Oliver Thomas Rhodes

Oliver Thomas Rhodes
Portrayed By	Jason Lewis
Gender	Male
Date of Birth	April 20th
Age	27
Zodiac Sign	Aries
Aliases	Ollie, Lucky (online alias)
Place of Birth	Wichita, KS, USA
Current Location	New York City, NY, USA
Occupation	Bartender, former Internet model
Known Relatives	Norman “Butch” Rhodes (grandfather deceased), Lavern Rhodes (grandmother), Camille Rhodes (mother estranged)
Significant Other	None
Known Abilities	???
First Appearance	A Beer and an Empathic Ear

Born and raised in Kansas, Oliver set out on his own after turning 18 to explore more of the world. During his journey he discovered new things about himself and those he loves. Now he is a former Internet model and currently works as a bartender, while trying to maintain his sanity.

History

Oliver Thomas Rhodes was raised in a small town, named Haysville just outside of Wichita, KS. Considering the fact that his mother was only 15 and incapable of taking care of him, his grandparents adopted him as their own. He was less than a year old before his mother ran away with her boyfriend at the time, leaving him with little to no memories of her. It never appeared as if it bothered him, although deep down he knew that his mother had abandoned him.
His grandparents did the best they could raising him, his grandfather was a loving but disciplined former Air Force sergeant and his grandmother was much more of a free spirit. The both of them noticed that at an early age, young Ollie was very attuned to the emotional states around him. Before he was even in kindergarten a child psychologist explained to his guardians that Oliver was suffering from the early stages of agoraphobia, the fear of open places. Ollie would complain about migraines whenever he was in crowded places and on occasion be brought to tears.
Oliver’s phobia didn’t make school any easier, his teachers would often scold him about his lack of participation and the term anti-social came up make times during conferences. The only class that he actual appreciated was Physical Education, there was something liberating about being able to focus on himself. As he grew older his temperament started to blossom and he became an angry young man. He was involved in at least one fight at school a week and was usually the one who threw the first punch.
When he became a teenager his grandparents decided to take him back to the psychologist to help him with his mood swings. The doctor prescribed behavior-altering drugs that his grandmother took a stand against. She believed that his problem was much more unique than any doctor could tell. She introduced him to a new age approach to things. She encouraged him to meditate and try to relax more, however his grandfather had a different approach. Using his military connections, Ollie’s granddad got him into a military academy to finish his high school education.
Oliver hated the military institute, he couldn’t stand the childish behavior of the other cadets nor did he like the fact that his teachers and superior officer frequently used derogatory language. During Christmas break his junior year his grandma revealed a family secret that she had kept hidden from his granddad since the day they met. She explained that a lot of people in the family had secrets and she knew that he had a few him self. She said no matter what, she would always love him.
A few months before graduation his grandfather died and spilt his estate in half, giving half to his wife and half to his grandson. Oliver could not touch his inheritance though until he received his diploma. Once he did though his grandmother told him that he needed to get out of Kansas and see things. He took her advice and moved out to San Francisco. This was the first time in Ollie’s life that he didn’t feel like he needed to be self-conscious.
After a few months of living there he met his first lover who happened to work at an occult bookstore as the resident tarot reader. He would spend hours there reading all sorts of new age and holistic books, everything from UFO’s to psychic phenomenon. He even found some books about people who claimed that they had the ability to feel other people’s emotions. In-between hanging out at the bookstore and the gym, he worked as an Internet model on a very successful male review site.
He ended up moving away from California when his suspicions about his partner’s fidelity turned out to be true. So he packed up his stuff and went all the way across the country to New York City. He set himself up in a nice apartment with some of his savings provided by his grandfather and decided on his next career move. Despite his dislike of large crowds he decided on getting his bartender’s license and find work as a tap jockey. He feels very comfortable behind the bar and has an uncanny knack for figuring out people’s problems.

Personality

It’s really hard to break down Oliver’s personality, unless you are very familiar with him. At first glance he appears distant with a deadpan look upon his face, creating an apathetic look about him. But those that get to know him find out that this is only a self-defense mechanism that protects him from other peoples criticisms. The truth is that Ollie is very attuned to those around him and has always had a knack for picking up on other people’s emotions. He feels like this leaves him in a vulnerable position because it allows others to take advantage of his empathy for others.

Powers

That’s a secret his grandmother told him to protect and there aren’t any people he trusts enough to share that information with.

(Click to display ???.)

How Are You Feeling?- Oliver can feel how others are feeling around him. It doesn't matter if the target is hiding his/her true feelings he can still feel them. This stunt doesn't require much just a roll above suckage however he needs to do a will power roll above mediocre to keep from being swallowed up by the feelings around him.

Walk a Mile - Oliver can induce specific emotions in people by transmitting his own. It doesn't matter if the emotions are his true feelings he can still project it onto a target. A roll higher than mediocre will activate this power but a roll higher than good will give him longer control over his target.

Buried Feelings - Oliver learned how to suppress his own feelings a long time ago. But recently he has discovered he can shut down the emotions of others around him making them apathetic and numb to their surroundings. A roll of good or above will activate this ability.

Relationships

(Click to display Family.)

Lavern Rhodes (grandmother)- Oliver is totally a grandma’s boy and has always looked up to her, even though his own grandfather describes her as “kooky”.
Norman “Butch” Rhodes (grandfather deceased)- Oliver always respected the man even when he was sent to military school by him and was devastated when he passed away.
Camille Rhodes (mother estranged)- The really isn’t much the Oliver remembers about his mom since she left him before he was a year old.

(Click to display Acquaintances.)

None at the Moment

(Click to display Enemies.)

None at the moment

Applications

(Click to display Lavern.)

Lavern Rhodes is a woman in her mid to late sixties and raised Oliver since he was a baby. She is very new age and free spirited with the power of astral projection, making her the coolest old lady in Kansas. PB: Shirley Jones

(Click to display Camille.)

The part of Camille is completely open, it’s unknown whether or not she has powers if she has any other children or even why she abandoned her first one. The only thing that is really known about her is that she is fifteen years older than Oliver. PB:???

Timeline

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October 17th, 2007- Oliver ends up pulling a Friday night shift much to his chagrin and finds sympathy from Claudine in A Beer and an Empathic Ear

Quotes

coming soon

Trivia

*Oliver has a birthmark right above his tailbone that looks suspiciously like the infamous “Symbol”.
*Oliver’s grandmother, Lavern, was the first evolved person he ever met.
*Oliver doesn’t know his mother or father and therefore doesn’t know if he is an only child or not.
*Oliver only has two addictions, the gym and cartoons.
*Oliver is agoraphobic, which may just be a side effect of his special ability.
*Oliver is a total grandma's boy.