[Michael Vael]

WELCOME TO LOS EUROSIA,

MICHAEL ALLEN VAEL

"Lyrics/quote that fits your character"

BASICS

NAME: Michael Vael

AGE: 31 years old

BIRTHDATE: February 15th (Aquarius)

PRONOUNS: He/Him

SEXUALITY: Mostly Straight

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single

OCCUPATION: Rancher/Veterinarian

Does work on the family ranch but is also an established veterinarian in a county clinic (located about halfway between the Vael ranch and Los Eurosia). They mostly deal with large animals (such as horses and cows) but also the typical/everyday dog, cat, ferret, etc. Since the clinic offers cheaper services than most places in-town, plenty of people are willing to make the drive. They do not do appointments (unless it's a spay/neuter or other surgery) but, instead, are walk-in only. There's usually a queue formed at the doors at opening.

Open Monday-Friday*, 8am-4pm.
Only open on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month.
Closed on Sunday.

*No DVM in office on Thursdays, only techs

Since Michael lives close enough to the clinic, too, he offers "emergency" services outside of typical daylight hours.

NEIGHBORHOOD: Michael lives with his family on a ranch about 30 miles outside of the city

MEMBER GROUP: Ex-Blackstorm / Hunter (Guild)

Michael and his family were "assimilated" into the Guild a little over a year ago. They were essentially given the choice to be killed or to be used and, after some initial resistance, they opted for the latter. Before, the Vaels operated a family ranch that had a low-key/down-low reputation of being a "Gifted haven/sanctuary". A place that offered safety and understanding (or perhaps just room and supper) to wayward or displaced Gifted individuals, be it for only a couple of days or longer.

When the Guild caught wind of this, they initially moved to destroy it. But upon discovering the useful Gifts of the family (especially Mike and his brother)... and contemplating the convenience of their homestead being an established "beacon" for Gifted... they stilled their hand.

In the year since then, the Vael ranch has been forced to maintain its reputation as a Gifted haven/sanctuary. Only now it's more falsity than truth. They're a lure. The Guild themselves sort of "advertise" the homestead; peddling their whispered existence through whatever underground channels they think might entice Gifted to seek the ranch out. For his part, Michael tries his best to be as unfriendly/unobliging as possible and send off anyone who shows up, but often the Guild has operatives on the ranch who ensure the gate always opens.

The ranch is also utilized as a sort of Guild "safehouse" when needed, though the Vael family isn't usually very pleased/accommodating about it.

Michael and his brother, better known in the Guild as "Duck" and "Goose" (respectively), are called upon to assist in hunting assignments semi-frequently. With Michael's reactive adaption and power immunity, he makes an effective tool against Gifted with mental abilities that others can't get close to. And his brother's ability of power absorption/nullification has its obvious perks. They are often dubbed the "Mercy Brothers", as they usually advocate/plea/beg for their target(s) to simply desist, surrender, and be stripped of their Gift rather than be killed.

(Due to his Gifts, a Guild tattoo wouldn't have any effect on Michael. Because of this, the bastards tattooed his eight-year-old niece in his place. She pays the price for any/all of his failures and/or disobedience.)

POWERS:

Power Negation - Michael's Gift is the nullification of others'. In a sense. It only works on abilities used on him, only affects him, and doesn't actually take away or otherwise inhibit a person's Gifts at all. It's more like an immunity to Gifts than an actual negation. For example, if a telepath were to try to listen to his thoughts, they'd hear nothing. Attempts of persuasion/mind control do not affect him. His future can not be read, his dreams can not be walked, and any Gift that requires skin-to-skin contact will not activate upon touching him.

Reactive Adaption/Evolution - While Michael's brand of power negation is useful against mental gifts and the like, he can still be harmed by more kinetic, physical, and/or environmental gifts. Electrical bolts created by electrokinesis can still shock him, stones hurled by geokinesis can still strike/harm him, etc. However, any time such a Gift is used on him, he builds a small amount of resistance to it (when applicable). Especially the longer he is exposed to it. If he were to survive being electrocuted by someone, the next time he is electrocuted, it would be a little less harmful.

THE LOOKS

HEIGHT: 6'0''

WEIGHT: ~160lbs

HAIR COLOR: Brown (some gray)

EYE COLOR: Dark blue

FACE CLAIM: Lewis Pullman

OVERALL APPEARANCE:

Michael isn't a stand-out in any way. He's fairly fit but, being more lean than broad, still maintains a somewhat slim appearance (something owed in part to his height). He's solid. Sturdy. Looks more scrapper than fighter. Has the kind of muscle owed not to a diligent gym regime, but to simply working. It's an unassuming strength. Not immediately apparent. One might get the suspicion he can "hold his own" but probably wouldn't feel too nervous about starting a brawl with him.

His hair is colored a dull, dark brown, touched by a little gray near his hairline and temples. He keeps it a medium length, always brushed back out of his face. It begins to curl at its ends, usually just past his ears, and he's a frequent cap-wearer. 

On first pass, Michael's eyes appear to simply be "dark" in color. Many mistake them for being brown (or gray) if they've only seen him in photographs or poor lighting. However, they're actually a deep blue.

Small mouth and boyish smile. Usually some stubble/growth on his face (can't really grow "full" facial hair and doesn't have to shave often). Dresses casually, favoring plain t-shirts or button-up long sleeves, jeans, and boots. Not the neatest/cleanliest but typically doesn't smell bad. Not one for putting a lot of effort into appearances but he can crisp/clean up if given enough reason to. Generally pretty expressive and emotive (for better or worse). Has his family brand tattooed on his left breast.

INSIDE

LIKES:

DISLIKES:

STRENGTHS:

• Dependable - Though he has always had an air of flightiness about him, Michael is actually more steady and rooted than most people initially suspect. He can be remarkably reliable. Somehow, he never seems the kind of guy you'd put a whole lot of faith in to "show up" when he says. And then you'll be surprised when he does.

• Steadfast (the upside of "obstinate") - Perhaps because he's always gone against the grain, always been unbothered by people's opinion of him, Michael's not ever afraid to dig his heels in. He's willful. Backboned. Is difficult to cow or sway. He won't hesitate to voice his opinion and he sticks to his guns. It'd be a lot more respectable... were he a little more graceful/tactful about it. Or if he accepted that he can be wrong as quickly as he is willing to fight that he's right.

• Hard-Working - Michael's not afraid of a tough job. He's not above bitching about it but it will get done. He comes from a long line of back-breaking, hands-in-the-dirt boys and he's no different. He can muck his way through undesirable tasks and face let-downs, pushbacks, inconveniences, etc. with a surprising amount of resilience.

WEAKNESSES:

• Emotionally Reactive - Not typically one to bite his tongue. Hot-headed. His thoughts have a way of finding voice (and tone) before he can really think better of it. Not a slow-burn or particularly patient person when someone is trying to get a rise out of him or press his buttons. Anyone who knows Michael knows he can't be relied on to "take one on the chin" or "turn the other cheek". He can be goaded/baited. He will match energies and he will walk himself (quite decidedly) into that trap every time. Leave his ass outside if there's "bound to be a fight" and you want to avoid it. He's not one for lying down and showing his belly. Or skirting confrontation when he's feeling a certain way. He burns hot very quickly and takes his time in cooling down. This behavior can and always has gotten him in trouble.

• Obstinate (the uglier honesty of "steadfast") - wip wip -- difficult for him to apologize, mostly because yeah — he thinks he's right a lot of the time, convincing him otherwise can be like pulling teeth or arguing with a brick wall, carries over into grudges and the like --wip wip

OVERALL PERSONALITY:

Mama Vael spent many, many years praying for the day Michael would calm down and grow up. Lord knows he's been the reason behind countless sleepless nights, angry strangers knocking at the gate, and more than half the gray hairs on her tired head. Nowadays, she's simply accepted that he has evened out as much as he is probably like to. Perhaps, more than anything, she is just grateful he's much too old now to need any help getting bailed out of whatever trouble he makes for himself.

And, to be fair, Michael is an adult and he does try to act accordingly most days. He's not as difficult as he once was. But this is much less a shout to how "grown" he is now and more a grudging nod that "hey, he used to be a lot worse". One still doesn't have to dig far (or poke long) to find that headstrong boy he used to be.

On the whole, Michael can be a good time. And he can be a bad time. More often than not, he can be a good time that swings into a bad time very fast.

He isn't often hesitant (in anything that he does). He won't think twice before laying on that flirty line. Won't pause before acting on a stab of jealousy or irritation. He's a man who acts primarily out of emotion and also walks around a little half-cocked at all times. It's not often clear whether this behavior is actual arrogance... simple recklessness... or maybe just a heedless lack of self-restraint. Perhaps it's a mix of all three. Part of it is probably just in his blood.

As "loud" as Michael can be with his faults, it's easy for a lot of people to write him off. And, maybe since he's always been fine with that — perfectly content with being disliked and uncaring of what people think or say about him — he's rarely ever trying to "fix" that. Never trying to get people to like him. To make himself better in peoples' eyes or "correct" any sort of preconceived notion about him. If you don't like him, fine. Don't like him. He's not going to try to convince you to. In fact... when he is actually offended by what someone thinks of him, he's much more likely to lean into it than make any effort to mend it ("you think I'm being an unreasonable dick? Okay, well, let me show you being an unreasonable dick").

But most of the time, he couldn't care less.

Really, he isn't so bad. At the end of the day, Michael has a good heart. Most of what he does comes from a well-intended place. He is just far less in your face about it and it all has a way of being colored over by the rest of him. He doesn't bring any attention to any "good" that he does. And, sometimes, it seems almost intentional the way he keeps those bits of him quiet. As if he doesn't want people to know. Or he doesn't want to get their hopes up. In some ways, it's a lot easier for him to be disliked than liked — letting someone down is a lot less fun than pleasantly surprising them.

All in all, to anyone Michael has made an actual friend of — and, to be honest, he doesn't use the term lightly — it's almost like they have to get to know him twice. Learn him and then learn him again. There's the headstrong boy he walks around being (sometimes quite loudly and with hardly ever needing a reason to), and then the (actually very genuine) person beneath that. The former, he can be almost performative about showing off. The latter, he's never preoccupied with proving is there — it's always been the other person's job to see it on their own.

BACKGROUND

HOMETOWN: Los Eurosia, California

FAMILY: (all adoptable)

Amelie Vael - Mother, 54, Gifted (Healing/Regeneration)
Howard Vael - Father, 57, Gifted (Telepathy/Empathy)
Daniel Vael - Brother, 34, Gifted (Power Absorption)
Marianne Krehl - Sister, 29, Gifted (Power Sensing)
Warner Krehl - Brother-in-Law, 31, Human
Abigail Krehl - Niece, 8, Human (Presumed)

PETS: dogs

HISTORY:

I. SECOND CHILD, RESTLESS CHILD
with a spirit running wild, running free

SPOILER: Click to show

Born the middle child, it was probably poetic (or, at least, somewhat expected) that Michael would be a bit of a wildcard. Daniel, his older brother, was the golden boy. Mom and Pop's pride and joy. The one with whole photo albums dedicated to his birth and all of the "Baby's Firsts". Who could expect to head the Vael ranch after their father. Marianne, his younger sister, was not only the "baby" of the three, but also the only daughter. So she was always a bit coddled (as much as a Vael can be coddled, at least; while she could practically "do no wrong" in the eyes of their parents, she still grew up tough and doing just as much as her brothers).

Michael, on the other hand, was a loose cannon from the start. (Hell, someone had to be!) He was a live wire and a sensitive boy. Liked to make noise wherever he went, had a penchant for causing trouble or raising hell, and never really held back in anything that he did. He was probably the most recognizable of the three Vael siblings (for all the wrong reasons). As a child, this behavior kept his parents on their toes and perpetually exasperated with him. As he grew older, they went from bailing him out of principals' offices (for disobedience, fighting, or just being a general nuisance), to bailing him out of nights in jail cells (for mostly the same "forgivable" disturbances... with the addition of a couple DUI's).

But as much trouble as he caused, Michael was never "put out" by his family in any way. While his brother hated him as often as he loved him, he could be the biggest annoyance to his sister, and he butted heads with his parents like it was his job, the Vael family were all very tight-knit. Part of it just had to be in their blood. Written in their genes. Tough love/familial strength was the name of the game and had been on their homestead/ranch for generations.

Where conventional discipline didn't seem to dissuade Michael from being the frequent menace, the always-present expectation of hard work and diligent duty meant he didn't get in as much trouble as he might have otherwise. He always had work to get done. Cows to move or load, horses to break, fences to mend, and barns to muck. Always had a rope or a pair of reins forced in his hands. It didn't matter if he hadn't slept... if they had to yank him from where he was sleeping off a hangover in the bed of his truck... or if he bitched the whole time.

It didn't even matter when he started college. It almost wasn't even an option to look at schools out-of-state or consider on-campus accommodation. Fortunately... though Michael wasn't the best student in school on paper (due mostly to his frequent ditching and teachers simply not liking him)... he was an intelligent boy who didn't struggle much when he actually applied himself. Juggling being an undergrad and working was never hugely difficult for him, so much so that he managed to maintain a colorful social life on top of it all.

II. THE LOWE FAMILY (AND EMMY LOU)
and suddenly, music was more than noise

SPOILER: Click to show

One source of long-lasting argument between Michael and his parents was his relationship with Emmeline Lowe.

The Vael and Lowe ranches share fences. But anyone who knows anything about them knows they also share a long history of contention. Their relationship has been defined through the generations by land disputes, competition, and differing opinions. However, by the time Michael and his siblings were born, it seemed their parents had broken the mold. Howard Vael and Hank Lowe were friends. And for much of their kids' lives, things were pleasant and peaceful between the two families.

Not too surprising, Michael fell a bit through the cracks. Maybe if there'd been a third Lowe kid, he'd have had his own counterpart. But Cole was buddy-buddy with Daniel, Emmeline and Marianne were (disgustingly) inseparable, and Michael being their "shit-head brother" (the cause of a lot of grumbling) didn't slick any palms for him. Not that it bothered him at all. He had his run-around circles elsewhere.

And things eventually went sour for everyone anyway.

What exactly happened? It could have been the destructive hell a Gifted refugee from the Vael ranch wreaked at the Lowe's one night. It could have been Maggie getting sick and Amelie's Gifts being unable to help. Maybe, in the end, it was just their long history of bad blood crawling out of the woodwork. Whatever it was, after so many years, Howard would change his tune and claim Hank simply "showed his true Lowe colors"; that their fall-out didn't need a reason and was just a return to normalcy for the two homesteads.

The deterioration between the neighboring ranches had its casualties. Like he'd done all his life, Daniel followed his father's lead and severed his tie with Cole. Marianne, with far less conviction, began a slow drift from Emmeline (unaware that it was maybe a little more cruel that way). And, as if it were just his nature to fight the flow of things, it was here that Michael (once again) stepped in the opposite direction.

He and Emmy fell into each others' orbits and became fast friends.

To most — perhaps to their families especially — it probably looked a lot like a pasture fire finding a strong breeze. Or maybe just more fire. They were a matched wavelength, operating on the same frequency. They fed into each other like no other. And as destructive and reckless as their pairing might have looked from an outside perspective, for Michael, it was as much grounding as it was anything else. As much as they made the loud in one another louder, at the center of their relationship, there was an unprecedented thread of "quiet", too. Literally (and perhaps a bit figuratively), Emmy introduced him to music — something that hadn't meant anything to him before. She made him look for and find meaning in what had always just been noise.

As wild and zealous as their friendship was, becoming more predictably intensified things. For better and worse. They were volatile, always flying high and then crashing hard, and were completely unapologetic about it (never caring who witnessed either). And despite Emmy being beloved by the Vaels when she and Marianne were one another's shadows, Michael's parents (very much) didn't like him running around with her. Maybe they felt she only encouraged the worst in him. Maybe they knew she was just the kind of "flighty" that'd lure him from home. Maybe they simply hated how stories of public blow-outs and shameless fights always had a way of making it back to them.

The only one who never offered an opinion of skepticism (or plain disdain) was Marianne. Perhaps because she knew them both as well as she did — she knew how they loved, had loved and been loved by both of them — she understood their dynamic. That it was more than it seemed.

WIP

III. GUILD TAKEOVER
there goes the sun

SPOILER: Click to show

WIP

THE PLAYER

NAME: Rinse

AGE: 28

TIMEZONE: Central (US)