Melissa Rask

Melissa Rask

OOC
Member name: Zoe
How you found us: ad
Other characters: Zoe Rios
Activity level: Somewhat active
Code word: Verified by Bee.
Basics
Full name: Melissa Rask, "Mel"
Gender: Female
Age: 19
Divine Parent: Dionysus
Powers:

• Madness: Mel has the ability to influence extreme states of emotion in others. The target in question needs to already be feeling a certain way, and then Mel can push them further along the path. Depending on how stubborn the target is, she can push them all the way over the edge, or bring them back.
  
• Intoxication: Mel is able to control the amount of alcohol she absorbs into her blood stream. This means that she can prevent herself from feeling any of the effects from alcohol, or she can feel the full force from very little. The process is taxing, and -depending on how quickly she uses the power- can sap her of energy. Bonus... No hangovers!
  
• Party Planning: While maybe not technically a "power" Mel definitely has a knack for turning a snooze fest into an all night rager. Perhaps a combination of being the daughter of an A-List celebrity, and the god of gettin' down, these things simply come naturally to this demigod.
  

Personality
General personality:
Mel does as she pleases. Having grown up with a famous mother, she does not shy away from the limelight. She usually enjoys the attention she gets, but doesn't necessarily seek it out. She doesn't need it, but she likes it. Never wanting for anything, she has no real concept of valuing things. If she wants something, she buys it and can discard these things just as quickly. The same pattern has often developed with friendships. When she makes a friend, it's because she has enjoyed them intensely, but seemingly trivial things can erase that very quickly and leave Mel wanting nothing more than to be rid of the person. It's not uncommon to see her bouncing back and forth between "best friends". People who she hates one day might be invited as a guest of honor at a dinner party the next.

She is generally an honest person, though pretty blunt. She doesn't see the need to spare people's feelings. She has been known to tease people, but has never really passed over into the realm of cruelty. She can take as much as she dishes out, as well. The world of tabloids and paparazzi has allowed Mel to develop a thick skin that lets very little through.

Underneath all of that, however, does lie some insecurity. Being the daughter of the god of wine sounds great, but people tend to forget that he's also the god of madness. Mel isn't entirely immune to her abilities to manipulate madness. That saying "if you stare long enough into the void, the void stares back" rings true. She is prone to getting carried away with her emotions if she does not control herself. Happiness can slingshot into euphoria, and a case of the blues can spiral into despair. She's learned, over the years, to recognize when she's losing control and tries to reign herself in as best as she can. When she's unable, these fits can leave her exhausted and drained for days on end.

Likes: Luxuries/expensive things, champagne, parties, movies and music

Dislikes: Quiet, boring people, bland food, being ignored

Goals: To one day run the Lotus Hotel and Casino. (Never die? Eternal party? Heck yeah!)

Fears: That she is losing/will lose control of her "madness" and become a nameless lunatic.

History
Claimed?: Yes
Camp experience:7 years
Mortal parent: Katrina Rask
Other relatives: n/a
History:
Katrina Rask was just exploding into the film scene when she met an alluring stranger at an awards show after party. She didn't let the resulting pregnancy get in the way of her rise to the top of Hollywood. If anything, it helped. She was a beautiful mother-to-be, and the pregnancy made her seem more like the "woman next door". By the time Melissa was born, Katrina was America's favorite actress and continued to take on award winning roles.

Meanwhile, little Melissa was cared for by a legion of nannies and tutors. When she was young, her mother did her best to keep the paparazzi away. She tried to give her little girl the most normal life possible, but that would eventually prove impossible. Mel grew to like the attention she received from the country, becoming America's favorite daughter next to America's favorite leading lady.

She wanted for nothing, having only to smile sweetly for the adults in her life to concede. And when that didn't work... Little Melissa wasn't exactly aware of what she was doing to those around her, but the truth of the matter was that she was beginning to influence people's mental states. Even her mother fell victim to this somewhat unintentional ability. Tabloids began covering stories of Katrina's erratic behavior at restaurants or other public places, complete with photographs of a wild eyed woman threatening to shave her head. Then mere days later, Katrina would appear on a talk show, perfectly normal, as if such events had never happened. Melissa too seemed to careen between extreme moods. But whether this was the effects of preteen hormones or something more divine within her was hard to say. That is, until her thirteenth birthday.

The event was, as per usual with the Rask ladies, a grandiose affair. The guest list was impressive, and also quite elite. Security was tight, and the birthday girl was decked out in a custom made, deep red dress. It had always been her favorite color. Her favorite band was taking the stage and Melissa and her current set of friends were dancing their hearts out. With every beat of the music, the atmosphere in the party seemed to intensify. Smiles of amusement became grins, then something more. Laughter rose from respectful chuckles to cackles of glee. Then suddenly, there was a flash of light and all turned to see the image that seemed to hover over Melissa's head.

A wine goblet, overflowing with grapes was suspended in the air, glowing with a ethereal crimson light.  It stayed for a moment or two, and then was gone. All was quiet in its absence; even the band had stopped playing. Unsure of what to do, Melissa threw her hands into the air and shouted "TA-DA!" The crowd cheered and the music began again. Melissa did her best to forget that strange moment and danced the night away until she finally collapsed with exhaustion on a couch.

The next morning, when she awoke, there was a man sitting across from her in a lounge chair. The first thing she saw was his sandals, worn with purple socks. Ugh, she thought of the faux pas. Looking up, his apparel didn't seem to improve, but there was something about the man that discouraged looking away.

"Melissa, honey..." came her mother's voice and the girl turned her head to see Katrina approaching, then sitting down close to the man. She cradled a coffee mug in her hand, offering it to the man. He shook his head with a sigh, producing a can of Diet Coke from a pocket in his cargo shorts. The snap and fizz of the can opening covered the words her mother spoke.

"What?" Melissa mumbled.

"Sweetheart, this is your father."

What followed was something of a blur to the girl. Emotions followed a roller coaster path of highs and lows until finally the man -Mr. D.- seemed to calm them both with a touch. Without much choice in the matter, Melissa found herself packing for a trip to some "Camp Calf-Blood" or something like that. It sounded disgusting.

After a horrifying taxi ride, Melissa found herself at camp. Mr. D. dismissed himself from her company after pointing the way to the cabin she would occupy and informing her that she was not to bother him for anything at all. She was fine with that. As far as she was concerned, he wasn't her father. At least not in any meaningful sense of the word. The cabin was nice enough. The grape vines were convenient for picking off a tasty snack and the lush furniture suited her just fine. What was more, the place was empty. She had it all to herself!

The years that followed saw Melissa taking on the nickname "Mel" at camp. She settled in the same way she seemed to do no matter where she went, and had herself a decent sized group of friends in no time. She was not so great in the combat aspects of camp life, but that hardly bothered her. At some point, another child of Mr. D. showed up, but Mel had little interaction with him. All in all, she came to enjoy Camp Half-Blood.