OOC; Deerington app

IN CHARACTER

Character Name: Kurt Wagner
Canon: Marvel Comics (Earth-616)
Canon Point: Sometime during X-Men Red.

In-Game Tattoo Placement: On the small of his back (slightly nsfw pic), hidden under his fur.
Current Health/Status: Physically healthy.
Age: 39 (an approximate guess -- he has no specific canon age)
Species: Mutant

History: Canon history from wikipedia.

Personality:

Kurt is a series of contradictions. A demon with the faith of a priest; a charming swashbuckler with a loyal heart; a lost and frightened boy who has become a hero.

At his core, Kurt is defined by his belief. This isn't just limited to religious belief (though he still maintains that, despite all he's been through), but also a deep and fundamental belief in people. Belief in their fundamental goodness and worthiness; in their ability to overcome the evil parts of themselves. Every time he's faced with terrible things, he has turned around to find someone there by his side, fighting for or with him -- Margali, Amanda, Xavier, the X-Men. These examples of selflessness and love have shaped the way he looks at the world. This is what drives him and keeps him going on the hardest of days: the faith that no matter how dark things get, there is some light that makes it all worthwhile.

However, this light has not always been hard to hold on to. Growing up in the circus, scorned as a "freak" by most normal people for his demonic appearance, taught Kurt the value of found families. The circus folk who took him in and showed him tenderness, despite his differences, defined his early years. They saved and raised the strange little boy, making a new family for him out of the ruins of the old. Learning from them, Kurt has no problem accepting people into his circle of trust, so long as everyone is comfortable with it. This openness -- and, perhaps, naivete -- has cost him, occasionally, when friends and family have betrayed him, but he finds it difficult to stop himself from at least trying with everyone he meets.

Kurt's upbringing taught him how to be strong in the face of the hardest circumstances. It also taught him tough lessons: that not everyone will be as charmed by him as he so desperately wants them to be; that sometimes survival means running from a fight. While he took these lessons to heart, he also struggles with them. He finds it difficult to truly understand hatred and the darkness that motivates people to do awful things, despite how often he's faced them himself. This makes the fall harder when someone he trusts hurts him. He doesn't precisely hold a grudge and is quick to forgive if given the opportunity, but no matter how hard he tries, the smallest cuts can go deep. At these times he can be petty and even vindictive, his lively wit becoming acid and mean. However this is rare -- when especially angry or upset, he's more likely to remove himself from the situation until he can calm down and be more rational.

During his time in the X-Men, Kurt was able to grow from a scared and fragile young man into a core member of the team, often referred to as the heart and soul of their strange little family. He quickly fell into a supportive role for many of the other X-Men, coaxing them out of their shells with his jokes and cheerfulness, eager to create something meaningful from their time together. He also discovered that he's brave in a fight, often pushing himself beyond the point of exhaustion or putting himself directly in harm's way in order to help out. In fact these days it's difficult to get him to stand aside if he sees a problem that needs to be solved (or a day that needs to be saved), often to his own detriment. This selflessness can be frustrating for those who want to protect him, but he can't help himself.

Mostly, Kurt loves to help people -- he loves to be useful and needed. And he loves to love people. Give him a chance and he'll be your best supporter and most loyal companion. Though his passion is a little more tempered with caution these days, he still enjoys nothing better than to sweep someone off their feet and into his arms.

In romance and friendship, Kurt is a suave and charming creature, gregarious and playful. He considers himself something of an old romantic -- being a big fan of Errol Flynn, Cary Grant and other great movie stars -- but he lacks the casual cruelty and ability to distance himself from his emotions necessary to be a true Casanova. He falls in love a little too easily and too quickly, constantly running the risk of getting his heart broken by someone who doesn't care as much as he does.

Those who judge Kurt by his appearance and charismatic demeanour might be surprised to learn that he's also a man of religious faith. He is a devout Catholic, having found salvation in the church as a young boy, seeking sanctuary in the only place that would not turn him away.

His faith has been tested many times over the years. His relationship with his religion has always been a little precarious, his work meaning he has very little time to engage with a church community, worship or study. Through his various adventures he's also had some of his beliefs stretched to breaking point: facing down the deaths of many of his friends, meeting gods and goddesses from many worlds, as well as witnessing countless acts of cruelty which don't seem to fit in an ordered universe. It's hard for anyone to maintain a rigid set of beliefs in that environment, so these days his faith is more ephemeral than a strict adherence to scripture. His death and escape from Heaven has only deepened this personal divide, as he wrestles with the idea of giving up his soul for another chance at life.

Life for Kurt now is something to be enjoyed and to be savoured for as long as possible. Whether or not he will get to do so in peace remains to be seen.

Abilities/Powers/Weaknesses & Warping:

Mutant powers:

• Teleportation - Kurt's primary mutant power is the ability to teleport himself by displacing his body, his clothing and a certain amount of additional mass through an alternate dimension, reappearing at a chosen location. As he opens a passage through this dimension, it creates a small implosion of sound and a cloud of purple smoke that smells like brimstone or sulphur. After his resurrection, he has "unlocked" more of his teleportation ability, meaning he can now jump great distances (across continents) with ease. However, many teleports in a short amount of time, or carrying a large amount of mass (more than approximately 2 adult humans) will still cause him to become fatigued. People who "ride" along with him also tend to feel tired and sick after a jump if they're not used to it.
  
  (WARP: while in Deerington, Kurt's ability to teleport will be severely damaged as the dimension-hopping ability breaks down, resulting in his body literally starting to tear itself apart every time he uses his powers. If he attempts to teleport, he will only travel a fraction of the distance he meant to, and will experience intense internal pain and bleeding from the nose or ears. If he repeats an attempt or tries to carry another person with him, it will get worse. Too many teleports in a short space of time, trying to carry more than one person or attempting to push himself further will result in internal bleeding and unconsciousness.)
  
• Physiology - Kurt's unique appearance also comes with some physical advantages. His skeletal structure is incredibly flexible and durable, giving him a superhuman level of gymnastic agility and coordination. He is dexterous enough to be able to use his hands, feet and tail interchangeably. He can also climb walls and hang off ceilings using his hands and feet, and can blend into shadows almost to the point of invisibility (so long as he keeps his glowing eyes closed). He also has enhanced night vision, able to see in darkness almost as well as he can see during the day.
  
• Magical/psychic resistance - After giving up his soul in order to return from the dead (long story), Kurt has gained a high degree of resistance to psychic and magical manipulation. This will endure in Deerington, but won't be as effective as back home.

Skills:

Thanks to his circus upbringing and training with the X-Men, Kurt is a highly skilled acrobat and hand-to-hand combatant. He's been known to hold off other superheroes with nothing except a pair of swords and the ability to jump over their heads. He also has a well-honed innate spatial awareness gained through his teleportation and is able to judge, for instance, how fast and at what angle to jump into a teleport to come out of the other side in time to take out an enemy.

Kurt has generally picked up a lot of life experience during his time with the X-Men. He's a skilled mechanic and pilot, and has a working knowledge of a number of different vehicles (including the occasional spaceship). His keen intelligence and natural curiosity make it easy for him to pick up intellectual pursuits. A childhood spent travelling around Europe means he can speak many different languages besides his native German, including English, French, Romani, Spanish and Italian, as well as a bit of Latin here and there.

Inventory:

• one (1) set of clothes:
  
  • specially tailored jeans
    
  • t-shirt
    
  • a light hoodie
    
  • wallet containing: $20; his X-Men membership card; a one day UN security pass; a card good for a free beer at Harry's Hideaway with the 10th drink (6 stamps); a small laminated photo of the second wave X-Men team
  
  
• one (1) well-thumbed travel-sized copy of the King James Bible translated into German
  
• one (1) silver crucifix necklace

Writing Samples:

TDM thread #1

TDM thread #2

TDM thread #3

OUT OF CHARACTER

Player Name: Robin
Player Age: 30
Player Contact: pm / laetificat / laetificat#7520 on Discord

Other Characters In Game: Hellboy
In-Game Tag If Accepted: Kurt Wagner : Robin
Permissions for Character: here
Are you comfortable with prominent elements of fourth-walling?: Yep. Kurt's friendly with Spider-Man and Deadpool, he knows how to handle this stuff.
What themes of horror/psychological thrillers do you enjoy the most?: For Kurt I'm interested in body horror and witchy/Biblical horror.
Is there anything in particular you absolutely need specific content warnings for?: Nope!
Additional Information: n/a

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Edited 26/10 - changed the placement of his tattoo.