Xaltwind
CitrusArms
rabidbacon
Remram
ColdAtlas
princess
Damycles
PapaOso
KingofSerpents
[ NAME ]
Valerie Nicole Alvarez
[ HERO IDENTITY ]
Blaze
[ NICKNAME/ALIAS ]
Val, Torch, Burns, Hot Stuff
[ AGE ]
22
[ GENDER ]
Female
[ AFFILIATION ]
H.E.R.O.
[ APPEARANCE ]
Valerie stands at 5’5, has a light brown complexion, and a toned and defined musculature. She has mid-length wavy chestnut hair which falls just past her sharp chin. Her narrow dark brown eyes are framed by thick brows. She’s got sharp cheekbones, an upturned nose, narrow chin, and thick lips. There is a barely noticeable smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks. She has small scars all over her body, and her palms are especially rough and calloused, while her nails are lightly fraying despite being relatively short.
When it comes to her demeanor, she’s quite expressive, and it’s usually easy to tell what she’s feeling. She walks with a confident swagger; spine straight, chin up, gaze unflinching. When she speaks up, she makes sure to be heard, even if she has to be somewhat loud. She’s also the type to gesticulate when talking. She generally tries to listen to her conversation partners, though sometime her impatience may lead her to interrupt another.
As for clothing, Valerie is fond of sports clothing. Leggings, tracksuits, shorts, t-shirts, sleeveless tops, sports jackets, sneakers, the works. When she wants to dress nicer, she’ll just go with jeans and maybe a button-down shirt instead of her usual. Besides some specialty items, her hero outfit is whatever cheapest things she can find – whatever she wouldn’t mind destroying. So, her working outfits tend to be even worse, as they’re often the wrong size, stained, torn, washed out, or otherwise heavily used. No need to dress up when the stuff’s not making it through, after all.
When it comes to her demeanor, she’s quite expressive, and it’s usually easy to tell what she’s feeling. She walks with a confident swagger; spine straight, chin up, gaze unflinching. When she speaks up, she makes sure to be heard, even if she has to be somewhat loud. She’s also the type to gesticulate when talking. She generally tries to listen to her conversation partners, though sometime her impatience may lead her to interrupt another.
As for clothing, Valerie is fond of sports clothing. Leggings, tracksuits, shorts, t-shirts, sleeveless tops, sports jackets, sneakers, the works. When she wants to dress nicer, she’ll just go with jeans and maybe a button-down shirt instead of her usual. Besides some specialty items, her hero outfit is whatever cheapest things she can find – whatever she wouldn’t mind destroying. So, her working outfits tend to be even worse, as they’re often the wrong size, stained, torn, washed out, or otherwise heavily used. No need to dress up when the stuff’s not making it through, after all.
[ PERSONALITY TRAITS ]
Tough. She can take a beating, and she’s muddled through a fair few low points before. She knows how to handle failure and opposition, how to remain sane even if it looks like it’s just her against the world. Her coping mechanisms might not be the healthiest, but at least they keep her alive and active. Admittedly, she also often affects an apathetic nonchalance, and a prickly protective exterior. Whatever vulnerabilities she has, she hides fiercely, as to show even a hint of them is a risk of future exploitation.
Driven. She’s seen what giving up looks like, and doesn’t want to end up like it. So, she pushes herself onwards, even when it’s difficult, even when she’s full of crippling doubts. Sure, sometimes it’s just spite or bitterness that fuels her – but, hey, whatever works. And, believe it or not, she doesn’t have just herself to think about.
Thrill-seeker. The daily drudgery of life is just so mind numbing, she has to have something to keep her going. Whether that’s going new places, meeting new people, or trying new things, as long as it promises to be stimulating, she’s likely to try it at least once. Her desire for an adrenaline high gets her into many a fight, and plenty of other dangerous situations besides.
Driven. She’s seen what giving up looks like, and doesn’t want to end up like it. So, she pushes herself onwards, even when it’s difficult, even when she’s full of crippling doubts. Sure, sometimes it’s just spite or bitterness that fuels her – but, hey, whatever works. And, believe it or not, she doesn’t have just herself to think about.
Thrill-seeker. The daily drudgery of life is just so mind numbing, she has to have something to keep her going. Whether that’s going new places, meeting new people, or trying new things, as long as it promises to be stimulating, she’s likely to try it at least once. Her desire for an adrenaline high gets her into many a fight, and plenty of other dangerous situations besides.
[ BIO ]
Valerie was born to María José Estrada Alvarez, a carioca immigrant to the US, and Nelson Matthew Knight, a native Castleburgian. She was the second child, and had an older brother by the name of Elias Luciano. They lived a few uneventful years in East Flank, where her father worked as a business man, her mother as a medical professional, and Valerie and Elias attended school. While Elias was the more studious, serious sibling, Valerie was rambunctious and free-spirited. Nonetheless, the two got along well.
It was at the end of her elementary schooling that things changed. Her father suddenly had them move to Brookside, and left a few days later without an explanation. Well, Valerie certainly heard no such thing, and she didn’t think her brother did either. Her mother, however, seemed convinced that Nelson would return by the next year at the latest. It was the beginning of a turbulent period in Val’s life.
The siblings began attending school in Watervale, and their mother switched her working place to a local clinic. Their new place of residence was a downgrade, though it was on the upper side of what you could get in Brookside. Because of this, their apparently moneyed ways, and their sudden and inexplicable arrival, the family was ignored at best, hassled at worst. It took a few years before they were generally accepted and mostly integrated.
At her new school, Valerie felt that sense of otherness as well. The kids knew she was new to South Castle Island, so she was the obvious target for rumors, teasing, and even bullying attempts. But she wasn’t the type to take such a thing lying down; if nothing else, her hot-headed nature assured that she’d retaliate on the spot, whether that was verbally or physically. Though some took that as a challenge to their ‘authority’, others saw value in recruiting her. That was how she joined one of the local youth gangs. This got her some clout, especially when she revealed her superpower.
From then on, she (along with her fellows) got into a lot of trouble. Honestly, she enjoyed the action, the respect upon success, the striving to improve upon a loss, and the few genuine friendships she developed. When Elias moved out after completing high school (to attend uni and find work in New Athens), she truly came to appreciate the companionship. She didn’t even care anymore that her father had never showed up in the end. Nor did she miss her brother’s presence, as she got used to long-distance communication and the occasional visit.
She spent her days of high school on gang activity, working out at the gym, helping at home, hanging out in the local hot spots with friends, and doing class work. When she graduated, she moved on to working odd jobs. Soon, she secured herself long-term employment at a machine shop. The work wasn’t bad, but lacked the excitement she’d got used to. It was after an off-hand joking comment from a friend that she first considered becoming a hero. Besides the working for the government part, the job was practically ideal given what she was looking for. So, she joined H.E.R.O., and has been happier for it.
It was at the end of her elementary schooling that things changed. Her father suddenly had them move to Brookside, and left a few days later without an explanation. Well, Valerie certainly heard no such thing, and she didn’t think her brother did either. Her mother, however, seemed convinced that Nelson would return by the next year at the latest. It was the beginning of a turbulent period in Val’s life.
The siblings began attending school in Watervale, and their mother switched her working place to a local clinic. Their new place of residence was a downgrade, though it was on the upper side of what you could get in Brookside. Because of this, their apparently moneyed ways, and their sudden and inexplicable arrival, the family was ignored at best, hassled at worst. It took a few years before they were generally accepted and mostly integrated.
At her new school, Valerie felt that sense of otherness as well. The kids knew she was new to South Castle Island, so she was the obvious target for rumors, teasing, and even bullying attempts. But she wasn’t the type to take such a thing lying down; if nothing else, her hot-headed nature assured that she’d retaliate on the spot, whether that was verbally or physically. Though some took that as a challenge to their ‘authority’, others saw value in recruiting her. That was how she joined one of the local youth gangs. This got her some clout, especially when she revealed her superpower.
From then on, she (along with her fellows) got into a lot of trouble. Honestly, she enjoyed the action, the respect upon success, the striving to improve upon a loss, and the few genuine friendships she developed. When Elias moved out after completing high school (to attend uni and find work in New Athens), she truly came to appreciate the companionship. She didn’t even care anymore that her father had never showed up in the end. Nor did she miss her brother’s presence, as she got used to long-distance communication and the occasional visit.
She spent her days of high school on gang activity, working out at the gym, helping at home, hanging out in the local hot spots with friends, and doing class work. When she graduated, she moved on to working odd jobs. Soon, she secured herself long-term employment at a machine shop. The work wasn’t bad, but lacked the excitement she’d got used to. It was after an off-hand joking comment from a friend that she first considered becoming a hero. Besides the working for the government part, the job was practically ideal given what she was looking for. So, she joined H.E.R.O., and has been happier for it.
| MISCELLANEOUS |
- Loves exercise (and practices it in a variety of forms, incl. but not limited to jogging, pilates, boxing, weight-lifting).
- Provides her mother with a cut of her pay. While her mother uses some for herself, her compromise for receiving the money was being able to forward some to charity, which Val is fine with. She occasionaly contributes some herself too.
- She is still on good terms with her brother Elias, though neither are the type to make physical visits a common occasion. They can go months or more without any communication, but when they next speak, it's as if there had been no such gap at all.
[ RANKING ]
[ POWERS ]
[ PHYSICAL STRENGTH ]
■■■■□□□□□□
4/10. She’s an active individual who enjoys working out. That, hauling things, punching enemies, carrying allies, and related activities through her life has built some decent muscle.
[ AGILITY ]
■■■■□□□□□□
4/10. Having either chased trouble or run away from it, she knows how to be fast, and has a great sense of maneuvering on the streets. She’s also decently flexible.
[ INTELLIGENCE ]
■■□□□□□□□□
2/10. She is of average intelligence.
[ DESTRUCTIVENESS ]
■■■■■■■■□□
8/10. The amount of heat she generates can’t melt through any and all materials, but can damage a lot of infrastructure. Due to being unable to maintain peak temperature for a long time, the destruction isn’t as widespread as it could otherwise be. It would be simple enough to cause a massive explosion in a city like Castleburg though.
[ LETHALITY ]
■■■■■■■■■□
9/10. People burn easily. She just has to get close enough, or use the environment to her advantage.
[ ENDURANCE ]
■■■■■■□□□□
6/10. Her heat resistance is ridiculously high, though not so much that she’d be immune to it. She can overheat and get injured when facing temperatures higher than what she can produce. Then, there’s the time limit to how long she can generate heat, which is shorter for higher temperatures. Physically speaking, she focuses more so on burst power, but her endurance is decent.
[ EFFICACY ]
■■■■■■□□□□
6/10. Her ability is fairly effective, especially the initial increase in heat. But the gradual build-up to the max, the duration of it, and the limit to how many times she can reach her highest output do limit its overall effectiveness. Her ability is also hazardous, even (especially) accidentally. If (when) a thing goes boom, or a fire occurs, Blaze can’t do anything to control that.
[ SKILLS ]
[ EQUIPMENT ]
B+
[ POWERS ]
Heat generation. Her physical body can generate great amounts of heat, and has a high resistance to heat. The upper point of heat she can produce is 1540 °C (2800 °F), enough to melt steal – though reaching that upper limit takes some minutes. She can get to a 100 °C in a couple of seconds, and can be a bit above a 1000 °C in a few minutes, but needs twice as long to go from the former to her limit. When using her ability, Blaze’s body glows red and yellowish-orange, which may hurt others to look at for too long.
[ PHYSICAL STRENGTH ]
■■■■□□□□□□
4/10. She’s an active individual who enjoys working out. That, hauling things, punching enemies, carrying allies, and related activities through her life has built some decent muscle.
[ AGILITY ]
■■■■□□□□□□
4/10. Having either chased trouble or run away from it, she knows how to be fast, and has a great sense of maneuvering on the streets. She’s also decently flexible.
[ INTELLIGENCE ]
■■□□□□□□□□
2/10. She is of average intelligence.
[ DESTRUCTIVENESS ]
■■■■■■■■□□
8/10. The amount of heat she generates can’t melt through any and all materials, but can damage a lot of infrastructure. Due to being unable to maintain peak temperature for a long time, the destruction isn’t as widespread as it could otherwise be. It would be simple enough to cause a massive explosion in a city like Castleburg though.
[ LETHALITY ]
■■■■■■■■■□
9/10. People burn easily. She just has to get close enough, or use the environment to her advantage.
[ ENDURANCE ]
■■■■■■□□□□
6/10. Her heat resistance is ridiculously high, though not so much that she’d be immune to it. She can overheat and get injured when facing temperatures higher than what she can produce. Then, there’s the time limit to how long she can generate heat, which is shorter for higher temperatures. Physically speaking, she focuses more so on burst power, but her endurance is decent.
[ EFFICACY ]
■■■■■■□□□□
6/10. Her ability is fairly effective, especially the initial increase in heat. But the gradual build-up to the max, the duration of it, and the limit to how many times she can reach her highest output do limit its overall effectiveness. Her ability is also hazardous, even (especially) accidentally. If (when) a thing goes boom, or a fire occurs, Blaze can’t do anything to control that.
[ SKILLS ]
- Melee combat
- DIY
- First aid
- Driving
- Climbing
- Basic cooking
[ EQUIPMENT ]
She has had a pair of underwear woven out of her hair, which remains heat resistant even when cut. Besides that, she wears whatever set of regular clothes and footwear that she is unlikely to miss. She'll sometimes bring alongside some knuckledusters as well.
