- He can calculate simple math in his head within seconds, can complete algebra problems very quickly, and is familiar with advanced maths such as statistics and calculus.
- Adept linguist- He speaks fluent English and Spanish, and knows enough of several other languages that he could get by in countries that speak them.
Flaws-
- Horrible singer- You might think that someone with rhythmic ability would also have a sense of pitch. Not so for Marcus. He loves to sing- loudly- and sometimes exaggerates his tone-deafness to annoy people.
- Mild nearsightedness- He occasionally needs glasses to read small text, such as that in newspapers. He usually wears contacts.
- Allergic to tree nuts- Eating any type of tree nut, being exposed to its dust, or coming into contact with tree nut oils can all lead to potentially serious reactions. (However, he is not allergic to peanuts.)
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Abilities/Powers/Skills-
Abilities:Psionic Metronome-This ability allows Marcus to alter and control the rhythm at which something is occurring- for example, the swinging of a chime, a person's running pace, or a person's breathing or heartbeat. He can slow or speed up the tempos that drive these actions, making a person run more quickly or slowing or stopping a heart.
This ability can affect anything that follows a particular rhythm, and is not limited to just music. Marcus can utilize this ability in two ways: ranged or direct. That is, he could either force everyone and everything within a certain radius to follow his tempo, or he could target a select number or people or objects. He cannot do both at the same time. To channel this ability, he uses his hands to mark the new tempo, much like an orchestra's conductor would, though he does not have to follow any specific conducting pattern.
Rhythm Distortion- While Psionic Metronome allows Marcus to control the rhythms of people and objects and change them to a slower or faster rate, Rhythm Distortion gives him the ability to completely disrupt these rhythms. For example, instead of simply slowing down a beat, he could make it fall completely out of time, following no specific pattern. This ability could be used to deflect oncoming attacks by distorting their speeds and throwing them off course. This does not require the use of his hands, but is only temporary, lasting only half a minute at the longest.
Skills:
Computers- Marcus has a natural talent for understanding computers. Where most people simply see a desktop or a Web page, he sees the workings behind that, the scripts and processes that make them run- and the strengths and vulnerabilities in them. This includes not only personal computers, but anything that uses computers, from cell phones to aircraft. This translates into an advanced capability for designing and repairing both hardware and software, and for exploiting the weaknesses in them. He is an experienced computer hacker, and can get past even the most comprehensive security measures. He can also design programs, such as viruses and worms, to infiltrate computer networks. This is his primary means of obtaining secure information from unwitting sources.
Observation- Very little slips past Marcus' notice. He picks up on the smallest, most irrelevant details, from what someone is wearing to an object lying on a table. These details can speak volumes about a person's character, or about the situation he is in; this skill has proved invaluable to him in his line of work.
Investigation- While Marcus did not overtly study investigative techniques in college or anything, he received unofficial training from several different agencies he worked with, including the FBI, the CIA, the NRO, a few private firms, and a couple of classified government agencies. He can disguise himself well, though once Mira joined him, his roles in investigations became more behind-the-scenes. While Mira often worked as a mole or a diversion, Marcus remained hidden, using his technological skills and the information Mira gathered to piece cases together. He learned to fade into the background, and to observe without being seen. He can slip in and out of places stealthily, or blend into his surroundings; no one would give him a second glance. In contrast to his usual behavior (i.e. being a jackass), he can be completely unobtrusive when the mission calls for it.
Limits-
Abilities:
Psionic Metronome- The current range of this ability is about half a mile. When he chooses to target specific people or objects, he can affect roughly a dozen people at one time. These limits can change, depending on his mental state; if he is tired, weak, or drunk, they decrease significantly.
This ability requires that he use his hands to indicate the tempo. The change in tempo is only effective for the length of time that his hands are moving. There is no limit on this length of time, aside from the fact that he obviously couldn't do this infinitely. Additionally, at present, he can only create one rhythm at a time- that is, he could not control two people and make one run faster than the other. He cannot use ranged and direct attacks at the same time. Also, he cannot alter the flow of time.
Rhythm Distortion- Marcus does not need his hands for this ability, but it only last as long as he wills it to, and that cannot be any longer than about half a minute. The range and number of subjects are the same- half a mile and twelve subjects- and are also affected by his mental state. This ability also does not affect time.
Skills:
Computers- The more complicated something is, the longer it takes to figure it out; that certainly applies here. Marcus could be considered a genius in this aspect, but even he can't hack or fix something without enough time.
Observation- He is somewhat nearsighted, so if he needed to read something very small and did not have glasses or contacts, he would find it difficult. Also, just because he notices things does not mean he is always right about what they mean. He could guess that someone is wearing all black because they plan to rob a bank, when in fact the person needed to do laundry and only had a ninja suit left in their closet. Generally, he is right about these sorts of things, but he is far from perfect with them.
Investigation- Marcus makes mistakes; it is possible for him to get caught. He is a fairly strong fighter and is somewhat better than average at shooting a gun, but, should he wind up in trouble, he generally relies on his persuasiveness and tries to talk or bargain his way out of it. Combat is not his strong suit.
[/font][/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/justify]Computers- Marcus has a natural talent for understanding computers. Where most people simply see a desktop or a Web page, he sees the workings behind that, the scripts and processes that make them run- and the strengths and vulnerabilities in them. This includes not only personal computers, but anything that uses computers, from cell phones to aircraft. This translates into an advanced capability for designing and repairing both hardware and software, and for exploiting the weaknesses in them. He is an experienced computer hacker, and can get past even the most comprehensive security measures. He can also design programs, such as viruses and worms, to infiltrate computer networks. This is his primary means of obtaining secure information from unwitting sources.
Observation- Very little slips past Marcus' notice. He picks up on the smallest, most irrelevant details, from what someone is wearing to an object lying on a table. These details can speak volumes about a person's character, or about the situation he is in; this skill has proved invaluable to him in his line of work.
Investigation- While Marcus did not overtly study investigative techniques in college or anything, he received unofficial training from several different agencies he worked with, including the FBI, the CIA, the NRO, a few private firms, and a couple of classified government agencies. He can disguise himself well, though once Mira joined him, his roles in investigations became more behind-the-scenes. While Mira often worked as a mole or a diversion, Marcus remained hidden, using his technological skills and the information Mira gathered to piece cases together. He learned to fade into the background, and to observe without being seen. He can slip in and out of places stealthily, or blend into his surroundings; no one would give him a second glance. In contrast to his usual behavior (i.e. being a jackass), he can be completely unobtrusive when the mission calls for it.
Limits-
Abilities:
Psionic Metronome- The current range of this ability is about half a mile. When he chooses to target specific people or objects, he can affect roughly a dozen people at one time. These limits can change, depending on his mental state; if he is tired, weak, or drunk, they decrease significantly.
This ability requires that he use his hands to indicate the tempo. The change in tempo is only effective for the length of time that his hands are moving. There is no limit on this length of time, aside from the fact that he obviously couldn't do this infinitely. Additionally, at present, he can only create one rhythm at a time- that is, he could not control two people and make one run faster than the other. He cannot use ranged and direct attacks at the same time. Also, he cannot alter the flow of time.
Rhythm Distortion- Marcus does not need his hands for this ability, but it only last as long as he wills it to, and that cannot be any longer than about half a minute. The range and number of subjects are the same- half a mile and twelve subjects- and are also affected by his mental state. This ability also does not affect time.
Skills:
Computers- The more complicated something is, the longer it takes to figure it out; that certainly applies here. Marcus could be considered a genius in this aspect, but even he can't hack or fix something without enough time.
Observation- He is somewhat nearsighted, so if he needed to read something very small and did not have glasses or contacts, he would find it difficult. Also, just because he notices things does not mean he is always right about what they mean. He could guess that someone is wearing all black because they plan to rob a bank, when in fact the person needed to do laundry and only had a ninja suit left in their closet. Generally, he is right about these sorts of things, but he is far from perfect with them.
Investigation- Marcus makes mistakes; it is possible for him to get caught. He is a fairly strong fighter and is somewhat better than average at shooting a gun, but, should he wind up in trouble, he generally relies on his persuasiveness and tries to talk or bargain his way out of it. Combat is not his strong suit.
Appearance-
Marcus' appearance allows him to either blend in easily or stand out among the crowd, whichever he wants at the time. He is of slightly taller than average height, and sports a vaguely muscular build. His brown hair is usually kept short and messy, though in some cases he does style it to alter his appearance a bit. Except for when he is undercover or at home, he can usually be found wearing a black suit. Otherwise, his clothes depend on the occasion, with no real pattern or preference in his wardrobe.
His face is long and gently rounded. The color of his eyes are murky and can range from a greyish brown to a greyish light green, depending on the lighting. His lips are thin, as is his nose. Usually, he is clean-shaven or sports a bit of stubble. His voice is low and soft, and he seldom raises it. Occasionally, he wears glasses, which tend to have black and squarish frames. Otherwise, he uses clear contacts, unless he needs to change his eye color as part of a disguise.
Faction- Neutral / The Elite
Birthplace- Briarwood, Queens, New York, NY
Mother- Cherie Mayra Rodgers (neé Laverne) / 61 / Retired accountant / Civilian
Father- Courtney Malachi Rodgers / 62 / Retired engineer and computer programmer / Special- Chronokinesis
Siblings- None.
Wife- Candelaria "Mira" Kulkarni Rodgers (neé Concepción Kulkarni) / 32 / Private investigator / Special - Psychoperception/Psychomotor Application
History-
Marcus was born in Briarwood, a considerably nice neighborhood in Queens, New York. His parents were fairly well off, and were able to provide him with a comfortable childhood. As Marcus' father is a Special, he expected his son to manifest an ability, which he did when he was twelve years old. His parents helped him understand and channel his abilities early on.
As Marcus grew older, he was given plenty of outlets to cultivate his natural intelligence and creativity, which led to his becoming something of a genius. He never took to any one subject in particular, but learned a good deal in many subjects. More importantly, he developed an ability to solve problems quickly, by coming up with various possible solutions and testing each of them mentally to choose the right one to apply. This skill could be applied to anything, from math problems to logic puzzles to real-life applications such as inventing and repairing machines. It was this ability to view things as both their parts and their wholes, their beginnings and their ends, that led Marcus to pick up a new hobby in high school, disassembling and troubleshooting computers.
Marcus' technological skills opened up an entirely new realm of possibilities for him. He paid his way through college at Georgetown University by taking on jobs for others, work that became more criminal over time. He was first caught stealing information from the FBI just before graduating from college; this proved to be a break for him, as the FBI offered him a job instead of prosecuting him, on the condition that he work for nearly free (they paid him enough to cover his room and board) for five years. Four months into the deal, he turned around and sold some of their data to the mafia. For the next several years, he went back and forth between the two extremes, and spent just as much time working for the government as he did topping its most-wanted list.
It was during one of the periods with the FBI that Marcus met a young woman named Candelaria. Her family had been targeted by a hate group; Marcus had been called upon to track the group by uncovering their electronic trail. He was present when a team of agents located the family, all of which had been murdered save Candelaria and her mother. The mother would later be committed to a mental health facility. Marcus took Candelaria under his wing, expecting that her strength and creativity would prove useful.
The pair spent a good deal of time working cases on their own as well as for- and sometimes against- the government. They moved and changed identities often, and made friends and enemies across the country. Their relationship developed slowly, almost imperceptibly. Not until late 2008 did they start to acknowledge how they felt about each other- and, even then, only on a limited basis.
The case that caused this change centered around a fellow hacker named Thornton Spencer Holmes. Marcus had once again been approached by the FBI for assistance, with the promise of forgiveness for his past crimes and a sizable check in return. His task, as it was explained to him, was to track Holmes and monitor his movements; for this, they needed someone who was a better hacker than Holmes was, which was actually only a handful of people, most of them unknown criminals. Marcus accepted the job, and he and Candelaria (now known as "Mira") provided the FBI with information on his whereabouts and activities- until they realized that the real target was not Holmes, but his wife, Roxsinne, who had witnessed a government cover-up as a child and was beginning to remember details about what had happened.
Marcus double-crossed his employers and helped Spencer and Roxsinne elude the government until they could expose the cover-up. The ensuing showdown ended in an ambiguous win for all of them, as the FBI pledged to leave all of them alone as long as they kept silent- especially Marcus, who knew more about the inner workings of the intelligence community than he really wanted to know. After having almost lost their lives in the conflict, Marcus and Mira decided to quit investigating. They married and settled down in Los Angeles, where they placed Mira's mother in the care of the Jung Facility and babysat some of Marcus' cousins, and took up jobs as a security consultant and an actress, respectively.
Four months later, they were right back in the field. The home life just did not suit either of them; they missed the thrill and the challenge of working cases. Since then, they have been back on their regular schedule, moving from place to place as each job required. They accept work only through word-of-mouth; to the rest of the world, they are little more than an anonymous couple on the subway or on the street, the ones that exist for the moment and are forgotten just as quickly.
Anything else?- If he's accepted, Marcus would be the primary character involved, with Mira (an NPC) only providing help if/when necessary.
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Sample RP-
As usual, traffic was horrible that morning in Washington, D.C. Marcus sipped his coffee contentedly, watching the small laptop in front of him. The café was buzzing with activity, which was also perfectly typical that morning.
Predictably, a black Chevy Malibu appeared down the street, ambling along with the rest of the traffic. The movement was reflected on the laptop's screen, which was quietly monitoring the vehicle through its OnStar console. The conversation happening inside the car filtered into Marcus' computer and into music-editing software, then into a set of headphones on Marcus' ears.
Marcus' face remained fairly expressionless despite the content he was listening to. The driver of the car was a recently elected senator; his passenger was the right-hand man of a fairly prominent mafia boss. They were openly discussing the mafia boss' "support" of the senator's campaign, and the sorts of favors the boss now expected from his Senate plaything. It was the sort of stuff men killed for, and Marcus was recording all of it. All this simply because the men felt safe enough to talk in the privacy of the car.
The Malibu slowed to a crawl, surrounded on most sides by other cars. Having passed along his message, the mafia man got out of the car and strolled into an office building across the street. The woman sitting at the doorway glanced up as he passed, then looked out at the street, and at the café. Seeing nothing unusual in Marcus' expression, Mira went back to reading her novel.
Marcus was just preparing to leave when the traffic light switched to green and the Malibu started forward. The wail of a siren sounded just blocks away, and, moments later, a black sedan tore around the corner, a police car hot on its tail. The sedan weaved through the cars with expert precision, leaving the clumsier police cruiser behind.
Marcus assessed the situation. As the sedan passed him, he counted four occupants; all except the driver were wearing ski masks. Robbery. Their sedan was catching up to the Malibu, and could probably beat the next traffic light if the Malibu kept its pace. His fingers flew over the keyboard as he quickly navigated the OnStar console and triggered the Malibu's "Stolen Vehicle Slowdown" feature. The Malibu slowed to a crawl, and the unwitting sedan smashed right into it, giving the police car plenty of time to catch up. Not what the Slowdown feature was meant for, but hey, it had worked, after a fashion.
Some of the café's patrons and staff swarmed out to see the accident, and cheered as the senator climbed out of his car. Marcus cut off the network connections and shut down the computer. No one batted an eyelash as he cut through the crowd, bumping some shoulders along the way, and walked down the sidewalk, away from the crash scene.
He could hear the senator loudly responding to the police officers' thanks and questions. The senator would be a hero, for the day at least, though he really had no idea how his car had slowed down in time to catch the criminals. That was perfectly fine with Marcus. Amusing, actually. Especially since that senator would be knee-deep in mudslinging once this recording of his was exposed.
"That was nice of you." Mira had appeared next to Marcus as he turned the corner. They strolled down the side street quite casually. "Though I doubt our senator will appreciate having to repair his bumper for the cause."
"Oh, he'll just allocate some taxpayer money to fix it." Marcus grinned maliciously. "Probably call it a 'charitable expense.'"