TLV Application
May. 20th, 2020 08:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
odyniaUser Name/Nick: Sage
User DW:shobogan
E-mail: shobogan AT gmail DOT com
Other Characters: None
Character Name: Madelyne Pryor
Series: Marvel Comics
Age: Psychologically and physically, in her late twenties; technically, she’s only existed for a few years.
From When?: Sometime between X-Man 52 and Cable 76, when she's attacked by the Red Queen and banished to the astral plane.
Inmate/Warden: Still an inmate! She's made some progress in reforging her own identity,
but it's complicated by the fact that she can't be certain how much of it comes from Nate Grey, the one who quasi-resurrected her - not to mention the ember of Phoenix fire that helped him along.
She still has a tendency to define herself by the worst of her nature, obsess over bitter grudges, and succumb to petty, violent, and/or spiteful urges. She hasn't truly dealt with any of her guilt or trauma.
A warden could help her start that process, internalise that she doesn't need to be a selfless paragon or some dark mirror of Jean Grey, and think about having a real life again.
Arrival: She was asked this time. First she told the Admiral to go fuck himself but then she agreed.
Abilities/Powers: Madelyne’s powers are detailed here; she's currently a solid psionic construct, because comic books.
Telepathy would be restricted to just a general sense of people existing around her, without the ability to read their thoughts or feel their emotions, let alone influence them. Telekinesis would allow her to hover a couple of inches from the ground for a few minutes and manipulate very light objects, less than a pound.
I'd like her to retain her teleportation as a defensive skill, since that should frankly be encouraged, though of course the Barge's usual barriers would apply.
Personality: When we first meet Madelyne, her personality seems clear and distinctive: proud of her achievements, candid with her opinions, brimming with passion and potential. She carried the wait of trauma and survivor’s guilt, but refused to let it consume her. She was quick to call out any bullshit, but she was also quick to sympathise and understand. She fell in love easily, but not blindly.
Things became more complicated when it wasretconned revealed that she was Jean Grey’s clone, animated by a spark of the Phoenix Force. She fell in love with Scott because she was, basically, programmed to. The cataclysmic fire and overwhelming guilt were echoes of Phoenix’s death. Even her skills as a pilot were something imprinted in her mind, her yearning for flight a memory of its own.
Jean was heroic, passionate, and stubborn; Madelyne inherited all of that, in exactly the same degree, though it can manifest differently. As far as she knew, she didn’t grow up with the power to weaponise those emotions, and only had the sheer force of will and argument on her side. She’s more intimidating, at least on the surface, and has a broader streak of grim pragmatism. This also applies to her sense of humour - she’s just as playful, but it’s shamelessly blunt.
When she’s given that power and backed into a corner, her wrath rivals that of Dark Phoenix. It was enough to break Sinister’s hold on her, but not the demonic influence twisting her into a dark mirror of herself, drowning her in hatred and bitterness. By the time she dies, she can’t reach the brighter, warmer aspects of herself, the woman who risked her life to save strangers or fought against persecution she didn’t have to face.
When she's summoned back into existence by Nate Grey, she's amnesiac, which leaves something of an amalgam: a protective, brave, tenacious woman with darker impulses she didn't quite understand. When her memories are finally unlocked, the bitter fury of her last days consumes her for a while; she turns murderous, vengeful, and spiteful.
Eventually, however, she realises she can be more than that without being Jean or being helpless. We see more and more of her original personality shining through, and she even commits some truly selfless acts, including saving Jean's life. She tends to write them off as being for Nate's sake, or Nathan's.
Barge Reactions: This time, Madelyne agreed to come; she has something to fight for back home, and death has become an obstruction instead of a triumph. She'll be irritated at what feels like a pointed lesson, but relieved to see some familiar faces and willing to at least play along enough to get what she wants. It will take longer for her to really buy into it, but in the meantime she'll take the Barge in stride; it's still not that much weirder than her own universe.
Path to Redemption: First and foremost, Madelyne needs to feel more than the hatred that consumed her in her last days. This will be easier, without demonic influence, but not automatic; she has a lot to be angry about, and not a whole lot to replace it with. Just being somewhere else will be helpful on its own, and a Warden can encourage it – productive things to focus on, new connections to forge, experiences that are wholly her own.
They can also help her remember the person she used to be. Even her memories of that are tainted; she tells Jean it was all about manipulation and vengeance, because that’s all she can feel anymore. But she could be truly selfless, compassionate, and courageous. Not saintly, but she also has to understand that she never had to be.
Of course, once she allows herself to feel more, the guilt will come pouring in. She was instrumental in a demonic takeover of Manhattan, causing a huge amount of death, damage and trauma. She betrayed and endangered the X-Men who saved her. She used Alex in much the same way S'ym and N'Astirh used her. She very nearly killed her own son, along with nine other mutant babies. (Thanks to the Barge, she may learn that those babies ended up with pretty awful lives later, too.) She’ll need help moving forward from that.
All of her memories before coming to Alaska are fake or stolen, but the life she had there was real. She was a damn good pilot with colleagues that respected her, who saved more than one life on the way. Her file will make this clear, and a Warden can help her realise that it still matters. (Flying planes in the CES would also be very good for her.)
If and when her power caps are eased/removed, she’ll be able to fly under her own power again, which she'll definitely be yearning for. Being given the opportunity to simply enjoy her abilities, and use them to protect both herself and others, would mean a lot to her and make her feel far more comfortable. (That said, she is not above using this truth to manipulate a Warden into granting them before she can actually be trusted with them.)
She doesn’t need to forgive Scott, but she does need to realise that the good times they had were real, let go of the overwhelming bitterness, and accept that he was a pawn in Sinister’s schemes, too. (She does not need to stop wanting to murder Sinister. Everyone wants to murder Sinister.)
History: Here, up to page four.
Sample Journal Entry:
[ Bad memories walking around isn’t exactly a stunner for the Barge, and she’s deeply tempted to just let things take their course. Let other people deal with her trauma and see how they fare against it.
But that would give him an edge, and the idea of helping him – even an echo torn from her own mind – leaves a sour taste in her mouth.
When she turns on the video, she’s in one of her black outfits, hair pulled back into a tight, secure braid. Her gaze is grim and intent; her voice follows suit. There’s nothing wickedly playful here. ]
Mister Sinister. Tall, white as a ghost, red diamond on his forehead. Wears a ridiculous ribbon-cape at all times.
He’s strong, he’s fast, he’s psychic, and he’s a bastard. Don’t give him a chance to manipulate you, or trap you. Just tear him to pieces with whatever you have.
[ Her lips purse, and she glances away for a moment as she steels herself for this. It feels entirely too much like being her, which is a bitter taste all of its own.
But when she looks back, her expression is fiercely determined. ]
You need help dealing with him, call for me. Madelyne Pryor, Cabin 706.
Sample RP:
With most of her abilities constrained, Madelyne focuses instead on physical training. There are deeply ingrained reflexes she knows she must have inherited from Jean; stretches and forms, stances and footwork, punches and kicks. It doesn’t flow quite naturally, doesn’t feel quite right, but it’s a foundation to build on.
She could let bitter pride get the best of her; some mornings it does drive her to skip the morning practice and head elsewhere instead. But it would leave her vulnerable, and that’s worse. If Jean’s shadow is going to dictate her decisions either way, she may as well take the option that makes her stronger.
Besides, she has to admit – if only to herself – that there’s something soothing in the rhythmic motions. There’s something satisfying in achieving more speed and grace day after day. A part of her almost longs for a random attack, just to show off her prowess. It’s her blood and sweat driving it forward now, not Jean’s.
If she imagines various faces on the gym dummies, well, lots of people do that with false friends and old enemies.
She remembers when pride wasn’t an acrid, hateful thing; when her success was hard-won but not hollow, when there was no cruelty in her triumph. Maybe those days aren’t as dead as she thought.
As she knocks down the last dummy, drenched in sweat and aching down to her bones, she laughs.
User DW:
shoboganE-mail: shobogan AT gmail DOT com
Other Characters: None
Character Name: Madelyne Pryor
Series: Marvel Comics
Age: Psychologically and physically, in her late twenties; technically, she’s only existed for a few years.
From When?: Sometime between X-Man 52 and Cable 76, when she's attacked by the Red Queen and banished to the astral plane.
Inmate/Warden: Still an inmate! She's made some progress in reforging her own identity,
but it's complicated by the fact that she can't be certain how much of it comes from Nate Grey, the one who quasi-resurrected her - not to mention the ember of Phoenix fire that helped him along.
She still has a tendency to define herself by the worst of her nature, obsess over bitter grudges, and succumb to petty, violent, and/or spiteful urges. She hasn't truly dealt with any of her guilt or trauma.
A warden could help her start that process, internalise that she doesn't need to be a selfless paragon or some dark mirror of Jean Grey, and think about having a real life again.
Arrival: She was asked this time. First she told the Admiral to go fuck himself but then she agreed.
Abilities/Powers: Madelyne’s powers are detailed here; she's currently a solid psionic construct, because comic books.
Telepathy would be restricted to just a general sense of people existing around her, without the ability to read their thoughts or feel their emotions, let alone influence them. Telekinesis would allow her to hover a couple of inches from the ground for a few minutes and manipulate very light objects, less than a pound.
I'd like her to retain her teleportation as a defensive skill, since that should frankly be encouraged, though of course the Barge's usual barriers would apply.
Personality: When we first meet Madelyne, her personality seems clear and distinctive: proud of her achievements, candid with her opinions, brimming with passion and potential. She carried the wait of trauma and survivor’s guilt, but refused to let it consume her. She was quick to call out any bullshit, but she was also quick to sympathise and understand. She fell in love easily, but not blindly.
Things became more complicated when it was
Jean was heroic, passionate, and stubborn; Madelyne inherited all of that, in exactly the same degree, though it can manifest differently. As far as she knew, she didn’t grow up with the power to weaponise those emotions, and only had the sheer force of will and argument on her side. She’s more intimidating, at least on the surface, and has a broader streak of grim pragmatism. This also applies to her sense of humour - she’s just as playful, but it’s shamelessly blunt.
When she’s given that power and backed into a corner, her wrath rivals that of Dark Phoenix. It was enough to break Sinister’s hold on her, but not the demonic influence twisting her into a dark mirror of herself, drowning her in hatred and bitterness. By the time she dies, she can’t reach the brighter, warmer aspects of herself, the woman who risked her life to save strangers or fought against persecution she didn’t have to face.
When she's summoned back into existence by Nate Grey, she's amnesiac, which leaves something of an amalgam: a protective, brave, tenacious woman with darker impulses she didn't quite understand. When her memories are finally unlocked, the bitter fury of her last days consumes her for a while; she turns murderous, vengeful, and spiteful.
Eventually, however, she realises she can be more than that without being Jean or being helpless. We see more and more of her original personality shining through, and she even commits some truly selfless acts, including saving Jean's life. She tends to write them off as being for Nate's sake, or Nathan's.
Barge Reactions: This time, Madelyne agreed to come; she has something to fight for back home, and death has become an obstruction instead of a triumph. She'll be irritated at what feels like a pointed lesson, but relieved to see some familiar faces and willing to at least play along enough to get what she wants. It will take longer for her to really buy into it, but in the meantime she'll take the Barge in stride; it's still not that much weirder than her own universe.
Path to Redemption: First and foremost, Madelyne needs to feel more than the hatred that consumed her in her last days. This will be easier, without demonic influence, but not automatic; she has a lot to be angry about, and not a whole lot to replace it with. Just being somewhere else will be helpful on its own, and a Warden can encourage it – productive things to focus on, new connections to forge, experiences that are wholly her own.
They can also help her remember the person she used to be. Even her memories of that are tainted; she tells Jean it was all about manipulation and vengeance, because that’s all she can feel anymore. But she could be truly selfless, compassionate, and courageous. Not saintly, but she also has to understand that she never had to be.
Of course, once she allows herself to feel more, the guilt will come pouring in. She was instrumental in a demonic takeover of Manhattan, causing a huge amount of death, damage and trauma. She betrayed and endangered the X-Men who saved her. She used Alex in much the same way S'ym and N'Astirh used her. She very nearly killed her own son, along with nine other mutant babies. (Thanks to the Barge, she may learn that those babies ended up with pretty awful lives later, too.) She’ll need help moving forward from that.
All of her memories before coming to Alaska are fake or stolen, but the life she had there was real. She was a damn good pilot with colleagues that respected her, who saved more than one life on the way. Her file will make this clear, and a Warden can help her realise that it still matters. (Flying planes in the CES would also be very good for her.)
If and when her power caps are eased/removed, she’ll be able to fly under her own power again, which she'll definitely be yearning for. Being given the opportunity to simply enjoy her abilities, and use them to protect both herself and others, would mean a lot to her and make her feel far more comfortable. (That said, she is not above using this truth to manipulate a Warden into granting them before she can actually be trusted with them.)
She doesn’t need to forgive Scott, but she does need to realise that the good times they had were real, let go of the overwhelming bitterness, and accept that he was a pawn in Sinister’s schemes, too. (She does not need to stop wanting to murder Sinister. Everyone wants to murder Sinister.)
History: Here, up to page four.
Sample Journal Entry:
[ Bad memories walking around isn’t exactly a stunner for the Barge, and she’s deeply tempted to just let things take their course. Let other people deal with her trauma and see how they fare against it.
But that would give him an edge, and the idea of helping him – even an echo torn from her own mind – leaves a sour taste in her mouth.
When she turns on the video, she’s in one of her black outfits, hair pulled back into a tight, secure braid. Her gaze is grim and intent; her voice follows suit. There’s nothing wickedly playful here. ]
Mister Sinister. Tall, white as a ghost, red diamond on his forehead. Wears a ridiculous ribbon-cape at all times.
He’s strong, he’s fast, he’s psychic, and he’s a bastard. Don’t give him a chance to manipulate you, or trap you. Just tear him to pieces with whatever you have.
[ Her lips purse, and she glances away for a moment as she steels herself for this. It feels entirely too much like being her, which is a bitter taste all of its own.
But when she looks back, her expression is fiercely determined. ]
You need help dealing with him, call for me. Madelyne Pryor, Cabin 706.
Sample RP:
With most of her abilities constrained, Madelyne focuses instead on physical training. There are deeply ingrained reflexes she knows she must have inherited from Jean; stretches and forms, stances and footwork, punches and kicks. It doesn’t flow quite naturally, doesn’t feel quite right, but it’s a foundation to build on.
She could let bitter pride get the best of her; some mornings it does drive her to skip the morning practice and head elsewhere instead. But it would leave her vulnerable, and that’s worse. If Jean’s shadow is going to dictate her decisions either way, she may as well take the option that makes her stronger.
Besides, she has to admit – if only to herself – that there’s something soothing in the rhythmic motions. There’s something satisfying in achieving more speed and grace day after day. A part of her almost longs for a random attack, just to show off her prowess. It’s her blood and sweat driving it forward now, not Jean’s.
If she imagines various faces on the gym dummies, well, lots of people do that with false friends and old enemies.
She remembers when pride wasn’t an acrid, hateful thing; when her success was hard-won but not hollow, when there was no cruelty in her triumph. Maybe those days aren’t as dead as she thought.
As she knocks down the last dummy, drenched in sweat and aching down to her bones, she laughs.
