● N A M E ●Mykola Velias. (Myk for short.)
● A G E ●29.
● G E N D E R ●Male.
● O C C U P A T I O N ●Gambler, if one could call it a real career. Strange how he always seems to have just the right luck. But, then again- no one can prove anything.
● L O O K S ●In simple terms, Mykola is conventionally attractive, and he is well aware of it. Often, he uses it to his advantage to smooth his way out of sticky situations- but that's for later. Of mixed heritage, his skin holds a slightly bronzed tint, and he tans rather than burns when he's out in the sun for long periods of time. His hair, which is of medium length but usually styled back (as current style dictates), is a dark brown. And boy, is there a lot of hair. If there's one word that could completely encapsulate Mykola, it is scruffy. While he stays well-kept, his hair is thick and full, and he always seems to have (trimmed, don't you worry) stubble or a light beard. His eyes are, similar his hair, a dark brown- although not dark enough to be indistinguishable from the pupil.
Bodily, he's rather average. His bad habits balance out the occasional trips to the gym, so while he has no problem lifting things or being active, he's not exceptionally muscular or perfectly toned by any means.
Style wise, Mykola is a fan of keeping up appearances. Though he's scruffy, his hair is almost always groomed and managed if he's heading out, and he has quite the taste for expensive clothes and accessories. He'll be dressed business casual just to pick up milk from the supermarket. It's hard to catch him in anything less than a dress shirt and slacks, exceptions being extreme weather or, of course, the occasional overnight guest.
Externally, Mykola is a standard city guy. Style, attitude, career- it all screams bright lights and fun, and that's the image he enjoys projecting, seeing as it's what he loves. Borderline hedonistic, Myk is mostly concerned about enjoying himself- and for him, that requires money. Lots of it. He's absolutely the type to go on a spending spree, and then eat reheated takeout for two weeks because he forgot to save money for groceries.
Even before he became affected by the powers in Verona, his ability to analyze people's expressions, tells, and body language cultivated a bit of a know-it-all attitude. When his powers did appear, the capability to suddenly tap into people's thoughts did little to diminish this spark- if anything, it's made it worse. And of course, no bar-hopping, card flipping gambler would be complete without a dash of sarcasm- although Mykola's personal brand tends to be more playful than it is truly cynical. He cracks jokes, and lets loose snide comments, but its clear he's always having fun. Of course, that doesn't necessarily stop him from pissing people off occasionally. More than occasionally. A lot, actually. Oops.
Interally, however, Mykola is quite different. For all his snark, he himself is rather sensitive- though, of course, his perfected poker face can conceal that easily. Most of the time. The thing he seeks most is affection, though he often mistakenly tries to replace it with attention of any kind. This affection doesn't necessarily have to be of romantic nature, though; he'd be quite content to have a friend or two that he can completely trust and rely on, something hard to find in his line of work.
Those who get close to him will discover he is still rather childish and impulsive, despite the airs of experience and success. He isn't stupid, though, or gullible- just prone to laziness and self indulgement. He loves people, and has a personality that can draw them in if he so pleases. He's also a fan of children- though, funnily enough, he seems totally incapable of lying to them. It's comedic to watch someone trained in deceit stumble over talking to a six year old, as he's been told, but it's something he can't help. Overall, he simply thrives on interaction. Talking to, messing with, and just being around others tends to be enough to distract him from his thoughts- until he gets back home, that is.
● R O M A N T I C I N T E R E S T S ●For lack of better phrasing, Myk isn't all that picky. He considers himself bisexual for convenience of label- but really, his interests are generally undefined. If he were asked about his "type," he'd likely reply entertaining and easy on the eyes. Yet, despite the vague general parameters of his interests, he's a man guided first and foremost by gut instinct, and sometimes he can be wary and selective based on initial interactions. After all, reading people and figuring them out is practically his job- so if he senses something off, he'll stay away.
Though he's quick to jump around from person to person, it isn't from a lack of ability to commit. In fact, Myk was engaged at one point! Hard to believe, but true. His real fear isn't settling down- that's actually what he wants most- but rather falling for someone who won't or can't reciprocate. His big downfall is quite literally a fall: he forms attachments rapidly due to his loneliness, and is a romanticist and a "fool for love," if you will. After countless letdowns, he's now come to the game-winning conclusion that the best remedy is to, simply put, book it.
● O R I G I N S T O R Y ●Before Verona, Myk's life was a whirlwind of city chaos, club lights, and cards.
But before that, it was....well, boring. The standard suburban life; small town, public school, average house, detached middle class parents, and endless stagnation. His life was so routine it was almost a bulleted to-do list, and no matter what he tried to do, he always yearned to leave. Most of his teen years were spent idolizing celebrities and dreaming of what he could do, once he got out. Of course, the logical step was to go to school in the nearest city- move there, experience it, make a name for himself. College life was certainly less boring than what he'd had back home, but he still wasn't quite there- and he was running out of money. Ten job interviews later, he was a novice bartender in a sports pub, watching the games and the betting pools. Not only did he learn more about sports than he'd ever wanted to, but he learned all sorts of new skills. Poker, speculation, betting, spotting tells- and most importantly, how maleable and impressionable betting patrons could be after their fourth or fifth drink. After some years of risks and some pretty bad failures, the money started sticking. Soon he was out of school, living on his own and living well, with a girl to boot.
All this considered, it would seem counterproductive to suddenly up and move to somewhere as secluded and small as Verona- at least to an outside eye. If asked, he'll come up with something along the lines of simply having run out of people to beat, but it may have more to do with his broken engagement- or the fact that, even though he had everything he'd grappled and clawed for as a youth, something was still.....off. Missing. Empty.
Verona was meant to be a testing ground; an experiment of sorts. Had he just gotten bored of the city? Would a reminder of just how dragging his life used to be rejuvinate his spirits? The plan had been to stay for a week, maybe a month, just as a kick in his own ass to get the motor running again. But then, he got sick. And now things are different, and, well- it would be a little overwhelming to go back to a city with hundreds of thousands of people when he can suddenly hear every thought a person dreams up.
Telepathy.
● P O W E R C L A S S I F I C A T I O N ●Mastermind.
● A B I L I T I E S ●In short, Mykola is a telepath who specializes in reading the minds of those around him.
Currently, Mykola is simply able to read surface thoughts and detect lies in your standard, run of the mill human. He hears the thoughts within his own mind, as if the person were communicating verbally rather than mentally. The more a person focuses or fixates on a certain thought, the "louder" and more obvious it is- allowing certain ideas to be read more easily than others. To draw a simple example, someone used to lying may not focus on it as much, and thus be harder to read. Someone who is compulsively honest and struggles with deceit is likely to be hyperfocused on what they are concealing, making it glaringly obvious to Myk that something is amiss.
As he becomes familiarized with his power, Mykola will gain the ability to probe deeper than surface thoughts if he so chooses. At its highest extent, this probing could reach into active memories (things that have not been forgotten or repressed by the target). In addition, the mental connection will become a two way street; not only can Mykola read the thoughts of others, but he will be able to project his own thoughts to them as well, allowing for basic telepathic communication. The number of people he can do this with at a given time will likely rise as he exercises his power more frequently. Think walkie talkies- but, you know. In the mind.
● W E A K N E S S E S ●- This ability only works on beings with working, independent minds. Inanimate objects, inorganic organisms, constructs, and the dead/undead are immune.
- Mykola does not yet have the ability to filter or tune out thoughts. This can be problematic in large crowds, where streams of thought become too muddled to listen to.
- Similarly, when around many people, it takes an extreme amount of will to focus on a singular target, and thoughts can often be misread or mistaken.
- Easily countered by mind shielding abilities.
- It is extremely easy for Myk to fall into overload, experiencing splitting headaches, disorientation, and panic. In extreme situations, he could go into trance-like state of shock.
- Myk can only read thoughts, so impulsive or reactionary actions are something he cannot predict.
