Aaron Ray Michaels
Aaron Ray Michaels
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Portrayed By Chris Lowell
Gender Male
Date of Birth July 25, 1984
Age 26
Zodiac Sign Leo
Aliases None
Place of Birth Queens, NY, USA
Current Location New York City, NY, USA
Occupation Presently Unemployed
Known Relatives Angela Michaels (mother; deceased), Raymond Michaels (father; deceased)
Significant Other MacKenzie Jones (girlfriend; deceased), Annabelle Sullivan (fiancee; deceased)
Known Abilities Unknown
First Appearance W.T.F

Formerly a county and state-winning vocalist and musician, as well as lead vocals and guitars of the locally popular band "The Lightbringers," Aaron Michaels vanished from the spotlight and any semblance of a public life following the tragedy that took place at a reunion show of "the Lightbringers" in 2008.

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History

Aaron Ray Michaels was born to Raymond and Angela Michaels on July 25th, 1984 in Queens, New York. His childhood was fairly unremarkable from the early ages until he discovered music at age six. From then until he was twenty-four, music was his life.

From age six to eight, he won ribbons and awards for vocal achievement in a choir and then solo in county and state competitions. He started playing the piano at age seven, and was a highly proficient pianist by the age of twelve when he learned to play the guitar. He also learned the violin at thirteen, although he never became quite as proficient with it as his other musical talents, nor was the writing of lyrics his strong suit.

At fourteen, Aaron's life changed. His father was promoted to district manager of the retail chain he worked for and they would have to move to Midtown Manhattan to avoid a very lengthy commute. As it turns out, leaving his old friends behind was a good thing. He met a great deal a new ones, several of which shared his interests and talents. Together, they formed the student band known as the Lightbringers.

With Aaron's musical talent and his lyrical counterpart, Annabelle "Annie" Sullivan, the Lightbringers became something of a local sensation, and despite the youth of their members, a number of local venues accepted them. Their success made for some drama with the other guitarist, Thomas, when Aaron began to date Annie. Thomas felt it was a bad move, though it ended up being Thomas who left the band.

After Thomas Wilkes departed the Lightbringers, things began to slowly fall apart. September 11, 2001 occurred, and Aaron's view of the world changed to something darker than it should have been. He and his bandmates all graduated high school and Aaron went off to attend the music program at New York University's College of Arts and Science. By 2004, Aaron began to suffer from enough stress to cause depression, which forced him to take a long and hard look at his life and make changes. He began to see a counsellor to help him deal with his declining mood and help to manage his stress levels.

As fun as his run with the Lightbringers was, even with record companies showing interest in them, he abandoned them, choosing his education above that which had sustained him the longest. As he would soon learn, he was stressed more about school than attending school while still performing. Unfortunately, he realized it too late, as the band fell apart in his absence. Despite not having the band anymore, Aaron was still forced to reduce his course load to reduce his stress level, forcing him to reduce his course load.

At the end of the school year in 2008 at graduation, one of Aaron's professors offered him the chance of a lifetime. A friend of the professor worked at a classy musical venue and wanted to see a reunion show for the Lightbringers. He would even help with the expense of the venue's rental fees. Annie, whom he had continued to date since 1999, was delighted by the idea. The rest of the band were more difficult to get together, but eventually they all convened in the hall, with the exception of Thomas Wilkes. Nearly nine hundred fans, including the manager of the venue (the friend of Aaron's professor) and Aaron's friends and family attended what was supposed to be a happy time. The night, however, ended in tragedy.

Aaron had purchased a ring with which he intended to propose to Annie with on stage. She was ecstatic when he presented it to her after a new song that he had written, lyrics and all, and performed in front of her solo. She said yes. Not long after the presentation, during the band's second act, a fire broke out. It was big and it spread fast. Very few people escaped the blaze. Aaron very nearly died. Annie did.

Aaron awoke in hospital in agony several days later. He had suffered severe burns to most of his back and chest in his attempt to rescue Annie from the fire. The physical pain was in no way as damaging to him as the emotional pain he felt upon discovering that everyone he cared about was gone. His parents, several family members, bandmates, and his close friends were amongst those who perished in the fire on October 2, 2008. When he attempted suicide not long after being discharged from the hospital several months later, it was, quite ironically, Thomas Wilkes who saved him.

Life is a very fickle thing with a cruel sense of humour at times. While Aaron inherited close to a million dollars upon his parents' death, after spending nearly a year hospitalized for the treatment of major depression, post-traumatic stress, and survivor's guilt, a fair chunk of it sunk into the hospital bills alone. He paid off his tuition at NYU, which sucked up slightly more than a quarter of it, leaving him a few major expenses for his music career, and enough to live for about a year without needing a steady job.

He continues to go to outpatient services at the Manhattan Psychiatric Center, where he resided for ten months, on a regular basis and is well-medicated. The healing process will be a long haul, but after a great deal of his psychological rehabilitation, he feels he may well be up to the challenge.

Major Events

Day Event
July 1984
25th Aaron was born
October 2008
2nd Proposed to girlfriend and bandmate Annabelle Sullivan.
Badly injured in a fire that killed parents, family, friends, bandmates, and fans.
December 2008
25th Attempted suicide. Saved by ex-bandmate (and only other surviving original member of the Lightbringers) Thomas Wilkes.
January 2010
16th Thomas Wilkes attempts to murder Aaron in his apartment. He only succeeds in introducing Aaron to his own evolved ability.
July 2010
17th Thomas Wilkes attempts to murder Aaron's friends at a bank in Manhattan. He doesn't succeed. Entirely.

Timeline

January
Date Title Event Cast
16th Smoke Signals Aaron comes to the police station convinced that someone has it out for him. Aaron and Maggie
16th Blazing Fury Aaron discovers that there's no such thing as normal. Oh, and someone from his past tries to kill him. Aaron, Gillian, and Tom Wilkes
17th Questioning Can Wait Aaron wakes up in the hospital, very sore and tired, with Detective Powers at his side. Aaron and Maggie
April
Date Title Event Cast
11th Wally World Janet and Aaron visit Wally World. Er… No, that's not right. Janet's award winning smile helps Aaron away from a panic attack so that he can make a hasty departure. Aaron and Janet
May
Date Title Event Cast
4th Same Shit, Different Day Aaron and Syndey encounter each other for the first time since January, when everything hit the fan. Things turn out … different. Aaron and Sydney
7th She Wasn't There, Technically Aaron goes to Gillian Harper to seek help with controlling his ability. He ends up getting more work than he was hoping for. Aaron and Gillian
June
Date Title Event Cast
26th Shock And Aw(kwardness) Morgan meets George, Aaron and Elle crash into each other. Morgan crashes into Aaron and Elle. Awkwardness ensues. Aaron, Elle, George, and Morgie
Grand Opening, Grand Closing After happy fun times in the park, Aaron, Elle, and George check out the grand opening of a nearby bar. There's some grand standing before the place is forced to close early. Aaron, Elle, George, and
July
Date Title Event Cast
4th Bobbing For Arsonists Aaron calls George to set up a meeting. The meeting is had, and Tom Wilkes is discussed along with the mysterious, disappearing powers. Aaron, Elle, and George
17th Final Withdrawal Aaron and George rush to the bank Mac works at after George reveals what Tom did the night before. They're in time to get stuck in Tom's web, and a battle of wills ensues. The end isn't pretty. Aaron, George, and Tom Wilkes
Things Got Complicated The aftermath of Tom's final withdrawal. Aaron and George

Other Logs

Date Title Event Cast
February 11, 2010 Mountaineer To Boy Scout (Phantasm) Jo hunts a man whose power was grossly underestimated. Aaron and Jo

Quotes

  • "Yes, that Aaron Michaels."
  • "What. the. fuck?"

Trivia

  • Aaron's vocal range is between the second baritone register and third alto register (A2 - A5). With falsetto, he can cover 4 octaves (up to A6). His speaking voice is a high baritone.
  • Once had an uncredited cameo appearance (as himself) on One Life To Live.

MeerAaron

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Aaron <3 <3 Erin

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