![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
application for ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
tushanshu
Player Information:
Name: Roy
Age: Over 18
Contact: vonnerdyce@plurk/gmail/aim!
Game Cast: Bruce Wayne, Asami Sato (no AC links yet, as it hasn't actually... gone up...)
Character Information:
Name: Brandon Sharpe
Canon: Marvel 616
Canon Point: Avengers Academy 9, just after he, Hazmat and Veil are expelled from the Academy.
Age: Somewhere between 16-17
Reference:
● Brandon at the Marvel Wikia.
Setting:
How many times can you say 'Well it's like Earth, but...'? At least once more, as always? Well, here it goes.
So imagine that Earth is a cocktail on the rocks, made up of, oh, let's see. Mutants, superhumans, superheroes, aliens, supervillains, cosmic entities of unspeakable power, a few extra countries (Wakanda, Genosha, Atlantis) a galactic clause of 'someone's gone rogue, must be Tuesday.' Splash all those together, mix it up, serve it ooh la lemon and c'est voila, you have some idea of what the 616 verse is like.
Marvel is a revolving door of 'weird' and 'weirder'. You have the Skrulls: shape-changing evil aliens, the Kree: lizard-y sometimes-evil aliens, the Shi'ar: a race of exotic bird people that apparently go in for telepaths, you've got your garden variety gods and goddesses of Asgard and really, that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Mutants are a huge part of the universe. These men and women are altered from their base 'human' form by an evolutionary gene that gives them—well, for lack of a better term, 'magical abilities'. These are people who can fly, generate storms, use telepathy, shoot lasers from their eyes (oops, 'concussive blasts') and turn into diamond. Sometimes these 'mutations' are physical, and grant them some sort of ability in that sense – Beast lives up to his name by being a gigantic, blue-furred monkey-cat with incredible strength and dexterity – and others, such as Warren Worthington the III (who is not quite as pretentious as his name suggests) have actual feathered wings, and strength well beyond his size courtesy his being able to hoist himself aloft.
'Mutates', on the other hand, fall a little outside the spectrum of 'mutants'. Mutates are created rather than born. You know the story. Exposed to Gamma Radiation, injected with some chemical cocktail, and c'est voila, superhuman abilities! Captain Steve Rogers is one of the earliest proponents of this – although some people argue his placement under the terminology of 'mutate' – that doesn't change the fact that he was injected with a bunch of chemicals and sent off to fight in a war. Hundreds have gone on slather themselves in SCIENCE!! for a good cause. ... Or, well, a bad one, given the prevalence of supervillains. Mutates generally have special abilities that can range from increased strength and dexterity (a la Cap) to being able to turn into a giant green rage monster (see: the Hulk) to being able to turn invisible and project a force field (Sue Storm) and on and on as far as the eye can see. Everyone in the Marvel universe who isn't a 'mutant' but is still superhuman in some way falls more or less under the umbrella of 'mutate'.
So, we've covered Mutants (dat X-Gene), Mutates (dat science), aliens and deities... let's move on to some of the actual superhero teams that populate the universe, shall we?
The three main forces on the side of good – aka: the ones that nearly everyone's at least heard of in passing, are the Avengers, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four. There are others, of course (Guardians of the Galaxy, Alpha Flight, to name a few) but these guys are the headliners, with their various blockbuster movies to prove it. Each of these 'corps' have existed in one itineration or another for decades in the comic book universe (and, given the way that time passes in comics, about fifteen years or so there), and believe me when I say they have a villain for just about every Tuesday. Out of ideas? Just lob Doctor Doom at something and watch the fireworks! Need to boost your ratings? Quick, have Jean Gray die again! Etc, ad nauseam.
The Avengers are a team of justice-minded superheroes (primarily mutates, but let's face it, nearly everyone in 616 has been a card-carrying Avenger at least once...) who watch over New York, and they're home to some of the heaviest hitters on the planet – see: the Hulk and Thor. They've had numerous members over the years, but Captain America is often written as their leader.
The X-Men – who are also based in New York – (really, you can't swing a garden hose without hitting something out of this world, literally and otherwise, in good old NYC) are mostly a grouping of mutants, and are often a thinly veiled play on the civil rights of the real world. The struggle of mutants to be accepted by society (whereby in comparison, most 'mutates' have a much easier time of it. They're normal humans that were changed by abnormal circumstances! Not freaks born with some messed up genetics!) often mirror the popular social issues of whichever decade the comic is being published in. Primarily throughout the history of the X-Men, they've been led by Charles Xavier, the world's most powerful telepath. However, Xavier is a douchebag. This is known.
The Fantastic Four are comprised of four individuals who were exposed to cosmic rays. Fun fact: The FF are actually Marvel's oldest superhero team! ... Hilariously they... also live in New York. Apparently it's just the Superhero Capital of the World or something.
So, now you have some of the races, some of the superhero teams... now let's talk about villains.
No good comic book is complete without one. Villains can be anything and anyone, from a brainwashed good-guy to a skrull to a mad scientist. They can be friends, foes, evil twins no one's ever heard of (looking at you, Cassandra Nova) or—well, Norman Osborn.
Green Goblin. Iron Patriot. Primarily a Spiderman villain, Osborn has weaseled himself into many other mainstream storylines over the years. He's got all the hallmarks of a Really Impressive Badguy. He's a genius, he's filthy rich, he's charismatic and (reasonably) competent. Which is sort of what allows him to step into Tony Stark's shoes after S.H.I.E.L.D (which he was then the director of) completely dropped the ball during a Skrull invasion. Eventually, Osborn would become the head of a new division, codenamed H.A.M.M.E.R. It was during this 'dark reign' that Osborn started kidnapping children, hoping to mold them into superweapons for his own nefarious purposes.
The children of Avengers Academy were some of those victims. Reptil, the leader of the group, was given proof that his parents were still alive. Veil, Mettle and Hazmat were subjected to experimentations and torture. Finesse was given knowledge, very much her Achilles heel, and Brandon? Brandon was just given everything that Osborn thought he wanted.
When Osborn was toppled from his position of power, the Avengers ended up taking in the high-risk children they rescued from Osborn. Not the ones who needed them most, not the ones least in control of their power, but the ones who were the likeliest to turn to the dark side not only because of Osborn's ministrations, but because of their own psyche profiles.
The Academy is run by numerous people, and Hank Pym (aka Giant-Man, aka Goliath, aka Wasp, aka Yellowjacket, aka...) is the head of this organization. Other members sort of come and go – such as Justice, Speedball, Quicksilver, et al. Most of the people who are around the students have themselves struggled with a duality of nature or a division of loyalties. They're misfits, and it's Pym's hope that they can help the next generation of mutates to make the right choices rather than the long ones.
Given that Avengers Academy falls after the events of M-Day (a huge crossover event that saw the Scarlet Witch utter the fateful phrase 'no more mutants'), none of the Academy kids are actually mutants, although their abilities would almost suggest as such. Convenient plot device to get around the 'there are now a limited number of mutants in the world'? Probably.
So there you have it. Marvel 616. Humans, mutants, mutates, gods, aliens, evil-doers and heroes, all dropped on a planet that very closely resembles the Earth we know and love, plus a few... shall we say improvements. The technology is better, the populace much more accustomed to Alien Invasion Of The Week, and some crazy dude took it upon himself to kidnap children because he's a jerk.
About sums it up.
Personality:
Brandon is an arrogant, womanizing jackass, and for all intents and purposes? That's exactly what he wants everyone to believe. He's a brand name, and he's selling himself 24/7. So maybe that's what happens when you're raised up in show business, when your mother cared more about the almighty dollar than your own personal well-being. Brandon learned early on that if he was going to mean anything to anyone, he had to have something to sell.
So, that's what he does. He's tough, he's trashy. He's the one who relies on acerbic remarks and witty repartees to hide his actual personality. He's the Former Child Star, voted 'most likely to be a fame-whore' by a committee of his peers.
Honestly, he's a cliché wrapped in a trope garnished with a scoop of childhood trauma.
Because beneath that tough exterior is someone who's struggling – not only with his own issues and life – but with damn near everything around him. Brandon craves affection, yet has a tendency to push people away when they offer it. He claims to dislike his mother, but when an opportunity arose for him to cash in on his position in the Avengers; she was the first person he called. Let's face it; he'd do pretty much anything to get his mother to pay attention to him, to care about him at all.
Brandon grew up more or less alone. Sure, he had the whole 'child star' thing going for him, but it was a pretty lonely life. His mother's approval and 'love' (if that's even what you can call it) was entirely contingent upon how many ratings his latest commercial got. His mother pushed him to ignore his own wants and desires to get what she wanted, and eventually he stopped thinking of his wants and his mother's wants as two separate things.
At his core, Brandon's a cynic. Or rather, he thinks he is. And he wants to be. He generally tends to assume the worst of people because he's seen the worst of people. Let's face it. When Normon Osborn was pulling in children to make them (in his own words) 'magnificent', most of them were tortured, coerced, blackmailed. Dragged into his evil plans kicking and screaming.
Brandon? Was on a downswing in his fame. For crying out loud, he was doing monster truck rallies to stay important. All Osborn had to do was offer him everything. Money, women, prestige. Osborn just dumped it at his feet. He's also the one most readily willing to accept the truth about why he and the others are at the Avengers Academy. They're there not so they can become the heroes of tomorrow, but so that Pym and the others can keep them from becoming supervillains.
And it's a fine line that Brandon walks on.
See, there's a part of him that likes hurting people. Even as there's a side of him that's at best just a scared, vulnerable kid. Brandon has all the personality ticky-boxes of someone who could be a villain. And who'd damn well revel in it. He lives for the spotlight. People can turn on heroes. Look at Speedball. If you're a hero and you make one mistake, the people's court will tear you apart. But villains? You're already at the bottom. All you can do is get more notoriety, more fame.
But at the end of the day, Brandon honestly doesn't know what he wants. He's hooked on the idea of people knowing his name. He craves the sort of superficial acquaintance that follows, (Even though, during his time with Osborn, he claimed to be bored to death at the fact that women were just throwing themselves at him) the highs that result from adulation. Brandon actually has no idea how to have a close bond with, let's face it, anyone.
Everyone in his life who should have protected or looked after him has betrayed him in some way, shape or form. As a result, he's really reluctant to form relationships, but at the same time he can latch on to a single shred of kindness like it's a life preserver. When Veil came to him – after his numerous obnoxious come-ons – wanting to 'hook up', he turned her down and the two spent all night curled up in his bed just talking. He can be genuinely decent to people when no one else is looking, and for someone who spends so much of his life hiding who he really is, Brandon is amazingly perceptive.
And, well, he gives great advice. You can tell by the way he delivers it that what he has a tendency to say are all things he either wants to hear from someone else, or things he knows he himself can't do. When you catch him during his down time, he's usually the one standing up for other people ('He's gay, Mom, leave him alone') or trying to be there for people. He's an inherently good guy; he just... doesn't know how to accept that about himself. Brandon carries some pretty hefty guilt left over from his childhood trauma, and it's left him wondering if maybe he just deserves bad things. Oh, he'd probably deny it if asked. He's amazingly self-aware for someone with so many issues. But hey, it's there.
Due to his canon point, Striker isn't actually going to believe anything the kedan say about being on Tu Vishan. He's probably going to assume that Pym zapped him into the negaverse and is being a douchecanoe. It's sort of Pym's trademark.
Once he realizes that isn't the case, he's probably going to be scared he'll never make it home again, but he will, predictably, cover this up by being his own special brand of Doucheketeer.
Appearance:
Striker is a good-looking male in his mid-late teens and man-oh-boy does he know it. He's got dark hair with a white streak, a scar over one eye, and stands about 5'8. When we see an older version of him (comics) he's grown a bit of a goatee and has gotten a little taller, so we can assume he's not yet done in that department.
Abilities:
● He's basically a human lightning rod. Brandon can generate and conduct electricity to an unknown level (but he's cited as potentially being the most powerful member of the Avengers Academy crew) and he can and has used that power to lethality.
● He can also absorb, metabolize and redirect energy, which allows him to push his body to peak human levels for brief periods of time. However, this wears him down sooner rather than later.
● Striker can also create electro-magnetic barriers. These are static and he seems to need to hold them in place, though he's shown attacking while they're up. It's unknown how long he can maintain them or how much force can be thrown against them before they break.
● He's shown to have some combat skills, but they're hardly impressive. Most of what he knows is for show or the cameras.
Inventory:
His uniform, which can withstand his electrical abilities, his Avengers Academy access card, and a high-tech cellphone. You probably don't want to know where he's hiding it.
Suite:
Fire, three floors. He's used to living large and having lots of space, so anything less and his ego would pitch a fit.
In-Character Samples:
Third Person:
They don't even have television. What sort of ass-backwards place doesn't even have TV? He's been here six hours and already he's starting to go crazy. No TV, no radio, no-- nothing. It's like living in Tibet on a mountaintop somewhere. Some bullshit 'less is more' dogma.
Brandon's sprawled on his bed, costume stripped to the waist. The digs are nice. Sure, fine, whatever. It doesn't mean he's not bored out of his mind. The kedan or whatever that brought him here didn't answer anywhere near enough questions, and he can't even get a signal on his cellphone.
Maybe he really is in one of Pym's pocket dimensions. Tigra was mad enough at them to do it. So what, they're just going to let him rot here? Like the raft, only—what, nicer? It's because he's underaged, right? Even Avengers can't just lock up a teenager and throw away the key without repercussions, huh. Good to know.
So now what. Does he wait for the others to show up? Jennifer (sorry, Hazmat) and Veil? The cavalry? Let's face it; they're both second stringers where he's concerned, at least in terms of marketable personality. Hazmat could roast someone alive at thirty paces with nothing but her glare and Veil, well. She turns into dust for a living. Not exactly impressive, right?
Still, he—hopes they're okay. Both of them. Madeline—she could die without Pym. Even if Brandon doesn't think he'd let it happen. Pym's a crazy jerk, but he's on the side of the angels for a reason.
Hazmat, well. She'll probably just go nuclear. Hiroshima: The Sequel.
And as for him. What's he gonna do now? Supposing he gets out of here. Wherever 'here' is. If he goes back to Mom like this, like some kind of failure--
No. There's gotta be a way to spin it. That video of the three of them (well, him mostly) torturing Hood, it's totally gone viral. People are lapping it up. He'd tried the vigilante gig before, but it'd bored him to tears. How the hell did anyone ever end up in the right place at the right time to stop crime or whatever, anyway? But maybe... maybe he could do bounty hunting or something instead. Tracking down known criminals instead of being on the lookout for new ones. With powers like his, it's not like anyone could get away from him. One wrong move and zap.
The media loves a rebel. And after a few years of that, he could go through some sort of 'penance' period, get back in everyone's good graces. Made for life. It'd be easy.
Now he just had to get the idea off the ground.
Network:
[Striker is lounging – yes, lounging in all his resplendent black-and-white finery. What he doesn't look is pleased.]
Come on, this has got to be one of those pocket dimension things Pym's always going on about. But really? He couldn't do better than a giant turtle? Riiiiight. Well, that's Wasp for you. Or is it Giant Man these days? Goliath? Any takers? 4chan never forgets a superhero moniker, it really doesn't matter how dumb it is. Guess they've got Pym super nailed.
Look, I really don't care about the whole alternate reality bullshit, this is still kidnapping. You can't kick me out of the Academy and then kidnap me, that's practically begging for a How to Catch a Predator exposé. And these computers? Give me a break, they're antiques. Seriously, this is some windows '95 crap on the happen.
Whatever. Either you let me out or you don't. Trust me when I say my lawyers aren't going to make it easy for you one way or another.
Name: Roy
Age: Over 18
Contact: vonnerdyce@plurk/gmail/aim!
Game Cast: Bruce Wayne, Asami Sato (no AC links yet, as it hasn't actually... gone up...)
Character Information:
Name: Brandon Sharpe
Canon: Marvel 616
Canon Point: Avengers Academy 9, just after he, Hazmat and Veil are expelled from the Academy.
Age: Somewhere between 16-17
Reference:
● Brandon at the Marvel Wikia.
Setting:
How many times can you say 'Well it's like Earth, but...'? At least once more, as always? Well, here it goes.
So imagine that Earth is a cocktail on the rocks, made up of, oh, let's see. Mutants, superhumans, superheroes, aliens, supervillains, cosmic entities of unspeakable power, a few extra countries (Wakanda, Genosha, Atlantis) a galactic clause of 'someone's gone rogue, must be Tuesday.' Splash all those together, mix it up, serve it ooh la lemon and c'est voila, you have some idea of what the 616 verse is like.
Marvel is a revolving door of 'weird' and 'weirder'. You have the Skrulls: shape-changing evil aliens, the Kree: lizard-y sometimes-evil aliens, the Shi'ar: a race of exotic bird people that apparently go in for telepaths, you've got your garden variety gods and goddesses of Asgard and really, that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Mutants are a huge part of the universe. These men and women are altered from their base 'human' form by an evolutionary gene that gives them—well, for lack of a better term, 'magical abilities'. These are people who can fly, generate storms, use telepathy, shoot lasers from their eyes (oops, 'concussive blasts') and turn into diamond. Sometimes these 'mutations' are physical, and grant them some sort of ability in that sense – Beast lives up to his name by being a gigantic, blue-furred monkey-cat with incredible strength and dexterity – and others, such as Warren Worthington the III (who is not quite as pretentious as his name suggests) have actual feathered wings, and strength well beyond his size courtesy his being able to hoist himself aloft.
'Mutates', on the other hand, fall a little outside the spectrum of 'mutants'. Mutates are created rather than born. You know the story. Exposed to Gamma Radiation, injected with some chemical cocktail, and c'est voila, superhuman abilities! Captain Steve Rogers is one of the earliest proponents of this – although some people argue his placement under the terminology of 'mutate' – that doesn't change the fact that he was injected with a bunch of chemicals and sent off to fight in a war. Hundreds have gone on slather themselves in SCIENCE!! for a good cause. ... Or, well, a bad one, given the prevalence of supervillains. Mutates generally have special abilities that can range from increased strength and dexterity (a la Cap) to being able to turn into a giant green rage monster (see: the Hulk) to being able to turn invisible and project a force field (Sue Storm) and on and on as far as the eye can see. Everyone in the Marvel universe who isn't a 'mutant' but is still superhuman in some way falls more or less under the umbrella of 'mutate'.
So, we've covered Mutants (dat X-Gene), Mutates (dat science), aliens and deities... let's move on to some of the actual superhero teams that populate the universe, shall we?
The three main forces on the side of good – aka: the ones that nearly everyone's at least heard of in passing, are the Avengers, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four. There are others, of course (Guardians of the Galaxy, Alpha Flight, to name a few) but these guys are the headliners, with their various blockbuster movies to prove it. Each of these 'corps' have existed in one itineration or another for decades in the comic book universe (and, given the way that time passes in comics, about fifteen years or so there), and believe me when I say they have a villain for just about every Tuesday. Out of ideas? Just lob Doctor Doom at something and watch the fireworks! Need to boost your ratings? Quick, have Jean Gray die again! Etc, ad nauseam.
The Avengers are a team of justice-minded superheroes (primarily mutates, but let's face it, nearly everyone in 616 has been a card-carrying Avenger at least once...) who watch over New York, and they're home to some of the heaviest hitters on the planet – see: the Hulk and Thor. They've had numerous members over the years, but Captain America is often written as their leader.
The X-Men – who are also based in New York – (really, you can't swing a garden hose without hitting something out of this world, literally and otherwise, in good old NYC) are mostly a grouping of mutants, and are often a thinly veiled play on the civil rights of the real world. The struggle of mutants to be accepted by society (whereby in comparison, most 'mutates' have a much easier time of it. They're normal humans that were changed by abnormal circumstances! Not freaks born with some messed up genetics!) often mirror the popular social issues of whichever decade the comic is being published in. Primarily throughout the history of the X-Men, they've been led by Charles Xavier, the world's most powerful telepath. However, Xavier is a douchebag. This is known.
The Fantastic Four are comprised of four individuals who were exposed to cosmic rays. Fun fact: The FF are actually Marvel's oldest superhero team! ... Hilariously they... also live in New York. Apparently it's just the Superhero Capital of the World or something.
So, now you have some of the races, some of the superhero teams... now let's talk about villains.
No good comic book is complete without one. Villains can be anything and anyone, from a brainwashed good-guy to a skrull to a mad scientist. They can be friends, foes, evil twins no one's ever heard of (looking at you, Cassandra Nova) or—well, Norman Osborn.
Green Goblin. Iron Patriot. Primarily a Spiderman villain, Osborn has weaseled himself into many other mainstream storylines over the years. He's got all the hallmarks of a Really Impressive Badguy. He's a genius, he's filthy rich, he's charismatic and (reasonably) competent. Which is sort of what allows him to step into Tony Stark's shoes after S.H.I.E.L.D (which he was then the director of) completely dropped the ball during a Skrull invasion. Eventually, Osborn would become the head of a new division, codenamed H.A.M.M.E.R. It was during this 'dark reign' that Osborn started kidnapping children, hoping to mold them into superweapons for his own nefarious purposes.
The children of Avengers Academy were some of those victims. Reptil, the leader of the group, was given proof that his parents were still alive. Veil, Mettle and Hazmat were subjected to experimentations and torture. Finesse was given knowledge, very much her Achilles heel, and Brandon? Brandon was just given everything that Osborn thought he wanted.
When Osborn was toppled from his position of power, the Avengers ended up taking in the high-risk children they rescued from Osborn. Not the ones who needed them most, not the ones least in control of their power, but the ones who were the likeliest to turn to the dark side not only because of Osborn's ministrations, but because of their own psyche profiles.
The Academy is run by numerous people, and Hank Pym (aka Giant-Man, aka Goliath, aka Wasp, aka Yellowjacket, aka...) is the head of this organization. Other members sort of come and go – such as Justice, Speedball, Quicksilver, et al. Most of the people who are around the students have themselves struggled with a duality of nature or a division of loyalties. They're misfits, and it's Pym's hope that they can help the next generation of mutates to make the right choices rather than the long ones.
Given that Avengers Academy falls after the events of M-Day (a huge crossover event that saw the Scarlet Witch utter the fateful phrase 'no more mutants'), none of the Academy kids are actually mutants, although their abilities would almost suggest as such. Convenient plot device to get around the 'there are now a limited number of mutants in the world'? Probably.
So there you have it. Marvel 616. Humans, mutants, mutates, gods, aliens, evil-doers and heroes, all dropped on a planet that very closely resembles the Earth we know and love, plus a few... shall we say improvements. The technology is better, the populace much more accustomed to Alien Invasion Of The Week, and some crazy dude took it upon himself to kidnap children because he's a jerk.
About sums it up.
Do you have any idea what this bastard did to us?
Oh, yes. I made you magnificent.
Mettle and Osborn – Avengers Academy #04
Personality:
If you're not famous, you're nothing. And you, my boy, are gonna be something.
Brandon is an arrogant, womanizing jackass, and for all intents and purposes? That's exactly what he wants everyone to believe. He's a brand name, and he's selling himself 24/7. So maybe that's what happens when you're raised up in show business, when your mother cared more about the almighty dollar than your own personal well-being. Brandon learned early on that if he was going to mean anything to anyone, he had to have something to sell.
So, that's what he does. He's tough, he's trashy. He's the one who relies on acerbic remarks and witty repartees to hide his actual personality. He's the Former Child Star, voted 'most likely to be a fame-whore' by a committee of his peers.
Honestly, he's a cliché wrapped in a trope garnished with a scoop of childhood trauma.
Because beneath that tough exterior is someone who's struggling – not only with his own issues and life – but with damn near everything around him. Brandon craves affection, yet has a tendency to push people away when they offer it. He claims to dislike his mother, but when an opportunity arose for him to cash in on his position in the Avengers; she was the first person he called. Let's face it; he'd do pretty much anything to get his mother to pay attention to him, to care about him at all.
Brandon grew up more or less alone. Sure, he had the whole 'child star' thing going for him, but it was a pretty lonely life. His mother's approval and 'love' (if that's even what you can call it) was entirely contingent upon how many ratings his latest commercial got. His mother pushed him to ignore his own wants and desires to get what she wanted, and eventually he stopped thinking of his wants and his mother's wants as two separate things.
I love how you're not the least bit concerned that I could have died today.
At his core, Brandon's a cynic. Or rather, he thinks he is. And he wants to be. He generally tends to assume the worst of people because he's seen the worst of people. Let's face it. When Normon Osborn was pulling in children to make them (in his own words) 'magnificent', most of them were tortured, coerced, blackmailed. Dragged into his evil plans kicking and screaming.
Brandon? Was on a downswing in his fame. For crying out loud, he was doing monster truck rallies to stay important. All Osborn had to do was offer him everything. Money, women, prestige. Osborn just dumped it at his feet. He's also the one most readily willing to accept the truth about why he and the others are at the Avengers Academy. They're there not so they can become the heroes of tomorrow, but so that Pym and the others can keep them from becoming supervillains.
And it's a fine line that Brandon walks on.
See, there's a part of him that likes hurting people. Even as there's a side of him that's at best just a scared, vulnerable kid. Brandon has all the personality ticky-boxes of someone who could be a villain. And who'd damn well revel in it. He lives for the spotlight. People can turn on heroes. Look at Speedball. If you're a hero and you make one mistake, the people's court will tear you apart. But villains? You're already at the bottom. All you can do is get more notoriety, more fame.
But at the end of the day, Brandon honestly doesn't know what he wants. He's hooked on the idea of people knowing his name. He craves the sort of superficial acquaintance that follows, (Even though, during his time with Osborn, he claimed to be bored to death at the fact that women were just throwing themselves at him) the highs that result from adulation. Brandon actually has no idea how to have a close bond with, let's face it, anyone.
Everyone in his life who should have protected or looked after him has betrayed him in some way, shape or form. As a result, he's really reluctant to form relationships, but at the same time he can latch on to a single shred of kindness like it's a life preserver. When Veil came to him – after his numerous obnoxious come-ons – wanting to 'hook up', he turned her down and the two spent all night curled up in his bed just talking. He can be genuinely decent to people when no one else is looking, and for someone who spends so much of his life hiding who he really is, Brandon is amazingly perceptive.
And, well, he gives great advice. You can tell by the way he delivers it that what he has a tendency to say are all things he either wants to hear from someone else, or things he knows he himself can't do. When you catch him during his down time, he's usually the one standing up for other people ('He's gay, Mom, leave him alone') or trying to be there for people. He's an inherently good guy; he just... doesn't know how to accept that about himself. Brandon carries some pretty hefty guilt left over from his childhood trauma, and it's left him wondering if maybe he just deserves bad things. Oh, he'd probably deny it if asked. He's amazingly self-aware for someone with so many issues. But hey, it's there.
Due to his canon point, Striker isn't actually going to believe anything the kedan say about being on Tu Vishan. He's probably going to assume that Pym zapped him into the negaverse and is being a douchecanoe. It's sort of Pym's trademark.
Once he realizes that isn't the case, he's probably going to be scared he'll never make it home again, but he will, predictably, cover this up by being his own special brand of Doucheketeer.
Appearance:
Striker is a good-looking male in his mid-late teens and man-oh-boy does he know it. He's got dark hair with a white streak, a scar over one eye, and stands about 5'8. When we see an older version of him (comics) he's grown a bit of a goatee and has gotten a little taller, so we can assume he's not yet done in that department.
Abilities:
● He's basically a human lightning rod. Brandon can generate and conduct electricity to an unknown level (but he's cited as potentially being the most powerful member of the Avengers Academy crew) and he can and has used that power to lethality.
● He can also absorb, metabolize and redirect energy, which allows him to push his body to peak human levels for brief periods of time. However, this wears him down sooner rather than later.
● Striker can also create electro-magnetic barriers. These are static and he seems to need to hold them in place, though he's shown attacking while they're up. It's unknown how long he can maintain them or how much force can be thrown against them before they break.
● He's shown to have some combat skills, but they're hardly impressive. Most of what he knows is for show or the cameras.
Inventory:
His uniform, which can withstand his electrical abilities, his Avengers Academy access card, and a high-tech cellphone. You probably don't want to know where he's hiding it.
Suite:
Fire, three floors. He's used to living large and having lots of space, so anything less and his ego would pitch a fit.
In-Character Samples:
Third Person:
They don't even have television. What sort of ass-backwards place doesn't even have TV? He's been here six hours and already he's starting to go crazy. No TV, no radio, no-- nothing. It's like living in Tibet on a mountaintop somewhere. Some bullshit 'less is more' dogma.
Brandon's sprawled on his bed, costume stripped to the waist. The digs are nice. Sure, fine, whatever. It doesn't mean he's not bored out of his mind. The kedan or whatever that brought him here didn't answer anywhere near enough questions, and he can't even get a signal on his cellphone.
Maybe he really is in one of Pym's pocket dimensions. Tigra was mad enough at them to do it. So what, they're just going to let him rot here? Like the raft, only—what, nicer? It's because he's underaged, right? Even Avengers can't just lock up a teenager and throw away the key without repercussions, huh. Good to know.
So now what. Does he wait for the others to show up? Jennifer (sorry, Hazmat) and Veil? The cavalry? Let's face it; they're both second stringers where he's concerned, at least in terms of marketable personality. Hazmat could roast someone alive at thirty paces with nothing but her glare and Veil, well. She turns into dust for a living. Not exactly impressive, right?
Still, he—hopes they're okay. Both of them. Madeline—she could die without Pym. Even if Brandon doesn't think he'd let it happen. Pym's a crazy jerk, but he's on the side of the angels for a reason.
Hazmat, well. She'll probably just go nuclear. Hiroshima: The Sequel.
And as for him. What's he gonna do now? Supposing he gets out of here. Wherever 'here' is. If he goes back to Mom like this, like some kind of failure--
No. There's gotta be a way to spin it. That video of the three of them (well, him mostly) torturing Hood, it's totally gone viral. People are lapping it up. He'd tried the vigilante gig before, but it'd bored him to tears. How the hell did anyone ever end up in the right place at the right time to stop crime or whatever, anyway? But maybe... maybe he could do bounty hunting or something instead. Tracking down known criminals instead of being on the lookout for new ones. With powers like his, it's not like anyone could get away from him. One wrong move and zap.
The media loves a rebel. And after a few years of that, he could go through some sort of 'penance' period, get back in everyone's good graces. Made for life. It'd be easy.
Now he just had to get the idea off the ground.
Network:
[Striker is lounging – yes, lounging in all his resplendent black-and-white finery. What he doesn't look is pleased.]
Come on, this has got to be one of those pocket dimension things Pym's always going on about. But really? He couldn't do better than a giant turtle? Riiiiight. Well, that's Wasp for you. Or is it Giant Man these days? Goliath? Any takers? 4chan never forgets a superhero moniker, it really doesn't matter how dumb it is. Guess they've got Pym super nailed.
Look, I really don't care about the whole alternate reality bullshit, this is still kidnapping. You can't kick me out of the Academy and then kidnap me, that's practically begging for a How to Catch a Predator exposé. And these computers? Give me a break, they're antiques. Seriously, this is some windows '95 crap on the happen.
Whatever. Either you let me out or you don't. Trust me when I say my lawyers aren't going to make it easy for you one way or another.