Post by John Whitlock on Apr 23, 2023 6:56:11 GMT -5
WELCOME TO LOS EUROSIA,
JOHN ELLIOTT WHITLOCK
"Don't blame the Devil for the evils of menHe'll gnash his teeth before you
But he won't bind your hands"
BASICS
NAME: John Whitlock
AGE: 37 years old
-----> Aged up to 38 years old on 01/07/24
BIRTHDATE: January 7th (Capricorn)
PRONOUNS: He/Him
SEXUALITY: Heterosexual
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single (Widowed)
OCCUPATION: Forest Ranger & Wildlife Officer for Los Eurosia National Forest
Former Police Officer (Riverside, CA)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Lives on a secluded plot of land outside of Los Eurosia's city limits, up in the mountains, butted up right against the National Forest. This was once a "summer cabin" he built for he and his wife years ago.
MEMBER GROUP: Blackstorm
POWERS:
Shapeshifter - John can transform and take the form of any animal. This is a painful process and when he takes an animal's shape he does lose some of his humanity; as in, he is governed less by logic and more by the animal instinct attributed to the animal. It is harder to transform back if these instincts have kicked in to a great extreme; an example being if he's become super aggressive or defensive and is so strongly in his fight-or-flight, it will be more difficult to grasp his humanity enough to shift back. Transforming does take a lot of energy, so shifting into an animal that is much larger or much smaller than himself can leave him incredibly taxed afterward.
While shapeshifted — no matter the animal form or its typical coloring and/or expected markings — John's pelt, fur, feathers, whatever are always the same. Black, grizzled by gray/white. Some of the more notable scars that adorn his human body (like the one above his right eye and the gouges across his chest) can be recognized upon his beast body as well. His animal forms usually carry the semblance of being strong, a bit larger than the norm, and healthy, if not somewhat shaggy and hard.
THE LOOKS
HEIGHT: 6'4''
WEIGHT: ~220lbs
HAIR COLOR: Black
EYE COLOR: Brown
FACE CLAIM: Rahul Kohli
OVERALL APPEARANCE: John is joked to look more bear than man. He's tall, broad, and quite brawny due to genetics and his hard, outdoor living. But despite his size, John moves through the forest with the grace and quiet of a skilled hunter. He's all muscle and hard planes, with a consistent mottling of scars across his dark skin (the most notable being deep gouges across his chest and stomach from a particularly nasty fight with a mountain lion). Living outside of Los Eurosia, up in the mountains, he's typically dressed in layers and favors neutral colors.
His thick hair is black and cropped short, peppered thoroughly with wisps of silver/gray. The mess of hair is usually well-kept (with minimal effort) and, likewise, he keeps his equally-thick boxed beard neatly trimmed. His eyes are a very dark shade of brown and piercing; always weighing and observing like a predatory bird. A scar carves a line through his right eyebrow. His face is boxy and masculine, set with an unyielding rigidness. While his features are certainly capable of warmth — something suggested by the faint, wrinkled laugh lines at the corners of his eyes and mouth — it isn't often he's relaxed enough to let the calculating coldness melt away.
He still wears his wedding band despite being widowed for over five years.
INSIDE
LIKES:
- The thrill of the hunt and running on all fours through the forest
- Soaring through the sky on the beat of his wings
- Crisp mornings and quiet sunrises
- Black coffee and cheap alcohol
- Moonlight, stars, being outside on clear nights
DISLIKES:
- The Guild/Hunters or anyone else who preys on the weak
- People who are too cheery/too talkative (especially early in the morning)
- Naivety and bright-eyed innocence; eternal optimism and the like
- Playing "games", beating around the bush, and also annoying "red tape"
- Becoming too feral when shapeshifting and losing control
STRENGTHS:
- Is capable of being a steadfast protector and confidant
- Self-sustained and independent, fine on his own
- Observant and perceptive, can read people/situations well
- Capable of thinking on his feet, strong-willed and confident
- Backboned, not like to back down or be pushed over
WEAKNESSES:
- Untrusting, can be pretty chilly and stark toward strangers
- Stubborn, not like to change his mind once he's decided (and he decides quickly)
- Short-fuse, quick to anger and merciless once provoked
- Emotionally-constipates, not good at working through feelings
- Incredibly impatient and fairly intolerant — can be an asshole
OVERALL PERSONALITY:
Loyal - John isn't as easy to befriend as he once was and keeps his circles incredibly small. But if you still somehow find yourself being someone he trusts and cares about, you'll discover he's very dependable. To his friends and loved ones, John won't hesitate to be the steadfast protector and confidant. You can always count on him to rise up and stand firm in the defense/support of his brood. And once you're "under his wing", it's no easy task to free yourself.
Perceptive - John can read people and situations quite well, even when presented with little information. He's observant and will pick up on the most subtle of clues; changes in one's tone, their body language, the air about them, etc. As an accomplished hunter/trapper, he's naturally very aware of everything around him and is also a highly-instinctual and intuitive guy who trusts his gut.
Decisive - John doesn't hesitate when it comes to taking action or even taking charge when the situation demands. He's capable of thinking on his feet, coming up with what he feels is the best solution to problems, and following through on these solutions without doubt or stumbling. He's strong-willed and confident in his choices. Back when he was a police officer, he was very much a leader whom his coworkers rallied behind and trusted to take responsibility. This decisiveness has its obvious downsides, however. Once he's decided something — that someone can't be trusted, for example — he isn't like to change his mind. He's steadfast and stubborn once he's formed an opinion, even when presented with new information or when it becomes obvious he may have misjudged. He also makes his judgment quickly, leaving no one time to figure him out or deceive him.
Protective - While John will be merciless toward those he deems undeserving of compassion, he is actually a caring, compassionate individual. He will not stand idly by while someone weak is struggling. He won't hesitate to help someone who is suffering, give to someone in need, or rise to defend someone who requires protection. He can be stupidly brave and sacrificial when it comes to playing heroics; willing to go out of his way to prevent others from hardship, even to his own detriment.
Untrusting - John has become incredibly guarded since the murder of his wife and daughter. He isn't as open or sharing as he once was, with anyone. He keeps to himself, doesn't actively seek companionship, and can be pretty chilly and stark toward strangers. Earning his confidence is a rocky road and, even once won, he can still be infuriatingly evasive and distant; almost unwilling to share his thoughts, his feelings, his life, etc... even with friends.
Volatile/Violent - John is a short-fuse. He's quick to anger and will readily rise to goading/baiting. He's certainly capable of "seeing red" and, when push comes to shove, he acts viciously and without mercy. His rage, once provoked, is that of an animal; lip-curling, teeth-baring violence wielded with the intent to find a quick means to an end. He won't shy from beating the shit out of someone and bloodying his hands.
Emotionally Constipates - John has a habit of not letting himself process or feel his emotions. He will instead bury them, ignore them, and let them build and fester until it bursts from him all at once in a very un-pretty (and often destructive) way. His wife once helped him with this a great deal; coaxing what needed coaxed out of him and being the voice of reason when he was avoiding some great breaking within him but, now without her, he can be a rampaging bomb of emotions at times.
Impatient - While John can be patient when it comes to hunting/trapping, that's just about it. When it comes to waiting on people or anything else, he's decidedly irritable. He doesn't want to dance around a fight, or let animosities slowly accumulate, but wants to get it over and done with. He's always willing to rush through anything to get to the end.
BACKGROUND
HOMETOWN: Modesto, CA
FAMILY: Melina Whitlock (Mother/Gifted/Alive), Steven Whitlock (Father/Human/Alive), River Hawthorne (Half-Brother/Gifted/Status Unknown), Slade Hawthorne (Half-Brother/Gifted/Status Unknown), Amber Whitlock (Sister/Gifted/Alive), Heaven Whitlock (Niece/Gifted/Alive), Eliza Whitlock (Wife/Human/Dead), Claire Kiser (Sister-In-Law/Human/Alive), Michael Kiser (Brother-In-Law/Human/Alive)
PETS: A mutt dog named Crosshair. He was his wife's dog before she passed and, while John never cared for him quite as much as Eliza did, he still kept the dude around. If just to have someone to mourn and feel her absence with. He's old and slow now. And John has admittedly come to care for him quite a bit. (x)
HISTORY: (CW: Mentions of drugs and death)
John was born to a humble family in Modesto, CA. He had two older half-brothers, his mother's children from an abusive relationship before she met John's father, and one younger sister. His parents were drug-slingers but his father was a high-functioning, hardworking addict, so while they were always poor and often hungry, there was always a roof above their heads. The children grew up knowing struggle, but grew up close — particularly John and Amber, his sister. The two younger children shared the same Gift and would often be running about as animals, terrorizing the town and finding scraps to eat. The two older boys very early got into drugs and were often erratic and irrational; always stealing, disappearing for days at a time, and getting in all sorts of trouble.
The family was oft evicted and always moving around; switching schools and moving towns in order to escape whatever trouble they'd found themselves in. Their dad always managed to find odd-jobs — as a mechanic, mostly — and often enlisted John to help with these jobs. John was a hard kid to manage in school — always getting in fights when people invaded his space and always arguing with his teachers. He was the only one of his siblings to graduate however, as his brothers dropped out in their freshman years, and his sister dropped out in her sophomore year. John and his sister's boyfriend were very close and did construction jobs together, even while John was still juggling high school. He left home early, going to school, going to work, and sleeping in his car. His sister's boyfriend eventually made his own construction company, where John worked for a long while before finally enlisting to become a police officer.
John really found his place as a uniformed officer. He enjoyed his job, became less angry, and grew into a leader among the ranks, trusted by his coworkers to take responsibility and do well. He found an apartment in Riverside, CA and stopped living in his car. He remained close with his sister and her boyfriend, but not so much with the rest of his family. He met his future-wife Eliza; an intelligent, capable police officer who also lived in Riverside. It was a quick, passionate admission of love, following on the heels of a competitive rivalry and matched snark. They were married within the year and bought a beautiful home in a decent, suburban neighborhood to presumably live out the rest of their lives.
However, Eliza was a great police officer, and being a great police officer in Riverside came with its dangers. She poked too close into certain affairs and arrested a dangerous man; a malicious higher-up in Guild hierarchy, with crooked lawyers and an abundance of wealth to bounce him from the legal system almost as quickly as he was nabbed. And Eliza, who weeks earlier discovered she was expecting their first child, was found dead in a ditch, cut from stem to stern.
John was, of course, devastated. He quit his job, sold his house, and withdrew to Los Eurosia; cutting ties with most everyone and becoming the gruff, distrustful hermit he is today. He moved into the "summer cabin" he'd built them years prior, tucked into the mountains near the National Forest, and lived off the land; hunting and trapping to sustain himself and make a small living selling furs, milk, and meat. Eventually, after years of near-solitude, he was approached by some old friends in the Force and offered a job as a Forest Ranger in the neighboring forest. He accepted.
THE PLAYER
NAME: Rinse
AGE: 27
TIMEZONE: Central (US)
