Name: Murphy Banks
Age:22 23
Birthday: February 29
Gender: Male
Category: Student
Class: College: Majoring in Cryptography
Appearance Description:
If he were a heavier man, Murphy might have been described as an intimidating figure. As it stands, the six foot something 175 pound student looks more like a scarecrow than a linebacker. His unhealthy, pale complexion stands in stark contrast to his chestnut hair and brown eyes, the latter appearing even darker thanks to the perpetual circles beneath them. Few other features stand out other than his goatee which is kept neatly trimmed.
His clothes are all old but comfortable, likely picked up from secondhand stores. The only constant in his wardrobe is a light brown canvas jacket, faded nearly to yellow after years of dust and wear.
Personality Description: Even the briefest of encounters reveals Murphy to be a die-hard cynic. Perhaps because of his 'gift' he's come to expect the worst in every situation, and even when things go well he simply grumbles that it's only to lure him into a sense of security before disaster strikes again. This cycle of predetermined misery seems to bring him a twisted sort of comfort, and one might even be led to believe that he's afraid of being anything other than unlucky.
Powers:
Probability Control: While technically correct in terminology, Murphy's powers extend only to bad luck. Additionally he himself is prone to the shift in luck, and the only control he has over it is the ability to increase the strength of his powers and actively make things even worse for everyone. The range of his ability extends to nearly 100 feet, though this is a rough estimation due to any tools being used to measure the distance malfunctioning or outright breaking.
A more in-depth test of his gift has revealed several limiting factors, which may grant some insight to the extent and cause of his powers:
-It seems that while probability can certainly be warped to the edge of impossibility, there must still be some sort of possibility for the event to happen in the first place. (ie: While an apple may fall out of a nearby tree to bonk him on the head, a whale suddenly falling out of the sky is out of the question.)
-The power itself seems almost aware of its user's limits in terms of getting out alive. While it is certainly possible for someone to be killed by bad luck, Murphy will also be affected by whatever is happening, often hurting him as much as it hurts another.
-As of yet the limiting factor of the strength of Murphy's power is his own fear of dying. Hypothetically, if he were desperate enough he could cause serious damage to a good portion of the island, though this would also rely on the pre-existing possibility of something going wrong. Let's keep him away from any active or dormant volcano.
Karmic Turnabout: Murphy carries a small silver coin with him with a set of balanced scales on one side and a pair of dice showing boxcars on the other. The coin acts as a sort of karmic balance for whomever owns it. It works by storing converse luck, gaining bad luck as more good things happen to the 'wielder' and visa versa. When activated, via a flip, all of the stored luck surges out, grossly twisting probability and chance for a single moment. While it has the same limitations as Murphy in that what happens must be physically possible in the first place, it stretches to the far end of the spectrum making things that may seem impossible, possible.
On that note, he has begun obsessively researching something he refers to as 'The Pattern'. A series of seemingly unconnected events or tasks of chance that he insists will help him predict the outcome of his own powers and potentially 'cheat the system'. Whether or not this is true or not is unconfirmed at this time.
Biography: By all rights, Murphy's life should have been a pleasant one. Born to a middle class family he was set to grow up like any other child in the suburbs of California. As he grew however, things began to deteriorate. It started before he could walk; his father's company experienced a sudden downturn in profits and he was let go. Shortly after his parents separated, which turned into an ugly custody battle that left him being shunted between each parent every couple of weeks. As he developed into a teenager he experienced the same emotional turmoil that most undergo, though it was then that his powers bloomed into full effect. At 16 his mother was killed by a drunk driver on her way home from work, the authorities never got the plates or model of the car that hit her. At the funeral afterwards his father pulled him aside and confronted him, claiming that all of this had been his fault, and that it had been a mistake to bring him home from the hospital rather than drowning him there and then. Perhaps due to his emotional state, or maybe it was just random happenstance, but at that moment a great earthquake struck, bringing much of the funeral parlor down around them, killing his father outright and putting Murphy himself into Critical Condition at the hospital. The next few weeks were a sort of blur. He was told that he'd be living with a foster family for the last couple of years before turning 18, and that he'd have two options, join the military or somehow scrape up the funds to attend college. He chose the latter and several hard years later he stumbled his way through most of community college before receiving a letter from Starlight Academy. He didn't know anything about the school. Hell, he didn't care anymore. Surely a place that specialized in 'unique individuals' would be better for him than here.
Additional Information:
Birth Place / Hometown: Angel's Camp, California
Occupation: Student
Worst Memory: Being told that he is the cause for his family's misery, and knowing that it was true.
Best Memory:
Likes: Patterns, coffee, cigarettes,
Dislikes: People he doesn't know, people who try to get him to like them, people in general. Asymmetry. Having to sleep.
Weaknesses: Unsure how to handle a genuine compliment or praise, paranoia, hard time communicating with others.
Strengths:
Fears: That he'll never be able to control his gifts.
Habits/Hobbies: Flipping a coin, biting his nails when nervous.
Skills / Talents:
-While perhaps an odd 'talent' his paranoia is thorough enough that he is rarely caught completely off guard.
-A skilled cryptographer already, he has a knack for breaking codes or at least locating a pattern in an otherwise random series of symbols.
-Fast reader: While he doesn't really absorb much of the knowledge, he can remember key words or terms and where he saw them.
-Can go a significant time without sleep, though not without consequence.
Age:
Birthday: February 29
Gender: Male
Category: Student
Class: College: Majoring in Cryptography
Appearance Description:
If he were a heavier man, Murphy might have been described as an intimidating figure. As it stands, the six foot something 175 pound student looks more like a scarecrow than a linebacker. His unhealthy, pale complexion stands in stark contrast to his chestnut hair and brown eyes, the latter appearing even darker thanks to the perpetual circles beneath them. Few other features stand out other than his goatee which is kept neatly trimmed.
His clothes are all old but comfortable, likely picked up from secondhand stores. The only constant in his wardrobe is a light brown canvas jacket, faded nearly to yellow after years of dust and wear.
Personality Description: Even the briefest of encounters reveals Murphy to be a die-hard cynic. Perhaps because of his 'gift' he's come to expect the worst in every situation, and even when things go well he simply grumbles that it's only to lure him into a sense of security before disaster strikes again. This cycle of predetermined misery seems to bring him a twisted sort of comfort, and one might even be led to believe that he's afraid of being anything other than unlucky.
Powers:
Probability Control: While technically correct in terminology, Murphy's powers extend only to bad luck. Additionally he himself is prone to the shift in luck, and the only control he has over it is the ability to increase the strength of his powers and actively make things even worse for everyone. The range of his ability extends to nearly 100 feet, though this is a rough estimation due to any tools being used to measure the distance malfunctioning or outright breaking.
A more in-depth test of his gift has revealed several limiting factors, which may grant some insight to the extent and cause of his powers:
-It seems that while probability can certainly be warped to the edge of impossibility, there must still be some sort of possibility for the event to happen in the first place. (ie: While an apple may fall out of a nearby tree to bonk him on the head, a whale suddenly falling out of the sky is out of the question.)
-The power itself seems almost aware of its user's limits in terms of getting out alive. While it is certainly possible for someone to be killed by bad luck, Murphy will also be affected by whatever is happening, often hurting him as much as it hurts another.
-As of yet the limiting factor of the strength of Murphy's power is his own fear of dying. Hypothetically, if he were desperate enough he could cause serious damage to a good portion of the island, though this would also rely on the pre-existing possibility of something going wrong. Let's keep him away from any active or dormant volcano.
Karmic Turnabout: Murphy carries a small silver coin with him with a set of balanced scales on one side and a pair of dice showing boxcars on the other. The coin acts as a sort of karmic balance for whomever owns it. It works by storing converse luck, gaining bad luck as more good things happen to the 'wielder' and visa versa. When activated, via a flip, all of the stored luck surges out, grossly twisting probability and chance for a single moment. While it has the same limitations as Murphy in that what happens must be physically possible in the first place, it stretches to the far end of the spectrum making things that may seem impossible, possible.
On that note, he has begun obsessively researching something he refers to as 'The Pattern'. A series of seemingly unconnected events or tasks of chance that he insists will help him predict the outcome of his own powers and potentially 'cheat the system'. Whether or not this is true or not is unconfirmed at this time.
Biography: By all rights, Murphy's life should have been a pleasant one. Born to a middle class family he was set to grow up like any other child in the suburbs of California. As he grew however, things began to deteriorate. It started before he could walk; his father's company experienced a sudden downturn in profits and he was let go. Shortly after his parents separated, which turned into an ugly custody battle that left him being shunted between each parent every couple of weeks. As he developed into a teenager he experienced the same emotional turmoil that most undergo, though it was then that his powers bloomed into full effect. At 16 his mother was killed by a drunk driver on her way home from work, the authorities never got the plates or model of the car that hit her. At the funeral afterwards his father pulled him aside and confronted him, claiming that all of this had been his fault, and that it had been a mistake to bring him home from the hospital rather than drowning him there and then. Perhaps due to his emotional state, or maybe it was just random happenstance, but at that moment a great earthquake struck, bringing much of the funeral parlor down around them, killing his father outright and putting Murphy himself into Critical Condition at the hospital. The next few weeks were a sort of blur. He was told that he'd be living with a foster family for the last couple of years before turning 18, and that he'd have two options, join the military or somehow scrape up the funds to attend college. He chose the latter and several hard years later he stumbled his way through most of community college before receiving a letter from Starlight Academy. He didn't know anything about the school. Hell, he didn't care anymore. Surely a place that specialized in 'unique individuals' would be better for him than here.
Additional Information:
Birth Place / Hometown: Angel's Camp, California
Occupation: Student
Worst Memory: Being told that he is the cause for his family's misery, and knowing that it was true.
Best Memory:
Likes: Patterns, coffee, cigarettes,
Dislikes: People he doesn't know, people who try to get him to like them, people in general. Asymmetry. Having to sleep.
Weaknesses: Unsure how to handle a genuine compliment or praise, paranoia, hard time communicating with others.
Strengths:
Fears: That he'll never be able to control his gifts.
Habits/Hobbies: Flipping a coin, biting his nails when nervous.
Skills / Talents:
-While perhaps an odd 'talent' his paranoia is thorough enough that he is rarely caught completely off guard.
-A skilled cryptographer already, he has a knack for breaking codes or at least locating a pattern in an otherwise random series of symbols.
-Fast reader: While he doesn't really absorb much of the knowledge, he can remember key words or terms and where he saw them.
-Can go a significant time without sleep, though not without consequence.
