Source work, author and character: Jack and the Beanstalk, Joseph Jacobs, Jack.
Journal name: beanstalking
Name: August Mason
Age: 24
Played By: Darren Criss
How long have they been in the human world?: 24 years
Source of income: Sidekickin' for Dr. James has its benefits. He occasionally does street performances, but that's for fun, not an income.

Personality: Auggie learned early on that he had to find a way to stand out from the crowd. Surrounded by foster siblings when he was young, and then fellow performers when he was older, Auggie knows that if he wants attention, he needs to demand it. In school, he did this by use of humor; self-deprecating jokes when delivered right saved him from bullies, and the louder he was about it, the better it turned out. He was non-threatening enough for the jocks to leave him alone, and easy-going enough for the fringe kids to take no issue with him.

In the end, it was the drama kids he found a home with, fellow performers with large attitudes, and (with the exception of himself), even larger egos. Auggie has had years since to perfect his tack of cajoling wounded pride and encouraging faltering confidence, and this skill with people has saved his neck on more than one occasion. He describes his method as "logic-ing people into a corner", which basically means that he pretends to reason with people while actually prodding them to make the decision he wants. Of course, subtle persuasion doesn't work with everyone, which means Auggie has had to learn how to read people on the fly as a means of self-preservation.

Everything about Auggie is meant to draw attention - the way he acts, the way he talks, the way he dresses. He's all about colors and patterns, anything that can make him 'pop'. Currently, he's really into bowties. Bowties are cool. He wears them all the time, no matter what the occasion. He has special bowties he wears on his expeditions with Sadie. When asked why someone would bother to wear a bowtie to a twelfth century crypt, he responds with a shrug and a shake of his head and something along the lines of "well, someone has to class this joint up." The good thing about Auggie's choice of clothing is that he's easy to spot in a crowd. Luckily, if push comes to shove and he needs to disappear, he can rely on his ability to stay out of sight.

A man as loud and full of personality is bound to have some quirks, and Auggie doesn't disappoint. He has a random, unexplainable love for climbing all things, whether they're buildings, statues, or trees (okay, so maybe it isn't all that random a love). He loves old-school disney flicks, and can quote most of them verbatim. Peas make him uncomfortable. He hates when people try to pull off brown belts with black shoes. He's had his teddy bear 'Beanie' since he was three and not only refuses to throw him away, but insists on displaying him prominently on his bed. (In fact, when asked what he missed most while in prison in Iran, Auggie's answer isn't cheap tacos or sex, but Beanie.)

Speaking of sex, Auggie does enjoy it as much as anyone else (take that, Sadie). And no, just because he knows what color blocking is doesn't mean he's gay. Despite his relatively lanky stature and ostentatious personality, Auggie manages to do quite well with the ladies. He might not be the most handsome guy in the world, but he's figured out what works for him: use his loud personality to grab women's attention, and his charm and 'cuteness' factor to draw them in. All in all, it's about as successful a tactic as it sounds, which means it works half of the time, and that's good enough for a guy who who has as much to do as him.

History: Auggie Mason was born to a single foster mother in Brooklyn, Humanity. Although he was the only biological son of his mother, he was always surrounded by other children, both those that his mother took in, and others in the neighbourhood. Although the Masons never had a lot, they managed to get by from his mother's income as a foster mom and as a nighttime nurse in a local clinic. Contrary to the foster mom stereotype, Angela Mason actually cared for the well-being of every kid she took in, and as a result Auggie's foster siblings are still as close to him as any biological sibling could be. With so many kids running around, Auggie pretty much ended up being raised by the community, as there was little time for personal attention.

Auggie's love for music and performance started in middle-school as a basic after school activity (Angela worked strange hours, and the kids all had to do something until she could get home to monitor them), but Auggie was a natural. He wasn't going to win a Tony any time soon, but he had a certain charisma on stage that made him difficult to look away from. Auggie followed this not-quite-explainable quality of his to the city for college in guise of a scholarship. Everything was supposed to be simple once he got to college, but unfortunately, drama school ended up being filled with more divas and queens than he had the patience to navigate, and Auggie began to look elsewhere for a creative outlet. .

Looking back, Auggie doesn't know why exactly he turned to street performances. Maybe it was the fact that he was always good at drawing a crowd at the drop of a hat, or maybe it was the fact that he didn't feel alive until he was looking out at a group of unfamiliar faces, and the pressure was on. Impromptu street performances began as a way to supplement his income, but the characters he met and the friends he made ended up being far more interesting than those he could meet at his university. Auggie ended up staying in school as long as he could (there was no point in wasting free money), but his academic interests leaned more towards the liberal arts than the performing ones by the end.

Some of the colorful characters Auggie met on the streets of New York were of the unsavory type, and much to his surprise (and delight), Auggie fell in with them with relative ease. What had until that point only been a knack for talking his way out of trouble morphed into helping some pals pull off some simple cons, which in turn led to bigger heists. Auggie realized that he had a distinct advantage in sticky situations - with a personality so loud and ostentatious, no one ever suspected that he was actually the one sneaking his hand into their pocket and robbing them blind.

Of course, there is an exception to every rule, and Auggie met his in the form of Dr. Sadie James. The amazonian woman was supposed to be just another easy target and way to stave off boredom, but fate had something else in store. For the first (and hopefully last) time in his life, Auggie was caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar, and no amount of smooth talking or story telling was going to help him get it back out. Although Sadie was prepared to pulverize him at first, something about Auggie's eager, yet calm demeanor under pressure impressed her, and she decided that he'd be much more useful as a sidekick than as sidewalk decoration.

Life with Sadie has been everything Auggie could have dreamed of. Quests and archaeological treasure hunts has meant intellectual stimulation mixed in with constant thrills, adventure, and more money than picking pockets and singing on the street could provide. Auggie might complain a lot about the way Sadie "takes advantage" and "doesn't appreciate" him, but truth be told, he loves every second of it.

His most recent Sadie adventure has been by far the most interesting. Long story short, they ended up landing themselves in prison in Iran. His last message from Sadie promised she'd find a way to get him out, but until that happens, he's on his own with nothing but his wit, charm, and twenty-five years worth of stories to tell.

Ability: Melting into shadows. He calls it shadow walking (because it sounds so cool)

Ability Limits: He can only blend into/move between existing shadows. If the shadows don't touch, he can't move between them. Also he can blend things he's touching into shadow with him (so he doesn't reform naked), but as soon as the contact breaks, they reform.

Alliance: Laissez-Faire. Like Sadie would let him alone for long enough to go do something like pick a team.

Storylines:

The Beanstalk: Auggie's unexpected source of money and happiness. Auggie put his trust (and fate) arbitrarily in The Beanstalk, and has been rewarded many times over. Auggie's fate is completely entwined with that of The Beanstalk, and he couldn't have asked for a better partner-in-crime. [TAKEN]

The Giant: Someone Auggie has fleeced in the past, perhaps on more than one occasion, who has a real grudge against the kid. Could be law enforcement, or they could be one of the shadier members of society. Either way, this person keeps Auggie on his toes.

The Magic Beans: The unlikely friend. Auggie might be very good at getting along with people and making friends, but even he doesn't quite understand how this friendship happened. What should be a thorough personality clash has led to a rewarding friendship (one of the longest he's ever had, as a matter of fact). [HELD]