jumpscare | APPLICATIONS.

APPLICATIONS.

APPLICATIONS ARE CURRENTLY CLOSED.

Applications open on July 24 at 12:01AM EST. Please post your applications on this page!

You may app up to two characters per round. The total amount of characters you may have at this time is four. You may have two characters from the same canon, however these characters can not have met or will have no reason to do so in the future. We will decide this on a case-by-case basis.

Reserves are not a requirement. However, a reserve is an excellent way to state your intentions and to give us a heads up to research your canon and character so that we can process it faster.

If you are asked for revisions, then you have seventy-two hours to reply to the comment with what we have asked.

If you would like details on a rejection then you may PM the mod account or reply to the comment and we will be as detailed as possible.


	_________applications. ooc info; Name: (Your online handle.) Age: (Your age. Unfortunately, players below the age of 16 are not allowed.) Ways to contact: (Email, AIM, Plurk, etc.) Characters currently played: (List of characters currently played in the game. Character limit is currently 4.) character info; Character Name: (Your character's full name, in Western order. The characters may call themselves whatever they wish ICly, but for organization's sake we need this.) Canon: (Name of your character's canon.) Canon Link: (Link to your character's history/canon, i.e. wikipedia articles/informative fansites/etc.. If it's a particularly obscure canon with very little information available, you may write your own section to give us an overview of your character's history and world background.) Canon Point: (The point from which your character is pulled i.e. chapter 500, just before the final battle, after confessing their eternal love, etc.) Character Age: (Your character's age, or approximation thereof. Characters of all ages are allowed, though we request that if a character is under the age of 10, you fill out an additional section detailing their suitability for living in a post-apocalyptic world.) Character Suitability: (For characters under the age of 10 only. We need to know why the Caretakers would think such a young child would be strong enough to survive a zombie-infested earth and help to rebuild the world.) Personality: (The meat of the app. Tell to us your character's motivations, their likes and dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, relationships, and anything else you think is important in letting us know what makes them tick. A bunch of words doesn't always mean a good application, and we won't ask for an college essay, but we do require that this section be at least 350 words long, to show us you know what you're talking about and can elaborate appropriately.) Powers & Abilities: (Briefly describe any supernatural powers or abilities your characters may have i.e. healing spells, super strength, teleportation. Their powers will, of course, be severely dampened upon arriving, but perhaps, if seen as worthy, they can wake up to find it more potent than before.) Items on their Person: (List any items you character would have had with them upon being taken. Your character has to be holding or touching these items somehow for them to be brought with them. For example, items in the pockets of clothing or in a backpack will be brought along with you. Summoned weapons will also be brought, but they cannot be put back.) samples; ALL SAMPLES MUST BE SET IN THE GAME'S UNIVERSE. First Person Sample: (This is to showcase your character's dialogue, so while you may use [bracket action] when needed, this should be at least 5 spoken sentences. Remember, a sentence has to have a subject and a verb. Monosyllabic sounds do not count toward the minimum. If you're having difficulty thinking up a sample, you may request a Q&A for this portion instead, where we will give you 5 questions to be answered ICly.) Third Person Sample: (This is a prose portion, meant to showcase your character's thoughts and actions, as well as your own writing ability. Samples must be at least 300 words. Remember to use proper spelling, grammar, and paragraphs.) Additional Information: (Questions, comments, and additional miscellaneous facts about your character may be added here!) <b><big>OOC Info;</b></big> <b>Name:</b> (Your online handle.) <b>Age:</b> (Your age. Unfortunately, players below the age of 16 are not allowed.) <b>Ways to contact</b>: (Email, AIM, Plurk, etc.) <b>Characters currently played:</b> (List of characters currently played in the game. Character limit is currently 4.) <b><big>Character Info;</b></big> <b>Character Name</b>: (Your character's full name, in Western order. The characters may call themselves whatever they wish ICly, but for organization's sake we need this.) <b>Canon</b>: (Name of your character's canon.) <b>Canon Link:</b> (Link to your character's history/canon i.e. wikipedia articles/informative fansites/etc.. If it's a particularly obscure canon with very little information available, you may write your own section to give us an overview of your character's history and world background.) <b>Canon Point:</b> (The point from which your character is pulled i.e. chapter 500, just before the final battle, after confessing their eternal love, etc.) <b>Character Age</b>: (Your character's age, or approximation thereof. Characters of all ages are allowed, though we request that if a character is under the age of 10, you fill out an additional section detailing their suitability for living in a post-apocalyptic world.) <b>Character Suitability</b>: (For characters under the age of 10 only. We need to know why the Caretakers would think such a young child would be strong enough to survive a zombie-infested earth and help to rebuild the world.) <b>Personality</b>: (The meat of the app. Tell to us your character's motivations, their likes and dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, relationships, and anything else you think is important in letting us know what makes them tick. A bunch of words doesn't always mean a good application, and we won't ask for an college essay, but we do require that this section be at least 350 words long, to show us you know what you're talking about and can elaborate appropriately.) <b>Powers & Abilities</b>: (Briefly describe any supernatural powers or abilities your characters may have i.e. healing spells, super strength, teleportation. Their powers will, of course, be severely dampened upon arrival so please explain how you plan to limit these abilities.) <b>Items on their Person</b>: (List any items you character would have had with them upon being taken. Your character has to be holding or touching these items somehow for them to be brought with them. For example, items in the pockets of clothing or in a backpack will be brought along with you. Summoned weapons will also be brought, but they cannot be put back.) <b><big>Samples;</big></b> (All samples must be set in the game's universe) <b>First Person Sample</b>: (This is to showcase your character's dialogue, so while you may use <small>[bracket action]</small> when needed, this should be at least 5 spoken sentences. Remember, a sentence has to have a subject and a verb. Monosyllabic sounds do not count toward the minimum. If you're having difficulty thinking up a sample, you may request a Q&A for this portion instead, where we will give you <b>5</b> questions to be answered ICly.) <b>Third Person Sample</b>: (This is a prose portion, meant to showcase your character's thoughts and actions, as well as your own writing ability. Samples must be at least 300 words. Remember to use proper spelling, grammar, and paragraphs.) <b>Additional Information</b>: (Questions, comments, and additional miscellaneous facts about your character may be added here!)

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Name: Lauren
Age: 29
Ways to contact: email: unheard.rain [at] gmail (dot) com
Characters currently played: none

Character Info;
Character Name: Carl Grimes
Canon: The Walking Dead (comic)
Canon Link: TWD wiki
Canon Point: around issue 97
Character Age: most likely 8
Character Suitability: Carl already comes from the zombie apocalypse, and while bringing him in on his own makes me a terrible person he'd have more of an idea of what to do than a lot of the adults in this situation.

Personality: At the beginning of the series, we see Carl as an innocent seven-year-old child more interested in playing in the dirt with the other kids than thinking about the zombie crisis currently going on. But before the first seven chapters are up he's killed another human being.

He's forced to grow up a bit faster than most kids his age, and you can see the comparison between him and the rest of the children going through this crisis fairly early on. The simple fact that he was trusted with a gun to protect himself and gains all the responsibilities and hazards that come along with it means he deals with moral issues sooner. That said, with nearly a hundred chapters completed in the series so far, he's been more responsible with his gun use than most - only pulling it out when absolutely necessary, just as he was told.

This is one of the hardest times in anyone's life to have to deal with a situation like his, and you can tell he's still a child that's been forced into a more mature skin. The other children dealt with things differently. Sophia shoved the issue of her mother's death aside and pretended like the couple that took care of her after were her real parents. Ben failed to develop a certain sense of understanding in regard to death, eventually killing his own brother with the logic that he'd return after, actions that showed an unsettling fascination with death not belonging to a sane individual.

It's Carl's reaction to the discussion over what to do with Ben that shows his still childlike and simplistic mindset. He knew that Ben wasn't right anymore. While the adults all argued over what to do with him, as there was no place to send him where he might get the mental care he needed (if anything of that sort would ever help him at all) Carl snuck out in the middle of the night and put a bullet in Ben's head. To him, it's what had to be done. Everyone knew this, but was unwilling to act. When he tells his father later, it's clear that Rick agreed on this but hates that his son was the one to go through with it.

A lot of the childlike wonder has left Carl at this point in the series. He's become a rather serious individual, and has a hard time participating with the other kids in children's activities. When they arrive in a new settlement near D.C. and the kids all dress up to celebrate Halloween, he doesn't want to join in, thinking the whole thing a waste of time. He's also focused so hard on being strong that he doesn't always know when to just be a kid, and he doesn't understand when his father tells him just to let all his feelings out now and then.

He does still realize he's a child, and has no notion of doing too many activities more suited to grown men. He's also still fiercely attached to his father, the only member of his family he has left, to the point where he'll sneak away to join the man if he tries to leave his son with anyone else for any decent period of time. He's capable of taking care of himself to some degree, and managed it in a time when his dad was sick and unable to care for them, but being alone frightens him.

Should he not have his father in the game, he will definitely latch onto any safe looking group of adults - but also be exceptionally wary. A lot of the time, they've found, the zombies aren't the biggest threats in a zombie apocalypse. It's the other people.

He understands that killing someone is reserved only for when it needs to be done - when the safety of others is at stake. The couple of times he's done it, he hasn't enjoyed it and has cried after the fact. He still cries sometimes at night over killing Ben. His father told him right off after he killed Shane that taking a human life should never feel the same as taking out a zombie. Once you start enjoying it, you become the bad guy.

Carl looks up to his dad a lot, and has said he wants to be just as good of a leader someday. There have been times when Rick's actions have scared him, but he's more afraid of losing the man for good than anything he's done.

OOC Info;
Name: Natalie
Age: 23
Ways to contact: PM or Plurk (Magyums). I also have an AIM (Magyums) but I tend not to sign onto it that much.
Characters currently played: None!

Character Info;
Character Name: Anthony “Tony” Stark
Canon: Marvel Cinematic Universe: The Avengers

Powers & Abilities: Carl is a hundred percent human. No special powers here. He's also just a kid with no special skills aside from the ability to aim and shoot a gun.
Items on their Person: He carries a pistol with him, but probably not any ammo. It would likely be fully loaded when he arrived, but he'd be limited to those six (I'm assuming it's six) bullets until he found more - if he could. He also has his sheriff hat and jacket.

Samples;
First Person Sample:
Hey, uh... is anyone there?

I'm gonna count to three, and if no one comes out then I'm going in. [Taking a few steps closer to the barn, gun at the ready.] I mean it! If you're still alive, I'm not gonna hurt you, okay? And... if I yell it should attract the attention of any zombies, so I can just kill them when they come out!

...I'm probably just talking to myself. There's no one in there, is there?

Okay, I'm coming in! Please don't shoot at me if you're armed!

Third Person Sample:
The door was nudged open carefully with the end of a shovel. He knew better than to go sticking his hand in dark places when he didn't know what was past the opening. He hadn't gotten this far just to die on account of a stupid mistake like that. The door opened with a loud creak that caused him to pause momentarily, but if his yelling hadn't brought anything out so far then this shouldn't either.

Pulling the door open a bit further revealed that the inside wasn't as dark as he'd thought it would be. An opening in the loft above above allowed ribbons of daylight to fall to the hay-strewn floor below, a surface left blissfully clear of the dead bodies he'd come to find a normal sight upon entering a new building. Aside from the birds he heard fluttering about in the rafters when he walked in, it didn't look as though anyone had been in the barn in some time. That meant the previous owners had to have abandoned it at the onset of the epidemic and no one had taken shelter in it since. No living bodies meant nothing for zombies to come after.

If the walls were sturdy enough, it could make for a decent place to stay for a time, provided he could find something to bar the doors with. He didn't know if he trusted the stability of a barn when compared to an actual house, having never lived in a barn, but the way up to the loft looked like it would be easy to keep zombies from getting up to, and there weren't windows all over to make himself visible. If he was lucky, any masses of the undead would pass him by. If not, well...

There was a ladder in the shed across the yard, as well as a hand saw. The stairs up to the loft were simple and wooden, and though it took him some time to do, it wasn't impossible to saw them away to where he could kick them down and put the latter in its place. He could make a robe ladder eventually, something they could keep up top and roll down so they wouldn't have to worry about pulling up this one if zombies came in.

He was proud of himself for this foresight, which helped when it came to making himself comfortable for the night. Helped... but not enough. Sleep was still long in coming.

Additional Information: Carl is missing his right eye and a good chunk out of that side of his head due to a stray bullet. It would be bandaged upon his arrival.

Canon Point: Towards the very end of the movie. Loki’s army is destroying Manhattan and more of them are still coming through a portal between our world and deep space. In a last-ditch effort to stop them, Director Fury’s superiors send a nuclear missile towards the island, which Tony grabs and drives into the portal. Kind of a two-birds-one-stone deal to stop Manhattan from becoming a gigantic pothole, but it also exceeds the limits of his suit. He will be taken the moment after the Chitauri mother ship explodes and Tony loses consciousness.

Character Age: Mid-to-late thirties, probably 38 or 39 by this point.
Character Suitability:

Personality: Billionaire, genius, philanthropist, playboy. Tony Stark is the man that hacks into a PA system just to make his own theme music, and hates being handed things. And when a man tries to kick him out of a bar, he buys the bar, instead. His charisma is unstoppable. Tony Stark is very charming, and most dangerously of all, he’s aware of it. If he walks into a room and wants people to take notice, everyone is going to look at him. Loki and Beyoncé combined don’t have enough diva power to match him. He loves classic rock and heavy metal (bands such as, but not limited to AC/DC, Black Sabbath, and Def Leppard). He's a never-ending fountain of pop culture references, even the most obscure kind (referring to Thor as "Point Break" due to his resemblance to Patrick Swayze's character in the like-titled movie). And he seems vaguely educated in the Bible, due to the Jonah reference in the Avengers, and the Jericho missile in Iron Man, presuming Tony was the one that named it.

His attention span for things that don't interest him or he deems unimportant is about as long and extensive as a fly in a room full of dry shit, but as often as Tony drags his heels about early meetings, or turns up three hours late to previously scheduled appointments, he becomes focused and near-obsessive about the things that matter to him. Whether it’s his next mission as Iron Man, or a new project he’s been working on, he’s ready to trade food and sleep for gallons of coffee and all-nighters in his workshop.

Beneath the armor he has another protective exoskeleton surrounding his feelings. He doesn’t let people in so easily, even his now-girlfriend Pepper Potts. He uses his charm and sarcasm to keep people at an arm’s length. One notable example being the death of Phil Coulson: Tony is very obviously affected by his death, but calls Coulson an idiot for getting himself killed. And when he almost dies in space, his first reaction is to deflect from the moment and ramble. Not to say the humor is not legitimate: even when Tony is alone, and he's just talking to himself (note: he does this, quite often), he's cracking jokes at the expense of his surroundings.

This, the nature of his work, and the eccentricities he’s cultivated, makes Tony a very solitary creature. There are people he rubs elbows with at parties, the members of his staff, and the questionable women he sleeps with, but there are only a handful of people he’s truly close to—and his machines. Tony talks to his machines. He even made an AI to talk back to him.

There is Colonel James Rhodes (or “Rhodey,” as Tony prefers to call him), the liaison between the military and Stark Industries in the department of acquisitions. It's never outright specified in the films exactly how far back Tony and Rhodes go, or what events took place that led to them becoming friends and business partners. What is obvious is that Tony trusts him, and that trust seems to go both ways. Of course this doesn't stop Tony from driving Rhodes up the wall. Rhodes is the sensible one in the friendship (though granted most anyone seems sensible next to Tony Stark), often castigating Tony for his lax and irresponsible behavior, even referring to himself once as Tony’s babysitter, which is not entirely untrue, considering how many times he's had to clean up after Tony did something impulsive. More than once Rhodes has had to put his foot down with Tony, but even after they had a physical fight in Iron Man 2, Rhodes was able to quickly set aside his frustrations, and fight alongside Tony in the upgraded Mark II machine that he took from him.

It also bears mentioning that Rhodes has Tony listed as “the Starkster” in his cell phone, whether he intentionally gave him that nickname, or Tony put it there, himself, and Rhodes never got around to changing it.

Then of course, there is Virginia "Pepper" Potts, Tony’s personal assistant, who isn’t his right-hand woman as much as the right half of his brain walking and talking. Clearly she’s been with him for a long time, as she knows everything that helps get Tony through his life, from his business to his social security number. This makes him somewhat co-dependent on her, and at one point, he confides in her that she’s the only person he has. Later she confirms that the situation is mutual. Naturally, being the love interest in a superhero story, he’s had to save her on more than one occasion (though to be fair, she’s also bailed him out of a few life-threatening situations), and despite the fact that he can’t even remember her allergy to strawberries, Pepper means a great deal to him.

There is more than just a spark of attraction between them: both Pepper and Tony dance around each other, flirting and then drawing back (Pepper considering their professional situation, and Tony having enough sense to follow her lead), until the end of Iron Man 2, when they finally act on their feelings and get together. So by the time the Avengers rolls around, Pepper and Tony are an established couple. And despite his flirtatious nature, and his bedroom being purported to have had more female traffic than a (something), he seems fully devoted to her. In the final act of the movie, there is a nuclear weapon sent to destroy Manhattan that Tony redirects into a space portal, knowing it could mean a one-way trip, and he wouldn’t be able to escape. Pepper is the one that he calls.

However, despite Tony’s glorious lack of social tact, he does find it within him to be decent to other people (sometimes). In the first movie, he calls Pepper into his workshop to help him replace his arc reactor, and while she is stressed out about the process, even making a mistake that sends Tony into cardiac arrest at one point, he calmly and very kindly talks her through it. A similar scenario emerges in the Avengers when the helicarrier is attacked, and Tony is left alone with Steve to help him fix the propellers. He’s able to work with Steve and remain calm and patient despite Steve’s technological impairments and their heated exchange of words beforehand. And judging by his exchange in the Humvee and the way he interacts with crowds, he knows how to make people feel comfortable around him.

OOC Info;
Name: Crystal
Age: 24
Ways to contact: fancynewmail @ gmail ;

rehymenated
Characters currently played: n/a

Character Info;
Character Name: Elena Gilbert
Canon: The Vampire Diaries (television show)
Canon Link: »»»
Canon Point: 3.22, “The Departed”, when Matt’s truck hits the water off Wickery Bridge
Character Age: 18
Character Suitability: n/a

Tony is notorious for making impulsive, “ready, fire, aim” decisions, following his gut and what it tells him is right, first—Loki is not the only one that does what he wants. In the first Iron Man, he throws everyone off-guard by returning from Afghanistan and immediately announcing that he would be shutting down the part of his company that made weapons, and then again when he throws out the alibi everyone told him to stick to and comes out as Iron Man to the entire world. Iron Man 2 is a parade of these moments, from announcing Pepper as his successor to his company, to pushing a driver out of his car to enter a Monaco car derby. It’s not surprising that Natasha Romanov and S.H.I.E.L.D. would deem him incapable of playing well with others.

One of the major conflict points of the Avengers movie is how this group of people can learn to pool in their unusual talents and find their rhythm as a team, which wasn’t an easy feat, at first. On Tony’s end, he is predictably arrogant and disinterested in collaborating, exploding into the scene without proper warning, and then rushing to retrieve Loki from Thor without listening to Steve. Like Fury said, they needed a push (the death of Coulson) to put their differences aside and come together to avenge Coulson and save the world, and that includes Tony. He follows direction, has his team members’ backs, and by the end of the movie, Tony is even seen renovating his tower to house the other Avengers, so they could all live together in one place.

Since the advent of the superhero comic, a familiar origin story has popped up for most of these fellows: first, the parents have to die. Then through some kind of freak accident that alters their physical state (radioactive spider, gamma radiation, or a freakishly convenient bolt of lightning), they find their calling in protecting the good and fighting the bad guys. Both of Tony’s parents died in a car crash when he was a teenager, later enabling him to inherit his father’s company and take over the business of making weapons for the military. In the beginning of Iron Man, while speaking to a reporter, he shows zero remorse for the role that Stark Industries plays in warfare, even validating his actions while trying to charm the woman into his bed all in the same breath.

Two things change him: a missile that all but destroyed his heart and killed him, and Doctor Ho Yinsen. Doctor Yinsen, a fellow prisoner in Afghanistan, was the one that performed the surgery that saved Tony’s life, removing as much shrapnel as he could, and putting the electromagnet inside his chest. He is also the one that tells Tony the dark truth that he’s been naïve about all those years of his career: terrorists were using his weapons to murder innocent people. And the only reason they were keeping him alive was to build the Jericho missile for them. This information, and the futility of his physical situation, sends Tony into a brief state of hopelessness. But Yinsen pushes him to fight, and prevent this from becoming his legacy. Then when he gives his life so Tony could escape, he uses his last bit of energy to tell him not to waste his life.

These words are a turning point for Tony. It motivates him to change, devoting his life to protecting those he put in harm’s way. However Yinsen is also a heavy weight on his conscience. There is a scene in the Avengers where Steve Rogers is arguing with him, taking jabs at his character while Tony sasses back. Until Steve tells him, “I know guys with none of that worth ten of you.” There is a subtle, yet noticeable break in Tony’s offense after this line. It’s not hard to believe that he hears the truth in Steve’s criticism—that he even agrees with Steve, feeling deep down that he didn’t deserve to have someone sacrifice their life for his.

As much swag as he sends out into the universe, Tony is damaged, even before the socket was introduced to his chest cavity. He’s conflicted, arguably suffering from depression, with very few meaningful connections to the human world. His claim to fame—the outlet that he had been putting all his ideas into before Afghanistan—was profiting from death and destruction. Not to mention he spent most of his adult life believing that his father didn’t love him. At his lowest point, Tony probably gives his life the same monetary value as a used coffee filter. Iron Man is his redemption; it’s the one good thing that he did.

Not surprisingly, one defining aspect of Tony’s character is alcoholism. It's never outright said in the movies the way it is in the comics (where he identifies himself as a recovering alcoholic in certain issues), but there is a prevalence of scenes where Tony isn't either holding a drink or going to get one. The director of the first Iron Man movie, Jon Favreau, is quoted as saying, "Stark has issues with booze. That's part of who he is." Iron Man 2 was almost based on an issue from the seventies called Demons in a Bottle, where a series of events led Tony to try and pull a Leaving Las Vegas—without the hooker, but the heavy binge-drinking with the intent to kill himself. They changed direction, but getting wasted at his birthday party does cause a lot of things to bottom out for him, including losing one of his suits to Rhodes.

A lot of Tony's problems also stem from the relationship he had with his father--or lack thereof. Howard Stark was absent most of his life, but he’s still a presence that looms in his life. Howard pushed him to be the man that he is today (potentially one of the reasons Tony is conflicted about him, because he hates who he is), shipping him off to boarding school and grooming him to take over the company. When discussing his father with Director Fury, Tony describes him as cold and calculating. "He never told me that he loved me; he never even told me that he liked me."

Of course it turns out in the second movie that Howard adored his son, knowing that Tony would accomplish great things with the resources and scientific breakthroughs that Howard himself did not have in his time. Eerily enough, Tony is almost the spitting image of his dad. Compare Stark Expo from Iron Man 2 to the scene where Howard is introduced in Captain America—classic case of the apple and the tree.

Tony seems to have an aversion to rejection--whether he’s just not used to it, or hates it, all the same. Tony shoots down the conversation at first (telling Fury he doesn’t want to join his “super-secret boy band”). But when he meets with Fury again after Vanko was defeated and Tony had a new ticker that wasn’t slowly killing him, he seems taken aback by Natasha Romanov’s analysis of him. In fact, he even goes so far as to try and defend his case, pointing out that she had been shadowing him during abnormal circumstances (his screw-ups being in direct correlation to what he thought were his final days on earth), and he was changed.

Most superheroes choose to keep their identities under wraps, living two compartmentalized lives—Tony spontaneously announces who he is to the entire world in a highly publicized press conference. Everyone knows that Iron Man is Tony Stark and Tony Stark is Iron Man. He doesn’t even worry about his security the way fellow billionaire-genius-playboy-superhero Bruce Wayne does, as proven in the sequel when he makes a public statement worthy of a pro-wrestling arena about how nobody was brave enough to go toe-to-toe with him in the Iron Man suit. These actions say a lot about his character, his ego, and the fact that he wants to be a public about his actions. He doesn’t seem to worry too much about his enemies attacking him or his loved ones—the first part because his methods are much more definitive than Batman’s, not having the same code about not killing, and the second because he probably doesn’t consider it, too often.

It was a gutsy move, among many other gutsy moves. From testing Bruce Banner’s limits to openly threatening a demigod that killed eighty people in two days, Tony has iron balls, if nothing else. He has no reason to believe that his math is ever wrong, and he wouldn't be able to find a quick way to slip out of danger.

Despite everything that he has done in the Iron Man suit, no one has truly forgotten the Tony Stark that existed before he became Iron Man—mostly because he never really changed, from an outside perspective. And from a storytelling standpoint, this is probably for the best--Tony wouldn't be half as interesting if he made a total transformation and started kissing babies and rescuing harp seals from trees. He’s still obnoxious, eccentric, and madly in love with the sound of his own voice. So what would drive a womanizing egotist to jet around the world in a metal body cast, fighting terrorism and making innocent people feel safe? Apart from trying to score with one of those beauty queens that like world peace so much. Or maybe he just shoots to thrill, just like the song says.

When it comes to problem-solving, Tony takes a practical approach, concerned primarily with the success or failure of his actions (and even then, he often cares quite a bit more about his successes rather than that other thing). In fewer words, Tony is a pragmatist--a man that takes action, and believes that the ends will always justify the means.

Before his Humvee is attacked by the Ten Rings, Tony makes a speech to a military quadrant, claiming that he believed the best weapon was not one you never had to use, but one you only had to use once. Depending on your point of view, this statement could either be considered reprehensible and heartless, or chillingly honest. A lot of things changed about Tony when he returned from Afghanistan: he stopped producing weapons, and chose to focus on arc reactor technology instead (something that would benefit the people more than explosions), but he doesn't become a diplomat or moves Pepper and Jarvis to a neutral country to stop dealing with war all together--hell, he doesn't even become a Buddhist. Instead, Tony reinvents the Iron Man suit, which he won't define as a weapon, but he also punched a hole through a thick layer of stone and blew up a tank in it—it might not be a weapon, but the Iron Man is not a basket of kittens, either.

Personality:

After Elena Gilbert’s parents died, she pledged that she wouldn't be the sad little girl who killed lost her parents: she would be someone different. She answers, “I'm fine” when someone asks how she is, but never really wants to know. She would be the invincible, bright girl she was before that night, no matter how unrealistic it is. She would survive because the truth is Elena doesn't know what else she can do. No one can tell her why she's alive and the people she loves most are dead.

That is the crux of every decision Elena makes – be it accepting (and loving, and forgiving, and identifying with) morally questionable vampires, or going on a martyrdom parade to save her friends and family. It’s about how scared she is of losing and/or inadvertently hurting her loved ones, because she seems to lose and hurt them at every turn, and that’s all her fault. She is determined to avoid loss more so than dying, if not more so than saving everyone simply because it's the right thing to do.

And yet despite all the sadness and guilt she carries, she still believes that there is good to find and experience in the world. She continues to keep living and wanting to live a normal (or normal enough) life, searching however blindly for a reason besides there's no other option - for herself, for her brother Jeremy, and for her friends. She keeps trying, because if Elena's anything at the end of the day she's a fighter - not just a survivor.

As a result, Elena has found ways to cope with death surrounding her: she has learned to become a more independent person, even while falling back on her idealistic notions. She still upholds them, her morals, and her humanity with a fierceness. She is not just going through the motions anymore. (For example, she didn't fight the sacrifice in season two and instead decided to go along with it, for the sake of her friends and family. In season three, she trained to protect herself and fight whatever plans Klaus has for her.)

That said: Elena makes questionable decisions. She makes several attempts to sacrifice herself to save the people she loves behind their backs, she erases her brother's memory to save him from the pain of grief, and she extends forgiveness to those who probably do not deserve it. She is noble, but she is not a saint. She is selfless, but is selfishly motivated; taking drastic, reckless, and sometimes ruthless and manipulative action that is often harmful to her and the loved ones she is trying to protect. She will do whatever it takes: she will be the bad guy. She will be ruthless and vindictive. She will stab someone in the back. (And has, figuratively and literally.) Yet Elena is still an understanding person. She can be that person because she cares so much, because she understands when others harden against sympathizing.

Elena acts this way because she operates under a severe sense of inferiority to her loved ones. She holds them on a pedestal because they are not like her - they deserve to live because she should have died (with her parents, during the sacrifice, etc). Elena would argue vehemently they could go on without her, but not without each other. Still so many people die and leave anyway, although not for lack of Elena trying to save them. So dying herself would work just fine for Elena. Living is hard for her; she’s motivated by survivor’s guilt. A part of her doesn’t want to go on and would rather be allowed to let go. This is not a suicide wish. This is because Elena can’t ever underestimate her own meaning again: people will die because of her. That’s the last thing she wants.

Oftentimes Elena is stubborn and idealistic; not in touch with the reality of her loved ones or relationships because she believes in this “pedestal”. (One might argue perhaps this is because she is too much aware: she can’t lose anymore people, so she will keep them at her side despite any harm it brings/brought to her or others emotionally or physically. She will believe in them.) Elena will excuse abuse for love, and do so multiple times.

Essentially, Elena is an eighteen-year-old girl who has dealt with more than any teenager should for no other reason besides her carbon-copy existence. That’s the crux of her personality: there is nothing special or unique about her, no reason she is the center of all this chaos. That she looks like Katherine is arguably the only reason the Salvatore brothers stuck around and consequently fell in love with her, that she was born a doppelgänger is the only reason everyone dies around her, that her life and death are essentially the key to everything. She was born with a face that is not her own; her life in many regards is not her own, and she is in a constant struggle to own it (and sometimes she wants to give in, too). But she doesn’t. Elena Gilbert would never call herself tough - she feels too much to consider claiming that. But she always finds a way to keep surviving and fighting to the last, even if that only means finding a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

Powers & Abilities:

As a Petrova doppelgänger, Elena’s blood is the key in many rituals and sacrifices pertaining to the creation of Original vampires and hybrids. However, she is still a normal teenage girl. Elena has all the weaknesses and strengths of someone her age. She is also in peak physical condition: she trains and arms herself in any way she can to be able to protect herself. This includes regimental running, strength training, boxing, and working knowledge of weapons such as stakes, crossbows, and vervain/wolfsbane grenades. (Which she can make herself.)

Items on their Person:

The only items Elena would possibly have on her person are the clothes on her back.

There is a quote from the fourth issue of The Invincible Iron Man that helps summarize how he looks at his suit. Tony was being interviewed by an investigative film maker by the name of ~~Bill Maher~~ John Pillinger for a documentary he was producing, though it quickly turns into a game of "Make Tony Feel like the Biggest Piece of Shit Alive in Six Pages." Pillinger wants to know if Tony thought of the Iron Man suit as a military device and argues with him about it, discounting the benefits of Iron Man and even lumping it in with Tony's other destructive weapons. Afterwards, in a stream of exposition, Tony thinks to himself: "I've never sold any element of the Iron Man suit to the military. It's used for extraordinary rescue and response situations. Iron Man saves lives." If it sounds like Tony is drawing a line in the sand between the actions of the US military and his duty as Iron Man, it's because he is. A similar situation also emerges in Iron Man 2, when the Senate tries to force Tony to fork over the Iron Man suit for the military to use, and he refuses. He argues with them: "I am Iron Man. The suit and I are one. To turn over the Iron Man suit would be to turn over myself, which is tantamount to indentured servitude or prostitution, depending on what state you're in. You can't have it." And later mutters that the Senator didn't really care about the well-being of American citizens. In either scenario though, Tony is unyielding and completely against the military even touching his suit.

Being held hostage in Afghanistan made Tony painfully aware of the fact that Stark Industries was doing more harm than good in preventing the world from spinning into chaos. Terrorists had access to his weapons, and they were using them not only on the American soldiers he invented said weapons to protect, but innocent civilians that were just unfortunate enough to be in the way. He realized he could do a better, more precise job of protecting the people.

So he isn't bogarting the Iron Man suit and pulling a Bill Clinton about the definition of a "weapon" in a court hearing just to be a selfish dick--though for Tony Stark that might be reason enough. He legitimately doesn’t consider his suit military property. Nor does he believe that the military is capable of using it for the highest good. Instead they would just turn it into a war machine that would reap casualties from both sides, and take no accountability for the rivers of blood. The Iron Man could be easily abused in the wrong hands. This much was already proven by Obadiah Stane and Ivan Vanko.

But most of all, Tony loves being Iron Man; in fact, he seems to enjoy being Iron Man a lot more than he enjoys being Tony Stark, for aforementioned reasons. Iron Man is a symbol of justice that single-handedly privatized world peace. Tony Stark, as the world knows him at large, is an arrogant brat that has one-night stands with questionable women and doesn’t care about anyone but himself.

This duality becomes lethal at one point. In Iron Man 2, Tony discovers the palladium in the arc reactor is poisoning him, and using the Iron Man suit was making the process go even faster. He works tirelessly to try and find a healthier substitute for the palladium core, but he also continues to use the suit, and hides his illness from the people closest to him. Naturally to prevent a tropical storm of worry from coming his way, but also presumably because he knew if Pepper or Rhodes knew he was dying and the suit was responsible for it, they would do anything in their power to stop him from using it again. Tony didn’t even listen when Rhodes eventually did find out, and tried to reach out to him, telling him the lone gunslinger act was unnecessary and he didn’t have to fight alone.

People don't perform the same act over and over again if they don’t get at least some amount of enjoyment out of it. But he also tells Pepper--in so many words--that without his responsibilities to the world as Iron Man, he shouldn't even be alive. Iron Man is as much his reason to live as it is his redemption, making up for the blind eye that he turned on the true destruction that his weapons created. He is in fact the man that would make the sacrifice play, and do it at the expense of his own life without a second thought.

Very often people talk about Tony Stark and Iron Man as though they are two separate people, which is not hard to understand when Tony himself gives off the impression that he is not the same person that he is in the suit when he’s just walking around being a troll. But in the end, Tony doesn’t need the suit to be Iron Man. It’s just as much a part of him as what drives him to do the right thing. As he said at the very end of his court hearing: "My bond is with the people, and I will serve this great nation at the pleasure of myself. If there's one thing I've proven it's that you can count on me to pleasure myself."

Powers & Abilities: Tony Stark doesn’t have x-ray vision, super speed, or even super healing abilities. But he is a super genius. He built his first circuit board when he was four years old, and his first engine when he was thirteen. Before Tony was even old enough to legally drink in the states, serve in the military, or be valid for membership at Costco, he graduated summa cum laude from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with double majors in physics and engineering. Once Tony took control of his father’s company, he went well beyond the legacy that Howard Stark left behind, vastly improving robotics, satellite technology, and of course, weapons. He was to explosions what Willy Wonka is to chocolate, transforming the industry and earning himself such nicknames as, “the Da Vinci of our time,” and “the Merchant of Death.” Back when he was still dealing in weapons, that is. These days, Tony has turned his attention to clean energy resources.

On his own, Tony is not much stronger than the average man his age and build—if anything, he has a rather abnormal physical handicap working against him. In 2008, during a routine weapons demonstration in Afghanistan, his convoy was attacked by a terrorist group known as the Ten Rings, and Tony found himself on the wrong end of one of his own missiles. The explosion lodged shrapnel in his chest that are slowly trying to work their way into his heart, and the only thing stopping them from killing Tony is the arc reactor, a tiny generator built in his chest that functions like an electromagnet, drawing the pieces of metal away from his arteries. However this, within itself, almost kills Tony in Iron Man 2, when it turns out the palladium he had been using to charge the arc reactor was also poisoning him, pressing Tony to find a suitable replacement. Of course he figures it out in the end, and invents a brand new element in the process.

What puts Tony in league with other fantastic humans such as Captain America and the Hulk is the Iron Man suit: a “high-tech prosthesis” he first built in a cave to escape captivity, but then later remodeled when he had the resources to do so. The suit is made of a gold-titanium alloy, durable enough to protect Tony from bullets, explosions, and being scraped against the side of a mountain by a demigod like a piece of gum someone’s trying to get off their shoe. It’s capable of super strength, as Tony is seen lifting cars, punching his fist through stone walls, and swinging a large barbell around like a baseball bat. There are jets in the boots for flight and stabilizers in the gloves to help steer himself around while he’s airborne. When the stabilizers are concentrated, they can knock people back several yards, so they can also be used as weapons. A similar blast can also be fired from the center of Tony’s chest, but it takes much longer to charge, so he doesn’t resort to it, very often.

There are other fun gadgets hidden inside the armor that help Tony in the fight against terrorism: anti-tank missiles, anti-personnel guns, flares, and repulsor rays. The suit also comes equipped with a dry British AI known as Jarvis that helps operate the system and informs Tony of any issues that might arise during combat. Tony’s means of communicating with Jarvis is a holographic interface called the Heads-Up-Display, or the HUD (or the glowing blue stuff you see floating around Tony’s face whenever the camera pans inside his helmet). The HUD allows Tony to see the world around him when he’s in the suit, as well as serving many additional functions, from receiving data, analyzing objects and people’s profiles, targeting marks, and diagnosing his armor’s conditions. It also has a built-in radio and phone, to contact people from the outside.

Last but not least, there is a filtration system, so Tony can pee while he’s inside the suit. All in all, the Iron Man is a force to be reckoned with, though it still requires consistent maintenance after battle, and a fully-automated machine to store it inside. The most up-to-date version of the Iron Man suit is the Mark VII, which can attach to Tony's body on its own without the use of machines, and is more heavily-armed than its predecessors. Though as far as we know, Tony still needs mechanical assistance to disassemble the entire thing from his body.

Samples;
First Person Sample:

( video )
Okay, so we’ve figured we’re all here and we’re all fictional. [ that’s said a little wryly. she’s still having some trouble with both those parts. astoundingly more so with the fictional part. ] But that doesn’t mean we have to figure the rest out alone.

We have phones to contact each other, someplace to stay, we can find things to defend ourselves with [ insert hold breath here; she knows, logically, it’s only a matter of time. this is how the movies go. this is how life goes. ironically, it’s up in the air which one of those is more real at the moment. ] just in case. [ yeah wow elena’s really holding on by a thread here. but it’s always a thick thread. if someone tries to break it, it won’t snap. ]

Maybe some introductions are a good place to start. [ or getting out of here. ] I’m Elena.

Third Person Sample:

There are brains and skin and hair sticking to the butt of her gun. There's a corpse with a caved-in skull not two feet away.

Shotguns aren't much use against shamblers unless they're in close range. They’re noisy, ammo is hard to find, and the pellets spread out and never get very far. So force is always the best bet against the undead, with as many as anyone can juggle.

The world works like this: sooner or later, the lumbering, gnashing horde making its way towards Elena is going to be up close, and there's not much she can do to juggle dozens of them.

And Alaric is - she's not sure what he is or where, and she doesn't have the option of going back, not right now. (Stupid, she was so stupid. Should have taken the detour instead of a highway, should have been more careful, should have avoided this no matter how empty the road seemed.) (She has to go back; can't go back. She'll find a way regardless.) Her eyes dart around her surroundings: the abandoned cars, rotten bodies, the yards and yards of overgrown grass and trees on either side of the highway.

Nowhere to run.

Her breath leaves her, shaky. Her lungs pull back in a mouthful of decay and summer heat. Her lashes flutter.

The steel of the car against her back burns into her skin; through her jeans the asphalt is rough and baked by sun. Elena pulls in a steadying breath, flattens herself out, grabs the sleeve of her one-hundred percent deceased acquaintance, and scoots under the van as noiselessly as she can, clutching her gun tight and dragging the dead weight.

Here's to hoping the smell will throw off any potential crawlers. If not, well.

Cool pebbles dig into her back, the rancid corpse is leaking something sticky and wet and warm onto her side. The quiet shuffle of dragging feet sets her every nerve on edge. Elena has never been particularly good at following her better instincts, ones that should tell her don't move or run. She thinks it's because there is something to fear; she still has plenty to lose. (Ric.)

She closes eyes for only a moment, blinks them open and stares at the engine above her head. She's seen people torn apart by hordes. (Not Ric. That can’t happen.)

There are shells in her pack; she'll get them. She's seen worse, been through so much worse. Most of them must have passed by now. Blindly, she reaches to quietly cock her gun, throws an arm back to drag herself towards the front of the van.

She'll find him. (They’re just lost.) She will. (They’re it for each other.) She just has to survive. (They’re family.)

Items on Their Person: The armor that he was wearing during the battle with the Chitauri, in battered and possibly irreparable condition.

Samples;
First Person Sample: [He sets the device down on the table and sits back in his seat, drumming a pointless rhythm on his arc reactor. Whatever he was thinking about, he doesn’t allow himself to stay on it, too long. He’s still adjusting to the fact that he wasn’t floating in space, right now. He couldn’t begin to wrap his mind around this, not right now. So what does Tony do? Deflect.]

I just want to see if I have this straight: I’m me, but I’m not really me. I’m actually a character from a comic book played by some Hollywood actor. And someone saw this movie, and had the idea to pull me from it to save the world…well I guess stranger drug trips have happened.

To your credit, oh-disembodied-voice—can I call you Carol? You sound like a Carol. I’m not disagreeing with you, entirely. Or your Human Regenesis Program, though that name is really stupid. If something was never technically birthed, it can’t be rebirthed. See my point? But the idea of my life as a blockbuster hit is actually…appropriate. I mean, picture it: the heart-stopping fight scenes, the soundtrack, the most stunning beauty to ever be put on film…and Pepper can be there, too.

A feature-length movie, all about me…[The corner of his lip quirks into an appreciative half-smile.] Why didn’t I think of that?

…But don’t get me wrong, Carol, I still don’t buy it. And even if there really is some gigantic truth out there that we were never in on, this whole set-up? [Gesturing to the room at large.] It’s not working for me. If you want me to star in your Matrix knock-off, starring Tony Stark as the actor in his own life, I’m going to need a few things.

First off, ditch the Saltines and water. As far as I know I’m not a prisoner, and I don’t have morning sickness, either. I’m going to need a McMuffin, and about eight gallons of coffee, preferably in the form of an intravenous drip…coffee is real in this place, right? I’m also going to need a soldering gun, a workshop, and some other supplies. Are you writing this down, Carol?

You don’t want to hear from my agent, do you?

Third Person Sample: There could have been a hundred or at least ten things someone could be positive about during a zombie apocalypse: the state of technology was not one of those things. This much was obvious during a test run when the stabilizers in his gloves kept hissing like a bug zapper, and flight was about as smooth as a car with bad shocks on an unpaved country road. If it wasn’t obvious then, it was when they finally gave out, and he went crashing face-first into the roof of a building.

Blindly he grunted, hearing debris still falling through the hole as he rolled in the wreckage, and he moved to remove his helmet. But Tony’s fingers stopped in mid-motion, once he heard something, too organic to pass for pieces of the house, shift nearby. The smell of rot reached Tony’s nose, a smell he had almost gotten used to by now: it was like road kill, wet and gamy, that put him on edge even before the HUD came online again and he could see.

He was in a child’s dilapidated bedroom. He could see dirt, and clowns on the peeling wallpaper, and three zombies stuck on the opposite side of the room. It was hard to tell, what with them being undead monsters with white emotionless eyes, but Tony got the distinct impression that they were considering him like a chicken nugget in a high school cafeteria—more likely than not trying to figure out if he was edible beneath his questionable coating. But he moved: that meant life. That meant warm flesh. One of the zombies staggered into movement, and the other two followed.

Stuck in a room with three shamblers. Tony didn’t ask how it could get any worse, but an arm burst out of the insulation on his left side, all the same, and a female zombie pulled herself from the wreckage as though it were a grave. She threw that arm over his opposite shoulder, and used it to drag herself out until she was straddling him—all straggly blonde hair and growling and missing chunks. Not sexy, by the way, and he tried to get up, but gravity didn’t let him move fast enough to stop her from sinking her teeth—into his armor.

He blinked. The zombie persisted. Teeth and nails scraped against the metal ineffectually, like a toothless squirrel trying to crack open a nut. It was almost funny until he realized the risks of them (them, as the others were still shuffling towards them), finding out how to get the helmet off. His mind zipped through the options.

“Sorry, gorgeous, I’ve got this thing: no hickeys on the first date.” Tony curled his hand into a fist and slammed it into her half-decayed cheek. That knocked her weight off his torso; he left her there, for the moment, stood up and tried the repulsors again on the other three. Though the blasts were shorter, and sparked, it still knocked them back.

In his world, he would’ve kicked himself back into flight and gotten the hell out of dodge, looking cool while he did it, too. But technology was a bitter former one-night-stand in this place. He used the door.

Additional Information: As previously mentioned in the abilities section, it’s not a simple task to get out of the Iron Man suit. Every scene that we see of Tony being stripped of it, he uses a machine, and he is being taken from a point where he still has it on. I was wondering if the Caretakers would have the means to take him out of the suit before strapping him to the surgical table? Or would they just leave him as he is?

OOC INFO;
Name: Amber
Age: 24.
Ways to contact:

greyjoy.
Characters currently played: None, but I have Arthur Pendragon on reserve.

CHARACTER INFO;
Character Name: Natasha Romanoff.
This is an anglicisation of her name in Russian, Наталья Романова. Her first name can also be read as Natalie or Natalia, and her surname can be read as to Romanov or Romanova, but I’d prefer all her game admin stuff keep the movie canon name. She also uses Natalie Rushman as a psudonym and her callsign/superhero name is Black Widow.

Canon: Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Specifically the films Iron Man II and The Avengers. In lieu of making up her backstory and interpretation from nothing, I choose to use small amounts of non-retconned Marvel 616 comics-verse as “headcanon” for her early life where it matched the snippets given in the movies; it’s mostly the same stuff used in the David Hayter Black Widow script that never made it to production: I'm willing to risk being Jossed by the man for whom the trope was named. Major differences and gaps are post-Russia, as I don't want to include or assume history/headcanon for any other movie-canon character. She's definitely not 616 Natasha, and characters apped from that canon would have to acknowledge her as alternate.

Canon Link: Natasha in MCU specifically. The Black Widow on Wikipedia (all canon appearances across media). Official Marvel.com page has a good quick rundown of her early history.

Canon Point: The Avengers, end of film.

Character Age: Appears 27. Actually 83.

Character Suitability: N/A.

Personality:
The most immediate and unlikely word that comes to mind with Natasha is direct. Though she may play games and love the Thanatos Gambit, there is something very direct about Natasha. She speaks directly, and doesn't take any shit. Level-headed and fairly logical, she has a soldierly way of addressing those around her. Though she may convey respect or derision with her words, she never coddles, never elaborates with unnecessary information, and can basically come off as a cold-hearted bitch.

There is ice in her; perhaps it's her Russian upbringing. But it is the shell around a core of warmth. Natasha is capable of great depth of feeling. She loves and hates both of her countries — she considers herself American by this point, and her accent is flawless, though some of the other languages she speaks have a hint of Russian tinting them — but more importantly, she loves humanity. She has been known to also fall intensely in love with individual men, but has had her heart broken and her life endangered enough that she closed off. So despite these deep feelings, Natasha isn't interested in romance. She would find it difficult to open up and make herself vulnerable in the ways that are required for a relationship, and though sex can be stress relief, her body is a tool that she uses to manipulate others.

Short of outright prostitution, Natasha is willing to use her sexuality to get what she wants (as she does with Tony Stark) and also subverts the notion that women are all hysterical creatures, often playing up her female vulnerability in order to make men relax their guard around her (as she does with Loki). Secretly, she enjoys taking men down a peg or two: she has a fair bit of sisterhood solidarity, particularly obvious in how she manages to work an alliance with Pepper as Natalie, though there aren’t enough women in movie canon to give other strong examples of this.

As a spy, Natasha has an excellent acting ability, and as such she makes sure she has control of her emotions and the way she displays them, down to her facial muscles. As such, her reactions tend to be minute. She does not laugh often, preferring to smile, or perhaps imply amusement with cutting wit. She does not rage, but has a cold determination that takes the place of anger. She doesn't shed real tears. True emotion is a weakness that could be used against her, while false emotion is something that she can use to manipulate others. And manipulation is what she does best. To some degree for pleasure, though Natasha is not particularly sadistic or prone to visible schadenfreude or gloating.

Because of this, Natasha is hard to read. However despite working a profession that requires her to lie frequently and without hesitation, Natasha tries her best to be honest with herself. She neither buries her guilt nor constantly relives it to castrate herself. By taking the brusque attitude of "what's done is done", she essentially makes it harder for people to push her buttons. Natasha doesn't like people to get inside her head, and she is very possessive of her privacy in all areas. But part of her defense is to try and have no weakness, by acknowledging and owning her weaknesses and dark past. This honesty is also something she prefers (rather than expects) in others. Which is probably a little ironic, all things considered.

Of course, she does have a massive weakness, and that is the shadow cast by her controlling nature. Natasha is decent in volatile situations, she can react quickly and improvise, but she doesn't like being put into a corner with no further back-up plan. She over-prepares. This is why she fixates on Bruce Banner so much: knowing the Hulk could tear her apart and can't be reasoned with or manipulated terrifies her. She also finds it difficult to wind down, relax, or "turn off", and as such isn't good at genuine and friendly social interaction like team banter.

Natasha would like to be redeemed for all the wrong she has done in her life, though most of her misdeeds have been done out of loyalty to a cause and a lack of sense of self; she sold herself to the highest bidder before realizing that she could make a choice to only do good. But of course, she hides herself here, too; by framing it as a desire for balance. Natasha has an eye for an eye mentality, so while she will be driven to act out of vengeance, the debts owed go both ways and she is willing to help those who have helped her.

Part of being so controlling and locked down is that Natasha likes to be informed and on top of things; she's the type to do the research and try and fit the pieces together, use her knowledge of the way people work to understand motives, and then in turn, use them. She is better suited for second in command than a team leader, but despite this she's an excellent strategist and willing to follow orders. There's a strange dichotomy in her independant, loner nature and the way her past in ballet seems to make the flow of her fighting as a team into a collaborative dance.

Powers & Abilities:
Natasha hasn’t the superpowers of her co-Avengers, but she did undergo some lab testing in the Red Room. Government treatments have slowed her aging, augmented her immune system and enhanced her physical durability. Since in reading the FAQ questions I think you’re dampening Steve down to her canon level, I’m happy to dampen these near completely and rely on her natural fitness and talents. (So unless she starts getting her powers back she will have no bite immunity.) And, as with Fury, she will start aging again.

However she has plenty of talents and abilities that are not in any way superhuman. Decades of life and training leave her with an incredible array of skills that earn her the title of super spy.

Natasha has been able to master several forms of martial arts: karate, judo, aikido, savate, boxing, lucha-libre style wrestling and multiple styles of kung fu. She is an Olympic class athlete, gymnast, acrobat and aerialist. She is excellent with a variety of weapons, including being a sharpshooter and quality marksman, and is able to improvise and create weapons from things around her.

In addition to combat capability, she is read/write/speak fluent in Russian, English, French, German, Latin, Japanese, and Mandarin Chinese. While technology is not her forte (she’s much better at software than hardware) she’s able to hack into computers without being detected and knows what she’s doing in a security system. She has spy training both for Russia and America and is a high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, meaning she is a very good actor including muscle, breath, pulse and emotion control, and is able to manipulate others, particularly men, to get information from them. (Tony Stark, Loki, and the interrogation scene in her first scene in Avengers are all examples of this.)

Items on their Person:
Natasha arrives wearing a form-fitting black catsuit outfit. The material is bullet proof and thermal. It has several concealed zippered pockets sewn in. It has zippers around the thighs and bicep areas so as to become shorts/short-sleeved if caught, damaged or overheated. She wears flat-heeled, knee-high, black leather boots with steel toe caps, and fingerless gloves. There’s a S.H.I.E.L.D. logo on the left shoulder. ( large image of catsuit )

At her wrists are her “Widow’s Bite”. These are twin bracelets that are never used or explained in the movie, but according to comics canon, can “issue high-frequency electrostatic bolts of up to 30,000 volts, capable of stunning even a superhuman opponent at a range of at least 20 feet, shoot tear gas cartridges and act as a radio transmitter. The bracelets’ various functions are activated by galvanic sensors keyed to Black Widow’s wrist musculature.” This is obviously ridiculously overpowered, and I’d be willing to say they can only issue a sharp but non-life threatening electric shock, or that they have a limited lifespan, or are broken in some way or nonfunctional or even non-existent, whatever the mods prefer.

She wears a standard utility belt with torch, switchknife, water cannister, a flashbang grenade, and ammunition, as well as two thigh holsters for her Glock 26s.

She also carries on her person: a garotte at her wrist. A knife in her boot. A Four kunai (throwing daggers) and a couple of “taser discs” which are made up weapons that basically act as a ranged taser attack.

(Exact numbers of items aren’t clear in canon, but I felt the limitation of specificity was better for this sort of game.)

SAMPLES;
First Person Sample: Voice.

This is Black Widow. I've got a horde over by the mall growing in disproportional rate. I don't know if they're getting ready for a swarm — if they even have the intelligence for that...

[ Natasha trails off, distracted by the movements of the zombies. ]

I'm hidden, but if they come this way I may need back-up. A girl can only carry so many bullets, you know?

[ Her voice goes a little coy at the end, like a princess in her tower, hoping on of the big strong men will come save her. What the microphone doesn't pick up is the easy, confident way she handles her guns, readying herself to fight and possibly die. ]

Maybe some kind of distraction would get them moving. If we're going to leave this city, we're going to need to get supplies from that mall, first.

[ What's all this 'we' stuff? Thing is, Natasha's not stupid. She knows when she's outnumbered. It took all the Avengers to defeat the Chitauri as they'd swarmed into New York City; it might take even more than that to take on the walking dead. ]

[ But she doesn't want to sound too much like she knows what she's doing, not at this point. Not when she doesn't know who's listening in. Her tone goes a little tremulous again, like someone trying, and failing, to put on a brave front. ]

Does anyone copy?

Third Person Sample:
Natasha leaves the movie rolling as she tucks away the last of her knives, clips crackers to her utility belt and fills her canister with the water. After a moments thought she takes some time to do some stretches, holding on to the table they'd had her strapped to. Like a science experiment. Who knows how long she's been out, but her muscles need it, joints popping as she warms herself up.

Natasha's expression is implacable, given she's just spent several minutes reading those obnoxiously cheerful pamphlets, but then, Natasha's never been big on showing her emotions. Which is probably good, because she's not buying it.

Oh sure, there's the movies, the scattering of comics, but what does that prove? Beyond the fact that whoever's behind this has resources and a lot of nerve. Get a girl and put her in a red wig, do a few sweeping camera shots, some close-ups on her unconscious body, hypnotism, a green screen; her mind automatically comes up with a dozen ways to fuck with someone like this, make them think they're not real. Derealization is a powerful psychological technique, after all.

Mostly she's pissed off, because they're trying to get inside her head, make her play their game. Natasha doesn't like people inside her head. She's been taken apart once in her life, and she's still kind of finding the pieces, tiny overlooked fragments chipped off of herself.

At least they've left her equipment, which is more than most of her captors usually do, and now that she's locked and loaded Natasha goes to the door, ignoring the fake sound of automated gunfire from the TV behind her, the sound of Clint's voice, tinny through the speakers, saying her name.

She kicks the door open. It goes easy because it's not locked, but it still feels good. She's more than ready for violence, wants to hit something hard, wants the pump of adrenaline in her blood to take all the lurking fear away and make her feel invincible. So when the first zombie smacks up against the glass, slavering and bloody and wholly inhuman, Natasha does something she'll probably later look back on in disbelief: she smiles.

Additional Information:

Edited (subject line edit) 2012-06-24 04:19 (UTC)

OOC Info;
Name: Athena
Age: 26
Ways to contact: Email: roningal at yahoo dot com | AIM: Untold Ideas | Plurk: journeymansurvival
Characters currently played: N/A

Character Info;
Character Name: Klarion the Witch Boy
Canon: Young Justice
Canon Link: Klarion on the Young Justice wiki
Canon Point: Post-season 1, after transporting himself and Vandal Savage off of the Watchtower
Character Age: Ageless; appears in mid-teens
Character Suitability: N/A

Personality: Klarion is a brat -- an unapologetic, easily-bored brat. Add to this the fact that Klarion is a Lord of Chaos (a powerful sorcerer that is chaos personified and only properly rivaled by a Lord of Order) and you have a very dangerous creature. Being an ageless being of chaos, Klarion thrives off of acts of rampant change and violence, and causes said chaos because it is his very nature to do so. He displays a tendency to focus on things that he considers fun or entertaining, having to be reminded of his tasks and reined in by his familiar, Teekl. He shows no fear of his enemies, as he cannot truly be killed as chaos personified; however, when Teekl, his anchor to the physical plane, is threatened, he displays anger and defensiveness.

Though he is shown to associate and collaborate with other villains throughout his appearances, Klarion appears to have a rather flippant view of his allies' worth, as he has stated that teamwork is overrated and has abandoned allies with no regard for what happens to them once the heroes have overpowered them. The exception to this seems to be other members of the Light, a group of seven 'supervillains,' as he has partnered with them and facilitated their escape when necessary. For the most part, it seems that Klarion's actions are fueled by entertainment, and once he grows bored or someone ruins his fun, he is okay with backing away and making his escape.

Klarion, for all appearances, comes across as an sadistic, immature child with more than enough power to do whatever he wants. He calls people under his power "toys," throws childish insults at Doctor Fate (one of the Lords of Order), applauds while watching torture, complains when faced with something unexpected (such as when he expected to meet T.O. Morrow and met Doctor IVo instead, which led to him saying, "I didn't order this! Send it back!"), and acts annoying for the sake of being annoying (such as asking repeatedly while heading to a destination, "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?"). He scoffs at weaker displays of power, calling the magician Zatarra's own magic "baby magic" before mockingly using the same brand of magic to knock her away.

The only thing that Klarion seems to regard well with any degree of frequency is his familiar, Teekl. Though Teekl is instrumental to Klarion's existence on the physical plane (being his anchor to the human world) and thus his only real weakness, he treats Teekl with care, carrying the cat in his arms or across his shoulders and stroking Teekl's fur just like any cat owner would. He does have spats with Teekl, telling the cat to be quiet so he can watch a torture session and arguing with the cat for messing around while fighting Doctor Fate, but for the most part he heeds his familiar and considers Teekl's advice.

Powers & Abilities: As a Lord of Chaos, Klarion is a very powerful sorcerer only shown to be properly rivaled by a Lord of Order -- and even then, it's said outright that he cannot be contained and it is futile to attempt defeatin. In the episodes that Klarion appears in, he's demonstrated the magical abilities to create fire, lightning, ice, and energy blasts; manipulate earth and a unique mixture of nanotechnology and magic (technosorcery); form magical barriers and shields, as well as physical barriers by manipulating elements; fly and hover without visible propulsion; dissipate bonds created by a Lord of Order; teleport and open portals capable of transporting himself and other people; speak telepathically with his feline familiar, Teekl; and transform Teekl from a domestic cat into a beast resembling a sabertooth tiger. He has also shown the ability to shapeshift his rather human-like appearance to a decidedly more demonic appearance with beady red eyes and more pronounced facial features. His magic varies in shape and is largely done without any verbal chanting, and it is implied that he is capable of more distructive magic when he "loses control" (possibly capable of destroying the Justice League's Watchtower, a huge satellite orbitting in space).

Besides performing magic, Klarion also feeds off of chaos and thrives off of it; he does not require food or sleep. He also does not appear to tire from using as much magic as he does.

Arriving in the laboratory, Klarion will be reduced to the physical restraints of his human-appearing body; he will need food, sleep, and be no physically stronger than a skinny teenager with no body strength. He won't be able to shapeshift to his more demonic-looking appearance and won't be able to feed off of chaos.

Pertaining to his magical powers, Klarion will still be able to create tiny feats of magic:

Fire - Small spheres of fire no larger than fingernails in size. Creating more than three simultaneously will tire him significantly.
Ice - Only strong enough to encase his hands in a thin layer of ice.
Lightning - Sparks of electricity from the fingertips that would produce, at best, the sting of mild static shock.
Flight/Hovering - Reduced to the ability to jump somewhat higher than a human being.
Telepathy - If Teekl is available, he will be able to speak with Teekl as normal; however, seeing through Teekl's eyes will tire him (likely in the form of a headache).

He will not be able to use protective magic or earth-based magic, and continued use of his magic will tire him, which is different for him. (Please feel free to give advice on proper limitations of his magic.)

Items on their Person: The only thing that Klarion keeps close to him, besides his clothing, is his familiar, Teekl (who I presume will not be able to appear with him). He wears tight black pants under what appears to be a combination of a black suit and a mage's robe; the coat reaches mid-thigh and is fastened by three straps at the waist, hanging opening above and below the straps. Besides the coat and pants, he wears a white high-collared dress shirt and a thin, black tie.

Samples;
First Person Sample:
This is ridiculous! What am I supposed to do with something like this? [There is an audible scowl as he shakes something off-screen.] I don't use stupid weapons like a barbaric oaf! You can't expect me to swing something like this around! You really think I'm going to do anything at all if you're going to take my magic away?

[It doesn't seem to matter that he's ranting at something that won't answer. He just keeps going at it.] And I want my cat! You can't just ... extract me from whatever fictional world you're talking about in this stupid recording and not give me Teekl! I want my cat now! Now, now, now, NOW!

Third Person Sample:
After the initial confusion of waking up from some deep blackness he did not remember falling into, there was anger. How dare someone strap him down like a beast? And then there was confusion again. Where was he? Where was Teekl? Why couldn't he feel Teekl? Was this Nabu's doing? No, even as the question crossed his mind, he dismissed it; the self-righteous old geezer didn't have the kind of style necessary to strap him down to a table and make him wait like this. No, this had to be the doing of someone more conniving, more deliberate...

Right about now, Teekl would usually interrupt his thoughts to steer him back on track. Not more than a few minutes away from his familiar and there was already that sensation of loss. He had to get out of these bonds. He had to find out where he was, how he had gotten here, and then wreck something. Utterly wreck something, for all of the indignation he was presently feeling. Sure, it was inevitable that he would be knocked from the physical plane once in awhile, but this was not the work of some Lord of Order. No one below him was going to get away with making him feel trapped and contained!

The longer he remained bound and alone, however, the more wary he became of his situation. The anger and indignation were slow to fade without Teekl to give him focus, but he was becoming aware that there was something else going on here. He couldn't sense any magic from his surroundings. So what was keeping him here? Just the physical bonds? He couldn't summon upon anything to break the restraints or the table under him, and his anger yelling had not drawn anyone to his location. And, if he strained his hearing enough, there were strange noises (moans?) coming from elsewhere in the complex.

He shut his eyes and seethed aloud. He hated feeling helpless.

Additional Information: I just want to know if/when Teekl would be available to Klarion. He's rather fond of his familiar, weakness or no weakness. Not necessary, but it'd be nice to know!

edit: Ahaha, I just realized I typed in my Plurk wrong. It's journeymancrystal.

Edited 2012-06-24 08:33 (UTC)

OOC Info;
Name: mi
Age: 21+
Ways to contact: derpturk@gmail.com ; aokigahara @ Plurk
Characters currently played: N/A (Also have Robin Hood on reserve.)

Character Info;
Character Name: Merlin
Canon: BBC's Merlin
Canon Link: In a land of myth and a time of magic.
Canon Point: Post 2x13 (The Last Dragonlord) after Merlin drives the dragon away from Camelot and Arthur regains consciousness.
Character Age: 20ish
Character Suitability: N/A
Personality:
Merlin is a balance of ridiculously average and ridiculously special. He's a servant who in the beginning could be lazy and looked for magical shortcuts to complete mundane tasks. He is a bit awkward and clumsy and definitely mischievous. Merlin won't hesitate to resort to lying to cover his tracks, even if he's not always very good at it. But add a touch of magic and the whole "destiny" thing comes into play.

At his core, Merlin has a strong sense of right and wrong, but can also see into the hearts of others. He's empathetic towards their plights, especially when he could find himself in the same situation that they are. He's not one to sit idly by when someone's being treated unfairly, especially not if it's someone he cares about. Merlin makes friends easily and is selfless in that regard, the kind of friend who would risk or even trade his life for another, as he's done for Arthur, Gwen, Gaius, and his mother. But he will also kill for them if left with no other choice. Merlin isn't a warrior and he can feel and admit to fear, but he has courage in spades where his destiny is concerned, and has shown time and time again that he's willing to die for it.

Most of the time Merlin wears his heart on his sleeve, can laugh and cry and listen and speak up. But he still keeps some things to himself, and can close himself off from others when he's especially sad or troubled. Despite Arthur calling him the worst manservant he's ever had, he's actually quite domestic and helpful. Physically he's thin and sharp, clearly out of his teen years but there's still something boyish about his personality. Merlin also possesses a dry sense of humor, though he can take a joke as well as he can make one.

Though at times a worrier who questions whether things are a good idea or not, there is also a rash and bold side to Merlin, even if his intentions are usually good. He has proven himself to be a quick thinker, but has been known to use his magic without fully considering the consequences. If Arthur's right about anything, it's that he never does as he's told, and he sometimes speaks in the same bold way. Despite the fact that he and Arthur are friends (or maybe because of it), Merlin sometimes speaks to him with an insolence that another Prince would have his head for. But he is also a source of support and wise counsel, not to mention fiercely loyal. Even Uther, who would have Merlin executed if he knew his secret, has commented on Merlin's devotion to his son. To his credit, Merlin has gotten better about using his magic too impulsively, learning as both he and his powers mature.

While he usually tries to see the good in everyone, he won't forgive anyone who hurts a friend, and this is the quickest way to bring the darkness in him. Merlin also has a habit of being swallowed up by his own powers and destiny. He's made peace with the idea of it, knowing that as troublesome as it is, he can't be extracted from it. But what defines him is also a source of fear and doubt, as the discovery of his gift could spell the end of his friendship with Arthur, as well as his life. Because of this, he acts from the shadows and rarely gets recognition for the things that he does. Even worse, it leaves him with a lonely streak and the feeling that very few people ever see him for who he truly is. But the fear of being revealed is greater.

Powers & Abilities:
"You are a question that has never been posed before, Merlin."

The name is well-known. But this much younger warlock is still learning about the magical gifts that he was born into. That said, he's already used magic to move objects, stop or slow down time/an item, animate inanimate objects, summon fire, wind, and lightening, pick locks, put up a magical barrier to protect himself from magical attacks, heal...the list goes on. Even though his abilities are inherent and instinctual, studying and incantations help strengthen and control them. He is also a remarkably fast learner and also has a resistance to magic that the average person doesn't possess.

Merlin is also a Dragonlord, like his father before him and supposedly the last of the line. Through this he is able to speak to dragons and make them obey his commands.

Merlin's powers are vast and somewhat vague in the series and will obviously be needed to be watered down pretty heavily in the game. His powers as a Dragonlord, null and void completely. I would like to bring him down to the point where he could only heal minor wounds (cuts and bruises), summon a flame to his hand (no more than a cigarette lighter's flame), and enough power to give small objects a nudge (scooting a cup across a table, for example). If any of these is seen as too much, I'm fine with nerfing it.

Items on their Person: Nothing but the clothes on his back and a sword that he's not very good with in the first place.

Samples;
First Person Sample:
Hello? Am I using this thing properly?

[He's mostly asking himself that question, his voice wary at using this technology for the first time. But then he thinks of a better question, one where the answer's more important.]

Is there even anyone out there to hear me? Surely there must be.

[Merlin takes a deep breath. On the bright side, he is getting the hang of his phone. He's always been a quick learner when he needs to be.]

It looks like your kingdom's in a lot of trouble. I'm not sure if it's sorcery or a plague, to be honest. If I could just return to my kingdom, I could come back with help - knights and a real physician.

[And he could look for the source of the sorcery if magic truly were to blame. There's just one problem, and Merlin swallows hard before saying it aloud.]

Only I've been told that Camelot doesn't exist.

Third Person Sample:

"Forbearnan."

The flame dances in his palm but refuses to grow, no matter how many times he conjures it. The light that it gives him isn't enough to cut through the darkness, but still enough to draw them to him.

Merlin runs away the first time, finds a place to hide and does so, watching the zombies with nervous blue eyes as they shuffle past. He exhales, waits for his rapid heartbeat to slow before crawling out. Merlin's glad he did, otherwise the little one would've surely gotten him.

Such an idiot.

Those words will forever be in Arthur's voice, and at the moment Merlin can't bring himself to really argue it. But it's hardly the first time he's gone skulking around in the darkness, even in Camelot he had a habit of it. It's just the first time he's done it with the dangers of the undead lurking about, not that the daylight hours are much safer in that regard. But there are things he needs to do, chores that have taken the place of mopping floors. He needs to fetch water, and see if he can find anything else that might be of use.

Merlin tries to be cautious without jumping at every little sound, but it still feels like forever before he reaches the pond in the park. He crouches down beside it, dips the old bucket that he found into the water to fill. The moon's high and round in the sky tonight, and Merlin watches the shimmering reflection of it. At least until he notices something else behind him.

He stands and swings the bucket by the handle, the water spilling out when it connects with the side of the zombie's head. Merlin doesn't stop there, he keeps hitting it over and over again until it's down. And then he runs all the way back again, with nothing to show for the night. Nothing but a dented bucket.

Once he's found shelter, Merlin slides down the wall and sighs. There's that idiot word inside his head again.

"It's fine." He mutters, pursing his lips. "I wasn't really that thirsty anyway."

Additional Information: Nope!

OOC Info;
Name: Hannah
Age: 22
Ways to contact: AIM: a rose tango, plurk: scathefire
Characters currently played: N/A.

Character Info;
Character Name: Alaric Saltzman
Canon: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Canon Link: Here.
Canon Point: 3x7, Ghost World.
Character Age: ~33. Since no canon evidence has been given, I go by the actor's age.

Personality: Alaric is, at his core, a good and respectable guy. He thoroughly believes in giving others second chances – we first see this side of him when he gives Jeremy a clean academic record when he first comes to Mystic Falls, despite Jeremy having a past of shoddy attendance and drug use; the second time, and the most notable, is when he becomes friends with Damon who, for all intents and purposes, he should despise. It probably helps that Alaric realizes what a selfish bitch Isobel was despite his total adoration of her during their marriage, but that is only one small reason why he forgives Damon for “killing” Isobel (which he initially believes is the case) and then for murdering Alaric himself.

After taking up the substitute teacher gig after Mr. Tanner’s murder, Alaric quickly acquires the role of the “cool” teacher – without really trying. Funny enough, outside of the classroom Alaric seems to be uncomfortable in large crowds, especially when he is the focus (when on stage at the Bachelor Auction and asked to relate an interesting fact about Mystic Falls, he can only fumble and eventually drop the question). He’s equally as awkward in close social encounters, such as his first few conversations with Jenna when he seems to overshare embarrassing stories and facts about his past. As he gets closer to people, he warms up to them very quickly; he smiles often and is generally very open in his conversations.

Alaric is pretty damn courageous, too. Despite knowing Stefan and Damon are vampires and could quite easily kill him – especially the latter – he never gives into their demands (unless blackmail is involved, of course). This is especially clear when he specifically hunts down Damon to kill him, knowing full well that vampires are many times stronger than humans. His devotion to Isobel, which led to his quest for vengeance, is another defining feature: if he gets into a relationship, he’s in it for the long run. He stayed dedicated to Isobel’s memory for over two years despite being told she was dead. Even when she finally confronts him as a vampire and denies feeling remorse for leaving him, Alaric stands up to her and refuses to believe that she ever stopped loving him.

Damon is an interesting gray area for Alaric; initially he wanted nothing more than to kill the other, especially after Damon rubbed turning Isobel in Alaric’s face. After Damon kills him, things seem to gradually change between them. Just a few days after Damon murders him, Damon asks him for help in saving his brother – although he initially denies the request, he gives in because he sees the way Damon is willing to protect Elena, which proves he has some humanity in him after all. As time goes on, Alaric continues to help Damon in his various escapades, despite the fact that his activities should push him onto Alaric’s shit list. Like Stefan, Alaric seems to grudgingly acknowledge that Damon is a murderer and that murder is what he does; this acceptance creates a morally cloudy area where Alaric temporarily shifts his strict moral code in order to give a berth for the vampire. The berth grows to the point where he keeps following Damon into very shitty, life-threatening plans, and in 2x15 he makes a demand of Damon for the first time: that he stops lying to Alaric, especially when it puts people he loves in danger. He firmly establishes himself as Damon’s friend, exemplifying how far Alaric’s forgiveness and ability to appreciate even a monster’s humanity goes.

Unlike Damon, however, Alaric is not particularly skilled in the art of deception. He instead prefers an honest approach, and he isn’t exactly afraid to voice his opinion, even if he does it in a less than succinct way. This means he usually gives Damon and Stefan shit for their horrible plans. In a way, Alaric is the sole voice of reason out of the entire cast. (And, maybe for this reason, he’s also left out of a lot of particularly bad plans.)

With his friendly and warm demeanor, it’s also particularly difficult to get Alaric riled up – unless, of course, Isobel is used as the stick poking at the embers. He reacts amazingly quickly in moments of dire urgency – such as staking Henry immediately when he begins to attack – and is crafty in his invention of new weapons to be used against vampires. All of the weapons the group uses, including compressed-air powered guns, vervain-filled darts, and spring-loaded stake-shooting guns that wrap around the wrist were invented by Alaric; all of these are the result of a mind that is greatly interested in the history of places and people.

Like Elena, he tends to have both a martyr streak and a hefty amount of self-deprecation. After Jenna’s death (which he blames himself exclusively for,) he begins drowning his sorrows in alcohol, barely functioning at all as the guardian for the Gilbert children he wants to be. He often comments how he’s failing them, letting them down, and that he’s a horrible teacher and an even worse role model. Eventually Elena points out how the only family they have is each other, and he starts lifting himself after the post-death rut in order to really get involved in protecting his town and his (pseudo) children.

Aside from that, and probably because of it, Alaric is often quick to sacrifice himself for others. In a way, the ring which allows him to regenerate after death from supernatural causes has helped seal that low sense of self-worth. He, along with the other characters, generally see him as a sort of meatshield because his deaths quickly start to lose their meaning. Regardless, even without the ring, Alaric does not hesitate to help anyone who asks for it. He is the morally strong center of a show that is populated with morally corrupt characters. Alaric’s “dark past,” hinted at by another character, is actually a series of spots on his records in which he would start bar fights in order to white knight for the weak. While his friends are monsters, he has an intense affinity for humanity and will stop at nothing to protect them from the creatures that prey on them.

Betrayed by his obsessive need to find Isobel when everyone else had pronounced her dead, Alaric has a loyalty that is easily earned but hard to lose. He admits near the end of the series (a canonpoint past my own) that the life he had taking care of Jeremy and Elena as their guardian was “the closest [he] ever got to the life [he] always wanted.” Alaric’s love for his family transcends most things, and they are the people he will sacrifice absolutely anything for. Despite Isobel hiding the existence of Elena from him, he finds himself loving her anyway, taking her on as both a pupil and a daughter. He becomes the male role model for Jeremy when he has none, also taking him on as a father. While Alaric would be the first to admit what a terrible guardian he is in every aspect, he has never hesitated in doing what he thinks is right for them, even when what he thinks is right is exiling himself from their lives. Because of the dangerous company they surround themselves with, he has taken it upon himself to train Elena in a matter of various self defense techniques, using the knowledge he has gained from being a vampire hunter to teach her weaponry, fighting strategies, and to physically bulk her up. Assuming from later episodes in which Jeremy utilizes a crossbow effectively, he does the same for Jeremy. As much as Alaric wants to protect his family, he knows it’s far more important that they protect themselves.

Powers & Abilities: Alaric doesn’t have any supernatural abilities of his own, but he does come with a ring that, when he wears it, brings him back to life as long as the cause of his death was supernatural (such as a vampire/werewolf/vampire/curse killing him). Since he is keeping it, I’d like to have the ring’s ability dampened down where, like the example for characters who can regenerate, it only heals minor wounds.

Alaric, having trained himself to be a vampire hunter, uses his broad frame and strength to his advantage. He is highly skilled with a crossbow as well as a wild variety of weapons, not limited to spears, knives, guns, and bows. He is a master weapon maker, creating some specifically designed to take down vampires. His most notable achievements are vervain darts, compressed air-powered stake guns (pictured far left), and a type of handmade grenade that is filled with a liquefied vervain mixture. Other weapons he has created are a type of bronze knuckle with wooden spikes and a air-powered wrist holster that shoots a miniature stake when it strikes something with enough strength behind it.

He jokingly refers to other various skills he has - tracking, navigating, and knot-tying - to be things he picked up as a boy scout. He can whittle a highly elaborate stake (pictured alongside the stake guns) and is one of few humans who has been able to kill a vampire with his natural abilities alone.

Items on their Person: Alaric has the Gilbert ring, a piece of magical jewelry gifted with the ability to bring its wearer back to life as long as the cause of death was through the fault of something supernatural. The ring is thick silver with a square of black onyx. A silver eagle-like crest is displayed in the middle of the onyx.

Otherwise, Alaric is only carrying a battery-operated flashlight and a messenger bag, holding a camera.

Samples;

First Person Sample:

[Alaric's tone, when he starts, is firm. He feels like shit; he's worn out, alone, and has one bolt to his name. There's a shuffle or two out behind the back wall, and he clutches the phone to his chest like it'll keep his heart beating. He's world-weary and seen too many people die. All of that before he ever came here.

He slips into that void space he utilizes when he teaches, when twenty young faces blur together and all that keeps him going is the insane urge to want kids to be smart.] Maybe it’s arrogant as hell, I dunno. I hate to be that guy [The one who shines with optimism but, at his core, is thoroughly defined as a fatalist. The one who claims they should stick together, but eventually moves away himself and gets disemboweled in the epic climax], but the fictional thing? Yeah, I get it. It sucks. Life’s not a picnic for anyone, but there are bigger problems. Hordes of those bigger problems. I’m not saying we should all group together, because based on pop cultural evidence, I’m thinking that would attract them. I’m saying… I’m saying stick to people you trust. Don’t wander off alone. Don’t wander. Just.. be careful, okay? If you need help, find me. I’ll do what I can.

Try not to be dicks. It’ll keep everyone alive. [The finalizing way he says this makes it a marked fact that keeping everyone alive is what's most important.]

Third Person Sample:

Like any sane person, Alaric’s mind defaults to the fact that his isn’t real. Not the videos – those, no, those are insanely real; someone has put careful thought into this, a wary pen to paper, a man with a worried brow and eyes that wander, all of it to make it seem real. This, though. Everything else. The pamphlet, the videos, the text on a phone that has never been his in a cheerful voice that is excessively fake; all of that is not real.

When he awakens, his clothes are dry. The damp of the cave Damon had coaxed him into looking in has faded from his sleeves, and he can barely remember the shy glance of white, fading marks that had been etched into the cavern’s walls. Frustration wells in him, and he considers taking the phone and slamming it against the wall until the plastic shatters in his hand. Just for something to do, something that no one had planned on him doing (or had rehearsed him doing). The rush of his heart at discovering something no one had seen in a thousand years - snatched away. Now it’s beating with the need for escape, except home has become somewhere inexplicably far away.

This isn’t real. The falsifying of his life – maybe it makes him a complete moron to ignore it, but he does. He tries his best to push off the table, pick up the phone, and press his thumb to the screen to run through its options. Telling him what he’s suffered is fake doesn’t make it so.

(Someone told your wife to leave you to make you sympathetic. You were pressed to call Damon a friend for dramatic irony. Each death escaped leads to something greater, just beyond the sight of where your character is, that is inevitable. The climax. She loves you despite your faults.)

To hell with it. The phone buzzes in his hand, and he scrolls, watches videos. A red-haired woman introduces herself, and a variety of anonymous words chime in. Someone compares their life to a collection of movies, some which sound familiar and some that don’t.

Alaric figures the phone out, catching on to its special kind of broadcasting system. He gets it. An electronic bulletin board. Despite how inane it feels, he can’t help but hope (stupidly, selfishly) that someone out there might recognize him. Or, at the very least, be smart enough to ask for help.

Alaric Saltzman, he types, and zombies are really not the worst crap I’ve had to deal with.

OOC Info;
Name: Maia
Age: 22
Ways to contact:

discontinued
Characters currently played: n/a

Character Info;
Character Name: Damon Salvatore
Canon: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Canon Link: here
Canon Point: 3.22 - after his phone conversation with Elena.
Character Age: approx. 170; appears mid-20s.
Character Suitability: n/a

Personality:

Because when they see good, they expect good. And I don't want to have to live up to anybody's expectations.

Damon in a nutshell. He spends most of his life as a vampire shutting out his humanity and he puts even more effort into making sure that people know he's not human or a good guy or basically anything other than a cold-blooded monster who doesn't care about anyone or anything. Unfortunately, Damon's a shitty actor and a shitty liar; Elena's the first to see through his façade, but she's not the only one. It says a lot that by late S1 and beyond, people (Alaric, Isobel, Rose) who meet him only briefly recognize just how much he cares for Elena and his brother. It says even more that he spent 145 years devoted to rescuing Katherine. Damon is a creature consumed by love, no matter how much he might deny it. He was that way as a human; as a vampire, heightened emotions and senses dial everything up to eleven. He can be both at his best and his most destructive when he does something for love, but it's definitely not something he does in moderation. Damon in love is like Stefan on human blood—at his core, it's what drives him.

This is not to say, however, that his façade is only a front. He genuinely believes he's not a good person or capable of doing good things. It's a role he finds a twisted sense of comfort in because it's easier, familiar—there's no one to depend on him, no one disappoint, no one he'll fail. He can't when they don't expect anything from him. Accusing Damon of having humanity is like poking a bear with a stick. He might not do anything, but then he might break you in half just to prove you wrong. Even as late as mid-S3, Damon tells Stefan he's "better at being the bad guy," after deliberately making sure he's the one responsible for killing Bonnie's mother, effectively absolving Stefan of that and, in his mind, allowing Stefan and Elena to get back together. It's not as selfless as it sounds—Damon takes the fall because he'd rather ensure Elena hates him than to have her as a friend who might love him, but deep down he believes she never will. It's a screwed up kind of logic, but there it is and it's classic Damon behavior. He fucks things up, whether because he thinks it's inevitable or he's just throwing a tantrum, and then he goes around not being sorry except he obviously is and it obviously upsets him that he's lost a friend, he just refuses to say it (until he finally does). Damon is, essentially, a hormonal teenager if hormonal teenagers also had homicidal tendencies.

Around the canon point he's coming from, Damon's sort of…mellowed out. Sort of. If it can be called that. Basically, he's just a bit less quick to lash out by killing everything in his way. It doesn't mean he isn't willing to do a lot of terrible things to save Elena's life, but there's nevertheless some progress when, unlike the first time Elena rejects him, no one gets their neck broke (2.01) and Damon does not, in fact, lash out violently at all (3.19). He's trying, in other words. It's a slow road and he's not incapable of falling back into his old ways, but he's not the same person he was a year ago, either. He's spent most of the year being forced into a position where people are relying on him, especially Elena, after Stefan took off to eat people and look for werewolves with his BFF Klaus, leaving him as one of the few who could protect her. Besides, when hybrids and original vampires are trying to kill you left and right, there just isn't time to snack on strangers anymore. He's got better things to do and more important people to kill.

There are three significant people in Damon's life. The first is Elena. She's the last person who should've extended her hand to him—he's nearly killed her and her friends on multiple occasions—but she did and it means something to him. Damon doesn't exactly have a lot of people who would consider him worth saving. Along the way, he fell in love with her, but he also knows she loves Stefan. It results in a push and pull where he wants her, but he also continually pushes her away because it's easier when he knows she'll never go for him. There's nothing worse than hope. By the end, her final rejection is enough to give him a sort of death wish where he nearly lets Alaric kill him until a memory of his first meeting with Elena gets him back on his feet. More important than his love for her, though, is Elena’s friendship, and his love is pretty wrapped up in that as a whole. He couldn’t feel for her the way he does if she wasn’t the friend she is to him. He trusts her and he knows she trusts him now, too, and they’re both bound by how much they care about Stefan, by how much his going off the rails has affected them both. She’s the first person he ever trusted, in fact, and with the exception of Alaric, she’s the only one. Damon doesn’t trust easily (he definitely doesn't trust anyone who's betrayed him before, which Elena has) and he’s never had someone he could genuinely call a friend before her. He likes her. He makes her laugh, he enjoys her company, he recognizes that she can make really reckless decisions sometimes and he won't hesitate to call her out on that. She isn't just some girl who looks like Katherine to him; she's someone he cares for as a real person in her own right.

The second is Stefan, Damon's little brother. They used to be extremely close until Stefan’s blood high finally split them apart. Damon resents his brother greatly and there's nothing false about how much he enjoys messing with him, but as per his deathbed confession, he’s come to acknowledge that he’s blamed Stefan for events that weren’t necessarily Stefan’s fault. Even prior to that, he was willing to risk his life to save his brother, taking on a house full of vampires much older than him just to rescue his baby bro. He loves Stefan. It’s transparent as hell, though getting Damon to admit it is like wringing blood from a stone. This does not, however, make Damon any less exasperated with Stefan in general, whether Stefan is a self-loathing squirrel killer or a humanity-less dick, and he's happy to stab Stefan to make a point. They're slowly finding their way back to each other, though. Damon's openly acknowledged that Stefan is all he has and he's put in a lot of effort in trying to get Stefan back on track, helping him control his bloodlust. Stefan's family. There's no doubt that Stefan is the most important person in his life whether he loves him or hates him or both.

Finally, there is Alaric, Damon's best and only friend. Initially in town to kill him, they developed an uneasy alliance that grew into a real friendship over time. Damon's killed him twice, turned his wife, and is a shameless dick, but somehow they like each other. Even Alaric can't explain why the hell he's friends with Damon. Alaric is a demonstration that Damon can care about someone without having to be desperately in love with them. He spends about three episodes trying to get back into Alaric's good graces after he snapped his neck in a fit (whoops?), and he's the only person aside from Elena to whom Damon's openly apologized to.

These are all deeper issues, though. On general level, he is cynical and sarcastic with a tongue that cuts deep, though he can be charming when he wants to be. Plus, he's easy on the eyes and that hardly hurts his case. His mood can be unpredictable with a temper that manifests fast and cold so that by the time you've realized you've pissed him off, you're already dead. The only exceptions are when he's genuinely hurt—after Katherine left him, for example—in which case he just loses it and breaks things. He's also manipulative to the nth degree. It's telling that he manages to gain the trust of the very people who are specifically looking for a vampire. Damon is reckless, but he's not an idiot (for the most part.) He's a schemer and a tenacious one at that: if there's something he wants done or someone he wants dead, he will keep at it no matter how impossible or how many setbacks until he succeeds or he dies trying.

In short, Damon is the definition of morally ambiguous. Although he’s getting better about his disregard for collateral damage, when it comes down to it, he will let people die if he has to. "There's a small list," he says in regards to who he cares lives or dies. He won't hesitate to kill for and he won't hesitate to die for the few people he loves. Once he's decided someone's worth his loyalty, he's there to the end. Anyone outside that list? It's a coin toss whether he'll bother to rescue your ass because he happens to be feeling something that moment or kill you himself because you've just been unlucky enough to catch him in a bad mood.

Powers & Abilities:

ABILITIES

» vampire teeth (fangs + blood floods the whites of their eyes, also darkening the veins beneath the eyes)
» vampire blood (if ingested, capable of transforming someone into a vampire if a human dies with the blood in their system; also heals human injuries) > capable of healing only minor cuts and bruises in-game.
» enhanced speed/strength/reflexes. To the human eye, their movements register as a blur at best. > reduced so that he is only a bit quicker/stronger than the average human.
» heightened senses (sight (night vision)/smell/hearing) > he can see a little bit better at night (I'm thinking shadows mostly?) and his hearing is more sensitive than average so he might catch small movements if it's quiet enough, but he's not going to be listening in on whispered conversations from across the room. Ditto for his sense of smell.

Requesting that his sense of smell for blood remain just as strong, however, if that's okay? It won't really be an advantage since people and zombies are bleeding and dying all over the place.
» compulsion (form of mind control, requires eye contact and spoken orders. can be fought, but only in very extreme circumstances.) > will no longer work properly. I'll leave it up to players whether they want it to work or not and to what extent if/when he does use it, and Damon probably will avoid using it since canonically when you're not drinking human blood it can go wrong easily and he knows that.
» dream manipulation (can control others' dreams) > see above.
» accelerated healing (can recover from cuts, stabs, bullets and broken bones anywhere between seconds to minutes.) > minor cuts and bruises heal immediately; larger injuries will take a bit faster, but something like a broken bone will still take weeks (but not months like it normally would). Deeper wounds will take anywhere from days to over a week.
» immortality > nerfed to fit the game resurrection rules.
» protection from the sun due to a magic daylight ring > keeping this one, of course.

WEAKNESSES

» fire or sunlight if his ring is removed/de-spelled
» vervain (poisonous to vampires; also provides immunity to compulsion. not that important since i doubt anyone will show up with this stuff, but it's here just in case. Damon has built up a slight tolerance to it.)
» wood (extremely painful and will kill if stabbed through the heart)
» werewolf bites (lethal)
» invitations (the owner of a home must invite him in or he cannot enter) > in-game, if anyone sets up what could count as a long-term home (i.e. they're planning on staying there for at least a few months) in any abandoned house/building, he will need to be invited in.

Items on their Person: clothes, wallet, car keys, cell phone, his daylight ring.

Samples;
First Person Sample:

So how long should we give this? Say, oh, I don't know, two weeks, couple months? I'm sensing an inevitable path away from altruism in either case. You might as well all just stop pretending your priorities are going to be make friends when we come down to it.

[It's impossible to tell if he's just poking the fire or not.]

But what do I know?

Third Person Sample:

His phone is in his hand. Normally, it's tucked into his pocket to keep his hands free, but he spent the past hour digging it out every five minutes. So now he's just holding onto it for the sake of convenience. Every time he glances at the screen, it's empty or full of messages he doesn't give a single crap about.

He hates this. Look, he's 170. That's over a century and a half, in case you need to hear the same information a different way. Technically speaking, that's not a long time for a vampire, but it's not nothing, either. The point is, he's seen a lot. He's watched the world become a lot of things.

A planet gone dead is still not something he ever figured he'd see. So much for that.

Even better news is, he has no idea what happened to him. He felt it when he came to, something that he can only describe as a dulling. Of everything. It's like putting the world on mute which, seriously? Not cool. He's gotten used to it, but it doesn't make it any less annoying, not least because all of those little bonuses that come with being undead would've really come in handy. The only thing that hits him as strong as ever is blood. It's everywhere. It soaks the air and clings to the back of his throat when he breaths, thick and black and entirely dead. Really not appetizing except he's hungry. These days, he can't not be hungry and even dead blood is starting to make his teeth itch.

Not that he's ever tried to drink it. Obviously. There's desperate and then there's suicidal. Damon knows the difference.

Whatever. Right now, it's not on his mind. Nothing's on his mind except one thing, and it keeps him moving forward. He steps over rusted blood stained onto the pavement, slips between the cars that clog up the highway like a frozen traffic jam. Everything's abandoned; everything's covered in blood. Your typical end-of-the-world flick. It's quiet. He knows he should be taking it a pace slower, a step more cautious. He doesn't care.

Because Elena's not answering. He never should've even let her out of his sight, but it happened and all he got from her was a location before she went radio silent.

There are plenty of scenarios. None of them are promising. Driving himself crazy over it isn't going to help, though, so he doesn't. Think about it, that is. It's not important. He's going to find her. The rest doesn't matter.

OOC INFO;
Name: Amber.
Age: 24.
Ways to contact:

greyjoy
Characters currently played: None, but I have Natasha Romanoff on reserve.

CHARACTER INFO;
Character Name: Arthur Pendragon.
Canon: Merlin.
Canon Link: Wikipedia / Fan-Run Wikia
Canon Point: Post-4x3, a week or so after being crowned king
Character Age: Just turned 26.
Character Suitability: n/a.

Personality: Arthur is a mass of complexities and contradictions. As he is growing into his title and adulthood, he frequently alternates between negative and positive traits, sometimes embodying both at once. While it is obvious he is going to be a great king, he is also his father's son, and most of the time, he comes off as a total douchebag.

Spoiled from a young age, Arthur feels entitled to the luxuries his noble birth affords him, and is not particularly good with the words "please" and "thankyou". He isn't afraid to exert his power over people, by bullying or insulting them, and he demands much of anybody who serves him. However, he demands equally of himself, and dislikes the idea that he might achieve things based on his position as ruler rather than because he deserves them. He trains himself rigorously, and while he is also terrible with vocalising apologies, will be hard on himself if he believes he has done wrong by someone. When his people starve because of him, he too goes without food and drink.

The core of Arthur's personality, demonstrated when Merlin strips the pride and will from him, is a childlike desire to please. Arthur's greatest fear is letting others down, and while sometimes that person is his father, or the people who look up to him, it is also sometimes Merlin and his belief in Arthur's inherent goodness.

Arthur's need to impress his father and other figures of masculinity leads him to do terrible things, such as standing by as people are executed for magic, or as a youth, allowing his men to rape and murder a peaceful Druid camp. However, he does have a conscience, enough so that he was forgiven by the ghosts of those dead Druids, and has questioned the laws on magic several times throughout the series. Arthur has fought for innocent people in the past, believing himself responsible for all his citizens, and having a compassionate heart that goes out to any person in need, especially those he cares about such as Merlin, Gwen and Morgana. Those three are (or in Morgana's case, were) also the ones most likely to sway him to think outside his father's commands and do what is right. Arthur is noble at heart, and believes in fair justice (might makes right, and all that) and this frequently brought him into conflict with Uther.

Something else Arthur argued with his father about was his need to risk himself for the sake of pride, honour, or those he cares for. Arthur was born fighting, and knows he must be strong. As a knight of the realm, he knows he must uphold the code of chivalry and honour, and he tries his best to do so even when he knows the code is wrong, such as when Lancelot (a good fighter, but not noble-born) is knighted illegally. Whatever else can be said about Arthur, he is brave: he leads his knights, hunts whatever terrorizes the kingdom, and will frequently be the first to throw himself into danger. He has a severe competitive streak, as his father expected him to win any tournaments he entered, and can be humiliated in loss — though he tries to be a good sport he will often be resentful or in denial (the latter seen both in his mild rivalry with Morgana when they were younger and his decision that Morgause "must have used magic" to have defeated him in combat.) He risks his life often, and the fact that he hasn't lost it is only partly to do with his skill and resourcefulness. The rest he puts down to luck, but really is mostly to do with Merlin's constant magical protection, something Arthur remains oblivious to, sometimes seeming to deliberately turn a blind eye, sometimes being distracted or unconscious during the crucial moment, and sometimes because he's obviously a bit thick.

Despite coming off as someone who is perhaps more brawn than brain, Arthur is a smart man in many ways, especially having had the advantage of an education, and he is often introspective. Though socially awkward due to a lonely upbringing, Arthur is good with words, able to give a rousing spur-of-the-moment speech when he needs to, quick with a sarcastic one-liner, and though when it comes to his emotions he tends to live in subtlety and innuendo he also, when needed, can clearly speak his heart.

As his duties are more important than his emotions, the idea of King Arthur being bigger than the actuality, Arthur often maintains a facade of stoicism or dismisses his and others' personal opinion as irrelevant. In love, he tends to be quietly emotional and fond: his declarations or outbursts are either the result of an enchantment (such as the Sidhe Sophia's, or his love spell with Vivian) or the pressure of dire circumstances (such as telling Guinevere he loves her as she is torn out of his arms, presumably to be executed by his father.) The distance of Arthur's station mean Guinevere, at 22, was his first real love, though he obviously held some (unknowingly incestuous) interest in Morgana, and his relationship with Merlin is bromantic, though Arthur finds casual physical affection between men far more difficult than Merlin does: he prefers a punch on the shoulder to a hug.

Though he is never exactly jolly, Arthur enjoys a laugh, usually with friends and at someone else's expense. He often smiles to convey many things; scoffing disbelief, sneering superiority, camaraderie, vicious acknowledgement of his own doom, bitterness and even joy. When hurt, Arthur retreats into himself and his persona and can become cruel, even cold, though when truly injured he is irritable, annoyed at his own weakness. Arthur also isn't afraid of yelling and he can cut an intimidating figure when something drives him into a rage. He's never obviously embarrassed, but awkward; glancing away and flushing about the neck. However Arthur is the type to take out his feelings in combat rather than discussion: like his father, he is a man of action, and expresses himself in the doing.

As the series progresses, Arthur is shown to be growing up. He can take others opinions on board and has learned to acknowledge when he is afraid but face his fears regardless, to acknowledge his mistakes and face their consequences as best he can, and his bullying is more friendly teasing than downright atrociousness. Though he's still prideful, he's aware that it's his weakness. He is beginning to understand and accept the diversity of Camelot, and the relationship of equality between a ruler and his people. It's obvious that he is growing rapidly towards being not just a good king and ruler, but a legendary one.

However Arthur's most important flaw is his own self-doubt. Even as king, he still lives in his father's shadow and requires his Uncle's advice. It is only in pulling the sword from the stone that Arthur gains some belief in himself and his future as a king of Camelot and Albion. But he still hurts deeply from the betrayal of first Morgana as she turns to sorcery, and then his Uncle, as well as Guinevere's betrayal of their first engagement with Lancelot. He cannot understand why they hate him, wonders if perhaps he needs to change his ways, and generally shows the dual capacity for self-examination and self-pity typical of insecurity. This has made him slightly more wary of trusting, though when he realizes the rarity of what they have he is eventually willing to give Guinevere a second chance.

Finally: Arthur enjoys cleanliness (as does Uther: Camelot is a strangely clean castle) and while not a "neat freak", is one of those people who dislikes mess and believes things have their proper places. He has no compunctions about killing in combat or self-defence, but will not strike an unarmed man. He is surprisingly good at subterfuge and sneaks out of the castle quite a few times. Though Merlin tends to be the one coming up with ideas, Arthur is good at strategy and plans well then leads others through it. He has an acute awareness of consequences. His favourite food is herb-encrusted capon. He's a Sagittarius.

Powers & Abilities: Arthur has no magical powers.

Battle Prowess. Arthur has been trained from a young age to be a Knight of Camelot, and he is acknowledged as the best among them, leading them in battle and drilling them daily. He fights in full chain and plate mail, can knock a man out with a blow to the back of the head, and throughout the series is seen skilfully wielding a sword, knife, crossbow, bow and arrow, mace, spear and lance, as well as training his knights, Merlin, and even a handful of commoners in the same.

He participates in tournaments including jousting and swordfights, and even before he became king, was expected to advise his father, King Uther, on battle strategy, invasion plans, and the daily arrangement of Camelot's guards. Arthur knows how to treat a wound in the field, and set traps for animals or men. He is equally comfortable fighting on horseback or in bad weather, and goes on hunting trips for meat or dangerous beasts practically every episode of the series, able to survive the rough conditions of travel and walk or ride long distances.

Court Education. Growing up as the Crown Prince of Camelot means Arthur has spent his entire life being trained in the pomp and ceremony that his station requires. He can read and write, is required to memorize speeches in a single morning, knows table etiquette, can hold his drink, and is quite used to making small talk with the Lords and Ladies of Camelot, as well as any visiting nobles, and remembering how to address them politely. He knows the rules, code and ceremony associated with knighthood, marriage, and funerals. He knows the laws of Camelot and how to decry justice. He is also used to dressing well and bathing regularly, unusual for his time period.

Land Management. While he himself cannot farm, Arthur knows the kingdom that will one day be his quite well. He is required to be aware of the harvest prospects, seasonal affects and natural disasters, grain tithe for the citizens and yearly tax rates. While he is no herbalist, on a few different occasions he recognizes and is able to use various plants. He has encountered several magical creatures, including a unicorn, a werebeast, a dragon, the Questing Beast, and a few unique to the Merlin canon. (He has also encountered the Sidhe/fae in Avalon, but doesn't remember it.) He can tell time by the sun, and use the night sky to get his bearings.

Items on their Person: Arthur is arriving in full chain-and-plate mail, including hauberk, vambrace, greaves, and gauntlets. This is worn over brown breeches and a thick undershirt (designed to reduce chafing) and he is wearing his red cloak embroidered with the golden dragon crest of Camelot, and sturdy knee-high leather boots. Arthur comes carrying his sword in its scabbard at his belt. He will also have a small gourd for water that can be strapped to his belt, a hunting knife in his boot, the engraved silver ring he wears near constantly on his thumb, and his dragon-tooth necklace.

Edited 2012-06-24 06:56 (UTC)

SAMPLES;
First Person Sample:
Er, is this — working?

[ Amateur film-making is always a little awkward to look at. Arthur is a blur of blond hair and armour in the feed, as he tries to get the camera fixed on his face, zoomed in to the right position — the buttons make his fingers feel huge and clumsy. ]

[ Eventually he settles for a little more than half of his face on the screen, frowning through to the other end, his eyes blue and pensive and far too old for his boyish face. ]

I need the use of a crossbow or spear. I’d be willing to trade for the rabbit I kill, or whatever other game is around, and water, of which I currently have at least two week’s supply. Or gold, if you want it.

[ He pauses, wondering what else to add. How to convince people he can’t see that he’s the best damn hunter in the city right now, and they should band behind him? Words have always come to Arthur when speaking to a crowd of men, noble and inspiring words, that made men hold up their swords and shout the name of he and his kingdom. But right now it’s just him and the unforgiving screen of the device, and no words come. He swallows, throat clicking. ]

The pamphlets talked about monsters. I thought I saw—

[ He breaks off, suddenly, looking off-screen, his head cocked as though he’d heard something the microphone hadn’t picked up. Then suddenly he’s scooping up the phone from wherever he’d propped it to speak, getting a nice close picture of his calloused palm. There’s the sound of his sword being drawn, and he forgets modesty, forgets awkwardness, just wants to wrap the one-sided conversation up. ]

If you want to work together, I’m your best chance at survival. Contact me privately to trade locations and negotiate the terms of our alliance.

Third Person Sample:
Arthur Pendragon is not from a world where long-distance communication is instantaneous. He is more used to the length of time a message takes — whether it’s sending a servant running three floors in order to tell the Court Physician that actually, his shoulder was starting to give him a bit of trouble, if he could make up some salve? Or all the way down to the lower town, to tell the blacksmith to get started on twenty new dragon-crested shields for the knights errant that had sworn to the service of Camelot after the latest tourney. Or a rider across the kingdom, out to the lords and their holdings, perhaps even over the border to treat with another kingdom all together. He had even once sent a message to the Roman Empire, mustering across the ocean, though the seasons turned three times before he received a response to his query.

So it is with some bemusement that he watches the small device go through its tutorial once more, trying to grasp just how effective the ability to “record” and “transmit” his voice would be when it came to combat strategy. Scouts could film an enemy encampment rather than risk the long trek back! Messages could be passed between leaders on the field and off as developments shifted the course of the battles. Treaties could be negotiated from separate locations, without the risk of ambush or treachery!

To be honest, the rest of the information has somewhat gone in one of Arthur’s ears and out the other. Fictional realities seem improbable. The walking dead even more-so. The possibility that he had been taken from his kingdom for good sends a strange sort of static through his brain, a blankness that he’d only ever felt before in the depths of a fight, a clean and emotionless feeling of pure purpose. It isn’t something he wants to examine too closely, so instead he spends his time toying with the simple device until he thinks he’s gotten the hang of it.

It’s not that he doesn’t believe what is right before his eyes. Arthur is smart beneath his temper, and though at first he’d raged around the room, the moment he’d walked out those doors it had become obvious that this wasn’t the kidnap plan of some rival kingdom. Madness or sorcery seem viable explanations, of course, but Arthur flinches away from those as well. Sorcery is too far outside his control — his father’s dying face imprinted on his eyelids reinforcing the belief that magic is unquestionably evil — and madness, madness, oh. That has run in his family too long to be a comforting thought.

Mad people don’t wonder if they’re mad, he tries to reassure himself. It doesn’t work.

Without anyone to attack, he feels aimless in this ruined village, where every way he turns there seems to be something he doesn’t understand. A large part of Arthur’s heart is still grieving, but the cheerful brown parchment reminded him to eat and drink, and his survival instinct had kicked in. Food. Water. Shelter. Information. Those would be his saviours. The last would help him find the first.

It is for this reason Arthur swallows his wonder and pride, and turns the “phone” device to record.

Additional Information:

OOC Info;
Name: Juu
Age: 23
Ways to contact: vilaniraffle@gmail, chocogun@aim, vilani@plurk
Characters currently played: N/A

Character Info;
Character Name: Mihael "Mello" Kheel
Canon: Death Note
Canon Link: Here
Canon Point: Post-death
Character Age: 20
Character Suitability: N/A

Personality:
Mello's personality is rather complicated since during the anime/manga we mostly only saw the craziest, the meanest and the angriest side of him, and only at the end we got some humanity coming from him. For this, I consider he may not be a sweet character most of the time, but he isn't ultimately cold and evil.

As for hobbies, he is known to love chocolate (especially when he is plotting), and has a really cool motorbike. Mello is also seen wearing black clothes and a crucifix, and he was the second best at Wammy's House - an orphanage for gifted children. As a child he seemed to be a bully, and even since then he had shown traits of this in his adult angry and spiteful character. Also, it's easy to now admit that towards others, the blond is arrogant and above all, he acts with a superiority that he doesn't have. In fact, he has a very strong inferiority complex that is the explanation to his reactions most of the time: the need to prove himself, the fact that he knows that alone he cannot be the best; he takes extreme actions to overcome this, enough to enter the world of Mafia in order to obtain what he wants. Based on just his qualities, Mello knows himself that he cannot become the top, so he uses anyone at his reach to make it happen.

Even if Mello has superior intelligence, it doesn't make him the most intelligent person (at least not towards Near, L or even Light, for example.), but the fact is, he doesn't use his most (and probably only) important ability in depth. Actually, he ruins himself a bit for this, for being a very emotional and rash person towards everything and maybe everyone; he acts on his whim a lot without really thinking through on what he should do next, only aiming for the objective and not caring about the path he has to follow or the consequences it might bring. This makes him very unpredictable and actually dangerous not only to others but also himself in a way, that would culminate with his death.

But let's not fall only into critic, because in a way, this can be good. The fact is, since he doesn't choose nor thinks his tactics over, his strategy is based on quick though and fast action, which actually works well for him most of the time; as I said, he has luck. He doesn't have the need to stop and analyze, he actually only takes a small glance and reacts in response to that. No kindness in his speech, no backing down, Mello not only isn't reserved towards his actions, but also towards everything else, speaking out his mind whenever he can - still, when he has a moment to rest, he might actually take precautions to his behavior. With this unstable personality and quick judgment, Mello also makes various connections (aka, the Mafia) and friends along the way, which really help him in his goals (aka, Lidner and Matt).

Possessing an explosive, spontaneous, and even hot-blooded personality, being unpredictable and rash, Mello isn't as easy to read as it’d look like to someone observing. He has a lot of insecurities and doubts, but still his mind doesn’t allow him to stop and think about them; he has the aggravating tendency to turn everything all on its head, and this provides him a mask painted with self-confidence and narcissism, characteristic only to him.

He refuses to be looked down, accepting any challenge and planning on wining always, it seems Mello loves the capture almost as much as the chase, giving him a sort of sadistic pleasure in every move he makes. Since he doesn’t take any defeat easily, he is indeed a sore loser, expecting only the best from him and his actions. If that doesn’t happen, he deserves what goes wrong, like the scar he got from the explosion and that never seemed to bother him at all; yet, if we think about it, the scar is proof that Mello lost, and probably IS a thorn in that pride of his (he hides the scar with his hair most of the time. Or tries to).

Mello jumps from a plan to another as quick as his minds sets; he is almost impossible to follow but still, it’s not viable for him to take all the weight all his choices bring. Wanting to rule the world by taking it with his anger and unpredictable authority and not settling for anything less than that, it becomes difficult to be able to handle everything as he tries to. Still, he’ll keep on taking that risk because he is willing to do what no one else will.

Proud and narcissist, he doesn't look like he needs help, even if that brings him problems later on - which did and made him reach for Matt's and Lidner's help. If he actually came to them, if he waited for their contact, it's unknown, but towards these two Mello has shown a far more intimate comprehension (and patience) than the rest of the Mafia members, for example, which leads us to believe the blond though of them to be more than mere pawns. He is shown not be caring for the others, to an extent of wanting to eliminate anyone in his path, but later on we see that the boy has actual human feelings when Matt dies - and apologizes.

In the novel he considers himself a challenger and not a criminal, like he described B.B. Even if Mello’s actions during the anime would bring him quite the criminal record, those same actions were nothing but a recurrence of Kira’s actions. For the fact that he considered B.B. a criminal for killing several innocent people only to step over L, yet not himself, we can assume Mello saw his actions as a necessity, just like L saw his actions towards Misa’s freedom during the anime.
Mello’s strength is his ability to think beyond the restraints of the law with his concepts and his actions. Especially moral laws that L once defended; he doesn’t consider himself someone bad, he considers himself as someone who managed to reach somewhere near L’s place by using other methods: a challenger.

Even though it is said that he falls behind in some aspects, as one who possesses great intelligence, Mello’s actions can bet threatening to anyone. Not only mind, though; he is seen with a weapon, never actually using it, but showing comfort when holding it. It’s easy to admit that experiences throughout his life have given Mello the capability of handling weapons like guns and explosives. Unfortunately, Mello's abilities don't reach physical strength; he is thin, and he actually looks frail, even if he can take huge amounts of pain (burnt skin isn’t as fun as we think).

Between all this, there is also to remember that he can actual calm down. No matter how rash, crazy, emotional he shows to be, after the explosion that ate half of his face, Mello stood in the shadows, listening quiet to what was going on, even if he still acted. This brought him to then finally allow us to see more kindness on his side, by allowing his ultimate rival - Near - his help, and giving his own life so the other could win the fight against Kira. Maybe others can say it wasn't care, but Mello never really fought in name of justice, and right then he gave his glory to Near for no actual reason given - either to avenge L, either to help Near, either because he was tired, either to stop it all, if it wasn't for the blond, never would have Near won.

I'd like to point a special note about the fact that when Near gave him his childhood photo, written on its back was "Dear Mello", and that shown us it's not only hatred that connected both. While no one points a gun and almost shoots to someone they care for deeply, no one would also kill themselves to save the life of that same person. Their feelings were so strong that mixed hate, love, friendship and disgust. Truthfully, Wammy's children never seem able to know how to react towards emotions: L considered Light - the person who wanted to kill him - his best friend; Near showed no emotions at all, and Mello showed just too many. Feelings of care are perhaps something they can't deal well with, so the heirs - Mello and Near, not L - actually seem to avoid it (Mello did spend sometime with the mafia and felt no regret or pity when he saw them dying; even towards Halle, Mello pointed a gun at her and threatened her, even if she was probably one of his only two allies).

To add, the only person he actually praised and showed obvious care about was L, during the novel, so much he even adds “this is the single most valuable memory I have”. Probably adoration, probably love, Mello admits L as better and for someone like him, that means a lot. His emotional reaction towards L’s death was probably suppressed by the need to be better and to be his heir, but he reacted enough to almost jump on Roger and remind him how L had promised he’d catch Kira and return. That was probably his childish side showing for one last time until he realized that he had to grow that moment, and perhaps he did force that to happen.

Better yet, Mello admits how chasing L was like chasing a mirage; no one ever knew what was going on L’s head, and Mello, even if he met his mentor few times, also knew how difficult it’d be to ever be close to him in matters of mind, perception, position, power, strength, justice, and everything else. He did not want to surpass L, he knew he couldn’t surpass him; Mello just wanted to be someone who’d be worth mentioning when someone brought L’s name, he just wanted to be his successor, his backup.

From the novel as well, Mello mentions his respect towards B.B. since their positions were perhaps similar in some sort of way. The blond even says how he can understand why someone would become a criminal in order to fight against a detective like L, which is why he wrote those notes like that, with so much respect towards B.B. Mello explains to us B.B.’s situations with certain value. He explains how he was affected, his actions, and Mello explains with no signs of anger or being against his actions, everything the criminal did. Indeed, Mello sees himself on Beyond Birthday to certain extend.

Personally I keep Mello as lucid as possible without cursing around for any reason at all; he does curse, a lot, but only due to right timing. Mello has a sharp tongue, he’d rather use that than of going around cursing at people; I took him like this because during the anime and during the novel, Mello not only doesn’t curse, but if he wants to offend someone he prefers to use a sharp comment about the situation. I believe he does curse, a lot, but he will make you feel wrong about your opinions your actions first, especially if he sees them as an easily avoided mistake. Mello isn’t forgiving on other people’s mistakes, he tends to point them out, like the narcissistic genius he is. This trait can be seen through the novel, as he gives his opinions about certain moments, especially about Misora who was the only who was not a genius.

Inspired on the book, I managed to grasp few other details about Mello’s personality. While it’s not a source written by the original author, it IS considered canon, so I took it in account.
While Mello keeps his snarky comments on Misora’s actions, he showed some respect towards her personal life. Not only he didn’t care, but he also added it was respect for her being the one to be manipulated and played by B.B, and therefore he was reluctant to do so. He can be respectful, more than he shows. Mello doesn’t mention something private it unless it’s extremely necessary; it is perhaps true that maybe he simply does not give a damn about what you’ve done, but we can’t leave aside that even if he knows the details, he will most likely keep them to himself, even if asked.

Powers & Abilities:
Mello has no supernatural abilities, except his high IQ that can't be considered a magical ability and barely is considered a strength, if we think about it - it greatly depends on how Mello uses his intelligence. Probably this gives him the capability to rationalize fast or/and maybe act fast as well; good strategies (which doesn't stop them from being somewhat mad and even cruel due to the fact he doesn't care about who dies, as long everything goes as planned).

Even so, most genius seem to have quite the photographic memory and by the looks of it (since he was taught to do so for he's L's heir), Mello can vomit facts he read from books and cases, he can assimilate information just as good and retain said information in his brain for a long time. This said, it's necessary to remember Mello read a lot when he was a child and had detective training back in Wammy's House; he most likely had contact with information about drugs, anatomy, diseases, guns, and other related topics.

Perhaps even his personality can be considered a special ability, but let's admit it, part of his actions are based on mere hints, the ability of acting fast, and the rest is kind of... luck (no, bad Mello, bad! No jumping into explosions to save your ass). Even if he doesn't have the strength, because most likely Mello knows anatomy, he also knows soft spots on human body that will allow him to overpower someone he fights with (at least for few seconds, enough to escape). Speaking of which, Mello seems quite fast.

And because he lacks actual body strength, he is seen with a weapon, a 9mm Beretta V92F Jackal gun. He shows no fear when holding his gun, and I believe it makes up for the fact that Mello's abilities don't reach physical strength..

Items on their Person:
Rosary, clothing (gloves, leather pants, leather top, shiny black shoes, leather jacket), chocolate, gun (and bullets).

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APPLICATIONS.

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Elena Gilbert (The Vampire Diaries) → reserved

Tony Stark | MCU: The Avengers | Reserved

Tony Stark | MCU: The Avengers | Reserved

personality / powers & abilities / items on their person

Tony Stark | MCU: The Avengers | Reserved

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Natasha Romanoff (codename: Black Widow) | Marvel Cinematic Universe | reserved

Klarion the Witch Boy | Young Justice | not reserved

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Merlin | BBC'S Merlin | Reserved

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Personality

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Mihael "Mello" Kheel | Death Note | Reserved