Physical Description

 

Cliff tries very hard to dress "cool" but he has a terrible sense of fashion. So, he'll buy knock off versions of brand-name clothes but put together an ensemble that just doesn't quite work. For the most part, he matches but his clothes--try as he might--just never seem to fit correctly. Either the pants are too long or too short. Or the shirt has a weird seam and hangs awkwardly. Or the brand new buttons tear off the first time he wears it. He's by no means poorly dressed or ridiculously strange looking. He's just an average guy trying to be so much more. He can be found most often in jeans, and a layering of t-shirts, jackets, and sometimes (eek!) scarves. He'd heard scarves were in, what can I say?

Defining Features

 

Cliff always has on a pair of thick-rimmed black glasses.

History

 

Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Cliff is the middle child of Jeff and Karen Reddog, two relatively normal parents. Karen and Jeff are lower middle class who both keep jobs to pay for the high cost of living in the much-coveted retirement community of Phoenix.

Cliff's older sister Lane was an all-star soccer player throughout grade school and high school. She got straight As and always brought home lots of different boyfriends to the house. She's since graduated college and is working as a massage therapist in Phoenix. Cliff's younger brother, Joss, isn't the best student. He's still in high school in Arizona and gets mostly Cs--but he's a member of the National Paintballing Coalition and can hold his own in a fight.

Cliff, like his sister, was a straight A student. But, unlike both his siblings, Cliff never really fit into any cliques at school. In grade school, the other kids always made fun of his glasses and picked on him for bringing a lunch box with Darth Vader on the side. In high school, Cliff got really into science fiction and computer graphics. Though he tried to make friends with the popular kids, they just laughed him off. More often than not, Lane would have to intervene to get kids to stop making fun of Cliff--which is bad enough, since she's a girl. But, what's worse, Cliff's younger brother would beat Cliff's bullies up.

After graduating high school, Cliff decided to get as far away from his hometown as possible. He thought a fresh start and a new town might help him shake his "nerd" reputation. With a full ride, he attended Gotham's university for four years and graduated with a double degree in Physics and Graphic Design.

In college, Cliff did lose his nerd reputation but he didn't do much better socially. He's very awkward in all social situations and, for four years, he practically hid out in his dorm room and studied all the time. Most people see him as nervous and awkward--and he makes a point of hiding his passion for comic books and Star Trek a secret from anyone in Gotham.

During his junior year at University, Cliff entered a special astronomy-physics program that spent a semester at a special site placement in Smallville. He and his class were doing a study on different rock formations and their mathematical link to the stars. While there, Cliff became unexpectedly ill for a good three weeks and was hospitalized under close watch.

After being released from the hospital, the doctors assured him that he was in great condition but they never could say what exactly had been wrong with him. From that moment on, Cliff has been randomly hearing the thoughts of those around him. He thinks this is absolutely awesome and is just further proof that he deserves power over the world.

Having recently graduated, Cliff decided to stay in Gotham city. The idea of returning to Phoenix and going back to being a full-on geek was absolute death as far as Cliff is concerned. Instead, for the past two years, Cliff has been living in his cramped apartment in Gotham Towers and working at Gotham's Cinema.

Cliff is a little bitter about being bullied all his life and he hates how nobody takes him seriously. In college, he decided that he was going to show the world just how awesome he is. He has plans for world domination and is currently working on different ways to take over Gotham. Watch out, Gotham, Cifford is coming for you!

Personality

 

Cliff is...clumsy and awkward. He is constantly mis-speaking and always trips or bumps into things. As a result, he is a very self-conscious and tries very hard to not suck at life. He hates his glasses but he's too afraid to wear contacts so he's stuck with the black-rimmed glasses. He tries to fit in with the world but he just comes off as a fumbling geek and computer nerd.

Cliff is pretty much a nice guy but he can be easily offended and hurt. He's used to being bullied and so he sorta expects that from most people. He wishes he could maybe experience a little more of the romance part of life but he's not very suave and has little luck with the ladies. He's so inexperienced in the ways of sex, that even his fantasies don't breach the PG13-rating.

Though nobody would ever guess it--or take it seriously if they knew--Cliff is extremely ambitious. He has great plans to take over the world and become super rich and famous. Now... all he has to do is get up the nerve.

Likes & Dislikes

 

Likes: Girls, power, money, dogs, computer graphics, comic books, and anything that might give him an edge or make him cooler.

Dislikes: Girls, being called a geek/nerd, his glasses, people mispronouncing his last name as "red dog."

Ambitions: World domination. A date with a girl.

Fears: Being laughed at. Dying before ever having sex. Contacts.

Secrets: Cliff has a hidden love for Star Trek, which he is quite certain nobody should ever know. He only gives in to such nerd-ish on the internet with the username FutileResistance.

Initial Power

 

Unfortunately you bear a rather interesting curse. You are what's known in some parts of the world as a Meteor Freak, a person who has been changed by one of several meteor showers over the last 17 years. The contents of these meteors, known to some as Kryptonite, have caused your body to change beyond the limits of normal human capacity.

In your case, the effects of the meteor rock has caused you to develop telepathic abilities. This means that you can hear the thoughts of other people as though they were spoken out loud. At present, this only works on people within 5 metres of you, however you are susceptible to anyone's thoughts within those five metres while your ability is active.

Your ability isn't constantly in the 'on' position and only activates spontaneously and for short periods of time, no longer than 3 of your own posts.

Special Skills

 

Cliff is really good with graphic design, hacking computers, and writing code. He's really interested in but not very good at playing around with physics experiments and chemicals.

Employment

 

Cliff works at Knight's Cinema as a ticket-taker and usher. He has been applying to both Wayne and Holden enterprises for a job either Physics or Computer related and is just waiting to hear back.

General Notes

 

Studio 1B in Gotham Towers.
Dirt poor.