[hider=Brooks Ellerby]
[b]Name:[/b] Brook Ellerby 
[b]Gender:[/b] Male
[b]Age:[/b] 48
[b]Place of Birth:[/b] Buckhead
[b]Sexuality:[/b] Heterosexual
[b]Relationship Status:[/b] Single
[b]Occupation:[/b] “Restaurant Manager”

[b]Power:[/b]
Shapeshifting.

[b]Cost of powers use:[/b]
Not only is the transformation painful, Brook also retains some of the psychological traits of the animal he shapeshifted in for around an hour after changing back. Whilst shapeshifted his intelligence is hindered by his animal instinct, making it difficult to remain in control.

[b]Appearance:[/b] 
A stocky, slightly chubby male with greying hair and thick eyebrows. His dark brown eyes are deep-set and show the first faint age lines, slightly visible bags and creases. Although he is clean-shaven, he has a fair amount of dark body hair. In his prime, he used to wear clean shirts, blazers and overall expensive clothing; now he has been reduced to a flannel shirt and a pair of jeans. His usually immaculate appearance is starting to deteriorate; his hair is getting greasy and lank, the bags under his eyes are more pronounced and his clothes are disheveled. His distinctive lips are typically pursed into a solemn frown.

[b]Skills:[/b] 

[i]Strategist:[/i] Able to plan things out, look at a map, organise and prepare for things. Able to measure people’s strengths and weaknesses up and place them in the best positions.

[i]Realist:[/i] Able to make the hard choices for the benefit of the team. Not afraid of getting his hands dirty. Doesn’t make stupid sacrifices - knows when to run away.

[i]Business:[/i] Makes deals and keeps networks of contacts, can always put a name to a face, knows how to get bargains/make compromises. Very good with finances. Knows when he’s being lied to, can smell a scam or a trap a mile off.

[b]Personality:[/b]    
Brooks is not like the stereotypical gang leader. He’s practical, looking after the people in his territory and winning them over so he can manipulate and exercise his control later on. His firm, cold demeanour emanates authority, but his respect needs to be earned through actions before he can trust you. A pessimistic attitude has allowed him to be able to expect the worst and avoid nasty surprises; he rarely sees the good in people, and understands that there is no moral code in life. This style of thinking has made Brooks very selfish and he will stoop to any level to protect himself.

Despite the cool and indiscernible exterior, Brooks is a very volatile and passionate person. A mothers-boy and a family man at heart, he is prepared to take on any challenge to protect those he truly cares for. His bouts of anger and violent unpredictability, though rarely directed at his precious group of friends, have nevertheless tarnished his reputation by making him intimidating. There are very few who know how to placate him, even fewer who would actually be able to pull it off. 

[b]History:[/b] 

[i]“I don’t wanna’ be a product of my own environment, I want my environment to be a product of me. Way back when we had the church, that was just another way of sayin’ we had each other. Twenty years later we got people scrounging for corners, and dyin’ over districts.
If I got one thing against ‘em it’s this - No one gives it to ya’, you have to take it. 
                                                                                                                              
Tin ‘n’ Lint. I spent many a childhood days here, my face pressed against the window along with the other kids staring at the South-end's biggest and meanest men... Stories of their very actions boggling and filling our childhood minds with dreams of one day becoming like them. Now these men were proper animals, they owned these streets. Our dead-beat fathers feared ‘em, our Mothers warned us to stay away from ‘em. You can imagine what kinda’ honor I felt when I was allowed to waiter for ‘em in there. Hearing about their latest busts, debts they racked in, who’s safe and who ain’t? It was only time till one of ‘em pulled me aside and told me to deliver a message to Tony from further down the block. Messages became packages. Packages became threats. Threats became reality. And -snap- I was locked on.

There used to be a lot of bars down here in the south end. Though only two mattered. We had the Tin n’ Lint, and Ray’s Happy Birthday Bar. The Tin ‘n’ Lint boys decided it’d be a good idea to spread their operations from street-corners to districts instead. Crisped Ray’s joint up proper. 
Now whether that was a good idea or not is debated still to this date, because no one expected the holy crusade the cops would have pulled on the South-ends asses after a menial stung like that..
I’m talking busts, stings, undercovers, mass-arrests… the biggest baddest men in the south didn’t know what hit ‘em. Their castles o’ stone turned to cheese after the first wave of rats started gnawing and nibbling into pig’s ears. 
As it turned out, the Tin n’ Lint crooks didn’t have as much fear over the people as they thought. People were all too eager to speak up against their “brutality” towards the common folk. They weren’t wrong either.

And then there was me. Fatherless, mother's-boy, me.
My idols turning out to be weaker than ever, junkies n’ crack addicts littering the streets?
There was one thing I decided to do. No one gives it you, you -take- it.
If there’s one thing that all southies are on board with, it’s religion.
Being a criminal is much like being a mayor or president, really.
With the people's support you’re -untouchable-.

Make the Elderly happy by knowing they won’t die alone.
Calm the mothers by watching over their kids.
Keep the fathers pleased with secure jobs.
Thanksgiving turkey is just a bonus.

You don’t just make sure your gangs happy, you make sure the people surrounding your gang are happy, -they’re- the real threat.
I own the Tin n’ Lint now. I also own this street and the one down there. Fuck, I own this whole district.”[/i]

- Brooks Ellerby to Abigail Harlow

[/hider]


Heya! I'm a friend of Stitches, my character being linked with hers. I just wanted to point out that i'm fairly new to forum roleplay, and completly open to any criticism to help improve my CS. I hope it's decent enough, and look forward to RPing with you all!