Snowdrops
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Muninn
Name: Landon Mandel
Cape Codename: Muninn
Age: 15
Appearance: Landon has a slight and unathletic build, the slimness of which is only further punctuated by his notable height of 5'11, making his lanky stature blatantly obvious. His skin tone is quite pale, and lacks any discernable features to speak of.
Due to his strict upbringing, Landon seems to have a preference for formalwear, particularly when it is quite covering, as if to shield him from the gaze of others. Similarly, due to his upbringing, he does not wear anything extraneous such as piercings, necklaces, etc., though in his short time of freedom from said upbringing, he has shown an interest in trying these sorts of things.
When it comes to a costume, his Parahuman abilities cause too many complications for it to be practical to design one for him. As such, due to the nature of his abilities, they effectively act as his costume.
Personality: Landon has been, and still is to a degree, a people-pleaser, even before his imposed lifestyle forced that mindset upon him. He is rather timid, and prefers cooperation over conflict in nearly any scenario, though his Trigger event has 'helped' him to be able to have a touch more backbone when it comes to putting himself before others. However, his nature makes him an ideal Ward, since he will typically listen to and obey authority figures unless they give him significant cause for doubt. Fortunately, he himself is also quite easy to please. Landon appreciates when others are willing to hear him out and quite simply interact with him, starved for positive interactions, especially with peers his age.
Beyond that, in no small part due to the nature of his Parahuman abilities, Landon seems to be naturally nervous and more than a touch high-strung, and will commonly seek affirmation in moments of vulnerability (which, at least from his perspective, are quite common). This has been especially true for him joining the Wards, evidently fearful of his own ability to perform alongside his fellow teammates and concerned over the repercussions of potentially not being adequate for the team. In hopes of helping to reaffirm his position as a Ward in spite of his own self-doubts, he has been given weekly sessions with a PRT-mandated therapist.
Additionally, while Landon has (up until recently) had very little personal time to pursue his own passions or hobbies, he always dreamed of being a pilot, and discussion of the topic (or even just flight in general) seems to quickly break him out of his shell; for a time, at least. When he is around people he's comfortable with, which is a sadly short list for the young man, he's still as soft-spoken as ever, but his general meekness turns more into a gentle calmness, and he becomes much more amicable and animated in comparison to his extremely reserved nature. He's also a great listener, which some people certainly appreciate, whereas some just find him annoyingly quiet.
Power Classification: Changer 3/Mover 5/Stranger 3 (Brute, Thinker)
Power Description: Despite what the Power Classification might make you think, Landon's Parahuman ability is deceptively simple. Simply put, with enough focus (or more commonly, a drastic shift in his emotional state or sheer stress), Landon bursts out into a mass of feathers, quickly emerging as a humanoid entity roughly twice his height, with similarly lanky proportions (though still notably more muscle mass underneath his feathery exterior). His arms and legs are covered in tough, leathery green skin and a scattering of scales of the same shade up until his elbows/knees, where fur begins overtaking his form. Instead of fingers and toes, he now possesses sharpened talons akin to a bird of prey. The rest of his body is covered in greyish-black fur, making the only discernable features his white ovular eyes and strange ears that seem more akin to a fox or other canid than what an avian form such as his should possess. Speaking of avian, well...
The most discerning feature of his Changer Power are the two sets of wings his new body possesses; a much larger set that sprouts closer to his shoulder line, with their maximum width nearing twice his own height, and a much smaller set of wings nearing the end of his backside, used to streamline his aerial maneuvers and otherwise serve as support for his main wings. With these, he is capable of exceptional feats of flight, even in areas where his main wingset cannot stretch to full width. Additionally, both his fur and feathers seem to possess a muffling quality about them, making his flight completely silent, much like an owl. The soles of his feet and hands are also lined with this fur, allowing him to move in silence even when not in flight. Much more minor than his other features, he does also seem to possess a more sensitive hearing in this form, as well as a form of night vision.
While the form can look physically imposing, the truth of the matter is this form is only barely able to obtain a Sub-Classification for Brute. Compared to a normal human, he may seem strong, certainly, but most Brutes outmatch his capabilities in terms of raw strength, and almost certainly in durability. To be able to maintain flight in this form, he has hollow bones like a bird, and while still more durable than the average human, is still quite vulnerable to most conventional forms of harm, especially when it involves blunt force trauma.
Power Description: Despite what the Power Classification might make you think, Landon's Parahuman ability is deceptively simple. Simply put, with enough focus (or more commonly, a drastic shift in his emotional state or sheer stress), Landon bursts out into a mass of feathers, quickly emerging as a humanoid entity roughly twice his height, with similarly lanky proportions (though still notably more muscle mass underneath his feathery exterior). His arms and legs are covered in tough, leathery green skin and a scattering of scales of the same shade up until his elbows/knees, where fur begins overtaking his form. Instead of fingers and toes, he now possesses sharpened talons akin to a bird of prey. The rest of his body is covered in greyish-black fur, making the only discernable features his white ovular eyes and strange ears that seem more akin to a fox or other canid than what an avian form such as his should possess. Speaking of avian, well...
The most discerning feature of his Changer Power are the two sets of wings his new body possesses; a much larger set that sprouts closer to his shoulder line, with their maximum width nearing twice his own height, and a much smaller set of wings nearing the end of his backside, used to streamline his aerial maneuvers and otherwise serve as support for his main wings. With these, he is capable of exceptional feats of flight, even in areas where his main wingset cannot stretch to full width. Additionally, both his fur and feathers seem to possess a muffling quality about them, making his flight completely silent, much like an owl. The soles of his feet and hands are also lined with this fur, allowing him to move in silence even when not in flight. Much more minor than his other features, he does also seem to possess a more sensitive hearing in this form, as well as a form of night vision.
While the form can look physically imposing, the truth of the matter is this form is only barely able to obtain a Sub-Classification for Brute. Compared to a normal human, he may seem strong, certainly, but most Brutes outmatch his capabilities in terms of raw strength, and almost certainly in durability. To be able to maintain flight in this form, he has hollow bones like a bird, and while still more durable than the average human, is still quite vulnerable to most conventional forms of harm, especially when it involves blunt force trauma.
Strengths:
Patient: A gift all too uncommon amongst many Parahumans (much less people), Landon is a very patient and naturally cautious individual. While this does have its problems, it means that in spite of his shaky mental state (especially on the field in his Changer form), he can be trusted to think things through and not act out rashly, and even more importantly, be willing and able to follow orders.
Natural Aptitude: In spite of having Triggered recently, Landon seems to have an astonishingly solid grasp on his Changer powerset, especially the flight aspect. This can in part be attributed to the relative simplicity his ability seems to embody, but it still does little to undermine his shocking level of skill with it in such a short amount of time...As long as he doesn't get in his own head, at least.
Weaknesses:
Anti-Conflict: While becoming a Parahuman has lessened this to a degree, Landon struggles with conflict, especially of the physical sort, and finds it difficult to mount a defense. He much prefers doing work that involves helping indirectly, even when the preferred solution is a direct assault. This extends to social conflicts as well, perhaps even moreso, as he usually does little to defend himself against verbal abuse, much to his own detriment, especially given his...
Low Self-Esteem: Even before he Triggered, Landon never had a good opinion of himself, but now, lumped with all the stress and responsibility of being a Ward on top of everything that's happened within the last year for the poor guy, he's a bundle of nerves waiting to go off, and has next to zero faith in himself. His fragile ego makes him especially vulnerable to mental and emotional assault and manipulation.
Combat Experience: Even beyond his unwillingness to even be involved in conflict, Landon has little to no experience defending himself or others with his ability, or God forbid, just his normal self. In other words, combat-wise, despite his Power potentially being well-suited to it in the right circumstances, he can likely be dead weight.
History:
Landon is Bridgewater, born and raised, the only child of Elias and Penelope Mandel, and the proprietors of Mandel International, an exceptionally capable shipping company that brought the family into millionaire status. Due to this, growing up, Landon never wanted for anything...At least, in the physical sense. He could practically have anything material he wanted, but yet, that meant little when what the young boy wanted most was connections with others. His parents were always distant to him, more concerned with the company and its profit margins than their own child, and for most of his life, he was homeschooled extensively by the best of the best...Which meant he had unbelievable pressures placed upon him. Landon never had a say in what he wanted to do with himself, it was always what his parents wanted for him. They had him taught to be able to inherit their empire, raised with all the social noblesse they could afford, and had him constantly accompany them to events and celebrations amongst the upper-class, to which he had no choice but to humbly accept. Most of his life was spent surrounded by strangers, who talked about him as if he weren't even there.
Things changed in an unexpected and potentially exciting direction for the young man when his parents told him he would be attending a public high school. Something about making the family seem more 'approachable' or something. He didn't care about their ulterior motives. Finally, for the first time in his life, he'd be among people his age! Maybe he could finally grasp some sense of normality, and do something he wanted to do for a change! However...That was not meant to be. At first, all seemed well. From his stunted perspective, he seemed to be exceptionally popular when he made landfall in high school, but he soon learned what was actually going on. People didn't care about Landon; they cared about his family...And their wealth. Yet again, he was being ignored. No, even worse, this time, it felt as if he was some kind of penalty strapped onto something his fellow students actually wanted. An aggravation and an obstacle; worse than nothing. Once he learned this, well, he at the very least was less willing to simply shower those so-called 'friends' with everything they wanted, but that just meant that everyone turned on him as if he were some kind of monster, forced into the role of the outcast. At the very least, it was a comfortable role. One that held a sense of familiarity; this was how it had always been, with nobody to lean on or call to. Just himself, suffering quietly for those around him.
Eventually, enough was enough. With what little backbone Landon possessed, he was finally going to speak out. If anything, he at the very least wanted to get out of that wretched school, and at most...Maybe, if they could listen to him, he could make them understand his point of view. How he'd never wanted for any of the things they'd shunted onto him, and how he wanted to be someone other than just 'the Mandel boy'. And so, at his earliest convenience, he talked to his parents at the dinner table. Only to be talked over, again, of course, and with news that would crush his tiny little soul even further.
There was going to be an arranged marriage. What? What? Landon barely knew anyone his own age, much less girls! How could this be happening?! It was way too sudden, it- his parents didn't care for his mounting anxiety as they spoke onward, telling of the benefits of the arrangement and that it would be officially settled within the next month or so. Yet again, his voice had been shut out. Expectations even heavier than the last dropped upon his fragile back, crushing him further into the ground, so far away from freedom. Shoved right back into the birdcage that was his life. With a mounting sickness growing in his stomach, he excused himself from the table, rushing to his room. It was there, sweating profusely and convulsing on the ground, that everything landed on him. All this time, he'd let others decide what he was going to be, no matter how draining or ruinous it was for him, like a puppet on their strings, letting their expectations for him outweigh his own self-worth, or his own dreams. It was then he'd realized that the one called 'Landon', who he claimed had ambitions and hopes of his own...Had never even truly been allowed to exist.
He Triggered.
It was a flash of feathers and fur, a blur of pitch-black overtaking his vision as he felt agony pass through his body; his skin felt as if it hardened and ripped apart, over and over. His nails burst forward like knives coming through his fingers. His muscles screamed as they contorted and expanded over and over again, and his bones creaked under the intense warping sensation. But for however horrible it had been, it was over in barely a second as Landon stood up once more, looking over himself...Some part of him was horrified by what had occurred, in abject terror over what he had become...But most of him was numbed over by the wave of emotions taking him over, and perhaps in a surge of adrenaline as he took in his inhuman visage, glancing over his vicious claws, a horrid, wicked thought plagued his newly-addled mind. "If there was no one to marry, then the marriage cannot occur."
It was then something clicked. He actually remembered the lady they were mentioning back at the dinner table; Landon had only met her once, but that may be enough. Lucky for him, all the rich of Bridgewater effectively congregated near the harbor with their high-end homes and the occasional manse, so it would only take so much trial and error for him to find the right house. Under normal circumstances, Landon would've never even humored such an idea, but he was far from thinking straight, and so he reached out for his bedroom window, pulling it up to feel a crisp breeze on the air. And he jumped.
There, flying in the air in the cool night...Landon truly felt free. But sadly, such a revelation wasn't enough to shake him from his delirium as he scouted the surrounding houses for any sense of familiarity, and eventually found it. Wasting no time, he smashed through the young lady's window, talons prepped to rip and tear, and yet...What he saw was not a young lady shaking in fear from a monster come bursting into her room, but a girl whose gaze was detached from the goings-on around her, looking as if she was utterly drained mentally and emotionally, as she looked towards Landon's imposing figure...Or, at least to him, it felt more as if she was looking right through him. It made him hesitate, but only briefly, as he lunged towards her, grasping her arms and hoisting her into the air, as if threatening to smash her into the ground. Still, she barely offered more than a small grunt of resistance. It was then, as they shared a glance, that Landon understood something. That look she had...Underneath all the fur and feathers, something told him it was the same one he was wearing right now.
Landon couldn't begin to tell you why he put her down. Maybe that moment of clarify robbed him of his impromptu aggression. Perhaps Claire (that was her name, as he was reminding himself in the moment) had used her own ability, as he soon would learn of. Regardless, his blind fury at someone as innocent as he was in this situation had ebbed out, and not knowing what else to do, he awkwardly took a seat on her floor, now roughly level to her standing height. What followed next was an...Unusual experience for the both of them. After a near-homicide was committed, the two merely sat down and just...Talked. Something neither of them had much of the luxury to do in their day-to-day lives. They talked to each other about almost everything, not least of which their latest mishaps that had led to their shared changes. Claire admitted to having some kind of ability like Landon, which she only learned about because she had somehow influenced her parents. She didn't know exactly how, or what she'd specifically done to them, but they were...Mellowed out, for lack of better term from either of them. Even when they walked in on their daughter and a giant bird-man, they didn't have much of a reaction beyond the fact that they were apparently going to make some tea and head to bed. From that day on, their lives became...Interesting.
Since then, Landon, far from eager to return home, had effectively started squatting in Claire's room. Luckily, she didn't mind, and honestly appreciated the positive company, of which she'd had little in her own life. They figured out exactly what she was doing; Claire was able to numb out the emotions of others, and eventually, it could even desensitize people's whole brains, which is exactly what she'd accidentally done to her parents. They weren't sure how long it'd last, or if it might cause permanent damage, but it at least made her parents very agreeable people, which according to her, they certainly were not beforehand. Of course, despite how much the pair actually enjoyed each other's company, they understood that their situation wasn't exactly sustainable. However, it was Claire who offered a solution; in her eyes, Landon was a quite wholesome and good man, and so, she suggested that he might look into the new Wards program starting up. He questioned if she would be joining it, too, but she declined, simply stating "Honestly, between the both of us, even with you becoming a giant bird monster...You have the far more agreeable power, as far as the public would see it." Honestly, it mortified him, the idea of doing all this...But it hurt even more to even possibly feel like a burden to the one person he'd become even remotely close to in the past 15 years of his life. So he agreed with her assessment. And who knows? Maybe being a hero was exactly what he needed, and he might even be able to make friends with the other Wards. The possibilities were endless!
...The recruitment process was quite awkward, however, given that he had to explain his whole absurdly drastic situation while attempting to dodge any mention of Claire herself being a Parahuman, not wishing to endanger her in any way. Still, though, eventually the PRT accepted his angle of the story (at least, as far as he was aware), and Landon was accepted into the Wards, desperately hoping that this would also serve as an effective smokescreen from his family for at least a while longer.
