> PLAYER INFORMATION
NAME: Jen
PRONOUNS: female pronouns
AGE: 31
CONTACT: aurajen

> CHARACTER INFORMATION
NAME: Markus
CANON: Detroit: Become Human
AGE: His "birthdate" is officially listed as confidential in canon. But given his prior history before the narrative starts, "a handful of years" is a safe estimate. However, Markus possesses the cognitive maturity of an adult to match his appearance.
CANON POINT: After "The Stratford Tower" chapter.

HISTORY: wiki link.

Decisions in specified chapters worth mentioning up until his chosen canon point:
—Shades of Color: listened to the preacher nattering on about androids and corruption, pushed around by protestors until a cop intervenes to stop them
—The Painter: plays the piano, paints something when asked by Carl revolving around the theme of identity
—Broken: chooses to endure Leo’s attacks even after becoming deviant, which in turn leads to Carl’s death
—From the Dead: chooses to not take parts from androids still alive in the junkyard, instead taking them from already-dead androids
—Spare Parts: upon raiding the CyberLife warehouse, manages to steal an entire truckload of supplies, and allows the android John to join Jericho
—The Stratford Tower: Chooses to ruse the guards in the tower, does not shoot the escaping employee. The message sent to humans skews towards the pacifist route

PERSONALITY:

Markus is an individual who revolves around the idea of duality. And while it is easy to inherently label these characteristics as paradoxical and independent of each other, the truth actually lies in the opposite — they are all connected, one half of him existing as a consequence of the other. Light and shadow, as described in canon, with the potential to lean more heavily towards either; but a more accurate approximation would be water and fire. A calm steadiness versus an unwavering passion. Kindness and compassion versus the indignant anger at being treated unfairly. A time to be cautious and remain in shadow, and a time to have one’s voice heard, using the world as a stage. Both exist within him simultaneously, and Markus wouldn’t be who he is without having found a balance between the two.

The beginning of Markus’ life was utterly formative in the kind of person he would become. Created to be a caretaker and friend for the artist Carl Manfred, his baseline personality was already leaning towards being understanding and helpful, even possessing a gentle sense of humor for the sake of countering Carl’s dry wit. And through time and circumstance, thanks to the encouragement and open mind of he man he was tending to (who allowed him to study both art and literature), he was allowed to grow into more than that — to feel actual empathy and genuinely caring for the man, to the point where he saw him as father figure. It was in these early years where his tendency to be creative germinated — very much due to the fact that he was living with a prolific artist — as well as develop other characteristics of his personality that would be seen in a more extreme light later on. He would become charismatic, just as stubborn as Carl could be, and inclined to feel. Before he even goes against his own programming and becomes deviant, he had experienced true familial love.

When this is all torn away from him, a life where he had been treated well, kindly, the man he called dad dying because of his own decision of inaction, he experiences the pain of loss for the first time. And the unfairness of losing all of this merely because he was an android acts as a realization of the injustices placed upon him and his entire kind, and moulds his decisions for the rest of the narrative from then on out. This is where the dichotomy of who he is comes into full view: his caring nature becomes a blanket protectiveness towards all of Jericho. His empathy makes him both a bleeding heart for androids treated unfairly, angry for their own sakes. His stubborn nature becomes an iron-willed determination to change humanity’s mind about androids, to the point where he’s willing to sacrifice himself to see it through. His artistic spirit instilled idealism in his mind, one that he refuses to see compromised. And perhaps more importantly, in an ironic twist that he is painfully aware of, his willful inaction to defend himself during his burgeoning moment of deviancy has taught him that choosing to do nothing about the world’s problems is egregious and unacceptable. The price paid is too high.

It’s worth noting that Markus skews towards peace rather than violence, adhering to the sort of person that Carl had a hand in crafting him to be. While he does possess the potential for righteous fury, he refuses to cross the line of hurting others to prove a point, viewing it as nothing more than a cycle that will continue to propagate itself if he makes that decision. “An eye for an eye and the whole world goes blind” is even a phrase that he utters in canon, further illustrating this belief he possesses. Even under the pressure of differing opinions regarding how to proceed amidst Jericho itself (mostly coming from fellow Jericho member North), Markus refuses to compromise his own morals.

Markus is calm and patient, and even a bit soft-spoken by default. But he is also intensely charismatic when he feels the desire to be, able to rally others to his cause and motivate with his actions. In this way, there’s something magnetic about his personality that’s hard to pinpoint, but felt by others (especially other androids) all the same. Despite this, he’s not all seriousness, even if the circumstances in canon left very little room for light-hearted banter; Markus is not beyond lightly joking with others, or even exchanging a quip or two with his conversation partner. In fact, he can be clever in his wittiness, something that learned from living with Carl over the years. In circumstances where pressures are not too high, or when he needs to offer someone comfort, this side of him can show, especially if he’s in familiar company and has a moment to relax.

He's quick to trust, allowing many to join his cause, and as a result, he is quick to give someone else the benefit of the doubt, choosing instead to have faith than to give in completely to cynicism. Markus is also quick to forgive, shown in the way that he allows Connor -- the android who had been sent to hunt him down and unravel all that Jericho is -- to aid them in the end, after the latter has a change of heart near the end of the story. Markus is not the type to hold grudges if he can avoid it, preferring to look forward than to become too entangled in the past.

He’s also a creative soul by his very nature. While he’s had very little time to pursue these interests, Markus is willing and able to express himself through art and music alike. Using it as an outlet to show how he views the world and himself is something that will likely be explored in the game setting if given the opportunity.

CRAU: N/A

SPECIES: Android
APPEARANCE: [ 1 (concept art) ] [ 2 (in-game) ]
SKILLS:

Charismatic — This really does deserve a bullet point of its own. Markus, despite almost seeming aloof or reserved by default, is actually a very charismatic individual. When he so chooses to do so, he can rally people to his cause, or convince others of his own opinions without antagonizing them. He quite literally rose to be the leader of an android revolution in a matter of days. He is well-spoken and articulate, passionate about what he believes in, and this often translates into an underlying charm. (I realize that in-game, ymmv on this, but it’s worth mentioning considering how prevalent it is in canon.)

haRDCORE PARKOUR!!!1 — Markus jumps over a lot of stuff in canon. While he won’t possess his android abilities of plotting out exact routes to take, he is still athletic and swift enough to climb and leap over obstacles that aren't too unreasonable.

Basic combat knowledge — Also has enough hand-to-hand combat knowledge to knock out armed enemies or otherwise defend himself with relative ease. Also knows how to work firearms, but prefers to avoid doing so if at all possible.

Art nerd — Markus is skilled at painting, can read music, and can play the piano. He has the ability to see the world through creative lenses and, if given the chance, will even utilize his own art as a way of expressing himself and portraying the world as he views it.

NEW POWER: Force-field manipulation. The ability to create and manipulate force fields (barriers made of energy without mass), to be used defensively or applied offensively. In Markus' case, this fledgling power will have a particular focus on the former. Usual application is to put a "wall" between the user and another person or object, with the intent to absorb or reflect incoming forces or projectiles.

To start, Markus will be able to summon smaller force fields at a size of approximately 6 ft x 6 ft, convex in shape. He can apply them anywhere he likes, within reasonable distance, and can hold these steady for as long as he remains concentrating. These are strictly force fields meant to shield and protect, and will deflect substantial incoming damage. Bullets, falling debris, moving vehicles, medium-sized energy blasts, etc.

POWER REASONING: Markus is a determined yet compassionate individual who cares for the well-being of his people in canon. He aims to be both a guiding hand and a protector; therefore, the use of force-field manipulation, especially using it as shielding, reflects this inclination of his to act as a safeguard, and possesses the potential to be more forceful (no pun intended) -- as he can be, as well.

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