cottonferret
Qia
spicykvnt
Festive
Rockette
Skai
Snowdrops
Cleveraptor
ButtsnBalls
Dion
Lee Arud
One foot in front of the other one, fast or slow, you'll get somewhere
Age: 48
Mutation: Troll
Occupation: ASL interpreter for university students, once worked with Moresby Explorers as a tour guide or cook
Face Claim: Ryan Hurst
The obvious aspect of Lee’s mutation is the physical differences between his body and most other humans. These differences are his tail, which he can use to swat flies or express his mood or distract little children (painfully…), his ears (also a painful distraction for children), and his horns, which might have grown more had his parents let them and which denote a slight thickening of the frontal bone in Lee’s skull, although his mother would likely say that he’d have a thick head without the horns anyway. Usually, he keeps these physical differences hidden, either through the outright means of covering them, like keeping his tail in his pants, which is pretty uncomfortable, or wearing a long jacket, or keeping the tips of his ears under his hair and growing his hair long so it covers his horns if he leaves it loose.
Or he makes use of a mental power that camouflages him from other peoples’ eyes. In most cases, if the eye does not know what it is looking at, the brain will either ignore the information it’s given or translate it into something it can understand. Lee’s camouflage technique works by encouraging this to an unnatural degree. He has no real control over what another person’s mind will be able to accept, and no way to know for sure what they’re seeing unless they tell him, and he generally prefers not to ask as that defeats the purpose by making them look closer. But usually, the mind opts for something normal, and maybe a little shorter. Something that isn’t different, they can pretend the horns are just an awkward shadow they didn’t quite see properly, that the ears are just a funnily placed bit of hair and the tail might have been a strap from someone’s backpack, a trick of the light or even just that the weird guy’s wearing a cow tail…
Whatever the case, he doesn’t actually make anything invisible, he just makes it seem less interesting, more ordinary, not worth noticing. In most instances, anyone he spends a lot of time with will become gradual aware of the fact that he has horns and pointy ears, but they won’t be surprised by it (unless they are very good at denying things) because they’ve been seeing them all along (although they could be surprised by the fact that they aren’t surprised). And anyone who isn’t bothered by the differences or isn’t looking for a human might see them normally, though they’d likely still be affected by the encouragement to consider it uninteresting whether or not that would be their initial reaction.
The effort of keeping this instinctive camouflage going for days on end is minimal enough that simply remaining healthy, rested and properly fed will negate the effects as they come. Should he get sick or exhausted or in any way lose his health, the effort will become greater the less healthy he is. The first sign would be getting a little shaky, the second would be headaches and fatigue and then it’ll just stop working. As these are general symptoms of most sicknesses he has a hard time noticing them until that point, and the continual use of his power, even after the sickness has passed, can leave him at the same level of health until he actually takes a rest and turns his power off long enough to get all the way better. Luckily, when he takes a sick day he usually doesn’t need to use his power since he’ll be at home, y’know, sleeping.
He can cue the minds around him to an even greater degree if he wants to, and rather than make himself seem unremarkable, he can make himself seem like part of the background. So unimportant that he is beneath notice, and any gaze will simply skip over him. He’ll register on a subconscious level, so that casual movement is possible without drawing any more attention his way, even if he was originally standing still. The mind simply continues to see a shape that was always there, and it wasn’t worth paying attention to before, so it isn’t then either. Of course, the more distracted the mind, the better this works. This greater camouflage is also more wearing on his own mind, and he’ll lose his focus after fifteen minutes and find it harder and harder to concentrate. If he tries to keep it up, the same symptoms as before will show up after about half an hour, but to a greater extent and with less time between. Too long and the headache gets pretty crippling.
It is not an infallible power, as the lower setting does wear off once someone gets used to his differences, and he cannot disappear on anyone who knows he is there, nor will it save him if he makes himself too conspicuous. Also, the more alert or perceptive a mind is, the harder it is to fool. But if a mind does not know what it is supposed to be perceiving it can still miss the obvious. However, neither have any limits as to how many people they can affect when he is making use of them; it merely depends on how many people are looking at him at any given time. Nor does the effect wear off after the person leaves his presence, because he’s not actively fooling them, he’s simply passively letting them come up with their own conclusions which they will not lose just because he’s left the room.
This camouflage also only effects another person’s sight, so touch, sound and scent are still reliable ways of finding out his differences or realising he’s there. And it only works on a sentient mind, so cameras and video recorders and even reflections will all show what he is trying to hide. And it doesn’t work if he is sleeping or tired enough that he ought to be sleeping. It might continue for a little while if he has it active when he starts dozing, but as soon as he falls completely asleep, it will stop.
Or he makes use of a mental power that camouflages him from other peoples’ eyes. In most cases, if the eye does not know what it is looking at, the brain will either ignore the information it’s given or translate it into something it can understand. Lee’s camouflage technique works by encouraging this to an unnatural degree. He has no real control over what another person’s mind will be able to accept, and no way to know for sure what they’re seeing unless they tell him, and he generally prefers not to ask as that defeats the purpose by making them look closer. But usually, the mind opts for something normal, and maybe a little shorter. Something that isn’t different, they can pretend the horns are just an awkward shadow they didn’t quite see properly, that the ears are just a funnily placed bit of hair and the tail might have been a strap from someone’s backpack, a trick of the light or even just that the weird guy’s wearing a cow tail…
Whatever the case, he doesn’t actually make anything invisible, he just makes it seem less interesting, more ordinary, not worth noticing. In most instances, anyone he spends a lot of time with will become gradual aware of the fact that he has horns and pointy ears, but they won’t be surprised by it (unless they are very good at denying things) because they’ve been seeing them all along (although they could be surprised by the fact that they aren’t surprised). And anyone who isn’t bothered by the differences or isn’t looking for a human might see them normally, though they’d likely still be affected by the encouragement to consider it uninteresting whether or not that would be their initial reaction.
The effort of keeping this instinctive camouflage going for days on end is minimal enough that simply remaining healthy, rested and properly fed will negate the effects as they come. Should he get sick or exhausted or in any way lose his health, the effort will become greater the less healthy he is. The first sign would be getting a little shaky, the second would be headaches and fatigue and then it’ll just stop working. As these are general symptoms of most sicknesses he has a hard time noticing them until that point, and the continual use of his power, even after the sickness has passed, can leave him at the same level of health until he actually takes a rest and turns his power off long enough to get all the way better. Luckily, when he takes a sick day he usually doesn’t need to use his power since he’ll be at home, y’know, sleeping.
He can cue the minds around him to an even greater degree if he wants to, and rather than make himself seem unremarkable, he can make himself seem like part of the background. So unimportant that he is beneath notice, and any gaze will simply skip over him. He’ll register on a subconscious level, so that casual movement is possible without drawing any more attention his way, even if he was originally standing still. The mind simply continues to see a shape that was always there, and it wasn’t worth paying attention to before, so it isn’t then either. Of course, the more distracted the mind, the better this works. This greater camouflage is also more wearing on his own mind, and he’ll lose his focus after fifteen minutes and find it harder and harder to concentrate. If he tries to keep it up, the same symptoms as before will show up after about half an hour, but to a greater extent and with less time between. Too long and the headache gets pretty crippling.
It is not an infallible power, as the lower setting does wear off once someone gets used to his differences, and he cannot disappear on anyone who knows he is there, nor will it save him if he makes himself too conspicuous. Also, the more alert or perceptive a mind is, the harder it is to fool. But if a mind does not know what it is supposed to be perceiving it can still miss the obvious. However, neither have any limits as to how many people they can affect when he is making use of them; it merely depends on how many people are looking at him at any given time. Nor does the effect wear off after the person leaves his presence, because he’s not actively fooling them, he’s simply passively letting them come up with their own conclusions which they will not lose just because he’s left the room.
This camouflage also only effects another person’s sight, so touch, sound and scent are still reliable ways of finding out his differences or realising he’s there. And it only works on a sentient mind, so cameras and video recorders and even reflections will all show what he is trying to hide. And it doesn’t work if he is sleeping or tired enough that he ought to be sleeping. It might continue for a little while if he has it active when he starts dozing, but as soon as he falls completely asleep, it will stop.
Appearance:
Standing straight, Lee is 7’1”, though he does tend to slouch a little. His height and its relative proportions are what most people notice right off. Particularly in close quarters and when his power isn’t active. He is not, otherwise, an exceptional sight. He is tall and lanky, with long arms and long legs and the muscle of a man more used to labour than athletics.
The next thing one might notice about Lee is the greater than average amount of hair on his head. It is straight and a light, reddish brown just beginning to grey, and reaches to the middle of his back. He often pulls it back in a braid or low ponytail and does wash and brush it regularly for all it has a tendency to bush out a bit. Two small, pointed, horn nubs, one above each temple, give him a fairly pronounced widow’s peak. He also has a full beard, with more grey in it than his hair, which he trims after it’s reached his collarbone. So it fluctuates between relatively short and long-ish. He will rarely, if ever, shave.
His face, hidden under all this hair, is a friendly one. He has thick, expressive eyebrows over distant green-hazel eyes and a nose prominent enough to poke in other peoples’ business, were he the sort. It’s been broken at least once and mended crooked. When he looks at a person, it is quite clear that he is looking at them. When he gives someone his attention it appears to be, and is, wholehearted and undivided. Lee has a few wrinkles, deep lines around his nose and crows feet about the corners of his eyes. Both his ears are longer and pointier than the average human being. The upper ridge is sturdy enough to support the extra length(about 3”) and the lower edge is thick with short hair from halfway along its length up to a tuft at the tip.
Lee’s frame is slender, and thanks to his height can seem a little stretched, but his shoulders are wide enough to carry a heavy load and he does a horrible impression of a beanpole. The muscle he’s gained from his previous jobs is beginning to fade into fat, particularly about the middle, but he’s remained active enough to retain his endurance, at least, and is certainly no frail, old man. There are callouses on his hands and feet too rough for time to wear away quickly, and he moves with the steady, unhurried gait of a man who knows his strengths and isn’t afraid of his weaknesses. For comfort, as well as to save on tailoring, he quite often wears a wrap in place of pants if he’s at home, but he’s got well-worn jeans and sweats and even one suit stashed away in his closet, with tops to match, and hiking boots that have been all over with him. But he doesn’t like anything too tight to the skin, particularly on his back end as his tail doesn’t appreciate being cramped.
It is a fairly slender appendage, roughly the same circumference as a dollar the whole way down, although the base is noticeably thicker than the tip. The end drags on the ground if he leaves it hanging loose, though he usually has it wrapped around a leg inside his pants or curved up off the ground. It is covered in fine, light hairs that get longer at the end and form a tuft the same colour as his head hair, much like a cow’s. The tail itself is quite flexible, though it certainly can’t tie itself into a knot, and has a mind of its own. Good for sharing his mood, not so great for keeping it hidden.
Lee has no tattoos or piercings and wears accessories only rarely. He doesn’t wear glasses; he doesn’t need them. And his voice is a low bass.
Standing straight, Lee is 7’1”, though he does tend to slouch a little. His height and its relative proportions are what most people notice right off. Particularly in close quarters and when his power isn’t active. He is not, otherwise, an exceptional sight. He is tall and lanky, with long arms and long legs and the muscle of a man more used to labour than athletics.
The next thing one might notice about Lee is the greater than average amount of hair on his head. It is straight and a light, reddish brown just beginning to grey, and reaches to the middle of his back. He often pulls it back in a braid or low ponytail and does wash and brush it regularly for all it has a tendency to bush out a bit. Two small, pointed, horn nubs, one above each temple, give him a fairly pronounced widow’s peak. He also has a full beard, with more grey in it than his hair, which he trims after it’s reached his collarbone. So it fluctuates between relatively short and long-ish. He will rarely, if ever, shave.
His face, hidden under all this hair, is a friendly one. He has thick, expressive eyebrows over distant green-hazel eyes and a nose prominent enough to poke in other peoples’ business, were he the sort. It’s been broken at least once and mended crooked. When he looks at a person, it is quite clear that he is looking at them. When he gives someone his attention it appears to be, and is, wholehearted and undivided. Lee has a few wrinkles, deep lines around his nose and crows feet about the corners of his eyes. Both his ears are longer and pointier than the average human being. The upper ridge is sturdy enough to support the extra length(about 3”) and the lower edge is thick with short hair from halfway along its length up to a tuft at the tip.
Lee’s frame is slender, and thanks to his height can seem a little stretched, but his shoulders are wide enough to carry a heavy load and he does a horrible impression of a beanpole. The muscle he’s gained from his previous jobs is beginning to fade into fat, particularly about the middle, but he’s remained active enough to retain his endurance, at least, and is certainly no frail, old man. There are callouses on his hands and feet too rough for time to wear away quickly, and he moves with the steady, unhurried gait of a man who knows his strengths and isn’t afraid of his weaknesses. For comfort, as well as to save on tailoring, he quite often wears a wrap in place of pants if he’s at home, but he’s got well-worn jeans and sweats and even one suit stashed away in his closet, with tops to match, and hiking boots that have been all over with him. But he doesn’t like anything too tight to the skin, particularly on his back end as his tail doesn’t appreciate being cramped.
It is a fairly slender appendage, roughly the same circumference as a dollar the whole way down, although the base is noticeably thicker than the tip. The end drags on the ground if he leaves it hanging loose, though he usually has it wrapped around a leg inside his pants or curved up off the ground. It is covered in fine, light hairs that get longer at the end and form a tuft the same colour as his head hair, much like a cow’s. The tail itself is quite flexible, though it certainly can’t tie itself into a knot, and has a mind of its own. Good for sharing his mood, not so great for keeping it hidden.
Lee has no tattoos or piercings and wears accessories only rarely. He doesn’t wear glasses; he doesn’t need them. And his voice is a low bass.
