https://heroesassemble.mushhaven.com/index.php?title=Olena_Kovalenko&feed=atom&action=historyOlena Kovalenko - Revision history2024-03-29T08:30:12ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.32.0https://heroesassemble.mushhaven.com/index.php?title=Olena_Kovalenko&diff=5008&oldid=prevHobb: Created page with "{{CharacterPage |NameOnMUSH=Olena Kovalenko |banner name=Strilka |Char_id=1837 |banner image=https://i.imgur.com/BKDCOCZ.jpg |banner image width=550 |Img=https://tinyurl.com/s..."2020-08-17T11:20:49Z<p>Created page with "{{CharacterPage |NameOnMUSH=Olena Kovalenko |banner name=Strilka |Char_id=1837 |banner image=https://i.imgur.com/BKDCOCZ.jpg |banner image width=550 |Img=https://tinyurl.com/s..."</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{CharacterPage<br />
|NameOnMUSH=Olena Kovalenko<br />
|banner name=Strilka<br />
|Char_id=1837<br />
|banner image=https://i.imgur.com/BKDCOCZ.jpg<br />
|banner image width=550<br />
|Img=https://tinyurl.com/strilka01<br />
|FullName=Olena Kovalenko<br />
|Gender=Female<br />
|Superalias=Strilka<br />
|Species=Mutant<br />
|Theme=Original<br />
|Chartype=OC<br />
|Occupation=Courier/Mercenary/Vigilante<br />
|Citizenship=Ukrainian<br />
|Residence=NYC/Starling City<br />
|Education=School of Hard Knocks<br />
|Groups=<br />
|Quote=<br />
|PAge=24<br />
|AAge=24<br />
|DOB=22 Sep 1995<br />
|Height=5'4"<br />
|Weight=120 lb<br />
|Hair=Dark Brown<br />
|Eyes=Hazel<br />
|Actor=Tatiana Maslany<br />
|Song=<br />
|Twitter=<br />
|Profile=Somewhat closed-mouth about her past and true occupation (thief, mercenary, vigilante<br />
assassin), Olena Kovalenko is a recent immigrant to the states ostensibly working as a courier in <br />
Starling City, and sometimes NYC. A stranger in a strange land, she displays a guarded nature that <br />
suggests she's slow to trust fully. Once she's learned that trust, however, her loyalty is <br />
unparalleled.<br />
|History=<br />
<span style="color:#009999">'''Timeline:'''</span><br />
<br>* 1995 - Born to a Ukrainian factory worker and a teacher in Kalush, Ukraine.<br><br>* 2005 -<br />
Displays an early affinity for science and technology, but also for athletics -- particularly <br />
running, obstacle courses, and anything to do with hand-eye coordination.<br><br>* 2010 - Mutant <br />
abilities begin to manifest, however, they're subtle enough that no one actually realizes that's <br />
what's happening. She picks up a bow in a phys. ed. class and proves to have a natural aptitude for <br />
it.<br><br>* 2014 - Becomes one of the youngest Olympic archers to win a medal on behalf of Ukraine. <br />
Stripped of her medal months later when mandatory government testing reveals she is a mutant, thus <br />
rendering her participation in the Olympics illegal.<br><br>* 2015 - Kidnapped by an international <br />
mutant trafficking ring, thanks to information sold by a high-ranking government minister. Meets her <br />
best friend, Tetyana Balanchuck, when they are subsequently smuggled into the US together by <br />
Tetyana's cousin, who was working for the traffickers and betrayed her because of her mutancy. <br />
<br><br>* 2019 - Escapes from the organization to whom they were sold and enslaved in the US with <br />
the help of another mutant who had been secretly helping them learn to fight and better use their <br />
abilities. Tetyana apparently dies during their escape. Olena finds a bow and starts taking her <br />
revenge on the men responsible and anyone associated with them. Eventually ends up in Starling City, <br />
chasing down the money-men in charge of the smuggling network and doing some freelance work on the <br />
side.<br><br>* 2020 - Ukrainian and Eastern European immigrants aware of her exploits, though not <br />
her identity, dub her "Tin'ova Strilka" (the shadowed arrow) -- eventually shortened to simply <br />
"Strilka". The name sticks. She continues her hunt for the ultimate Powers-That-Be behind the <br />
trafficking ring that led to her best friend's death.<br />
|Personality=<br />
<span style="color:#1f75FE">'''Angry:'''</span><br />
<br>Hers is not a firey, explosive anger. Oh, no. Olena possesses a laser-focused, patient anger<br />
that lends itself well to her carefully planned, well-executed mission of vengeance (justice, if you <br />
ask her). That anger fuels her. She converts fear into anger. She converts uncertainty into anger. <br />
And then she hides it behind a mask of quasi-normality... or at least a guise of indifferent youth.<br />
<br><br><br />
<span style="color:#1f75FE">'''Disciplined:'''</span><br />
<br>As an athlete -- particularly from Eastern Europe -- Olena developed a disciplined, focussed<br />
mind that allows her great determination when she needs it. (Some would call it stubbornness.) While <br />
this doesn't necessarily give her a greater strength of will than other people, it has allowed her a <br />
certain amount of psychological resilience when attempting to overcome setbacks or accomplish <br />
difficult tasks. Further, just as she can block out everything around her to focus on hitting a <br />
target with an arrow, she can use that disciplined focus to block out or otherwise ignore stimuli <br />
that might otherwise distract her from her goal. The one major exception to this is anything related <br />
to or that reminds her of her time in the captivity that shaped the last several years of her life, <br />
which can shake her focus even under ideal situations.<br><br><br />
<span style="color:#1f75FE">'''Fast Thinker:'''</span><br />
<br>Thoroughness, in Olena's world, does not mean slow. She is smart, intuitive, and able to think<br />
much faster than many others -- again thanks in many ways to her mutant perceptive abilities. If not,<br />
she'd have died several times over by now. Quick wits and quick reactions keep her alive.<br><br><br />
<span style="color:#1f75FE">'''Inquisitive:'''</span><br />
<br>Olena is, for her caution and mistrust, a naturally inquisitive person. She wants to *know*,<br />
wants to find the answers and understand. Not content just to absorb knowledge secondhand, she wants <br />
to be right in the thick of things, doing and learning for herself.<br><br><br />
<span style="color:#1f75FE">'''Loyal:'''</span><br />
<br>Once Olena decides to trust someone, once she decides something is worth her loyalty, she will<br />
literally go to the ends of the Earth and beyond for that person or cause. She is not unquestioning <br />
in her devotion, but she is absolutely whole-hearted about it. However, if that loyalty is betrayed, <br />
it will never truly be won back.<br><br><br />
<span style="color:#1f75FE">'''Mistrustful:'''</span><br />
<br>Once, Olena was a happy, confident child. Then, she was kidnapped by mutant traffickers because<br />
of something the government did, hauled halfway around the world to a land that was supposed to be <br />
the "land of the free", but turned into five years of sheer hell. Thus, her young adulthood has <br />
pretty much been one betrayal after another. So, yeah. She's pretty sure most people lie as easily <br />
as they breathe. She certainly can.<br><br><br />
<span style="color:#1f75FE">'''Thorough:'''</span><br />
<br>Olena, due in many ways to her mutant perceptive abilities, is excedingly thorough in her<br />
planning, in her observation skills, and in her attention to detail. She often sees things other <br />
people miss and has incredible patience when it comes to investigative work... and pursuing an <br />
important goal.<br />
|Powers=<br />
<span style="color:#8a14ff">'''Hyper-Perception:'''</span><br />
<br>Olena's mutant gene has heightened her sensory perceptions to metanormal heights. Every other<br />
mutant ability she has stems from this one physiological fact. She receives a wider array of sensory <br />
input and processes it far faster than normal, which results in a prescient awareness level of even <br />
the tiniest shifts of states in her "immediate" environment. (Immediate, in this case, meaning about <br />
half-a-mile distant.) Basically, the difference between how Olena perceives the world and how most <br />
people perceive the world is the difference between a silent film from the early 20th century and <br />
living in an immersive Star Trek holodeck simulation... but applied to all 5 natural senses.<br><br><br />
<span style="color:#8a14ff">'''Meta-Reflexes:'''</span><br />
<br>Olena can dodge, weave, and block like nobody's business thanks to the milliseconds -- sometimes<br />
full seconds -- of lead time her perceptions give her. She's most effective at that when she's in <br />
"the flow", however, which can heighten her reaction times to a metahuman level that's tough to beat.<br />
She doesn't actually have super speed or superhuman acrobatic abilities. Her best running speed is <br />
that of an Olympic athlete, providing she's diligent about training. She reacts faster simply <br />
because she perceives faster.<br><br><br />
<span style="color:#8a14ff">'''Potik:'''</span><br />
<br>What Olena calls 'potik' (the Ukrainian word for "flow"), most English speakers would call being<br />
in a state of 'flow'. Whatever it's called, Olena can create a zen-like, almost meditative state for <br />
herself that allows her to "see" the ebb and flow of movement and energy around her in hyper-real <br />
time. When she's fully focussed, her mind processes the details so quickly and clearly that she <br />
instinctively reads the complex patterns of interaction between bodies at rest and those in motion <br />
within the space around her. This allows her to unerringly manoeuver the path of least resistance <br />
between two points, which makes her seem much faster than she actually is. Usually, she needs to <br />
concentrate at least for a moment for it to kick in, but, given her experiences in the past, a good <br />
jolt of adrenaline can also activate it.<br><br>Note: Where Olena's "Trajectory Manipulation" allows <br />
her to alter the trajectories of projectiles she uses or intercepts, "Potik" characterizes her own <br />
physical spatial navigation. It's not quite "bullet time", though it seems much like it. However, <br />
things don't slow down for her. She just instinctively sees where paths open up and uses her "Meta-<br />
Reflexes" to take advantage of the new directional options.<br><br><br />
<span style="color:#8a14ff">'''Trajectory Manipulation:'''</span><br />
<br>Olena's hyper-perception and resultant hand-eye coordination lend her remarkable ability with<br />
trajectories. If it can be thrown or fired from a hand-held weapon, she can make it hit exactly <br />
where and how she wants it to, simply because she can perceive all the forces that act upon it and <br />
adjust accordingly on-the-fly. This ability applies to more than just projectile weapons. It applies <br />
to any body in motion that's within the extent of her perceptive range. She instinctively "sees" the <br />
motion path without having to think about it. (Incidentally, this makes her a real shark at the pool <br />
table or dart board, too.)<br><br>Note: Of course, while this gives her an incredibly high accuracy <br />
rate, it doesn't 100% guarantee a hit every time. There's always luck or a last nanosecond of change <br />
she can't quite compensate for -- especially where superhumans are involved.<br />
|Skills=<br />
<span style="color:#00CED1">'''Archery:'''</span><br />
<br>Olena is recognized as an Olympic-class archer and (thanks to the scandal that surrounds her) is<br />
known by name, at least, to most true afficionados of the sport. While her notoriety isn't an <br />
advantage, her skill certainly is. That said, her archery skill is often enhanced by her "Trajectory <br />
Manipulation". She's had the training to be an Olympic champion -- which is about physical stance <br />
and coordination (things not covered by her naturally increased senses), but that training has <br />
always been boosted by her perception bonuses. Nevertheless, without the basic form and technique, <br />
the best eyesight in the world is still useless.<br><br><br />
<span style="color:#00CED1">'''Combat:'''</span><br />
<br>Beyond archery, secret training she received from a fellow mutant in captivity covered a wide<br />
suite of hand-to-hand and melee weapon techniques. Thanks to her perceptive abilities, she picked up <br />
the fighting skills very quickly and can now hold her own in most fights. Unless, of course, she's <br />
facing down one of the top ranked martial artists in the world -- or, you know, someone with <br />
superhuman strength and speed. Those are advantages she can't easily beat.<br><br><br />
<span style="color:#00CED1">'''Investigation:'''</span><br />
<br>Per force of her determination to bring down the men who enslaved her and others, Olena has<br />
become very good at sussing out hidden information and has developed decent skills in areas such as <br />
stealth, misdirection, information brokering, investigation, interrogation, disguise, and disembling.<br />
That said, she's not the best out there. She's just a little too blunt and forthright to be quite as <br />
smooth as some of the more advanced techniques require.<br><br><br />
<span style="color:#00CED1">'''Multi-Lingual:'''</span><br />
<br>Born in western Ukraine, Olena speaks Ukrainian and Russian fluently. She also has a smattering<br />
of Polish and, thanks to her Olympic career and recent years in the States, a good familiarity with <br />
English. Admittedly, this advantage is more valuable in Eastern Europe than it is in America, but <br />
you never know when it might come in handy. Especially when hunting down Eastern European mutant <br />
traffickers.<br><br><br />
<span style="color:#00CED1">'''Parkour:'''</span><br />
<br>Differentiated from "Free Running" by its lack of ornamentation or excessive acrobatics (Olena<br />
isn't really an acrobat, though she knows a few tricks), Parkour is best characterized by its <br />
emphasis on efficient, direct movement. Its practitioners look for the straightest, quickest path <br />
between two points, even if that means surmounting obstacles such as buildings or walls in the way. <br />
Olena learned about the sport as an adolescent and was drawn to it because it so neatly reflected <br />
the way she saw the world when in her state of "potik" (flow). In a word, it was fun. Then, she did <br />
it because she enjoyed it. Now, she does it because putting herself in "potik" allows her to forget <br />
all the rest of the crap she has to deal with.<br />
|Resources=<br />
<span style="color:#228B22">'''Contacts:'''</span><br />
<br>Olena has begun collecting a list of helpful contacts, ranging from snitches to information<br />
brokers, fences to forgers to fixers, and a loose collection of folks who either feel they owe her <br />
some sort of debt or favour -- usually because she's dealt with some sort of problem for them <br />
(intentionally or not) -- or feel she's providing a necessary service to the community by 'taking <br />
out the trash', so to speak. Most of these folks aren't the movers and shakers in the criminal <br />
underworld, but they're people enough in the know to keep her pointed in the right direction... and <br />
who can give her some idea of where she can pick up a contract or two if she needs it, or help her <br />
dispose of the more lucrative of her on-the-job 'aquisitions'.<br><br><br />
<span style="color:#228B22">'''Equipment:'''</span><br />
<br>Olena has put together a fairly impressive set of equipment, given her precarious lifestyle. She<br />
has a carbon fiber bow and a healthy supply of arrows -- most of them for killing or bludgeoning; <br />
she doesn't typically carry trick arrows (though that will change, once she has a reliable source to <br />
provide suitable options). She has put together a fairly sturdy costume (mostly out of reinforced <br />
motorcycle leathers over kevlar stolen off her enemies). She has a few blades, several well-balanced <br />
for throwing, and a pair of automatics (light weight pistols that are hold-outs, rather than main <br />
weapons). She has also managed to procure a nice motorcycle. (The thug who owned it won't be missing <br />
it any time soon.) Most anything else she needs, she can usually scrounge or buy, using funds she's <br />
"diverted" in the course of her adventures.<br><br><br />
<span style="color:#228B22">'''Funds:'''</span><br />
<br>Olena's scruples tend to skew more towards survival than flawless ethics. Consequently, she is<br />
quite shameless about taking cash and physical assets from the bad guys she takes down. She tends to <br />
leave electronic funds and paper assets alone, but anything that can be liquidated quickly and <br />
easily is fair game -- cash, jewelry, weapons, technology, occasionally a vehicle or two. She does <br />
*not* touch drugs, tending to destroy that sort of thing, if she can, but she'll happily take the <br />
ill-gotten proceeds left lying around.<br />
|Weaknesses=<br />
<span style="color:#EE204D">'''Enemies:'''</span><br />
<br>Olena has a serious hate-on for the mutant traffickers and mobsters that dragged her into<br />
captivity. (And the government thugs who originally made it all possible, but they're out of reach <br />
in Ukraine.) Consequently, she's been cutting a fairly wide swathe through the lower and mid-levels <br />
of several key underworld organizations. While she's yet to hit the 'big time', there are already a <br />
sizable number of thugs and mid-level mobsters that know the name 'Strilka' and want her dead. Thus, <br />
she must be careful not to reveal too much about who she really is.<br><br><br />
<span style="color:#EE204D">'''Illegal Immigrant:'''</span><br />
<br>Olena is in the USA illegally. She was smuggled in by a human/mutant trafficking network,<br />
ostensibly with the promise of freedom and a better life that never actually materialized. She has <br />
often had to resort to illegal means to make enough money to survive. And, by now, all of her IDs <br />
are forged. There's also that Olympic scandal hanging over her head. So, she'll do just about <br />
anything to avoid dealing with US law enforcement of any kind. With no reason to believe that anyone <br />
out there is likely to help her, she's effectively screwed... in more ways than one.<br><br><br />
<span style="color:#EE204D">'''No One Left Behind:'''</span><br />
<br>Despite the fact she often has no choice -- not if she wants to get out alive herself -- Olena<br />
is very, very reluctant not to at least *attempt* to free any and all captives, hostages, or other <br />
disadvantaged people held by whatever bad guys she's after. This has a twofold <br />
effect:<br><br>Firstly, she carries a lot of guilt, anytime she can't successfully rescue captives <br />
(much of it stemming from her belief she caused Tetyana's death). This sometimes leads her to make <br />
bad choices, like lingering longer than she should in enemy territory or challenging the wrong <br />
opponent to a fight.<br><br>Secondly, it means she can be quite successfully baited and lured into a <br />
trap by anyone who figures out her pattern of rescue. Even knowing it's a trap, she has an <br />
exceptionally hard time resisting it and will punish herself emotionally for failing to do something <br />
if she's somehow prevented from acting.<br><br><br />
<span style="color:#EE204D">'''Sensory Deprivation:'''</span><br />
<br>One of the fastest ways to "control" Olena, or render her powerless, is through the use of<br />
sensory deprivation techniques. Her hyper-perception makes it difficult to entirely block out all <br />
perceptions, so this is less about blindfolding or binding her and more about placing her in full <br />
physical isolation within sensory deprivation tanks or some similar chamber.<br><br>Most people <br />
exhibit signs of anxiety and can be subject to bizarre thoughts and hallucinations when subjected to <br />
true sense-dep. Olena hits that wall a lot faster, thanks to her time in the government program the <br />
Ukrainian authorities stuck her in (the source of most of her angst), where she first encountered <br />
the technique. In fact, nothing scares her more than a sense-dep tank. (Which means it makes her <br />
very, very angry... angry enough to lose control.)<br><br>She's also particularly susceptible to the <br />
"ganzfeld effect" (a.k.a. perceptual deprivation), also used on her in the program, which is <br />
accomplished by subjecting her to constant, perfectly uniform stimuli that have no discernible <br />
variation whatsoever. The ganzfeld effect, in particular, can trigger especially bad flashbacks and <br />
hallucinations for her, which can be worse than the tank.<br><br><br />
<span style="color:#EE204D">'''Tarnished Reputation:'''</span><br />
<br>Thanks to her mutant abilities (and the fact she didn't realize she was a mutant at the time),<br />
Olena was an Olympic medalist in archery. Three months later, she was stripped of her medals and her <br />
subsequent world titles in a government-concocted drug scandal that alleged she had been using <br />
illegal performance enhancing substances during competition, but had bribed (some said blackmailed) <br />
testing officials to look the other way. The fact the allegations were lies, however, isn't known <br />
outside of the Ukrainian government. Thus, its effect on her reputation in Olympic and archery-<br />
related circles is lasting.<br><br>She's never been publicly outed as a mutant and she never had the <br />
chance to respond personally to the allegations. Hence, her apparent silence was taken as an <br />
admission of guilt.<br><br>Consequently, anyone that does happen to recognize her (probably only <br />
Olympics or archery buffs) tends to automatically assume she's a liar, a cheat, and a user. Of <br />
course, if she were outted as a mutant, she'd still be considered a liar and a cheat (but not a drug <br />
addict) because she used her "powers" to give her unfair advantage against "normal folk". So, she's <br />
damned if she does, damned if she doesn't. Chances are the only people that might understand her <br />
predicament without extensive explanation are fellow mutants.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
{{#set:<br />
Hero name = Strilka<br />
| Actor name = Tatiana Maslany<br />
| Theme = Original<br />
| Character Type = OC<br />
}}</div>Hobb