Name:
Jude Davis
Alias:
N/A, hasn't really thought about it
Experience:
86 Days
Hometown:
Blüdhaven
Age:
20
Powers:
Unbeknownst to Jude, the "comet" that struck him was actually the depowered staff of an Indigo Lantern Tribesman. When it struck the earth it had no way of protecting itself and shattered on impact, embedding hundreds of shards into Jude's body. Normally the shards are inert and powerless, but when Jude sees someone in trouble the fragments absorb his compassion in an effort to recharge and reform.. However due to the damage the purified emotional energy leaks into Jude's body, strengthening him and shielding him from harm. So far the highest level of strength he can reach is to lift 25 tons but it's a rare occurrence, with 10 tons being the norm.
Weaknesses:
As his powers are fueled by his compassion Jude needs an object to project upon for his abilities to work, otherwise he is completely powerless. He must be able to see or hear people in need or in pain to activate his abilities, otherwise he's a just a normal guy.
Reason for joining Robin?:
Initially agreed to joining because he was already fighting crime, might as well get a roof over his head for it. However as time went on Jude begrudgingly found himself getting endeared to the young hero's lofty ideals and his own desire to protect people.
Appearance:
Standing at 6'4 Jude has always been a big kid and with his training under Batman has begun to develop some real muscle. He's got the face of a thug, very rough with a nose forged by one punch too many and peppered with small scars that appear to have cut and burned their way through in equal measures. These peculiar scars travel downwards and touch each limb one way or another, with the majority of them clustered around his chest. Finally his irises have changed to indigo and glow when his powers are in use, faint indigo vapor trails rising from his eyes while light leaks from his scars.
His choice in clothing is very practical, simple and dark t-shirts, thick jeans, and steel toed boots being the staple. The flashiest thing he owns is a leather jacket he stole from a crook, a well worn thing with yellow sleeves and a thunderbolt embroidered on the back. In fact, Jude's "hero outfit" is little more than what he was wearing that day, a bandana pulled over the lower half of his face, a pair of sunglasses, and a simple billed hat. He shaves his head.
Personality:
Jude is, for the most part a very thin brick wall. The stoicism is very much real and it'll take some work to punch through, but once you do you'll find that It's all a farce. As much as he's loath to admit it, Jude feels far too much for his own good and has been forced to bottle it up for far too long. Needing to grow up fast for the benefit of others, Jude isn't equipped to deal with the flood of emotions he's been walling off for the past ten years and is struggling to keep it all contained and out of sight from the others.
Yet, when he isn't tiptoeing around a mental breakdown, you will find him to be an affable if not restrained sort. He doesn't normally shy away from social interactions and will usually indulge his teammates in whatever they ask of him outside of duty. He has a dry, sardonic humor that uses as both a way to connect to others and as a defense mechanism. Jude has a soft spot for kids and prioritizes their safety far above his own, this spreads to most people younger than him but the paternal feelings leave around 18. He doesn't smile often but when he does, it rivals the sun.
BRIEF Bio:
His is a long story, full of loss, hardship, pain, and perseverance. It began soon after his twelfth birthday when his father, an retired boxer who owned a gym, refused to pay protection money from one of the local gangs and sent their boys packing with some new broken bones and missing teeth. Naturally the gang didn't appreciate this much and decided an example was needed. Que one fire bombing and Jude was sans a father, a home, and bounced between foster homes for a year before finally running away all together with his friends, Roach and Avery.
The years went by, the three urchins adopting a nomadic lifestyle of pickpocketing, petty thievery, and eventually mugging to get by while avoiding the various street gangs like the plague. They became known for protecting other kids and spying on parents they suspected of abusing their kids, gathering evidence and anonymously tipping off CPS. Around the time of his eighteenth birthday the three had become something like folk heroes to the little kids of The Blüd, with Jude especially taking time to teach many kids how to throw a punch like his own old man did for him.
Things took a turn for the sour however when a splinter gang from Gotham showed up and started raising hell. They destroyed and hurt people for the sheer sadism of it, claiming it was all a big joke and they were the punch line. Jude didn't like that shit at all, and neither did the Black Street Hounds. The Hounds were one of the "good gangs", staying away from drugs and mainly working through extortion and violence to keep order in their turf. Jude, Roach, and Avery soon offered their services if it meant getting at this gang of jokers who had endangered a lot of people. The leader of the Hounds agreed and soon enough there was a brawl.
The fighting was intense, the Hounds were a tough crew but this new gang was hopped on so many drugs that they took every hit with a laugh and fought twice as hard as before. The fighting was caught in a stalemate until Roach was brought down by five gang members, holding him down as they stabbed him to death. Seeing his childhood friend laying in a pool of his own caused something in Jude snap and from what he was told later, become the scariest thing anyone had ever seen. Taking a wrench Jude became a whirlwind of blows, breaking arms, fracturing ribs, and pulverizing the jaws of those who had killed his friend. Then, seemingly as an act of divine will, his world exploded into shrapnel and fire as a comet struck at his feet.
Unconsciousness took him soon after the blast and when he next woke he was in the basement of the Hound's doc. He was soon brought up to speed as he'd been unconscious for days. After his outburst and the comet strike, the outsiders wavered for the first time and the Hounds pounced. The fight ended soon after and the outsiders were shattered, scattering to the four winds. Unfortunately there was no saving Roach and he bled out on the ground.
Jude and Avery were devastated and tried to cope, with various levels of success. Jude tried burying himself with the kids, teaching them the right spots to hit if someone pulls a knife on you, while Avery took to bottles and pills. Jude tried to be there for them, he really did, but there's only so many times you can hold back your friends hair as they vomit in a toilet. After one shouting much too many, Jude packed a bag and left, hitchhiking around before settling in Gotham a year later.
Gotham was better than The Blüd, but only just. He only had to worry about getting mugged once a week and he even got a job in a small time library. He discovered his powers two months into his time in Gotham when he came to the defense of an old lady who got cornered by some thugs, sending the leader of the poor bastards flying three yards with a shove.
After that he began to experiment, quickly finding out the hard way that he couldn't just run up on some thugs and get super powers. It took him about two weeks before he realized the trigger was innocent people in trouble, by that time already growing a name for himself as troublemaker in the eyes of the local thugs. This came to a head when a kid in a red suit showed up while he was knocking heads together and helped him put out the trash.
Robin had heard rumors of a guy with a heck of a wallop protecting folks for the past month and wanted him to join his little club. Jude, freshly evicted from his rat hole of an apartment, agreed and the two immediately hit it off. Jude was impressed with the kids abilities and while his recklessness was a bit concerning to some others it wasn't much different from what he did at his age and silently encouraged the whole thing. A tune he changed right after finding out that he died.
Since then he's tried carrying on as normal, busting heads when he can, working odd jobs when he can't, but this had hit a little too close for Jude's liking and was preparing to pack up and leave once again before Batman contacted him and brought the band back together. Now he's more determined then ever to see this done, for his own sake more than anything else.
Notes:
- Jude is in near constant pain, but manageable, pain from the fragments embedded in his body. As a consequence he doesn't get much restful sleep and is dependent on ibuprofen to get him through the day without snapping at people.
- As far as Jude knows the battery that gives him his power is magical in nature and has pursued occult texts in an effort to understand what's happened to him. He never made much progress by himself but as soon as he got sponsored by Batman he's been able to get his hands on more legitimate tomes. He may not be able to do much yet but he can recognize most forms of magic and make educated guesses on the stuff he doesn't yet understand.
- He isn't proud of it, but Jude does snag alcohol from the criminals he incapacitates if he can get away with it.
- On that note Jude is unrepentant in his scavenging of thugs he beats up, mostly taking money and clothes that might fit him. Any time he's called on it he'll usually dismiss them with a frown and a wave, citing his unemployment and the fact that they're criminals before going back to it.
- Due to a splinter of the Joker Gang being the cause of Roaches death, Jude has a particular and intense hatred of them and everything they do.
- Has a deep fondness for cats.
Guardian Angel Haruki