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[grayatonement]

Player's Name: Ange
Contact info: thedarkfields
DW: grayatonement

Character: Gabriel Gray/Sylar
Canon: Heroes
Version: TV/comics (same universe/continuity)
Canon Point: After Sylar talks to Danko in Danko's office about feeling lost. (Season 3/Volume 4, Episode 24: near the beginning of "I Am Sylar")
Age: 29ish (conflicting information in canon). Due to his acquired ability of rapid cellular regeneration, he won't really continue to physically age, but he still looks his age now.
Gender: Male


History: Heroes Wikia

Personality:
Sylar is, at his most basic, conflicted. He grew up wanting to be special, denouncing his roots and the father that left him. The truth is, the levels he goes through to disconnect himself are a defense mechanism. He has the same needs for acceptance and affirmation as he had when he was a small child (as shown in his naively believing Angela about being her son). In many ways, Sylar is very much the little boy that he didn't have time to be as a child.

He is demanding. The killer wants things done his way on his schedule and will get angry if they are not. He lacks patience and makes no attempts to change or cover that fact. When he loses his patience, he is quick to anger, volatile and with a buried sense of conscience (such as when he demands Suresh to help him at the end of season 2, or when he kills Candice at the beginning of season 2). To get what he wants, he will often choose the most direct route.

His morality mainly comes from doing (or not doing) what he knows would disappoint the people who he's seeking assurance from (as when he begins reporting to Arthur in late volume 3 or has a crisis of conscience later in season 3 with his projection of his mother). While he once could easily tell right and wrong, he has since learned to rationalize and ignore the perpetual guilt buried within him. Because he justified his murders of Chandra Suresh and Brian Davis, he began to justify other things as well. To strangers and those he doesn't care about, he has no qualms with lying, murder, betrayal, etc (he lies frequently, whether it’s Suresh in season 1 or the woman he murders under Danko’s watch in volume 3). Sylar will do what's right for him, because he believes he is the only one he can count on – even though he is constantly searching for someone else to love him and to help take care of him (hence his trusting of Angela, Arthur, Peter, and others), so that he doesn't have to shoulder the burden of being him by himself.

The killer’s sense of loyalty is a confusing thing. To borrow from another canon, his loyalty is best expressed as: “I’ll trust him until I can’t.” Sylar wants to belong and will often reflect whatever loyalty is thrust at him (as with Peter in dealing with Arthur, or his helping Danko), but he is quick to break that tie if he finds reason to (seen after working with Noah, killing Elle). His deepest loyalties are, in a strange way, to the people he feels might come to understand him in time – people like Peter, Claire, Micah, and Luke.

With most, Sylar is an incredibly distrusting and closed off person because of his history of being unwanted and thus getting hurt (like with his father selling him to his uncle). With some, however, he completely opens up to that trust. It's probably one of his greatest weaknesses – he is quick to believe someone and to trust them if he thinks that they could provide the acceptance and affirmation that he longs for (Angela and Arthur both abuse this). This also leaves him feeling extremely betrayed and disappointed when they inevitably turn out to be like the rest, feeding his perpetual confirmation bias.

It doesn't help that he looks for betrayal where there might not be any, and reads into things, perceiving negativity in innocence (this is why he murders Elle). Sylar takes offense easily and often and reacts with the same anger as if someone had actually slighted him (see: every episode ever). He is proud. He always wants to be right, including wanting to always choose the winning side (from killing Ted to working with Maya to helping Danko). He still carries a need to prove himself, which may translate into trying to overpower or show up others. Sylar projects arrogance at most times, promoting his pride in order to cover for his many insecurities. Arrogance is probably the most defining trait to those he just meets. (The arrogance is common, but that hint of insecurities is shown especially when he begins speaking with ‘his mother,’ and later in the same episode how he reacts to Micah’s overhearing; it’s also shown in his protectiveness of Luke).

When he is confident that things are going his way, he is fairly laid back and likes bantering with people (as he often does with Claire and Peter, but is also seen with the Government guy in Luke’s house and in his killing Isaac). Generally, he likes to feel in control at all times and enjoys toying with those he sees as lesser people. When his control, power, or authority are threatened, he may snap quickly (as when Alejandro begins to doubt his sincerity). When his control is not threatened, he can be something bordering on decent company (as with Luke in season 3). When he actually trusts someone, though it is extremely rare, Sylar can be incredibly genuine and sincere (briefly shown with Angela and Elle in season 3).

Sylar, despite his history of serial homicides, is a still a sensitive person. Deep down. Deep, deep down. His aforementioned insecurities are, along with wanting to belong, a result of his wanting to be special. Sylar has a perpetual sense of inadequacy that drives both that need to belong and that need to be in control. His goal is entirely unattainable, so he continues to seek that same undefined “specialness.” It's why he seeks validation, is so insecure, and constantly does whatever he wants, to “prove” that he can, because he's special/important enough to do so (as in killing Isaac and Ted, knowing what will happen). It's also why he’s more inclined to trust those people whom he feels understand this about him and treat him as special as he is (like Peter later does in season 4).

He has always had a talent for fitting in, stemming from his inability to stand out. His recent history has gained him a great deal of confidence, however, and he can now choose to draw attention as he pleases. Sometimes (as with Sandra in season 1 or later with the wonder twins), he prefers to be simply ‘Gabriel,’ to fit in and pretend to be someone normal that he believes people could like; other times, he wants nothing more than to be the killer that everyone knows and fears (as at the showdown in Kirby Plaza or when Elle manipulates him at the car dealership). His shapeshifting ability encouraged his playing of other roles at first. This is partly a statement on his desire to be someone else (as Danko calls him out on in) and also speaks to his need to be in control – if no one knows it's him, he has all the power (as when he pretends to be Sandra with Noah). From this specific canon point, however, he has begun to lose himself somewhat and currently is more caught up in being himself than pretending to be anyone else.

Blatant escapism or denial are often Sylar's reaction to problems, not wanting to hear about what may be wrong with him or acting as if it’s impossible to solve (as in his discussion with Noah/HRG before he murders Jesse). Though he doesn’t recognize it as such, his egocentricity makes most of his decisions for him and continues to motivate him, formulate his goals, and provide a fallback for him. No matter how much he might convince himself that he loves or trusts someone, he will always put himself first when it comes down to it (the one time he behaved contrary to this, when sacrificing himself for Elle, he later found out that she had betrayed him and thus he has no plans of making the same mistake again).

Sylar will admit his faults on his schedule (as he does a little with Luke and Micah), when he believes he won’t be judged, but will become angry with those who might agree or judge him (which is why he then kicks Micah out). He will often play the victim, wanting to get better but then finding it too difficult and acting as if there’s nothing that can help him. A typical addict, in that way.

Although there is a craving/addiction that motivates his killings, it is only a very strong push in the wrong direction; Sylar is still a disturbed individual because of his conflicting desires and his ability to justify all the ills and wrongs he has committed. Even now, he fights a constant battle between his darker nature and caring side, constantly flopping between the two. He wants to be a good person, but then “knows” he can never be that person and becomes angry and resentful, and then feels some sense of guilt and flops back to trying to be good again. He is consistently inconsistent.

His abilities have become as much a part of him as anything else – more so, perhaps. Sylar has convinced himself that they are most of what makes him worthwhile as a person (relating back to those feelings of inadequacy, as shown in his desperation throughout season 2) and he often has mixed feelings when forced to live without them (which he has multiple times canonically). After all, it’s a relief from the addiction and cravings he normally feels, but then he also feels like he’s just a watchmaker from Brooklyn again and no one of note or importance, which agitates his need to feel special.

It’s all very complicated.

Fears:
As mentioned in personality, Sylar's main fears are being ordinary, inadequate, and alone (in that escalating order). Recently, and relatedly, he also fears losing himself and being no one at all. Like any good egomaniac, he also fears dying, although it's not so pronounced as other fears. He fears people being able to see right through him, to all his insecurities.

He's afraid of the image of his mother (and his having murdered her), as well as her disappointment in him (and his guilt). Snow globes cause this same discomfort/anxiety/fear because of their association. He's slightly afraid of Noah Bennet, though he's unlikely to admit as much, as one of the few who can actually capture or kill him. He fears being without his powers, though he has been before and finds a small sense of relief in it.

He doesn't really have many simple fears. :c

Weaknesses:
Sylar is predictably volatile and easily provoked. Because he yearns for acceptance and validation, he can be manipulated fairly easily with trust or false promises. The killer also relies substantially on his powers, meaning he's fairly useless in genuine physical/melee combat and when without his abilities. He's egomaniacal; he doesn't make friends well and tends generally to be more lone wolf than team player. Sylar also believes himself to be the best and although the logical part of him recognizes that some others are stronger (Arthur, Noah, etc), his pride will refuse to admit that directly to the point where he'd rather make enemies than admit his shortcomings.

One of his greatest weaknesses is that he's addicted to causing pain (and killing) and has difficulty functioning without that regular release of his tension. Although there is no sexual aspect to his killing, it does provide him with a different and more base excitement that he needs to validate his feelings about himself.

Mundane Strengths/Abilities:
Watchmaking. His natural ability of intuitive aptitude (details under "magical ability") helps him to understand people and things and how they work in a general, day-to-day sense. Sylar knows how to use a gun and is a decent shot. Unfortunately, given his heavy dependence on his magical abilities, he has very few talents and very little combat skill of a mundane nature.

Sensitivity/Magical Ability:
Sylar's only natural ability is that of intuitive aptitude, meaning he understands how things work. The man can listen to a watch and know precisely how fast/slow it's running and what to fix in order to make it work again. This also, to a lesser extent, applies to people and explains how it is that he acquires the powers of others – he just needs to feel around inside their brains, to know how their abilities work, and then he can do it too.

At the point in canon that I'm taking Sylar from, he also has the following abilities:
Telekinesis: Sylar's second ever ability, which allows him to move things with his mind. When upset, the ability gets stronger to the point where he can pin people in place, cut their skulls open, and/or throw people back several feet. This ability was taken through empathy and has survived all canon resets of his losing other abilities.

Rapid cellular regeneration: The ability to heal himself from all manner of injuries. It also reduces the severity of pain felt when injured (though it does not eliminate it completely). This ability also prevents him from dying (there is a spot where, when stabbed, he dies completely, but that spot changes now thanks to a latter ability of shape shifting).

Alchemy: Allows him to turn things into gold. Only works with small items (ie a spoon or a gun). It is also limited by science, in that a gun turned to gold would not be able to work and even a bullet of gold would be too heavy for a gun not made for it, etc.

Clairsentience: This ability, when it works, allows Sylar to see the past of an object (he sees limited flashbacks of the people who interacted with it, etc). For the game, I'll say it doesn't work unless needed for a plot device (aka with mod permission).

Sound manipulation: Sylar can make a noise of extreme force that has great throwback strength (like a focused tunnel approx. four feet in diameter). He's generally too vain/elitist to use this, because he prefers more controlled and focused abilities. It's a sort of wind tunnel effect with no precision and it can't be maintained for longer than a couple seconds at a time.

Electric manipulation: The ability to create and harness electricity. Though Sylar isn't as accurate or powerful with this ability as Elle was, he can still harness a painful and damaging bolt of electricity to shoot at people (like lightning would work, jumping from his hand to the target in a single flash); he will not be able to harness a fatal blast. Mostly, he plays with smaller bolts that are just enough to annoy or hurt a little. This ability is physically draining when he pushes its limits. This ability was also acquired by empathy.

Lie detection: This ability allows Sylar to know when people are lying. I would like this ability to be nullified, given that it's very godmod-y.

Imprinting: Sylar can “print” handwriting/signatures onto paper without actually writing it. It makes his hand and the writing glow gold before the writing shifts into whatever color ink he's trying for (generally blue/black) and registers as written. It's a pretty worthless ability, except it helps when he's forgotten a pen.

Shape shifting: This ability allows Sylar to completely alter his appearance (including clothing/etc). It takes a few seconds to a minute to complete and does not change his base DNA patterns (meaning: even if changed, his blood work would still be his own). Being knocked unconscious or killed does not cause the change to revert, but it can happen without conscious thought (as Sylar mentions changing in his sleep when he didn't mean to). The more Sylar uses this ability, the harder it is for him to control – which he hates. At the point in canon I'm bringing him from, he's wary of the ability to the point of disliking it and won't use it casually. Sylar gains the ability to shape shift into someone by direct contact with their skin; this would only be used with characters in game after obtaining player permission each time.

Disintegration: With a short period of intense focus and a snap of the fingers, this ability causes the target to spontaneously collapse into dust. Although it's suggested in canon that it could be used on people, the ability is so new that it makes sense for Sylar to only be able to use this on tiny, inanimate objects. As mentioned, its main weakness is that it takes several seconds of intense concentration and Sylar is very impatient.


The abilities Sylar will use the most are his telekinesis, the electrical manipulation, and the rapid cellular regeneration as needed. Obviously, the intuitive aptitude is also entirely second-nature to him, so that's not something he has to think about to use much anymore. (For more info, please look to Sylar's abilities' section on the Heroes wikia.)

In regards to acquiring new abilities: I would like for him to be able to acquire new abilities by his standard method, understanding that this would not be a common occurrence. I propose that he be allowed to only obtain abilities when those abilities fit with the science of the Heroes canon (and with player permission, of course), meaning the ability must be genetically based and primarily human (i.e. he may be able to learn the basics of Storm's powers, but not Nightcrawler's due to the differentiation of Nightcrawler's genetic makeup; not the Hulk, for same reasons; not Harry Potter, because magic; not Superman, because alien; etc).

Supply List:
Sylar will arrive in his own basic clothing. He will have one weapon on him, due to his pretending to be Agent Taub for most of the time – a Heckler & Koch USP (9mm) with 1 full magazine (15 rounds).

Game Transfers: N/A

Sample RP post:
Sylar stared at the front door in silence for a moment, noticing that it was open already but with the apathy of someone who had no personal stake in the individual inside. He cast a glance around to ensure no one was paying much attention to him before he stepped forward. Lifting his hand, the door opened seemingly of its own accord before him, the telekinesis as natural to him as if touching the object with his own fingers.

Once inside, he moved slowly, his eyes following along the lines of every piece of woodwork, every doorway, the lamp, the glass dish with the man's keys resting undisturbed. Whoever it was that came before him had caught the man unaware, had given him no time to escape or to call for help. Sylar's fingers ran gently over the edge of the wood of the table in the hall, then floated through the air as he moved until they came to rest upon the bannister. He caught sight of a disheveled living room in his peripheral vision, but he didn't hesitate in making his way up the stairs. What he wanted would not be in the ruined room on the ground floor.

The killer could have moved silently if he wanted to, but it rarely mattered anymore. The stairs squealed beneath him with the moans of age and burden. They suited the resident of the home. As he emerged into the upstairs, he paused and dropped his head into a tilt, listening and waiting for a sign of something. Anything. Life, death. He could almost smell the blood that awaited him, whether still within the man or painted on the walls by whoever had come first. It didn't really matter in the end.

With that thought, he continued forward again. A quick glance told him which door he was searching for, the one with fragments of wood crudely ripped out of it. He pushed the broken obstacle aside a few feet before reaching it, a gift of his abilities again, and stepped inside.

There were few things so beautiful as the brilliant red of blood. He enjoyed watching it, studying it. The way it flowed across the wood paneling of the floor versus stretching wide and darkening faster as it seeped into the fibers of the light brown bedspread. It was sloppy work, quick and painful. Sylar might have felt bad for the victim if he cared about the man. In truth, all he cared about was whether the body was still alive enough to give him what he needed. If the neurons of the brain still fired, he could still find what he came from, could figure out how to make it work. Then he could do it too.