Mason John McQueen

[Mason McQueen]

The Basics

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Name:
Mason John McQueen
Nicknames:
MJ (by his parents and childhood friends), Mason, Johnny (by his sister), Mr. Rapunzel
Age:
Thirty-two (32)
Orientation:
Heterosexual
Desired Rank/Job:
Teacher (Biology and/or Chemistry)
Powers:
Prehensile Hair. Mason has the ability to control the hair on his head like one of his appendages, able to shape it into almost any form imaginable. Every strand of his hair has greater tensile strength, elastic modulus and sheer resistance than an average iron wire of the same diameter. This gives him extra strength, enabling him to lift any object under a hundred pounds (he starts to feel the strain, particularly on his scalp, when the object starts getting near 90lbs or higher). He can also make his hair lash out like whips, clocking at around 30mph. Theoretically he can also perform feats that require finesse like lock picking, though he finds that such feats require more concentration compared to, say throwing a chair across the room.
Part of his power is his ability to elongate his hair. Being a guy (and brainwashed by his parents that guys should look neat with short hair as always), he usually wills his hair to grow longer whenever he wishes to use his power. The longest he’s gone is around 10 feet (9 feet 10 inches), but it drained him so much (energy and nutrient-wise) that he was in bed for around a week or so. So the longest he can go without passing out is around 6 feet, though to be safe he only lets it out at around 5.
While he can make his hair grow longer, he can’t make them grow shorter. That being said, he needs to cut his hair manually should he find such long strands incredibly annoying. Which means he doesn’t use his powers unless really necessary (shampooing 5 foot long hair is one ordeal he would never want to go through, really).
Another thing is he needs to take protein supplements regularly. As hair is primarily composed of protein, using his power gives such a protein strain on his body. It was told that should he use his powers and not take supplements, his power would drain his arms, legs and other muscles of the much needed protein, ultimately leaving him undernourished and weak. This also means that he has a more than average metabolism, causing him to be hungry almost every time. He can’t live off a vegan diet, much to the distress of his late wife Angela.
A noteworthy side effect of Mason’s powers is that he has no other hair in his body. True, he has the normal body hair, but those that grow after puberty (facial, pubic and armpit) escaped him. He first thought he’s just a late bloomer, but since he’s in late thirties now, he’s accepted that he just can’t grow a beard. An explanation given to him before (and something that he thought off a few years before too) is that since his powers developed during puberty, his body decided that it would be too much to have hair grow all over him too. Better to concentrate his hair on one part of his body to conserve nutrients. It doesn’t really bother him that much anymore anyway.
Play By:
James Marsden

The Details

Hair Color:
Dark Brown.
Eye Color:
Blue.
Any Piercings?
None. His parents didn’t allow it when he was a kid, and when he grew up, he didn’t feel like it was really needed anyway.
Any Tattoos?
Nope. Again, parents disagreed. He was somehow brainwashed that only brutish people put tattoos on themselves. Not that he believes that now, but he still finds the whole thing unnecessary.
Any Scars?
Other than those from childhood that have slowly faded away, none.
General Appearance:
Mason has that boy-next-door look going on around him. With his brown hair, blue eyes and ever-present smile, most people mistake him for being a guy ten years younger than he really is. And him not being able to grow a beard or a ‘stache doesn’t hurt much either. (His brother claims that the events of last year somehow aged him a bit, but not too much that he looks 33 yet. Maybe 25 or 28?). He likes to keep his hair short, which means he stands at odds really with his powers. He stands at around 6 feet and 1.5 inches to 6 feet 2, depending on the measuring stick used. The nutrient requirements and enhanced metabolism side effect of his power gives him somewhat a lean to toned body structure, though this all depends on whether he works out or not. He also has quite the long fingers (he has the longest among his siblings), which may or may not work to his advantage, depending on the situation.

Adding to his boyish look is the fact that outside work, Mason’s as casual as can be. Sure he can clean up nicely with a dress shirt, slacks, a tie and other whatnots, but when he’s just about town lounging around, he can be seen in a simple shirt (usually of pastel colors, mostly light blue, as Angela said it works well with his eyes), jeans and sneakers. He doesn’t really fuss about his look, seeing that his late wife used to do all the shopping for him before. As for jewelry, the only one he usually has is the silver Seiko watch Angela gave him on his first birthday in their married life. He never takes it off, except for when he’s going to take a bath. And besides, he can’t live much without the time anyway.
Personality:
Mason’s basically a lenient, lax and laid back guy. He doesn’t really fuss about the nitty-gritty of life, preferring to take life as is, to go with the flow. He does know when to be serious and when not to be, especially when it comes to work and such, finishing with the best of his ability whatever it is that he may have started. But between that and the next task that needs his full attention, he’s basically dazed and often times out there. He also has a tendency to be a bit too forgetful at times.

Growing up in a Christian household, the concept of morality has been long ingrained in him. From the doctrines of his faith to how to live like a believer, he basically knows it by heart, thanks to his minister father. Given that, Mason has a strong sense of right and wrong, but it does waver from time to time, especially if he sees that situation as a mostly grey area. Stealing, killing (murder), suicide, deceit and even premarital sex is completely a ‘no’ to him, but for things like ‘white lies’ and homosexuality, despite the strong position of his mom and dad against such things, he’s still undecided.

Mason finds it easy to sympathize and give advice to most of his friends and colleagues. It started out when he was little and people around him would suddenly come up and lay all their troubles on him. At first he was confused, but then he was convinced by his parents that it is God’s gift to him, and he should welcome it. The irony of the situation is while he can easily help people, he finds it hard to tell himself that it’ll all be better in the end.

Mason likes kids, growing up helping his parents organize Sunday Schools and other church activities for the community they serve. He always has a ready smile for people, and has this childish aura around him. Lying is definitely not his thing, being too nervous to even cover up something so simple. He claims to have some weird guilty feeling wash over him every time he lies. That being said, he also finds it hard to tell when people are lying. He’s somewhat, to an extent, gullible, rarely doubting what people tell him to do.

He’s somewhat the sleepyhead, finding it hard to get up in the morning despite sleeping at 7 or 8pm the previous night. He also loves video games, given that it was his bonding time with Angela (yup, they play at least thrice a week). He’s not that good, but he could definitely hold his own against a teenager (at least live for two or more rounds at that).

Unfortunately though, Angela’s death hit Mason hard. Not too much to alter his personality drastically, but enough to take his once permanent smile off from time to time. While he doesn’t have bouts of depression before, Mason finds himself suddenly tearing up from something that reminds him of Angela. He’s trying so hard to at least move on, but he’s finding it a bit hard. Also his faith wavered for a bit, he himself saying that it’s not as strong as it was before.

Your Vices

Likes:
- Children (not in that way of course)
- Apples and bananas
- Disney movies. Like Toy Story, Up, etc.
- Brownies and chocolate chip cookies.
- Trivial data. Statistics even. He finds it interesting and thinks of it as useful.
- Reading the Bible. Or at least that’s what he tells his parents when they check in every now and then.
- His family.
- Sea stars and octopi. And hippos as well. Angela liked them so much and she induced it to him somehow.
- Video games. They remind him of Angela.
Dislikes:
- Oranges. Too sour.
- Pencils. Hard to use (compared to pens).
- Action movies. He just can’t stand too much guns in one movie.
- The unwanted side effects of his powers, especially the ‘I can’t make it short again’ part. Too much of a hassle really.
- Nosy and people that are too curious.
- Hotdogs and bacon.
- Not knowing what time it is. He gets really frazzled and out of his zone when he doesn’t know the time, hence always having a wristwatch. He used to wear a black Timex watch, but changed it to the silver Seiko his late wife gave him.
- Marshmallows. When he was 5, for one day he ate nothing but marshmallows and he was so sick the next day. From then on, he’s never had one for himself. For all the weakness his smell has, marshmallow smell always makes him squirm and the texture makes him queasy. It was all traumatic for him really.
Strengths:
- Music. He’s basically trained in the use of the piano, base guitar, guitar and the drums (thanks to his parents coaxing him to participate to all church activities when he when was young), though he prefers the drums the best.
- Dealing with people, especially with children. He prides himself as somewhat the charismatic person, that even without empathy, he could easily relate to people.
- Academics, particularly the sciences. The sciences fascinated Mason long before Angela did. He used to tease her that she was only his second love, chemistry being the first.
- Focus. Despite his lax personality, when Mason decides on finishing a task, he does do it to the fullest of his ability. It might take him some time, but he wouldn’t leave his work unfinished.
Weaknesses:
- Singing and dancing. His musical ability starts and ends with the instruments. He’s basically tone deaf and possesses two left feet.
- Arts. His hands are suited for handling Petri dishes or burettes, not paintbrushes and sketchpads.
- Shopping. Ever the simple guy, he never really gave much attention to what he wears. And besides, Angela usually shops for him so why bother?
- Scents. Mason has an unusually weak sense of smell. And no, he doesn’t think it’s a side effect of his powers.
Fears:
- Growing bald. He fears that the strain in his scalp would make him bald in the future.
- Coconut meat. He’s allergic to it. He has a weird allergic reaction to it that makes his heart stop beating.
- Floods. He saw the devastation they could do when he was young. It was never pretty. And the fact that it occurred every rainy season back in the Philippines didn’t give him much hope either.
Secret:
- He could still hear Angela’s voice and sometimes even feel her touch in his sleep at some nights.
- He has no, and can’t grow, facial, pubic and armpit hair.

Family Ties

Father:
Rev. George McQueen Jr. (65) - non-powered, minister
Mother:
Bianca Clarisse McQueen nee DiLanto (65) – non-powered, lawyer
Siblings:
Lois Ruth Greenwood nee McQueen (35) – non-powered, nurse
Paul Andrei McQueen (28) – empathy, journalist
Timothy Frederick McQueen (20) – non-powered
Any Other Important People:
Angela Marie McQueen nee Moore (32, deceased) – wife; non-powered, molecular biologist
Jonathan Kenneth Moore (66) – father-in-law; non-powered, bank manager
Naomi Bernadeth Moore (62) – mother-in-law; non-powered, real estate agent
Nicholas Cain Greenwood (34) – brother-in-law; non-powered, engineer
Milo Raphael Greenwood (5) – nephew
Vladimir James Greenwood (3) – nephew
Chowder – ChowChow, pet dog

History

To say that Mason grew up in a Christian household would be an understatement. Mainly because his dad was a pastor/minister in their church, Mason knew all the stories in the Bible (at least the child friendly ones anyway, like Noah or Moses) before he even knew Mother Goose’s tales, Aesop’s Fables or even Walt Disney’s movies. He, along with his older sister and two younger brothers, were expected to be role models, especially among their peers, given that their father is a revered figure in their local church. They were encouraged to actively in church activities, joining the choir, band and other such programs. While it may sound a bit overbearing (and at times it is), it worked for Mason, somewhat.

He was 10 when his dad decided that, in his words, ‘God is leading me somewhere else’. Which he knew, being a pastor’s son, meant only one thing: migrating to another country. His parents talked about it for a while, and after a month or so of deliberating and praying, they’ve decided to get on with it. So at age 11, Mason and his family flew to the other side of the world, the Philippines, and helped plant a church there.

Life in the Philippines wasn’t so hard. Sure it took some getting used to, from the culture, to the food and climate, but after a while, it got better. The church that his father decided to help was actually good, and his mother easily found a firm to which to work for. School life was ok, as Mason and his siblings found themselves welcomed warmly by their classmates. Fortunately English was the second (or at times, first) language at the country so they really didn’t have that much trouble (he tried to learn a few words, but his Filipino friends always teased him for having quite an accent).

He was 15 when his powers first manifested. He was on his way home late one night, taking a short detour through the market as his mom asked him to buy some garlic and onions as they seem to have run out already. He was idly strolling across the pavement, plastic bag on one hand and wallet on another, when a guy, probably just a bit older than him, suddenly came up and snatched his wallet from him. He tried to chase the guy, mumbling at himself for carrying such a heavy bag home. When the guy went into a more crowded place, he shouted to the top of his voice, hoping someone would help him. Unfortunately, the ambient noise drowned his cries. He was almost out of breath and was already losing hope when he suddenly felt something tingle at the back of his head. He didn’t know what it was, but the next thing he knew, his hair had grown five times its normal size and had stopped the robber in his tracks, wrapping around his left ankle, leaving him hanging upside down. Surrounded by a confused group of people and surprised beyond compare, he suddenly dropped the man (fortunately it was just a few inches above the ground), grabbed his wallet and made a quick run back home.

His parents and siblings were just as confused when a teary-eyed Mason covered in what seems to be his hair came home. He was so confused that even his parents’ ‘That’s ok, God has a plan’ advice didn’t seem uplifting. He didn’t go to school for the next two days after that, still a bit shaken. After a week, a recruiter from Eisai, a lovely Filipina lady who called herself Stephanie, knocked at their door and explained everything to Mason and his family. While his family was shocked, lucky for Mason, they accepted his meta-human-ness with open arms, saying that God has a plan for their kid. But then, George asked if their son could be sent to the American school, Hammel, instead. They are, after all, American citizens still. Stephanie initially rejected the idea, as technically Mason is in their jurisdiction, but then compromised. Should Mason not like Eisai for one year, they’d transfer him to Hammel freely. And after a year, he did just that.

Life in Hammel was ok. While Eisai helped him test the limits of his abilities and had extra strict regulations about homework, he found Hammel to be a bit more lax and enjoyable. As a result, he grew so relaxed with his studies. From being a B+/A- student in Eisai, he went down to a B-/B student, at times even becoming a C+. It was only in his junior year that he decided to take things seriously. Fortunately, he graduated with an A- average and quickly got into university to pursue a degree in biomedical engineering.

It was in college that he met with Angela Moore, a childhood friend of his back in their church. The Moores were a close family friend of his parents, and seeing that they’re still in the Philippines, they asked if Mason could probably board with them, at least until he finishes his schooling. Without hesitation, they welcomed Mason into their household. And as fate would have it, he and Angela are going to the same university. Her parents even joked about having Mason as Angela’s little chaperone, keeping an eye on her wherever she might go.

He and Angela didn’t go out until their senior year. Both were apparently a bit too busy with their studies to care, and Mason’s a bit of a shy guy in terms of romance anyway. And besides, they see each other every day and live in the same house; they’re more like siblings than potential lovers really. Heck, they even bicker over trivial stuff like who should wash the dishes like real brother and sister. They dated for five or six years before he proposed. When she asked him why it took him so long, he said he didn’t think he was ready to start a family three years ago (they were both finishing up on their masters degree during that time anyway) and he wasn’t sure how she’d react. A year after that, when they were both 28, they got married at a nice quaint church.

His married life was again, fortunately, blissful. No big arguments, no financial crises. They both got decent (or more than decent) paying jobs, Angela at a hospital and him in a pharmaceutical company. His biggest dream was to have a child, but since Angela told him she doesn’t think they’re ready yet, he simply bought a male Chow-chow whom Angela called Chowder (real creative right?). Life was easy, life was fun. At 29, Angela told him that she’s ready to have a child. And he was ecstatic. But that is when life started going downhill for him.

A few days later, after a routine physical, Angela was diagnosed with T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia, a particularly rare and aggressive type of leukemia. It was said that the average life span of a patient diagnosed with the said type of leukemia is around 8 months or so. She has been complaining about feeling a bit unwell over the past few days, but they never really imagined it was this severe.

The next few months was spent on radiation and chemotherapy. It was so hard on Mason to see Angela like that, but he knew they had no other choice. He tried calling his contacts back in Hammel, trying to remember if he knew a healer, but even though he did, none of them had the ability to make Angela better. He was slowly becoming more and more depressed and stressed out. He didn’t know what to do. He felt so small, so powerless. For a moment, he asked why had God given him such a useless gift? Why not the power to treat cancer instead of some useless hair manipulation? All his 30 years he’d been faithful to Him and now this? It was outrageous.

He almost went insane had it not been for Angela constantly keeping him at peace. She sensed his internal turmoil and tried his best to keep him on the ground. His brother, Paul (though he goes by Andrei more during these times), visited him frequently (he was apparently a meta too, and after graduating from Hammel, he decided to stay in the US, but not really for studies and all that) during these times. Fortunately they managed to keep Mason from backsliding too much (Angela’s apparent recovery didn’t hurt much either). But when he thought things might get better, Angela died. It was a day after their anniversary, four days before Christmas. She died holding his hand, with a smile on her face, saying that she’ll always love him and would look after him every day.
He was devastated. For a month or so, no one could talk to him properly. He can’t believe Angela was gone. She was, after all, his first and last girlfriend. They were childhood friends and have become great friends even before getting married. It was just too much for him. Paul took a leave from his work in Vermont and stayed with his brother through the ordeal, helping him get back to his senses.

For the next six or so months, Mason seemed to be happy again. He seems to be coping well, feeling a bit sad at times but that’s that. He’d have a few moments that he’ll stare at his late wife’s picture by their bed, but after a while, he’d get back to what he’s been doing. He’s slowly catching up to work and is becoming the reserved yet always smiling Mason McQueen. But then his depression came back when Angela’s birthday came up. Paul’s hunch was right – Mason was only hiding everything inside him.

It was then that he suggested that a new life might be good for Mason. Mason was initially angered by the idea, angry at the fact that Paul would suggest him forgetting Angela. But then, even the Moores agreed Mason needs to move on. And he couldn’t do that if he’s still bombarded with Angela’s memories every waking moment of his life.

He’s been in Vermont for a month or so already, and while he’s still hasn’t moved on completely, he’s slowly getting there. Paul’s been kind enough to support the both of them for the time being, but he knows sooner or later, he needs to get back to work. While there aren’t any labs or companies around he could work with (none he would like to work with anyway), fortunately for him, there’s Hammel. Having kids has always been his dream, so maybe if he can’t have some of his own, he can adopt some for the moment.

Roleplay Example

*drags Zachie and Jared into the spotlight*

What About You?

Name: The Lick Monster. ^^. Jam please. .
Age: 20 minutes old.
Experience: 10 minutes and counting. XD.
How Did You Find Us? I found you bookmarked on my browser. Weird really.
Ready To Play? Should I be? =P

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[Raena *]

Accepted!

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Lovely! Now do that whole claiming thing. ^_^[/blockquote][/center]