#animal. loyal to a fault. sat and chained when all he wants is to break free and bite

[charleemoon]

hiiii (im the same age as you and also a will stan lol)

so anywayyyy I had a thought last night while I was half asleep that Will's hobby/passion of fishing is on the surface level seen as cute, wholesome, outdoorsy and spending time in nature, so wholesome and normal :)

but when you think about it, it's literally just hunting and murdering fish °_°

anyway I just thought that was a cool parallel/easter egg

hallo!!!! what a beautiful day to be nineteen years old!!! i love will graham so much because he is like me... i wonder if that is akin to self obsession

you're right !! i think it's genuinely very interesting how if you look at will, he continuously has found ways to channel his capacity for violence into other parts of his life. he is a hunter, worked as cop until he was stabbed, unable to pull the trigger. he is constantly reorienting his life to remove himself from violence, to give himself no opportunity to relish in it. and yet, he wades out to the river, shaken from work, violent images flashing through his head. he fishes, hooks his prey, and guts it, blood spilling out on the cutting board. do you think he ever got a rush from the sensation?

[adventk-blog]

                                             — ARE YOU WHO YOU WANT TO BE,

       introducing LEE HYUKSOO, a MUTANT, under the moniker of MAD HATTER — and currently a believer of CO-EXISTENCE. age ( thirty-two ) and gifted with the ability of DISTORTION, they are currently working as PRIVATE SECURITY CONTRACTOR .

WE ARE SO MUCH MORE THAN STORIES,

I.

he was brought into this world with a purpose.

everything was laid out before him: his parents gave him up to training at their masters’ hands from the moment he was old enough to stand, and his role was defined before he could speak. he would be a loyal blade for his masters, whether that made him an enforcer or a killer or a guard, and in growing up he became all of these things for the old-money mob family who he called his everything.

the world outside his masters’ sphere never sat quite right with him; despite attending normal school, he couldn’t connect with the other children. that thing about him which was different stood out far too strong: his sense of purpose, the violence embedded under his skin from the moment he could hold a weapon. well-behaved he certainly was, trained to be just that, but just as much was he emotionally distant, reserved. the only children who could tolerate his stiffness were those who’d been raised not so unlike him – the only one who ever managed to melt his heart was michiko.

michiko was the youngest daughter of his masters, a girl six years his junior who followed him everywhere, and who he followed everywhere in turn. he was assigned to be her personal attendant and guard, constantly present to ensure that no one would dare bring her harm for her heritage’s sake, and he never complained. he loved her like a sister, gave her the warmth in his soul he never even knew he had to compensate for how her siblings did not. and despite how cruel and inhumane his actions may have been under his masters’ orders, he was never especially remorseful for it – and he was always soft with her.

until he was eighteen, this was how life went – structured, peaceful, happy.

II.

things went wrong, as they are prone to do.

hyuksoo lost everything in the blink of an eye: he and michiko returned home that day to carnage, to corpses and those near to it strewn about the manor after a bombing by a rival group. he was utterly consumed with grief at the bedside of his masters, blaming himself despite hardly being worthy of such fault, grasping at straws for a miracle that would bring them back to him – at least what was left.

a devil whispered in his ear that there could be a way, and he fell completely for its deception.

a promise of impossible medical advances, humans becoming able to do the unthinkable. experimentation that could bring about a power great enough to save someone against even the worst of odds. it was so sweet on the ailing mind of a child who had sworn his life to these people and knew nothing but serving them, and so he threw himself into the devil’s game, willingly became a monster if it might mean saving the people he loved.

the art of torture was already written into his veins; to change its direction to innocents was nothing. hyuksoo became a supplier of fresh subjects, a tormentor yet still willing to do any dirty work the facility could ask of him. he lived with michiko and cared for her, but he grew colder and colder as he single-mindedly pursued the impossible. he swears he lost his soul in those cold months, and that it will never return to him even now.

(he will never forget the sound of michiko crying “please don’t leave me alone” each time he left her.)

III.

a deal with the devil cannot save anyone.

hyuksoo should have known this, but he was blinded utterly by his devotion and his grief. it would come to destroy him; asked to harm a young girl, he froze in place with the blade not yet piercing her fragile skin, unable to proceed. the slightest sign of weakness was a threat coming from someone so disposable who knew far too much: hyuksoo was pulled into the very hell to which he had delivered so many innocent souls. he was torn apart body and mind, the fragile remains of his heart ripped to ribbons as he spilled red blood onto the tormentors he had once stood beside. even then, he snarled and spat in the face of anyone who gave him the slightest opportunity to fight back.

for months more he suffered like this as their magic drug worked its way under his skin and played at his genes. and in the end, that would be their undoing – but not before he had to witness michiko dragged into this hell with him, not at all able to withstand the torture the way he had.

he lost her, too, before he truly lost his mind.

hyuksoo’s body had long been trained to endure, and so endure it did; he had been trained to adapt, and so adapt he would. it was only natural that a mutation would settle into his bones and only fitting that that mutation would let him break free of his chains. with the aid of this new friend that thrummed in his blood he set loose others who had been subjected to his same torment, killed and killed his torturers until numbness set into his heart and hands alike.

IV.

he had his freedom, but nothing else.

no one had ever given hyuksoo a purpose other than to serve. no one had ever told him how to live when your soul is empty and you’ve destroyed the last good thing you had. he’s not sure anyone possibly could have told him that.

bloody, battered, mutilated, he let himself fall finally – empty. with nowhere to go and nothing to hope for, he’d thought for certain that he would die there, even though hatred still burned in his heart, fueling a desperate desire for vengeance. whether it was fortunate or unfortunate he wouldn’t know, but a pair of children found him like that and brought him to safety in a manor not so unlike the one he’d spent most of his life in.

hyuksoo awoke there lost, angry, his grievous wounds treated and wrapped tight in bandages, with a gentle woman not much older than him sitting at his bedside, smiling. despite how he balked like a caged animal, she saw some kind of hope in him that he couldn’t possibly see in himself. she wanted him to live, wanted to help him learn to live again. maybe she was just lonesome due to her poor health and wanted a pet project to dote on, he’d laugh. it makes no difference.

V.

treated with enough kindness, even the most withered plants may flower again.

soohyuk would not say that he bloomed, no, but he healed, bit by bit. he’d thought he’d lost his heart along with his left eye and so much flesh and every shred of his former self, but she taught him how to breathe again. she taught him that it was alright to live even with his grief, that there was still value simply in his being alive. he never deserved such kindness, he’s sure, but she gave it without his asking, even if he begged her not to. that, too, has value, he realized.

falling into old patterns was only natural; soohyuk invariably became the big brother figure as well as the personal attendant of his lady’s daughter, a girl not much younger than michiko had been. perhaps, in some cosmic way, he wanted to atone for his mistakes – make things right by doing better this time. maybe he just couldn’t change the way his soul attached itself to her in memory of the girl he lost. he doesn’t know; it doesn’t matter. it would change nothing.

VI.

peace comes again.

years of physical therapy and reconstructive surgery later and soohyuk can travel in the daylight again, follow his young mistress wherever she may need him. he can fight again, though perhaps not the way he once could. he keeps a doll michiko once made for him in his pocket as a reminder – calls it by her name so he’s sure he won’t forget what he’s done. he makes friends, if awkwardly. he picks up a sharp sense of humor and a taste for practical jokes that he’d never had before.

he lives.

the young mistress shows a mutation as she grows older and soohyuk can’t help but be concerned. he doesn’t much speak of his own, no, but he knows too well the horrors that can follow such powers. his lady finds a place called “daybreak foundation”, but he doesn’t trust it – how could he? he trusts nothing and believes nothing to be free of an agenda, and too easily would those agendas come to harm the things he wishes to protect. his lady indulges his suspicions, uncertain herself, and sends him to incheon alone to investigate.

fighting is written into his veins, even if he has become clumsier with time and injury eating at his sinews; his expertise lets him slip into daybreak’s walls not as a potential, but as an instructor in techniques of combat and surveillance. he never reveals his mutation, instead leaves it a mystery why he knows so much about mutants – he just says he has experience, and it’s not important where he got it. his background checks out, after all. the dark splotches staining his past cannot be found on official records.

he finds things to be suspicious of, but remains on his lady’s wishes; even if she cannot send her daughter there, it remains a point of interest. her late husband’s research, her daughter’s strange behaviors, soohyuk’s existence in her life – it’s interlinked. incheon, by virtue of daybreak foundation, has become an epicenter for coming change, and she cannot watch it first-hand; instead, soohyuk travels by shadow, seeking information and answers, seeking to atone for his own bloody deeds toward mutantkind.

VII.

the earth shakes, bringing the fragile, cracked tower of hope to the ground.

disgust wells up in soohyuk’s core at the thought that daybreak was performing experiments, as well – he disappears into the shadows, but not before he reaches out to protect those he cares about within the foundation’s walls. the expected change comes, shakes the world to its core, and his lady walks on eggshells from her stance in the limelight – soohyuk does not return home, either, for his efforts have not come to fruition, and the answers have not come clear. he plays the part of her eyes and ears; he watches and waits.

he is far too wicked to be a “hero”, but he seeks to make amends – to protect where he has once harmed. he will never place himself in the spotlight, but there is much to be done by moving through the shadows. this is the role into which he places himself: vigilante is a strong word for him, but soohyuk is certainly a man of his goals, even if those may be abstract until the still-quaking world chooses to define them.

THERE IS FLESH AND BLOOD BEHIND THESE TALES,

outwardly, eccentric: soohyuk is a strange man, make no question about it. his body language is light and careless, incredibly expressive yet somehow telling you nothing at all about what he’s feeling. he speaks formally, respectfully, in an airy and lyrical voice, but there is an underlying bite to everything he says which can be difficult to properly identify. he seems easy-going yet his expression is discerning and his words keener still. he has a mischievous, childish streak – loves to see people squirm in discomfort or jump in surprise. he speaks in a self-deprecating way, yet presents himself with great confidence. uncanny may be a good word to describe him and the awkward blend between how he expresses and how he acts.

inwardly, soohyuk is sharp – deadly so. he is always on edge, always observing the environment for the slightest danger or the slightest hint of what may be useful to him. he is open-minded and intelligent, seeking new information for his own ends and accepting new concepts readily. when he sets his mind to something there is simply no stopping him; he is recklessly and stupidly stubborn to the end, possessed of a strong natural willpower. cruelty runs in his veins as does a streak of sadism, even if the intentions behind it may be mixed. this division in his inward and outward selves makes him thoroughly dishonest, as he purposefully obfuscates himself to distance from anyone seeking to know his true intentions.

yet for what soohyuk believes of himself – that he is so dangerous, sharp, and cruel – the truth is that there is a softness beneath that, too. though he presents his affections strangely, soohyuk has a soft spot for those who capture his interest in one way or another. he cares for them deeply and can be blazingly loyal in the moment of truth, despite making it quite clear otherwise that he is a treacherous man by nature. he is simply afraid that being too close to someone will mean that he inevitably ruins them with all of the corruption he carries in his soul, so instead of loving outwardly, he instead makes a great nuisance of himself to those he cares about, trying to stay near them and help them in his own way without letting them get attached to him in turn. (this rarely works out as anticipated, but he won’t hear of it.)

AND EVEN MONSTERS CAN LEARN TO WEEP.

DISTORTION – an ability which allows soohyuk to bend the space and thereby matter around him in minor ways, defying the laws of reality. this applies primarily to the bending of space on a temporary and local scale at present, but it is possible that he will be able to alter the natural laws of reality on a similar scale as his power grows more advanced.

APPLICATIONS :

matter alteration – crush, bend, split, or otherwise alter matter via distorting the space it occupies.

time distortion – distorting time so that its passing is either dilated or accelerated via the expansion or reduction of space (respectively) in an area. he does not truly affect the movement of time, but rather indirectly alters it via the space-time continuum.

deflection – via bending the space around soohyuk’s body such that the trajectory of objects in motion is altered as well.

spatial awareness – a passive awareness of nearby space.

unnatural presence – soohyuk’s very existence is distorted, as if he himself is not precisely “real” within space-time as we know it. due to this, his presence occasionally causes anomalies to occur in the area around him. anomalies may include: technological devices behaving abnormally (or completely ceasing to function), mild feelings of anxiety or hostile urges in people, the laws of physics not behaving as expected, and mutant powers not activating normally.

LIMITATIONS :

soohyuk’s ability only works within a short radius of his body – two meters maximum.

the more major the distortion he attempts to create, the less space he may distort at a time. the more dense the matter in the space he attempts to distort, the less of it he may distort at once. for instance, he may only split or crush ten cubic centimeters of steel at once, but he may bend all the air within two meters of himself (eight cubic meters) at once. if denser matter enters the area he is distorting, then he will experience great strain until he reduces the amount of space he is trying to affect. by default, his ability will focus in on the denser intrusion, reducing the area of effect accordingly.

distortion may not be performed on an incredibly precise level. soohyuk may not distort space on a scale of less than one cubic centimeter even for exceptionally dense matter. less dense matter is even more difficult to distort precisely. it is thereby impossible to affect a “single object”; soohyuk’s distortions will automatically affect any and all matter in range, as he is distorting space itself.

for better or worse, soohyuk’s own body always remains unaffected by his own distortions. this can be thought of as his own self being passively distorted in space-time and thus existing outside of his personal distortions – a factor of his unnatural presence.

time may only be accelerated or reduced for a period of 30 outside seconds at a time. soohyuk prefers to activate these abilities in short bursts to conserve his energy.

spatial expansion and reduction resulting in time dilation or acceleration works on a larger scale – the full two-meter radius around soohyuk’s body – and thus results in a greater strain for usage, as this is a large-scale distortion.

all distortions return to normal as soon as soohyuk ceases to use his ability or moves out of range to do so. while alterations caused by his ability or his physical efforts will remain, all other functionality (such as motion/inertia or the operation of devices) will resume as though nothing has happened.

soohyuk may not distort space in multiple locations or manners at the same time. he must use his ability in one way, on one area, for each given activation. activating his ability does require a degree of focus; he must be ready to react in order to use it quickly.

the limited range of soohyuk’s abilities leaves him vulnerable to large-scale damages.

involuntary distortions are likely if soohyuk is emotionally compromised. the effect of these involuntary activations of his power is unpredictable and therefore dangerous to himself as much as anyone around him.

being that distortion is a powerful ability, it takes a great deal of effort and energy for soohyuk to use his power. using it heavily will result in a great deal of strain being placed on his body, often resulting in unconsciousness if used for a period of 10 minutes total within a six-hour period. his time limit does change depending on how extensive the distortions he attempts to utilize are.

aside passing out, soohyuk may begin to suffer organ damage, migraines, general weakness/fatigue, and crippling physical pain from overusing his ability. he requires time to recover from these symptoms before he may function normally again. this has also caused complications in the healing of his chronic injuries, too, further limiting what his body is capable of if he uses his power heavily.

distortion will never give soohyuk the ability to touch upon alternate reality states – only to modify how reality works around him for short periods of time. no matter how far his ability progresses, he will never be able to touch on an unknown dimension.

at present, any complex form of spatiokinetic motion using his power is impossible; he simply lacks the degree of control that such a thing would require. he is rather only able to use his ability in short bursts, rather than continuous gentle streams as kinesis would require.

soohyuk’s spatial awareness is low-level; he generally can tell the location and size of objects within a 10 meter radius of himself, but he will not detect especially small objects and details therein. similarly, his spatial awareness is not always active; he must focus on the space around him in order to sense changes within it. if he is not paying attention, this “sixth sense” will be ineffectual.

soohyuk has no control over his unnatural presence. its effects activate completely at random; they are somewhat more likely to show when he is hostile or otherwise emotionally compromised, but there is no guarantee of this, either.

soohyuk’s “unnatural presence” effects are minor, and not particularly practical. while it’s possible that it could occasionally modify reality briefly in an advantageous way, it is much more likely to cause an inconvenience in one form or another. for instance, while it is convenient that this “passive distortion” around soohyuk often protects him from accidental or casual applications of mutant powers, it is extraordinarily inconvenient that it also blocks off the positive effects of those powers more often than not. it’s a bit like an automated defense mechanism against his state being altered, meant to protect him from his own power.

THREAT LEVEL TWO.                           02+ BRWN, 01+ RSLNC, 03+ INTLCT, 05+ WLLPWR, 08+ FGHTNG, 05+ SPD