Blue Hour
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Blue Hour's name has several reputed origins and has gained different meanings in different cultures but is most commonly believed to be derived from a french turn of phrase that refers to a specific period of twilight at both dusk and dawn. Another common reference is applied to the city of Paris, France before the first World War, as a time of innocence. More obscure definitions border on the occult, referring to it as a time when mystic powers wax or wane. Blue Hour chose the name herself without fully appreciating the different meanings associated with it, but with an idea that it referred to a unique and special time.
Contents
Biography
Early Years
Blue doesn't talk much about her childhood before the deaths of her parents so only those close to her personally are going to find out much about this time period.
Leaving Hudson City, New Jersey
Her mother died due to complications of a back-surgery when Blue was eight. She and her father took it hard, and she was inconsolable when at the age of eleven she woke up to the police knocking at her door to inform her that her father had been found shot outside a store and died in the ambulance en route to the hospital. After a few days checking the authorities determined that she should go live with her only living relative, her aunt living in Millennium City. Blue herself had never met her aunt before and her parents rarely if ever even mentioned her even in passing. At first despite her grief Blue thought it might be ok to live with this lady she barely knew.
After a few months though her aunt began to belittle her at every opportunity. Going to school wasn't much better, she had a hard time making friends with the grief and longing for her parents still achingly close and Blue ended up dwelling on it for quite a long time. She hit puberty late and all at once and lived in tremendous pain for two years, as her body had begun to manifest the early stages of her latent mutation and grow far faster and larger than it should have. Standing a head over everyone else in her sophomore class only made it harder for her to try and fit in and she started skipping out on classes to get away from the harassment.
Finding the rooftops and alleyways a fun jungle of sorts to explore and get away from the students and her aunt Blue spent less and less time at home or school and more and more out wandering. By the time she was about halfway through her senior year Blue simply stopped going to school altogether, and by this time she had reached her full towering height. During one of her late afternoons spent wandering she noticed a small crowd filing into an old parking garage. Intrigued she followed and found an illegal fighting ring. Almost immediately one of the the bookies pulled her aside and offered to give her a cut if she fought, more if she won. Without thinking too hard about it Blue decided to give it a shot, she ended up in a four way fight between female members of several local gangs. And she got soundly beaten, the bookie had two big men drag her off to the side and he dropped $50 on her with a snort and told her to learn how to throw a punch and then come back.
Despite the beating, Blue did come back, this time in a one on one with one of the same women, she did do better, for the first five or six blows traded but she lost again. The bookie didn't give her any money that time but Blue decided she liked fighting and determined she was going to prove she could fit in here if nowhere else. She watched fights but didn't participate for three weeks, when she wasn't at the fights watching she was practicing on her own or running around the city. When she did come back she hit a winning streak and didn't look back.
Power Awakens
Blue led a pretty successful circuit in this illegal fighting ring for some time but eventually her good fortune caught up with her. The man who became her bookie tried to get her to throw a fight to get in good with the Cobra Lords gang, Blue chose to do as she'd done from the start-try to win. She fought three men at the same time, one of whom was a Cobra Lord and meant to win the bout. She won handily-though not without her share of bumps and bruises-and happily took her winnings and left the fight.
Blue was really quite happy, it was the most she'd ever taken away from a single fight. She made it as far as a parking lot a couple blocks away when a group of the less-than-happy gang ambushed her. Blue has never said exactly how many were there and witness reports vary from six to ten men at the scene. She tried to put up a fight but she was already tired from the bout and there were at least six of them at once, several of them with chains or knuckledusters.
They overpowered her and landed not a few blows, but suddenly the crippling pain fell away as if forgotten. A warm glow suffused her, a thrill of joy-almost giddiness-filled her, though the men continued to strike she laughed. Blue would not remember it but she began to glow with a deep blue light as her muscles suddenly felt rejuvenated, her adrenaline pumping. The Flight or Fight urge rising and she chose Fight. After that her memory was fuzzy, though, later she would describe it as feeling like other heroes were standing behind her cheering her on, or like a horde of ancient warriors was roaring in support. Maybe both.
When the dust settled every one of the would-be ambushers was laid out, though her clothing was a bit torn and she had her share of bruises and cuts Blue felt fine. Going home however was not so fine. Blue's aunt was livid when she returned, about many things but especially the marks left from her fight. Blue couldn't bring herself to tell her aunt what had happened and decided that after all she had been through coming home to get yelled at by her aunt was too much. She packed some clothes and essentials even as her aunt continued to scream at her and walked out, though she had no real plan she felt anything would be better than spending another night under her aunt's roof.
A Fresh Start
At first not really knowing where to go Blue went to a women's shelter. After a few weeks time she was able to get housing on a life steps campus where she met another young woman who was until recently a ward of the state. By this time Blue had stopped going by her real name and adopted the nickname Blue as well as dying her hair a deep blue. Having no memory of her real name the Jane Doe she met was struggling to find her way, finding strength in friendship and shared difficulty they became fast friends, despite Blue's social anxiety. It was not long before her lively personality and latent ability to project and absorb electricity earned this young woman the nickname Sparks, which Blue has called her ever since. They worked together to study and earn their GEDs so they could find paying work and eventually move out of the life steps campus.
Powers
Blue Hour is a mutant and her powers and large frame stem from that.
Super Strength
Blue is very strong, she has been and continues to train, increasing her baseline level of strength. She was originally classified as a low-level brick type but she seems to be developing her powers with time. She can lift and throw things in the ten ton range and punch or kick through solid concrete walls as thick as three feet with moderate effort. Oddly she does not seem able to leap great distances as one might expect of someone whose legs are strong enough to support holding up objects weighing several tons.
Super Resiliency
In addition to and probably requisite for the Strength is Blue's physical durability. Her skin isn't exactly bulletproof but the deeper tissue layers are very tough and resilient, she may bleed but it'd take some serious force to truly injure her internally. She is also highly resistant to pain, not that she doesn't feel it but it would take a lot to put her into shock.
Unexplained Aura
In times of great stress, or strong emotions Blue will, well, glow blue. When this aura appears her already impressive strength, stamina and resiliency seem to grow even more impressive at an unknown rate. It doesn't seem to be connected to her mutation, though she hasn't really sought out professional advice or opinions on it. With training she's beginning to learn to channel it and control it with greater skill. Perhaps there is more yet to be discovered about herself.
Abilities
Years of running around the streets of Hudson City, and then later playing hooky from school and exploring Millennium City's Westside for years she has developed a bit of skill at parkour. In addition to this athleticism she spent a few years fighting in underground matches during her late teen years. Over the last year she has also been studying with a local self-defense instructor, specifically learning Krav Maga. Since setting out to be a hero herself she has also been practicing and refining her marksmanship with thrown shurikens, having learned from experience that relying on the environment for suitable weapons is not the best strategy, also that people don't like having their cars thrown at supervillains.
Personality
After the tragic circumstances that caused her to move to Millennium City and the hard time she had getting along with her aunt Blue struggled with depression during her early-mid teen years. When she started to hit puberty part of her mutation manifested, and she started to grow up and fill out to her current 6'8" frame and build which she reached by the time she was 17. Her growth and already introverted manner only made it harder for her to fit in and make friends in school and she became something of a loner. Along with this her aunt's tendency to demean her made it hard for her to feel confident in herself. It has taken her years to get over that, thanks mostly to her close friend the heroine known as Thunder Surge, whom Blue calls 'Sparks'. She still struggles with social anxiety but after developing a relationship with Maxine Guzman she has shown greater self-control and confidence, though she does still get nervous whenever she meets heroes she has heard of and admired. Curiously, ever since her time in the underground fighting rings of Millennium City she has always felt confident when facing an opponent.
Relationships
Family
Blue of course regards Maxine Guzman aka Nightwave and Faye Carrano aka Cosmic Glory as the closest people in her life now. Though they haven't spoken in months, she also regards Thunder Surge, whom she calls 'Sparks', as a friend and sister.
Friends
Though their personalities are very different Blue regards Jen, more commonly known (especially in the underground metal/rock world) as Decibelle (Jen Beretta), as one of her best friends even though Blue doesn't really listen to the band Decibelle fronts for (Hellemental).
A hero that Blue has worked alongside one or two times in the past is now becoming a close friend and team mate, Lightwave has opened her home to Blue and Maxine while they try to recover from the emotional and fiscal turmoil brought about by revelations of certain activities by Maxine in the recent past. Blue considers her fellow Siren Squad team-mate and friend Akiko one of her closest friends.
One of the few heroes Blue has met and worked with outside the close circle she regards as family, Lightning is a decently well known hero originally based in (and well known there still) New York. His upbeat if cocksure attitude helped to draw her out of her shell and inspire her to try and help other heroes more.
Thundrax was one of several heroes whose exploits Blue followed when she was younger and though it's taken time for her to get used to the idea that this one time idol is now a peer she's starting to look on him as a friend. Much to her chagrin, Maxine's delight and his modest embarrassment the first time Blue met the mighty Canadian she actually fainted.
Mr. Indomitable has proven to be a true, if flirtatious, friend and despite the fact he manages to embarrass Blue at every opportunity he has been supportive not only of her heroic activities but he was also one of the most notable advocates for the adoption of Faye Carrano by Maxine and herself.
Avro was an early heroic acquaintance for Blue whom she helped fend off some thugs and looked into the disappearance of several individuals with, though not close she regards him as a friend for the help and she finds his demeanor entertaining.
Velocity II possibly the first recognized hero Blue worked alongside and befriended, she made an extra effort to see that Blue was alright after getting knocked through an exterior wall in City Center when a giant, crazed beetle monster attacked. Though they don't meet up often Blue regards the younger woman as a good friend and a good person. They also share a love of punching things and running.
James Richardson known to a rare few as the man donning the power armor of Chivalry was very close to Faye Carrano after her mother's death and continues to be so in the present. In this capacity he is far better known to Blue than his heroic alter ego and she appreciates his concern and care for her adoptive daughter.
Roleplay Hooks and Miscellaneous Information
RP Hooks
- Did you ever bust up an Underground Fighting Ring/Match between 2005 and 2008? You might have seen a tall girl with short, blonde or deep blue hair in the crowd or in the ring.
- Were you a member of the Cobra Lords gang anytime from 2005 to the present? You may have heard stories about the fights or the incident when her powers manifested.
- Did you live in Westside with a view of the parking lot near Westside Choppers in 2008? You may have witnessed the incident when her powers manifested.
- Did you work with and/or live in a women's shelter and life steps campus between 2005-2007, you may have shared a room or worked with a woman who went by the nickname 'Blue' and who dyed her hair a deep shade of the same name.
- Do you visit the movie theaters a lot? You may have noticed a soft-spoken, remarkably tall woman with short, blue and/or fading to (now current) blonde hair cashiering at the ticket counter.
Rumors
(the section where people who think they've seen or heard something about Blue Hour can say)
- That she can't leap extraordinary distances because of a fear of heights.
- That she can fly but she's afraid of heights.
- That she knocked a fridge through a wall in Sherrerra's bar on the West side.
- That she actually got her powers from an alien artifact.
- That she actually got her powers from a magic curse.
- That if she is embarrassed when her aura is visible it will turn red like her face.
Notable Quotes
(the section where people who have met, seen, or heard of Blue Hour or her activities comment)
"I have no clue what her name means. It sounds cool though." - Nightfang
"Blue Hour is a great person to have at your back in a fight. I wouldn't want to go drinking with her, though. She takes things way too seriously." - Snow Leopard
"I probably wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for her, so she's somebody I'm really thankful to have met!" - Particle Man
