AA New Member Form
Personal Information
Name: Thalia Floros
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Occupation: Professional Poker Player by night and student by day.
Neighborhood or Borough in Which You Reside: Manhattan
Questionnaire
Describe the nature of your Atypical abilities.
Basically I can stop time. I realized this when I was younger, that whenever I was nervous, or I was in a situation that made me nervous, I got this tightness in my chest and everything just stopped. It’s possible to walk around, but I feel disassociated, ghostly even, or perhaps like I’m dreaming. I’ve tried to interact with my surroundings, but when I try to touch objects or people, my hand goes through them and they sort of glitch out. Anyways, whenever I manage to calm down and control my breathing, time picks up, and I find myself wherever I was right before the time freeze.
I want to be able to control my surroundings more, and I think that I can. Once, when time was stopped and it was raining, I felt the drops on my face as I walked through them. That was the first time I felt anything when time was frozen. Imagine what I could if I could manipulate things when time is stopped, instead of just looking at them? The possibilities would be endless.
Briefly describe the series of events that led to who, what and where you are today.
I come from a very unabashedly Greek family, who immigrated to the New York City in the early 1900s. My great-grandparents were fleeing the Greco-Turkish War aboard a passenger ship. They said that as they sailed away from the coast, the port they left behind had become engulfed in flame. My great-grandfather was insistent that he had seen the flames in a dream, like Cassandra in those Greek myths, but nobody believed him. However, given what I know now about strange abilities, perhaps he truly had seen a glimpse of the future.
I was raised in Upstate New York, on a farm that my grandparents started, and my parents took over when they grew too old to manage the several acres of orchards, and livestock. I grew up around my extended family, with three generations living in the same large farm house. My great-grandparents, and later my grandparents, raised me and my older brother on stories from the old country. And of course, they taught me card games. It started with the game Agonia (Agony, which was apt), then I graduated to Biriba (a more complex version of Rummy), and then of course, Poker.
I went to high school in upstate New York, which is when I discovered my powers. It turns out, being homeschooled until you’re a teenager by your very insular Greek family, is very detrimental on your social skills. I became very anxious around people, and very withdrawn, and it was difficult for me to succeed in classes. Until of course, I discovered my ability. It turns out stopping time gave me ample opportunity to get “unsolicited” help from my classmates, as well as gave me the opportunity to regain control of my emotions.
Of course, I’m still immensely socially awkward, but I’ve found uses for my power that give me certain advantages. For school, I moved to New York City, and spent a couple of years developing a reputation as a professional poker player. I earned enough money to be able to attend NYU without debt, and I’ve decided to study history. The only person in my family who believed me when I told them about time stopping for me was my grandfather, who in turn, was the only one who believed my great-grandfather when he said he could see the future. I’m determined to track my family history, and the histories of other strange and unusual people, and discover where this power originated.
I was raised in Upstate New York, on a farm that my grandparents started, and my parents took over when they grew too old to manage the several acres of orchards, and livestock. I grew up around my extended family, with three generations living in the same large farm house. My great-grandparents, and later my grandparents, raised me and my older brother on stories from the old country. And of course, they taught me card games. It started with the game Agonia (Agony, which was apt), then I graduated to Biriba (a more complex version of Rummy), and then of course, Poker.
I went to high school in upstate New York, which is when I discovered my powers. It turns out, being homeschooled until you’re a teenager by your very insular Greek family, is very detrimental on your social skills. I became very anxious around people, and very withdrawn, and it was difficult for me to succeed in classes. Until of course, I discovered my ability. It turns out stopping time gave me ample opportunity to get “unsolicited” help from my classmates, as well as gave me the opportunity to regain control of my emotions.
Of course, I’m still immensely socially awkward, but I’ve found uses for my power that give me certain advantages. For school, I moved to New York City, and spent a couple of years developing a reputation as a professional poker player. I earned enough money to be able to attend NYU without debt, and I’ve decided to study history. The only person in my family who believed me when I told them about time stopping for me was my grandfather, who in turn, was the only one who believed my great-grandfather when he said he could see the future. I’m determined to track my family history, and the histories of other strange and unusual people, and discover where this power originated.
How would you describe your appearance to someone who is blind?
I have curly dark brown hair that is long, frizzy and quite unmanageable. I have hazel eyes (which I find to be my one great asset) and olive skin. I have high cheekbones, but a nose that I feel is much too large. The bane of my existence has always been my height, and at 5’1’’, I’ve been described as both “short” and “fae.” As a student, I dress very casually, and I’ve embraced the sweater and leggings life of a college girl very enthusiastically. However, for my poker tournaments, the expectation is much more formal, and I’m a proud owner of several very nice cocktail dresses and towering heels that make me at least 5’5’’. One would think, as someone who tries to fit into the world of professional poker, that I would be quite demure and elegant. You’d be wrong. I try, but there’s only so much I can do to hide the farm girl that still lives inside me.
How would you describe your personality? Likes and Dislikes?
I feel like I exist in two different worlds. In school, I feel like an ordinary student, albeit one with difficult social anxiety. My power is becoming easier to control, but I still avoid crowds and situations that would set trigger a panic attack. I’m a bit skittish and shy, and it’s difficult for me to open up to others and make friends. However, when I do manage to open up, I find that I become very compassionate and caring, and driven to support and help them. Must be the result of having such a large family.
I would also describe my personality as “addictive.” I don’t need to play poker anymore to make money, but the rush I feel when I’m playing puts me in a state of focus and flow that gets the dopamines going. When I get started on an assignment that pulls me in, I become focused on that one task, and all else falls to the wayside – sleeping, eating, basic hygiene…
However, at the poker table, I find that the things that make it difficult for me to exist in the world of students (read, relatively normal life), become an asset. Competitive gamblers are a completely different breed of people – ones who are purposefully distant, obstinate and difficult to read. And our ability to focus, push away distractions and narrow in on one goal is what makes us successful.
What is your current state of mind?
Scattered, for sure. Like my mind is trying to think of so many things at once, that nothing's really sticking. There’s a tournament tonight, so hopefully that will help focus my mind.
If your current place of residence was destroyed under mysterious circumstances, which of your belongings would you attempt to recover from the rubble?
That's weirdly specific...I don’t get too attached to things, but I’d probably try to save some of my more valuable antique books, or my family photo albums.
What is making you happy right now?
Last weekend I won a tournament that came down to me and a very good player. She's of the top players in the New York circuit, so maybe it all came down to luck, hard to say. Look, I know you think I must use my powers all the time, to check out other player’s cards. I don’t, okay, that would spoil the game. And plus, it might attract unwanted attention and I don’t need that.
How did you hear about AA, and what made you want to attend?,
I got a letter in my mailbox, which was strange, because not a lot of people know my address...I don't have many friends inclined to send me snail mail...or any at all...what? I want to attend to meet others like me, and to maybe help me develop my powers. I also want to work on my research, and maybe learn about other Atypicals who may have had atypical parents. If I'm going to study Atypical history, I'm definitely going to need to expand my sample size.
What is your greatest fear?
That I’ll lose the ability to control my powers, and by that, I mean self-control. There’s a lot of things I could use them for, but I’ve always tried to stay on the right side of the track. I don’t really want fame or glory, especially if it’s undeserved. But the temptation is so strong to try to experiment and push my powers, but something deep in my gut tells me it could be a slippery slope.
If you could give up your atypical abilities, would you?
I think I might… they give me a lot of stress and anxiety. Sometimes so much so, that I can’t pull myself back out. I’ve been stuck in time for what’s felt like days on end. I feel like I’d do alright without them. I also feel this sense that I could do so much with them, cheat and lie and steal secrets when time is stopped…etc. But that’s not really the life I want.
Please suggest any refreshments you'd like to see at the next AA meeting.
Not too keen on anything in particular. Maybe some fruit, like honeydew or something.
