Individual Character's full name: Mathew (Mat) McGuire
Alias/ Nickname/ Code name: Effigy
Gender: Male
Age: 21
Date of Birth: 13 November 1989
Nationality/ Ethnicity: Australian, Caucasian
Birthplace/ Home/ Place of origin: Melbourne, Australia
AppearanceHair color and style: Black, thick and wavy, chin length, unkempt.
Eyes: Pale blue. Is heavy-lidded and has dark bags under his eyes, making him look perpetually tired.
Height: 5'9
Build: Slender, to the point of looking unhealthily thin
Visible mutation: None
Scars/ Tattoos/ Piercings: A black ink
tattoo of a gum tree that covers most of his upper back. The trunk of the tree is crooked and leans to the right. The canopy and branches are wide, growing out further on the left side than the right to keep it balanced. Because the tattoo was given to him by a mutant and with a mutant power, the details and shading are minutely detailed, photograph quality.
Other features: Usually sports facial stubble due to not having regular access to bathroom facilities. When clean shaven, he often leaves straight sideburns down to his jaw.
Everyday clothing style: Whatever he can get his hands on. Mat often wears hoodies (his favourite is a moss-green colour with a loose tartan pattern) and shorts, but if the weather is colder he will stick to jeans. Also has a love of suits and ties.
Uniform: (if applicable)N/A
Sleepwear: Usually whatever he was wearing that day.
Miscellaneous clothing: Has a love of bowler hats.
CharacterPersonality: Once a wide-eyed optimist, life has ingrained Mat with a streak of cynicism, self-preservation and indifference. He now takes most situations with a grain of salt and has learnt to take many problems in his stride, striving to be as carefree as possible. While prepared to help other mutants or the homeless whenever necessary, Mat has learned the hard way that survival usually means relying only on yourself, often at the expense of others.
However, outwardly, Mat is confident, personable and friendly, and can sometimes be a shameless flirt. He has a broad sense of humour, with a taste for irony and the absurd.
Despite his mild apathy towards others, he is conflicted in regards to violence. On one hand, he feels some guilt for violent actions he has taken in his past. On the other hand, he is aware that sometimes violence is unavoidable. He also feels that some people simply need to be taught a harsh, and sometimes permanent, lesson.
Mat's defining trait, in his own mind, is his pursuit for freedom. While he knows that such a thing may not exist, he is determined to do whatever it takes to live up to the ideal. He is also trying to find his purpose in life, unwilling to accept or believe that life has no meaning outside of working a 9-to-5, paying bills, and dying.
Hobbies/ Interests: Mat is primarily interested in art. Because of his mutation he is naturally drawn towards sculpture. Still, he appreciates all forms of art, from sketches to architecture, as well as enjoying anything that he finds aesthetically pleasing or interesting. He is a habitual people watcher and enjoys sitting back and observing the world in motion. A sensualist, Mat enjoys indulging his senses and appetites with new tastes and experiences. Finally, Mat has an interest in sleight-of-hand and magic tricks.
Job or part time job and description: Street vendor. Likes to hawk his sculptures to those who pass by. Also a little thieving on the side.
Fears/ phobias/ concerns: Somniphobia (fear of sleep) that stems from his sister's death. When it first developed the phobia was deeply severe, to the point where he would deprive himself of sleep for days on end by any means necessary, until he would all but collapse into unconsciousness. His main fear was that once he went to sleep he would never wake up again. Over the past few years, the severity has lessened to being a mere dislike of sleep. Occasionally though, if Mat is under a lot of stress, the fear will revert back to being a full-blown phobia.
Special talents: Mat has a good eye and memory for detail. Uses this, along with his powers, to create beautifully detailed sculptures. Is also proud of his skill with a straight-edged razor.
MoralityGood/ bad/ neutral/ other: Neutral, but occasionally wavers between either side, conflicted between his old desires to do the right thing, and the desire to do what he wants.
MutationsMutation description:Matter Duplication and Animation
Mat's power allows him to create and control golems, or 'sculptures', as he calls them, from solid materials. This is achieved in two parts:
Firstly, to duplicate matter, Mat uses force to trigger a reaction within his desired source material. Striking the surface of the source causes the material to duplicate itself. Any duplicate matter will then sprout from the original surface.
Secondly, when he strikes a material Mat leaves behind a mental imprint. This infusion of mental energy allows him to control the size (how much matter is actually duplicated), shape and detail of his sculptures, as well as the rate that the matter is duplicated. Sculptures may stay bonded to their original source (e.g. A hand growing from the ground, yet still connected) or can break free from the surface.
Once a sculpture is created Mat is able to either mentally animate and control it, or set it in place by breaking the mental connection. Once the connection is broken, Mat is unable to re-establish it, thus losing the opportunity to control that particular sculpture any further.
Mat can only duplicate matter from basic solid materials, such as , stone, clay, and metals. Polymers and synthetic materials - such as plastic and rubber - and fabrics are too complex for Mat to duplicate. Living materials, such as wood and plant matter, are also too complex.
Mat is limited in the number of golems he can control at any given time. He is also limited in how large a sculpture he can safely create and control. So far his limits are:
Six 'micro-golems' the size of a toy doll or smaller
Four golems the size of a small child
Three golems the size of an average adult
Two golems that are twice the size of an average adult
Though he has the ability to create golems of various sizes, Mat can only control multiple golems that are the same size at any one time. For example, Mat can control four small golems, or two large golems, but is unable to control one small and one large golem at the same time. This is due to the discrepancy in trying to control different amounts of material and mental energy at once.
The maximum range Mat can control his sculptures is 30 feet. Any further, and his mental connection breaks. Mat has no way of using any of his senses through his sculptures, and therefore requires a line of sight to control his sculptures with any real precision.
The maximum time limit a golem can be controlled is 1 hour, minus 5 minutes for every additional golem. The longer a sculpture is maintained, the more fatigued Mat will become. Additionally, sculptures become less responsive to his commands the closer they approach their time limit.
Strengths:
- Sculptures take on any of the source material's strengths. For example, a steel golem would be durable. A punch from it would be akin to being hit with a piece of steel.
- Can use his sculptures for a variety of tasks, such as fighting, stealing, and selling them as art.
- Can use a variety of materials at hand to create his sculptures
- Mat can delay the duplication process for up to one minute after the initial strike. If he exceeds this time, then the energy from the strike will dissipate and the process must be started over.
- The physical strength of Mat's sculptures depends on the size. Average people-sized golems are about as strong as an average adult male. Larger golems are slightly stronger, smaller golems are slightly weaker. Large golems do not possess super-strength.
Weaknesses:
- Mat can only create equal to or less than the total bulk of the source material he is duplicating. He cannot exceed the amount of existing material.
- Once Mat uses a source material to create a sculpture he must wait 6 hours before he can re-use that particular source again.
- Because his sculptures are made from the same material as their source, they carry the source's weaknesses as well as strengths. For example, a golem would be fragile; metal golems would be heavy, etc.
- Larger golems require more force to trigger the duplication reaction, thus may require multiple strikes to their source in order to build up enough energy. The larger the golem, the more its creation will fatigue Mat.
- When Mat's negative emotions, such as sadness or anger, are heightened, he leaks mental energy into anything he touches. This energy is unstable and has two negative effects. First, Mat requires less physical force to trigger the duplication process. Even a footstep or a bump can be enough to start the duplication. Second, this unstable energy makes it harder for Mat to control any sculptures he creates. Golems may not respond to Mat's commands, or they may muddle any command given (e.g. A golem may raise its right hand when Mat commands it to raise its right leg). Fatigue can also cause the same effects as negative emotions. Therefore, Mat must remain calm and alert in order to control his sculptures effectively.
- In addition, negative emotions and fatigue cause Mat to leave behind more mental energy. If he puts too much mental energy into a sculpture, he runs the risk of passing out or even falling into a coma. If enough energy is used it is possible for a sculpture to 'go rogue' and animate itself, even if Mat is unconscious.
- Once a mental connection with a sculpture is broken, it can never be regained. The sculpture will freeze in place.
- If a sculpture is destroyed while Mat's mental connection is active, it will result in a backlash of mental energy. The amount of backlash depends on the amount of mental energy that was put into the destroyed sculpture. Small sculptures that are destroyed may cause nosebleeds and/or migraines. Adult sized or larger golems that are destroyed can cause seizures and, if severe enough, can result in brain damage
- The larger the golem, or the more golems Mat animates, the more concentration it requires to control. It takes as much concentration for Mat to control one large golem as it does to control several smaller golems. This can result in Mat's golems not responding to his commands if his focus isn't sufficient
- Can only duplicate basic, solid materials. Cannot control liquids or loose materials, such as dirt and sand; synthetic materials and polymers; or living matter.
Secondary mutation description: (if applicable)
This mutation should be linked or make sense with your first mutation. You don't need a second mutation, but you can develop one later on with moderator approval.
Strengths:Weaknesses:Fighting StyleExplanation:Stand back and let the golems do the dirty work. If worse comes to worst, Mat can always wave his razor around in a threatening manner.
Pros for fighting style:Is able to keep his distance. Can essentially create his own gang. Or a couple of giant bruisers...
Cons for fighting style:Leaves himself vulnerable when focusing too hard. His golems are only as durable as the material they were made from. Can be exhausting if the fight goes on too long.
Faction AllegianceThe X-men/ The Order/ The Kabal/ Other/ Unaffiliated
All new characters start as unaffiliated. Joining a faction can be established through in character RPing. You don't ever need to be affiliated with one of the factions.
History Of Your CharacterThe son of a barber and a hairdresser, Mat was born in a rural country town in Victoria, Australia. His parents, Trent and Jude McGuire, owned the barber shop that had belonged to Mat's grandfather. All in all, Mat lived a regular childhood. He was close to his parents, his grandparents, and of most of all his younger sister, Lily.
At the age of eight, Mathew's grandfather died. His mother explained to him that his grandfather had passed peacefully in his sleep. Too young to fully understand, Mat accepted this without much fuss or grief.
As he entered high school, Mat found himself with many friends who liked him and many teachers with whom he got along well. His grades stayed consistently high, and he found that he enjoyed the structured nature of study. The only class that he wished he were better at was art, sadly lacking the skill he wished he could possess. In his spare time he worked at the family business, sweeping hair. His regular childhood had become a regular adolescence, right on track.
When he was 17, Mat's sister fell sick with pneumonia. Within weeks, Lily died suddenly. Mat's mother, always looking for the silver lining, explained that Lily had passed quietly and painlessly in her sleep. This time, Mat was unable to accept that answer. Now, on top of his heavy grief, he was terrified of falling asleep.
In less than a month Mat's world had fallen completely and utterly apart. All things lost meaning: structure, the future, school, friends, and even family. Unable to confess his new sleep phobia to his parents, Mat would sneak out of the house at night and wander the streets, struggling to maintain his self-inflicted insomnia.
One night, after three days without sleep, disorientated and in the throes of despair, Mat found himself stumbling through an alley. What he hadn't realised is that all the stress and despair, as well as the toll taken on his body by not sleeping, had activated his latent mutant ability. Every heavy footstep began to cause concrete hands to sprout up and grab at him. These hands began to connect to concrete bodies, and soon hulking stone golems had pushed themselves free and were animating themselves, lumbering towards Mat, seeking out their creator. Unsure as to whether he was trapped in some sleep-deprived hallucination, Mat began to run. Caught off guard, he smacked into a stucco rendered wall. This time, a white stucco replica of his dead sister Lily grew from the surface. The shock overwhelmed Mat and he passed out.
As he awoke, Mat was relieved, thinking he had had a vivid dream brought on by sleep deprivation. But as he made his way back down the alley he noticed the ground was covered in broken concrete and debris. At the far end of the alley, crumbled stucco render covered the ground.
Mat recalled something he had learned in school. Articles about men and women who could do impossible things. Mutants.
Horrified at the knowledge of what he was, combined with his concern about his parent's reactions so soon after Lily's death, led Mathew to come to a simple solution. Stopping by the house while his parents were at work, he grabbed some spare clothes, his grandfather's old razor and as much cash as he could find. Without leaving any hint of his intentions, Mat boarded the first train to Melbourne.
Living on the streets, Mat began to accept what he was and sought to gain control over his powers. He slept in parks, squats, under bridges, and stayed with new friends he would make, or girls he could manage to seduce. More and more, he began to turn to more illicit means as a way to keep himself awake. By not sleeping, Mat managed to fill both his days and his nights with training. To support himself, besides stealing, he began selling his crude first attempts at sculptures at various markets across the city. This help him to hone and refine his mutant creations. After two years he had gained enough control over his powers to create stunning works of art that earned him a fairly regular income.
Mat met his first mutant acquaintance in the Melbourne Botanical Gardens. One day Mat spotted a girl with grass for hair and a green tinge to her skin. Sarah, a girl two years younger than himself had been living alone for close to a year. A plant manipulator, she had grown a secret garden where she was safe from intruders and prying eyes. The meeting was the first time either of them had met another of their kind, and they soon became inseparable. Sarah invited Mat to live in her garden, while Mat continued to sell his statues, as well as some stunning flower displays, as a means to support the both of them.
Sarah, who visibly stood out as a mutant, often grew restless cooped up in the garden and would usually sneak out so as not to go mad. One day when she didn't return Mat went to investigate. He found her, surrounded by a gang of youths beating and abusing her. This was Mat's first experience with anti-mutant sentiment and violence.
Rage overtaking him, Mat began to stomp his foot onto the concrete ground, building up as much energy as he could. The last thing Mat could remember before passing out was the sight of a colossal concrete monster.
When he awoke a week and a half later, Mat found himself in strange surroundings. A man of similar age sat by Mat's bed. He introduced himself only as Trip. He explained that Mat's golem had gone on a rampage. Trip and some of his people had gone to see what the commotion was and had found the unconscious pair, rescuing them.
Trip's 'people' were fellow mutants. Trip, having been homeless himself for several years, had discovered that many of the youths living on Melbourne's streets were mutants. So he had decided to create a completely self-sufficient mutant commune in an abandoned warehouse.
In the commune the mutants took up nicknames based on their powers as a way to separate themselves from their old lives. After learning of his abilities, Trip decided to settle on Effigy as Mat's new name, and invited him and Sarah to stay. Mat, having no objections, accepted. Sarah, safe and recovered, was the happiest Mat had ever seen her. She had made new friends and taken the name Bloom.
Trip, who didn't sleep due to his own mutation, would sit with Mat at nights keeping him company and helping him through his somniphobia, until eventually the phobia lessened. The two soon became close friends. Every mutant living in the commune helped to keep it running, contributing whatever their powers or skills could provide. And as life grew easier and safer, Mat could finally take real pride in being a mutant.
Anti-mutant sentiment had begun growing throughout the city. As a result, numerous hate groups began to spring up, preaching their hate and encouraging humans to 'solve the mutant problem'. As Mat and several others returned to the compound one day they found it engulfed in flames, the screams of those inside dying down just as they arrived. Too late to do anything, the mutants could only watch as their new family perished in their new home. Sarah was one of the many who perished, and to Mat it was like the death of Lily all over again.
Within a matter of days, thanks to a girl particularly talented in psychometry, the surviving group had tracked down the perpetrators. The mutants, committed to revenge, attacked. The fight soon grew out of control and by the end, numerous buildings had been destroyed and many humans were dead.
After all was said and done, most of the mutants fled the state out of fear they would be linked back to the massacre. Mat remembered articles he had read and reports he had seen. New York City, he had heard, had the largest mutant population in the world.
Parting ways with his good friend Trip, Mat began wandering from state to state, looking for street mutants that could help him out. Finally, in Western Australia, he found such a mutant. A portal later, his new life had begun, in New York City.
RoleplayWhere did you learn about this site?: The all-knowing Google
Do you have any other characters on MRO, if so who:Nopes
Sample RP:Tonight, the storm would come. He could see the indigo clouds slowly begin to huddle together, conspiring to release their torrent onto New York. Some of the more rebellious ones had attacked prematurely, letting loose a light drizzle. Not enough to drown the city, but enough of a soak to give the roads a glistening shine. Oil stains on the road mixed with the water, creating a mother-of-pearl sheen. Mat looked up and glowered at the congregation of clouds. Tonight was going to be wet and cold, and he had nowhere to sleep.
Leaning against the window of some boutique fashion shop, hands behind his back, Mat gave a deep sigh. He'd been here for probably an hour now, and if the cop he kept seeing circle the block was any indication, he was probably going to be moved along very soon. He had set up shop outside the fancy business, hoping to snare some of the wealthy customers that left the store with a handful of shopping bags. Figured there was bound to be at least one affluent housewife that needed a new adornment for her coffee table. So far, he had only a few nibbles. The big fish didn't feel like biting.
It had been a slow day, today.
“Oh my god!” A melodic voice rang out through the roar of traffic. A young woman, probably in her early twenties, stood by his table, adorned with a svelte body and beautifully delicate features. She had lifted one of his pieces from his trestle and was turning it over in her hands, inspecting every detail. “This is amazing! Did you make this yourself?” she asked.
Mat glanced at the sculpture she had grabbed. It was the playground piece: a little girl standing off to the side, alone, while the other children played and ignored her. He had watched it happen in some park a week ago and the scene had broken his heart. So he replicated it in his art, capturing the poignant moment in delicate porcelain.
“Of course,” he beamed, flashing his widest grin. “They're all mine, y'know.”
The woman smiled as she stared at the sculpture, full red lips gently curving upwards. She had wide eyes, the colour of a clear sky. Wisps of copper fell from her bun and into her face.
God help him, he was a sucker for blue eyes and red hair.
“It's so detailed and realistic,” the woman continued, “Like a photograph.” She looked up and Mat could already see her decision had been made. “How much?”
“How much d'ya think it's worth?” he asked, heavily exaggerating his Aussie accent. Chicks, after all, loved an accent.
“What do you mean?”
“How much do you want to pay for it?” He flashed another grin, coy and mysterious.
“I...I don't...I couldn't say.” She looked troubled, wanting to purchase a bargain without insulting the artist. Mat smiled in amusement and watched her squirm. “Fifty dollars?” she finally asked, meekly.
Mat gave her a long stare, letting his eyes roam her body, her face. Letting her know he was looking at her the way she looked at his sculpture. “Alright then, thirty bucks it is.”
He reached under his table before she could reply and grabbed several sheets of newspaper. He could feel her curious eyes on him as he bent down. When she handed the piece back to him he let his fingers slide across hers. Gently, as though he was dressing an infant, Mat wrapped the sculpture, handed it over and leant back against the window.
“Also,” he began. He gave the a soft slap and focused his mind on the reaction that began to take place. He could sense the begin duplicate. An image entered his mind and he felt the fresh matter shifting to his will. His sculpture pressed against his palm, cold and hard, as it bloomed from the window. He plucked it from the window and slid it carefully up his sleeve. Making a point to show his open palms, Mat gave an exaggerated flourish with his hands and let the piece slide into his grip. A flower, a calla lily.
“For the most beautiful customer I've had all day,” he commented, handing the sculpture to the woman.
She plucked the flower from his fingers and held it to her nose, more reflex than conscious decision. Her eyes met his and he could see her gauging him, sizing up this stranger and his intentions. Mat had gone to no effort to hide them, after all. She reached into her bag and pulled several notes from her purse. As she handed the money to Mat she let her silky fingers linger over his.
“Hey listen, I'm new to this city and I don't really know anyone here. You busy tonight?” Mat asked, the last piece of his sales pitch now in place.
After a moment's silence, the woman pulled a scrap of paper from her bag, scrawled a phone number onto it and handed it over. “No, I don't think I am,” she replied with a wicked smirk. With that she sauntered off, while Mat watched the sway of her hips as she disappeared into the crowds, blessing his good fortune.
Leaning back against the window of the boutique store behind him, Mat looked up at the clouds and smiled. Tonight would be a cold and wet night, but with any luck he would be nice and warm and dry. Better than spending a night like this on the streets. And with any luck he'd find something to keep himself... occupied... while he was awake all night. He gave a sniff, and his nostrils burned. Thank god, he had at least managed to wash and clean himself up today.
The clouds began to merge together, blanketing the sky. Tonight, the storm would come, but at least he'd be comfortable.
