Name: William Charles “Liam” O’Neill
Age: 31
Appearance
Personality: Stoic in his surface demeanor, Liam carries a sombre aire about himself through most times. His expression rarely shifts from a resting neutrality, and in the moments that it does, it may seem strained, weird, or even outright forced; this leads some to question whether he feels anything or has a true sense of empathy. His stone-faced nature is only reinforced by his preference for remaining silent unless either absolutely necessary, or otherwise entirely confident in his ability to speak to a topic or situation. He tends to be more a person of action, a doer rather than a sayer; even so, he’s not always the most decisive about when and/or how to act, and even less so against and/or for whom he should be acting.
Nonetheless, Liam can be well regarded as a reliable and trustworthy individual. One whose actions will fall in line with his words, and who wastes little time or energy in subversion or coercion. He speaks his truths outright, often bluntly, and though it may at times result in another’s hurt, he seldom, if ever, delivers his truth as anything other than an admission and acceptance of his own thoughts and feelings. His sense of ownership over himself and his general reliability do have the tendency to recoil on him, to the point that the mistreatment and neglect he’s taken from others occasionally frames in his mind as personal shortcoming.
Powers
The Dive: A Mind of Sword & Shield
- The Sword. There is no trickery. No sneaking around. No passive toying or finicking. No misdirection or deceit. There’s only a single, direct, piercing strike. Swift and decisive. With a force of sharpened will power, Liam focuses the power of his mind as a spear into the mind of another. To the non-psychic, it is, if not fatal, disabling. To the Broken psychic caught off their guard, it can be disorienting, or at least distracting. To the unbroken psychic, it carries a small, but real, potential to be the force that breaks them.
- The Shield. The sword is useless without a shield to accompany it. Liam’s power can, contrarily, serve as a barrier, blocking minds from the influence of others. It can prevent mind reading, retain controlling efforts, and even prevent or diminish the breaking of a mind.
- The Sacrifice. To fully use the Sword, Liam must compromise the protection of the Shield. To use the Shield to its fullest potential, Liam must withhold the Sword. To keep both up means to compromise their effectiveness, and to strain the mind. While he can bring his Shield to protect the mind of another, it means leaving his own exposed.
The Basics
- Kinetic Generation. This is, in a sense, a form of telekinesis. However, it trades in the refinement of concisely manipulating the movement of objects for amplified power. Application of this power results in the creation of concussive forces which can vary in terms of density and area covered; smaller, denser forces are generally the most effective in terms of ease of use balancing with the desired result. Applied more creatively, it may open the door to other abilities as well.
- Shockwaves. A related power to kinetic generation, but considered, at least by Liam, to be a separate one in its own right, shockwaves produce kinetic force outward in all directions, it is the bridge between offensive and defensive, allowing the waiving of assailment, while being capable of simultaneously harm those caught within its range. The further out the shockwave emanates from its epicenter, the weaker its effects become.
- Force Field. A more controlled variation on the Shockwave. Force fields maintain a flux of kinetic energy over a sustained time frame, while retaining a specified range from their epicenter from which any movement or adjustment is moderated so as not to explode outward. The larger the force field’s area of effect, the more difficult it is to maintain, and the more likely it is to have a conceivable “weak spot.”
Psychic Specialty
Vim & Vigor
The psychic power of Liam’s mind has a potent and strong relationship with his physical body. It is such that he is able to effectively divert the energy that his psyche would otherwise expel outward to a more inward focus. Through this, he is able to convert this power into a physiological energy, through which his body and brain are able to optimize and exceed their normal limitations. In doing so, Liam effectively replicates the popularized effects of manipulating forces such as Chi. By way of his psychic power he is able to hone his traditional senses, energize and strengthen his body to break beyond physical barriers, and even reinforce his willpower and resilience against the invasive proclivities of other psychic applications.
The Drawback
Just as Liam’s application of his psychic powers mimics the effects associated with chi-like concepts, so too does it succumb to the same faults. The reservoir from which he pulls this energy is less of a river and more of a pond or pool. It’s limit in any given period of time is finite, and is drained depending on the length of application and amount of power implemented through it. Sooner or later, he will tire. And due to the nature of his application, both his mind and body are left in need of rest and recuperation.
Archetype: The Hero
Enter the Warrior (Today’s Tom Sawyer)
The unfettered, unrestrained essence of all that Liam is and aspires to be. The Hero stands tall above him and many others in the visage of a warrior or knight-like figure. Clad in armor not unlike the Gladiators of ancient Rome, he is fit, and powerful, with a presence that needs only to be and do, and forgo the need for words. An outward expression, it symbolizes Liam’s power with a sword wielded in one hand, and shield in the other. It moves with decision and precision, leaving nothing to regret from lack of action.
Skills: - Fighting. Not trained extensively in any form or style, but rather, learned and studied on his own time. Something of an improvised combatant, implementing bits and pieces of knowledge he’s acquired into his own brand.
- Jack-of-all-Trades. Liam has worked in theaters, in warehouses, and at parks to name a few. He’s been a custodian, a landscaper, an equipment operator. He spent a brief time formally studying music. In his youth, he enjoyed the outdoors, developing a competency in hiking and outdoor navigation by map and compass. He’s pulled the triggers of rifles and shotguns, and hit his fair share of bullseyes with a bow and arrow. He’s been no stranger to sports and athletic pursuits. Overall, he’s gone well out of his way over his lifetime to explore as many avenues as he could, creating a general sensibility that can relate to a vastness of topics on, at the very least, a surface level.
History: Some people break hard all in one fell swoop. Others break steadily over time, small chips and cracks caving their resolve, casting them further into doubt until they shatter. Others expand until they snap like rubber bands. The latter adequately describes Liam.
From a seemingly stable childhood, he’s since reflected on a series of missteps in his upbringing. Parents that, good as their intentions were, never seemed keen on giving him room to spread his wings. An older sibling who was subtly favored, whose freedom was enabled in ways Liam never was, and whose accomplishments left the younger brother struggling to escape his elder’s shadow. Through his days in school he was generally without much beyond going to classes and going home; few, if any, friendships presented themselves beyond the walls of the school building, and Liam thus, resigned himself to the pursuit of his own interests, spending many years in self-reflection.
Much of his life between then and now was generally uneventful. Successes in his youth in regards to winning seasons with sports teams and other competitive ensembles brought their due joy, and by the time he was twenty three, he had traveled more of the United States than most people. He spent much of his collegiate life wandering and exploring, switching majors and attempting to shoulder courses that were generally over his head. All the while he developed a laser focus on his commitment to others, going out of his way to volunteer his time to tasks that others couldn’t be bothered with, and seldom asking for time off from work.
Entering adulthood found him lost, and, for a long while, having turned his back on his passions and ambitions in the name of responsibility. A long stretch of unfulfilling jobs followed. In tandem, came a run of broken relationships, and parting of ways with friends and some family. A few, in particular, left him in a state of abandonment. Depression setting in, and the idolization of ‘heroes’ that presented themselves in his life, drove him to regain his lost ground at the expense of his self care. Soon thereafter, came an episode of drug use… LSD visited his bloodstream on more than one occasion. Cannabis became a regular coping mechanism to the point of burnout.
Before long the realities set in: he couldn’t be everywhere and do everything. Not everyone that he stepped up to support was inclined to reciprocate his good will.
Thus he snapped, and thus, retreated inward to rediscover himself. Over months, he fortified his mind. He learned what he could of the sorts that would attempt to break his sense of self; a particular resistance to gaslighting manifested. Through a slew of vivid dreams exercising the veils of self doubt, he began solidifying himself once more…
It was amid this process, that ESP found their way to him… the rest… is a story yet to unfold.
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