#* mikael

[their-fate]

Mikael had followed the sounds of their voices, their footsteps heavy in the otherwise empty corridor. They'd disappeared through the door of a side room, and he stood there, unnoticed, in the doorway, to find they'd cornered a child.

A child that looked much too young to be in such a suffocating place.

A mere second passed, and he closed the gap between them. Standing, firmly, in place, between her and them. He stared at the men; eyebrows furrowed and posture rigid.

They spoke to him directly. One of them had a gun.

But he didn't reply, and simply raised a shaking hand in their direction, fingers splayed like he was poised to attack, and nostrils flared. A steady stream of green goop ran down his face with the motion.

continued from here with @afroggycollective

[their-fate]

Is that your Geiger counter, or are you just happy to see him?

Art credit

[their-fate]

The timeline for Mikael's story is -> OSHA worker sent to investigate Black Mesa -> gets pushed into the toxic waste and survives, gets locked underground for several years while Black Mesa frantically tries to cover it up -> he gets released and Black Mesa contacts the SCP Foundation, where Mikael ultimately gets sent to. After escaping from one nightmare, he's put into another lonely cell with thick walls to keep the foundation staff safe as they monitor him like he's a science project. Also, Mikael did have a wife and a child, who were told he disappeared and they were searching extensively for him (they weren't). The stuff Mikael brought with him to Black Mesa was hidden somewhere within the facility, containing a cell phone and a wallet with a picture of a little girl. This is partially the reason why Mikael purposefully does not attack children, because they remind him of someone he used to know

[their-fate]

Because Mikael technically always has a fever, and he burns a lot of energy just by being awake, he does need to eat a lot. In solitary confinement, he had to survive on very little/non-edible things. He has become very resourceful in sticky situations. He also starts hoarding when food becomes readily available again as a survival tactic. He's been in fight or flight mode for so long he doesn't know how to come out of it.

In addition, he also sleeps a lot. He's a light sleeper out of survival instinct, and he doesn't dream very often, but when he does, his dreams are very vivid. He's dreamed about killing his attacker multiple times, but he's also dreamed about a family and a place he doesn’t recognize anymore and has no attachment to. The little girl with no face calls out his name, but he doesn't care

[their-fate]

for mikael! 𝐨𝐚𝐤 : what gives your muse strength when everything feels uncertain?

Headcanon prompts // accepting

Unfortunately, a lot of Mikael's drive to keep going is for revenge sake. He should have died, and he knows it, but something kept him alive. A lot of his inspiration comes from the Decemberist's The Mariner's Revenge Song. I can only imagine how cathartic it will be when he finds the man who ruined his life and kill him.

But where will that put him? I think Mikael lacks a real purpose outside of revenge, so he will be lost for awhile.

Ultimately, he is also going to learn that the world isn't so cruel and he can survive for his own sake and to let things go. This is where found family will come in! When he learns how to be human again, he will find strength in his bonds with others. They'll keep him going, and he will do everything he can to protect them. I think identity is something he will struggle with because he won't ever be the man he used to be, and now he's never going to be able to go back to that life anyway, so... being with people who accept him and who he loves will fundamentally change him.

[their-fate]

Mikael can speak, but it's been years, and he hasn't needed or wanted to. His voice would be raspy from not using it, and it would hurt to speak at first. He's more likely to learn and use sign language, but it isn't completely out of the question to hear it someday.

[their-fate]

CONTENT WARNING FOR GRAPHIC VIOLENT CONTENT

I'm trying to make sure Mikael isn't like super overpowered because that wouldn't be any fun. But, with his insane healing ability, the only way to really incapacitate him is to deal a lot of damage at once, and continuously. Or trap him. Although, his healing ability can also go into overdrive and he heals too much, too fast, and ends up incapacitating himself? I'd say, like, a head shot would be a good way to knock him down. But I guess it begs the question of if you were to blow him to pieces, would the pieces be able to make their own mini versions of him? I'm sure they'd be like, mindless, uncontrollable little mutant things.

[their-fate]

Mikael is lying face down on the ground. The Tummy Ache™️got him. And now it's going to get you, too.