capeandcowl application
[PLAYER INFO]
NAME: Ali
AGE: 25
JOURNAL:
aliccolo
IM: aim - aliccolo
E-MAIL: aliccolo@gmail.com
RETURNING: Yes ; 6 ; Matt Murdock, Angelica Jones, Bobbi Morse, Kate Bishop, Jessica Wakefield, Doctor Zoidberg
[CHARACTER INFO]
CHARACTER NAME: Laurie Juspeczyk // Silk Spectre II
FANDOM: Watchmen
CHRONOLOGY: October 10, 1985, the day before the start of the events of Watchmen
CLASS: Hero, somewhat reluctantly
SUPERHERO NAME: Silk Spectre II
ALTER EGO: Laurie Juspeczyk
BACKGROUND:
Laurel Jane Juspeczyk was born on December 2, 1949, the result of a tryst between Sally Jupiter, the first Silk Spectre, and Edward Blake, the Comedian. The circumstances surrounding her conception were a closely kept secret, one that Laurie would not be aware of until she was in her mid-thirties. Laurie was told that her step-father, Laurence Schexnayder was her father, though she always believed that her father was her mother's ex-boyfriend, Hooded Justice. Laurie's young childhood was marred by the memories of Sally and Laurence's bitter arguments and their later divorce. Her life was charmed though, due to her mother's pseudo-celebrity status as a superheroine and pin-up model, and Laurie was afforded all the best luxuries money could buy.
However, Sally had almost full control of Laurie's life. From an early age, she began molding her daughter into an altered image of herself, enrolling her in gymnastics and self-defense classes, insisting that Laurie would take on the persona of Silk Spectre as soon as she was old enough. Sally even had a revealing superhero costume made for her sixteen year old daughter to wear. Laurie was essentially uninterested in pursuing a life as a masked avenger but did so to please her mother.
Laurie made her debut as the second Silk Spectre in 1966, at age sixteen when she attended the infamous disaster that was the Crimebusters meeting. It was at that meeting that she met five men who would play major roles in her adult life. Her encounters with Rorschach and Nite Owl were brief but memorable, as was her exchange with Ozymandias. Meeting Doctor Manhattan and the Comedian were more important, for very different reasons.
Eddie Blake seemed to intrigue her for reasons unknown. She was vaguely aware that the Comedian and her mother had both been members of the Minutemen together, and possibly for that reason, Laurie was naturally drawn to him. The two had a brief conversation outside the meeting, one that was interrupted by a hysterical Sally, who forced Laurie away from Eddie. It was on that evening that Sally revealed to her daughter that Eddie had attempted to rape her at the Minutemen's Christmas party in 1940. The revelation was incredibly upsetting and impacted Laurie greatly, and she formed a deep seated hatred for the Comedian and all he stood for.
Simultaneously, young Laurie was immediately taken with Jon Osterman, the blue skinned god among men, developing an instant school-girl crush on him. Within weeks, the two began patrolling New York City together, fighting crime and generally performing small feats of heroics, and soon the two were embarking on a romantic relationship, one that was considered highly scandalous considering the vast age gap between them, and the fact that Jon was already seeing someone else, his long time girlfriend, Janey Slater. Laurie and Jon continued their relationship, despite the disapproval of Sally, amongst other people, and the couple resettled in Washington, D.C. once Laurie turned eighteen. She and Jon continued to work as a team for awhile, though he became the face of American military strength following his major role in the U.S. victory in the Vietnam War.
Laurie worked in the capital as Silk Spectre for approximately seven years until the passage of the Keene Act in 1977. The Keene Act outlawed non-government affiliated vigilantes, and Laurie was forced to retire her persona as a result. Unlike some of her other costumed colleagues, Laurie welcomed the chance to step out of the spotlight and try to resume a normal life. Her heart had never really been set on crime fighting anyway. She and Jon were still living as a couple, however, and Jon was still working as a government employee. This allowed Laurie her own personal expense account courtesy of the U.S. government, since her presence made the U.S.'s ultimate weapon happy. In 1981, Laurie and Jon relocated to New York to live at the Rockefeller Military Research Center.
Their relationship wasn't all sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows however, and after almost twenty years together, the strain was beginning to show. Jon seemed to be growing distant, and Laurie found herself feeling more and more isolated and trapped. Their misunderstandings grew more and more frequent, and with the energy crisis and the threat of nuclear war with the USSR looming, Laurie found herself basically taking a backseat of Jon's other pursuits, feeling neglected and somewhat trapped in her current situation.
And thus leads up to the events of October 11, 1985.
PERSONALITY:
Laurie is, in essence, the spirit of humanity. She is emotive and irrational, she can be loud and coarse, prone to mood swings and impulsive behavior. She's vivacious and charming, gentle and nurturing, but can also be aloof and distant. She shows signs of addictive behavior at times, is prideful and overly sensitive. She can be very immature in her responses sometimes, though she views herself as a modern woman and as a feminist. She is strong willed, and she sees herself as independent, however many of her own actions sometimes seem to contradict this.
She spent her childhood and early teen years controlled and dominated by her mother, very much under Sally Jupiter's overprotective thumb. It was a situation that while not as extreme as say, Mommie Dearest, was still incredibly unhealthy for young Laurie's psyche. She grew up feeling like her life was out of her control, and that she was just a puppet in the eyes of her mother. Laurie came to resent her mother and wanted very much to take charge of her life. She always felt the resentment seemed to go both ways however, and Laurie always felt like her mother resented her for even being born.
Growing up without a father left her without a male role model in her life, and Laurie seems to fill that gap with men who can serve as both lover and father figure to her. Laurie's feelings for Jon Osterman developed rapidly, and she quickly latched onto the older man, viewing him as a kind of savior from the strong hold of her mother. Jon helped Laurie to grow into the woman she is now, nurturing her and giving her affection over their years together.
As the relationship grew, and as Laurie became an adult and changed over time, her views on herself and on Jon began to change too. She still clung to him, mostly because she felt safe and comfortable with him even as she grew more and more dissatisfied in her life with him. Laurie never felt as if she an Jon were true equals in their relationship. She was always in debt to him, and she would never truly be out of his shadow. This is partially due to her age and maturity level, her level of education compared to his, and due to his god-like nature.
And while I am bringing Laurie in pre-Watchmen, it's also important to note that during the course of the series she left Jon, who was essentially her common-law husband of nearly twenty years, and immediately shacked up with Dan Dreiberg. That seems to suggest that despite her independent self-image, Laurie is the type of woman who needs a man in her life. She needs to be told she is beautiful, and she needs to feel wanted.
The way she sees herself is somewhat different than how others would perceive her, too. Yes, she was a female superhero, but she also paraded around New York City and Washington in a revealing outfit, and she was rarely seen outside the company of a male companion. She fought crime, but she also allowed herself to be objectified, something which seems counter-intuitive to her claims of being a feminist. It could be argued that she used her sexuality and looks to further her feminist agenda and empower herself, but she's not really savvy enough to have done that. She's charming, but still has a certain awkward naivete, even as a grown woman.
POWER:
Laurie is an accomplished gymnast and martial artist. She has no superhuman abilities in canon.
For the purposes of this game, she will be granted the following powers:
Nostalgia: Simply put, Laurie can cause other characters to relive their own memories. Through eye contact, Laurie is able to gain access to other people's memories and forces them to relive the event, whether it's their first kiss or their grandmother's funeral. The downside is Laurie has to relive the event also, so if it's super traumatic, she gets to experience all the pain as well.
Shadow Form: This is the ability to turn herself into a shadow. It would also her to literally become a shadow, completely dark and intangible for a limited length of time.
She also smells like Nostalgia perfume. Always.
[CHARACTER SAMPLES]
COMMUNITY POST (FIRST PERSON) SAMPLE:
[voice]
[Cue the lovely noise of rush hour traffic in the background, along with the sound of a woman cursing bitterly.]
Where in the hell is my lighter? Jesus. I had it a minute ago... oh finally. Wait. Is this thing--? Shit, it's recording?
[The camera abruptly turns on to show an obviously disgruntled woman stomping down the sidewalk, holding the communicator in one hand and trying to light a cigarette with the other. After about ten seconds of her muttering profanity around the cigarette in her mouth, dodging other pedestrians and the lighter flickering on and off, she finally steps into an alley, gets the damn thing lit and takes a drag. Slowly, the scowl lessens slightly, though she still looks pretty pissed off.]
This is some kind of joke, isn't it? An optical illusion maybe? Or a dream? That's it, right? I'm asleep, or I'm drunk. This is a drunken hallucination. This is my cue to quit drinking. My--what's it called?--moment of clarity?
[She takes another drag, blowing out a perfect ring before sighing heavily.]
I'd much rather find out that this is some trick than have someone dump some kind of sciencey bullshit on me right now. I've had a rough day.
LOGS POST (THIRD PERSON) SAMPLE:
It is Tuesday morning when she arrives in New York City. It's only been about two months, but it feels like forever since she moved away. Washington is so different. It isn't as cold, and the city is confusing. For a city that was planned on paper, it sure is a mess. Laurie can barely find her way around in broad daylight, and come nightfall it's damn near impossible. And the locals... that's a whole other can of worms. There's protesters and politicians on every street corner during the day, and radicals and operatives and regular hoods roaming around at night. Makes for tough company. Makes New York seem mundane in some ways.
Laurie doesn't like the idea of patrolling D.C. alone. And with Jon gone to Vietnam...well, there's no reason she can't sneak up to NYC for a little visit.
Sally is of course thrilled to see her. They hadn't really parted on the best of terms, but as Laurie brushes the rain drops from her hair and collapses on the sofa, all seems forgiven. Sally's all a flutter, making small talk, grilling her daughter about life in the capital, wondering aloud how she's holding up with Jon away. Laurie opts not to answer, instead folding her arms to her chest and longing for a smoke.
She's still got Sally's letter in her purse.
The morning drags on a bit, between coffee and gossip and stepping out back for cigarettes. It's nearly noon when Sally finally inquires about lunch.
"I've got plans," Laurie says with a little smile, and Sally is intrigued. She presses for details, but Laurie's lips are sealed, and she gives her mother a quick kiss goodbye before taking her keys and setting out for the city.
Decent Chinese food is probably the thing Laurie misses most about New York. Well, besides Sally and her Vespa. She makes a mental note to remember to have her Vespa sent down to D.C. as she's shown to a booth near the window, nodding pleasantly at the little waitress pouring tea and glances absently at the place mat.
Chinese zodiac animals. 1949. Ox. Dependable, patient, hardworking, and tenacious. She grins, feeling slightly more pleased than she should. She reads further. Materialistic, rigid, stubborn, demanding. Hm. Well. We all have our faults, don't we. With a small sigh, Laurie sips her tea and stares at the menu.
FINAL NOTES ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER:
N/A
NAME: Ali
AGE: 25
JOURNAL:
aliccolo
IM: aim - aliccolo
E-MAIL: aliccolo@gmail.com
RETURNING: Yes ; 6 ; Matt Murdock, Angelica Jones, Bobbi Morse, Kate Bishop, Jessica Wakefield, Doctor Zoidberg
[CHARACTER INFO]
CHARACTER NAME: Laurie Juspeczyk // Silk Spectre II
FANDOM: Watchmen
CHRONOLOGY: October 10, 1985, the day before the start of the events of Watchmen
CLASS: Hero, somewhat reluctantly
SUPERHERO NAME: Silk Spectre II
ALTER EGO: Laurie Juspeczyk
BACKGROUND:
Laurel Jane Juspeczyk was born on December 2, 1949, the result of a tryst between Sally Jupiter, the first Silk Spectre, and Edward Blake, the Comedian. The circumstances surrounding her conception were a closely kept secret, one that Laurie would not be aware of until she was in her mid-thirties. Laurie was told that her step-father, Laurence Schexnayder was her father, though she always believed that her father was her mother's ex-boyfriend, Hooded Justice. Laurie's young childhood was marred by the memories of Sally and Laurence's bitter arguments and their later divorce. Her life was charmed though, due to her mother's pseudo-celebrity status as a superheroine and pin-up model, and Laurie was afforded all the best luxuries money could buy.
However, Sally had almost full control of Laurie's life. From an early age, she began molding her daughter into an altered image of herself, enrolling her in gymnastics and self-defense classes, insisting that Laurie would take on the persona of Silk Spectre as soon as she was old enough. Sally even had a revealing superhero costume made for her sixteen year old daughter to wear. Laurie was essentially uninterested in pursuing a life as a masked avenger but did so to please her mother.
Laurie made her debut as the second Silk Spectre in 1966, at age sixteen when she attended the infamous disaster that was the Crimebusters meeting. It was at that meeting that she met five men who would play major roles in her adult life. Her encounters with Rorschach and Nite Owl were brief but memorable, as was her exchange with Ozymandias. Meeting Doctor Manhattan and the Comedian were more important, for very different reasons.
Eddie Blake seemed to intrigue her for reasons unknown. She was vaguely aware that the Comedian and her mother had both been members of the Minutemen together, and possibly for that reason, Laurie was naturally drawn to him. The two had a brief conversation outside the meeting, one that was interrupted by a hysterical Sally, who forced Laurie away from Eddie. It was on that evening that Sally revealed to her daughter that Eddie had attempted to rape her at the Minutemen's Christmas party in 1940. The revelation was incredibly upsetting and impacted Laurie greatly, and she formed a deep seated hatred for the Comedian and all he stood for.
Simultaneously, young Laurie was immediately taken with Jon Osterman, the blue skinned god among men, developing an instant school-girl crush on him. Within weeks, the two began patrolling New York City together, fighting crime and generally performing small feats of heroics, and soon the two were embarking on a romantic relationship, one that was considered highly scandalous considering the vast age gap between them, and the fact that Jon was already seeing someone else, his long time girlfriend, Janey Slater. Laurie and Jon continued their relationship, despite the disapproval of Sally, amongst other people, and the couple resettled in Washington, D.C. once Laurie turned eighteen. She and Jon continued to work as a team for awhile, though he became the face of American military strength following his major role in the U.S. victory in the Vietnam War.
Laurie worked in the capital as Silk Spectre for approximately seven years until the passage of the Keene Act in 1977. The Keene Act outlawed non-government affiliated vigilantes, and Laurie was forced to retire her persona as a result. Unlike some of her other costumed colleagues, Laurie welcomed the chance to step out of the spotlight and try to resume a normal life. Her heart had never really been set on crime fighting anyway. She and Jon were still living as a couple, however, and Jon was still working as a government employee. This allowed Laurie her own personal expense account courtesy of the U.S. government, since her presence made the U.S.'s ultimate weapon happy. In 1981, Laurie and Jon relocated to New York to live at the Rockefeller Military Research Center.
Their relationship wasn't all sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows however, and after almost twenty years together, the strain was beginning to show. Jon seemed to be growing distant, and Laurie found herself feeling more and more isolated and trapped. Their misunderstandings grew more and more frequent, and with the energy crisis and the threat of nuclear war with the USSR looming, Laurie found herself basically taking a backseat of Jon's other pursuits, feeling neglected and somewhat trapped in her current situation.
And thus leads up to the events of October 11, 1985.
PERSONALITY:
Laurie is, in essence, the spirit of humanity. She is emotive and irrational, she can be loud and coarse, prone to mood swings and impulsive behavior. She's vivacious and charming, gentle and nurturing, but can also be aloof and distant. She shows signs of addictive behavior at times, is prideful and overly sensitive. She can be very immature in her responses sometimes, though she views herself as a modern woman and as a feminist. She is strong willed, and she sees herself as independent, however many of her own actions sometimes seem to contradict this.
She spent her childhood and early teen years controlled and dominated by her mother, very much under Sally Jupiter's overprotective thumb. It was a situation that while not as extreme as say, Mommie Dearest, was still incredibly unhealthy for young Laurie's psyche. She grew up feeling like her life was out of her control, and that she was just a puppet in the eyes of her mother. Laurie came to resent her mother and wanted very much to take charge of her life. She always felt the resentment seemed to go both ways however, and Laurie always felt like her mother resented her for even being born.
Growing up without a father left her without a male role model in her life, and Laurie seems to fill that gap with men who can serve as both lover and father figure to her. Laurie's feelings for Jon Osterman developed rapidly, and she quickly latched onto the older man, viewing him as a kind of savior from the strong hold of her mother. Jon helped Laurie to grow into the woman she is now, nurturing her and giving her affection over their years together.
As the relationship grew, and as Laurie became an adult and changed over time, her views on herself and on Jon began to change too. She still clung to him, mostly because she felt safe and comfortable with him even as she grew more and more dissatisfied in her life with him. Laurie never felt as if she an Jon were true equals in their relationship. She was always in debt to him, and she would never truly be out of his shadow. This is partially due to her age and maturity level, her level of education compared to his, and due to his god-like nature.
And while I am bringing Laurie in pre-Watchmen, it's also important to note that during the course of the series she left Jon, who was essentially her common-law husband of nearly twenty years, and immediately shacked up with Dan Dreiberg. That seems to suggest that despite her independent self-image, Laurie is the type of woman who needs a man in her life. She needs to be told she is beautiful, and she needs to feel wanted.
The way she sees herself is somewhat different than how others would perceive her, too. Yes, she was a female superhero, but she also paraded around New York City and Washington in a revealing outfit, and she was rarely seen outside the company of a male companion. She fought crime, but she also allowed herself to be objectified, something which seems counter-intuitive to her claims of being a feminist. It could be argued that she used her sexuality and looks to further her feminist agenda and empower herself, but she's not really savvy enough to have done that. She's charming, but still has a certain awkward naivete, even as a grown woman.
POWER:
Laurie is an accomplished gymnast and martial artist. She has no superhuman abilities in canon.
For the purposes of this game, she will be granted the following powers:
Nostalgia: Simply put, Laurie can cause other characters to relive their own memories. Through eye contact, Laurie is able to gain access to other people's memories and forces them to relive the event, whether it's their first kiss or their grandmother's funeral. The downside is Laurie has to relive the event also, so if it's super traumatic, she gets to experience all the pain as well.
Shadow Form: This is the ability to turn herself into a shadow. It would also her to literally become a shadow, completely dark and intangible for a limited length of time.
She also smells like Nostalgia perfume. Always.
[CHARACTER SAMPLES]
COMMUNITY POST (FIRST PERSON) SAMPLE:
[voice]
[Cue the lovely noise of rush hour traffic in the background, along with the sound of a woman cursing bitterly.]
Where in the hell is my lighter? Jesus. I had it a minute ago... oh finally. Wait. Is this thing--? Shit, it's recording?
[The camera abruptly turns on to show an obviously disgruntled woman stomping down the sidewalk, holding the communicator in one hand and trying to light a cigarette with the other. After about ten seconds of her muttering profanity around the cigarette in her mouth, dodging other pedestrians and the lighter flickering on and off, she finally steps into an alley, gets the damn thing lit and takes a drag. Slowly, the scowl lessens slightly, though she still looks pretty pissed off.]
This is some kind of joke, isn't it? An optical illusion maybe? Or a dream? That's it, right? I'm asleep, or I'm drunk. This is a drunken hallucination. This is my cue to quit drinking. My--what's it called?--moment of clarity?
[She takes another drag, blowing out a perfect ring before sighing heavily.]
I'd much rather find out that this is some trick than have someone dump some kind of sciencey bullshit on me right now. I've had a rough day.
LOGS POST (THIRD PERSON) SAMPLE:
It is Tuesday morning when she arrives in New York City. It's only been about two months, but it feels like forever since she moved away. Washington is so different. It isn't as cold, and the city is confusing. For a city that was planned on paper, it sure is a mess. Laurie can barely find her way around in broad daylight, and come nightfall it's damn near impossible. And the locals... that's a whole other can of worms. There's protesters and politicians on every street corner during the day, and radicals and operatives and regular hoods roaming around at night. Makes for tough company. Makes New York seem mundane in some ways.
Laurie doesn't like the idea of patrolling D.C. alone. And with Jon gone to Vietnam...well, there's no reason she can't sneak up to NYC for a little visit.
Sally is of course thrilled to see her. They hadn't really parted on the best of terms, but as Laurie brushes the rain drops from her hair and collapses on the sofa, all seems forgiven. Sally's all a flutter, making small talk, grilling her daughter about life in the capital, wondering aloud how she's holding up with Jon away. Laurie opts not to answer, instead folding her arms to her chest and longing for a smoke.
She's still got Sally's letter in her purse.
The morning drags on a bit, between coffee and gossip and stepping out back for cigarettes. It's nearly noon when Sally finally inquires about lunch.
"I've got plans," Laurie says with a little smile, and Sally is intrigued. She presses for details, but Laurie's lips are sealed, and she gives her mother a quick kiss goodbye before taking her keys and setting out for the city.
Decent Chinese food is probably the thing Laurie misses most about New York. Well, besides Sally and her Vespa. She makes a mental note to remember to have her Vespa sent down to D.C. as she's shown to a booth near the window, nodding pleasantly at the little waitress pouring tea and glances absently at the place mat.
Chinese zodiac animals. 1949. Ox. Dependable, patient, hardworking, and tenacious. She grins, feeling slightly more pleased than she should. She reads further. Materialistic, rigid, stubborn, demanding. Hm. Well. We all have our faults, don't we. With a small sigh, Laurie sips her tea and stares at the menu.
FINAL NOTES ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER:
N/A