James D. Martin
Feb 9, 2011 1:47:15 GMT -5
Post by James Martin on Feb 9, 2011 1:47:15 GMT -5
The Basics
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Name: James D. Martin
Nicknames: N/A
Age: 34
Orientation: Heterosexual
Desired Rank/Job: Researcher of the History of Meta-Humans
Powers: Retrocognition
Play By:Robert Downey Jr
The Details
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Any Piercings? No
Any Tattoos? No
Any Scars? No
General Appearance: James has a generally scruffy, slightly downtrodden appearance, epitomising the 'gentleman tramp' look. He prefers 'classic' - that's what he calls it - clothing stylings, and is rarely seen out and about without at least one item of apparel made of corduroy. With James, sleeves are always unbuttoned, and belts are always left flapping, the buckle seen as more of an affectation than an operating component.
For special occasions, he has been known to limit his facial hair to only a few days' growth, though generally he leaves an indeterminate length of time between shaves. Coupled with a tendency for somewhat patchy growth, this leaves his face resembling a rock with moss sprouting on it.
James tends to let his hair do its own thing, to a point, keeping it just long enough so that it could never be described as smart, yet just short of being floppy. These rules aside, it tends to follow the rest of his 6ft body in being broadly unkempt. A born slob, James attests his slim frame to a fondness for consuming fine red wines in lieu of meals.
Personality: James Martin could never be described as 'pleasant', 'becoming' or even 'approachable'. However, he is certainly not a bad person, and has unshakeable views on certain moral issues. When caught at the right moment, he can be an enthusiastic conversationalist, unafraid to tackle sensitive subject matter and discuss issues of the soul.
However, his eccentricity can make him difficult to talk to, let alone get any sense out of at times, and the effects of his power have left him with a strain of what normal doctors would call bipolar affective disorder, but which he refers to as 'remembering different bits at different times'.
Instead of seeking help for any of his various quirks, he prefers to self-medicate with a variety of dextroamphetamines, muscle relaxants and - it is rumoured - animal tranquillisers, delivered in cocktails of near-lethal dosage, all washed down by a happy alcoholism.
On his day, he can be a brilliant man. Unfortunately, his ailing health and over-exposure to the negative consequences of his power have ensured that these days are becoming ever more scarce.
Your Vices
Likes: People, discovering things, cats, lying down, avoiding work when it suits him, working like a maniac when it doesn't, cigars, good wine.
Dislikes: People, cats, sleeping, having nothing to do, the consequences of his power.
Strengths: Fierce intellect, able to cope short-term with psychological trauma as a result of power use, strong will.
Weaknesses: Showing up, personal relationships, being penned in, addictive personality, can be hedonistic.
Fears: People.
Secret: Knows if Jesus was the son of God. Isn't telling.
Family Ties
Father:
Mother:
Siblings:Not that he knows of.
Any Other Important People:James D. Martin
History
The power of retrocognition means that many facets of James' history are shrouded in mystery. Each time he uses his power, a little of his own memory is overwritten and replaced by the new 'memory'. Training has led him to be able to use his brain like a computer, 'overwriting' older cognitions with newer ones, although like all meta-human powers, it is far from an exact science and mistakes can be made. The following is what he remembers, in his own words:
"I was born. Apparently. The sole memory I have of my childhood is being sat on a red leather sofa watching something on TV...adverts I think. After that, the next thing I remember is being 10 and leaving England. I came to the USA on a boat, I don't know who with. In school, kids thought my accent was really strange, so I tried to mimic theirs to fit in, but ended up reverting to my own as I was getting laughed at more for my fake American accent than my British one.
One time, I was sat talking with a friend. She was really upset about something, and so I gave her a hug. As I did, I suddenly felt a huge depth of emotion, and saw a dead dog. I honestly thought she had just told me about it, and that I had got a bit emotional too, so when I asked her how he had died, and she told me that she hadn't mentioned the dog, things got a little weird. Not long after, I was in the Hammel Institute, learning how to use this power of mine."
After graduating from the Institute, Martin set about conducting his own research into various historical events, writing paper after paper. However, even though he could 'overwrite' memories, he found that emotions lingered on longer in the brain, and would often become melancholy or angry for little obvious reason. His personality started to become flaky, and the intellect for which he was so noted at the Institute started to come into question.
At the present time, he seems content to research sporadically, devoting as much of his time as possible to work that doesn't involve using his power. He now continues his research back at the place where it all started. Though the health implications for his self-prescriptions are in serious question, the effectiveness certainly is not; James remains sharp as a razor...some of the time.
The day after arriving in Pilot Ridge, James disappeared. If anybody even knew of him enough to start rumours, then rumour would have it that he received a call about somebody he believed to be vital to the history of meta-humanity.
A new man, who seems to look exactly like and sound exactly like James, calling himself Jack Bishop, arrived back in Hammel several months later. Claiming to have the power of telepathy, he is growing concerned that he can sense James Martin in the area, and that the retrocognate researcher is falling down a dark hole towards losing his identity...
During this time, he stumbled upon a person whom he believed could solve many of the riddles which his research had thrown up. Somewhat hesitantly, James decided to use his powers to find out more...
Roleplay Example
H stared at the computer screen in thought. An example roleplay? It being 0620, he sought frantically online for something, a post on a long-forgotten forum perhaps, to save himself having to write a whole new RP. Passwords, usernames...hmm.
Groaning at the beckoning embrace of sleep, yet finding himself completely unable to succumb to said slumber till his application was finished, he steeled himself, and invented a character to RP with.
Suddenly, H heard a sound outside his bedroom window. Salvation? Inspiration?
Pulling back the curtain slowly - noticing, as he did, that it was starting to get light in the distance - he peered into the clingy gloom of the street below.
"Alright mate," the friendly, yet bored voice of a delivery man was unmistakeable, "I've got an order here for one deus ex machina, large with fries for a Mr H?"
H cried out with delight, and hastily initiated a deep, soul-searching conversation to showcase his ability to engage on an emotional level.
"You know...sometimes I wonder just how many ellipsis I can fit into one sentence without overdoing it...I mean, it's not like I'm their biggest fan, it's just...just...just that they seem to magically, like, appear, and sometimes I wonder...maybe the sentence doesn't like being stuffed full of them...maybe there is a point where you have to say no, this is too much, I can't let this happen anymore...sentences may not have voices, but they can still feel the pain of a crass overuse of punctuation...you get me?"
The delivery man - his name, ironically, was Deuce - thought for a moment, then delivered his verdict:
"Get to bed. Now."
What About You?
Name: H.
Age: 20
Experience: Played RPs for 6+ years, if memory serves...
How Did You Find Us? Google, I think.
Ready To Play? Yah please
