JUDE // ALEXANDER
"My life's complicated enough as it is. I've got a long list of responsibilities I have to fulfill and the last thing I need is-is this thing to add to it."
"My life's complicated enough as it is. I've got a long list of responsibilities I have to fulfill and the last thing I need is-is this thing to add to it."
P H Y S I C A L I T Y
Appearance
Hair: Dark brown || Choppy || Untameable
Facial Hair: Light stubble || Rarely clean-shaven.
Eyes: x
Build: Lean and lightly muscled
Skin Tone: Fair
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
Weight: 160 lbs. (73 kg)
Voice: x
Handed: Left
Body Markings: None
Scar Tissue: He was a clumsy kid who grew up in the Alaskan wilderness, so there's bound to be a few here and there.
Unique Body Features: Calloused fingertips and a slightly crooked nose.
Clothing Style: Jude isn't very adventurous when it comes to clothing, and will settle for anything 'normal-looking'. However, he does like to cover up, so it's usually just sweaters and button up shirts with maybe a jacket thrown in. Rarely will he venture out in a simple t-shirt. He also prefers jeans, but wears slacks whenever he's teaching.
Joseph Jude Alexander
Nickname
Jude, Judie
Title
TBD
Visual Age
Early to mid-thirties
Factual Age
Thirty-One
Gender
Male
Sexual Orientation
Bisexual || 5 on the 0-6 Kinsey Scale
Power Ranking
TBD
Powers
Intangibility - 2
Omnilingualism - 1
Invisibility - 2
Lie Detection - 1
M E N T A L I T Y
..
..
A quick look at Jude (mild-mannered, soft-spoken, perpetual exhaustion clear in the creases under his eyes that screams 'I-haven't-slept-since-I-was-four') projects the image of a nervous possible-recluse scared to death of his own shadow. In reality, only one of those things is correct - partially, that is, because while he might not like the idea of people in general, he isn't so hell-bent on secluding himself enough to be classified as a recluse. He does like some people (his son, his family, his next-door neighbor, etc.), but outright despises others (the drunk in the apartment across the hall, some of his co-workers, animal abusers, etc., etc.), and plainly tolerates the rest (...etc., etc., etc.). No, he isn't as nervous as some might think. A bit maladjusted, maybe, but he likes to think he has a pretty solid state of mind, and can handle social events very well, thank you. And lastly, he is not at all terrified of his own shadow. Here stands a man who's taken down a raging grizzly at ten (granted, it was barely an adult, but at ten, it had by far been the most impressive thing to ever happen to him ever). If he should be terrified of anything, it sure as hell would not be of a mere projection of his own self on a wall.
He is, however, terrified of all things bad and/or undesirable that may have the potential of happening to Harry. His son. His only child. The tiny, four-year old half-Japanese boy around which his entire universe evolves. Harry is his weakness. His Achilles heel. But he is also his greatest strength, because that little boy is the one who gives him purpose - a will and a reason to live during those late, late nights he spends staring at the cracked ceiling, cold and alone in a bed far too large for a single man. For him, he will do anything; resort to any measure no matter how extreme; and for him, Jude's willing to work no matter how long, no matter how hard, and no matter how shitty the pay - because two years ago, Jude made a promise, and when Jude makes a promise, one should be very pleased to find that he is perfectly alright with going through hell and back just to fulfill that promise. He isn't the kind of man content with half-assing anything. When he's committed to something (or someone - even though the stress of handling three jobs and a four year old has completely obliterated his chances at dating), he gives nothing short of a full 100% of himself to it. And one thing's for certain: he does not give up.
But, there is a clear difference between giving up and knowing when you've lost, and Jude knows exactly that. He's not above backing down when he thinks enough's enough, and sees no point in carrying on fighting a losing battle. Sure, others might still call that 'giving up', but Jude sees it as being realistic. He's a practical man. He knows his limits and adheres to them (unless it somehow involves Harry's welfare, for which he will go above and beyond). That being said, he also does not tend to venture too far out of his comfort zone. He likes where he is at present, and as such would probably not react very well to any sudden and overly drastic changes.
Towards other people, he is always and unfailingly polite - it doesn't matter whether he likes you, despises you, or tolerates you - he'll always be some level of nice. Maybe not exceedingly friendly, but pleasant overall. Another aspect of his is that he always manages to sound sincere. Authentic. And it gives him the air of a man who can be trusted; someone who wouldn't dare lie to your face.
But the trouble is, he doesn't always tell the truth.
Moral Alignment
True Neutral
Motivation
To protect his son, and provide him with a better life and an even brighter future.
• Insomniac
• Involuntarily starts humming random songs/show tunes when idle or when there's a lull in conversation.
• Develops a stutter when stressed and/or feeling particularly emotional.
• Compiles a mental list of 'facts' or observations about people.
• Always has some type of candy or small snack in his pocket.
• Has a tendency to walk with his shoulders drawn in, almost as if he's trying to make himself seem smaller than he actually is.
Fears
• Endangering Harry and doing something that might jeopardize his welfare.
• Not being able to make ends meet.
• His own inadequacy; that he won't be a good enough dad and that he won't live up to Harry's expectations.
Likes
○ his dog, Galileo ○ spending time with Harry ○ reading books ○ fishing ○ tea ○ classical music ○ old movies ○ amassing knowledge ○ playing the violin ○ classic rock ○ quiet nights
Dislikes
× hot, stuffy weather × forgetting things × getting caught off-guard × the aftertaste left by cigarettes × being stared at × insects × anything decaf × bigots, racists, etc. × country music
Skills
Musical Instruments - He has a good ear for music, and has since found that it doesn't take much for him to learn how to play things. But, after having dabbled with more than a dozen instruments so far, it's the violin that he finds himself most enamored with.
Memorization - With a near-photographic memory, it's almost impossible for him to forget important things. Facts like names and dates come easily to him - something he finds immensely helpful in his chosen profession.
Woodworking - He was taught how to whittle as a kid, and now his tiny apartment's filled with intricately hand-carved figures and wooden toys for Harry to play with. He also sometimes sells these creations online in craft sites like Etsy.
C O M B A T || P R O W E S S
Hand-to-Hand Combat: [Poor] He can get a good punch in every once in a while, but poor eyesight and even worse coordination meant that he usually came home with more than a few 'souvenirs' from the bigger kids at school.
Melee Combat: [Below Average] While he isn't particularly good at it, he has tried his hand at hunting with knives, which led to varying levels of success.
Ranged Combat: [Good] Jude was raised in rural Alaska, where he spent most of his childhood shooting hares and grouse in the backwoods near his home. He moved on to bigger game as he got older - hunting bucks and elk, and even taking down a bear or two. While he has no idea how it would translate in a combative setting, he takes some measure of comfort in the fact that he at least knows how to fire a gun and hit a moving target.
Control Over Power: TBD
B A C K G R O U N D
TBD
Marital Status
Single
Relatives
Unknown Father || Presumably of South American descent
Joseph George Alexander || 70 || Grandfather
Lilian Alexander (née Fallon) || Grandmother || Deceased
Mary Louise Alexander || Mother || Deceased
Julian George Alexander || 42 || Uncle
Haruki "Harry" Alexander (born Haruki Aoyama) || 4 || Adopted Son
Origin
Sitka, Alaska
Occupation
Part-Time History Professor at the local Community College
Private Tutor
Violin Instructor
Cliché as it may sound, Jude was, in fact, named after the Beatles song. He remembers his mom singing to him when he was little - back when she still acted like a mom; before the drinking, before the parties, before the overdose that took her away.
Sweet sixteen and already with a kid and a future put on hold, Mary Louise Alexander was only fifteen when a much older man with sun-kissed skin charmed her with a smile that shone like diamonds and an accent that had her heart hammering drumbeats in her chest. He took her virginity on the backseat of his fancy car, and with that, her freedom as well - something she'd find out a month later, sitting in a bathroom stall and staring at the two red lines that from then on would dictate her entire life. By then, the man had gone. She didn't even know his name, let alone his phone number. Only that he had called her querida, and mi amor, and all sorts of things she couldn't understand. By then, she was motherless and only had her father and her younger brother, but her father had always been a kind man, so when she broke the news, he took it with silent resignation and a heavy heart, knowing fully well that what's done is done and that he couldn't do anything about it besides help his daughter raise her child and hope it turns out better than its mother.
'It' turned out to be a boy, and that boy turned out to be Jude.
Jude had a pretty okay childhood, but after the novelty of motherhood wore off, his mom slowly started ignoring him - preferring to go out with her friends and return early in the morning smelling like a liquor store. He doesn't remember much, but his granddad and uncle were always there for him when his mom wasn't, and they continued to be there for him when his mom died of a heroin overdose when he was six. But by then, she had ceased being a mother to him for so long that he didn't really end up missing her as much as he expected.
Growing up in Sitka, he spent most of his days in relative solitude. His granddad was a fisherman, so he was always away on his fishingboat during the day, and by that time, his uncle had already joined in the army, so Jude had nothing to fill his days besides going off in the backwoods near their property and shooting at rodents and pests and the occasional deer (or bear). Other times he'd go fishing or painting or practice whittling. But all those things got old very, very fast, and it was a good thing he decided to venture out into town one day because then he met a man called Avery. He was some sort of drifter - scruffy looking but handsome, with a beat up guitar strapped to his back. Jude was only around thirteen then, but he's sure that that was the time he realized he was bi, because despite Avery probably being a decade older than him, Jude had developed an instant crush. He started hanging around with him, listening to him sing and play the guitar by the docks, and eventually, Avery taught Jude how to play as well. Jude took to it like a duck to water, and when Avery had to leave, the love for music he instilled in Jude stayed.
From then on, he took to playing every single instrument he could lay his hands on before settling on the violin, and by the time he was seventeen, he had already mastered Ernst's 'The Last Rose of Summer'. He briefly entertained the thought of being a musician, but eventually went off to study History at Washington, and it was there that the cataclysmic whirlwind that was Shinosuke ('Shin' for short) Aoyama came barreling into his life.
The moment he opened the door to find Shin - his new roommate - cursing up a storm with his foot stuck in a box and the curtains tangled around his head, Jude knew he was fucked. They were complete opposites. Shin was loud and noisy and messy beyond belief, but he was also insanely funny and genuine, and within a few weeks, he had already managed to worm his way into Jude's heart. Usually, this would be the part in the story where our protagonist (in this case, Jude) would suddenly realize that he had found his one true soulmate and fall deeply in love, but interestingly, Jude felt nothing more than a surge of brotherly affection for Shin. They became best friends, him and Jude. That much was inevitable. And they stayed friends - and roommates - all throughout grad school, and even after Jude got his Master's degree in History and landed himself a job in Metro City.
Together, they found a small, but decent apartment downtown and carried on living like they always did, except now Jude had a job teaching at the Community College and Shin kept himself busy working a junior administrative position at an insurance company. For four years, they managed to build a peaceful life for themselves, occasionally disrupted whenever Shin would bring some random chick home and Jude would have to spend the entire night awake, listening to them fucking noisily through the wall. Then, Shin came home one night sans a girl, but with a look on his face that had Jude scrambling for a glass of water and an inquiry as to whether Shin was alright.
He was obviously not alright. One of his one-night-stands had finally come back to haunt him, and within a few short weeks, he and Jude came home from the hospital with bundle of blankets and a newborn that was unmistakably Shin's. The kid's mother wanted nothing to do with him, and Shin wasn't that big of an asshole to put the kid in the system, so he went with the only other option he had left, and that was to raise the kid on his own. He ended up co-raising little Haruki (or 'Harry', as they called him) with Jude, who - despite a shitload of initial reservations - found that he was completely okay with having a baby in the house. Jude adored Harry. Fell in love with the kid at first sight and delighted in playing Uncle to the miniature Shin. Sure, they ran into a host of problems at the beginning, not to mention the toll that caring for an infant had begun to take on their finances, but they got through it, and all was well.
Harry was two when Shin was stabbed in an alleyway by a couple of thugs looking for a quick buck. They took his phone, his wallet, and his life. They were never caught.
Jude ended up adopting Harry, and just before his dead friend's body was lowered to the ground, he made a promise that he'd to his best and more to give Harry a good life and a good future; that he'd love him and raise him as his own; and that he'd be the best damn dad a kid could ever hope for.
And Jude always keeps his promises.
Hair: Dark brown || Choppy || Untameable
Facial Hair: Light stubble || Rarely clean-shaven.
Eyes: x
Build: Lean and lightly muscled
Skin Tone: Fair
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
Weight: 160 lbs. (73 kg)
Voice: x
Handed: Left
Body Markings: None
Scar Tissue: He was a clumsy kid who grew up in the Alaskan wilderness, so there's bound to be a few here and there.
Unique Body Features: Calloused fingertips and a slightly crooked nose.
Clothing Style: Jude isn't very adventurous when it comes to clothing, and will settle for anything 'normal-looking'. However, he does like to cover up, so it's usually just sweaters and button up shirts with maybe a jacket thrown in. Rarely will he venture out in a simple t-shirt. He also prefers jeans, but wears slacks whenever he's teaching.
Joseph Jude Alexander
Nickname
Jude, Judie
Title
TBD
Visual Age
Early to mid-thirties
Factual Age
Thirty-One
Gender
Male
Sexual Orientation
Bisexual || 5 on the 0-6 Kinsey Scale
Power Ranking
TBD
Powers
Intangibility - 2
Omnilingualism - 1
Invisibility - 2
Lie Detection - 1
M E N T A L I T Y
....A quick look at Jude (mild-mannered, soft-spoken, perpetual exhaustion clear in the creases under his eyes that screams 'I-haven't-slept-since-I-was-four') projects the image of a nervous possible-recluse scared to death of his own shadow. In reality, only one of those things is correct - partially, that is, because while he might not like the idea of people in general, he isn't so hell-bent on secluding himself enough to be classified as a recluse. He does like some people (his son, his family, his next-door neighbor, etc.), but outright despises others (the drunk in the apartment across the hall, some of his co-workers, animal abusers, etc., etc.), and plainly tolerates the rest (...etc., etc., etc.). No, he isn't as nervous as some might think. A bit maladjusted, maybe, but he likes to think he has a pretty solid state of mind, and can handle social events very well, thank you. And lastly, he is not at all terrified of his own shadow. Here stands a man who's taken down a raging grizzly at ten (granted, it was barely an adult, but at ten, it had by far been the most impressive thing to ever happen to him ever). If he should be terrified of anything, it sure as hell would not be of a mere projection of his own self on a wall.
He is, however, terrified of all things bad and/or undesirable that may have the potential of happening to Harry. His son. His only child. The tiny, four-year old half-Japanese boy around which his entire universe evolves. Harry is his weakness. His Achilles heel. But he is also his greatest strength, because that little boy is the one who gives him purpose - a will and a reason to live during those late, late nights he spends staring at the cracked ceiling, cold and alone in a bed far too large for a single man. For him, he will do anything; resort to any measure no matter how extreme; and for him, Jude's willing to work no matter how long, no matter how hard, and no matter how shitty the pay - because two years ago, Jude made a promise, and when Jude makes a promise, one should be very pleased to find that he is perfectly alright with going through hell and back just to fulfill that promise. He isn't the kind of man content with half-assing anything. When he's committed to something (or someone - even though the stress of handling three jobs and a four year old has completely obliterated his chances at dating), he gives nothing short of a full 100% of himself to it. And one thing's for certain: he does not give up.
But, there is a clear difference between giving up and knowing when you've lost, and Jude knows exactly that. He's not above backing down when he thinks enough's enough, and sees no point in carrying on fighting a losing battle. Sure, others might still call that 'giving up', but Jude sees it as being realistic. He's a practical man. He knows his limits and adheres to them (unless it somehow involves Harry's welfare, for which he will go above and beyond). That being said, he also does not tend to venture too far out of his comfort zone. He likes where he is at present, and as such would probably not react very well to any sudden and overly drastic changes.
Towards other people, he is always and unfailingly polite - it doesn't matter whether he likes you, despises you, or tolerates you - he'll always be some level of nice. Maybe not exceedingly friendly, but pleasant overall. Another aspect of his is that he always manages to sound sincere. Authentic. And it gives him the air of a man who can be trusted; someone who wouldn't dare lie to your face.
But the trouble is, he doesn't always tell the truth.
Moral Alignment
True Neutral
Motivation
To protect his son, and provide him with a better life and an even brighter future.
• Insomniac
• Involuntarily starts humming random songs/show tunes when idle or when there's a lull in conversation.
• Develops a stutter when stressed and/or feeling particularly emotional.
• Compiles a mental list of 'facts' or observations about people.
• Always has some type of candy or small snack in his pocket.
• Has a tendency to walk with his shoulders drawn in, almost as if he's trying to make himself seem smaller than he actually is.
Fears
• Endangering Harry and doing something that might jeopardize his welfare.
• Not being able to make ends meet.
• His own inadequacy; that he won't be a good enough dad and that he won't live up to Harry's expectations.
Likes
○ his dog, Galileo ○ spending time with Harry ○ reading books ○ fishing ○ tea ○ classical music ○ old movies ○ amassing knowledge ○ playing the violin ○ classic rock ○ quiet nights
Dislikes
× hot, stuffy weather × forgetting things × getting caught off-guard × the aftertaste left by cigarettes × being stared at × insects × anything decaf × bigots, racists, etc. × country music
Skills
Musical Instruments - He has a good ear for music, and has since found that it doesn't take much for him to learn how to play things. But, after having dabbled with more than a dozen instruments so far, it's the violin that he finds himself most enamored with.
Memorization - With a near-photographic memory, it's almost impossible for him to forget important things. Facts like names and dates come easily to him - something he finds immensely helpful in his chosen profession.
Woodworking - He was taught how to whittle as a kid, and now his tiny apartment's filled with intricately hand-carved figures and wooden toys for Harry to play with. He also sometimes sells these creations online in craft sites like Etsy.
C O M B A T || P R O W E S S
Rating System
[Perfect] - [Excellent] - [Good] - [Above Average] - [Average] - [Below Average] - [Poor] - [Very Poor]
[Perfect] - [Excellent] - [Good] - [Above Average] - [Average] - [Below Average] - [Poor] - [Very Poor]
Hand-to-Hand Combat: [Poor] He can get a good punch in every once in a while, but poor eyesight and even worse coordination meant that he usually came home with more than a few 'souvenirs' from the bigger kids at school.
Melee Combat: [Below Average] While he isn't particularly good at it, he has tried his hand at hunting with knives, which led to varying levels of success.
Ranged Combat: [Good] Jude was raised in rural Alaska, where he spent most of his childhood shooting hares and grouse in the backwoods near his home. He moved on to bigger game as he got older - hunting bucks and elk, and even taking down a bear or two. While he has no idea how it would translate in a combative setting, he takes some measure of comfort in the fact that he at least knows how to fire a gun and hit a moving target.
Control Over Power: TBD
B A C K G R O U N D
TBD
Marital Status
Single
Relatives
Unknown Father || Presumably of South American descent
Joseph George Alexander || 70 || Grandfather
Lilian Alexander (née Fallon) || Grandmother || Deceased
Mary Louise Alexander || Mother || Deceased
Julian George Alexander || 42 || Uncle
Haruki "Harry" Alexander (born Haruki Aoyama) || 4 || Adopted Son
Origin
Sitka, Alaska
Occupation
Part-Time History Professor at the local Community College
Private Tutor
Violin Instructor
'Hey Jude, don't make it bad,
Take a sad song, and make it better.'
Take a sad song, and make it better.'
Cliché as it may sound, Jude was, in fact, named after the Beatles song. He remembers his mom singing to him when he was little - back when she still acted like a mom; before the drinking, before the parties, before the overdose that took her away.
Sweet sixteen and already with a kid and a future put on hold, Mary Louise Alexander was only fifteen when a much older man with sun-kissed skin charmed her with a smile that shone like diamonds and an accent that had her heart hammering drumbeats in her chest. He took her virginity on the backseat of his fancy car, and with that, her freedom as well - something she'd find out a month later, sitting in a bathroom stall and staring at the two red lines that from then on would dictate her entire life. By then, the man had gone. She didn't even know his name, let alone his phone number. Only that he had called her querida, and mi amor, and all sorts of things she couldn't understand. By then, she was motherless and only had her father and her younger brother, but her father had always been a kind man, so when she broke the news, he took it with silent resignation and a heavy heart, knowing fully well that what's done is done and that he couldn't do anything about it besides help his daughter raise her child and hope it turns out better than its mother.
'It' turned out to be a boy, and that boy turned out to be Jude.
Jude had a pretty okay childhood, but after the novelty of motherhood wore off, his mom slowly started ignoring him - preferring to go out with her friends and return early in the morning smelling like a liquor store. He doesn't remember much, but his granddad and uncle were always there for him when his mom wasn't, and they continued to be there for him when his mom died of a heroin overdose when he was six. But by then, she had ceased being a mother to him for so long that he didn't really end up missing her as much as he expected.
Growing up in Sitka, he spent most of his days in relative solitude. His granddad was a fisherman, so he was always away on his fishingboat during the day, and by that time, his uncle had already joined in the army, so Jude had nothing to fill his days besides going off in the backwoods near their property and shooting at rodents and pests and the occasional deer (or bear). Other times he'd go fishing or painting or practice whittling. But all those things got old very, very fast, and it was a good thing he decided to venture out into town one day because then he met a man called Avery. He was some sort of drifter - scruffy looking but handsome, with a beat up guitar strapped to his back. Jude was only around thirteen then, but he's sure that that was the time he realized he was bi, because despite Avery probably being a decade older than him, Jude had developed an instant crush. He started hanging around with him, listening to him sing and play the guitar by the docks, and eventually, Avery taught Jude how to play as well. Jude took to it like a duck to water, and when Avery had to leave, the love for music he instilled in Jude stayed.
From then on, he took to playing every single instrument he could lay his hands on before settling on the violin, and by the time he was seventeen, he had already mastered Ernst's 'The Last Rose of Summer'. He briefly entertained the thought of being a musician, but eventually went off to study History at Washington, and it was there that the cataclysmic whirlwind that was Shinosuke ('Shin' for short) Aoyama came barreling into his life.
The moment he opened the door to find Shin - his new roommate - cursing up a storm with his foot stuck in a box and the curtains tangled around his head, Jude knew he was fucked. They were complete opposites. Shin was loud and noisy and messy beyond belief, but he was also insanely funny and genuine, and within a few weeks, he had already managed to worm his way into Jude's heart. Usually, this would be the part in the story where our protagonist (in this case, Jude) would suddenly realize that he had found his one true soulmate and fall deeply in love, but interestingly, Jude felt nothing more than a surge of brotherly affection for Shin. They became best friends, him and Jude. That much was inevitable. And they stayed friends - and roommates - all throughout grad school, and even after Jude got his Master's degree in History and landed himself a job in Metro City.
Together, they found a small, but decent apartment downtown and carried on living like they always did, except now Jude had a job teaching at the Community College and Shin kept himself busy working a junior administrative position at an insurance company. For four years, they managed to build a peaceful life for themselves, occasionally disrupted whenever Shin would bring some random chick home and Jude would have to spend the entire night awake, listening to them fucking noisily through the wall. Then, Shin came home one night sans a girl, but with a look on his face that had Jude scrambling for a glass of water and an inquiry as to whether Shin was alright.
He was obviously not alright. One of his one-night-stands had finally come back to haunt him, and within a few short weeks, he and Jude came home from the hospital with bundle of blankets and a newborn that was unmistakably Shin's. The kid's mother wanted nothing to do with him, and Shin wasn't that big of an asshole to put the kid in the system, so he went with the only other option he had left, and that was to raise the kid on his own. He ended up co-raising little Haruki (or 'Harry', as they called him) with Jude, who - despite a shitload of initial reservations - found that he was completely okay with having a baby in the house. Jude adored Harry. Fell in love with the kid at first sight and delighted in playing Uncle to the miniature Shin. Sure, they ran into a host of problems at the beginning, not to mention the toll that caring for an infant had begun to take on their finances, but they got through it, and all was well.
Harry was two when Shin was stabbed in an alleyway by a couple of thugs looking for a quick buck. They took his phone, his wallet, and his life. They were never caught.
Jude ended up adopting Harry, and just before his dead friend's body was lowered to the ground, he made a promise that he'd to his best and more to give Harry a good life and a good future; that he'd love him and raise him as his own; and that he'd be the best damn dad a kid could ever hope for.
And Jude always keeps his promises.