Wagner, Kurt, Nightcrawler

KURT WAGNER




===IDENTITY===

Full Name: Kurt Wagner
Codename: Nightcrawler
Nickname(s): The Fuzzy Dude/Blue/Blue Boy/Elf/Elf-Boy/Fuzzy Elf/Captain Blue Tail/"Wild Blue Yonder Boy"/Fuzzy Gecko/Wookie-Boy/Incredible Nightcrawler
Alias(es): N/A
Age: 16
Birthday: November 11
High School Grade: Junior (11th Grade)
Classification: Mutant
Affiliation: X-Men
Canon or Original: Evo Canon Character



===PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION===

Hair Color: Dark, midnight blue shade. It's a dark brown color in his disguised form.
Eye Color: A pale yellow that almost blends into the whites of his eyes. They happen to slightly glow in darkness. In his disguised form however, they are a typical chocolate brown.
Height: 5'6''
Weight: 133lbs
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Wagner appears to be one of the more “alien-looking” students taking refuge in Charles' Mansion. Unlike most mutants whose features had blossomed during their pubescent years, Nightcrawler started life early with an inhuman shell. From head to toe, his skin is completely covered in fine fur of an intense blue color, and as if he didn't stick out enough, he's followed closely behind by a long, thin tail with a demonic point on the end (prehensile and physically strong for its width and size). Instead of being born with a regular set of fingers and toes, on each hand Kurt has two long fingers and a thumb, whereas his feet only have two toes, though all of these appendages are dexterous enough to compensate for his lack of digits. Due to his 'tall' feet, his legs are digigrade, which means that he walks on the balls of his feet, much like your typical four-legged animal. A short spike-like digit is mounted on each heel. Wagner's build is also a bit strange, as his legs, arms, hips, and stomach are lean, though his chest and shoulders are strong-looking and chiseled. Blue pointed ears are also a memorable feature of his.
Other:
A “Holographic Image-Inducer” is an interesting device that, upon looking at it, doesn't look like anything more that a digital wrist watch, but its appearance betrays its actual capabilities. Like the name suggests, the Image-Inducer blots out Kurt's true form with a holographic image that is more pleasing to the public eye. Nightcrawler prefers to take on an appearance of a typical teenager that possesses most of his distinguishable characteristics (such as face shape and build), but his skin appears normal – pale and, fortunately, hairless. His digigrade legs turn into humanoid ones and is supplied with a normal amount of fingers (though the fingers and toes are constantly clasped together so the image blankets his hands and feet more effectively (live long and prosper)). A small flaw discovered is that if Kurt's tail leaves too far from his body, the Image-Inducer cannot cover it. To further help the Inducer with its limitations, Nightcrawler's holographic image wears baggy and concealing clothes – just in case.
Play-by: Avan Jogia



===POWERS===

Power Class: Gamma
Nature of the X-Gene:
Kurt's most outstanding special ability is teleportation. Simply put, he is capable of shifting himself, as well as his clothing and additional objects, from one place to another almost instantaneously. This is as long as he ports within a two mile radius, has been to or seen the area before, and possesses enough stamina to execute the move. An interesting detail: because of the earth's magnetic poles, traveling north or south can both make porting easier on Kurt's strength and add to the amount of distance he can transport himself. If he really exerts his energy, or if he's traveling northward/southward, the porting circumference can be expanded to as large as three miles. Passengers, which are living objects of all sorts, as long as Nightcrawler is physically touching them, people and animals can also be transported by means of his powers.

Teleportation is achieved by triggering a biochemical reaction within his body that briefly allows him to displace himself in our world by abruptly traveling through a mysterious dimension troubled by fire and brimstone. An easy physical indication of when Kurt executes his powers is the signature cloud of sulfurous purple smoke that takes the place of or makes way for his arrival. A loud “Bamf” noise is also heard, due to the air rushing in to fill the space he was just occupying. To ensure that he doesn't teleport into solid objects, the X-Gene granted him an advanced version of a sensory called “spatial awareness”. Spatial awareness helps Nightcrawler calculate the closeness and locality of surrounding objects, which not only keeps him relatively safe while teleporting from one area to another without porting into an object, but also makes it easier for him to navigate through complete darkness. Moreover, because of his constant awareness of the environment around him, his sense of balance and direction is stunning, producing something like a “compass” effect by being sensitive to the positions of the earth's magnetic fields.

Wagner's bone structure, particularly his spine, gives him estimable flexibility and acrobatic prowess. This explains his tendency to comfortably run on all fours in order to achieve maximum speeds. Living up to his mutant name, Nightcrawler can climb on both vertical and horizontal surfaces with ease such as walls and ceilings with the help of tiny suction cups on his fingers. A whippy tail adds an extra dose of balance to his already remarkable physical talents. Jumping to heights over twice his height, performing handstands, and many other things that require being able to lift his own body weight, is a cinch for the Blue Elf, and come in handy during combat situations. His hands, feet, and tail are quite dexterous and supple as well.

Limitations & Weaknesses:
The art of teleportation always has its limits. Two miles broadly seem to be the largest amount of distance he can travel, and even that can be pushing it a bit. The heavier/more massive the object he is teleporting dictates how far Wagner can teleport. Although he has been trained to teleport a single person over a sizable distance with ease, any added mass could prove to be more tiring, and increasingly so the more mass he aims to move. Up to the size of a medium car is the optimal amount of volume that won't force Wagner to faint from fatigue. Any sort of weakness on Kurt's part (resulting from injuries/weariness/illness/etc) can drastically reduce the distance he can teleport over.

Although this mutant is more or rather used to the stress that accompanies teleportation, other people are sometimes not as adjusted. The sudden shift through dimensions and space creates illness in a typical person, human and mutant alike. Teleporting the person more than several times makes the nausea increasingly worse, until the passenger can no longer function due to weariness or intense feelings of motion sickness. It's physically draining for Wagner to teleport multiple times without a break between the ports, so teleporting sequentially in order to avoid consistent enemy fire is virtually impossible. A one to five minute break between porting is the safest and most effective method for Kurt's current skill level. It's a bit alarming to think about, but it is entirely possible for Kurt to “lose” passengers/cargo mid-teleport if he doesn't take the time to focus on his destination. This happens even more so if Wagner is already exhausted.

Since Nightcrawler's powers require him to picture the place he wants to travel to in his mind, areas he has not seen or been to cannot be accessed by means of teleportation, nor can he port efficiently if the kinetic energy working on his body is high (traveling in the X-Jet, a speeding train, etc). Teleporting directly up or down is generally avoided, or Kurt will succumb to nausea. Coming down to his ability to climb on walls and ceilings, wet or slippery surfaces can prove to be quite the obstacles. All in all, teleporting is an interesting, but irregular ability. It's very easy to imagine how one could overestimate himself or his understanding on controlling teleportation, since it can and will be unpredictable at times. Nightcrawler is not exempted from such mysterious circumstances.



===PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE===

Likes:
- Pizza, burgers, tacos (a large array of greasy meals)
- Movies and soundtracks (martial arts/horror/science fiction)
- Alternative/Crunk Rock (Barenaked Ladies/Family Force 5/etc)
- Video games (fighting/sandbox)
- Attending parties (friends, food, pranks – he's totally in)
- Causing mischief / clowning around (spying on people or startling them are big ones)
- Getting in on secrets
- Drama club
- Swashbuckling (Errol Flynn goodness)
- Pleasing a small audience
Dislikes:
- Getting grounded
- Kitty's cooking (mostly them bouncing muffins)
- His true appearance
- Unscheduled Danger Room sessions
- His Image-Inducer crapping out
- Isolation (going back to the way it was)
- Solemn or serious people
- Workloads and homework
- Todd Tolansky's meddling
- Boredom
Strengths:
- Generally upbeat
- Loyal
- Incredible sense of humor
- Helper (team player and a supportive friend)
- Perceptive
- Friendly
- Merciful
- Crafty (coming down to tricks)
- Sympathetic
- Possesses zeal
Weaknesses:
- Rambunctious (can be unruly when excited)
- Is easily disappointed
- Fears judgment of his true appearance (has an attachment to his Image-Inducer)
- Self-conscious
- May take the joke too far / behavior-blind
- Easily distracted
- Lack of personal space (*BAMF*)
- Lying (he's horrible at it)
- Naive (varies with certain subjects)
- Nosy
Skills:
- Combat style: acrobatics (has learned to mix gymnastics into his combat strategies)
- Bilingual (German/English)
- Pranking / creating diversions
Equipment:
- Image-Inducer
- Wallet (seven dollars)
- Cellphone
Habits/Quirks:
- Habitually late for class
- Heavy German accent
- Lacing German into his English
- Regularly jumping, crouching, hanging, and climbing on things
- Snacking
- Using abilities to perform everyday actions (entering a vehicle, grabbing bacon from across the table, etc)
- Isn't ashamed of “getting his groove on”
- Using slang (“Man, that homie's lingo is so whack.”)

Personality:
Back in his homeland, before he met Charles Xavier or the other characters residing in the mansion, Kurt Wagner was a secretive boy who preferred to keep himself hidden from public eyes either by staying in his home or wearing layers of thick clothing. The Wagners loved and regarded him as a normal kid, for they looked only at what they saw beneath the skin, which were his friendly, human qualities, but their affection didn't hide the facts from him – that he was born with a strange physical form, so the knowledge of never being able to fit in often frequented Kurt's thoughts, and in lighter circumstances, still does to this day, though he never complained loudly about it. Shyness had developed as a result.

The tables had turned when his foster parents introduced him to the Xavier Institute. Once he began to realize that he wasn't as alone as he thought, and that his talents were admired, he began to emerge from his cocoon. He traded his timidness for sociability. Wagner soon found himself mingling with the other students residing in the mansion and mildly putting his appearance aside in order to interact with his new-found friends. A major gadget that added more liveliness to his personality is the “Holographic Image-Inducer”, a wrist-mounted device that disguises his true form with the projected image of a regular-looking version of himself. By not fearing persecution as long as the Image-Inducer was handy, Kurt had decided to rise up from his secluded state so he could take up the reigns of his long suppressed personality.

Kurt's most notable trait is his playfulness. Nightcrawler certainly knows how to entertain himself, whether it's by partying, playing, or pranking, he's usually all over the idea of hanging out with equally silly friends, fooling with people who take themselves too seriously, and putting smiles on people's faces. When circumstances call for it, Wagner often plays tricks on others to entertain both himself and his “victims”. During parties, he's easily one of the loudest and most enthusiastic organisms of the crowd. He always wants to be in on the joke, so partaking in the antics of others are oftentimes just as fun for him. Combining his mutant powers with his wit produces some interesting approaches to humor, but no one can change the fact that fun and games can go too far.

Playfulness aside, Mr. Wagner has ripened into an openhearted, vulnerable human being. Life experience has given him the gift to sense and sort out the feelings of others by being the first to pick up on such emotions. Sometimes naivety takes its toll on him, but when it comes down to the sentimental stuff, helping people feel better about themselves is one of his strong points. The mutant's own insecurities has turned him into a sympathetic, understanding, and approachable individual who is willing to listen to other peoples' problems. Due to not being able to harbor hatred for long, it is also in his blood to forgive others. He even works to forgive his mother, Mystique, though he may forever harbor disappointment and provoked feelings for her, unless she ever decides to mend things up on her end. Even so, Kurt is not excused from letting preconceived opinions about certain individuals, especially when it comes to members of the Brotherhood, get in the way of his empathy. He regards them with suspicion, judgment, or as potential prank-victims, but given the incentive, earning Nightcrawler's favor is a reality.

Not everyone shares in the Incredible Nightcrawler's sense of humor, and unfortunately, he doesn't always realize that concept until it's too late. He doesn't understand it when some people react negatively towards his jokes, so his typical response is his fur getting ruffled from the person taking offense at something that was supposed to entertain them. More often than not, Kurt evaluates serious-minded people as being too highly strung, so he tries to medicate them with undying silliness in an effort to unwind them. In case you haven't guessed, that strategy can end in a bitter relationship. Kurt's pranks and goofing off sometimes get him in trouble, even in physical danger if he's really unlucky, and his lack of personal space and disregard for privacy are particularly annoying (no thanks to his teleporting ability).

Acting like a clown and slipping up may stretch his friendships a bit, which can lead to self-pity or a slump in humor for Kurt. You could say that his worst fears are disappointing his friends in some way or cutting ties with people he used to have special relationships with. He's not the type of person to let go of his past mistakes on his own; the only way he'll ever be able to forgive himself is if the person he violated forgives him first. He also tends to lose hope easily when faced with problems, but nothing can bring him down faster than when his appearance becomes an issue. He may be a light-hearted trickster most of the time, but the fear of exposing his true form to the world beyond the Institute is still something the mutant can't seem to shake off.



===PERSONAL BACKGROUND===

Family: Known relations are Mystique, who is his biological mother. Nightcrawler, however, was raised by non-mutant foster parents after they had found him drifting in a river next to their home. Raven witnessed the family wanting to care for him, so she decided to leave the child with them.
Place of Origin: Windzeldorf, Bavaria, next to the Bavarian Alps in Germany.
History:
Just like the cliches go, during a dark and ominous night, a woman rushed through the winter's snow and painful cold holding a child wrapped in swaddling cloth. By accident, this bundle was lost to a river and was forced to travel upstream. The woman tracked the young babe by following the water, but once she caught up to his whereabouts, a couple nesting next to the Bavarian Alps had discovered her child and fished him out of the current. Noting their sincere compassion for her son, the woman decided to let them raise him, as she felt he would be safer with the couple than with her. From that point on, the child was named Kurt, and inherited the family's surname, “Wagner”. Kurt grew up knowing he was adopted and with an appearance that unnerved even himself, so much that he was certain no one outside of the Wagner family would ever accept him. His foster parents were always eager to show him how human he really was by telling him he was an ordinary boy with great gifts. The young mutant appreciated their love and warmth by returning the favor, but he was still anxious about the thought of shedding his concealing clothes and exposing himself to the world.

When Xavier came across the Wagner family, Kurt was introduced to the idea of moving to New York and boarding with the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters, a place where he could be with others just as unique and gifted as he was, where, in theory, alienation was out of the question, and he would have the chance to resume a normal teenage life. Although still nervous, Kurt was eager to try something new and took up Charles' offer. Not too long after he was introduced to a handful of the X-Men (who regarded him with wonder rather than fear, boosting him to start breaking out of his emotional shell), Nightcrawler was supplied with his own room, as well as a device that would change his public relations forever. He activated the Image Inducer, looked into the mirror, and excitement welled up inside him; the Inducer produced a humanistic version of himself for the world to see. The blue-furred mutant expressed how happy he was for finally being able to look “normal”, but Storm and Xavier retorted by explaining to him that the Image-Inducer was merely a tool for bridging the gap between him and people who didn't appreciate him for who he was, rather than what he looked like. They assured him that he was normal without the device, and one day, society would see that. Kurt Wagner kept their words in mind, but it didn't overpower his appreciation for the device, as well as the chance to attend school with other students.

It was only a few days later with the arrival of Kitty Pryde that would bring about a rocky start to an otherwise strong relationship between the two – Nightcrawler took the incentive to make the first move by broadly attempting to impress her by playing games, talking, and spending time with Kitty Pryde, but the fact was that the girl was unsettled by Wagner's appearance (and sulfurous teleporting) and took offense at his friendly antics time and time again. Pryde regarded Wagner as the biggest freak residing in the mansion and made it a priority to stay away from the blue mutant, that or it was telling him to do the same. It wasn't long before the young teleporter picked up on Kitty's anger. He figured the phasing teen was being too uptight, so in an attempt to get her to loosen up, he mined for tricks and games whenever she was around. It only made the relationship worse. Fortunately, the storm clouds cleared up during a certain X-Men mission. The objective was to find a mutant known as Marie and persuade her to join the Institute, but her life energy-absorbing powers got the best of Kurt, who tried to level with her through conversation. Rogue retaliated by touching Nightcrawler's skin and fled. Kitty instantly came to the boy's aid. Although it's predicted that there will always be some wrinkles in the fabric, the two have since been great friends and insuperable partners during X missions. Kitty is Kurt's “Katzchen” and Kurt is Kitty's “Fuzzy”.

The life energy Rogue absorbed from Mystique formulated a strange dream about a woman fleeing from a monotone European castle and clutching a young life in her arms. The two were separated when she lost her grip on the babe while traveling over a tottering bridge, attempting to escape a pack of wolves; in the end, an icy river below blanketed the child's fall. Kurt Wagner, Rogue knew the child was. A concerned Rogue shared her dream – her vision – with Professor Xavier, and he concluded that she had come into contact with someone who held these feelings and memories, and her mutant powers exposed them for her to see. The news was given to Nightcrawler, which certainly caught his undivided attention.

A Brotherhood mutant named Quicksilver later delivered a message to the Institute that asked Kurt to take a trip to a construction zone just outside of the city's limits. After being told about Rogue's peculiar dream, Kurt wasn't as hesitant as he should've been upon accepting the invitation, so he did as the note instructed, only to run into the loathed Mystique at the industrial site, yet their meeting was cut short thanks to the Brotherhood's meddling. Mystique disappeared, and Kurt was left without any answers, except one: Raven Darkholme was his biological mother, but why she abandoned him and decided never to claim him stabbed at his already fragile heart. He also recalled that the shapeshifter was hostile toward him and his friends in the past, so trusting his mother was still a big issue for Kurt. Someday seizing the chance to squeeze the answers out of her is still a reality for Wagner.

During the month of August, things had been going without much incident. That was until the Midnight Madness Rave piked Bayville's interests – the X-Kids included. It was no surprise the fun-loving Nightcrawler took the opportunity to go with the others to the party. Little did they know that the rave would turn into an ambush conducted by the Brotherhood, and the presence of Kurt's mother made it all the more distasteful for the blue mutant. While Kurt managed to get Kitty Pryde and Mark Sheppard back to the mansion, Tabitha Smith was saved by Pietro Maximoff and was taken to the Boarding House. Nightcrawler and Boom Boom happened to meet at the Institute afterwards and had quite the talk, which started the bond between them.

Kurt had his suspicions of the Brotherhood member Quicksilver having feelings for Smith after Speed Demon had saved her during the rave ambush, so following his own conjectures, Kurt traveled to the Brotherhood's home in order to confront Pietro about his suspicions (though the meeting didn't solve much of anything, and only made Kurt more self-conscious about Tabby's feelings for Quicksilver). As for Tabby and Wagner's broadcasted “physical achievement”, the two received some lectures from the adults of the Institute as a reward. The end of August was approaching and Nightcrawler ran into his mother at the End-of-Summer Fair, where she apologized for putting him in danger at the rave. Not too long afterwards, much of the students, including Kurt, were sentenced to a month of unpaid work in the city's various restaurants, and during the Elf's shifts at The Imperial, Mystique disguised herself as her teenage alter-ego Risty Wilde in order to spend time with her son.

Although September flew by without much incident for Kurt and Tabby (with the exception of their dating), near the end of October, Smith and Wagner broke up, as Tabitha wasn't certain about her feelings. Since it was on Boom Boom's initiative to end the relationship, Kurt was feeling a sense of loss from dealing with some nagging thoughts about him not being able to satisfy Tabitha's interests, but that phase had come and gone. Early November rolled in and those feelings washed away when his foster parents in Bavaria had asked their son to take a plane back to Germany, wanting to make up the Christmas holiday for Kurt because of the traveling they'll be doing in Europe this year. The long and warm reunion surely got him back in the saddle. December is breaking, and Nightcrawler has returned to America to further continue his responsibilities to high school and the X-Men (though the amount of school work he has to make up is horrifying).

******

RP Sample:
Kurt finally managed to disregard the room's analogue clock and its redundant 'clicking' before starting on the third paragraph. A pencil sat loosely in his right hand while his left acted like a paperweight as it rested on his notes. He didn't look any different from the sea of other silent students spotting his class, hovering over their papers and toiling over sentence structures. After a few seconds of idle thinking, the mutant flipped his pencil around, rubbed a word out, then swept the residue off of the assignment. A vord dzat stands for somezing like 'one-sided opinions' – vhat vas it? Kurt asked himself. While making sure his head was still dipped down in order to reassure his ever-alert instructor that he was working, his gaze floated away from his paper and searched his surroundings for the right inspiration. The answer hit him once he looked at the 'watch' on his wrist. Prejudice.

Your task is to write a ten-paragraph essay on a theme from “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. You will need to explore possible topics to discuss about that theme and find quotes to illustrate your thesis. The assignment must be written in class and submitted by the end of the period.

It was a good thing a friend of his at the mansion told him about SparkNotes, or he'd be utterly smitten by this test. It wasn't that he didn't read the book – he just needed some outside sources to get the whole picture, because studying a 320 page novel in the English language over a span of two weeks by oneself might not have produced a satisfying letter grade. Possible Topic #6: Discuss the various forms of prejudice as depicted in the book. Wagner scanned the directions and exhaled. I probably should've vritten about Boo Radley. Dzis is going to take forever. Again, he retreated back to his notes for another dose of inspiration...

Looking at his left hand, he instantly lost his muse. Horror struck. His eyes shot open at the sight of his real hand resting on the desk.

Quickly, he examined the room for any witnesses, only to find that their attention was stolen by the essays that laid before them, thank God. Kurt sat up straight and stuffed his hand deep into his pocket.

The sudden change from him being so intent on his work to glancing around the room caught the attention of the teacher. Mrs. Cannon turned away from her monitor and toward Wagner. “Eyes on your paper, Kurt.”

This wasn't going to end pretty. “Yeah, but –“ Kurt paused, but he was already caught up in making an excuse, so he knew he just had to spit something out now or Mrs. Cannon would be looking at a 'new student' pretty soon, and much to Nightcrawler's dismay, porting away from a room filled with witnesses was out of the question. “I need to use dze bazroom.” Lame.

“Go ahead and keep working. We'll have a break in six minutes. You can wait that long.”

“Ja, vell, uh, it must've been somezing I ate at lunch, because I'm not feeling too hot.” Kurt's free hand cradled his stomach in an attempt to display pain. Realizing that Mrs. Cannon was still staring at him, he felt the need to keep going, so he put a hand on his forehead. “Dzat, and I dzink I'm coming down with a migraine... or nausea or somezing.” He heard a handful of his peers giggle at that little charade. If his classmates weren't going to take him seriously, why would his teacher?

“Just write for five more minutes. It isn't gonna kill ya. It'll be over before you know it.” The teacher gave him her final decision, then went back to typing on her computer.

“Okay.” He muttered, because with Mrs. Cannon putting it that way, five minutes didn't seem very long. Wagner decided to take another look at his left hand. All he would need to do is keep it hidden in his –

The malfunction was crawling up his arm now. He could physically see the hologram ghosting out. His dark costume and estranged anatomy was materializing past his elbow.

“Sorry.” It didn't sound very sincere, but it was all he could say. With his arm still buried in his pocket, Kurt hopped out of his chair, snatched his backpack off of the floor with his free arm, and slung it over his 'defective' one. He kept an eye on the shocked Mrs. Cannon as he walked backwards down the row of desks, barely dodging the school bags strewn about on the ground. He made it to the exit. “It can't vait. Carry on, Mrs. Cannon.” Wagner crab-walked out of the room without paying attention to his teacher's comment and slammed the door shut behind him, leaving a class of snickering students in his wake. He was hoping the hallway was going to empty, but as soon as he turned around, he was met by a clique of younger students lingering next to their lockers, curiously staring at the frantic teenager who just barged into their 'space'. A nervous and pathetic cry escaped his mouth as he darted past the students. He went for the nearest door; the sign read: Maintenance Closet. He couldn't care less.

Once inside, the mutant flicked on the light, took a chair off of a rack, and lodged it under the doorknob. For a few seconds he did nothing but stand in front of the door and wait for the pounding in his head to stop. Kurt took a seat on the floor next to a tin circuit board, then looked to the glossy metal covering it. Nightcrawler glared at the blue demon being reflected upon the surface, but as much as he wanted to stay angry at the image, the realization of his mistake soon overwhelmed him.

“And I dzought keeping my cellphone charged vas hard enough.”

******

Player Information
Name: Dice
Age: 19 [April 25]
RP Experience: I've been role playing since I popped out of the womb, baby. Erm, but I've been role playing seriously for approximately six years now, but I still have room for improvement – always. As you can see, my writing is very action-oriented, but I aim to delve into the actual minds of the characters with more practice - a habit that should be accessed in role playing more often than not.
Desired Member Title: It's not easy being blue.
How did you find us?: I found a link to you guys on DeviantART. Once I found out that the Elf wasn't taken, I couldn't resist.
Any other characters?: Well, a million of them off-site, but I don't think you'll see them here.
And lastly... the word?: -adminedit-

Oh, I forgot to say anything about it, but this profile is finished and is open for review. I thank the fellows spamming up the Chatterbox for their awesome help and support.

PS: When it comes to advancing the post-form role play genre, this site divinely excels. The administrators and the RPers are doing a fantastic, intricate job here. Don't ever stop!

Hey Dice!

Jocey here (finally) to look at your application for the first full review of your app. Hi. :] Thanks for the compliment about the site, by the way, we pretty much owe it to the members! Glad to have you here applying.

So. We can go ahead and get started; just as a minor note, there's no need to put [The] before 'Nightcrawler', since his codename doesn't require the article in X-Men: Evo. Moving on to the important stuff, powers, it'd be great if we could have some general expansion on the nature of the X-gene (really, just the first paragraph) and the weaknesses section of your powers (since we require three paragraphs, six sentences each), and if you need any help with that, you can reference either the adoption bio (or previous bio in the archives).

If you could just clarify in the strengths what you mean by -discriminating, that would be great, since I'm not exactly sure how being discriminatory is a strength. And in the weaknesses, just a couple things, -Prone to guilt-trips / insecure, since Kurt seems to be most insecure about his appearance, I don't quite know what would be the root of his 'guilt trips' since he doesn't seem to show much evidence of it in the show (do you mean, in relation to his mother or...?). Just clearing that up would be great, thanks! Also, with - Can be uncontrollable when angered (a rare, but accessible trait) I don't know when he shows evidence in the show of being 'uncontrollable', since that seems to imply that he goes into a rage (which Kurt never does; the angriest he seems to get is with Toad when he snatches the inducer at Amanda's house, but even then, Kurt doesn't strike us as 'uncontrollable' in that situation).

In personality, there seems to be some tendency towards idealizing the character, so if you could just watch that to make sure it isn't habitual, that'd be great (for example, Mr. Wagner has developed into, perhaps, one of the sweetest, most vulnerable, and most human of the X-Men. presumes what other people think about him, and gives absolutes, so it's not a very fair judgment; keeping these sorts of opinions to a minimum just to insure the personality is as objective as possible would be preferable, thanks!). If you need any help (or just want to insure the personality is working with our parameters), we have a section on our expectations for that in the app guide.

There's also some phrasing that seems somewhat inaccurate for Kurt, His devilish physical form had introduced him to a shady side of humanity, a side filled with separation, discrimination, low self-esteem, and darkness. Wagner has evidently “been there and done that”, so he has the gift to sense and sort out the feelings of others. He's always the first to pick up on such emotions. Sometimes naivety takes its toll on him, but when it comes down to the sentimental stuff, Wagner likes to put himself out there as a beacon – an example of how someone so detached and “cursed” managed to climb back on board. here, since he doesn't seem to be very jaded (about the 'shady side of humanity'), and his naivety/fun-loving nature seems to be much more prominant than anything else. I also don't know if he really takes that leadership initiative for serving as a 'beacon', since Scott tends to convey that sort of attitude whereas Kurt is not quite so serious. I'm just not sure how well that phrasing describes Evo-Kurt.

In the history, I just have a couple issues with wording regarding Mystique, particularly with He recalled that the shapeshifter was hostile toward him and his friends in the past, so why she was acting so cold and detached toward her own son was beyond him., which only confuses me because I'm not sure why her coldness would be 'beyond him' if he presumed her to be hostile previously (If you could clarify the confusion here, it should be fine), and although Mystique has proven herself to be a truly treacherous and ruthless villain. On IE, Mystique has attempted to make amends with Kurt (albeit badly), so I don't know if that's altered his opinion of her any. Their last interaction was this log done back in August, and while Kurt definitely has trust issues (because she isn't the best mom ever, admittedly), she did attempt to talk to him.

Towards the very end (again, IE-related history), this section seems somewhat inaccurate, Among the many friends he has made at the Institute, an intimate relationship surfaced between Tabitha Smith (aka, Boom Boom) and Nightcrawler. Even before their interests in dating, the two had been a savvy pair. Teasing each other was one of their favorite pastimes, even though Wagner was never fully able to get over Tabitha's adventurous flirting, especially when it involved Pietro. The two mutants dated for about a month, but in reality, Smith still possessed feelings for Quicksilver. Ever since Kurt caught on, the love relationship between Boom Boom and Nightcrawler has been brought to a halt. as Tabby didn't flirt with Pietro while dating Kurt, and Kurt did have his suspicions about Tabitha's feelings for the speedster after the Kurt/Pietro log at the boarding house (but they still didn't break up). When they did break up, it was at Tabitha's initiative because she needed space and wasn't sure about her feelings so if you could amend this paragraph to reflect these things more clearly, we would appreciate it. In addition, anything you can elaborate on as to how Kurt is reacting to the break-up (since he liked Tabby a lot, as we can see from previous threads) would be fantastic (and a great lead-in for present-time on IE).

With the RP sample, in places it tends to disregard some important RP etiquette so I'll need some revision on that (regarding the point from which Kitty comes into play). It'd be best if you could remove references to what Kitty is thinking/perceiving about the mop closet, as that is a form of godmoding. As I play Kitty, I don't have a problem with minimal references to her (given Kurt/Kitty's relationship), but it is typically best to ask permission before utilizing someone else's character in writing.

I think that's it for my review! By board rules, you have five days to complete the requested edits, just post in the app when you've finished. If you have any questions, feel free to let us know.

Thanks again,
Jocelyn

[] Alright, here's my second go-around. I removed the article at the beginning of “Nightcrawler”. I'll try not to use that very often. It's a weird habit.

[] Concerning powers, I expanded more on the details so I would meet the requirements. The adoption profile helped me quite a bit with that.

[] I completely re-baked the personality field by following Evo-Kurt's demeanor more closely and adding separate sections for his pros and cons. I added a lot more of his negative traits, since I was idealizing him way too much before, so I believe it's a lot more balanced now. A few of the traits listed in Strengths and Weaknesses, as well as the ones you pointed out, have been rephrased and updated. I used the app guide more fruitfully this time.

[] I believe the History has been tidied up, but do tell if the inconsistencies are still there. I'll get right on it. There's a small paragraph at the end that explains how I believe Kurt is currently feeling about the break-up, but if you think there's something wrong with it, I'll change it.

[] Sorry the RP sample is so long, but I was on a roll and I couldn't stop (though it may just look long because of the absurd amount of small paragraphs I write). I decided to write up a new RP sample without using anyone's characters. Not sure what I was thinking writing up that last one, what with controlling Kitty and all. I must've thought I was writing a book or something, rather than a post. I never do that in character, I assure you.

The super cool thing about reviews is that they make profiles come out a lot freakin' better than before. Now that I'm done being a dork and making up excuses, have at it.

Hi Dice!

Back for round two, and we should get everything covered in this round. First thing, thanks for all the hard work (and I really like your graphics, they're super impressive!). The expansion on the powers is great, I think they're good to go so we can just move on to other stuff.

I'm still not completely convinced about the notion of 'guilt trips', as mentioned in weaknesses (- Is easily disappointed (guilt-trips are common)), personality ("Wagner doesn't take criticism as well as most and generally believes that his mistakes are condemning and unforgivable. Even though Nightcrawler is merciful from being painfully aware of his own imperfections, he doesn't expect the same amount of understanding to come from others.") and history ("Guilt-trips are common for Kurt Wagner, and a newly-found broken relationship isn't helping the issue."). With the history part, I'm sure he's definitely suffering some self-confidence issues (maybe about not being able to hold Tabby's interest) along with hurt and the usual break-up feelings, I don't think his guilt-tripping is as common as conveyed in the way its presently written. Overall, Kurt doesn't tend to be too self-deprecating about his mistakes in Evo (he complains about having to wash the X-Jet in "Joyride", and tends to be pretty accepting - no notable angst - about the consequences in the Arcade and Boom Boom episodes). I don't think the guilt trips are a habitual thing (unless you have specific episodes in mind that I am missing?). And since Evo is overall lighter than the comics/film interpretations of Kurt, I don't think he takes criticism so hard that he views it as 'condemning and unforgivable' (since he seems to bounce back well when he and Scott disagree in the Forge episode), those terms tend to give more of a religious impression (whereas the religious aspect of the characters in general is pretty downplayed in the show) and suggests he's way too hard on himself (which isn't really the case; he definitely take responsibility, but he doesn't generally beat himself up about it too much). So if you could just modify those two phrases, that'd be great.

Under skills, you have,
"Skills:
- Flexibility
- Dexterity
- Jumping prowess
- Spatial awareness
- Balance"
These aren't really acquired skills as aspects of his mutation and a result of that. With skills, we're more looking for things that he has learned how to do. In addition, "- Acting (in a theatrical manner, and not a practical one)", I'm not sure what you mean by this since he doesn't seem much for acting or pretending (he wasn't in the play or anything), though he does play around with his image inducer some (but I think that might more be a part of his sense of humor than anything else). I'm not sure if I mentioned that before or not (I meant to, in any case, so my bad).

With the personality, I appreciate the improvements made there - but if you could actually remove the italicized 'pros' and 'cons' part, leaving it as is (just a body of text that flows well) would be preferred, thanks. And there are a few sentences (overall it looks good) that need to be edited. This phrase ""Sometimes naivety takes its toll on him, but when it comes down to the sentimental stuff, helping people feel better about themselves is his forte.", my only real issue is the use of 'forte' which suggests he's a pro at counseling and the like. I do think that he helps others, acts on it and attempts to empathize and cheer them up, but he's not always successful (like with Boom Boom in her episode). So if you could tweak that slightly, it'd be good to go. And this particular sentence, His demonic physical form had introduced him to a life bristling with racism and confinement seems a little too angsty for Evo-Kurt (sure he's self-conscious, but I'm pretty sure his parents tried to make things as easy as possible for him, and they were certainly very accepting). And this last portion under your listed pros section, Due to not being able to harbor hatred for long because of his kindly nature, it is also in his blood to forgive those who trespass against him. He even works to forgive his mother, Mystique, though he may forever harbor disappointment and provoked feelings for her, unless she ever decides to mend things up on her end. Given the incentive, a second-chance is always a possibility with Kurt. comes across a bit idealized (though I can see you've altered a lot of the personality to avoid that), so it'd be great if you could just watch the wording in that and off-set it with a mention of how he too can be judgmental? It happens with Lance in Joyride (alongside Scott) and generally with Toad.

In the history, where you have, "Whether it was because the Wagners found Charles Xavier, or Xavier found them", Xavier would have to be the one who found them as mutants aren't public knowledge and I'm sure the Wagners probably weren't aware of who he was before he showed up. And another slight thing, "Teasing each other was one of their favorite pastimes, even though Wagner was never fully able to get over Tabitha's adventurous flirting." I actually think he accepts the fact that Tabby is a flirt (and his self-confidence issues really only have to do with the Pietro thing) so I'm not so sure about the impression that sentence gives. In addition, rewording of this paragraph would be good too: "Back in his homeland, before he met Charles Xavier or the other characters residing in the mansion, Kurt Wagner was extremely secretive and preferred to hide himself from the eyes of the public. He only gave exclusive attention to his family, who loved and regarded him as a normal human being, for they looked only at what they saw beneath the skin, which were his friendly, human qualities. Their unconditional love didn't hide the facts from him – that he was born with an odd and devilish form, so the knowledge of never being able to fit in often haunted Kurt, and in lighter circumstances, still does to this day. Shyness had developed as a result." as the wording in places seems a little overdramatic for Evo-Kurt's personality. My last final history note, while I think the work you did with Pietro/Tabby definitely reflects more accurately, if there's any way to incorporate just a little more history that has to do with the four-IC elapsed months that have taken place on IE, that would be splendid (just to insure it flows well from the original bio to this present one).

Otherwise, that's all I have for the final review. I like the rp sample, by the way, and no worries about the original (I believe you, haha). If you have any questions, don't hesitate to let me know. You have two days for the second revisions, so just post in the app when you're done.

Thanks!
Jocey

Round two is at hand (dun dun duuuun). Thanks for the compliment, Jocey. When I get into something, I nerd out on it. It's creepy.

[] I completely atom-bombed the last paragraph in the personality section. At your request, I made everything a bit more light-hearted so it would match Evo Kurt better. I took all of the inapplicable traits out of the skills section too. Yeah, I think all of the wrinkles have been taken out of the personality section... eer, hopefully.

[] It was a blast reading Kurt's posts, so the history has a lot of stuff pertaining to IE now. I hope I got all of it down correctly. If not... um... ping me. Or you can smite me. That always works too.

Hmm, I think that's all. Take your time replying. If you have any concerns, don't hesitate to let me know. ;P You have a good one.

Hey Dice, Avalanche here.
Overall I think your application's well done, and appreciate the revisions you've made by Jocelyn's requests.

I have one last request myself however. Since we're just about into IC December now, I think a few lines regarding how November went for Kurt might be good. Nothing detailed, obviously, since there wasn't anything going on, but a few lines in general to account for his whereabouts during the month (for example, in Bobby's adoption, his absence in October was explained by a flu). I request a note of this mostly because my conjecture is that Kurt might have gotten over a lot of the Tabby issues in the month's time, since Tabby didn't break up the relationship based on his appearance or anything to that nature.

That should be all.

It hath been done. I'd be happy to correct any mistakes. Thank you very much.

Looks fantastic. Great job on everything. :] I am so happy to have Kurt again (we must plot Kitty/Mystique/Kurt things!). This application is ACCEPTED by Jocelyn. Check out The After Acceptance list for a few things to start out on. Welcome to Infinite Evolution, Dice!

IE Thread History
As of 04/10/09

December

Kurt returned to the Institute after an extended Thanksgiving holiday with his adoptive parents in Europe, and he was greeted with much enthusiasm by best friend, Kitty Pryde, and the two had a much-needed reunion at the Institute. She only managed to scare Kurt into bamfing off when she mentioned needing his expertise for her baking experiments. All in all, things seemed to be getting back to normal. There was some initial awkwardness between the blue elf and his ex-girlfriend, Tabitha, but the two managed to talk out their post-break-up problems and regained their former, close friendship.

Unfortunately, not everything went smoothly during Kurt's first month back, as Bobby Drake pulled a prank (with help from Emma Frost) on the X-Girls, filling their shampoo bottles with brightly colored hair bleach, causing a lot of chaos and some suspicions that Kurt himself might have been behind the prank. Nightcrawler boldly defended himself from the likes of an angry Kitty, Liz, and Ally, and was eventually cleared of all accusations with help from Tabitha. The day after, many Institute students went missing as the Brotherhood and Acolytes allied to kidnap various young mutants per Magneto's orders. In the after-effects of the rescues and fights, Kurt caught up with friend, Ally Winters and had a short, tense run-in with his mother, Mystique, who attempted to defend her involvement in the kidnapping (to little effect).

Talk about a crazy end to the year; with January on the way, Kurt remains at the Institute and is attempting to focus more on friends and school than those still-unresolved family issues.