Julian Mercer

[Julian]

Name: Julian Mercer.
Nicknames: Chip or Chippy have become nicknames referring to the sizeable chip off his shoulder he seems to carry around, as with most cops though 'Mercer' is pretty much the standard mode of address.
Race: Human.
Occupation: LAPD Homicide Detective.
Gender: Male.
Skin Color: Caucasian; lightly tanned.
Age: 27.
Clothing: As is the 'recommendation' of the Homicide department, he wears suits when he is working; they vary in colour and material and are generally of a not so great quality -not that Julian him self really cares about that sort of thing- he gets through more suits on the job than he would care to reveal. Conservative ties, belt buckles and socks add to the very obvious 'detective' air about him. Off the job he's pretty standard about his mode of dress, jeans and button down shirts or t-shirts depending on what he has clean in his apartment; his girlfriend actually bought him several nicer shirts because of his constant casual look when he's not working, he'd prefer to be comfortable than smart but when going out to dinner it's usually out of his hands.
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 154lbs
Tattoos: None.
Piercings: None.
Jewellery: Apart from a watch Julian doesn't wear any jewellery while on the job and really, it's far too much effort to think about it when he's clocked off.
Body Modifications: A small scar on his inner left elbow from an unlucky 'fall' as a child is the extent of his scars, for the time being.

Hair
Length: Short back and sides with a little more length on the top
Style: Julian's hair is almost too short to be 'messy' exactly, but he likes it that way. Combing doesn't seem to affect the style of it and it kind of sticks in any direction it likes.
Color: Light Brown.

Facial Hair
Length: Less than a centimetre of stubble at most, Julian shaves every day.
Style: If he does have stubble then it isn't restricted to any sort of discernable style.

Eyes
Color: Blue.
Oddities: None.

Personality: Enthusiastic and lively, Julian throws himself into action almost one hundred percent of the time leaving himself open to more bad luck than any one person's fair share as he ploughs headfirst into decisions. Perhaps obviously to other people it stems from the need to prove himself, mainly to his family; Julian is the first police officer in the Mercer family and it's the first time he has been the 'first' anything, so he pushes himself to do his best in every aspect of his work, leading him to be meticulous to the point of painstaking. There is a degree of naivety in the fresh faced detective though, something that only time as a Detective will be able to remove; he is at the moment a little too willing to believe the best in people and sympathise with them rather than use his head. Despite this and his sometimes misplaced enthusiasm and faith in people he's street and book smart, having graduated from the academy well within the top portion of his class, he has a lot of potential to be a great cop with the right guidance.

With his relationship with his brother's a little uncomfortable at present, Julian values his friends that much more; he would go out on a limb for anyone of them as long as it didn't involve breaking the law, then again true to form most of his friends are cops anyway. He's polite and has a natural rapport with most people leading him to be good at talking to witnesses, as well as just being a 'nice guy' in general. To chill out, when he remembers to chill out there's nothing he likes more than doing normal, everyday things like watching TV with his girlfriend, hitting a bar with his work buddies - though he is careful not to drink to excess, Shelley would have his ass for it.

Weaknesses: As a mortal Julian is susceptible to any number of fatal diseases and as a cop he's more likely than the average Joe to suffer a wound that could prove to be fatal. As clichéd, or perhaps expected of a police officer, Julian is very protective of his family and friends and of his work colleagues; he is will to put his neck on the line to protect those he cares about and/or works with. His girlfriend is an obvious weakness, he cares about her very much and if she were put in danger would act as something of a blind opt to his rationality. Furthermore personality wise his inexperience could be a potentially large weakness if not handled correctly. When he was thirteen Julian 'fell' off a jungle gym, though one of his brother's was suspiciously close by to lend a hand after the youngest of the Mercer children broke his arm; since then his left elbow has been susceptible to stiffening up.

Abilities: As a police officer Julian has access to the knowledge and skills imparted by training from the academy, most notably how to handle a firearm and marksmanship, self defence and basic hand-to-hand combat. Julian is also licensed for high speed chase driving; he was something of a 'designated driver' when he was a uniformed officer, doing most of the motorised patrols on his time table behind the wheel of a squad car. Like all police officers with registered firearms he spends a sufficient amount of time in the shooting range making sure his aim is as good as it can be. His personality weaknesses are balanced out by his strengths, he is usually able to get a good dialogue going with witnesses, calm and compassionate he has something of a soothing effect on victims and bystanders to crimes.

Weapons: On the job Julian carries his police issue GLOCK 19. in a holster on his belt for easy access; more often than not he will sign his firearm out and take it home with him rather than buy and register a personal weapon.

Prized Possessions: His black Labrador, Crispin; though he considers him more of a companion than a possession, like any good animal lover; the same can be said for his girlfriend Shelley Craig - though he'd never lump her in with Crispin out loud...

Home(s): An Apartment on Rayne's side of town, though he is unaware of the distinction.

History: Julian was born in Los Angeles, 1979 to Karen and Simon Mercer, the youngest of three boys he has always had something of a complex about being the youngest, the least experienced. All of life's milestones were reached before him, he wasn't the first to turn eighteen or get a car or a girlfriend. Both his older brother's joined the school football team before him and went to college before him and Julian always felt that he was playing catch up with them.

By the time he left college, after an uneventful childhood and teenage period he was fed up of chasing them. They had gone into business, low level boring jobs that brought in a steady wage and made their parents proud and Julian decided that wasn't the life that he wanted for himself. He joined the Police Academy. Amidst doubt murmured behind his back between his brothers, and most hurtfully from his father, Julian enrolled and stuck it out. Indeed it was the doubt and disbelief from his father that propelled Julian ever further through his goals, and earned him the nickname 'Chip' from a few of his fellow officers - the daddy-issue shaped flaw sometimes almost painfully obvious. Being a beat cop wasn't enough, he had to make the leap to detective and show his brothers and more importantly his father that he could do it, that he hadn't made a mistake in deviating from the family norm and cutting his own path in life.

Apart from the odd scuffle on the street Julian made it through his days as a uniformed officer without major incident, he has never been shot and the last time he broke a bone was when he fell of the jungle gym in seventh grade. Both facts have perhaps added to the naivety of his personality, he's been lucky and to some degree he knows that, but knowing it and being prepared for things to change are two very different things.

Currently he is making his first foray into the position of 'Detective' and living in an apartment with his dog Crispin and on occasion his fourteen month girlfriend, Shelley Craig.