![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thatpianoman) wrote2015-08-19 06:02 pm
Character Information
| FULL NAME: Josiah Edward Poms NICKNAME(S): Jo, Joey AGE: 18 GENDER: Male | BIRTHDAY: December 17th, 1994
HEIGHT: 6'7'' WIDTH: 184 lbs. ETHNICITY: White | HAIR: Brown EYES: Blue SEXUALITY: Heterosexual GRADE: Senior |
Josiah really is sweet and easy-going, and often times tries to put others well-being before himself. However, Josiah worries about being a failure, and never amounting to anything, just like his mother insisted. While he does what he can, and excels in academics and music, he's insecure, and tries to hide this by throwing himself headfirst into other's problems, as if he can help them fix it, even if he can't fix his own just yet.
A few months later, Mina's friend and her had arranged to get together. Mina, already angered that Edward had been called in to work and Josiah was being forced to come with her, had received a call from her friend saying her child hadn't been feeling well, and with the baby, was unsure if Mina wanted to come. Mina, who knew Josiah still had not received many of his vaccines, agreed to come anyway, telling her a little cold wouldn't bother him. When they got there, Mina let the child play and touch Josiah, even sharing bottles and toys with him. As it turned out, the child was not suffering from just any cold or flu, and had been diagnosed with the mumps nearly a week later. Mina did not inform Edward about this, but when Josiah's health started failing, Edward began to worry and took him to a doctor. The doctors informed Edward that another day, Josiah would've been completely death. At first he was confused, Edward was later informed that Josiah had lost hearing in his left ear, and had come close to losing it in his right ear. He was able to hear slightly well, at most, in his right ear, but speech therapy and sign language classes were advised. Edward did what he could for Josiah, and he helped him adjust to a semi-normal life by the time he was three. Mina remained absent, doing her own thing, and wanted nothing to do with Josiah's struggles. Edward, while he knew their relationship wasn't really a relationship, refused to leave, afraid the lack of a mother figure in his life would further complicate things for Josiah.
That same year, Edward's workload doubled, and Josiah was left home alone with Mina. Mina, in anger, began to verbally and physically abuse Josiah. Josiah desperately wanted his mother's affection. She threatened to leave his father, which Josiah feared, because he knew his father loved his mother very much, and did not want to ruin their marriage. Josiah was beaten at the hands of various men his mother brought home and afterwards, the two would laugh. The bruises would be covered before his father returned, and Josiah acted as if everything was fine. At night, Edward and Mina fought because of the fact Edward wanted Mina to be loyal, but Edward continued to stay for Josiah. He became suspicious of his wife, and soon began to suspect she wanted him gone and out of the pictyre. When he was four, Edward did change his will, that in the event he died, all of his belongings and all of his money would be transferred to an account under Seán Doherty's, an old high school friend, name, and would be kept in said account until Josiah was eighteen. Mina saw the change and was furious, accusing Edward of no longer loving her. Edward claimed it was because all his money would be needed for Josiah's college fund, but Mina was still upset, and took it out on Josiah. Josiah was jabbed with cigarettes, beaten until he was almost unconscious, and mercilessly teased.
Edward went on a tour with some research friends, presenting his findings across the U.S. on various college campuses, leaving the then five-year-old Josiah alone for almost a month with Mina. It was the worst month of his life, and as a result, Josiah became withdrawn and no longer spoke. When Edward returned, Josiah's state was so bad, he immediately filed for divorce and pressed charges. Mina's parents asked to settle it outside of court, and Edward demanded they give them some money and that Mina never speak to Josiah again. He took up a job teaching chemistry at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, but at the end of the school year, moved Josiah to Hell, Michigan, his home town, for a chance to start anew.
Josiah, who was never vocal to begin with, now only used sign language, and only communicated with his father. They visited specialists, who determined Josiah suffered from social anxiety disorder, most likely brought on by the psychological trauma his mother caused. Unsure of what to do, Edward had Josiah do homeschooling for a year while they tried stimulus fading to get Josiah to speak. Josiah did not respond well to the treatment, and his psychologist recommended putting Josiah in school. Edward began to think putting Josiah in a social environment would be too much. However, the specialists all agreed to set up a meeting with the school board. Because they saw it as a disability, they were able to agree to special accommodations and even helped try some of the suggested techniques. Josiah began to attend regular sessions with a psychologist and speech therapist, and while school seemed to make him anxious, he seemed to be doing well.
When he was seven, Edward and Josiah were at the store when they ran into Aimee Garcia, who happened to be Edward's old high school sweetheart. Aimee and Edward began to rekindle their friendship, and even though Edward knew Josiah did not want him to, he started a romantic relationship with her. Josiah was not officially introduced to Aimee as his girlfriend until after his eighth birthday. Josiah became enraged when his father informed him that not only would Aimee would be moving in with them, but her two children would be too. Josiah kept to himself and began to revert back to the state he was in when they had moved to Hell. Josiah's reaction strained their relationship, but they agreed to take things slow and slowly introduced Josiah to the idea of them being a family. Josiah eventually warmed up to Aimee, who won his trust, and in time, bonded with his classmate and future stepsister, Chardonnay, and her younger brother, Gonzalo.
By the time he was a freshman, Josiah's life seemed to improve. While he still refused to talk, he had began to make friends, and seemed to be making great strides to become more outgoing. Josiah, however, was still incredibly insecure, used his sweet demeanor as a coverup. Josiah, while he had made some female friends, still did not trust them in a relationship setting, due to the trauma his mother caused. He often kept to himself, and didn't make an effort to start a relationship - believing most girls thought of him as weird or ugly anyway. However, Chardonnay Garcia began to make friends with Migdalia Trinidad, and through his stepsister, Josiah found himself enjoying Migdalia's company. However, by freshman year, he was well aware of her problematic tendencies, and due to their resemblance to his mother's, he began to worry for her, and out of fear, refused to act on his feelings, rejecting her advances. However, he still wanted to help her, and in spite of his initial rejection, Josiah's feelings for her grew, although he hid them, and refused to tell anyone about it, and refused to act on them, out of fear of being hurt.
|
|
- Josiah is extremely intelligent and excels in math and science courses specificallt.
- He still sees a psychologist and a speech therapist, and while he speaks a little bit to his speech therapist, he still is pretty nonverbal.
- Josiah reserves speaking for people he trusts or when he feels like he needs to get a point across.
- While Amanda hits on him constantly, he tends to ignore her, as he knows she only wants someone to sleep with and he's in too deep with his feelings for Migdalia.
- Because of his social anxiety, Josiah hates parties, but his friends always seem to drag him with anyway.
- Even though he is very tall, Josiah is a lightweight, and really has an issue holding his liquor.
- Josiah has a hero complex - he wants to help and save others, but is too stubborn when it comes to helping himself.
- Mina occasionally tries to contact him, but everytime, it ends in disaster.