And hate the idle pleasures of these days." - Shakespeare, Richard III
Negaverse: Lt. Realgar
Name: Falco Amadeus Marks
Nicknames: "Radio"
-((FM/AM, like his initials. This started out as a joke, and stuck. Falco admits he kind of likes it, though it's not used as frequently anymore.))
Age: 25
Birthday: January 9
Sign: Capricorn
Blood Type: AB
Gemstone: Garnet
Fav. Food: Smoked Salmon, Pepperoni Pizza (With lots of pepperoni and the pepperoni just a little crispy around the edges.)
Hated Food: Black Olives, Squash, Peppermint
School: Shop help teacher for Hillworth/Mechanic at "Mark's Motors"
Hobbies:
Engine Repair: Although it wasn't originally his forte', Falco took up an definite interest in engine repair and rebuilds since his accident. He'll never be the grand master of engine repair, but he's as stubborn about this as he is about anything else
It's a way for him to stay close to the machines, and also to make sure that his safety is in his own hands, not a strangers. He feels safer riding at all knowing that he's had his hands on almost any given part of the bike, and he knows exactly when parts were last changed, and what they were changed with.
This does occasionally bring him into contact with others, since there are a handful of 'motor-heads' in Destiny City, though it's not the most common hobby.
All I ever wanted was Motion (Racing)- Although Falco still can't face the professional track, something that frustrates him constantly, he hasn't given up his love for speed, even in spite of having first hand experience with the dangers involved, and still takes his bike out for races on 'unofficial' tracks, strips of closed road or the odd 'not exactly legal' street race. If a pack of bikers happen to fly past you at obscene speeds on the highways, raising the blood pressure and adrenaline of pretty much every other driver around them who's praying not to hit them, you can be fairly well assured that Falco might well be among them, and might have even initiated the current round of nearly suicidal insanity.
- Random s**t: Racers, especially at extremely high speeds, actually form neural connections that allow them to react at speeds that people with slower paced careers cannot. The human brain is @#(&#ing amazing. ((As a result, Falco is himself also capable of 'snap reacting' to things faster than humans who haven't raced at such speeds are capable of processing them. He's by no means supernaturally fast, but he may seriously surprise someone.
Bodice Ripping: Well... not literally. But he does secretly enjoy reading Romance Novels. The lamer, and sappier the better. He buys them, or hand someone a few bucks to go get them at the used book store, the better to save a few bucks. If he's feeling like enough of an wise a**, will leave them in church lobbies. Otherwise he drops them off at donation centers to give other people a quick read and a laugh.
Technically he prefers Gabaldon's Outlander books, and similar weighty reads to What a Gentleman Wants but he's not actually that picky if he just wants something to read.
((He secretly keeps a copy of Every Night I'm Yours Behind the other books on his shelf. It's his guiltiest guilty read so far. Confronted, he claims it's hysterical.))
Deep down, very deep down, he has a touch of the romantic, but he's loathe to admit it, especially these days. He can't help but laugh at some of the 'purple prose' and shallow characters, but he wouldn't exactly mind sweeping someone off their feet and then riding into the sunset, and this, more than his excuses that it's an 'cheap vice' is the main reason he reads said books.
Cat Fancy It's probably hard for some people to picture, but Falco's rather fond of cats. Maybe it's their independent nature and relatively 'low maintenance' qualities, but they appeal to him on an almost primal level. One of his general 'soft spots' is feeding strays that wander around, and one of the fastest ways to throw him off of a grumpy tangent is to introduce him to something fuzzy and purring.
He 'keeps' several cats around his apartment, though they tend to come and go, and will occasionally take in strays and have them fixed. He's aware of his limitations though and is avoiding taking in more cats than he can afford, though he's perfectly happy to act as a way house for cats who are otherwise 'between owners'.
That Which Doesn't Kill Me: In the wake of the accident, Falco found a considerable amount of physical therapy necessary. Not unusual for someone who's been through an extreme and high speed accident, it took time to get past some of his injuries. Although he has recovered physically, he continues to go for long walks, the occasional bicycle ride, and visit the gym. Although at first this was pretty much a means to an end, he's started to take an actual enjoyment in the activities themselves, though he's a bit recalcitrant to admit that he's doing anything more than, as he might put it, 'repairing the human-machine'. ((I.E. his body)). He's still prone to rounds of subtle and self destructive behavior, often focused through these exercise rounds, but in spite of this tendency toward self flagellation, he really does enjoy discovering that he's gotten better than he was before, even if he hasn't yet achieved his goal of getting over the psychological stumbling block keeping him off the 'real' track.
Virtues:
Hold the Line: perhaps it's an side effect of his altered lifestyle, but it's damned hard, under most circumstances, to get Falco to flinch. He's already lost everything he once cared about before, he stands up stubbornly to keep what he has left and especially the things that matter to him, his cats, for example, or causes that might affect his home and quality of life (maybe the neighbors, depending), he'll dig his heels in and refuse to budge until he absolutely has to
Were he interested in environmental causes ((He loves his motorcycles and their dirty motors far too much to really 'get', or want to get, tree huggers.)), he would be the man tied to a tree to keep the bulldozers at bay. As it is, he's the man who would, if it came down to it, be glaring back at the land lord through the wrong end of the peep hole and shoving the fiftieth copy of a petition through the seams of the door.
Punctuality: He's late, he's late for a ver... oh wait no he's not. Falco's rarely late to appointments or meetings without an extremely good reason, though this may mean he flirts with a ticket or four to do it. He'd rather be the first one at an designated meeting place than the last, even if it means arriving early. Blame it on wanting to be the first one at the finish line, but he's not going to be tardy if he can help it, making him reliable for timed projects, barring the occasional ticket or... five. If he says he'll be someplace, count on him to be there.
Supportive: Although he has notable resentment issues, all of which are framed through the filter of a layer of what boils down to a degree of self loathing, Falco is, surprisingly, capable of being supportive of others. Feeling that he, himself, is an underdog gives him a certain degree of sympathy for other underdogs, and he'll stand beside them and cheer as the perceived 'enemy' takes a fall.
Competitive: Put him to it, he can do it... or half kill himself trying. Falco has always been competitive, and with a mental stumbling block between him and the track, this urge to compete has to go somewhere. Ask him to do something and he'll give it his all. He's no Savant, and may not succeed the first time, but he'll keep trying. He won't be trying to, say, wrest control of an airplane from a skilled pilot, but point him toward a plausible challenge, anything from beating a record at the rock climbing wall to making the best 'from scratch' pizza, and he'll put his nose to the grind stone, because second place just won't cut it, not if there's a chance for first.
When working with a team of any form, he brings the same determination to win, and finds this reason to -try- (not always succeed) in keeping his tone civil, since part of success in a team is knowing when to help, and when, as he'd put it, to "Shut up and get out of the way." He may be brusque when pointing out where an effort went awry, but he's doing so out of the desire to do better the next time.
Flaws:
Misinterpretation: One of the major things that stands between Falco and actually opening up past his cold, defensive shell is his tendency to misinterpret peoples intentions, most particularly how they are directed at him. He tends to see people in one of two lights. Either they pity him, which he can't stand, or they look down on him, which he can't stand either. Regardless of whether or not someone is actually doing -either-, they're likely to find themselves slapped with that label and treated in an accordingly prickly fashion. It doesn't help either that it means he's more inclined to 'throw someone under the bus' if he's reached this conclusion. While it's possible to get past it, it's wise to be cautious in the mean time.
Bitter: Falco tends to fixate on how good things used to be, when the world was full of promise and he could see nothing ahead but trophies on the mantle, and a long career at high speed.
At the core of it, he's angry at himself, furious at his inability to overcome his paralyzing fear of the track, but it's others who may find themselves suffering from the brunt of this self loathing, when he gets himself worked into a nice, black broil of a mood.
Capable of lashing out with very little provocation, this trait makes it more difficult to deal with Falco's actually positive ability's, since it's hard to -want- to ask someone to do something for you if you have to put up with anything from caustic, furious glares to insulting nicknames and condescending comments. Once invested in a project, he'll eventually calm down, work being the way to put the lid back on his introspective self loathing, but you have to get there first.
A Danger to Myself: An extended portion of his tendency to compete, and his self loathing, Falco has developed the unfortunate tendency to push too far sometimes. Especially now that he's working out on his own, and may not have a personal trainer or spotter, he'll work until he pulls a muscle or sprains something (or worse), potentially undoing part, or all of his accomplishments.
Combined with 'Toe the line', he'll keep doing what he's doing until he's forced to admit that he's literally incapable of continuing. Much the way he punishes others with his bitterness, he's punishing himself in the only way he knows how.
And if I let you in... With his laundry list of flaws and resentment, it's hard to imagine Falco's softer side at any other time than when he's been temporarily disarmed by something small, fuzzy and purring, but it does in fact exist, and has a subtle, but strong potential to be an powerful Achilles heel.
In spite of his self loathing, and defensive tendency to assume the worst from others, he longs to love and be loved as much as anyone, though he's slower to let people in. Once he does though, he can become as blind to their flaws as to other people's good intentions, and if he's being manipulated by a skillful hand, he likely won't realize it until the knife is sticking out of his back, and until that point will aggressively defend their motivations, possibly even cutting off people who are trying to warn him.
Friends are shielded by this defense to a certain degree, but to see it fully awakened to it's most blind and self destructive potential it requires romance, or something he's taken for it.
Challenge: "I'll bring you down!"
((Also/Or: "Sh-t Just got Real!"))
Weapon: Metal Jacks ((ever stepped on these? Even in soft soled shoes they hurt. And they're really annoying when they're stuck in your treads.))
Having one or more stuck in the treads on a more solid boot will make walking quietly impossible or next to it, and will be very uncomfortable until they're pried out, even if they don't do damage.
Next level: Caltrops: Originally designed to cripple both horses and foot soldiers, caltrops are metal traps that literally, like a jack, cannot land without one pointy end up. Although not deadly, the sharp points of Realgar's caltrops will cut through the soles of shoes or boots, literally bringing his opponent down and causing pain and damage. Also works nicely against tires, though they do not stop magical attacks.
Next level: Caltrops with 'backward' barbs, designed to make them much more difficult and damaging to pull out once they're there. The picture of the ends of the Vietnamese Caltrop in the wiki article as a good example of the backward pointed spike. These reverse spikes were used on other weapons like arrows and spears to make them do extra damage coming out, if the subject wasn't aware of them, or didn't have the option of forcing them through the rest of the way.
Appearance: Platinum (almost white) blond hair, shorter in back than in front, Falco's face borders on sharp, especially around the cheekbones, and the eyes. His olive green eyes are openly aggressive and piercing, and no matter his guise he seems to accuse the rest of the world for wrong doing in being happier than he is. He's a great fan of leather jackets and jacket patches, and still follows racing diligently, especially motorcycles, though for reasons (explained in his history) he is unable to race as he would like to.
He does have scars from his accident, most of which are hidden by his clothing. As a result, he rarely goes shirtless, still uncomfortable with the marks from various surgeries to help repair damage, much of which was internal, with his racing suit and helmet taking the damage that otherwise would have stripped flesh from bone.
Uniform: I'd love to see him in some variant of a racing jacket, but otherwise I'm entirely open. Possibly boots with a notable grip on them, and thick soles, so that he doesn't fall victim to his own arsenal.
((Links are random suggestions))
------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Etcetera Etcetera and Soforth:
History:
-Falco wanted to be a professional racer. More than anything, he wanted it, and even showed promise. He even went as far as going to the try outs, and could almost touch a pro-racing jacket, patches and all… when things went to hell. A massive accident happened on the track with the riders in front of him suddenly lost control of their bikes and went over. Falco himself was involved in the pile up, and spent a week or so in a coma, and months after that in the hospital in rehabilitation. It’s nothing short of a miracle that he wasn’t hurt worse than he was, and that he can even walk again, especially after two of the other racers involved in the crash died. Since that time, to his own fury, Falco has found himself unable to face the race track.
Although he can still ride, and speed doesn’t frighten him, sitting on the race track, he becomes all but paralyzed with the memory he can’t overcome, until someone interrupts him and escorts him off the track.
The accident has changed him to a man who’s out to take his anger and pain out on the world around him, furious at those around him who aren’t paralyzed by the past, and are capable of chasing their dreams, even while he defends their right to chase them with an equal passion, since although he hates his own inability to do so, he hates just as much people who don’t have the drive to do so.
Why the Negaverse?: Falco is half sure he saw SOMETHING on the track that day, though he’ll never be sure what it was. As fast as it moved, and since no one but the racers themselves appeared in the crash, he’s become convinced it was a Senshi, especially now with the availability of videos online, and reports in the news. Truth be told it could equally, and possibly more likely have been a Youma, but Falco is unlikely to accept this explanation without serious convincing, when it’s so much easier to blame the Senshi.
He also has a number of anger issues, and the urge to take his pain out on others. Since the Negaverse takes and 'enhances' any traits that it finds advantageous, this would easily develop into a real willingness to act out his rage fantasies.
Personality expounded:
People who knew him before the accident will remember a man who was capable of somewhat irreverent humor, and a vivid Joy-de-vive. Somewhere in there, those traits are still lurking, but they've been buried by self pity, and a loathing for sympathy. He comes off as prickly and dismissive, leaving only the most patient souls to pry their way into his confidence, a time consuming, but not impossible task.
Family: Falco is largely out of communication with his family at the moment, though they are alive. He sees their attempts to reach out to him however as acts of pity over his failed racing career however, and resents them as a result. Christmas cards and Birthday cards are exchanged, but otherwise he has very little contact with his family.
Cats: Falco's current cats are an odd assortment:
A long haired Persian who's face doesn't fit the breeds standard, ((Called Jo, short for Josephine)
A Tabby called Mac-Daddy ((A now spayed tom who occasionally gets in trouble for his attempts to reclaim the glory days with territorial marking.))
and a white kitten with a smattering of black spots who's currently referred to in a surprisingly affectionate tone as "Thingy".
Capricorn: ((Just for fun))
The Capricorn man will often conceal things about his life for little reason. Being defensive comes naturally; he is afraid that if he allows himself to be open, he will be exposed. This is why he seems so serious. With those he trusts he shows his wicked sense of humor and good nature. He is principled, though he keeps his beliefs and philosophy to himself. Capricorn men are often devoted to their career, which can make them seem distant regarding family responsibilities.
