theposthumans application

[holdstillslick]

Player Name:
Personal LJ: expletives
E-mail: birdslut@gmail
AIM: tsunderemod@aol
Other characters currently in-game: n/a
Who referred you to the game?: Everyone ever.

Character Name:
Several. The Black Queen, the Banished Quasiroyal, and Snowman. She's from the time period where she'll be going by Snowman.

Canon source:
MSPA: Homestuck (Hivebent session)

PB:
Fairuza Balk

Personality:
BLUH BLUH HUGE BITCH.

To elaborate: the Queen is a sadist. She derives her entertainment from the suffering and discomfort of others, and has a special place in her heart for humiliation. She's used to being in control, though she may relish opposition because it gives her a chance to make a point, and probably cause a little bodily harm. She is proud, self-assured, and always in the right. No, really. Ask any of the cowed underlings, they'll confirm it. Because if they don't, they know that there will be hell to pay. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but making them sweat is half of the fun for her.

While she rules Derse, she seems to be the flipside of a 'do nothing king': her husband lives his life on the battlefield, while she lounges around the palace and terrorizes the staff. While she likely does the work that is utterly necessary (like diplomatic paperwork), most of her time seems dedicated to making sure that her servants follow a set of arbitrary rules.

And she can hold a hell of a grudge.

None of this has changed by the time she becomes Snowman. She's become a little more bitter, a little more willing to permanently maim those that displease her (as opposed to just roughing them up). She's still a proud being, but her opinion is the only one that matters, and so her own (high) standards are what she has to live up to.

Snowman is a typical noir femme fatale. She smokes, she strides into offices swinging her hips, and more often than not she's the catalyst for a whole lot of trouble.

All in all, she's bitterness and scorn in a trenchcoat, and it's not a great idea to get on her bad side. Or it wouldn't be, if she had any other side.

History:
The planet of Skaia was getting along pretty well, all things considered. The four major continents weren't at war, the economy was going alright, and it seemed like humanity had a nice long lifespan ahead of it.

Then civilisation as we know it was destroyed.

Thanks to a sudden and vicious rain of meteors, the population was decimated, and a huge percentage of Skaia's civilised structures were reduced to rubble and ash. But the while the planet was hardly beyond survival, it was irreversibly changed. Something in the storm had created a shift in Skaia, and reality was suddenly a lot more malleable. If you could think it, chances were very high that you could do it. This manifested in those who had wanted or dreamed of having extraordinary powers, who suddenly found that they did. These varied in puissance from person to person didn't appear to be permanent once they had manifested. Additionally, objects and items would now change form depending on who held them, what was needed, or what would be most inconvenient. Unable to understand what had changed in reality and unwilling to chalk it up to THE POWER OF IMAGINATION, most settled for the explanation of alien minerals in the meteors mutating them all. Or something.

By chance, most of those who survived were the paranoid and the gullible. So, lots of children. But those adults that did survive were commonly of the higher classes, especially the royalty. This was unfortunately true on Derse, a relatively small country comprised of two large islands. It had a long and troubled history with the more Southern Country of Skaia, and was home to a race of people with black bones and sharp teeth.

The Dersite King decided to take advantage of the destabilisation, and attempt a takeover of Alternia. Although Alternia was one of the largest countries, precious little was known about it because travel in and out had been strictly forbidden by the monarchy decades ago. Wanting to take advantage of the inner turmoil that they was sure must have destablised the other countries, Derse's Queen sent her agents out to gather information. Her archagent, the remotely competent Jack Noir, was sent to Alternia to infiltrate. Three other agents were dispersed to other countries to investigate further: a draconian dignitary to Prospit, a courtyard droll to Terra, and a hedgemonic brute to the other side of Alternia. Jack was merely the first to return.

He returned some time later, with all the desired information. Unfortunately for her, he also showed up with a dozen Alternian survivors who didn't take kindly to the idea of a takeover. Newly orphaned and newly crowned queen Feferi had a bone to pick with anyone who wanted to conquer the country she was trying so hard to finally open up.

Through their collective efforts and a lapse in her own judgment, they overthrew the Queen. Jack was very firmly on the side of 'execution', but the courtyard droll chose that moment to show up with a bunch of "prisoners" that he'd taken back in Terra. Meaning that they were following him back to Derse in order to join the efforts to stop a possible invasion, and he happened to be rather thick. Adding their voices to the decision, they talked the others out of killing the Queen and convinced them to exile her instead. She was banished from Derse, dropped off at the edge of the Alternian desert to wander for the rest of her days.

And wander she did. Until she was approached by the mysterious Doc Scratch, a man who'd been gifted with the power to warp space and time, and who had a plan. He wouldn't divulge anything else, and the Queen didn't need him to. He would let her take revenge on Jack Noir, and that was all she needed to know.

Doc Scratch recruited her into the Felt as the eighth member, and gave her powers and an alias to suit it. Now known as Snowman, she communicated with some of the Alternian children in secret, guiding them to betray Jack Noir and send him into exile.

It wasn't enough. But it was a start.

The Felt became the one of the primary antagonists for the Midnight Crew, a group of scofflaws led (for a given value of 'led') by one Spades Slick. Snowman had some history with Slick -- it was the newest alias of her former archagent, Noir. And thus began a delightful cycle of mockery and torment, as the two groups chased each other around the city Slick had helped found. This ended rather abruptly when the Midnight Crew formulated a final attack on the Felt Mansion, with the intent to wipe them off the map once and for all. They were ultimately successful, with the exception of Snowman herself. And 'successful' might be something of a stretch, given that over the course of the night she stabbed out Slick's right eye, and two of the four members were sent away to obtuse time periods by the Felt's powers, while the other got lost. Slick was left to deal with Snowman, who chose to finish off her evening by shooting his arm off, nabbing back the key he'd filched, and locking him in a safe to starve to death slowly.

Truly, a night well spent.

Almost immediately after closing the safe, she'll appear in the good old U S of A, with her pistol, whip and trademark hat.

How does your AU differ from canon?
Based primarily on the Hivebent/troll session of Homestuck, the world is an attempt to rebuild the setting without the catalyst of the Sburb game. In addition, it all takes place on and in a single world, instead of three dimensions and about four dozen planets. Finally, instead of the characters being human, troll, lusus or carapaced, the only species is human, with different minor (and largely internal) changes for each continent. Prospitians and Dersites now lack the distinct black or white carapace, and instead are differentiated by white or black bone structures. Trolls are more pallid, but carry different colours of blood depending on their caste. Human characters have undergone no change, other than the fact that instead of living on the same planet they live in the same country.

Strengths:
Snowman is an extraordinarily dangerous individual. Even without powers, she is intelligent, resourceful, and above all; patient. If she has decided to put a plan into action, she will arrange all the pieces where they need to be and wait for exactly the right moment to put it into action. She's also a very good shot with a firearm, and as a Dersite she enjoys slightly more physical strength that a regular human being.

In terms of supernatural powers, Snowman has two tricks up her sleeve. Firstly, she can teleport, presumably to any location. She can transport at least one other being with her, and travels by phasing in and out. She is also something of a living time bomb, and if she suspects that someone means her harm she will let them know. Doc Scratch gifted her with a failsafe, which ensures that any being whoso kills her will they themselves die almost immediately afterward. This is not limited to a number of people, only to those directly involved with her murder.

Weaknesses:
The Queen is a vain creature, and this can be taken advantage of. There are some images that she will outright refuse to be associated with. Her pride can alienate her from those who work with and around her, and she doesn't have stellar people skills. This means that her own allies are far and few between, and people willing to work against her could fill a phonebook. She's also extremely resistant to change. While she's capable of learning from her mistakes, it is only in the sense that she becomes more cautious and guarded. It takes a crucible of huge proportions to force her to make a shift in perspective.

Basically, she does not play nicely with others, sees no reason to change this, and will be entirely too much offense if it's suggested that she should.

Preferred drop-in point:
Manhattan, if that's at all possible!

What are some of your plans for this character in their new environment?
First, she's going to need to make absolutely sure that Doc Scratch isn't in this universe -- if she recognises that it is indeed one. She won't exactly be keen on starting up the Felt again, though she will probably align herself with anyone who needs dirty work done for very high prices.

First Person Journal Sample:
[VOICE]
[There's a heartbeat's worth of silence, then the click, click of a struck lighter, a long inhale and longer exhale.]

I'd forgotten how crowded it could be, in proper cities. The kinds that have been around for longer than a decade.

Just out of curiosity, do any residents remember the founder? [A short pause while she takes another drag.] I don't suppose they still hold any importance. Which is the way it should be, if you ask me.

Hmmmph. So if not them, who is in charge? I don't suppose this country enjoys the benefits of a monarchy.

Third Person Sample:
Of course, the implication of a new realm meant a number of things. It meant adjustments, plans, searching, perhaps trying to find a way back... But all that could wait. While it was true that she'd need to see if any of her allies had somehow appeared here, there were far more pressing matters at hand. And Snowman always had her priorities in order.

And first and foremost, she needed to deal with that persistent ache in her lungs.

Storefronts here were a little different, more colourful. But corner stores are a universal constant, and she managed to find one without too much fuss. The possibility that people here might not speak her language didn't even occur to her, and she strode straight to the counter and made eye contact with the man standing behind it.

She plucked a silver lighter from the plastic display, opening and closing it with a sharp click. "A pack of cigarettes." She drawled, and flicking her eyes to the display. "Just give me the most expensive brand." There was no way to know whether her usual brand even existed here, so until she had a look around, what passed for quality would have to do.

The clerk put the carton on the counter between them, and gestured to the lighter. "That'll be $13.86 in total, miss."

A blink, and a smile crawled across Snowman's face. "Ah yes, how silly of me." She'd forgotten that she was no longer in a realm where everyone knew who she was, where she could rely on owed favours and intimidation in daily interactions.

That was alright. They'd know who she was soon enough, she supposed.

"Terribly sorry, but I'm just going to have to be on my way." She snatched up the pack and tucked it into her inside pocket, the lighter going into her outside pocket. "But have yourself a nice day anyway, won't you?" Still smiling at him, she phased out and away, fading swiftly out of the shop.

As she lit up halfway across town, standing in a stranger's doorway, Snowman sighed with relief. Now, what was the next order of business?

She blew smoke upwards and narrowed her eyes at unfamiliar stars. There would be a lot to get used to.