Okay, so after some hemming and hawing, I'm honestly pretty content with conceding Diana to BlackSam. For starters, he's got a great take. Secondly, while I do like my take on Wondy, it's something I basically came up with because I was salty about not getting Superman, not something that I genuinely care about, and Sam seems to have more personal investment in his. And I dunno, if I did get it, I'd feel kinda shitty for denying him something he clearly cares about. And to top if off, again, he's got a great take.
Added some new notes to the Wonder Woman app, detailing her supporting cast and the threats she'll be facing initially. Sample post will be up some time later tonight.
I have absolutely no room to talk, considering my Plan A was "waltz in and rely on being buddy-buddy with MB to be handed the cape." Stupid GMs and their stupid integrity.
Diana Prince ♦ Antiquities Dealer ♦ Gateway City, California, United States ♦ Independent
C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T:
"Tell your gods they need to try harder."
The world of mortal men is not the only world there is. Beyond the veil, beyond the realms of matter and energy and immutable laws of physics, there is one which shapes and is shaped by the dreams and beliefs of mortals. It does not exist, yet it always has and always will. It is a million contradictory heavens and hells all at once, each one a ridiculous myth or superstition, yet also an unquestionable truth. It is the Godsphere, the realm of every High Father, every Dark Lord, every Earth-Mother and Warbringer that ever has or ever will be imagined.
For millennia, the Godsphere and the Mortal World have been separate, as man’s stronger understanding of his own domain has weakened the need for gods or magic, the man-made light of science driving the monsters and devils into the aether. And as for those monsters who are not content to slink away into the shadowy realm of bad dreams and forgotten legend, well…...that is where I come in.
In the world between worlds, there are all manner of entities that are more than man, but less than god. In Greek, they were called daimon-- an term which evolved over centuries into the later ‘daemon’ and modern ‘demon,’ but originally meant any spirit or monster, angel or devil, giant or demigod regardless of their morality. These daimon are at least partly of the mortal world, and were not banished as easily as the Gods by the discovery of fire or the development of philosophy. Many are the sustained form of old magic, curses that live on over hundreds or thousands of years. Many contain the blood of old gods, direct descendants of Olympus or Asgard or Sheol. As the power of the Godsphere diminishes in the Mortal World, the remaining daimon have learned to live in secret, only revealing themselves to each other, before fighting to the death for a relic or temple or other scrap of godly power.
Once, the Amazons of Themyscira -- a people who now never existed, on an island that can never be found-- acted as protectors of mortal men from hostile daimon. They slew monsters, dueled with devils, cast out ghosts and spurned evil gods. As they faded from the world, they chose to entrust their knowledge and power into a single warrior, until the time came when the rift between the Mortal World and the Godsphere could be healed. A grand tournament was held, sister fighting sister, until much to everyone’s surprise, the victor emerged: the Queen’s frail, sickly daughter.
I was only twelve when my mother placed the tiara on my head, adorned me with the finest armor and weapons the Amazons had ever made, and vanished into myth. I knew one day, I would see them again, when gods and men could once again share a world in harmony. It would not be easy, it would not be a short journey. At the time, I expected it to take ten, perhaps twenty years. Certainly not more than twenty-five.
It has been nearly three thousand.
And yet, I continue. I preserve what knowledge of the Gods that I can, protect the daimon who mean no harm, and put down those who do. The Mortal World has changed so much, but my quest has not. I am Diana, last Champion of the Amazons. And I am a protector of worlds.
C H A R A C T E R M O T I V A T I O N S & G O A L S:
I’ve played different versions of Diana in the past, and while I enjoyed them, I never really felt like I got her ‘right,’ which is something I’m determined to do this time. I want to capture the spirit of an adventurous, mythical heroine embarking on globe-trotting adventures, dueling with other immortals over ancient relics, like a cross between Indiana Jones and Highlander, with a dash or two of Samurai Jack. I feel like this particular take can be as close to a “definitive” Wonder Woman as I can get without just photocopying the movie.
This version would also allow her to expand Diana’s usually lackluster rogue’s gallery beyond merely the Greek pantheon. Sure, she’ll fight Medusas and Harpies and Minotaurs and stuff, but she can also take on spirits and monsters from all over the world, and have fights and long-standing histories with other supernatural/mythical characters, like Black Adam or Shining Knight.
C H A R A C T E R N O T E S:
Founded in the early 1800s by an often-overlooked explorer named Gal Carter, Gateway City is one of the smaller metropolitan areas on the Pacific Coast, notable mostly for its beautiful classical architecture. Sometimes referred to as the “Athens of the West,” the city boasts a gorgeous park featuring statues of great heroes from all over the world, and a Museum of Antiquities that rivals the Smithsonian and the Louvre. As with any city, Gateway has its criminal elements, its rough neighborhoods and seedy underbelly, but they are nowhere near as pronounced as places like Gotham, or even the nearby Star and Coast Cities.
An aspiring historical scholar, Diana is currently working on her Doctorate in Classical Art, while working as a traveling collector and dealer for the Museum of Antiquities. Her work takes her all around the world, finding and procuring relics and great works of art for the museum. She is friendly and outgoing, though maybe a bit overly formal and flaky, and has very few if any close friends.
A fellow scholar and collector for the Museum of Antiquities, Barbara Ann is the only person who considers Diana to be her friend-- though perhaps, friendly rival is more appropriate. The two have been competing for the past three years, trying to be the one who brings in the biggest finds, the rarest treasures. While she keeps this competition lighthearted on the surface, repeatedly coming up short to Diana has started to eat at Barbara Ann, and it is pushing her to further and further extremes to be the best.
Gateway City’s Chief of Police, Etta is a no-nonsense, by-the-book upholder of law and order. She has little patience for theatrics, and does not like the idea of people--even extraordinary ones-- taking the law into their own hands in her town. She’s known for having a biting sense of humor, and a notorious sweet tooth-- while most ‘hard-boiled’ cops will find their vice in booze and cigars, hers is sugary snacks, which sees her spending more time than most in the gym to make up for it.
The founding partner of Cale-Anderson Pharmaceuticals, Veronica became sole proprietor and CEO of the multi-billion-dollar firm after her co-founder and friend Leslie Anderson was killed in a sudden and tragic car accident. Since then, Cale has leveraged her company’s influence across the West Coast, not just in the development of commercial medicines, but in experimental genetic engineering and (according to unfounded rumors) biological weapons for the military. On the surface, Cale is a philanthropist and proponent of women’s rights, especially in the scientific fields. Behind this, however, is a narcissism that borders on delusion, and a lust for power that has left more than a few mysterious disappearances in her wake.
An undefeated MMA fighter with seemingly superhuman strength, Doris “Giganta” Zeul was unceremoniously blackballed from every legitimate fighting organization in the world after killing an opponent in the ring. Rather than show any sort of remorse for her unnecessary brutality, she instead took up work as a personal bodyguard and enforcer for Veronica Cale. When not on assignment, Doris still entertains herself as a fighter, though now as part of an underground bloodsport circuit where the rules-- and the regard for human life-- are much less strict.
More to come as the plot develops.
S A M P L E P O S T:
"I'm offering you one chance," I call out into the dark. "You can leave this place, now, and vow to never prey on the innocent again, and I will show mercy. I offer this chance only once."
The trees rustle with motion, before mad cackling laughter fills the air.
"Foolish girl," a raspy voice hisses from the shadows. "We will not be denied our prey tonight. We will slake our thirst. This one's blood belongs to us."
The UN ambassador cowering behind me is one of the most influential forces behind the upcoming Pan-Asian Trade Agreement, responsible for opening up several blocks of the continent to hundreds of billions of dollars in business opportunities over the next ten years. He is also turning white with fear, letting out a terrified yelp as he nearly trips over the drained corpse of one of his bodyguards.
"M-m-m-my blood?" he stammers, hunching his shoulders and tucking in his chin to cover his neck. "Wh-what are they? Vampires?!"
I glance to him over my shoulder and scoff.
"Unlikely," I tell him, "I killed the last of the Romainian Stigoi nearly a century and a half ago." I had thanked and paid Mr. Stoker handsomely to discreetly edit my part in events out of his novel.
The trees rustle again. The sound of chittering laughter, the hungry smacking of lips.
"I believe we are dealing with a kind of yokai," I tell him as I draw my sword, the leaf-shaped blade of the Amazonian xyphos glittering in near total darkness as if it were broad daylight. "Specifically, a flock of nukekubi. Keep your head down-- this may be....unpleasant. Especially if I cannot find the bodies quickly."
"Give us our prey, foolish girl!" the yokai demands. "You do not know the kind of monsters you face this night."
I cannot help but smirk. Every creature I have ever encountered believes they are the supreme terror of the world, right until the moment they are cut down.
There is a shriek, a snarl, and the flapping of wings-- or rather, the flapping of ears-- as a dozen flying severed heads erupt from the trees, each of them baring a mouth full of jagged pointed fangs, long slavering tongues, and eyes full of burning hate.
"And you," I tell them as I sink into a fighting stance, sword and shield at the ready, "Do not know the kind of things I do to monsters like you."
P O S T C A T A L O G:
A list linking to your IC posts as they're created. This can be used for a reference guide to your character or to summarize completed arcs and stories.
I added a new blurb to my Superman application, detailing a few tweaks, caveats, and clarifications about this version of Clark's powers. Obviously, it won't mean a whole lot if I don't win the contest for the cape, but assuming I do, it should be useful to anyone who might want to have a run-in or pick up a supporting \S/-character later on.
Tuesday can't get here soon enough; my brain keeps scrambling back and forth between plots I have in mind for Clark, and ideas for two different secondary characters I've got in mind in case someone else gets him and I need a backup.
Half Pint
Hound55
Cyberlad
mickilennial
Ezekiel
Master Bruce
PrinceAlexus
Pilatus
Chronic
MST3K 4ever
