Accepted Academia | Xvilis's V3 Character Authorization

[Zavitous]

SCIENCE · EDUCATION · PUBLIC LIFE

The Birmingham Ledger

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1997 • PEOPLE & IDEAS • SECTION C

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Stephenson Takes the Chair,
Still Keeps a Place at the Blackboard

Birmingham-born physicist assumes broader research oversight duties as colleagues look to him to make the case for fundamental science.

BY MARGARET HALE | Ledger correspondent


Marcus Stephenson has acquired another title, although he insists that his most useful office equipment remains a blackboard. The Birmingham native, 41, has been appointed associate director for theoretical research at Los Alamos National Laboratory, expanding a portfolio that already includes scientific review and program planning.

For Stephenson, a theoretical physicist educated at Columbia University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the appointment brings forward collaboration with his peers over research initiatives, though at the cost of his own.

“An uninterrupted afternoon has become something I arrange several weeks in advance,” he said. “I am getting quite good at arranging them. That doesn't mean though, that I will keep them.”

His research concerns quantum fields in strong external conditions, including the circumstances in which a vacuum can become unstable. He earned his doctorate in 1984 and subsequently built a reputation for examining the assumptions that connect theory to findings.

His new responsibilities include reviewing proposals, advising on long-term research priorities and representing theoretical programs before senior committees. Some of the work cannot be discussed publicly. Stephenson is more willing to discuss the general problem of supporting research whose practical value may take decades to emerge.

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“If we knew the answer before we funded the work, we would be purchasing equipment.”

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He acknowledges that resources are limited. It is noted that several lines of investigation he would like to pursue remain deferred while existing commitments take precedence. He describes the arrangement as necessary, then pauses before adding that he hopes it will be temporary.

In Birmingham, the appointment continues a family tradition of professional and civic service. His father, Clarence, practiced law and participated in local political organizing. His mother, Ruth, built an insurance business now managed by his sister, Judith.

“Ma' will be pleased...” he said. “She will then ask whether the new position allows me to come home more often.”

Stephenson left Alabama for Columbia in 1974 and developed an affection for northeastern winters, bookstores and the New York Mets. Football remains a family interest, as does church, which he and his wife, Eleanor, attend with their two children.

Eleanor, a university library administrator, offers a more domestic assessment of the appointment. “Marcus enjoys helping people get their work done,” she said. “I would like him to remember that his work, and before all else, our family, matters too."

We asked what he hopes to accomplish in the new role, Stephenson begins with staffing and research support. Then he mentions calculations left unfinished on his old blackboard.

“I would like to get back to that,” he said. “Before somebody decides they need the room.”

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MARCUS STEPHENSON, PhD

Born Birmingham, Alabama · 1956

Columbia University, 1978 · MIT, doctorate in theoretical physics, 1984

Married to Eleanor; two children.




THE BIRMINGHAM LEDGER · PEOPLE & IDEAS · C3​

 

[TheGamingPlumber]

You're missing the format; please include it in your application.

 

[Zavitous]

Steam Name/ID: STEAM_0:0:497054825

How many characters do you have?: N/A

What do you want authorization for?:
1. Authorization for character backstory, Ph.D in theoretical physics. This character is intended to have unformed and abstract ideas to those actuated and experimented on at Black Mesa. This character is not familiar with anything that occurred at Black Mesa, or the specific scientific knowledge acquired art the facility-- with the exception of what can be assumed to trickle down as rumors in his niche academic community.

Character(s) you're requesting authorization for:
Marcus Stephenson

How beneficial to your own RP and the servers is your authorization?:

1. Interaction between clashing factions: If Marcus's background is discovered through role-play, his expertise could be of interest to both Combine and Resistance groups. Attempts to recruit, evaluate, control or destroy him would create role-play for all sorts of connected characters from every faction.

2. A character developed by players: Marcus would have entered the scene withdrawn entirely from academia and any form of scientific pursuit, leaving only trace links to his past. The Combine occupation of earth has destroyed all works of his life. Returning to research would require significant personal development through interaction with the community.

3. Sustained scientific and civilian role-play: Having a character with rare knowledge and expertise serves to create otherwise rare role-play scenarios which could supplement scientific role-play, and everyday citizen role-play.

Pros of your authorization:

- Establishes an academic character without their capabilities being immediately accessible and tangible, in turn forcing high-quality role-play.

- Establishes an academic character with define specialty and credible professional history.

- Creates unique interaction between clashing factions, where negotiation and extended role-play may serve to benefit either faction without predetermined allegiance, while in turn shaping the destination of Marcus.

- Permits multi-faceted character development where Marcus is torn between survival, academia, past-traumas, and shaping morality of the time.


Cons of your authorization:

- His theoretical expertise does not make him. engineer, physician, or some genius technical expert-- he is a scientist. While this may prove useful in role-play environments which cultivate long-progression high impact situation, it proves near useless in 'role-play environments' which prefer valuable characters to remain confined to a bunker permanently.

- His knowledge is limited to that of pre-occupation, while he may have more insight into scientific ideas regarding the events since Black Mesa, he himself does not immediately have access to this knowledge, and will require investigation.

- Grief, isolation, loss and trauma have callused his desire to prove productive in any sort of academic environment. He is in survival mode, and this affects his immediate willingness in academia.



Write an explanation of how your character obtains this authorization:

Marcus Stephenson was born in Birmingham , Alabama, in 1956. He was raised in an established African-American family involved in business, law, and civil life. This support allowed Marcus to seriously pursue academia as a profession.

He attended Columbia University from 1974 to 1978 , studying physics before entering graduate school, pursuing a doctorate in theoretical physics at MIT. He completed his Ph.D in 1984. Following his doctorate, Marcus Stephenson developed a career in research which eventually brought him to the renown Los Alamos National Laboratory, where he eventually ascended into senior positions, stunting his own capabilities in pursuing his own individual lines of research.

After the Seven Hour War, Marcus lost contact with his wife, children, and extended family. His professional standing offered little protection against a harsh and emerging world. By 2008, he abandoned any form of serious research, and taken up menial handiwork to survive in hazardous environments.

His qualifications predate the occupation. The potential discovery of his former life setup the beginning of his intended character arc. Whether he accepts institutional protection, assists the Resistance, or remains in obscurity ultimately rests in the hands of those he is to interact with.

 

[Zavitous]

You're missing the format; please include it in your application.

You got to me fast, my goodness

 

[Zavitous]

I forgot to mention but any skill or attribute bonus that that could be associated with this characters background would be appreciated and discussed later, but ultimately I just seek to have the background authorized.

 

[TheGamingPlumber]

Include everything you would like for your auth please.

I forgot to mention but any skill or attribute bonus that that could be associated with this characters background would be appreciated and discussed later, but ultimately I just seek to have the background authorized.

 

[Zavitous]

- Background authorization (***)
- Additional +1 into Intel ontop of standard attribute allotment
- Completion/Partial Completion of the intelligence skill tree (The one which allots a additional 1+ Intel)
- +5/10 levels into crafting

 

[TheGamingPlumber]

Will be responding to this soon, confirming some details with certain individuals.

 

[TheGamingPlumber]

Hello Zavitous

Thank you for applying. After some deliberation with the QC Team, we have decided to accept your application.

Please note that with the backstory you are providing and requesting, we ask thst this character be serious. It it does not meet the standard then we will have to revoke the authorization.

We are excited to see what this character does in D7