InsaneJournal

"I'm weary with right-angles, abbreviated daylight, and waiting for a winter to be done."

full name: Julien Thomas Starsmore
nickname/alias: Jules, JT (Does not like to be called JT)
intended codename: Outbreak
age: 22 | 10/11/08
occupation: Student | Pratt | Major: Fine Arts
legal: Unmarried, no criminal record
hometown: Cumberland, KY
ethnicity: Caucasian.
sexual orientation: Straight

mutation: Similar to his father, a furnace of psionic biokinetic energy burns within Julian's chest cavity. This inferno is both contained and controlled by his body. Julien can force a 'layer' of energy to the surface of his skin, covering his form in a protective, vibant halo. He can also force the energy out in a firey-appearing blast that is most intense at the epicenter and tapers off as it spreads out.

Since the energy blast is psionic and not actual fire, it does not need oxygen to sustain itself, nor does water damper its strength.

The location of his power source means that Julien lacks crucial internal organs like a heart, lungs and stomach -- but the furnace of energy takes care of everything ; including circulation, oxygenation of the blood and nutrition. This means that Julien does not need to eat, drink nor breathe as his body is completely fueled by the energy source within.

To accommodate the use of his energy-related abilities, Julien's cellular structure has adapted to protect itself from the possibly destructive forces of his psionic powers.

skills/talents: He's an accomplished artist, having taken to drawing and painting as a child. He's far better at expressing himself visually and in writing than he is verbally. He can name just about any song or artist in the punk/rock genre thanks to early and repetitive exposure to such music by his father. He's pretty good in his own right on piano, but you'd never catch him playing anywhere else other than his apartment.

personality: Sometimes thought to be naive, Julien is just experiencing much of the world a little later than many of his peers. He'll swallow what nervousness might exist in order to try something new, with a little coaxing. Social situations with many people tend to leave Julian as a wallflower, though when one-on-one or in a small group he finds it easier to relax and interact.

Julien is far more comfortable expressing himself visually than verbally, having far more experience with a pencil or brush than explaining himself to new people. Generally amicable, Julien tries to make up for lack of social skills with what charm has rubbed off on him from a Guthrie/Kentucky upbringing.

immediate family: Jonothon Starsmore - Father, Paige Guthrie - Mother

family history: The start of the relationship between Jonothon Starsmore and Paige Guthrie was, quite literally, explosive. A drunken Paige slung her arms around a shocked Jono and when she planted her lips on the skin just above his dark mask, Jono lost control of his powers and the Girl's Dorm came crashing down around them. Luckily, Jono and Paige remained unhurt.

Jono was ashamed, though, feeling he should have been more careful, as he should know how potentially dangerous his power was. Paige thanked him for sparing her the embarrassment of telling the others why he had freaked out. However, Jono misunderstood her, believing she was embarrassed for having shown interest in a freak like him.

This was the first of many misunderstandings, hurt feelings and emotional spats between the Brit and the Southerner. Their attraction was undoubtable, but Jono was plagued by a sense of inadequacy. Paige was a beautiful, powerful mutant in her own right. She had an amazing family, the likes he'd never known and there was no way he could ever provide her with. He couldn't even kiss her. What girl wanted to be with a guy who couldn't ever kiss her? Jono ultimately ended the relationship and returned to his hometown of London, England.

In the time apart, Jonothon's name started to appear, splashed across headlines attached to pop-star Sugar Kane. The tabloid tales of the starlet and the mutant crossed the Atlantic in papers, entertainment television and of course, celebrity gossip blogs. The relationship was not nearly as heated as the descriptions written about it. Sugar was using Jono for the publicity and Jono was using Sugar for a steady gig playing guitar in her stage band and something to take his mind off Paige. But the mutual benefits became anything but when Sugar whispered the p-word into some reporter's ear. Pregnant. The media coverage turned into a rabid frenzy, despite Jono's denial of the claim. He left and returned to the States.

Paige's broken heart hadn't mended in his absence, as much as hardened. To have someone she loved so much leave was difficult enough, but to have him leave only to discover he was with a pop star across the pond was infuriating. The pregnancy rumors pushed her, not over the edge so much as into the arms of other men. When Jono returned, she wanted nothing to do with him. But the usually despondent Brit wouldn't give up. Jono's persistence led to arguments, shouting matches (well, the best a shouting match could be when one person couldn't talk aloud), which unraveled the truth behind the headlines and the feelings that still existed between them.

During a heated night of 'apologizing', a whole new chapter to their lives began. If it had been a honeymoon, he would have been affectionately called a souvenir. But when baby Julien was born, weighing less than five pounds, he became their greatest love and greatest worry. The doctors could not explain the cause for his low birth rate, nor the infants weak vitals. He was a alive, but barely. Doctors prepared the couple for the worst, but Julien managed to not only survive the night, but the weeks of observation and monitoring.

Julien was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure contributed to a weak heart muscle that was incapable of properly pumping at normal levels.

The bickering disappeared. The lover's quarrels, Jono's insecurities, everything was set aside for the weak-hearted son they'd brought into the world. For the support of a big family, the promise of fresh air and a good children's hospital in Louisville, Paige and Jono returned to Paige's home state of Kentucky.

personal history: While Julien was born in New York, he grew up not far from the Guthrie family homestead in Kentucky. While Julien grew up in Kentucky, he never knew the farm-style childhood that his mother, aunts, uncles and any number of cousins did. Well, he knew some -- whatever he could see from the windows of his home. Julien could easily get winded to the point of passing out simply from going up the stairs to his bedroom. He had gone into cardiac arrest three times before his eighth birthday. Even just the stress of his parents arguing heard through the walls could stress him out to the point he'd have to lay down.

Unable to make it through a traditional day of school, Julien was home schooled, much of the teaching done by his grandmother. The Guthrie matriarch had taken a large role in much of her grandson's care. After raising so many children, there wasn't one the Lord could send her that she couldn't handle.

Outside of his school work, Julien was encouraged in low-key activities such as art. It started with coloring, moved onto freehand drawing as he got older and eventually painting and anything else his parents would buy for him to create with. With having a musician for a father, Julien quickly took an interest in that as well. But he didn't have the strength for guitar, nor the lung capacity for any wind or brass instrument. Drums very well might have killed him. But piano was deemed safe and Julien took to it quickly.

While he'd get the occasional visit from cousins around his age, they never stayed long and rarely did Julien's limitations let them do anything they mutually considered fun. Even at large family gatherings, the stress and excitement of just being around so many people would leave Julien exhausted, resigned to one of his parent's lap, leaning against them, sleeping in the middle of Guthrie merriment. Aside from his ailment, he never quite fit in one hundred percent on other factors. Namely, he had the lanky, gaunt features of his father -- at least they could tell from old photos of his father when Jono still had his face in tact. Dark haired and carrying the surname Starsmore, Guthrie blood was hard to see at times.

For fifteen years, Julien lived this echo of a childhood on the fringe of the Guthrie family tree. But that December after he'd turned fifteen, everything would change with a sneeze. Julien had contracted the flu and was hospitalized. His fevers raged, his body shivered. He barely spent any time awake, his body exhausted from trying to defend itself. It was a losing battle and Paige, Jono and Lucinda were preparing themselves for the worst. Then in the middle of the night, his slowly beeping heart monitor started picking up, the line's angles growing sharper with each strengthening beat of his heart. The deeper intake of air tickled his nose as he slept and when his body responded with a sneeze -- a firey burst of energy engulfed the room like a backdraft and quickly retreated into his body. Julien didn't even wake up, but when the energy release melted a few vital pieces of equipment, his rest didn't last long.

Unable to explain himself, his parents and the hospital staff went to security video to see just what had happened. If Jonothon had a jaw, it would have dropped with the rest of them. Julien, no longer displaying any signs of sickness couldn't believe it himself either. He felt strange, but never quite knew if it was the mutation or just living in a fully fueled body. Indeed, Jono's powers had been passed down, in a way, to his son. When faced with death or evolution, his body manifested the mutation and Julien's weak heart and other organs disappeared into a furnace of psionic biokinetic energy.

Life changed in ways Julien had never imagined. He was normal. His mutation made him normal. He could run, he could go up and down stairs, he could go outside and he got to finish his secondary education in a regular high school. This proved both exciting and terrifying. Julien excelled in his studies, but found that this immediate immersion into the student population left him oddly isolated. He didn't have the benefit of a properly social childhood and made very few friends, but Julien wasn't discouraged. He loved school. He loved getting out of the house, being on his own for six hours a day. At home, he was rarely indoors.

Paige was having a difficult time letting go. Julien had gone from sick and needy to robust and fiercely independent. Jono was relieved, excited even. The summer after Julien graduated, Jono took him abroad. The elder Starsmore had been itching to go 'home' for ages and never once did he think he'd be able to take his son to London, nevermind the rest of Europe. While they were away, an acceptance letter came for one of the art schools Julien had applied for, Pratt in New York City.

Julien now lives in New York, three years into the Fine Arts program at Pratt. He loves the city, in part for the way that it still overwhelms him. Julien still wakes up, amazed at the life he's living. While explosive outbursts of his powers are few and far between, Julien uses his mutation everyday as he wouldn't be alive without it.

random things to note:
• Julien wanted a dog more than anything growing up. One of the first things he did when he got his own apartment in New York was adopt a terrier mix called "Jack" from the Humane Society.
• While somewhat disconnected from much of the Guthrie clan, Julien's incredibly close with his grandmother.
• He's never had a girlfriend.
• Doesn't need to eat, but misses the southern cooking back home. His favorite is chicken and biscuits.
• Has an external harddrive dedicated to his music collection.
• Loves figure drawing more than still life.
• Wants a tattoo, but is afraid of the pain of the needle triggering his powers.
• Rides to an extra stop on the subway just to enjoy the walk back to his apartment when the weather's nice.
• Has and has an appreciation for a good, dry sense of humor.
• Spends most nights at his apartment -- either painting/doing homework or planning out his next great travel adventure.
• Worries that his parents are drifting apart now that he's not at home anymore.