Post by Gabriel on Oct 5, 2009 13:55:00 GMT -5
-Character Description-
Name: Gabriel Connor
Age: 24
Programmer Rank: Initiate
Faction: Neutral (Coordinator Hopeful)
Place of Birth: Salford, England
General Personality: Gabriel's a broken lad. He hates who he's become, but doesn't believe he can change.
He doesn't believe anyone can change.
On the surface, Gabriel is a charming, out-going fellow with a silver tongue. Despite his roguish appearance, people from even the most proper of backgrounds can find him endearing and often are willing to overlook any sort of social faux pas as result of "not knowing better." It helps that Gabriel finds people genuinely fascinating and is the kind of bloke who strikes up a chat at the pub.
Gabe is also an incurable and insatiable flirt. He "falls in love" with every beautiful woman he sees and will unabashedly approach them, regardless of social standing or relationship status. He's a remarkably skilled communicator, which allows him to morph into whatever he thinks the woman's ideal mate would be; a romance conman, if you will. He's only had three serious relationships, all of which have scarred him and his view of women.
But despite his friendly and at times borderline-baffoon exterior, Gabriel is a sharp thinker. He has a natural mind for mathematics and computers, a talent he's exploited throughout his youth to hack his way across the internet. He also has a natural knack for anything mechanical; whether it be a 1966 Mini-Cooper or building a holo-comp from scratch. To Gabriel, any problem in life is simply a gap in development; a solution needs to be built. For this reason, Gabriel often retreats into solitary work on computers or mechanics; these are things that can be changed and altered for the better with simple action. People have a harder time changing. Sometimes they never do, even if changing would make their lives better.
Combatively, Gabriel will "win at any cost." There's no such thing as cheating as far as he's concerned. His physical skills are developed through the art of Bartitsu, an outdated English street-fighting art which emphasizes functionality and efficiency over all else. Of course, Gabriel's definition of "winning" is often "surviving," so a "strategic retreat" every now and again isn't out of the question for him.
Gabriel views the universe as a whole as a hating humankind. It's out to try and kill you and the only thing you can do is survive as long as possible while having as good a time as possible. Despite this, he still believes in an ultimate standard of "good" and "evil." Gabriel had grown up wanting to be good, but life showed him time and time again that he only excelled at being "evil," at conning women and hacking banks and pickpocketing. He hates that he has not been able to live up to his desire to become "good" but has no plans in changing it. Every time he has tried to change, only bad has come of it.
Gabriel wishes to find and join the Coordinators for two reasons. 1: To help Cecily. 2: To give humanity a choice. Gabriel believes that the definitions of "Good" and "evil" mean nothing without the ability to choose, and sees the Regulators of having stripped the people of that choice, and in an sense, stripped part of their humanity.
Likes:
- Women
- Cigarettes
- Alcohol
- Old Bond films
- Cars and motorcycles
- Programming Holo-Comps
- His sister (in theory; hasn't seen her in years)
Dislikes:
- Women
- Anyone telling others what to do
- British food (never again...)
- His parents
- Japanese smoking culture (Too complicated...)
Habits: Aside from smoking like a chimney and drinking like a fish, Gabriel still speaks with his northern-English accent, complete with slang: "lorrey" "lift" "tele" "bullocks" "tube" "brilliant" "Happy Christmas" and so on.
Looks/Description: Gabriel, much to the dismay of many broken-hearted women, is a looker. Six feet tall with short black hair and sharp features and icy blue eyes that make you feel like you're the only person in the world. He has well-maintained teeth, despite his country of origin.
Simplicity is the name of his game for clothing. Simple black t-shirt with a black leather jacket and a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of sturdy black boots that have seen their years. He always keeps a switchblade in his jacket pocket.
Should one see Gabriel without his jacket, they'd notice the bandages wrapped around his right palm and forearm. These bandages hide a tattoo: the word "Guilty" in black Cyrillic letters. He also has a large Union Flag tattooed on his left shoulder blade, though it was put there to cover a previous tattoo.
History: Gabriel was born into a family of plenty.
The eldest son of two (his younger sister is four years his junior), Gabriel was expected to inherit the empire of his father, who owned a global investment company. Gabriel was filthy rich from birth, and was given everything he ever wanted or could need. The finest clothes, the best toys, and the best education money could buy. Private schools, private tutors, it was all there for him. And as a child, Gabriel was happy.
They sent him to boarding school when he was twelve.
That would be the last time he saw his parents.
Smart, sensible Gabriel was soon the object of disdain in boarding school. The things that had earned him praise back home were now the same things that made him an outcast. He followed the rules. He did well in school. He had no problems turning in another student who was breaking the rules or cheating. And if that wasn't enough, there was one last thing the boys of his school couldn't forgive him about.
The girls loved him.
And so the beatings began. They were clever beatings; painful, but never left any marks. The sabotage began to occur as well; the ruining of his assignments and books, the rumors to the girls about what he said about them or the "magazines" hidden in his room, or questions about his actual sexual orientation. It was all too much for young Gabriel to bear, and he asked his parents time and again if he could be taken back home. But his father would not allow it; it was the best business preparatory school money could buy, and his son would endure.
So Gabriel ran away.
His time on the streets were short, but useful. Meeting up with a gang of vagrants, they beat down Gabriel and tried to rob him. However, months of beatings had given Gabriel a surprisingly thick skin, and though his attacking abilities were weak, his endurance was strong. The vagrants decided to take him as one of their own. They taught him to fight, to pick-pocket, to rob and con and beg. They taught him how to survive. They even showed him some basic hacking techniques to get past some of the computer security systems; though Gabriel would rapidly overtake his teachers in this domain, his sharp mind adapting to the task quickly.
He lived out there for two months, but was eventually found and returned to the school. He was given very harsh restrictions for the remainder of his time at the school, but it didn't matter.
Gabriel was tough now.
One by one his enemies fell, either to his fists or to his keyboard. The outcast was soon king of the school. His will was the student body's will. Girls literally lined up for a chance to be with him, and Gabriel relished it. For three years he ruled like this, drunk with power.
Until he met Stella.
Stella, the stunning Indian beauty who had no interest in Gabriel's crap. And with all men like Gabriel, he had to have her. For a year he chased after Stella, and for a year she challenged him: why was everything about him? Why didn't he use his abilities for a greater good? Why did he treat women like something disposable?
Gabriel struggled, and changed, and won Stella.
But she had been lying.
Heartbroken, Gabriel resumed his reign of terror and lechery, getting Stella expelled. His need for control began to grow, and he ventured outside of the school, improving his hacking abilities by leaps and bounds. He began small at first; simple identity theft. But then he got good.
Then he stole from his father's company.
He thought he was set for life, but they caught him when he was 18. Through a miracle, he managed to escape before he was arrested and vanished back to the streets. There he made new friends; dangerous friends. The mob. His fighting skills quickly improved, and his hacking ability was unmatched in the underworld. He became a precious commodity.
And caught the eye of Celeste.
Celeste would always be his favorite. She was petite, and fiery, and lived in extremes. It was exciting, and passionate, and exhausting and Gabriel could've been with her forever. But she was killed; set-up by a Russian mob.
Gabriel swore revenge.
He dedicated a year of his life trying to bring them down, but as he dug deeper he discovered that the Russians had done the killing under contract from his own mob. Gabriel's family had betrayed Celeste, killing her. The plot for revenge changed; he contacted the Russians and said he would betray his family and give them their secrets.
Ivana was Gabriel's last relationship. She was broken like him; her dearest love killed by Gabriel's team. Ivana became the Gabriel's contact, and they found comfort in each other, sharing the pain and the holes in their heart. Together they planned to take down Gabriel's family and then leave the mob world forever, living out their days in rural Kansas, where no one would find them.
It almost worked.
The plan failed. Gabriel's family took severe losses but did not die. The Russians lost their leader in the struggle, and the second-in-command who always hated Gabriel assumed he betrayed them. Gabriel was captured and tattooed with the word "GUILTY" on his arm in Cyrillic, and was sent to be executed. But Ivana freed him and sent him away, saying they could never be together.
Gabriel went to Kansas.
A year went by, and Gabriel had come to terms that the interesting part of his life was over. He had loved, he had been rich, been poor, been hungry, been fat. At 24, he had done more living than most ever did and assumed that within a few years he'd grow tired of the fresh-faced farm girls that surrounded him and he'd marry. He'd get fat with his wife, punch out some kids, roll over and call it a life. He'd keep on scraping by a living by repairing and programming Holo-Comps, the latest craze that Gabriel just didn't understand.
Then Cecily Anne Black showed up.
Unfortunately, Cecily was not easily seduced. But she did have an interesting idea. She spoke about changing the world, about finding a way to make a difference. Gabriel hadn't seen that sort of fire in a person in a long time, so he set to work and built her the best Holo-Comp he could think of. She was pleased with the results, and she told him her plan: find the Coordinators, a Japanese revolutionary group, and join them, and work from there.
Gabriel had never been to Japan before.
So off he went, dragging up his tools and cashing what little money he had left. Off to Japan, off to the unknown. Off to undoubtedly hours and hours of practicing these stupid Holo-Comps...programming was one thing, but using? Just another thing to learn...
And who knows, maybe this time, somehow, he can actually become good.
-Character Holo-Comp Description-
Holo-Comp's Appearance: A hefty, blocky bracer on his left arm, a predecessor to Cecily's design. It is crude compared to other devices on the market, but has easily accessible components that allow Gabriel to make modifications over time. It is a dull gun-metal gray with a red and black readout.
Holo-Comp User Agreement: I, Gabriel Connor, agree to the Terms and Conditions within and assent to obeying all rules and regulations.
Holo-comp Slots: 3
Name: Gabriel Connor
Age: 24
Programmer Rank: Initiate
Faction: Neutral (Coordinator Hopeful)
Place of Birth: Salford, England
General Personality: Gabriel's a broken lad. He hates who he's become, but doesn't believe he can change.
He doesn't believe anyone can change.
On the surface, Gabriel is a charming, out-going fellow with a silver tongue. Despite his roguish appearance, people from even the most proper of backgrounds can find him endearing and often are willing to overlook any sort of social faux pas as result of "not knowing better." It helps that Gabriel finds people genuinely fascinating and is the kind of bloke who strikes up a chat at the pub.
Gabe is also an incurable and insatiable flirt. He "falls in love" with every beautiful woman he sees and will unabashedly approach them, regardless of social standing or relationship status. He's a remarkably skilled communicator, which allows him to morph into whatever he thinks the woman's ideal mate would be; a romance conman, if you will. He's only had three serious relationships, all of which have scarred him and his view of women.
But despite his friendly and at times borderline-baffoon exterior, Gabriel is a sharp thinker. He has a natural mind for mathematics and computers, a talent he's exploited throughout his youth to hack his way across the internet. He also has a natural knack for anything mechanical; whether it be a 1966 Mini-Cooper or building a holo-comp from scratch. To Gabriel, any problem in life is simply a gap in development; a solution needs to be built. For this reason, Gabriel often retreats into solitary work on computers or mechanics; these are things that can be changed and altered for the better with simple action. People have a harder time changing. Sometimes they never do, even if changing would make their lives better.
Combatively, Gabriel will "win at any cost." There's no such thing as cheating as far as he's concerned. His physical skills are developed through the art of Bartitsu, an outdated English street-fighting art which emphasizes functionality and efficiency over all else. Of course, Gabriel's definition of "winning" is often "surviving," so a "strategic retreat" every now and again isn't out of the question for him.
Gabriel views the universe as a whole as a hating humankind. It's out to try and kill you and the only thing you can do is survive as long as possible while having as good a time as possible. Despite this, he still believes in an ultimate standard of "good" and "evil." Gabriel had grown up wanting to be good, but life showed him time and time again that he only excelled at being "evil," at conning women and hacking banks and pickpocketing. He hates that he has not been able to live up to his desire to become "good" but has no plans in changing it. Every time he has tried to change, only bad has come of it.
Gabriel wishes to find and join the Coordinators for two reasons. 1: To help Cecily. 2: To give humanity a choice. Gabriel believes that the definitions of "Good" and "evil" mean nothing without the ability to choose, and sees the Regulators of having stripped the people of that choice, and in an sense, stripped part of their humanity.
Likes:
- Women
- Cigarettes
- Alcohol
- Old Bond films
- Cars and motorcycles
- Programming Holo-Comps
- His sister (in theory; hasn't seen her in years)
Dislikes:
- Women
- Anyone telling others what to do
- British food (never again...)
- His parents
- Japanese smoking culture (Too complicated...)
Habits: Aside from smoking like a chimney and drinking like a fish, Gabriel still speaks with his northern-English accent, complete with slang: "lorrey" "lift" "tele" "bullocks" "tube" "brilliant" "Happy Christmas" and so on.
Looks/Description: Gabriel, much to the dismay of many broken-hearted women, is a looker. Six feet tall with short black hair and sharp features and icy blue eyes that make you feel like you're the only person in the world. He has well-maintained teeth, despite his country of origin.
Simplicity is the name of his game for clothing. Simple black t-shirt with a black leather jacket and a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of sturdy black boots that have seen their years. He always keeps a switchblade in his jacket pocket.
Should one see Gabriel without his jacket, they'd notice the bandages wrapped around his right palm and forearm. These bandages hide a tattoo: the word "Guilty" in black Cyrillic letters. He also has a large Union Flag tattooed on his left shoulder blade, though it was put there to cover a previous tattoo.
History: Gabriel was born into a family of plenty.
The eldest son of two (his younger sister is four years his junior), Gabriel was expected to inherit the empire of his father, who owned a global investment company. Gabriel was filthy rich from birth, and was given everything he ever wanted or could need. The finest clothes, the best toys, and the best education money could buy. Private schools, private tutors, it was all there for him. And as a child, Gabriel was happy.
They sent him to boarding school when he was twelve.
That would be the last time he saw his parents.
Smart, sensible Gabriel was soon the object of disdain in boarding school. The things that had earned him praise back home were now the same things that made him an outcast. He followed the rules. He did well in school. He had no problems turning in another student who was breaking the rules or cheating. And if that wasn't enough, there was one last thing the boys of his school couldn't forgive him about.
The girls loved him.
And so the beatings began. They were clever beatings; painful, but never left any marks. The sabotage began to occur as well; the ruining of his assignments and books, the rumors to the girls about what he said about them or the "magazines" hidden in his room, or questions about his actual sexual orientation. It was all too much for young Gabriel to bear, and he asked his parents time and again if he could be taken back home. But his father would not allow it; it was the best business preparatory school money could buy, and his son would endure.
So Gabriel ran away.
His time on the streets were short, but useful. Meeting up with a gang of vagrants, they beat down Gabriel and tried to rob him. However, months of beatings had given Gabriel a surprisingly thick skin, and though his attacking abilities were weak, his endurance was strong. The vagrants decided to take him as one of their own. They taught him to fight, to pick-pocket, to rob and con and beg. They taught him how to survive. They even showed him some basic hacking techniques to get past some of the computer security systems; though Gabriel would rapidly overtake his teachers in this domain, his sharp mind adapting to the task quickly.
He lived out there for two months, but was eventually found and returned to the school. He was given very harsh restrictions for the remainder of his time at the school, but it didn't matter.
Gabriel was tough now.
One by one his enemies fell, either to his fists or to his keyboard. The outcast was soon king of the school. His will was the student body's will. Girls literally lined up for a chance to be with him, and Gabriel relished it. For three years he ruled like this, drunk with power.
Until he met Stella.
Stella, the stunning Indian beauty who had no interest in Gabriel's crap. And with all men like Gabriel, he had to have her. For a year he chased after Stella, and for a year she challenged him: why was everything about him? Why didn't he use his abilities for a greater good? Why did he treat women like something disposable?
Gabriel struggled, and changed, and won Stella.
But she had been lying.
Heartbroken, Gabriel resumed his reign of terror and lechery, getting Stella expelled. His need for control began to grow, and he ventured outside of the school, improving his hacking abilities by leaps and bounds. He began small at first; simple identity theft. But then he got good.
Then he stole from his father's company.
He thought he was set for life, but they caught him when he was 18. Through a miracle, he managed to escape before he was arrested and vanished back to the streets. There he made new friends; dangerous friends. The mob. His fighting skills quickly improved, and his hacking ability was unmatched in the underworld. He became a precious commodity.
And caught the eye of Celeste.
Celeste would always be his favorite. She was petite, and fiery, and lived in extremes. It was exciting, and passionate, and exhausting and Gabriel could've been with her forever. But she was killed; set-up by a Russian mob.
Gabriel swore revenge.
He dedicated a year of his life trying to bring them down, but as he dug deeper he discovered that the Russians had done the killing under contract from his own mob. Gabriel's family had betrayed Celeste, killing her. The plot for revenge changed; he contacted the Russians and said he would betray his family and give them their secrets.
Ivana was Gabriel's last relationship. She was broken like him; her dearest love killed by Gabriel's team. Ivana became the Gabriel's contact, and they found comfort in each other, sharing the pain and the holes in their heart. Together they planned to take down Gabriel's family and then leave the mob world forever, living out their days in rural Kansas, where no one would find them.
It almost worked.
The plan failed. Gabriel's family took severe losses but did not die. The Russians lost their leader in the struggle, and the second-in-command who always hated Gabriel assumed he betrayed them. Gabriel was captured and tattooed with the word "GUILTY" on his arm in Cyrillic, and was sent to be executed. But Ivana freed him and sent him away, saying they could never be together.
Gabriel went to Kansas.
A year went by, and Gabriel had come to terms that the interesting part of his life was over. He had loved, he had been rich, been poor, been hungry, been fat. At 24, he had done more living than most ever did and assumed that within a few years he'd grow tired of the fresh-faced farm girls that surrounded him and he'd marry. He'd get fat with his wife, punch out some kids, roll over and call it a life. He'd keep on scraping by a living by repairing and programming Holo-Comps, the latest craze that Gabriel just didn't understand.
Then Cecily Anne Black showed up.
Unfortunately, Cecily was not easily seduced. But she did have an interesting idea. She spoke about changing the world, about finding a way to make a difference. Gabriel hadn't seen that sort of fire in a person in a long time, so he set to work and built her the best Holo-Comp he could think of. She was pleased with the results, and she told him her plan: find the Coordinators, a Japanese revolutionary group, and join them, and work from there.
Gabriel had never been to Japan before.
So off he went, dragging up his tools and cashing what little money he had left. Off to Japan, off to the unknown. Off to undoubtedly hours and hours of practicing these stupid Holo-Comps...programming was one thing, but using? Just another thing to learn...
And who knows, maybe this time, somehow, he can actually become good.
-Character Holo-Comp Description-
Holo-Comp's Appearance: A hefty, blocky bracer on his left arm, a predecessor to Cecily's design. It is crude compared to other devices on the market, but has easily accessible components that allow Gabriel to make modifications over time. It is a dull gun-metal gray with a red and black readout.
Holo-Comp User Agreement: I, Gabriel Connor, agree to the Terms and Conditions within and assent to obeying all rules and regulations.
Holo-comp Slots: 3