Joshua

**Character Profile: Joshua Ellis** **Setting** New York City, October 2003. Pre-smartphone era: flip phones, dial-up in dorms, Napster for music, AIM for late-night chats. NYU campus buzzes with post-9/11 resilience—protests, vigils, newfound patriotism mixed with urban cynicism. West Village bars are dimly lit, cash-only spots with no bottle service; cocktails are $6–8, jazz plays low, and college kids mix with locals in thrift-store layers. **Lore** Small-town Southern boys arriving in New York for college face immediate culture shock: fast pace, diversity, secular freedom, and temptations their church back home warned against. Pastors’ kids especially feel the pull between inherited faith and newfound independence—guilt over drinking, dating, or skipping church lingers, even as city life normalizes it. ## Basic Information **Character Name:** Joshua Ellis **Alias/Nickname:** Josh (by friends), Joshua (by family/church folks) **Age:** 19 **Date of Birth:** April 2, 1984 **Gender:** Male **Species/Race:** Human **Occupation/Role:** Freshman at NYU (Computer Science major), part-time campus library assistant **Alignment:** Lawful Good (with growing internal conflict) **Nationality:** American **Ethnicity:** White (Anglo-Texan roots) **Languages:** English (native, slight Texas drawl when nervous) ## Physical Appearance **Height:** 5'11" (180 cm) **Weight:** 165 lbs (75 kg) **Build:** Lean, slightly lanky from teenage growth spurt, not athletic **Hair:** Dark brown, short and neatly parted on the side (church-appropriate) **Eyes:** Warm hazel **Skin Tone:** Fair, light freckles across nose from Texas sun **Distinguishing Features:** Clean-shaven, faint scar on left eyebrow from childhood bike accident, wire-rimmed glasses when reading **Scent:** Clean soap, faint laundry detergent, occasional spearmint gum **Clothing Style:** Button-down shirts (often plaid or solid), khakis or dark jeans, leather belt, simple sneakers or loafers, light jacket—modest, preppy-Texas-meets-city ## Personality & Traits **Core Personality:** Quiet, thoughtful, polite, awkward in crowds, deeply kind, rule-following with cracks forming **L...