Standard Deviations - Maya Matlin

[anythingwithstrings]

Songstress	Canadian Siren	Child of Apollo	X-Factor's Ears	Operations Control
Dirge of Fiora	Battle Hymn	Toronto's Next Big Thing	Wanderer's Song	Inspired Thief

Circle of Magic - Songstress Katie was preparing to leave for Lightsbridge, to study to be a great mage. Her rather magicless sister Maya was seen to be a disappointment by comparison, but she did have one talent. She was a beautiful singer... and talented with all manner of music. In a family with a history of magecraft, however... she was merely unique. She was allowed to play with her instruments, in the chance she could find a way to turn that into a career. She didn't have anything else. Of course, weird things began to happen while Maya sang or played. Nobody could quite explain it... and a family of academics didn't immediately think that Ambient Magic might be the cause. But eventually they came to the truth, it lead to a small divide between Maya and Katie, but they are still sisters. Maya was sent to a temple of the Winding Circle to learn her special gifts, and to control her powers. Her powers work mostly through the songs she plays or sings, but she can gleam things from the voices and music of others.

Teen Wolf - Canadian Siren Maya started off like any other girl in the world... just, she had a knack for music. An unnatural knack, it was almost creepy how good she could be with music. At first her talent was just that, then things started to get... weird. A few boys started getting really invested in trying to date her. But they were boys she was already interested in, so it wasn't a big deal, but then one of them killed himself... and the other one sorta pushed him to do it... for Maya. But after that she started to draw in more boys, and even more strangeness happened due to her singing. Boys she didn't know started to become infatuated with her, willing to do anything for her, she finally set-up to be an exchange student to get out of town and try to start over. But, before she left, her mom explained what was going on. Maya was a siren, her song could make boys go insane. Joy, the best thing in Maya's life basically ruined it. She'll just need to figure out a new way to get through life, without her singing. Siren Song: Sirens singing (even humming) carries a collection of possible reactions. The strongest, of course, is infatuation. Anyone who would readily be interested in a sexual/romantic relationship with the siren will instantly start to see a much stronger relationship, and uncontrollable desire to be around them and please them. The other effect is a natural aphrodisiac, those that hear her song will suddenly have a much stronger interest in sexual activity, general uncomfortable state and need of release. This, of course, only works on those that are interested in sex at all, and the effects can be muscled through with willpower if you're the right sort. Subtle Suggestion: Sirens with a bit more control of their powers can lace suggestions into their voice, most supernatural creatures are immune to this. Larger suggestions usually involve singing first, to just... put them off their game with other things. Men are easier to control for this, as they usually fall more into the spells of a siren. Feathers: Sirens occasionally have feathers, it matches the myths that occasionally mix them up with harpies (as they can't fly). Maya's, specifically, are a light blue/green color. They cover her back, stomach, shoulders, shins and ankles, but only under specific situations. First is water, sirens are strongly connected to water, in water her feathers will always be visible. They also show up as a sign of arousal (her's), and as a warning of a local threat (other supernatural creatures, immediate attention of a negative nature). Lustsense: Much like Banshees know about death, sirens know about lust. They can tell when someone is thinking about someone else. Not... reading their mind, but body language and pheromones. Works best when two people are in the same room. But someone very smitten can be read if they start daydreaming.

Percy Jackson - Child of Apollo Maya's talents at music and accurate projectiles were apparently a gift from the Gods. Apollo. Her real dad. She joined Camp Halfblood to master her talents, and to try and keep out of trouble. Which is laughable because Maya cannot escape trouble wherever she goes. Also being super-pretty is apparently part of being one of dad's kids. She will never get used to how many people hit on her dad. Her music cases are magiced so sometimes they contain musical instruments... and other times weapons that might be of value. She eventually moves back home and has adventures with boys and fighting monsters and basically declares herself a Greek Buffy. She's okay with this. Rock Star by night, monster hunter later in the night. Expert Aim: Children of Apollo are best known for their skill at archery. Healing Song: A song to Apollo can heal wounds, and bring people back from the brink of death. Sunlight's Blessing: Creating sunlight (rays or sources of light) is a simple trick she can do in nearly any situation. But it is sunlight, so it doesn't really come in color options.

X-Men - X-Factor's Ears Maya's mutation was discovered in early high school, leading to a transfer to the Xavier Institute. She was a quiet mousy thing as the world was so overwhelming she had to hide behind her music and her headphones. This lead to her being far more isolated and less outgoing for a while until she got used to her new freaky powers. Eventually the idea of fighting evil thing felt too much like real life, and not happy fun adventures. So at seventeen Maya left the school to find a new life where her powers could do more good than they did with the X-Men. This lead her to Mutant Town in New York, and X-Factor Investigations. Being the ears of the city gave her a lot of insight into what they should look into. S.H.I.E.L.D. used her a few times, but they hate having her around for too long, too many secrets she can overhear. The whole reason they want her, is why they can't keep her. Sound Detection: Maya can feel sounds local to her, without having to hear them, this includes sounds outside of human hearing range and too far for her to hear normally. She can filter through sounds with some skill, but overloading this sense can cause her problems. Her maximum range evolves as she grows and breaks through limits in her powers. It is possible she's an Omega Level mutant, and her powers could become limitless. Sound Manipulation: As with sounds she feels, she can twist sounds in the air into new forms. Turning off sounds, mimicking voices, throwing sounds to people at a distance. Allowing her to intercept, manipulate, rework, and control sounds around her. She can take enough sounds in an area and turn it into a physical weapon similar to Banshee's screams or a sonic cannon. Sound Dampener: She can also manipulate sounds into frequencies to ruin mutant concentration to disable a single mutant from using their powers, but that requires a much closer range and a source for enough energy to work. Generally she goes after the Telepath first, if she can get to them. Her brain is a little too complicated with all the incoming audio signals that her mind is hard to read while she's awake (but she can be KO'd by a telepath easily enough, and her brain is easily spotted by a telepath because it's so active).

Young Justice - Operations Control Maya was an average band geek going to Degrassi Community School. She grew up with an ordinary family, older sister and two parents. No deaths, no crime ties, nobody working at a local scientific research facility that could lead to anything like mutated spiders or cyborg implants. Just an ordinary girl, her love of music and raw talent her only real noteworthy feature. That is, until she was fourteen. She met a boy and were in love almost immediately. And then he died, he took his life after a losing bout with his depression. It hit Maya, hard, and this ordinary girl with nothing going for her looked for ways to deal with these feelings. She started hearing things, people whispering about this or that, often about her boyfriend's death and how she seemed wrong now. She thought she was losing her mind. To deal with this, and her boyfriend's death she started drinking, going to parties, other troubling activities. The trouble she gets into leading her to hear weirder things, things she knows can't be her mind messing with her. At school she was hearing whispers from all around her, now she's hearing sounds unrelated to her and she can't just put as being her grief taking the best of her. She explores it and figures out she's hearing things well beyond normal hearing. Superhumans have been happening lately so she explores her powers and tries to work some of her issues out stopping crimes she's overheard. At first she called them in, but nobody believed her. Then... she took it on herself. Her attempts at heroing were more miss than hit, she never got so deep she got herself hurt, but a lot of the crimes she attempted to quash went off as if she didn't interfere. But they did help her better explore her powers. As her sound manipulation (as she grew to call it) made more sense to her, her efforts to disrupt and interfere in crimes became more effective. And her abilities to hear let her reflexes increase, plus she was learning to mimic sounds and twist the sounds in the air to mess with her opponents. After a few months of civies she managed to get herself a proper costume and name, instead of a mask and her sister's old clothes. She expanded on her Melodic identity to give her own panache in the field. And it caught attention. Sadly the Team members sent to recruit her tried to approach Maya Matlin, not Melotic. And they didn't bring a telepath, so their communications were compromised on the attempt. Maya wasn't sure who they were so she made her escape, and due to her powers evaded Gamma in the process. ...Batman was waiting for her when she got home. He explained what exactly was on the table, and left it up to her if she wanted it. He also left her a few gifts, new costume (same colors as her costume but of better armored materials), and a way to contact the Team and access the Zeta Beams if she makes her choice. Which she did in a few days, joining the Team provisionally, coordinating from the Bioship wherever they set-up a base. Sound Detection: Maya can feel sounds local to her, without having to hear them, this includes sounds outside of human hearing range and too far for her to hear normally. She can filter through sounds with some skill, but it means she'll miss things if she isn't taking the big picture into account. Usually her brain will auto-prioritize things like dangers and clear threats, but it isn't perfect. Sound Manipulation: As with sounds she feels, she can twist sounds in the air into new forms. Turning off sounds, mimicking voices, throwing sounds to people at a distance. Allowing her to intercept, manipulate, rework, and control sounds around her. She can redirect sonic attacks like Canary's call, but it's very tiring and often puts too much stress on her. Sound Dampener: She can also manipulate sounds into frequencies to disrupt a person's ability to react and focus, but that requires a much closer range and a source for enough energy to work. She can also use this ability to throw a telepath out of her head, if she needs to.

Magic: the Gathering - Dirge of Fiora They told me he died by his own hand, but I know better. My beloved was working to try and rout the darkness in the High City. The Custodi and their ambitions for the dead King. The Black Rose and her many deadly thorns. Even the machinations of the Visionary Muzzio. When the most trustworthy is the Keeper of Keys, you know the danger you’re in. But he’s been a capable teacher, I know that I am merely his pawn in a much larger game. I know that if I were smart, or kind, I would have fled the city. To the safety of the wild outskirts. But I am not kind, my kindness died with my beloved. Everyone had a reason to snuff him out, end his plans for the high city. So the path for me is clear. When I return from the other worlds, I will end their games once and for all. Muzzio, Marchesa, Brago, the Custodi… even Grenzo’s song will end. Paliano needs a strong, just ruler. But I’ll have to do. Maya was a court musician in the high city, beloved and involved with a lord who had taken a posting in the elite guard. He was tired of the darkness and deceits of the city and was trying to find ways to expose secrets and flush out assassins. Of course such an undertaking was in nobody's interest... so he was ended. Who did it really doesn't matter, so many suspects and none of them can be confirmed. That moment ignited Maya's planeswalker spark, and she saw the world as it really was, a small tiny corner of a grand stage. But she came home right away, quick to realize how small she was, and sought to learn more magics to take with her, to be ready. That would allow her to find more magics out there, and when she did she would come back and kill every power in the High City that might have had a hand in the death of her beloved. And bring a new order to the world. One less corrupt than the others, unless she was worse than all who played in the games of Paliano.

Fire Emblem - The Battle Hymn Maya is the Queen Regent of a kingdom allied to Nohr, but not joining them in the battle with Hoshido. She's technically next in line for the throne, but as her sister (the true Queen) is absent but not dead, Maya is keeping charge of things without taking the proper title of Queen. She's devoted to protecting the kingdom and the throne, and acts rashly when either are threatened. Like most nobles in this world, she has two loyal retainers: Grace and Jonah. As a unit Maya is a Bow Knight (with a personal skill that allows her to counterattack at Range 1-3 with Ranged Weapons), with an alternate path as an Archer. Maya: Paranoia (Counterattacks at 1-3 with ranged weapons.) Outlaw/Bow Knight/Adventurer Archer/Kinshi Knight/Sniper Grace: Savvy (All traversable terrain costs 1 movement point to cross.) Fighter/Berserker/Hero Cavalier/Paladin/Great Knight Jonah: Straightedge (Immune to Debuffs from Enemy skills) Dark Mage/Sorcerer/Dark Knight Troubador/Strategist/Butler

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - Toronto's Next Big Thing Teen singing sensation Maya Matlin is big on the indie circuit, storming through the battle of the bands. Her riffs are sick, and she’s basically a musical weapons master, playing all manner of stringed instruments. Cello, Double Bass, Sitar… the girl is nuts. Stephen Stiles (the talent) is convinced he needs her for his band. But, unfortunately, she’ll only join a band if they can have a champion beat her in a battle. And when she asks for a battle, she doesn’t mean a battle of the bands. Cause while she is a musical weapon master, she’s also an actual weapon master. So as the first person Stephen Stiles wants for his new band, she’s the first stop in Scott’s new quest. If he can survive her weapon storm. Musical Weapon Master: You put any string musical instrument (yes, keytars count) in her hands and she can shred any piece of music with it. Often to the point she’ll switch between instruments mid-song, and make it work. Actual Weapon Master: You can also put just about any weapon in her hand (yes, keytars count) and she’ll take anyone apart. Her boss room is wall to wall weapons, and she can use each and everyone expertly. And out in the streets she usually has a dozen knives and a few swords on her somewhere. Don’t try to make sense of where she keeps them.

Soul Calibur - Wanderer's Song Her family was destroyed by one of the wars for the Soul Edge, Maya ended up wandering as a street rat and musician in the world. But as the world is cruel, she isn't unarmed. Only a fool would do something like that. She dual wields short swords, stashed on the back of her cello. She's mostly looking to survive, but if she can get rid of fragments of the cursed blade, all the better. Her fighting style is all about timing and tempo, she attacks after a feint, block, or evade.

Leverage - Inspired Thief After the death of her boyfriend, Maya went on a bit of a downward spiral. Drinking, parties, other activities that weren't quite legal or good for a girl like her to do. She started with problem crowds... and learning to steal, and she found a second great love of her life. Music, and thievery. At first she balanced these two sides of her life, normal girl going to school, then running jobs on the side... but eventually the other life started to creep in on her day to day life. So she ran. Taking jobs around the country as she built up the needed supplies to go global, wander the world with a cello case, safe cracking tools, and the freedom to go anywhere. Who needs fame when you can get renown? Maya keeps tools of her trade inside the tools of her other trade, her cello, guitar, and any other instrument she can carry will usually be modified to carry safe cracking, lock picking, or any other tool of the trade she needs. Musical instruments (especially the ones she uses) aren't searched due to how... delicate they are.