Name: Dr. Florian Pine
Alias: Poison Oak
Alignment: Villian, and either Antihero or Hero later on.
Powers/Abilities: Chlorokinesis - Poison Oak has the ability to control all forms of plant life, manipulating their growth and behavior. He also specializes in crossbreeding plants to create new species.
Plant Physiology - Being part plant, he can breathe CO2, allowing him to survive in places that lack oxygen. He can also Photosynthesize, so he can go long periods of time without eating or sleeping (though he can still do both if he chooses.) He is physically stronger and faster while under sunlight. He can turn his skin from green back into a normal tone to blend in with society. He prefers his green skin though.
Regeneration: - Pine can regenerate from injuries. He can even regenerate lost limbs. Although the process is slow, and requires an extensive amount of energy.
Pheromones: - His body can produce pheromones to influence the behavior of others. Those with strong wills can usually resist though.
Poison - His body can produce a variety of plant based toxins. He can administer these toxins through physical contact. Particularly a kiss. He is also immune to plant based toxins himself.
Plant Empathy: - He has a spiritual connection to plants. He can communicate with them, sense them, and see through their eyes, allowing him to witness events in their vicinity.
Weaknesses: He requires sunlight, water, and a specific saturation of minerals to maintain healthy functionality. Being cut off from sunlight can weaken him, and eventually kill him.
Pine is sensitive to temperatures whether extreme cold, or extreme heat.
Personality: Once upon a time, Pine was a shy and nerdy young man. He didn’t have an easy time socializing with people, and also didn’t have much confidence. He often preferred his plants more than other people’s company. After the accident, Pine developed a lot more confidence, but also drove him a little nuts. He still is fascinated with plants, but now he treats them like his babies.
Some days, Pine hates humanity. His experience with being bullied, along with the way people take nature for granted, makes him think the world would be better off without humans. He can be rude to people when he first meets them. He can still be rude even after he first meets them. While he’s not opposed to using his powers for violent means, even outright killing people if necessary, he does know he needs some people around to produce CO2 for his plants to function. He resorted to villiany to hurt the world that had been cruel to him.
There are other times when Pine longs for human companionship. If anyone shows him even the slightest hint of kindness, he will be all for it. He’ll cling to that person and be their best friend. At least until he perceives they did him wrong in some way. In general, his emotions can vary wildly at any given time.
Background: Pine’s parents were scientists who studied plantlife. They were often in the field busy with their research, and neglected their son. They left him with a nanny when they were away, but young Florian never connected with her. Pine wanted his parents love. In an effort to get their attention, he tried to get into what they were into. He obsessively studied plants, and read all of his parents research notes hoping that they would love him, if he showed he liked plantlife as much as they did. It sort of worked, but it wasn’t enough. His parents treated him like a colleague rather than their child. They would take him on their research trips with them, but they would leave him to his own devices. Even though his parents didn’t show their affections all that much, Pine knew he wanted to be a Botanist, just like his parents were. He was still hoping to win their approval.
Growing up, Florian had always been a strange young man. He was fascinated by plants, which others found to be odd. He was often bullied by others because he was physically weaker, psychologically delicate, and because of his interest in plants. Due to the bullying, Florian usually preferred plants to people. Plants didn’t judge him.
Despite the bullying, Florian, who often went by his last name Pine because people made fun of his first name, was an intelligent young man. He eventually earned his Ph.D in Botany and Biochemistry and was employed at a prestigious university before he turned thirty.
There, he was still bullied by most of his colleagues. His ideas were mocked, and he was dismissed as unconventional. Only one colleague was nice to him. Dr. Evan Dendron. A handsome male scientist, and the only one who showed Pine any ounce of respect. He defended him from bullies, and was the only one who believed in Pine’s potential. Pine had developed a crush on him.
Pine threw himself into his work, determined to prove the viability of his theories. He dedicated long hours to conducting experiments, often resorting to unorthodox methods in his quest for knowledge.
However, was facing dwindling funding, and mounting pressure to produce results or else lose his job. Pine developed a method that would allow humans to photosynthesize, thus solving world hunger. He was sure this was a scientific breakthrough. However, when he presented his ideas, University officials ridiculed him, and dismissed his theories. They believed there was no way humans could survive on sunlight alone.
Determined to prove the viability of his idea, Pine conducted secret experiments on animals. After many failed attempts, he finally succeeded in enabling a rat to photosynthesize. He showed that to the dean, but instead of being impressed like Pine had hoped, he was horrified. He was accused of cruelty to animals, and misuse of university resources and faced legal consequences. Pine didn’t understand what the issue was. Everyone was scared of rats anyway. So why is it when he sacrifices a few in the name of scientific advancement, it’s a problem?
Desperate to prove the effectiveness of his discovery, Pine snuck into the lab, and performed the experiment on himself. However, something went wrong, and Pine was transformed into a half-plant half human creature.
Pine was actually happy with the results, and was prepared to make a grand display to the public. Then the police came to take him away. Pine panicked, and the plantlife around him responded to him, and killed the officers who had come to apprehend him.
The Government was forced to get involved, and Pine was on the run. Desperate, he turned to the one person he knew he could trust. Evan. When he gets there, Evan is as supportive as ever. He promised to help Pine, but it was all a ruse. He reported his location to the authorities, while keeping Pine distracted.
When they show up, Pine is forced to act in self defense, and make his escape. He turns to his parents, but they are apalled by what Pine has done.
Feeling betrayed and alone, Pine turned to nature. Nature never hurt him, and people hurt nature. If the people wouldn’t accept him, the plants of the world would. He would take back what rightfully belongs to Mother Nature, by any means necessary.
Appearance:
Poison Oak is a tall and lean man with a heart-shaped face, firm jaw, and green eyes. He has a mop of blonde hair and normally green skin, which he can change to appear human. He often wears thick green glasses, but does not actually need them.
In his plant form, his skin becomes green. His hair is still blonde, and he has a humanoid silhouette. Vines coil around his limbs, and sharp thorns protrude from strategic points for protection. His body is decorated with various flowers giving him a splash of color besides green. The only clothing are a pair of green tights with a vine pattern that blend with his skin, and a pair of leaf boots
Affiliations:
Poison Oak usually works alone. However, he occasionally forms temporary partnerships with eco-terrorist groups or individuals who share his environmental agenda. These alliances are often fragile and transactional, as he doesn’t tolerate betrayal or incompetence.
Motivations:
Making the world better for plants, by any means necessary. And a touch of revenge.
Relationships:
• Dr. Evan Dendron: Former colleague who betrayed him to the authorities. Pine’s feelings toward Evan are complicated—equal parts heartbreak, resentment, and lingering fondness.
• Parents: His neglectful botanist parents are a source of deep-seated anger and sorrow, as they treated him as a project rather than a son.
• Superheroes: Pine views heroes with contempt, especially those who value order and profit over protecting the planet. However, he occasionally respects those who share a genuine commitment to preserving nature.
Base of Operations:
Florian’s base is a hidden greenhouse laboratory, filled with plant life. Located in an abandoned area on the outskirts of Nova City, the space is overgrown and heavily fortified with plant-based defenses. It serves as both his home and his workshop, where he conducts experiments and cultivates powerful plants to aid in his missions.
Signature Gear:
Whhatever plants he can get his hands on. Lol
Public Perception:
• Villain: Most people view Pine as a dangerous ecoterrorist, responsible for property damage, loss of life, and disrupting societal order in his war against humanity.
• Hero to the Environment: Environmental activists or radical ecologists might see Pine as a tragic hero or even a symbol of nature fighting back against industrial greed.
• Misunderstood: Those who learn about his backstory may see him as a victim of betrayal, though his actions often overshadow any sympathy.
Combat Style:
• Strategic: Pine doesn’t fight head-on unless forced to. He uses the environment to his advantage, setting traps, ambushing opponents, and using his plant powers to overwhelm enemies.
• Defensive/Aggressive Hybrid: He prefers to let plants do the fighting for him, creating walls of thorns, ensnaring foes, or unleashing toxic pollen to incapacitate rather than kill outright.
• He’s not above using his pheromones to manipulate opponents either.
