Permanent Way App [3/3]
Powers: Max has, more or less, complete control over the electromagnetic spectrum. He can sense manipulate the bioelectric fields naturally generated by living creatures, reshape any magnetic object, create magnetic fields powerful enough to manipulate nonmagnetic materials, though much more clumsily-for instance, he could twist a crowbar into a pretzel, but could only pick up or throw a stick of the same size-control the tiny amounts of iron in blood to, for instance, rip all the blood from someone's body, fly, bend the light around himself to become invisible, shoot and absorb lightning, generate EMPs, erect very strong shields, shoot what amount to concussive blasts of energy, see in any given part of the EM scale (infrared, x-ray, etc.), and create light.
And he's not gonna be happy when none of that can affect the train.
His powers do have several other major drawbacks. The first is that he's nowhere near as experienced or powerful as X-Men canon Magneto (who will for the purposes of this explanation be referred to as Magneto where my AU boy is Max). Or, rather, he has the potential to be, but hasn't pushed through yet. Max still gets splitting headaches whenever he exerts himself (which is also true of Magneto at this point in his history; he broke through that particular barrier in a fit of rage when the CIA killed his girlfriend), and Max can only use his powers for one thing at a time. And even then, some of those things-lightning or a sustained shield, for instance-would automatically give him a migraine.
Additionally, Max's ability to use his powers is completely dependent on his physical health. If he's sick, injured, fatigued, or whatever, he'll be much less able to muster up any real power.
Finally, his powers are directly linked to Magneto's mental instability in the canon. If Max ever muscles past the point where he gets headaches, that means that his powers are starting to create a chemical imbalance in his brain, which will slowly drive him insane; any serious overuse would get rid of the “slowly.” Use at that level would probably burn him out as well, making him incapable of using his powers at all for a few days.
One advantage Max has over Magneto is that Max studied his powers extensively before breaking through to crazy-levels, which means that he knows that overusing them is dangerous. The problem with this is that he tends to get more powerful when he's experiencing strong negative emotions, which is the worst possible time to have better access to abilities that can drive him permanently crazy.
For the purposes of this AU, Max has no telepathic or astral-projection abilities. Mostly because those abilities are stupid and badly-explained in the X-Men canon, but also because Max is seriously awful at sensing paranormal phenomena, something that's a pretty big issue in the Hellboy 'verse. He does still have very strong psychic shields, though.
Personality: There are two especially important things that make Max different from Magneto. The first, explained above, is that he hasn't gotten powerful enough to screw up his mind. The second is that Max hasn't had as many awful experiences with normal humans. In the BRPD, Max found a group of people who not only didn't think he was a freak (Mostly. Manning's an exception), but who also didn't condemn Hellboy, whose nonhuman nature is much more obvious. In fact, once Hellboy became a field agent and his existence was revealed to the general public, most people who've met him didn't have a problem with him.
After the horrors of his youth, Max finds this extremely comforting. If someone like Hellboy can find acceptance with the general populace, he figures, maybe humanity has learned its lesson. Deep down, though, he still nurses the fear that normal people will turn on him someday. On the other hand, he doesn't think he should have to hide his powers and “pass” as normal, so these two instincts are constantly fighting.
He's both intelligent and compassionate, but the compassion definitely overrides the intelligence. If Max sees something wrong, he'll leap in and try to help without really considering the consequences. His intentions are always good, but because his emotional responses tend to be impulsive and irrational, he often does more harm than good. Paradoxically, if he's not impelled to action by his emotions, Max is hard-working and dedicated, willing to work on a problem until a solution is found. This is coupled, however, with an unfortunate belief that he's smart and strong-willed enough to solve any problem, which means that even if he's working rationally he often disregards other people's input and/or wrecks his own efforts. He's also quite arrogant about being one of the few super-powered beings in his world, though he tries not to show it.
Possessions: Not much. He has the suit he's wearing (actually made of metallic fibers, so he can change its appearance at will), a tan trench coat (ditto), his passport, and a case containing some files on Richter.
Sample post: Manning withers a bit under my gaze, I've never had cause to use my powers on him, and yet he fears me for them. I can use this. "Listen," I say, running a hand through my hair, "It would be easier for both of us if you just let me transfer." I want to yell, to lash out at this pathetic man, but I restrain myself, though my hands clench involuntarily.
Part 1
Part 2
And he's not gonna be happy when none of that can affect the train.
His powers do have several other major drawbacks. The first is that he's nowhere near as experienced or powerful as X-Men canon Magneto (who will for the purposes of this explanation be referred to as Magneto where my AU boy is Max). Or, rather, he has the potential to be, but hasn't pushed through yet. Max still gets splitting headaches whenever he exerts himself (which is also true of Magneto at this point in his history; he broke through that particular barrier in a fit of rage when the CIA killed his girlfriend), and Max can only use his powers for one thing at a time. And even then, some of those things-lightning or a sustained shield, for instance-would automatically give him a migraine.
Additionally, Max's ability to use his powers is completely dependent on his physical health. If he's sick, injured, fatigued, or whatever, he'll be much less able to muster up any real power.
Finally, his powers are directly linked to Magneto's mental instability in the canon. If Max ever muscles past the point where he gets headaches, that means that his powers are starting to create a chemical imbalance in his brain, which will slowly drive him insane; any serious overuse would get rid of the “slowly.” Use at that level would probably burn him out as well, making him incapable of using his powers at all for a few days.
One advantage Max has over Magneto is that Max studied his powers extensively before breaking through to crazy-levels, which means that he knows that overusing them is dangerous. The problem with this is that he tends to get more powerful when he's experiencing strong negative emotions, which is the worst possible time to have better access to abilities that can drive him permanently crazy.
For the purposes of this AU, Max has no telepathic or astral-projection abilities. Mostly because those abilities are stupid and badly-explained in the X-Men canon, but also because Max is seriously awful at sensing paranormal phenomena, something that's a pretty big issue in the Hellboy 'verse. He does still have very strong psychic shields, though.
Personality: There are two especially important things that make Max different from Magneto. The first, explained above, is that he hasn't gotten powerful enough to screw up his mind. The second is that Max hasn't had as many awful experiences with normal humans. In the BRPD, Max found a group of people who not only didn't think he was a freak (Mostly. Manning's an exception), but who also didn't condemn Hellboy, whose nonhuman nature is much more obvious. In fact, once Hellboy became a field agent and his existence was revealed to the general public, most people who've met him didn't have a problem with him.
After the horrors of his youth, Max finds this extremely comforting. If someone like Hellboy can find acceptance with the general populace, he figures, maybe humanity has learned its lesson. Deep down, though, he still nurses the fear that normal people will turn on him someday. On the other hand, he doesn't think he should have to hide his powers and “pass” as normal, so these two instincts are constantly fighting.
He's both intelligent and compassionate, but the compassion definitely overrides the intelligence. If Max sees something wrong, he'll leap in and try to help without really considering the consequences. His intentions are always good, but because his emotional responses tend to be impulsive and irrational, he often does more harm than good. Paradoxically, if he's not impelled to action by his emotions, Max is hard-working and dedicated, willing to work on a problem until a solution is found. This is coupled, however, with an unfortunate belief that he's smart and strong-willed enough to solve any problem, which means that even if he's working rationally he often disregards other people's input and/or wrecks his own efforts. He's also quite arrogant about being one of the few super-powered beings in his world, though he tries not to show it.
Possessions: Not much. He has the suit he's wearing (actually made of metallic fibers, so he can change its appearance at will), a tan trench coat (ditto), his passport, and a case containing some files on Richter.
Sample post: Manning withers a bit under my gaze, I've never had cause to use my powers on him, and yet he fears me for them. I can use this. "Listen," I say, running a hand through my hair, "It would be easier for both of us if you just let me transfer." I want to yell, to lash out at this pathetic man, but I restrain myself, though my hands clench involuntarily.
Part 1
Part 2