Name: Jamel Truffaut
Codename:
Age: 18 (today!)
Date of Birth: August 23
Height: 5' 7
Weight: 125lbs
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Green with one slash of yellow apiece
Nationality/Race: French
Classification/Origin of Powers: Mutant
Status: Trainee (On probation from Juvenile court)
Occupation: Student
Personality Profile:
Jamel is everybody's friend until he's not. Fast and free with his tongue, he'll chat up anyone. He's also a pusher, the friend yelling jump at the pool, or chug at the bar.
Physical Description:
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General Power Information:
Umbrakinetics
Ability One:
Shadowgate -
Jamel can step into a shadow and step out of another shadow in another location. So far he's been able to step into any shadow that's at least as wide as he is into any location that he has seen in the past. He doesn't know the limit of his powers, but has Shadowgated a distance of twelve miles before (from the juvenile detention center to a friend's basement).
Ability Two:
Shadow Control/Constructs -
Jamel can manipulate the shadows of others or himself. These manipulations often appear to follow his mood. When he concentrates, he can craft shadow humanculi capable of carrying out simple tasks, and shadow extensions (tendrils, blades) that can physically effect the world. As he can see/feel/manipulate the shadows, anything hiding within those shadows becomes apparent to him, allowing him to sense anything in the darkness.
Ability Three:
Hide in Shadows -
Jamel can cover himself in a layer of shadows that make him impossible to see. Normally he uses his shadow control to help, so there isn't a Jamel shaped silhoutte sitting in the middle of the room. As he's manipulating darkness itself, this is a obfuscation that cannot be pierced by traditional night vision.
Drawbacks & Weaknesses:
Shadowgate -
Jamel has never tried taking anyone with him and is unsure of if he can. It has been theorized that pushing his shadowgate power to the limits would have an adverse effect on his health. While the limit on Jamel's Shadowgating distance is unknown, the first time his powers manifested, he was wishing to go home. It's believed that without controlling it, he attempted to shadowgate himself from Florida to France and put himself into a coma.
Shadow Control/Constructs -
His nightvision isn't an ability to see through darkness but an ability to feel through it. It works more like Daredevil's radar (allowing him to understand shapes and motions but not color or writing) than normal vision.
The more constructs he creates the harder it is to focus on them. Simple moving shadows happen when he's emotional, but objects that can touch are harder. Even harder when they are more and larger. It takes him a lot of effort to create the "humanculi" Once created he can absorb them, but he isn't in control of their personality. Maybe they're from his subconcious, maybe they're from something else. The more Humanculi he creates the more scatterbrained and forgetful he becomes.
Hide in Shadows -
Jamel is unable to see or obscure any lights outside of the human range of seeing that would not be obscured by traditional shadows. Also, in an environment where traditional shadows are unavailable, such as a spotlight or Highly sunny area, he completely loses this ability.
General -
It is unknown if Jamel is summoning shadows or moving the shadows that are in the area. It is unknown if Jamel becomes a shadow while shadowgating or if he's entering another dimension. If his Humanculi aren't powered by his own subconscious, they must gain their ability to think from somewhere else, where?
The longer he remains hidden in shadows, the quieter his voice becomes. This often lasts a little while after he's done using his power. There's no evidence if this could ever become permanent.
When Jamel fell into a coma, a slash of yellow formed in the iris' of both of his eyes. While he doesn't know it, his body is ready to change, but only undergoes portions of that change when he either over exerts or heavily exerts himself.
Skills:
Jamel is good at picking locks and guessing the value of things. He's an alright swimmer and faster than he looks. He lies more easily than he tells the truth and has never really learned any computer skills outside of social media on his phone. He's woefully under-educated but able to sniff out a drug dealer or otherwise shady operator easily. He has no idea how to operate in high/polite society, but is good at reading body language.
Background: (Sometimes the most important parts are what is unsaid)
As long as you heard anyone else tell the story, Jamel grew up in a regular household. Save for a few funny anecdotes, Jamel would share a pretty mundane existence as well, as long as there wasn't anything forcing him to be honest.
Jamel was born in Bayonne (France). His parents were middle class and he was the youngest of six. Before he settled down, Jamel's father Adrien had been a grifter. While that wasn't a part of his life after Jamel was born (he ran a successful bakery with his wife), it was part of Adrien. The man was born with a forked tongue and words were more weapon than communication. Despite simply assisting his wife in her bakery he was an amazingly powerful man in town. He wasn't on any major boards and never held any major positions, but he was at every important meeting and gathering and would publicly humiliate anyone who spoke against his presence.
Back home, that tongue promised to be at dance recitals and rugby games and trips to the beach, then explained how he was needed at important meetings and couldn't get away despite smelling like he had fallen into a winery. Watching the responses of his brothers and sisters Jamel learned that feelings were things that others told you about so you could make them feel bad later for not doing, or giving you what you wanted later. Their mother was nothing like this, but she was always at the bakery. Some of the children were old enough to help her and learn from her. Jamel was not one of them.
Jamel found a group of boys who loved hitting the beach and running through the woods, hanging out in the city and other things. Soon they began cutting classes, committing petty crimes and otherwise just being wild boys. Jamel was the mouth of this gang always finding ways to threaten any adult who would shut down their fun into silence [(translated from the french) "I know we're not supposed to be here, but if you call the police I'll tell them you're a pervert. By the time they come, my friend Bruno will have hidden pictures of me in your house." He'd then raise his phone revealing he'd just texted Bruno.] One quiet day, Jamel had a falling out with his best friend (that he never talks about). The next day, his father saw some of Jamel's texts from their misadventures and threats. Outraged, Adrien sent Jamel away to live with his uncle in the United States.
Sent away because "He bothered being honest," Jamel was a mess when he arrived at his Uncle's house. His uncle was a strict man and thought a regular routine would help Jamel. Jamel rebelled harder. It started with him sneaking out mostly at night. When he was robbed, his uncle told him it was his fault for sneaking out and tried to help Jamel join clubs or school activities. When he was beaten up, his uncle took him to the hospital and asked how this could have happened. There, in a fit of tears, the lights cut off in the room and Jamel screamed. No one knew what happened, but when the lights cut back on, Jamel fell into a three day coma.
Over the next two months, Jamel felt more 'himself' in the dark. He made small friends that he would chat with. They often committed petty crimes for him while he made sure he was in places people would see him. Later, he learned to shadowgate and to hide himself completely. He was beginning to brighten up, till his Uncle discovered his "stash" of stolen goods. When the cops showed up to arrest him. He fell into his own shadow and disappeared. Eventually, he was caught and sent to a juvenile detention center.
After his arrest, his father called the juvenile detention center Jamel was sent to. Three months later, Jamel was told that he was being sent to Cobalt Hill for rehabilitation.
Criminal Record:
Accessory, Aiding and Abetting, Arson, Battery, Bribery, Burglary, Conspiracy, Credit card fraud, Disorderly Conduct, Disturbing the Peace, Drug Possession, Extortion, Harassment, Shoplifting, Theft, and Vandalism
Quirks, Extras, Random Character Facts:
1. When he's really tired, he talks in his sleep (mostly responses to what's happening in his dreams)
2. When he yawns, his eyes tear up a little. He hates explaining that he's not crying.
3. While he's fluent in English, he will speak in French if surprised or terribly upset.
4. He has an old friendship bracelet on his left wrist that he always wears. It looks like it's been through everything imaginable.
5. Jamel loooves seafood and is not a fan of fast food.
6. When Jamel is terrified, wherever he is grows darker.
7. Jamel would love to play guitar but is not the sort to practice. So he admires guitarists and music that features guitar.
8. He has a great singing voice, but relatively no desire to use it.
9. He's one of those people that will drink half of something, then leave it on a table and walk away from it, later grabbing a fresh drink before doing the same thing over again.
10. Not a dog fan . . . at all!