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Knick Alen chuckles and nods to Seth. "Good work, I'm surprised they didn't shoot at you. They always shoot at me... and then throw the gun. See, that's what I don't understand. They shoot at me, and the bullets bounce off. Then... Then, they throw the sprocking gun. What is with throwing the gun? That is basically why I feel good must always triumph over evil, in a nutshell... 'cause evil appears to be just throwing-the-gun stupid.
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— Himself
Knick is a young Kryptonian hero from alternate world Earth H', having followed in the footsteps of the likes of the JLA. While not much is publicly known yet of his home reality, recently it has come to light that he is in a romantic relationship with that world's Superboy and has brought several of his fellow Earth H' natives to Superia with him, where they have come as explorers and ambassadors of goodwill to the superhero community.
Personality
Knick's thought process blends a scientist's analytical thought and a doctor's compassion towards life. Be it a laboratory setting or even a fight, he is constantly in problem-solving mode, applying the scientific method to his situation -- even in combat. If one can observe flaws in an opponent's strategy or defenses, then one has multiple methods of approaching any situation. He will also go to truly great lengths to save even a single life. He is the hero that will rescue a kitten from a tree every time and be delayed by the supervillain when they threaten the innocent bus of kids. No being is initially beyond redemption to him, and he can be suckered easily through someone playing to it. This analytical yet compassionate mindset also makes him naturally diplomatic, as in most situations he would rather talk a situation out than resort to violence.
Knick is fiercely loyal to those he loves, to say the least. While he tries to be the consummate hero, he will defend those he loves in total defiance of it if need be. It is in essence a weakness that approaches Kryptonite for him on an emotional level. Knick will stand by a friend even if they are wrong, and in any conflict between friends he is hard-pressed to take any action at all. Even if it meant standing against the entire JLA alone, Knick would do it for a friend. For those that Knick is emotionally involved with, there is no hiding how he feels about things. Hailing from a culture that practiced little deception, Knick has had a lot of painful lessons on that front in the time since he left Krypton. Though he has learned the fine art of deception, he is not so accomplished in it and likely never will be. He can talk the talk with the best of them, but there is always that look in his eyes that betrays what he is truly feeling, if not so much thinking.
Background
Kal-En was born on the far distant planet Krypton in an unknown Hypertime reality. In the same manner as all children of his world, he was conceived and birthed via scientific means as opposed to "natural" procreation. The people of Knick's world were far more advanced than those of the world Kal-En would someday call home, Earth, in ways both scientific and philosophical, including sociocultural evolution. Kal-En was born with a complete understanding of his species' social norms, as well as the working knowledge needed to follow in either his mother's or his father's footsteps in life. Both would become important aspects of and influences on his life in the years to come. Sadly, this Krypton -- as with so many others in variant Hypertimelines -- was doomed, and though Zer-En, Kal's father, hoped to find a solution, it was his mother, the medical scientist Sar-En, who devised a means to send her son offworld to safety. The Kryptonians of that world were genetically bound to the planet, but Sar-En discovered a cure. In the end, there was no time to save Krypton, and only Kal-En would survive. His father's old friend, the spacefaring alien Strathazed, took the child in his charge before the planet was destroyed.
Strathazed saw to Kal's education, teaching him much of what he would have learned on his world and conveying upon him various artifacts of Krypton. The alien raised the orphaned boy as his own, and Kal's instruction spanned the stars. He learned self-defense on the world of Okaara, and he was swept up into the events of interstellar conflict. In time he came to visit a world called Earth, and in many ways it was there that his adventures truly began. As Kal grew into what amounted, physically, to his teen years, he eventually found a home in the community of superheroes. Taking up the identity of Skyboy, he began to gain renown in his own right. In the coming years, Skyboy found himself drawn to multiple different Earths, but eventually he settled on the world that is known, in Superia, as Earth H'. There he formed many important relationships, particularly with other younger heroes, such as the Titans, Young Justice, and even the X-Men. He formed a new family, even adopting a younger brother from an alternate Krypton, but no relationship was more important than the one he formed with his eventual lifemate, the Kon-El of Earth H'. Skyboy and Superboy became the core of an extensive team of heroes known as UNITY, with allies and resources spanning across the stars.
At times, they would find themselves drawn into matters in other Hypertimelines. The discovery of the universe of Superia (known locally as Earth 1), connected to a rich and expansive Hypertime crossroads, that drew them here, not for the sake of dire need or last-ditch defense, but in the name of exploration and interdimensional good will.
SIGNATURE ABILITY
Not. My. Friends.
Skyboy is a very patient individual. He knows just how powerful he is and is usually willing to reason with someone to try and avoid a fight or make sure that his first few attacks are pulled. He only uses a small fraction of his strength, even at the cost of taking a few punches himself, or at least being threatened with such. All things considered, threatening him is unlikely to motivate him to really get serious. Injuring him will start getting him there, but the one thing you do not ever want to do is threaten those he cares about.
The kid gloves come off immediately, then, and so much worse if one of them is hurt. Skyboy is a godling now, a fact he usually attempts to forget, but if sufficiently moved to to enraged, it readily shows. For a time, his body radiates sunlight like a small, human-sized sun. In this state he operates as if he had been solar-dipped for a significant period of time. As a result, all of his abilities derived from solar energy increase exponentially several times over for a short period of time. He is stronger, faster, more durable, and his powers are likewise increased. Looking at him in this state is also bad for those without some protection from the glare, akin to looking directly into the sun itself.
This state is not one Skyboy long maintains, but then, it also isn't a state he long needs to maintain in most circumstances. Once he has "flared" his way, though, he tends to need some R&R and a good meal before there is a chance of him doing so again. Otherwise, it will draw its power directly from his cells and leave him significantly weakened after.
SKILLS
Acrobatics - Competent Level
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In addition Knick is a very accomplished acrobat and gymnast. His small, lithe frame has always been conducive to such maneuvers, and prior to gaining his powers it was usually wise for him to avoid being hit by dodging. He could most certainly medal in an Olympic level competition, though likely not a gold as his skill here is not as accomplished as his martial training. Though there are others whose skill certainly exceeds his own, he can make a very good accounting of himself.
Knick is simply a very charismatic young man. He is capable of being very persuasive when given the chance. Between his training in taking command and his just general likability, he is often able to sway people to his way of thinking. Likewise he is able to get information from individuals, even against their will when required, and can also be in many ways quite frightening and intimidating. Even with his ability to immediately take control of a situation, perhaps of greater note is the long term effect his charisma can have on people. His strength of personality is tremendous and can often, in time, change the most set of minds, particularly given his diplomatic nature.
As an ambassador Knick had to occasionally dance at formal functions on a number of different alien worlds. As a result he has learned to dance in a formal fashion. For his own amusement, however, he has taken up more modern dance techniques which he usually practices alone dancing with a set of headphones on. On the rare opportunities he gets to go out and actually just have some fun on a dance floor he is quite accomplished, able to match the moves seen in many a video on various music television stations.
Knick is not a great detective, nor even a good one. He is a passable one, on par with decent police detectives on his best days. Knick came to realize that sometimes crimes and villains weren't going to be stopped with his fists alone and that his mind had long been his best weapon anyway. It took some time for his enthusiasm with his physical powers to diminish enough for him to recognize this, and now that he has, he is studying to become more proficient in scholarly pursuits that will allow him to better prevent suffering around him. Despite his limited experience, with his skill augmented by his powers, he can often easily find and identify fingerprints and other clues at the scene of a crime.
Martial Arts - Expert Level
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In unarmed combat, Knick is extensively skilled. Having spent several years (as he measures them) in his home dimension studying with the Okaaran Warlords, Knick has learned and excelled at the arcane Kryptonian form of martial arts, Horu Kanu. The Okaarans who taught him consider a practitioner's success with Horu Kanu to be linked to their sheer will, the form seeming very much linked to the will of the person studying it. This esoteric form promotes many knife hand strikes and nerve punches, in addition to short and fast kicks. Even under conditions without his powers, Knick is able to fight opponents much larger than himself using this form. He could hold his own with some of the finer martial artists on Earth. With his powers enhancing his skill, he is that much more capable, well beyond human norms.
Kal has worked to follow in his parents' footsteps and knows a fair amount about medicine. Trained by many otherworldly sources, his skill far exceeds what is typically found on Earth. He specializes in alien life forms and metahuman medicine. Frequently he can easily cure illnesses and internal problems without anything so barbaric as surgery, thanks to the creation of medical nanites. Between his scientific and medical skills, he is capable of producing viable clones, gene splicing, and similar sciences with ease.
Military - Competent Level
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While not as skilled as most capable military officers, he is nonetheless a very competent commander on the field. Combined with his persuasive nature, many people will look past his youth and listen to what he has to say or follow his commands. He has a very strong command presence when he tries, yet knows enough to know when to listen as well, generally. In addition, he is quite skilled in demolition, cartography, cryptography, danger recognition, tracking and various other skills that a proper field commander would be versed in.
In his time on Earth, all of them, Knick has been teaching himself to play guitar in his spare time. He has grown quite accomplished, as he approaches it with the same diligence he has everything else in life. He is just shy of exceptional stand-out talent. Being self-taught, he plays by his ear, with his exposure to actual sheet music being very limited. He is also quite adept at singing and has an exceptional singing voice to complement his growing skill with a guitar.
Magic was nearly unknown on the planet Krypton, the genetic potential for it almost unheard of. Knick himself has learned something of magic lore from his mentor Strathazed, a very competent wielder of dimensional magics. Though incapable through gross lack of training of manipulating magic through anything like a ritual spell, he has some knowledge on the subject and can often identify creatures and objects as well as simply speak in an educated manner on the subject.
Krypton's scientific development was over 100,000 years more advanced than Earth's, and Knick was trained as both a scientist and engineer. His most developed skills include Physics, Dimensional Physics, Xenology, Chemistry, Computers, Advanced Robotics, Genetics, and Engineering. However, there are very few sciences that he is unschooled in, up to and including veterinary sciences. An inventor exceeding typical Earth abilities, he can invent items well beyond conventional and even many alien types of technology. His observation techniques in terms of a scientific manner allows him many times to see through the most opaque of problems. Finding flaws and weaknesses in the most complex of stratagems, defenses, and problems. This allows him to solve many issues with scientific method.
Thievery - Competent Level
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Thanks to his unusual past, Knick is a more than capable thief. In fact, given his lithe build and natural agility, he is a better than average one. Certainly not on the level of a master cat burglar, he is still well-versed in burglary and in picking various types of electronic and older locks. He also has some experience in the more personal arts of pickpocketing and the like. Of course, his ability to be a thief if the situation calls for it also makes it easier to catch them as well.
Vehicles - Competent Level
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Knick has studied in simulators how to pilot a number of types of vehicles. Ground based, hover, air, and water, and particularly Earth-style combustion vehicles, which he would need to know how to drive or pilot at some point. The only vehicle class he really stands out as exceptionally able to pilot, however, is a starship, which he has actual practical experience piloting. While he is skilled as a pilot, he is not at all the best there is in the field and prefers to leave it to others, particularly now that he can fly on his own. He is capable of advanced defensive and evasive maneuvers, as well as combat-style piloting.
Weaponry - Competent Level
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Along with learning how to fight in unarmed combat, Knick also learned how to fight with weapons from the Warlords of Okaara. Though certainly not nearly so accomplished as he is in hand to hand combat, he is still competent with a variety of types and styles of weapons. He is far from being so exceptional as individuals who have devoted their lives or a great deal of time to the pursuit of a given weapon however. Rather, he is well-versed with a number of melee and military based weapons that he has had to use in the course of his life.
ABILITIES
Power: Breath - Enhanced Level
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Knick can create a number of effects by expelling air through his lips. He can cause heat dissipation, super-cooling the air like an arctic wind, able to rapidly freeze objects up to the size of a large armored vehicle. The air can be released at normal temperature or in rapid gusts or blasts, akin to gale force winds. Knick's tremendous breath control also allows him to pull in oxygen through his nose while cycling it back out through his mouth, thus keeping up a sustained breath effect, or to hold his breath for nearly an entire day before needing to take in additional oxygen. This allows him to travel through space or underwater for extended periods.
Power: Flight - Supreme Level
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Knick is able to fly by manipulating kinetic force around his body, allowing him to attain hypersonic speeds within an atmosphere. Outside of an atmosphere, he can attain much greater speeds.
Power: Heat Vision - Enhanced Level
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Knick can utilize stored solar energy to affect heat diffusion. While his breath can dissipate heat, his eyes can focus it, allowing him to expel beams of heat at any target in his line of sight.
Power: Invulnerability - Supreme Level
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Knick's molecular density is greater than that of a normal human, but even more key to his invulnerability is a micro-thin force field that encloses his body. The field does not prohibit Knick from touching, tasting, or otherwise interacting with the world, but it does filter out harmful effects, antigens, and nearly anything that might damage him physically. With access to solar radiation from a star of yellow or greater intensity, Knick also heals very rapidly and completely, allowing him to regenerate from nearly any harm, even many "fatal" injuries. The force field can also be projected a short distance outside his body, protecting anything held very close to him, such as his clothing or a person or object held close against his body.
Power: Kryptonian - Basic Level
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Skyboy's unique Kryptonian physiology empowers him in many ways. Most of these abilities are granted by the presence of solar energy from what he often refers to casually as a "yellow sun." Technically, stars of the ideal class are G-type in the blue-white through yellow spectrum. This is bolstered by his increased molecular density, making him mildly more durable than a human being even when de-powered. Knick's Kryptonian brain also makes him vastly more intelligent than most humans, and most of his powers are psychokinetically focused by that specialized Kryptonian brain. When empowered by solar radiation, Knick is also immune to all known forms of illness or disease, and only requires an average of two hours of sleep per night to function at peak efficiency.
Power: Senses - Supreme Level
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Knick's senses are psychokinetically augmented by the solar energies within him. This allows him to see as far as the curvature of the Earth allows, to pick out sounds miles away and both hear and see in wavelengths far beyond the human perceptible range. This includes the ability to hear the entire range of audible sound and to see along the entire infrared spectrum. The clarity of his vision is also microscopic as well as telescopic, allowing him to see the structure of matter down to the atomic level.
Power: Solar Furnace - Supreme Level
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As a Kryptonian, Knick absorbs solar energy from stars of yellow intensity or greater, such as Earth's sun. This energy is stored within his body, serving as a power source for his race's latent psychokinetic abilities. Unlike a true psychic, Kryptonian powers operate by instinct and physical focus, taking the form if such abilities as are described throughout these traits. Knick is also able to transform his body's own potential energy into solar energy, which means it is much more difficult for him to run out of "battery charge" than some Kryptonians. Lacking the direct line to Rao that he has in his home dimension, however, he must still actually produce this energy. This means that, in this universe, he has vastly increased metabolic needs. As a result, in the absence of yellow sun or when otherwise producing solar energy, he may need to consume massive calories in order to keep going. He can also radiate around him, enabling him to actually serve as a "solar furnace" and produce sunlight that others, such as other Kryptonians, could draw upon in order to fuel their own powers.
Power: Strength - Supreme Level
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Knick's strength is enhanced via a tactile telekinetic field that extends to any object he touches. This field grants the vast majority of his invulnerability to damage, and it also allows him to exert much greater physical force than most other beings. In addition, this field grants stability to whatever he touches, allowing him to perform such feats as picking up an airplane by an otherwise fragile wing or to use a lamp pole as a viable weapon, where it would otherwise shatter in his hands if he forcefully swung it at anything. Knick's solar reserves also grant him effectively limitless stamina and sustenance, allowing him to subsist with minimal rest or nutrition for weeks at a time.
Power: Super Speed - Enhanced Level
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Though his speed is modest by the standards of a Speed Force user, Knick is still capable of moving at supersonic land speeds within the Earth's atmosphere. He is able to perform various physical tasks at over one hundred times the speed of a human in optimal physical condition.
ADVANTAGES
Knick employs a wide variety of "super-technology." Here are some examples of commonly used items, though he may also produce a wide variety of other gadgets, from advanced AIs to portal guns.
Brainiac Delta V: Brainiac Delta V is a powerful computer intelligence designed by Knick with computer equipment given to him by the Linear Men of his native reality. It is designed and named in homage to his Kryptonian heritage. The computer has a powerful AI system that runs most of Knick's equipment. It is capable of downloading itself into computer systems with the requirements it needs to function. All of Knick's computer systems (in his various gadgets, vehicles, and bases) are run by and may act as host systems for Brainiac Delta V, or as Knick usually calls it, BDV.
Communication Tech: Based on technology from the Linear Men of Knick's home dimension, Knick's comlinks are capable of working across any distance of space, time, and dimensional barriers unless an outside force works to impede communication. Given the advanced nature of this technology, that would be exceptionally difficult to accomplish without magic or extremely advanced technology.
Custom Gadgetry: These "omni-gadgets" represent items that Knick might construct to suit the needs of a situation. The amount of time and resources he has to work on the item determines how powerful it might be. With mere moments to throw together an object, it would only operate at Basic level, but with upwards of an hour to several hours to build something, taking into account his super speed, it would operate at up to the high end of Enhanced. To go beyond this would take Knick at least a full day to build, as he is literally doing nearly ground breaking research. Further, he would need a fully appointed super-tech laboratory to create something of Supreme level. Note that Knick only has access to these items once he returns to his lab and builds something. Naturally, particularly exotic or powerful effects require staff approval.
Healing Nanite Dispenser: These small dispensers each contain ten doses of healing nanites. They easily fit in a utility belt or small pocket and heal wounds at a extremely accelerated rate. This is another device that all of Knick's teammates are outfitted with. These nanites can be programmed to repair nearly any form of energy, and with the correct configuration can even be used to correct many forms of disease and even reverse the negative effects of aging from a humanoid target.
Waste Disposal Nanite Dispenser: Waste disposal nanites come in several sizes, the largest of which looks like a fire extinguisher, and the smallest the size of a inhaler. They attack organic and inorganic items and break down molecular bonds, thus disintegrating things and releasing them as inert particles. They are even able to absorb and break down radioactive energy and dispel it harmlessly. These nanites won't destroy living creatures, though they will attack a living target's equipment and clothing. Variations of this variety of nanite exist to clean up ecological disasters and deal with water and air pollution issues. Items of sufficient toughness or that are energy shielded in some way may be immune to their effects.
Nightengayle is a Kryptonian nightwing, a variety of bird similar to an Earth hawk but roughly the size of a bald eagle. She has black plumage that almost appears to be scales, despite actually being feathers. As an alien creature, Nightengayle's anatomy is far different then any Earthborn creature. Those unschooled in some form of xenology would not be able to treat her, were she hurt. Much like any living thing from Krypton, Nightengayle has enhanced physical traits, great sensory powers, heat vision, and enhanced flight speed. She also shares the typical vulnerabilities of a Kryptonian, such as red solar energy, magic, and Kryptonite.
Costume Generator: This device can be worn in various way, such as in the form of a gauntlet, belt buckle, or watch. With a fully customizable user interface, the device stores various "programmed" sets of clothing, including costumes, street clothes, and so forth. Using nanotechnology, it can disassemble and store mundane clothing and replace it with a costume, as well. The costumes are highly durable and grant the user basic resistance to various harsh environmental conditions, ranging from heat and cold to hard radiation. He outfits all his teammates with such devices.
Holographic Wrist Computer: This small device looks a lot like a ordinary wrist watch. Knick wears it on his left hand with the "watch" face facing down. When activated a holographic keyboard and terminal appear which Knick can type on by breaking the light beam along the keyboard. Despite its small size, it is a functional supercomputer capable of playing host to Brainiac Delta V.
As a result of the inventions he has developed and made available to the open market he has made a enormous fortune with which he pursues both scientific and humanitarian ventures. While his personal wealth from his home dimension is not directly accessible to him here, he has access to various valuable materials that can be liquidated into cash when needed. Thus, he never lacks for funds when he needs them.
WEAKNESSES
Knick is quite simply not human. He has upwards of double a human's chromosomes, and his DNA is utterly indecipherable to contemporary human science. His internal anatomy and the components of his blood look similar but are in fact different in many cases. Normal human attempts at providing medical assistance to him in a crisis would be severely hampered by the sheer number of differences between a human being and his Kryptonian physiology.
Knick for all practical purposes appears to be a teenager. He is in fact much older by Earthly standards however. Each Kryptonian azmet, or year, was equal to three Earth years, making him a legal adult by that standard. However, most people judge by appearances and thus he is considered largely a child by most other people and heroes, despite the fact that by their reckoning of time he is in fact typically their elder. This tends to restrict his ability to move openly in some places and tends to cause people to underestimate his capabilities often. However having applied for and been granted legal adult status he is in fact accountable under law for anything criminal he might accidentally do. Thus he has the drawbacks of looking young, with none of the actual legal benefits according to Earth.
Knick follows the classic superhero mentality that the most important thing is saving lives, and stopping the villain comes second. Material things can be replaced, but a person's life cannot. Therefore, anytime he is able, he works first and foremost to save lives, which is often used against him by villains. Hand in hand with this, Knick will go to amazing lengths to try and be sure that no innocents get hurt in the spillover violence that accompanies many metahuman brawls.
Knick grew up bouncing from one Hypertime spiral to another with relative frequency through out his formative years. The constant traveling provided a flaw deep within his signature that would ultimately prove disastrous some time later when Knick was exposed to the raw hyperium energies that escaped when the Hypertime jump engines on Strathazed's ship were damaged. This caused Knick to vanish to the depths of Hypertime, between realities. For some time after he remained Hypertemporally unstable, having to wear a dimensional anchor device to keep from being shifted between realities. He has generally recovered from this, but it left its mark. In Superia and other related worlds, Knick is roughly twice as vulnerable to powers that cause a person to be moved spatially against their will, such as teleport or banishment powers.
When Krypton was destroyed, some of the planet's matter was charged with radioactive energy from its star, Rao, interacting with the crystalline material of Krypton's planetary body. The end result was the gemlike green substance known as "Kryptonite." The molecular and radioactive properties of Kryptonite make it harmful to Kryptonian cells, thus making it harmful and toxic to them. If Knick is struck by a Kryptonite weapon, he will be harmed as a normal mortal would. Even being near Kryptonite causes him to feel physically ill.
However, the rate of recovery once removed from the emissions is as rapid as the rate of damage, and Knick will be back to normal in under an hour after exposure if he can directly absorb enough solar energy. Kryptonite radiation can be blocked by lead or super-dense materials. Knick has developed some resistance to Kryptonite over the years. As a result, the toxic effects of Kryptonite are much reduced for him. It can still harm him when used as a weapon, but it takes much longer for the toxic effects to weaken him, and even if they do, he is much more likely to be incapacitated than killed.
There are other, rarer forms of Kryptonite as well, such as red Kryptonite, but because these variants did not exist in Knick's native reality, they generally have no observable effect on him.
Knick is fiercely loyal to those he loves. While he tries to be the consummate hero, he will defend those he loves in total defiance of heroism itself, if need be. It is, in essence, a weakness that approaches kryptonite for him on an emotional level. Knick will stand by a friend even if they are wrong, and in any conflict between friends, he is hard pressed to take any action at all. Even if it meant standing against the entire JLA alone, Knick would do it for a friend.
Against the powers of magic or various mental psychic powers, Kryptonians have no special defenses. They are not explicitly "weak" against these forces so much as they cannot especially resist them. Many psychic powers and magical effects can ignore Knick's various defenses and resistances, harming him or affecting him much as they would an ordinary Earthling. Notably, however, Knick has an exceptionally strong will, and after several bad experiences with being mentally influenced, he has undergone extensive training with various allies. As a result, it is now virtually impossible to affect him with mind-control or other mental compulsion. This gives him no protection from direct mental attacks, which he weathers about as well as a strong-willed human being.
Though not as pronounced as this once was, Knick has quite a good deal more faith in his invulnerability than he maybe should. He has learned that charging in headfirst is often a bad idea, and he will get out of the way when he can. Often he still tends to get caught up in the thrill of it all and act without thinking in a fight. For example, he may charge in to engage a foe hand to hand that might be bested with ease through more creative use of his powers, or the opposite: being too creative when all he needs do is walk up and flick someone to end a fight.
It is good that Knick rarely gets angry, as when he does, quite often he becomes very illogical and overly emotional. Knick tends to suppress a lot of pain and anger, and on the rare occasion that someone pushes one of his buttons and makes him truly angry, he really can fly off the handle. In these conditions he can become very dangerous, as frequently the suppressed anger can cause a dramatic increase in several of his more physical oriented abilities.
Skyboy has a bad habit, one he has tried to break and never managed to. Until he verifies something, even something he has a strong feeling about, he is reluctant to share that information. Like a scientist wishing to triple check his work before publishing his findings, Knick just has a tendency to keep his suspicions very close to his chest. This is made worse because the worse the suspicion, the closer he tends to keep it until he is absolutely sure.
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