Post by mauvelantern on Mar 4, 2012 11:05:32 GMT -5
Cannon or your own: Original Character
Civilian Identity: Archie Baron
Codename: Switchblade
Nicknames: SB, Ginger, Arch
Criminal Record: Breaking and entering and pick-pocketing
Gender: Male
Apparent age: 13
Age: 12
Hair: Orange-red, curly, short on the sides and long on the top
Eyes: Amber-gold
Height and weight: 4'11"; 95 lbs
Appearance: Permanently dirty skin; cannot tell if face is freckled or grimy. Carries himself straight and proper, a trait forged in him by the teachers at the Cabret Orphanage. Has a small burn on his left hand from when a bully at the orphanage put a cigarette out in his palm. One of his incisors is missing due to a later fight with said bully. As a result of his training with the Black Knight and his coming of age, his body is trim and fit, like a burgeoning athlete's. When not in costume, he is expected to wear full suits (tie, jacket, etc.), though he usually forsakes them in favor of sweatpants, sneakers, A-shirts, and a gray hoodie.
Switchblade's costume consists of a black hood and cape, both detachable from his tunic. This tunic, black in color, has three red metal bars running down the center. He wears a red utility belt around his waist. The rest of his costume is black; black pants, black gloves, and black boots. His costume is designed with a thicker, more durable material in mind in case of fires; the cape and hood are actually flame-retardant. The material is also bullet-proof to an extent.
Abilities: Training in various forms of swordplay from countries all over the world, including:
*Kenjutsu, the classical form of Japanese sword fighting and the basis for any number of schools of battle
*Kendo, more a way of life than a sword style, it disciplines one's character with each swing
*Verdadera Destreza (Spanish fencing), a style based in quick calculations of the geometrical sort
*Dardi School of Italian fencing, which emphasizes using a side sword in combination with defensive instruments such as a gauntlet, a cape, or a shield
*Classical fencing, designed for pinpoint accurate attacks
Equipment: Switchblade carries a utility belt with him whenever he goes on patrol. The belt is meant to hold medical supplies, a flashlight, a miniature flare gun, a communicator, and a set of throwing knives. The weapons he uses are myriad thanks to Black Knight's personal arsenal, but he prefers to use:
*Hookswords, which have multiple ways of attacking an enemy
*A hachiwara, which can break through armor
*A small sword, a lightweight blade designed for thrusting attacks
Origin of Abilities: Trained since he was taken in by the Black Knight, a ruthless vigilante that has become a master of sword techniques after a lifetime spent honing the craft. Thanks to the militaristic training methods of the Knight, Archie has developed much more rapidly than most others in just a few years.
Weaknesses: Mortal and non-powered. Untrained, so he tends to be cocky. At times, he prefers to avoid Black Knight and work on his own, which gets him into trouble from time to time. Has crippling claustrophobia.
Personalty: Archie is cocky in his actions but quiet in his talk. He believes that actions speak louder than words, so he rarely speaks and gets his point across by doing. While he enjoys working as a hero, he sometimes thinks that Black Knight goes overboard in his actions. He likes his personal space and wishes he could work independently from his mentor. Another reason he chooses to avoid the Black Knight is because the man expects Archie to wound his enemies so that they are left crippled and helpless. Archie does not want to kill anyone or wound them in horrible ways, so he uses the flat side of the blade when he fights.
Background: Little was known of Archie's history before he showed up at the orphanage; all the workers knew when the police dropped him off was that he had tried to rob someone. He was taken in off the streets at the age of nine and placed in the Cabret Orphanage, where he could never fit in with the others. While the other children played, Archie would explore every nook and cranny of the old building. The only times he came down or out were when the employees at the orphanage would bring in new comics for the children. It was one of these assistants who gave Archie his name, noticing the boy's love of the Riverdale stories.
On a dark and stormy night, Bradford Baron, reclusive millionaire, arrived at the orphanage. Mother Claudia would later say that his reasons were to appear altruistic and positive in the public's eye, though there was a hint of something sinister in the way he carried himself. The shadowy man swept through the halls until he noticed Archie reading in the rafters of the building, having climbed halfway up the bell tower of the old orphanage. Perplexed, Baron signed the papers and took Archie with him back to his mansion.
Life at the mansion was little different than at the orphanage. Baron left his servant, Charlton, to tend to Archie: giving him comics, home-schooling him, and taking care of him when Baron was out, which was frequent. The mansion, being so big, allowed for Archie to continue his exploration habits. He could climb up higher and higher until he was forty feet in the air, high above the tiled floor of the parlor. There were so many hidden passages and secret rooms in the mansion that it was easy to get lost in the labyrinthine house. This was something Baron expected and had planned for.
One fateful night, while Archie explored a tunnel that went deep under the house, he stumbled upon his mentor in a suit of black armor. Blood trailed behind him as he stepped out of an obsidian, streamlined car. He made his way over to Archie and begged him to take him deeper into the cavern, where a first-aid kit lay in wait. With coaching from Baron, Archie was able to stitch up his surrogate father's wound before Charlton took over. When he went back to his room, Archie could not sleep; his head was full of thoughts of knights and battles.
The next day, Bradford spoke to Archie and explained that he was a vigilante at night, the Black Knight. He was in a never-ending war on crime, but it was becoming more difficult with age. To fight, he would need assistance, a soldier to stand side-by-side with him. Archie was perfect to be his partner: he was composed under stress, agile beyond his years, and skillful with his hands. Inspired by the heroes he had read in comics, Archie accepted the duty presented him and was given the name "Switchblade" by Baron, who thought of the boy as his own hidden weapon. It has been three years since that fateful night, and Archie has undergone constant training to become a stronger fighter and an accomplished swordsman. Soon he will be ready to fight against the criminal underworld...
Known Enemies:
*Druid: an ancient sorcerer who has kept himself alive for centuries thanks to the dark arts
*Muramasa: a man possessed by a cursed sword, he is bound to do the sword's bidding
*Mr. Satan: a nightclub owner who runs the criminal activity in Arcane City
Known Allies:
*Black Knight: mentor and surrogate father. He tries to keep Archie in line and wishes that he would strike at crime with more ferocity, but he understands that the boy is not at that point psychologically. They have a distant relationship with each other since Baron never took the chance to see him as a human; all he saw was a potential soldier in his war on crime.
*Kitsune: sometimes ally, sometimes enemy of Black Knight
*Vulpine Girl: Kitsune's sidekick and Switchblade's best friend
Teams and Past teams:
*Young Legends: Not a formal team, but a group of young heroes that Switchblade and Vulpine Girl keep in touch with over the Internet
Base of Operations: Arcane City, located just east of Gotham and north of Metropolis
Other:
*Likes Archie comics
*Is afraid of enclosed spaces
*Does not actually have a switchblade
Sample Post: Time was running out for Switchblade. He could not figure out why he felt so slow; he had run this course many times before and covered this same distance. Was it the cape? It did feel like it weighed him down more, but it did not seem so heavy as to drag him down. Was it the fatigue creeping into his body? Maybe, but Black Knight had been training him to ignore such matters in favor of sticking to the mission. As he pondered the reason for his deceleration, the Kingsley Clock Tower chimed off in the distance, signalling the end.
The bells chimed once, twice, thrice, and on and on. With every chime, the young boy pushed himself even harder. His legs began to feel like weights or sand made thick and heavy with water. And still he kept moving; he had to, for fear of what would happen if he did not make it.
At last, he reached the final rooftop. And just in time too, for the clock was on its ninth chime. With three chimes to spare, Switchblade dashed to the end of the roof and leaped across, hurling himself over a twenty-foot gap before landing on the building adjacent. He tucked himself into a ball and rolled across the bed of rocks that covered the roof. When he unrolled and popped to his feet, the Black Knight was standing over him.
"You just barely made it," the menacing man told the boy. "You could have done worse, but you need to get used to the weight our weapons provide. Now, show me."
Switchblade pulled aside his cape and took off his utility belt. His weapons were all still there; not a single one had been lost in the dash. Black Knight looked over everything before returning the belt to its owner.
"Well done. We will do this again tomorrow, so return to the fortress and get some rest. The car will take you back," said the knight before leaping from the rooftop.
The young apprentice watched as his mentor glided through the air and landed on the street below without so much as spraining his ankle. Someday, he would be able to do that too. For now though, he would have to make do with the fire escape. Charlton would have a bath waiting for him when he got back to the mansion, and after running with twenty pounds of blades on his body, he needed the reprieve.
Password: Into the Abyss
Civilian Identity: Archie Baron
Codename: Switchblade
Nicknames: SB, Ginger, Arch
Criminal Record: Breaking and entering and pick-pocketing
Gender: Male
Apparent age: 13
Age: 12
Hair: Orange-red, curly, short on the sides and long on the top
Eyes: Amber-gold
Height and weight: 4'11"; 95 lbs
Appearance: Permanently dirty skin; cannot tell if face is freckled or grimy. Carries himself straight and proper, a trait forged in him by the teachers at the Cabret Orphanage. Has a small burn on his left hand from when a bully at the orphanage put a cigarette out in his palm. One of his incisors is missing due to a later fight with said bully. As a result of his training with the Black Knight and his coming of age, his body is trim and fit, like a burgeoning athlete's. When not in costume, he is expected to wear full suits (tie, jacket, etc.), though he usually forsakes them in favor of sweatpants, sneakers, A-shirts, and a gray hoodie.
Switchblade's costume consists of a black hood and cape, both detachable from his tunic. This tunic, black in color, has three red metal bars running down the center. He wears a red utility belt around his waist. The rest of his costume is black; black pants, black gloves, and black boots. His costume is designed with a thicker, more durable material in mind in case of fires; the cape and hood are actually flame-retardant. The material is also bullet-proof to an extent.
Abilities: Training in various forms of swordplay from countries all over the world, including:
*Kenjutsu, the classical form of Japanese sword fighting and the basis for any number of schools of battle
*Kendo, more a way of life than a sword style, it disciplines one's character with each swing
*Verdadera Destreza (Spanish fencing), a style based in quick calculations of the geometrical sort
*Dardi School of Italian fencing, which emphasizes using a side sword in combination with defensive instruments such as a gauntlet, a cape, or a shield
*Classical fencing, designed for pinpoint accurate attacks
Equipment: Switchblade carries a utility belt with him whenever he goes on patrol. The belt is meant to hold medical supplies, a flashlight, a miniature flare gun, a communicator, and a set of throwing knives. The weapons he uses are myriad thanks to Black Knight's personal arsenal, but he prefers to use:
*Hookswords, which have multiple ways of attacking an enemy
*A hachiwara, which can break through armor
*A small sword, a lightweight blade designed for thrusting attacks
Origin of Abilities: Trained since he was taken in by the Black Knight, a ruthless vigilante that has become a master of sword techniques after a lifetime spent honing the craft. Thanks to the militaristic training methods of the Knight, Archie has developed much more rapidly than most others in just a few years.
Weaknesses: Mortal and non-powered. Untrained, so he tends to be cocky. At times, he prefers to avoid Black Knight and work on his own, which gets him into trouble from time to time. Has crippling claustrophobia.
Personalty: Archie is cocky in his actions but quiet in his talk. He believes that actions speak louder than words, so he rarely speaks and gets his point across by doing. While he enjoys working as a hero, he sometimes thinks that Black Knight goes overboard in his actions. He likes his personal space and wishes he could work independently from his mentor. Another reason he chooses to avoid the Black Knight is because the man expects Archie to wound his enemies so that they are left crippled and helpless. Archie does not want to kill anyone or wound them in horrible ways, so he uses the flat side of the blade when he fights.
Background: Little was known of Archie's history before he showed up at the orphanage; all the workers knew when the police dropped him off was that he had tried to rob someone. He was taken in off the streets at the age of nine and placed in the Cabret Orphanage, where he could never fit in with the others. While the other children played, Archie would explore every nook and cranny of the old building. The only times he came down or out were when the employees at the orphanage would bring in new comics for the children. It was one of these assistants who gave Archie his name, noticing the boy's love of the Riverdale stories.
On a dark and stormy night, Bradford Baron, reclusive millionaire, arrived at the orphanage. Mother Claudia would later say that his reasons were to appear altruistic and positive in the public's eye, though there was a hint of something sinister in the way he carried himself. The shadowy man swept through the halls until he noticed Archie reading in the rafters of the building, having climbed halfway up the bell tower of the old orphanage. Perplexed, Baron signed the papers and took Archie with him back to his mansion.
Life at the mansion was little different than at the orphanage. Baron left his servant, Charlton, to tend to Archie: giving him comics, home-schooling him, and taking care of him when Baron was out, which was frequent. The mansion, being so big, allowed for Archie to continue his exploration habits. He could climb up higher and higher until he was forty feet in the air, high above the tiled floor of the parlor. There were so many hidden passages and secret rooms in the mansion that it was easy to get lost in the labyrinthine house. This was something Baron expected and had planned for.
One fateful night, while Archie explored a tunnel that went deep under the house, he stumbled upon his mentor in a suit of black armor. Blood trailed behind him as he stepped out of an obsidian, streamlined car. He made his way over to Archie and begged him to take him deeper into the cavern, where a first-aid kit lay in wait. With coaching from Baron, Archie was able to stitch up his surrogate father's wound before Charlton took over. When he went back to his room, Archie could not sleep; his head was full of thoughts of knights and battles.
The next day, Bradford spoke to Archie and explained that he was a vigilante at night, the Black Knight. He was in a never-ending war on crime, but it was becoming more difficult with age. To fight, he would need assistance, a soldier to stand side-by-side with him. Archie was perfect to be his partner: he was composed under stress, agile beyond his years, and skillful with his hands. Inspired by the heroes he had read in comics, Archie accepted the duty presented him and was given the name "Switchblade" by Baron, who thought of the boy as his own hidden weapon. It has been three years since that fateful night, and Archie has undergone constant training to become a stronger fighter and an accomplished swordsman. Soon he will be ready to fight against the criminal underworld...
Known Enemies:
*Druid: an ancient sorcerer who has kept himself alive for centuries thanks to the dark arts
*Muramasa: a man possessed by a cursed sword, he is bound to do the sword's bidding
*Mr. Satan: a nightclub owner who runs the criminal activity in Arcane City
Known Allies:
*Black Knight: mentor and surrogate father. He tries to keep Archie in line and wishes that he would strike at crime with more ferocity, but he understands that the boy is not at that point psychologically. They have a distant relationship with each other since Baron never took the chance to see him as a human; all he saw was a potential soldier in his war on crime.
*Kitsune: sometimes ally, sometimes enemy of Black Knight
*Vulpine Girl: Kitsune's sidekick and Switchblade's best friend
Teams and Past teams:
*Young Legends: Not a formal team, but a group of young heroes that Switchblade and Vulpine Girl keep in touch with over the Internet
Base of Operations: Arcane City, located just east of Gotham and north of Metropolis
Other:
*Likes Archie comics
*Is afraid of enclosed spaces
*Does not actually have a switchblade
Sample Post: Time was running out for Switchblade. He could not figure out why he felt so slow; he had run this course many times before and covered this same distance. Was it the cape? It did feel like it weighed him down more, but it did not seem so heavy as to drag him down. Was it the fatigue creeping into his body? Maybe, but Black Knight had been training him to ignore such matters in favor of sticking to the mission. As he pondered the reason for his deceleration, the Kingsley Clock Tower chimed off in the distance, signalling the end.
The bells chimed once, twice, thrice, and on and on. With every chime, the young boy pushed himself even harder. His legs began to feel like weights or sand made thick and heavy with water. And still he kept moving; he had to, for fear of what would happen if he did not make it.
At last, he reached the final rooftop. And just in time too, for the clock was on its ninth chime. With three chimes to spare, Switchblade dashed to the end of the roof and leaped across, hurling himself over a twenty-foot gap before landing on the building adjacent. He tucked himself into a ball and rolled across the bed of rocks that covered the roof. When he unrolled and popped to his feet, the Black Knight was standing over him.
"You just barely made it," the menacing man told the boy. "You could have done worse, but you need to get used to the weight our weapons provide. Now, show me."
Switchblade pulled aside his cape and took off his utility belt. His weapons were all still there; not a single one had been lost in the dash. Black Knight looked over everything before returning the belt to its owner.
"Well done. We will do this again tomorrow, so return to the fortress and get some rest. The car will take you back," said the knight before leaping from the rooftop.
The young apprentice watched as his mentor glided through the air and landed on the street below without so much as spraining his ankle. Someday, he would be able to do that too. For now though, he would have to make do with the fire escape. Charlton would have a bath waiting for him when he got back to the mansion, and after running with twenty pounds of blades on his body, he needed the reprieve.
Password: Into the Abyss