Misery

Misery is the superhero alter-ego of Charlotte Josephine Quinn, the newest member of the Justice League.

Early Years
Charlotte Josephine Quinn was born on July 17th, 1983 in Alamo Heights, Texas (an eastern suburb of San Antonio). The only child of Franklin and Raylene Quinn, her early years were one of the only happy periods of her life.

Franklin and Raylene divorced when Charlotte was five years old. Franklin moved to Boca Raton, Florida with his new wife, leaving his daughter behind. Charlotte and her mother moved to Waco, where Raylene was originally from. Raylene sank deep into  depression, and Charlotte quickly learned how to rely on herself for almost everything in her life. In addition to chronic depression, Raylene also became quickly addicted to alcohol and prescription medication.

Raylene had earned enough in the divorce settlement to keep them fairly comfortable…which was fortunate since there was no way she could hold down a job. Neighbors aided in the care of Charlotte, although surprisingly no one ever alerted child services. This continued until September 16th, 1992, when Raylene took her own life on an overdose of alcohol and prescription drugs.

On the Streets
Completely on her own, nine-year-old Charlotte packed what she could, gathered as much money as she could find, and started making her way to Florida. She hitchhiked mostly, and began accruing a number of run-ins with law enforcement along the way. Her first serious run-in with the law occurred in Tampa, Florida. Two days shy of her tenth birthday, she was arrested for breaking into a supermarket and stealing food. Under a plea deal, she received six months in juvenile detention…but was released after four due to overcrowding.

Upon her release, she headed north. Her trail took her from Tennessee to Ohio to Illinois to Kansas. In Kansas, when accepting a ride from a motorist, the twelve-year-old Charlotte was assaulted. The man offering the ride attempted to rape her. She fought back, managed to grab a screwdriver, and proceeded to stab the man seventeen times. Though she was arrested for the assault, the charges were dropped due to self-defense. The judge, taking pity on the young woman, recommended her to a group home run by a friend. For the first time in nearly three years, Charlotte had found a home.

Prison
At the home of Marcus and Jennifer Black, Charlotte (under one of her several assumed names, in this case, Raylene Dubois) completed her GED and actually began to fit in with the others in the home. She received her numerous tattoos from her best friend, Tink. It appeared as if things might finally return to normal for Charlotte. Unfortunately, another child in the home accused her of stealing, and Charlotte was once again on the run.

She continued west, leaving a trail of arrests in her wake. Another attempted rape ended badly in Tacoma, Washington, when the man who grabbed her received a severe beating from the feisty girl. The charges once again were dropped. Later that year in Reno, Nevada, she received the first real sentence of her life. She had been given a package of drugs to deliver for a local dealer. Unfortunately, she was arrested with five pounds of crystal meth on her person. Declining to give up the dealer, she got four years in prison. She served almost three years before she was released due to overcrowding.

Punkz
Continuing west, she found her way into California. It was there that she joined up with the Punkz, a group of runaway misfits like herself. Fitting in with ease to their lifestyle, she followed them to San Francisco. A few members of the group, along with Charlotte, formed a band. Calling themselves Full Frontal, they quickly became a favorite on the local underground punk scene. They even released three albums: “Daisy Chain”, “Riot Act”, and “Nights With Jose And Tina”.

Unfortunately, tragedy struck Charlotte yet again. The band had been playing a gig in Seattle. Charlotte had stayed behind to argue with the club manager over money owed to them, while the rest of the band returned to their fleabag hotel. Faulty wiring started an electrical fire, and the place went up in flames almost instantly. Devastated by the loss of her friends, Charlotte packed her things and headed south. She has never sang publicly since that incident. A fourth album was released about six months after the incident called “Acid Drop”. On the fifth anniversary of the fire, a live album was released from the band’s last show.

After another string of travels and arrests out west, Charlotte made her way to Metropolis, where she found work as a peep show dancer. One of the girls in the club also found her a side job as a sex phone operator.

Vital Statistics
Full Name - Charlotte Josephine Quinn Secret Identity - Misery Age - 27 Height - 5'6 Hair - Jet black, generally containing colored streaks. Straight, unevenly cut Eyes - Hazel Planet Of Birth - Earth Place Of Birth - Alamo Heights, Texas Distinguishing Marks:

Tattoos (received prior to power manifestation) - Celtic tattoo, featuring love knot, moon and stars - upper back. Three-pronged weapon with symbols - right wrist. Superhero masks - pelvis. Chinese letter - lower back. Celtic band - left wrist. Werewolf with thorns - left arm. Indian-style elephant - right arm.

Scars (received prior to power manifestation) - Right thigh, four inches, cut on a security fence. Left hand, two inches, barbed wire. Right breast, half inch, knife wound. Scalp behind left ear, three and a half inches, broken beer bottle. Right throat, just below jaw line, two and a half inches, knife wound. Right palm, two inches, box cutter. Left thigh, puncture, screwdriver. Right calf, four inches, broken glass. Right eyelid, three-quarters of an inch, fingernail scratch. Right lower back/right upper hip/upper right buttock, seventeen inches, “road rash”. Right arm, five inches, knife wound. Left elbow, three inches, cut on broken teeth. Right ankle, dog bite. Right front scalp, just above hair line, inch and a half, hit with gun barrel.

Abilities
Misery’s primary mutant ability is the ability to rapidly heal both herself and others. She is capable of healing physical injuries, diseases (both man-made and naturally occurring), addiction and mental illnesses. She is capable of reviving a deceased person, provided that they have been dead less than five minutes. Misery can consciously control who and when she heals. She is also able to tell what is wrong with someone just by looking at them. Misery herself heals at a supernatural rate.

Minor injuries vanish almost instantly, while she is capable of healing near-fatal injuries in minutes. She never gets sick, and is immune to the effects of drugs or alcohol.

Her secondary mutant ability is the ability to metabolize absorbed ailments into focused plasmatic energy. This energy can be projected from her body in focused bursts. The intensity and duration of the blasts depend on the number and severity of the ailments she has absorbed.

Due to her advanced healing factor, Misery has exceptional stamina. She can engage in physical activity for extended periods of time without tiring.

Misery has some training in mixed martial arts (Muay Thai kickboxing and judo) as well as extensive training in professional wrestling maneuvers. She is an accomplished thief and pickpocket.

Weaknesses/Limitations:

Misery is vulnerable to psychic-based attacks. One of the side effects of her ability is that her body retains the toxicity of the ailments she absorbs. She is completely incapable of physical contact. The slightest touch can render a person ill within seconds. Prolonged exposure can be fatal. She must be within three feet of an individual in order to heal them. Misery must be within ten feet of an individual to know exactly what is wrong with them. From ten to twenty feet, she has a  basic idea of what is wrong with a person. From twenty feet up to a maximum range of forty feet, she has a basic feeling that something is wrong with someone.

The absorption of ailments causes Misery physical pain. Absorption of severe ailments can render her stunned temporarily while her body copes with the trauma. Misery has no idea how powerful her plasma blasts are, as they have never been adequately tested. It is unknown if Misery can be physically killed.

Personality
Misery is brash, outspoken, quirky, and slightly disturbed. She is extremely adventurous, and there is little that she won’t try or hasn’t already tried.

Impressing her is next to impossible…and earning her trust and respect is almost as difficult. If you can somehow manage to earn it, however, she is loyal to a fault. She is nearly impossible to offend, and delights in making others uncomfortable. She is not above using her looks or sex appeal to her advantage, and she can be very attractive when she puts some effort into it. Highly independent, it is difficult for her to ask for assistance from others.

She is much smarter than people give her credit for, and often plays dumb to keep an advantage over others. She is more streetwise than book smart.

An ultimate survivor, she has practically raised herself since she was nine years old. As a result, she is something of a loner.

Her “tough girl” persona is more than just an image…it is her being. She is a restless soul, and bores easily.