[Concept] Leah Constantine is a private investigator who is more than your average PI. He's a telepath and telekinetic, latent gifts which he barely believes are real and has only mastered through sheer perfectionism and stubbornness alone. He is obsessed with discovering more about the supernatural in an attempt to understand himself, which has drawn him (and his business) to Ottawa. [Background] Leah is a native of the northern United States. Born in Syracuse in upstate New York, he lived with his parents Gillian and Mortimer Constantine in Brewerton, a small town in the northern part of Onondoga county, one of the outlying communities where families with more wealth than their rural brethren farther north in Oswego but not enough to live in the richer suburbs in the south like Camillus where those with old money lived. Neither of his parents was very interested in their son; they were both Catholic and had a son mainly to appease their parents. Mortimer was a successful graphic designer working for the city of Syracuse; Gillian was a spaced-out artist type who spent almost all of her time at home in her studio, producing pottery and modern art that she sold for outrageous sums to clueless yuppies in the Galleries downtown. Once he was old enough to take care of himself (and because of his mother's reluctance to pay attention to him *or* hire a nanny who would), Leah was left to care for himself all day. School beginning was a boon for Leah. Naturally friendly and outgoing, he was surprisingly popular and dedicated himself to learning. It was as much out of a desire to achieve and impress his parents as it was a true desire to learn and excel. He was a perfect angel in class to his teachers, but a little demon when it came to people who upset him; more than once he would answer an insult with a shove or, as he moved into junior high school, a punch to the face. Thus he had a reputation, by the time he began attending high school at Paul V. Moore in neighboring Central Square, of a friendly but somewhat volatile guy. His continuing achievement in school did not impress his parents; in fact, they barely recognized his presence at all. Both had, in fact, began dallying with other lovers as their work and their general distaste for each other increased. Frustrated and angry, Leah threw himself into his schoolwork, taking on extra-curricular activities left and right, each one keeping him miles away at school during the evenings. As a sophomore he was eligible for a driver's permit and his parents, only too happy to keep him out of their hair, bought him a car. Taking on parts in school plays, playing lacrosse on the school's team, and even taking on extra work in a chemistry club. A long string of short, intensely physical relationships with girls also found its way into the long list of things he did to distract himself. None of it, especially the parade of airheaded cheerleader girls, satisfied him, and he lay awake at nights staring at the sloped ceiling of his bedroom, wondering what would. The turning point of Leah's life came in the summer after his high school graduation. For four long years his parents had committed adultery after affair after tryst; in truth, both knew, but neither cared. However, the uninvolvement of both their son and each other couldn't last forever; in a strange twist of fate, the people with whom Gillian and Mortimer had been cheating discovered each other in a coffee bar downtown. Discussing the matter, they learned that both were a married couple. Both of these "other people", shallow and easily angered as many in their position are, swore to drive to the Constantine's house in Brewerton and give the couple a piece of their collective mind. Unfortunately, the male of the pair, a slightly unstable man named Jerry Ascot, was out for more than an explanation; he carried a gun and planned on getting rid of Gillian after the fact. The argument between the four took place in the house's foyer, and lasted a precious short amount of time before Jerry drew his gun and shot both of the Constantines in cold blood. When the woman Mortimer had been cheating with objected with wide-eyed terror and tried to wrest the gun away, he shot her too. Unfortunately, he did so as Leah opened the door to come home and see the dead bodies AND the shooting. Crazed with bloodlust, Jerry blinked, exclaimed "Christ, she had a BRAT!", and moved to shoot Leah also. He never got to the trigger. Overcome with anger and fear, and already living precariously on the edge of despair, the youth let out a blood-curdling scream, eyes closed. Lashing out with a newly-awakened Seer gift of Mindhands, he flung incredible force at the would-be murderer, sending him flying into the wall. He landed in a boneless slump, both eyes open; his neck had been snapped. When the police arrived, Leah was still standing there, looking dazed, posture somewhat slumped. When questioned about the subject by the police, he gave monosyllabic answers to almost every inquiry. However, with there being no proof that he did anything but discover the crime, he was let go. With his family all living is Boston and being 18, Leah stayed at a motel until his home was safe to occupy once again. After the funeral for his parents and the curt, unsympathetic company of his family, all of which wanted nothing to do with the situation, he realized it all belonged to him. Once he began studying at Ithaca College, Leah was slowly on the road to recovery. In the larger macrocosm of the "real world", he began to understand (with a healthy dose of therapy) that his parents were, in fact, selfish jerks and that he was better off without them. Beginning a study of criminology and criminal science to which his analytical mind adapted perfectly, he finally began to build a life for himself rather than struggling to prove himself to someone else. This meant, in a way, exploring his social life. He finally began to notice that women did nothing for him; it was the male form that made him think happy thoughts instead. He finally, after screwing up his courage, discovered the campus LGBT group and quickly became a popular guy; a combination of his wealth (between his parents' actual savings, the sale of the house, and the life insurance money, Leah was set for MANY years, cost of college included), good looks, and overall energy were attractive. He took being gay completely in stride; it was as if his earlier desire to please his parents was completely reversed, and he reveled in anything he knew would have upset them. After a number of one-night stands he finally managed to settle on a single boyfriend, a sophomore named Seth. Seth, a pale, brainy art major, was the yin to Leah's yang. The two were an odd couple, but both came from lonely backgrounds, and this made their bond especially strong, be it out of need or simply a shared background. For eight months the two were an almost inseparable pair, seen around campus at concerts, gatherings, and other social functions galore. Sadly, Seth's composed demeanor and frail appearance belied a darker truth underneath; as a child he'd been physically abused by his parents, descendents of coal miners from the Adirondacks. They had given him psychotic episodes that therapy had yet to really puncture, so he took medication to keep those in check. In yet another in a stunning turn of bad luck for Leah, the night the couple decided to sleep together for the first time, Seth's medication went missing. In the heat of the moment neither noticed (and Leah had no idea what the medication was for), and as they finally got midway into the act, Seth suddenly snapped and became intensely violent, snarling and overpowering a confused Leah with surprising strength, the scene becoming quickly and disturbingly like rape. For the second time in his life, Leah lashed out in surprise and self-defense, knocking Seth clear across the room and into a dresser at high speed; as he hit the ground, his neck snapped. This wasn't all that was in store for the poor youth, however. As Seth fell, his last thoughts of confusion, a sudden momentary burst of clarity, and then regret washed over Leah as his telepathic gift surfaced. Left breathing heavily, confused and dazed, the blonde took almost two hours before he could force himself to stand up and get dressed. Calling the police as an 'anonymous tip', he slipped out of Seth's apartment and wandered the streets, zigzag-ing home across campus. As others passed him by, their thoughts echoed in Leah's head like barely audible whispers; by the time he made it back to his own apartment, the most he could do was clutch his head and sit behind the door, crying. With no real signs of a struggle and no real proof that Leah was ever there, Seth's death was ruled unexplained. Leah didn't attend his funeral; he spent the next week in his apartment, getting the occasional snatch of thought from some random building tennant and slowly pondering that he may have gone insane. Struggling to retain some control over his own sanity, Leah managed to block out the thoughts of others through willpower alone. Assuming he'd "fought down" his own insanity and dismissing the events of Seth's death, he attempted to resume a normal life. Although he continued to be an excellent student, Leah's personality became very cold and withdrawn. His normally friendly and cheerful personality became totally glacial almost overnight; his friends finally forced him, in a nearly physical way, to see a therapist. The therapist, a Gifted Solitaire who had long retired to the Catskills for some peace and quiet, almost immediately saw the symptoms of someone coping with "voices in his head", and under hypnosis Leah revealed the tragedies of his past, including the manifestations of his powers. Confronting him with the knowledge as best she could once the trance ended, the therapist stated that while she couldn't fix the problems of Leah's past, she could help him to make a much more interesting future. Desperate for anything to improve his lot, he agreed. The process took right up to the very end of Leah's college education, which extended into a fifth year for a private investigation certification after the criminology degree was done. The therapist, named Liza, taught Leah how to control and direct his telepathy and, to a much lesser extent, his telekinesis (Liza's gifts were completely telepathic, leaving her with little recourse as to how to train him). The two became, at the very least, good friends, and Leah began to rediscover the joys of his life. As they parted, Liza suggested to Leah that the string of unlucky coincidences in his life might not have been simple chance, but rather the machinations of others with supernatural gifts attempting to destroy him or something he might become. Although he is not fully convinced of it, Leah accepted Liza's insight and promised to research the supernatural more on her behalf. Now at age 25, Leah is only just beginning the meat of that quest. Using some of the money left to him by his parents, he paid his college debts and, after a short stint working forensics for the city of Rochester, planned to open an investigations office in a major city. The events in Ottawa cemented his choice, and by moving there he hopes to find some answers about the way his life is gone, why he has the powers he has, and most importantly, what the future portends. [Psyche Profile] Leah has not had a happy life, but he is "all rebound", so to speak. One of life's natural balls of energy, he is all Yang: outgoing, aggressive, confrontational. He is, as one friend in college put it during a mock trial in class, "all offense." In part, his bravado, aggressiveness, and reckless behavior are all ways of ignoring his own fears. Sometimes it makes him brave in situations where no others can find courage; more often than not it makes him headstrong and hasty. As he gained experience as an investigator, this has mellowed somewhat, but not by a large degree. Leah definitely has an obsessive personality problem. He thinks and works like a freight train; all his weight and ability go into the current problem and lord forbid anybody should get in his way when he does so. In a bizarre fashion it makes him a more-than-competent investigator, but it also means that he often cares more about the goal in question than about his personal health or safety. He also has a fear of closeness. He is flirtatious and playful but rarely considers settling down, mainly from bad past experiences. A perfectionist, he is demanding both of himself and others. He can be overcritical and is bluntly honest about his opinion. [Strengths] Leah is smart and confident. He would be described, in corporate language, as a "proactive go-getter". He understands people and how they work and uses this to his advantage. He is not necessarily compelled to "do good" but he sticks up for what he believes in. Witty and self-assured, he tackles problems with gusto. [Weaknesses] The boy is stubborn, a bit prideful, and incredibly obsessive. As one might expect of someone who spends most of his day manic, when Leah crashes he crashes HARD, and usually is determined to take everyone around him down with him. His obsessive personality and natural inquisitiveness (some might call it being a nosy busybody) are not terribly endearing. [Equipment] Leah owns his own combination office/home brownstone, as well as a decent car he doesn't always use. He owns a sturdy bullwhip and a good quality handgun (which he is licensed to carry). He also has a private investigator's license. [Description] This young man is of average size, maybe 5'10" and of average build. He looks more like a scholar than anything else, but not in the paunch-belly sort of way; he keeps in obvious shape. His skin seems naturally dark in color but which has paled over time spent indoors, the two effects balancing out somewhat in a dusky tan. His face has sharp, aquiline features and an especially well- defined nose, above which is a pair of piercing jade-green eyes. His hair is a sandy blond color, parted down the middle and left long on top while cut very short underneath. He is currently dressed in a very relaxed fashion; a white tank top worn under a faded denim shirt with uprolled sleeves that's too large for him covers his torso. He wears a pair of dark khaki cargo pants, a pair of black socks, and a simple pair of obviously well-worn brown flats which round out the plain ensemble nicely. [Proposed Stats] Character type: Gifted (Seer) 15 Attr 10 Quality 25 Skill 30 Metaphysics Strength 2 (1, set to 2 with Drawback points) Constitution 2 (1, set to 2 with Drawback points) Dexterity 2 Perception 3 Intelligence 4 Willpower 4 Total: 15 (17) LP 26 EP 40 Speed 8 Essence Points 17 Qualities: Attractive 1p Photographic Memory 2p Resources (Well-off) 2p Situational Awareness 2p Gift 5p Minority (Gay) +1p Reckless +2p Bad Luck +3p Secret (Telepath) +1p Secret (Manslaughter of Seth) +1p Obsession (Paranormal Cases) +2p Skills: Acting 1p Bureaucracy 1p Computer Hacking 1p Disguise 1p Dodge 2p Electronic Surveillance 2p Escapism 1p Guns (Handgun) 1p Hand Weapon (Whip) 1p Humanities (Criminology) 2p Lock-Picking (Mechanical) 1p Lock-Picking (Electronic) 1p Notice 2p Questioning 1p Research/Investigation 3p Sciences (Chemistry) 1p Smooth Talking 2p Sport (Lacrosse) 1p Stealth 2p Streetwise 2p Surveillance 2p Total: 30 Metaphysics: Mindhands Strength 4 12p Mindhands Art 2 4p Mindsight Strength 3 9p Mindsight Art 3 6p Total: 31 Explanation for "Hand Weapon (Whip)": This is something Leah took up for a case involving some dominatrices and disgruntled lovers, and discovered he had an aptitude for. While he's not big on the kink aspect, he's found that a bullwhip can actually come in pretty handy when a gun is too conspicuous. [How will this character contribute to roleplay?] How can he not? ;) *duck* Seriously. Leah is friendly, energetic, somewhat wealthy, and best of all, easily bored. There is plenty for him to do. A PI's biggest asset is contacts and Leah is low on them in Ottawa; cultivating those relationships and just doing his job are the best way for him to contribute to the game. [Rule Familiarity] I'm trying. The basics aren't really that different from other games in the genre so it's not THAT hard. The end verdict appears to be that I know the basics of the rules, and I have the book handy to check for what I don't know. [Gaming Experience] Hooboy. I've been a tabletop gamer since I was in middle school, mostly TSR stuff until I got to college. College brought on a Judge position on a WoD- based MU* and the need to learn the various WoD systems (which prompted the purchase of an amusing cacophony of books). I started MU*ing during my freshman year of college and played extensively for three or so years before slacking off a bit in an attempt to graduate. Lately I've been getting back into the hobby. I have experience with a wide variety of game systems and with systemless consent- based roleplay too.