CHARACTER
Name: Andante Morendo
Age: 22 (December 15th).
Gender: Male
Symbol: N/A( I'm a horrible artist, but still want to have a symbol. Let's say the character himself is still working on it.)
Appearance: 5'10'', 160 lbs. Andante is a rather slim guy with perfect posture. His hair is neck-length, with the bangs on the left side being brushed back over his ear(the bangs over his right eye don't go below the nose, so they aren't too long.) His hair is slightly messy, not very thick, and while naturally black, is dyed blue-green. Depending on the lighting, his hair color shifts between mixes of light green and blue(for example, in a bright, well lit space, his hair would be light green, tinged with blue, but in a dark space, it would be blue tinged with green). His skin is somewhere between dark tan and light chocolate - think Arabian. His right eye is dark green, and his left eye is dark blue. There is a small scar on his left cheek.
In a normal(casual?) environment, Andante wears a light zip-up windbreaker (usually unzipped) with eight pockets in two vertical lines of four on the right side(convenient Dust storage!). Under this, he wears a casual button-up shirt. He has a double-headed belt(one buckle, two ends) with a pair of jeans. He wears a pair of leather shoes with tough rubber bottoms. The color of his cloths is similar to his hair. Depending on the lighting, the main color and highlights change. In a bright environment, he would be wearing a light green windbreaker with a blue zipper, over a green shirt with blue buttons. His pants would be green-blue. In a dark environment, it's a mostly blue outfit with green accents. On his head, Andante wears a pair of large(color-shifting) headphones. He's never seen without them, unless in a formal environment(he brings earbuds instead). When reading, in combat, or performing music, he wears a pair of rectangular glasses.
In a formal environment, Andante wears a black blazer over a white button-up dress shirt, blue jeans with a black belt, and black leather shoes.
No matter where he is, Andante wears a white glove on his right hand.
Personality: On the outside, Andante is deadpan. Neither outright cold, or outright friendly. It's not because he's emotionless, or dislikes people, but rather because he has difficulty in expressing emotions. He tends to be the voice of balance, and dislikes taking sides. A Neutral Good, if you will. Andante is the sort of guy who you never really notice until he points himself out. Most of the time, he'll be listening to music, seemingly unfocused. In reality, he's intently listening in on everything around him. He enjoys reading, a good chess match, and creating music. He also enjoys imagining different worlds through his music. He has a song for every mood and situation. On the battlefield, Andante tends to take the defensive position, hiding in the background, waiting for his opponent to make the first move.
History: Andante was raised by his mother, a former traveling "musician". The two wandered the world together, Andante being taught many useful skills. His mother had him learn a blend of several fighting styles, focused on using an opponent's strength and weight against them. He was told that listening can be far more important than seeing, and that every sound and piece of information gained is important. Andante was told to be inconspicuous, to blend into the crowd as if he was part of the mob. He saw many things on their travels, and learned much about the world; its history, its people, its pleasures, and its dangers. The world was not a playground to be lightly frolicked through. The world was a hostile land, full of many sorts of monsters, not all of them obvious. At the age of ten, his mother fell ill and passed away. Andante was devastated, but he had nobody to show it to. Traveling alone was too dangerous for him, still being young.
Shortly after his mothers passing, he took up residence in the rafters/scaffolding of a concert hall, having nowhere else to go. It was rare for people to venture up there, especially in groups larger than one or two. In the times when cleaning staff and workers did come up there, it was not hard to hide. He stole food from nearby shops and vendors, being quick and unsuspecting. In his times living there, Andante looked down at the musicians from far away, falling in love with their music. He would listen to them play, and imagine vibrant, fantastic worlds, filled with people and creatures, landscapes and monuments; things that would take your breath away. He longed to create music, create worlds, like they did.
A year after his mothers death, Andante was caught sneaking back into the rafters. It was a traveling musician like his mother. He was a cellist by the name of Brio that had come there to perform. When questioned, Andante answered truthfully: he loved the music that was played there, and wished to be a musician himself. The kind cellist offered to teach him, and Andante happily obliged. For the next six years, Andante learned. He traveled with Brio, learning about many types of art, literature, and the like. He studied as hard as he could, wishing to repay the man who had given his life meaning once again. At the age of sixteen, Brio declared that there was nothing more he could teach that could not be taught on its own. Andante understood this. He understood that it was time to take what he had learned, and make his own future. He thanked Brio, and told him that they would meet again, this time as two teachers, instead of teacher and student. Brio shook his hand, shouldered his cello, and walked off with a smile on his face.
In the time he had been learning, Andante had noticed that curious things would occur when playing his cello. Playing high notes might cause fragile things to crack, and playing low notes would sometimes upset Brio's stomach. He assumed that, at some point in time, his Aura had been released. Wishing to take advantage of this, Andante studied Dust, and learned of the Hunter academies. He remembered the teachings of his mother, so long ago. She had told him of monsters and villains, people who wished to upset the balance of the world. With this in mind, Andante studied weapon mechanics, and met with several technicians. Deciding on a weapon was difficult. He wasn't the sort of person who carried swords and guns around. In the end, Andante decided to make a compromise: he would make his music that sword and gun.
After a year of study, building, and training with his new weapon, Andante approached Beacon Academy with hopes of becoming a Hunter. He was initially turned away for having no background whatsoever, but upon hearing his family name, Headmaster Ozpin took interest, and decided to test him. These tests were no easy feat, as strangers are not easily let into Beacon. With much pain and hardship, Andante came out the other side, in tatters. In tatters, but he had passed. During initiation , he met his would-be teammates. The lot of them didn't work together well, at first, but over the course of four years, they became the best of friends. The team leader was a loud sort of woman who clashed with Andante's dull way of talking, but they ended up getting along just fine.
After graduation, Andante decided to repay his debt to Ozpin by working under him as a Hunter. He did quite a bit of traveling over the next year and a half, running missions for Ozpin, sometimes working with his team, sometimes going in alone. Ozpin called him back to assist with school events every once in a while, as Andante was considered to be somewhat...scholarly.
Currently age 22, Andante is still a newly-made Hunter. He has many years to go before he might call himself great, and works to see the day when he can meet up with all of those who had helped him over the years, and give something of worth back to them as well.
Strength: Andante has excellent hearing and information gathering skills. He can track and analyze a target just by listening to their breath, way of moving, mannerisms, etc. He is best at playing defensively, not being one to step forward without the enemy making their move first.
Weakness: Andante doesn't have the best eyesight, relying more on his ears. This can create issues when observing from far away without a tool such as a scope. He also has trouble getting across to people, as his voice and expressions are usually deadpan. He doesn't talk very fast, or very much, at all; even if he's a rather good strategist, it's hard to convey those plans to others. Because of this, he lets his teammates do the talking when working together.
WEAPON
Name: Sanus Exacutus, the Destructive Dust Pulse Emitter(D.D.P.E.)
Primary Form: The primary form of this weapon is that of black-and-white a hand-held railgun. Instead of firing bullets, the gun mixes dust with sonic energy, and fires that as a condensed pulse. The power of the weapon is controlled by a set of cello strings on the side of the gun. Plucking a string or playing a song is like charging the railgun. The combinations of notes will set the power of your shots. The right combination could get you something akin to a shot from a sniper rifle, or a blast from a grenade launcher. Due to the weapon utilizing sonic energy, these pulses may create sonic waves when released. A high-note pulse may create sonic waves that break glass and confuse enemies with pained eardrums, for example. If you do not play any notes and fire, the gun will default to a "medium" shot - traveling 150 or so meters before dissipating, and doing moderate damage. There are a row of blue lights along the barrel to show the current charge of the weapon. The type of dust currently inserted into the gun determines the type of shot you will get. For example, you could release a long-range sniper shot that sets enemies on fire or freezes them, or fire a grenade blast that covers large area's with fire or ice. Stuff like that(Of course, the gun doesn't only fire sniper shots and grenade shots - the combination of notes makes all the difference). There is a one-and-a-half foot (straight) bayonet above the barrel. A strap attached to the top of the gun(going over the shoulder) allows it to be held with one hand, leaving the other free. In the right hand, Andante carries a 28-inch cleaver-like parrying blade. Think of it like a short sword with a flat edge instead of a point(This doesn't mean the blade is always carried. There are plenty of situations where it's far better to wield the gun with two hands).
Secondary Form/Function: The D.D.P.E. is in its secondary form most of the time. When not being used as a weapon, it serves as an electric cello. The railgun folds up into a perfectly functional musical instrument(The bayonet is actually an endpin!). The blades of the parrying sword peel back, revealing a bow with which to play the cello. When not being played, the instrument is slung across the shoulder and back via the railgun strap.
History: In the year that Andante spent studying weapons and the usage of dust, he thought of ways to combine his music with something a little more...deadly. Sanus Exacutus is the result of his hard work. It is an efficient and powerful weapon that carried him through thick and thin during the years at Beacon. He tunes it up regularly, so we can assume it will keep on going through the many years that follow.
Sorry for the massive post, I got a little carried away. Hope this gets accepted!
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Subject: Andante Morendo 
Tue Sep 17, 2013 8:16 pm