Post by Rinse on Jan 30, 2023 10:40:40 GMT -5
[nospaces]
[attr="class","angela-outer"]
"Dim the lights so we can unwind in disguise[break]
Play the record, make me move backwards in time"
[break][break]
TAWNY VOKES
"Dim the lights so we can unwind in disguise[break]
Play the record, make me move backwards in time"
[break][break]
[attr="class","angela"]
GENERAL
Birthday (Sign): October 9th (Libra) [break]
Alignment: Neutral Good[break]
Hobbies: Painting, sketching, reading, scrapbooking, people watching, binge-watching TV shows & marathoning movies, photography[break]
Celebrity Crushes: Ewan McGregor (think Moulin Rouge era), Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Zooey Deschanel, Paul Dano[break]
Childhood Dream Job: Princess, FBI Agent, Guidance Counselor[break]
Current Goals/Dreams: Quit therapy and look for jobs in schools
BAD HABITS
Smokes?: Nope. Tawny's never, ever smoked a cigarette. Not even as a teen! She simply isn't interested and has never seen the appeal. She doesn't have a problem with smokers, though, even if she isn't fond of the smell. Would not, under any circumstances, let someone smoke in her home or her car.[break][break]
Drinks?: Yes. It's mostly social. She's a terrible lightweight and has issues with pacing herself appropriately. Is usually the first one to fall out of her chair and make a fool of herself. Prefers sipping fruity mixed drinks to straight-up shots but will definitely throw them back if that's the kind of night it is.[break][break]
Drugs?: No. She smoked weed with Matty a couple of times in college but wasn't a huge fan (it escalated what was a muted anxiety to a full-blown social paranoia that Matty was just the type of person to exacerbate exponentially).[break][break]
Violence?: No please, Tawny is baby.[break][break]
Casual Sex?: Tawny is known to occasionally use people, physically, for comfort. When she is particularly low and lonely. To soothe and distract from that vacancy within her. In these moments she can be very adamant about one-night stands being one night-stands and can be quite closed-off/cold emotionally toward the other person's feelings. She has also had instances where she's been unfaithful and sought another's arms just to sabotage a relationship. It's a weird place for her where she knows what she's doing as she does it but can't stop herself. She's no angel by any means. Not averse to stringless hook-ups and bold flirtations.
FAVORITES
Color: Mustard yellow and burgundy/maroon[break]
Animal: Cat [break]
Food: A well-cooked salmon, Poptarts[break]
Dessert: Tarts and pastries[break]
Candy: Chocolate, especially hazelnut and/or mocha flavored (never any with fruit fillings)[break]
Non-Alcoholic Drink: Coffee, hot/cold tea, hot chocolate, water [break]
Alcoholic Drink: White rum and daiquiris, fruity (bitch) beers[break]
TV Show/Genre: The Golden Girls, New Girl, Parks & Recreation[break]
Movie: Moulin Rouge, The Princess Bride — loves Hallmark movies and older rom-coms like Say Anything, Pretty In Pink, 10 Things I Hate About You, etc[break]
Musician/Music Genre: Wild Ones, TENDER, Wet[break][break]
Top Songs:
LEAST FAVORITES
Color: Purple [break]
Animal: Isn't a fan of dogs, especially bigger ones [break]
Food: Anything too heavy and greasy [break]
Dessert: Cheesecake[break]
Candy: Anything sour[break]
Non-Alcoholic Drink: Diet soda (aspartame) [break]
Alcoholic Drink: Tequila (just because it's dangerous — she gets too loud, too embarrassing, too handsy, all too fast) [break]
TV Show/Genre: Boring things (especially if there's no pay off)[break]
Movie: Titanic, any western movie (her dad was a big John Wayne fan)[break]
Musician/Music Genre: Anything too heavy, country
SEXUALITY
Orientation: Bisexual[break][break]
Attracted To: Casualness, lack of expectation, pretty faces, curly and dark hair, good grooming, eye contact, brown eyes, a bit of intrigue, respecting her boundaries, small romantic gestures (like ridiculous movie-type shit: hand-picked flowers, boombox serenades, CD mixes/playlists, handwritten letters, etc — though she's bound to adore them at first, in another mood or further down the line, she may resent them), teasing, three-quarter sleeves, woody/earthy scents, independence, a reciprocated coldness when she's being cold and unreachable, good night texts, pretty hands[break][break]
Turned Off By: Clinginess, trying very hard to impress her, being put on a pedestal, neediness, being "taken care of", coddled, or fussed over, large or public romantic gestures, "Daddy", forward behavior after she's made it clear she's not interested, prying, facial hair (typically), jerkiness toward others (weirdly, she's A-OK with jerkiness aimed at her), moving too quickly (she's quick to hop in bed but things like staying over, meeting families, saying 'I love you', moving in, are all suggestions that can shut her down), needling when she's expressed her desire to be left alone, people who are somehow never angry with her (too understanding/forgiving)
SOCIAL MEDIA
Tawny is moderately active on social media. She has a Facebook profile but hasn't actively used it in 4+ years. All of her uploaded pictures are very old, mostly from high school/college; outings with friends, study dates, nature walks, maybe some artwork, etc. Her Facebook wall would mostly be 'Happy Birthday' messages from people every year without reactions or replies. There may be more recent "Tagged" pictures, uploaded by friends; club nights, dinner dates, and that ilk. She also has an Instagram but she only uploads an image every blue moon; just pops up with a random post before going quiet for another five months or so. Usually, it's snippets of artwork, pretty scenic things, her pets, or candids of her friends. She has a Snapchat but is the type of person to never reply to anything (lmao). She's got like a page and a half of unopened chats. But every once in a while she'll post to her story, usually her ferrets being loons or a picture of her TV with some caption about what she's watching.
EXTRA/RANDOM INFO
Gifted
The same as humans, just... with abilities. She doesn't hold them any higher or lower than Ungifted individuals. She does believe they need to be careful with their powers, however, and wouldn't be super approving of a Gifted individual who is open and reckless with their abilities.
Humans
People are people. Complicated. The only opinion that Tawny reserves "special" for humans is that she doesn't expect them to easily accept the existence of Gifted. She was coached at a young, impressionable age to believe that revealing the existence of "super-powered" individuals would lead to bloodshed and mass witch-hunts.
Hunters
Tawny is Gifted so, obviously, she fears them. While her ability is, fortunately, unseen and not obvious, she has observed a great number of Hunter-related horrors through her work with the Sector. Through the eyes of others who have suffered by them or been a witness to their brutality.
Blackstorm
With Blackstorm directly opposing the Sector, Tawny can't help but think of them as reckless renegades. Unorganized, chaotic, and perhaps not prepared to handle the fall-out that will inevitably come with revealing the existence of Gifted-kind. She's afraid that Blackstorm offers a banner for those Gifted with less-than-good intentions to rally behind.
The Sector
Tawny works for them! In some way, she always wanted to work for them because of the guidance counselor who guided her through discovering her own gift. She was Sector-involved and little Tawny wanted to emulate her in every way. But beyond that, Tawny does believe in their general mission and thinks of what they do as a way to protect Gifted-kind.
Memory Manipulation
Through skin-to-skin contact, Tawny can access the memories of others. She can see these vivid snippets through the senses of the other person as if Tawny herself had experienced them. She can also manipulate and reshape these memories, though usually not in any complex or exhaustive manner. With subtle effort, she can distort faces and/or voices with generic versions of themselves, tweak minor details, change a few choice words, etc. But the effort and time required to actually reconstruct a memory, or even build a whole new memory from scratch, would be much more notable.And although she is mostly reluctant to, Tawny can also "erase" memories entirely. It's a difficult process that requires a lot of energy and concentration from her. One of the reasons she can be reluctant to do this is that it is usually something terrible that someone wants to forget. An assault, a traumatizing accident, or witnessing something disturbing and awful. If Tawny succumbs and frees someone from that memory, it then becomes something she can never un-see. It becomes something she then has to carry around. Another reason she's reluctant to pick through someone's memories in such a way is because she once accidentally erased decades of her father's memory and left him confused and reeling.
HOW IT WORKS
Fashion
Tawny is definitely a sweater-weather kind of girl, preferring cardigans and layers above anything else. Fall is definitely her jam. Even in the summertime she tends to wear some sort of flowy long-sleeve, occasionally tying it around her waist if it is just too unbearably hot. She usually opts for neutral colors and plain or simple patterns. But she is certainly capable of dressing down if she's comfortable or glamming up for a night out. She will wear a skirt or a dress if she wants to look pretty for a day, but usually, it's jeans and beat-up sneakers, with a shirt just a little too big so she can ball her fists in it. She likes plain, simple jewelry like stud earrings and silver chains with or without small pendants/lockets. [break][break]
Below is a selection of clothing, but more can be found on her pinterest board.[break][break]
Tattoos, Piercings, & Scars
Tattoos: None! She would like to get one, though. She just has trouble deciding (and also may be a little afraid of the pain). Maybe a small cat somewhere to test the waters? Or a ferret? [break][break]
Scars: She's lived a fairly sheltered life and has nothing major to note. There is the faintest line under her bottom lip, hardly even noticeable, from when she busted off a dance stage when she was eight years old. And that's about it.[break][break]
Piercings: Two holes in each earlobe.
Home
Tawny lives on the second floor of a brick apartment building. The building itself is older, in much need of some TLC, but the renting price is fair for what it is (even if the landlord doesn't care enough about his tenants). Any maintenance issue is slow to resolve and the maintenance man, brother to the landlord, is a slipshod and very mean creature. Tawny's convinced he did something to her cat when entering her apartment while she wasn't home. Tawny's neighbors on her floor all have children, except for the batty woman across from her, and the second-floor landing of the apartment building is littered with children's toys.[break][break]
The front door opens onto the living room. In the center of the room, backed against the left wall, there is an L-shaped, grey/brown couch with decorative, colorful throw pillows and a small coffee table in front of it. On the opposite wall, to the right of a small alcove and directly in front of the front door, there is a waist-high entertainment center with a flat-screen mounted above it. The entertainment center has windows and opens, its cabinet overflowing with books (and a couple of DVDs). A small and square wooden dining table with two chairs is pushed against the half-wall that separates the living area from the kitchen. Located along the same wall as the front door, there is a pretty impressive cat tree in the corner and a bookshelf, similarly overflowing/stuffed. Behind the front door when it opens, Tawny has mounted a full-length mirror so she can check herself right before leaving. She's fashioned her own doorstop to prevent the mirror from getting broken. Since the only natural light is provided from the den area of her apartment, Tawny has many lamps and string lights hung up throughout her living room to provide a soft, warm glow to her home. [break][break]There's absolutely no empty wall space — everywhere you look is a crowded assortment of pictures and artwork (none her own), as well as plenty of ledges to provide her cat vertical space to climb and lounge upon. The den area, obviously meant to serve as a dining room, is the space she utilizes for painting, since the light is so good in there during the day and it opens out onto the balcony. There are a great number of canvases stacked against one another against every wall of the den, as well as stashed throughout the living room, most (if not all) of them unfinished. [break][break]
[break]
Pets
Myrtle: Estimated to be between six and seven years old, female. Belonged to an elderly woman across the hall who died. Tawny took her in about three years ago when it was made clear the woman had no kin and the ill-tempered cat would be taken to the shelter. A very aloof and chill feline, not prone to violence (except with her eyes). Is usually only affectionate with Tawny. Will tolerate pets from others for only a very limited amount of time and skillfully dodge the touch of anyone she doesn't know. Stares judgmentally and is very vocal about her displeasure. Hates the maintenance man. Will warm up eventually but still doesn't like being held by most people. [break][break]
Lark & Finch: Ferrets, approximately 3 years old, both male. Tawny's brother originally got them as a Christmas present for his daughter, but the little girl grew quickly bored of them and didn't want to take care of them. Cooper asked Tawny to take them to a rescue but she brought them home instead. As with most ferrets, the pair are absolutely chaotic. Little terrorizers. Cause all sorts of predicaments. Have zero fear. Tawny keeps them in a large pen in the den when she isn't home and while sleeping, but otherwise, they are always out and free to do as they please. Lark is the darker and more troublesome of the two. [break][break]
Vehicles
Tawny drives a 2001 Subaru Impreza (Sport), red, affectionately named 'Oscar'. She bought it from a college friend almost six years ago and it has over 200k miles on it. The interior is a controlled mess with clothes, towels, and scattered supplies in the trunk (she doesn't go to the beach as much as she did at one time but she's still prepared). The front seats are clean and clear most of the time, though. The backseat shows evidence of her carting around her nieces and nephews occasionally — forgotten toys from McDonald's happy meals, a deck of NASA-themed playing cards, a shoe that doesn't fit anyone anymore, etc. The radio doesn't work and there is no CD player but she has one of those AUX-to-cassette adapters that she uses to plug her phone in. The right, rear fender has a decent cave-in from when it was hit in her apartment building's parking lot. [break][break]
Honestly, the car is on its last legs in all ways. It's only a matter of time until she finally has to break down and find a new one. [break][break]
CHARACTER TRIVIA
GENERAL
Birthday (Sign): October 9th (Libra) [break]
Alignment: Neutral Good[break]
Hobbies: Painting, sketching, reading, scrapbooking, people watching, binge-watching TV shows & marathoning movies, photography[break]
Celebrity Crushes: Ewan McGregor (think Moulin Rouge era), Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Zooey Deschanel, Paul Dano[break]
Childhood Dream Job: Princess, FBI Agent, Guidance Counselor[break]
Current Goals/Dreams: Quit therapy and look for jobs in schools
BAD HABITS
Smokes?: Nope. Tawny's never, ever smoked a cigarette. Not even as a teen! She simply isn't interested and has never seen the appeal. She doesn't have a problem with smokers, though, even if she isn't fond of the smell. Would not, under any circumstances, let someone smoke in her home or her car.[break][break]
Drinks?: Yes. It's mostly social. She's a terrible lightweight and has issues with pacing herself appropriately. Is usually the first one to fall out of her chair and make a fool of herself. Prefers sipping fruity mixed drinks to straight-up shots but will definitely throw them back if that's the kind of night it is.[break][break]
Drugs?: No. She smoked weed with Matty a couple of times in college but wasn't a huge fan (it escalated what was a muted anxiety to a full-blown social paranoia that Matty was just the type of person to exacerbate exponentially).[break][break]
Violence?: No please, Tawny is baby.[break][break]
Casual Sex?: Tawny is known to occasionally use people, physically, for comfort. When she is particularly low and lonely. To soothe and distract from that vacancy within her. In these moments she can be very adamant about one-night stands being one night-stands and can be quite closed-off/cold emotionally toward the other person's feelings. She has also had instances where she's been unfaithful and sought another's arms just to sabotage a relationship. It's a weird place for her where she knows what she's doing as she does it but can't stop herself. She's no angel by any means. Not averse to stringless hook-ups and bold flirtations.
FAVORITES
Color: Mustard yellow and burgundy/maroon[break]
Animal: Cat [break]
Food: A well-cooked salmon, Poptarts[break]
Dessert: Tarts and pastries[break]
Candy: Chocolate, especially hazelnut and/or mocha flavored (never any with fruit fillings)[break]
Non-Alcoholic Drink: Coffee, hot/cold tea, hot chocolate, water [break]
Alcoholic Drink: White rum and daiquiris, fruity (bitch) beers[break]
TV Show/Genre: The Golden Girls, New Girl, Parks & Recreation[break]
Movie: Moulin Rouge, The Princess Bride — loves Hallmark movies and older rom-coms like Say Anything, Pretty In Pink, 10 Things I Hate About You, etc[break]
Musician/Music Genre: Wild Ones, TENDER, Wet[break][break]
Top Songs:
- Dim the Lights - Wild Ones
- Forgetting Rock n Roll - Wild Ones
- Standing in the Back of Your Show - Wild Ones
- Old Bone - Wet
- Don't Wanna Be Your Girl - Wet
LEAST FAVORITES
Color: Purple [break]
Animal: Isn't a fan of dogs, especially bigger ones [break]
Food: Anything too heavy and greasy [break]
Dessert: Cheesecake[break]
Candy: Anything sour[break]
Non-Alcoholic Drink: Diet soda (aspartame) [break]
Alcoholic Drink: Tequila (just because it's dangerous — she gets too loud, too embarrassing, too handsy, all too fast) [break]
TV Show/Genre: Boring things (especially if there's no pay off)[break]
Movie: Titanic, any western movie (her dad was a big John Wayne fan)[break]
Musician/Music Genre: Anything too heavy, country
SEXUALITY
Orientation: Bisexual[break][break]
Attracted To: Casualness, lack of expectation, pretty faces, curly and dark hair, good grooming, eye contact, brown eyes, a bit of intrigue, respecting her boundaries, small romantic gestures (like ridiculous movie-type shit: hand-picked flowers, boombox serenades, CD mixes/playlists, handwritten letters, etc — though she's bound to adore them at first, in another mood or further down the line, she may resent them), teasing, three-quarter sleeves, woody/earthy scents, independence, a reciprocated coldness when she's being cold and unreachable, good night texts, pretty hands[break][break]
Turned Off By: Clinginess, trying very hard to impress her, being put on a pedestal, neediness, being "taken care of", coddled, or fussed over, large or public romantic gestures, "Daddy", forward behavior after she's made it clear she's not interested, prying, facial hair (typically), jerkiness toward others (weirdly, she's A-OK with jerkiness aimed at her), moving too quickly (she's quick to hop in bed but things like staying over, meeting families, saying 'I love you', moving in, are all suggestions that can shut her down), needling when she's expressed her desire to be left alone, people who are somehow never angry with her (too understanding/forgiving)
SOCIAL MEDIA
Tawny is moderately active on social media. She has a Facebook profile but hasn't actively used it in 4+ years. All of her uploaded pictures are very old, mostly from high school/college; outings with friends, study dates, nature walks, maybe some artwork, etc. Her Facebook wall would mostly be 'Happy Birthday' messages from people every year without reactions or replies. There may be more recent "Tagged" pictures, uploaded by friends; club nights, dinner dates, and that ilk. She also has an Instagram but she only uploads an image every blue moon; just pops up with a random post before going quiet for another five months or so. Usually, it's snippets of artwork, pretty scenic things, her pets, or candids of her friends. She has a Snapchat but is the type of person to never reply to anything (lmao). She's got like a page and a half of unopened chats. But every once in a while she'll post to her story, usually her ferrets being loons or a picture of her TV with some caption about what she's watching.
EXTRA/RANDOM INFO
- Tawny did dance/gymnastics and played volleyball growing up.
- Makes herself go to the gym twice a week in the evenings.
- Her nieces and nephews adore her. Probably because she is a lot younger than their parents and because she's kinda the 'cool aunt'. She takes them out when Cooper and Elise need a break or a date night. Lets them get away with a lot of things (and also occasionally swears in their presence, don't tell Elise). The youngest girls always beg her to do their hair. The eldest always gossips about boys and her college drama and Tawny is here for that tea.
- Makes friendship bracelets when she is really drunk.
- Cooper and his family live in their childhood home. Visiting them is huge weird feels for her. It's always strange, especially around Christmas, to witness the house full of life, love, laughter, and so many people, when it was always just her and her father there growing up. Their eldest daughter has Tawny's childhood room.
- Matty dragged her to one of his D&D games in college. She was a human druid and had a terrible time. 0/10 would not recommend. Just stares at him when he brings up D&D.
- Her longest, actual relationship lasted just a couple weeks short of one year. Her partner getting excited about their anniversary definitely forced the snap.
- Could watch Moulin Rouge or RENT ten times a day and bawl every time.
- Begged her father for a pet rabbit as a little girl. Never got one.
- Placed 2nd in her first-grade spelling bee (she couldn't spell spaghetti).
- Cut her own bangs throughout the entirety of her freshman year of college.
- She's afraid of dementia or getting old and not being able to differentiate between what memories are hers and what memories belong to others.
GROUP OPINIONS
Gifted
The same as humans, just... with abilities. She doesn't hold them any higher or lower than Ungifted individuals. She does believe they need to be careful with their powers, however, and wouldn't be super approving of a Gifted individual who is open and reckless with their abilities.
Humans
People are people. Complicated. The only opinion that Tawny reserves "special" for humans is that she doesn't expect them to easily accept the existence of Gifted. She was coached at a young, impressionable age to believe that revealing the existence of "super-powered" individuals would lead to bloodshed and mass witch-hunts.
Hunters
Tawny is Gifted so, obviously, she fears them. While her ability is, fortunately, unseen and not obvious, she has observed a great number of Hunter-related horrors through her work with the Sector. Through the eyes of others who have suffered by them or been a witness to their brutality.
Blackstorm
With Blackstorm directly opposing the Sector, Tawny can't help but think of them as reckless renegades. Unorganized, chaotic, and perhaps not prepared to handle the fall-out that will inevitably come with revealing the existence of Gifted-kind. She's afraid that Blackstorm offers a banner for those Gifted with less-than-good intentions to rally behind.
The Sector
Tawny works for them! In some way, she always wanted to work for them because of the guidance counselor who guided her through discovering her own gift. She was Sector-involved and little Tawny wanted to emulate her in every way. But beyond that, Tawny does believe in their general mission and thinks of what they do as a way to protect Gifted-kind.
Gift
Memory Manipulation
Through skin-to-skin contact, Tawny can access the memories of others. She can see these vivid snippets through the senses of the other person as if Tawny herself had experienced them. She can also manipulate and reshape these memories, though usually not in any complex or exhaustive manner. With subtle effort, she can distort faces and/or voices with generic versions of themselves, tweak minor details, change a few choice words, etc. But the effort and time required to actually reconstruct a memory, or even build a whole new memory from scratch, would be much more notable.And although she is mostly reluctant to, Tawny can also "erase" memories entirely. It's a difficult process that requires a lot of energy and concentration from her. One of the reasons she can be reluctant to do this is that it is usually something terrible that someone wants to forget. An assault, a traumatizing accident, or witnessing something disturbing and awful. If Tawny succumbs and frees someone from that memory, it then becomes something she can never un-see. It becomes something she then has to carry around. Another reason she's reluctant to pick through someone's memories in such a way is because she once accidentally erased decades of her father's memory and left him confused and reeling.
HOW IT WORKS
Accessing memories requires skin-to-skin contact and is automatic. Tawny can not "turn off" her Gift. Any touch, if she isn't expecting it, can throw her into someone's past. Typically she's tossed into the stream of their memories at random but is very practiced at "sifting" through them if she's looking for something specific.[break][break]
Sometimes a person's emotions can affect what memories she initially sees. If they're thinking very strongly about a memory in particular she can find it easier.[break][break]
Her own concentration/state of mind has an effect on how easily she can manipulate and guide herself through the waters. If she's calm and focused, it's easy. If she's panicked, it's more difficult and she can be overrun. The other person's state of mind, too, has some effect. If they're placid (or sleeping), the "waters" make for easy treading. But if they're upset, raging, or just very emotional, the waters can be choppy and powerful.
Sometimes a person's emotions can affect what memories she initially sees. If they're thinking very strongly about a memory in particular she can find it easier.[break][break]
Her own concentration/state of mind has an effect on how easily she can manipulate and guide herself through the waters. If she's calm and focused, it's easy. If she's panicked, it's more difficult and she can be overrun. The other person's state of mind, too, has some effect. If they're placid (or sleeping), the "waters" make for easy treading. But if they're upset, raging, or just very emotional, the waters can be choppy and powerful.
Belongings
Fashion
Tawny is definitely a sweater-weather kind of girl, preferring cardigans and layers above anything else. Fall is definitely her jam. Even in the summertime she tends to wear some sort of flowy long-sleeve, occasionally tying it around her waist if it is just too unbearably hot. She usually opts for neutral colors and plain or simple patterns. But she is certainly capable of dressing down if she's comfortable or glamming up for a night out. She will wear a skirt or a dress if she wants to look pretty for a day, but usually, it's jeans and beat-up sneakers, with a shirt just a little too big so she can ball her fists in it. She likes plain, simple jewelry like stud earrings and silver chains with or without small pendants/lockets. [break][break]
Below is a selection of clothing, but more can be found on her pinterest board.[break][break]
Tattoos, Piercings, & Scars
Tattoos: None! She would like to get one, though. She just has trouble deciding (and also may be a little afraid of the pain). Maybe a small cat somewhere to test the waters? Or a ferret? [break][break]
Scars: She's lived a fairly sheltered life and has nothing major to note. There is the faintest line under her bottom lip, hardly even noticeable, from when she busted off a dance stage when she was eight years old. And that's about it.[break][break]
Piercings: Two holes in each earlobe.
Home
Tawny lives on the second floor of a brick apartment building. The building itself is older, in much need of some TLC, but the renting price is fair for what it is (even if the landlord doesn't care enough about his tenants). Any maintenance issue is slow to resolve and the maintenance man, brother to the landlord, is a slipshod and very mean creature. Tawny's convinced he did something to her cat when entering her apartment while she wasn't home. Tawny's neighbors on her floor all have children, except for the batty woman across from her, and the second-floor landing of the apartment building is littered with children's toys.[break][break]
The front door opens onto the living room. In the center of the room, backed against the left wall, there is an L-shaped, grey/brown couch with decorative, colorful throw pillows and a small coffee table in front of it. On the opposite wall, to the right of a small alcove and directly in front of the front door, there is a waist-high entertainment center with a flat-screen mounted above it. The entertainment center has windows and opens, its cabinet overflowing with books (and a couple of DVDs). A small and square wooden dining table with two chairs is pushed against the half-wall that separates the living area from the kitchen. Located along the same wall as the front door, there is a pretty impressive cat tree in the corner and a bookshelf, similarly overflowing/stuffed. Behind the front door when it opens, Tawny has mounted a full-length mirror so she can check herself right before leaving. She's fashioned her own doorstop to prevent the mirror from getting broken. Since the only natural light is provided from the den area of her apartment, Tawny has many lamps and string lights hung up throughout her living room to provide a soft, warm glow to her home. [break][break]There's absolutely no empty wall space — everywhere you look is a crowded assortment of pictures and artwork (none her own), as well as plenty of ledges to provide her cat vertical space to climb and lounge upon. The den area, obviously meant to serve as a dining room, is the space she utilizes for painting, since the light is so good in there during the day and it opens out onto the balcony. There are a great number of canvases stacked against one another against every wall of the den, as well as stashed throughout the living room, most (if not all) of them unfinished. [break][break]
[break]Pets
Myrtle: Estimated to be between six and seven years old, female. Belonged to an elderly woman across the hall who died. Tawny took her in about three years ago when it was made clear the woman had no kin and the ill-tempered cat would be taken to the shelter. A very aloof and chill feline, not prone to violence (except with her eyes). Is usually only affectionate with Tawny. Will tolerate pets from others for only a very limited amount of time and skillfully dodge the touch of anyone she doesn't know. Stares judgmentally and is very vocal about her displeasure. Hates the maintenance man. Will warm up eventually but still doesn't like being held by most people. [break][break]
Lark & Finch: Ferrets, approximately 3 years old, both male. Tawny's brother originally got them as a Christmas present for his daughter, but the little girl grew quickly bored of them and didn't want to take care of them. Cooper asked Tawny to take them to a rescue but she brought them home instead. As with most ferrets, the pair are absolutely chaotic. Little terrorizers. Cause all sorts of predicaments. Have zero fear. Tawny keeps them in a large pen in the den when she isn't home and while sleeping, but otherwise, they are always out and free to do as they please. Lark is the darker and more troublesome of the two. [break][break]
Vehicles
Tawny drives a 2001 Subaru Impreza (Sport), red, affectionately named 'Oscar'. She bought it from a college friend almost six years ago and it has over 200k miles on it. The interior is a controlled mess with clothes, towels, and scattered supplies in the trunk (she doesn't go to the beach as much as she did at one time but she's still prepared). The front seats are clean and clear most of the time, though. The backseat shows evidence of her carting around her nieces and nephews occasionally — forgotten toys from McDonald's happy meals, a deck of NASA-themed playing cards, a shoe that doesn't fit anyone anymore, etc. The radio doesn't work and there is no CD player but she has one of those AUX-to-cassette adapters that she uses to plug her phone in. The right, rear fender has a decent cave-in from when it was hit in her apartment building's parking lot. [break][break]
Honestly, the car is on its last legs in all ways. It's only a matter of time until she finally has to break down and find a new one. [break][break]
Moodboard
[break]
[attr="class","angela-outer"]
"If you're throwing me to the lions[break]
You should know I'm not scared of dying"
[break][break]
DANE WAYLAND
"If you're throwing me to the lions[break]
You should know I'm not scared of dying"
[break][break]
[attr="class","angela"]
GENERAL
Birthday (Sign): November 27th (Sagittarius) [break]
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral/Neutral Evil [break]
Hobbies: Hunting, stalking, physical activities such as rock-climbing and hiking, traveling, sketching (mostly animal anatomy), couples dancing (think Prom Night in Grease or Pulp Fiction; that kinda fun shit), social drinking, getting in fights[break]
Celebrity Crushes: Anna Kendrick, Mila Kunis[break]
Childhood Dream Job: Circus Acrobat[break]
Current Goals/Dreams: None. Unfortunately, he's an aimless guy who has never entertained the possibility of having his own ambitions and dreams. Rarely thinks of very much beyond his next lay or drink.
BAD HABITS
Smokes?: Smoked cigarettes as a teenager but not so much anymore. Isn't likely to buy any for himself unless it's been a particularly bad night. May ask to bum a drag from someone else every now and again and may smoke one if he finds a pack on a person he's murdered (just cause that's how it goes). Has been smoking a lot more recently. [break][break]
Drinks?: All the time, yes. Dane is probably drunk 40% of the time and thinking about getting drunk another 40% of the time. He'd prefer to get slowly tanked over a million beers but isn't picky. Will sometimes choose quick and sloppy over a more controlled, steady decline when the mood strikes. Usually can't pass up wine (red) or vodka when it's offered.[break][break]
Drugs?: Not a fan of any hard stuff. Could probably be talked into taking some hallucinogens if the opportunity presented itself. Did some lighter stuff when he was younger but it was never truly alarming. His brother was briefly hooked on opioids, sometimes worse, and Dane hated seeing that. He usually wants nothing to do with addicts.[break][break]
Violence?: *laughs* Yeah, no problem[break][break]
Casual Sex?: Sex is the simplest thing in the world to him. It has never meant anything more to him than what it is. Some people are better at it than others but that's about as special as it gets in his eyes. It does not have to be complicated at all. It does not have to mean anything. He will not make it weird. Generally, he is all for a one-night stand. Especially if he needs a place to crash or just wants the comfort of a woman's arms after a long day/week. He's also all about the French Exit in the morning, usually slipping away before the other person wakes. Most of the time it's just a "one and done" sort of deal but Dane isn't completely above seeing someone again if things went well. And he isn't totally averse to putting in the effort for something more steady and sustainable either, though he will be very upfront and honest about not desiring any sort of exclusivity.
FAVORITES
Color: Red[break]
Animal: Dogs, wolves, and rats [break]
Food: Italian (does not include pizza)[break]
Dessert: Fruity cobblers [break]
Candy: Suckers/lollipops[break]
Non-Alcoholic Drink: Iced tea (unsweet) [break]
Alcoholic Drink: Vodka, red wine [break]
TV Show/Genre: Dane doesn't really watch TV unless "grounded" with absolutely nothing else to do. But he likes informative nature documentaries, "real life" cop shows, and irreverent comedy sitcoms. Nothing that requires a whole lot of dedication and/or investment.Reno 911 is his #1. [break]
Movie: Fantastic Mr. Fox, Reservoir Dogs, Lord of the Rings,John Tucker Must Die[break]
Musician/Music Genre: Rufus Wainwright, Robbie Williams [break][break]
Top Songs:
LEAST FAVORITES
Color: Pink [break]
Animal: Most equine-types (horses, goats, camels, etc.) [break]
Food: Pizza (he won't not eat it but... ugh) [break]
Dessert: Cake [break]
Candy: Any and all chocolates[break]
Non-Alcoholic Drink: Sweet tea, all sodas [break]
Alcoholic Drink: Isn't picky, will drink anything, but won't choose dark liquors (they give him grosser hangovers) [break]
TV Show/Genre: Reality TV shows (though he may watch them to make fun of them and accidentally get a little unironically invested) [break]
Movie: Hachi (because fuck you, Dino, for ever making him watch it) [break]
Musician/Music Genre: Doesn't really hate anything to be honest. His own music taste is very narrow but he's tolerant of most everything
SEXUALITY
Orientation: Tragically straight [break][break]
Attracted To: Dangerous women, aggression (a little or a lot, he isn't picky), someone who can undoubtedly kick his ass, dark hair (preferably long), well-fitted clothes, hard-to-get types, mouthy, a little bit of crazy is just fine, someone who knows they're sexy, a willingness to rough him up a bit and a shared desire not to know anything about one another, demanding, someone not afraid to make him beg and adore[break][break]
Turned Off By: First of all, let's be honest here — there isn't a whole lot that's an absolute deal-breaker for Dane. He's definitely one for settling and isn't really that picky when it comes down to it. Nonetheless — too much makeup, fake boobs, short hair, ridiculous heels, when a woman is overly-fussy about their appearance (what's the point if you don't want to mess up your hair?), playing too hard to get when they're not pretty enough to warrant it, lack of passion/boring/laziness, not knowing what they want, inexperience, shyness
SOCIAL MEDIA
Dane isn't active on social media but has a couple of dating app profiles with different names. Most of them have pictures of him looking perfectly innocent and unassuming, usually with a cute puppy/dog. He hardly ever checks these apps and only opens them up if he's struck out at the bar/club and wants to lick his wounds by chatting or scrolling pics. Always uses an alias (usually "Darren", sometimes "Dave"). Sometimes he'll take up a platform to DM girls or stalk profiles. He had an Instagram for awhile when he was pretending a relationship and, even though the relationship's now done, he still semi keeps up with it.
EXTRA/RANDOM INFO
Humans & Gifted
Honestly? Dane's opinion doesn't deviate much between the two. Despite being raised in a hunting syndicate, he doesn't personally think of Gifted as being any better or worse than Ungifted. They're just humans with abilities. More fun to fight but that's about it. Of course, it's his life's work to be pointed like a loaded gun at Gifted individuals and he will be unapologetically brutal with them. But humans, too, can find themselves earning his violence in much the same way. He's not picky. He isn't a Hunter because of some dogma, he's a Hunter because he always had to be (and because he enjoys it). There's been plenty of times he has chosen not to pursue a Gifted individual when he didn't have express orders to. And plenty of other times he's acted against express orders.
Hunters
There's undoubtedly a bit of camaraderie and kinship since Dane himself is a Hunter. But just like with anyone else, really, Dane can get along with them or hate them. It's refreshing to know they're a person he can have a bit of murder-y fun with. But he can find them super annoying if they're territorial, hostile toward him since he's Gifted himself, or if they're uptight, preachy, or unwilling to indulge him.
Blackstorm & The Sector
He really feels the same about both organizations. They're self-important and often get in the way. Usually annoying, pushy, and always with a whole lot of boring 'blah blah blah' to dump on anyone who will listen.
BEAST SUMMONING
Dane can summon beasts to his aide, seemingly from thin air. The more familiar he is with the attempted animal, the stronger its form, so he only has a handful of types that he's focused on perfecting and that can be considered competent. Straying from these few, well-practiced forms often result in wobbly, half-formed and weak summons. The more he practices a particular beast, too, the more "loyal" it could be considered — the easier it is to control, take commands, etc. Newer beasts often still require a bit of teaching and discipline. The summons are wholly corporeal — they can wound and be themselves wounded. Once they've taken too much damage they vanish and can not be called upon again until given time to "heal". Dane tends to only summon one beast at a time, as their strength is contributed evenly between the number of them active at one time; two summoned beasts will only be half as strong as a single summoned beast.
HOW IT WORKS
DANE'S SUMMONS
Fashion
Dane is mostly on the go (and has a penchant for ruining his clothes) so, a lot of the time, he will simply make do with whatever is on hand. But when time and situation allow, his attire tends to land in that gray area between casual and formal. He's surprisingly fashionable and hygienic for a man who seems hell-bent on ending every day in bloody tatters. Antonio is a fancy snob who impressed on his sons at a young age how to dress well. And Dane actually does like looking good (despite his proclivity for rolling around in dirty alleyways). [break][break]
He prefers solid colors, dark jeans or slacks, and is an absolute slut about his ankles. Common attire includes plain, solid-colored t-shirts, long-sleeve thermals, long-sleeve button-ups, and usually some jacket to conceal certain things that need concealing. Flat sneakers, lace-up boots, or loafers. His ensemble is typically dark but he'll opt for light colors and even white when he knows the night will be bloody and he wants to be an absolute loon about it. He cleans up nice (when he wants to). [break][break]
Below is a selection of clothing, but more can be found on his pinterest board. [break][break]
Tattoos, Piercings, & Scars
Tattoos: Maned wolf — covers the entirety of his upper and center back, dipping close to his hips, rolls over his shoulders and ends at the tips of his collarbones, winds down to his elbow (sleeving his entire upper right arm and right shoulder) [break][break]
Scars: Lots. He's littered with them. Some are larger and uglier than others. His hands are particularly scuffed (mostly the tops and fingers, but he's got a nasty scar in his right palm from catching a knife by the blade). Bullet wounds. Evidence of plenty botched blade fights. A short, vertical line on his forehead and two long lines that stretch from the top of his skull to the base (surgical scars, all neat and clean, the ones on his skull can only be seen if you part his hair). Some teeth mark scars and claw-gouges earned from various summons over the years. A handprint burned on his left shin. The most egregious of his scars is a jagged and thick horizontal line that stretches across both shoulder blades and a similar, ugly thing across his abdomen (earned at the same time). Spatterings of thick welts across his lower back from being peppered by birdshot. A straight line on the underside of his right jaw (chin to hinge; usually only visible if he tips his head). Deep, long scar down his upper right arm (middle of bicep to elbow). Straight, matching welts across the backs of his tights. Massive scar where a machete cleaved through his right collarbone. [break][break]
Piercings: None!
Home
Dane finally caved and leased a place. Quite purposely, it's in the roughest, shittiest neighborhood Los Eurosia has on offer — most everyone locks and reinforces their doors and theft/crime is a lot higher than in other places. Dane finds this very suited to his needs. Not only can he take care of himself well enoughand wishes someone would try something, but most people in the neighborhood are willing to turn and quickly walk the other way if some shit were to randomly pop off. [break][break]
The studio apartment is small and came mostly pre-furnished — its previous tenant, a man named Jacek, had stopped by, ransacked the place to gather a few belongings, and then seemingly dropped off the face of the planet. His landlord — an imaginative creature not unused to shady types who disappeared without a moment's notice — was quick to rent the place out from under him and Dane was more than happy to step in and lay claim to whatever was left behind. Pleased too, that the landlord seemed to care about little more than money when it came to the screening process. He threw out most of Jacek's things (taking great pleasure in doing so) and redecorated with both things he bought and stole from others (a lot of it comes from his neighbors, he's waiting for something to happen because of it lmao). He's kept a box full of Jacek's things that he found particularly interesting shoved under the bed. Just in case Jacek comes poking back around for whatever reason. [break][break]
The apartment is nothing special altogether. On the second floor. White brick walls and dark laminate flooring. A couple of couches. A bed (usually made and untouched — Dane most often sleeps on the couch). A dinky kitchenette that's just barely practical. Some cabinets and a coffee table that's typically crowded with beers and stacks of animal anatomy sketches/studies/notes. There's a huge dog bed and a cat tree, which might be confusing since a normal, unassuming person can clearly see the absence of any animals a lot of the time. Candles, lamps, stolen wall decorations, etc. [break][break]
To his landlord and his neighbors, Dane's name is "Darren". No one has been particularly friendly, nosy, or inviting, which is just perfect. [break][break]
Pets
Snowcone: Okay, so she's a summon and not an actual dog, but Dane still considers her his companion. He's been summoning her since he was about eight years old and she's grown into a fine canine since then, very obedient and in-tune to his commands and will. She's reliable, strong, and she really does bring him a lot of comfort when he's lonely. Watches over him and keeps him warm when he's too beaten up or drunk to make it home and passes out in some dark, dirty alley.[break][break]
Vehicles
Dane hasn't owned his own vehicle in years. Mostly because he's become so used to spending most of his days/nights quite drunk. Typically he would just steal a car whenever he needed one. But, recently, with being paid normally again (and being forced to sober up some), he's bought a superbike. Something speedy but not terribly flashy. He used to ride (and recklessly wreck) a lot of bikes in his younger years. WIP
CHARACTER TRIVIA
GENERAL
Birthday (Sign): November 27th (Sagittarius) [break]
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral/Neutral Evil [break]
Hobbies: Hunting, stalking, physical activities such as rock-climbing and hiking, traveling, sketching (mostly animal anatomy), couples dancing (think Prom Night in Grease or Pulp Fiction; that kinda fun shit), social drinking, getting in fights[break]
Celebrity Crushes: Anna Kendrick, Mila Kunis[break]
Childhood Dream Job: Circus Acrobat[break]
Current Goals/Dreams: None. Unfortunately, he's an aimless guy who has never entertained the possibility of having his own ambitions and dreams. Rarely thinks of very much beyond his next lay or drink.
BAD HABITS
Smokes?: Smoked cigarettes as a teenager but not so much anymore. Isn't likely to buy any for himself unless it's been a particularly bad night. May ask to bum a drag from someone else every now and again and may smoke one if he finds a pack on a person he's murdered (just cause that's how it goes). Has been smoking a lot more recently. [break][break]
Drinks?: All the time, yes. Dane is probably drunk 40% of the time and thinking about getting drunk another 40% of the time. He'd prefer to get slowly tanked over a million beers but isn't picky. Will sometimes choose quick and sloppy over a more controlled, steady decline when the mood strikes. Usually can't pass up wine (red) or vodka when it's offered.[break][break]
Drugs?: Not a fan of any hard stuff. Could probably be talked into taking some hallucinogens if the opportunity presented itself. Did some lighter stuff when he was younger but it was never truly alarming. His brother was briefly hooked on opioids, sometimes worse, and Dane hated seeing that. He usually wants nothing to do with addicts.[break][break]
Violence?: *laughs* Yeah, no problem[break][break]
Casual Sex?: Sex is the simplest thing in the world to him. It has never meant anything more to him than what it is. Some people are better at it than others but that's about as special as it gets in his eyes. It does not have to be complicated at all. It does not have to mean anything. He will not make it weird. Generally, he is all for a one-night stand. Especially if he needs a place to crash or just wants the comfort of a woman's arms after a long day/week. He's also all about the French Exit in the morning, usually slipping away before the other person wakes. Most of the time it's just a "one and done" sort of deal but Dane isn't completely above seeing someone again if things went well. And he isn't totally averse to putting in the effort for something more steady and sustainable either, though he will be very upfront and honest about not desiring any sort of exclusivity.
FAVORITES
Color: Red[break]
Animal: Dogs, wolves, and rats [break]
Food: Italian (does not include pizza)[break]
Dessert: Fruity cobblers [break]
Candy: Suckers/lollipops[break]
Non-Alcoholic Drink: Iced tea (unsweet) [break]
Alcoholic Drink: Vodka, red wine [break]
TV Show/Genre: Dane doesn't really watch TV unless "grounded" with absolutely nothing else to do. But he likes informative nature documentaries, "real life" cop shows, and irreverent comedy sitcoms. Nothing that requires a whole lot of dedication and/or investment.
Movie: Fantastic Mr. Fox, Reservoir Dogs, Lord of the Rings,
Musician/Music Genre: Rufus Wainwright, Robbie Williams [break][break]
Top Songs:
- Hallelujah - Rufus Wainwright (and his version ONLY)
- Pretty Woman - Robbie Williams
- Bloody Mary - Lady Gaga
LEAST FAVORITES
Color: Pink [break]
Animal: Most equine-types (horses, goats, camels, etc.) [break]
Food: Pizza (he won't not eat it but... ugh) [break]
Dessert: Cake [break]
Candy: Any and all chocolates[break]
Non-Alcoholic Drink: Sweet tea, all sodas [break]
Alcoholic Drink: Isn't picky, will drink anything, but won't choose dark liquors (they give him grosser hangovers) [break]
TV Show/Genre: Reality TV shows (though he may watch them to make fun of them and accidentally get a little unironically invested) [break]
Movie: Hachi (because fuck you, Dino, for ever making him watch it) [break]
Musician/Music Genre: Doesn't really hate anything to be honest. His own music taste is very narrow but he's tolerant of most everything
SEXUALITY
Orientation: Tragically straight [break][break]
Attracted To: Dangerous women, aggression (a little or a lot, he isn't picky), someone who can undoubtedly kick his ass, dark hair (preferably long), well-fitted clothes, hard-to-get types, mouthy, a little bit of crazy is just fine, someone who knows they're sexy, a willingness to rough him up a bit and a shared desire not to know anything about one another, demanding, someone not afraid to make him beg and adore[break][break]
Turned Off By: First of all, let's be honest here — there isn't a whole lot that's an absolute deal-breaker for Dane. He's definitely one for settling and isn't really that picky when it comes down to it. Nonetheless — too much makeup, fake boobs, short hair, ridiculous heels, when a woman is overly-fussy about their appearance (what's the point if you don't want to mess up your hair?), playing too hard to get when they're not pretty enough to warrant it, lack of passion/boring/laziness, not knowing what they want, inexperience, shyness
SOCIAL MEDIA
Dane isn't active on social media but has a couple of dating app profiles with different names. Most of them have pictures of him looking perfectly innocent and unassuming, usually with a cute puppy/dog. He hardly ever checks these apps and only opens them up if he's struck out at the bar/club and wants to lick his wounds by chatting or scrolling pics. Always uses an alias (usually "Darren", sometimes "Dave"). Sometimes he'll take up a platform to DM girls or stalk profiles. He had an Instagram for awhile when he was pretending a relationship and, even though the relationship's now done, he still semi keeps up with it.
EXTRA/RANDOM INFO
- Was briefly homophobic as a child because of his father.
- The majority of his teeth are fake/dental implants/fixed bridgework and he has a metal plate in his skull. These are all the results of rolling a car when he was a teen.
- Has trouble getting to sleep. Usually doesn't really attempt to until he's reached that point of exhaustion where he's knocked out cold within two seconds of his face hitting the pillow. Sleeps much better in a woman's bed (which is partially why he's so keen to sleep around). Unless he's sleeping with someone, he'll hardly ever use a bed but prefers couches. When he does crash, he crashes hard and will hardly wake for anything.
- Huge Mama's boy.
- Both Dane and Dino/Ashley know Russian. Dane has an excellent ear for it and is a mostly-fluent speaker but he struggles when it comes to reading/writing it. Ashley, on the other hand, can read/write the language very well but he wouldn't be able to keep up quick enough to hold a natural conversation. Would have to ask someone to speak to him slowly in order to understand.
- Both Wayland brothers have terrible handwriting. Dane's is marginally better than Dino/Ashley's. Ashley is left-handed and Dane is ambidextrous!
GROUP OPINIONS
Humans & Gifted
Honestly? Dane's opinion doesn't deviate much between the two. Despite being raised in a hunting syndicate, he doesn't personally think of Gifted as being any better or worse than Ungifted. They're just humans with abilities. More fun to fight but that's about it. Of course, it's his life's work to be pointed like a loaded gun at Gifted individuals and he will be unapologetically brutal with them. But humans, too, can find themselves earning his violence in much the same way. He's not picky. He isn't a Hunter because of some dogma, he's a Hunter because he always had to be (and because he enjoys it). There's been plenty of times he has chosen not to pursue a Gifted individual when he didn't have express orders to. And plenty of other times he's acted against express orders.
Hunters
There's undoubtedly a bit of camaraderie and kinship since Dane himself is a Hunter. But just like with anyone else, really, Dane can get along with them or hate them. It's refreshing to know they're a person he can have a bit of murder-y fun with. But he can find them super annoying if they're territorial, hostile toward him since he's Gifted himself, or if they're uptight, preachy, or unwilling to indulge him.
Blackstorm & The Sector
He really feels the same about both organizations. They're self-important and often get in the way. Usually annoying, pushy, and always with a whole lot of boring 'blah blah blah' to dump on anyone who will listen.
Gift
BEAST SUMMONING
Dane can summon beasts to his aide, seemingly from thin air. The more familiar he is with the attempted animal, the stronger its form, so he only has a handful of types that he's focused on perfecting and that can be considered competent. Straying from these few, well-practiced forms often result in wobbly, half-formed and weak summons. The more he practices a particular beast, too, the more "loyal" it could be considered — the easier it is to control, take commands, etc. Newer beasts often still require a bit of teaching and discipline. The summons are wholly corporeal — they can wound and be themselves wounded. Once they've taken too much damage they vanish and can not be called upon again until given time to "heal". Dane tends to only summon one beast at a time, as their strength is contributed evenly between the number of them active at one time; two summoned beasts will only be half as strong as a single summoned beast.
HOW IT WORKS
The integrity of a summon is tied directly to how well, functional, and complete its actual construction is. Dane figured this out very young and realized that the success of his creations required extensive knowledge of how an animal actually worked. A bird could not fly with dense bones. A wolf could not fight without lungs. A venomous snake was venomous, but only if Dane included all the delicate parts and organs that made it so. Thus began a lifelong interest/dedicated study of animal anatomy and the like. [break][break]
Creating requires the use of his hands. It's always easier and faster if he uses both but one will work. If his hands are too badly injured, he will be unable to summon. [break][break]
His summons are actually individuals. They learn and maintain memory. Using Snowcone as an example, she started out much like a stupid puppy; chaotic and undisciplined. Had to be taught and "grow" in her own way. There is only one Snowcone. Dane can summon multiple dogs at a time but he can not summon multiple Snowcones. [break][break]
All of Dane's most successful creations are... more like clones than anything else. They existed as living animals at one time. The "original" Snowcone was once a puppy of a friend he'd had as a child. While he can create something straight out of his imagination, these summons are usually weak and flimsy; ungrounded and weaker in a way that creations based off an original simply aren't. The more he sticks to a creation's "original" form the more sturdy and durable they are. Deviating from their stated anatomy always results in a loss of fortitude and makes them more chaotic and less keen to obey. He once made Snowcone into something six foot tall with two heads and she immediately mauled him.
Creating requires the use of his hands. It's always easier and faster if he uses both but one will work. If his hands are too badly injured, he will be unable to summon. [break][break]
His summons are actually individuals. They learn and maintain memory. Using Snowcone as an example, she started out much like a stupid puppy; chaotic and undisciplined. Had to be taught and "grow" in her own way. There is only one Snowcone. Dane can summon multiple dogs at a time but he can not summon multiple Snowcones. [break][break]
All of Dane's most successful creations are... more like clones than anything else. They existed as living animals at one time. The "original" Snowcone was once a puppy of a friend he'd had as a child. While he can create something straight out of his imagination, these summons are usually weak and flimsy; ungrounded and weaker in a way that creations based off an original simply aren't. The more he sticks to a creation's "original" form the more sturdy and durable they are. Deviating from their stated anatomy always results in a loss of fortitude and makes them more chaotic and less keen to obey. He once made Snowcone into something six foot tall with two heads and she immediately mauled him.
DANE'S SUMMONS
Excellent, Well-Practiced: Canines, birds, snakes, and rodents — these are Dane's forte. Unless he is in a hurry or being careless, an unassuming person wouldn't even be able to tell that these animals aren't regular beasts. They're the strongest, most reliable of his catalog and his favorites. He loves dogs, big birds of prey, and has a particular soft spot for rats. [break][break]
Not Quite Right, Almost There: Felines and bears — Dane likes summoning cats. Both housecats and big, scary cats like lions and panthers. And while they look good and are remarkably sturdy and reliable, there is something that he just can't quite get right about them. He's unable to emulate that fluid, graceful "cat" part of them. He's too used to canines. As a result, his cats aren't always the most trustworthy or loyal. They can sometimes turn on him (or his allies) when used in fights. Bears are much the same way — they look... mostly like bears. But something's a little off. And they will maul everyone, him included. [break][break]
Needs Work, Unpracticed & Unwieldy: Most equine animals like horses, goats, and deer — look, he just fucking hates them, alright? He really wanted to make a horse when he was a teen and the damn thing almost caved in his chest. He gave it a few more tries but he's kind of shelved that whole side of the animal kingdom for now. They all look a little horrific, like nightmare fuel (and are similarly chaotic). [break][break]
Not Interested, Who Cares: Aquatic life, most bugs, mindless animals — Dane has never cared about fish, sharks, or really any sort of bug besides roaches. What's the point?
Not Quite Right, Almost There: Felines and bears — Dane likes summoning cats. Both housecats and big, scary cats like lions and panthers. And while they look good and are remarkably sturdy and reliable, there is something that he just can't quite get right about them. He's unable to emulate that fluid, graceful "cat" part of them. He's too used to canines. As a result, his cats aren't always the most trustworthy or loyal. They can sometimes turn on him (or his allies) when used in fights. Bears are much the same way — they look... mostly like bears. But something's a little off. And they will maul everyone, him included. [break][break]
Needs Work, Unpracticed & Unwieldy: Most equine animals like horses, goats, and deer — look, he just fucking hates them, alright? He really wanted to make a horse when he was a teen and the damn thing almost caved in his chest. He gave it a few more tries but he's kind of shelved that whole side of the animal kingdom for now. They all look a little horrific, like nightmare fuel (and are similarly chaotic). [break][break]
Not Interested, Who Cares: Aquatic life, most bugs, mindless animals — Dane has never cared about fish, sharks, or really any sort of bug besides roaches. What's the point?
Belongings
Fashion
Dane is mostly on the go (and has a penchant for ruining his clothes) so, a lot of the time, he will simply make do with whatever is on hand. But when time and situation allow, his attire tends to land in that gray area between casual and formal. He's surprisingly fashionable and hygienic for a man who seems hell-bent on ending every day in bloody tatters. Antonio is a fancy snob who impressed on his sons at a young age how to dress well. And Dane actually does like looking good (despite his proclivity for rolling around in dirty alleyways). [break][break]
He prefers solid colors, dark jeans or slacks, and is an absolute slut about his ankles. Common attire includes plain, solid-colored t-shirts, long-sleeve thermals, long-sleeve button-ups, and usually some jacket to conceal certain things that need concealing. Flat sneakers, lace-up boots, or loafers. His ensemble is typically dark but he'll opt for light colors and even white when he knows the night will be bloody and he wants to be an absolute loon about it. He cleans up nice (when he wants to). [break][break]
Below is a selection of clothing, but more can be found on his pinterest board. [break][break]
Tattoos, Piercings, & Scars
Tattoos: Maned wolf — covers the entirety of his upper and center back, dipping close to his hips, rolls over his shoulders and ends at the tips of his collarbones, winds down to his elbow (sleeving his entire upper right arm and right shoulder) [break][break]
Scars: Lots. He's littered with them. Some are larger and uglier than others. His hands are particularly scuffed (mostly the tops and fingers, but he's got a nasty scar in his right palm from catching a knife by the blade). Bullet wounds. Evidence of plenty botched blade fights. A short, vertical line on his forehead and two long lines that stretch from the top of his skull to the base (surgical scars, all neat and clean, the ones on his skull can only be seen if you part his hair). Some teeth mark scars and claw-gouges earned from various summons over the years. A handprint burned on his left shin. The most egregious of his scars is a jagged and thick horizontal line that stretches across both shoulder blades and a similar, ugly thing across his abdomen (earned at the same time). Spatterings of thick welts across his lower back from being peppered by birdshot. A straight line on the underside of his right jaw (chin to hinge; usually only visible if he tips his head). Deep, long scar down his upper right arm (middle of bicep to elbow). Straight, matching welts across the backs of his tights. Massive scar where a machete cleaved through his right collarbone. [break][break]
Piercings: None!
Home
Dane finally caved and leased a place. Quite purposely, it's in the roughest, shittiest neighborhood Los Eurosia has on offer — most everyone locks and reinforces their doors and theft/crime is a lot higher than in other places. Dane finds this very suited to his needs. Not only can he take care of himself well enough
The studio apartment is small and came mostly pre-furnished — its previous tenant, a man named Jacek, had stopped by, ransacked the place to gather a few belongings, and then seemingly dropped off the face of the planet. His landlord — an imaginative creature not unused to shady types who disappeared without a moment's notice — was quick to rent the place out from under him and Dane was more than happy to step in and lay claim to whatever was left behind. Pleased too, that the landlord seemed to care about little more than money when it came to the screening process. He threw out most of Jacek's things (taking great pleasure in doing so) and redecorated with both things he bought and stole from others (a lot of it comes from his neighbors, he's waiting for something to happen because of it lmao). He's kept a box full of Jacek's things that he found particularly interesting shoved under the bed. Just in case Jacek comes poking back around for whatever reason. [break][break]
The apartment is nothing special altogether. On the second floor. White brick walls and dark laminate flooring. A couple of couches. A bed (usually made and untouched — Dane most often sleeps on the couch). A dinky kitchenette that's just barely practical. Some cabinets and a coffee table that's typically crowded with beers and stacks of animal anatomy sketches/studies/notes. There's a huge dog bed and a cat tree, which might be confusing since a normal, unassuming person can clearly see the absence of any animals a lot of the time. Candles, lamps, stolen wall decorations, etc. [break][break]
To his landlord and his neighbors, Dane's name is "Darren". No one has been particularly friendly, nosy, or inviting, which is just perfect. [break][break]
Pets
Snowcone: Okay, so she's a summon and not an actual dog, but Dane still considers her his companion. He's been summoning her since he was about eight years old and she's grown into a fine canine since then, very obedient and in-tune to his commands and will. She's reliable, strong, and she really does bring him a lot of comfort when he's lonely. Watches over him and keeps him warm when he's too beaten up or drunk to make it home and passes out in some dark, dirty alley.[break][break]
Vehicles
Dane hasn't owned his own vehicle in years. Mostly because he's become so used to spending most of his days/nights quite drunk. Typically he would just steal a car whenever he needed one. But, recently, with being paid normally again (and being forced to sober up some), he's bought a superbike. Something speedy but not terribly flashy. He used to ride (and recklessly wreck) a lot of bikes in his younger years. WIP
Moodboard
[break]
[attr="class","angela-outer"]
"So go on and run me ragged, long as your loving don't stray[break]
Don't worry 'bout meeting me in the middle[break]
When I'm already running your way"
[break][break]
LUCK HARRIS
"So go on and run me ragged, long as your loving don't stray[break]
Don't worry 'bout meeting me in the middle[break]
When I'm already running your way"
[break][break]
[attr="class","angela"]
GENERAL
Birthday (Sign): April 23rd (Taurus) [break]
Alignment: Neutral Good [break]
Hobbies: Outdoorsy stuff (fishing, camping, hiking), bike-riding, traveling, trying new recipes and cooking in general (not as enjoyable by yourself, though), playing sports with friends, motocross/dirt-bikes/ATVs, bar games, lake activities, backyard hangs, photography[break]
Celebrity Crushes: Dierks Bentley, sweaty Rob Thomas[break]
Childhood Dream Job: NASCAR Pit Crew[break]
Current Goals/Dreams: ...??
BAD HABITS
Smokes?: Luck used to smoke regularly starting around fourteen years old. When he joined Harmony at twenty-two, he quit. He maybe bummed a couple of drags off friends a few times over the next decade but didn't truly pick the habit back up until just recently. He's not a chain-smoker by any means, but he'll smoke maybe three or four cigarettes on a normal day. More if he's drinking a lot. He's still very conscious of the smell so will typically wash his hands and chew gum afterward. Will rarely smoke while wearing a coat/jacket that he doesn't plan to wash. [break][break]
Drinks?: Luck loves beer. He drinks two or three on a normal day and will be happy to get a more healthy buzz on nights out. But he's not a huge fan of anything stronger. Maybe a glass of wine during a fancy dinner or a fun margarita during vacation, but usually only one or two. He will rarely let himself get "too" drunk. Mainly because he tends to get wild and stupid and won't be able to handle the embarrassment the next morning. He's definitely the drunk who slurs incoherently (and his drawl becomes more pronounced), yells too loud, tumbles down the stairs or into the bushes, and always ends up being videoed doing something idiotic. Wakes up with bruises and feels the need to apologize to everyone. He also knows that he can very easily be nudged into belligerence/aggression while drunk, which is... something he doesn't like. He may let loose every once in a while, but typically, he'd much rather be the sober one or DD of the group during nights out. (Note: He kinda went off the rails after his break-up but he's trying to get it back together.)[break][break]
Drugs?: He smoked weed a couple of times with some other boys during high school. But he didn't like how lethargic/"lazy" it made him feel. He's never done anything harder and doesn't really understand the appeal. But he remains empathetic/sympathetic toward addicts, especially if they're trying to recover. He won't hold someone's drug use (or relapse) against them but he will want them to get help and do better for themselves.[break][break]
Violence?: Luck is never looking for or attempting to instigate a fight. But neither is he one to turn his cheek or take it on the chin if someone decides to press him (or someone he's with). He's not afraid of getting physical. He was beaten up and bullied a lot by older kids when he was a child and grew into a "brawler/better stand up for yourself/boys will be boys" sort of teen. But nowadays — unless he's very drunk — he'll usually try to give an escalating situation a couple of chances to blow over before he's pulled into a fight. You could probably get one (maybe two) shots off before he's fighting back wholeheartedly. Anything more than fists, though, and Luck's a hard no. If a blade or gun comes out, it's gone way too far.[break][break]
Casual Sex?: He's no stranger to it. As a reasonably popular young boy in his small hometown during his later school years, Luck had his fair share of "rolling in the hay" with girls just as eager and careless as him. Kissed a couple of boys, too, but that was always much more secretive and tentative. He didn't really explore (or become comfortable with) his sexuality until he left Kansas and hit the road. Casual was all there was then, since he wouldn't stick around anywhere long enough to make lasting relationships (and never pretended otherwise). Nowadays though, Luck is fresh out of a long (10ish year) relationship. So, while he isn't exactly opposed to getting up to something casual, he's out of practice. He's no longer... quite accustomed to not caring for the person he's sleeping with. At the same time, he's definitely not ready for another relationship, so... it's just going to have to take some figuring out. He's in a weird transition space right now.
FAVORITES
Color: Green-blue[break]
Animal: Opossum [break]
Food: Leftover pasta salad (somehow it's better after a day or two in the fridge)[break]
Dessert: Peach cobbler [break]
Candy: Soft caramels[break]
Non-Alcoholic Drink: Sweet tea, water [break]
Alcoholic Drink: Beer (light, whatever is on sale)[break]
TV Show/Genre: Most television series struggle to keep his attention past one or two seasons. If asked, he'd probably say Friday Night Lights, old Star Trek, Band of Brothers, or maybe even Buffy the Vampire Slayer (but Band of Brothers would be the only thing he's actually watched start to finish). He's more likely to be watching "real" stuff like Mythbusters, Top Gear, River Monsters, etc, or documentaries/travel diaries[break]
Movie: The Indian in the Cupboard, Small Soldiers[break]
Musician/Music Genre: Dierks Bentley is his absolute #1. Matchbox Twenty is a very close 2nd. Maybe they swap places now and then. Luck likes a lot of country music (be it old/classic or contemporary/popular, he's not a snob), 90s alternative, and secretly loves Savage Garden (don't tell anyone). Big George Strait fan, obv. Mostly just listens to the radio/XM stations.[break][break]
Top Songs:
LEAST FAVORITES
Color: Purple [break]
Animal: Rooster [break]
Food: Ramen, Hamburger Helper [break]
Dessert: Anything with raisins or pineapple[break]
Candy: Licorice[break]
Non-Alcoholic Drink: Unsweet tea, soda, black coffee [break]
Alcoholic Drink: Vodka and gin[break]
TV Show/Genre: TBD[break]
Movie: Days of Thunder, or anything really with Tom Cruise[break]
Musician/Music Genre: Tolerant of most anything tbh (so long as he can understand the words)[break][break]
Top "Skipped" Songs:
SEXUALITY
Orientation: Bisexual[break][break]
Attracted To: Adventurous people. People who are capable of being spontaneous and who might say "yes" to something proposed out of the blue. "Wanna pause the movie and go for a drive?" "Let's go to Mexico", "Should we paint the living room this weekend?", etc. But also people who are practical and realistic at the same time. People who can take the blows as they come and always get back to their feet. He also wants partners who are honest with him and are unafraid to come to him with anything. Who are willing to let him know when they need him in any way. Luck's a very "acts of service" kinda guy so he likes when his partners ask things of him.[break][break]
When it comes to physical attraction, Luck is fairly simple. He's not too fussy. With both men and women, he refers partners close to his own height (not too much taller but also not a great deal shorter). Someone who both cleans up well and grimes up good. Likes traditional beauty in women — long hair, pretty eyes, a nice smile — but, at the end of the day, really... all girls are gorgeous. Somehow, he's much more attracted to "plain" than "striking". He isn't going to shit on anyone for wearing a lot of makeup — do whatever makes you feel good — but he prefers a natural, clean look over anything else. Women wearing his shirts, hair a mess, sleepy mornings — that shit is *lip-biting emoji, fire emoji, fire emoji, ok-hand-signal emoji*. [break][break]
No offense to all the androgynous, "pretty" fellas out there, but if Luck wants a man, he wants a man. He isn't into sleek and smooth and — unless they're modeling Levis or Marlboros — the catwalk boys aren't much his type. He's drawn more to stereotypical masculinity in male partners. Strong arms and hands. Facial hair or, at the very least, some scratchy stubble is just *chef's kiss*. Guys who look a little rough. Calloused hands and low voices. Men who just scream "blue collar" will always have him loosening his tie a bit.[break][break]
Turned Off By: There are probably a lot more of these now than there ever were before, most of which Luck himself isn't even aware of (because he hasn't dated in over ten years lmao). [break][break]
While it wasn't always true, he isn't a huge fan of particularly forward, uncouth, and/or aggressive passes/flirting. Strangely, this is more true of women than it is of men. A large part of it probably comes from a history of being too drunk in bars when he was 17-20 and sometimes not having the wherewithal (or the confidence/firmness) to tell off (older, wild, often equally drunk) women who were brazen, stubborn, and/or grabby. He definitely favors "slow-burn, trading lingering looks, flirty smiles across a bar, establish mutual attraction and work it up" than someone coming up, plopping themselves down, touching him, or being especially bold/direct. One daring grope or statement can make him far less amenable than he was before. (Of course, this is only true of strangers/people he doesn't yet know — if he's already fooled around with someone or an attraction is already made known then hell yeah, green light, make that cheeky/crude comment and watch him smirk). [break][break]
Also, while he is much, much more tolerable of it than he was before his last relationship, he isn't the biggest PDA person either. Luck is extremely tactile and affectionate, with partners and even his friends. He's all about a hand squeeze, a hug, a chin on a shoulder, a hand at the back, all of that. But he is a far cry from making out in the club or grabbing ass in the grocery store check-out. This is more true with male partners than it is with female partners and is most likely owed to growing up in a small town where things were very modest and bigotry was somewhat blatant (even among his own age group). He is obviously much more comfortable with his sexuality now but even so, that repressed part of him still exists and there's always that niggling thought that he shouldn't "shove anyone's faces in it". [break][break]
Beyond that, most of Luck's turn-offs are just very basic/expected things. He would not entertain someone much younger or older than him. Doesn't like particularly mean people or people who can't take care of themselves. Excessive insistence or "pushiness" can make him mean after a minute (and then he'll hate that he's become mean). Not a fan of familiarity (especially pet names/nicknames) when it hasn't yet been earned. Being too demanding of him (especially emotionally early on in a relationship). Doing/saying things to purposely embarrass him. Also, just... not being honest with him when he asks for it (it usually takes a lot from him to be direct about something, to get the guts to say/ask about something that's bothering him, so being dodgy/passive-aggressive/dismissive after he's finally twisted himself up to make that effort can really bite at him in a bad way).
SOCIAL MEDIA
Luck decided fairly early on that social media wasn't right for him. Largely because any time he got even a little bit tipsy (read: often), he'd share anything and everything he found remotely funny. Just spams and spams of shit. His friends hated him. And he'd comment on absolutely everything, too. Facebook sticker for you, Facebook sticker for you, Facebook sticker for you, I love you so much, Facebook sticker for you, I'm so happy I know you, Facebook sticker, that shirt absolutely fucks, Facebook sticker for you. And he'd just post the dumbest most half-thought-out shit ever. And people kept tagging him in pictures and he did not like that.
EXTRA/RANDOM INFO
Gifted
WIP
Humans
WIP
Hunters
WIP
Blackstorm
WIP
The Sector
WIP
EMOTION MANIPULATION
Luck's awareness of others' emotions is (fortunately) something he can "turn on/shut off". It requires a conscious searching or "reaching" on his part. His range is fairly large and doesn't require any sort of "line of sight". He can feel people out through walls, sense people in hiding, etc. But he is unable to identify what emotions belong to whom without some sort of visual aid and has a hard time singling out one person's feelings in a crowd unless he's looking straight at them. [break][break]
Manipulating emotions can be tricky. Especially the stronger a person is feeling. It's much easier to heighten an existing emotion, to shift a subtle feeling, or to "dampen" something, than it is to change one feeling into something else entirely. Strong or turbulent emotions are difficult to influence and it requires a lot of effort on Luck's part to do so. And it also requires a lot of... compensation. If a person is feeling extremely angry and Luck needs to "change" that (rather than just "lessen" it), then typically he'll have to make them extremely something else to cancel their anger out.
PERSUASION
Requires suggestions to be spoken verbally and with Luck's clear intention to persuade. Would not work on someone who can not hear him or who does not comprehend English. Also will not work if Luck's speech is garbled, mumbled, or otherwise unintelligible. "Roundabout" or "vague" suggestions are also less likely to have any effect; he must be direct and firm when making persuasions intended to work. [break][break]
Luck can't make commands such as "put the gun down" or "stop", but he can say (and make a person believe): "you don't want to do this", "she's lying", "we only want to help you", etc. The effect of his persuasion — as well as the time it takes for his suggestions to "wear off" — can vary wildly. Sometimes it is much easier and sometimes it is much harder to sway a person. Strong beliefs are more difficult to change and a person's mental and emotional stability plays a big role in how effective his persuasion can be. Usually, he has the most success if he's also using his emotional manipulation to make a person more calm and open to suggestion — but using both Gifts in tandem can be rather taxing on him.
Fashion
For the every day and at home, Luck is a man who prefers his blue jeans and t-shirts (both plain and graphic). However, he also likes heavy-knit or woolen sweaters and solid-colored, well-fitted long sleeves. He tends to accessorize the same way on a daily basis; wearing simple studs or small hoops (sometimes some more exciting "danglies") in his pierced ears, a simple and thin silver chain around his neck, and a plain ring or two on his fingers. He also loves his baseball caps (especially when his hair is in a weird "transition" stage or he just doesn't want to mess with it). [break][break]
For his day job at the Sector, he cleans up fairly well (federal agency standards and all). At his best, he can pull off a three-piece suit like any other. At his worst, he'll at least attempt to still look clean and smart with a long-sleeve dress shirt and slacks. Sometimes, mostly on house calls or in the field (when it's typically better to seem more personable than professional), he'll even risk rolling the sleeves up or loosening his tie; letting it be known that he "doesn't really care for the fancy stuff either". He's definitely a man who loves his casual Fridays at work. [break][break]
Below is a selection of clothing, but more can be found on his pinterest board. [break][break]
Tattoos, Piercings, & Scars
Tattoos: Luck has a handful of tattoos, all relatively small and simple. The word "Mom" tattooed in a heart with an arrow through it, on his left bicep (outer). A compass-esque design on his inner left forearm. A lineart sparrow also on the inside of his left forearm, just "above" the wrist. A minimalistic depiction of clasped hands/intertwined arms across the length of his right bicep (inner). Lineart of a deer on his outer right forearm, near the elbow. A person with a cardboard box over their head on his right shoulder (outer). [break][break]
Scars: Has many little, insignificant scars. Just things you naturally acquire when working with your hands and doing rough-neck jobs for half your life. The only "big" scars he has are from minor surgery. One is across the back of his right shoulder (he messed up a tendon in his arm when he was really drunk one night. How? He can't remember. Probably falling or jumping off something, but who knows.) And the second is a straight line down his left wrist (from snapping it a couple of years later — also drunk, also doesn't remember what happened). Has had his nose broken twice. [break][break]
Piercings: Pierced earlobe and industrial, both in right ear.
Home
Exterior: Luck's apartment complex has ten buildings, each with eight units in them. Four ground apartments and four second-story apartments. All unit doors lead directly outside; there are no "indoor common areas". [break][break]
Fortunately, Luck got a ground apartment! Unfortunately, the tenant directly above him is twenty-two and in a party phase. He's come home to find her with pissed pants on her stoop and had to help her inside twice already. And he kind of worries about her — sometimes he'll sit outside his door, smoking a cigarette a little longer than necessary, just to sort of "be around" when he can tell things aren't going well upstairs. He's knocked on her door before when the occasional sounds of fighting seem like they might have crossed a line. [break][break]
When Luck first moved in, he thought there were no washer/dryer amenities. Imagine his surprise when he eventually found out there were — in a small building located in the middle of all the tenant buildings — they'd just been "Out of Order" for the majority of a year. After hearing stories from other tenants about the complex's horrendous maintenance, he finally had enough and had a talk with the front office about letting him just "take a look" at the washer/dryers. If he could fix them, they only had to reimburse him for the parts he bought (if any), and they could just take it off his rent. They said no. But he insisted for a couple of weeks and they finally relented, just to make him leave them alone. He had them fixed within a week. [break][break]
Since then, the apartment has — once or twice — asked him to take a look at some other tenants' (long outstanding) issues. Each time he does a job they knock just a bit off that month's rent and it helps Luck feel useful, so everyone wins. But he's sort of made an enemy of the current maintenance man. But that's okay (he doesn't really mind). [break][break]
[break][break]
Interior: The entirety of his apartment, except for the bedroom, is composed of hardwood floors and beige walls. The kitchen could barely be called a kitchen and he has no sort of dining table/dining area. A lot of his wall-space is empty. The man isn't an interior designer. However, there are a pair of large, ornamental mirrors above the couch in his living room and a couple of framed pictures hung about. [break][break]
Very plain, simple bedroom. Khaki-colored carpet and off-white walls. Full-size bed (anything bigger would have been impossible and the room is already cramped with an end-table and a dresser being the only other furniture). This print (large) is hung above his headboard. No TV in the bedroom (as a rule, honestly, and also — the living room is literally two steps away?) With no windows, the light is usually pretty bad and he's more likely to pass out on his couch than in his room. [break][break]
[break]
[break]
[break]
Pets
WIP
Vehicles
2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Z71 - Looks pristine and clean on the inside (Luck always takes great care of his shit, but maybe his truck especially). Toolbox and cooler tied down in the bed. A couple of ballcaps always on the dash, in case he needs one in a pinch. Similarly, he keeps a couple of t-shirts and a pair of lace-up, work boots in the back, under the seats. Also keeps a 24-pack of water in the back floorboard, behind the driver's seat, that he'll move to the bed if he ends up with a lot of passengers and needs the room. A vintage NASCAR air freshener hangs off the rearview mirror, though it's so old it doesn't smell anymore (he uses vent-mounted air fresheners instead — vanilla scented). He does not smoke in his truck and no one else is allowed to, either. [break][break]
The small picture of him and Nate used to be propped on his dash, behind his steering wheel/in front of his digital display, but he moved it when they split. He couldn't make himself get rid of it completely though, so he just pinned it to his driver-side visor instead. [break][break]
[break]
[break]
CHARACTER TRIVIA
GENERAL
Birthday (Sign): April 23rd (Taurus) [break]
Alignment: Neutral Good [break]
Hobbies: Outdoorsy stuff (fishing, camping, hiking), bike-riding, traveling, trying new recipes and cooking in general (not as enjoyable by yourself, though), playing sports with friends, motocross/dirt-bikes/ATVs, bar games, lake activities, backyard hangs, photography[break]
Celebrity Crushes: Dierks Bentley, sweaty Rob Thomas[break]
Childhood Dream Job: NASCAR Pit Crew[break]
Current Goals/Dreams: ...??
BAD HABITS
Smokes?: Luck used to smoke regularly starting around fourteen years old. When he joined Harmony at twenty-two, he quit. He maybe bummed a couple of drags off friends a few times over the next decade but didn't truly pick the habit back up until just recently. He's not a chain-smoker by any means, but he'll smoke maybe three or four cigarettes on a normal day. More if he's drinking a lot. He's still very conscious of the smell so will typically wash his hands and chew gum afterward. Will rarely smoke while wearing a coat/jacket that he doesn't plan to wash. [break][break]
Drinks?: Luck loves beer. He drinks two or three on a normal day and will be happy to get a more healthy buzz on nights out. But he's not a huge fan of anything stronger. Maybe a glass of wine during a fancy dinner or a fun margarita during vacation, but usually only one or two. He will rarely let himself get "too" drunk. Mainly because he tends to get wild and stupid and won't be able to handle the embarrassment the next morning. He's definitely the drunk who slurs incoherently (and his drawl becomes more pronounced), yells too loud, tumbles down the stairs or into the bushes, and always ends up being videoed doing something idiotic. Wakes up with bruises and feels the need to apologize to everyone. He also knows that he can very easily be nudged into belligerence/aggression while drunk, which is... something he doesn't like. He may let loose every once in a while, but typically, he'd much rather be the sober one or DD of the group during nights out. (Note: He kinda went off the rails after his break-up but he's trying to get it back together.)[break][break]
Drugs?: He smoked weed a couple of times with some other boys during high school. But he didn't like how lethargic/"lazy" it made him feel. He's never done anything harder and doesn't really understand the appeal. But he remains empathetic/sympathetic toward addicts, especially if they're trying to recover. He won't hold someone's drug use (or relapse) against them but he will want them to get help and do better for themselves.[break][break]
Violence?: Luck is never looking for or attempting to instigate a fight. But neither is he one to turn his cheek or take it on the chin if someone decides to press him (or someone he's with). He's not afraid of getting physical. He was beaten up and bullied a lot by older kids when he was a child and grew into a "brawler/better stand up for yourself/boys will be boys" sort of teen. But nowadays — unless he's very drunk — he'll usually try to give an escalating situation a couple of chances to blow over before he's pulled into a fight. You could probably get one (maybe two) shots off before he's fighting back wholeheartedly. Anything more than fists, though, and Luck's a hard no. If a blade or gun comes out, it's gone way too far.[break][break]
Casual Sex?: He's no stranger to it. As a reasonably popular young boy in his small hometown during his later school years, Luck had his fair share of "rolling in the hay" with girls just as eager and careless as him. Kissed a couple of boys, too, but that was always much more secretive and tentative. He didn't really explore (or become comfortable with) his sexuality until he left Kansas and hit the road. Casual was all there was then, since he wouldn't stick around anywhere long enough to make lasting relationships (and never pretended otherwise). Nowadays though, Luck is fresh out of a long (10ish year) relationship. So, while he isn't exactly opposed to getting up to something casual, he's out of practice. He's no longer... quite accustomed to not caring for the person he's sleeping with. At the same time, he's definitely not ready for another relationship, so... it's just going to have to take some figuring out. He's in a weird transition space right now.
FAVORITES
Color: Green-blue[break]
Animal: Opossum [break]
Food: Leftover pasta salad (somehow it's better after a day or two in the fridge)[break]
Dessert: Peach cobbler [break]
Candy: Soft caramels[break]
Non-Alcoholic Drink: Sweet tea, water [break]
Alcoholic Drink: Beer (light, whatever is on sale)[break]
TV Show/Genre: Most television series struggle to keep his attention past one or two seasons. If asked, he'd probably say Friday Night Lights, old Star Trek, Band of Brothers, or maybe even Buffy the Vampire Slayer (but Band of Brothers would be the only thing he's actually watched start to finish). He's more likely to be watching "real" stuff like Mythbusters, Top Gear, River Monsters, etc, or documentaries/travel diaries[break]
Movie: The Indian in the Cupboard, Small Soldiers[break]
Musician/Music Genre: Dierks Bentley is his absolute #1. Matchbox Twenty is a very close 2nd. Maybe they swap places now and then. Luck likes a lot of country music (be it old/classic or contemporary/popular, he's not a snob), 90s alternative, and secretly loves Savage Garden (don't tell anyone). Big George Strait fan, obv. Mostly just listens to the radio/XM stations.[break][break]
Top Songs:
- Bright Lights - Matchbox Twenty
- To the Moon & Back - Savage Garden
- Fast Car - Tracy Chapman
- Dancing In The Dark - Bruce Springsteen
LEAST FAVORITES
Color: Purple [break]
Animal: Rooster [break]
Food: Ramen, Hamburger Helper [break]
Dessert: Anything with raisins or pineapple[break]
Candy: Licorice[break]
Non-Alcoholic Drink: Unsweet tea, soda, black coffee [break]
Alcoholic Drink: Vodka and gin[break]
TV Show/Genre: TBD[break]
Movie: Days of Thunder, or anything really with Tom Cruise[break]
Musician/Music Genre: Tolerant of most anything tbh (so long as he can understand the words)[break][break]
Top "Skipped" Songs:
- He's Mine - Rodney Atkins (ouch)
- Drinkin' Man - George Strait (ouch x2)
SEXUALITY
Orientation: Bisexual[break][break]
Attracted To: Adventurous people. People who are capable of being spontaneous and who might say "yes" to something proposed out of the blue. "Wanna pause the movie and go for a drive?" "Let's go to Mexico", "Should we paint the living room this weekend?", etc. But also people who are practical and realistic at the same time. People who can take the blows as they come and always get back to their feet. He also wants partners who are honest with him and are unafraid to come to him with anything. Who are willing to let him know when they need him in any way. Luck's a very "acts of service" kinda guy so he likes when his partners ask things of him.[break][break]
When it comes to physical attraction, Luck is fairly simple. He's not too fussy. With both men and women, he refers partners close to his own height (not too much taller but also not a great deal shorter). Someone who both cleans up well and grimes up good. Likes traditional beauty in women — long hair, pretty eyes, a nice smile — but, at the end of the day, really... all girls are gorgeous. Somehow, he's much more attracted to "plain" than "striking". He isn't going to shit on anyone for wearing a lot of makeup — do whatever makes you feel good — but he prefers a natural, clean look over anything else. Women wearing his shirts, hair a mess, sleepy mornings — that shit is *lip-biting emoji, fire emoji, fire emoji, ok-hand-signal emoji*. [break][break]
No offense to all the androgynous, "pretty" fellas out there, but if Luck wants a man, he wants a man. He isn't into sleek and smooth and — unless they're modeling Levis or Marlboros — the catwalk boys aren't much his type. He's drawn more to stereotypical masculinity in male partners. Strong arms and hands. Facial hair or, at the very least, some scratchy stubble is just *chef's kiss*. Guys who look a little rough. Calloused hands and low voices. Men who just scream "blue collar" will always have him loosening his tie a bit.[break][break]
Turned Off By: There are probably a lot more of these now than there ever were before, most of which Luck himself isn't even aware of (because he hasn't dated in over ten years lmao). [break][break]
While it wasn't always true, he isn't a huge fan of particularly forward, uncouth, and/or aggressive passes/flirting. Strangely, this is more true of women than it is of men. A large part of it probably comes from a history of being too drunk in bars when he was 17-20 and sometimes not having the wherewithal (or the confidence/firmness) to tell off (older, wild, often equally drunk) women who were brazen, stubborn, and/or grabby. He definitely favors "slow-burn, trading lingering looks, flirty smiles across a bar, establish mutual attraction and work it up" than someone coming up, plopping themselves down, touching him, or being especially bold/direct. One daring grope or statement can make him far less amenable than he was before. (Of course, this is only true of strangers/people he doesn't yet know — if he's already fooled around with someone or an attraction is already made known then hell yeah, green light, make that cheeky/crude comment and watch him smirk). [break][break]
Also, while he is much, much more tolerable of it than he was before his last relationship, he isn't the biggest PDA person either. Luck is extremely tactile and affectionate, with partners and even his friends. He's all about a hand squeeze, a hug, a chin on a shoulder, a hand at the back, all of that. But he is a far cry from making out in the club or grabbing ass in the grocery store check-out. This is more true with male partners than it is with female partners and is most likely owed to growing up in a small town where things were very modest and bigotry was somewhat blatant (even among his own age group). He is obviously much more comfortable with his sexuality now but even so, that repressed part of him still exists and there's always that niggling thought that he shouldn't "shove anyone's faces in it". [break][break]
Beyond that, most of Luck's turn-offs are just very basic/expected things. He would not entertain someone much younger or older than him. Doesn't like particularly mean people or people who can't take care of themselves. Excessive insistence or "pushiness" can make him mean after a minute (and then he'll hate that he's become mean). Not a fan of familiarity (especially pet names/nicknames) when it hasn't yet been earned. Being too demanding of him (especially emotionally early on in a relationship). Doing/saying things to purposely embarrass him. Also, just... not being honest with him when he asks for it (it usually takes a lot from him to be direct about something, to get the guts to say/ask about something that's bothering him, so being dodgy/passive-aggressive/dismissive after he's finally twisted himself up to make that effort can really bite at him in a bad way).
SOCIAL MEDIA
Luck decided fairly early on that social media wasn't right for him. Largely because any time he got even a little bit tipsy (read: often), he'd share anything and everything he found remotely funny. Just spams and spams of shit. His friends hated him. And he'd comment on absolutely everything, too. Facebook sticker for you, Facebook sticker for you, Facebook sticker for you, I love you so much, Facebook sticker for you, I'm so happy I know you, Facebook sticker, that shirt absolutely fucks, Facebook sticker for you. And he'd just post the dumbest most half-thought-out shit ever. And people kept tagging him in pictures and he did not like that.
EXTRA/RANDOM INFO
- Luck owes getting into NASCAR to another boy who lived somewhat close to him when he was a child. He'd often walk the almost two miles to his house to watch races when he was like 7-12 years old. The boy's whole family was BIG into racing and, beyond just feeding Luck a lot of the time, they would sometimes take him with them to the local short track or dirt track to watch rally cars and trucks.[break][break]
His all-time favorite driver is a toss-up between Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch. Jeff Gordon because he liked the paint of his car when he was a kid and because everyone else hated him (mostly because everyone else loved Earnhardt and because Gordon was a clean-cut, California golden boy). As for Busch, Luck thinks he's definitely an asshole. But he loves him anyway. He's watched many "Incredible Saves" compilation videos and boy, he sure knows how to handle a car going 170-200 mph! It could also have something to do with the fact that Kyle Busch is only three years older than Luck and began racing with the big dogs when he was only 16/18. So he kinda always rooted for/idolized him.[break][break]
Luck always knew better than to ask his mother for anything for Christmas. But, all through elementary school, the school would publish "Letters to Santa" in the local newspaper. And every year, Luck asked for a Jeff Gordon bomber jacket.
- Luck often wears a chain around his neck with a small cross. The cross belonged to his mother. If he is unable to wear it, or he's in a situation where he thinks he might lose it, he'll hang it from the rearview mirror of his truck. One time, the chain broke and he thought he lost it while swimming in the ocean. He cried, cried, and cried like a little boy. Then, later on, while undressing to get in the shower, the chain (and cross!) fell to the floor. It had gotten caught in his swimming trunks and stayed there the rest of the day. And he cried, cried, and cried even more.
- Luck doesn't really have a favorite beer. He'll just buy whatever is on sale at the time.
- Spotless driving record. Has been known to drive with a buzz, maybe with a little more than a buzz, but typically knows his limit.
- Although he isn't the biggest fan of them, cats tend to like him. He doesn't dislike them, he just grew up around outdoor/barn kitties and indoor cats never seem to compare. Any time he sleeps over at someone's house who has cats, he always seems to wake with them loafed on his chest or back. It's probably because he is always so hot (like how cats like to lay on warm laptops and such).
- The majority of Luck's self-conscious/social anxiety issues stem directly from being unable to name or "turn off" his empathy in his youth. He didn't learn he was Gifted until he was about twenty-two. And being able to feel everyone's emotions around him, especially how they felt about him... all the time... wasn't always amazing. It also didn't help that he left home young, by himself, and got used to "running away" as escapism. [break][break]Plus, thinking his empathy was nothing "unique" and that "everyone" was able to feel everyone else's emotions the same way, he grew up always trying to be a little emotionally unreadable. Or always feeling under observation/transparent. So he tried to keep a careful control/calm on what he felt. This is something he's since unlearned but... still... it is a behavior he can regress to.
- Has this certainty in his bones that he'll die young. Part of it is due to his mother dying relatively young, out of the blue, with no warning. He's as old now as she was when she passed away. Another part of it is knowing absolutely nothing about his family — whether or not there's any history of health problems or genetic disease on either side.
GROUP OPINIONS
Gifted
WIP
Humans
WIP
Hunters
WIP
Blackstorm
WIP
The Sector
WIP
Gift
EMOTION MANIPULATION
Luck's awareness of others' emotions is (fortunately) something he can "turn on/shut off". It requires a conscious searching or "reaching" on his part. His range is fairly large and doesn't require any sort of "line of sight". He can feel people out through walls, sense people in hiding, etc. But he is unable to identify what emotions belong to whom without some sort of visual aid and has a hard time singling out one person's feelings in a crowd unless he's looking straight at them. [break][break]
Manipulating emotions can be tricky. Especially the stronger a person is feeling. It's much easier to heighten an existing emotion, to shift a subtle feeling, or to "dampen" something, than it is to change one feeling into something else entirely. Strong or turbulent emotions are difficult to influence and it requires a lot of effort on Luck's part to do so. And it also requires a lot of... compensation. If a person is feeling extremely angry and Luck needs to "change" that (rather than just "lessen" it), then typically he'll have to make them extremely something else to cancel their anger out.
PERSUASION
Requires suggestions to be spoken verbally and with Luck's clear intention to persuade. Would not work on someone who can not hear him or who does not comprehend English. Also will not work if Luck's speech is garbled, mumbled, or otherwise unintelligible. "Roundabout" or "vague" suggestions are also less likely to have any effect; he must be direct and firm when making persuasions intended to work. [break][break]
Luck can't make commands such as "put the gun down" or "stop", but he can say (and make a person believe): "you don't want to do this", "she's lying", "we only want to help you", etc. The effect of his persuasion — as well as the time it takes for his suggestions to "wear off" — can vary wildly. Sometimes it is much easier and sometimes it is much harder to sway a person. Strong beliefs are more difficult to change and a person's mental and emotional stability plays a big role in how effective his persuasion can be. Usually, he has the most success if he's also using his emotional manipulation to make a person more calm and open to suggestion — but using both Gifts in tandem can be rather taxing on him.
Belongings
Fashion
For the every day and at home, Luck is a man who prefers his blue jeans and t-shirts (both plain and graphic). However, he also likes heavy-knit or woolen sweaters and solid-colored, well-fitted long sleeves. He tends to accessorize the same way on a daily basis; wearing simple studs or small hoops (sometimes some more exciting "danglies") in his pierced ears, a simple and thin silver chain around his neck, and a plain ring or two on his fingers. He also loves his baseball caps (especially when his hair is in a weird "transition" stage or he just doesn't want to mess with it). [break][break]
For his day job at the Sector, he cleans up fairly well (federal agency standards and all). At his best, he can pull off a three-piece suit like any other. At his worst, he'll at least attempt to still look clean and smart with a long-sleeve dress shirt and slacks. Sometimes, mostly on house calls or in the field (when it's typically better to seem more personable than professional), he'll even risk rolling the sleeves up or loosening his tie; letting it be known that he "doesn't really care for the fancy stuff either". He's definitely a man who loves his casual Fridays at work. [break][break]
Below is a selection of clothing, but more can be found on his pinterest board. [break][break]
Tattoos, Piercings, & Scars
Tattoos: Luck has a handful of tattoos, all relatively small and simple. The word "Mom" tattooed in a heart with an arrow through it, on his left bicep (outer). A compass-esque design on his inner left forearm. A lineart sparrow also on the inside of his left forearm, just "above" the wrist. A minimalistic depiction of clasped hands/intertwined arms across the length of his right bicep (inner). Lineart of a deer on his outer right forearm, near the elbow. A person with a cardboard box over their head on his right shoulder (outer). [break][break]
Scars: Has many little, insignificant scars. Just things you naturally acquire when working with your hands and doing rough-neck jobs for half your life. The only "big" scars he has are from minor surgery. One is across the back of his right shoulder (he messed up a tendon in his arm when he was really drunk one night. How? He can't remember. Probably falling or jumping off something, but who knows.) And the second is a straight line down his left wrist (from snapping it a couple of years later — also drunk, also doesn't remember what happened). Has had his nose broken twice. [break][break]
Piercings: Pierced earlobe and industrial, both in right ear.
Home
Exterior: Luck's apartment complex has ten buildings, each with eight units in them. Four ground apartments and four second-story apartments. All unit doors lead directly outside; there are no "indoor common areas". [break][break]
Fortunately, Luck got a ground apartment! Unfortunately, the tenant directly above him is twenty-two and in a party phase. He's come home to find her with pissed pants on her stoop and had to help her inside twice already. And he kind of worries about her — sometimes he'll sit outside his door, smoking a cigarette a little longer than necessary, just to sort of "be around" when he can tell things aren't going well upstairs. He's knocked on her door before when the occasional sounds of fighting seem like they might have crossed a line. [break][break]
When Luck first moved in, he thought there were no washer/dryer amenities. Imagine his surprise when he eventually found out there were — in a small building located in the middle of all the tenant buildings — they'd just been "Out of Order" for the majority of a year. After hearing stories from other tenants about the complex's horrendous maintenance, he finally had enough and had a talk with the front office about letting him just "take a look" at the washer/dryers. If he could fix them, they only had to reimburse him for the parts he bought (if any), and they could just take it off his rent. They said no. But he insisted for a couple of weeks and they finally relented, just to make him leave them alone. He had them fixed within a week. [break][break]
Since then, the apartment has — once or twice — asked him to take a look at some other tenants' (long outstanding) issues. Each time he does a job they knock just a bit off that month's rent and it helps Luck feel useful, so everyone wins. But he's sort of made an enemy of the current maintenance man. But that's okay (he doesn't really mind). [break][break]
[break][break]Interior: The entirety of his apartment, except for the bedroom, is composed of hardwood floors and beige walls. The kitchen could barely be called a kitchen and he has no sort of dining table/dining area. A lot of his wall-space is empty. The man isn't an interior designer. However, there are a pair of large, ornamental mirrors above the couch in his living room and a couple of framed pictures hung about. [break][break]
Very plain, simple bedroom. Khaki-colored carpet and off-white walls. Full-size bed (anything bigger would have been impossible and the room is already cramped with an end-table and a dresser being the only other furniture). This print (large) is hung above his headboard. No TV in the bedroom (as a rule, honestly, and also — the living room is literally two steps away?) With no windows, the light is usually pretty bad and he's more likely to pass out on his couch than in his room. [break][break]
[break] [break] [break]Pets
WIP
Vehicles
2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Z71 - Looks pristine and clean on the inside (Luck always takes great care of his shit, but maybe his truck especially). Toolbox and cooler tied down in the bed. A couple of ballcaps always on the dash, in case he needs one in a pinch. Similarly, he keeps a couple of t-shirts and a pair of lace-up, work boots in the back, under the seats. Also keeps a 24-pack of water in the back floorboard, behind the driver's seat, that he'll move to the bed if he ends up with a lot of passengers and needs the room. A vintage NASCAR air freshener hangs off the rearview mirror, though it's so old it doesn't smell anymore (he uses vent-mounted air fresheners instead — vanilla scented). He does not smoke in his truck and no one else is allowed to, either. [break][break]
The small picture of him and Nate used to be propped on his dash, behind his steering wheel/in front of his digital display, but he moved it when they split. He couldn't make himself get rid of it completely though, so he just pinned it to his driver-side visor instead. [break][break]
[break] [break]Moodboard
[break]
[attr="class","angela-outer"]
"I've never known better, 'cause every bone's tethered[break]
You wanna change my name, gotta drain my blood"
[break][break]
MICHAEL VAEL
"I've never known better, 'cause every bone's tethered[break]
You wanna change my name, gotta drain my blood"
[break][break]
[attr="class","angela"]
GENERAL
Birthday (Sign): February 15th (Aquarius) [break]
Alignment: True Neutral [break]
Hobbies: TBD[break]
Celebrity Crushes: TBD [break]
Childhood Dream Job: TBD[break]
Current Goals/Dreams: TBD
BAD HABITS
Smokes?: WIP [break][break]
Drinks?: WIP [break][break]
Drugs?: Dabbled with the occasional cocaine use when he was younger. Never became an issue and was never truly alarming. Just a sort of... if someone happened to have it on a wild, fun night... and they offered to share... he'd give it a go. Michael was never really friends with these persons. They were usually friends of friends. Same thing with marijuana — always just a sort of once-in-a-while, already-drunk-and-buzzing, hey-you-wanna? As for "if he'd do any of this nowadays" — hmm. I suppose it depends on where he's at/what state he's in when prompted.[break][break]
Violence?: WIP [break][break]
Casual Sex?: WIP
FAVORITES
Color: Midnight blue[break]
Animal: Birds of prey, horses [break]
Food: Steak (medium rare) and potatoes[break]
Dessert: Snickerdoodle cookies, strawberry-anything [break]
Candy: Long-lasting anything (like suckers and hard candies)[break]
Non-Alcoholic Drink: Black coffee, tea (never sweetened or with milk) [break]
Alcoholic Drink: Whiskey and bourbon, in that order [break]
TV Show/Genre: Bluey (thanks Abby)[break]
Movie: TBD[break]
Musician/Music Genre: He likes older rock and roll or newer stuff with the same sort of nasty sound. Really fucks with sick guitar stuff. Likes that dark and gritty music. But also has a taste for the wistful/melancholy, night-driving stuff (though he can't listen to it that much anymore). [break][break]
Top Songs:
LEAST FAVORITES
Color: Turquoise blue [break]
Animal: Bugs (ants, ticks, termites, mosquitos) and chickens [break]
Food: None, he will eat anything you give him [break]
Dessert: None, he will eat anything you give him [break]
Candy: Anything that gets stuck in his teeth[break]
Non-Alcoholic Drink: Orange juice without the pulp (it's gotta have pulp) [break]
Alcoholic Drink: Wine and watered-down beer[break]
TV Show/Genre: TBD [break]
Movie: TBD [break]
Musician/Music Genre: Tanya Tucker — only because his mother was obsessed with her. Even he can admit the small guitar bit in "Black Water Bayou" slaps something fierce. And in the right mood — windows down, most definitely alone — he'd... probably... belt along to a choice couple of songs.
SEXUALITY
Orientation: Straight[break][break]
Attracted To: WIP[break][break]
Turned Off By: WIP
SOCIAL MEDIA
None. Not his thing and definitely not how he meets or keeps up with people. But his vet clinic has an Instagram and Facebook account, managed by the girls at the desk, and they sometimes post pics/videos/skits — Michael might be in some of them.
EXTRA/RANDOM INFO
Gifted
Like everyone in his family, Michael thinks well of Gifted in general. But... because of his own "power immunity"... he understands that he's a bit... sheltered. He has never had to worry about someone reading his thoughts or forcing him to do something against his will. He has a sort of protection that most don't. He damn sure won't be the first to claim Gifted are "harmless" or "not dangerous" (it'd sound privileged or hypocritical coming from him). And, actually, out of all the Vaels, he's the most likely to be untrusting and prejudiced when it comes to helping or keeping someone around simply because of their abilities. He probably stands a little apart from his family in that he doesn't wave a "Gifted banner" for any and all to rally behind; he understands there are some Gifted who are trouble. He tends to be more cynical/realistic than idealistic/blindly-accepting when it comes to dealing with the whole thing.
Humans
WIP
Hunters
WIP
Blackstorm
WIP
The Sector
WIP
Power Negation
When his Gift is "negating" someone else's, Michael experiences chills. Sometimes they're faint — just enough to raise goosebumps on his arms or the hair on his neck. Sometimes they're much stronger and can make him shiver. The severity depends on both the strength of the Gift and also the amount of "intention" with which it is directed at him specifically. [break][break]
Because of this, he typically knows when someone is attempting to use an ability on him (or when he's caught in the net/radius of someone's more passive ability). But — without any further clues — he is unable to pinpoint who, from where, or what the Gift actually is. If in the company of someone whose Gift is "always on", he may become discomforted enough to simply leave a room/situation.
Reactive Adaption/Evolution
Fashion
WIP
Tattoos, Piercings, & Scars
Tattoos: Has his family brand tattooed on his right breast, a ring tattooed on his left pinky (which looks suspiciously similar to someone else's finger tattoo and mayor may not! have been gotten on a too-drunk night after that someone left town), and a constellation tattoo just below his left collarbone. [break][break]
Scars: TBD [break][break]
Piercings: None (such a shame 😔)
Home
WIP
Pets
WIP
Vehicles
There are a bunch of vehicles on the Vael ranch. Cars, old pick-ups, some heavy-duties, etc. Michael will drive any of them (but the three listed below are the ones significant to him especially). [break][break]
1978 Pontiac Firebird (Gold) - It was his Mama's! There are a few very old pics of her looking like a total badass babe posing in front of it. She intended to give it to Marianne when she got her license but Michael was quick to beg/plead for the rights when his sister — being a spoiled brat at the time — said 'she didn't want it'!Does Marianne regret that nowadays? Absolutely. You best bet Michael drove this bad baby everywhere. Then he crashed it into the side of a bank when he was eighteen (his first DUI). His Mama was furious and heartbroken. It was a whole seven or so years later before he had the thing fixed up and in good condition again. He doesn't drive it often anymore (but will take it for the occasional wild spin, going way too fast on dirt backroads). [break][break]
[break][break]
1993 Ford F-150 (Faded Green) - Old but maintained well enough. Lots of nostalgia; he wouldn't sell it or trade it in for the world. Has been driving it ever since he's had a license. When anyone thinks of "Michael's truck", this is it. Still gets him where he needs to go reliably. Has water damage/stains on the cab headliner from all the times he's driven like a loon in the rain with the windows rolled all the way down. He's put a lot of scars on it; there are plenty of noteworthy dents all around. [break][break]
[break][break]
2015 Ford F-150 (Silver) - Usually what he'll drive if he's being somewhat fuel-conscious or going into the city for anything. It's less "his" truck though and sort of a family truck. Mom, Dad, Marianne, and Daniel all use it as well. So there's never really any telling what someone might find in the floorboards and/or backseat.[break][break]
CHARACTER TRIVIA
GENERAL
Birthday (Sign): February 15th (Aquarius) [break]
Alignment: True Neutral [break]
Hobbies: TBD[break]
Celebrity Crushes: TBD [break]
Childhood Dream Job: TBD[break]
Current Goals/Dreams: TBD
BAD HABITS
Smokes?: WIP [break][break]
Drinks?: WIP [break][break]
Drugs?: Dabbled with the occasional cocaine use when he was younger. Never became an issue and was never truly alarming. Just a sort of... if someone happened to have it on a wild, fun night... and they offered to share... he'd give it a go. Michael was never really friends with these persons. They were usually friends of friends. Same thing with marijuana — always just a sort of once-in-a-while, already-drunk-and-buzzing, hey-you-wanna? As for "if he'd do any of this nowadays" — hmm. I suppose it depends on where he's at/what state he's in when prompted.[break][break]
Violence?: WIP [break][break]
Casual Sex?: WIP
FAVORITES
Color: Midnight blue[break]
Animal: Birds of prey, horses [break]
Food: Steak (medium rare) and potatoes[break]
Dessert: Snickerdoodle cookies, strawberry-anything [break]
Candy: Long-lasting anything (like suckers and hard candies)[break]
Non-Alcoholic Drink: Black coffee, tea (never sweetened or with milk) [break]
Alcoholic Drink: Whiskey and bourbon, in that order [break]
TV Show/Genre: Bluey (thanks Abby)[break]
Movie: TBD[break]
Musician/Music Genre: He likes older rock and roll or newer stuff with the same sort of nasty sound. Really fucks with sick guitar stuff. Likes that dark and gritty music. But also has a taste for the wistful/melancholy, night-driving stuff (though he can't listen to it that much anymore). [break][break]
Top Songs:
- smoke & a light - Ole 60 (the guitar skdjfh)
- Brother Joe - Ole 60 (also the guitar, but big cw)
- Black Water Bayou - Tanya Tucker (would never admit it)
- Stop & Stare - Treaty Oak Revival
- When the Levee Breaks - Led Zeppelin
LEAST FAVORITES
Color: Turquoise blue [break]
Animal: Bugs (ants, ticks, termites, mosquitos) and chickens [break]
Food: None, he will eat anything you give him [break]
Dessert: None, he will eat anything you give him [break]
Candy: Anything that gets stuck in his teeth[break]
Non-Alcoholic Drink: Orange juice without the pulp (it's gotta have pulp) [break]
Alcoholic Drink: Wine and watered-down beer[break]
TV Show/Genre: TBD [break]
Movie: TBD [break]
Musician/Music Genre: Tanya Tucker — only because his mother was obsessed with her. Even he can admit the small guitar bit in "Black Water Bayou" slaps something fierce. And in the right mood — windows down, most definitely alone — he'd... probably... belt along to a choice couple of songs.
SEXUALITY
Orientation: Straight[break][break]
Attracted To: WIP[break][break]
Turned Off By: WIP
SOCIAL MEDIA
None. Not his thing and definitely not how he meets or keeps up with people. But his vet clinic has an Instagram and Facebook account, managed by the girls at the desk, and they sometimes post pics/videos/skits — Michael might be in some of them.
EXTRA/RANDOM INFO
- Marianne dated someone on the tech team in high school. When Michael walked the stage at his graduation (he was the last person), a home video of him (aged about 5) played on the big-screen. It featured him, in his Daddy's boots and hat, singing along with his Mama to Tanya Tucker's "Don't Go Out With Him". And hell yes, Michael absolutely got his revenge a couple years later when Marianne graduated.
- His job at the vet clinic was practically guaranteed for him before he even entered schooling. He never really entertained alternative options for a career.
- Michael loves his father and knows his father loves him. But the two have always had a somewhat strained relationship. It's something that Michael believes can be attributed to his Gift and Howard never being able to hear his thoughts or feel him out like he could his other kids.
- His mother is secretly relieved that, out of her three kids, it was Michael who ended up immune to her healing. Why? Because, in her words, he's "just too damn stubborn to ever die". Unfortunately, he was also the most likely of the bunch to come home busted up, bruised, or with broken limbs.
GROUP OPINIONS
Gifted
Like everyone in his family, Michael thinks well of Gifted in general. But... because of his own "power immunity"... he understands that he's a bit... sheltered. He has never had to worry about someone reading his thoughts or forcing him to do something against his will. He has a sort of protection that most don't. He damn sure won't be the first to claim Gifted are "harmless" or "not dangerous" (it'd sound privileged or hypocritical coming from him). And, actually, out of all the Vaels, he's the most likely to be untrusting and prejudiced when it comes to helping or keeping someone around simply because of their abilities. He probably stands a little apart from his family in that he doesn't wave a "Gifted banner" for any and all to rally behind; he understands there are some Gifted who are trouble. He tends to be more cynical/realistic than idealistic/blindly-accepting when it comes to dealing with the whole thing.
Humans
WIP
Hunters
WIP
Blackstorm
WIP
The Sector
WIP
Gift
Power Negation
When his Gift is "negating" someone else's, Michael experiences chills. Sometimes they're faint — just enough to raise goosebumps on his arms or the hair on his neck. Sometimes they're much stronger and can make him shiver. The severity depends on both the strength of the Gift and also the amount of "intention" with which it is directed at him specifically. [break][break]
Because of this, he typically knows when someone is attempting to use an ability on him (or when he's caught in the net/radius of someone's more passive ability). But — without any further clues — he is unable to pinpoint who, from where, or what the Gift actually is. If in the company of someone whose Gift is "always on", he may become discomforted enough to simply leave a room/situation.
Reactive Adaption/Evolution
WIP
Belongings
Fashion
WIP
Tattoos, Piercings, & Scars
Tattoos: Has his family brand tattooed on his right breast, a ring tattooed on his left pinky (which looks suspiciously similar to someone else's finger tattoo and may
Scars: TBD [break][break]
Piercings: None (such a shame 😔)
Home
WIP
Pets
WIP
Vehicles
There are a bunch of vehicles on the Vael ranch. Cars, old pick-ups, some heavy-duties, etc. Michael will drive any of them (but the three listed below are the ones significant to him especially). [break][break]
1978 Pontiac Firebird (Gold) - It was his Mama's! There are a few very old pics of her looking like a total badass babe posing in front of it. She intended to give it to Marianne when she got her license but Michael was quick to beg/plead for the rights when his sister — being a spoiled brat at the time — said 'she didn't want it'!
[break][break]1993 Ford F-150 (Faded Green) - Old but maintained well enough. Lots of nostalgia; he wouldn't sell it or trade it in for the world. Has been driving it ever since he's had a license. When anyone thinks of "Michael's truck", this is it. Still gets him where he needs to go reliably. Has water damage/stains on the cab headliner from all the times he's driven like a loon in the rain with the windows rolled all the way down. He's put a lot of scars on it; there are plenty of noteworthy dents all around. [break][break]
[break][break]2015 Ford F-150 (Silver) - Usually what he'll drive if he's being somewhat fuel-conscious or going into the city for anything. It's less "his" truck though and sort of a family truck. Mom, Dad, Marianne, and Daniel all use it as well. So there's never really any telling what someone might find in the floorboards and/or backseat.[break][break]
Moodboard
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