User Profile

Name: Malachy (Mal) Layton
Codename: Dusk

Age: 24
Birthday: July 4th

Face: Norman Reedus

Powers: Force-fields with such concentrated intensity that they slice through both skin and general inanimate objects. Malachy’s powers are almost directly connected with his emotional state and stress levels. Due to the way Mal’s powers first surfaced he avoids any physical contact if he can possibly help it. When he knows that he will be expected to touch someone i.e. a handshake during a first meeting he’ll work himself up until he feels literally physically sickened and any contact which is initiated with him will automatically lead to his body reacting in typical fight or flight mode, creating a force field between himself and the persons skin.

Malachy also occasionally experiences difficulty with picking objects up if he is tense. Occasionally he can slice through pencils and books, even cutlery and tabletops in severe circumstances.

Depending on his state of emotional distress, the intensity of the force-fields vary. A handshake which Mal has only had a few seconds to concentrate on may result in a paper cut, however there may be no reaction from his powers at all. A sudden, random hug would more than likely never touch his powers, however a hug that he’d had a few minutes to think about coming could result in a serious scratch. If Malachy is being physically attacked the strength of the force-field could slice through skin creating serious gashes and depending on the intensity of his attack, they could slice through muscles and tendons.

Once Malachy if comfortable with someone and used to that person initiating physical contact with him (i.e. a friend who frequently hugs goodbye and he feels completely unafraid of or a girlfriend whom he has developed deep feelings for and holds his hand) the force-fields cease to be an issue. People he feels less comfortable around he will avoid almost completely in terms of personal space.

If Malachy’s powers were to be controlled (which would take convincing him to have therapy over his past problems along with some sort of conditioning against emotional stress) then he would be able to create solid barriers between himself and whatever threatened him. These force-fields have the potential to be both offensive and defensive despite the fact that Mal would rather they were nothing-fensive and not an issue in the first place.

Note: His force-fields range from a mirky black to a very light grey, hence his codename.

Personality: Malachy is an extremely laid back individual ninety percent of the time despite what his powers and his stress levels may indicate. He seems to be oftentimes referred to as a ‘hippy’ by his friends and it sums up much of his attitude to life.

Although Malachy is a smart guy, he tends not to use his intelligence and would rather lounge sketching under a tree than sitting in an English Literature class. He’s very arty, writing his own music and creating little carvings randomly when the inspiration takes him.

Generally Malachy makes friends with people very easily. He sees no problem walking up to someone and introducing himself, indeed even striking up a conversation. This makes him very easy to approach.

Despite not being an aggressive person, Mal won’t see his friends hurt or stepped upon and will get up and say so if it’s absolutely necessary. He detests physical violence and sees little need for it in the long run. Everything can be sorted out with words, there’s no point in resorting to bruised fists. People will also find that starting an argument with Malachy in the first place will be extremely difficult. Even if he’s in the right and defending his position (or indeed, that of a friend) if he feels any real aggression or threat of someone getting physical he will back off and encourage those around him to do the same. He’s not a fighter. He makes no claims to being one either.

Although it my not be obvious due to Malachy’s nonchalant nature, he does care deeply for people and if he’s allowed, he’ll form bonds to them, hoping for the chance to stick around for a little while.

In general Malachy is a person with very few problems in life … if it wasn’t for his powers he’d be the happiest guy alive.

On the downside, Malachy does not react well to deadlines or being told he has to turn up in one place at a certain time. Timekeeping is not his forte. Training sessions and the like would be second on his priority list to say … finishing a sketch. Classes get the same treatment, although if he takes a liking to his Professor then he may come solely for that reason (and by liking I mean … becoming fascinated with Professor McCoy’s lab and actually enjoying his talks on science … not romantic attachments.)

Mal also has the tendency not to take things as seriously as he should. He downplays them because it’s easier to handle in the long run. He may never have went to Xavier’s without prompting and would have settled for his lot in life without many questions. This can make him frustrating to talk to about problems because whoever’s concern it is gets cut off in it’s tracks.

Also, regarding his powers, Malachy may close off from others totally. He’s been severely traumatised by them and so doesn’t react well to conversation regarding them or, indeed, training sessions to control them. He’ll avoid most questions, more content to ignore his powers if he can pretend they’re not there.
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Strengths: His loyalty to his friends and people who are willing to give him a chance is complete, totally absolute. Generally, when involved with authority figures Malachy does as he’s asked and has no problems following because he’s certainly not a leader. He’s easy to talk to and generally someone who people can confide in. He doesn’t gossip and tends to be open to anything in regards to having a good time. He’s the goof but he’s also the friend. However, if left to his own devices Mal is quite happy to spend time alone with his guitar.

Weaknesses: Because Malachy backs off from any form of confrontation he finds it difficult to bring problems to peoples attention. If he’s being tormented by someone, for example, he’d much rather avoid them than speak to someone (unless, of course, it includes his friends.) He prefers not to become too involved in himself which makes him sceptical of therapy and in general he’s not comfortable if he’s kept within four walls. Malachy has the problem of being too passive also, in that he sees no urgency when handing in essays and the like, so occasionally his grades suffer.

History: Malachy is originally from Chicago, though he rarely spent much time in the one place.

As a child, Malachy was constantly on the move with his mother Julia (who was both addicted to pot and the one who earned him his reputation as a hippy.) He doesn’t remember much of his childhood as it’s full of sketchy memories of moving from town to town and state to state, different trains and different squats. He loves his mother dearly but doesn’t know who his father is and doubts his mother does either.

When Malachy was sixteen, he came home from yet another move into a new school to find his mother had left all of her things, money and a note to him saying that she would get in touch soon. While she never did, Malachy does still hold out some hope that one day he might find her again. He got himself a job in a diner and supported himself entirely until he felt that it was time to move on again.

Malachy’s had various jobs in the following years, including working in a kitchen, behind a bar, as a waiter, a seller on a fish market and many more. What’s odd about it is that he enjoys it and the experiences despite the fact that it’s hard work, which he usually shies away from. This is most likely because this work he’s being paid for.

When Malachy turned nineteen he met Angela Mathews, a waitress in a local café not far from where he was living and they very quickly fell in love. It was a whirlwind romance and something that neither of them expected to become as intense as it did. On the way home from a new job Malachy was attacked. It would have been a simple mugging except for the fact that the thief got angry with Mal’s struggling and started to kick him. When the first rib snapped Mal’s powers finally kicked in and the man fell hurtling to the ground, clutching his leg. It wasn’t until much later that Mal realised his force-fields had severed the tendon in the thief’s leg.

When Malachy came home to Angela that day he was shaky and frankly terrified of himself. That night she tried to coax him into relaxing, tempting into him making love to her, but Mal had gotten himself so worked up over the attack and the consequences of it that his powers kicked in again. The result was Angela in hospital with severe lacerations across her entire body. The relationship fell apart and Malachy left, returning to Chicago to try to find his mother.

In the next few years Mal worked different jobs and moved from place to place. He found various contact addresses for his mother in squats and shared houses but they never came to anything. The decision to find help came to a crunch when Mal saw a televised interview with Professor Charles Francis Xavier, America’s leading authority on mutant genetics. He wrote to Xavier and a month later he was in a train, heading to Salem Centre and into the unknown with nothing but a guitar, a sketchpad and a rucksack filled with clothes.

The train ride resulted in Mal meeting Lotte, also on her way to Xavier’s and the resulting in the debt of one candy bar breakfast.

Additional information: Malachy’s only real obsession in his life is his guitar. He worked for almost two years to save the wages to buy it and it’s both his pride, joy and solace from stress. If anyone was to wreck it, steal it or damage it in any way he’d be devastated. Also, something the Professors will be less than pleased about, is the fact that Mal uses pot to relax himself enough to forget about his problem with physical contact. Malachy also has a tattoo (costing almost two weeks wages from his budget) something that he'd always wanted.

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