Gold

III

• Firebird

  
  
  

  

  
  
  

  Abilities Healing tears Can heal any injury, fatal or not, if given enough time to apply the substance to the wound. Though he can't attach limbs or bring back the dead, he can close large incisions, stop bleeding immediatelly and accelerate healing by an enormous amount; The tears, once spread through the bloodstream, can purify blood of any toxins as well. Regeneration Not including organ failures, amputations of any sort, or wounds with extreme blood loss. His powers are enough to partially close open wounds, but once his energy is sapped, it all comes down to human healing factor. Any other wound heals without a scar. Rebirth While certainly not immortal, nor immune to any aging factors, Jack will be reborn once he dies of old age. His death is accompanied by a large explosion of flames and, from the residual ashes, he returns as a small chick, which will then rapidly grow until it is mature enough to shift into a human. Enhanced strength While born phoenixes are capable of lifting incredible weights, Jack is a turned phoenix. Thus this doesn't fully apply to him. He'll struggle under 200 lbs, so lifting one person is his limit. Fire manipulation Pyrokinetic and pyropsionic, can create fire only once he has consumed a decent amount of it. If he does not expell the fire he has consumed within 24 hours, the results tend to be... destructive. Shapeshifting His alternate form is of a true firebird. Red and yellow feathers tipped with fire.

  Weaknesses Flight He's really shit at it so it's more of a weakness than a strength. He's more vulnerable as a phoenix, up in the air, than he is on the ground in human form. It's really sad. A bird who can't fly. Good job, dodo. But give him a break, he's trying, even with his absolutely crippling fear of heights. He'd have to get over that in order to fly. It's more that than lack of coordination. Witchcraft He has little immunities to spells. Telekinesis can overpower him despite his enhanced strength and supernatural-binding sygils will restrict him to one place and force him into phoenix form. His tears cannot heal wounds from dark magic or voodoo magic, nor can they purify blood from magical poisons. Iron Ironically, heated iron burns him. He sustains injuries even in human form. Water In his human form he's bothered by water as much as the next guy, but once he shifts into his firebird, the form is made up of pure fire, meaning his flames will not reignite once extinguished and a wound will be left at the point of contant. Decapitation While Jack has immunity to being blown up, any other manner of instant death affects him - drowning, beheading, damage to the brain... Regenerative powers do not extend to non-regenerating cells like neurons. His healing can only do so much for missing limbs or vital organs and can't stop rapid bloodloss. Tears When his tears are injested they have an effect similar to drug use. The high is amazing and the withdrawal is brutally depressing.
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  Mother Gold Born to a poor family with a history of mental illness on his mother's side, Jackie isn't a planned child and his parents aren't even married when they conceive, but an abortion would cost them too much so when it comes to light that Jack's mom wants to keep her baby the dad falls off the face of the earth, engagement be damned. She goes into a deep depression after the love of her life walks out and she's left to fend for herself, but she never gets rid of the baby because he's a memory from him. When Jackson Lucas Ricci is born, he unknowingly becomes the light of his mother's life. Alice Ricci, in her baby son's opinion, is the best, most caring mum in the world. He remembers her as this constantly smiling, happy-in-spite-of-the-world sort of woman and an absolute inspiration for him. She still is. He learned positivity and unapologetic self-expression from her before the doctors had the chance to lock her away for good. He remembers moving all the time, changing kindergardens and making tons of friends, though he's never sad whenever he has to leave. His momma says it's for the best, that they have no choice. He's only five when she tells him his, but he's smart enough to know they're running from something. He's definitely not ready for it, though, when it catches up to them. He screams and kicks and hates the men in blue when they take his mommy away and put her in the white jacket with the long sleeves. He hates them with a passion.

  Meeting family It's weirdly nice in the orphanage. The other kids are mean to him sometimes, but one of the caretakers tells him it's his own fault because he's so gullible and he learns not to complain. Cohabitation with the quieter bunch is easier and more fun. The shyest kids turn out to be the kindest, almost thankful to him for giving them attention and he makes a conscious effort to always indulge them. They tell him the saddest stories, but he doesn't mind. It makes it even more rewarding when he pulls a smile out of them later. He feels special for it. Like he's achieved something. His kind disposition quickly attracts potential foster families and after one failed adoption attempt (the family returns him shortly), he's taken in by a childless family... It isn't a pleasant experience. For one the house is riddled with paranormal activity but however intrusive the spirits are, father dearest is even worse. It soon becames obvious what his purpose in that family is and why they never had children to begin with. The father's a drunkard gambler and the stress does mother in every time.

  Saying goodbye to it The verbal abuse usually directed at mother transfers to Jackson the moment he steps into that house. He isn't their biological child and the unstable man hates him for it. He never physically hurts either of them, but his words sting like hell. They sting even more when they fully focus on him. His adoption slowly, but surely starts feeling like a harsh plan... All negative attention is centered on him, the man vents, cusses, throws bottles and his mother gets out scott-free. It's almost like he's purposefully introduced as a new target... because she gets pregnant again and this time, it all goes well. No complications, no miscarriages. Just poor little Jack, in the crossfire of an unhealthy marriage, taking all the damage. From both sides. The moment he comes to his mother with the smallest complaint, she gets mad... How could he want to ruin her happily ever after when things are going so amazingly for once!? She wants a happy family and is finally about to get it, nevermind the emotional baggage on a 13 year old. And when his father comes home drunk yet again one night, yelling profanities, telling him she never adopted him to be their son, he can't find a single reason to dispute that statement. His sister's birth be damned, he leaves in the dead of night and never looks back... Jackson Wilbur becomes a missing person and Jack Gold pops up out of nowhere without a past or family.

  The End (the literal end) The streets are kind of comfortable, actually. He doesn't worry too much about shelter, the bed in his foster home was shittier than a bench and California isn't cold at night, so neither is he. Food is harder to find than comfort, however. He's young, who would ever hire him? Legally, at least. Really, the only viable alternative is stealing and even with some resultant bruises, he's usually okay with a few dollars in his pocket. After a while he gets good... faster on his feet, more skillful with switcheroos, a farther reach as he grows taller and a mad sixth sence for rich assholes. It doesn't really help him with decoding people, though. He puts his trust in all the wrong places - friends that fuck him over and leave him for dead... and after it all, he still doesn't know better. Small transgressions on his trust he can forgive and forget -- people are stil inherently good, he believes it to the end -- until everything goes to shit in the span of a single month... The man is suave and handsome; quite old, but he doesn't hold himself with that sleaze all rich fucks tend to possess so when he stops Jack on the street one day, gives him a fifty and says 'keep it', the kid accepts it with the brightest smile. Same as the next fifty... and then the few hundreds the man slips him every time they cross paths. It might be pity but he'll take it. The guy's eventual offer of shelter for the night is accepted too. He's kind... that's rare. Jack takes it as a green light to trust him. 'You're too young to be outside', 'something can happen to you out there' and the eventual and inevitable 'has anyone ever told you that you're beautiful?' -- all innocent compliments and warnings from a concerned fatherly figure. Right...? To anyone else, the end of the story is obvious, so let's cut it short. End it with dramatic scenery -- a dead body on the bathroom floor, a house up in flames and Jack Gold running away... like he does best.