Heroes:
• Black Widow - Natasha Romanovar (Corsair)
• Spider-Man - Peter Benjamin Parker (Dedonus)
Walking the Line:
• Ares - Johnathan Aaron (MysT3CH)
• Rogue - Anna Marie (Nosuchthing)
• X-23 - Laura Kinney (Schradinger)
Villains:
• N/A.
OP
Dedonus Kai su teknon;
Member
Seen
2 days ago
Heroes:
• Black Widow - Natasha Romanovar (Corsair)
• Spider-Man - Peter Benjamin Parker (Dedonus)
Walking the Line:
• Ares - Johnathan Aaron (MysT3CH)
• Rogue - Anna Marie (Nosuchthing)
• X-23 - Laura Kinney (Schradinger)
Villains:
• N/A.
OP
Dedonus Kai su teknon;
Member
Seen
2 days ago
Player Name: Dedonus
Character You Wish To Play: Peter Benjamin Parker, otherwise known as the Amazing Spider-Man!
Moral Alignment: Hero.
Affiliation: The Amazing Friends
Character Origin & Backstory:
Peter’s life has been a story of repeated tragedies.
Family & Friends:
-Richard and Mary Parker (deceased): Peter’s biological parents
-Benjamin Parker (deceased): Peter’s Uncle (Richard Parker’s Brother)
-May Reilly Parker: Peter’s Aunt (Benjamin Parker’s wife and Richard Parker’s sister-in-law)
-Gwen Stacy (deceased): Peter’s most recent girlfriend. She was Peter’s Penelope, rivaling Peter’s own natural intelligence. What she lacked in powers, he made up the difference with her intelligence, aiding Peter in many occasions. Her death at the hands of the Rose has traumatized Peter.
-Angelica Jones (aka Firestar): Close Childhood Friend of Peter’s. Went to Xavier Institute of Higher Learning when her powers manifested. She developed a crush on Peter while still in middle school, but she has never been able to act upon those desires. Is the time right or would she prefer them to remain as ‘friends’?
-Bobby Drake (aka Iceman): Close Friend of Peter’s. Went to Xavier Institute of Higher Learning when his powers manifested.
-Mary Jane Watson: Even before Peter and Gwen started dating, Aunt May had been trying to get Peter hooked up with their neighbor’s (Anna Watson) niece. Now that Gwen is “out of the way”, is it time for this pair to come together? Or is it too early?
Powers and Abilities:
-High-level Intelligence: Peter Parker is an extremely gifted student, allowing him to excel in his academic career while he is not busy with his super-heroics. If he is given the correct guidance, tools, and education, Peter Parker’s intelligence could possibly rival those of Tony Stark, Reid Richards, Hank McCoy, and Hank Pym.
-Wall-Crawling: Spider-Man has the ability to create atomic attraction between himself and other objects, allowing him to adhere to numerous surfaces.
-Spider-Sense: Spider-Man possesses an uncanny 6th sense that alerts him to danger within his local proximity. Although his Spider-Sense can alert him if there is danger, it does not provide him with the location or direction from which the danger comes. Combined with Spider-Man’s reflexes, Spidey becomes a difficult target to hit.
-Mechanical Web-Shooters:
-Superhuman Strength: Spider-Man can easily lift approximately 5 tons. He can lift more weight if he exerts himself. Spider-Man must also pull his punches against opponents without similar levels of durability and strength.
-Superhuman Speed: Spider-Man’s natural speed exceeds that of modern Olympic athletes. In other words, Spidey could give Usain Bolt a run for his money.
-Superhuman Stamina: Spider-Man does not produce as many fatigue toxins while he physically exerts himself. He has to spend several hours under strenuous circumstances to feel impaired by these toxins.
-Superhuman Agility: Spider-Man is twice as flexible as a normal human, allowing him to perform acrobatic maneuvers that high-level gymnast would envy.
-Superhuman Durability: Spider-Man can take punishment that would severely injure or otherwise kill an average person. Spider-Man must roll with punches against him in order to prevent the assailant from breaking their limbs.
-Superhuman Reflexes: Spider-Man’s reflexes 20 times greater than an average human’s would be.
-Superhuman Recuperative Healing Factor: While not anywhere near as efficient as mainstream Wolverine’s healing factor, Spider-Man can recuperate from injuries more quickly than they would otherwise normally take.
-Superhuman Sense of Equilibrium: Spider-Man can retain a perfect state of equilibrium, allowing him to remain oriented while crawling upside down and performing acrobatic moves.
-Resistance to Foreign Chemicals: Spider-Man’s metabolism allows him to be less effected by drugs and diseases.
-Immunity to Vampirism: Due to the unique nature of Spider-Man’s Red Blood Cells, Spider-Man has no need to fear any Vampire, in respect to being transformed into one.
Weaknesses:
-Guilt complex: Blames himself for things outside his control (Uncle Ben’s Death).
-Pesticides: While Spider-Man has increased resistance to foreign pathogens, pesticides still are effective against him.
-Not Invincible: Spider-Man can be killed and injured by conventional means. Spider-Man just can take more punishment before he reaches this point.
-Double Life: It is a difficult job trying to juggle school, family, a social life, and his super-heroics without wrecking any one of the other aspects of his life.
Sample Story Arcs:
- Ultimate Spider-Man made an interesting proposition by giving MJ powers. Nevertheless, they never really did anything with it after the Clone Saga story arc. I plan on not making that same mistake…
- A ‘Kraven the Hunter’ story arc based on The Most Dangerous Game is too good to pass up.
- What Spider-Man would be complete without a Marvel Knights story arc?
Sample Post:
Character You Wish To Play: Peter Benjamin Parker, otherwise known as the Amazing Spider-Man!
Moral Alignment: Hero.
Affiliation: The Amazing Friends
Character Origin & Backstory:
Peter’s life has been a story of repeated tragedies.
Peter Benjamin Parker was born to Richard and Mary Parker. All that Peter could remember about his parents was that his father, Richard, was a geneticist and genetic engineer and that his mother, Mary, was a nurse. While Peter was still very young, his parents tragically died in a plane accident. Therefore, the burden fell upon Peter’s aunt and uncle, May and Benjamin Parker, who gave the young Peter all the love that they could. Even when the Parkers struggled to support their nephew financially, they gave the young Peter all the love they had. This was only the first tragedy in Peter’s guilt-ridden life.
Through elementary and middle school, Peter was belittled and bullied since Peter was a book-worm, nerd, and an ‘A’ student. Although his academic studies helped him through this time, thinking that someday he would be all the ‘popular’ kids’ boss, there almost did not seem like there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Not until he first met one of his future best friends: Angelica Jones. She and her widowed father, Bartholomew Jones, moved to Queens from Massachusetts after Angelica’s paternal grandmother passed away. Both being lonely and outcasts, Peter and Angelica quickly became friends. Things looked bright for Peter, or at least that how they seemed until Angelica’s microwave powers began to manifest. With the anti-mutant sentiment, Angelica’s father enrolled her at the Xavier Institute of Higher Learning. After a bitter and sad departure, Peter had lost his best friend almost as soon as they became friends.
Through elementary and middle school, Peter was belittled and bullied since Peter was a book-worm, nerd, and an ‘A’ student. Although his academic studies helped him through this time, thinking that someday he would be all the ‘popular’ kids’ boss, there almost did not seem like there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Not until he first met one of his future best friends: Angelica Jones. She and her widowed father, Bartholomew Jones, moved to Queens from Massachusetts after Angelica’s paternal grandmother passed away. Both being lonely and outcasts, Peter and Angelica quickly became friends. Things looked bright for Peter, or at least that how they seemed until Angelica’s microwave powers began to manifest. With the anti-mutant sentiment, Angelica’s father enrolled her at the Xavier Institute of Higher Learning. After a bitter and sad departure, Peter had lost his best friend almost as soon as they became friends.
Then there was the day Peter gained his powers. Peter was attending a demonstration of the latest findings of Doctor Curtis Connors, an expert on cross-species genetics. During the demonstration, one of the genetically altered spiders escaped from its container on that faithful day and bit Peter, infecting him with a virus that caused Peter to develop his abilities. After suffering a miserable night due to his body trying to cope with the virus that had infected Peter, Peter woke up feeling like a new person.
Now with super-human powers, Peter knew what he had to do with them: earn money for his loving aunt and uncle, who had struggled to support him. It was the least he could do. While Peter was successful early on, having created his ‘iconic’ red and blue costume to conceal his identity, Peter’s cash supply was destroyed by a man who would be a pain in Spider-Man’s backside for years to come: J. Jonah Jameson. After Jameson’s crusade against Spider-Man in the Daily Bugle, Peter was distraught. How was he going to be able to help his aunt and uncle now? In his misery, Peter ignored a bugler while Peter heading home from the studio for the last time. While it seemed insignificant at the time, Peter would later regret that decision. Later that week, Peter’s Uncle Ben was killed when a robber broke into their house. When Peter caught the murderer, he was shocked to the core when he discovered that the murderer was the same man whom Peter failed to stop earlier that week. Shaken by the experience, Peter finally learned the lesson that his Uncle Ben had been trying to teach him: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility.
After he got his powers, but prior to his uncle’s death, Peter finally rallied up the courage to ask his dream crush, Gwen Stacy, out on a date. She was his Penelope. The death of Peter’s uncle just brought the two further together. However, as Peter’s career as Spider-Man began, Peter discovered how much damage his alter-ego had started to inflect on their relationship. Therefore, Peter revealed his secret to the love of his life. And this knowledge was the kiss of death for Gwen, although neither of them knew this at the time.
There was yet another bright spot in the sea of darkness that was Peter’s tragedy life. Peter and Angelica crossed paths again and they would never go separate ways again. The X-Men (in civilian garb) were visiting a science museum as a field trip (since the institute was a school, after all) when suddenly the Juggernaut attacked. After Peter helped the X-Men subdue the Juggernaut, both Peter and Angelica discovered the other’s secret identities. From that day forward, Peter, Angelica, and Angelica’s fellow X-Man, Bobby Drake (a.k.a. Iceman) formed the Amazing Friends.
After his first year of fighting petty crocks, Peter thought this super-hero gig would be a piece of cake. Or at least until he began to meet his first super-powered villains. His first ‘super’ was the Chameleon, a super-villain who could change his appearance at will. After his encounters will the Chameleon and some other villains, like the Lizard and Doctor Octopus, Peter realized that he could no longer rely solely on his powers, as he did in his first year of super heroics. He needed to use his intelligence in order to overcome the obstacles in his way.
Now with super-human powers, Peter knew what he had to do with them: earn money for his loving aunt and uncle, who had struggled to support him. It was the least he could do. While Peter was successful early on, having created his ‘iconic’ red and blue costume to conceal his identity, Peter’s cash supply was destroyed by a man who would be a pain in Spider-Man’s backside for years to come: J. Jonah Jameson. After Jameson’s crusade against Spider-Man in the Daily Bugle, Peter was distraught. How was he going to be able to help his aunt and uncle now? In his misery, Peter ignored a bugler while Peter heading home from the studio for the last time. While it seemed insignificant at the time, Peter would later regret that decision. Later that week, Peter’s Uncle Ben was killed when a robber broke into their house. When Peter caught the murderer, he was shocked to the core when he discovered that the murderer was the same man whom Peter failed to stop earlier that week. Shaken by the experience, Peter finally learned the lesson that his Uncle Ben had been trying to teach him: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility.
After he got his powers, but prior to his uncle’s death, Peter finally rallied up the courage to ask his dream crush, Gwen Stacy, out on a date. She was his Penelope. The death of Peter’s uncle just brought the two further together. However, as Peter’s career as Spider-Man began, Peter discovered how much damage his alter-ego had started to inflect on their relationship. Therefore, Peter revealed his secret to the love of his life. And this knowledge was the kiss of death for Gwen, although neither of them knew this at the time.
There was yet another bright spot in the sea of darkness that was Peter’s tragedy life. Peter and Angelica crossed paths again and they would never go separate ways again. The X-Men (in civilian garb) were visiting a science museum as a field trip (since the institute was a school, after all) when suddenly the Juggernaut attacked. After Peter helped the X-Men subdue the Juggernaut, both Peter and Angelica discovered the other’s secret identities. From that day forward, Peter, Angelica, and Angelica’s fellow X-Man, Bobby Drake (a.k.a. Iceman) formed the Amazing Friends.
After his first year of fighting petty crocks, Peter thought this super-hero gig would be a piece of cake. Or at least until he began to meet his first super-powered villains. His first ‘super’ was the Chameleon, a super-villain who could change his appearance at will. After his encounters will the Chameleon and some other villains, like the Lizard and Doctor Octopus, Peter realized that he could no longer rely solely on his powers, as he did in his first year of super heroics. He needed to use his intelligence in order to overcome the obstacles in his way.
However, Peter’s happiness could not last forever.
Over the last decade, the Kingpin of Crime held an iron grip over the criminal underworld on the East Coast. However, when his wife, Vanessa, grew deathly ill, which prompted the Kingpin to focus on curing his dying wife, the Kingpin of Crime began to loosen his grip over the city as his attention was directed elsewhere. Then, out of nowhere, a crime lord called ‘the Rose’ started to encroach onto the Kingpin’s turf. As a result of the Rose’s challenge to the Kingpin’s hegemony, a power struggle spiraled out of control, all the gangs of New York vied for power, and the NYPD were caught in the middle of it.
One night, when Peter was going to the Stacy residence so that he could take Gwen swinging around the city, Peter heard an explosion from within. After changing in his Spider-Man threads, Peter entered into the Stacy residence and found the mercenary, called Jack O’ Lantern, had kidnapped Gwen Stacy. Believing that someone had discovered his secret identity, which would made Gwen, his girlfriend, vulnerable, Peter chased after Gwen’s captor, following the Halloween-themed villain to the Rose’s base.
However, once at the Rose’s hideout, Peter, undetected by the Rose’s men, discovered that the Rose was going to use Gwen as leverage against Captain Stacy in order to get the NYPD off the Rose’s back. Knowing that his dual-life as Spider-Man was not the cause of Gwen’s kidnapping, Peter rushed to Captain Stacy and updated him on the situation. Once everyone was on the same page, Peter and Captain Stacy drafted a plan to save Gwen.
While the NYPD established a perimeter around the Rose’s headquarters and prepared for a raid on that base of operations, Peter snuck in to free Gwen. Synchronizing with Peter and Gwen’s escape, the police burst into the base, taking the Rose’s men by surprise. However, on their way out, Peter and Gwen ran into the Rose and Jack O’ Lantern. The Rose aimed to strike down Peter, but, utilizing his Spider Agility, Peter pushed Gwen out of the way and ducked away from the bullet.
Nevertheless, that bullet still struck someone: Captain Stacy. When Peter and Gwen had not exited from the building, Captain Stacy charged into the epicenter of the base in order to find them. Unfortunately, Captain Stacy was in the wrong place in the wrong time. While Peter and Gwen mourning the loss of Captain Stacy, the Rose made his escape. But the Jack O’ Lantern remained to cover the Rose’s flight.
During the chaos of the police raid and Jack O’ Lantern’s distraction attempt, Gwen was knocked off some scaffolding while Peter attempted to protect her from the Jack O’ Lantern. Peter tried to catch her with a webline, but the Jack O’ Lantern ignored the deadly situation that Gwen found herself in and sucker punched Peter in the back. Hoping to get out of the reach of his assailant, Peter leapt off the scaffolding and dove toward his girlfriend, catching her with a webline. However, when he dropped to the floor, Peter discovered that Gwen had not survived whiplash of his rescue attempt.
After grieving the deaths of his girlfriend and her father, who had been a surrogate father to Peter since both his real father and his uncle Ben had been killed, Peter turned his anger towards Jack O’ Lantern. In a fury of rage, Peter would have beaten Jack to a pulp, if he had not realized that he would have become just like the Rose and Jack O’ Lantern: a killer. Instead, Peter left Jack O’ Lantern for the police to deal with.
In the direct aftermath of the two Stacys’ deaths, Peter could not bring himself to dawn his Spider-Man costume, feeling that his alter-ego had been the cause of his girlfriend’s death. Combined with the rising uneasiness caused by the public reaction towards mutants and Jameson’s ever-continuing mudslinging, Peter retired his Spider-Man threads, believing that throwing in the towel would protect all his loved ones who were still alive.
Over the last decade, the Kingpin of Crime held an iron grip over the criminal underworld on the East Coast. However, when his wife, Vanessa, grew deathly ill, which prompted the Kingpin to focus on curing his dying wife, the Kingpin of Crime began to loosen his grip over the city as his attention was directed elsewhere. Then, out of nowhere, a crime lord called ‘the Rose’ started to encroach onto the Kingpin’s turf. As a result of the Rose’s challenge to the Kingpin’s hegemony, a power struggle spiraled out of control, all the gangs of New York vied for power, and the NYPD were caught in the middle of it.
One night, when Peter was going to the Stacy residence so that he could take Gwen swinging around the city, Peter heard an explosion from within. After changing in his Spider-Man threads, Peter entered into the Stacy residence and found the mercenary, called Jack O’ Lantern, had kidnapped Gwen Stacy. Believing that someone had discovered his secret identity, which would made Gwen, his girlfriend, vulnerable, Peter chased after Gwen’s captor, following the Halloween-themed villain to the Rose’s base.
However, once at the Rose’s hideout, Peter, undetected by the Rose’s men, discovered that the Rose was going to use Gwen as leverage against Captain Stacy in order to get the NYPD off the Rose’s back. Knowing that his dual-life as Spider-Man was not the cause of Gwen’s kidnapping, Peter rushed to Captain Stacy and updated him on the situation. Once everyone was on the same page, Peter and Captain Stacy drafted a plan to save Gwen.
While the NYPD established a perimeter around the Rose’s headquarters and prepared for a raid on that base of operations, Peter snuck in to free Gwen. Synchronizing with Peter and Gwen’s escape, the police burst into the base, taking the Rose’s men by surprise. However, on their way out, Peter and Gwen ran into the Rose and Jack O’ Lantern. The Rose aimed to strike down Peter, but, utilizing his Spider Agility, Peter pushed Gwen out of the way and ducked away from the bullet.
Nevertheless, that bullet still struck someone: Captain Stacy. When Peter and Gwen had not exited from the building, Captain Stacy charged into the epicenter of the base in order to find them. Unfortunately, Captain Stacy was in the wrong place in the wrong time. While Peter and Gwen mourning the loss of Captain Stacy, the Rose made his escape. But the Jack O’ Lantern remained to cover the Rose’s flight.
During the chaos of the police raid and Jack O’ Lantern’s distraction attempt, Gwen was knocked off some scaffolding while Peter attempted to protect her from the Jack O’ Lantern. Peter tried to catch her with a webline, but the Jack O’ Lantern ignored the deadly situation that Gwen found herself in and sucker punched Peter in the back. Hoping to get out of the reach of his assailant, Peter leapt off the scaffolding and dove toward his girlfriend, catching her with a webline. However, when he dropped to the floor, Peter discovered that Gwen had not survived whiplash of his rescue attempt.
After grieving the deaths of his girlfriend and her father, who had been a surrogate father to Peter since both his real father and his uncle Ben had been killed, Peter turned his anger towards Jack O’ Lantern. In a fury of rage, Peter would have beaten Jack to a pulp, if he had not realized that he would have become just like the Rose and Jack O’ Lantern: a killer. Instead, Peter left Jack O’ Lantern for the police to deal with.
In the direct aftermath of the two Stacys’ deaths, Peter could not bring himself to dawn his Spider-Man costume, feeling that his alter-ego had been the cause of his girlfriend’s death. Combined with the rising uneasiness caused by the public reaction towards mutants and Jameson’s ever-continuing mudslinging, Peter retired his Spider-Man threads, believing that throwing in the towel would protect all his loved ones who were still alive.
Family & Friends:
-Richard and Mary Parker (deceased): Peter’s biological parents
-Benjamin Parker (deceased): Peter’s Uncle (Richard Parker’s Brother)
-May Reilly Parker: Peter’s Aunt (Benjamin Parker’s wife and Richard Parker’s sister-in-law)
-Gwen Stacy (deceased): Peter’s most recent girlfriend. She was Peter’s Penelope, rivaling Peter’s own natural intelligence. What she lacked in powers, he made up the difference with her intelligence, aiding Peter in many occasions. Her death at the hands of the Rose has traumatized Peter.
-Angelica Jones (aka Firestar): Close Childhood Friend of Peter’s. Went to Xavier Institute of Higher Learning when her powers manifested. She developed a crush on Peter while still in middle school, but she has never been able to act upon those desires. Is the time right or would she prefer them to remain as ‘friends’?
-Bobby Drake (aka Iceman): Close Friend of Peter’s. Went to Xavier Institute of Higher Learning when his powers manifested.
-Mary Jane Watson: Even before Peter and Gwen started dating, Aunt May had been trying to get Peter hooked up with their neighbor’s (Anna Watson) niece. Now that Gwen is “out of the way”, is it time for this pair to come together? Or is it too early?
Powers and Abilities:
-High-level Intelligence: Peter Parker is an extremely gifted student, allowing him to excel in his academic career while he is not busy with his super-heroics. If he is given the correct guidance, tools, and education, Peter Parker’s intelligence could possibly rival those of Tony Stark, Reid Richards, Hank McCoy, and Hank Pym.
-Wall-Crawling: Spider-Man has the ability to create atomic attraction between himself and other objects, allowing him to adhere to numerous surfaces.
-Spider-Sense: Spider-Man possesses an uncanny 6th sense that alerts him to danger within his local proximity. Although his Spider-Sense can alert him if there is danger, it does not provide him with the location or direction from which the danger comes. Combined with Spider-Man’s reflexes, Spidey becomes a difficult target to hit.
-Mechanical Web-Shooters:
-Superhuman Strength: Spider-Man can easily lift approximately 5 tons. He can lift more weight if he exerts himself. Spider-Man must also pull his punches against opponents without similar levels of durability and strength.
-Superhuman Speed: Spider-Man’s natural speed exceeds that of modern Olympic athletes. In other words, Spidey could give Usain Bolt a run for his money.
-Superhuman Stamina: Spider-Man does not produce as many fatigue toxins while he physically exerts himself. He has to spend several hours under strenuous circumstances to feel impaired by these toxins.
-Superhuman Agility: Spider-Man is twice as flexible as a normal human, allowing him to perform acrobatic maneuvers that high-level gymnast would envy.
-Superhuman Durability: Spider-Man can take punishment that would severely injure or otherwise kill an average person. Spider-Man must roll with punches against him in order to prevent the assailant from breaking their limbs.
-Superhuman Reflexes: Spider-Man’s reflexes 20 times greater than an average human’s would be.
-Superhuman Recuperative Healing Factor: While not anywhere near as efficient as mainstream Wolverine’s healing factor, Spider-Man can recuperate from injuries more quickly than they would otherwise normally take.
-Superhuman Sense of Equilibrium: Spider-Man can retain a perfect state of equilibrium, allowing him to remain oriented while crawling upside down and performing acrobatic moves.
-Resistance to Foreign Chemicals: Spider-Man’s metabolism allows him to be less effected by drugs and diseases.
-Immunity to Vampirism: Due to the unique nature of Spider-Man’s Red Blood Cells, Spider-Man has no need to fear any Vampire, in respect to being transformed into one.
Weaknesses:
-Guilt complex: Blames himself for things outside his control (Uncle Ben’s Death).
-Pesticides: While Spider-Man has increased resistance to foreign pathogens, pesticides still are effective against him.
-Not Invincible: Spider-Man can be killed and injured by conventional means. Spider-Man just can take more punishment before he reaches this point.
-Double Life: It is a difficult job trying to juggle school, family, a social life, and his super-heroics without wrecking any one of the other aspects of his life.
Sample Story Arcs:
- Ultimate Spider-Man made an interesting proposition by giving MJ powers. Nevertheless, they never really did anything with it after the Clone Saga story arc. I plan on not making that same mistake…
- A ‘Kraven the Hunter’ story arc based on The Most Dangerous Game is too good to pass up.
- What Spider-Man would be complete without a Marvel Knights story arc?
Sample Post:
Using his spider-powers to cling to his bedroom wall, Peter was staring at a photograph of his deceased girlfriend, Gwen Stacy, reminiscing all the good and the bad times they had together. For the last couple months, even since the day that Gwen died, Peter could not get himself to pull out his Spider-Man costume from his closet. In his head, Peter kept replaying images from that night and he contemplated how he could have changed those events so that Gwen, and even her father, might be alive today. But unfortunately, thinking about how he could have changed the various outcomes of that night could never bring either of them back from the grave.
“Peter! You have a guest!” Aunt May hollered to her nephew from the bottom of the stairs.
“Tell him I’m no here!” Peter shouted back. But instead of the silence that Peter wanted, he heard a knock on his door. Landing softly on his bed, just like a cat leaping down onto the floor, Peter flipped a switch on his desk that unlocked his door.
“It’s unlocked!” Peter said to whoever was on the other side of the door.
“You do realize that shouting down to your aunt kind of defeats the purpose of trying to get me to think that you are not here. And assuming that I am a ‘him’ is sexist.”
Angelica Jones walked into Peter’s room. Angelica and Peter were best friends in middle school, but her father enrolled her at the Xavier Institute of Higher Learning once her mutant powers manifested (although at the time neither of them knew what mutants were). But once the two became acquainted with the other’s secret double life, as Spider-Man and Firestar, the two old friends were able to rekindle their friendship.
“Whatever.” Peter said as he gazed at the floor, not looking his friend in the eyes.
“’Whatever’? That’s not what the Peter I know would say. He would have thrown a pun my way, no matter how bad it is! Are you sure you aren’t an imposter?” Angelica joked, trying to liven Peter up.
“No. I just have had a few rough months, that’s all.” Just mentioning the last couple months brought back painful memories of Gwen to Peter, causing him to sigh. Angelica plopped beside Peter on his bed, wrapping her arms around him, trying to give him the comfort and support that he needed.
“Maybe we should go out on patrol. Just to get your mind off of things.”
Peter shrugged off Angelica’s grasp on him, jumping up from his bed. “I don’t know. I just have not been in the mood since Gwen died.” But when he turned back around to face his friend, Angelica was trying to make the saddest facial expression that she could make.
“But do you even have your costume with you?” Peter asked. But almost as soon as Peter had uttered these words, Angelica lifted up the bottom of her shirt, revealing the yellow fabric that composed her ‘Firestar’ costume.
“Never leave home unprepared.” Angelica smiled at Peter.
Peter paused for a moment, contemplating whether he should even dawn his Spider-Man costume again. After much internal debating over this subject, Peter finally crumbled to Angelica’s peer-pressure. He opened up his closet door and scrambled to find his costume. The first costume he pulled out was the one he had worn on that fateful night when the girl of his dreams died. However, Peter had neglected to wash to since then. Therefore he made a mental note about washing it and continued to search for his spare costume.
“Okay, let’s do this.” Peter told Angelica, holding his spare costume in his hand.
“Peter! You have a guest!” Aunt May hollered to her nephew from the bottom of the stairs.
“Tell him I’m no here!” Peter shouted back. But instead of the silence that Peter wanted, he heard a knock on his door. Landing softly on his bed, just like a cat leaping down onto the floor, Peter flipped a switch on his desk that unlocked his door.
“It’s unlocked!” Peter said to whoever was on the other side of the door.
“You do realize that shouting down to your aunt kind of defeats the purpose of trying to get me to think that you are not here. And assuming that I am a ‘him’ is sexist.”
Angelica Jones walked into Peter’s room. Angelica and Peter were best friends in middle school, but her father enrolled her at the Xavier Institute of Higher Learning once her mutant powers manifested (although at the time neither of them knew what mutants were). But once the two became acquainted with the other’s secret double life, as Spider-Man and Firestar, the two old friends were able to rekindle their friendship.
“Whatever.” Peter said as he gazed at the floor, not looking his friend in the eyes.
“’Whatever’? That’s not what the Peter I know would say. He would have thrown a pun my way, no matter how bad it is! Are you sure you aren’t an imposter?” Angelica joked, trying to liven Peter up.
“No. I just have had a few rough months, that’s all.” Just mentioning the last couple months brought back painful memories of Gwen to Peter, causing him to sigh. Angelica plopped beside Peter on his bed, wrapping her arms around him, trying to give him the comfort and support that he needed.
“Maybe we should go out on patrol. Just to get your mind off of things.”
Peter shrugged off Angelica’s grasp on him, jumping up from his bed. “I don’t know. I just have not been in the mood since Gwen died.” But when he turned back around to face his friend, Angelica was trying to make the saddest facial expression that she could make.
“But do you even have your costume with you?” Peter asked. But almost as soon as Peter had uttered these words, Angelica lifted up the bottom of her shirt, revealing the yellow fabric that composed her ‘Firestar’ costume.
“Never leave home unprepared.” Angelica smiled at Peter.
Peter paused for a moment, contemplating whether he should even dawn his Spider-Man costume again. After much internal debating over this subject, Peter finally crumbled to Angelica’s peer-pressure. He opened up his closet door and scrambled to find his costume. The first costume he pulled out was the one he had worn on that fateful night when the girl of his dreams died. However, Peter had neglected to wash to since then. Therefore he made a mental note about washing it and continued to search for his spare costume.
“Okay, let’s do this.” Peter told Angelica, holding his spare costume in his hand.
MysT3CH The Wordsmith / ★★★★★
Member
Seen
3 yrs ago
Player Name: MysT3CH
Character You Wish To Play: Ares
Moral Alignment: Walking the Line
Affiliation(s): Fisk Construction, Olympus
Character Origin & Backstory:
A Child Most Unwanted
Jealous of Zeus, whom having put an unborn child into his thigh, was able to conceive a child. Dionysus. The result of one of Zeus' mortal adulteries. Hera sought out a magical herb. One which, once taken, allowed her to have a child immaculately. A child she would name Ares. As the immaculate son of Zeus and Hera, Ares was always the least popular of the Olympians. Continuously shunned by his negligent father, and often segregated by the other Gods, Ares developed an unspoken hatred for his kin at a very young age. This hatred was solidified when, during the early stages of his childhood, Ares was abducted by a duo of giants known as the Aloadai.
While Ares spent over a year trapped within a giant bell of bronze, the captive of the Aloadai, Zeus merely continued to rule over Olympus. Unconcerned with finding the child. Hence, it was only after Hera had at last caught on to the Aloadai's scheme that she entrusted Hermes to save her son. With his success Ares regained his freedom, and the world was doomed to eventually suffer his wrath. Fearing for his life however, Hera sent him away. Leaving Ares in the care of Priapus, the minor god of fertility, whom raised and trained the child into maturity.
Once finally a man, Ares was at last recognized as a God of Olympus. Yet, this did not better his standing among his peers. For Ares, as the God and embodiment of Conflict, or War -was short-tempered, blood-thirsty, and above all else an aggressive Olympian. Traits which caused his kin to look down upon him, seeing him as little more than an immature brute. Thus, apart from the citizens of Sparta, a cult in Thrice, and the Colchians on the Black Sea, most mortals were afraid to worhsip the God of War. As they feared both his volitity and the disfavor it would bring them with the other deities.
Interestingly, despite his roll as the black sheep of the herd, it was only after Zeus decreed that the Olympians should allow humanity's worship of them to die out, that Ares gave voice to his dissatisfaction with his father's rule. While none of the others dared to stand with him when he initially attempted to overthrow Zeus, his uncle, Hades, would soon joined his cause. However, they would fail, not once, but twice, due to the intervention of his half-brother Hercules. It would be jealousy and these inferences that wouldcause the deep rivalry between these two siblings.
A Heart Eternally Ruptured
Ripe with power, and suffering from an insatiable lust, Ares felt to be at the heights of his power diring the Trojan war. However, he would become infamous not for his lust for battle, but instead for his lust of the flesh. As it was during this time that he had managed to woo is long sought lover. The Goddess of Love, Aphrodite.
Though Ares had ferociously vied against Apollo for Aphrodite's love in the past, he would only see her lost to him. As Zeus, having grown concerned with Aphrodite's shallow interpretation of love, gave her to Hephaestus, God of Fire and blacksmith of the Gods. Enraged by this, Ares took to the fields of battle. There, in an attempt to please Aphrodite, he divided his strength amidst the Trojan ranks. Aiding them in the war Aphrodite herself had inadvertently started.
Unable to deny herself the prize that was Ares, whom represented the best of all masculine feats for which she eternally lusted, she gave herself to him. Hence, every night, as her undesired husband laboured at his forge, Aphrodite would lead Ares into the vary bed in which her marriage had been consumated. Still, be it the will of fate, or merely karma, their confidence in their love would bring them disgrace.
Caught in a trance of heated passion, the likes of which the duo had never experienced before, the two preceded to embrace each other as they had countless times before. Yet, as Apollo and his chariot brought to sky the sun, he peered into the usually drapped window to see the adulterous couple still in embrace. Both enraged and concerned, Apollo quickly notified Hephaestus of his wife's betrayal.
Enraged and heart-broken, the God of the forge then devised a plan in which he would succeed in exacting revenge. Aware that he, as a cripple and weaponsmith, would be no match for the God of war, Hephaestus laboured on making an unbreakable net. Setting it up over his bed, he then waited. Alas, when Aphrodite enevitably seduced Ares once more upon her marriage bed, her husband sprung his trap. Catching them in the act, the enfuriated god then dragged the naked lovers before the others gods. Most of whom laughed at and teased Ares for being bested by his crippled brother.
When released, the shamed duo seperated. Destined to spend millenniums apart. Wounded, as much in heart as pride, Ares then moved his mind back to his mortal affairs of war.
A Legend Reborn
As the years past, Ares continued to play a pivotal role in every major human war. He had even gone so far as to coax Gavrilo Princip into shooting Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, and inspiring Adolph Hitler into invading Poland. Successfully starting both World Wars as a means of fueling his lust for conflict. As battle was the only place he ever felt at home. While the other Olympians, or their champions frequently attempted to interfare with his plans. It was only after Ares had struck Hercules a crippling blow that Zeus decided to put an end to his games.
Having teamed up with Hera in order to torment Hercules into challenging him to battle, Ares tortured then killed his mortal love interest, Taylor Madison. Although the plan worked fantastically, Zeus interfered before Ares, adorned with the Gauntlets of Ares, could deliver a killing blow to a defeated Hercules. Infuriated by this, Ares lashed out at his father with his remaining might. The decisive blow of their battle was the cause of the 2010 Haiti earthquake which resulted in 160,000 mortal deaths. In the end, Ares was defeated, albeit with the additonal aid of Apollo, and brought to the Underworld for imprisonment. For two years, the Olympians then discussed his fate, unaware that for every hour that passed, so doubled Ares' rage.
Utimately, it was decided that Ares would be forced to live a mortal life, stripped of his title as the God of War. Unfortunately, the Olympians possesed no means of ridding him of his powers, and so an alternative was decided upon. They would instead rid him of his memories. Alas, using a potion possesing water from the River Lethe, the Olympians managed the feat.
After transporting Ares into Dover, New Jersey, Zeus forced Hera to pose as his bed side nurse. Under this guise, she painstakingly convinced Ares that he was a mortal man named Johnathan Aaron. A New Jersey born construction worker whom, while working, had suffered a concussive wound to the head. Void of all else, he was left with little choice but to believe her.
Powers:
• Superhuman Strength: Normal among Olympians, Ares' organic tissue is roughly three times as dense as that within the human body. As a result, Ares possesses superhuman strength. Making him capable of lifting approximately seventy tons. Thus, his strength is greater than that of the vast majority of the Olympians. It is rivaled only by his uncles Hades and Poseidon, and exceeded only by his father Zeus. On Earth, Ares can easily lift most vehicles with relative ease. The exceptions being military tanks, which sit at the upper end of his limits, as well locomotives, ships, and other massive items which weigh in at over 70 tons.
• Superhuman Speed: Gifted with supernaturally strong legs, Ares is capable of both running and moving at speeds greater than that of humanity's greatest athletes. He is easily capable of running in excess of 80 km/h, with 120 km/h being at the very end of his obtainable range. This does not take into account the weight of equipped weapons and armor.
• Superhuman Stamina: As an Olympian God, Ares' body possesses a nigh infinite level of physical stamina. As his muscle tissue produces almost no fatigue toxins when he is active. While there is still in fact a limit to much he can exert himself, there remains no realiable measure of this limit. Simply because Ares has seldom gone up against opposition which was capable of pushing him to such degree.
• Superhuman Durability: Having frequently been exposed to damaging elements, the tissues of Ares' body are significantly more resisiliant to physical injury than that of the average human's. As well as most gods. Thus, Ares is capable of withstanding significant trauma, exposure to extreme elements -including both temperature and pressures, and blasts of concentrated energy. All while sustaining minimal injury. In ancient times, a favored tactic of Ares' was to set himself ablaze and then charge the enemy. However, enchanted godly weapons, adamantium weapons, and WMDs can still physically injure him. Their effectiveness usually tappers in the previously stated order.
• Superhuman Agility and Reflexes: Ares' agility, balance, reflexes, and coordination functions are evolved to levels that are far superior to that of any non-meta human. Due to this, he is capable of performing physically difficult feats with relative ease. While he is not as acrobatic as heroes such as spider-man, black panther, and black cat, Ares is capable of completing slightly complex flips and rolls. At his best, he is most comparable in agility to Captain America. This does not account for armor and weapons carried/worn.
• Limited Magic Ability: While lacking in magical proficientcy in comparrison to other Olympians, Ares is still proficient enough to use magic in some limited ways. These include; the ability to intuitively sense the presence of other gods, demons, and the use of magic, the ability to telepathically call other gods, the ability to materialize weapons from Olympus and return them, and the ability to traverse himself via teleportation to Olympus and to Earth at will. Despite his godly constitution, Ares cannot fly unassited. Hence, he must use more human means if flight is required, such as jet-packs.
• Immortality: As an Olympian, Ares possesses a supernatural regenerative healing factor which grants him functional immortality. Meaning that his body possesses an immunity to the effects of aging. Although Ares' recuperative abilities allows him to repair sustained wounds at an incredible speed, in addition to rendering him immune to all forms of diseases and infections on Earth, he is still very capable of experiencing death. It should also be noted that Ares is incapable of regenerating lost limbs, unless magically assited.
• Violence Empowerment: Arguably Ares' most prominent power. As the greek God of War, and an embodiment of Violence, Ares is capable of passively absorbing a specific pheromone. One which is released by living beings when exerting aggressive behavior. This pheromone, once consumed by his body is then simultaneously utilized in two ways.
The first is a form of biological recycling, one which produces a single agression inducing pheromone for every two post-aggression pheromones consumed. Allowing Ares to passively incite aggression in creatures within a certain vicinity of him (10 feet).
The second utilization is a process which temporarily boosts his body's physical capabilities via the production of an extremely potent steroid-like chemical. This chemical allows Ares to become stronger in linear relation to the amount of time he has spent absorbing the aforementioned post-aggression pheromones, as well as the quantity of said pheromone during such period. In a perfect scenario, Ares would be able to potentially double the obtainable range of his capabilities after an hour. Assuming over a hundred living individuals were consistantly exerting aggression. It should be noted that this power does not work on synthetic life, or the undead.
Abilities:
• Master Combatant: Having existed for eons, Ares has come to be a master of hand-to-hand combat. Thus possesses vast knowledge of all of the ancient Greek and modern forms of earthly armed and unarmed combat. Additionally, he is a master of all Olympian weaponry and most current weapons, including but not limited to; swords, firearms, and explosives. An expert of military tactics, torture, and combat engineering, Ares is one of the most skilled and ruthless physical warriors that has ever fought on Earth.
Paraphernalia: Intent on never allowing Ares to rejoin their ranks, the Olympians did not hesitate to redistribute, repurpose, and destroy the entirety of his armory. With most of his weaponry -and more importantly, his armor, no longer available, Ares was forced to find an alternative for most of his favored equipment. The answer would come in the form of a nemesis whom almost brought Olympus to her knees. Following, this encounter, Ares boasted a considerably more modern attire. The likes of which featured a technologically enhanced silicon carbide-Vibranium alloy exo-armor.
While not as strong as the magically enchanted armor forged by Hephaestus, which is comparable in strength to secondary adamantium, the lighter weight of this new suit allows Ares to funtionally wear more armor. Which in turn also allows him to carry more weaponry into battle with minimal detriment to mobility. The new armor also features an collapsible sheild as to eliminate the need of having to summon one. It should be noted that Ares developed a tendency to favor a hybrid shotgun-spear after acquiring said suit, which funtions as a hoplite spear, with an shotgun undermount attachment built in.
Despite its appearance Ares' armor weighs over a ton. Thus, does cause him to suffer from reduced movement speeds. It is only used when he enters battle expecting to be outmatched. Hence, is seldom used.
Sample Story Arcs:
1) Reincarnation: As punishment for his latest malicious act, Zeus, frustrated with his defiance and unnecessary thirst for violence, has sentenced Ares to lead a mortal life. In order to achieve this, Zeus had a spell of forgettfullnes placed upon him prior to sending him to earth. Now, misled by his relatives into believing that he is a man named Johnathan Aaron -Ares struggles with discovering his true identity as he starts to rediscover his abilities, and his memories begin to return.
2) God of War: Now fully self-aware, Ares finds himself at a difficult crossroad. Having spent his time using his regained abilities to actively protect both Mutants and Humans alike form each other, Ares has placed himself within the cross-hairs of both species. However, as Olympus soon comes under threat of attack, he must choose between fighting for humanity, fighting for the mutants, or abandoning earth to defend his home. A choice between love, honor, or glory.
3) Potential Avengers Initiative?
Sample Post:
"Ares, Father of Victory,
Leader of Men,
Lord of the Dance,
Ares of the Mighty Heart.
Bold-hearted Ares,
Bright-helmed son of thundering Zeus and noble Hera,
Well-honored god of war,
Any battle will you face,
Any foe will you fight,
Without fear and without hestitation.
Ares, god of warriors,
Ally of those who risk their lives on the field,
To you do soldiers offer their prayers.
You know each one’s name,
O Ares, you know their lives,
You know their worth.
Great Ares, I pray to you,
Watch over Praxiletes who heeded your call,
Who practices your art,
Whose name you know well
For he is one of your own who does you honor with each day he serves.
Ares, I pray to you."
Adorned with tattered robes of tattered linen, the robust blonde sat kneeled before a great alter. Her face clean, albeit damp with tears, as she softly wept into the softness of her palms. Upon her features, anguish was easily distinguishable whilst emerald eyes fixed her vision upon the alter. Again she inhaled. Parting her pale lips as to once again recite her plea to the heavens above. Within the room, dozens of lit candles dimly illuminated its walls. Casting elongated shadows across its cavernous entirety. It was from within these shadows, which he at last emerged. Helmed and clothed in armor unrent and as black as coal, he towered over like a predator. Subconsciously studying her moments before allowing his body to move. His presence to be noted.
"You call for aid, mortal. Claim this, Praxiletes, honors me with devotion." He paused, allowing her to turn towards him before he concluded his thought. Arms crossed in displeasure. Proceeding to move closer, he remained complacent as he stared down at the qwivering woman.
"M-mighty A-" He grimaced, causing her to grow silent. Her turns returned when she glanced at his arm.
Encompased in an ember blaze, his right arm fell to his side as the same embers quickly reintergrated themselves into the shape of a gladius blade. The blonde looked on in awe as the scent of ash filled the air. The green of her irises reflecting the radiant glow the molten weapon put off in the moments prior to its cooling. Ares then extended his arm, offering to the blonde the now silver blade. It was only as she carefully accepted the weapon that he lowered his limb. His brown eyes offered little less than an abyss of emptiness -one which unsettled her as she frantically spewed out a series of words expressing her gratitude.
"If he is worthy, Alkyone, he will return. You will give him this blade. I will do the rest." His voice was depassionate but firm. It begun to fade when another blaze of embers encompased his frame.
"He will bring me war."
Drenched in a cold sweat, Johnathan nearly leapt up out of his bed. Causing his mattress to whine defiantly as he gently eased himself back. Within his chest, his was heart still racing. Even as he looked up to stare at the ceiling above.
"Fucking Dream." The words were spoken with relief. Despite the frustration in his voice as they left his lips. With a sideways glance he eyed the clock. 12:53 AM. A lowly curse escaped beneath breaths. For what felt like an hour, Aaron could only lay there, listening to himself breath as he waited for what would hopefully be an interupted sleep. Try as he might however, a single thought kept prodding his mind, chasing away all notions of sleep.
What did they mean?
[[Note: Ares' listed armor and weapons will not be available until the end of his second arc.]]
Schradinger
Member
Seen
8 yrs ago
Player Name: Schradinger
Character You Wish To Play: X-23/Laura Kinney
Moral Alignment (Hero, Villain, Walking the Line): Walking the Line
Affiliation (what group/team/organization, if any, is your character affiliated with?): None currently
Character Origin & Backstory:
Random Descriptors:
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 180 lbs (due to vibranium-laced skeleton)
Hair: Black
Eyes: Green
History:
All her life, X-23 had only known the inside of the secret weapon X facility where she was raised, only known the countless hours of mental conditioning and physical training she was subjected to as they molded her into the perfect weapon. Even before she fully matured, she was a finer combatant than any of the human agents that trained her, and could surpass them all in strength, speed, agility, and endurance. Initial hesitancy to accept the girl as a worthy successor to the man she was meant to replace began to vanish as she matured, and some even began to believe she would surpass the Wolverine in ability, becoming an even greater asset than they had once hoped he would be.
As the results of her training and conditioning continued to come in at well above their expectations, they began to shape her into a weapon of the future, a weapon geared toward the threats of a new world, where war was conducted from the safety of one's own homeland and governments were toppled with manipulation instead of firepower. Where the Wolverine would have been a weapon of brute force and savagery, this X-23 could possess every bit of those qualities, but also be tempered to engage in more subtle tactics. Tactics that were quickly becoming necessary in the changing world of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Where the Wolverine would have been sent to wipe out entire enemy strongholds wholesale, X-23 could slip in undetected under the guise of an innocent young woman, playing on the emotions of her targets to strike swiftly and surgically, before they even knew they were dead. She was a precision instrument, a scalpel with which they could remove the cancerous members of society, rather than the brute force claymore that the Wolverine once represented.
In the end, they were immensely pleased with their new weapon, and once her training and conditioning was complete they initiated the final step of the project. The last item before she would be released on the world to service the agenda of the highest bidder. They had to graft her skeleton with vibranium, turning her from a mere soldier into a nearly invincible killing machine. While this new coating would not be as durable as the Adamantium grafted to the Wolvernine, it would be sufficient to render her bones and ligaments capable of absorbing tremendous amounts of force unharmed, while still allowing her to pass unhindered through metal detectors and most other forms of security. Where Adamantium turned Wolverine's claws a shiny silver, X-23's would be altered to a dark, non-reflective gray hue, capable of cutting through nearly any substance thanks to their monomolecular edge and the vibratory energy they generate on contact with metals and other similarly dense materials.
The procedure was a success, as it had been with the Wolverine, and once she had been fitted with a spinal implant allowing them complete control of her actions, she was sent on her first mission, the mission that would brand her as either a resounding success or an abysmal failure, as no amount of tests or training could adequately measure a weapons performance in the real world. Only exposure to the world itself could do that, and now it was time for X-23 to prove her mettle.
Powers and Abilities (What can you're character do? What can't they do?):
With genetics derived from those of the man known as the Wolverine, X-23 possesses an exceedingly potent healing factor that allows her to recover from nearly any wound exponentially faster than any human, healing gunshots and knife wounds in seconds, and even re-attaching an arm after it was severed during a particularly grueling training exercise. The limb returned to full function in moments, and she passed the exercise with flying colors. This healing ability also renders X-23's bodily tissues far more resistant to harm than those of a normal human, allowing her to exert far more force on her body without causing damage to herself. This allows her to match and even exceed the strength and speed of human males in peak physical condition, despite her small frame and slender muscles.
The claws she inherited from her "father" are similar in position and function to Wolverines, but some slight genetic alterations granted her two claws between the first and second toes on her feet, each slightly shorter than the two in each forearm, though still just as sharp.
In addition to this, she also possesses Wolverine's potent animalistic senses and instincts, allowing her to see, hear, and smell better than any normal human, and at much greater distances. This makes her one of the world's foremost hunters and trackers, though her lack of experience means this ability is still inferior to that possessed by Wolverine himself.
Similar to the adamantium that was bonded to Wolverine, X-23's entire skeleton and the connective tissues holding it together have been reinforced with a vibranium coating that renders her bones able to absorb tremendous impact, as well as being unbreakable to all but the strongest of foes. Her claws have also been coated with a chemically altered variation of vibranium that emits intense vibratory energy on contact with metals and other similarly dense materials, allowing them to cut through nearly any substance. This vibranium coating also renders her mind extremely difficult to detect and manipulate telepathically.
While her physical powers and abilities are impressive, it is her mind and training that truly make X-23 a living weapon, capable of handling any modern weapon with exceptional skill, along with nearly every known weapon of the past, from bows to swords to lengths of wood. In her hands, literally anything she can lift can become a weapon of lethal effectiveness, and in the absence of any usable items her own body can be used to kill just as effectively without her claws as with them.
In order to complement and temper her lethal skills with the application of subtlety, she was also trained to use the arts of hacking, acting, and seduction in order to successfully infiltrate the lairs of her targets. She is skilled at playing on the emotions of her victims and has used her large eyes to garner sympathy with just as much success as she has her body to engender lust.
All these skills and abilities are utilized in conjunction in order to keep herself a step ahead of her targets until it's already too late, and then used with equal effectiveness to extract herself from any situation created after the deed is done. In order to allow her the best possible ability to carry out these tactics, she is given as much autonomy of action as the mission parameters allow, though any illusion of free will is exactly that, and her handlers will clamp down control without hesitation if they deem her autonomy too hazardous to the mission or her continued operations.
Sample arcs:
A) Break free of the control of Harkins and the Facility.
B) Learn to live in the world as a human instead of a weapon.
C) Discover her origins and how the Facility got their hands on her.
D) Track down and meet her "father", the mutant known as Wolverine.
Her heartbeat was fast and adrenaline pumped wildly through her veins as she stepped through the large double-door entrance to the hotel where she knew her target would be staying. Her nerves were on edge and her body almost shook with the nervous excitement that had been building ever since she'd been told about her mission. Her own mission! A real mission, out in the real world. She'd never had a solo mission before, only going along as an observer to see how the full agents did things. But she was finally more than just an observer, they had finally given her a mission of her own.
She glanced around the large room for a few moments before her eyes settled on the receptionist behind the desk, and she checked her outfit in a tall mirror on the wall behind her before approaching the woman. She wore a tight corset and miniskirt, with thigh-high lace-up boots and enough eye-liner and mascara to cover any number of imagined bruises. The entire outfit would make it perfectly clear why she was here, and was only partially covered by a thigh-length overcoat. The receptionist gave her a disdainful twist of the lips before covering her slip up with a practiced smile.
"I'm here to see Mr. Smith in room twenty-four-oh-seven." 23 put on her best coy smile for the receptionist, who only smiled back. "He should be expecting me."
"One moment, miss." She didn't want to know the girl's name. She never did when that type came in here. It would only be dignifying their profession, and there were few things she would dislike more than dignifying a prostitute. She picked the receiver up off her desk phone, and punched in the number for room 2407, then spoke quietly for a few moments with the voice on the other end before hanging up and turning back to 23. "He said to send you right up. Have a good evening, miss."
23 Smiled again and thanked the receptionist before heading to the elevator, knowing exactly how hard it had been for the other woman to utter those last few words. She could smell the disdain from halfway across the lobby, and the scent was still burning her nostrils five floors later. She huffed loudly to clear it from her nose, then glanced at the elevator's other occupant, a bike messenger by the looks of him. She flashed him a nervous smile, trying to act like a normal girl who'd just embarrassed herself. "Sorry."
"No, It's, uh... fine." His eyes dropped from her face as she turned toward him slightly, revealing the front of the outfit through the gap in her coat. She breathed deep as his eyes dropped, pushing her bosom up to accentuate her cleavage. Better he remember that than her face. When the elevator dinged and the doors opened, he was jolted back to his senses and realized it was his floor.
"It was, um... nice to meet you! I've just got this package to drop off then I'll be...." He was still mumbling as the doors cut him off, and her nervous smile faded the instant he could no longer see her. She knew that anyone who got in the way of her mission was expendable, and someone like him would have been easier to eliminate than most. If they didn't make her do it herself, they'd send another agent to put him down. Unless, of course, he wasn't considered a liability, and who would think of some boob-obsessed nerd as a liability? Besides, they'd told her to avoid non-target casualties. It was part of her mission to keep him from remembering anything that could identify her. It had nothing to do with how it had felt to be looked at like a woman instead of a weapon.
When the elevator hit the 24th floor, she stepped gingerly out of the car, the adrenaline coming on even stronger now that she was so close to her target. She had to focus just to keep her hands from shaking. This was finally it! She was about to take out her first target and prove herself to the agency. Prove that she was just as good an operative as they'd trained her to be. She knocked hesitantly on the door to room 2407, and it opened a few moments later to reveal a clearly inebriated man in a disheveled suit.
"Welcome! Come in, come in." He gestured her forward and she followed him into the room, catching the scent of two more men before she even crossed the threshold. Panic rushed through her, this wasn't supposed to be part of the mission! He was supposed to be alone with her! The guards should have been off-duty by now. What had changed? Something had changed and she needed to know what. Was she compromised? Had they been tipped off about her? She dropped her head to cover as much of her face as possible with her hair, and was relieved when her target addressed the guards first instead of her.
"Ivan, Victor, you know how much I appreciate your services, but I think I can handle this little crisis on my own." He winked knowingly in 23's direction, as if trying to make some crude joke, but neither of the men even cracked a smile. They just nodded, said yessir, and left the room, closing the door behind them. Good, one problem dealt with. Now to focus on the other.
"Come in, dearie. Make yourself at home!" She fidgeted nervously, not sure how to do that exactly. To her, home had always been the training rooms and bunks at the facility where she was raised. He picked up on her nervousness though, and began to walk around behind her. "That coat looks too hot to be wearing indoors. Here, let me help you out of it." He slid a hand along her shoulder and under the neck of her coat, and she almost flinched away when his fingers met the flesh of her neck. "It's alright, darling, I'm not going to bite." He slowly pulled the coat back and off her shoulders, then let it slide down her arms. "...much."
She gasped as his hand gripped the back of her neck and squeezed tight, throwing her forward onto the bed. She stumbled the distance and landed face-first, then rolled over to watch him approach, a lecherous smile curving his lips as fevered lust clouded his eyes. "They told me this was your first time, so I'll be sure and make it rough." The smile grew wider as he came closer, and his hands reached out like claws toward her. The way he looked at her was very different from that of the bike messenger, and she didn't like this gaze one little bit. To him, she wasn't even a weapon whose craftsmanship you could be proud of, she was just a thing that was here to please him.
On instinct, she raised her leg and planted it on his chest, keeping him from coming any closer, though the expression on her face wasn't one of fear like he'd expected. Instead, it was a mix of confusion, anger, and revulsion. She'd heard there were men like this, read about them in files and dossiers, but never before had she actually met one as vile as the man before her. She was disgusted. His cruel smile turned into a small snarl as his hand slapped her leg away, and he made it only one more step before her foot circled around and returned to his chest, pushing him back to where he'd been before. She was stronger and faster than she looked, he noted, and decided to change tack.
"Very well, little flower. We'll do it your way. For now." His hands slipped down the length of her boot-clad leg until they met the flesh of her thigh, then his fingers found their way to her laces. "Slow at first, as a favor to your employer, but afte..." He was cut off by the sound of leather being cut and the sensation of the tip of a warm blade against his throat. She should have ended it then and there, all her training told her to simply extend the claw further and drive it through his skull, but something stopped her. She'd never killed a man before, never taken a life in cold blood. This felt different somehow from the training she'd been through, felt wrong. That moment of hesitation was all her target needed, though, and while he didn't move from his position, unwilling as he was to risk having his jaw split in two, he lifted his head enough to shout for help.
"GUA..." The gurgling sound of a man choking on his own blood and trying to breath through a hole in his throat replaced the shout as the claw extended seemingly of its own accord, then 23's leg jerked to the side, tearing the gash open wide. She watched in horror as he fell to the floor and the word "FAIL" flickered across her vision, followed by orders to return to base for re-evaluation. No! This can't be it! She can't have failed! She had to prove herself! She was ready for this!
She didn't have long to beat herself up, however, as the last attempted shout of the target had alerted his guards to a problem, and both of them came barging into the room almost simultaneously. They had their guns out and aimed at her, taking in the scene in an instant. Their eyes narrowed when they fell on the body of their boss, and their guns spit lead at the petite form of the girl on the bed. Except she wasn't on the bed anymore. The split second it had taken them to confirm the threat had been too long, and she'd already covered half the distance before the first shot rang out, ducking beneath their aim to cover the remaining distance before reaching up to grab the gun barrel of the nearest guard. She twisted toward the thumb while simultaneously pulling down, applying upward pressure with her shoulder as she came up to a standing position facing away from him. The gun slipped out of his hand easily with a grunt of pain from the man himself, and she drove her other elbow up into his face, knocking him out cold with one blow and breaking his nose in the process.
She followed up by gripping the wrist of his extended arm and pulling his weight onto her back, then thrusting backward with her legs, throwing his unconscious body into the other guard. She spun and half raised the gun before remembering her orders to keep non-target casualties to a minimum, and instead of pulling the trigger she jumped to her right, planted a foot on the wall, then pushed off and drove her knee into the side of the second guard's head just as he was recovering from catching his buddy. He was out cold before he hit the ground.
She landed in a crouch, her breath calm and steady and the adrenaline well under control now. Her mind still reeled at the fact that they had forced her to kill a man, but she pushed the thought to the back of her head. There wasn't time to deal with it now. She had to escape. Had to evade the police and the rest of her target's thugs and make it back to the rendezvous point.
If she hadn't been so shocked at what her handlers had done, at what they'd forced her to do, she might have remembered to pull the bodies fully inside, close the door, and clean herself up before leaving, but she was too shaken to think clearly, apart from that singlular, all-encompassing need to escape. She left a trail of bloody footprints down the hall as she ran for the stairs and a scream echoed behind her. One of the other guests coming out to investigate the noise and finding the bodies. They'd be calling the police now. She only had a few minutes before they arrived and her mission became much more bloody.
She took the stairs this time, it would be too easy to get trapped in an elevator, and jumped down entire flights at a time until she saw a pair of policemen climbing up toward her. They weren't supposed to be here yet! How did they get here so fast? The questions flashed through her mind even as she spun around without hesitation and ran the other way, back up the stairs until she reached the roof. She slammed into the metal door to force it open, but it didn't budge. That meant a deadbolt lock, or several if they really wanted tight security. She removed the problem by unsheathing a single claw and sliding it down the crack in the door, shearing off any locks that were preventing her escape. Once on the roof, she ran to the edge, looking frantically for any way to escape. There was a building across the street, shorter than the one she was on but still an impossible distance away for any human.
She retreated to the far side of the roof, taking a runners stance before setting off at full speed toward the edge, just as the cops burst out of the door. They must have heard her running and followed. Or seen the bloody footprints. Cops were observant like that. They didn't hesitate when they caught sight of her, and even though they could barely track her speeding form they raised their guns and opened fire. That was also against procedure, her training told her. Something tickled the back of her mind, a realization that hadn't quite fully formed yet. Something that tugged at her like a relentless child begging for attention. She shoved it aside and pushed herself harder, faster. She had to make this jump. She had no other choi... "AGH!"
She cried out as a bullet bit into her leg, just as she was pushing off of the roof. She faltered, the muscle giving out in the split second before she went airborne as she realized with horror that she wasn't going to make it. This was gonna hurt.
The cops ran to the building's edge as soon as she dropped below it, looking down at the twisted form of the young girl sprawled on the street below. One of them reached to the radio clipped to his shoulder. "Base, this is Alpha team. Twenty-three is down. Repeat, twenty-three is down. Moving in for retrieval." Both cops left the roof and headed for the lobby, then out onto the street, but when they arrived on scene, all that remained was a blood smear on the pavement.
The girl was gone.
Character You Wish To Play: X-23/Laura Kinney
Moral Alignment (Hero, Villain, Walking the Line): Walking the Line
Affiliation (what group/team/organization, if any, is your character affiliated with?): None currently
Character Origin & Backstory:
Random Descriptors:
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 180 lbs (due to vibranium-laced skeleton)
Hair: Black
Eyes: Green
History:
All her life, X-23 had only known the inside of the secret weapon X facility where she was raised, only known the countless hours of mental conditioning and physical training she was subjected to as they molded her into the perfect weapon. Even before she fully matured, she was a finer combatant than any of the human agents that trained her, and could surpass them all in strength, speed, agility, and endurance. Initial hesitancy to accept the girl as a worthy successor to the man she was meant to replace began to vanish as she matured, and some even began to believe she would surpass the Wolverine in ability, becoming an even greater asset than they had once hoped he would be.
As the results of her training and conditioning continued to come in at well above their expectations, they began to shape her into a weapon of the future, a weapon geared toward the threats of a new world, where war was conducted from the safety of one's own homeland and governments were toppled with manipulation instead of firepower. Where the Wolverine would have been a weapon of brute force and savagery, this X-23 could possess every bit of those qualities, but also be tempered to engage in more subtle tactics. Tactics that were quickly becoming necessary in the changing world of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Where the Wolverine would have been sent to wipe out entire enemy strongholds wholesale, X-23 could slip in undetected under the guise of an innocent young woman, playing on the emotions of her targets to strike swiftly and surgically, before they even knew they were dead. She was a precision instrument, a scalpel with which they could remove the cancerous members of society, rather than the brute force claymore that the Wolverine once represented.
In the end, they were immensely pleased with their new weapon, and once her training and conditioning was complete they initiated the final step of the project. The last item before she would be released on the world to service the agenda of the highest bidder. They had to graft her skeleton with vibranium, turning her from a mere soldier into a nearly invincible killing machine. While this new coating would not be as durable as the Adamantium grafted to the Wolvernine, it would be sufficient to render her bones and ligaments capable of absorbing tremendous amounts of force unharmed, while still allowing her to pass unhindered through metal detectors and most other forms of security. Where Adamantium turned Wolverine's claws a shiny silver, X-23's would be altered to a dark, non-reflective gray hue, capable of cutting through nearly any substance thanks to their monomolecular edge and the vibratory energy they generate on contact with metals and other similarly dense materials.
The procedure was a success, as it had been with the Wolverine, and once she had been fitted with a spinal implant allowing them complete control of her actions, she was sent on her first mission, the mission that would brand her as either a resounding success or an abysmal failure, as no amount of tests or training could adequately measure a weapons performance in the real world. Only exposure to the world itself could do that, and now it was time for X-23 to prove her mettle.
Powers and Abilities (What can you're character do? What can't they do?):
With genetics derived from those of the man known as the Wolverine, X-23 possesses an exceedingly potent healing factor that allows her to recover from nearly any wound exponentially faster than any human, healing gunshots and knife wounds in seconds, and even re-attaching an arm after it was severed during a particularly grueling training exercise. The limb returned to full function in moments, and she passed the exercise with flying colors. This healing ability also renders X-23's bodily tissues far more resistant to harm than those of a normal human, allowing her to exert far more force on her body without causing damage to herself. This allows her to match and even exceed the strength and speed of human males in peak physical condition, despite her small frame and slender muscles.
The claws she inherited from her "father" are similar in position and function to Wolverines, but some slight genetic alterations granted her two claws between the first and second toes on her feet, each slightly shorter than the two in each forearm, though still just as sharp.
In addition to this, she also possesses Wolverine's potent animalistic senses and instincts, allowing her to see, hear, and smell better than any normal human, and at much greater distances. This makes her one of the world's foremost hunters and trackers, though her lack of experience means this ability is still inferior to that possessed by Wolverine himself.
Similar to the adamantium that was bonded to Wolverine, X-23's entire skeleton and the connective tissues holding it together have been reinforced with a vibranium coating that renders her bones able to absorb tremendous impact, as well as being unbreakable to all but the strongest of foes. Her claws have also been coated with a chemically altered variation of vibranium that emits intense vibratory energy on contact with metals and other similarly dense materials, allowing them to cut through nearly any substance. This vibranium coating also renders her mind extremely difficult to detect and manipulate telepathically.
While her physical powers and abilities are impressive, it is her mind and training that truly make X-23 a living weapon, capable of handling any modern weapon with exceptional skill, along with nearly every known weapon of the past, from bows to swords to lengths of wood. In her hands, literally anything she can lift can become a weapon of lethal effectiveness, and in the absence of any usable items her own body can be used to kill just as effectively without her claws as with them.
In order to complement and temper her lethal skills with the application of subtlety, she was also trained to use the arts of hacking, acting, and seduction in order to successfully infiltrate the lairs of her targets. She is skilled at playing on the emotions of her victims and has used her large eyes to garner sympathy with just as much success as she has her body to engender lust.
All these skills and abilities are utilized in conjunction in order to keep herself a step ahead of her targets until it's already too late, and then used with equal effectiveness to extract herself from any situation created after the deed is done. In order to allow her the best possible ability to carry out these tactics, she is given as much autonomy of action as the mission parameters allow, though any illusion of free will is exactly that, and her handlers will clamp down control without hesitation if they deem her autonomy too hazardous to the mission or her continued operations.
Sample arcs:
A) Break free of the control of Harkins and the Facility.
B) Learn to live in the world as a human instead of a weapon.
C) Discover her origins and how the Facility got their hands on her.
D) Track down and meet her "father", the mutant known as Wolverine.
Her heartbeat was fast and adrenaline pumped wildly through her veins as she stepped through the large double-door entrance to the hotel where she knew her target would be staying. Her nerves were on edge and her body almost shook with the nervous excitement that had been building ever since she'd been told about her mission. Her own mission! A real mission, out in the real world. She'd never had a solo mission before, only going along as an observer to see how the full agents did things. But she was finally more than just an observer, they had finally given her a mission of her own.
She glanced around the large room for a few moments before her eyes settled on the receptionist behind the desk, and she checked her outfit in a tall mirror on the wall behind her before approaching the woman. She wore a tight corset and miniskirt, with thigh-high lace-up boots and enough eye-liner and mascara to cover any number of imagined bruises. The entire outfit would make it perfectly clear why she was here, and was only partially covered by a thigh-length overcoat. The receptionist gave her a disdainful twist of the lips before covering her slip up with a practiced smile.
"I'm here to see Mr. Smith in room twenty-four-oh-seven." 23 put on her best coy smile for the receptionist, who only smiled back. "He should be expecting me."
"One moment, miss." She didn't want to know the girl's name. She never did when that type came in here. It would only be dignifying their profession, and there were few things she would dislike more than dignifying a prostitute. She picked the receiver up off her desk phone, and punched in the number for room 2407, then spoke quietly for a few moments with the voice on the other end before hanging up and turning back to 23. "He said to send you right up. Have a good evening, miss."
23 Smiled again and thanked the receptionist before heading to the elevator, knowing exactly how hard it had been for the other woman to utter those last few words. She could smell the disdain from halfway across the lobby, and the scent was still burning her nostrils five floors later. She huffed loudly to clear it from her nose, then glanced at the elevator's other occupant, a bike messenger by the looks of him. She flashed him a nervous smile, trying to act like a normal girl who'd just embarrassed herself. "Sorry."
"No, It's, uh... fine." His eyes dropped from her face as she turned toward him slightly, revealing the front of the outfit through the gap in her coat. She breathed deep as his eyes dropped, pushing her bosom up to accentuate her cleavage. Better he remember that than her face. When the elevator dinged and the doors opened, he was jolted back to his senses and realized it was his floor.
"It was, um... nice to meet you! I've just got this package to drop off then I'll be...." He was still mumbling as the doors cut him off, and her nervous smile faded the instant he could no longer see her. She knew that anyone who got in the way of her mission was expendable, and someone like him would have been easier to eliminate than most. If they didn't make her do it herself, they'd send another agent to put him down. Unless, of course, he wasn't considered a liability, and who would think of some boob-obsessed nerd as a liability? Besides, they'd told her to avoid non-target casualties. It was part of her mission to keep him from remembering anything that could identify her. It had nothing to do with how it had felt to be looked at like a woman instead of a weapon.
When the elevator hit the 24th floor, she stepped gingerly out of the car, the adrenaline coming on even stronger now that she was so close to her target. She had to focus just to keep her hands from shaking. This was finally it! She was about to take out her first target and prove herself to the agency. Prove that she was just as good an operative as they'd trained her to be. She knocked hesitantly on the door to room 2407, and it opened a few moments later to reveal a clearly inebriated man in a disheveled suit.
"Welcome! Come in, come in." He gestured her forward and she followed him into the room, catching the scent of two more men before she even crossed the threshold. Panic rushed through her, this wasn't supposed to be part of the mission! He was supposed to be alone with her! The guards should have been off-duty by now. What had changed? Something had changed and she needed to know what. Was she compromised? Had they been tipped off about her? She dropped her head to cover as much of her face as possible with her hair, and was relieved when her target addressed the guards first instead of her.
"Ivan, Victor, you know how much I appreciate your services, but I think I can handle this little crisis on my own." He winked knowingly in 23's direction, as if trying to make some crude joke, but neither of the men even cracked a smile. They just nodded, said yessir, and left the room, closing the door behind them. Good, one problem dealt with. Now to focus on the other.
"Come in, dearie. Make yourself at home!" She fidgeted nervously, not sure how to do that exactly. To her, home had always been the training rooms and bunks at the facility where she was raised. He picked up on her nervousness though, and began to walk around behind her. "That coat looks too hot to be wearing indoors. Here, let me help you out of it." He slid a hand along her shoulder and under the neck of her coat, and she almost flinched away when his fingers met the flesh of her neck. "It's alright, darling, I'm not going to bite." He slowly pulled the coat back and off her shoulders, then let it slide down her arms. "...much."
She gasped as his hand gripped the back of her neck and squeezed tight, throwing her forward onto the bed. She stumbled the distance and landed face-first, then rolled over to watch him approach, a lecherous smile curving his lips as fevered lust clouded his eyes. "They told me this was your first time, so I'll be sure and make it rough." The smile grew wider as he came closer, and his hands reached out like claws toward her. The way he looked at her was very different from that of the bike messenger, and she didn't like this gaze one little bit. To him, she wasn't even a weapon whose craftsmanship you could be proud of, she was just a thing that was here to please him.
On instinct, she raised her leg and planted it on his chest, keeping him from coming any closer, though the expression on her face wasn't one of fear like he'd expected. Instead, it was a mix of confusion, anger, and revulsion. She'd heard there were men like this, read about them in files and dossiers, but never before had she actually met one as vile as the man before her. She was disgusted. His cruel smile turned into a small snarl as his hand slapped her leg away, and he made it only one more step before her foot circled around and returned to his chest, pushing him back to where he'd been before. She was stronger and faster than she looked, he noted, and decided to change tack.
"Very well, little flower. We'll do it your way. For now." His hands slipped down the length of her boot-clad leg until they met the flesh of her thigh, then his fingers found their way to her laces. "Slow at first, as a favor to your employer, but afte..." He was cut off by the sound of leather being cut and the sensation of the tip of a warm blade against his throat. She should have ended it then and there, all her training told her to simply extend the claw further and drive it through his skull, but something stopped her. She'd never killed a man before, never taken a life in cold blood. This felt different somehow from the training she'd been through, felt wrong. That moment of hesitation was all her target needed, though, and while he didn't move from his position, unwilling as he was to risk having his jaw split in two, he lifted his head enough to shout for help.
"GUA..." The gurgling sound of a man choking on his own blood and trying to breath through a hole in his throat replaced the shout as the claw extended seemingly of its own accord, then 23's leg jerked to the side, tearing the gash open wide. She watched in horror as he fell to the floor and the word "FAIL" flickered across her vision, followed by orders to return to base for re-evaluation. No! This can't be it! She can't have failed! She had to prove herself! She was ready for this!
She didn't have long to beat herself up, however, as the last attempted shout of the target had alerted his guards to a problem, and both of them came barging into the room almost simultaneously. They had their guns out and aimed at her, taking in the scene in an instant. Their eyes narrowed when they fell on the body of their boss, and their guns spit lead at the petite form of the girl on the bed. Except she wasn't on the bed anymore. The split second it had taken them to confirm the threat had been too long, and she'd already covered half the distance before the first shot rang out, ducking beneath their aim to cover the remaining distance before reaching up to grab the gun barrel of the nearest guard. She twisted toward the thumb while simultaneously pulling down, applying upward pressure with her shoulder as she came up to a standing position facing away from him. The gun slipped out of his hand easily with a grunt of pain from the man himself, and she drove her other elbow up into his face, knocking him out cold with one blow and breaking his nose in the process.
She followed up by gripping the wrist of his extended arm and pulling his weight onto her back, then thrusting backward with her legs, throwing his unconscious body into the other guard. She spun and half raised the gun before remembering her orders to keep non-target casualties to a minimum, and instead of pulling the trigger she jumped to her right, planted a foot on the wall, then pushed off and drove her knee into the side of the second guard's head just as he was recovering from catching his buddy. He was out cold before he hit the ground.
She landed in a crouch, her breath calm and steady and the adrenaline well under control now. Her mind still reeled at the fact that they had forced her to kill a man, but she pushed the thought to the back of her head. There wasn't time to deal with it now. She had to escape. Had to evade the police and the rest of her target's thugs and make it back to the rendezvous point.
If she hadn't been so shocked at what her handlers had done, at what they'd forced her to do, she might have remembered to pull the bodies fully inside, close the door, and clean herself up before leaving, but she was too shaken to think clearly, apart from that singlular, all-encompassing need to escape. She left a trail of bloody footprints down the hall as she ran for the stairs and a scream echoed behind her. One of the other guests coming out to investigate the noise and finding the bodies. They'd be calling the police now. She only had a few minutes before they arrived and her mission became much more bloody.
She took the stairs this time, it would be too easy to get trapped in an elevator, and jumped down entire flights at a time until she saw a pair of policemen climbing up toward her. They weren't supposed to be here yet! How did they get here so fast? The questions flashed through her mind even as she spun around without hesitation and ran the other way, back up the stairs until she reached the roof. She slammed into the metal door to force it open, but it didn't budge. That meant a deadbolt lock, or several if they really wanted tight security. She removed the problem by unsheathing a single claw and sliding it down the crack in the door, shearing off any locks that were preventing her escape. Once on the roof, she ran to the edge, looking frantically for any way to escape. There was a building across the street, shorter than the one she was on but still an impossible distance away for any human.
She retreated to the far side of the roof, taking a runners stance before setting off at full speed toward the edge, just as the cops burst out of the door. They must have heard her running and followed. Or seen the bloody footprints. Cops were observant like that. They didn't hesitate when they caught sight of her, and even though they could barely track her speeding form they raised their guns and opened fire. That was also against procedure, her training told her. Something tickled the back of her mind, a realization that hadn't quite fully formed yet. Something that tugged at her like a relentless child begging for attention. She shoved it aside and pushed herself harder, faster. She had to make this jump. She had no other choi... "AGH!"
She cried out as a bullet bit into her leg, just as she was pushing off of the roof. She faltered, the muscle giving out in the split second before she went airborne as she realized with horror that she wasn't going to make it. This was gonna hurt.
The cops ran to the building's edge as soon as she dropped below it, looking down at the twisted form of the young girl sprawled on the street below. One of them reached to the radio clipped to his shoulder. "Base, this is Alpha team. Twenty-three is down. Repeat, twenty-three is down. Moving in for retrieval." Both cops left the roof and headed for the lobby, then out onto the street, but when they arrived on scene, all that remained was a blood smear on the pavement.
The girl was gone.
Nosuchthing as good writing
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8 mos ago
Player Name: Nosuchthing
Character You Wish To Play: Anna Marie (Rogue)
Moral Alignment (Hero, Villain, Walking the Line): Walking the Line
Affiliation (what group/team/organization, if any, is your character affiliated with?): None currently
Character Origin & Backstory: Anna Marie has not had a happy life, though she grew up relatively happily as a normal child, raised by loving parents, her genetic potential would intervene to ensure that this average existence would not continue. She was only thirteen, in the full throes of puberty and finally beginning to discover who she was as a person when everything she ever knew changed for ever. At the time mutants were not known of, but her father's predisposition towards intolerance could perhaps be a warning as to what was to follow.
Like many children that age, Anna Marie had begun to notice the opposite sex, in this case a boy around her age called Cody. Cody became her first boyfriend, and her first regret. Her powers manifested during, or a short time before their first kiss, putting the boy in a coma for three days. Her father was not, perhaps, the man he should have been, and if he had then things would not be as they are. Terrified of the demon his child appeared to be, he disowned her, throwing her out and telling her to never darken his door again.
Abandoned and alone, Anna Marie wandered around the states, rapidly running low on cash and any way to survive, when she was discovered by an old woman in a bus station, a woman who, it turned out, was a powerful mutant in her own right. The still young and impressionable Anna Marie was taken in by Mystique and raised as a powerful mutant, she took to calling her saviour ‘Mama’ and was trained in her abilities, practising on her team mates. When Mystique deemed her old enough, she started taking her on some of the groups missions, often stealing documents or valuable equipment. Anna Marie’s abilities proved undeniably useful, until the day that Mystique set a trap for her then-nemesis, Carol Danvers, better known as Ms. Marvel, a 17 year old girl with amazing superhuman abilities.
Ms. Marvel attempted to intervene in their illicit activities, terrified and forced to defend herself Anna Marie drained her powers, but she held on for a long time, longer than she had ever done before. Ms. Marvel was rendered powerless and reduced to a coma, one that showed no sign of lifting. Anna Marie remained with the team for a short time after that, but traumatised and wracked with guilt, left her home once again. She was 18, no longer a child, but still too young for the responsibilities her powers have forced upon her.
Seeking something close to a normal life, Anna Marie, now a wanted criminal, stays in one place as long as she can until someone recognises her, waiting until hopefully enough time passes and people will forget her face, and finally leave her in peace.
Powers and Abilities (What can your character do? What can't they do?): Anna Marie has the potential to be an extremely potent mutant, but several self-inflicted mental blocks lie in the way of her unlocking her true potential and truly controlling her abilities. She possesses what has been described as a fluid genome, one that can change and adapt to the changing situation, or more specifically, to the powers of whatever mutant she happens to be touching at the time. This has a number of effects, contact with what appears to be any living being, human or not, begins the process, she begins to drain what seems to be life force from her target, this is a painful and difficult experience for those she touches, and is far from pleasant for her as well. Those affected by her touch can struggle, but the weakening effect that comes with it makes it difficult to willingly break the bond. This ability does not simply draw energy, should the target be possessed of special abilities, then Anna Marie will replicate them herself, this includes both natural and artificial mutants, but not abilities that are magical in nature. This is not a permanent effect unless the contact is excessively prolonged, but a contact of a few seconds is enough to induce weakness in her target and grant her their abilities for a few minutes. With the powers also come memories, and even in some cases, entire personalities, though Anna Marie is not yet aware of the extent of this ability.
In addition to this ability Anna Marie possesses a whole host of abilities she has received from her prolonged contact with Ms. Marvel.
Superhuman Strength – Superhumanly strong, she can lift huge weights and throw punches through walls. Though it has never been properly measured, Anna Marie is capable of throwing cars with relative ease, and is likely capable of lifting approximately fifty tons.
Superhuman Stamina – Anna Marie can physically exert herself for many hours until her muscles produce enough fatigue toxins to truly slow her down.
Superhuman Speed – A side effect of enhanced strength, Anna Marie can push herself faster than any normal human could.
Superhuman Durability – Anna Marie is considerably more resistant to physical damage than any normal human, thanks to the enhanced tissue density granted by Ms. Marvels abilities. To the extent that she could take a hit from a bullet without breaking stride, though armour piercing rounds might give her pause.
Flight – Anna Marie is capable of defying the forces of gravity and taking flight.
Sample Story Arcs: Opening Arc – Anna Marie is minding her own business and trying to hold a job down, unfortunately, this proves more problematic than she had hoped, either someone recognises her face from old news reports, or she accidentally uses her abilities, outing her, and is forced to flee.
Is it getting crowded in here? – Carol Danvers wakes up, inside Anna Marie’s head, I always loved this story arc in the old X-men cartoon series but I’d like to explore it a little more, perhaps with more of a dialogue going on instead of Carol Danvers simply trying to drive her insane. Perhaps as a close to the arc Carol’s old feelings for Spiderman surface and confused by having to deal with two people’s feelings in her head Anna Marie makes her way to New York to track down Spiderman
Redemption – Anna Marie has done a lot of bad things, but at the core she is not a bad person, perhaps just a misguided one, it would be nice if perhaps through Spiderman she encounters the Xmen, finally finding a mentor and someone to help her with her rapidly spiralling personality issues.
Sample Post (This is used as an introduction to your writing – try to keep it to around three paragraphs or more and try to include dialogue):
“Anna we got your order here.”
“Sure thing hun, ah’m comin’.”
The waitress’ honeyed tones were becoming familiar in the diner now. She had only been there for perhaps three months, but she was already becoming a favoured server among the small establishments regular patrons. Her attractive appearance helped, but her kind and sweet personality helped to win over those not enamoured by her physical appearance.
She made her way behind the counter, grabbing the piled trays and whirling on in a movement that demonstrated obvious practice. She took it back in front of the counter and swayed over to the first table, handling the two trays with an ease that belied her size. She slapped them down in front of the Renton family. The father was a big guy, but running slightly to fat now, while his wife was diminutive by comparison. The son was about her age, just back from College it seemed, and had been eyeing her up. He was cute, she couldn’t deny that, and seemed nice enough, but even if he did pluck up the courage to ask her out, nothing could ever come of it. She sighed internally.
“Here ya go guys, tuck in, ya gotta have a big appetite to eat all o’ that hun.”
The father laughed and reached across to clap his son on the shoulder, “oh don’t worry he’s got a big appetite, he’s the star quarterback of his college team.”
“Well ain’t that impressive, he must have all the ladies after him at college.”
The father had evidently noticed his son’s interest, but Anna wasn’t going to rise to the bait, never could, for fear she might do worse than she already had. Cody, not to mention all those since, notably Ms. Marvel. It was true that her abilities had been very helpful since then, but the woman was still in a coma. Anna Marie could barely sleep these days without seeing the look of terror on the woman’s face as her life drained away. Not to mention the strange thoughts that seemed to be appearing in her head without her putting them there.
Maybe you’re going mad...
Character You Wish To Play: Anna Marie (Rogue)
Moral Alignment (Hero, Villain, Walking the Line): Walking the Line
Affiliation (what group/team/organization, if any, is your character affiliated with?): None currently
Character Origin & Backstory: Anna Marie has not had a happy life, though she grew up relatively happily as a normal child, raised by loving parents, her genetic potential would intervene to ensure that this average existence would not continue. She was only thirteen, in the full throes of puberty and finally beginning to discover who she was as a person when everything she ever knew changed for ever. At the time mutants were not known of, but her father's predisposition towards intolerance could perhaps be a warning as to what was to follow.
Like many children that age, Anna Marie had begun to notice the opposite sex, in this case a boy around her age called Cody. Cody became her first boyfriend, and her first regret. Her powers manifested during, or a short time before their first kiss, putting the boy in a coma for three days. Her father was not, perhaps, the man he should have been, and if he had then things would not be as they are. Terrified of the demon his child appeared to be, he disowned her, throwing her out and telling her to never darken his door again.
Abandoned and alone, Anna Marie wandered around the states, rapidly running low on cash and any way to survive, when she was discovered by an old woman in a bus station, a woman who, it turned out, was a powerful mutant in her own right. The still young and impressionable Anna Marie was taken in by Mystique and raised as a powerful mutant, she took to calling her saviour ‘Mama’ and was trained in her abilities, practising on her team mates. When Mystique deemed her old enough, she started taking her on some of the groups missions, often stealing documents or valuable equipment. Anna Marie’s abilities proved undeniably useful, until the day that Mystique set a trap for her then-nemesis, Carol Danvers, better known as Ms. Marvel, a 17 year old girl with amazing superhuman abilities.
Ms. Marvel attempted to intervene in their illicit activities, terrified and forced to defend herself Anna Marie drained her powers, but she held on for a long time, longer than she had ever done before. Ms. Marvel was rendered powerless and reduced to a coma, one that showed no sign of lifting. Anna Marie remained with the team for a short time after that, but traumatised and wracked with guilt, left her home once again. She was 18, no longer a child, but still too young for the responsibilities her powers have forced upon her.
Seeking something close to a normal life, Anna Marie, now a wanted criminal, stays in one place as long as she can until someone recognises her, waiting until hopefully enough time passes and people will forget her face, and finally leave her in peace.
Powers and Abilities (What can your character do? What can't they do?): Anna Marie has the potential to be an extremely potent mutant, but several self-inflicted mental blocks lie in the way of her unlocking her true potential and truly controlling her abilities. She possesses what has been described as a fluid genome, one that can change and adapt to the changing situation, or more specifically, to the powers of whatever mutant she happens to be touching at the time. This has a number of effects, contact with what appears to be any living being, human or not, begins the process, she begins to drain what seems to be life force from her target, this is a painful and difficult experience for those she touches, and is far from pleasant for her as well. Those affected by her touch can struggle, but the weakening effect that comes with it makes it difficult to willingly break the bond. This ability does not simply draw energy, should the target be possessed of special abilities, then Anna Marie will replicate them herself, this includes both natural and artificial mutants, but not abilities that are magical in nature. This is not a permanent effect unless the contact is excessively prolonged, but a contact of a few seconds is enough to induce weakness in her target and grant her their abilities for a few minutes. With the powers also come memories, and even in some cases, entire personalities, though Anna Marie is not yet aware of the extent of this ability.
In addition to this ability Anna Marie possesses a whole host of abilities she has received from her prolonged contact with Ms. Marvel.
Superhuman Strength – Superhumanly strong, she can lift huge weights and throw punches through walls. Though it has never been properly measured, Anna Marie is capable of throwing cars with relative ease, and is likely capable of lifting approximately fifty tons.
Superhuman Stamina – Anna Marie can physically exert herself for many hours until her muscles produce enough fatigue toxins to truly slow her down.
Superhuman Speed – A side effect of enhanced strength, Anna Marie can push herself faster than any normal human could.
Superhuman Durability – Anna Marie is considerably more resistant to physical damage than any normal human, thanks to the enhanced tissue density granted by Ms. Marvels abilities. To the extent that she could take a hit from a bullet without breaking stride, though armour piercing rounds might give her pause.
Flight – Anna Marie is capable of defying the forces of gravity and taking flight.
Sample Story Arcs: Opening Arc – Anna Marie is minding her own business and trying to hold a job down, unfortunately, this proves more problematic than she had hoped, either someone recognises her face from old news reports, or she accidentally uses her abilities, outing her, and is forced to flee.
Is it getting crowded in here? – Carol Danvers wakes up, inside Anna Marie’s head, I always loved this story arc in the old X-men cartoon series but I’d like to explore it a little more, perhaps with more of a dialogue going on instead of Carol Danvers simply trying to drive her insane. Perhaps as a close to the arc Carol’s old feelings for Spiderman surface and confused by having to deal with two people’s feelings in her head Anna Marie makes her way to New York to track down Spiderman
Redemption – Anna Marie has done a lot of bad things, but at the core she is not a bad person, perhaps just a misguided one, it would be nice if perhaps through Spiderman she encounters the Xmen, finally finding a mentor and someone to help her with her rapidly spiralling personality issues.
Sample Post (This is used as an introduction to your writing – try to keep it to around three paragraphs or more and try to include dialogue):
“Anna we got your order here.”
“Sure thing hun, ah’m comin’.”
The waitress’ honeyed tones were becoming familiar in the diner now. She had only been there for perhaps three months, but she was already becoming a favoured server among the small establishments regular patrons. Her attractive appearance helped, but her kind and sweet personality helped to win over those not enamoured by her physical appearance.
She made her way behind the counter, grabbing the piled trays and whirling on in a movement that demonstrated obvious practice. She took it back in front of the counter and swayed over to the first table, handling the two trays with an ease that belied her size. She slapped them down in front of the Renton family. The father was a big guy, but running slightly to fat now, while his wife was diminutive by comparison. The son was about her age, just back from College it seemed, and had been eyeing her up. He was cute, she couldn’t deny that, and seemed nice enough, but even if he did pluck up the courage to ask her out, nothing could ever come of it. She sighed internally.
“Here ya go guys, tuck in, ya gotta have a big appetite to eat all o’ that hun.”
The father laughed and reached across to clap his son on the shoulder, “oh don’t worry he’s got a big appetite, he’s the star quarterback of his college team.”
“Well ain’t that impressive, he must have all the ladies after him at college.”
The father had evidently noticed his son’s interest, but Anna wasn’t going to rise to the bait, never could, for fear she might do worse than she already had. Cody, not to mention all those since, notably Ms. Marvel. It was true that her abilities had been very helpful since then, but the woman was still in a coma. Anna Marie could barely sleep these days without seeing the look of terror on the woman’s face as her life drained away. Not to mention the strange thoughts that seemed to be appearing in her head without her putting them there.
Maybe you’re going mad...
Player Name: Corsair
Character You Wish To Play: Natasha Romanova, Black Widow
Moral Alignment (Hero, Villain, Walking the Line): Hero
Affiliation: S.H.I.E.L.D.
Character Origin & Backstory: Who is the Black Widow? Well, if you asked the average person on the street they'd give you a look like you'd grown a second head, and ask "Who?" Ask someone in the right place, say, an analyst for the NSA or an old operator for Mossad (and actually get them to talk) and you'd get an interesting story.
Black Widow is an urban legend of the intelligence community. A Russian operative that predates the formation of the KGB, supposedly going all the way back to the Red Revolution, the most feared agent Russia had, a shadow that swept across the world, foiling Western plots in Moscow, confounding pursuers in Paris, and delivering defeat after defeat to agencies from the OSS to Shin Bet, a single terrifying figure over an impossibly long lifetime.
If you asked one person, and by some miracle she was honest, she'd tell a subtly different story. She was born in '28, lost her family in '42, and was recruited by the NKVD in '43. The particulars of these stories she glosses over, dismissing them as irrelevant at this point, eighty years hence. Her memories are a bit hazy of this period, she knows she spent most of the late '40s being trained, but she can't remember much of the details, just this image of a room lit by a single dim, red bulb. She knows that they did something to her body, did tests on her - she still has scars from the needles.
She spent most of the Cold War alternately chasing and being chased by agents of various spy agencies, and occasionally having her skills as an assassin put to use against the enemies of the state. She isn't proud of it, but she terminated dozens of potentially dangerous individuals during those years - a mixture of rebellious nationals of various Warsaw Pact states, problem members of the Communist Party, and Western operatives.
Nothing much seemed to change after the fall of the Soviet Union, Black Widow's masters continued their activities, but in the political fallout surrounding the collapse of the Warsaw Pact it became clearer to her that her activities were not serving to shore up the system, only sowing more chaos. To what ends she was never sure, but it was certainly nothing good. Over time their activities grew to more closely resemble terrorism than intelligence work. Her memories are spotty around this point, and she is reasonably certain that her masters were using some technique to wipe her recent memories, or possibly dosing her on some form of mind control drug - perhaps both.
In 2003, during an operation to stir up trouble in northern Afghanistan, Widow witnessed a British soldier rush into a blazing house to rescue a girl. The sight triggered a memory she had buried, of her own orphaning during the Battle of Stalingrad over sixty years before, and the heroic Red Army soldier who had selflessly rescued her from that blaze despite the danger. The conditioning that had ruled Widow's mind for decades cracked, and instead of continuing her mission she lowered her weapons and walked away, eventually finding her way to Hong Kong.
With the drugs the KGB had used to control her breaking down and leaving her system and the conditioning they had laid crumbling by years of doubt and one surging, emotional memory, she found herself confronting all the terrible acts she had done, the ones she could remember and the ones they had wiped away. For a time, Natasha Romanova tried to live a life as a normal person, but the guilt gnawed at her and would not let her rest.
In early 2005, about sixteen months since her departure from the KGB she turned herself into CIA custody - a fairly simple matter, appearing in the Director's office and revealing yourself to be The Black Widow is pretty convincing - and shortly thereafter being transferred into the holding facility for a secret organization who seemed more interested in what she knew and what she was than who she was - another example of the then-fledgling Superhumans, an artificial one in this case, but Superhuman nonetheless, and the first sign of an organized, hostile group with access to Superhumans.
Despite the suspicion she bore when Black Widow offered her services to that secret group it was accepted, and she has served with them since. Five years after her joining they revealed themselves to the world, becoming a publically known group, but Black Widow's role within S.H.I.E.L.D. remained as secret as the woman herself.
Powers and Abilities: Black Widow has over fifty years of experience in the world of espionage, and as far as she's concerned her tradecraft is second to none. She's a flawless liar, easily able to perfectly mask and fake any emotion the human mind can process and display, knows a library's worth of interrogation strategies - ranging from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s western-favored techniques to the KGB's more direct approach, and is ready and willing to use either at any time. Widow's a master of disguise, able to bury herself into a cover identity and change her voice, her stance, her walk, even the subtle way she holds her face to make identifying her more difficult. With access to cosmetic tools and various gadgets she can do far more.
She has training in martial arts ranging from Judo and Aikido to Sambo and Savate. In addition she is a master athlete, with remarkable speed and endurance, incredible flexibility and gymnastic skill, and is a master marksman with all styles of firearms, as well as training with a number of melee weapons - mostly knives and bayonets, but with a firm grounding in how to turn any object in her environment into a weapon, ranging from beating an opponent with a lead pipe to flinging them into hot pipes or live stovetops.
During her time with the Red Room Natasha endured a great deal of experimentation to enhance her capabilities, most notably a Russian knockoff of Captain America's Super-Serum. As a result her aging process has been slowed to 1/20th of the Human norm - despite being in her eighties her body remains the same as it was in her mid twenties. The serum has also granted her a supercharged immune system, she is effectively immune to infection and disease. Her other systems are similarly resistant to attack, protecting her from poison and intoxication from most sources, although weapons like sarin gas are still lethal to her, just slower. The serum grants her a strength more expected on a muscular man twice her size, stronger bones and tissues, and contributes greatly to her exceptional speed, endurance, dexterity, and reflexes.
She has a keen intellect, although she's not about to start poking holes in relativity - that's not her expertise, and she's nothing compared to someone like Stark or Richards. Her intelligence is better suited to the moment, the eminently practical and visible rather than the theoretical. She's a skillful tactician, easily capable of keeping track of numerous variables in a chaotic situation.
Sample Story Arcs: The Avengers: Widow's expertise would be invaluable to the Avengers, particularly if they were a S.H.I.E.L.D. backed organization as in the comics - in which case she would be an instrumental part in gathering the team. If they are not, it leaves potential for a story regarding Widow's conflict of loyalties, torn between her fellow heroes and her S.H.I.E.L.D. employers.
The Red Room: The secret branch of the KGB, still active even after the fall of the Soviet Union, and the ones who created the Black Widow. They have an investment and they aren't about to just let it go, it's likely they've spent the intervening years trying to find her. The Red Room could potentially be tied to HYDRA, certainly their methods are ghastly enough.
Price of Redemption: Black Widow has done some awful things in her past, some of which even she can't remember thanks to the tampering of the Red Room. Any number of people, organizations, and causes have been harmed by her activities during her decades with the KGB, and any number may want justice or revenge.
Sample Post: The interrogation room wasn't much to speak of. Widow was used to that, she felt like there were only two types of interrogation rooms - dirty ratholes, the kind you see in insurgent camps and North Korea, where the roof is cracked and the walls are mildewed and it hasn't so much as been hosed out since it was built, and the sterile, gray concrete kind with the drain in the floor. There was a narrow table in the middle of the room, and two chairs bolted to the floor. Her wrists were chained to the table, and even her prodigious strength couldn't budge it. There was a similar restraint binding her ankles to the chair, and the chair was pretty well secured into the floor, certainly tougher than the meager strength she could put into it from this position.
They'd let her stew in here for a few hours. Familiar turf, everyone did that. She'd taken the time to get a little sleep - that had also served to test the waters. If someone had come in, slammed the table, played a few blasts of loud music, and so on, they intended to make this unpleasant. But nothing, just an hour of blissful if uncomfortable silence.
When she opened her eyes she wasn't alone. A man in a cheap suit sat across from her. He looked like an accountant - receding brown hair with some gray creeping in, a face that had no real noticeable features, a cheap dark suit with a blue and gray striped tie. He was the kind of person your eyes just pass over, not even really registering they were there. Forty or so, she'd guess. Closer examination showed more to him - the slight bulge of a shoulder holster, a neck that showed defined muscle, and eyes that were as cold as ice and as focused as a laser.
"You say you're the Black Widow."
A sarcastic quip came to mind, but she suppressed it. That was really not the tack she wanted to take here. "I am. My name - at least, I think my name is Natasha Romanova."
He picked up a binder about a foot thick and dropped it on the table. She could read the front of it - BLACK WIDOW, in big bold characters. "We've been tracking your movements since the 1950s. Korea, Vietnam, Kosovo, Iran, Libya, Afghanistan, the list goes on. I have a man who put an arrow in your chest two years ago. How are you still alive?"
An arrow? She winced at the memory, remembering the operation in Budapest, that damn archer. She still had the scar from that arrow.
"The KGB gave me a serum, a long time ago. Something they stole, something like what the Americans used to make Captain America."
If that surprised The Accountant he didn't show it. He nodded. "That's very interesting, Miss Romanova." He reached down to his side and picked up a small metal briefcase, setting it on the table and opening it, withdrawing a syringe. "We'll need to have your blood analyzed. Please don't resist." His voice was as even as if he was telling her about the soup special, then he stood, walked around to her, and slid the needle into her forearm, easily finding the vein without any assistance from a tourniquet. A moment later he withdrew it, removed the vial from the syringe, and headed for the door, handing it to someone outside before returning to his seat.
"Let's talk about Korea."
It was a very, very long interrogation.
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