Name:
James 'Kyma' Maddox
Age:
24
Gender:
Male
Appearance:
Side:
Neutral
Personality:James is usually an outgoing individual, often around town to explore the sights and, more specifically, the sounds of New York City. He loves the city and its people, even after all the chaos that happened between the Conduits and the D.U.P. years ago. He holds aggression towards normal humans for his imprisonment, but has developed a resolve to let them do what they wish, believing that they'll eventually kill themselves off due to their ignorance. However, his sense of moral direction keeps him up at night, constantly scouring the streets for crime to prevent at any cost. He holds a deep appreciation for ambient noise and music, and is constantly wearing headphones, tuning out most of the city's hustle and bustle. Due to his imprisonment at Curdun Cay, he also tunes out the horrible events he experienced in the prison, as the memories leave him depressed, angry and vengeful.
Biography:James 'Kyma' Maddox was originally born James Murphy, in the small town of New Castle, Pennsylvania. Shortly after his birth, his family began to move from place to place, eventually settling down in Seattle when James was only ten years old. Life was normal for a small period of time before the world was rocked with news about New Marais. It was the first time James would hear the word "Conduit", but it wouldn't be the last. It wasn't long after that when the D.U.P. began wrangling in every conduit they could find that survived the blast from the RFI, housing them in a prison called Curdun Cay. The city, in a matter of days and weeks, went from being peaceful to becoming a police state, constantly watched by the government and patrolled by armored guards. Life more or less remained the same, if only for a little while.
James discovered his abilities at a young age, more by accident than curiosity. During an argument between his parents, one that escalated and got out of hand, James became increasingly distressed and began to cry. The volume of his cries grew exponentially, blowing out the windows of his home and temporarily deafening his parents' ears. Two days later, his parents turned him over to the D.U.P. and their leader, Brooke Augustine. For several years, he was tested and tortured, vivid and haunting memories of the events still plaguing his mind to this very day. When he was 17, he was released without reason, along with many other Conduits, when a man named Delsin Rowe exposed the D.U.P. for what it really was. With nowhere to go, he turned to his parents for help.
His parents were immediately disapproving of his status as a Conduit, which left James homeless. He lived in a shelter for several months while he worked, saving up as much money as he possibly could. The first thing he bought was a name change, officially changing his last name to Maddox, though he has yet to reveal a reason as to why. A few more months of work left him with enough money to rent an apartment. Over time, he developed his abilities to manipulate soundwaves, building up an arsenal of new tricks to use at his will. One such ability is soundproofing, being able to muffle or completely silence any noise at will, and has done this with his apartment, making his side hobby of producing music much easier to do without bothering his neighbors. Due to his powers, he's taken on the nickname 'Kyma', meaning 'wave' in Greek.
Over time, he left Seattle and moved to New York City, taking a chance with what little money he had. Meeting up with a friend of a friend, he shacked up in their house until he made enough money playing guitar on the street to get his life going again. Currently, he works as a radio station DJ at one of NYC's local but lesser-known radio stations, KNYM, as well as producing music from his home as a side hobby, along with frequently practicing on the guitar. He keeps his existence as a Conduit a secret, due to there still being prejudice for his kind from normal humans, but otherwise goes out to enjoy New York City's many attractions and tries to live his life as normally as possible. However, with the rising Syndicate threat on the horizon, as well as new Rogue Conduits surfacing and causing trouble, James is anxious and wondering as to how much longer that normal life will last.
Power:
Soundwave ManipulationJames is able to manipulate the frequency, intensity, pitch and volume of soundwaves to initiate a number of abilities.
Ability List:SoundproofingSoundproofing is an action taken to isolate, muffle, and erase sound so as to make something as silent as possible. James is able to use this ability to mask noises generated from his movements or abilities, as well as silencing any one individual source of sound in the immediate area.
Bass CannonThe ability to generate a force from a decreased frequency in soundwaves; one of two abilities James is unable to completely soundproof. Using manipulation of soundwave frequency and intensity, James is able to throw a punch that can generate enough of a vibrational force to move and/or impact objects. Its use is more delegated to his melee attacks, providing a fortified strength behind his fists. However, because of his moral standing, he uses it on living people only to temporarily injure and disorient them when in a fight.
Feedback GrenadeThe ability to build and condense soundwaves into a projectile, then lob and release as a timed explosive meant to impair, disable and distract; one of two abilities that James is unable to completely soundproof. Similar to a flashbang grenade, a feedback grenade is used to physically impair one's ability to hear, as well as distracting or disabling someone temporarily; the longer the grenade is held, the higher the decibel count is when the grenade explodes. This can serve James well if he needs to get out of trouble quickly.
VentriloquismImproving upon the art of ventriloquism, James is able to throw his voice in different locations with different acoustic levels, able to generate echoes when the situation calls for it. It is useful for luring someone away from an area or into an ambush, but the small area of effect can leave him in danger if used incorrectly or if there are too many people around.
EcholocationThe ability to discern the locations of objects and, in this case, people, using sound. By focusing on silence and generating soundwaves, James is able to map out a small, preferably enclosed area and track living people inside that given area for as long as sound is continuously generated. This comes in handy when an alternate route into the area is needed in instances of places being heavily guarded, as well as attempting to locate hidden individuals.
Kyma CruiseUsing a decreased frequency in soundwaves as a propulsion mechanism, James can use this ability to traverse buildings and long distances, as well as a form of levitation when descending from high places. Especially useful when needed to scale a building or cover ground in a quick and efficient manner.
Other:James has a habit of constantly singing, personally on-key. However, when dealing with stressful situations, he tends to sing loudly and off-key as a way to alleviate tension.