E D W A R D T H O R N
Edward is.. Neurotic. Yes, that's one way to put it. A bit of a mess, a spass, talking in tongues or blabbering on about absolute nonsense.. When he is lucid however, Edward is a hypermaniac, he's efficient, he's calculating, he's incredibly intelligent a polymath, in fact. A social networker without peer, and in many ways frankly put just a genius America hasn't seen since the founding fathers. His powers, added on with his substance abuse and his alcoholism however makes this genius and hypermania tough to see behind the dellusions of a madman who'd rather spend his time down the bottle or talking to animals than being productive. Raised incredibly religious, when he hit puberty he immediately figured he would be a sinner - being a bisexual but incapable of love. And a couple of years into his adolescents,
his fears became all too real with the emergence of his abilities. Being inside the head of people seems like everyone's dream, but it's really more of a nightmare. Because of this, he mostly uses his abilities on animals, making his probably most defining trait - after the booze and the nicotine that reeks off of him - be how he's a lover of animals.
Ed Stands at 6'3 and 189 pounds. He's got a athletic build as in his periods of mania he workout as much as he can handle.
His face is never clean shaven, sporting a light sunburn and a fice o'clock shadow, if not a beard. His hair's a mess, swept to the side with no real thought put into it. His clothing changes from casual to business casual. Dress shirts or baseball T's are the most common thing that he drapes himself in. Stonewashed, ripped jeans or a pair of chinos and a pair of leather boots or sneakers on his feet.
carries a shoulder holster which could hold both a pistol and a combat knife but remains empty these days.
Hyper aggressive neural communication;
Eddie is a telepath. He can read thoughts, he can implant thoughts and he can take them away. The mind's a lock and Ed has the skeleton key, even though sometimes he uses it more like a crowbar. The complexity of how easy one's brain is to penetrate depends on the person. Someone who has their guard up is in general a lot more difficult than someone that isn't.
Strengths:
Reading your thoughts; Eddie can read what's on your immediate mind, what that little voice, or perhaps many little voices in your head are telling you. He has a innate precognition for impulses that, while slowed by his own drowsiness, gives him a immediate edge in any situation, regardless off if it's a match of chess or a gunfight.
Mindwhisperer; Ed will whisper sweet nothings into your mind's eye, a clever manipulator on his best days, allowing him to influence the actions of others.
Astral Projectile Canon; Edward can cast his own consciousness into another man or mouse, leaving his body catatonic. This has limited uses and provides massive strain on Edward's psyche, it requires great concentration and the constant suppression of the other person's consciousness, making it no small ordeal. This is however most often used for scouting, putting his mind into that of an animal's, for instance.
Senseblast; Theoretically, Edward can use his abilities to put another person's brain into stasis, to pause every signal going in and out of the brain and make it appear as such time stands still for that person. He's never demonstrated this usage of his ability but in a pinch he's made hints that it's there, leading him to believe he is far more powerful than he would seem. If he can stop time, what else is there he could do?
Limitations:
Edward is an alcoholic, a drug addict and a deeply disturbed individual. He's paranoid and he's tough to deal with, while he's made sure everyone who knew him is dead or worse, it doesn't stop him from imagining them to be very much so on his footsteps. Pressure and the conflict of self are Edward's greatest challenges, more so than the actual limitations of his power.
His ability relies on concentration, focus and inner peace. If he cannot silence the voices inside of his own head, how could he ever hope to find those voices of others? People who keep their guard up, their mind sharp, have no obvious mental weaknesses or vices makes it tougher for Edward to find his way into their mind.
Ed's a genius, a beautiful mind, a modern Hamilton or Mozart. He's a master of math, knows as many languages as he's heard people think in. His abilities have prompted his natural problem solving and puzzling abilities to work in overdrive, as cracking a person's brain is a lot like cracking a code. By the way he engages with people, it become clear Ed has a background in the intelligence business, perhaps he was a cop or a spook.
He's a lousy hand to hand combatant, but the scars on his hands, jaw, forearms and torso would indicate he's been in more than a few scraps. Overreliance on his ability in a heated situation's his motto, turning allies into foes and foes into friends. Making a shooter miss their target with a thought, or making that knife aimed at him find it's way into another foe. Triggering a deep seated fear in a foe, or perhaps sending soldiers of the animal kingdom to fight his battles is more up his alley. His greatest finesse however, is deescalating conflicts, solving them before they have to turn to violence.
Cross necklace he got from his mother, or was it sister as a child
Aviators that have seen their best days. Fucked to hell with scratches and specks of dirt, blood and god knows what else.
He owns a nine millimeter pistol, he owns no ammunition that the gun will shoot.
Pack of smokes and a zippo lighter.
Flask of liquor in his jacket at all times.
He's Catholic, constantly in a state of apology for his very existance. While he's on one hand smart enough to see that the church is full of shit, he's on the other hand messed up enough that he beliefs all of their preachings about people with gifts, non-straights and so forth. He prays on the regular and is known to whisper a prayer when things get dicey. He owns several bibles, in fact, he's got an entire bookshelf. They are the most common used way of transferring coded messages within the city walls - and outside of it.
Trailing off during sentences, or having disjointed thoughts are incredibly common for Edward, making him perhaps not the easiest person in the world to talk to. Well, especially not if you're one of the only people in the world who knows he can hack your brain, while barely standing up straight.
He likes whiskey above all, despises beer and wine, but will settle for any other kind of spirits. He can't sleep and has horrible nightmares, so whatever drug he can get his hands on that will knock him out with a couple of shots of whiskey will be at the top of his Christmas list. When he is lucid enough, he loves Poker, Texas style, even long before he could literally see past the oppositions poker face. The closest to love he has is for his pet squirrel Spyke, who's the only one he openly shares his thoughts and feelings with.
He despises owls. They are elitist pricks and Edward will not tolerate them near him. He hates kids and women in general annoy him. One time they're passable is when they're as fucked up on whatever substance as he is and in bed. On that note, he hates commitments and relationships. When you can literally read your partner's mind during intercourse - and you often do unwillingly, it really kills the mood.
He fears being found out. Not as bisexual or as a mutant, but as the monster he really is, of being held accountable for the things he's done and the people he's hurt. Well, that, and whatever his nearest neighbor is having nightmares about.
