Marnie Sullivan
Apr 30, 2014 22:29:49 GMT -5
Post by Marnie Sullivan on Apr 30, 2014 22:29:49 GMT -5
The BasicsName: Marnie Anne Sullivan
Nicknames: None
Age: 17, born July 19th, 1997
Orientation: Questioning/bisexual
Desired Rank/Job: Student
Powers: Camouflage. When Marnie's power first appeared at the age of 13, it occurred largely at random or as a response to agitation or nervousness. Currently, Marnie is able to blend on command with relatively simple surroundings (solid color or gradient wallpapers, for example), but requires much more concentration and tires out faster when blending in more complicated settings. Her skin often still changes color when she's upset or angry, typically turning a few hues closer to (but not exactly like) whatever's behind her. Unhelpfully, her power also results in color blindness and heightened nerve sensitivity in her skin. Specifically, Marnie is unable to process the color red, which sometimes results in mismatched blending with her environment. Under normal conditions, her skin sensitivity is manageable - just minor tingles that Marnie has long been used to - but the more difficult her surroundings are to blend with, the stronger she feels what most people know as the pins-and-needles sensation that most people association with loss of circulation.
Play By: Sara BolgerThe DetailsHair Color: Medium/dark brown
Eye Color: Blue
Any Piercings? One in each earlobe
Any Tattoos? None
Any Scars? One on the back of the right hand (cat scratch, age 12), one on the back of the left shoulder about three inches wide (scraped falling out of tree, age 9)
General Appearance: Size-wise, Marnie doesn't stand out at 5'6" with an average build. She's mostly happy with her face, especially with her straight nose and blue eyes, but sometimes she wishes her forehead were a little smaller or her face a little less round. She prefers to let her straight(ish) brown hair hang down to her shoulder blades, but can sometimes be bothered to curl or style it. Similarly, she tends to keep her make-up pretty plain; occasionally she'll work up the nerve to try bolder or more elaborate looks, but half the time she just washes it off before leaving the house. Marnie tries to keep up with maintenance like tweezing her eyebrows, but often decides that it hurts too much to be worth it.
When it comes to clothing, Marnie sticks to her favorites - it's not that she hates to shop, it's just not something she frequently gets around to. Most of her wardrobe is some variation of green or blue (with the occasional purple that she doesn't recognize) and made up of full-bodied pieces; simple dresses with leggings, tops with basic feminine features like frilled necklines or lacy trim, and a few pairs of comfortable jeans. Sometimes Marnie wishes she could bare more skin, especially during the summer, but being fully covered to dull the feelings of rough or hot surfaces is more important. She prefers to forgo sandals in favor of flats and mid-calf boots that protect her from prickly grasses and burrs. Marnie has a collection of accessories that she rarely wears – bright necklaces and large earrings and patterned belts she buys because she likes the color or a certain detail, later realizing that she's not sure how to coordinate them with an outfit. As a result, most days she wears the same unobtrusive jewelry over and over.
Personality: Marnie seems easy-going most of the time, but that's because she has a habit of sticking to what she knows. When she's in her comfort zone, doing something she's good at, everything's coming up roses. When she's confused or frustrated, she becomes snippy and withdrawn and will often put the obstacle on the back-burner (when that's an option). If Marnie is faced with a problem and isn't immediately sure how to solve it, she'll avoid the issue as long as she can, causing her to become even more flustered when she finally has to face the music.
On the other hand, when she is able to feel useful, Marnie shines. She loves being asked for help and gives it freely. Because she likes to feel appreciated, Marnie frequently reaches out to others -as long as it's a matter she knows she can handle, at least. This ulterior motive is largely unconscious, but during periods of low self-esteem (generally brought on after embarrassing herself or failing at something) she wonders if she's kind for the right reasons.Your VicesLikes: Sleeping with an overabundance of pillows
Trashy novels
Running
Deliberately ugly sweaters (although she doesn't wear them as often as she would like to, they're ugly after all)
Meeting other people's pets
Foods with a lot of garlic
Snowy weather
Dislikes: Being kept awake
Scary movies
People putting their feet on furniture while wearing shoes
Camping (unless it's at a cabin with a toilet and shower)
Foods with nuts or onions
Poetry that doesn't rhyme
Strengths: Has great endurance when running (although speed is just average), good memory, double-jointed in her fingers and thumbs, good at math
Weaknesses: Has a ways to go to master her power (see above), allergic to shellfish, can't swim, hates practicing things she can't pick up quickly, not very good at picking up hints, colorblind
Fears: Large dogs, spiders, horror films, trying new things that appear difficult
Secret: These have already kind of been mentioned, but Marnie hasn't told anyone that she doesn't know how to swim (although her parents know), nor the fact that she is currently pretty confused about her sexual orientation.Family TiesFather: Peter Sullivan (insurance salesman, age 44)
Mother: Joanne Sullivan (accountant, age 42)
Siblings: None
Any Other Important People:
Grandfather Norman, or Poppa – Peter's father, age 74. Lives in Maine.
Aunt Rosaline – Josephine's older sister, age 45. Lives in New York City.
Uncle Marty and Aunt Sandra – live in Indiana, not actually that important, but they exist. Marty is Josephine's younger brother.HistoryMarnie was born and raised in Lebanon, Vermont until the age of 13. Being an only child, she grew up receiving nearly undivided attention from her parents. In elementary school, she was reading several grade levels above the rest of her class, convincing her parents (and herself) that she was brilliant and destined for great things... while grade by grade her classmates caught up to her. By middle school she was still performing well and getting high grades, but it was beginning to appear that Marnie had merely peaked early.
8th grade was when things started to get weird. Everyone at Marnie's school knew about meta-humans by then. It seemed like half the gossip centered around figuring out who was a meta and who just wasn't handling puberty well. Was Megan from 6th period Physical Science a pyrokinetic, or did she just accidentally mix the wrong research chemicals? Was Herman in 3rd period History class some kind of animal shifter, or was he just the victim of an unfortunate back hair situation? Marnie was rarely sure – nothing exciting ever happened in her classes, but some of her classmates were just positive that they saw meta-humans everywhere. On the one hand, metas were supposed to be dangerous, and Marnie knew it was stupid to wish one would appear when she was around; on the other hand, some of the powers she'd heard about hardly sounded threatening, but infinitely more interesting then classwork. It didn't occur to her until a boy asked her to the homecoming dance and her face and arms turned as green as the floor tiles that she might be the next spectacle.
Marnie's parents pulled her from school – for her safety, they said – although if they'd tried to send her back she would have begged not to go. For several days her skin was constantly changing colors, her hair tangling into vine-like ropes or teasing itself into clouds. The weekend following the disaster at school, her aunt Rosaline flew up from New York for a visit. Marnie had never met her aunt before, but quickly learned why – Rosaline was also a meta-human, with the power of bioluminescence. Marnie's mother and aunt explain the existence of Hammel Institute, which had reached out earlier that week with information about its training programs. The following semester, Marnie began instruction there; her parents relocated to Pilot Ridge, and she was able to attend from home. Now 16, Marnie is moving into the dorms while her parents move north to care for her ailing grandfather.Roleplay ExampleMarnie stared into the glass tank her mother had brought home, frowning at the chameleon inside. The chameleon didn't stare back; its eyes were too busy spinning in every direction.
“Why do I have to take this thing?” Marnie asked her mother. She pressed a finger to the glass near the lizard's face, hoping to draw its attention. “Why can't I bring Scooter?”
“The dorms don't allow cats, honey,” her mom answered. “Scooter will be fine with us. Besides, isn't it neat? See, look, it's already changed color a little bit, look at its tail.” Marnie squinted – its tail seemed a little more pink than before, but she didn't see why that was anything to be excited about. “I went ahead and got you a book about them and a few days' worth of crickets so you can learn more about it while you settle in. I thought it would be a good match, you know, considering.”
“Thanks, I guess.” Marnie went back to peering at the chameleon. It was still refusing to look at her, but it noticed her finger and was attempting to grab at it with its bizarre little clamp-hands. While she watched, it lifted one hind leg off the bottom of the tank and tried to grab the glass, falling when it couldn't get purchase. “Is it a boy or a girl?”
“Oh who knows, do I look like a lizard expert?” Marnie's mother waved the question off, lifted a box labeled BATHROOM JUNK, and carried it out of the room. They were almost done loading her belongings into the trunk of the family sedan; once Marnie had been completely ejected from their home, they'd return and pack for the trip up to Maine. Marnie knew she'd likely never see this house again, which would have bothered her more if they hadn't already relocated here a few years earlier. Instead of gazing around and soaking in memories, she just focused on the chameleon in the tank next to her. One of its eyes landed on her briefly, then swiveled away.
“Okay, weirdo, your name is Felix. Let's see if you know how to do orange stripes.”What About You?Name: Etch
Age: 22
Experience: I played for four or five years but it's been about four years since my last time.
How Did You Find Us? I posted a thread on RPG Directory, and Bellerophon suggested I tried this place out.
Ready To Play?UHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
