Posting my CS here, it's got a few things left to edit but I'm welcome to critiques especially from Stein haha.T H O R E A U
"Mother had a saying, something about how sometimes a favourable outcome requires a few ill-advised actions."J O S E P H E D W A R D T H O R E A U ◼ 0 2 / 0 8 / 1 9 9 4 ( 2 2 ) ◼ M A L E ◼ H E T E R O S E X U A L▼ A P P E A R A N C E:"Yeah I know, I don't look like a Thoreau."//STATS:◼ HEIGHT | 5'-10"
◼ WEIGHT | 164 lbs
◼ BUILD | Athletic
◼ EYE COLOUR | Deep blue outer iris with an inner ice blue iris
◼ HAIR COLOUR | Dark brown with hints of ruddy auburn
◼ ETHNICITY | Caucasian
//DESCRIPTION:Joseph has a slender frame that is covered in compacted muscle built up from years of exercising and toning his body. His torso and legs are built like someone who regularly competes in marathons and free running competitions while his arms and shoulders are built more like that of a boxer mixed with a martial artist. Joseph prides himself on being more balanced in his physique and as such has kept his flexibility and somewhat slender frame despite his well chiseled biceps and abdominal. Joseph is especially known for his keen piercing blue eyes. Deep blue with flecks of icy blue strewn throughout, Joseph's eyes are known for being able to look right through someone as though he is staring into their soul. Joseph has deep brown hair with strands of gold and auburn acting as natural highlights, these are most visible in bright light where as in dim and barely lit places, Joseph's hair can seem to be almost black. He keeps his hair anywhere from a short to medium length, often grooming it into various ways.
Joseph's general attire ranges from long sleeve mock tees to hoodies usually. Always paired with straight leg or boot-cut, dark-wash jeans. In collaboration with these, Joseph prefers to wear semi loose fitting tops in an effort to hide his more chiseled physique so as not to draw too much attention to himself. To that end he often will wear a t-shirt paired with a hoodie and jacket, or a long-sleeved shirt adorned with a hood and a jacket. Depending on the weather though Joseph may wear just a t-shirt, or a rolled up long sleeved mock tee. His outfit is almost always complimented with a leather jacket.▼ B I O G R A P H Y:"Words don't define us, actions do."During the height of the Mavericks' career Joseph's grandfather, Forrest Emerson Thoreau was a officer with the Larissa Lilith Police Department, often providing support to the Mavericks themselves. Proud to call himself an ally to the Mavericks, Forrest often told a young Joseph tales of the daring heroics the vigilantes had once brought to Larissa and its surrounding areas. However, Joseph's father, Andrew Edward Thoreau didn't see eye to eye with his own father and while Forrest had been aiding the Mavericks, Andrew had been away at Harvard earning his law degree and developing a deep rooted seed of hatred against those who took the law into their own hands. Upon Andrew's return to Larissa, the ambitious young lawyer set his eyes on the gross abuse of the law he considered the Mavericks to be. Appealing to the local district attorney, it was Andrew who instigated the city's zero tolerance policy towards vigilantes and ultimately caused the Mavericks to vanish from history. Due in part to his contribution to the city's new anti-vigilante stance, Andrew became a valued asset with numerous law firms trying to recruit the young hotshot. Having his pick of the crop, Andrew settled in with Campbell and Reid quickly rising to partner over three short years. Eyed by the District Attorney's office, Andrew was scouted to take over the position of state prosecutor. Settling into his new career with ease, Andrew eventually met and impregnated a young woman by the name of Samantha Russells. Desperate to keep the bastard child out of public headlines, Andrew married Samantha in a private civil ceremony. Nine months later, Joseph Edward Thoreau was born to his loving mother and career driven father.
Growing up distant from his father, Joseph spent most of his time with his mother and grandfather. His mother provided the love and care every growing boy needed while Forrest filled the void left by Andrew and taught Joseph many numerous life skills. Drawing upon his years of experience as a former police officer, Forrest taught Joseph to listen to the beat of the city, to hear its voice and learn its rhythms. Due to the teachings of his grandfather, Joseph grew to a strong set of street-smarts, taught to remain constantly aware of his surroundings and how to read those within them.
But Joseph found he had trouble connecting to the city, especially on its crowded streets. Constantly overwhelmed, he found the only time he could clearly hear the rhythm of the city was from high above the street. Looking down on the world, Joseph learned how to pick apart the details and eventually found his groove. The city became his playground and Joseph would sneak out of the house to play among the roof tops. It was from this height that the corruption growing in Larissa first became clear to Joseph, he could see the city was sick and that the illness was only spreading. It was here that the idea to follow in his grandfather's footsteps was laid in Joseph's head, within him a fire had lit and the flames of passion ignited a need to help the people of Larissa, a need he wouldn't act on until quite a few years later.
Originally traversing them by climbing fire escape after fire escape before eventually growing bold enough to jump from roof to roof. From there Joseph's skills only continued to expand as Joseph learned to move more efficiently from place to place, learning the city from a whole new angle. At least he would have until his mother, Samantha caught Joseph sneaking in through a window one dark Larissa night. Never before had the boy seen his mother so scared as she checked him over for any sign of injury, acting as though he had been out re-enacting the stories of the Mavericks. Making him swear to never use the roof tops again, Joseph was literally grounded from that point on. But he learned to adapt, find new ways to hear the city as he moved through the crowded streets and eventually behind the wheel as his grandfather taught him how to drive and he succeeded in gaining his driver's license.
Despite never being the brightest in his class, Joseph never struggled through school. Maintaining above average grades and achieving honors upon graduation, Joseph had a wide selection of post-secondary institutions to choose from along with several sizable scholarships. However money had never been a concern for the Thoreau's thanks to Joseph's distant father. Deciding to take inspiration from his grandfather, Joseph turned his back on the numerous high brow institutions that had sent him accepted letters before deciding to pursue his education at the local community college. Enrolling for EMT certification, Joseph completed course after course until finding a career with the Larissa General Hospital as a paramedic. Never had Joseph felt so much pride as the day his grandfather shook his hand to congratulate the young man upon his first assignment. Andrew however was disgusted with Joseph's career choices, his attitude towards Joseph causing friction between both Joseph and himself as well as Samantha and he. Combined with his constant distant behavior, Andrew's negative attitude towards Joseph was the straw that broke the camel's back and Samantha and Andrew divorced.
Having moved out during his time at college, the split did little to upset Joseph's living arrangements. His mother however relocated from the Olympus district to a country home in the more rural district of Mount Nysa. Making time to visit his mother over the weeks that followed, Joseph was rather confused by how little the divorce seemed to bother her. Andrew on the other hand was working hard to keep the divorce out of his public image least it reflect poorly upon him.
On the night of the blackout, Joseph was awoken from his slumber in order to respond to an evacuation order at the Michaels' Nuclear Facility. Arriving at the scene just as the explosion rocked the area, Joseph's ambulance was rendered completely powerless. Nonetheless, Joseph wasn't deterred as he rushed the scene helping the wounded to safety until other first responders arrived. Working to clear the scene, Joseph worked into overtime, eventually being relieved after nearly eighteen long hours.▼ A B I L I T I E S / S K I L L S:"Let me guess, it's a shock to see me here."//ABILITIES:◼ BIO-ELECTROKINESIS | Joseph's bloodcells contain a high concentration of electrolytes allowing him to both store and generate a high amount of bio-electrical current up to thirty thousand amperes. This bio-electricity in turn can be used for numerous applications. Most notably, Joseph can enhance his physical capabilities by stimulating the nerves through his body. This allows him to react quicker, move faster, jump further or appear stronger. The physical increase is dependent on the amount of stored energy present in Joseph's cells at the time and how many applications it is divided between. At his absolute maximum, Joseph can stimulate his body with enough electricity to hoist a metric tonne above his head, run at sixty miles per hour, react in a fraction or second or jump nearly thirty feet into the air. Joseph's body is protected by a bio-electric aura, which acts like a second layer of skin protecting his body from numerous degrees of harm. This aura can extend to other people if held in Joseph's arms or assist him in lifting objects. Combined with stimulated nerves, Joseph is able to lift objects much larger than himself without physics causing the object to buckle or break from his grip. If every ounce of energy in Joseph's body was funneled into his aura, he'd be able to withstand a blast from an explosive or single round from a tank.
Further applications of Joseph's abilities include directing the current within his body into attacks such as adding a 'zap' to his punch or releasing a bolt of electricity from his palm. If Joseph were to expel all the electricity stored in his cells he could hit with the force of nearly a hundred million volts, equal to that of a lightning bolt. Lastly Joseph can absorb electrical energy from external sources however his storage is not limitless. Over storage can lead to extreme pain or even death is Joseph were to be pushed far past his limits.
//SKILLS:◼ MEDICAL TRAINING | As an EMT, Joseph is able to treat numerous injuries and ailment in the field. In addition to this, Joseph can sustain the life of a person, postponing death in the events of life threatening injuries until they can reach proper treatment. Notably, Joseph's skills are hinged on having the proper supplies although he can be pragmatic and use whatever is at hand when necessary.
//LIMITATIONS:◼ ENERGY STORES | Joseph's energy stores are his greatest limitation. As his powers require constant energy, he needs to recharge whether naturally or through an external source. Deprived of food or rest, Joseph would at best be able to regenerate very slowly and at worst unable to regenerate at all. External sources increase his ability to recharge at a rapid rate but at risk of overcharging and causing his cells to literally burn him up from the inside. When Joseph's abilities are in use the energy stores are divided between his numerous abilities. Using one ability only moderately drains his stores while combined abilities provide a much more rapid drain. Expelling electrical attacks can drain his stores at an incredible rate only comparable to absorbing massive damage with his electrical aura. The more damage the aura absorbs, the more it drains on Joseph's energy stores meaning it's potentially his most draining ability.
◼ METAL | Among Joseph's greatest ally in a fight, metal can also be used against him. If he were imprisoned in a metal cage, his electrical attacks would likely be turned back on him. While this wouldn't necessarily harm Joseph due to his ability to absorb the energy, it certainly would not aid him either.
//WEAKNESSES:◼ MAGNETISM | Magnetic fields can cause a disturbance in Joseph's electrical abilities most notably his aura which leaves Joseph vulnerable to harm from the most basic attacks. Further more strong enough magnetic fields can completely nullify Joseph's abilities or cause them to act erratically, boosting their potency and draining them due to the strain.
◼ IONIZED LIQUIDS | Ionized liquids like most bodies of water can disrupt Joseph's abilities, causing him to discharge all stored energy and prevent him from absorbing or generating new energy while trapped in the water or soaking wet.
◼ INSULATORS | Insulators such as rubber and other non-conductive materials can prove troublesome for Joseph as they protect from his more potent abilities and can pass through his aura. This also means if he were forced to wear a rubber based suit he wouldn't be able to expel stored energy or absorb new electricity if previously drained.▼ M O T I V A T I O N / O B J E C T I V E:"The city is hurting, it's time someone helped her."TBD▼ N O T E S:"It's the people waiting for me at home that keep me going each and every day."//SUPPORTING CAST:▼ ALLIES◼ TBD | Test
▼ FRIENDS◼ THOREAU, ANDREW | Joseph's father and Larissa's current District Attorney.
◼ THOREAU, FORREST | Joseph's grandfather and father figure. Forrest and Joseph have a bond that Andrew is incredibly jealous of both due to his distance from his father and the attention stolen from his son.
◼ THOREAU, SAMANTHA (neé RUSSELLS) | Joseph's mother and one time lover to the billionaire Charles Micheals. Samantha had previously been involved in a whirlwind romance with the billionaire before being scorned and sent into the arms of Andrew Thoreau. Finding herself with child, Samantha and Thoreau married giving birth to their son Joseph.
◼ TBD | Test
▼ ENEMIES◼ TBD | Test
//STOMPING GROUNDS◼ TBD | Test
//PARAPHERNALIA◼ TBD | Test
Now I know you always beef them, but you've got to cut a good bit of fat off of this one. He traipses over into Miles' and Andrews category a bit much for my liking and technically Ram (but that's not your fault because I haven't explicitly given his powers and he's acting as an almost kind of placeholder).
I'd challenge you to focus on putting him in a niche. He shouldn't be able to fill all the roles of a team. If most of these applications are end goal applications, then I'd like something that indicates so.
The pictures and quotes are nice (shirtless yaaay), but they're fluff for me tbh. I care about character content.
So he's accepted cuz you're you and based on the strength of that backstory/character, but those powers gotta be cleaned up
I enjoy the power and idea, so I hope there is a way to aptly use the powers while toning it down.
