Individual Character's full name: Akshay Malik
Alias/ Nickname/ Code name: Akshay M. Iris, Wordsmith
Gender: Male
Age: 34
Date of Birth: 02/10/1986
Nationality/ Ethnicity: Indian-American
Birthplace/ Home/ Place of origin: Buffalo, New York
AppearanceHair color and style: Black, cut short yet still scruffy looking
Eyes:Deep Honey Brown
Height: 6'2
Build: Very thin, runner’s build but very tight musculature.
Visible mutation: Only if he’s talking too much (especially if drunk).
Scars/ Tattoos/ Piercings: Akshay does have a tattoo of a comic book sound effect that says
Ka-Pow! on his right arm. He got it as a dare when he was in art school and now believes it to be one of the best decisions in his life. Aside from that, he has a couple scars just from regular growing up: old skinned knee scar on his left knee cap, an old dog bite mark on his left forearm, and a tiny scar on his chin from when he fell from his bike in high school.
Other features: Callused fingers from all of his drawing all his life. There also nearly always seems to be a smudge of ink or graphite on his person. Signs that he was working on his latest comic.
Everyday clothing style: Akshay dresses pretty averagely in jeans and various types of t-shirts. He does love to wear vests and he can look pretty damn good in a suit (but those are rare occasions). For simply taking a walk around the city, he enjoys wearing hoodies and t-shirts, all of which are usually decorated with some kind of comic book insignia.
Uniform: The only uniform he has is when he is working at the comic shop. There he wears one of many superhero t-shirts including Glob-Man or The Rat Avenger or Mirror-Girl or M is for Man. With these he wears just a casual pair of black pants and his name tag.
Sleepwear: Sweatpants and a old tank top. Shorts if it’s hot.
Miscellaneous clothing: The almighty Name Tag! Which he only wears at work. One piece of jewelry the man always wears is a blue
Power Ring from one of his favorite heroes the Blue Torch! It is silver with a blue lamp made out of sapphire on the face.
CharacterPersonality: Pretty much a free-spirit. Akshay is a humorous individual whom always sees the funny side of life, even at the worst of times. His mouth has gotten him into a lot of trouble from time to time thanks to his inability to wrangle in his humor. But when given a crowd and an audience, Akshay simply loves to revel in the attention. This is a far cry from the mentality he once had as a kid, who was a very quiet and withdrawn; which is his reason for justifying his actions. He is the type of man who will spot someone he knows across a crowded room, shout out, wave his arms, and run up to see them.
But despite his quirk, any person who gains his friendship has pretty much made a friend for life. Akshay devotes himself to his friends and will gladly follow them to the gates of Hell and back. So long as no one takes advantage of him or steal his precious, precious money.
Hobbies/ Interests: Art and comics, obviously. But on a serious note, Akshay does have a rather gifted eye for art. Having studied it intently for much of his college life, the man does know a thing or two about the old masters. On top of this, Akshay usually keeps himself well informed in the comic scene. He loves all things comic books, movies, and video games. Such a nerd.
Job or part time job and description: Akshay is a indie comic artist. He has produced his own comic book series called “Slaggathor the Were-zombi-pire-stein Slayer” which has strangely started to become a hit on the indie circle. He makes his living publishing and producing his own comic, as well as working in a comic store called “One Comic to Rule Them All”. UPDATE 10/29/2019: Currently Akshay is a very successful movie director. His love of comic books and his gift of storytelling has given him a bit of an edge in the field, especially with how popular comic book movies have become.Fears/ phobias/ concerns: Akshay is such a carefree individual that is really seems as if he has no fears or concerns. But it is obvious that the man does. One of his biggest fears concerns his powers and having to live the life he once did. He fears that his powers may one day grow so out of control that he will not be able to say a work without wordsmithing it. This problem also extends to his wordsight. He has nightmares of standing on the top of the Empire State Building and watching every single word uttered float up from the city in a thick veil of letters.
Also, Akshay fears the success of his comic book. Part of him acts like he does not want it to succeed because that only puts pressure on him to draw and write better. After all, there is no full pleasing the fans.UPDATE 10/29/2019: Akshay has gained more confidence with his creations but there will always be a bit of fear that his films will not resonate with audiences. He fears the day that people call him "Stale" or "Boring" or "Same ole, Same ole". Special talents: Akshay is fairly fluent in sign language thanks to his youth when he feared speaking out loud because of his powers.
MoralityGood/ bad/ neutral/ other: Akshay is completely good-ish. But if someone has a complying “word” or two, he may be able to tilt to their way of thinking.
MutationsMutation description: Wordsmithing - For lack of a better term, Akshay’s ability is…odd. Whenever Akshay utters a word, a noun actually, his mutation allows his mental energies to solidify and form into the word, a spelled out, physical representation, of it. The word always appears for a fraction of a second hanging in the air, like big white text surrounded by a black border. If he does not grab the word it falls to the ground and shatters and vanishes as if it never existed.
Strengths:- Blunt Objects Always!: Because his mutation allows him to create rather solid representations of words, he can always have a steady supply of blunt weapons when he needs them. If he were utter the word “HAM!” he would have a blunt weapon, weak shield, or more likely a distraction, at his disposal.
- Word Size and Length: By adjusting the volume of his voice and the length at which Akshay pronounces a word, he can adjust the size and length of the physical representation his mind creates. He can make a word the maximum length of a baseball bat (roughly 35 inches) and the maximum width of about a soda can. The same also works in reverse. If he whispers or shortens a word, then it can create constructs about the size and thickness of an index card.
- Maximum Words: Akshay and create a total of about three constructs of regular size at one time. Any more than that will be too much for him to sustain and they all will end up cracking and shattering at touch of a breeze. But so long as he stays within his limit he can have them last as long as long as 24 hours before they dissipate on their own.
Weaknesses:- ALWAYS On: Unfortunately, as…amazing…as Akshay’s ability is, the worst downfall is that his ability is always active. It takes a fair amount of concentration for him to not create words he speaks. This was worse when he was a teenager but now that he is in his twenties, he is able to hold a fairly moderate conversation before he feels the strain. But accidents happen. Many times he has been woken up by a word smacking into his head that his mind created while he was mumbling in his sleep.
- Nouns (Person, Place, or Thing): So far Akshay’s ability only works with nouns. If he were to say something such as “Dog” the word would be created, but not so if he were to say “Red” or “Cool” or “Giggle” or “Objection!” The word has to be a noun for it to be created.
- No Voice, No Words: If Akshay were to be unable to speak, there is no way his mind would be able to create the words. It is the power of his voice that activates his mutation into creating the word. If he were gagged or had somehow lost his voice, he simply would not be able to bring the world into being. Even a recording of his voice will not work.
- Brittle: Though the words that Akshay creates look pretty harmful (and they can hurt if they strike someone) they are harmless the second that they shatter. Once the word’s form is compromised (cracked, broken, splintered, etc.) it will take less than a second for it to shatter and disappear, leaving no evidence of it behind. Therefore each word he creates can be used as a blunt weapon once, maybe twice.
- English Only: Because his power developed at the time when his only fluent language was English, his power only works when he says words in English. If he were say “Pollo” (Spanish for “Chicken”), the word would not form.
Secondary mutation description: Wordsight – The way his mind creates physical constructs of words is because he actually sees words being spoken. When he is within 10 feet of someone, anyone, Akshay can actually see the words they speak drift out from between their lips, float into the air disappear into nothing. His power only works on one person at a time though, which is good because otherwise he would be seeing words everywhere!
Strengths:- Can You Understand the Words Comin’ Outta My Mouth?: Yes, Akshay can. This ability is actually perfect for spying on people. If he is secretly within 10 feet of someone, he can spy on the words they are saying without them ever knowing. Only nouns, of course, but he can see them as clear as day.
- I Remember What You Said!: Because of his ability to see words, Akshay remembers conversations much more easily than a normal person. Once his brain sees a word being spoken, that moment is logged away in his mind, forever attached to that word since that is how his mind remembers what a word looks like when he is wordsmithing.
Weaknesses:- Still Just Nouns: So far Akshay can only see nouns that are spoken. They normally look like white block text with a black outline, but on occasion can be a different color due to the person he is talking to. He doesn't know how the color is determined, it just happens. When in front of a single person, as they talk, he only sees the nouns that they say as they leave their lips. Because of that he only sees parts of the conversation.
- What’s That Comin’ Outta Your Mouth?!: This ability can also be quite distracting. If Akshay is not careful while he’s out walking, he will see random words popping out of the air in front of him. He has learned to ignore them, but there are still times where their presence cannot be ignored.
- If I Can’t See It…: Akshay’s ability only works if his eyes are open. If he is hearing a voice only, he cannot see the words too. That person talking needs to actually be within his line of sight for him to see the words. If his eyes are closed or if he is blindfolded, he won’t see them.
- English Only: Akshay can only see English words that are spoken outloud. If someone were speaking Spanish, or German, or whatever in front of him, he would not see a single word.
Power Growth: (12/13/2012)The Power of Adjectives: Behold, the power of grammar! It seems as if Akshay’s powers (
as unimpressive as he thinks they are) are continue to grow. He now has the power to affect the physical structure of the nouns he creates by imbuing them with attributes derived from adjectives! For example, if he says the word “sword” the word “SWORD” would appear as it normally does. But, if he adds the adjective “sharp” and says “SHARP SWORD” the word “SWORD” will appear as normal, but will now have a sharpness around its edge that the words he creates normally don’t have.
Strengths:- Attributed Words – Akshay’s new words will be far more versatile than his old, blunt words. Depending on his vocabulary he can give his words a variety of textures, densities, uses, etc.
Weaknesses:- What He Knows – Unfortunately for how versatile his adjective usage may be, it is all based on one simple thing…what he knows. He can only attribute adjectives to words within the confines of how he understands them. Examples: he if he attributes the adjective “SHARP” to a word, the word itself only be as sharp as the sharpest thing that he has ever felt, like a kitchen knife. So no claymore or adamantium sharp words for him. This same concept translates to weights, textures, etc. All of the attributes that he gives his words can only be given within the confines of what he has felt and how he understands it in his own mind.
- One at a Time – As opposed to the regular amount of words he can make, due to how complicated these words creations are, he can only make one of them at a time. Only when that word vanishes or breaks can he make another.
- Less Time – These words, because of their complex structures, also last less time than normal words he creates. Normal words he makes last a total of 24 hours if they aren’t broken, Attributed Words only last about 12 hours before they fizzle away into nothing if not used.
Fighting StyleExplanation: Absolutely none. Akshay really is not a fighter and tries to avoid it at all costs. But if he does get into a fight, it consists mainly of him pointing, shouting “Is that a HAM?!” then smacking his opponent on the back of the head with the word before running off in the other direction.
Pros for fighting style: Survival of the fittest? Heh, more like survival of the
swiftest!
Cons for fighting style: Dammit. I just ran into a dead end alley, didn’t I? Ffffff--!!
Faction AllegianceUnaffiliated
History Of Your CharacterAkshay does not know anything about his birth parents. Found outside of a fire department, wrapped in a pale blue blanket, on February 12, 1986, Akshay was found by the fire chief with only a note that had the name “Akshay Malik” on it a plea to find a more suitable home for the child. With no way to track where he was born, who his parents were, or anything for that matter Akshay was taken in as a ward of the state and from birth needed to learn to rely on himself.
Akshay did not have a horrible time growing up. In foster care, Akshay was well-fed and developed nicely. He was like any other kid who ran around, was goofy and, most of all, loved to draw. He was quite the little artist and this fact endeared him to the many foster homes he skipped between. But when he was 12, Akshay was finally adopted.
A loving couple,
Jonah Iris and his wife Charlotte Iris, met the fun-loving 12 year-old and almost instantaneously fell in love with him. Slowly they introduced themselves into his life until finally he ready to be adopted. For the most part, Akshay prepared himself for never being adopted but this turn of events changed his world. Before he knew it, he was packing his suitcase and forever saying good bye to Buffalo; his new home with Jonah and Charlotte would be in the metropolis of New York City.
New York City would also prove to be the site of an even greater life-changing event.
Akshay had a great year. Upon moving to New York City, Akshay immediately fell in sync with his adopted parents. They loved and cared for him and did everything in their power to make him feel at home. Akshay truly felt a sense of belonging that he did not have when he lived with any of his foster parents. For a year he went to school, made friends, celebrated holidays, was introduced to family, and just generally had the life that every child wished they had.
A year after his arrival, though, he would witness a terrifying event. Though his parents were not wealthy, they proved him with the best that they could afford. Unfortunately this did not mean that they could fully separate themselves from criminal element of the city.
While walking home from school, Akshay accidentally stumbled upon a local, teenage thug by the name of Mittensofsky. The teen was a mutant and had extremely large hands that he used to shake down people for money and other valuables. Akshay witnessed him attacking an older gentlemen. Too afraid to run, Akshay just stood there until he was discovered by the criminal who then turned his attentions to pummeling him.
It was a harrowing run home that resulted in Akshay fearing for his very life as the teen chased him down and even got a good punch or two in which nearly shattered the adopted boy’s body. But eventually he managed to sneak away and find a way home where he would experience the most exciting change to his life yet.
His parents, obviously concerned, lamented about what they were going to do when Akshay settled comfortably in bed to rest. His body sore and his mind unable to rest, Akshay kept reliving the event over and over again as he tossed about in a feverish sleep. But he did not fully awake until he felt a rather large
THUD against his forehead. Snapping away he turned left and right assuming it was Mittensofsky who had snuck in to kill him. But he saw nothing until he looked beside his pillow and saw something strange…a large, shimmering word “HANDS” sitting half on his pillow and half on the floor. Akshay cautiously reached out to touch the word, seeing that it was in fact real and sitting there until it suddenly flickered and vanished.
Shaken, Akshay began to talk to himself to calm down when suddenly another word appeared before his eyes, and another, and another. They surrounded him in bed before vanishing from sight as well. Mutely he gasped in horror as it began to dawn on him that he too must be a mutant…
From that day on, Akshay became a closed off and extremely quiet individual. He used the incident with Mittensofsky as an excuse for his muteness which most adults attributed to trauma. If he needed anything, he wrote it down on a notepad he carried with him and simply said nothing at all. His parents were obviously afraid for him, fearing that their son was going to forever be traumatized by the event, but they did vow to help him in whatever way possible.
At 14, Akshay was taken in by a special school program that taught him sign language since he continued his refusal to talk. Akshay developed a natural affinity for sign language and soon began to regain some of his old happiness. But while he had everyone believed that he could not talk, Akshay secretly practiced his powers when he was alone in his room, late at night. He discovered he could only create nouns when he spoke and that with some concentration he could prevent even nouns from taking form. It was effort but gradually he slowly began to learn to speak again.
By the age of 18 he finally spoke again to his parents, which both shocked and brought them to tears with happiness. Happy to bring them joy, Akshay kept his abilities a secret from his parents and slowly fell back into his routine of being the happy, go-lucky boy he always was, but taking care to not let his words escape.
He graduated high school, decided to go to Art Institute of New York City because of his burning passion for art and comics.
For a couple years Akshay actually began to be happy again. He moved out of his parents house and had their blessing to legally change his last name to Malik. After all, relatives may still be looking for him. Of course, on top of all this, he had to mind what he said but he learned to live with his mutation. He began to actually feel so proud that he was a mutant, though, that he actively sought and befriended other mutants. But that was until Fall of 2007 when the nation passed the Mutant Registration Act. Fearing another traumatic event upon the discovery of his powers, Akshay kept his powers hidden, once more becoming reclusive. This only proved to be harder when he gradually began to notice that his powers were still developing.
While at a lunch break from his current job at a comic store, Akshay actually began to see words floating above other people’s heads. But they were not just random words, they were parts of their conversations, nouns. Having to deal with this new aspect to his powers, Akshay entered near muteness again; especially because he didn’t want to have to be sent to the camps.
Thankfully, once the Mutant Registration Act was overturned and the camps were disbanded, Akshay slowly began to relax and return to his old self. He loved mutants, he loved being a mutant, and he was no longer afraid to show his support. Of course he kept his own mutant abilities a secret though.
Throughout his reclusive times, though, the genius of his own art and storytelling came through in an indie-comic series he created called “Slaggathor the Were-zombi-pire-stein Slayer”. Working at a local comic shop, Akshay used his connections with them in order to print a small number of the comic books which suddenly began to receive some real praise.
Now Akshay lives in New York City, balances his life as a comic artist and a worker and still retains his devout appreciation for mutants and hopes that one day he will find the courage to blatantly announce his true nature to the world like so many before him have.
UPDATE: 10/29/2019
Akshay fled New York for some very specific reasons. It was enough to traumatize anyone. But that was why he buried himself in his work, to keep from thinking about "the incident". With renewed vigor in his comic series, Akshay wrote, drew, and inked issue after issue. Seemingly this was at the exact right point where the market was overly saturated with the standard comic book fare, and his popularity soared. He finally had found his breakthrough.
Over the years Akshay has grown more and more in popularity. When his comic book was optioned for a film, one stipulation was that he be directly involved in the movie. A few studios turned him down but when he found one that was willing to take a chance on him, he worked out beautifully. Akshay proved to be a savant on the set, directing with precision and truly capturing the heart of his comic for film. Upon completion and release, it would prove to be an overnight sensation for him. And it was through his creation that he found a new purpose -- film.
Success had found its way to Akshay Malik. With his new found fame and energy he was thrown into the world of film and writing. Already has written and directed a couple of great comic book movies, including: White Leopard, Captain Goldfish, and even managed to help rewrite some lacking scenes for Revengers: Homestretch (which everyone agrees were some of the best parts of the film). However Akshay has hit a bit of a slump. He wants to do more but his muse is beginning to lack. Knowing that his muse needs rejuvenation, he decided to do the only thing he could -- he moved back to New York City.
Plenty has happened in New York. What more does a young, successful writer and director need?
RoleplayWhere did you learn about this site?: Asleep in the night, an angel visited my dreams and from his glorious lips he whispered…”Google…”
Do you have any other characters on MRO, if so who: Jorge Cervantes, Agnes Nicholas, and Booker B. Bookman
Sample RP:And so Slaggathor snarled menacingly as she looked around at the undead horde. The chainsaw buzzed noisily in one hand while in the other she held a silver plated backscratcher from the possessed Chinese Antique store behind her, and was using as a blunt weapon. She glared between the legions of undead who stalked her from the shadows. Then she muttered with spite…
“I’m gunna reintroduce you all…to dea—“ Squeeak! Akshay looked up from his drawing desk and adjusted his glasses. He arched a brow as he lifted his inking pen from the paper. And gently nudged his table, hearing that squeak once again. He rolled his eyes as he pulled off his magnifying glasses and set them down next to his drawing.
The drawing itself was quite good. The shadings on all the panels were well done and lettering that he was adding in by hand were straight and perfect. It looked like the comic artist was a fan of the classic style of comic books, rather than making every digital. He was one of the few purist left in the industry, well…kind of. You had to be IN the industry to be a purist in it. For now, he was just another indie comic artist.
He sighed as he pushed his table again and it squeaked in protest.
Standing, he began to look across his meager drawing room. It was small and contained only his drawing table, a file cabinet that contained his “graveyard” (a collection of reference pictures), and several of his more well done pieces hung up around the walls which included character models, vehicles, and monsters.
“Matchbook, matchbook, my kingdom for a matchbook…” he said with a low and concentrated sigh.
Even though Akshay Malik didn’t smoke, he still looked around for a matchbook. When was the last time he lit a candle? He then smirked…it was for Laquisha. He wanted to make their first date so special so he bought scented candles and slyly figured out which scents she loved best. She said she loved the smell of Pine and the scent of New Car Smell. How was he supposed to know using the several of the both of them at the same time in a small room like his bedroom would result in her breaking out in hives?
Needless to say that date was over quick. Clearing it was her fault for not making up her mind. And he bought a whole box of wine to impress her to! Such a waste…
The caramel skinned, 24 year-old sighed as he reached up and brushed his hand through his short, messy black hair. Thoughtfully he gnawed on his bottom lip as he casually looked about the room. Adjusting his graphic tee of the “Blue Torch” he patted his jean clad legs. He could not remember what he did with that matchbook from that night. Grumbling he was about to give up his search when an idea suddenly sprang to mind.
He returned to his chair, cleared this throat and whispered…
“Matchbook…” Instantly, before his eyes, the word “MATCHBOOK” appeared. It was only about the size of an index card but about as about as thick as a matchbook. He plucked it out of air and leaned down, shoving the word beneath the gimpy leg of the table. Testing it, he found that the wobble was completely gone and this made him grin.
“Perfect,” he smirked as he replaced his magnifying glasses across his eyes and leaned down. Carefully he continued inking and hummed a little song to himself. He’d get a lot of work done today.
