Maureen Johnson

OOC:

Player Handle: SSK
Contact: swankified @ discord and plurk
Pronouns: she/her/hers

Invite/Current Player: Invite Link
Other Characters: n/a (but might app a second this round)


IC:

Character Name: Maureen Johnson
Age: ~25
Canon: RENT
Canon Point: After breaking up with Joanne (post Take Me or Leave Me)

CRAU: Ton CRAU, nothing actually changed about her personality, just remembering her experience and some of the people there

History: here +

Maureen is a performance artist that is known for her outlandish protests- generally to do with social injustices (real or perceived). At the beginning of the show, she’s not seen but more talked about as she prepares her protest against Benny and his investors and their plans to gentrify the neighborhood (and take away her performance space while they’re at it).

Maureen’s protest is showy, flashy, very much micromanaged by her- but most importantly to her: well attended. It garners the attention she wants for the fight against the gentrification of the area- and of course, gets her some attention while she’s at it. To celebrate, she and the others go to a cafe that evening and while she’s basking in the limelight of a protest well done, she’s also micromanaging her girlfriend into packing up everything at the performance space without her help.

With Benny and his investors are at the same cafe: Maureen, Mark, and their friends do a little... showboating... to make the uptight men uncomfortable. As you do.

As retaliation for the protest, and a riot that may or may not have ensued... (Oh and Mark and Roger not paying rent), Mark and Roger’s place is padlocked shut. On New Year’s Eve, Maureen spends the evening with the core group of friends and is present when they manage to break back into their apartment.

Time passes as it does in musicals and next thing we know, it’s around Valentine’s Day and Maureen and Joanne are arguing because they’re really just VERY different people. Also Maureen might have been flirting with some girls at the kink club and these two just have a lot of issues that were simmering under the surface. One huge fight later and they’re broken up.

Personality: Maureen is talked about before we even see her in the show. She has an entire song about her- the "Tango: Maureen". Her ex-boyfriend and current girlfriend commiserate over the way she's able to keep them hooked, in a sense. Vivacious and charming, she has a magnetic sort of personality that draws attention to herself. Just how she likes it.

More than anything else, Maureen is a flirt- even (and perhaps especially) when she's supposed to be in a monogamous relationship. She's been known to cheat in the past, and there's little to disprove her cheating in the present or future. As she notes to Joanne, "there will always be women in rubber flirting with" her. She doesn't see the point to stop flirting when it comes as natural as breathing to her: especially since she's always being hit on. Maureen insists that though she gets a phone number handed out here and there, that she takes part in some suggestive flirting, and maybe even engages in some physical affection- she'll always go back to Joanne at the end of the day.

Maureen is a performance artist first and foremost- often using her performances to host outlandish protests over genuinely good causes. Though it's insinuated that she's only upset about the gentrification of Alphabet City because it means she'll be losing her performance space, it's presumptuous to think she's only self-serving in her actions. Though she's often called a diva and drama queen by other characters, and this is certainly true of her personality, she still has heart. Everything she does is a performance, but deep down she does care about the things she draws attention to. Deep. Down.

As it is, Maureen simply doesn't understand what's so wrong about the way she acts. She knows it annoys her friends and lovers, but she sees it more as a "them" problem and not a "her" problem. She's passionate about what she does and would like to see change happen- performing is the only way she knows how to fight the fight, just like Mark only knows how to use film to speak his truth. She has no interest in changing who she is just to fit the narrative of someone else's expectations (Take Me or Leave Me), even if she is a total mess of a person.

She just wants to have fun and she doesn't really understand why people can't keep up with her. She does take advantage of others in the only way she knows how: by manipulating the feelings they have for her to get things done. She pleads with Mark to check the sound board for her protest because she doesn't think Joanne knows what she's doing- even though she dumped him to date her. Then after the show, she lists things for Joanne to do for tear down of her performance- expecting it to be done so she can "hurry back". Even apart from these two instances, she insists that the only reason Mark has been offered jobs is because he took video of her amazing protest, so it's clear that she's the real talent all along.

After the canon point I'm taking her from, when Angel dies, it triggers Maureen into realizing that she's been selfish and she should start taking other people's feelings into consideration when it comes to how she acts. She shows regret and at this point, she and Joanne get back together after their break up. The way she is portrayed from here on out is the deeply devoted friend that she is under all her showboating: she actively goes out and looks for Mimi when she's missing and in danger. This is the side of Maureen that's rarely seen as clear as it is here, but is always underneath all her self interest.

Abilities: Maureen has no powers to speak of. She's simply a vivacious, charming, magnetic woman who knows how to get what she wants.

Inventory: Her clothes from home (pleather pants, black top, three inch platform black boots)... that’s it. she’s traveling light.

Eternal Reward: The health of her friends- Angel in particular.

Goals/Ideas: Mo’s here for a good time. She has no goals other than to live it up- would I like to see her get some character growth? Of course. But that’s all very dependent on who she interacts with and how events or people affect her.

Samples: Sample

Secret Code Phrase: "All glory to the Neon Hypnotoad."

〈 PLAYER INFO 〉
NAME: SSK
AGE: 32
JOURNAL: ramyamuse
PLURK: ramyakitty
RETURNING: I just have Sabé in the game currently

〈 CHARACTER INFO 〉
CHARACTER NAME: Maureen Johnson / n/a
CHARACTER AGE: 25
SERIES: RENT
CHRONOLOGY: Post Take Me or Leave Me
CLASS: Hero
HOUSING: Have fun with wherever you put her

BACKGROUND:
here

PERSONALITY:
Maureen is talked about before we even see her in the show. She has an entire song about her- the "Tango: Maureen". Her ex-boyfriend and current girlfriend commiserate over the way she's able to keep them hooked, in a sense. Vivacious and charming, she has a magnetic sort of personality that draws attention to herself. Just how she likes it. More than anything else, Maureen is a flirt- even (and perhaps especially) when she's supposed to be in a monogamous relationship. She's been known to cheat in the past, and there's little to disprove her cheating in the present or future.

As she notes to Joanne, "there will always be women in rubber flirting with" her. She doesn't see the point to stop flirting when it comes as natural as breathing to her: especially since she's always being hit on. For what it's worth, and despite what her significant others may think, she won't physically cheat on them- she'll keep it to just flirtations. Maybe a phone number handed out here and there- but she'll always go back to Joanne at the end of the day.

Maureen is a performance artist first and foremost- often using her performances to host outlandish protests over genuinely good causes. Though it's insinuated that she's only upset about the gentrification of Alphabet City because it means she'll be losing her performance space, it's presumptuous to think she's only self-serving in her actions. Though she's often called a diva and drama queen by other characters, and this is certainly true of her personality, she still has heart. Everything she does is a performance, but deep down she does care about the things she draws attention to.

Deep. Down.

As it is, Maureen simply doesn't understand what's so wrong about the way she acts. She knows it annoys her friends and lovers, but she sees it more as a "them" problem and not a "her" problem. She's passionate about what she does and would like to see change happen- performing is the only way she knows how to fight the fight, just like Mark only knows how to use film to speak his truth. She has no interest in changing who she is just to fit the narrative of someone else's expectations (Take Me or Leave Me), even if she is a total mess of a person. She just wants to have fun and she doesn't really understand why people can't keep up with her.

She does take advantage of others in the only way she knows how: by manipulating the feelings they have for her to get things done. She pleads with Mark to check the sound board for her protest because she doesn't think Joanne knows what she's doing- even though she dumped him to date her. Then after the show, she lists things for Joanne to do for tear down of her performance- expecting it to be done so she can "hurry back". Even apart from these two instances, she insists that the only reason Mark has been offered jobs is because he took video of her amazing protest, so it's clear that she's the real talent all along.

After the canon point I'm taking her from, when Angel dies, it triggers Maureen into realizing that she's been selfish and she should start taking other people's feelings into consideration when it comes to how she acts. She shows regret and at this point, she and Joanne get back together after their break up. The way she is portrayed from here on out is the deeply devoted friend that she is under all her showboating: she actively goes out and looks for Mimi when she's missing and in danger. This is the side of Maureen that's rarely seen as clear as it is here, but is always underneath all her self interest.

POWER:
Back home, Maureen has no powers to speak of. She's simply a vivacious, charming, magnetic woman who knows how to get what she wants. However, pulling her here, she'll be granted a power set of Sound Manipulation with two clear subsets:

Banshee Screech - (or just general soundwave manipulation / kinetic soundwave possiblities) Wherein she's able to pitch her voice from loud and absolutely horrid shrieking, to something so high pitched it's inaudible... but can kinetically form to slice things, make things explode, or push them away forcefully. The more kinetic potential to her powers will take lots of practice and won't be readily available to her (so we don't have to worry about her using them inappropriately).

Siren Song- though definitely not necessary (she'll insist), this will consist of her being able to hypnotise or lull others into doing as she suggests. Thankfully, Maureen is too prideful to use this ability inappropriately and won't misuse it because she can get what she wants without it. It's only if she were to take up being a hero pretty full time would she even consider using it- and only as a last resort.

〈 CHARACTER SAMPLES 〉
COMMUNITY POST (VOICE) SAMPLE:
[ This is all new to her, but that doesn't mean it takes her long to figure it out. Hello, network, here's a woman grinning from ear to ear at you. ]

Oh my God- do you know how much easier technology like this would have made my life back home? Like, it's totally old hat to most of you, I'm sure. But our cellular phones were like bricks and hardly anyone had them. And don't even get me started on this sort of network thing? It just didn't exist, not that I know of.

[ She chews on her lower lip a little as she pauses for just a moment. ]

So I guess I should ask what other things I have to look forward to in the future, potentially? Just tell me the fun shit.

LOGS POST (PROSE) SAMPLE:

TDM post