OBJECTIFY - PengoSolvent âĻ Discussion - PengoSolvent
{"Born from wonder and on a quest up. Welcome the one and only!"}
- PengoSolvent
Xander
Nickname
The Amazing Xander
Starting Location/Origin
Rommel Kingdom
Age
15
Gender
Male
Sexuality
Straight
Species
Human
On the surface he is a true showman. Having spent most of his life training to be an entertainer the world is his stage and it's his duty to perform. He's courageous even in the most suicidal of odds, always ready with another trick up his sleeve. No matter what he does he always makes it seem like he meant to do it whenever it's done. Whether he's rousing laughter or fooling the naked eye he's never off until the curtains fall.
Well, that's what he'd be like if anyone actually cared. Given his age and the fact almost no one has heard of him despite his efforts his performance is more or less reserved for those willing to look his way. Despite his cool and confident veneer he's all too aware of just how green he is when it comes to performing live. On the outside he strives to be the life of the party but on the inside it's a completely different story.
Beneath it all he's a ball of stress wound around layer after layer of feelings of inadequacy. To him there's no worse a feeling than being pressed to perform and coming up short. He spends more time than would be considered healthy designing and engineering new tricks. In his mind entire workshop's worth of new acts are formed every day. That is not to say he doesn't think about anything else than performing tricks, it's just the part that he prefers to think about as the rest of his thoughts only serve to weigh him down emotionally.
There is some truth to his persona, that much can be said. He is spirited and determined for sure. He refuses to let little things like reality and circumstance get in his way when he wants to get something done. He does enjoy it when the audience responds positively to his acts and it's quite a rewarding experience for him to have a show go off without a hitch. He appreciates his craft in a genuine sense as well. It's fun for him to create new tricks and contraptions to use in his acts. He also enjoys solving puzzles and mysteries when he's not making them himself.
Given his level of intelligence he has trouble connecting with people emotionally. On the surface he can feign relations but he finds it difficult to relate to those that can't keep up with his face paced mind. He's pragmatic and often times cynical too which doesn't help him make friends when that slips through. With all his failings aside to those he is actually friends with he's loyal past the point of self preservation. To him there's no problem so absurd or difficult that it can't be solved. All of life's problems are just puzzles he has yet to tackle.
Likes
- Puzzles
- Magic
- Applause
- Books
- Building Things
- Chemistry
- Mint Tea
- Mutton
- Silk
- Snow
- Mysteries
Dislikes
- Ignorance
- People who abuse their authority
- Hot Weather
- Rain
- Soot
- Seafood
Strengths
His strength is mainly in his versatility. He's well trained in a rather vast breadth of skills ranging from navigation to acrobatics to even combat. On top of that he is a fast learner and picks new skills up quickly. His greatest talent however lies in deception. Given how his profession is entirely based around fooling others it only makes sense that he'd want to be good at it and good at it he definitely is. He doesn't just apply deception to his act's however. Well, given how he tends to make everything he does an act he technically does however the range of things that applies to is quite wide. Be it illusions, lies or even feints he's honed his art into both a tool and a weapon.
In addition to deceiving others his training in the field helps him see through other's deceptions as well.
Weakness
Firstly it should be pertinent to note that while he is quite strong for his age as a result of his harsh training he is still quite young and doesn't possess a full build yet. In a contest of direct strength he'd probably lose against most pirates.
Secondly he lacks experience. While others have had the opportunity to hone and improve their skills over the years he's had very little time to do quite a lot. What others might of picked up through trial and error he lacks.
Thirdly he undergoes a great deal of stress whenever he performs whether on or off the battlefield. His fear of screwing up can sometimes put so much stress on him it clouds his judgement.
Goals and Dreams
His main aim is to become the number one magician known throughout the isles. There is an underlying motivation given to him by his late mentor to seek out things that, as his master described, are "True Magic".
Fears
His greatest fear is failure. Given how little real experience he's had performing in front of a real audience he feels every slip up he makes with intense shame. His fear of the aforementioned shame that comes with failing stresses him out so much often times it's the result of his failures.
His other main worry is that others will find him irrelevant or unnecessary. Given how he's quite young and not much of a sailor it's a legitimate concern for him him to wonder if the other crew members even want him around. He feels if he doesn't make himself necessary then being kicked off the crew is not far off.
Habits
He'll sometimes forget himself if he feels no one's looking at him and start talking to himself. It's mostly just him thinking out loud with no real audience other than himself as opposed to actual lunacy.
He is a rather wiry individual, lean with long muscle on his bones. As for his clothes his main attire is a fine black suit and top hat, standard garb for a stage magician. While his standard garb may be more befitting his image though he is quite flexible on his choice of attire, easily capable of going through at least a dozen sets of clothes depending on his act.
Eyes and Hair
Greyish blue eyes, Jet black hair.
Height
4'4" / 134 CM
Weight
89 lbs / 40 Kg
Xander began his life as a child to a poor family, living out his life in the rain swept gutters of Rommel. He started work ever since he could begin to walk, helping his older sister with sweeping out chimneys. With what little money they made they were only barely afford to feed the family. Such was life for the poor.
Off a ship arrived a magician. An old and eccentric man dressed quite well. He had collected numerous oddities, objects from different lands. The old man's name? Why it was none other than The Amazing Rando, one of the most famous magicians known. Well, back in the day he was. While his title of being an exceptional magician had not faded his presence in show business was long gone. Once he had made his fortune he spent his money hunting for rare items rumored to possess real magic. He had spent quite a lot of money and time acquiring exotic acquisitions from all over the world.
With the money Rando had saved he needed to stop and settle in so he could inflate his funds. He had no intention of staying but seeing as how he wouldn't be able to afford more than a couple more voyages elsewhere he figured it would be easiest to make some cash in a place with as thick a population as this one had. The first thing he did was rent a place to stay and keep his equipment for the time being. The second thing he did was hire a native to guide him through town.
When Xander was approached and offered money to help an old man find his way about town he was in no position to refuse. The man did not seem dangerous to him and this was easy money compared to hanging from a brush at the end of a rope trying to clear the choking black soot from a chimney.
What began as a standard business arrangement soon evolved into a full fledged job for Xander as he kept taking more money for the jobs he did. It started as little more than just guiding Rando about his fair kingdom but after proving himself useful to him Rando offered him more opportunities to earn more money. Things like helping take out the trash, doing the laundry, dishes and ect. Not his typical line of work but Xander wasn't about to pass up easy money he could be using to help feed his family.
As he worked for Rando he learned more of who the man was. Needless to say his opinion of his boss while already pretty good only grew better and better. His appreciation for both the man and the art had grown into full admiration like one would have for a hero. Rando was quite literally an amazing man, at least to Xander he was.
Rando was not oblivious to Xander's feelings. He knew the young man possessed both great respect for himself and an even stronger curiosity. He had a difficult decision to face then. He had never taken on any apprentices, let alone revealed any of his secrets. He was old however and that creeping sense of mortality only helped serve to remind him that there was a strong possibility of taking his magic to the grave, never to be seen again. After a long internal debate with his reservations Rando in the end decided to take Xander on as his apprentice.
For several years Xander trained under Rando. It was non-stop work from sunrise to sundown. On top of the duties he continued to perform back when he was his assistant he now had to exercise both his mind and body. He learned to read while standing with two buckets of water mounted on a pole set across his back, he was taught how to pick locks while hanging off a rope with his legs and he performed mathematics while he balanced atop a greased tightrope too. Before the end he was educated enough to fully understand the methods Rando employed and fit enough to withstand the physical demands of his magic acts as well.
During this time Rando saved what little money he could for tickets to leave this dirty and miserable kingdom. He couldn't make up the money however as he was too old to perform and his fame had long since been forgotten. In the end he was only able to afford one ticket before he fell into a serious illness. He was so sick he couldn't leave his bed, left only with Xander to help him. Rando knew his time was soon however. He didn't need a doctor to tell him this, the signs were all clear.
Sad as Xander might of been he remained strong, listening dutifully as his mentor placed in his hands the ticket to a boat. Rando gave unto Xander his final request, that he take the boat, leave this kingdom and set out in search of "True Magic". That very night The Amazing Rando passed on.
There was little time to grieve as come morning there were two people at his door. You see, since he had first arrived another magician had been keeping tabs on old Rando. This man was known as Angelo Cristoff, a magician who had built his reputation on shocking audiences and bringing a generally edgier sense of style to his acts. Early in his career Angelo had struggled in his performances, unable to really get much attention from the public. Rando on the other hand was the best of the best with establishment owners scrambling over each other to get his performances. Angelo had sought Rando out and attempted to convince him to take him on as an apprentice. In truth what Angelo really wanted to do was to steal Rando's secrets so he could reveal them and forever sully Rando's reputation, leaving the position of top magician open for him to grab.
Alas, Rando was a difficult man to fool. He saw right through Angelo's lies and refused to teach him. Ever since while Angelo had gone his own way, viciously crushing competing magicians through treachery and sabotage, he had always made sure to follow news about Rando, always ready to strike given the opportunity. While this opportunity was never available in life Rando's death left a chance for Angelo to sweep in and try to steal what remained of his legacy. The other man with him at the door was the mayor. He had bribed the mayor to give him legal ownership of the property as well as all of his possessions come Rando's death, even going so far as to forge a fake will to name him as his successor.
Angelo's conversation with Xander was short. "Get out".
While Xander had little authority to challenge Angelo with he wasn't going to take this usurpation laying down. With little to no options he did what any young street kid would do in his position: He stole everything he could carry and evaded capture. Locking doors behind him and sticking to the shadows he stalled and eluded the two after taking as many of the possessions Rando had cared most for and took to the alleyways where he lost them for good.
With every kingdom guard in the city actively looking to take back what he had stole going back was no option. Were he to return to his family he'd only be drawing guards to them, something he'd never do. This was his challenge, no kin of his should suffer for his own actions. There was only one way to go and he had it's ticket.
Elusively making his way along winding side roads and alleys he approached and boarded the S.S Esther, Handing the ticket taker his ticket in exchange for passage onto the ship. Where he went from there didn't really matter to him, he just needed to be anywhere but back there. He considered his future, just how he was going to get his career as a magician off the ground. Though he was short for ideas so long as the world hungered for more mystery and wonder there was bound to be a place for him. More than that however was what Rando had asked of him.
Just what is True Magic? Where could I find it?
Previous Crew-Role
Navigator
Bounty
Zero at present.
Abilities
As far as raw physical traits is concerned his dexterity is his most exceptional feature. While he doesn't possess physical qualities outside of human boundaries he's got a wide breadth of skills under his belt. Here is a categorized list of them.
Combat:
- He's an accurate marksman.
- He's trained in the art of Bartitsu, the gentleman's art of cane fighting.
- He's skilled at throwing weapons and just thrown items in general.
- With a combination of free form psychology and examination of his opponents movement's he can roughly predict his enemy's attacks, though it depending on how keen his foe's mind is.
Academic:
- He's a fast yet thorough reader.
- He's been taught both astronomy and how to use maps, making him a decent navigator.
- He's got a basic knowledge of chemistry, something he's working on expanding his knowledge of.
- He's got an advanced knowledge of geometry.
- He's a practiced engineer and part time inventor.
- He's an expert tailor.
- He's mildly practiced in cooking.
Trade:
- As it's likely been mentioned before he's spent most of his life training to be a magician.
- He's adept at a wide range of card tricks.
- He can juggle.
- He's got extremely good balance.
- He's learned some basic knowledge on how to swim.
- He's a practiced liar.
- He's knowledgeable in forgery.
- His sleight of hand skills are top notch.
- He's an expert escape artist.
- He is very good at picking pockets.
- He's a proficient ventriloquist.
- He's modified a hollow metal cane of his to function as a musket. The parts that allow it to fire can be taken off which allows him to hide the pieces on him and keep his musket looking like an ordinary cane.
- He has a thin knife tied to the end of a long multicolored silk sash hidden up one of his sleeves.
- He has another cane which is solid iron, properly balanced so he can twirl and swing it with ease.
- He has a small one shot pistol concealed by his heel.
- He's got a pack of metal paper thin playing cards that have been sharpened.
- He's packing at least eight smoke bombs hidden all about him.
- He's got eight flash bombs concealed on him as well.
- He's armed with four egg sized fragmentation bombs.
- He also has two tar bombs, explosives designed by him to shower burning tar everywhere.
- Lastly he's got a flask of adhesive glue.
Supplies
On him:
- A major prop of his is his two false arms. While his real arms are cleverly concealed under his specially tailored jacket he controls two puppet arms tethered to his shoulder which fit into his jacket sleeves like regular arms. The arms are operated through several strings attached to rings around his fingers which he can pull, manipulating a series of pulleys and gears set within the arms creating a manual mechanism that can simulate different motions based on the arrangement of his fingers hidden below. The arm is painted and made out to look like real real flesh, the fairly thin and discrete seams concealed by his sleeves and gloves.
- Two palm mirrors.
- An empty magician's wand.
- Ten roman candles.
- Two circular magnets.
- At least five different decks of cards not including his sharpened throwing cards.
- Two sets of iron manacles.
- Twenty lock picks hidden across his whole outfit.
- At least four other costumes worn under his suit.
- A fake cyanide pill.
- A magnifying glass.
- A pen.
- five boxes of matches.
In his suit case:
- He's also made two trap arms which are basically the same as his false arms but these have bombs built in which are designed to detonate a few seconds after they are removed, blowing the arm up with the unfortunate foe.
- A set of sewing needles and some bolts of assorted fabrics.
- Several assorted beakers and some vials full of various chemicals.
- A set of carpentry tools.
- Several maps plus a sextant.
- Twenty feet of rope.
- Twenty different false documents for fake identities.
- At least twenty different costumes designed by him.
- Four more circular magnets.
- Some books pertaining to his academic interests.
Sentimental Value
He carries with him several items of mysterious nature. Whether any of them do anything is currently unknown. The most notable object among the collection is a strange ocean blue translucent sphere made of some smooth unknown substance. Three tear drops can be seen floating inside. No matter what angle the sphere is turned the three drops will always remain in a vertical circle, one tear at the top and two beneath it. The circle will also always face towards the person holding the sphere. There are also three slight indents on the bottom of the sphere, indicating that it was once set in something.
Given how unusual the sphere is it's the most promising item out of his admittedly small collection and thus the most important to him. He's determined to unlock the spheres true potential.
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Face Claim
The Mad Hatter - Alice In Wonderland
Portrayed By
Zalgo