Archived-Beckett Shore

Template:PC Summary Awakening Born: November 15, 1986
Age: 28
Rank: 1st-Degree Adept
Consilium Titles: Hierarch
Guardian Titles: Famulus Epopt
Physical Description: Almost always dressed in a t-shirt and hoodie or an open shirt over a t-shirt, Beckett is a paragon of casual attire and laziness.
Nimbus: A dolly zoom/Hitchcock zoom which distorts the viewer’s perspective and makes Beckett appear larger while the background drops away. Simultaneously, the same effect applies to his eyes - they appear larger still and Beckett himself almost seems to drop away.

Guiding Principle: "So my job is manipulation. Here's the thing - you can drop an idea in someone's head, play around with their emotions, trick their senses and generally mislead them but at the end of the day they're still a person with their own needs and desires. The moment that stops being true, you're not manipulating anymore... you're doing something else and that isn't what I do."

About

Beckett is a slightly famous local stage hypnotist. His three favourite things are alcohol, women and glib sarcastic remarks.

Beckett would like nothing more than to have an easy life where he doesn't have much to do, but events almost always conspire against him and force him into roles of responsibility (or at least, he thinks so). When relating to mages from other cities Beckett generally assumes a kind of cheery fatalism, just to brighten their day. He's not really that concerned about living under the threat of annihilation at the hands of the Banishers - he's more concerned about whether or not he gets the immediate tasks in front of him sorted, so he can take a break.

Beckett takes strong philosophical grounding from both Pandemonium and the Guardians - he's a firm believer in meritocracy, goal-oriented behaviour, and (contrary to popular opinion and how he presents himself) ego death. He has no faith in democracy or blind egotism. A consummate Prophet, Beckett gives any relevant information he has regarding enemies to the Pentacle freely. The right information will save lives, and the idea of profiting off threats to people's lives is abhorrent to him (benefiting from good will however, is entirely different).

Noteworthy Deeds

His Awakening occurred after his major claim to fame - performing at the Melbourne Comedy Festival in 2010
He was briefly turned part Tick-Tock Man to save the national speakers for each Order from accidentally being subjected to the same effect
He, Derek Drako and Cuffs saved the universe one time

Rumours

Beckett can do Mind magic without using supernal magic
Beckett has a particular reputation regarding fidelity
- Meggan isn't currently talking to him for some reason
Beckett is fairly irreverent of Pentacle traditionalism, occasionally making light of certain overly formal practices mages sometimes indulge in
- He made the previous Hierarch give him "Master of Bleach" as an official consilium position
- That being said, he's always pretty heavily prejudiced against the Free Council - not Free Council members, just the existence of the Order in general
Beckett hates magic
- Untrue, but he REALLY hates people who say he hates magic
  - Also he probably just hates Mages in general
Ever since he stopped manifesting the Tick-Tock Man legacy, Beckett has started coming up with some very radical Supernal theories about the way the universe works

Quotes By

"It's weird - people regularly call me a 'young performer'. I don't like that. It's kinda judgey. Like 'well, yeah he performs, but he's a bit young isn't he?'... I much prefer labels like... 'prodigy' or 'visionary artistic genius' and I think if we could all remember to keep those at the front of our minds for the rest of the show it'll just be better for everyone. Particularly... you sir? Third row, two across? Yes, you with the notepad trying to take notes for your review for the..." *fingers to temple* "...The Age isn't it? If you could just come up on stage please..."

- Beckett's opening for his Melbourne Comedy Festival performance, an hour and a half before his Awakening

"Sexy cop with a fast car. I'd vote for her."

- After meeting Cuffs

"If you see something
Say nothing
And drink to forget"

- Beckett's motto (taken from his favourite t-shirt)

"Pfft, Guardians aren't cops! We're very talented criminals thank you kindly. No wait, that's not quite right - make that secret agents. And the point of secret agents is to work for the powers-that-be to discreetly break the law in other countries."

- Beckett trying to recruit Sash

"Hrm, so I'm a Scorpio. And under the Chinese astrological calendar I'm a Fire Tiger. That's three separate astrological measures which all say the exact same sexy, independent, leadery thing. Am... am I the Mastigossiah?"

- Random observation

"Uh, newbie... As the leader of a city full of people exactly like this, I'm going to Morpheus you out of this situation:
Back away slowly, do not look anyone in the eyes, tilt your face towards the ground and smile gently but do not show teeth. Make no sudden movements. Do nothing that could be considered threatening.
You've just walked into a conversation full of angry primates hopped up on superpowers. Primates are predators, and their social interactions are regularly related to hierarchy and often violent. The superpowers, on top of making them terrifying when they get this way, also drops their Dunbar's number to about... 10. You can look up what that means when you're safely extricated from this conversation. But suffice it to say you've just walked into a sealed cage with these creatures and closed the door behind you.
So slowly but carefully, without turning your back to them, re-open the door, and step back out of the cage. Then go make some tea. If you are not experiencing an adrenaline rush, your survival instincts still need work."

- Advice given to a Neophyte mage who decided to tell the Brisbane Consilium the way they were acting "was madness"

"So guys, just to point this out, but that's a big tube of Awakening Lube that's been squirted all over the city."
"..."
"It'll make the Awakenings slip in that much easier is what I'm saying."

- Beckett on noticing that a city wide spell went up to help prevent Disbelief as the city-wide Supernal Resonance continues to build up

Quotes About

"BECKETT! HOW DID YOU INFILTRATE THE ENTIRE FRICKEN ARROW?!"

- Princess Pwnage after a national Adamantine Arrow meeting where the Arrow unanimously told her she should listen to him

"I know you want to give me the book. You're a guardian of the Veil, a good one, and you know that you don't want that book."

-I. P. Smith, reminding Beckett who he is

"I trust you. You've got to have some professional ethics, right?"

- Sash, giving Beckett her hand and allowing him into her mind, October, 2014.

"Don't fuck me on this, Beckett; we can leverage this."

- Sash, about once a month, never when doing anything good.

"Beckett, if I die in here, fuck going into the light; I will haunt you. With chains. Chains, Beckett! You got that?"

- an irate Sash, on the phone, from Faerieland, while fleeing an ogre, March, 2015.

"All guardians are assholes but Beckett is the only one who isn't 100% a dick"

- Ricochet speaking on the only Guardian he likes

"Sash seems to hold you in esteem, so that gets you some credit with me. And as you understand my perspective on your Order being near universally worthless, that must make you one of the fabled "good Guardians"."

- The Director conducting a private introduction with Beckett in the Hierarch's office in Perth.

Conversations

"But you have made me realise that when I become a Space master, I just need a blue box to pick up chicks..."
"Oh, man, you could just show up to generic geekery conventions and be drowning in it. No, bad Mastigos! It is unfair to prey on lonely geeky girls. ...I think.
Actually, they'd probably love that. Carry on."

- Beckett and Sash at the end of a serious discussion of how quantum mechanics, c-space and temporal theory, vulgar magic, alternate world lines and the Abyss all possibly tie together

"I like my women like I like my coffee..."
"How Beckett? How do you like your women? Black? Strong? A tall flat white? Extra sugar? Painfully hot? Cream? Cheap and nasty? In a plastic cup? Ground up and in your freezer? First thing upon waking up? Delivered by hotel room service? Bought from a street vendor? Go on - how do you like your women?"
"Well I was going to say 'with two shots of Baileys in them' but you've just totally killed the mood."

- Beckett and Evelynne

Cernunnos: "You have not adequately demonstrated your strength. Declare one amongst you to be hunted, and we will prove your strength in the hunt."
Evelynne: "I volunteer as tribute."
Journeyman: "No, I should volunteer - we can't lose our Councilors."
Sash: "I hate to say it, but given the Princess thing... I think Emperor Nathan has a debt to the Consilium that needs repaying."
Cernunnos: "All must agree who the hunted will be."
*Arguments begin to fly back and forth*
Cernunnos: "Declare your hunters and the hunted."
Beckett: "Requesting authority to make a unilateral declaration."
Evelynne: "No, you need a Council majority."
*Beckett telepathically connects to Paschal*
Beckett: "Paschal, let's attack the Horned God."
Paschal: "Agreed."
Beckett: "Registering two votes out of four possible plus Hierarchical tie breaker, granting Bronze Law majority: unilateral declaration authority passes. As Hierarch of Canberra I declare that we will all be the hunters and you..." *points at Cernunnos* "...will be our hunted."
*Cernunnos draws a sword from his throne*

- Beckett strong-arming a Council majority while facing down Cernunnos, the Horned God

Inspirations

"What is WRONG with you Jeffrey?!"
"Well, Shirley, since you have clearly failed to grasp the central insipid metaphor of those Twilight books you devour, let me explain it to you: men are monsters who crave young flesh. The end."

- Shirley and Jeff, Community S02E01

"This is my job. And people always say you should do the right thing - but sometimes there is no right thing... and then, well then you just have to pick the sin you can live with."

- Ig Perrish (played by Daniel Radcliffe), Horns

♫ There are needs, there are standards,
There are shouldn'ts and shoulds!
Why not both instead?
There's the answer, if you're clever
[...]
Must it all be either less or more,
Either plain or grand?
Is it always "or"?
Is it never "and"? ♪

- The Baker's Wife (played by Emily Blunt), Into the Woods