Viera Rosseau

Player: @ImpaledDragoon
Archetype: Controller, Fortunata (Guardian Rosseau)
Origin: Mutant
Level: 50
Species: Human
Age: 36
Birthday: August 20th, 1975
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 127lbs
Eye color: Brown
Hair color: Red
Other: light tan; freckles.
Tattoo: She has a fairly small (as she could easily cover it with one hand) tattoo of a dove carrying a white tulip on her left rib cage. Each part of it means something, and is for somebody specific, down to the white in the tulip. Some may be able to tell that the tulip is a newer addition, though it is done in the same style.



Nationality: American
Occupation: Psychiatrist/psychologist
Birthplace: Galaxy City
Current residence: Steel Canyon
Marital status: Never married
Relatives: Father; three elder brothers.
Known abilities: Telepathy, mind manipulation; mentalist. "Healing." Self-contained (as in, can only use on herself) telekinetic powers (hover), but only when her adrenaline is pumping (in battle, scared, excited). When others are not protected from mind affects, she can make herself look, act, and sound like anybody she chooses; or she can make the mind not register her presence at all. Out of combat she most often uses this ability to hide any injuries she may sustain in battle. Furthermore, she can change how others look/sound/act, and their surroundings, a skill she often uses in combat (confuse). She can drag up fears and nightmares to use against her enemies (dominate), and can temporarily put them into a dreamlike state (sleep, obviously).
Also read: Dr. Discombobulation's story.

Viera was born and raised in Galaxy City, the youngest of four children to a single father. He was a mechanic, and did his best to make ends meet and raise his kids to be honest, well adjusted adults. For the most part he succeeded, though growing up his little girl was a little rougher around the edges than most girls. Surrounded by boys her entire life, she could be terribly unlady-like. She swore with the worst of them, fought with the best of them, and spent most days after school helping her father out at the shop.

It wasn't until her fourteenth year that her gifts began to surface. As she finished with an oil change, she headed toward her father's office and overheard what she thought was a telephone conversation. Unable to resist the temptation to eavesdrop, she hung around to hear what was stressing her father out. Apparently the shop was going under; he had emptied his savings to pay off some loans but it still wasn't enough. Unless he started draining his kids' already meager college funds, he would have to sell the shop and try to get a job at a better off shop.

She passed the word along to her brothers, all of whom were just as determined as she to help their father maintain his livelihood. Thus began their short lived string of petty robberies. It didn't take long for them to get caught, and, of course, her father was furious. He managed to plea with the police to keep the crimes off his kids' permanent records if they performed community service (and free car repairs and services for the cops involved for two years). Not only was he upset that his children were thieves, but that they were snooping into his personal finances! Viera explained that she had overheard a conversation he had, but he insisted that no such conversation took place, and no amount of insisting joggled his memory.

For a while she brushed it off as her father simply having a (very rare) memory lapse – but it began happening more and more often. She'd tell a customer to fuck off after he'd say something about her ass, and her father would scold her for it – even though he was right beside her when the guy said it! Her brothers would confess to a lie right behind her father's back, and he would ignore it. Her “friends” would be sweet one second and bitches the next, only to pretend that they hadn't said anything rude at all.

It was infuriating; she soon felt alienated from everybody around her. She distanced herself from all her two-faced friends, family members and classmates, because hearing everything that people are supposed to keep to themselves made her rather bitter. It didn't take long for her to realize that the bombardment of voices was actually her encroaching on other people's thoughts. She also found that she was increasingly empathetic; a quality she had never possessed before. Other people's thoughts and feelings put a weight on her chest, and often times it was difficult to shake off.

Much of her time separated from the outside world was spent trying to control her powers. She poured over literature about the human mind and telepathy, determined to figure out how she could choose when she heard other people's thoughts, and who, specifically, she wanted to hear. During her research she discovered quite a few medical journals written by a prestigious doctor named Evan Donisthorpe.

Not only was he one of the leading experts on the human mind and anything pertaining to it, but he was also the only doctor certified by the United States government to perform a experimental new procedure in which he would use his mental powers to go into one's mind and correct problems resulting from mental illness, and a few other things pertaining to using powers in the medical field.

It was his explanations on the human mind that helped her discover how control her powers, and, furthermore, to not only block others out, but project her thoughts – and even images – into other people's minds. During this time she decided to make it her goal to not only meet this doctor, but work alongside him. After all, she wanted to use her powers for good, but she wasn't too keen on the prospect of running around in a spandex suit.

By nineteen she graduated college with bachelor's degrees in psychiatry and psychology (though she later earned her master's degree in both; a doctorate in psychiatry - she studied at Steel Canyon University and Brown). Soon thereafter she earned an internship with the very man she admired for so many years. Though she started out as an assistant to the assistants, she very quickly proved herself worthy of becoming his apprentice, and soon after that she had mastered some of the techniques her predecessor could not.

Dr. Donishthorpe taught her not only how to project thoughts and images into another person's mind, but actual 'movies' – moving pictures of past memories or current thoughts. She also learned how to delve into a person's mind and recover memories, and, in some cases, alter or remove them. He began to teach her how to step into a person's mind and recognize a mental illness, and how to “flip switches” in order to cure them. This process is known as psychological adjustments, and it was the practice that earned Dr. Donisthorpe a Nobel Peace Prize. Dr. Donisthorpe's clinic was the first the U.S. government allowed to practice this delicate new procedure, as only carefully trained mentalists can accomplish it successfully.

One thing he always stressed was that these practices weren't meant to be performed on people without their permission – a value she admired greatly, as she had worked rather hard to have the ability to do just that. Though she would occasionally assist heroes in “testing” a criminals innocence, they otherwise kept true to only messing with minds when given permission. They assisted countless people who were plagued with mental illnesses, including many “villains” and “criminals” that were deemed incurable. Nobody was beyond saving, something many heroes they were acquainted with disagreed with wholeheartedly.

After some time, they came across a very strange case. Her name was Lucy; she was a little girl who had, at one point, been very kind, gentle, and loving. Her parents were distraught because she had become increasingly vulgar and violent. It appeared she suffered from a slew of mental illness', but nothing previous doctors had done made any difference in her demeanor.

One of her father's friends had mentioned that Dr. Donisthorpe had completely cured his schizophrenia, and that they should take Lucy to him. Though they were skeptical, they had tried everything else, and they feared visiting the doctor was their last hope. The Doctor, of course, agreed to help them, but upon stepping into Lucy's mind it became quite obvious that she was not suffering from a mental illness. The girl was being manipulated by, quite literally, demons.

One demon, in particular, was controlling this little girl: an arch-demon by the name of Bal'Shezar. Upon locating the demon's projected image into the girl's mind, the doctor planned to confront the demon and barter for her mind. The demon, however, was not interested in negotiations, and a battle ensued. The Doctor saved the little girl, but at a dire cost. The strain of the battle caused something within his own mind to snap.

Viera, rather foolishly, tried to force her way into the doctor's mind to repair the damage, but the doctor was not interested in her assistance. He attacked her, and nearly killed her. She spent the next seven years in a coma, and upon waking found that the Doctor had become a rather intimidating villain. The powers he once used to save were now used to destroy; he was twisting people's minds until they were his puppets, a personal army to do his bidding.

Viera has spent the last few years of her life trying to get her life back on track. She took over Dr. Donisthorpe's previously abandoned practice in Galaxy City to get up an running again. This progress, of course, was destroyed along with Galaxy City - she is starting to build anew in Steel Canyon, where she lives with her nephews, Jackson (3) and Ethan (12), who she currently has guardianship of. Several members of her family passed away in Galaxy's Last Stand; she tries to hide how hard this is for her for the sake of the kids, but every so often one can see how hard it is on her.

While rebuilding her life for a second time, she is still trying to hone her abilities so that she can kill Donisthorpe, as much as it would pain her to do so. Though she still believes nobody is beyond redemption, somebody very close to her made her realize she was only being selfish keeping her former best friend alive while he relentlessly murdered innocents. Within the last few months she killed another human for the first time, which has been the source of a lot of anxiety for her. Though she still has sleepless nights over it, she hasn't wavered in her determination to kill the Doctor.

The basics:
Viera is rather outgoing, flirtatious and confident; she can be extremely opinionated, outspoken, and direct. Because she has always disliked hearing people think one thing and say another, she quite often speaks her mind, even if it makes her seem bitchy. She generally prefers to keep things short and to the point, and despises having to repeat herself or explain things multiple times. She can also have a bit of a temper, and is known to hold grudges. When she is upset, she has a bad tendency to take it out on those she cares for the most, though it is usually passive-aggressive. She may, for instance, make a fairly indirect insult that applies to somebody present.

Usually, however, she is very friendly and outgoing. Viera is easy to approach, and very few oddities she encounters seems to surprise her - she's seen a lot in her years as a psychiatrist. She enjoys speaking with and meeting new people; she seems more than willing to offer a little bit of bar therapy (letting people talk it out over a drink). Most find that she is an excellent listener, and, unless it is something that specifically annoys her, that she isn't judgmental. She also tends to favor the underdog; even if she doesn't particularly care for the person, if several people are ganging up on them she will often play the devil's advocate and stand up for them.

Years of working in a professional environment hasn't deterred her use of swear words, a bad habit she picked up from her brothers growing up. (In most groups/local I will keep swearing at a minimum, however, so I don't offend anybody.) She is incredibly stubborn and can hold a grudge for years. When she first meets somebody she usually tries to treat them as she would a patient, and can seem very polite and professional, but the more she gets to know a person (in a more personal/unprofessional environment) the more these qualities show.

Love and relationships:
At the moment she really isn't interested in getting into a relationship; she's starting to get used to and enjoy being single again. However, after a talk with her best friend she decided to scrap all the rules she tried to followed before and take things as they come. (No ERP.)

Her powers:
She has determined that she doesn't quite have as much control over her power as she once did, thanks to the injuries she sustained when she fell into a coma, for she sometimes “slips” into other people's minds, despite her best efforts not to. [NOTE: I leave it open for people to send partial/incomplete thoughts to my character, unless I know the person is comfortable with my asking to listen in to their character's thoughts.] Because of her belief that thoughts are extremely personal, she generally informs the person that she overheard their thoughts and apologizes for the intrusion. This is incredibly frustrating to her, because for the most part she doesn't want to hear other people's thoughts, and because she worked so hard to be able to completely control her telepathy years ago. It also makes her more susceptible to other mentalist invading her mind and thoughts, which troubles her tremendously.

Prejudices and vices:
She has a lot of deeply set prejudices that she isn't afraid to share, such as Longbow, Arachnos, psychics who intentionally force their way into other's minds, and most heroes. In her eyes, most Longbow and heroes she has met are zealots; she feels many have lost sight of the 'good' they intended to do and got caught up in the fame and prestige that comes with being a hero. She has encountered several instances where a hero seriously injured or killed a 'criminal' for a petty crime, such as burglary, and she despises how heroes think they are above the law. The only things she hates more than a hero who toes the line is a self-proclaimed vigilante that stomps all over it. As she gets to know individuals she may soften a bit toward them and their cause, but she's known to get pretty fired up talking about unscrupulous heroes.

Some might even get the impression that she hates heroes more than she hates villains - and sometimes she will agree, because most villains don't try to mask their true motives the way heroes do. In fact, she seems oddly comfortable speaking with known villains, though she doesn't condone what they do. This is probably because she has worked with (in her line of work, not as a villain) so many of them in the past; she knows that some can be nudged in the right direction, and that many of them suffer from mental illness.

She smokes cigarettes, though she tries to be respectful about it. If she is hiding off to the side, she's probably smoking. It's one of her vices, along with drinking. She probably drinks more often than she should, but she is good at keeping her composure. It takes quite a bit of liquor for her to start acting drunk, so if she is, she's been at it a while. She tends to favor scotch on the rocks, which is an unspoken tribute to Dr. Donisthorpe, as that was his drink of choice.

Family

Viera loves her family and is very close to them... And unfortunately they all lived in Galaxy City. Everybody who died during (or as a result from) Galaxy's Last Stand will have an asterisk (*) by their name.

Father - Paul* (64): Viera and her brothers just recently convinced their aging father to retire, though he seems rather restless since he's worked as a mechanic almost the entirety of his sixty-four years alive. Vi is very grateful to her father, who managed to raise four kids on his own.
Mother – Susan (58): The kids say that they lost Susan to breast cancer, but it's not because she lost the battle. The cancer wasn't far along when it was discovered and Susan got past it, but she had a new appreciation for life, and decided she didn't want four kids or a husband to be a part of it. According to the impersonal cards she receives around the holidays, Viera's mother is still alive, but they haven't spoken since she was a teenager. Despite this, she seems to understand why her mother made the decisions she did, and doesn't hold it against her. Has mild prophetic powers; usually came to her in dreams.
Eldest brother – Ian* (42): He and his husband, Brian*, recently adopted a baby girl, Lily (1). He is an art teacher.
Middle brother – Connor* (39): He and his wife, Katelyn*, have three boys: Ethan (12), David* (6), and Jackson (3), and a girl, Jasmine* (4). He works as a dentist.
Youngest brother – Liam (37): He and his wife, Maria, have a boy, Judah* (8) and a girl, Ester (5). He is a cop with the PPD, and has fairly weak telekinetic powers.
Paternal grandparents: Her paternal grandfather, Elliotte Rousseau (deceased), was a member of the French resistance during WWII. He had the ability to warp gravity, which aided him in the war. After the war, he took his young love, an Irish woman named Arelie, who could bid water and ice to do her bidding, to the United States. Elliotte changed their surname to Rosseau, thinking it made it look more American. His wife decided to change her name completely, and chose the name Vera. In an attempt to Americanize the name, however, she added an I to make it Viera (deceased). Unfortunately, the I made everybody pronounce the name veer-uh, and it stuck.
Maternal grandparents: Her maternal grandfather, Adam (93), was an American soldier who fought in WWII; Viera assumes she got her powers from Adam, though he refuses to speak about his abilities or experiences in the war. After the war he married a German-Jew, Judith (deceased), who fled to America before the war. She doesn't see much of Adam, though it's not because she doesn't try. He just doesn't really want anything to do with his daughter's former family.

Those closest to her...

Seere/Provost Moreaux: Despite everything that has happened between them, it's clear she still cares about Seere a great deal - more than she'd like to. She feels an immense amount of guilt for everything he has sacrificed for her, and occasionally expresses regret (bordering on resentment) for stepping so far outside her normal set of boundaries for him. Regardless, she'd still do just about anything for him, if asked.
Ethan Mercury: Ethan is a colleague and Viera's best friend. They get along really well, have a lot in common, and even argue well - which is saying a lot, as Vi can be difficult to get along with at times. She spends most of her spare time with him, so chances are if you find one of them, the other will be close by.

Friends

In alphabetical order...

Chasca Leon: The more Viera gets to know Chasca, the more she likes her. She's started to see Chasca as a pretty good friend.
Emilie/Vetal: What began as a few short conversations with a woman in the D soon became a nearly daily occurrence. Emilie is easy to chat with, and she is one of the few people Viera knows that actually smokes – it's nice to have a smoking buddy. Since Emilie is also a psychic, but uses her powers in another fashion, Viera feels like she can learn a lot from the older woman.
Evan/Mr. Discombobulator: Praetorian Evan is almost like a dream come true. Personality wise, he is almost exactly like his Primal counterpart... Just not evil. She just recently met him, but she feels like she's known him for fifteen years.
Kalobar/Immortalus Rex: Somehow he ended up running the frost desk at her office. She isn't sure how exactly it came to that point, as they don't speak much, but he keeps out the unsavory characters.
Min/Magnum Vagrant: After recent events she doesn't feel like she can trust him, though she would still help him, if he needed it.
Robin/Sky-Scar: She feels like she is bad luck for Robin, though, fortunately, she seems to have broken her streak of nearly getting him killed within half an hour of being around him. She's heard some things about him that makes her a little wary of him at times, but thus far he hasn't done anything to make her distrust him.
Samatha/ThunderGal: Samantha quickly became one of Viera's closest friends. Though sometimes they can go days or weeks without speaking, she knows that she can depend on Sam to help her with anything.
Susan/Mental Note: Susan reminds Viera of a sweeter, more polite, and overall better version of herself at fifteen. Viera can be very protective of her, as she doesn't want innocent little Susan to be corrupted by the world they live in, though it is probably inevitable.

<b>Neutral/Acquaintances

Ashley Lennox: Ash is one the sort of person who is impossible for Viera not to like. Beyond her bubbly personality, she ialso seems very caring - something she demonstrated by giving Viera some electronic cigarettes (as opposed to trying to simply talk her into quitting).
Drew/Stabby McKnife: They haven't spoken in a while, but Drew was always fun to be around. He always managed to effortlessly pull her out of a foul mood.
Wind Banshee: As much as she should, she can't bring herself to dislike Helena, or even consider her a true villain, despite the fact that she is a murderer. She is certain the woman is being mind controlled by the Doctor, as subtle as it may be, which infuriates her.

Disliked:

Shadeknight/Christopher: When Christopher asked her to help him redeem himself in the eyes of citizens and heroes, she jumped on the chance to bring her friend, a vigilante, back into a positive light. She put her reputation on the line to help him, but things soon took a turn for the worse. She's very bitter about the whole incident.

Enemies:

Dr. Discombobulation: She wavers between hating him with all her being and missing him (or who he was, rather), which seems up annoy her to no end. When she is near him she is often very cold and bitter, as just about everything he says and does pisses her off. However, she will admit that he was her best friend, and it is obvious she really respected him.
Rikki Z: She pretty much hates him... but, then again, everybody pretty much hates him.
Captain Corrupticus: She knows little about "Captain Corrupticus," other than he seems to enjoy killing and that he is a creep.
Corpsette:
Valentine Rabbit:

(I'll be adding more people periodically - or feel free to add yourself/ask me to add you if I've forgotten you.)