❧ Application || Somarium

[peterparker]

[Player name] Maddie
[Age] 24
[Personal Journal] N/A
[Other characters currently played]
Yamamoto Takeshi / Katekyou Hitman Reborn! / combiplay

[Character name] Peter Parker
[Age] 17
[Canon] The Amazing Spider-Man (movieverse, with facts that are left out taken from comic canon.)
[Point in time taken from canon] End of the MCU film 'The Amazing Spider-Man.'

[Background]

Peter grew up with his parents, Mary and Richard, until about the age of eight-- when their simultaneous deaths orphaned the boy. Their lives were shrouded in mystery for Peter, who retained only a vague recollection of them and a slim collection of his father's odds and ends to inform him of what they were like. Apparently, even in his boyhood he was not told very much about their occupations; they were often away, conducting confidential research and going on covert missions (presumably, for S.H.I.E.L.D). While they were home, their time together as a family was light-hearted. shield

There was good reason for the Parkers not to keep their son in the loop. Richard Parker was an OSCORP scientist in the field of bio-genetics, dealing with the theoretical merger of animal genetics with that of the human genome to create a more perfect version of man. His groundbreaking work shed possibility on such an otherwise impossible concept. This was also, unfortunately, that concept that got him killed.

Unbeknownst to Peter, his father refused to do any form of human testing early on in the project's life, despite pressure from the dying leader of OSCORP, Norman Osborn. After a break-in at the Parker residence that Peter himself discovered during a game of hide-and-seek; an attempt to find his father's additional research on the project, which he had kept well-hidden; his parents decided it was best to flee from OSCORP. OSCORP, they realized, would stop at nothing to obtain Richard's work; a final step that would allow them to begin unethical human testing.

Wanting to keep Peter safe, the Parker's decided to leave the boy with Richard's brother Ben and his wife, May. They gave Peter no explanation as to why he was being left on their doorstep, only telling him goodbye and then disappearing forever. Richard and Mary died in an 'accident' later that week. An accident that Peter would spend the next portion of his life quietly obsessing over.

Peter's life leading up to his senior year of high school was largely uneventful. He was a good student, shy, highly intelligent but otherwise unremarkable. He became very close with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May, having very few friends outside of them. Considered 'a nerd', he was often bullied at school, especially by Eugene "Flash" Thompson-- the school's football star and someone who Peter stood up to verbally, while having no salt against him physically.

Peter became the school's photographer, became adept at skateboarding and nursed a very healthy crush on classmate Gwen Stacy. Like, an 'I take secret photos of you and made you my laptop's wallpaper' kind of a crush. ...Okay, maybe it wasn't that healthy. So sue him.

Filled with awkwardness and raging teenage hormones, Peter returned home one day to be confronted with the only thing other than Science, Gwent Stacy and Photography that could ever catch his interest: something that belonged to his father. While helping his Uncle Ben fix a leak in the basement, Peter discovered his father's old briefcase. Inside was a photo of someone he'd never seen before; a scientist by the name of Dr. Curt Connors.

Taking the briefcase to his room at once to add to the other nicknacks of Richard's that he'd collected over the years, Peter was surprised to find a hidden pocket in the case revealing the research that solved the riddle to a successful human mutation.

Quickly hiding the information, Peter was then confronted by his Uncle Ben, who informed him that Dr. Connors worked for OSCORP and used to be a family friend-- one who had stopped paying any visits after the death of Peter's parents. Intrigued, Peter went to OSCORP, stole an intern's badge to get into the building and then joined a group of new recruits. All to get a chance to talk to Dr. Connors.

Unfortunately for Peter, the person in charge of the new interns? Was Miss Gwen Stacy. She obviously knew Peter didn't belong there, but after a DAZZLING display of knowledge on the topic of bio-genetics in front of Dr. Connors (if he does say so himself~), Gwen was forced to pretend he belonged to the group to save face. She confronted Peter off to the side, warning that he needed to stay with the group during his farce, or else.

Peter chose 'or else'.

Wandering off into the OSCORP labs while no one was looking, Peter ninja'd his way in to a restricted zone. It was restricted, as most things are, for a good reason. The good reason in this case being: a room of genetically altered, radioactive spiders. Peter, having apparently a very high tolerance for deeply disgusting things, decided it would be a good idea to enter the room and get cozy with the webs.

Not-so-shockingly, this led to him getting covered in spiders. And then bitten by a spider. And then kicked out of OSCORP by Gwen.

More-shockingly, it also led to him waking up the next morning sick, sticky and super-powered.

Due to the genetic alteration of the spider the bit him, the spider venom in turn genetically altered Peter. He awoke possessed with superhuman agility and strength. Accident-prone by nature, this quickly led to him breaking most everything in his general vicinity until he learned to control the new power. Additionally, Peter was now capable of perfect balance, able to adhere to and climb any surface, and obtained super-enhanced reflexes as well as a 'spider sense' that functioned as a way of heeding changes and danger ahead of time, giving him an acute reaction time.

Peter's life got interesting.

He paid back Flash and got sentenced to community service. He gave his father's research to Dr. Connors, befriending him. He almost-kindof-nearly asked Gwen out (luckily, she took care of that for him.) And best of all, he became a self-made hero: the Amazing Spider-Man!

Or, well, he did after an unfortunate event took his Uncle Ben from him. After having a fight with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May, who were disturbed by his new forgetful streak paired with a sudden arrogance and penchant for getting into fights, Peter fled his home for the evening. Uncle Ben, who went to look for him and bring him back to safety, was killed in front of Peter-- by a robber that Peter let go free, because he'd felt that the robber was justified in stealing from a rude cashier.

Suddenly possessed with a vengeful spirit, Spider-Man made his own Spandex suit, fashioned web-slingers that attached at his wrists and became a vigilante extraordinare, out to hunt down any petty thief who looked like the criminal who had killed his Uncle Ben.

This led to two major developments: 1. His fighting crime and constantly returning home looking like he'd been beaten with bats, much to the dismay of his Aunt May, who he suddenly began keeping at a distance. 2. His earning the ire of the police (especially Gwen's father, police captain Mr. Stacy) for taking the law into his own hands.

#2 made dating Gwen a little bit harder than expected, as Peter rubbed her officer father the wrong way; from his inability to eat fancy food, to his lack of proper dress code, to his staunch defense of Spider-Man's motives.

His disapproval hardly thwarted the couple, though. Peter confessed his true identity to Gwen and then they made out quite a bit. (Teenagers.)

Life would have continued as such had OSCORP not pressured Dr. Connors in the same way they had Richard Parker, demanding human testing. Caving to their demands, he injected himself with lizard DNA, in order to regrown his severed arm. The potion worked, but also caused him to mutate into a lizard-like monster, powerful and mindless.

It was up to Peter, who felt intensely guilty for given up his father's formula, to stop Dr. Connors. Even when he turns to Mr. Stacy for help, giving him the lizard's identity, his word is not trusted. Against Gwen's wishes and concerns, he decides to try to take on Dr. Connor's himself. Dr. Connor's soon learns the identity of Spider-Man and the battle becomes more heated as he decides to do away with Peter at his school and then move ahead with his plan of infecting all of New York City with the mutating serum.

Peter eventually wins the hearts and minds of the people of New York as Spider-Man (including Mr. Stacy; who after unmasking him realizes that he's out to protect his daughter from harm) and, badly wounded from fighting both the police and Dr. Connors, is helped by the citizens of New York to find Dr. Connors, take his machine down and save Gwen Stacey.

All of the above which he manages, with one slight hitch. The hitch being that Mr. Stacey himself is killed during the harsh battle, while aiding Peter. As he dies, he makes the once again guilt-ridden boy promise to leave his daughter alone, predicting that trouble will always follow Peter because of his secret identity and his vigilante career.

Peter makes the promise and returns home to his Aunt May, slightly more his old self. Sad, unconfident and wanting to be close to her again. He attends Mr. Stacy's funeral, but in secret; much to the ire of Gwen who, when she confronts him, realizes the promise Peter made to her father and that he was cutting contact with her.

...&Then promptly decides to go back on that promise. Ah, young love!

So that's about where we find our hero when he'd be dropped off in Somarium! Uncle-less and only slightlyGirlfriend-less, but still armed with his keen sense of humor and film camera. (DSLs are for rich people, okay? He's not rich.)


[Personality]

Peter can be a bit of an enigma. As much as he's your average teenager; incredibly socially awkward, painfully unsure of himself, constantly searching for his identity and riddled with extreme emotions; he's also very much... not.

Peter can be said to be two distinct personalities, layered together. On the one hand, he's Nerdy, Highschool Peter: the kid who can't talk to girls and who tries to stand up for the weak while fully understanding that he's weak himself. He's lonely without his parents, doesn't have many friends and is mostly introverted. Classically shy, accident-prone and with a slight tendency towards frustration, melancholy and guilt, Peter almost sounds like he should be listening to punk metal and playing D&D in his basement.

Almost.

On the other hand, he's your Average, Everyday Super Hero: Brought out more by his Spider-Man persona (which seeps into his every day personality, the longer he is the masked hero), Peter can also be charismatic, arrogant, sarcastic and hilarious. Highly intelligent and with an endless bag of whip-crack punchlines, Peter has an evolving sense of justice, but a solidified sense of humor. Around those he's comfortable with he can be sweet and fiercely loyal. Despite being often shy and forgetful, it lends a sort of charm to Peter, who is a poor liar and gets by on soft jokes, puns and cute statements. Being Spider-Man lends him confidence as often as it does conflict, allowing him to stand up for what he believes regardless of what anyone thinks of it-- possibly his strongest personality trait.

In a nutshell, Peter is clever but not exactly wise, intelligent but not always smart, self-depreciating but occasionally over-confident. His defining trait in that bag of mixed nuts is his determination; when he puts his mind to something, it's going to get done.

[Abilities]

Peter Parker's toxic-spider-induced abilities include: strength and agility far superior to that of a normal human, ability to adhere to and climb any surface, a perfect sense of balance and spacial reasoning and a hyper-aware "spider sense". Additionally, Peter created wristlets that shoot fine, arachnid webs, allowing him to more or less 'fly'. In the comics, this eventually becomes a part of his physiology. If allowed, it will in Somarium, also.

(End Note: If skateboarding were a power? He'd be the Amazing Skater-Man.)


[Other important stuff]

Nada!

[Sample posts]

[First Person]

- What do you think of your home world?

It has it's issues, but yanno, New York City.

That's pretty good stuff.

- If you could go back home, would you? Why or why not?

Sure. I'd have to.

I'm already gonna be deep in it for being this late getting home. Aunt May's gonna have my head if I don't show up again until my 23rd birthday.

Have you SEEN what happens when a Queens dame who controls your diet gets angry? Not pretty.

Lots of PB&J. Seriously.

- What were you doing before now?

Uhh... plead the fifth?

- If you were to describe yourself in one sentence, what would that be?

Aah, man. Jeez. I don't know.

Me. There.

Wait, scratch that, that sounds lame.

Describing me? Okay, okay. Uh. Average boy-next-door science geek with a penchant for not being on time and a hopefully sometimes-charming smile that makes up for it.

Describing Spider-man? In a word: Awesome. Heroic. Ba--

That's more than a word, isn't it.

- If someone provoked or attacked you, what would you do?

It's just not your day, buddy! Bad idea. Leaving it at that.

- Would you consider yourself a power hungry individual?

Hungry, yes. Power hungry? No.

I hope not, anyway.

- Someone comes to you to ask for the time. How would you respond?

In English. Unless we're in Spain.

- Someone is trying to rob you! What do you do?

Is it the same guy who attacked me? Man, these guys never learn, huh!

- If I offered to save your soul for a price, would you go with it and why?

...Probably not. I'm saving up to go into debt for student loans.

Besides; you have to save yourself. You're responsible for you.

- Do you stand up against authority, go against all odds, and if you could, pierce the heavens with your fighting spirit? If not, would you if you could?

I was with you on that until we went to heaven wearing boxing gloves.

Let's go with sure, though. Sounds, ah. Fun and. Yeah. Okay. How's next tuesday?

[For more of his voice in 1st person, please see: http://scorched.dreamwidth.org/1275155.html ]

[Third Person]


The weird thing about being a hero is that he doesn't feel like one.

Sitting on the floor of his room, still reeking of sweat and blood, Peter had his backpack on his lap, open. Inside, just barely visible in the parting of the zipper's open teeth, was the faint red and blue of his costume. Also beaten up pretty bad.

Peter was used to getting beaten up. What he wasn't used to was winning.

Winning had felt so good, for a while. It had felt good when he got even with the bullies that made his life hell at school. It felt good when he stopped thieves and assaulters. It even felt pretty good for a moment, tonight, when despite the wounds and the betrayal and the sheer force of effort it had taken, he beat Dr. Connors at his own game; restored him as a man, saved the city, showed Gwen what he was made of...

For a moment, anyway.

And then that moment was gone.

The thing about being a hero was; he realized as he pulled the mask out of his bag, idly turning it in his hands as he canted his head and instinctually made a little bit of a face; anyone could be one. Anyone could do the right thing. Uncle Ben always had, he thought, a twinge of guilt plucking at his heart strings. Mr. Stacy had done what he thought was right to-- right up until his final breath, asking him to promise not to date his daughter anymore.

Being a hero was supposed to feel good more often. That's why he'd done it. For selfish reasons, to feel strong and capable and good... Uncle Ben would be so ashamed.

Poking a finger up through one of the holes in his mask, he sucked in a breath through his teeth and groaned.

He'd messed up again. Why was he always messing up? You couldn't really be called a hero if you were the one creating the problem and then making things worse when you tried to fix it.

He wanted to go talk to Aunt May, suddenly. To tell her the truth and have her hold him and make him scrambled eggs with spam and ketchup. But, nah; if she knew the truth, that his inaction had gotten her husband killed... how would she feel about him? Probably the same way Gwen felt about him, now that he'd gotten her father killed.

Shoving the mask back into the bag slowly, he zipped it and stood up, clenching teeth and sucking in another breath when his muscles screamed in protest. Man... school was going to suck tomorrow in about 52 distinct ways (most of them body parts he didn't even know existed until tonight.)

If he couldn't talk to Aunt May and he couldn't see Gwen anymore, there was really only one thing to do.

Go take a shower, before all the rest of the people on Earth boycotted interaction with him, on smell alone.

[For more of his voice in 3rd person, please see: http://scorched-logs.dreamwidth.org/451227.html ]

[Why do you want to play this character in Somarium?] I just love the character and think he interacts well across canons. Also a little bit excited for the idea of exploring his comic canon, with so many comic characters in Som.

[Which rule was your favorite and why?] The no playercest rule, because very yes.

[Where did you hear about Somarium?] Have played here for a year!

[Any questions?] None, thank you!