Dr. Nathan Reed

[Dr. Nathan Reed]

The Basics

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Name: Doctor Nathan Benjamin Reed
Nicknames: None. Sometimes he makes up random nicknames to see if they’ll stick. They don’t.
Age: 43
Orientation: Pansexual
Desired Rank/Job: GP; owns the Pilot Ridge clinic.
Powers: Disease Manipulation. Nathan has the power to manipulate any disease-causing virus or bacteria to his will. As it doesn’t allow for generation, should he ever wish to infect someone with something, he must collect that agent from a known source, hosting it in his own body until he finds the new host. Similarly, he can remove infection from a person. Since it has to go somewhere after it’s gone, it’s not actually recommended that he use his power on his patients. If he does, he'll become seriously ill, as he must host the disease until his immune system kills it off, or he passes it on to a new host.

He had decided that, as he won’t always be there to help his patients, he would rather minor infections and viruses ran their course, so that their body may build up an immunity. He doesn’t feel as though it gives him an advantage in his work.

Since he is not immune to disease, side-effects of the power often include becoming very sick with whatever disease he has been manipulating, but with his power he can keep it contained and away from his patients. Otherwise, releasing it into the atmosphere just allows other people to become sick. Other side-effects include headaches, nausea, muscle spasms, general malaise, high white blood cell count, a high probability of autoimmune disorder in later years.
Play By: John de Lancie

The Details

Hair Color: Brown, greying slightly, sometimes dyed back to its former colour when he can be bothered.
Eye Color: Brown
Any Piercings? Not a one.
Any Tattoos? Nope
Any Scars? Oddly enough, no.
General Appearance:
Standing at six feet and four inches, Nathan somehow manages to look unimposing. People tend to think that he’s a bit of a pushover or a gentle giant, which is true if you know how to handle him. Otherwise, it’s a straight case of ‘looks = deceiving’. His eyes don’t even lend him a look of austerity, as they are fairly warm and brown.

He has rather thick brown hair which he likes to keep short, and finds that it tends to stick up no matter how hard he tries to flatten it. As such, he’s given up on trying. He is pale and his skin is pretty clear. Incredible considering the amount of diseases he has encountered in his life. You would imagine that at least one or two pockmarks would remain, and yet there’s nothing. He would consider himself extremely lucky if he was the sort to spend an evening searching for scars.

He dresses as you would expect a doctor to dress: smart. Neat. Always clean-shaven and tidy. He likes suits but has nothing against casual clothing and it’s not really unusual to see him on days off in something loose-fitting and comfortable and not made of polyester or silk. On days off he just picks the first thing from his wardrobe that appeals to him.

People don’t often point out the prominence of his two front teeth but when they do, it irritates him. He doesn’t have a problem being understood when he speaks, they don’t cause him pain or trouble and he can close his mouth perfectly well. So they stick out a bit. It’s hardly cause for concern and it’s not an overbite; he’s very clear on this point. It is more noticeable when he’s smiling, but rest assured that any smiling with stop immediately if something like ‘look at the size of those things!’ is uttered.

Personality:
The first thing people tend to notice about Nathan is how much he likes to talk. More accurately, they notice that he likes to show off a varied vocabulary and extensive knowledge. Whether on purpose or by way of complete accident he tends to speak like an encyclopaedia, but it’s not beneath him to use short, sharp words instead, when it’s necessary.

A professional through and through, he has his patients’ best interests at heart and always makes time for his colleagues. His own patience wavers between vast and limited, depending on how he’s feeling and how busy he’s been keeping. Certain things set him off quite easily. Arguing with him over diagnoses and symptoms is certain to irritate him and he has yelled at doctors and patients alike for disagreeing with him on the matter. Especially when he can detect and identify certain viruses and bacteria, ones he has experience with.

It’s said that doctors are the worst patients. In Nathan’s case, this is true. Most of the time he’ll refuse to even go to see anyone until he’s coughing up blood and cracking ribs. Seeing a doctor for Nathan often involves an argument over how serious his condition really is and then the probability of bed rest, followed by another argument over how he can keep his illness away from his patients and therefore he doesn’t need to rest. Incidentally, these are arguments he often loses.

When he’s unhappy with something or someone, you will certainly know it. He doesn’t keep it a secret when someone has bothered him and he isn’t shy about confrontation. He doesn’t actively seek arguments but tends to find himself in more fights and scrapes than a man his age and status really should. It’s amazing to note that he does have friends, and he can be kind. He displays a sense of extreme loyalty to his friends, which is another thing that gets him into fights. To those he is actually close to, he is generous, but doesn’t consider himself a good shoulder to cry on. He doesn’t believe that he is really the person to go to for advice considering his own neuroses and emotional issues, but he will lend an ear if anyone really wants to talk to him.

While it’s true that he likes to bitch about people - it lets off steam - if he is feeling upset or frightened, he hides it. He refuses to cry whether in front of others or on his own, and cannot stand to face these emotions. He has an immature view of sex, and he knows it. He sees it as a distraction and nothing more, but he will happily indulge in if he has nothing else to do. Although... propositions haven’t really been turning up lately... He likes to think of himself as a bit of a flirt, but whether he’s actually any good at it is... hard to say. Again, it’s just an exercise for him, something to do to keep his mind off of the inevitable. He doesn’t want his life taken up by fear and negativity.

Your Vices

Likes:
+ Keeping busy
+ Treating patients.
+ Socialising and making friends.
+ Sarcasm.
+ His big brother, who was his childhood hero.
+ Flirting. But that doesn’t mean he’s good at it.
+ Loves a challenge.
+ Delights in intelligent conversation.
+ Flowers. What? They make nice decorations.
+ Reading, especially if it’s something that he hasn’t read before.
+ Strawberries.
+ His nieces and nephews.
+ Star Trek. he’s played by John de Lancie; obviously I was going to make him like Star Trek He even has a TNG command uniform with captain-rank pips.
Dislikes:
- Other doctors. Doctors are such difficult patients, said the pot to the kettle.
- Getting sick. Too bad it happens so often.
- When patients argue with him. “Oh yes, you heard it on House. How fortunate; you see I’m only a doctor so my advice should be taken with a pinch of salt but when an actor tells you what’s wrong you should check it out immediately!”
- Any space of time in which he has nothing at all to do.
- Idiots, but then, who doesn’t dislike them?
- Talking about his feelings.
- Organised religion. He doesn’t blame his parents but he did have many horrific nightmares about Hell.
- Going to see doctors. Similarly, he never wants to see a psychiatrist.
- Blackberries
- Being afraid.
- Thinking about death.
- Being alone.
Strengths:
> Always ready to seize opportunities when they show themselves to him.
> Knows what makes people tick.
> A varied sense of humour.
Weaknesses:
> Immature at times.
> Never slows down; always stressed.
> Never wants to take anyone else’s advice.
Fears:
> Death.
> Losing his mind.
> People despising him.
> People analysing him.
Secret:
> Fears death and obsesses over it from time to time. He hates the thought of having to leave; like sleep without the waking up. It can keep him up at night, and tends to do so very often. As such, he prefers to stay out with friends instead of trying to sleep, alone, when it’s most likely that the fear will consume him.
> Related; he refuses to see a psychiatrist/psychologist for his issues. He feels as though they will pick out and magnify all of his flaws and attempt to change him too much.

Family Ties

Father:
Thomas Maximillian Reed, 70, retired (formerly an electrician)
Mother:
Ellen Christina Reed (née Parsons), 63, writer (formerly a lab assistant)
Siblings:
Prof. Patrick David Reed, 45, virologist specialising in tropical disease
Minnie Isabelle Reed, 30, police officer
Any Other Important People:
Jenny Reed, 46, surgeon (wife of Patrick)
Kyle Reed, 18, forensic science student (nephew)
Katie Reed, 18, unemployed (niece)
Lucy Reed, 16, student (niece)
Oscar Trainer, 34, veterinarian (husband of Minnie, who kept her own surname)
Jake Trainer, 12, student at Hammel (nephew)
Molly Trainer, 10, student (niece)

History

In Burlington, Vermont, while a two-year old boy smacked wooden blocks together up in his room where he was supervised by his aunt, his little brother was born in the living room. It had been, to say the least, unexpected. Actually, for Ellen Reed, the entire thing had almost been unexpected. She hadn’t even known she was pregnant until the last month, being so immersed in her work. Even so, the sudden realisation that during an impromptu lunch with her sister she was going to have her second child right there and then was not an experience she ever wanted to suffer again. No matter how in love with the result she became.

Ellen and Thomas Reed raised their children Catholic. Not so strict that Thomas didn’t grow up left handed... but strict enough that Nathan was terrified of doing anything wrong. Growing up, Nathan idolised his big brother. He was smart, strong and brave, and was always the first person to run into a scary cave or a dark shed. He had a great love of discovery, which made it no surprise to the family when he told them that he was going to be a doctor and study tropical diseases. Above all he was a good Christian boy, and the younger boy was determined to be exactly like him.

When Patrick’s powers manifested, the boys were messing with sticks. They had learned somewhere that rubbing two sticks together would start a fire. Neither boy thought that was true, so of course they decided to test it. After an entire hour, their sticks were worn, but nowhere close to igniting. The sticks were wet, but they had failed to note that much. Disappointed, the boys made their way back home, but were stopped by two large neighbourhood bullies. In a bid to protect his brother, Patrick stood in front of Nathan and held his hands up... igniting the taller kid’s shorts. Despite feeling incredibly guilty about it, and a little scared, Pat was just relieved that Nathan was okay.

Nathan just remembers being so awestruck that his mouth hung open for a good few minutes. His brother had superpowers! Patrick could generate fire! Little more than forty eight hours later, a strange man came to tell the family what they always knew: Patrick was a very special young man. He was something they called a meta human, someone who had powers unlike a normal human. All Nathan understood about this was that the wanted to take away his hero, and he wouldn’t let them. In fact - and he’s not exactly proud of this - he started to kick and bite the nice recruiter until the man finally used his power to lift him into the air and place him safely onto a chair. After a good scolding, his mother explained that they were sending Patrick to the school, but he would be coming home during the holidays. And they could always visit him!

For another few years, Pat would go to the meta school Hammel, while Nathan had to stay behind at the normal school and be a normal boy with no cool superpowers. Little did he know that, actually, his power was beginning to manifest. He didn’t realise it, but he could move things. Little, tiny, disease-causing things. Any virus or bacteria that caused illness in the human body, he could move it around, take it into himself and infect others with it. Because it wasn’t immediately obvious what effects he could have on the sick or the well, it would have taken a little while for the Hammel Institute to learn of his power, but since they had Patrick already, they were keeping a very close eye on him. Within a few weeks, a recruiter came to him, one with meta detection power. His developing power was immediately discovered by this woman, and he was taken to the Institute.

At Hammel, Nathan had few friends. Occasionally, he got to hang out with his brother but for the most part he was alone, or limited to one or two people. He didn’t mind that so much. His brother was exceptionally bright and school was easy for him. Studying never seemed to bother him at all, but Nathan really had to work hard. It was worth it, though, to be able to emulate his idol. Maybe his power wasn’t quite as cool as his... but he could always impress him with his career choice. And his parents; they always seemed so proud of them both.

And then his sister was born.

Suddenly it seemed that his parents had no time for him. His big brother was going to be a great scientist, maybe a doctor, and since he would leave school first it was important that they encouraged him. His little sister was only tiny, and she needed all the help they could give her. All at once, his life seemed to mean nothing to anyone. Though it wasn’t intentional, he began to resent his little sister and set out to prove that he could be the best of the three. He didn’t want to do exactly as his brother did. He could help people directly. He’d be a GP, but one with spectacular healing powers.

He worked very hard at being able to control his power, infecting lab mice without even having to touch a needle, hosting the flu inside himself and keeping it contained from others. Unfortunately, it was though his zealous need to learn how to be the best that he discovered the nasty side-effects of his power.

Nearly every month it was something else. The cold, the flu, gastroenteritis. He was floored by a simple case of strep throat near the end of that period. What made him the most upset was that it wasn’t a case of ‘heal everyone’. He wouldn’t ever be able to, or else he’d end up frail and unable to do much of anything. It was later discovered that he would likely develop an autoimmune disorder, to top things off. The more the thought about it, the more useless he felt. People were dying every day and he couldn’t just get rid of their ailments. He could control viruses but at the end of the day it had to go somewhere once he was through with them, whether himself or another new host. It made him begin to wonder what use his power even was in the first place. He began to question his faith. He knew it was silly to question it over his power being, essentially, worth nothing, but he couldn’t help but feel that there was something wrong with believing in something he couldn’t see.

Eventually, he decided that moping about it was of no use to anyone. He would still go on on to study medicine. He had figured that his power could be of use in sterilising wounds and the like, at the very least. At university, he felt more accepted than he had ever felt at school, and he made many friends. Many of them didn’t know his brother. That was surely a bonus.

It almost passed him by in a blur. There were girlfriends and boyfriends and exams and minor illnesses. One year he became far too ill to attend most of it and he had to take that year again, but he was ever so determined. He tried his best not to cheat, too, by simply removing infections where it would be convenient, as much as he desperately wanted to.

He became obsessed with, and terrified of, the idea of death, knowing how fragile life was. People were there one minute and flat-lining the next. One day he could be speaking to a very merry old lady and the next she’d be in the morgue. His fear of death was persistent and never left him alone for long. He remedied this by socialising, taking any interaction he could just to forget his problems. Not wanting to look weak and fragile, he learned to hide his fear and depression, but would happily lash out and display his anger, knowing that this would result in anything but having to talk about his fear and self-loathing.

After putting a few years of residential experience behind him at a hospital on California, he decided he would rather be helping people closer to home. On returning to Pilot Ridge, he learned that the local GP practise was closing down. This, he reasoned, was a perfect opportunity, and through hard work and a great many loans, he bought the practise and fixed it up. He hadn’t realised just how much work it would be, either, and the stress of having to deal with every last little thing from health and safety to hiring left him exhausted and ill. It was all worth it in the end, however, to see how the practise being open and shiny and new affected the locals. He was even nice to his employees. That was quite a feat, considering the years he spent as a young adult being resentful, spiteful and bitchy. Not that he ever really changed much, just that he knew when to be the good doctor and when to be sarcastic and relaxed.

Now that he was back in Pilot Ridge, he felt he should take more of an interest in his family. His brother was overseas with his family, studying viruses as he always wanted, but his sister was still in Pilot Ridge. And he felt so, so guilty for resenting her very existence as a boy. He made a good effort to be involved in her life and encouraged her decisions. When she was training to be a police officer, she begged him to teach her how to drive. There was no way he could refuse her. When she got married, he joked that he could be her flower girl - and if he hadn’t made it clear that he was kidding she probably would have made it reality. Relieved to be so close to his sister in her adulthood, he even takes an active interest in her children, something he can’t do for his brother’s children since they’re halfway across the globe.

More recently, his clinic began to suffer as his employees seemed to be leaving for greener pastures. Doctors were going to work in hospitals; apparently the age of small family clinics was ending. Again, he was determined not to let it happen. As one of the only meta doctors left in his clinic, he began to look outside of the country for doctors with experience. Finding Dr. Griff Jones was an amazing stroke of luck. With his impressive history at Kocher, Nathan couldn’t bring him in quick enough. He had to have him by any means possible and worked very hard to make sure the man felt comfortable.

Now feeling that the clinic is back on its feet after a shaky couple of years, Nathan is confident that he has at least another decade to go. He just doesn’t want to think about what might happen once that undoubtedly short decade is up.

Roleplay Example

Well, see, there’s this one character called Mitya, I think you might know him. Next to him is the pixie winged Michael and then there’s Kanda, who is kind of cool.

What About You?

Name: It might just be Lilac again...
Age: 22. Thousand. Aeons.
Experience: Psh I am Q your feeble human mind couldn’t comprehend my RP experience
How Did You Find Us? Channel hopping. You came on after something with Tom Baker in.
Ready To Play? No, roleplay sucks.

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[Admin!]

Almost!

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This is a cool character concept, but his power is too broad. Narrow what he can manipulate to just viral, bacterial, or parasitic, and remove the bit about the venom. When you've made this edit, I'd be happy to look at him again.[/blockquote][/center]

[Admin!]

Accepted!

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Thank you for making your edits, and you know what to do from here![/blockquote][/center]