Q&A With James D. MacAvoy

(( Ok, so this was a weird idea I got at one point in time. The basic premise is a character holds sort of a press conference. He'll walk in, sit down, talk for a minute, then open the floor up to any questions anyone else has. That's where everyone else comes in. Everyone can ask any question or questions you want and I'll answer them in character. Please have all questions asked be IC too.

This is just a unique way of introducing my character to everyone and getting involved in RP which I love. If no one is interested in this, that's fine. It was just an experiment anyway. Oh, and don't feel like you have to wait for me to answer a question before you ask yours. Sometimes I can't respond immediatly as work can take me away from a computer for a while. Thanks ))

A tall figure walks to the podium. He appears to be a little over six feet in height and well muscled. His black leather duster with the sleeves apparently torn off, covers a silver tee shirt with a red five pointed star on the center of his chest. Around his waist he wears a belt with an automatic pistol holstered on each side. Those who can tell these things would notice that the pistols are sitting slightly wrong, almost as if they are unloaded. Black jeans, combat boots, and what appears to be a weathered cowboy hat round out his look. His eyes are covered by dark sunglasses.

He walks to the podium and takes a seat behind it. After a minute of adjusting the microphones infront of him he removes his hat. His short hair is silver in color, a sharp contrast to his youthfull appearance.

He smiles into the lights hiding the audiance, "Please excuse me if I do not take off my sunglasses. The sight of my eyes unnerves some people.

"Now then, my name is James D. MacAvoy. In the public records database for heroes I am known as Shade Silver. I am a Shadow Mage. For various reason I have a pet demon and a small fairy as a friend." He smiles again.

"I have demon blood in my heritage and because of that I am immortal. I have studied gymnastics and martial arts and I am an expert marksman with my pistols."

He spread his hands in a questioning gesture, "I am new here in Paragon and I thought I would introduce myself in the most public way possible. Thus here we are." His smile slowly turns into a self reproaching smirk, "So if anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask."

She had been patiently sitting among the audience, awaiting this very moment. After all, even in Paragon City, the very "Birthplace of Tomorrow" and home to many of the country's most valiant super-heroes, many "superpowered", "metahuman", and "super-natural" heroes didn't so readily reveal their true identities, let alone hold press conferences introducing themselves. Come to think of it, not many knew of her true identity, just the few FBSA agents that greeted her in the hospital after her "accident". They even went so far as to set her up with a new identity and helped her out with the whole "super-hero registration" process.

Nancy Hollister quickly raised her hand, standing up immediately as she did. (whether or not she was even recognized, after all, this WAS her first big assignment with her new job!) Dressed in a purple business jacket with a matching purple, pencil-length pleated skirt, she adjusted her plain-jane eyeglasses before she began speaking.

"Thank you Mr. MacAvoy, ah yes Ms. Hollister with the Paragon Daily News," she opened with, "I'll attempt to keep this short but I do have multiple questions. Well not many 'meta-humans' hold press conferences such as these revealing themselves to the City, let alone the world. Is there any particular reasoning behind why you're doing such a thing, if so for what purpose? Very few heroes do what they do for 'fame & fortune', you know...you say you're a Shadow Mage and have demonic blood flowing through your veins - yet you perform heroic deeds for the City? Finally...this isn't some kind of plot cooked up in the depths of Oranbega, is it?"

With that, Ms. Hollister, the secret identity of the little known and recently inducted hero of Paragon - Shotgirl, remained standing; her arm extended with a small digital recording device in the palm of her hand. She also happened to come prepared - her 'assistant' sitting next to her was quickly scribbling notes down about this guy, and she had brought in an old analog tape recorder which she kept hidden under her jacket.

James smiled warmly at the barrage of questions. "Thank you Ms. Hollister was it? I will answer all of your questions.

"The basis of a secret identity is to protect those the the hero cares about. In this case my only surviving family is more than capable of taking care of themselves. I have nothing to hide so coming out publicly isn't hurting me. Heck it can only help really. If anyone needs my help they don't need a fancy 'Shade Signal' to get ahold of me."

He smiled reufully, "I don't need the fortune or the fame. I'm just here because this is where it feels like I need to be at the moment. I just want to help people."

James leaned back in his chair. He took a deep breath before speaking, "It is true I do have demonic blood in me. That was more of an accident of my birth than by any desire of mine. However I submit to you that just because I have evil ancestors does not make me evil." He steepled his fingers, "I will answer the Shadow Mage question and the Oranbega one at the same time since I feel that they are related. It is true that the greatest number of people who practice shadow magic come from the Circle. They, however, are not the only ones who do so. Yes, Shadow Magic can be dark and evil, if used that way. However it can also protect those who seek it's soothing shadows. It can blind an enemies eyes so they can't find you and it can heal wounds that would drop an ordinary man."

He spread his hands out to the side again, "Again I can only say I wish to protect the people of this city. I have no association with the Circle of Thorns, and if anything I would say they would want me dead. I know they have certainly tried to kill me on numerous occasions." He grinned.

"Did that answer your questions Miss? Are there any other ones?"

Nancy had been nodding her head at the end of Mr. MacAvoy's sentences.

Once he was finished, Ms. Hollister clicked off her recorder (which just so happened to simultaneously click off the tape recorder...) and her assistant finished up jotting down the notes of Mr. MacAvoy's statement. No doubt her shorthand was gonna need a cipher.

"Oh, yes they were all very well answered, thank you once again, Mr. MacAvoy," she replied. "I'm sure that on behalf of the people of Paragon and perhaps the majority of the planet, your efforts are greatly appreciated." As she finished, she flattened the back of her skirt against her legs while she sat back down, pulling a pencil out from behind her ear as she nabbed her assistant's notebook. Going over the notes, she scribbled in her own thoughts and took the time to decipher some of her assistant's shorthand.

James smiled as she expressed her gratitude. He would be the first to admidt, he wasn't looking for acclaim or even thanks, but when it came it did feel good.

He looked around the gathered room, the occupants still hiding in the shadows, at least to him, of the bright lights trained on the stage. "Does anyone else have any questions?"

"Mr. McAvoy, Emily Turner, of the Daily Post," said another reporter, standing up and giving the man at the podium a carefully charming smile, while holding out her own recording device.

"I'm sure you've been asked this by others before, but what made you choose to become a hero?"

She looked at him expectantly, waiting for her answer.

Answering with a smile of his own, James started to speak. "Well Miss Turner, that is a simple question that unfortunitely requires a complicated answer."

He looked down at the podium before continuing, "In my youth I made many mistakes. One of them cost me the two people I cared most about in this world. It was indeed my actions that caused them to..." James shrugged, "I had gained what I requested at the time but the cost was more than I expected to bear. I am living proof that when one deals with a devil, the price is always more. Youthfull arrogance not withstanding, no one wins in that situation.

"So I dedicated my life to helping people, to making sure that no one else had to make my mistakes. No one else needs go through the pain I went through." He smiled softly, "So I do what I do to attone for my past, to help others in similar situations, to make sure no one else has to lose a loved one. Like I said, a complicated answer to a simple question.

"Does that clarify things for you Miss Turner?" He asked, again smiling warmly at the reporter.

"Yes thank you," she said with a little smile, "Now, would you care to elaborate on the nature of your deal? Purely in the interests of accurate reporting, of course."

The woman gave him an innocent look, fully expecting him to entirely refuse to answer the question.

A quick bark of a laugh escaped James' lips. "Ahh, I should have expected that one." He grinned as he playfully wagged a finger at the reporter.

Slowly he took a drink of water from the glass behind the podium. He really should have expected this question in some for or another. Oh well, he had promised a full discloser, and it wasn't like the people involved were around anymore...unfortunitely.

"My deal was simply for power. Now to fully understand what I was asking for you need to know the circumstances around it. I was raised by foster parents who were practicing shadow mages, the evil kind. They taught me the basics of what I know. By and by, as a teenager, I fell in love." His soft smile seemed to shine with an inner warmth, "That love brought me out of the darkness I was in. It, however, did nothing to my, " he made the finger quotes, "Parents"

He sighed sadly, "They were going to kill her and use her soul to power a spell to bind me to them for eternity. I wasn't strong enough to stop them. So, only knowing the dark aspect of the magic, I sought a boon from a denizen of the lower planes. I asked for power, enough power to defeat my foster parents and save the woman I loved.

"The demon agreed provided I gave him two souls. In my arrogance I assumed he meant my parents souls. I agreed. I had gained great power. I defeated my foster family, saved the lady, and lived happily ever after." He deadpanned the last sentance.

Grimacing he continued, "Of course we know that isn't true. The demon didn't take the souls of my foster parents. In time I forgot about the deal. I still had all that power, but no desire to use it. I married my love and before long we had a beautiful baby girl." His eyes started to moisten but he hurriedly blinked them away. "If you can't figure out which two souls the demon wanted by now, then perhaps you are as blind as I was back then."

His reufull smile still held strength in it though. "I lost the only family I knew because I believed I knew more than a demon lord. I gained great power and at the same time, lost everything."

He looked calmly at the woman, his face showing no signs of emotion. It truely seemed as if he still remembered his family but talking about them didn't bring on the pain it once did. "Does that clarify things Miss Turner?"

Emily cleared her throat and nodded, "Yes, very much, thank you. My condolances for your loss."

Then she sat down, scribbling notes and trying not to look uncomfortable. This would certainly make for an interesting angle in her article on the new hero.

James smiled softly before turning back to the gathered people. He was almost looking forward to reading the news articles that would be coming out about this. Almost.

"Is there anything else anyone would like to know?"

In the back of the room a trench-coat figure raised his arm and called out, "Dan Parker, Daily Bugle. So far you have spun your yarn, as amusing as it is, and we've sat or stood here and listened to you. However what proof do you have that you are a hero and not something else? And please tell me that its something more credible then just hearsay and your word. What make's you so special that you are lifted up over all the others heroes I use in my little bit of column-space?

Tell me sir, what makes you any different from the two bit thugs that regularly hound me on my way to work. They are most definitely evil. What make you a hero and them a villain. Last I heard, word on the street said they had demonic blood too, as does half the population of Rouge Isle. So why are you here and not over there?

Are you a member of Oroborus? Or Midnight Society? Or Vanguard? Or any other secret elitist clubs?

And finally -James- tell me, why should my readers even trust you? Because you have a gun? You think you are immortal? (Be warned some of my readers will view that as a challenge.) I can name 5 villains that have those features. Because you asked nicely? Tell me exact why you think they will?"

With his bit done, the figure stepped back into the crowd, awaiting a response.

Ignoring the query from Dan Parker, a rather bubbly, young girl in lolly pink jacket and a mini skirt raised her hand. Where ever she went, Sally Powers was use to being a snappy dresser and the center of attention, and a press conference was just the place for some one like her. This could be her chance to break a big story! Lifting her sweet voice she called out, "I'm Sally Powers from the Gazette. A few questions if you please."

Hoping for an answer she fired off a rapid string: "Do you like rum raisin ice cream? What's your favorite color? And this one's the big one... what do you order at the 'Up n Go' Diner?"

She waited earnestly with anticipation for the answer, with her notepad and details at the ready...

James laughed as the second reporter spoke immediately after the first. She was definitely interesting.

"Well miss", he grinned, "I actually do not like Rum Raisin ice cream. I don't like raisins." He shrugged apologetically, "My favorite color is silver", he pointed to his hair. "And for the 'big one', I usually order the special number three. You know, the double bbq bacon burger deluxe, with a side order of fries and a chocolatte shake to drink."

He grinned as he watched her write quickly on her notepad. His smile though was short lived. "Mister Parker, I ask you, what proof do you have that any of us are what we say we are."

James leaned back in his chair, "The difference between being a hero and a villian is as simple and as difficult as a moral choice. You ask me if I believe I am better because I am immortal or carry a gun. You say you can name villians that have the same characteristics as me. The same blood." He frowned, "Well, I can also name heroes who have the same characteristics. What makes them a hero and not a villian?

"Simply put, they made the difficult choice to be a hero." James spread his hands, "If you do not want to take me at my word, then judge me by my actions. Watch what I do in my daily life and see for yourself whether or not I am a hero or a villian."

A small grin spread across his face, "Rest assured though, if I ever see those 'two bit' thugs accosting you on your way to work, I will arrest them." His grin grew slightly, "Does that answer sastisfy you sir?"