[SotP | May 2011]
State of Me: Been a pretty tumultuous month all around, which I won't get into here. This is, however, my first of many warnings that I will not be around after July 17th. I'm both going to SDCC and then moving across the country, so, seriously, I just... Won't be around. It's my intent to have all of my reqs covered before I disappear, but if that doesn't happen, then that doesn't happen. Simple as that.
Character: Peter Parker | The Amazing Spider-Man | daretodo
General: First, I'd just like to thank Scott, Mala, Anita, and Leshia for putting up with my insane number of emails and extensive AIM conversations about Pete this month, and for being such good sports about... Everything. You four have definitely bore the brunt of my (often frantic and not particularly coherent) brainstorming, so... Thanks, again, seriously.
On that note, I'm going to try to keep this brief even though there's a lot to talk about, because even I'm starting to get a little sick of talking about Pete at this point, I feel like a broken record. How do you self-destruct a character who doesn't fall back on substance abuse and whose main adversary is a sentient landmass? That was the problem I was challenged with late last month, and I think I've answered it... Well, pretty admirably, for a given value of the word. Contrary to how it might seem, however, I was (and remain) nervous about pursuing such a plot, seeing as I knew going into it that I'd more or less be destroying everything he's built in the past two years.
In a lot of ways, I feel like I've gone and hit the big Marvel retcon button; Mary Jane's gone and so's his good reputation. I'm even drawing a lot of his characterization from much older storylines at the moment, with a smattering of post-exit point canon for flavour (that's where the idea of the public meltdown came from, actually), which doesn't actually mean anything to anyone except for me, I'd wager, but... There it is. He's going back to his iconoclastic roots, and while I have a tentative gameplan to return him to his normal self (like being a mentor figure to Chase, for example, with whom he has a startling amount of issues in common, though that relationship, such as it is, is still very much in its infancy), he'll be grieving for a long, long time. His capacity to trust anyone in a romantic fashion ever again is probably irreparable, which... I'm okay with, really. Someday, in the distant future, he'll get back to his (innocently) flirtatious ways, but any sort of commitment's out of the cards for good.
I'll be dealing with the repercussions of The Troll's Speech at my own pace and discretion for the next couple of months, but it's safe to assume that unless you're Tony Stark or Pepper Potts, you're probably not seeing him very often (if at all); he won't be making himself easy to find, and barring Cap and a couple of others from home (or home-adjacent, in Jessica's case), Tony and Pepper are pretty much the only people who have a chance at getting through to him in any capacity, anyway. Of course, this is all assuming he doesn't win the election, because if he does, I... will have to rethink a few things, obviously.
Truth Plot: Ha, no. He's as truthful as he's gonna get at the moment, and look how well that's going for him.
Age/Sex Switch: I'll either make him middle aged or a teenager. I'm not sure yet, and it's largely dependent on whether I'll have my Internet set up by then.
Thread Requests: None beyond those mentioned above, as I'll be dealing in mostly private, plot-centric threads. At this rate, I'll never get around to playing anyone else otherwise.
Character: Jamie Madrox | X-Factor |howmanylives
General: We're still slowly plugging away at home plot, so I haven't really done much with Jamie as a result. I really need to come up with some sort of plot for him, because most of his reqs lately have been made through small talk threads, and he's too dynamic a character for me to maintain like that. I think I'm going to do a canon reread, see if I can't come up with a workable time loop or an item-based plot, because he's eligible for two items at this point, and, as a Marvel character, he has plenty of traumatic things to choose from.
Truth Plot: Probably not, because, like with Peter, that'd just be dangerous. Besides, he's not close enough to many people right now anyway to make it particularly worthwhile in any capacity.
Age/Sex Switch: It might be fun to turn him into a woman, just because that's something he hasn't been in all of his travels, though turning him into a kid could be fun, too.
Thread Requests: ANYONE, ESPECIALLY IF THERE'S COOL PLOT INVOLVED.
Character: Bucky Barnes | Captain America | onlyapassenger
General: It's been a month of dealing with aftermath, so a bit quieter than April. Then again, 'Tasha might yet still arrive before May's end (Sarah?), so I could be counting my chickens before they hatch. Of course, even if she does show up, that'll obviously be a good thing and not a traumatic one, so... Quieter, like I said. Though he will be torn about her arrival just in terms of he'd prefer people he loves not be stuck on the island, he'll also just be... Very, very happy to see her, and to have someone he can be a bit more open around, since Steve and Jason are.... Not really options. So, on a selfish level? Ecstatic. On a less selfish level, disappointed that she's having to give up her life back home the same as him.
Truth Plot: Yes, and once he realizes what's going on -- which... I should probably work out how that happens and who with -- he'll be going on a camping trip by himself until it passes, since being compelled to do anything is something of a trigger issue for him. And hey, he'll actually admit that much if asked! So that's something. Maybe in the morning with Jason he figures out something's up, then with Steve as he's actually making to leave. Either way, Bucky won't be running away without an explanation this time.
Of course, the real plot is going to come after this all passes, when he and Steve will be having a private word that's been... Very long in the making. I don't know that much will actually be said, but considering how little Bucky's actually told Steve at this point, even something is better than nothing.
Age/Sex Switch: Fuck. Yes. Even if I don't have Internet by then, I am going to backdate this or pre-play this or something, because I need teenage Bucky in my life. He'll have both his arms for the duration of the plot, so that's... You know, kind of awesome, plus I think it'd do him some good to let go of his baggage for a couple of days. The beauty about aging Bucky down, though, is that he was no less of a lethal badass even as a kid, so be prepared for the cutest 'lil soldier you ever did see~
Thread Requests: Steve, Jason, Lucy (since they haven't in a while), more of Jason's friends (though I imagine he's aware of all of them, anyway), ITF, his students, anyone really.
Character: Matt Murdock | Daredevil | hasnobullets
General: I keep having to remind myself that it took a while for Peter to really settle in, too, because I'm worried that Matt's not making any solid connections just yet, and until he does, there's no real point in systematically destroying his life, because it'll have no real impact. But Lord, do I have ideas. I am full of ideas, so I just need to have him make some deeper friendships.
Truth Plot: Yes, but more for the intellectual exercise of talking his way around things than because I expect him to reveal any truths. Matt... Is very, very good at what he does.
Age/Sex Switch: Another one that I'll do come hell or high water, because Matt could see as a kid, and I think that could be really cool to explore. There've been a few times in canon where he's regained his sight, and he's always had interesting reactions to it (for example, he was initially afraid that his powers would stop working).
Thread Requests: Like Jamie, ANYONE AND EVERYONE, PLEASE.
Character: Thor Odinson | Thor | havenoplans
General: Man, I have a lot of usernames that start with 'h.' But that's not really Thor-specific, so moving along! I put up his debut, promptly got sick, and have been having a hell of a time trying to maintain steam, because so many people tagged in; I'm thinking I should just drop most of the threads save Jane, Billy, and Steve's, since his arrival obviously impacts them the most, so... Heads up on that. He might be a character that I'll be better off simply tagging around, and he's so friendly and gigantic that I don't think I'll have too many issues doing just that. Unsurprisingly, it's been very difficult to reconcile Peter and Thor's voices, though Peter has a tendency to drown out everyone else, anyway. Lesson learned, though, so I'll be timing their threads more carefully in the future.
Truth Plot: Thor's about as truthful as it's possible to get in my roster, man. It's Truth Plot all the time if you're Thor.
Age/Sex Switch: I'll either turn him into a girl as a nod to Girl!Loki in the comics, age him up to look like Odin, or make him a little kid.
Thread Requests: IF YOU'D LIKE ME TO TAG YOU, JUST LEMME KNOW. Though I do have an idea for an EP earlier next month, and it's time sensitive, so I'll probably still do it anyway.
The Future: As it simply wouldn't be prudent for me to app anyone until the fall, at this point, there's no one concrete. That said, Gertrude Yorkes and Kate Bishop are fighting for consideration. I don't know that I'd have the time for both, but I think reapping one or the other might just be a forgone conclusion at this point, because I've been thinking about both on and off for a while.