Browbeat

Browbeat is a member of the Brockton Bay Wards.

Personality
As Browbeat progressed through high school, he craved solitude even while his social circle thwarted this desire. This combined with insomnia and general indifference eventually took him to a psychologist, after studying his family history, came to the tentative conclusion that he might have schizophrenia, yet to manifest.Browbeat: '''What can you tell me about him? Does he play Football? He's 17ish?''' He'd be about 16 or so. Younger than Clockblocker, Gallant and Aegis (recall their discussion in interlude 3, about who would be succeeding in terms of leadership). Older than Shadow Stalker and Vista. My leaning would be to say he'd play Baseball if anything, even if Brockton Bay doesn't have a big team, school or otherwise. There's a level of intelligence and strategy that goes into baseball that would suit him. Not necessarily a kind of intelligence and strategy that factors into superhero fights, though. Browbeat is an intelligent guy, but he is/was intelligent in a way that sort of puts him at arm's length from stuff. It's not that he was so smart that people ignored him or picked on him. More the opposite. He's fit, knows a lot about a lot of things, and is the sort of guy that everyone wants in their club. He's popular, fairly attractive (not necessarily the first person you'd point to in a crowd, but if your friend were to say "I like him" you wouldn't go 'really!?), and gets good grades across the board. Prospects high. He's the guy that every mother wants to have dating their daughter. What's the problem then? He can't buy into it. Life's a stage and all that. Anyone who talks with him too long gets/got frustrated because he tries to boil every topic down into constituent elements. All human behavior is biology or evolutionary psychology at the root, baseball is hitting a ball with a stick and he hears the cheering and thinks about affiliation and social psychology. At first it was a quirk, not something most would notice, but over time, it became more pronounced. He'd like baseball because he can focus on the strategy, the numbers that a given pitcher has for throwing fastballs vs. knuckleballs or whatever, and everything else goes quiet. He doesn't hate making out with girls or sports or anything like that, he's not humorless, he just has trouble unfocusing his eyes and taking things as they are. As he progressed through high school, he experienced it more and more. He became more solitary, even as his social circle kept dragging him out of the peace and quiet and back into the noise and hubbub. After insomnia and general indifference to life in general came to a head, and his generally blank facial expressions started to spook people, he went to a psychologist, and after studying his family history, they came to the tentative conclusion that he has symptoms suggesting he may have schizophrenia, yet to manifest, (usually appearing in early/late twenties). A few weeks after the diagnosis, he was on a boat with a friend's family and walked off the side, into march-temperature water. To this day, he maintains that he wasn't suicidal, that the pressure from all directions wasn't a factor - that he just felt that impulse you sometimes have when you wonder "What would happen if..." and followed through. In doing so, he [suffered major physical trauma, nearly dying, and ultimately] triggered. - Wildbow on Spacebattles

Anecdotally, his powers are the result of him seeing what would happened if he suddenly jumped into the freezing Bay. Further his early career as solo hero was Browbeat empirically determining the extent of his abilities.

Appearance
His cape identity is rather baseline, with his powers he is able to achieve a muscular physique that dwarfed many body builders and bordered on the absurd. His costume was a dark blue spandex piece with a diamond print, his full-face mask only left his eyes uncovered and was topped with a crystal on the forehead. His costume did not include body armor.

In his civilian identity Browbeat has been referenced as being moderately handsome.

Abilities and Powers
Browbeat has two powers - short-range telekinesis and biokinesis; his abilities are mutually reinforcing. Further in the face of a Power cancelling Trump that affects one aspect of his powers the other half would generally need a separate counter.

Telekinesis
His telekinesis is a personal force field with some crude control, having a multiplicative effect on his physical strength. While also having a noticeable defensive aspect, given that he was theoretically durable enough to survive damage from Leviathan, and could have survived the Battle against Echidna.

This also justifies his striker rating.

Biokinesis
His physical strength is bolstered by his biokinesis, as he makes himself into a physical Adonis. He can patch up his own wounds and harden tissues, accumulate calcium into stone-like plates under his skin. He can use his biokinesis to reshape his features, possibly qualifying him for a Changer rating. He could return to his natural state reflexively, drastically reduces his muscle mass towards the original baseline.

As he gained more familiarity with his powers he could reflexively dampen the damage from burns by creating heat resistant chemicals, neutralize the toxins by isolating it with in the body; increase the insulation and conductivity qualities of his flesh before electricity damage takes hold. He can use his powers to modify his appearance marginally, unable to affect any sort of fine detail change.

Interestingly for a natural trigger Browbeat goes out of his way to avoid conflict, a trait he shares with his parents. The implications this has regarding his relationship with his shard is an issue not addressed.

Background
As Browbeat progressed through high school, he became more solitary even as his social circle kept dragging him out of the 'peace and quiet' and back into the 'noise and hubbub'. Eventually, he went to a psychologist and, after studying his family history, came to the tentative conclusion that he might have schizophrenia, yet to manifest.

Sometime later when out with a friends family on their boat Browbeat stepped off the side into the march-temperature water. In doing so, he suffered major physical trauma, nearly died, and ultimately triggered.

The PRT found out about his power after the hospital notified them of his fast recovery time. His family and the PRT discussed several options while they figured out a balance of mental health and powers. Ultimately, they decided he was safe to stay for the Wards for the time being.

Now gifted with strange abilities Browbeat would go out of his way to begin testing. He had a short sojourn as a solo hero taking on the likes of Victor and Othala, the Merchants, and even Regent and (to Browbeat's misfortune) Hellhound. With the members of the Undersiders the only ones who gave him trouble, the PRT decided to capitalize on his new reputation and recruit him. Seeing the organization as the best way to gain the training and skills that he would need for the future he accepted.

Story Start
He participated in the fight with The Undersiders at the Bank where he would have a rematch with Hellhound. Grue was able to use his powers to pass as Browbeat to incapacitate Vista. He was disabled by Regent using his taser on him. During the Wards after action meeting at PRT Headquarters Browbeat wanted to know how he could respond better to it afterward.

He fought against Leviathan when the Endbringer attacked Brockton Bay, and died.

Later Vista mentions him in a post on Parahumans Online along with other Brockton Bay heroes who had died or left the city.

Trivia

 * By the start of the story, Browbeat has had his powers for less than the three months Taylor has had hers.
 * Had his mental health been considered to be in serious jeopardy, Browbeat may have stayed at the Parahuman Asylum.
 * An early Worm draft titled 'Versus Dragon' featured a character named Highbrow that had Browbeat's powers if not his personality. Here part of a more offensive team that elects to runaway from bank robbery despite being composed of more heavy hitters.
 * In 2019 Browbeat was retconned into defined death, so far it is the biggest and "oldest" correction, that goes beyond revisions of recently published chapters.