Post by Marcus Finch on May 20, 2015 11:03:00 GMT -5
Basics
Name: Marcus Finch
Nicknames: Mark, Puke-Head
Age: 18
Birthday: 27th October
Grade: 11th
Power:
Sonokinesis (aka Sound Manipulation)- This is the ability to manipulate sound waves. In order to best understand how this power works it is important to consider sound as a form of energy. Like ripples in a pond, sonic energy is a reaction to a kinetic stimulus (a vibration). It radiates outwards from the source through a medium in waves and loses energy as it moves further from the source. What we perceive as sound is our body's reaction to the kinetic disturbance caused by shifts in air pressure created when energy from a vibration passes through a medium. Just like all elemental manipulators, Marcus is capable of physically manipulating this pressure which allows him to use it in several different ways. His control over sonic energy can be broken down into control over six different properties of sound: pitch, amplitude, distance, direction, timbre, and tangibility.
In order to use his power, Marcus must constantly add to or re-direct the energy that naturally exists in sound waves. By controlling the shifts in air pressure that make each sound unique Marcus can cause sound waves to behave in unnatural ways. He cannot manipulate them in any way that would counteract the laws of physics, but he can disrupt their natural flow and use them to his advantage. For example, it may seem counter-intuitive but Marcus can create semi-solid constructs out of sound waves. This works by disrupting the natural flow of a sound wave, forcing air pressure to compress and push outwards with enough force to give the illusion of solidification. While these constructs are not truly solid, the output of pressure is oftentimes enough to stop or at least slow a projectile in its flight, acting like a force of resistance or weak shield. However, this is a highly complex technique that requires intense focus and can be very draining on Marcus’s energy. It takes a lot of energy to alter the natural flow of sound waves and force them into a single shape, and as of right now he can only hold very simple shapes for 30 seconds or less. Additionally, playing with compressed air comes with its own unique set of risks such as the potential to cause accidental explosions.
The other aspects of Marcus’s sound manipulation tend to be much simpler. He can change the frequencies of sound waves and their loudness. He can potentially incapacitate opponents by creating extremely loud or high pitched noises and could even cause temporary deafness. However, he cannot hold a dangerously loud sound for a long enough period of time to cause permanent hearing loss, and he also risks damaging his own hearing in the process. His control over the pitch of a sound is not limited to the spectrum of human hearing meaning that he can force sounds to resonate at a pitch that cannot be heard by the average person. Marcus can project noises over relatively long distances, but the further he tries to project them the more energy it requires and the less effective his ability becomes. In fact, distance is a limiting factor in every aspect of his power. Due to the fact that sound waves naturally lose energy as they travel from their source, Marcus has less energy to work with the further he is from the sound he’s manipulating.
Overall, this is a very versatile power that can be applied in numerous creative and occasionally dangerous ways. It can be used to enhance, create, overwhelm, defend, attack, and destroy, but to disrupt the natural order of things is guaranteed to have consequences. The more Marcus plays with his sound waves the more exhausted he becomes. Although there is a great deal of variation between how tiring some techniques are over others, all of them require some level of focus and an active application of energy that will ultimately tax Marcus's physical and mental resources over time. He has more difficultly manipulating sounds that are far away and quieter sounds in general tend to be more challenging for him to alter due to the fact that they naturally have less energy for him to manipulate. However, he can technically manipulate sounds that are not audible to the human ear (even his own) since even inaudible sounds are still sounds and are still subject to the same principles as any other sound wave.
Supersonic Speed- Marcus can move at the speed of sound, but only in quick bursts. He cannot use his power for prolonged periods of time and he cannot change directions after committing to using the power. It allows him to make a quick pivot in one direction, breaking the sound barrier in the process, and forces his body to move in one direction for several feet or until he meets an obstacle. The resulting shock wave is oftentimes enough to knock over anyone within its radius and can cause temporary deafness. Marcus's own hearing is affected by the blast unless he happens to be wearing protection, and he can suffer severe injuries depending on what he eventually comes in contact with. In an open space, he can propel himself up to 20 feet in any direction so long as he is not met by an obstacle.
In order to use this power, Marcus kicks hard off of the ground which forces the sound waves caused by the vibrations of his foot hitting the ground to rapidly compact and expand, launching him in a single direction. He can use this power multiple times in a row after a brief cooldown of 30 seconds, but it's very difficult for him to use it successfully in enclosed spaces. His body does not seem to suffer any negative trauma despite the fact that he moves at a velocity well beyond what would be lethal for the average human.
Sound Wave Perception- Over time, Marcus will slowly begin to develop the ability to perceive sound waves through senses other than hearing. With this power, he can feel the vibrations of sound waves as they interact with their environment. Although everyone has the ability to do this to some degree, Marcus is sensitive to sound waves on a supernatural level. He can sense sound waves as they bounce off of objects in the surrounding area, creating a sort of Sonar effect. [The detection, classification and localisation performance of a sonar depends on the environment and the receiving equipment, as well as the transmitting equipment in an active sonar or the target radiated noise in a passive sonar.]
Member Group: Neutral
Canon or not: Not
Appearance: Marcus has a whipish physique crowned with green hair. Standing at six-feet-even and weighing a modest 148 pounds, Marcus isn't the biggest bull in the pen, but is surprisingly athletic for someone who cares so little for sports. Of course, his body didn't happen by accident. Marcus takes pride in his image and works hard to stay in shape, hitting the gym and jogging regularly. As a result, he has developed a body that is leanly muscular, built for speed and stamina. Marcus's hands are almost disproportionately large compared to his lean body, with long, powerful fingers capped with calluses made rough from years of practising his music. However, Marcus's body is unlikely to be the first thing about him that draws your eye: he has green hair. Although it is naturally a shade of light brown, he dyes it so often he doubts even his parents would recognise him with his natural hair colour. He keeps it cut short and styled shaggy, falling just to the nape of his neck. With fair skin, expressive green eyes, and thin, high-set eyebrows, Marcus's facial structure is soft and almost feminine. He has a delicate jawline with pinched cheeks and small ears. His expression is typically one of moody indifference and legend has it that he smiled once, but it's been so long hardly anyone remembers what it looks like.
Marcus loves punk fashion. He can typically be seen wearing black skinny jeans, combat boots, and a black sleeveless shirt with his trademark green jacket over it. He has several piercings including both of his ears, his bottom lip, his left eyebrow, his tongue, and the bridge of his nose. Around his neck he wears a chain with his dad's ID discs ("dog tags") and he is, understandably, very protective of these. Additionally, he oftentimes carries a pair of earplugs with him and he can usually be seen wearing his headphones when out in public. The school uniform is abhorrent to him, especially since the red shirt clashes with his green hair making him look like the world's most metal Christmas tree. Unfortunately, he doesn't really have any choice but to wear it during school hours. If he's gonna go to detention, he'd rather it not be in the name of fashion.
Personality
Overall Personality: Marcus can be a rather complicated person to describe. On the surface he appears to be a quiet, moody musician who is prone to flashing his bad attitude seemingly unprovoked. He can be cold, critical, and strangely distant, but his very presence seems to pulse with a quiet passion that may be difficult for other people to understand. Internally, Marcus is an intensely emotional creature who struggles with a great deal of pent-up angst. Although not energetic in the expressive sense, Marcus possesses an abundance of creative energy which he displays as either constructive energy (through his music) or destructive energy (through his attitude). Marcus is prone to mood swings and can oscillate from one end of the spectrum to the other without warning, making him a dynamic and unpredictable character to deal with.
On the constructive end of the spectrum, Marcus's musical talent is undeniable. When he plays it is with a passion that demands to not only be heard, but experienced. He is not above geeking out over music especially if he finds someone who shares the same opinions as him on what true artistry is. Although he frequently comes across as pretentious or snobbish when it comes to music, Marcus believes that those traits are nothing more than the consequences of caring about something. However, some may argue that he cares too much. Marcus can be harshly critical of anyone who claims to be a musician, even himself. When it comes to music he is a compulsive perfectionist which can quickly drag him into a state of frustration when things aren't going the way he wanted. He is incredibly competitive when he finds another musician who he sees as being on his level, and he makes his disdain for people who treat music as nothing more than a casual hobby quite clear. Although a talented musician, Marcus is also a selfish one. His music is deeply personal for him and he hates performing, but if he wants to fulfill his dream of becoming a professional he'll have to learn to share his music with others.
Meanwhile, lurking on the uglier side of Marcus's personality lies his bad attitude. He is very particular about his image and he has carefully constructed his tough-guy persona whose default emotions seem to be anger and apathy. His volatile mood swings make him difficult to get along with and his closed-off attitude makes him difficult to understand without reading between the lines. As a result, his relationships tend to be turbulent at best. However, he is not completely devoid of social skills. He understands when tact is important and is simply selective about when he chooses to show it. As a rule, he has little patience or sympathy for people who whine or are self-pitying. He admires strength in others and sees overt emotional expression as a hallmark of personal weakness. Conflict is not something he's very good at handling and his explosive emotions are likely to prevent him from reacting rationally. Overall, Marcus is a bold, dynamic, and persistent individual whose wayward passions make him prone to self-destructive impulses. He is driven by a fear of disappointment, but his excessively high expectations make it a forgone conclusion. In order to reach his full potential he must learn to be more open-minded and accepting of others and develop a firmer sense of self-restraint in order to control his unstable temper.
Likes:
Dislikes:
Fears:
Strengths(Should be mix of Personality, physical and mental):
Weaknesses(Should be mix of Personality, physical and mental):
Goals:
History
Family Members/guardians:
Father: Anthony Finch
Mother: Natalie Finch
History: Marcus grew up in a suburb of Manchester, England where he was raised as the only child of Anthony and Natalie Finch. His father was a soldier in the British Army and, more importantly, he was Marcus's childhood hero. Anthony made several tours in Afghanistan throughout Marcus's childhood leaving his wife to raise their son and hold down the home front. To Marcus, his father was an indestructible hero who killed bad guys for a living. When Anthony was home the two were nearly inseparable and Marcus admired his dad for his tough-guy attitude. For Marcus, loving his dad was simple, but, as many of us are painfully aware, the simplicity of childhood cannot last forever. On a cold November morning just a few weeks after Marcus's 10th birthday, Marcus was called out of class to come to the office. He will never forget the way the class fell silent as if all the sound had suddenly been leeched from the world. As if everyone already knew what the call meant. Even his chair made no noise as it scraped across the tile to allow him to get up. He must have aged two millenniums on that infinite walk down that short hallway.
Predictably, he was met in the office by a swarm of strangers and school staff, but he had eyes only for his mother who was pale white and shaking too much to explain the situation to him, so the task fell to the school counselor who attempted to explain the facts while Natalie's face explained the truth.
The facts as explained by Mr. Whitmore: Anthony's unit had been stationed in a crowded market place. There was a report of a suicide bomber in the area. They were attempting to clear the area when the bomb went off. Anthony is still alive, but he lost his unit along with both of his legs and most of his hearing.
The truth as explained by Natalie's face: Everything is different now.
They were both right as Marcus would come to find out. Anthony was damaged but he was alive and that was almost enough for Marcus. But literally over night everything suddenly became complicated. The little family soldiered through their first few weeks under friendly fire by sympathetic neighbours, distant relatives, and well-meaning family friends. And then, as suddenly as it started, it stopped and the Finches were left to support themselves. Marcus returned to school, Natalie went back to her nursing job, and Anthony began his new life as a full-time disabled veteran. For a while they pretended like everything was normal, but everyone knew it wouldn't last.
Marcus struggled to cope with his dad's sudden disability, and needless to say, so did Anthony. Depression hit Anthony hard in the aftermath of the event and he became increasingly distant, isolating himself in his room for weeks at a time. Marcus couldn't understand how his hero could fall apart so quickly and Marcus found his sympathy suddenly replaced with anger. He blamed his dad for his weakness and he blamed himself for being helpless. As a result, he started acting out in school. He stopped trying and started picking fights with his classmates and teachers. He developed an attitude of apathy towards the world. It seemed like his dad was no longer present in his life. The bond they once had gave way to anger, resentment, guilt, shame, and stress. Marcus took out his frustration on anything unfortunate enough to cross his path.
Meanwhile, Natalie desperately tried to hold her family together. She worked and took care of the house and did her best to encourage her boys to try their best, too. Interventions were made, therapies attempted, appointments kept, but it wasn't enough. Marcus refused to participate and grew increasingly rebellious as he moved into adolescence. He dyed his hair and pierced his face, he hung out with all the wrong people and started making all the wrong choices. Soon, band was the only class he was passing, but it wasn't like he could even be bothered to show up for that most of the time. It broke Natalie's heart and he knew it. Maybe if he caused her enough pain it would reach his dad and inspire him to do something.
For years Marcus waged his war against his parents, but not every aspect of his life revolved around them. He developed an interest in music which quickly grew into a passion. His new friends encouraged his talent and he taught himself how to play several different instruments. He seemed to have a natural gift for music and playing felt almost therapeutic. When he was old enough, he took a part-time job at a music store. He even started a band with a few of his friends and was in a steady relationship with his girlfriend, the lead singer. The band probably argued more than they played, but they weren't bad and having something to devote his energy to was good for Marcus. However, there was something weird about how Marcus connected with the music. He could make his music do things that seemed almost supernatural. While most people insisted it was nothing more than raw talent, others knew better and it wasn't long before a pair of agents from Ashford were sitting in the Finch's living room discussing Marcus's future over a pot of tea. He refused the offer and walked out.
Later that night, Marcus returned home to find his things packed into boxes.
Behind the Character
Name: Sunny
Chatango Name: Sunny454
RP Experience: 6+ years
How did you find us?: Jez
RP Sample: See Jonas
