Difference between revisions of "High Rise"

Spoiler Warning
The following details are about a player-created storyline, or is information currently unrevealed about a character.
Please do not use this information ICly unless given permission to do so.

Stephen "Stevie" Jefferson was born in the large city of Houghton, Michigan to a loving couple. His parents Carol and Walter Jefferson were a general practitioner and personal injury attorney respectively, and as such were hardworking people who tried to instill those same values into their children. Their first child Nicole would later follow in her mother's footsteps and become a doctor and there was a hope if not expectation that Stevie would get a career in a medical or legal profession like his parents as well. But Stevie didn't find any interest in law or medicine. Instead, he found himself drawn to science with an emphasis on physics. This was just fine for his parents though since becoming a scientist was no small feat. But Stevie had other loves and interests too, one of which was superheroes. He loved the idea of people with unique abilities helping others in an attempt to make the world a better place, but sadly the shy, nervous and generally unfit Stevie saw that he could never be like them. So instead, he simply idolized and respected them like so many others do.

After graduating high school, he was accepted into Michigan Tech in his home town where he'd later also graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Physics years later. While his parents would've preferred he went for a Bachelor of Science in Physics instead followed up with furthering his education even more to become a physicist, they were still proud of their son all the same. But even with that under his belt, Stevie still felt his parents had more admiration for his sister's career path and were just merely tolerating his own achievements. This did motivate him more to do better in life and so after graduating Michigan Tech, he made the move to Millennium City and even managed to get a decent job as a lab assistant at Harmon Labs thanks to a letter of recommendation from his professor. Of course there was another big reason why he made the move to MC. Namely his admiration for superheroes as Millennium City was well known for their abundance of them, including the Champions. Now in a new city with a new job and being closer to the heroes he adored, Stevie felt like life was going pretty well for him.

A few months after being in Millennium City in early December of 2022, Stevie found himself in the physics lab alone one night as he wanted to catch up on some work he missed and was documenting various research and experiments. It was then that his scientific curiosity got the best of him and with no one else around, he decided to closely examine a machine being worked on to both access and harness mysterious quantum energy. It was then that he seemed to accidentally activate the device and in the process, he was bombarded by some form of quantum energy. The ordeal ended as quickly as it began and while a little dazed and embarrassed, Stevie found he was okay otherwise and finished his work to leave for the day. Awaking the next morning however, he noticed that he had somehow undergone a physiological transformation as the previously unfit Stevie was now toned, muscular and actually felt the best he has ever been. Trying to wrap his head around what was happening, he decided to take a few days off and began doing some of his own research. But little did he know, there were even bigger changes to come.

The following day while he was sitting on the couch and going through various documentation about quantum energy, Stevie started to feel very strange. It was then that he suddenly grew to around eight feet in height, tearing his clothing in the process. The now frightened Stevie thought about calling 911 to see if they could help him but before he could even get to his phone, he had shrunk back to his normal size. This strange occurrence led him to do even more vigourous investigating, but he ultimately came up with few answers. All he knew was that the machine at Harmon Labs somehow did something to him. As his mind started to race, two thoughts started to creep into his mind. What if he was given unique abilities like the heroes he idolized, and what if this meant he could now be one of them? Over the next few days he had off work, he started to focus and learned that he could increases his size to more than eight feet. In fact as he started practicing more and more, he discovered he could increase his stature to over twenty feet. He even found that his strength and durability increased to superhuman levels as he grew.

Now excited that he had super powers, the next step was to figure out how he could use this ability productively and help society. Well that, and how could he manage to grow without ending up naked. It was then he remembered the experimental materials treated with a process called quantum energy infusion that Harmon Labs had been working on which might be just what he needed. And so when he returned to work later on, Stevie did what he could to learn about this unique material. Thankfully and perhaps serendipitously he managed to learn how the process was performed and after volunteering to stay for a few nights, he acquired what he needed in the form of materials that were being prepared for disposal. So he began to work on creating a suit that could increase in size as well as return to his normal height when he does. After a week of sneaking around at the lab and working diligently, he managed to create a prototype suit to do exactly that.

Proud of what he made, he realized there was still another problem. Stevie was nearsighted and required glasses, but they would fall off whenever he grew and contact lenses would also not stay in. What he did have though were prescription safety goggles, so he came up with a daring plan. Going to work the following day and once again volunteering to stay late, he managed to gain access to the machine that allows for quantum energy infusion and successfully managed to repeat the process on his goggles which allowed them to alter their size. When he got home, he wasted no time adding them to the mask of his suit and examined the final product with a smile. He could now become a superhero. With more practice with both his abilities and the suit, Stevie was ready to step out into Millennium City as a hero. Of course, he still needed a hero name. After coming up with and dismissing an idea or two, he decided on High Rise and stepped out into the streets in early January 2023 to finally live the dream and be a superhero.

PERSONALITY

The intelligent yet introverted Stevie tends to be very shy around others (especially women) but when he does interact with people, he's usually quite friendly. Perhaps even to a fault. Once he does start talking, it's sometimes difficult to get him to stop and he tends to ramble on about things in an excited manner. He also has a habit of stammering if not outright stuttering when he speaks, which becomes more prominent when he gets flustered. He occasionally has trouble maintaining his gaze on certain individuals he's speaking with, which seems to occur more prominently with a women he has some sort of interest in. Stevie doesn't like confrontation and would much rather everyone get along rather than fight. This includes both verbal and physical altercations. As the new hero High Rise, Stevie does try to overcome his shyness and be more assertive as he thinks every hero should and has made progress in being more confident in his day to day life. However he has found this is easier said than done and generally fails awkwardly to be a strong self-assured hero. Increasing his stature does generally seem to help him feel more confident, and sometimes he will grow in height when talking to others in costume just to help himself relax. While not liking violence in any form, he isn't above fighting to help those that are in danger when he has must as he has a protective nature about him.

POWERS AND SKILLS

Size Alteration - Due to the mysterious energy he was exposed to, High Rise is able to increase his stature and reach gigantic proportions. With maximum effort, He is currently able to grow to around 35 feet tall. His strength also increases greatly as he grows, some examples being that he is able to lift around 10,000 lbs (5 tons) at 15 feet, about 22,000 lbs (11 tons) at 25 feet, and approximately 36,000 lbs (18 tons) at his maximum size of 35 feet. His durability also increases to the point where forms of attack that may cause significant harm such as blades and bullets do little to no damage at all depending on his current size. While the exact source and mechanism he derives his ability to increase his size from is currently unknown, it seems to be related to quantum energy and matter. This strange power source allows him to seemingly violate certain laws of physics as his strength, durability, and even weight vary greatly from what would be commonly understood through physics.

Self-Density Control - While presently unaware how to control his own density, Stevie seems to be able to do just that whenever he increases his stature. His weight which should be more detrimental to him as he increases his mass, seems to be less of a concern to him than even he would've thought. Meaning High Rise, while still getting heavier as his stature increases, does not weigh as much as he should and is therefore able to interact with the environment in an less destructive way. Even when only increasing his stature by a few feet, his durability and striking power are increased beyond the average human being. This effect only increases as his size does allowing him to brush off most gunfire and explosives when he gets large enough. It is currently unknown if he will ever gain conscious control of this ability, or if it is simply a subconscious "safety system" for him.

Enhanced Physiology - Even when Stevie isn't actively using his abilities, he is stronger and tougher than the average human his build as a result of the lab accident. While previously out of shape physically, he is now well-toned and seemingly healthier. While only being around 5'8" in height without using his powers, Stevie is able to bench roughly twice his own weight under optimal conditions. In addition and while not extremely durable, he is still able to take more of a beating than some twice his size and weight. And while he never was an athlete, he is able to run faster and for a greater duration than he ever could before his transformation. It is important to note however that he still needs to maintain his current build through proper diet and exercise in order to get full advantage of his fitness, and as such his life style had to change to reflect that.

Science Guy - Having graduated from Michigan Tech with a Bachelor of Arts in physics degree, High Rise by no means has subpar intelligence. In fact, he is quite brilliant even though his interest in science is more of a hobby than the exact career path he was looking for. He enjoys learning new scientific facts all the time, a thirst for knowledge which has only really increased since he gained his abilities. The fact that he was hired as a lab assistant by the well known and highly respected Harmon Labs almost directly after graduating from Michigan Tech is perhaps further evidence of his intellect. This of course doesn't mean that his mind is on par with the most brilliant in the world, or even the top one thousand in Millennium City however. But his seemingly above average intelligence, his academic background and his inquiring mind all give credence to the fact that he is a gifted young man all the same.

WEAKNESSES

Big Target - Seeing as his main ability is to allow himself to increase in stature, High Rise has the obvious problem of becoming an easy target for enemies. In fact, he is even hesitant to grow too large even if it may help resolve the situation faster out of fear that he'll encounter an enemy that can do serious damage to him if given the opportunity. Generally speaking because he usually deals with smaller crimes involving regular humans with more typical weaponry, he hasn't encountered much if any problems due to being a large target. This does not however remove the fact that he is still fairly easy to hit which could become a major problem should he encounter more dangerous foes at any point.

Clumsy Oaf - Stevie is already someone who is fairly clumsy in his normal life at times, but this becomes even more prominent when he grows in size. Still being relatively new to the hero world and even having abilities, High Rise lacks the finesse some more seasoned heroes have when using his powers. This has caused him some embarrassment such as when he'll try to help someone indoors, end up growing too large, and ultimately causing structural damage as well as damage to his ego. To his credit, he does try his hardest and has improved a great deal compared to his first month as a hero. However, he is still far from graceful in his larger size and still makes embarrassing blunders like bumping into things all the time.

Not A Fighter - Even with his abilities giving him an edge over most regular opponents he faces, High Rise is in no way a fighter and as such can be outmaneuvered easily by better trained enemies. The threat to him becomes even greater when super criminals with various special abilities and/or equipment are added to the mix as they can best the inexperienced Stevie at combat. This is yet another reason why he prefers to stick to smaller situations involving fewer or more common criminals over the kind that can lift semi trucks with one hand or move faster than bullets.

Human Being - He may be slightly tougher and stronger than the average person when he's at his normal size and even more so when he uses his abilities, but Stevie is still a human being that is vulnerable to the various methods of harm all humans generally are. This includes blades, bullets, blunt force trauma, and extreme heat and cold temperatures. On top of that fact and even with an enhanced physiology, he is still susceptible to illness, disease and of course oxygen deprivation like many others.

Farsightedness - High Rise has hyperopia which requires him to wear glasses in his civilian guise and even special prescription goggles in his hero persona. Since contact lenses would also fall out whenever he uses his powers to grow in stature, Stevie is unable to wear them and thus relies solely on his goggles in order to see clearly as High Rise. This can put him at a disadvantage if his goggles become damaged during a fight as while he's certainly still able to see, his vision would still be impaired enough that he may be more vulnerable.

GEAR AND EQUIPMENT

Prototype High Rise Suit - Wanting to use his newfound powers to help others as a hero, Stevie first needed to devise a method to allow him to grow with clothing intact. Thankfully due to his access at Harmon Labs, he was able to carefully acquire the materials necessary to create a specialized suit to not only keep him covered, but also add additional protection from harm. The fabric used is a uniquely durable material that is cut and heat resistant to an extent, as well as being a breathable material for reducing overheating. But the uniqueness goes far beyond even that thanks to a special experimental process called quantum energy infusion. This allows the materials to react accordingly to when High Rise uses his powers due to the similar energy he harnesses, and causes the suit to shrink and grow accordingly. The suit in question is blue and white with some slight padding found throughout to help reduce the physical trauma Stevie may encounter in his hero work. The mask portion, besides being crucial to help hide his identity from the public, also houses his prescription safety goggles that were also treated with the same quantum energy infusion process and can therefore also shrink and grow with Stevie.

Size-Altering Briefs - Using some left over material that was treated via quantum energy infusion, High Rise assembled and now wears a few pairs of briefs under his suit each day he patrols that are capable of increasing and decreasing in size when he does. The purpose for them seems to be as an added precaution in case he was to accidentally or even intentionally grow at inopportune occasions so he doesn't end up completely naked when his clothing inevitably rips.

OPINIONS

PUBLIC

Being new to the hero life, High Rise isn't as big of a name as he sounds. This also goes to the fact that he feels like he isn't ready for the "big leagues" yet, and so he tries to stick with smaller scale situations when possible. This doesn't mean he will blatantly ignore helping with a more serious problem of course, and he has gained some small attention from people he has helped in a greater capacity. Generally speaking, people who do know of him find the fledgling hero to be a little awkward and ungraceful but still a kind and decent man who truly wants to do some good in the world.

HEROES

(A place for other heroes to leave comments)

CHARACTER FACTS

• Originally Stevie was going to choose the name "Big Time", but ultimately decided that it made him sound like a showoff.
• His sister Nicole who is eight years older than him is a pediatrician back in Houghton, Michigan.
• High Rise tends to follow up his laughs with a snort when he finds something funny. It seems he doesn't notice this however.
• The maximum height he can reach is around 35 feet tall, but he can only maintain that size for about twenty minutes before he starts to feel negative effects.
• Perhaps like a true stereotypical geek, Stevie enjoys playing sword and sorcery type role-playing games, Sci-Fi shows and movies, and was even part of the chess club in high school.
• High Rise is a big fan of superheroes both real and fictional, and often enjoys talking about them whenever he can.
• While he can talk to women, he seems to get easily flustered the longer he speaks to them due to his shyness.
• If speaking to someone dressed in something revealing, he tends to look elsewhere a lot as he talks to them and becomes even more nervous.
• Wanting an epithet like many heroes seem to have, High Rise jokingly came up with "The Gargantuan Geek". He also keeps that to himself.
• After a few months of keeping his identity separate from the people he knows as Stevie and those he interacts with as High Rise, he recently decided to let a few select individuals into his circle of trust.

GALLERY

• Screenshots
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  Stevie working at Harmon Labs

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  Being affected by the quantum energy

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  Stevie in his penthouse apartment

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  High Rise after the completion of his prototype suit

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  Next to a statue to show off his height

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  Helping the city with cleanup in Westside