*1997 - Born Armand Soleil Agdistis Pierre in Paris to ballerina Angelique Pierre and US Marine and New Orleans Native Marcus Etienne. Almost lost the baby, made a deal with 'an angel' to save her child, experiments done to find the meta-human gene and to stimulate/experiment with it during final stages of pregnancy and through the first 6 months. Considered a 'failure'.
*1999 - Being raised in bakery with single mother and 'Aunt Grace', tried to give Armand a haircut and he screamed like being murdered. Strange affinity for picking up languages rather quickly off of the radio, thought to be side effect of neurological stimulation from infancy.
*2006 - Moved to New Orleans with mother to live with Father and children from his first marriage. Paternal family very cautious towards Armand and his Mother, but Mama Rose (mother of Marcus) being close to the two, introduced Armand to the love of baking. Attempts to toughen him up from Father, who was so pleased to finally have a son, in hunting, handfishing, shooting, lots of bullying/rough housing from older male relatives and classmates.
*2009 - Still wearing hair long, little culinary prodigy in the kitchen...then during a dinner, Marcus finally proposed to Angelique and a cruel Uncle called Angelique a gold digging, green card seeking, French whore. Armand's powers manifested for the first time, ended up strangling man with his hair without realizing it and was locked in his room for months. Father sent him to special 'military' school for 'troubled' boys.
*2010-2012 - The Academy, a special religious school, to create soldiers and discourage certain 'soft' types. Basic classes, fencing, debates, PE...mostly juveline delinquents or sociopaths...others 'gifted'. At 14, haircut became a requirement. For months was tortured by officials as they experimented with his mutation (hair), escaped with some assistance from close room mates and kitchen staff due to being haunted by his screams.
*2013 - Spending most time hiding/running/hiding from folks trying to find him, finally taken in by Father Grayson, an elderly French Baker and Priest. Faked Amnesia, lived with him under the name 'Aggie' and worked in the bakery...then after Touley's death, given one way ticket to anywhere after he turned 17, as long as he left and never came back.
*2014 - Ended up in New York, is here now and it is his future. 50 bucks, a duffel bag of clothing and toiletries, a backpack stuffed with vending machine goodies and a messenger bag with the rest of his meager belongings.
Sassy
He's got a smartmouth on him and flirts between being feminine and masculine in how he dresses and presents himself. He doesn't have a problem speaking his mind or telling folks the truth. It is surprising at times because he does seem to have a firm grasp on etiquette and what /is/ proper behavior for both young men and young women but...when he's tired, he really doesn't give a damn.
Optimistic
He tries to look on the bright side of things, even if his life hasn't been the happiest, he does his best dwell on those things. He has his faith, and the belief that there can always be a bright side, even if as he ages he fights against getting more and more jaded.
Observant
He watches people carefully and may spend quite some time staring at a person before speaking so as to have a better grasp on their patterns and what they may or may not do. The more unpredictable a person, the more uncomfortable he is.
Caring
He has a big heart, despite the doors that have been closed in his face, and he prefers to take care of other people seeing as he was taught growing up, that's what you do for others. Tis more blessed to give than to receive. Sometimes this forces him to be neutral in heated debates.
Anxiety Issues
Armand has a tendency to worry about things and when he worries...he bakes and cooks and stays as active as possible. He has tremors of PTSD and a fear of losing those he cares about.
Motivation
Armand is driven by his desire to start anew, find a place where he belongs and begin to brighten the corner where he is. Its rough out there for a homeless kid, and he has a soft spot for helping out other homeless individuals who are even less prepared than he may be. As an Original character with a messload of vague NPC baggage, Armand fits into the Comic Book concept of 'mutant finding his way'. He's young, room to grow, in a new city with an ability/power he wants to keep hidden because he does not understand it much himself.
Goals
To get Armand to a place where he readily accepts who and what he is and develops into a character that can help and give to others in similar situations to his own. He has the potential to be a philanthropist and he dreams of one day being a chef.
Chaetokinesis
The fibers of Armand's hair are naturally a portmanteau of 'aromatic polyamide'. Which is also called Aramid fibers. They are a class of heat-resistant and strong fibers in which the chain molecules are highly oriented along the fiber axis so that the strength of the chemical bond can be taken advantage of. In the world of synthetic fibers...aramid fibers are used in military and aerospace applications and in asbestos substitute. Seeing as its hair in this case and not synthetically spun fibers being used to make materials such as Kevlar or Nomex...the applications are a bit different. With his Chaetokinesis, which is the ability to ability to manipulate the texture, growth, strength and even color of his own hair, he can hide this odd quality within a seemingly normal wavy and very thick hair texture.
Having this type of hair allows it good resistance to abrasion, good resistance to organic solvents, for it to be nonconductive, have no melting points seeing a degradation starts from 500C, low flammability with decent integrity at elevated temperatures and of course a higher strength-to-weight property. However, it does leave him more sensitive to acids and salts, sensitive to ultraviolet radiation and prone to static build-up on bad hair days. It also means that he can change the color himself but he cannot use traditional hair-dyes on his hair. It just does not work. What does this mean? Well mostly it means he'll never pull a Michael Jackson and light his hair on fire but it also means that while his hair naturally falls about 2 feet down his back to his lower-back he can make it grow to a length of 12 feet before it begins to take a serious physical toll on him and he can lift/hold things with his hair at a ratio of 100lbs per foot. Keep in mind so that he doesn't sustain damage to his scalp, he needs at least 2 feet of hair to anchor and support the weight. He has a max of 1200lbs and his hair is like another appendage of his body, using it for such things will drain him physically over time.
Prehensile Hair
In addition to being about to control the fibers of his hair, he can also use this 'extra appendage' like another body part. He has prehensile control over strands of his hair and can grab, wrap, whip and even hug people and things with his hair. The more you use a body part, the stronger it becomes however the more tired it becomes as well. Unlike some people who don't want people to touch their hair due to personal taste, he doesn't like people to touch his hair because he feels it, just like somebody touching his arm. Its incredibly intimate and personal in a way. That's why its kept pulled out of his face or back in a braid most of the time.
Natural Polyglot
Due to the experiments done on him as an infant, in an effort to neurologically stimulate and experiment with his genetics and his brain to further enhance whatever his natural mutation would've been, Armand picks up on a special 'frequency' of sorts that allows him to adapt to and learn new languages more quickly than most. While he doesn't become fluent overnight, he learns very quickly and retains information like a sponge.
Con-Artist
It takes quite a bit to survive on one's own, Armand hates to utilzie the ability to put on a good fake it til you make it show, but he managed to convince a small community he had amnesia once, so he has a bit of practice with it. How to create the illusion of who you want people to think you are, it takes being able to lie very well to yourself and pray you don't lose yourself in the process.
Acrobatics
Combine dance lessons with learning how to run, flip, crawl, and climb during boot camp exercises and Armand has developed a very basic acrobatic skillset. He's not an acrobat but he's quick and has enough natural talent to give him an extra edge in getting the hell out of dodge and getting out of the way quickly. Basic training in ballet and gymnastics from a young age is what allows him the grace and agility to do this.
History
Armand is a book worm...but most specifically a book worm who loves to read and study history books and books that are historic (ancient texts/books) in and of themselves. There's something so vibrant and educational in exploring events and stories of the past for the young man and he has a gift of retaining/memorizing information from what he's read. He makes references to historic events or notices patterns or current events that mirror things from the past. Its not all about cautionary tales and learning from them however because he's just as curious about mythology and cultural superstitions and stories from history.
Culinary Arts
Armand has a gift for preparing baked goods. He has a way of creating and improving upon the simplest recipes to make delicious sweets that he can both eat and share with others. He's a homegrown culinary prodigy however, learning in the kitchen of Mama Rose, practicing in the kitchen of the school and continuing his 'education' with Father Grayson. He likes to combine the soul food based Cajun/creole flavors with the more gourmet elements of French Cooking when making savory dishes but his real passion is for baking.
Survival
Armand knows how to...survive on the 'streets' so to speak. He's good at hiding and running and scrounging for food. He's learned a few tricks on how to find water that's safe to drink and even how to find certain areas outside of a home or business to sit or sleep to get warm or cool air from the building. Its just basic 'on your own' survival tricks that all homeless kids learn.
First Aid
Volunteering and spending quite a bit of time in the nursing ward at school has given him basic first aid skills. He can bandage a minor wound, recognize the signs of a concussion, and other basic medical things. He knows from his cooking and time in the ward what kinds of teas can help folks calm down and he can recognize the names of medicines commonly prescribed and used...especially sedatives having lots of first hand experience with those.
Self Defense
When you combine a brief stint in military school, growing up with brothers, honing your self-defense skills when you live in the street, and having to use things practically you get somebody who's got a little knowledge under their belt on how hold their own. As a cook and person who used to have to go fishing and gator hunting with his pa, he knows how to use a knife.
Languages
Armand speaks French, English and Latin fluently and Spanish and Italian semi-fluently.
Accent
His first language is French and in New Orleans he spoke a mixture of French and English...but he has a very strong accent that adds a purr to his voice and makes pronouncing some words...a pain in the ass.
Hair
Samson's power was in his hair...Armand's power is his hair. It is very very sensitive to the touch and although it is challenging to cut it, if a significant portion is cut off (more than 2 feet), it is just like losing a finger or a toe or even a hand. It hurts and he has to grow it back. It can take 10 minutes to grow a 6 inches of hair that's been cut off back at a time due to how much needs to be repaired at the fiber level.
Slightly Cracked
A dreamer who has every reason to give up on humanity, but still holds on to the hope of there being something good left to fight for...this is something hopefully he never loses. Cracked but not yet shattered, he's a survivor. This gives him nightmares and a level of PTSD that is not medicated but after traumatic or violent events, his nerves are often very rattled.
