Strongarm
| Strongarm | ||||||||||
| Player: @NeoxRave1 | ||||||||||
[[Image: |300px|]]
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| Strongarm in his classic tights leaping backwards | ||||||||||
| Biographical Data | ||||||||||
| Real Name: | Harold Thompson | |||||||||
| Known Aliases: | Strongarm | |||||||||
| Gender: | Male | |||||||||
| Species: | Human | |||||||||
| Ethnicity: | American | |||||||||
| Place of Birth: | Detroit (Before Millenium City) | |||||||||
| Base of Operations: | Millenium City | |||||||||
| Relatives: | Arthur Thompson (Father, Deceased), Mariah Allen (Mother) | |||||||||
| Characteristics | ||||||||||
| Age: | 31 | |||||||||
| Height: | 6'3" | |||||||||
| Weight: | 237 lbs / 107.5 kg | |||||||||
| Eyes: | Blue | |||||||||
| Hair: | Black | |||||||||
| Complexion: | Caucasian, Rugged | |||||||||
| Physical Build: | Muscular Brute/Enforcer, Bodybuilder | |||||||||
| Physical Features: | Short Hair shaved in stripes along the sides and back of his head, Goatee | |||||||||
| Status | ||||||||||
| Fame: |
Local | |||||||||
| Alignment: |
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| Identity: | Publicly Available | |||||||||
| Years Active: | 8 | |||||||||
| Citizenship: | United States of America | |||||||||
| Occupation: | Construction Engineer | |||||||||
| Education: | Bachelor's Construction Engineering Degree | |||||||||
| Marital Status: | Single | |||||||||
| Known Powers and Abilities | ||||||||||
| Super Strength, Hyper-Resilience, Minor Vitality Regeneration | ||||||||||
| Equipment and Paraphernalia | ||||||||||
| Tear Resistant Costume(s) tailored & tuned for him and his power | ||||||||||
| Physical Attributes | |||||||||
| Strength |
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| Durability |
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Armor |
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| Speed |
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Reflexes |
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| Resistance |
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Stamina |
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| Dexterity |
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Agility |
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| Combat |
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Regen |
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| Non-Physical Attributes | |||||||||
| Energy |
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Psionics |
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| Telepathy |
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Willpower |
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| Sorcery |
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Tech. |
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| Intel. |
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Knowledge |
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| Charisma |
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Bravery |
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| MaekadaBoxSlim created by @Maekada | |||||||||
Biography Synopsis
Early Life
Born in the year 1988 to his parents Mariah Allen and Arthur Thompson in what would now be called Westside, Harold grew up as an only child. For the first six years, everything seemed as normal as it could be. Harold showed his inherited power a little early, managing to crush and break his toys when he was a toddler by accident, so Mariah and Arthur knew they'd have a super-baby on their hands. Arthur made sure to instill the principles of restraint into the boy as much as he could; to protect others and himself. They grew close and the then outgoing Harold especially loved playful roughhousing with his dear ol' pops because the 4 year old boy could let loose once in a while.
However, it would not last, and tragedy struck in 1992.
The Battle of Detroit happened, and Arthur went to aid in the fight against Dr. Destroyer's assault on the city under the locally known moniker "Power-Shift." Harold and Mariah evacuated safely, but unfortunately, Arthur was killed in the final orbital strike. From then onward, Harold was raised by his mother alone, who encouraged him to follow and honor his father's image. He did so to the best of his ability, but wasn't quite able to go out into the world yet. His personality shifted from outgoing to more reserved after the death of his father, yet even then, he'd try to emulate his father's heroic attitude with small acts like making sure other kids weren't bullied in school, often acting like a protector. He never used his powers, sometimes coming close if poked and prodded enough by those foolish enough, and kids knew he had them and eventually understood what he could do, so he was respected; from gratitude, awe, and fear alike.
Strength through Hard Work
In Harold's years at Westside High School, he decided to begin working out as his body went through the changes everyone's body does, but he quickly outgrew the heaviest weights at Carl's Gym. However, he always had an intrigue in construction, and hatched a plan. So when he was in his senior year at the age of 16, Harold tried to get a job of helping move heavy items around at any construction site he could find, after a show of his Super Strength of course. Pretty soon it wouldn't be uncommon to see a young man at construction sites, moving one or two steel beams in each arm. It was great; Harold got the workout he wanted, with some pay, and he got an early start at helping out the community as an additional bonus.
Soon enough, he graduated from Westside High, and with financial assistance from his mother, he began to attend university to pursue a degree in Construction Engineering. While he had to focus on school a little more now, he still managed to maintain his routine of school and construction help. He eventually earned his future moniker, and was called by the nickname "Strongarm" by his fellow workers, as Harold had gained a considerable amount of mass and was known as the heavy lifter around the community. He often took it as a compliment and sometimes found it endearing, so it grew on Harold. He continued university, diligently working on his chosen career path. He still maintained a reserved personality, though he regained some of the outgoing behavior he had as a kid and wasn't afraid to speak up when needed. Although, after some time the crime in Westside would begin to noticeably rise. Harold found himself occasionally slugging some thugs across the jaw (sometimes dislocating it... oops) when he found the fools had crossed his path, in plain day clothing no less!
Continuing through his education, after four years, Harold graduated university with a Bachelor's Degree in Construction Engineering. Now not only could he help build structures, now he could design and plan them too! Though, his experiences in the past years and worries about his mother in Westside regarding the rising gangs began to eat at him.
The Day of Heroism
It was only a year into his career as a Construction Engineer, as Harold had graduated university the previous year. He wanted to redesign Westside to improve it, but he quickly found out that wouldn't happen as he kept being assigned projects in the City Center and Downtown. Though disgruntled and dissatisfied with his current situation, he continued on. He needed the cash to pay off the debts, after all. It wouldn't be long that he found himself fighting crime once again, albeit now on a larger scale. The day in City Center was clear sky and sunny, yet alarms were blaring from the City Bank. Someone had the gall to attempt a robbery in broad daylight, and Harold payed no interest as he sat in the nearby park. That is, until he saw some heroes rushing towards it. Running to the bank to see the commotion, he saw there was quite the mob of thugs (surprisingly decently dressed) guarding outside against the four heroes Harold saw earlier, and they were having trouble. In a moment of hesitation, he remembered his mother's words advising him to honor his father's image, so Harold made his move.
He had Super Strength, and he was going to use it with little restraint.
Leaping into the fray, Harold and the other four heroes had an easier time of dispatching the mob outside now that they were five. Working their way inside, they continued to dispatch the goons and rescue trapped civilians, eventually reaching the vault which was opened to reveal more goons and the mastermind behind the blatant crime. The guy was well dressed like a mob-boss businessman, complete with suit and tie, though he was wearing a mask that revealed his hair at the top and gloves. Most of all he was big. As big as Harold at least, and had the same imposing presence. Neither of them liked it, tension ran high as they stared each other down in a silent challenge while his goons slowly fell to the other four. Harold made the first move and launched himself at the guy, trading a punch with him. The two strongmen traded blows, one after the other, and it became clear to the other heroes present that getting between them would hurt them than they could the villain; they weren't the sturdy types. This went on for about fifteen minutes, which is an eternity when it comes to time in combat with the adrenaline coursing through Harold's veins. It came to a climax with a colossal flurry of punches with a surprising burst of speed from our would-be hero, quite literally pummeling the snot and drool out of his opponent, knocking him unconscious.
A few moments passed as a lull settled in, before one of the heroes approached and asked who he was. Tired, sweating, and adrenaline draining out, Harold said the one name that came to mind.
"Strongarm"
Aftermath
Harold and the other four heroes left the bank and waited outside as the police went and and arrested the goons and their leader. When the mastermind came out, he looked at Harold and said one thing before he was shoved into a secure transport.
"You'll meet the wrath of Bitter Bruiser someday."
Harold soon found himself being escorted by the police himself, as he wasn't exactly in compliance with the law as an active unknown hero, in civilian clothing no less. He went through the motions and filled out the paperwork to register his own profile and powers; even tailored a costume for himself, then tailored another one specially made for him and his powers when the first one was quickly torn to bits. Now, not only did he take a big step to follow in his father's footsteps and honor his heroic image, he used his well known status within the construction community and his own name to found a business; One he could use to help rebuild Westside, a small company called Thompson Industries.
Of course, he still fights crime, but he tries not to involve himself in large grand schemes; preferring to help everyday folk currently in need instead of dedicating himself to destroying devious machinations.
Disposition
Personality
- Boastful Reservation - More of an introvert, but not necessarily afraid of confrontation, Strongarm likes to keep to himself or with a group of close friends. But at the same time, he likes to boast and brag about his accomplishments when appropriate.
- Hard Working - He is determined to get tasks done, no matter how tedious or difficult.
- Guardian - He is sympathetic towards those who are unable to help themselves, and is willing to help them out.
- Honest Yet Blunt - He tells the truth, but also says things as they are; little sugar coating.
- Irritable - While normally a pleasant or neutral individual, pushing the right buttons will make him lose his cool very quickly.
Likes & Dislikes
Likes
- Walks in the park & sitting by the river bank. Nothing beats a nice, [mostly] quiet pastime. It has a nice contrast compared to the noisy construction work and heroic adventure.
- Fine Dining. While home cooked meals are always best, sometimes it's nice to go out once in a while. As long as there's no potatoes.
- (Orchestral) Classical Music. He just likes it; it can bring out all kinds of feelings, but he finds it soothing most of the time.
- Working Out. A given. The results are in the name.
- His Form, Form-fit clothing & tights/suits. While Super Strength had some effect, he's put in the work and got the body to show it; he's proud of it. The clothing helps show it off.
Dislikes
- Extremely high pitched noise, or the similar feeling when a high decibel sound is playing. Like that Dog Whistle app. It's annoying.
- Potatoes. They're the bane of Strongarm's food palate. Potato Chips, French Fries, Baked Potatoes, they're everywhere. He can't stand the thick starchy spuds, especially sweet potatoes.
- Formal Dresswear. Feels restrictive & tight, and it isn't the form-fitting kind. He finds it hard to relax in this kind of attire.
- Laziness. He's willing to help others who cannot help themselves, but he can only do so much and only has so much patience; they need to be willing to reciprocate the effort to improve their situation.
- His Form being written off as a side effect of his powers. That's not entirely true and he hates being written off like that.
Personal Interests
- Reforming Westside into the better place it once was. It's infested with gangs and deteriorating structures, and isn't the best community to grow up in.
- As a construction engineer & worker, he likes to work side by side with civilians to maintain a strong bond.
- He knows the good ole' american staples of foods, but often shows interest in learning French cuisine. Barbecuing is one of his favorite ways to cook.
- When it comes music, he often picks classical. He enjoys classical staples like Vivaldi's Four Seasons, but also appreciates the melancholic pieces like Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 8 and Viola Concerto in C Minor falsely attributed to J.C. Bach by Henri Casadesus. He particularly enjoys the soft, enticing sound of the harp and wishes he could play one without breaking the strings.
- He likes to read various niche literature, like comics, fiction and fitness. He likes to see how other people see heroes in comics, though not necessarily of himself. Sometimes they're recreations of events other heroes have experienced. He's always looking for a nice story to lose himself in when it comes to more traditional works of fiction, and he often skims through fitness articles to look for new ways to exercise.
- He's shown some interest in wrestling, but could never get into it since it'd be unfair. He occasionally watches some on Television.
Powers & Equipment
Powers
Strongarm is a simple hero. No fancy intricate powers obtained from a lost god, or a secret science experiment; just inheritance and DNA.
Super Strength - Strongarm inherited his powers of strength from his dad, Power-Shift. They are extremely potent, but he still has a limit. Strongarm consistently has to restrain himself to not break a lot of things, so he seldom gets to cut loose.
Hyper-Resilience - With Super Strength, a resistance to the strain, pain, and damage his power could cause to himself is a given. Strongarm can take a lot of hurt, but he isn't entirely bulletproof either. Small bullets bruise and large caliber rounds and slugs will puncture and cause considerable internal damage. He's still only human.
Minor Vitality Regeneration - He recovers faster than an average human. Two to Five times as fast, depending on the injury.
Vitality Acceleration: A sub-power of his regeneration, Strongarm can accelerate his rate of recovery, within reason. However, accelerating his regeneration is exhausting, and can ultimately only delay the inevitable; no telling what could happen if forced passed the point of exhaustion. It will not regrow limbs or organs, but it can help stop bleeding or close open wounds.
Equipment
Gadgets, trinkets, spell foci, and guns? Try the classic ole' fist.
High Durability Suit(s) - Unable to wear normal tights, Strongarm tailored multiple tight suits that could withstand not only wear and tear from others hitting him, but from Strongarm's own abilities. Each is a form-fitting two-piece body suit with various designs, thin armor underlay, belt, his emblem, an eyemask, neck seal, and fitted shoulder pads. The top can be quickly removed in case of injury.
Suits include:
- His usual suit with primarily red/black colors and white highlights.
- His classic suit with only red and black tights.
- An alternate blue/black suit with grey highlights.
- A grey-scale suit with a helmet instead of an eyemask for nighttime.
- An alternate suit seldom used that is a mixture of his own darker style and his father's lighter style, using Black in place of Light Grey. Contains Power-Shift's emblem on the front and Strongarm's on the back in honor of Power-Shift's memory. Normally reserved for hero-related special occasions.
Weaknesses
All heroes have weaknesses they need to guard, some are in plain sight and an everyday occurrence.
Sorcery, Psychic, and Energy Ineptitude Alike - Strongarm's power is physical and has trouble resisting magic. Sometimes there isn't much he can do when magic, psychic power, or energy projection is involved without some clever strategies.
Reach for the Moon, but Keep your Feet Grounded - He can leap high, but flying enemies are a challenge.
Only Human - No enhanced senses; not touch, sight, smell, hearing, nor taste. Still susceptible to most hazardous dangers like disease, bullets, and extreme temperatures.
Radiation Resilience: The only exception to this rule, his Regeneration is able to stave off the effects of prolonged radioactive exposure for a short while.
Not Quite the Leader - Despite running a company, he doesn't have a tendency to actively garner attention in daily life outside work, or to proactively rally heroes to him in fights.
Relationships
Allies & Friends
While he does consider his co-workers and subordinates friends, and of course a close relationship with his mother, he has no outstanding friendly relations with other heroes or individuals at the moment.
Enemies
In Progress...
Miscellaneous
Personal Quotes
"Do I work out? Hell yeah! Do you think I got these guns by having super strength alone?"
- Strongarm regarding exercising his own body.
"I don't know what drew me to classical music. Despite being unable to play an instrument (I'd probably crush it), I find the sound soothing."
- Strongarm on his musical taste.
"No, I don't want some fries, or potato chips, or anything potato. Keep those starchy spuds away from me!"
- Strongarm letting his disdain for potatoes be known when confronted with them.
"FOR THE LAST @#$%@%# TIME, IF I HEAR ANOTHER DAMN DOG WHISTLE APP OR ANOTHER RIDICULOUSLY HIGH PITCHED NOISE, I WILL SMASH THAT PERSON'S PHONE!"
- An irritated Strongarm struggling with that damn dog whistle app. Especially in school.
"You know, people know me by both names. To be honest, I prefer to be called Strongarm when I'm in costume or acting as a hero, but Harold is fine too, even if I don't find it fitting in those situations."
- Strongarm on his preference of name.
"I'm not even sure why I even have a nighttime outfit. I'm a big guy and make a lot of noise, so stealth often flies out the window."
- In regards to his black/grey suit.
"It isn't practical to carry your costume everywhere in the event that you conveniently need it, and I don't have a special way of making such a convenience viable. So civilian clothing will have to suffice, even if it does get destroyed in the process. I suppose that's a nice advantage when people know who you really are; don't need to worry about a secret identity, even though I wear a mask anyways."
- Strongarm on why he's sometimes found fending off thugs and supervillains without a costume.
"..."
- Strongarm's disapproving gaze when disgruntled with a silence.
"Mmm..."
- Strongarm's contented hum with following relaxing silence.
RP Hooks
- Construction Engineer & CEO of Thompson Industries. If you work in the construction industry or have relations there, you may know him.
- Bodybuilder. Despite having Super Strength, he still likes to work out. If share this interest, you may see him jogging in Westside.
- Strongarm is locally known to the citizens in Westside. Maybe you've heard of him?
- He has a public identity, and you may know him not as Strongarm, but as Harold.
Gallery
Relaxing by the river bank in City Center
Construction attire
Classic Costume
Alternate Costume (Old Picture)
Costume for when the sun goes down
Costume inspired by Power-Shift using his emblem
Back View showing off Strongarm's emblem
Ole' pops showing off
Tropes
They're fun to read about.
| Boisterous Bruiser - You get him in a good mood around close friends and he can be quite jovial. |
The Big Guy - He's sturdy and big, at least by human standards. |
Bruiser with a Soft Center - He's quite strong, but if you dig deep and get a close bond, you might fin a surprising overwhelming kindness and care. |
| Gentle Giant - He's a big guy who can be kind, cordial, and protective, but if you get any foolish ideas, but always... |
Beware the Quiet Ones - He's still generally reserved in public around strangers, but push too many wrong buttons and you may breach his... |
Rage Breaking Point - You've incurred his... |
| Unstoppable Rage - Now you've done it. Get ready for a load of hurt. |
More to come later... |
