Mirage
Feb 7, 2014 19:31:26 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2014 19:31:26 GMT -5
-Player Info-
Name/Alias: Toggs
IM/Email: Lady Grimlock (AIM), Reasonably_suspicious@ymail.com
-Character Info-
Name: Mirage
Age (or human equivalent): Late twenties
Gender (or human equivalent): Mech/Male
Species: Cybertronain
Faction: Autobot
Original Occupation: Actor/Aristocrat (AKA: Professional Billionaire)
Occupation/Specialization: Special Operations, with an emphasis on espionage, impersonation, and reconnaissance
Appearance/Altmode: Mirage is slender, slightly taller than a mech of his mass ought to be (Standing roughly at Knock Out’s height), with intricately designed, overlapping plates which conform to the contours of his proto-mass, thus giving him greater ease of movement (in addition to a stylish silhouette.) His helm is blue with white accents, and the plates overlap to vaguely resemble a nemes headdress. His optics are gold, somewhat slanted, and are framed by a blue eye-mask which covers the entire upper half of his face. When it comes to movement, he carries himself with confidence and grace, and makes a point to always maintain perfect posture, even while at rest. In short, he’s a mech whose frame was built to look good, knows it does, and carries himself as such. His alt is a blue and white white Caparo T1, as pictured here.
History:
Mirage was sparked in to an obscenely wealthy, affluent cohort. From the day he was brought online, he was groomed by his cohort to become diligent, poised, polite--to be worthy of his status, lest he bring shame upon himself, his house, and his caste. This careful conditioning is what led to Mirage's personality not being developed, so much as carefully cultivated. The behaviors and traits that were desired by his cohort were encouraged and positively reinforced, whereas those which they deemed unacceptable were ruthlessly extinguished before they could become habits. His life was lived in strict adherence to the set of guidelines enforced upon him, and in time Mirage became the well-mannered, charming aristocrat his cohort had spent his entire upbringing training him to be. He went to social events, he earned the favor of other nobles, and he did his part to secure his cohort’s financial and social success. Mirage was, in essence, used by his cohort as a tool to gain favor, and he did his job well. Failure to meet their expectations was simply not an option. Such a thing was unthinkable…in that Mirage could not stand the thought of it, or the consequences such a failure would provoke. Hence why he took great care to keep any acts of rebellion or impropriety he committed from ever reaching their audios, and failing that, rephrase things to sound more forgivable. (Which usually wasn’t too difficult, since he was a skilled actor and therefore a skilled liar.)
His life was, despite the many pressures and restrictions set upon him by his cohort and their religious/political beliefs, a comfortable one. At least, it was until the war broke out and his world was turned on its ear. At first, Mirage wanted nothing to do with the war; he found such a concept utterly abhorrent, for both personal and religious reasons, but the choice was more or less taken out of his hands the day Translucentica Heights was attacked. Thankfully, he was not present at the time his home was razed to the ground, but the same could not be said for a few unfortunate members of his cohort. Their deaths and the destruction of their home devastated Mirage, who until that point had never suffered a loss so grand and all-consuming. He joined the Autobots shortly after, despite having misgivings about participating in the war.
Consumed by grief and anger, Mirage was not very well received during his first few years serving with the Autobots. He tended to avoid others and lash out when his anger got the better of him, which was often, since there was a glaring cultural barrier barring him from being able to understand or relate to the majority of his peers, who were of lower castes. His reclusive, curt behavior born of both bereavement and being so utterly out of his element was erroneously presumed by most to be a show of disdain for his comrades due to their lower caste, which didn’t help matters either. That he made no secret of the fact that he resented the war, and wished both sides could just come to a peaceful agreement lead some to believe he had Decepticon sympathies.
These and other factors unfortunately lead to a long-standing reputation which have followed him throughout most of the war. To those who believed hear-say, Mirage was untrustworthy, self-serving, and several other negative things, most of which somehow lead back to his caste or his cohort.Thankfully such mecha were not the majority, and though Mirage tended to have the most stares and fingers pointed his way whenever signs of treachery were discovered, he usually had just as many voices ready to jump to his defense. This was due, in part, to Mirage being recruited into the special operations division thanks to his skills as an actor and his handy electro-disruptor, which made him the perfect choice for spy-work. The extensive background checks, in addition to the numerous high-stakes missions he risked his life participating in, helped ease many of the concerns other Autobots had regarding his loyalty.
Recently, Mirage has been issued out on a mission to Earth. His goal is simple: infiltrate the Nemesis under the guise of a Decepticon, gather intel, and covertly report his findings to the Autobots. All without being caught and gutted for his efforts, if at all possible.
Personality: Cool, calm, collected, and deliberately enigmatic, Mirage is a mech who radiates sophistication and charm. Those who know him best would liken him to, of all things, a housecat. In true stereotypical feline fashion, Mirage carries himself with an air of quiet dignity, head held high and unbowed in a defiant, confident manner. He is independent, bordering on aloof at times, and he seeks out socialization only on his own terms. He tends to be distant, almost cold towards strangers and people he knows but has no real fondness for, however, he does not hesitate to lavish affection upon loved ones, or contrarily, seek out attention from them. Though, this is not to say he is only friendly towards people he knows; If a stranger manages to pique his interest somehow, he will not hesitate to approach them and strike up a conversation, and likewise, if someone approaches him he will at least make a passing attempt at small talk, if only because he holds himself to a high standard of propriety.
More accurately, Mirage has been conditioned since the day he came online to be nothing short of the perfect gentlemech, so for him, being polite and courteous is practically compulsive. As a mech raised to hold manners and morals in the same esteem, he dictates his behavior by a strong sense of etiquette, to which he rarely ever acts against. He conducts himself in the manner he believes is Right, Proper, and Good, and thus he is often forced to censor himself. No matter how badly he may wish to do or say something that might be considered unbecoming, he will more often than not suppress the urge for the sake of maintaining proprietary--assuming, of course, he is within polite company. If he is within the presence of mecha he deems unworthy of such social graces, he will not hesitate to treat them in the manner befitting their conduct. Contrarily enough, witty retorts do not seem to be affected by this mindset, as he has no qualms with making scathing comments or disparaging remarks. If he feels someone has done something worth criticism, he will be as rude and cutting as he pleases. While Mirage tends to (at the very least) be civil with his criticisms, he feels no overwhelming need to be as polite as he usually is, because if someone has done something to properly offend his sensibilities they have lost the privilege of being spoken to in a well-mannered fashion.
In addition to being (generally) polite, Mirage was also raised to be charming. He knows how to speak with honeyed words which sound sincere, how to smile warmly when he doesn’t mean it, and how to carry himself in a way which seems interested and engaged when he’s really nothing of the sort. He will feign interest when it suits him to do so, usually for the sake of sparing someone’s feelings, but from time to time he has been known to use his wit and wiles to achieve some sort of goal. Though he wishes he could say this talent came about due to his time as a special operative, in truth, Mirage learned the fine art of manipulation while growing up in the Towers, where being clever in terms of word-play, rhetoric, and in general, was paramount. He’s understandably not very proud of this, so he usually limits the use of his wit to humor and verbal sparring, as opposed to manipulation and dealing injury, save for when he feels such actions are warranted (...He can be a bit wrathful and vindictive at times.)
Furthering the trend of feline traits, Mirage is also indecisive to a fault. Like a cat who can’t make up its mind as to which side of the door it wants to be on, Mirage can never seem to make an important decision without agonizing over it, even after the choice has already been made. He tends to get stuck on ‘what if’s?’ and as such, he cannot help but look back on his choices and wonder whether he made the right one. At the very least, Mirage does not go back on his decisions once he has made them---which is perhaps the reason why he struggles with making them to begin with.
Overall, Mirage is a polite, charming mech who has a kind but admittedly somewhat distant demeanor. He tends not to develop close relationships with his comrades, partly because at this point in the war he’s learned not to grow attached to people, and partly because even after all these years he still has a few difficulties relating to mecha from lower-caste backgrounds. Consequently, many mecha know of Mirage, but not many truly know him personally, which only reinforces his “mysterious secret agent” facade. Which is just fine by him. There are worse things to be known as than a charismatic yet enigmatic spy.
Likes: Performing arts, (such as dance, theater, music, and film); visual arts, (such as paintings, sculptures, and photography); applied arts, (such as architecture, fashion, and interior design); literature (he's fond of the suspense/mystery and romance genres, but you didn't hear that from him); and aesthetically pleasing things (and mecha) in general. He also enjoys sunny days, intelligent conversations, inconsequential debates, vintage energon, clever wordplay, recreational flirting, musing/philosophizing, friendly banter, long showers, and hunting for sport
Dislikes: Philistinism, (false) accusations against his character, this bloody god awful war, being dirty, looking disheveled, causing a scene, vitriol-filled arguments, low-brow humor, missing sleep, tactless mecha, impoliteness, this bloody god awful war, needless destruction, being disrespected, his own indecisiveness, violence, tasteless paint-jobs, closed-mindedness, corporal punishment, this bloody god awful war, being talked down to, being deceived, abusers of authority/power, being even remotely ill, physically exhausting tasks, being underestimated, and this bloody god awful war
Strengths/Weapons:
Hunting rifle: Exactly what it says on the tin. Though it is capable of firing rocket-darts, more often than not Mirage settles for using armor-piercing rounds, as they are more easy to come by. He has but a few rocket darts at his disposal, and so he’s taken to saving them for times when a little extra fire-power is needed. The rocket-darts aren’t much more powerful than his armor-piercing rounds, truth be told. They simply burn/melt plating instead of piercing through it. Being but small darts, they do not have much explosive power, however they are not intended to be damaging so much as distracting and disabling. While they can make a decent hole in standard armor, they do little against reinforced plating. Not that they’re really meant to, since their purpose is melting/scorching plating and knocking mecha over as opposed to breaking through their armor.
The most dangerous game: Before the war, Mirage used to hunt turbofoxes for sport. Considering the war has only sharpened his skills with a gun, and his abilities to stalk, track, and sneak up upon his targets, it is safe to say he’s a fairly good hunter--of animals, and mecha. He’s also a rather persistent hunter, as his occupation has often required him to engage in pursuit predation whilst dealing with flighty or unsuspecting targets.
Where was he keeping that?: Spec-opsers are known for their neat little toys, and Mirage is no exception. At any given time, the mech most likely has a few knives, flash-bombs, trackers, cables, stasis cuffs, and other such goodies hidden somewhere on his person.
Slice and Dice: Mirage has a pair of scythe-like blades installed in both of his forearms, which are attached to lengths of cable. They can be utilized as both simple arm-blades, as well as sickle-and-chains, making them both close-quarter and mid-range weapons. They can also be utilized as a grappling hook, if wielded properly, though they cannot support much more than his own weight.
Weaknesses:
Pacifistic nature: Mirage makes no secret of his utter distaste for violence; everyone who has seen him in combat knows he only participates grudgingly, and would much rather be doing nearly anything else. Despite being a skilled fighter, he will often try to use diplomacy to resolve conflicts with his enemies before resorting to violence, and even when he does turn to physical combat he will sometimes do so with such reluctance that his effectiveness may occasionally be impaired.
Built for form, not function: Mirage's frame was designed to be aesthetically pleasing, not durable. His armor is thin and lightweight, and the segmented plates overlap each other loosely in order to give him greater ease of movement. While this makes him quite fast and flexible, it also makes him almost embarrassingly easy to critically injure. Though his armor is decently heat resistant, and can therefore tolerate a few plasma rounds, he dents easily under blunt force trauma. Additionally, Mirage's systems simply weren't designed to function in less than optimal conditions; he was built with the expectation that he could simply replace or repair whatever rare/expensive part he needed to, whenever he needed to, and that obviously isn't something he can do anymore. Subsequently, Mirage often needs to make do with a jury-rigged part or two until the odds and ends he needs replaced are properly refurbished. Needless to say, he's a med-bay regular; mecha just can't be built like he is without needing regular check-ups.
Pride above reason: Unsurprisingly, given his upbringing, Mirage has learned to view the task of upholding his dignity as one of utmost importance, and thus he will go to great lengths to ensure it is not diminished in any way. His pride could very well get him killed one day (and it nearly has in the past), as he would sooner die than plead for his life, and he would sooner take his own life than allow himself to live in a state of constant degradation. Likewise, when he feels his pride has been injured in some way, he feels honor-bound to seek 'justice' against the party who besmeared his dignity. Naturally, this can lead him into all sorts of trouble, especially if the offending party is someone who could cause him grievous bodily harm with a flick of their wrist.
Invisibility is a two way street: Mirage’s electro-disruptor manipulates photons and bends light around him in order to render him invisible, and therefore he cannot see when he is masking himself fully. He can leave his optics semi-transparent and allow himself a blurry, short line of sight, however a pair of glowing gold orbs floating in the air are not exactly conspicuous, so he rarely allows himself the luxury of sight whilst on missions which require him to be invisible. Instead, he relies on sensitive spatial and proximity sensors (as well as sonic and thermal detectors) to inform him of what is going on around him. Which, needless to say, leaves him vulnerable to long-range attacks, and renders him more or less completely unaware of what is going on beyond his immediate vicinity.
Useful, but taxing: Mirage’s electro-disruptor is not very fuel efficient. As it produces images of a significantly higher quality and longer range than the average holo-generator, it likewise expends a great deal more energy. Maintaining projections for extended periods of time can be very physically taxing for him, as in addition to requiring a sizable amount of concentration to keep his projections running, Mirage has to sacrifice a significant portion of energon. For example, sustaining full-frame invisibility for three hours under optimal conditions would drain his tanks completely dry. Hence why he tends to keep emergency rations with him, in case he finds himself in a situation wherein he needs to use his disruptor for an extended period of time. The electro-disruptor itself is also prone to overheating if pushed beyond its limits, which, in addition to causing damage to the device, can be quite painful for Mirage. Not to mention dangerously inconvenient, should it short out at the worst possible moment.
Special skills (that are not weapon related):
The last thing you’ll never see: Mirage possesses one of the most state of the art electro-disruptors money can buy, and thus he is able to manipulate photons and create false images, or turn himself/other objects invisible by bending light around them. His disruptor functions much like a holo-avatar generator, with the most notable differences being his disruptor’s range, which covers a bit more ground than the average avatar-generator, and the quality of the projections, which are significantly more detailed and refined. Mirage is aptly named in that respect, as his illusions are so realistic as to be nearly indistinguishable from the original person/thing they are copying. From people, to objects, to special effects, Mirage can render nearly any image he so desires, so long as it fits within the limitations of his electro-disruptor’s range.
Secret agent mech: As a special operative specializing in espionage, reconnaissance, and impersonation, Mirage knows how to make his way from place to place without making his presence known, and how to dawn convincing personas at the drop of a hat. With his light step, electro-disruptor, uncanny ability to pick locks (and cuffs), and unconventional sense of morality, Mirage has a knack for being able to sneak into places in which he ought not to be, and listen to conversations/discover information he has no business finding out about. As a former (and arguably current) actor, he is a skilled liar, who can quite easily mask his emotions, express false ones, and impersonate other people, which comes in handy in his line of work. In that same vein, Mirage can modulate his voice to various pitches in order to emulate the person he is impersonating, however, mimicking their accent and vocal cadence takes a bit of practice.
Extra Info:
He’s a mech who leads a life of danger
To everyone he meets he stays a stranger
With every move he makes another chance he takes
(Odds are he won't live to see tomorrow)
Name/Alias: Toggs
IM/Email: Lady Grimlock (AIM), Reasonably_suspicious@ymail.com
-Character Info-
Name: Mirage
Age (or human equivalent): Late twenties
Gender (or human equivalent): Mech/Male
Species: Cybertronain
Faction: Autobot
Original Occupation: Actor/Aristocrat (AKA: Professional Billionaire)
Occupation/Specialization: Special Operations, with an emphasis on espionage, impersonation, and reconnaissance
Appearance/Altmode: Mirage is slender, slightly taller than a mech of his mass ought to be (Standing roughly at Knock Out’s height), with intricately designed, overlapping plates which conform to the contours of his proto-mass, thus giving him greater ease of movement (in addition to a stylish silhouette.) His helm is blue with white accents, and the plates overlap to vaguely resemble a nemes headdress. His optics are gold, somewhat slanted, and are framed by a blue eye-mask which covers the entire upper half of his face. When it comes to movement, he carries himself with confidence and grace, and makes a point to always maintain perfect posture, even while at rest. In short, he’s a mech whose frame was built to look good, knows it does, and carries himself as such. His alt is a blue and white white Caparo T1, as pictured here.
History:
Mirage was sparked in to an obscenely wealthy, affluent cohort. From the day he was brought online, he was groomed by his cohort to become diligent, poised, polite--to be worthy of his status, lest he bring shame upon himself, his house, and his caste. This careful conditioning is what led to Mirage's personality not being developed, so much as carefully cultivated. The behaviors and traits that were desired by his cohort were encouraged and positively reinforced, whereas those which they deemed unacceptable were ruthlessly extinguished before they could become habits. His life was lived in strict adherence to the set of guidelines enforced upon him, and in time Mirage became the well-mannered, charming aristocrat his cohort had spent his entire upbringing training him to be. He went to social events, he earned the favor of other nobles, and he did his part to secure his cohort’s financial and social success. Mirage was, in essence, used by his cohort as a tool to gain favor, and he did his job well. Failure to meet their expectations was simply not an option. Such a thing was unthinkable…in that Mirage could not stand the thought of it, or the consequences such a failure would provoke. Hence why he took great care to keep any acts of rebellion or impropriety he committed from ever reaching their audios, and failing that, rephrase things to sound more forgivable. (Which usually wasn’t too difficult, since he was a skilled actor and therefore a skilled liar.)
His life was, despite the many pressures and restrictions set upon him by his cohort and their religious/political beliefs, a comfortable one. At least, it was until the war broke out and his world was turned on its ear. At first, Mirage wanted nothing to do with the war; he found such a concept utterly abhorrent, for both personal and religious reasons, but the choice was more or less taken out of his hands the day Translucentica Heights was attacked. Thankfully, he was not present at the time his home was razed to the ground, but the same could not be said for a few unfortunate members of his cohort. Their deaths and the destruction of their home devastated Mirage, who until that point had never suffered a loss so grand and all-consuming. He joined the Autobots shortly after, despite having misgivings about participating in the war.
Consumed by grief and anger, Mirage was not very well received during his first few years serving with the Autobots. He tended to avoid others and lash out when his anger got the better of him, which was often, since there was a glaring cultural barrier barring him from being able to understand or relate to the majority of his peers, who were of lower castes. His reclusive, curt behavior born of both bereavement and being so utterly out of his element was erroneously presumed by most to be a show of disdain for his comrades due to their lower caste, which didn’t help matters either. That he made no secret of the fact that he resented the war, and wished both sides could just come to a peaceful agreement lead some to believe he had Decepticon sympathies.
These and other factors unfortunately lead to a long-standing reputation which have followed him throughout most of the war. To those who believed hear-say, Mirage was untrustworthy, self-serving, and several other negative things, most of which somehow lead back to his caste or his cohort.Thankfully such mecha were not the majority, and though Mirage tended to have the most stares and fingers pointed his way whenever signs of treachery were discovered, he usually had just as many voices ready to jump to his defense. This was due, in part, to Mirage being recruited into the special operations division thanks to his skills as an actor and his handy electro-disruptor, which made him the perfect choice for spy-work. The extensive background checks, in addition to the numerous high-stakes missions he risked his life participating in, helped ease many of the concerns other Autobots had regarding his loyalty.
Recently, Mirage has been issued out on a mission to Earth. His goal is simple: infiltrate the Nemesis under the guise of a Decepticon, gather intel, and covertly report his findings to the Autobots. All without being caught and gutted for his efforts, if at all possible.
Personality: Cool, calm, collected, and deliberately enigmatic, Mirage is a mech who radiates sophistication and charm. Those who know him best would liken him to, of all things, a housecat. In true stereotypical feline fashion, Mirage carries himself with an air of quiet dignity, head held high and unbowed in a defiant, confident manner. He is independent, bordering on aloof at times, and he seeks out socialization only on his own terms. He tends to be distant, almost cold towards strangers and people he knows but has no real fondness for, however, he does not hesitate to lavish affection upon loved ones, or contrarily, seek out attention from them. Though, this is not to say he is only friendly towards people he knows; If a stranger manages to pique his interest somehow, he will not hesitate to approach them and strike up a conversation, and likewise, if someone approaches him he will at least make a passing attempt at small talk, if only because he holds himself to a high standard of propriety.
More accurately, Mirage has been conditioned since the day he came online to be nothing short of the perfect gentlemech, so for him, being polite and courteous is practically compulsive. As a mech raised to hold manners and morals in the same esteem, he dictates his behavior by a strong sense of etiquette, to which he rarely ever acts against. He conducts himself in the manner he believes is Right, Proper, and Good, and thus he is often forced to censor himself. No matter how badly he may wish to do or say something that might be considered unbecoming, he will more often than not suppress the urge for the sake of maintaining proprietary--assuming, of course, he is within polite company. If he is within the presence of mecha he deems unworthy of such social graces, he will not hesitate to treat them in the manner befitting their conduct. Contrarily enough, witty retorts do not seem to be affected by this mindset, as he has no qualms with making scathing comments or disparaging remarks. If he feels someone has done something worth criticism, he will be as rude and cutting as he pleases. While Mirage tends to (at the very least) be civil with his criticisms, he feels no overwhelming need to be as polite as he usually is, because if someone has done something to properly offend his sensibilities they have lost the privilege of being spoken to in a well-mannered fashion.
In addition to being (generally) polite, Mirage was also raised to be charming. He knows how to speak with honeyed words which sound sincere, how to smile warmly when he doesn’t mean it, and how to carry himself in a way which seems interested and engaged when he’s really nothing of the sort. He will feign interest when it suits him to do so, usually for the sake of sparing someone’s feelings, but from time to time he has been known to use his wit and wiles to achieve some sort of goal. Though he wishes he could say this talent came about due to his time as a special operative, in truth, Mirage learned the fine art of manipulation while growing up in the Towers, where being clever in terms of word-play, rhetoric, and in general, was paramount. He’s understandably not very proud of this, so he usually limits the use of his wit to humor and verbal sparring, as opposed to manipulation and dealing injury, save for when he feels such actions are warranted (...He can be a bit wrathful and vindictive at times.)
Furthering the trend of feline traits, Mirage is also indecisive to a fault. Like a cat who can’t make up its mind as to which side of the door it wants to be on, Mirage can never seem to make an important decision without agonizing over it, even after the choice has already been made. He tends to get stuck on ‘what if’s?’ and as such, he cannot help but look back on his choices and wonder whether he made the right one. At the very least, Mirage does not go back on his decisions once he has made them---which is perhaps the reason why he struggles with making them to begin with.
Overall, Mirage is a polite, charming mech who has a kind but admittedly somewhat distant demeanor. He tends not to develop close relationships with his comrades, partly because at this point in the war he’s learned not to grow attached to people, and partly because even after all these years he still has a few difficulties relating to mecha from lower-caste backgrounds. Consequently, many mecha know of Mirage, but not many truly know him personally, which only reinforces his “mysterious secret agent” facade. Which is just fine by him. There are worse things to be known as than a charismatic yet enigmatic spy.
Likes: Performing arts, (such as dance, theater, music, and film); visual arts, (such as paintings, sculptures, and photography); applied arts, (such as architecture, fashion, and interior design); literature (he's fond of the suspense/mystery and romance genres, but you didn't hear that from him); and aesthetically pleasing things (and mecha) in general. He also enjoys sunny days, intelligent conversations, inconsequential debates, vintage energon, clever wordplay, recreational flirting, musing/philosophizing, friendly banter, long showers, and hunting for sport
Dislikes: Philistinism, (false) accusations against his character, this bloody god awful war, being dirty, looking disheveled, causing a scene, vitriol-filled arguments, low-brow humor, missing sleep, tactless mecha, impoliteness, this bloody god awful war, needless destruction, being disrespected, his own indecisiveness, violence, tasteless paint-jobs, closed-mindedness, corporal punishment, this bloody god awful war, being talked down to, being deceived, abusers of authority/power, being even remotely ill, physically exhausting tasks, being underestimated, and this bloody god awful war
Strengths/Weapons:
Hunting rifle: Exactly what it says on the tin. Though it is capable of firing rocket-darts, more often than not Mirage settles for using armor-piercing rounds, as they are more easy to come by. He has but a few rocket darts at his disposal, and so he’s taken to saving them for times when a little extra fire-power is needed. The rocket-darts aren’t much more powerful than his armor-piercing rounds, truth be told. They simply burn/melt plating instead of piercing through it. Being but small darts, they do not have much explosive power, however they are not intended to be damaging so much as distracting and disabling. While they can make a decent hole in standard armor, they do little against reinforced plating. Not that they’re really meant to, since their purpose is melting/scorching plating and knocking mecha over as opposed to breaking through their armor.
The most dangerous game: Before the war, Mirage used to hunt turbofoxes for sport. Considering the war has only sharpened his skills with a gun, and his abilities to stalk, track, and sneak up upon his targets, it is safe to say he’s a fairly good hunter--of animals, and mecha. He’s also a rather persistent hunter, as his occupation has often required him to engage in pursuit predation whilst dealing with flighty or unsuspecting targets.
Where was he keeping that?: Spec-opsers are known for their neat little toys, and Mirage is no exception. At any given time, the mech most likely has a few knives, flash-bombs, trackers, cables, stasis cuffs, and other such goodies hidden somewhere on his person.
Slice and Dice: Mirage has a pair of scythe-like blades installed in both of his forearms, which are attached to lengths of cable. They can be utilized as both simple arm-blades, as well as sickle-and-chains, making them both close-quarter and mid-range weapons. They can also be utilized as a grappling hook, if wielded properly, though they cannot support much more than his own weight.
Weaknesses:
Pacifistic nature: Mirage makes no secret of his utter distaste for violence; everyone who has seen him in combat knows he only participates grudgingly, and would much rather be doing nearly anything else. Despite being a skilled fighter, he will often try to use diplomacy to resolve conflicts with his enemies before resorting to violence, and even when he does turn to physical combat he will sometimes do so with such reluctance that his effectiveness may occasionally be impaired.
Built for form, not function: Mirage's frame was designed to be aesthetically pleasing, not durable. His armor is thin and lightweight, and the segmented plates overlap each other loosely in order to give him greater ease of movement. While this makes him quite fast and flexible, it also makes him almost embarrassingly easy to critically injure. Though his armor is decently heat resistant, and can therefore tolerate a few plasma rounds, he dents easily under blunt force trauma. Additionally, Mirage's systems simply weren't designed to function in less than optimal conditions; he was built with the expectation that he could simply replace or repair whatever rare/expensive part he needed to, whenever he needed to, and that obviously isn't something he can do anymore. Subsequently, Mirage often needs to make do with a jury-rigged part or two until the odds and ends he needs replaced are properly refurbished. Needless to say, he's a med-bay regular; mecha just can't be built like he is without needing regular check-ups.
Pride above reason: Unsurprisingly, given his upbringing, Mirage has learned to view the task of upholding his dignity as one of utmost importance, and thus he will go to great lengths to ensure it is not diminished in any way. His pride could very well get him killed one day (and it nearly has in the past), as he would sooner die than plead for his life, and he would sooner take his own life than allow himself to live in a state of constant degradation. Likewise, when he feels his pride has been injured in some way, he feels honor-bound to seek 'justice' against the party who besmeared his dignity. Naturally, this can lead him into all sorts of trouble, especially if the offending party is someone who could cause him grievous bodily harm with a flick of their wrist.
Invisibility is a two way street: Mirage’s electro-disruptor manipulates photons and bends light around him in order to render him invisible, and therefore he cannot see when he is masking himself fully. He can leave his optics semi-transparent and allow himself a blurry, short line of sight, however a pair of glowing gold orbs floating in the air are not exactly conspicuous, so he rarely allows himself the luxury of sight whilst on missions which require him to be invisible. Instead, he relies on sensitive spatial and proximity sensors (as well as sonic and thermal detectors) to inform him of what is going on around him. Which, needless to say, leaves him vulnerable to long-range attacks, and renders him more or less completely unaware of what is going on beyond his immediate vicinity.
Useful, but taxing: Mirage’s electro-disruptor is not very fuel efficient. As it produces images of a significantly higher quality and longer range than the average holo-generator, it likewise expends a great deal more energy. Maintaining projections for extended periods of time can be very physically taxing for him, as in addition to requiring a sizable amount of concentration to keep his projections running, Mirage has to sacrifice a significant portion of energon. For example, sustaining full-frame invisibility for three hours under optimal conditions would drain his tanks completely dry. Hence why he tends to keep emergency rations with him, in case he finds himself in a situation wherein he needs to use his disruptor for an extended period of time. The electro-disruptor itself is also prone to overheating if pushed beyond its limits, which, in addition to causing damage to the device, can be quite painful for Mirage. Not to mention dangerously inconvenient, should it short out at the worst possible moment.
Special skills (that are not weapon related):
The last thing you’ll never see: Mirage possesses one of the most state of the art electro-disruptors money can buy, and thus he is able to manipulate photons and create false images, or turn himself/other objects invisible by bending light around them. His disruptor functions much like a holo-avatar generator, with the most notable differences being his disruptor’s range, which covers a bit more ground than the average avatar-generator, and the quality of the projections, which are significantly more detailed and refined. Mirage is aptly named in that respect, as his illusions are so realistic as to be nearly indistinguishable from the original person/thing they are copying. From people, to objects, to special effects, Mirage can render nearly any image he so desires, so long as it fits within the limitations of his electro-disruptor’s range.
Secret agent mech: As a special operative specializing in espionage, reconnaissance, and impersonation, Mirage knows how to make his way from place to place without making his presence known, and how to dawn convincing personas at the drop of a hat. With his light step, electro-disruptor, uncanny ability to pick locks (and cuffs), and unconventional sense of morality, Mirage has a knack for being able to sneak into places in which he ought not to be, and listen to conversations/discover information he has no business finding out about. As a former (and arguably current) actor, he is a skilled liar, who can quite easily mask his emotions, express false ones, and impersonate other people, which comes in handy in his line of work. In that same vein, Mirage can modulate his voice to various pitches in order to emulate the person he is impersonating, however, mimicking their accent and vocal cadence takes a bit of practice.
Extra Info:
He’s a mech who leads a life of danger
To everyone he meets he stays a stranger
With every move he makes another chance he takes
(Odds are he won't live to see tomorrow)