Registry of the Evolved Database
File #16 Apr 2009 03:42
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portrayed by Chris Lowell |
Aaron Ray Michaels was born to Raymond and Angela Michaels on July 25th, 1984 in Queens, New York. His early childhood was unremarkable until his discovery of music at age six. He competed in various choir competitions with his school after only a year of training, and was the lead soloist of their church choir. He started learning the piano at age eight, the guitar at eleven. Over the course of those years, he won a handful of ribbons and awards for musical achievement in an array of county and state musical competitions. Although he would not become as proficient with it as the other two instruments, he learned to play the violin at thirteen.
At 14, Aaron moved with his family from Queens to Midtown, as his father was transferred as part of his job, and the commute would have posed a serious problem. It was a rough transition, but he managed to make new friends, and there was still a band program at his new school. He made the right friends, too — musical ones — and they started a band together. The Lightbringers would last for six years.
Although they remained together, and got a few decent gigs, in the latter years of high school, Aaron reduced his time involved with his band, intending to enroll in the music program at New York University's College of Arts and Science. He studied hard and passed his SATs with a fair deal of room to pick any University that would have him. Paying for it all, on the other hand, wouldn't be easy. He lost a few relatives on September 11, 2001, but he wouldn't be discouraged from his dream of being a composer.
Aaron started the music program in 2002, but had to take things slowly, changing jobs as they became harder to work into his school schedule, and changing courses when they became too hard to work into his work schedule. He had only one or two gigs a year with his bandmates, and they had the most impact on his tuition. Still, they weren't enough. Student loans helped, as did some money from his parents on occasion, particularly his father, who had recently been promoted to district sales manager for the retail corporation he worked for. The extra money helped to move Aaron into an apartment in Greenwich Village, far closer to NYU than the Midtown condo they'd been living in. His parents moved into an apartment to further reduce their own cost of living. That move in 2004 ended the Lightbringers, as he finally separated from the band.
Aaron's decision to take his degree in five years instead of four led to his not graduating. Towards the middle of 2006, he began to get depressed. Life had lost its color, and he described things to a counsellor as seeing things in black and white. It was hard for him to explain, since he could see in color, of that he was certain, but things often seemed less vibrant to him. Things were just darker. Then the bomb happened. It shook his world in more ways than one. For all that he had faith, that faith was destroyed with the deaths of both of his parents, all the while he was as safe as he could be in northeastern Greenwich Village. Many of his friends, some of whom he had been bandmates with, also perished in the massive destruction. His world became even darker, and sometimes he actually swore he was seeing things in black and white.
His faith lost and his apartment not particularly livable, Aaron took to the streets with a bag of his personal belongings and clothes and his guitar. The piano he had at his parents' home was long gone, probably a pile of charred wood and ivory in a heap somewhere. It was not the smartest idea, taking to the streets, but it was the only way for him to survive. He managed to get his student loans waived while he suffered through unimaginable financial distress.
If it had been easy to get out of New York, he would have moved in with a relative, using the small savings in his bank account. Anywhere but there. But he made do with what he had, even if that was little. The music helped. The revelation of the evolved was startling, though. The fact that it was not some sort of terrorist attack in the conventional sense, but a man, shook him to the core. If the discovery had been under other circumstances, he may have felt some pity for those with abilities, but given the situation, he couldn't. They'd destroyed his life.
He moved from shelter to shelter, if he could find one, and otherwise lived in the gutted buildings. He lost most of his belongings trying to protect his guitar, which he began to cling to more and more in the coming days. For all that his faith was destroyed and his financial situation no better with the passing of his family, the music finally came back to him. He would play for people, on the street, at shelters, in the newly reopened pubs. With that music, he could see the color — the light — come back into people, back into his world, which had been grey for so long. Some of the people he played for seemed to feel it to.
It should have clicked. Somehow, he should have realized it. The grey, then the color. Some people smiling. But it didn't. Even with the announcement of evolved test kits, Aaron never gave it half a thought. He moved back into Greenwich Village, finding a small apartment above a grocer's. He dipped into his savings for the security deposit, and agreed to work for the man running the store in order to keep paying the rent, since his savings would run dry really quickly. He also went looking for a second job, to spend his evenings off playing music.
Overview
Aaron is a psychic vampire. While he would likely be the last to admit it, his ability has changed the way he perceives emotions. On the outset, he was capable of detecting negative emotions in others in a sort of second-sight and to consume those emotions, the effect of which was inhibition of certain withdrawal-like symptoms (symptoms that became substantially more severe over time). What used to be a pseudo-addiction has matured into something far more twisted. While he continues to possess the second sight and ability to consume negative emotions, he is also capable of consuming positive ones (although his control of this aspect is rough at best). His own emotions have diminished over time and are effectively 'recharged' through the use of his ability, and his emotions have a tendency to be influenced by the emotions he takes on and is surrounded by.
Detection
Aaron possesses a second sight that allows him to determine the level of negative and positive emotion a person possesses based on a greyscale-colour gradient. The more negative emotion a person has, the less colour this second sight will detect on a person. People who are in a lot of emotional pain may appear monochrome with spots of colour (surface happiness in-the-moment), while those who are happy will be in vibrant colour. The longer he observes a person, the deeper into their emotional state he can see, and so pain that a person has bottled up will become easily visible to him. While this second vision does not frequently interfere with Aaron's ability to see normally, there have been a few individuals whose negative emotions have been substantial enough to appear all black in this second vision, clouding his normal vision of that person. While conceivably possible, he has not encountered a person capable of hiding their emotions from his ability.
Direction/Absorption
Aaron feeds off of a person's emotions, usually through direct physical contact (although he can do so from a distance of up to 15 feet). Directly, his ability is usually quite swift and long-lasting (up to 1-2 days), but slows substantially and becomes far less effective at a distance (lasts a few hours).
If Aaron is not focusing his ability (this includes unconscious usage), or is working from a far distance (up to the maximum of 15 feet), the emotions he drains from a person will leave behind like vibes (negative emotions leave bad vibes; positive emotions leave good vibes), which amplify the polar (positive/negative) emotional state of anyone who encounters it (it is absorbed by that subject and removed from the environment). In his previous usage, these have always been bad vibes and Aaron was the most frequent subject (though there was a pleasant debacle at the Lighthouse during Whiteout).
People who have had their emotions eaten by Aaron can go days without them, or as little as an hour. The length of time that passes before it comes back is ultimately related to the intensity of the emotion, how deep it went, and how much was taken in the first place. Each individual's reaction to being without a particular type of emotion is different. It depends a great deal on emotional maturity and the make-up of their normal emotional state. For example, those who mask their pain with anger may become incredibly nice while under the positive influence of Aaron's ability, or raging if under a negative influence.
Flattened Affect
Aaron's own emotional state diminishes over time and he becomes unemotional — what is referred to in psychology as flattened affect. He is neither happy nor sad, but neutral — or possibly even apathetic. It can be an incredibly bizarre state to be in. Consumption of emotion restores his own ability to feel emotions, with the added side effect of sometimes bending towards the emotions he is consuming. This is in part due to the neurochemical effects of Aaron's ability, which also manifest as withdrawal symptoms.
Addiction
The neurochemical effects of Aaron's ability have diminished though are not entirely absent. While nowhere near as severe as they once were, Aaron still can experience minor and major withdrawal symptoms (in the spectrum of tremors and headache to full-on delirium, seizures, etc.) if he goes long enough without consuming emotion. This is due to neurotransmitter imbalances that develop over time when he is not consuming emotions. They rebalance when he has properly fed. To further add insult to injury, time without feeding deadens his own emotions. It can be both blessing and curse.
Notes for the Future
It is still possible that Aaron will discover a way to reroute emotions with himself as a conduit, thus allowing himself to instill a person with a particular emotion. It may also be possible for him to find a way to very specifically differentiate between types of emotions, to the extent of being able to better understand what a person is feeling through his detection without them providing verbal or non-verbal emotional cues, so that he can target specific emotions he wants to experience/revitalize himself with. Again, this could develop into him intentionally manipulating a person to provoke particular emotions with which he can feed off of.
Appendices
Icons
Rebirth | In Light | The Lightbringer | In Shadow |
Menu
Timeline
Date | Title | Summary | Cast |
---|---|---|---|
January | |||
2011-01-09 | The Muse | Each of the Arts whose office is to refine, purify, adorn, embellish and grace life is under the patronage of a Muse, no god being found worthy to preside over them. — Eliza Farnham | Aaron and Samara |
2011-01-29 | That Was Odd | Samara comes to thank Aaron for some help he gave her a few nights earlier. She gets … something she wasn't expecting. | Aaron and Samara |
February | |||
2011-02-27 | Knock Next Time | Samara wanders into Aaron's apartment and gets a conversation she was not expecting. | Aaron and Samara |
Date | Title | Summary | Cast |
---|---|---|---|
January | |||
2010-01-10 | In Search For Life, Part I | Following Tamara's mysterious tarot business card lead, Peyton pulls Aaron along to meet with Rebecca. | Aaron, Peyton, and Rebecca |
2010-01-12 | Community Service At The End Of The Earth | Aaron receives a phone call from the middle of nowhere (also known as Gillian aboard the USS George Washington). | Aaron and Gillian |
2010-01-21 | Yes, Dear | Gillian arrives at Aaron and Peyton's apartment to catch up with old friends and is delighted by Christmas presents. | Aaron, Gillian, and Peyton |
2010-01-26 | Around The Clock | Round and round we go, it's all we know. | Aaron, Gillian, and Peyton |
2010-01-30 | Mister Crankypants | Peyton, in a very good mood, describes her experience fighting the Nightmare Man (with the help of Cat) to Aaron, who seems to react badly to the good vibrations. | Aaron and Peyton |
Placeholder | Aaron, Cat, and Peyton | ||
February | |||
2010-02-03 | Lonely Sun | Aaron Michaels finds himself once again at the mercy of the Nightmare Man. | Aaron, Hokuto, and The Nightmare Man |
Celestial Bodies In The Hall Of Mirrors | Corbin is plunked down in the hall of mirrors to explain things to Aaron. He raises about as many questions as he answers. | Aaron and Corbin | |
2010-02-06 | The Twelfth | The mother of one of the 36 gets an idea of what drove her daughter and so many others into committing suicide. And coming to her rescue is a whole array of fantastical creatures. | Aaron, Abby, Bao-Wei, Logan, Tamsine, and The Nightmare Man |
2010-02-10 | Not Strong Enough | While stuck wallowing in her own weaknesses, Gillian doesn't have to do it alone, at least. Aaron dreamwalks to save a friend from herself. | Aaron, Gillian, and The Nightmare Man |
2010-02-19 | In Somnis Veritas, Part I | Venturing into the final mirror into Hokuto Ichihara's subconsciousness, her friends and allies seek out the Nightmare Man to end this conflict once and for all… | Aaron, Corbin, Daphne, Meredith, and The Nightmare Man |
To Hell And Back | In the wee hours of the night, Peyton and Gillian find Aaron at the mercy of the Nightmare Man. Again. This time, things turn out strangely. | Aaron, Gillian, and Peyton | |
Better Than Hamlet | Peyton's life gets more confusing after a not-so-good night's sleep when she decides to talk to Aaron. Things get more complicated, if that's even possible. | Aaron and Peyton | |
March | |||
2010-03-07 | Cold Heart | Peyton returns home from her meeting with Detective Cooper, and a brief run to the Library, to find more of Twilight Zone Aaron. | Aaron and Peyton |
2010-03-09 | Forgotten Tea | Gillian sticks around to talk to Aaron before she returns to the Lighthouse despite all the cold and snow. Aaron puts water on for tea, but it is soon forgotten. | Aaron and Gillian |
2010-03-27 | As Good A Day As Any | Well, not really. Peyton arrives home to find Aaron in a very peculiar situation, only to have him fly off the handle and assault her with a jar of jam. | Aaron and Peyton |
2010-03-28 | Don't Disappoint Them | Aaron brings the homeless blonde to a hotel room. He makes another bad decision, surprise surprise. | Aaron |
Tromping Through The Snow | Peyton proves to Aaron that she does care, again, despite the things he does. | Aaron and Peyton | |
2010-03-31 | Just What He Needs | Peyton brings Aaron back home from the hospital where they learn something interesting about his ability. They don't quite put two and two together, though. | Aaron and Peyton |
April | |||
2010-04-17 | See You Later | Aaron packs up for his temporary move to the Lighthouse. Aaron and Peyton share a moment before parting ways. | Aaron and Peyton |
Missing Something | Magnes gives Aaron a ride to the Lighthouse, his new home away from home. When he gets inside, he feels like something's missing…. | Aaron, Gillian, and Magnes. | |
May | |||
2010-05-14 | Man's Best Friend, Part IV | A search party scours a frozen wasteland for a missing child. | Aaron, Colette, Doyle, Hailey, Joseph, Magnes, Tasha, and Eileen |
2010-05-16 | A Safe Distance | Aaron realizes there's a minimum safe distance that any evolved in the Lighthouse needs to abide with Gillian in her condition. | Aaron and Gillian |
The Uninvited | Aaron perceives the arrival of someone terribly out of place. Strangely, he doesn't find it at all peculiar, but it's only a matter of time before things get awkward. | Aaron | |
2010-05-17 | It Sizzles | Aaron's in better spirits thanks to Peyton's arrival at the Lighthouse and so he takes the effort to make breakfast. His delusion, unfortunately, is broken. | Aaron and Magnes |
2010-05-18 | A Really Long Day | Minutes after Magnes tells Colette about Aaron seeing things, she encounters the nearly crazy musician in the laundry room. Awkwardness ensues. | Aaron and Colette |
2010-05-26 | Recycled Advice | Aaron approaches Gillian after she returns from her most recent disappearance. | Aaron and Gillian |
2010-05-29 | Certifiable | Aaron comes to Peyton to say good bye, intending to seek long-term, intensive therapy. | Aaron and Peyton |
Synthetic Friend | Aaron seeks help from Bella, since his situation is very complicated. She's not nearly as sympathetic as she seems. | Aaron and Bella | |
Unwanted Warnings | Peyton comes to Bella's old studio office to let Aaron know about her sordid history. He is less than pleased with the news. | Aaron and Peyton | |
2010-05-30 | Almost Comforting | Bella arrives at St. Luke's to check in on Aaron after finding police at her office, where he had previously been staying. | Aaron and Bella |
October | |||
2010-10-24 | Crazy-Crazies | Aaron encounters what he perceives to be a delusion in the bathroom of the psychiatric hospital. | Aaron and Samara |
November | |||
2010-11-06 | Surrendered Stalemate | Aaron plays chess with his illusion. | Aaron and Samara |
2010-11-07 | Se | If … | Aaron and Samara |
Music
For a complete playlist, less one song, for An Evening With Aaron Michaels, go to Grooveshark.
For Aaron's playlist, see Grooveshark. These include songs that were used in scene as well as other songs that resonate with the character.
For your convenience, a selection of these songs are available via Musicplaylist.net, embedded below.
Trivia
Quotes
- "I will eat your unhappiness."