WAKER, alex "the psychic strike" hoffman

THE PSYCHIC STRIKE

today's tom sawyer, mean mean pride

RANK. E (unlockable: D)
AGE. 20
DOB. 06 12
ETHNICITY. German-American, second generation
OCCUPATION. service, often out of work
RESIDENCE. brooklyn

You probably don't know this kid. He's just your average job-hopper. He can't keep down a steady job because of his vicious temper and tendency to be hostile towards angry customers. Also there was that incident regarding property damage to that McDonald's, but certainly that's not an issue, right?

Basically, Alex is poor. As in "I can barely afford to keep my apartment" poor. Why? Because apparently poor socialization and isolation make a person bitter. Though you can't really blame his parents-- they's Sleepers. Alex might have been one himself, had he not accidentally discovered his gift. And he still doesn't know the extent of the magical world. As far as Alex knows, he's the only person with his specific curse.

Born in upstate New York, closer to Canada than anywhere else, Alex's parents discovered his powers when he was three years old. While he had thrown tantrums before, this was the first time he'd ever thrown a tantrum to such a magnitude that his sister was thrown against a wall, seemingly by an invisible force. If he got angry out in public, he'd pull things off of shelves, topple displays, and even try to throw people, all without even lifting a finger. His parents didn't know what was going on. Afraid, but unwilling to risk the chance of losing their son, they decided to keep him home and keep him away from other people.

His parents didn't encourage him to practice his ability. "Just pretend it's not there," they said. This seemed logical to their sleeper mindset, but to Alex, he never quite felt accepted. His sister rarely spoke to him. She'd never forgiven him for his outbreak, and still didn't want to be anywhere around him, fearing the risk of him hurting her.

Because of the tension, the Hoffman home was not a good place to be. The Mister and Missus would fight often, and Alex and his sister were often caught in the crossfire. Far too often, Alex was blamed for it, and this didn't really help his fits of rage at all. And as he got older, he found that ignoring his powers didn't make them go away. They just got harder and harder to control.

Probably the turning point for Alex, when he decided he was going to learn to use his powers anyway, was when he broke his sister's arm during a fit of rage, and his parents were so terrified that they could barely speak to him, much less keep him pent up in the house. He got the impression that they didn't want him there and tried running away.

That's about the time he met Mittens the cat. The scruffy cat noticed food, and Alex gave it to him. But the cat didn't speak until Alex tried lifting the leftovers of the small meal he'd brought and tossed it a few feet, the first voluntary use of his powers he'd ever done.

"You know, we could work on that."

After initially freaking out and almost hitting the cat, Alex realized something-- that maybe there are a few people like him. Maybe this cat can help him understand. And so Alex named the cat Mittens, brought him home, and decided that the cat will help him understand the world around him.

For the first time in his life, Alex had some form of hope. That maybe his powers didn't exist just to hurt others, and that he could be like the superheroes in the comic books he devoured (because they were just like him, different, ostracized, dangerous). And Mittens could help him.

Over time, Alex learned to hone his abilities, then decided that he'd use these abilities for the good of humanity. Maybe then, after he'd saved the city from near-destruction, his family wouldn't think he was a freak anymore!

Problem: he lived in the middle of nowhere. There wasn't much to do. But you know what's nearby and has enough scum to fill a planet? Under the guise of "college," since there was a cheap community college with no standards in New York, and living in the city would be much easier than moving to closer places. But Alex, being naive and not quite aware of how the world works, decided that he didn't need education. He's a superhero! A vigilante warrior, taking down any evil-doers--

And dirt broke because of the fact that he simply cannot get along with people, and thus tends to lose jobs easily. Minimum wage is a bitch. And he's nowhere near good enough to be the hero he wants to be. But maybe, just maybe, his chance will come along...

One day, this city will know The Psychic Strike.