Post by MIHAI ELIADE on May 30, 2014 4:28:21 GMT -5
`MIHAI CRISTIAN ELIADE!
`pull the plug, but I'd like to learn your name!
NICKNAMES Mihăiță, Mimi
AGE 16
GENDER Male
ETHNICITY Romanian
TEACHER OR STUDENT Student
GRADE Year 6
SPECIAL ABILITY(s) Mihai can accelerate the speed of decay, essentially quickening the aging process for his chosen subject. When in full control and choosing to utilise his ability, he can speed up the time of decay on average by 3.1536 ten million times, the equivalent of wiping out one year of life per second, with slight variations. This is henceforth referred to as the "active state." The second state to his ability is termed the "inactive state." The inactive state is the one in which he usually remains, though this is a misnomer because he cannot terminate the ability's effects. This means that even in his day-to-day interactions, Mihai is causing decay at a rate of two times what is normal.
The range of his ability varies depending on its state. In the inactive state, only the surfaces that are in direct skin contact with him experience the effects of decay; thus, it affects mostly only clothing. Food, once ingested, seems not to be affected by this ability, thus there is a possibility that his ability does not function internally. The effects of his ability continue for five seconds after the loss of contact, without a decrease in rate. Skin contact in this stage between Mihai and a sentient being has only occurred in highly limited occasions, and thus it is difficult to determine whether its effects are reversed after contact is terminated.
In the active state, Mihai can affect one "unit" of any given object. For example, his ability can decay one chair, one juice carton (including the juice inside), or one living being (on a human, this would not affect clothing), but not a row of chairs, a pack of juices, or a crowd of living beings. The subject will be affected only if he has direct skin contact with its surface, but he can affect more than one subject at a time provided that the condition of skin contact is met. Entire buildings (including their floors, walls, and ceilings) can be considered one unit, as can fields, roads, and other like settings. In these surroundings, his ability can affect the unit for up to a radius of ten meters from the point of contact, but will not affect objects that are not a part of the unit, even if they are in the ten meter range. For example, chairs set on the floor will not decay, however, plants growing in the field will. In this state, he can stimulate different rates of decay at each contact point. The effects of his ability last for ten seconds after the loss of contact.
There is a third state to his ability, the most unstable and dangerous. Termed the "fight or flight state," it only activates during situations of intense negative emotion, such as fear or anger. In this state, the decay rate may accelerate to 3.1536 billion times normal speed (i.e. capable of wiping out 100 years of life in one second). The range of his ability fluctuates between a ten to 50 meters radius from the point of contact, and all non-sentient subjects within range will experience some degree of decay. Direct skin contact is still required for his ability to affect sentient beings, which decreases the rate to 3.1536 hundred million times (10 years in one second). This is uncontrollable, and attempts to replicate this pace while in the active state have been unsuccessful. While this is only the most serious case example, his ability does respond to his emotional state, so minute fluctuations in its effects occur depending on his mood.
It should be noted that in the active and FoF stages, the aging effects of Mihai's ability are reversed for sentient beings once contact is removed (grace period does not apply with sentient beings). That is, the subjects will de-age once the effect of the ability has worn off, and this will take place at the same rate as the aging process. Those who have been exposed to his ability and its reversal have described the experience as "excruciatingly painful," which is easily attributed to the swift changes in bone structure and musculature that accompany atrophy. This rapid aging and de-aging can cause structural damage to the subject's body after the effect has worn off, which are not directly related to the ability. As an addenda, a sentient being that has expired due to aging will not be revived once effects are terminated, though its physical form will return to resemble its appearance before being affected by the ability.
HOW DID THEY FIGURE OUT? Unlike many others where the revelations came gradually as they grew up, Mihai's came very suddenly, and, some may say, tragically. Though there were small indications that he was one of those kids with "abilities," they never made sense until the incident that blew the secret wide open. It happened when he was four years old. He'd been playing in the back yard with a toy toolset, and for a brief moment he'd been unsupervised while his mother went inside the house to get a drink of water. A few seconds shouldn't have mattered, since their neighborhood was safe and a tall fence surrounded their yard, and yet those few seconds made all the difference. As his mother was in the kitchen, turning on the tap with a glass in hand, panicked cries were heard from the yard, and both parents frantically rushed out the back door, running tap and shattered glass forgotten. Their first step onto the wooden porch sent them both crashing through, as though it was rotted fifty years too early, but luckily no more damage was inflicted than bruises and cuts. Yet, the scene that lay before them was alarming, to say the least—their son, surrounded by dead grass and a wilting tree, the skull of a dog still clenched around his bloodied arm.
Perhaps too fearful to take in the utter eeriness of the situation, his father rushed to pick him up, but immediately pulled back as though stung. For a second, his skin was wrinkled, with prominent veins and delicate build. The effect lasted just a moment, and his parents lapsed into stunned silence. They could do nothing to help their child until his cries quieted and he fainted from blood loss, at which point they were able to rush him to the hospital. Mihai still has a jagged scar on his lower left arm from that incident, since covered up by a tattoo for his fifteenth birthday.[/ul][/font]
`and holding on, I hope you do the same,
♣Coffee - Black, with sugar. It's not that he has to have coffee to wake up (he will stare anyone out of the room who tries to get him out of bed before he's ready), but he still considers it necessary as part of a decent morning. Or late afternoon. Whenever he decides to get up.
♣Late nights - This explains the whole waking-up problem. Mihai has taken to enjoying late nights (as in really late nights as in four to six in the morning), since that is when things are especially quiet and he appreciates that. Also, sneaking out of his room brings with it a small thrill of rebellion, and what teenager can resist that?
♣Magic tricks - He'd been curious about them even when he was a child, and as soon as he was old enough, he began learning sleight-of-hands from books or the internet. He's gotten quite good at performing some acts now, and might showcase them to you if you're lucky, not that they seem all that amazing in a school-full of children with abnormal powers.
♣Horror films/stories - Rather than finding them to be particularly frightening, he thinks most of horror flicks are comical, but stories have a different sort of appeal. Things like Poe and Lovecraft are comfortably in his area of interest.
♣Folklore/magic - In spite of his amusement in horror stories and films, he finds folklore to be interesting. A lover of his country, he particularly enjoys indulging in stories from his homeland, from mythical creatures to legendary heroes. He also has an interest in magic, though it mostly involves simply reading through the rituals (particularly the more gruesome ones), and their intended results than actually trying anything out.
♣History - He's a lover of history, and his interest lies mostly in Eastern Europe and military history from the early Medieval era, though he is also quite knowledgeable about late 19th century history. He'll enjoy chatting with others about the topic and can get quite excited when talking about the more barbaric parts of the subject matter.
♣Books - That's where he gets a lot of his knowledge, after all. He reads many genres, including history, fantasy, horror and mystery. Maybe the occasional romance...
♣Incense - Mihai really likes the smell of incense, scented candles, perfumes... What have you. He has many incense sticks and candles around his room and he keeps them burning when he can. You'll probably catch a lingering scent of it on his person too.
♣Sports - Though not necessarily an athlete himself, Mihai takes an occasional interest in sports. His most vested interest is in gymnastics—and you can bet he goes crazy over the sport during the Olympics—but he also takes some time to be aware of soccer, especially if his country is playing.
♣Physical contact - Mihai can easily be categorized as a "touchy" person. He likes leaning on people, over them, or just casually draping his arms over them.
DISLIKES
♣Early mornings - If you want him to be on better behavior, don't wake him up before noon. Seriously.
♣Overly hot/sunny weather - Mihai isn't the type that tans; he burns. Any time he has to be outside longer than necessary in the summer, he has to slather on layers of sunscreen, which is unpleasant to say the least. Neither does he enjoy the stickiness of humid weather, and the searing heat of summer.
♣Going out to sea - He gets incredibly seasick, and absolutely will not set foot on a boat, thank you very much.
♣People who are too serious/have no sense of humor - He's a pretty mischievous person and enjoys getting a laugh, so those who go from paperwork to paperwork are tiring to watch. Worse are the ones who try to shove their work ethic down other's throats, and Mihai would much prefer to avoid those types of people.
♣Being hounded - Being persistently reminded of certain pieces of homework is annoying to him, as he usually does end up accomplishing what needs to be done, just on his own schedule.
♣Petty disrespect - Though a snide asshole himself, he would never resort to petty accusations or spreading rumors, and he is contemptuous of those who do. If there's an issue, take it up with the person face-to-face.
♣Ethnically-motivated comments - Eastern Europeans aren't seen with the best light in Europe, and the things he's heard spoken by officials of certain countries absolutely disgusts him. Any sort of like comment made by a fellow student is likely to get a tongue-lashing, if not a fist to the face.
♣Skin contact - Unfortunately coupled with his love of physical interaction, he does not allow anyone to have direct skin contact. He doesn't truly dislike it, but his power doesn't allow him freely touch others.
FEARS
♣Superstitions - Well—not exactly superstitions in and of themselves, more like the warnings carried by superstitions. Things like black cats, breaking mirrors, and walking under ladders are things Mihai will prefer to avoid.
♣Killing someone - He's a bit more lackadaisical about hurting someone, since as long as he doesn't kill them, the damage is reversible. However if he crosses that line...
♣His ability - Usually, he isn't afraid of his powers, it's always during times of self-doubt that it rears up as a form of fear. Though most of the time he's certain that he can control it, there's no denying that it's greatly influenced by his emotions, and the consequences are dire if he happens to lose control of them. Yet another aspect that makes him uncertain is the possibility that he hasn't yet reached the apex of his power and that there is possibly even a more destructive force that can be unleashed.
QUIRKS
♣buys things more often than others, because his powers easily wear away the cloth and threads of his clothes and other utilities. It's a lot of money wasted, and a fucking annoyance really.
♣usually wears a pair of black leather gloves and refuses to allow skin contact.
♣was born with an especially sharp and elongated right canine, which is rather conspicuous when he smiles, but otherwise doesn't affect him much. It makes biting people somewhat easier though.
♣tends to be chronically late. He operates on his own time, and woe to those who actually get to their meetings points early.
♣likes keeping some sort of decoration in his hair. Whether it's a hat or hair pins, he will usually have an adornment.
♣for some reason, when sitting/laying on something like a couch or a bed, he'll inevitably wind up twisting around so that he's on his back and his head is hanging off the edge. It's his preferred reading position.
♣he can do that sort of gross thing where you crack your knuckles by flexing your fingers.
♣on that note, Mihai is also very flexible. Having attended gymnastics lessons as a kid, he has retained many of the skills he learned there and unabashedly makes use of them in combat situations.
♣has an accent, naturally. It's pretty prominent as it is, but it gets thicker during moments of emotional stress, that is assuming that he doesn't lapse back into Romanian altogether.
OVERALL PERSONALITY
Mihai Cristian Eliade is a sure-fire qualifier for the phrase "more than meets the eye," and probably not in a good way. Quite conscious of his desirable qualities and perceptive enough to discern what others want of him, he is very good at charming others if he puts his mind to it. Extroverted, flirtatious, with a sarcastic sort of humor, he is easy to get along with for those who like the talkative sort of people, and for those who don't—well, he is likewise quite determined to wrest some kind of concession of love from them. For those who prefer the serious, quite types and find themselves wondering if Mihai is really that incapable of taking a hint or just insists on conversation anyway, the safest bet would be on the latter. Always a selfish individual, his priorities lie less in the eagerness of the person he's interacting with than how much amusement he believes he can reap from the situation. As such, he isn't very affected by insults or other deterrents (though his attitude quickly changes if you hit any of his pet peeves listed above).
This character of whimsy is likely what keeps him from being assuredly popular, and he is actually a private individual in his own way. Though with an appearance of openness, when entering into a conversation with him it may be noticed that he rarely reveals private information (alternately, reliable private information) about himself while attaining a great deal from his conversational partner. At other times, he is also perfectly content by himself—others serve as more of an amusement to him than an intrigue, simply a way to pass the time, so if he is not particularly in need of company, it is typical to find him alone and procuring his own entertainment. His idea of entertainment is likely to be found odd by most, in particular the gruesome aspect of his interests (for example, he seems more read up than many on witchcraft and torture); that said, those who get him talking about these subject areas are more likely than not to gain a great deal of slightly useless knowledge.
His selective areas of interests, while an asset in that he knows a great deal about them, do him a disservice when he is put to the task of learning something new. While he should technically be able to master the material (or so he claims), his lack of curiousity entails that he does not put much effort into it and thus does not grasp the information clearly. Truly, Mihai is someone who prioritizes by interest. Whatever may be said for his academic achievements, however, he makes up for a great deal in general cunning. Clever, and always with a sight on how to achieve his own goals, Mihai will do what it takes to get what he wants as long as it isn't too morally questionable. He may tend towards the manipulative side, especially for that which he believes is harmless. Indeed, to some degree, he may enjoy the power he holds over others in this respect, and he pays special attention to figure out what turns people on and what grinds their gears, which buttons to push to incite the reaction he desires. He may also take advantage of others if they are nice enough—he's perfectly happy to accept a meal at the other person's expense (or other gifts if you are so kind ♥), whatever he is capable of wheedling out of them. Of course, this is a facet he keeps subtly hidden, as it works to his advantage for others not to know his intentions.
As someone full of contradictions (or maybe that's just how he makes himself out to be), figuring him out may indeed be quite difficult, and that is how he likes it. He isn't quite fond of being served a taste of his own medicine after all, and he figures that it is much easier to accomplish if his desires and intentions remain a mystery to others. However, get close enough to him and he'll open up to you—really open up. To those he has made up his mind to trust, he is unflinchingly loyal, affectionate, and truthful about anything worth being truthful about. How to gain his confidence is difficult to say, as he selects based on intuition rather than logical criteria, though rest assured that it is much more opportune to be his friend than enemy. While forgiving of mistakes, Mihai is much less forgiving of slights against his person. To people who fall within that criteria, he is snide, some may even say nasty, and overall unpleasant. In extreme situations (such as, if someone he cares for has been hurt), he may take drastic measures for retribution.
That said, even his friendship should be taken with a grain of salt. It must be understood that Mihai largely operates on his own basis of moral value, and thus what he deems justified may be very much outside of boundaries for others. His loyalty is also weighed on the same crooked scale—he may betray someone very close to him if he believes that it could spare them pain or save their life. It should also be noted that Mihai is a very good liar. While this entails that he can easily deceive others, he may just as easily delude himself, blinding himself to things he would rather not see or acknowledge. Thus, he is highly susceptible to failures in judgment that end up backfiring. The fact that he is a risk-taker certainly does not help, and he may end up digging himself into situations that wind up hurting himself or others. His way of thinking is very much his own, and when it comes down to it, it might be accurately stated that the closest people to him are those who most risk disappointment, though out of no ill will of his own. Those who are intentionally hurt by him will find that he believed it justifiable and preferable to what he perceives as "something worse."
As can be divined from the above, Mihai is a highly emotional and volatile person. Though he is quite adept at crafting a superficial persona of logic and detachment, the façade fractures the deeper you get. At the end of the day, he is ruled by sentiment and intuition, and they can easily overwhelm his composition under the right circumstances. In the most extreme cases, he can be completely taken by reckless behavior, which often occurs during acute instances of rage or grief. It can be said that he is unpredictable at best and unstable at worst, which bodes ill for the control of his power. Already terrified of what had happened in his childhood and all too aware of what people think of him for it, he tries to keep his volatile emotions in check, with limited success. Though he has a better handle on controlling feelings of anger, situations that take him unawares can still ignite the third stage of his ability; thus, if he's ever acting avoidant, he is likely trying to keep his powers in check. Mihai really isn't the greatest person to risk an emotional connection to. But he has the capability of being oh-so charming, so the question really is: how quickly can you untangle yourself, or not at all?
`aw sugar!
[/ul][/font]Of all the places his associate wanted to meet up, she really couldn't have chosen a worse place short of her own daughter's bedroom or perhaps the labs of the MI6 headquarters. Mihai had heard that the woman enjoyed Chinese food, but he had expected her to have higher standards than this cheap, run-down little shop tucked away in a dirty corner of one of the most notorious areas of London. It wasn't as though a woman of her status wouldn't be able to afford it—what was more, he imagined that someone as well-groomed as she would be thought of as easy target if she were ever spotted around Aylesbury, and thus cause further unwanted trouble.
In any case, said associate had not yet showed up, and it was well past the time she had agreed upon to meet with him (in fact, Mihai himself had arrived on scene some twenty minutes behind schedule). She wasn't the type to leave without having accomplished what she'd set out to do, and so, as the Romanian leaned back with a cigarette between his fingers, he contemplated if she'd had the misfortune of running into a few of the more infamous troupes that lurked around the sector. Of course, said misfortune would burden her attackers and her attackers only, as he knew her to be a rather disciplined woman in the realm of close-quarter combat—a former ace of the police force, if he had his information straight.
Allowing a puff of smoke to escape his parted lips, Mihai afforded his surroundings a cursory scan. The establishment was no fancier than he had expected, but luckily neither was it any worse. Other than the lingering smell of cooking oil that hung over the restaurant in a perpetual shroud, and the humidity of a terribly aired-out building, the shop was as decently clean as one could hope for it to be. The menu that lay in front of him, however, was another story altogether, and he found himself puzzled in regards to more than half of the entrées listed, rife with misspellings and foreign names. Curling his lip at some of the less tasteful sounding offers, he simply closed the menu and requested a can of beer from the waiter, who seemed to take some offense that Mihai wasn't properly appreciating their cuisine. To ensure that his waiter would not be returning every sixty seconds on the dot to ask again, whether Mihai had decided to order something else, he told the man (barely a man, more of a boy really) that he would order once his dining partner had arrived. He did hope she would be able to pinpoint the edible entries in the menu.
Once the waiter had returned (with a can of cheap beer), and left again, Mihai found himself left alone to enjoy the pleasant atmosphere of the restaurant. Yes, for all intents and purposes he was rather enjoying watching the dealings of a few of the shadier types that converged in a corner table, discussing whatever their interest may be over a deck of cards and cigar smoke. Though who was he kidding? Because in all honesty it was about as intriguing as watching a few ants converge upon a piece of discarded lettuce, which wasn't really. In fact, he was actually inconceivably bored, and he only hoped that his associate would arrive soon (or at least send him a text that she was indisposed and therefore give him a proper cause to leave).
The only other person who seemed as bored (or alternately just plain morose) as he sat across the room from him, a blond who seemed to be fruitlessly struggling with a pair of chopsticks in an attempt to eat his food. Mihai watched the other's actions in semi-interest, partly because it was funny watching someone try and fail to maneuver chopsticks, and partly because there wasn't much else to watch.
As he sat, idly observing the other man, he contemplated whether that would be a possible venue for relieving boredom. A quick glance at his watch revealed that his associate's tardiness was creeping towards half-an-hour, and though he thought it would only be courteous to give her another time-allotment of thirty minutes, he found little appeal in the prospect of spending that time watching the rain fall outside.
It took little mental argument to persuade him to find some form of entertainment, even in the form of someone he'd never met, and who he might eventually regret meeting. But it wasn't as though the great majority of his decisions had been made after careful consideration, and it was only luck that ensured that most of the outcomes had been pleasant. (Of course, there was also the other portion of which the outcomes had been unpleasant, but Mihai was rather good at ignoring the chances to learn from his mistakes, and simply hastened towards methods to keep himself entertained, consequences be damned.)
It was thinking thoughts along those lines that he unclasped the watch from around his wrist and dropped it into his pocket, then rubbed his cigarette out in an ash tray. If there was one positivity to this restaurant, it was that it was one of the rare ones that allowed any smoking within its premises anymore, yet it was still restricted to one side of the room. He left the can of beer mostly untouched on his table (it'd tasted fairly terrible anyway), and unobtrusively made his way over to the blond man's seat. The trick was, mainly, not to appear too demanding or as though there were any ulterior motive—and judging by the man's demeanor, certainly not as though any extended interaction were hoped for.
Stopping by the other's table, fingers of his left hand resting on its edge, Mihai allowed a smile to cross his lips. "Excuse me," he said, tone light and treacherously innocent. "You wouldn't happen to have the time, would you? I'm supposed to be waiting for someone, but it looks like she's running a bit late in this downpour."
-TND
In any case, said associate had not yet showed up, and it was well past the time she had agreed upon to meet with him (in fact, Mihai himself had arrived on scene some twenty minutes behind schedule). She wasn't the type to leave without having accomplished what she'd set out to do, and so, as the Romanian leaned back with a cigarette between his fingers, he contemplated if she'd had the misfortune of running into a few of the more infamous troupes that lurked around the sector. Of course, said misfortune would burden her attackers and her attackers only, as he knew her to be a rather disciplined woman in the realm of close-quarter combat—a former ace of the police force, if he had his information straight.
Allowing a puff of smoke to escape his parted lips, Mihai afforded his surroundings a cursory scan. The establishment was no fancier than he had expected, but luckily neither was it any worse. Other than the lingering smell of cooking oil that hung over the restaurant in a perpetual shroud, and the humidity of a terribly aired-out building, the shop was as decently clean as one could hope for it to be. The menu that lay in front of him, however, was another story altogether, and he found himself puzzled in regards to more than half of the entrées listed, rife with misspellings and foreign names. Curling his lip at some of the less tasteful sounding offers, he simply closed the menu and requested a can of beer from the waiter, who seemed to take some offense that Mihai wasn't properly appreciating their cuisine. To ensure that his waiter would not be returning every sixty seconds on the dot to ask again, whether Mihai had decided to order something else, he told the man (barely a man, more of a boy really) that he would order once his dining partner had arrived. He did hope she would be able to pinpoint the edible entries in the menu.
Once the waiter had returned (with a can of cheap beer), and left again, Mihai found himself left alone to enjoy the pleasant atmosphere of the restaurant. Yes, for all intents and purposes he was rather enjoying watching the dealings of a few of the shadier types that converged in a corner table, discussing whatever their interest may be over a deck of cards and cigar smoke. Though who was he kidding? Because in all honesty it was about as intriguing as watching a few ants converge upon a piece of discarded lettuce, which wasn't really. In fact, he was actually inconceivably bored, and he only hoped that his associate would arrive soon (or at least send him a text that she was indisposed and therefore give him a proper cause to leave).
The only other person who seemed as bored (or alternately just plain morose) as he sat across the room from him, a blond who seemed to be fruitlessly struggling with a pair of chopsticks in an attempt to eat his food. Mihai watched the other's actions in semi-interest, partly because it was funny watching someone try and fail to maneuver chopsticks, and partly because there wasn't much else to watch.
As he sat, idly observing the other man, he contemplated whether that would be a possible venue for relieving boredom. A quick glance at his watch revealed that his associate's tardiness was creeping towards half-an-hour, and though he thought it would only be courteous to give her another time-allotment of thirty minutes, he found little appeal in the prospect of spending that time watching the rain fall outside.
It took little mental argument to persuade him to find some form of entertainment, even in the form of someone he'd never met, and who he might eventually regret meeting. But it wasn't as though the great majority of his decisions had been made after careful consideration, and it was only luck that ensured that most of the outcomes had been pleasant. (Of course, there was also the other portion of which the outcomes had been unpleasant, but Mihai was rather good at ignoring the chances to learn from his mistakes, and simply hastened towards methods to keep himself entertained, consequences be damned.)
It was thinking thoughts along those lines that he unclasped the watch from around his wrist and dropped it into his pocket, then rubbed his cigarette out in an ash tray. If there was one positivity to this restaurant, it was that it was one of the rare ones that allowed any smoking within its premises anymore, yet it was still restricted to one side of the room. He left the can of beer mostly untouched on his table (it'd tasted fairly terrible anyway), and unobtrusively made his way over to the blond man's seat. The trick was, mainly, not to appear too demanding or as though there were any ulterior motive—and judging by the man's demeanor, certainly not as though any extended interaction were hoped for.
Stopping by the other's table, fingers of his left hand resting on its edge, Mihai allowed a smile to cross his lips. "Excuse me," he said, tone light and treacherously innocent. "You wouldn't happen to have the time, would you? I'm supposed to be waiting for someone, but it looks like she's running a bit late in this downpour."
-TND
`slip into the tragedy, you've spun this chamber dry!
AGE 19
[/ul]
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I am Mihai Eliade and I am a HERO!
I am Mihai Eliade and I am a HERO!
