Ray McShane

[Blind Guardian]

IRC Nickname: Ray_McShane

Name: Raymond James McShane
Alias: Ray or RJ
Age: 22
Date of Birth: August 9
Hometown: Abington, PA

Height: 5'11"
Weight: 170 lbs
Hair Color: Blonde
Eye Color: Green
Nationality/Race: American

Occupation: Graduate Student/English & History TA

Personality Profile: Outgoing and friendly, Ray is comfortable striking up conversations with strangers or speaking in front of groups. He's driven to succeed and eager to learn, though his natural confidence can make him seem like a know-it-all at times. He's accustomed to being a leader in social situations and group projects, and has to be careful not to step on others' toes because of that tendency. Having grown up in a family where there was nothing wrong with being a mutant, anti-mutant bigotry causes his temper to overrule his better sense.

Physical Description: Ray stands just short of six feet tall and possesses an athletic build. His blonde hair is carefully styled and he keeps his chin clean-shaven. His dress tends to be decidedly on the preppy side, and he puts up with the usual jokes about being a pretty boy and working as an Abercrombie and Fitch model.

Character Picture (Optional):


---------------------------------

Mutation/Powers: Geokinesis.
Ray possesses the ability to manipulate, control, and shape earth, stone and substances derived from them such as concrete, asphalt, and brick.

Primary : Shape Earth. Ray can use this ability in a variety of ways, such as throwing up a wall of earth and stone in front of himself to defend from incoming attacks, or causing potholes and speedbumps to appear in a road to cause a car to go out of control. He could attempt to create a doorway through a concrete wall, but his powers would not affect the steel reinforcing rods within the concrete. He can shatter stone and masonry on a small scale, frequently used to break chunks off from a larger mass so he can shape them or use them as projectiles. He can also mend broken masonry and repair cracks, but this is a much slower and meticulous process. He possesses a limited telekinetic ability to move earth and stone from place to place, but he cannot levitate anything heavier than he could physically lift, and must drag heavier objects over the ground.

Secondary : Shockwave. Ray can create a shockwave through the ground in a straight line emanating away from his current position. He frequently uses this ability to create dust clouds or throw rocks up out of the ground as projectiles. With the aid of something suitable to stand on, such as a concrete sidewalk block or a piece of flagstone, he can surf on the shockwave and use it to get around quickly. Anyone standing in the path of the shockwave would likely be thrown off their feet.

Tertiary : Tunnelling. Ray can sink down into the ground and pass through it. He cannot move particularly quickly because he must be careful to avoid things like sewer pipes and underground electrical lines. This requires his full concentration to maintain the integrity of the bubble of air surrounding him while he moves through the ground. The time he can spend underground without surfacing is limited by the amount of space he can create around himself for air, currently around one hour's time. Suddenly falling unconscious or having his powers neutralized would likely be fatal.

Drawbacks/Weaknesses/Side Effects : Ray's powers are most powerful outdoors, where their is an abundance of earth and stone to draw upon. His abilities indoors are limited by the materials used to construct the building in question. On a boat at sea, his abilities would be virtually useless. Earth is far easier for him to manipulate than stone at the moment, as it is far less dense and easier to shape. Trying to manipulate larger masses is far more taxing to him. Causing enough structural damage to a building's foundations to cause it to come down is beyond the scope of his present abilites.

How do you believe this character's powers will further develop in the future? (Note: Not required for staff members.) As his powers further develop, the size and scope of what he is able to accomplish with his powers. He will also learn to be able to exert finer control, and be able to shape stone and earth in increasing detai.

Background: The only child of Steven and Elizabeth McShane, Ray grew up in Abington, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. Ray's mother is a mutant, as are several relatives on his mother's side of the family, so his own mutation was not a surprise to his family. Summer vacations during his teenaged years often involved training in secluded locations with two of his cousins under the watchful eye of his mother or one of his aunts or uncles. He was actively involved at his high school, a member of the school's golf and tennis teams, as well as the debate team, yearbook, school newspaper, and National Honor Society. Ray attended Drexel University for his undergraduate studies and earned a BS in Teacher Education. He was pursuing a MS in Education when a mugging forced him to use his abilities in public to defend himself. The ensuing unwanted publicity and friction with former friends convinced him to transfer schools. He's come to the academy to finish his degree Academy while working as a TA for the English and History departments. Ultimately, he intends to become a high school level teacher for a mutant school once he finishes his degree.

Quirks, Extras, Random Character Facts: Ray is an avid golfer and tennis player during the summer months, and snowboards in the winter.