Post by Gael Asturias on Dec 6, 2020 6:31:02 GMT
GAEL ASTURIAS
FULL NAME: Gael Carlos Asturias
CODENAME: Baseline
FACE CLAIM: Miguel Bernardeau
AGE: 19
CATEGORY: Powered
TEAM: Aegis
ALIGNMENT: Hero
CODENAME: Baseline
FACE CLAIM: Miguel Bernardeau
AGE: 19
CATEGORY: Powered
TEAM: Aegis
ALIGNMENT: Hero
Personal
SEXUALITY: Heterosexual
GENDER: Male
PRONOUNS: He/Him
ETHNICITY: Here
GENDER: Male
PRONOUNS: He/Him
ETHNICITY: Here
Double Life
ABILITIES: Concrete Manipulation
Gael is able to control and manipulate any concrete, cement, or blacktop he can come in contact with. He can move and reshape them to his will, making it move almost like liquid until he wants it to hold shape again. His control can extend from wherever he touches to a distance of 300 feet, moving through different compositions of concrete, so long as they are touching.
SKILLS: Gael is a skilled percussionist, able to play the drums, xylophone, PVC percussion instruments such as the RimbaTubes, and various other percussion instruments, although he mostly sticks to the drums. He does have a certain fondness for the PVC instruments though.
Gael took several years of fencing lessons, and is decently competent. He's not afraid to use underhanded tricks to get an advantage, which makes most other fencers not want to spar with him. Miguel is one of the only ones who will spar with him with regularity, and often beats him.
When Gael discovered his powers, he started taking some engineering courses to help him make better constructs. Because of this he's got a decent knowledge of architectural and structural engineering that he puts to use in the field.
Concrete isn't the only thing he can mix. Gael is decently proficient in the kitchen, having mainly learned how to cook to impress girls.
WEAKNESSES: Gael has to touch the concrete to be able to manipulate it. If he can't make skin contact with it, he can't manipulate it.
Any concrete constructs he creates are only as strong as they would normally be, unless he's holding them up with his powers.
Gael's powers are exclusive to concrete, cement and blacktop. He cannot control stone, sand, or other minerals. Without any concrete or blacktop he can touch, he's no more powerful than any other human being.
He cannot create additional concrete, cement or blacktop, he can only work with what's there. Further, any concrete he moves away from a location is actually removed from it, which has the possibility to weaken the initial construction if he doesn't replace it after he's done using it.
As is true with any sort of creation, more complex and intricate structures require more time to form and more focus. Baseline also has to think through and visualize exactly how he wants the structure to form. Once the structure is completed, provided he maintains contact, he can continue to reinforce and maintain it, but if the structure is weak or unstable it will crumble when left on it's own. It's not magic, his constructs are bound by the standard laws of physics when he leaves them.
Using his abilities requires a certain degree of focus and concentration. It doesn't take much mental energy to send a ripple of blacktop at a foe, but it takes significantly more focus to generate a more complex shape and maintain it, and that focus can be broken, leaving a construct that may be in the process of being created half-formed, or causing less structurally sound constructs that he was maintaining with his abilities to crumble. Like any muscle, the amount of focus and concentration required can be mitigated and reduced with practice. For instance, despite their complex construction, the concrete drums that Gael creates to play take a relatively small amount of focus and concentration to maintain due to how familiar he is at forming that particular construct.
Gael can be easily distracted by a beautiful woman if he thinks there might be a chance for him to score. He tries to maintain professionalism when working with Aegis, but even when on the job his focus can be stolen if there's a good opportunity to impress the ladies and get some phone numbers. He's even had a fling or two with some female villains before they either "got away" or were brought in on reduced charges.
Ironically, Gael has never been able to swim. He is not naturally buoyant, and sinks like a rock when he gets in. He’s not afraid of water, he just can’t swim.
Gael is able to control and manipulate any concrete, cement, or blacktop he can come in contact with. He can move and reshape them to his will, making it move almost like liquid until he wants it to hold shape again. His control can extend from wherever he touches to a distance of 300 feet, moving through different compositions of concrete, so long as they are touching.
SKILLS: Gael is a skilled percussionist, able to play the drums, xylophone, PVC percussion instruments such as the RimbaTubes, and various other percussion instruments, although he mostly sticks to the drums. He does have a certain fondness for the PVC instruments though.
Gael took several years of fencing lessons, and is decently competent. He's not afraid to use underhanded tricks to get an advantage, which makes most other fencers not want to spar with him. Miguel is one of the only ones who will spar with him with regularity, and often beats him.
When Gael discovered his powers, he started taking some engineering courses to help him make better constructs. Because of this he's got a decent knowledge of architectural and structural engineering that he puts to use in the field.
Concrete isn't the only thing he can mix. Gael is decently proficient in the kitchen, having mainly learned how to cook to impress girls.
WEAKNESSES: Gael has to touch the concrete to be able to manipulate it. If he can't make skin contact with it, he can't manipulate it.
Any concrete constructs he creates are only as strong as they would normally be, unless he's holding them up with his powers.
Gael's powers are exclusive to concrete, cement and blacktop. He cannot control stone, sand, or other minerals. Without any concrete or blacktop he can touch, he's no more powerful than any other human being.
He cannot create additional concrete, cement or blacktop, he can only work with what's there. Further, any concrete he moves away from a location is actually removed from it, which has the possibility to weaken the initial construction if he doesn't replace it after he's done using it.
As is true with any sort of creation, more complex and intricate structures require more time to form and more focus. Baseline also has to think through and visualize exactly how he wants the structure to form. Once the structure is completed, provided he maintains contact, he can continue to reinforce and maintain it, but if the structure is weak or unstable it will crumble when left on it's own. It's not magic, his constructs are bound by the standard laws of physics when he leaves them.
Using his abilities requires a certain degree of focus and concentration. It doesn't take much mental energy to send a ripple of blacktop at a foe, but it takes significantly more focus to generate a more complex shape and maintain it, and that focus can be broken, leaving a construct that may be in the process of being created half-formed, or causing less structurally sound constructs that he was maintaining with his abilities to crumble. Like any muscle, the amount of focus and concentration required can be mitigated and reduced with practice. For instance, despite their complex construction, the concrete drums that Gael creates to play take a relatively small amount of focus and concentration to maintain due to how familiar he is at forming that particular construct.
Gael can be easily distracted by a beautiful woman if he thinks there might be a chance for him to score. He tries to maintain professionalism when working with Aegis, but even when on the job his focus can be stolen if there's a good opportunity to impress the ladies and get some phone numbers. He's even had a fling or two with some female villains before they either "got away" or were brought in on reduced charges.
Ironically, Gael has never been able to swim. He is not naturally buoyant, and sinks like a rock when he gets in. He’s not afraid of water, he just can’t swim.
Appearance
GENERAL: Gael stands 6'3", with dirty blond hair that he keeps at a fairly shaggy length and goes to great lengths to take care of it. He is very well built for his frame, getting his exercise from homemade concrete weights and his superhero uniform, as noted below. His sense of style is simple, jeans and a nice shirt. He generally buys them from higher-end stores, but doesn't jump for designer, not seeing the point of paying extra just for a name on the same clothes. He wears a gold chain necklace that was a gift from his grandmother, and over it all is always wearing some sort of jacket, often leather.
COSTUME: For his Aegis uniform, Baseline went flashy AND functional. Around his wrists, shoulders, knees, and ankles he has concrete disks about a half inch thick with a two inch radius, a four inch radius for the half-circles around his shoulders, so he always has something with him that he can use his powers with. These also function as weights that limit him until he uses them, so he can drop them for a boost of speed and force should he need to. The rest of his costume is a bodysuit made of protective materials, in black and dark purple, matching the VALENCIA band colors. He tried to get the band logo put on his chest and back, but that was struck down, along with his petition to be allowed to accept sponsorships and put their logos on his costume. His hands are bare, exposed for easy use of his powers.
COSTUME: For his Aegis uniform, Baseline went flashy AND functional. Around his wrists, shoulders, knees, and ankles he has concrete disks about a half inch thick with a two inch radius, a four inch radius for the half-circles around his shoulders, so he always has something with him that he can use his powers with. These also function as weights that limit him until he uses them, so he can drop them for a boost of speed and force should he need to. The rest of his costume is a bodysuit made of protective materials, in black and dark purple, matching the VALENCIA band colors. He tried to get the band logo put on his chest and back, but that was struck down, along with his petition to be allowed to accept sponsorships and put their logos on his costume. His hands are bare, exposed for easy use of his powers.
Personality
Gael is extremely arrogant and cocky, sure of himself and his abilities and charm. At least on the outside. His close friends know that all of that is to cover up the fear he has of slipping back to the bad situation he was once in. He wants to be accepted and liked, if not loved and idolized, and the attitude he puts on is designed to attempt to appeal to at least a certain class of people he's found easy to get at least temporary acceptance from.
For those that truly know him, they know that he's extremely loyal. If you've earned his trust, he would kill to protect you. He sees more than he lets on, and will often make little gestures to help his friends out with things they may be struggling with without them needing to ask or even realizing that he knew they were struggling, such as small gifts for no reason at all, a chore or task done without warning or explanation, and other similar things. While he craves popularity and adoration from the general populace, the close relationships he has he jealously guards.
You would think he was optimistic, a glass-half-full type of person, and that's what he tries to portray. In reality though, he's more of a realist. He had to struggle too much to really believe the best about everyone. He believes that given the opportunity, most everyone would be selfish and do the best thing for themselves and their loved ones regardless of what happened to anyone else, and if you asked him point-blank, he'd honestly say that he'd do the same.
For those that truly know him, they know that he's extremely loyal. If you've earned his trust, he would kill to protect you. He sees more than he lets on, and will often make little gestures to help his friends out with things they may be struggling with without them needing to ask or even realizing that he knew they were struggling, such as small gifts for no reason at all, a chore or task done without warning or explanation, and other similar things. While he craves popularity and adoration from the general populace, the close relationships he has he jealously guards.
You would think he was optimistic, a glass-half-full type of person, and that's what he tries to portray. In reality though, he's more of a realist. He had to struggle too much to really believe the best about everyone. He believes that given the opportunity, most everyone would be selfish and do the best thing for themselves and their loved ones regardless of what happened to anyone else, and if you asked him point-blank, he'd honestly say that he'd do the same.
History
Gael was born to parents that weren't really expecting him. Born in Besalú, Spain, he was considered a surprise, an accident. His parents were already struggling to make ends meet, and on top of that a child was added to all of it. They tried to raise him right themselves, but it was an exercise in futility. Carlos, Gael's father and the namesake of his middle name, was struggling in a construction job with no powers in a world where people with super strength and other superpowers got better work, and Elena, his mother was working a minimum wage job waitressing, using her power to create extra arms to great effect, but still working in an incredibly competitive industry. Despite their best efforts to convince him of the contrary, Gael started to believe he was unwanted and a burden.
Eventually, things got bad. When Gael was 10, Carlos was laid off when a new guy who could manipulate metal and steel was hired, and couldn't find another job for several months. Eventually, he and Elena decided that they couldn't take care of Gael anymore, and took him to Elena's mother, Isadora, and asked her to look after him.
Gael lived with his grandmother for four years. She had the ability to diagnose illness by smell, and had a decent job as a nurse, making enough to take care of herself and Gael. Things were better for a while. Mostly. School was difficult for him. Some of the kids had already discovered their powers, and not only used the fact that Gael hadn't found any powers himself as a reason to bully him, but a few found out that his parents hadn't been able to take care of him, and made his life miserable. He dealt with his frustrations privately by singing and beating out little rhythms on whatever he could, dreaming of someday being liked and wanted and touring with some kind of band, knowing that it would probably never happen.
One day when Gael was 14, while the bullies were beating him up after school in the outdoor basketball court, Gael had finally had enough. Crying, he slapped his hands against the ground in frustration, at his situation in general, at the fact that he was getting beat up for things outside his control, at the fact that he felt like a burden to the people that cared about him.
At the fact that Nana Isadora was sick and there was nothing he could do.
That's when he suddenly stopped feeling their fists and feet striking him. He looked up through his tears to see pillars of concrete around him, each one having knocked one of the bullies unconscious. He looked at his hands, set them back on the ground, and willed the concrete back into its original form, and it obeyed.
Overjoyed to discover he had a power, and a power that could be put to use to help his family, he ran home to tell his grandmother, only to find she had succumbed to her illness while he was at school. He tried to contact his parents, but the number he had for them had been disconnected, and he didn't know where to begin looking for them.
Vowing to not become a burden to anyone else again, he began to take care of himself. He buried his grandmother under the foundation of their building that night with his new powers, and began taking jobs working construction at night, while going to school in the day. He changed his image, trying to be as different as he could from that scared little boy that got beat up and was an unwanted burden. He would never let that happen again. He became a flirt, cocky and sure of himself. He figured out how to be wanted, and how to keep things shallow so that he didn't become a burden.
It was about a year later that he met Miguel. Miguel was one of the only people who saw through the façade he put up, and became a very close friend. They both shared a passion for music, and Miguel's mother started to teach Gael fencing. He insisted on paying for the lessons, but Miguel and Lucia, Miguel's mother, were insightful and knew that Gael was struggling. She made sure that he "found" things that would make things easier. Homecooked meals left anonymously in his fridge, forgotten utilities getting paid with no explanation. Gael couldn't refuse these, he didn't know exactly where they were coming from until years later.
Later, Gael and Miguel met Alexis and Mateo, and they likewise penetrated his false personality and became good friends of his. Together, the four of them had the makings of a great band, especially with Alexis at the head using his powers to touch the hearts of whoever heard their music. Suddenly, that dream that Gael had seemed like it could be a reality, and when the chance came for fame and fortune over in America, he leapt at the chance with the rest of his bandmates.
Eventually, things got bad. When Gael was 10, Carlos was laid off when a new guy who could manipulate metal and steel was hired, and couldn't find another job for several months. Eventually, he and Elena decided that they couldn't take care of Gael anymore, and took him to Elena's mother, Isadora, and asked her to look after him.
Gael lived with his grandmother for four years. She had the ability to diagnose illness by smell, and had a decent job as a nurse, making enough to take care of herself and Gael. Things were better for a while. Mostly. School was difficult for him. Some of the kids had already discovered their powers, and not only used the fact that Gael hadn't found any powers himself as a reason to bully him, but a few found out that his parents hadn't been able to take care of him, and made his life miserable. He dealt with his frustrations privately by singing and beating out little rhythms on whatever he could, dreaming of someday being liked and wanted and touring with some kind of band, knowing that it would probably never happen.
One day when Gael was 14, while the bullies were beating him up after school in the outdoor basketball court, Gael had finally had enough. Crying, he slapped his hands against the ground in frustration, at his situation in general, at the fact that he was getting beat up for things outside his control, at the fact that he felt like a burden to the people that cared about him.
At the fact that Nana Isadora was sick and there was nothing he could do.
That's when he suddenly stopped feeling their fists and feet striking him. He looked up through his tears to see pillars of concrete around him, each one having knocked one of the bullies unconscious. He looked at his hands, set them back on the ground, and willed the concrete back into its original form, and it obeyed.
Overjoyed to discover he had a power, and a power that could be put to use to help his family, he ran home to tell his grandmother, only to find she had succumbed to her illness while he was at school. He tried to contact his parents, but the number he had for them had been disconnected, and he didn't know where to begin looking for them.
Vowing to not become a burden to anyone else again, he began to take care of himself. He buried his grandmother under the foundation of their building that night with his new powers, and began taking jobs working construction at night, while going to school in the day. He changed his image, trying to be as different as he could from that scared little boy that got beat up and was an unwanted burden. He would never let that happen again. He became a flirt, cocky and sure of himself. He figured out how to be wanted, and how to keep things shallow so that he didn't become a burden.
It was about a year later that he met Miguel. Miguel was one of the only people who saw through the façade he put up, and became a very close friend. They both shared a passion for music, and Miguel's mother started to teach Gael fencing. He insisted on paying for the lessons, but Miguel and Lucia, Miguel's mother, were insightful and knew that Gael was struggling. She made sure that he "found" things that would make things easier. Homecooked meals left anonymously in his fridge, forgotten utilities getting paid with no explanation. Gael couldn't refuse these, he didn't know exactly where they were coming from until years later.
Later, Gael and Miguel met Alexis and Mateo, and they likewise penetrated his false personality and became good friends of his. Together, the four of them had the makings of a great band, especially with Alexis at the head using his powers to touch the hearts of whoever heard their music. Suddenly, that dream that Gael had seemed like it could be a reality, and when the chance came for fame and fortune over in America, he leapt at the chance with the rest of his bandmates.
Player
OOC NAME: Yes. It's me. KingJ. The Almighty One. Help its another character Anna is infectious
PRONOUNS: He/Him
OTHER CHARACTERS: ...I'm so disappointed in myself. I got to the point where I don't want to list out all my characters.
SOURCE: In the beginning, there was no site. And then I grabbed Exxie and Anna and Silvy and went "Hey let's make a thing!"and somehow convinced them to do most of the work while I got to reap all the power.
PRONOUNS: He/Him
OTHER CHARACTERS: ...I'm so disappointed in myself. I got to the point where I don't want to list out all my characters.
SOURCE: In the beginning, there was no site. And then I grabbed Exxie and Anna and Silvy and went "Hey let's make a thing!"
credit to Laura of Adox
