App | Exsilium

[mynameonyourpanties]

» PLAYER INFORMATION
Player NAME: Tyra
Current AGE: Old. Like 24 is totally super old.
Player TIME ZONE: US-Pacific/GMT -8
Personal JOURNAL: complexication
IM & SERVICE: AIM - ComplexCynic
Player PLURK: simplisticTyranny
Current CHARACTERS: None.

» CHARACTER INFORMATION
Character NAME: Travis Marks
Canon & MEDIUM: Common Law - TV Series
Canon PULL-POINT: End of Series
Character AGE: 39-40ish. It's not specified.
Character ABILITIES: He's a expert sharpshooter. He even won first place is the LAPD's sharpshooting competition, much to Wes Mitchell's dismay.
He's also trilingual, knowing English, Spanish and Samoan. (Though because I only know English, I'll rarely utilize this.)
Character HISTORY:

Street living and being moved around various foster homes throughout his childhood is what made Travis Marks the person he is today. As an infant he was abandoned on the steps of a fire station by his mother, and his name comes from the cabbage patch doll the firefighter found in his carrier. While not much is known about his childhood, it is known that while in the foster system he went through 18 different families, and continues to keep in touch with as many of his foster parents and siblings as possible.

As a teenager Travis had his own brief run-in with the wrong side of the law, having stolen a foster father's car and street racing it as an ultimatum to get said parent to pay child support, which landed him in Juvenile Hall. In the international version of the series pilot, he is reluctant to explain this to Wes, stating that juvy records are sealed, and again in "The T Word", when he tries to keep his brother from explaining the story.

Prior to the events that go on throughout the series, Travis was a beat cop working in Narcotics and on the vice squad for several years, partnered with Phil Kronish. When there were a string of murders involving prostitutes on skid row, Travis tried to bring his theories to his partner - only to be ultimately shot down and made to help on other cases.
Frustrated, Travis took it out on the shooting range as practice for the sharpshooting competition. It was during this time that his friend, David 'Paekman' Paek, introduced him to a detective in Missing Persons with the same theories - Wesley Mitchell, and went behind Kronish's back to work with Wes. This created animosity between them, which wasn't resolved until they met for dinner in "The Ex-Factor".

Travis and Wes' work on the Gentleman Caller case led them to not only solve it, but receive commendations for such, which earned them a spot as detectives in the Robbery-Homicide Division. The only issue was that while they worked exceptionally well together, and were by far the most formidable team the department had seen, they couldn't agree on anything. The only thing that really kept them civil for more than five seconds was Paekman's presence. And - in return for Paekman introducing them to each other and giving them the opportunity to solve the case, both Travis and Wes sent high-profile busts Paekman's way, which helped him land a spot in the Special Investigations Section.

At first, they chalked up to Paekman's scarceness to his duty in the SIS, as it was an undercover squad who did whatever they wanted whenever they wanted. It wasn't until a frantic phone call to Travis one night that Paekman explained that the SIS were lining their pockets with evidence from every bust they made, and that they were planning something big that August, along with a fearful realization that they might be onto him. Travis and Wes both told Paekman to sit tight so they could head over to his location, but by the time they had arrived Paekman had already been murdered in cold blood.

The loss of their friend sent both detectives reeling with guilt, for they were the ones that helped him into the SIS in the first place, although they weren't entirely convinced that Paekman's death was simply due to 'him not wearing a vest', as per what SIS leader John Crowl had said. Travis started investigating the SIS with Wes, and the discoveries they were making weren't painting such a pretty picture. They brought the evidence to their Captain, Mike Sutton, who warned them that tossing accusations of this magnitude could cost them their careers but did grant them the opportunity to investigate.

Their only witness was a cashier at the scene of the crime, who after being unconscious - agreed to testify against the SIS as it proved that someone in the team had fired the fatal shot. Unfortunately, Crowl was onto both Travis and Wes - and he threatened the only witness into hiding, which led to the case being thrown out due to them not showing up. Since the cashier was nowhere to be found, they couldn't re-open the case a second time.

Crowl, much to Travis's dismay, felt the need to gloat about his win in court to Travis afterward back at the station. Before he left, he gave Travis a bit of info about the whole thing: which was along the lines of admitting that he was the one that killed Paekman and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.
The admission made Travis see red, ignoring what was going on around him and more focused on grabbing his gun and going after Crowl to get payback - even going as far as to shove Wes out of the way as the latter pleaded desperately for him to talk it out. It wasn't until Wes drew his own gun on Travis's retreating figure that he snapped out of it, which resulted in Wes getting arrested and ultimately suspended.

As a result, they were ordered to do two things:
1. They were to commit to couples therapy to get their partnership back on equal footing
2. They were to not go anywhere near Crowl or the SIS.

Their first session with Dr. Emma Ryan in the series pilot revealed that they had known each other for seven years, and had been partners for over five, and this wasn't their first stint in couple's therapy. While they are initially reluctant to participate as they weren't 'a couple' per textbook definition, it is clear throughout the series that what they learn in therapy helps them learn not only about each other, but helps them do their job better. A prime example of this would be when Travis role-played as Wes in "Role Play", discovering that in order to understand each other they didn't need to act more like the other person.

In "Hot for Teacher", the boys decide to defy not only Dr. Ryan's wishes, but their Captain's - and put themselves on a case involving the therapist's fiancé. The broken trust between Dr. Ryan and them creates a conflict of interest for her, and she terminates their sessions with her because of it.
While they are given an extra opportunity in "Gun!" to seek therapy with Dr. Van Waals, it is clear that his therapy methods don't help, with Travis and Wes both refusing to participate, and them ultimately getting 'kicked out' of therapy for sucking at it, with the promise that Van Waals would simply call Sutton in a couple months and give them the all clear.

Travis celebrates the fact they don't have to deal with therapy anymore, but it is short-lived as he realizes that Paekman's birthday is around the corner and there's still the problems that stem from that night he has been dodging so he didn't have to deal with them.
A run-in with Crowl and the SIS during a stakeout makes matters worse, Crowl having provoked Travis into trying to attack him by mentioning Paekman's birthday and how he was going to celebrate, which forced Wes to pull Travis back to get a grip on himself.

With the obvious sign that they still need help, both detectives go back to Dr. Ryan after her session is over promising to do better if they let her back, giving the offer that if she does, they'd explain the story as to why Wes pulled his gun on Travis and why they were landed in Therapy.
They end up fighting just telling the story. Travis stating that he was never going to shoot Crowl despite what Wes was stating, and Wes finally lashing out at his partner for never even thanking him for saving him from making what would have been the biggest mistake of his life and risking his own career by doing so.
Dr. Ryan leaves them with imparting knowledge that this tragedy brought them closer than ever before, and tells them to go kick the SIS and Crowl's ass to get the justice they so desperately wanted Crowl to face.

Turns out despite the order to not investigate the SIS, they did so anyway, discovering a jewelry expo that was happening in the city around Paekman's birthday, and - despite the fact this would jeopardize their careers and Captain Sutton's, they are given the go ahead to raid and catch them in the act of stealing evidence from their busts.

The plan, like every one they've made against the SIS, backfires. Crowl stating they were barging in on their major bust, and that after everything that Travis and Wes had pulled, that he was considering it harassment and he would make sure their days as cops were over.

They are suspended for two months following the failed bust, and they are given options as to what happens next: they could stick together and go the pawn shop division (a very crap detail compared to RHD), or they can split up and go back to the departments from whence they came. Defeated, they choose to split up and as they say farewell to Dr. Ryan, Travis admits they not only suck at Therapy, but were wrong about what Paekman had told them.

Dr. Ryan reminds them that when it comes to something important to them, in this case Paekman's death - that she's never seen them wrong about their work. This gives them incentive to think about the SIS issue a bit deeper, agreeing that the only way the jewels stolen from the expo could have disappeared is if the SIS had access to the Evidence Room, which, as Travis points out is possible once you pay off the right person, referring to the cryptic message Paekman had given them prior to being killed.

The message stated "We bought off Henry", and upon searching the employee database they discovered the man in charge of Evidence Collections was "Derek Henry", and as their last resort, Wes and Travis head down to the Warehouse to confront Crowl and his men, finally catching them in the act and getting one to turn against Crowl for the murder of Paekman.

As a result, not only were Travis and Wes reinstated in the Robbery-Homicide Division, they received commendations for their work. And, seeing as how they were now known to have been right the whole time, their original suspension was erased from their records and the terms of their first reinstatement were lifted, resulting in them not being obligated to attend couple's therapy. Travis explains it further, saying it was no longer compulsory but as long as Dr. Ryan would let them back in group, they were willing to volunteer to come to each session to work on their personal problems.

Character PERSONALITY:

Travis comes across as a very carefree individual who sees nothing wrong with bending a rule or two to get the job done. It's actually hard to believe that he takes his job seriously when one sees how he can act.

While it's mentioned from the get-go that Travis has no trouble charming his way into any situation, it's pointed out that he has trouble sustaining meaningful relationships in his life. When asked how Travis can deal with Wes and his antics (as his partner has probably been the only constant in his life for several years), he simply replies that a therapist said he has a thing for abusive relationships (what is meant by this, is currently unknown.)

His charming ways helps define him as a maverick to women, or rather - a compulsive womanizer. Travis sees no issue in sleeping with someone and dumping them the next day, nor does he find issue in treating the LAPD as his personal singles bar. Of course, in doing this he has found himself met with animosity from just about every female officer he's ever 'dated', including the county medical examiner, who jokingly stated she'd dip his body in a vat of acid to get rid of the evidence.

Aside from his deviant and carefree nature, Travis can also be a hot-head, having little control over his temper at times. He's quick to assume that a fleeing suspect is lying in the series pilot, saying that meant he deserved to be shot. When his partner tried talking him out of such a drastic measure, Travis simply stated that he was sure they'd find evidence that linked him to the murder, and if they didn't he'd plant evidence. This is again proven in "Odd Couples", where Travis gangs up on a pizza delivery boy for lying about how much money he had on him, and in the season finale "Gun!", where John Crowl's admission to murdering a close friend of his results in him storming out of the department with a loaded gun and an intention to exact revenge.

He tends to internalize the things that bother him the most, which usually results in him exploding. When Wes goes on a tirade about how Travis was the worst (and perhaps) messiest roommate to ever exist, and insinuating that the women he sleeps with probably are the ones cleaning up after him, he gets in Wes' face and states matter-of-factly that it was no wonder the latter's marriage fell apart since no one ever is clued in to what he's thinking. Later on in the episode, he admits to Wes that the reason he kept his apartment spotless was because it was his - Permanent, unable to be taken away from him. He then goes on to explain this further - stating that when he grew up in foster care he knew that every house he lived in was just temporary stop before he moved home again, and figured that if he grew attached to the homes and the families, it would have messed him up.

Travis is a stickler for trust. In "The T Word", when he realizes that his foster brother Jason may be part of a string of armed robberies that were occurring around the city, Travis makes the decision to lead his partner on a wild goose chase - hoping beyond hope that his instincts were wrong and that Jason was the same kid that he grew up with, especially when Jason left a clue to signify it was him.
When faced with instances where trust is broken, however - Travis storms off like a child, and pointed out at the end of "Hot For Teacher", when Dr. Ryan terminates therapy sessions with the detectives as a consequence of going behind her back.

Aside from all this, his favorite past time is driving Wes up the wall (and then some.) Just about anything Travis does annoys the ever loving Christ out of his partner, most of it being Travis keeping in touch with Wes' ex-wife, Alex. In the series pilot, one of the other therapy attendees mentions that when it comes to a divorce there's always a side a friend has to choose. Travis - being his typical smart-ass self, states he chose Alex over Wes, admitting he confides in her the things he wouldn't tell his partner, such as where his name came from.

Their Captain tells them that he sees them having this relationship that's similar to Liz Taylor and Richard Burton - seeing as how they fight all the time but still manage to be on the same page when it comes to their jobs. A freewheeling yin to Wes's yang, Captain Sutton mentions in "Ride Along" that without Wes keeping him grounded from time to time, Travis would probably end up dead.

» EXSILIUM INFORMATION
Chosen WEAPON: Travis will be arriving in Exsilium with the service weapon he carries throughout the series, which is purported to be a Heckler and Koch USP. Over time the weapon will grow with him, allowing him the ability to hit his target even if he doesn't have a clear window to shoot.

Yes, I'm saying his gun will fire target-tracking bullets, because it'd be awesome.

Character INVENTORY: Travis, like the GQ motherfucker that he is, will be arriving wearing everything on his person.

This includes, but isn't limited to:

• A broken in brown leather jacket
• A grey Henley
• Blue Jeans secured by a black belt
• Doc Martens

The miscellaneous items that will be on his person would be:

• His police badge.
• His gun, which will be secured in his back holster.
• An extra gun magazine.
• His cellphone.
• Probably a handful of women's phone numbers because the man gets around okay
• His wallet, which will probably hold the necessary Credit Card/Motorcycle Operator's license, a condom or two, etc...
• Keys

» PREVIOUS GAME INFORMATION ( IF APPLICABLE )
This section isn't applicable at all.

» SAMPLES
First PERSON:

[A video feed pops up over the network, displaying the rather childish glee from the man initiating it - for Travis is a bit happy that he figured out how to get the tablet to work. Now, onto the important topic of the day!]

Say, has anyone seen a blonde man? About 5'9", has a permanent display of pissed off affixed to his face, extremely anal retentive and most likely has bitched repeatedly about not having hand sanitizer?

If so, can someone please send him my way? If he tries to act difficult, just nag him about his ex-wife.

[Yes, Travis is immediately blaming his partner for this sudden being in not Los Angeles. Because everything was Wes' fault.]

Third PERSON:

It wasn't the first time Travis found himself in a sticky situation while on duty, and it'd probably wouldn't be the last. The only difference was instead of being held up by some dumbass gangbangers, he's told he's stuck on the moon.

No really, that was the most sane thing anyone had told him - providing he actually believed it.

Travis idly flips through what he could access on the tablet, not being able to hide the grimace that etches his face as he gets a gist of what has gone on in Exsilium. He knew there were such thing as terrible cases - the drawn-out process going after the SIS was more than enough proof, but this? This took the goddamn cake.

Man, all he wanted to do tonight was pick up a nice honey and go home and celebrating getting justice for Paekman.

Somehow this was Wes' fault, it always was. Speaking of - where the hell was he anyway? There was no way that he was leaving Travis to deal with this by himself, that whole 'partners have each other's back' thing still applies even if they're 1300 years into the future and on the goddamn moon.

» ADDITIONAL NOTES
Hide your women, because he'll date them, sleep with them and then dump them the next day.

ALSO, if we could put Travis in the same room as Wes (who is also apping) that would be hilariously awesome of you. Please? ♥