Elias Info

Name: Elias Bouchard ||Jonah Magnus||
Age: Who can really put a number on energy so DILFy? Looks to be middle-aged, around 47 or so ||235 chronologically||
Gender: Man but, like, moved two inches to the left? ||Jonah snatched the body of a lady once during his escapades and went "oh shid this isn't half bad," so now his approach is more akin to "aw fuck it whatever"||
Job: Head of The Magnus Institute
Affiliated Entity: ~~The Whore~~ The Eye
Appearance: Despite possessing the demeanor of a man much taller, Elias clocks in at an almost pitiable 5'4", his stature dwarfed further by his personality... not that you'd know it, since he takes great pains to obscure his true height, even going so far as to order custom-made platform boots that bump him up to a lacking but acceptable 5'7". Napoleon Complex? Who's she? His hair has started to pick up more grey than brown these days, even around the unfortunate beard, though he takes great pains to style it immaculately and keep the appearance of being well-groomed. His green eyes always seem a touch too bright for the lighting around him, and he has the tendency to smile even when nothing particularly funny is going on, something that should be reassuring but just comes off as unnerving. Elias is never seen in casual dress; suits and dress shirts only, thank you. What good is a lofty title if you're not going to look the part? Typically dresses in dark, sober colors with the only pop of color being the occasional splash of green in his tie or at his cuffs.
Personality: In a word: Smug. Insufferably so. Every single action he takes is so suffused with egotism that it's a wonder all of his staff haven't gone in and punched him at least once since taking the helm. His one saving grace is that he takes a more hands-off approach to governing the Institute, preferring instead to sit back and observe from afar, so exposure to this walking ball of conceit is limited to small doses only. In his mind, there exists only surefooted certainty; he knows what's best, and disagreeing with him is only going to drag the process out further before things fall in line exactly how he directs. Elias likens himself to a conductor, long-suffering in his arrangements, the only one with access to the score that will produce harmony in just the right fashion... so long as his instruments can get with the fucking program already. Though he has a taste for manipulation that might befit a connection to The Web, make no mistake, all his actions have been for the sake of pursuing that endless thirst for a knowledge and understanding that will never run dry. He is a creature of the Ceaseless Watcher through and through, and he will stop at nothing to bask in his ambitions coming at last to fruition. ||This has been true for hundreds of years. The Magnus Institute stands as a testament to that fact, a monument, a shrine at which fear is worshiped, and he was and remains its architect. Whether it's as Jonah, James, or Elias, he walks its halls with the same air of fond possessiveness from the very start.||
History: Elias Bouchard was exceptional only insofar as he had enormous potential and no drive to realize it fully despite the opportunities he'd been given. Born the only child to a wealthy couple with access to a sizable trust fund, he coasted squarely between the burnouts and the overachievers, doing just enough to get by and not be branded a total disappointment. For all that he lacked the interest or discipline to truly put his everything into academics when his future was already secure, Elias did have an inclination toward seeking knowledge from a young age. It just so happened that what he found as worthy of his time didn't agree with what he'd been told by parents, educators, and other authority figures.

Obscure facets of the occult sparked an interest since childhood, but that only grew larger once his parents died in a fire that broke out in a remote mountain lodge, leaving him the sole beneficiary to an estate at 17 that he then proceeded to piss away like any reckless, irresponsible youth. In the ensuing years, Elias Bouchard was everyone's friend; his name was synonymous with generosity, all smiles and laughter so long as the drinks flowed and the money kept coming. But once the money ran out, as it always does, especially in the hands of a wastrel, Elias found that the rapport he'd earned only lasted so long as he was able foot bills and fund illicit habits.

||As it happened, this meant there was no one to miss him should the worst happen, none to notice or care about the change in his disposition seemingly overnight.||

Desperate in the face of certain ruin, Elias was frantic to salvage what he could of the degree he'd blown off as a waste of time before, and only managed to scrape by with third honors. Given his lack of work history or outstanding achievements and the prestige of his family name worn down to nothing, he was left with few prospects and even less hope. It was then that he encountered The Magnus Institute, and with it, his old love for the unexplained seemed reignited. This was also the point that he caught the attention of James Wright, and in him Elias found a second chance; the years before an untimely death were now filled with growth and change into something more, and so drastic was the shift that James saw fit to make Elias his replacement.

And there he would remain. For 20 years, through a rocky relationship that saw several trips to a divorce lawyer, he watched over the Institute with pride, even considering his tenuous relationship with Gertrude. Shame how that one turned out, huh? As he felt the years begin to catch up with him, it was only right that he began to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor and select a future inheritor of his own, one capable of looking after the place in his stead. But while he had his eye on Jon, it was Gertrude that insisted the position of Archivist go to Sasha, and rather than deal with allegations of workplace discrimination without any room to object, Elias granted her this one decision.

For the better, one might hope.
Powers: Omniscience (limited, requiring conscious use and concentration), memory insertion (only, no removal or alteration, and the information must be true) bodysnatching
Other information: Gay and homophobic.
Nobody's ever seen him leave the Institute apart from the occasional break in the middle of the workday. He's there before anyone arrives and lasts after everyone goes home for the evening; any questions about his living situation are either deflected or outright dismissed. For all intents and purposes, he doesn't seem to have a life outside of work, although whether his office is ever occupied at any given moment is anyone's guess.
Faceclaim: https://ducksanddairy.tumblr.com/post/190912985200/