Concept
Note: Her profile is written in first person!
Profile
Basics
IDENTITY : Cassidy Merchant.
IS YOUR TRUE IDENTITY A SECRET? : Yes. I'd actually rather people didn't know about the "superhero" thing.
ALIAS : Songbird. Okay, so I don't buy into this shit, but the alias thing was too hard to resist.
AGE : Twenty-six, as of April 30th.
SEXUALITY : Heterosexual, but I don't do much dating (or anything else, thanks). Call me a career woman, or something.
CLOTHING : If it’s not an event, I’m pretty casual. I like to look good, don’t get me wrong, but my clothes are generally the kind of fashionable that’s easy to toss on in the morning. Give me flats over heels any day, and cotton over silk. Since I do get noticed on the street sometimes, I tend to be at least a little conscious of my appearance. But I’m definitely a bare minimum makeup woman in any casual situation. If you catch me at home, though, it’s sweatpants, a tee, and absolutely nothing on my face.
APPEARANCE : I’m pretty short, at 5’4”. I keep fit by doing a lot of running (a few miles every morning), so my legs are pretty amazing. Give me my moment of vanity, please. Otherwise, I have blue eyes, and I’m a natural brunette, but I have this weakness for hair dye that means it’s prone to changing color quite often. I have a tattoo of Celtic knot on the inside of my wrist, that hurt like hell to get, too.
Superhero
DO YOU HAVE A THEMESONG? IF SO, DO YOU SING IT YOURSELF? : Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap is a favorite, if we want to go that route. And yeah, I can sing it. I’ve even thought of trying to record it myself, just for the hell of it.
DO YOU HAVE A CATCHPHRASE? : Cowabunga! Just kidding. I don’t have one of those either. Maybe “Fuck you!” if I’m feeling bitchy, but that’s not really something you can print in a comic book and hand out to kids.
DESCRIBE YOUR COSTUME : Sweatpants and a tee-shirt would be ideal, honestly. But if we’re talking realistic, I’d settle for perfectly fitted jeans, cute flats, a comfortable shirt, and a great jacket. I don’t really buy into that whole spandex thing; people were never meant to wear something that tight in public. Oh, yeah, and I guess I’d wear a mask. Go figure.
DO YOU HAVE A SIDEKICK? ARE YOU A SIDEKICK YOURSELF? : No and no.
IS THERE A SUPERHERO/VILLAIN THAT YOU LOOK UP TO? : Not really. I’m sort of on the peripheral of all this superhero stuff. Batman was great, though.
WHAT IS YOUR CELEBRITY STATUS? : Average Joe, as far as the superhero thing goes. But in terms of my career, I'm nationally known, and I'm gradually getting more international recognition.
WHAT ARE YOU FAMOUS FOR? : Singing. I mean, I’m really not known for the superhero thing at all, but I’m a well-known singer-songwriter, at least in the states. I did win a Grammy.. so that’s telling, right? Meanwhile, I have this ability, but I don’t use it; it’s not actually useful, see? So there’s really no point. Giving my audience some kind of magical mind trip sounds much too Woodstock for me.
ABILITIES : Vocal illusions; if I want it to, my voice can make you see things. Illusions. I haven’t really used it, so it’s not very strong, and I still have some problems making people see what I want them to see. But hey, it’s there. I can use it.
Personality
PERSONALITY : Jeez, my personality? I don’t know. I’m famous, but I consider myself pretty average, as a person. I’m a big fan of sarcasm; I use it, and abuse it. I’m generally not very serious, but if we’re doing the self-analysis thing, I think that’s more a case of protecting myself. I give the illusion of being a really open person, but I’m not. I’ll tell you everything but how I feel, if that makes sense. People find it easy to talk to me, but I don’t find it so easy to talk to them. I do tend to end conversations abruptly when I feel uncomfortable. Oh, and I’m stubborn as all hell. If I don’t want to do something, I won’t do it. You’ll have a hell of a time trying to talk me into it. I’m pretty free with my language; I curse when I feel like it, although I do have the sense not to do it in polite company. Generally, I’m a pretty rational person. I’m not prone to crazy outbursts (or acting like a diva), but I definitely do have an opinion. And I’ll admit it—I can be argumentative, but only with good reason. Don’t try to pass bullshit off on me and expect me to take it sitting down. I’m tough, right? That’s the story I like to tell.
History
HOME(S) : I was born in Boston, MA, but now I live in Boomtown/New York City. It’s a toss-up as to where I’ll be at any given time, honestly, especially with tours. I still visit home from time to time, though.
HISTORY : I wish I could say that I have some exciting history to report, but I really don’t. My parents are average, and my childhood years were the same. My father is a lawyer for a major Boston law firm, so we were fairly well-off in terms of income. Mom is one of those stay-at-home types, which drove me crazy once I was old enough to realize that having your mom around constantly is a pain in the ass. I’m an only child, and the neighborhood I grew up in didn’t have many other children. Put me in a Catholic school with a bunch of girls I had nothing in common with, and maybe you can see where my creativity came from. I had to find something to keep me busy. When I was six, I started playing the piano. I guess I never really stopped after that. I wrote my first song a few years later, and then dropped out of school when I was seventeen so I could go chasing after a record deal. I guess I learned about my abilities pretty early on in life, but I never wanted to pursue them. Still, I had to control them if only for the fact that my voice was also my career, so I struggled for a while with pursuing a record deal and honing my powers at the same time. But by the time I turned twenty, I had my ability mostly under control, and the chance to record my first record. Things went kind of fast after that. One of my songs was put into a hit summer movie, and my career just took off. I’m doing so much better now than I ever expected to do, honestly. I got lucky.
WHAT IS THE MOST HEROIC/VILLAINOUS THING YOU'VE EVER DONE? : I once did this benefit concert at a hospital, and there was a girl there with a terminal illness. So I used my ability when I went to visit her in her room. I figured it was a favor. The least I could do. It’s the one time I’ve used my ability on someone else purposefully. I’m not going to say what I showed her, because that’s her dream, you know? But I’ve never regretted doing that.
Relationships
Striking up an odd friendship via email/webcam with Linus Silverstein.
