KASPER MIKKEL HAUGEN

the basics

full name ♦ Kasper Mikkel Haugen
nicknames ♦ Kel, Kas
age ♦ twenty eight
birthday ♦ november 27th, 
occupation ♦ chef
school ♦ previously phalanx, not currently enrolled in school
species ♦ shapeshifter
ability/power ♦ can turn into an albino puffin at will
how the ability works ♦ kel can shift into a puffin. he does so often and prefers sleeping in this form. he can switch forms with ease at this point in his life and has very good control over it. the biggest issue he has is that his puffin form is very sensitive to light and so if he spends too much time outside in the sun he tends to develop migraines and eye sensitivity when he switches back to his human form. being very reliant on his eyes for sensory information, this bothers him quite a bit.
gender ♦ he | him | his
sexuality ♦ homosexual

the appearance

face claim ♦ andreas jessen
height and weight ♦ 6'1", 165 lbs
identifying features ♦ tattoos covering most of his arms, a lot of nordic symbols, a norwegian compass, a puffin
overall appearance ♦ his appearance is often changing drastically because he has a short attention span. sometimes he has facial hair, sometimes he shaves it all off. his hair is usually about shoulder length and naturally  blond but about every six months he'll dye it a different color. he prefers silvers, blues, and purples. he is relatively small for an adult male and doesn't have a ton of muscle mass. he is usually smiling and his eyes often look focused as he's constantly looking for visual cues.

the personality

likes ♦ 
• cooking, trying new recipes, experimenting with food
• quality time with his father, snapchatting him stupid shit all day
• making games out of nothing, asking 'would you rather' questions
• taking pictures of people he knows on his phone that were not expected. he zooms in on people's faces and snaps pictures of them and adds them to a large collage on his bedroom wall
• watching movies, he'll watch just a bout anything with a critical mind. he enjoys discussing movies through an analytical lens and likes to keep up-to-date with new movies coming out... even if they look horrible. in fact, it's more fun if they look horrible.
• going out with his cousins, though he prefers not to go too far out of NOLA
• drawing dicks on his father's car windows with window paint
• drawing in general. he's not an incredible artist or anything but he likes to draw out comic book panels and scenes involving his friends. his room is lined with these drawings.

dislikes ♦ 
• being in large groups of people  he doesn't know
• being told "never mind" after asking someone to repeat something
• people chewing gum. he can't understand you when you chew gum and it's gross, anyway. people leave it under chairs and stuff.
• people speaking to him slowly
• automatically generated closed captions. they're never in sync and they're usually wrong. it pisses him off when he goes to watch something and the CC are bad. sometimes he can make the best of this, writing outrageous reviews based on the incredibly inaccurate captions provided for a movie
• starting a tv show and not finishing it-- he'll rarely do it even if he hates it
• music. or... it's not so much a dislike as it is being perplexed by it. he likes feeling rhythm in songs with a low bass but he feels like music is this thing that everyone obsesses over that he just doesn't understand. it's a huge part of many people's lives and he can't relate to anyone through it.
• getting up early in the morning

strengths ♦ 
• being honest, speaking his mind, standing up for himself
• isn't easily offended, pretty laid-back and easy to get along with

weaknesses ♦
• speaking orally. he can do it but his speech tends to slur a bit. additionally, he'll occasionally forget to speak altogether.
• once he gets it in his head that he doesn't want to do something, it's hard to convince him to do it. he can be stubborn in that way.

dreams ♦
• to become known as a chef because of an individual accomplishment rather than being associated with his family (as much as he loves them he wants to create something of his own)

fears ♦
• not being able to do something he wants to do because he can't hear, having difficulty getting a new job or being underestimated, people thinking he lacks intelligence because of his speech

overall personality ♦ kel comes across as pretty quiet to most people but he's actually pretty outspoken when he needs to be. his issue is being self conscious when it comes to social situations involving people he doesn't know. when he's with family and friends, he's one of the loudest, most snarky people in the room. he likes to think he's charming but he gets a lot of eye rolls with his excessive pun attacks. in contrast, when he's in public, he tends to become much more reserved and his body shifts to match. his shoulders sink and he'll draw his arms in-- an involuntary attempt at making himself less noticeable.

the history

father ♦ Liam Haugen, 50, musician and bartender
mother ♦ liam's wife is kasper's mother. will be a want ad and so i don't have this information yet
siblings ♦ none
important people ♦ so many cousins and relatives see here
hometown ♦ NOLA
overall history ♦ 

you can't hear the commotion you are constantly surrounded by but it exudes in crowded rooms and flying hands. your cousins have always been a part of your life to the point where you can't imagine things any other way. to outsiders, your family is different-- they look different, they sound different, and the way they think is different. to you, they're just your family, and they're your normal.

you can't hear voices but you pick up on facial expressions and body language so well that you should probably become a psychologist. these tells present themselves to you loudly and obviously, as if you couldn't ignore them if you tried. they take many forms-- people clench their jaws, ball up their fists, tense their shoulders, purse their lips, and  furrow their brows all the time and you always notice. this is partially because you're a naturally observant individual and partially because your father has always pounded into your head that communication is important and that lacking communication skills will lead to unnecessary difficulty in life.

you can't hear the words leave your tongue but you feel the way they make your throat buzz. you feel the way your tongue curls, pressing into the back of your teeth. speaking orally is strange-- like your voice is  more of a foreign entity than something that belongs to you. still, you practice using it because you were taught from birth that it  will  help you gain independence. you prefer using your hands because something about your voice makes you different. some people have said it's an accent while others have said that it sounds stupid. you've never quite understood either comment. what you do understand is that most of the human population are able to communicate through their buzzing throats. by the time you turn ten, you appreciate that your father encouraged speech therapy because none of the local clerks, or waiters, or teachers know what you're asking for when you use your hands. 

you can't hear your father's laugh but you see it in the corners of his lips and in the way that his teeth show. you've always had a good relationship with your parents though with so many cousins there was bound to be some conflict. your family is accustomed to spending time in groups but you prefer your father and a bowl of popcorn over any large gatherings. you do enjoy spending time with your family but between you and liam there is very little disagreement and everything is simple. you can make fun of a movie or throw pieces of crumpled up paper at each other or count the tiles on the ceiling and you can laugh so much that you don't care what you sound like.

you can't hear the cracking bones but you feel every bit of it the first time your body transforms. your limbs contort, condensing and shrinking in a way that defies what you know about science. it shouldn't be possible but that's easy to say when it's not your body sprouting feathers. the first time it scares you but you are quickly reassured as you are not the first haugen to change into an animal and you certainly won't be the last. you spend almost as much time as a puffin as you do a human, finding comfort in this smaller body. the most you shift the less it hurts and the more natural it feels.

you can't hear the shattering glass or the running up and down the halls but you know that these are common occurrences. phalanx is like a second  home to you growing up though you mostly keep to yourself. it is there where you learn how to maintain control over which form you wish to take. you attend classes there while sleeping in your own bed at home because the close proximity of the school to your house creates no need for living in a dorm. phalanx is no less crazy than your biological family and so you are already accustomed to slipping under the radar. you stop attending once you feel that you've aged out as you begin taking shifts at your grandfather's restaurant.

you can't hear the food sizzling in the kitchen but you learn to love the smells of spices and cooked vegetables. cooking becomes a hobby you really enjoy... which works for you because everyone in that bustling kitchen knows how to sign. you're constantly told that for a family of people who suck at hearing you're incredibly good at making noise. being around the restaurant staff is always enjoyable. you're comfortable, energized, and eager to work. you have plans to go to culinary school and become this world renowned chef but for the moment, you're happy exactly where you are.

the role player

alias ♦ jem
age ♦ 24
pronouns ♦ she | her(s)
code ♦ ADMIN EDIT
other characters ♦ Cameron Gallagher Elijah Noel Cartwright Ezra John Davies Robbie Jude Lovelle Dakota Chotke Gaspard J. Charbonneau Aubrey Amelia Haile