Blackthorn

X-men Noir: Let The Good Times Roll

And posted. Let the mating displays begin! *puffs out chest and thumps it* Oooo! Ooooooooooo!! :P

X-men Noir: Let The Good Times Roll

"You... I'm buying lunch." Logan's words almost didn't register as Atticus chased the blue creature around the room, trying to retrieve his glasses to no avail. He got close a few more times, but the thing always managed to teleport away and reappear in a random place. He had just about given up when a flash of light caught his peripheral vision.

Atticus hit the deck as a beam of light shot out from Alison's fingers, but she had been aiming for the blue thing that had taken his glasses. Or trying to aim for it. She took out a light bulb instead, which darkened the room considerably. Not that it bothered him much. Atticus had been living in darkness for the better part of the past decade, and his mutation improved his sense of perception well beyond the normal human range. He could still make out Alison clearly, outlined by twinkling lights that she seemed to be generating. Logan walked up behind her, placed a hand on her shoulder, and said something in a low voice in her ear. Even with his enhanced hearing, Atticus had a hard time making it out, but the coy smile on Alison's face told him all he needed to know. He frowned inwardly, masking it outwardly as irritability at the bamf stealing his glasses. Not that he actually needed them. Damn Logan. He had swooped in before Atticus had even had a chance to say anything remotely encouraging to the girl, who was clearly insecure and upset about her inaccuracy with her powers.

Atticus moved back towards her, ready to say something, but before he could speak the two newcomers followed Yukiko downstairs. The young man directly behind Yukiko seemed to slip on the stairs, but he had is eyes clenched shut, and after he opened them, Atticus swore he caught a momentary glimpse of a red glow. The newcomer explained that his eyes did that when he didn't rest them after five hours. Whatever that meant. He wasn't about to ask him to test it, since he got the distinct feeling it wouldn't end well for anyone. Instead, he moved closer to Alison.

"Your powers may be difficult to aim, but at least they're not as dangerous as his seem to be." He said softly to her, speaking objectively, with no derision or sarcasm directed at the newcomer but keeping the words between the two of them nonetheless. "If you like, I can help teach you how to be more accurate." Louder, enough for at least Logan to hear, he said, "And for the record, I think those dazzling lights of yours are pretty great." Worried that he might be coming on too strong, Atticus stopped himself. Sure, he wanted to impress her, but he also didn't want to confuse her or scare her off. Having never really known a normal life, he wasn't sure how to handle himself in situations like this, but he wasn't about to let that stop him from trying to win her over. Still, he decided to let her answer his offer before he continued talking. Besides, he couldn't say much more without seeming like he was trying to one up the older mutant anyway, and the last thing he wanted was for her to feel like a prize in a competition. She was free to make whatever decisions she wanted. But he couldn't help feeling like she was going to slip away if he didn't make some sort of move.

X-men Noir: Let The Good Times Roll

YoshiSkittlez said
Because it just has to happen XD Besides, Logan likes Atticus...for now. Nothing like a woman getting in the picture to change that faster than the blink of an eye though lmao

Indeed. Logan's a bit of a cradle-robber though. :P But what else is new? He was what, over a hundred years older than Mariko when they had their romance? In the comics, at least.

Whispers of Trinity *limited

Hey, jagajac, saw this in your sig and thought it seemed interesting. Plus I think I have a character that will fit in well with this one.

|Name|

Cadmus Balthasar

|Age|

26

|Gender|

Male

|Class|

The Fair Folk

|Appearance|



|Personality|

Cadmus often feels like the weight of the world rests on his shoulders, which means he often bites off more than he can chew. He feels like his magic is more than just a tool, he feels like it has empowered him to make a difference in the world, which has ended up leading him into all kinds of trouble and made him quite headstrong. That's not to say he doesn't learn from his mistakes, however. If he goes into a situation and discovers he is unprepared, assuming he survives the encounter he analyzes each altercation afterwards and finds ways to prepare in case such problems present themselves again. However, it is unfeasible to prepare every contingency, so he usually makes more general preparations and keeps himself adaptable. He also believes that the ends justify the means, so if he has to commit lesser transgressions to serve the greater good, it's a sacrifice he's all too willing to make, a burden he doesn't want anyone else to carry. He also has a terrible guilt complex, and takes responsibility for tragedies even if he has no way to stop them. He tends to bury his guilt under layers of sarcasm and cynicism, and most people think he has some kind of crazy death wish, given the number of times he has proverbially "flipped of Cthulu". He is also an anomaly among magic users in that he values spells for their usefulness, not because they have any intrinsic mystical value, and he hates rote memorization, so he sort of casts "by feel" rather than having any kind of sound knowledge of magical theory.

|Skills/abilities|

-Magic (specializing in force spells, like forcefields and force bolts, some enhancements and simple constructs, also knows a smattering of utility spells from other schools, but due to relatively little formal schooling, what he gains in versatility is lost in raw power, forcing him to get creative more often than not to defeat certain powerful foes)
-Good Reflexes
-Strong Mind/ Willpower
-Resourceful
-Fearless (or just crazy)
-Decently skilled at nonmagical combat, specifically fencing

|History|

Cadmus's hero complex isn't all his own fault. Cadmus was born to parents who had both not only survived war, but served in it. His father, Galladon, was a ten year veteran who worked his way up from an enlisted man to leader of an elite strike team. He led over 30 successful missions over two years before suffering a leg injury and remaining in the service as an instructor to train strike teams like his. His mother, Mariel, was a resistance fighter. Too young to join the ranks when the war broke out, she acted as a runner and as a conductor of refugees away from the conflict. When she turned 15, she began training, and by the time she was 18, became an expert in espionage, securing much-needed intelligence and sabotaging the plans of the aggressors. until her intelligence was stolen by a young officer. Fearing she had been discovered, she chased him down, only to find, after seducing him, that he was a double agent like herself, and hadn't realized she was on the same side. That young officer was Galladon, and the two of them began a courtship complicated by their roles in the war effort. Eventually, Galladon's injury took him off the front line, and Mariel began taking assignments that brought her closer to Galladon. Their liaisons continued, and eventually Mariel became pregnant. To protect her baby, she was discharged from the resistance, and she married Galladon, giving birth to Cadmus a few months later.

Most veterans seek to remove themselves as much as possible from the trappings of the conflicts they've participated in, but Galladon and Mariel had lived through so much of it that it was all they knew. Therefore, Cadmus grew up listening to their war stories (censored, of course, to protect young Cadmus's innocence) and acting them out with his friends. Cadmus always got to be the brave Captain Galladon, and eventually began alienating his friends when he refused to let anyone else take the role. One day, when he was about 10, Cadmus and his friends were playing, and had strayed too far from their village into a nearby forest. Wolves began circling them, and Cadmus's magical talent chose that exact moment to manifest. A blue force field formed in front of them, obstructing the wolves' efforts to get to the tasty children. They fled, and Cadmus was hailed as a hero. His parents were thrilled, and sent him to the most prestigious magical academy they could afford. Cadmus studied hard for six years, but while he excelled at the practical side of magic, he failed to grasp the theory, and as a result, he barely passed those six years. He decided to drop out before his seventh year, packing what he could carry and setting off on his own, in the misguided hope of becoming a hero like his father. As it turned out, there was much more to being a hero than swinging in on a rope, dueling with the villain, striking him down, and sweeping up the damsel in distress into his arms. His idealism quickly faded to cynicism, but his sense of duty never wavered. Cadmus's parents retain their high expectations, but they are proud of the work he has done, and after their initial anger at his dropping out, they decided to let things take their course and let Cadmus learn his own lessons. And learn he has. The responsibility he has taken for the lives he has saved and has failed to save is his and his alone.

|Whisper post|

-Pending-

X-men Noir: Let The Good Times Roll

Hillan said
I'm 6'2, and yet I swear 80% of males I know are taller than me.Curse you fellow Swedish folks and your Viking genes.

Hey, I resemble that remark! :P

Actually, the Nordic/ Germanic genes are all from my mother, and the tallest of her siblings is my 5'8" uncle. My dad's side is where my height comes from, and he's Polish and Greek.

And Yoshi and jagajac, why do I get the feeling that Logan and Atticus are going to get themselves hurt trying to impress Alison? Though to be fair, Atticus saw her first. :P

...It's a really good thing I'm not that meat-headed IRL.

X-men Noir: Let The Good Times Roll

Violet said
Oh my. Had you not said anything I wouldn't have so much as noticed. Thank you kindly, stranger.

My pleasure. That said I really like your interpretation of the character. It also seems I'm not the only one who's seen Push.

And Natty, thank you for the use of the bamf. I think we're gonna have way too much fun with those guys.

X-men Noir: Let The Good Times Roll

Atticus watched as Alison began comforting the boy, who had called himself Snark. Something struck him as odd about him. Clearly the boy had lived on the streets for some time, but he lacked any of the hardness most people he knew had after living like he had for awhile. He seemed withdrawn, which was typical, but he also seemed shy and uncertain. On the streets, indecisiveness could mean the difference between life and death. Atticus was reminded of a stray kitten. But there were occasional glimmers of a fierce streak, buried somewhere deep, as though he didn't even realize he had one.

Wolverine's first volunteer after he called for a demonstration was the broad in the evening dress, but it was not to be. He called Snark forward instead, and when the boy couldn't call upon whatever power he might have, the big man softened, crouching down so he was eye level with the boy, and spoke genuine words of encouragement. Atticus suspected this was a side of the man he rarely showed, and that made it seem all the more authentic. He doubted any of the others would receive that kind of sympathy. After this, Xavier asked Snark if he'd like to talk to him further, and Snark agreed.

Another boy stepped forward, more confident this time. He removed his jacket and his shoes, and dashed forward, becoming a blue blur as he moved faster than even Atticus's keen eyes could follow. He rebounded off the far wall and returned, skidding to a halt a few feet from the far wall. Clearly this boy had been practicing. Atticus's power may not be as flashy, but that tended to be an advantage as far as he was concerned. Logan offered to buy the girl in the red dress lunch if she could top that performance. She stepped forward, smiling confidently, almost smugly, and shrieked. All the glass in the room shattered, and she rattled off all the objects and people that were upstairs. Wait... People? That meant they would be meeting some newcomers soon, and given that the door had been locked, Atticus wasn't sure they would be friendly.

However, he stepped forward to take the next turn, removing his coat and slinging it over a chair, his newsboy cap following suit shortly after. He also took of his glasses, to avoid damaging them, and rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt, then reaching back and loosening the belt on the back of his suit vest. The clothes made him look respectable, but they constricted his movement more often than not. Atticus crouched, almost squatting, and looked up, selecting a rafter. After lowering himself a few more inches, he uncoiled rapidly, overdeveloped leg muscles propelling him upward like a rocket. His claws came out reflexively, and he grabbed onto the rafter briefly, then used the momentum of his jump to swing forward to grab the next one. Because his bones were lighter, he had less to worry about from inertia or drag, and he swung himself to several more rafters before finally dropping from the ceiling, a good 20 feet, and landing in a similar crouch to his takeoff position. He sprang forward, somersaulting in the air twice before sticking the landing next to the chair he had left his coat and hat on, his gaze lingering for a second or two on the doorway in case their visitors had made their way down yet. As he turned back to face Wolverine, his eyes met Alison's briefly, issuing her a playful challenge.

"Well, I hope that was up to your standards." His words to the large man were direct, unfettered by sarcasm. Secretly hoping he had impressed the older mutant, Atticus reached down to pick up his glasses and noticed they were missing. Eyes darting around the room, he finally found them in the possession of one of the naked, blue... things that had arrived with the blue skinned boy. He pounced, but the thing disappeared in a puff of smoke just as his hand was closing around the glasses. He rounded on the blue boy, brows knitted in anger as he bore down on the hapless teleporter. "You tell your little blue demon thing to give those back."

X-men Noir: Let The Good Times Roll

I've a feeling your response will be longer after my post. Almost finished.

Also, Natty, do you mind if I borrow one of Kurt's bamfs for a bit? I'm gonna have one of them steal my glasses.

X-men Noir: Let The Good Times Roll

So Violet... You know this is the 1940s, right? There definitely wouldn't be a computer in the hotel lobby. It's an easy fix though, you could change it to her seeing a missing persons poster with her name and picture on it. I normally try to reign in my nitpicking about historical accuracy, since I know from experience that it tends to grate on people and most people don't care about that sort of thing like I do, being a reenactor and aspiring history teacher, but I started reading your post and went, "Now hang on a minute..."

X-men Noir: Let The Good Times Roll

I guess I could post, but I'm waiting to see what happens between Snark and Logan. Maybe Mogtaki and Skittlez could do a collab?