This one is essentially my take on what it would be like to play as a regular guy who joined SOLDIER and actually made it in there, unlike Cloud Strife. Plenty of people applied and were accepted, while he was never among their ranks. What would it be like to actually live that life? What motivation would you have to be there, and more importantly to stay with it, at least at first? That's what this character was always about.
Name: Joseph (Joe) Hockner
Age: 22
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Occupation: SOLDIER, 3rd Class
Appearance: As a member of SOLDIER, Joe looks pretty damn fit. Physical training and that Mako cocktail have given him an athletic that makes him quick and agile, with a deceptive level of strength and control that would allow him to heft and swing an oversized weapon easily. He is average in height, verging on 6-foot even, with a few knicks and scratches here and there on his body (but not the face) indicating that he's been through some rough combat. He has short black hair that is a little smoothed back and green eyes with the trademark Mako energy shine found in SOLDIERS. Point-blank, you would call him fairly-handsome...and a smirker. He does seem a bit laid back for most of the time, though obviously his training would allow Joe to react to any situation in a fraction of a second.
He has two regular attires. The first one is his black jeans and mostly-dark-green-with black-highlights shirt, which could be described as his everyday attire (or other sets that look similar to this). Now, something they don't generally show you, but you
hear it being used, is whatever hook or harness SOLDIERS use to put their big damn swords on their back. Joe actually has a homemade one of leather and metal that will similarly allow him to hook ANY sort of heavy package on his back and just go. It's a bit less subtle on his person, but he really doesn't care. His shoes look like exceptionally-good running shoes, maybe a bit sporty-looking, giving him solid grip and tread when he's on the move.
Lastly, Joe has a
SOLDIER uniform, though not that sword. Kind of makes him look like The Shredder, doesn't it?
Personality: He seems like a fairly laid back sort of guy because - generally - he is. Joe is often a get-along guy, neither antagonistic by design, nor quick to anger himself. He's not out to prove anything or massage any egos. What he IS here to do is what he considers the right thing. He has a decent morality crossed with a 'Don't sweat the details' attitude, he who fights monsters but may gamble at Gold Saucer. If you're in a jam, he'll help you. If you're a piece of shit, he'll fight you. Many of the situations he faces will be judged on a case-by-case basis, because he doesn't just do whatever the higher-ups tell him. As a SOLDIER, Joe considers himself to be fairly-autonomous in authority and does things how HE wants, instead of whatever bullshit he might be told.
That's kind of an important thing, right there. He doesn't simply believe what he's told, but investigates and listens to others. Where some might execute because they're callous or psychotic, Joe will figure out a situation fairly quickly when he's serious, and he won't back down easily once he's gotten a handle on the situation, whatever he chooses. And even in a tense situation, despite any potential cursing, he is still able to keep his cool and deal with whatever comes. The only problem is that...due to a particular altercation on the Western Continent...he has developed a fear of heights. He knows that he can survive a fall from high up, but he doesn't like it.
History: On a cold winter night, a traveler came into the town of Kalm (the closest town to the city of Midgar), and requested a room. "We're full up right now, but Miss Hockner down the street said she'd take in anyone we couldn't accommodate." The man nodded and headed down the street. Thanks to the high walls around town to protect it from monsters, the winds weren't so bad anymore. He'd come here over the frozen-over swamp outside of the mythril mines, hoping that the harsh weather would protect him from being attacked by the dreaded Midgar Zolom (a kind of giant snake produced by Mako pollution), but he'd been wrong, and barely escaped a rare
cold version of the serpent, dubbed the Arctic Zolom. The house was quaint, but serviceable, with a plaque over the door reading Golden Gloves, for some reason. His name was Nicholai Derrentier, and he was an explorer looking to find support for an expedition to the frozen north, so really this winter storm was just practice work for him, but the giant snake had left him exhausted, and so refuge seemed to be in order. It was here that he discovered Julia Hockner, student of the master martial artist Zangan and winner of several local fighting championships. Their rendezvous this night would trade several tales of training, fighting, exploration, wonders of the world, and - as time went on - a night of passion and romance which...sadly...did not last. Nicholai was kind of irresponsible, thinking mainly of his work, and that made him kind of an ass and certainly a deadbeat, leaving a woman to look after a child alone while he got (presumably) lost in the northern territories past Icicle and probably died.
And so, we turn to the one born from these two, Joseph - or Joe - Hockner. They kept the name, Hockner, largely
because of Nicholai's irresponsibility and not wanting to be linked with the man. Practically the whole town knew what had happened, but as Julia was a pillar of the community and people in Kalm were fairly understanding, very little came of it. Joe was, therefore, chiefly raised by a woman who trained others to defend themselves and even killed monsters with either her bare hands or a sword. This led him to originally be the kid that others weren't sure they wanted to be around, at least until he let out a jokey sort of manner that seemed to chill them out. Joe grew up in Kalm, helping others out, but eventually he was alone...as his mother eventually died of heart failure. He was in a sympathetic and understanding community, but he still needed to make a living, and around here, if you wanted to make more than a pittance, you needed to be pretty good at whatever it is you do. Since Joe was a halfway-decent fighter, he thought he'd upload thhe family tradition, but he needed more experience and a decent paycheck. That meant Midgar.
With the Wutai War over, not many people were applying for SOLDIER anymore. This actually sounded like good timing, as he'd have less competition. It turns out, it wouldn't be the
only thing he timed well that day. In Midgar, he encountered a lady guard on patrol who was able to guide him through the humongous city, a place he'd surely have gotten lost in without help. Now, normally thhe response to asking to be in SOLDIER was a decided "We'll see.", followed by being made a security guard, but Joe had two things going for him right now. He looked the part with the Iron Sword on his back and he had fighter training and experience. That caught the attention of an
actual member of SOLDIER, a 1st-Class Captain, no less. The man wanted to test him, then,
right in the Shinra lobby! This was a BIT of a shocker, but Joe went with it, and the two of them fought. Well, right off, the Captain's experience and tactics in defending against the other swordsman's wild, forceful attacks made him the superior fighter. However, when he had Joe on the ropes, the young man switched tactics and barely put any strength at all in his next sword swing, so that it was easily deflected, but left the Captain open to hand-to-hand assault when Joe kicked the pommel of the man's sword. He was then tripped to the ground and attacked by fist while Joe kept the heavy sword the man was wielding down with his leg. The Captain had to let it go in order to counter him at all, which left him rather impressed.
For his efforts, Joe was to be tutored by this man, a veteran of the Wutai War, Macintyre Gonovich. He wasn't a legend or anything like the great (and currently missing) Sephiroth, but he'd been there and he'd survived. Mac wielded an impressive arrow-headed blade called a Force Stealer, but strangely...he handed it over to Joe and took his Iron Sword as replacement. He said it was a personal code he lived by, that a man you've been properly bested by and respect deserves your weapon. He'd been to war and fought in this army for years, and nobody had been able to pull a stunt like that on him before. Unfortunately, this also put Joe under the command of the Head of Public Safety, Heidegger, and they did NOT get along. Actually, Joe was fairly certain the man outright hated him and wanted to kill him, pitting him against Shinra robots in dangerous obstacle courses and setting the dogs on him while he was unarmed. That one was
really Joe's fault, however, as he was insubbordinate as hell at times with the flip remarks and such. Hojo didn't like him either. The day they met for his Mako treatment, Hojo injected him with something 'to help absorb the Mako energy more efficiently', gave him his treatement, and when he got out...the man took a scan of his body and got ROYALLY pissed at him, for some reason. Joe never figured that one out, though, and quickly left before the Professor tried to kill 'im with his own sword.
He began his work as a SOLDIER, and you might be asking now...how could a decent man like him work there? Shinra controlled a great many things, a number of his superiors were asses, and their callous behavior alone caused a great deal of hardship for others who were less fortunately, like those down in the slums. The thing you have to remember, though, is that people still have to work and eat. They still need a job, and people who work and survive need others to look after them, people who can help them in a dangerous situation. There's crime and monsters in this town, no matter HOW advanced it is. People need to be kept safe. Someone's gotta walk that beat, and not do it simply because of what a company says, but what needs to be done. That's Joe Hockner.
Weapon: Force Stealer - A heavy
arrow-headed sword that Joe received from his mentor in SOLDIER. Its Bloodsucker ability saps vital strength from defeated foes.
Skills: Driving Slash - A technique he learned from Mac. It looks almost like a golf swing, but is in fact a swift upswing of the blade that can knock many a foe on their back or sent flying of they're charging.
Arrow Stab - An attack that Joe came up with on his own, leaping up and jamming his sword down (point first) on a target to try and harshly stagger them. (He's also used this for pole-vauulting.)
Force Strike - A move that you learn from the blade itself, unleashing latent energies stored within, mixed with your own. It is a wiid-arc energy slash suitable for attacking multiple foes at once.
Equipment: A few Potions, a few Antidotes, SOLDIER ID, a cellphone, and...
Iron Bangle - Pretty standard well-rounded defense.
Sprint Shoes - Shoes which give the wearer great traction and speed when running. (Causes Haste.)
SOLDIER Uniform - Gives some additional padding and protection at the cost of looking like any other SOLDIER. Helps if you don't want to be recognized, but not great if people don't like Shinra.
Materia: Unknown Red Materia (Has never awakened.)
LIMIT BREAK: Red-Eye - Joe's eyes light up from a sudden Berserk status, shortly before launching into several swift attacks as he runs by a target, culminating in him jumping up and slamming down his sword hard enough to leave an imprint on the ground that looks like an open eye. Afterwhich, he is under heavy Adrenaline until either combat stops or someone alters his condition.
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