Synergy
Posts : 55
Join date : 2012-05-29
![Synergy/Clinton Hart (Mutant) [DONE] Empty](https://2img.net/i/empty.gif) | | Subject: Synergy/Clinton Hart (Mutant) [DONE] Tue Jul 01, 2014 11:24 pm | |
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Synergy
The Biography
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Birth Name: Clinton Michael Hart
Aliases: Synergy
Gender: Male
Age: 28
Birth Date: 6/13/1986
Class: Mutant
Appearance: At first glance, Clinton Hart is not terribly distinctive, but a canny observer could easily glean a few details about the otherwise unassuming man.
The fact that he's of at least upper middle class stock is obvious enough. His teeth are very straight, suggestive of regular or extensive dental work. They do show just a shade of less than white, symptomatic of the occasional cigarette that he smokes. His clothing is always fitted well and from retailers with a bit of a price tag attached (he favors something of a preppy-casual look when "off-duty"). He clearly has the leisure time (or some other reason) to hit the gym in a disciplined fashion, judging by his lean-but-strong frame. His skin is in excellent shape despite his on-and-off relationship with nicotine-delivery methods and absurd levels of stress, suggesting a fairly extensive skin care regimen. His hair is always neatly cut and styled. He does wear glasses, because he needs them- they are, of course, stylish and understated.
He's handsome enough, though in an extremely generic way- the sort of handsome that really only has merit selling toothpaste or paper towels on television commercials. His features are symmetrical but fairly unremarkable- brown eyes, brown hair, lips just a touch full. The bridge of his nose has a slight hitch to it, indicating a break at some point in the past. His chin and jaw are both apparent but not what anyone would call "strong". He usually keeps clean-shaven, and when he isn't it's painfully obvious that he couldn't grow facial hair if he wanted to. Most would probably guess that he was a little younger than he actually is, though they wouldn't be off by more than a year or two.
Perhaps the most easily notable physical trait Clinton is afflicted with is the fact that he always seems to be in pain. Most movement brings about some slight wince, but it seems to be more involved than poor recovery after the gym. Sometimes there's a bit of a limp apparent; others he might rub or lightly touch a spot on his arm or chest with regularity. Very rarely, and only among friends, he has been known to walk with the aid of a slim, unadorned cane.
Observing him for a few moments would likely give way to the impression that he is both intelligent and observant. His eyes are bright when they aren't dulled by pain, and track quickly, drinking in the details of his surroundings and the people that full them. When speaking to someone, unless the situation is dire or it's someone he cares about, he can't help but let his attention flit to and fro, building a mental map and drawing connections between it's features.
His Synergy costume is fairly unremarkable as well. Black and skin tight, it does provide proof of the time he spends improving his body. His body is hard but lacks bulk, and indicates overall fitness with an athletic slant rather than some sort of bodybuilding program. It appears to be a one piece suit, but is in fact two, a pair of shorts (or pants depending on expected climate) that truncate at the lower middle thigh and a shirt (again, short sleeves or long depending on season or location) of a very breathable nylon-like material that doesn't leave much to the imagination. A simple emblem in white- a stylized S that looks a bit like a lightning bolt- is the only adornment to the outfit. He once wore a simple domino mask, but since "coming out" as a mutant has opted to go barefaced. He does however wear a visor that simply serves to provide him with his optical prescription without being as easy to remove as his glasses.
Personality: Clinton is a fairly textbook INTJ, though he would object to the sobriquet "Mastermind".
He certainly values intelligence and rules his life with logic, and he's certainly an introvert. He enjoys planning and organizing, and dislikes it intensely when plans are disrupted or chaos ensues.
Despite his intelligence, expression can be something of a difficulty for him, particular when it comes to abstractions, and most particularly when it comes to his own feelings (despite the amount of time he spends processing his own actions and trying to determine his motivations). This emerges most when dealing with groups; explaining his thoughts to one person is daunting enough, but when multiple modes of interpretation are involved, he can only rely on careful plans for presentations or classes and hope that they aren't put off course.
All of that planning makes Clinton an extremely strategic thinker. He seldom takes actions without playing at least three moves ahead, and even when forced to improvise, he can quickly absorb and process vast numbers or variables in order to forge a multi-faceted solution to a problem. If it weren't for his interpersonal difficulties, he would make an excellent leader... But as it is, he's better off taking a strong role in planning sessions and leaving the actual people-management to others.
He can come off as cold or aloof, but really isn't (and strives not to be or appear as such). His apparent lack of emotional depth is only a lack of ability and occasionally inclination to share his feelings. He can be a bit of an extremist when it comes to emotion, particularly when they regard other people. He usually determines his opinions of others quickly, but is able to revise them based on new information without much trouble. He tends to value intellectual traits more highly than other, though he very much appreciates authenticity and is a bit envious of (and often attracted to) more carefree spirits. This proves frustrating, since such individuals usually promote situations that diverge from the rational order he prefers.
Whatever physical pain he suffers from seems to have an emotional analogue. Clinton can be a bit fragile sometimes, and suffers from some insecurity outside of mental pursuits. It comes out most often in social situations, and most often when alcohol is involved. It's easy for him to become trapped inside his own head, and drinking simply becomes rote at that point. It's a trap that he's well aware of but still manages to fall into with some degree of frequency. When he does drink, he almost always smokes, often working his way through half a pack in a single evening and then throwing the rest away.
He is extremely passionate about civil rights, and mutant rights in particular (for obvious reasons). He can't abide others mistreating others for anything other than their actions, and is quick to remonstrate anyone who demonstrates such a bias, whatever that bias may be.
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The Capability
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Specialties:
Main Specialty: Professor – Mutant Abilities & Psychology
Sub Specialty: Projection
Powers:
Main Power: Power Amplification – Clinton is capable of enhancing the effects and capabilities of powers by actually manipulating the genetic makeup of others temporarily. C Rank instances of this power can only affect mutants, while B affect Accidents/Experiments, A affect the Blessed/Damned, and S can affect Otherworldly. S Rank instances of this power can also actually create powers where there were none before by creating permanent alterations to someone’s genetic code. Some high level uses of this power may cause damage on the target, reflecting a boost in power that proves destructive to common physiologies.
Some Abilities of this power carry the “Aura” tag; such abilities are active indefinitely once engaged with an AOE effect. Only one Aura ability can be active at any given time, though other abilities may be used while they are active.
Sub Power: Biological Manipulation – Clinton “gave” himself this ability unconsciously when his Power Amplification emerged for the first time. As such, it’s somewhat difficult for him to use it effectively. It is limited to himself, and using it too frequently causes damage to his body at a cellular level as it struggles to keep up with the changes he makes.
Flaws: Prolonged Use (Biological Manipulation) – Given that he essentially gave himself this subpower during his firsts catastrophic use of Power Amplification, it is severely unstable. Modifying his own physical structure causes quite a toll on his body, creating damage at a cellular level after 5/7/10/15 posts of use. This damage manifests in intense physical pain and bleeding from the eyes and nose, and even pores if it gets too extensive. It is beyond the ability of modern medicine to heal such damage, leaving Clinton’s natural healing abilities as the only way to eventually repair his body.
Conditional Power Flaw (Biological Manipulation) – Again, given the somewhat strange way he came about Biological Manipulation, it’s no surprise that it behaves strangely. The condition here is simple; Clinton can only use it on himself. His capability for modifying genetic structures of others is limited to his Power Amplification.
Abilities:
Name: Volley
Range: 13m radius
Rank: C
Power Type: Main (Aura)
Duration: Special
Power: Synergy is capable of increasing the max range of any mutant power used within the range of Bolster. This affects any mutant within range, whether friend or foe. The max range of such abilities is increased by 30%. This power affects both targeted and AOE abilities.
Name: Aggravate
Range: 20m
Rank: B
Power Type: Main
Duration: Three posts
Power: By amplifying the latent potential of a mutant or accident/experiment within range, Synergy can bolster the raw damage-dealing capabilities of powers that target uses for the duration. The power in question must actually inflict damage directly, or create a feature that would inflict damage. For example, if a telekinetic character struck out with the force of their mind, that damage would be upgraded; however, if they used telekinesis to drop something on someone, the damage would be unchanged. Likewise, if a character created a sword made of bone from his or her arm and attacked, the bone sword would deal more damage than it normally would for the duration; however, if a character with super strength swung a normal sword (or fist for that matter), the damage would be unchanged.
The damage amplification lasts for the next three posts of the individual targeted. This ability can only upgrade the damage inflicted by 1 rank, and only the damage is altered (subsidiary effects or effects that do not cause physical damage are unaffected). It can also only affect powers within 1 rank of the level of Aggravate (so it could bolster a rank A power to rank S damage levels, but not a rank S). Roleplaying the effects of this ability are up to the target, not the user (an empowered fire blast might look different than usual, the aforementioned bone sword might also have razor sharp spikes when it normally does not, etc.).
Name: Amplify
Range: 13m radius
Rank: B
Power Type: Main (Aura)
Duration: Special
Power: Synergy is capable of increasing the potency of any inherent mutant power within Amplify’s range, friend or foe. This applies only to powers that are constantly in effect (or activated powers with duration that function similarly, such as activated super strength). The power in question must affect only the person whose power it is (for example, a character with preternatural toughness would enjoy the effects of Amplify, but a character targeted by a power that bestows such toughness would not). The ability in question is increased by 100%- a healing factor would heal twice as fast as normal (or heal more severe wounds0, or a character who could normally lift 1000 lbs. could lift 2000.
Name: Subcutaneous Armor
Range: Self
Rank: B
Power Type: Sub
Duration: 5 posts
Power: By altering his own genetic code virtually instantaneously, Synergy is able to generate a layer of extremely dense skin between his ordinary dermis and muscle tissue. The effects have a somewhat disturbing effect on his appearance, causing his muscles to seemingly bulge like an over-enthusiastic body builder’s. For the duration, Synergy can withstand moderate bludgeoning and melee attacks and small arms fire without suffering any ill effects. The outer dermis can be damaged during these attacks, but as the ability ends the body uses the dense layer of skin to supplement the damaged tissue, restoring him to his normal appearance.
Name: Adrenal Strength
Range: Self
Rank: C
Power Type: Sub
Duration: 5 posts
Power: Synergy alters his body to stimulate the production of adrenaline, lending him freakish strength and stamina for a short time. During this adrenaline burst, he can lift up to 1,000 lbs. and his strength-based attacks deal commensurately more potent damage.
Name: Osseous Armory
Range: N/A
Rank: B
Power Type: Sub
Duration: N/A
Power: Synergy alters his body in a fairly gruesome display, causing bones to jut out like thorns from his skin all over his body. The “thorns” are roughly six inches long, razor sharp, and extremely durable, allowing him to inflict melee damage simply by contact with an enemy. Forming the thorns takes 1 full post, as does returning his body to normal. Treat these thorns as Rank C technology for the purposes of damage capabilities and durability.
Description:
Skills:
Skill Name: The Bargaining Stage
Skill Specialty: Professor – Mutant Abilities & Psychology
Skill Range: N/A
Skill Description: Clinton’s understanding of psychology, particularly among beings that aren’t normal humans, gives him something of an edge when it comes to negotiating or otherwise convincing others. Provided that someone is susceptible to logic or that Clinton has gained some insight into their psychological condition, Clinton stands a much better chance of persuading them to consider his suggestions.
Skill Name: Day Planner
Skill Specialty: Professor – Mutant Abilities & Psychology
Skill Range: N/A
Skill Description: Even before his powers emerged, Clinton was something of a genius. He is capable of observing, tracking, and factoring in an almost limitless amount of data in order to make plans or forge strategies. He seldom needs more than one post to run through multiple likely scenarios that a course of action will generate and identify pitfalls, setbacks, or alternative paths.
Skill Name: Aura Borealis
Skill Specialty: Projection
Skill Range: N/A
Skill Description: Clinton is obviously a team player, and it shows in his dedication to providing benefits to his friends. The range of his Aura effects is increased by 30%.
Skill Name: Name That Tune
Skill Specialty: Professor – Mutant Abilities & Psychology
Skill Range: N/A
Skill Description: Clinton has spent more time than most studying, cataloguing, and identifying the powers of other mutants and non-humans. As such, he knows a fair amount about what is possible and may be able to identify the capabilities of someone he observes. He also may be able to correlate their abilities and the way they use them with their psychological profile.
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The Background
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History: Viewing snapshots of Clinton's upbringing makes a very strong case for the man he has become. Both of his parents were notable physicians; his mother an oncologist, and his father a social epidemiologist and something of a pioneer in the field. Together they started The Hart Foundation, a charitable organization devoted to improving the medical care provided in low income communities.
Clinton never really wanted for anything, but he was far from spoil. A withdrawn, precocious child, most of the things he asked for were educational in nature. His parents had enrolled him in public school, but when they realized how gifted he was, were forced to move him into an advanced preparatory school where teachers could actually keep up with him.
His high intelligence and social difficulties didn't leave him with many friends by his teenage years, or with many of the experiences most teenagers had. Everything changed when he met Dylan, though. Clinton had been studying late in the library when the other teenager broke in, displaying his telekinetic abilities in the process. He'd heard of mutants before, but was much more fascinated with what he saw than terrified. Dylan had been intending to steal computers to pawn, and did a good job of intimidating the other boy. Clinton told him he didn't care what he took... As long as Dylan promised to show him everything that he could do.
Dylan absconded with the tech after they made plans to meet up in town days later. Clinton wasn't sure if it was just his curiosity getting the better of him or something else, but he grew more and more excited as the day approached.
Dylan showed him the extent of his abilities, and Clinton was hooked- on both the idea of mutant kind, and on Dylan. It started as an unacknowledged crush and developed quickly into a full blown teenage first love, and Dylan was quick to pick up on those feelings and manipulate them. All it took was a little attention to get Clinton wrapped around his finger, and he was only partially aware of how useful his smart, rich friend could be.
Dylan soon introduced him to the gang of other young mutants he kept company with. Most were still very much fledglings, and runaways. They used their gifts primarily to commit petty crimes in order to survive, party, and vent their frustration with a world that treated them poorly. They were reluctant to accept Clinton into the fold, since to their knowledge he was quite normal, but after Dylan had Clinton evaluate some of their heists, they realized too what an asset he could be.
For the next several months, Clinton planned jobs and the others executed them. He interviewed each member of the gang, watching demonstrations of their abilities in order to determine how best to utilize each in the commission of different crimes. His reservations about their actions dissipated rapidly between the thrill of planning, the sense of community he had found, and Dylan’s continuing manipulations. The telekinetic continued giving Clinton just a bit more and more of the affection he craved so desperately, overriding doubts that might have cropped up. In the meantime, Clinton began experimenting with drugs and alcohol and rather enjoying the loss of control that resulted.
Everything changed when he was seventeen. A heist had gone somewhat awry, but all the members of the group had escaped intact. They’d been forced to take a hostage, a young woman, in order to do so. When they returned to the warehouse that the group was currently living in, the question of what to do with her arose. Dylan and several others argued that they needed to kill her since she’d seen all of their faces and knew where they were staying. Just as many of the group members were against murdering an innocent bystander, and the exchange became heated, with Dylan and Clinton doing the bulk of the arguing.
Dylan got personal with his rhetoric, attacking Clinton. He called him a poser and a faggot and mocked him for his feelings and the fact that he could only be friends with a bunch of freaks, and most of them weren’t even actually his friends. Angry rather than devastated, Clinton had fired back to the effect that Dylan would never amount to anything, and that he fancied himself some sort of crime boss when he was only a bully. Dylan snapped after that and hoisted Clinton into the air telekinetically, choking the life out of him. Fortunately for Clinton, he did have at least a few friends present, and a fight broke out.
Struggling to breath and utterly betrayed, Clinton finally realized what he was. His first act of power amplification wasn’t conscious, but it was catastrophic. All around the room, abilities began going haywire. Their pyrokinetic normally had a hard time lighting tinder, and suddenly she had summoned an inferno. Even while Dylan choked the life out of him, Clinton watched as their tank literally punched a hole in their weaponmaster. He could feel something changing inside himself as well as all manner of energy blasts filled the room.
The hostage and several of the mutants died in the ensuing storm of power. Others were never found, including Dylan. Clinton had no idea how he had survived, and neither did anyone else, but was still in intensive care for a week before he was well enough to go to the rehab that his parents had checked him into. He answered police questions, telling the complete and utter truth, save for one fact- that he thought he was a mutant. His parents managed to get him off with community service, largely due to the fact that public sentiment was very much with a poor, normal boy who had nearly been killed by mutant bandits.
[Note- what happened here, since Clinton actually isn’t sure: as sometimes happens, when his Power Amplification manifested for the first time, it did so at a very potent level, juicing everyone else’s abilities to the max and actually granting him a sub-power of Physiological Manipulation, which allowed him to survive what occurred.]
He finished rehab and managed to graduate from high school and go on to study at Cornell University. The plan had always been for him to go to medical school, but he was adrift. He lapsed back into drugs and drinking, trying to dull the pain of guilt and hypocrisy. He did at least come to terms with the fact that he was gay, and even managed to carry on a relationship with another undergrad for nearly two years before his self-destructiveness got him dumped.
Despite his "closeted" mutant status, he often looked for other mutants on campus, and even practiced using his own abilities in secret. He realized quickly that his ability to alter his body was extremely dangerous and needed to be handled with care.
He decided to change his major to psychology, and just barely scraped by with passing grades. He managed to get into graduate school at Columbia, largely due to his parents influence, and it was as a research assistant that he stumbled into work that would shape the rest of his life.
The study in question was the first of its kind: a large-scale study of mutants that had ended up in the realm of mental health care, either voluntarily or involuntarily. Some were referred by their therapists, and others conducted their interviews strapped into straight jackets. One of his duties was to conduct those interviews, and he was immediately hooked. The questions for the study were very dry, and Clinton began adding questions of his own, relating to his own experiences and unique facets of mutant psychology that the professor running the study had never thought to ask about.
Funding was cut for the project, but Clinton stole all of the tapes and records. He finished his masters in Abnormal Psychology and went on to pursue his doctorate, intending to use the research and more research that he would do to fuel a thesis that consumed his every waking moment. Mutants began to learn of him and come to them of their own accord, eager to share their story, and Clinton revealed himself to a few, and with their help was able to gain hold of his own ability. He began cataloguing the abilities he encountered and postulating connections between them and the psychology of their users. He also has gained a far greater understanding of his own abilities; both his ability to augment other mutant powers and the spontaneous power of biological manipulation it had created when he first came into it.
When his thesis was defended and published, the medical and academic world noticed. Liberals lauded “The Mutant Condition: The Effect of Extra-Human Capabilities on Human Psychology” as brilliant, while conservatives called it lunacy. Suddenly Clinton was getting calls from news programs and talk shows along with more than a few death threats (from humans and mutants alike). It was on one such news show that he “outed” himself, finally, as a mutant. Immediately, numerous mutant groups sought after his membership, and Synergy was born. Balancing his life as a mutant hero with his academic life was challenging, but eventually most of the media attention died down (the threats did not).
After a falling out with his most recent set of allies, Clinton is looking for a new home- somewhere that he can still conduct research and help other mutants while making the world a better place in general.
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Last edited by Throne on Wed Jul 02, 2014 12:04 am; edited 1 time in total | |
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