Laura Kinney (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
not_your_weapon) wrote2017-07-26 12:22 pm
not_your_weapon) wrote2017-07-26 12:22 pm
Entry tags:
The Last Voyages; Application
User Name/Nick: Jen
User DW: N/A
AIM/IM:N/A (I have Skype, if that applies?)
E-mail: hikariblue@gmail.com
Other Characters: N/A
Character Name: Laura Kinney / Wolverine (X-23)
Series: All-New Wolverine; Marvel Comics Earth-616
Age: 19
From When?: Just after Civil War 2. (After issue #12 of All-New Wolverine; Fall 2016)
Inmate/Warden: Laura is unquestionably a warden. As someone who was created and raised to be a weapon, she committed unspeakable acts of violence as a child -- including murder -- but has undergone her own redemption, having come to terms with the things that she did not only as a weapon of the Facility, but also following her escape, when she was no longer under orders, but still prone to extreme violence as a method of problem-solving. Laura understands firsthand that the core of one’s character is not determined by criminal actions or even by criminal intent, but by complex systems of circumstance, and that the path to finding one’s true nature is a long and difficult one. Recently she’s proven a strong willingness to help redeem others by taking in the youngest of her clones, Gabby, and acting as a role model / guardian figure to the girl in much the same way that Logan was for her, with the ultimate goal of “undoing” the assassin training that Gabby underwent as a product of Alchemax. We already see her doing exactly what a warden should do, even without a Deal in place, so it’s likely that she’ll slip into the role very easily.
Item: A late-model, mid-range smartphone. The screen is cracked and it doesn’t hold a charge that well, but she hasn’t been able to replace it. (Being Wolverine doesn’t afford a whole lot of opportunities for keeping a phone in good condition or getting an upgrade.)
Abilities/Powers: Laura’s primary mutation is an accelerated healing factor, which allows her to regenerate damaged tissues in a matter of seconds; renders her functionally immune to disease, infection, and most toxins; and heightens her physical senses and capabilities, such as speed, coordination, and endurance. Notably, she possesses two retractable claws on each hand, and one on each foot. Her claws are made of bone, but coated in adamantium, meaning they’re capable of cutting through most known substances.
In addition to her mutant abilities, Laura has been trained since childhood as a fighter -- a weapon, really -- and thus is an extremely skilled combatant, with both weapons training and unarmed martial arts among her skills.
Personality: [tw: child abuse, emotional manipulation, human trafficking, violence]
Created as a weapon and raised in a laboratory for the first thirteen years of her life, compassion and kindness were luxuries rarely afforded to X-23. She was a victim of regular abuse, both physical and mental, treated as an object instead of a human by everyone at the Facility except for her mother, Sarah Kinney, and her martial arts instructor. As punishment for their kindness, they were laced with the “trigger scent” that caused X-23 to see them as prey, and kill them. Even after escaping the Facility, Laura was picked up by a pimp and forced into prostitution. As a result, she is initially skeptical of others’ motives and slow to trust.
The lack of affection showed her in childhood has left her socially stunted, with low self-esteem, through most of her teen years. For most of her life, she believed that others would only attempt to befriend her so that they could later use her. Even she didn’t see herself as human, or worthy of the love that came to others so easily. This isn’t a trait that’s unlearned quickly, and even now she struggles with matters of self-worth, determining her desires, and defining her identity.
However, it is because of those struggles that Laura is determined to assert herself and claim agency in her young adulthood. She was created with traits that were certainly useful in a child assassin, but these traits -- tenacity, resilience, and intelligence -- are the very same that allow her to break free of the metaphorical (and often physical) chains that held her back for so long. She pushes back against any of those who would seek to control her now with the same ferocity that they imbued her with in childhood, and extends that ferocity to those who attempt to control and abuse others as well. She has become an outspoken advocate for those who can’t or won’t fight for themselves.
As an agent of the Facility, X-23 killed countless people without remorse. She was taught that violence was the first, and sometimes only, answer. These violent tendencies continued after she gained her freedom, largely because she didn’t know any other way to be, but also because compassion simply wasn’t programmed into her. This changed, but slowly, as she grew to care for others who also cared for her -- people like Logan, who was the closest thing she had to a father, and various other members of the X-Men, who wanted her to live the childhood that she did not actually have when she was younger. Love was hard for her to accept, but she found that she was capable of forming bonds with others, and though it was frightening, and she is still prone to pushing others away for fear of hurting them, she did eventually allow others into her heart. Logan in particular showed her that she didn’t have to be what they made her -- that she has a real choice in what she wants to be, in who she wants to be. If he was created the same way, and suffered similarly, and was able to find something like a family among other mutants, well -- she could do the same, right?
Now, Laura lives her life more deliberately, more mindfully. Every action is a choice, because she knows that failing to choose might lead her back down the path that was prescribed in her childhood. When the situation calls for it, she is still capable of violence -- violence is necessary, as it’s often times the only language that will get through to people -- but her methods are careful and calculated, and she uses her training and skill to incapacitate whenever possible instead of kill without question. She’s making up for her past misdeeds, of course, but more than that she’s showing herself and others that she’s more than what she was -- more than an indiscriminate killer, more than a tool for others, more than a mindless weapon. She’s a person, and she’s able to define for herself who she is and what her path will be. That includes something akin to compassion, whether that’s leaving an enemy only broken instead of dead, or doing everything in her power to save the sisters who were born into the same life she was. No one will have to suffer the way she did if she has anything to say about it.
Barge Reactions: Laura’s likely to view the odd mix of people aboard the Barge with a combination of curiosity and suspicion, muddled together underneath a veneer of impassivity. She’ll want to find out how it works, what makes it tick, the why of it all, mostly to ensure that she’s here completely on her own terms. To take that a step further: she wants to ensure that other people are here on their terms, too, and not forced into being here against their will. To do that, she’ll need to talk to people. The concept of freedom -- for herself or others -- is a strong enough driving force for her to get over any compunction she might have about getting to know people. She won’t take kindly to anyone who’s used or abused people, but depending on the circumstances, those might be the people she’ll toss aside her compassion for, or they might be those she’s most desperate to fix.
As far as people being from other universes? That’s nothing she hasn’t encountered before. There’s a version of Logan running around her own universe that isn’t the man who mentored her, after all, and she once had her own mind teleported into an entirely different person in another universe. She’s no stranger to multiverses or time travel or any number of things that most people might be shook by.
However -- events where she’s not in control of herself or her actions will affect her pretty deeply. She knows what she can do. She knows what she did. And she knows that if she’s not careful, she’ll do it again. Upon recovering from an event like that she’s not going to be pleased, and might even try to figure out who’s responsible for changing everyone against their will. Other events, with glimpses into worlds where she grew up differently, with alternate circumstances applied to her life, could reinforce her determination to define herself.
Deal: As part of the means by which to control her, the scientists at the Facility developed a “trigger scent” -- a chemical formula designed for the sole purpose of turning X-23 into the ruthless weapon that they want her to be. At the first scent of it, her humanity disappears, lost under the conditioning, and she rages, slicing through everyone and everything in her path until they’re all dead. They used this scent to make her kill her teacher, her mother, and any other targets that they could not fully trust that she would dispatch unerringly. Vials of the chemical still exist. The formula is still known to those who could synthesize it. It can still be used to unmake her into a weapon.
Laura’s Deal is that it disappears. Known samples vanish. The formula is forgotten. Any means by which it could be recreated is wiped off the face of the planet. As long as the trigger scent exists, there’s a chance that she could be controlled again. A chance that others like her could be controlled. And she’s not going to let that happen.
History: http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Laura_Kinney_(Earth-616)
Sample Journal Entry:
[ Laura turns on the video feed and sits back in the dark room, the harsh light from the camera throwing her features into sharp, distorted shapes. ] Ugh … How do I …? [ She reaches forward again, and flicks the control to audio-only. The light turns off. Better. ] Day one: have received assigned quarters, keys, relevant information. Have not been assigned an inmate, am instead encouraged to … [ Pause. The scare quotes are audible. ] … “Socialize,” and determine who I’m compatible with. Validity of experiment … undetermined. [ She moves to end the recording, but hesitates. Silence. She taps another button, marking the remainder of the entry as private. ]
This is one of those things that looks too good to be true. They say time stops for us, back home, but … [ She trails off. She doesn’t even want to mention Gabby in private entries. She doesn’t know who’s actually listening. ] I don’t smell a trap on this, and I almost wish I did.
Sample RP:
Sweat beads on Laura’s brow as she lands a punch, and then another, on the punching bag in front of her. She can’t get lazy just because she’s somewhere else; if anything, the new environment is even more reason to stay on top of her game. She doesn’t know these people. She has no files on them. She has no idea what they’re capable of. That’s the most terrifying thing about being here, really -- the not knowing.
She steps back, flexing her hands before throwing another punch, twin claws extending from between her knuckles and stopping just short of the bag in front of her. It’s an exercise in control, and she has to maintain it here, now more than ever.
Because she has responsibilities. She’s being trusted with someone else’s future, for real, in ways that she’s not allowed to screw up. She can’t just bail when it gets too tough, or when she gets too close. Laura spins and kicks, the blade in her foot grazing the casing. Stuffing spills from the tear. Great.
That’s a sign to stop for now. With a sound somewhere between a sigh and a groan, Laura disengages, stretches, and makes a mental note to post an apology for the mishap, with a promise that she’ll get it fixed somehow. Tape, maybe. She wonders if she has to requisition tape or if someone already has some. Neither option is particularly appealing. For now, she slings her bag over her shoulder and heads back to her quarters, so she can shower in peace and privacy.
It’s still strange, to open the door on this ship and walk right back into her apartment -- Logan’s apartment -- with the only real differences being the view outside the windows. There shouldn’t be this much space, based on what’s on the outside. The fact that she’s given these kinds of creature comforts is almost alarming, and she wonders, still, if this is all some kind of elaborate trick. If someone from her past has hired a high-level telepath to screw with her mind, and maybe she’s not on some crazy space barge to rehab criminals, but she’s sitting in a cell back at the Facility -- or worse. No, it’s best not to think about that. Laura grabs a bottle of water from the otherwise-empty fridge -- just as it had been back in New York -- and downs half of it easily, then goes into the bathroom to wash off the sweat of her workout.
She half expects Gabby to come tearing down the hall and bang on the door, demanding her turn in the bathroom. Or to sit slumped against the door and start telling her some meandering, endearing story. Or better yet, to yell about how Jonathan the Actual Wolverine is missing again, and I called Squirrel Girl for help but her phone is busy or dead and what if he’s hurt, Laura?
Cool water pours over Laura’s skin. What if she’s hurt? Laura’s clone is only thirteen, and too optimistic for her own good, too trusting for a girl who’s been engineered not to feel pain. Was coming here even the right call?
The doubt isn’t even worth it. She’s already here. It has to be the right call.
Special Notes: I do not have a personal Dreamwidth, and come back to journal-style RP after years of writing elsewhere -- although I did spend a good chunk of time RPing on LJ back in the day, so I am relatively familiar with the mechanics! I’ve heard so many good things about this game, and I’m excited to play among people who want to write solid, complex stories, with real and lasting in-game repercussions. After debating joining for a long while I finally found a character that I think will not only be an excellent fit for the Barge, but who I am super excited to play. Laura is complex and multi-layered, with a story that ties very strongly into the game’s themes of redemption, choices, forming bonds with others, and discovering one’s personal agency.
User DW: N/A
AIM/IM:N/A (I have Skype, if that applies?)
E-mail: hikariblue@gmail.com
Other Characters: N/A
Character Name: Laura Kinney / Wolverine (X-23)
Series: All-New Wolverine; Marvel Comics Earth-616
Age: 19
From When?: Just after Civil War 2. (After issue #12 of All-New Wolverine; Fall 2016)
Inmate/Warden: Laura is unquestionably a warden. As someone who was created and raised to be a weapon, she committed unspeakable acts of violence as a child -- including murder -- but has undergone her own redemption, having come to terms with the things that she did not only as a weapon of the Facility, but also following her escape, when she was no longer under orders, but still prone to extreme violence as a method of problem-solving. Laura understands firsthand that the core of one’s character is not determined by criminal actions or even by criminal intent, but by complex systems of circumstance, and that the path to finding one’s true nature is a long and difficult one. Recently she’s proven a strong willingness to help redeem others by taking in the youngest of her clones, Gabby, and acting as a role model / guardian figure to the girl in much the same way that Logan was for her, with the ultimate goal of “undoing” the assassin training that Gabby underwent as a product of Alchemax. We already see her doing exactly what a warden should do, even without a Deal in place, so it’s likely that she’ll slip into the role very easily.
Item: A late-model, mid-range smartphone. The screen is cracked and it doesn’t hold a charge that well, but she hasn’t been able to replace it. (Being Wolverine doesn’t afford a whole lot of opportunities for keeping a phone in good condition or getting an upgrade.)
Abilities/Powers: Laura’s primary mutation is an accelerated healing factor, which allows her to regenerate damaged tissues in a matter of seconds; renders her functionally immune to disease, infection, and most toxins; and heightens her physical senses and capabilities, such as speed, coordination, and endurance. Notably, she possesses two retractable claws on each hand, and one on each foot. Her claws are made of bone, but coated in adamantium, meaning they’re capable of cutting through most known substances.
In addition to her mutant abilities, Laura has been trained since childhood as a fighter -- a weapon, really -- and thus is an extremely skilled combatant, with both weapons training and unarmed martial arts among her skills.
Personality: [tw: child abuse, emotional manipulation, human trafficking, violence]
Created as a weapon and raised in a laboratory for the first thirteen years of her life, compassion and kindness were luxuries rarely afforded to X-23. She was a victim of regular abuse, both physical and mental, treated as an object instead of a human by everyone at the Facility except for her mother, Sarah Kinney, and her martial arts instructor. As punishment for their kindness, they were laced with the “trigger scent” that caused X-23 to see them as prey, and kill them. Even after escaping the Facility, Laura was picked up by a pimp and forced into prostitution. As a result, she is initially skeptical of others’ motives and slow to trust.
The lack of affection showed her in childhood has left her socially stunted, with low self-esteem, through most of her teen years. For most of her life, she believed that others would only attempt to befriend her so that they could later use her. Even she didn’t see herself as human, or worthy of the love that came to others so easily. This isn’t a trait that’s unlearned quickly, and even now she struggles with matters of self-worth, determining her desires, and defining her identity.
However, it is because of those struggles that Laura is determined to assert herself and claim agency in her young adulthood. She was created with traits that were certainly useful in a child assassin, but these traits -- tenacity, resilience, and intelligence -- are the very same that allow her to break free of the metaphorical (and often physical) chains that held her back for so long. She pushes back against any of those who would seek to control her now with the same ferocity that they imbued her with in childhood, and extends that ferocity to those who attempt to control and abuse others as well. She has become an outspoken advocate for those who can’t or won’t fight for themselves.
As an agent of the Facility, X-23 killed countless people without remorse. She was taught that violence was the first, and sometimes only, answer. These violent tendencies continued after she gained her freedom, largely because she didn’t know any other way to be, but also because compassion simply wasn’t programmed into her. This changed, but slowly, as she grew to care for others who also cared for her -- people like Logan, who was the closest thing she had to a father, and various other members of the X-Men, who wanted her to live the childhood that she did not actually have when she was younger. Love was hard for her to accept, but she found that she was capable of forming bonds with others, and though it was frightening, and she is still prone to pushing others away for fear of hurting them, she did eventually allow others into her heart. Logan in particular showed her that she didn’t have to be what they made her -- that she has a real choice in what she wants to be, in who she wants to be. If he was created the same way, and suffered similarly, and was able to find something like a family among other mutants, well -- she could do the same, right?
Now, Laura lives her life more deliberately, more mindfully. Every action is a choice, because she knows that failing to choose might lead her back down the path that was prescribed in her childhood. When the situation calls for it, she is still capable of violence -- violence is necessary, as it’s often times the only language that will get through to people -- but her methods are careful and calculated, and she uses her training and skill to incapacitate whenever possible instead of kill without question. She’s making up for her past misdeeds, of course, but more than that she’s showing herself and others that she’s more than what she was -- more than an indiscriminate killer, more than a tool for others, more than a mindless weapon. She’s a person, and she’s able to define for herself who she is and what her path will be. That includes something akin to compassion, whether that’s leaving an enemy only broken instead of dead, or doing everything in her power to save the sisters who were born into the same life she was. No one will have to suffer the way she did if she has anything to say about it.
Barge Reactions: Laura’s likely to view the odd mix of people aboard the Barge with a combination of curiosity and suspicion, muddled together underneath a veneer of impassivity. She’ll want to find out how it works, what makes it tick, the why of it all, mostly to ensure that she’s here completely on her own terms. To take that a step further: she wants to ensure that other people are here on their terms, too, and not forced into being here against their will. To do that, she’ll need to talk to people. The concept of freedom -- for herself or others -- is a strong enough driving force for her to get over any compunction she might have about getting to know people. She won’t take kindly to anyone who’s used or abused people, but depending on the circumstances, those might be the people she’ll toss aside her compassion for, or they might be those she’s most desperate to fix.
As far as people being from other universes? That’s nothing she hasn’t encountered before. There’s a version of Logan running around her own universe that isn’t the man who mentored her, after all, and she once had her own mind teleported into an entirely different person in another universe. She’s no stranger to multiverses or time travel or any number of things that most people might be shook by.
However -- events where she’s not in control of herself or her actions will affect her pretty deeply. She knows what she can do. She knows what she did. And she knows that if she’s not careful, she’ll do it again. Upon recovering from an event like that she’s not going to be pleased, and might even try to figure out who’s responsible for changing everyone against their will. Other events, with glimpses into worlds where she grew up differently, with alternate circumstances applied to her life, could reinforce her determination to define herself.
Deal: As part of the means by which to control her, the scientists at the Facility developed a “trigger scent” -- a chemical formula designed for the sole purpose of turning X-23 into the ruthless weapon that they want her to be. At the first scent of it, her humanity disappears, lost under the conditioning, and she rages, slicing through everyone and everything in her path until they’re all dead. They used this scent to make her kill her teacher, her mother, and any other targets that they could not fully trust that she would dispatch unerringly. Vials of the chemical still exist. The formula is still known to those who could synthesize it. It can still be used to unmake her into a weapon.
Laura’s Deal is that it disappears. Known samples vanish. The formula is forgotten. Any means by which it could be recreated is wiped off the face of the planet. As long as the trigger scent exists, there’s a chance that she could be controlled again. A chance that others like her could be controlled. And she’s not going to let that happen.
History: http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Laura_Kinney_(Earth-616)
Sample Journal Entry:
[ Laura turns on the video feed and sits back in the dark room, the harsh light from the camera throwing her features into sharp, distorted shapes. ] Ugh … How do I …? [ She reaches forward again, and flicks the control to audio-only. The light turns off. Better. ] Day one: have received assigned quarters, keys, relevant information. Have not been assigned an inmate, am instead encouraged to … [ Pause. The scare quotes are audible. ] … “Socialize,” and determine who I’m compatible with. Validity of experiment … undetermined. [ She moves to end the recording, but hesitates. Silence. She taps another button, marking the remainder of the entry as private. ]
This is one of those things that looks too good to be true. They say time stops for us, back home, but … [ She trails off. She doesn’t even want to mention Gabby in private entries. She doesn’t know who’s actually listening. ] I don’t smell a trap on this, and I almost wish I did.
Sample RP:
Sweat beads on Laura’s brow as she lands a punch, and then another, on the punching bag in front of her. She can’t get lazy just because she’s somewhere else; if anything, the new environment is even more reason to stay on top of her game. She doesn’t know these people. She has no files on them. She has no idea what they’re capable of. That’s the most terrifying thing about being here, really -- the not knowing.
She steps back, flexing her hands before throwing another punch, twin claws extending from between her knuckles and stopping just short of the bag in front of her. It’s an exercise in control, and she has to maintain it here, now more than ever.
Because she has responsibilities. She’s being trusted with someone else’s future, for real, in ways that she’s not allowed to screw up. She can’t just bail when it gets too tough, or when she gets too close. Laura spins and kicks, the blade in her foot grazing the casing. Stuffing spills from the tear. Great.
That’s a sign to stop for now. With a sound somewhere between a sigh and a groan, Laura disengages, stretches, and makes a mental note to post an apology for the mishap, with a promise that she’ll get it fixed somehow. Tape, maybe. She wonders if she has to requisition tape or if someone already has some. Neither option is particularly appealing. For now, she slings her bag over her shoulder and heads back to her quarters, so she can shower in peace and privacy.
It’s still strange, to open the door on this ship and walk right back into her apartment -- Logan’s apartment -- with the only real differences being the view outside the windows. There shouldn’t be this much space, based on what’s on the outside. The fact that she’s given these kinds of creature comforts is almost alarming, and she wonders, still, if this is all some kind of elaborate trick. If someone from her past has hired a high-level telepath to screw with her mind, and maybe she’s not on some crazy space barge to rehab criminals, but she’s sitting in a cell back at the Facility -- or worse. No, it’s best not to think about that. Laura grabs a bottle of water from the otherwise-empty fridge -- just as it had been back in New York -- and downs half of it easily, then goes into the bathroom to wash off the sweat of her workout.
She half expects Gabby to come tearing down the hall and bang on the door, demanding her turn in the bathroom. Or to sit slumped against the door and start telling her some meandering, endearing story. Or better yet, to yell about how Jonathan the Actual Wolverine is missing again, and I called Squirrel Girl for help but her phone is busy or dead and what if he’s hurt, Laura?
Cool water pours over Laura’s skin. What if she’s hurt? Laura’s clone is only thirteen, and too optimistic for her own good, too trusting for a girl who’s been engineered not to feel pain. Was coming here even the right call?
The doubt isn’t even worth it. She’s already here. It has to be the right call.
Special Notes: I do not have a personal Dreamwidth, and come back to journal-style RP after years of writing elsewhere -- although I did spend a good chunk of time RPing on LJ back in the day, so I am relatively familiar with the mechanics! I’ve heard so many good things about this game, and I’m excited to play among people who want to write solid, complex stories, with real and lasting in-game repercussions. After debating joining for a long while I finally found a character that I think will not only be an excellent fit for the Barge, but who I am super excited to play. Laura is complex and multi-layered, with a story that ties very strongly into the game’s themes of redemption, choices, forming bonds with others, and discovering one’s personal agency.