In the year 2000, Liam did something... unexpected. It was a big year for them both, signifying the 55th year of their relationship, Ken's 76th birthday, and the turn of a new millennium. So Liam went all out with an early birthday present: he founded a company in Ken's name, Wishteria. Its focus was to grant the wishes of anyone with enough money to afford their Rich People Prices, no matter how ridiculous the wish. Kind of like Make-A-Wish for millionaires. (All the profit, of which there was quite a lot, was quietly donated to charity. Liam and Ken were not wanting for money by this point in their lives.) Several long-term employees were hired along with any extras necessary for individual wishes. Among them was the main event coordinator, Derek; the eccentric bodyguard, Cassandra; the flamboyant gardener, Hendrick; and the no-nonsense makeup artist, Amanda. Jewel was listed as the second-in-command of the company, although that position really belonged to Liam. While Liam generally took care of the finances, it turned out that the AI he had installed into the Wishteria complex as a gag gift, Tanya, had been keeping her own books behind the scenes and enacting them without anyone knowing. Worst of all, she drastically increased their spending efficiency. Understandably, Liam was not horribly impressed at a computer doing his job and promptly took a dislike to her. It didn't help that Tanya had taken after Ken and mimicked his smarmy attitude with great ease.
This more or less left Liam without a position in the company, but he quickly picked up the slack by becoming more of a moral support than ever before. Ken and Liam took something of a mascot position at the company, more than content to let the younger folk do all the hard work while they reaped the benefits and had a good time with everyone.
Months passed with this new and exciting life. It looked like no one would slow down for years to come. Then, of course, Liam woke up.
Powers/skills: Liam possesses canonical ghostly powers: any that he keeps will be converted or powered down, with some aspects being dropped entirely to make up for being human again. Liam has the ability to hide from the sight and senses of all but those who can perceive other planes of existence (espers, psychics, mediums, etc.). To them, his presence can be felt, even if his form can't easily be seen, depending on the strength and specialty of the psychic. This ability extends into the talent of only appearing selectively to certain people, if he so wishes.
The ability to materialize wherever he pleases is being powered down drastically. It will be converted into a flashstep which allows him to move over a large distance, about forty feet, near instantaneously regardless of obstacles in the way. This ability only works if Liam is in motion. As with all abilities that allow you to pass through walls, chances are high that Liam could injure himself by entering an unknown area and forcefully colliding with an object upon reformation.
As for skills, when you've been around as long as he has, lack the ability to sleep and can be anywhere in the world as soon as you want to? You pick a lot of things up. That is to say he's a jack of all trades, but a master of none only a few. Among the most notable of his hobbies are cooking and dancing (with Ken, anyway). Brawling and business management are on the second tier, although the latter is something he picked up mostly from auditing classes while Ken was in university, then watching the man work when he graduated. He has a serviceable knowledge of many things supernatural.
Liam notably speaks with a conservative, RP English accent, although he easily falls into his natural Scottish when he feels stressed. He is also quite fluent in several other languages.
City Name: Owen Bates Position: Bar / drag club owner History: Owen Bates was a simple man, if not quite passionate. He grew up in the Diamond City, nearer to the outer slums than the inner suburbs and was quite street-savvy because of it. As a teenager, he dropped out of high school and started to put together the funds to strike out on his own. When he was eighteen, he founded a drag club called the Rogue's Gallery that soon became quite the hit among its demographic.
Owen met George Kardos when he was 19 and George was 16, and they hit it off even though George was too young to be employed at Owen's bar. George was not, however, too young to be pulled into a territory war with a nearby city and lose his leg in the ensuing battle two years later. The next year, when George was released from the hospital, Owen confessed his love and proposed; they got married soon after, at 23 and 20. George, as it turned out, was quite the intelligent young entrepreneur and the Rogue's Gallery did even better with George's help — both with business matters and reigning in the short-tempered Owen.
Their life went on like this for three more years, until the fateful day of the Disaster struck.
[ Note: I have Hawk's permission to include George in this history segment. ] Proof: Wedding photo.
Playing First-person sample: When they told me I was just crazy for thinking I'd been dead for fifty-five years, you bet your arse I was ready to kick 'em from here to Tuesday. Then... I found a photo. No idea where it came from or when, but it's definitely me in it. Me and my—husband. We're supposed to be married here. You'd think a guy would remember his own wedding, eh? Doesn't convince me something fishy isn't up, though. It's just food for thought.
Oh, one more thing: anybody else having issues with tattoos—or birthmarks or scars, I guess—magically swapping places when you woke up? That one's got me, too.
Third-person sample: "Papa!" Joell Parker flickered onto the screen, her audio and movements just slightly out of sync with each other. Liam would have said it was like watching a ghost trying to interact with the living, except... well. In any case, his daughter's bright expression dimmed just a bit while her eyes flickered about her screen. "Where's Dad?"
"Elsewhere, I'm afraid," Liam excused, waving a hand with an apologetic smile. "One of those obligations that I hear living people still have to deal with." He let it transform into a much more vibrant grin as he continued, "What, don't have time for the dead anymore?"
"You know that's not it," she replied. "I was just hoping to speak to both of you. It's been ages!"
Five days. It's been five days.
Liam rolled his eyes skyward. "Oi, Tanya, hush from the peanut gallery!"
The intrusion of the all-seeing-AI did give Liam an idea, however. If Ken wasn't there, there was no real reason he had to deal with being caught on video for the call; it wasn't as if he was bound to the earth anymore. It had just been such habit to come down here on Thursday to say hi to Jewel. Embarrassingly enough, Liam hadn't considered to simply pop on over to see her in person. (If he had to, he was certainly going to blame old age for falling into such a habit.)
"Well, enough of this," he said, abruptly disappearing from sight. He materialized next to Jewel and held out his arms. "Good afternoon, sweetheart."
Laughing, Jewel stood and embraced her father, enduring the kiss on the cheek before they settled back down. Her on the chair she had set up, and him balancing on the arm rest. She wasn't taller than him (thank God), but he still enjoyed the extra height it gave him.
"Now," he began, "tell me all about your—Tanya?"
... Yes?
"Hang up, Tanya."
With a huff, the AI appeared on the screen just long enough to stick out her tongue before the call was disconnected. Liam grinned at his own victory, then turned back to the matter at hand. "How have you been, Jewel?"
Liam McNally ; 2/2 [sample app: overachiever edition]
This more or less left Liam without a position in the company, but he quickly picked up the slack by becoming more of a moral support than ever before. Ken and Liam took something of a mascot position at the company, more than content to let the younger folk do all the hard work while they reaped the benefits and had a good time with everyone.
Months passed with this new and exciting life. It looked like no one would slow down for years to come. Then, of course, Liam woke up.
Powers/skills: Liam possesses canonical ghostly powers: any that he keeps will be converted or powered down, with some aspects being dropped entirely to make up for being human again. Liam has the ability to hide from the sight and senses of all but those who can perceive other planes of existence (espers, psychics, mediums, etc.). To them, his presence can be felt, even if his form can't easily be seen, depending on the strength and specialty of the psychic. This ability extends into the talent of only appearing selectively to certain people, if he so wishes.
The ability to materialize wherever he pleases is being powered down drastically. It will be converted into a flashstep which allows him to move over a large distance, about forty feet, near instantaneously regardless of obstacles in the way. This ability only works if Liam is in motion. As with all abilities that allow you to pass through walls, chances are high that Liam could injure himself by entering an unknown area and forcefully colliding with an object upon reformation.
As for skills, when you've been around as long as he has, lack the ability to sleep and can be anywhere in the world as soon as you want to? You pick a lot of things up. That is to say he's a jack of all trades, but a master of
noneonly a few. Among the most notable of his hobbies are cooking and dancing (with Ken, anyway). Brawling and business management are on the second tier, although the latter is something he picked up mostly from auditing classes while Ken was in university, then watching the man work when he graduated. He has a serviceable knowledge of many things supernatural.Liam notably speaks with a conservative, RP English accent, although he easily falls into his natural Scottish when he feels stressed. He is also quite fluent in several other languages.
City
Name: Owen Bates
Position: Bar / drag club owner
History: Owen Bates was a simple man, if not quite passionate. He grew up in the Diamond City, nearer to the outer slums than the inner suburbs and was quite street-savvy because of it. As a teenager, he dropped out of high school and started to put together the funds to strike out on his own. When he was eighteen, he founded a drag club called the Rogue's Gallery that soon became quite the hit among its demographic.
Owen met George Kardos when he was 19 and George was 16, and they hit it off even though George was too young to be employed at Owen's bar. George was not, however, too young to be pulled into a territory war with a nearby city and lose his leg in the ensuing battle two years later. The next year, when George was released from the hospital, Owen confessed his love and proposed; they got married soon after, at 23 and 20. George, as it turned out, was quite the intelligent young entrepreneur and the Rogue's Gallery did even better with George's help — both with business matters and reigning in the short-tempered Owen.
Their life went on like this for three more years, until the fateful day of the Disaster struck.
[ Note: I have Hawk's permission to include George in this history segment. ]
Proof: Wedding photo.
Playing
First-person sample: When they told me I was just crazy for thinking I'd been dead for fifty-five years, you bet your arse I was ready to kick 'em from here to Tuesday. Then... I found a photo. No idea where it came from or when, but it's definitely me in it. Me and my—husband. We're supposed to be married here. You'd think a guy would remember his own wedding, eh? Doesn't convince me something fishy isn't up, though. It's just food for thought.
Oh, one more thing: anybody else having issues with tattoos—or birthmarks or scars, I guess—magically swapping places when you woke up? That one's got me, too.
Third-person sample: "Papa!" Joell Parker flickered onto the screen, her audio and movements just slightly out of sync with each other. Liam would have said it was like watching a ghost trying to interact with the living, except... well. In any case, his daughter's bright expression dimmed just a bit while her eyes flickered about her screen. "Where's Dad?"
"Elsewhere, I'm afraid," Liam excused, waving a hand with an apologetic smile. "One of those obligations that I hear living people still have to deal with." He let it transform into a much more vibrant grin as he continued, "What, don't have time for the dead anymore?"
"You know that's not it," she replied. "I was just hoping to speak to both of you. It's been ages!"
Five days. It's been five days.
Liam rolled his eyes skyward. "Oi, Tanya, hush from the peanut gallery!"
The intrusion of the all-seeing-AI did give Liam an idea, however. If Ken wasn't there, there was no real reason he had to deal with being caught on video for the call; it wasn't as if he was bound to the earth anymore. It had just been such habit to come down here on Thursday to say hi to Jewel. Embarrassingly enough, Liam hadn't considered to simply pop on over to see her in person. (If he had to, he was certainly going to blame old age for falling into such a habit.)
"Well, enough of this," he said, abruptly disappearing from sight. He materialized next to Jewel and held out his arms. "Good afternoon, sweetheart."
Laughing, Jewel stood and embraced her father, enduring the kiss on the cheek before they settled back down. Her on the chair she had set up, and him balancing on the arm rest. She wasn't taller than him (thank God), but he still enjoyed the extra height it gave him.
"Now," he began, "tell me all about your—Tanya?"
... Yes?
"Hang up, Tanya."
With a huff, the AI appeared on the screen just long enough to stick out her tongue before the call was disconnected. Liam grinned at his own victory, then turned back to the matter at hand. "How have you been, Jewel?"
Did you read the rules? Yes, ma'ams.