Maelstrom

[Raveled]

Introduction

Who are you? Sum yourself up in one sentence.

I’m the sister of Nathan Coletta and a powerful psychic in my own right.

Do you have any nicknames, street names, titles, or nom de plume?

On the street, bad guys called me Maelstrom.

What is your full birth name?

Rachel Coletta.

Where do you live?

I share an apartment with my brother.

How old are you? What year were you born (if applicable)?

I’m about 24 years old. I was born in June 1980.

Physical Traits

What is your gender? If not applicable, please explain.

I’m a woman.

How would you describe your heritage?

Italian-American-Artificial? Genetically I’m Italian, but I don’t have a lot of connection to the old country, and I have some cybernetic implants.

How tall are you?

I’m pretty short.

What is your body type?

I’m very thin. Not very well-muscled, either.

Do you have any particular weaknesses, such as allergies or physical disabilities?

I can get some pretty bad hay fever when everything is blooming.

How do you carry yourself? Are you graceful, or heavy on your feet? Can you be stealthy, do you walk with confidence?

I’m not sure that I can be called graceful, but I’m very confident. You have to be a bit of a tomcat to get interviews as a short, female reporter.

Describe your skin, eye, and hair color.

Dark, dark, and dark. My skin’s very Mediterranean, and my eyes and hair are both black.

How do you wear your hair, if applicable? Do you have facial hair?

As long as possible. I love my hair, it’s my best feature. At work I wear it in a braid, but I leave it unbound and down as often as I can.

Do you consider yourself attractive? Do others?

What are you asking? I’m a knock-out.

Do you have any scars, tattoos, piercings, or birthmarks?

Nothing like that yet. Give me a few years on the streets, though.

Do you resemble anyone famous?

Nobody’s said anything to me, and I don’t really watch movies so I wouldn’t know.

Do you have a dominant hand?

I write with my right, so yes.

What kind of clothing do you wear?

At work I like pantsuits, with running shoes. It’s a nice mix of professional, and able to be on my feet all day. Off hours, I wear whatever makes me look good, which is most things.

Do you wear makeup?

Of course. I like greens and dark reds, to play up my darker features.

What is your vocal range? Is your voice distinctive in some way?

High enough that you don’t want me around glass when I’m singing opera, let’s say that.

Do you have any distinctive habits, nervous tics, or mannerisms? Where did they come from, and what causes them? Do other people notice and remark on these habits? Do they annoy you or other people?

I am admittedly a biter, a grinder. I don’t know where it comes from, but I know when I’m nervous I feel better if I have something to bite on. No one’s ever commented on it, but I know I ruin plenty of pen caps around the office.

When I’m bored, I deliberately mispronounce words, which drives all the reporters I work around to distraction.

History

Where do you come from?

Well my birth certificate says Cincinnati, Ohio, but I don’t remember it.

Have you made any major moves, or do you live in your hometown?

My brother and myself settled in Freedom City. It’s not as far a move as some people, but it’s a few states over.

Do you feel loyal to your country of citizenship? Do you consider yourself patriotic? How do you feel about the government of your country?

I don’t know if I feel loyal to the US, but I feel lucky to live in a country that outright encourages journalistic debate.

How do you feel about the place you come from?

I don’t feel anything. I’ve been to Cincinnati, but I don’t have feelings for any place there. I was even to the apartment building I was supposed to be living in, but nothing.

What is your earliest memory?

Waking up on the banks of the Ohio River next to my brother, crawling out of a tube.

How did you react to your amnesia? Who was there to help you through it?

I know I would’ve been worse off without Nathan. He’s always been better at the stoic resistance shtick than me. If I had been alone, I probably would’ve gone nuts.

Aside from Nate, there was a Catholic charity that helped us get back on our feet. I’ll always be grateful for that.

Is there something you've always been really good at or really bad at? How has that affected your life?

I’ve always been really nosy. I’ve always been willing and able to dig and dig to find the next question. Maybe it’s a stupid talent for most people, but it’s really handy for a reporter.

Were there any traumatic experiences in your early years (death of a family member, abandonment, orphaned at an early age)?

Well when I was 17 I woke up without any memory of whom I was, I think that counts.

What happened to cause your amnesia?

A very good question that I never got an answer to. Best story I ever heard was that we were kidnapped by some supervillain who did something to our brains, but I’ve never figured out who it could have been.

What’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever done?

… Honestly? In a long-term, lie awake at night, define-your-life kind of stupidity? Probably leave Cincinnati. Sure, we had no memories of the place, but it was the only place where we had any kind of a support network.

Where did you go to school? How much school did you have, and did you enjoy it?

Well both Nathan and I got our GEDs without any trouble, but it was still a few years before I was ready to go back to school. Eventually I got into Freedom City University on a scholarship, studying journalism. I completed my four years with a pretty good GPA; it was kind of weird, because I was four or five years older than everyone else in the program. They expected me to have all the answers and be their mentor, but I knew less about the city and the world and living life than most of the teenagers I had classes with. Pathetic, I know.

Do you have any mementos of your childhood? What are they, and why did you keep them? If you have none, why not?

I wish I did, I really do. Apparently me and Nathan were the only kids our parents ever had, and there’s no extended family either. Heck, I had to get a reprint of my birth certificate from the Secretary of State’s office when I wanted to apply for the scholarship.

When did you decide to become a hero? Why? Did anyone influence you one way or another in the decision?

I read the papers. Like, two of them every day, and another one at night, and I browse the news websites. There’s a lot of crap going on in the world, and I can do more about it than most people. So am I supposed to just sit at home and wait for someone else to fix it?

Is the reason you give people for becoming a hero different than your real reason? If so, why?

No, that’s pretty much what I tell folks; I want a better world, and I can do more to bring it about than most people by being out on the streets and pushing in teeth.

Do you have any deep, dark secrets in the past that may come back to haunt you?

If there are, I don’t remember them. Of course, that’s not saying much.

Do you represent yourself as being different from whom you really are? Why?

I wouldn’t know how to be anyone else.

Are you afraid of anything in your past?

I used to worry that some kingpin would snatch me and Nathan back to whatever lab he had us in before, or else there was some huge debt out there waiting to crush us, but it’s been almost a decade. If something from our past was going to appear and blow up in our faces, it would’ve done it by now.

Do you have any sort of criminal record? If so, is it public knowledge?

A little loitering, a little petty annoyance and trespassing. I’ve never done any B&E and I don’t have any restraining orders against me.

Family

What are your biological parents' names?

Adam and Bethany Coletta, from the birth certificate.

Did you ever meet them?

No. Apparently they died when I was young. Left Nathan and I a pretty sizable inheritance, though.

Do you have any extended family?

Nothing and no one.

Where are your parents now?

Dead. In a car crash, from the police reports.

How do you feel about your parents?

I don’t feel anything, which is kind of creepy. I should miss them or something, right? But when I think about them, there’s some pictures and names, and that’s it.

The doctors all said it was a natural part of the healing process, and I’d gotten over their deaths awhile back. But I still think I should feel something.

How do you hope your parents would view you now?

I hope they’d be proud of me and Nathan, for using our gifts like we do. Isn’t that what everyone hopes about their parents, though?

Do you have any siblings? If so how many and what are their names? Describe your relationship with them.

Nathan Coletta. I’m close to him like no one else.

What was your birth order in the family?

I’m the younger, by about two seconds.

Where are your siblings now (if applicable)? Do they have families of their own? What do they do?

We live together in the same apartment.

Do you love or hate one member of the family in particular?

I don’t know what I’d do without Nathan.

Is any member of the family special to you in any way (perhaps, as a confidant, mentor, or arch-rival)?

Nathan and I are, well, we’re telepathic. With each other, at least. It’s not some kind of weird hive mind, but I can ‘talk’ to him at any distance, instantaneously. It’s kind of hard not to keep him in the loop.

Are there any black (or white) sheep in the family (including you)? If so, please explain.

I don’t know. I guess if we’re black sheep, that would explain why no one wants anything to do with us.

Do you have a notorious or celebrated ancestor? If so, please explain, including how it has affected your life.

No, pretty normal family, all things considered.

Do you have a partner and children currently? If so, please describe them.

Nobody yet, no.

If you do not have a partner or children, do you want them someday? How firm are you in your opinion on this, and what might change your mind?

I don’t know. I’d like to have a career first, but once I’m established… Maybe.

What type of person would be your ideal mate?

Someone who isn’t afraid to push back against me. I don’t think I could live with some milquetoast who let me run roughshod over them.

Relationships

Do you have a best friend? If so, how did they become your best friend? How close are you to your best friend?

It’s going to sound cliché, but my best friend is my brother. Maybe it’s the psychic thing, maybe it’s the amnesia, but there’s no one else that I trust like I do my brother.

If you were to go missing, who would worry about you?

Nathan. Definitely. I know that if we went missing, I’d tear the city apart looking for him. He might not be able to do the same thing, but I don’t envy the mind of anyone who stands between us.

Have you lost any loves? If so, how did it happen, and what did you do?

Anyone I loved before that spring day when I was 17 is gone for good.

Do you have any bitter enemies? If so, please describe them and their history with you.

Not really, no. There’s some folks at work who I’d rather not see, but nothing I’d call an enemy.

What is the worst thing someone has done to you?

I’m going to go with whatever mad bastard stole my past.

Where do your loyalties lie? In what order?

Nathan first, everyone and everything else second.

Who or what do you trust the most? Why?

My brother, full stop. When our world was barely there, was just some words on paper, he kept me grounded. Kept me sane.

Who or what do you despise? Why?

I don’t like people who try to manipulate other people, who tell half-truths and twist the meaning of every word to reflect their meaning. It’s the sort of dishonesty that really burns me as a reporter, because they’re lying with the facts.

What qualities do you admire most in other people? Are these qualities you possess?

I like people who push, who don’t give up. I try to have that quality, to never stop fighting for what I believe in and what I’m sure about.

What qualities do you hate most in other people? Do you have any of those qualities?

I don’t like people who are push-overs, who fold that the first opportunity or don’t try to fight for what’s important to them. I think I show everyday that I’m more than that.

Do you have a secret identity? If so, who knows it? Do you hide it from people who are close to you? Why?

I have a different name on the streets, yes. The only person who I would consider close to me is Nathan, and I can’t imagine hiding it from him.

I don’t think I could hide my powers from someone I was close to. I’m too liberal with using them in private.

Do you work well on teams and in groups? Are you a leader or a follower?

Nathan and I work well together. I usually take the lead, but that’s because stopping to plan things isn’t really in my nature.

I don’t know if I’d work well with anyone else. My powers are a bit too indiscriminate, and I can get too caught up in using them to keep the big picture in mind.

Are you on a super team?

Not any kind of superteam, no.

Are you a member of any church, fraternal organization, club, committee, political party, or other group? How much time do you spend on that?

There’s a Catholic church near our apartment that I go to on Sundays. It’s pretty much just that hour, though.

Personality & Beliefs

Who are your heroes?

I always liked Captain Thunder and Doc Metro’s style. Getting stuck into the middle of things, and using their whole environment as weapons.

Did you ever become disillusioned with former heroes or idols? If so, why and what were the circumstances?

I used to be big on Atlas, no pun intended, but then he turned out to be a Grue weapon. How can you trust someone when they were made by someone like that?

Do you like being a hero? If so, what is the most rewarding part? If not, what makes you keep doing it?

I love it. Getting out there and being able to do stuff instead of just talking about it? Best part of my day.

Is there anything that would make you give up hero work, or even switch sides?

Maybe if I found a real position that let me write the kind of stories I want to, but didn’t leave me time to patrol, I’d hang up the cape, but I can’t imagine going to the other side.

What are your short term goals (what would you like to be doing within a year)?

I’d like to write some more independent articles on things I’m passionate about, more than just entertainment.

What are your long term goals (what would you like to be doing twenty years from now)?

I hope I have a permanent position, even a column, in a publication like the Ledger or World Magazine. I’d like to have a husband, and maybe a kid. I might even be living apart from Nathan, who knows?

What is your greatest fear? Why? What do you do when something triggers this fear?

I think the only thing that would qualify for that would really upset my life would be losing Nathan. I don’t know how I would go forward after that.

Is there anything you would give your life for?

If it was a choice between me and Nathan, I’d do it without a thought. I like to think I’d go right to the wire for an important story, but I don’t know if I’d die for it.

How do you feel about money and material wealth? Do you desire it or disdain it? Are you miserly with what you have, or do you like to share? Is it a mark of success, or a means to an end?

It would be nicer to be rich than to be poor. But if you think that wealth is the end-all, be-all, if that’s the only thing you work toward, then your life is hollow. You should be working to make a mark on the world, and if money helps to get there then that’s fantastic, but it’s not the most important thing.

How do you generally treat others?

I try to give folks a fair shake, but I don’t give second choices.

Are you a trusting person?

It’s hard to say I’m trusting. A reporter is always sort of standing outside, watching other people. When you spend all day immersed in world news, sometimes you get to start to expect the worst in people.

Are you introverted (shy and withdrawn) or extroverted (outgoing)? Do you have a lot of self-confidence?

I’m very extroverted. I couldn’t do the job I do without being outwardly-focused.

How do you act around attractive, available members of your preferred sex?

Well, what do you do? I try to get their attention.

What are your most annoying habits?

Sometimes I dig too deeply. I’m a professional busy body, and sometimes I keep digging when it would be more polite to shut up.

Do you feel contempt for any general category of people? Who are they, and why?

A whole group of people? No. I feel contempt for a few individuals, though.

What is your favorite food? Do you prefer any particular type of food? Do you take the time to enjoy your food, or do you eat as fast as you can?

Italian food is my favorite, especially with the heavy, cream sauces. One upside of my powers, I burn calories like nobody’s business so I don’t really have to watch what I eat.

What is your favorite drink (alcoholic or otherwise)?

I don’t really drink alcohol. I don’t really like the taste. I can down a two-liter of soda during a movie, though.

What is your favorite treat (dessert)?

Those little chocolate chip cookies, the ones the size of potato chips.

Are there any specific foodstuffs that you find disgusting or refuse to eat?

I’ve never liked hummus. Something between the texture and the taste and the fact that it’s cold.

What is your favorite color? Are there any colors you dislike?

I’m partial to purple. It’s probably sentimental. Back when we’d just woken up and me and Nathan were put up by the charity, I had a purple comforter. There was just something about being under it that made me feel safe.

What sort of music do you like? Is there any that you hate?

When I’m trying to finish an article I like to listen to house music or dubstep, something with a strong beat that doesn’t demand I pay attention to the lyrics. On the radio, though, I listen and sing along to pop tunes.

If you have a favorite scent, what is it?

No, not really. Once you’ve fought in sewage, anything else smells great.

Do you have a favorite animal?

Animals shed. Ergo, I do not like animals.

What is your most treasured possession? Why?

I keep all of my published articles in a big album underneath my bed. It’s a list of my accomplishments.

Do you enjoy "roughing it", or do you prefer your creature comforts?

Give me air conditioning and a hot shower over sleeping under the stars any day.

Is there a job or a task you would absolutely refuse to do?

I used to think that, and then I went to a death metal concert in a pantsuit.

Do you consider yourself a spiritual person? If so, how do your beliefs affect your life? How important is it to you?

I’d like to believe that there’s Someone up there, looking out for the little guy, but I haven’t settle on a specific robe to wear, no.

Was your faith influenced or molded by anyone special?

There was a Catholic charity that helped Nathan and I when we woke up. I’m still very grateful for that.

If you belong to a religious organization, how often do you attend? Do you have a specific place of worship, or friends within the organization? How much do you agree with the beliefs of your organization?

There’s a Catholic church just down the road that I go to every Sunday. I don’t know if I really believe. I know I don’t agree with some parts of the dogma. It’s a nice place to center myself and sort of rejuvenate after a long week, though.

Could you kill? Have you killed?

I’ve never killed in my life. I don’t think I could.

What circumstances led to you forming that conviction, or taking that action?

Well death is the end, isn’t it? If you kill them, there’s no chance of someone changing and fixing what they did. I don’t know, maybe I’m just a sentimental so-and-so.

Are there circumstances under which you believe it is permissible to kill? What are they?

… I really don’t know. I guess if it’s to save someone else, then I could understand, but I cannot think of a situation where cold-blooded murder is a good idea.

How would you react to watching someone kill another person?

I don’t think I’d want to watch that. If I could save someone, I’d turn away.

How would you react if something important was stolen from you?

I’d tell the police and then I’d go looking for it. If it’s in the city, I’ll find it.

How would you react to public humiliation?

I’d fight back against it. You can only be humiliated by something that you try to keep secret, after all.

How would you react if a good friend or relative were purposely or accidentally killed?

Well, my parents were killed in a car accident, but I don’t remember it. If Nathan was killed… I don’t know how I'd react.. It wouldn’t be safe to be around me, though.

What do you consider to be the worst crime someone could commit and why?

Could commit ever? Destroying someone’s life with half-truths and mistellings.

If your life were to end in 24 hours, what five things would you do in those remaining hours?

Five things. Uh. Punch out my editor, kiss the cute guy in the mailroom, go to that little Italian place I never have the money for, take a fast car on a test drive and wreck it, and leave everything to Nathan. There, five.

Career & Training

Do you have any special training in your hero skills?

No training for my powers, no.

Who taught you the most about your heroing abilities? What was your relationship with that person?

Nathan and I kind of taught each other, I guess. He or me would try something, and then the other would, and we sort of built off each other.

Do you have any particularly unusual skills? How did you acquire them?

Unusual? … Not really, no. I’m a reporter, but I learned all that in journalism classes in college.

Do you do something besides hero work for a living? Have you ever done anything else, or do you plan to?

I’m a journalist, and there’s nothing else I can imagine being. Though hopefully I won’t be working for an entertainment rag my whole career.

What is your preferred combat style?

Throwing whatever is in range.

Have you ever received any awards or honors?

Not yet. I will, though.

What skill areas would you like most to improve in? Is there anything you can't do that you wish desperately you could?

I'm a pretty good investigator and when it comes to talking to people I can usually get what I need for a story, but I'd kind of like to be able to sneak around a bit better. It might be technically illegal, but it's the fun kind of illegal and no one gets hurt by it.

How do you act around people who are more skilled than you in areas you'd like to improve? Are you jealous, or do you try and learn?

I try to ask important questions and watch what they’re doing, so I can learn from it.

Lifestyle & Hobbies

What is a normal day for you? How do you feel when something interrupts this routine?

Well my radio goes off pretty early, and then a little while later my alarm goes off and I know I have to get out of bed. I get washed up and dressed, and then it’s either Nathan making breakfast or I make breakfast. After that I go to the office, and there’s no kind of routine there, all of my stories are catch-as-catch can. Then it’s home, and dinner, and after that is usually patrolling.

I’m really not a fan of schedules and routines, so I’m happy when something breaks it up.

Do you have any hobbies, or interests outside hero work? What are they, and where did you pick them up?

Sorry, I’m a boring lady. I’m a news hound. I like to write articles and read better newspapers.

What do you do for fun?

I like to go out, but not to clubs. Anywhere but clubs. Listening to live music is too close to work, you know?

Do you have a costume? What does it look like?

It’s a lot of purple and orange. Purple most places, and then orange boots, collar, belt, and orange lines connecting it all, and a cape. Gotta have a cape.

How do you normally dress when not in costume?

Normal for work is pantsuits. Normal out of work is shorts and slacks.

What do you wear to bed most nights?

I don’t have PJs or anything like that. Usually I just wear a shirt and shorts.

Do you wear any special jewelry?

I have jewelry, but none of it is particularly special to me.

Do you have a special place where you keep your valuables?

My important documents are in a safe deposit box at a bank, but I don’t have a safe in the apartment or anything.

What's your preferred means of local travel? How about long distance?

Around the city I mostly use public transport or my own two feet. I don’t bother with owning a car. Long distance, if I can’t finagle something through work I’ll take the cheapest plane tickets I can -- red eye and multiple stop-overs, that sort of thing. Or heck, I can even fly it if it isn’t too far.

Miscellaneous

Have you ever made a will, or tried to make arrangements for your death?

Uh, no. No will. Not yet, anyway.

If your features were to be destroyed beyond recognition, is there any other way of identifying your body?

Not anything that comes to mind. Jeez, what a morbid question.

What would you like to be remembered for after your death?

Telling the truth and shaming the Devil.

Do you believe you pose a threat to the public? Why or why not?

Potentially, sure. Even when I’m fighting bad guys, I’m ripping up the streets and everything else. If I went bad, I could trash the whole city.

What do you perceive as your greatest strength?

My tenacity. I never just lay down and give up.

What do you perceive as your greatest weakness?

I can be a little overzealous in trying to uncover stories, charging in when nothing is happening, and before really thinking.

As a player, if you could, what advice would you give your character? Speak as if he/she were sitting right here in front of you. Use proper tone so they might heed your advice...

Don’t assume that just because nothing’s come out of your past yet, that nothing ever will. Dig underneath every single rock until you are sure of what happened. Investigate yourself.