InsaneJournal

NAME: Joshua David Flynn
NICKNAMES: Josh, Flynn; anything works for him, honestly.
AGE: 17
DATE OF BIRTH: 18 March 1999
RACE: Human (Psychic)
NATIONALITY: American
HOMETOWN: Gatlinburg, Tennessee

HOUSE: Ladon
LEVEL: Advanced
CLASS SCHEDULE: 2016 - 2017

SEXUALITY: Heterosexual
MARITAL STATUS: Single

PARENTS:

Sarah Montgomery (mother)

David Flynn (father, estranged)
SIBLINGS: None

For most of his life, Josh was little more than a bean pole. He was so active that it was hard to keep any substantial weight on. Then, all of a sudden, puberty hit, giving him a few more inches (bumping up to 5’9”) and filled out the rest of his body. Not only did he have weight, but he had muscles that he could build on. While Josh appreciates that he has a lean, athletic build, it’s not something he stresses over. He doesn’t exercise for the sake of looking fit. Much like his hobbies, he fuels his excess energy into sports and exercise as a means to get rid of it. The rest is just bonus.

Along with his physical form, Josh doesn’t invest much in what he wears or how he presents himself. Sure, he can recognize when a time calls for putting on a nice shirt and tucking it into some slacks, but that doesn’t mean he thinks all occasions call for that. Most days, Josh throws on a comfortable shirt and jeans, regardless of condition or cleanliness. If it’s close enough to him when he wakes up, and doesn’t reek from practice the day before, then it’s good wear for the day. Day to day, Josh generally seems presentable (though there are some days that are worst than others) as far as his clothing is concerned. The dead giveaway that he woke up and didn’t care to try at all is his hair. He keeps it longer than most, allowing it to hang shaggy just past his ears. It wasn’t something he intended, but Josh isn’t about to cut his hair anytime soon.

Josh is a friendly guy. That much is clear when you first meet him. He has a knack for being personable, even when confronted with someone he normally wouldn’t associate with. His mother always encouraged him to keep an open mind and, like a good boy, he heeded that lesson. Josh is quick to give people the benefit of the doubt if they make a bad first impression and is happy to alleviate an awkward moment when someone is nervous. Conversations are easy and it’s not uncommon for people to feel entirely at ease around him. It is also not unheard of for more people to refer to him as their friend than he would actually claim. For Josh, being friends, real friends comes with a heavier commitment than most would take on. True friendships, in his mind, denote a sense of loyalty and trust that most would reserve for best friends or family. While he doesn’t expect others to jump through hoops for him, there is effort that has to be put in. Those who show up consistently, who invite him out, and show interest in how he’s doing: these are the people who receive the full package of Josh’s friendship in time. Call him in the middle of the night, needing a ride somewhere? Josh will be there there in a second with a full tank of gas. Need him to spot you some money for bills or otherwise? He’ll lend you that and then some, and never ask for you to repay before you’re ready. It is fortunate that Josh only regards his closest friends in this manner, because such behavior could easily turn him into a door mat.

Josh’s approach to relationships are entirely tied to his father. While his mother encouraged him to be a positive light in the world, his father forced him to build walls that he doesn’t fully realize he has. Josh’s need to keep everyone at arm’s length is born out of a deep-seeded fear that he’s not good enough. For all the years that his father was in his life, Josh never felt like he lived up to his expectations. If he’d had a better son, he would have fought harder to keep him in his life -- right? Along with not getting close to others quickly, Josh also struggles with emotions. Just as his dad was never particularly forthcoming with “I love you”s, neither is Josh. So far, the only person who has managed to get one out of him has been his mother who long ago learned how to get through to an emotionally guarded man. Not only does Josh have trouble vocalizing his more intense emotions, he also has trouble not being freaked out by them. If a situation gets heavy, you can almost count down the seconds to how long it takes for him to bolt. Of course, this is the reason that he has not had any relationships that last longer than a couple months.

If friendly is the first word people would use to describe Josh, cocky would be the second. He is capable of reeling it in, but there are times when he can be damn near intolerable. This confidence is very much a symptom of being an only child and a mama’s boy, all in one. Add to that the fact that he suddenly has special abilities -- how could that not go to teenager’s head? Josh’s confidence tends to lead him into dangerous territory in that he doesn’t believe that he’s stretching himself too thin, regardless of the situation. No matter how bad things get, he’s always sure that he’ll be able to find a way out of them.

Psychic; Electrokinesis
Josh has the ability to create, shape, and manipulate electricity. These powers have recently developed and, at present, he lacks the control necessary to keep them in check. They seem to be triggered predominantly by anxiety. Josh’s nervous energy, which often builds during classes, charges his power, causing it to go off randomly, without any sort of gauge for how extreme the discharge will be. He has yet to hurt anyone because of it, but it’s only a matter of time if he doesn’t learn how to manage it.

With a little concentration, Josh can produce sparks from his fingertips. If he conducts the spark between two fingers, he can create a larger, stronger bolt of electricity. The sparks also happen without Josh’s effort. He’s noticed that the accidental jolts happen more often when he’s working with wiring or other electronics, but it has also occurs when he makes contact with others. Hand shakes, accidental skin on skin contact, can produce a spark, though it’s rarely more extreme than something you’d experience because of static electricity.

Through practice, Josh has been able to form a small ball of electricity in his hands. It takes a significant amount of effort and demands all of his concentration, which is difficult in the first place. He has only managed to accomplish this a couple of times since he started trying to understand his power.

Josh is not impervious to the effects of his ability. He has found that the stronger the current of electricity that passes through his hands, the longer they tingle. After a particularly rough accidental burst, his hands actually went numb. He’s not sure if it is a permanent side effect that he has to accept, or if there’s something that can be done (for example: would grounding help?). Being shocked by an outside source does not have any effect on him. However, if he is wet (to any degree) using his powers will electrocute him.

SPECIAL SKILLS: Josh has a way with mechanics and engineering. There’s little that he can’t do with a car, and what he doesn’t know, he’s more than happy to read up on in his spare time. The same goes to electronics. He’s built computers for himself and friends. There’s something about working with his hands, figuring out how things to work and improving upon them, that calms him when his mind is at its most active.

Sarah Montgomery never thought she would be the type to settle down. Though her hometown was far from small, she had dreams of moving out to explore the world. She was a woman who went through life, taking things as they came and rarely making any real plans for herself. It was a surprise to no one that knew her when she became pregnant unexpectedly. The real shock came from the fact that the father was David Flynn, a man so straightlaced and accountable that he should have been turned off by everything that made Sarah who she was. The two were easily the poster couple for “opposites attract”. In those early years, it worked for them. Sarah showed David how to let go, enjoy himself, and David grounded Sarah in reality.

The true test of their relationship came when their son, Joshua, was born. It was clear early on that he was going to be a handful. Josh was a bundle of energy, even as a newborn in the hospital. He was always moving, always reaching out into the world around him. As a baby, this was easy enough to manage. As a toddler, however, Josh was a nightmare. If he could get into it, be it drawers or cabinets, he would. Furthermore, if he could take it apart, he absolutely would. While Sarah took her son’s tendencies in stride, David had little patience for it. He had always seemed to be a man with an even temper, but Josh brought out the worst in him. He would be quiet for a time, silently stewing on all the things Josh did that upset him, before snapping out of nowhere, yelling at whoever landed in his crosshairs. Sarah took it in stride when David lashed out at her. It was only when he directed his anger toward Josh that she took issue. She wouldn’t stand for it -- point period.

Things began to shift after Josh turned four. David withdrew himself from his family. He often volunteered for overtime and it wasn’t uncommon for him to shut himself off in his study when he came home. Sarah and Josh became an inseparable pair. She supported Josh’s inquisitive nature, making sure he had toys that were made specifically for building and tearing apart. She encouraged him to always keep an open mind about the world. Sarah also shared a secret with her son that no one outside of her family knew. For most of her life Sarah had been able to manipulate the air around her. She could change the direction of the wind or stir up a breeze. When Josh was young, he thought these were just tricks, but the older he became, the more he understood that his mother had special abilities, and that David was never to know about them. Sarah never made promises to Josh when he asked if one day he would have powers of his own, but she made sure to keep a close eye on him in case something developed.

School proved to be extremely difficult for Josh. It was hard to say if there was one root cause or a combination of many problems. While Josh enjoyed learning, especially when his lessons involved hands-on activity, sitting still and concentrating on a single task felt impossible for him. He didn’t understand why it was so easy for his classmates to follow along without trouble. That some of his teacher’s showed less patience than others hardly helped. Sarah was Josh’s biggest advocate in getting him all the help he needed. David, as always, didn’t understand his son and didn’t see the issue. When the school suggested that Josh be tested for ADHD, David was quick to dismiss it. Though Sarah wasn’t thrilled at the school’s opinion either, she used it as a starting point to find tools that would help Josh succeed.

It was around this time that Sarah began to develop a friendship with David’s brother, James. He had a personality like Sarah’s and he offered a sympathetic ear when David’s behavior became too much for her to handle on her own. For a long time, things between them remained purely platonic. They had no intention for them to be anything but. However, some time after Josh’s twelfth birthday, Sarah’s relationship with James became something more. She was quick to talk to David about what happened. It’s hard to say if he would have taken things differently had Sarah been apologetic and willing to make amends. Instead, after admitting to cheating, Sarah made it clear that she wanted out of the relationship. David lashed out. At first there were harsh words, then came his decision to cut Sarah out of his life completely. That also involved Josh. While Josh had never been close to his father, it was a significant blow. It was one thing for him to be living without David in the house, but Josh couldn’t have contact with him either. Calls would go unanswered and David made no effort to reach out, regardless of the occasion. Josh felt that it was all his fault, that his father had never wanted him in the first place.

Life continued on without much note. Sarah dated James discreetly, for Josh’s sake. Eventually, they made the decision to move in together. Though Josh said he was okay with it, a part of him struggled with the change. He packed the feelings down with the rest of his negative emotions, and did whatever he could to avoid thinking about them. Sometimes this meant pouring himself into his tinkering projects, other times, it meant partying with friends harder than someone his age should have. More than once Josh took advantage of his mother’s trust to get away with staying out all night with his friends.

By the time Josh turned sixteen, he had all but given up on the idea of developing abilities. His mother had showed signs of power as early as ten. Every year that passed made him more disappointed, until Josh stopped anticipating it altogether. The first indicators that something was different went on for months without Josh realizing something had changed in him. He’d been interested in electronics for years and had long enjoyed the hobby of taking things apart and building something new. Josh would be working on a project when a jolt of electricity would spark at his fingertips. It was small and felt more like static shock than anything else, which made it easier to explain away. Then the sparks started to occur when he was far from his work table. He'd catch a jolt when turning off a light switch or reaching for the remote. It wasn't until a jarring incident at school when he produced an arch of electricity between his hands during a test. The bolt had disappeared so quickly that if it wasn't for the lingering tingle in his fingers, he would have dismissed it as pure imagination.

Sarah was over the moon for Josh when she heard the news. She was also insistent that Josh enroll in her former alma mater, St. Margaret’s Academy. Considering that Josh’s powers had an increasing tendency to pop out at school during classes, there was no better place for him to be, in her opinion. The only drawback being that he would be living there for most of the academic year. Josh was not very enthusiastic about the idea. The thought of leaving behind his friends, and his mom (if he were being honest), sounded terrible. Every time Sarah brought it up, he would either dismiss it completely or display teenage apathy for it. What finally sold him was that his personal practice with his powers both proved to neither advance nor aid in controlling his abilities. Josh couldn’t risk exposure, and it was only a matter of time that he would at his current rate.

He’s recently moved into the academy and is still getting adjusted. The fact that he’s seeing this as a temporary waystation, and not a place to settle down and make new friends, is standing in his way.

Future Prospects: Josh wants to get finished with school as soon as possible. The sooner he can graduate, the better. He’s tired of classes and the strain they cause on him. That and his desire to further understand his abilities are all that drive him these days. Josh is so hyper focused on these things that he hasn’t given much consideration to the future. His mother would love for him to go onto college, but Josh doubts he’ll have the grades to do anything more than a few community college courses. He’d be happy if he could find a way to make money through his hobbies, but unless he plans on being a mechanic, going to a university will be necessary. Even if he could spare a second of thought about his career options, he wouldn’t because of how bleak they look.

2016 - 2017 School Year

Required Subjects:

Geometry

Economics

Physical Education

Supernatural Studies

Electives:

Human Anatomy & Physiology

Astronomy

Physical Power Training

Art Requirement: Sculpture & Crafting

Sports Requirement: Football (Soccer)

Additional Extracurriculars: Science & Robotics Club

To be added!

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER ⇢

⇢ THREAD: New Digs

Micah Kaden · Josh Flynn
Josh arrives at St. Margaret's and meets with the head of Ladon house.

⇢ NETWORK: Public Entry

Davian Rivera · Josh Flynn
Josh congratulates Davian on his impending nuptuals.

⇢ THREAD: Wedding Festivities

Dana Novak · Josh Flynn
Josh attends a wedding at the school.

More to come!