Thought is the arrow of time.

Preemptive Relationship Bandwagon: Keep it Rolling

2009-10-22T15:16:15Z

I, too, could really use the boost to my activity level, and also feel like I've been letting existing relationships slide. So please, feel free to use this post to kick me if our characters already know each other and you just want to do some threading, too.

Here is how it works. Today is October 22nd. I am posting a relationship meme. The catch is, you have to comment to it asking about a relationship we don't have yet. Either the characters haven't threaded or they've threaded like once.

On November 22nd I will reply to the meme. That means we have a month to try and actually create that relationship. THIS POST IS LIKE MY VOW THAT I WILL THREAD WITH YOU, SOMEHOW, IN THE NEXT MONTH, MORE THAN ONCE. Obviously sometimes characters don't click and that's cool! We can move on! But the attempt will be made, and then a month from today you'll have a relationship meme response waiting for you.

I play:

Thor Odinson: Norse godling of thunder and all-around faux-Shakespearean good guy.
Ricochet: wisecracking street-level superhero and film nerd.
The Spirit: insouciant detective and mystery man.
David Xanatos: Machiavellian billionaire anti-villain. Yes, that Xanatos.
Mullin Shetland: hapless soldier boy who's only shot at promotion is to Captaincy of the Failboat.

Selective Energeticism and other adventures in doublespeak

2009-10-19T19:57:58Z

I SHUN your Drop Meme! (Read: I am too lazy to tackle the question at this time.) Moving on (Read: I am not too lazy for this, because it is more fun) :

ASK A QUESTION it can be anything CFUD related, OOC, IC, Relationship, psychology, thoughts, whatever. I.E. My character's opinion of your character or maybe what you have been wondering about this behavior or that, or general thoughts on my characters or canons or what, who I might consider raping you into apping, etc.

WHEN I REPLY I will also ask you a question in turn!

In this way we talk at each other, which is fun.

For Thor Ricochet the Spirit Xanatos & Mullin!

W.W.T.D.?

2009-09-13T16:41:17Z

Godly Cosplay and why Everyone Should be Reading The Incredible Hercules. And of course by everyone I mean everyone, because that's what the word means.

Here are some scans from iHerc #134, "W.W.T.D.?" For background--Herc has been duped into impersonating Thor and traveling into Svartalfheim, the Realm of the Dark Elves in Norse mythology, while accompanied by his deaged amnesiac father, Zeus (long story), to ascertain whether the queen of the Dark Elves, Alflyse, is plotting to invade Earth. (She is, but let's roll with it.) Herc shows up as her castle and is challenged to prove that he's really Thor, leading to a Series of Challenges!!1!

The hammer is his penis. Obviously. Also Alflyse looks like a blue Zelda and I can only hope that's intentional.

Acme provided the anvil, naturally.

Yeah, you saw that right. Herc just pulled a Kirk and went Kobayashi Maru on their not!Vulcan asses. Of course, he got it wrong, but then he's really only playing to an audience of one.

This eventually culminates in Herc-as-Thor having sex with the elf queen. As these things do. Tiny!Zeus, however, is feeling left out by the debauchery hijinks and, naturally, goes to the Library.

And this is how fanboys are made.

There's a lot of things going on in this page, but (sadly) what first caught my eye was the typo in Panel 6: it should be "... amongst the gods..." I've been writing Thorspeak too long, people... Too long.

Meanwhile, though, some real Asgardians--the Warriors Three here--are on the case, tracking down the fake Thor to see what's going on.

They apparently passed through the Svartalfheim State Fair on their way, just so that Volstagg could get one of those giant roasted turkey legs.

Nice skirt, indeed.

Look, I'll level with you. I don't think I can successfully play Marvel's top two mythological characters simultaneously, or else I would totally try to app Herc next counselor round. This is why someone else must do it. Because he's awesome.

Let there be Bandwagon

2009-08-30T01:16:58Z

Go to A Softer World, pick the strips the most represent the characters you play and have at it.

I've got Thor Ricochet the Spirit & Xanatos. Have at me; the Cloak of Comment Secrecy should be in place.

1.
2.
3.
4.

Comment Count

2009-08-29T21:03:46Z

I last did this... uh. A while ago. Clearly I've an excellent record of keeping up on such things, even though it's so easy.

Thor Odinson (say_thee_nay): 15,921 comments (44.46%), played since 2006-06-19 (1,168 days at 14 comments/day)
Ricochet (Johnny Gallo) (2nd_slinger): 12,217 comments (34.12%), played since 2006-07-31 (1,126 days at 11 comments/day)
The Spirit (sharpmaskedman): 6,387 comments (17.84%), played since 2007-07-02 (790 days at 8 comments/day)
David Xanatos (xtreme_schemes): 1,283 comments (3.58%), played since 2008-11-22 (281 days at 5 comments/day)

Total comment count: 35,808 since 2006-06-19 (1168 days at 31 comments/day)

Marvel Pimping

2009-08-09T01:41:42Z

This may be a controversial statement, but I don't care. There is NO REASON to not buy Incredible Hercules, published monthly by Marvel Comics. Allow me to illustrate why--

The original, classic origin of the Mighty Thor, as presented in Journey into Mystery #83, August 1962...

... with IC commentary provided by the Incredible Hercules.

And here is the rest of the preview.

Go. Buy this book. Now.

Why the hell not?

2009-08-08T05:26:23Z

Bandwagon ahoy.

View Poll: Sexy Poll

Bandwagons East

2009-07-28T14:07:55Z

Theft in the cause of fun is no vice. And this is fun with numbers!

It runs on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being intolerable, five being neutral, and 10 being top score.

Likes:
Trusts:
Respects:
Gets Along With:
Finds Attractive:
Finds Interesting:

I play Thor Ricochet the Spirit & Xanatos.

Stats Update / Infodump

2009-07-27T19:03:36Z

Way back when, I wrote up a tl;dr essay in an effort to pin down Thor's background and powerlevels in the event anyone was interested. That can be found here, if anyone's still curious. That was the result of my pulling together a number of disparate sources to try to produce a comprehensive overview--but as of last week, Marvel has finally done that for me.

Here are some excerpts from the Marvel Handbook-esque one-shot, Encyclopedia Mythologica, primarily the entries on Thor and Asgard.

Asgardians
Traits: The Asgardians all posses certain superhuman physical attributes. They are virtual immortals who are extremely long lived (although not true immortals), aging at an extraordinarily slow rate upon reaching adulthood. (My note--handwaving this to avoid out-and-out Jossing; being a teenager in Camp, Thor's aging has already begun to slow. From here on in, I'm going to lock his age as +/- 500 years and be done with the wild speculation I've engaged in elsewhere.)

The Asgardians are immune to all terrestrial diseases and are resistant to conventional injury. They cannot die by conventional means. If an Asgardian is wounded, his or her godly life force will enable him or her to recover at a superhuman rate. It would take an injury of such magnitude that it incinerates an Asgardian or disperses a major portion of his or her bodily molecules to cause him or her to die. Even then, it may be possible for a god of greater or equal power, or several gods acting together, to revive the deceased god before the god's life essence is beyond resurrection.

Asgardian flesh and bone are about three times denser than similar human tissue, contributing to the gods' superhuman strength and weight. An average male god can lift about 30 tons; an average goddess can lift about 25 tons. The gods' metabolism gives them superhuman endurance in all physical activities. Many Asgardians also possess additional superhuman powers--for instance, the god of speed Hermod can move at velocities many times greater than the average Asgardian.

History: The Asgardians existed in a perpetual cycle of death and rebirth known as Ragnarok, apparently due to the machinations of the enigmatic celestial beings known only as "Those Who Sit Above in Shadow." For untold millenia, the Realm of Asgard has experienced cyclical destruction in the apocalyptic battle Ragnarok ("the Twilight of the Gods"), only to eventually be revived anew, with the same inhabitants, unaware of their previous incarnations and reprising their performances all over again with only minor variations. As each cycle passed, Those Who Sit Above in Shadow grew more powerful.

At the end of the last Ragnarok cycle, the thunder god Thor vowed to break the endless loop by snapping the Fates' thread that led from the end of the cycle back to its start. As he destroyed the Fates' tapestry, the Ragnarok cycle ended and Those Who Sit Above in Shadow were seemingly destroyed. Although the Asgardians have since been reborn, it has yet to be revealed whether the cycle has truly been broken.

Thor
Abilities/Accessories: Thor possesses the conventional superhuman physical attributes of an Asgardian god. However, as the son of the lord of Asgard and the elder goddess of Earth, his strength, endurance, and resistance to injury are greater than those of the vast majority of his race. He can lift about 100 tons. He is a superbly skilled warrior and highly proficient in hand-to-hand combat, swordsmanship, and hammer throwing.

His principal weapon is the the enchanted Uru hammer known as Mjolnir, one of the most formidable weapons known to the Asgardians: No living being can lift Mjolnir unless he or she is worthy; it always returns to the exact spot from which it was thrown; and it enables its wielder to summon the elements of the storm and open interdimensional apertures. By throwing the hammer and grasping its leather thong, Thor can magically propel himself through the air in semblance of flight. Even without Mjolnir, Thor can summon the elements of the storm.

For transportation, he drives a chariot-like vehicle pulled by two large, enchanted goats, Tanngrisnir ("Toothgnasher") and Tanngnjostr ("Toothgrinder"), who can run at incredible speeds on land and in the air.

Once More the Hiatus-esque

2009-07-22T19:41:21Z

Not posting to CFO blah blah people might not notice et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Ni.

Heading to the District of Columbia tonight for a two-day conference courtesy of my internship placement. I'm staying with friends but don't know what kind of internet connection I can expect while there, and during the days there is, y'know, the conference. I'm coming back from that Friday evening to immediately head for the Jersey Shore, where internet is limited to whatever I can leech from our unsuspecting wireless-equipped neighbors.

THUS: Scarcity from tonight until Sunday, with probable scattered instances of HEY I'M AROUND REALLY! Thor Ricochet the Spirit & Xanatos. Carry on.

Of unexpected (and possibly unofficial) crossovers

2009-07-17T00:32:49Z

Ah, the crossover--truly a mainstay element of comic book storytelling. From Marvel vs. DC to JLA/Avengers to the classic Archie Meets the Punisher (no, really), I'm a big enough nerd to really get excited when I see them--even if they're really, really stupid.

Which brings me to this:
Again--no, really. That Red Sonja, the one who's basically a female Conan the Barbarian in a chainmail bikini. Look. (And here is the artist's gallery.)

What'd I say? Chainmail bikini. I don't know how someone other than an adolescent boy could think that's a good idea for an outfit, but hey--that's who the funnybooks are written for, right? This image also raises an important question--where do these ogres get their giant metal birdcage from? "ManTraps R Us"? Was it a custom-built job, or is there a half-naked warrior-woman model over in Aisle 3, right past the gibbets and next to the new-fangled Damsel Distressifier?

Also, note the guy chugging... uh, something... in the first panel there. His pauldron (shoulder armor) is made from a gorilla head. With the mouth being the arm-hole. Now THAT is quality craftsmanship worthy of Mr. Burns' tailor.

Yeah... you're gonna need a bigger knife, Sonja. Possibly fired from a bazooka. Also, while I appreciate Thor's classic costume as the Kirby-kracklin' creation of the '60s that it is, I must say that seeing it pared down to something simpler, more functionally minded is a nice change. Here it actually resembles armor, and ditching the cape and the big winged helmet--again, much though I love that Thor's idea of a cunning hat involves something that looks like many seagulls died to create--as it's done here goes a long way toward separating Thor the costumed superhero of the Age of Marvels from Thor the Norse warrior-god. (Unfortunately, that only casts the wild impracticality of the aforementioned chainmail bikini in starker relief, but hey--can't win 'em all.)

Also, see again gorilla-head pauldron guy there. It's great that your shoulder is protected by the mighty crest of a silverback, dude, but... um... You may want to've. Y'know. Protected your face a little, too. Protip for the future.

Thor--always the gentleman. And while I dunno if that horde really requires pointing with two fingers, I wasn't there, so I defer to the authority on-scene.

... okay, I admit. I'd ship it.

Ages of Thunder

2009-06-26T04:27:56Z

This is something I’ve been meaning to put up in my journal for a while—a collection of quotes and dialogue from a nifty little series of one-shot AU comic issues about Thor: Ages of Thunder, Reign of Blood, and Man of War. They’re written by a guy named Matt Fraction, who was new to Thor but has a good grasp of the sort of high-falutin’, (overly) dramatic style that tends to work in his books, and I just wanted to have the collection handy.

There are two things to remember in this. First is that these comics are effectively one big AU story that takes place during previous iterations of the Ragnarok Cycle. See, in the Marvelverse, Ragnarok isn’t something that just happens once—it’s an ongoing cycle that has repeated itself ever since the Asgardian pantheon first manifested. The gods show up, live their lives for a few hundred/thousand/million years, then the Twilight falls and they all die, only to start back up again with variations of the same theme. Ages of Thunder and the other books take place during some of those previous cycles, with similar events all playing out in the same general way.

That ties into the second thing to remember—that eventually, between the point in canon from when I apped Thor to when he starts his superhero career, Thor becomes something of a prick. And by something, I mean he’s really an ass, so much so that Odin finally gets fed up and casts him out of Asgard, forcing him to live life on Earth as a mortal with no memory of his godly heritage. That’s the story that gradually gets played out, in a series of different, slightly interconnected acts—the series of events that sets up Thor’s fall into rampant douchebaggery.

But there are still some really good bits of dialogue and descriptive text that I want to share.

--A description of the Nine Worlds:
“Behold the Nine Homelands tied to the Worldtree Yggdrasil: Asgard, high above, where only the Sun and Moon have taller vantage, is the home of the gods, none of whom are greater than Odin, the All-Father!

Vanaheim! Alfheim! Nidavellir!

Midgard, the Realm of Man, in the center, trapped between the holy halls of the great gods and the tormented lands of darkness below.

Jotunheim. Svartalfheim. Muspelheim.

And Hel. Deepest, darkest Hel. Where no thing gleams, least of all hope."

--Giants attack the Walls of Asgard, and Thor leads a counterattack of the Aesir:
“It was there and then, in the inevitable thunder that grew ever nearer to great Asgard’s walls, that Odin decided that the mouth of Bifrost would never go unguarded again… And his son Thor declared it would not fall.

Thor: ‘The wall, my friends. It holds.’

It was not a request. Thor does not ask.

[…]

In the end, it was lightning that won the day. Because while thunder is, above all things, impressive…

It is lightning that gets the job done.”

--A list of Thor’s epithets:
“Thor, the thunder-bringer, the lightning-giver; Thor, who spoke with War’s rumble; Thor, whose hammer drinks blood; Thor, who knows no fear.”

--The Aesir, following the advice of Loki, have cheated a stonemason out of payment for the work he’s done them. The mason, secretly a giant in disguise, transforms and attacks—only to be stopped by Thor, who’s returning from hunting other giants… for sport:
“And so did black-hearted Thor, Thor the Giantkiller, Thor the hunter’s thunder, return from his hunt with a wave of dead giants in his wake. And so did the mighty Thor continue the war between the gods and the frost giants with one fling of his hammer.

The gods rebuilt their wall; the giants planned. Their blood soaked into the hammer and stained its handle an even deeper shade of crimson. There would be more blood to follow, oh yes. As surely as Loki would be punished and cast out… There would always be more blood.”

--Loki and the Enchantress have been captured by one such angry frost giant, after one of Loki’s schemes (inevitably) goes south. Thor is (grudgingly) dispatched to rescue them:
“The whims of a frost giant are both cruel and capricious. Who could say what fate would befall them? Would they be eaten? Would they be tormented?

… Or would Thor be in time to save them?

Of course he was in time. He is the mighty Thor.

And for all his rage… All his bluster… For all of the frost giant’s hatred… He was just a frost giant.

And Thor is a god.”

--The Aesir are now celebrating Thor’s victory over the frost giant:
“Odin: ‘Thor! Thor, why dost thou retreat? Stay! Celebrate! Allow your kin to toast your glorious feat!’

Indeed, as the gods feasted on Idun’s golden apples, they all knew it was the brutal valor of Thor that had made it possible. In the glory and excess of the moment, even the dread Loki was forgiven.

But not by Thor.

Thor: ‘Nay, Father. Some of us have been killing giants today, and aren’t in the mood to have a tea party.’

And thus did One-Eye, and thus did All-Father, and thus did the superlative Odin come to sense the cold and arrogantly cruel man his son had grown to be. And a chill wind blew through Asgard…

Bad days were coming.”

--A frost giant sorceress has cursed the Nine Worlds with unending winter, trapping humans on Earth in a perpetual blizzard. Odin is angry… but mostly because snowbound mortals aren’t offering him any sacrifices:
“Odin: ‘No tribute. No mead. No sacrifices, no dedication. This damnable winter has gone on far too long. What does that insane wench think she can accomplish?’

Loki: ‘Well, compassionate All-Father, when the frost giant dared steal the Enchantress for his bride, and Thor was sent to rescue her, the impetuous thunder god murdered the frost giant and—’

Odin: ‘It. Was. Rhetorical. You condescending ass.’

--Thor has descended to Midgard to clean up yet another mess caused by Loki’s machinations, this time one that plagued mankind. While Thor fought to save them, the starving mortals, having sacrificed all their livestock as an offering to summon him, have killed and eaten Thor’s horses:
“These apes whom he labored so profoundly to save had betrayed the one thing he asked of them. So Thor called down floods and storms unlike any Man had seen before.

I will save you, he had promised. Just don’t let my pets die.

And yet Man, being Man, could not keep his word when temptation came calling. Even if the temptation hid in their midst the whole time, with divine origins, waiting to strike. [I.e., Loki planned this.]

[…]

Thor mounted Sleipnir and rode off to Midgard where he would rage for a hundred years. He would make Man pay for his folly, oh yes he would.

Odin watched hopeless as all of the anger and torment that had wracked his son’s good heart for so many years was finally unleashed. The god of thunder truly had storms inside of him, and woe unto Man for calling them out.

His son had to be stopped. Odin knew this. And unto the father would fall the sins of the son.

Odin All-Father prepared his heart for war.”

--Odin has finally suited up in the Destroyer armor to stop Thor’s murderous tantrum:
Odin: ‘Thor! You are drunk on your own arrogance! Your reckless youth inflicts a thoughtless rage upon innocents across the Nine Worlds! And I have had ENOUGH!’

Thor: ‘As you wish, old man. As you wish.’

Odin: ‘My own son—apple of my eye and pride of all of Asgard. This embarrassment ends here. Your shameful display of sloth avarice, and disrespect are done now. You will behave like a god, boy, or you will fall. If I have to drag you back to Asgard by the ear, I shall.’

Thor: ‘You can try.’

Odin: ‘Aye.’

Thor says nothing. There are no words to express the loathing he feels for his father, for the pantheon of which he is a part, and for the games they play with the lives of those who pray to them, that work for them, that give sacrifice in their name…

Odin: ‘Would that there were another way, boy.’

Finally two words occur to him:

Thor: ‘Shut. UP!’

--Thor proceeds to get his ass kicked:
Odin: ‘DOWN.’

Thor: ‘Then strike. I fear not death, nor you, nor death at your hands.’

Odin: ‘Death? And free you from your prison of arrogance? You are the favored son of Odin—brave beyond compare and noble as a prince must be. Your strength is legend; your honor unsullied. And yet…

… I find you so direly wanting.’

Thor: ‘Oh, sorely grieved am I, great and all-seeing Odin! Odin the all-knowing! Odin the wise! Pray tell wherein exactly have I failed you?’

Odin: ‘YOU! LACK! HUMILITY! And humanity! You are supreme in your power and your pride! The lessons you so profoundly need can never be learned by a god of thunder—

Thus I cast you out—thus shall you shed your godly trappings—NO LONGER ART THOU GOD OF THUNDER! Thy memory too I shall strip bare!

Now go! For life anew awaits… on Midgard…’

--Thor, cast down, incarnates in the form of a Viking Age doctor named Arkin Torsen:
“Arkin Torsen was a man known for his compassion. In a time known for its savagery, scientific ignorance, and medical brutality, Arkin Torsen chose to save lives, to comfort the ill, and to bring solace to the suffering.

In short, the man known as Arkin Torsen was known for his humanity.

It was a start.”

IC: [Deaged Interaction Post]

2009-06-24T00:26:34Z

[Out by the edge of Camp, there is a tiny godling throwing rocks at the Barrier.

Clearly this is the best idea ever, and he in no way requires intervention before getting a faceful of hurt from the Arbiter of Boundaries, right?]

((I should be shortly drawing the curtain on this particular Camp Effect, but in case anybody wanted to tag Thor as a young whippersnapper, well--there is this post. As before, relevant notes here.))

... why not?

2009-05-25T14:07:45Z

Well, a meme is a terrible thing to waste.

Comment here with your characters' names and find out what my characters fantasize about you, if they do. Sexual content not guaranteed.

I play Thor, Ricochet, the Spirit, & Xanatos.

Hiatus-esque Update!

2009-05-11T02:01:10Z

Like Groundskeeper Willie and thrilling heroics, ach, I'm bad at this. "This" being adhering to the terms of the Hiatuses I set for myself. But in my defense, there was a big damn zombie horde running around, and hey... that was really fun.

But now, an update! My exams are over, oh great joy and splendor. But on the morrow I embark 'pon a new grand adventure, winging my way to the dusty recesses of the American Southwest. Just reiterating: I'll be visiting friends in Arizona for a week, and while I'm likely to have internet access there, I hardly intend to monopolize their computer for RP purposes. So I would suspect that this time I'll be considerably more scarce until I get back sometime early on the morning of the 18th.

Until then, dear friends... Party on.

Hiatus-esque

2009-04-27T04:17:02Z

While I haven't exactly been setting the world afire in terms of activity lately, I'm likely to become even more scarce for the next few weeks, so here's a semi-hiatus-that'll-expand-into-a-full-hiatus hiatus notice.

This is the start of my last week of classes for the year, which means exams are just around the corner and I need to get prepped for them. So--I'll be around this week, only with decreasing frequency as May approaches. Starting the first full week of May (on the 4th) I'm in Examville (population: Me), which means if I'm around to do more than answer a Srs Poll for sanity's sake, please yell at me. And after that week, starting the 12th I'll be off visiting friends in the wilds of Arizona--while internet access is likely, RP is not gonna be high on my activity list. And once I get back from that, I'll be 1) helping to ensure clean elections in the City of Philadelphia, 2) vacationing for Memorial Day, likely with limited internet access, and 3) beginning my summer internship on a full-time schedule, which is like work only they don't pay you. All in quick succession.

So! That's my FYI statement. Also--as is my wont--posting this as a Relationship / Essay / Anything Meme, because I'll likely have some modicum of free time despite the increasingly hectic schedule and I'll need the occasional distraction to keep the tattered remnants of my sanity intact. Ask whatever re: my characters (Thor Ricochet the Spirit & Xanatos), just don't necessarily expect a speedy answer.

Catch you on the flip side.

say_thee_nay @ 2009-04-21T10:20:00

2009-04-21T14:22:14Z

Talk Like Shakespeare Day is April 23.

April 23 is a Thursday.

... verily, 'tis the hand of fate at work.

Awesome crossovers are awesome

2009-03-24T03:28:17Z

It's taken me forever to find a good scan of this scene from JLA/Avengers--long enough that it should probably qualify as some degree of epic fail that I've only found it now. But having found it, I would not have it pass by without some fanfare. And thus--

In your face, spaceman.

For the sake of nerditudinal completion, here's the dialog from the entire preceding scene:

[On the DCU's Earth, the Justice League of America confront the newly arrived Avengers.]
Superman (DC): All right, intruders--your invasion stops here. Your own world might be a sorry, disgraceful shambles--but you're not going to bring your madness to ours as well!
Hawkeye (M): [Aside] Oh, right--now I got it. These losers, they're nothin' but a bunch of Squadron Supreme wanna-bes! Five gets you ten they're mind-controlled!
Superman: Stand down, all of you--and be taken into custody. This will all be dealt with--but not while dangerous loose cannons like you are free, jeopardizing our world's safety.
Plastic Man (DC): [Aside] Uh, GL... Is it me, or is Big Blue layin' it on a little thick...?
Green Lantern (DC): [Aside] It's not you. I don't know what's going on, but...
Captain America (M): Mister, I've got one word in response to your demands: NUTS! I knew you were fascist overlords--and this just confirms it!
Superman: Huh?
Captain America: Spread out, everyone. If these high-and-mighty stormtroopers want to take us in, they'd better be prepared to take their lumps--!
Scarlet Witch (M): [Aside] Cap? Shouldn't we at least try to...

[Cue lightning.]

Wonder Woman (DC): Wha--?
Thor (M): Thou hast invaded our Realm, sought powerful and destructive weaponry, threatened our universe entire--and thou dost treat us as if we are the malefactors? I have had enow! Come, Avengers--let us show these caitiffs what we think of them!

say_thee_nay @ 2009-03-10T13:49:00

2009-03-10T18:12:03Z

So... I dunno how many of you are aware, but they're making a Thor movie.

Now, after what happened with the Spirit--and let me say now that I haven't seen and am not ever likely to see that film--it's gotten harder to be excited by the prospect of yet another of the comic book characters I play being brought to the silver screen. Admittedly, this bitterness is somewhat mitigated by the facts that 1) Marvel did a kickass job with both the Iron Man and Hulk movies, 2) Marvel ostensibly has a cohesive plan for this next batch of movies coming out, culminating in a full-on Avengers flick, and 3) this film is being directed by Kenneth FREAKIN' Branagh as opposed to that whore-loving shitbag, Frank Miller. But even so--my concerns are hard to disperse.

Still, I ran across this official casting call (courtesy of Newsarama) that Marvel put out to snare somebody for the leading role. If nothing else, it shows that they're looking for someone pretty.

Male MUST BE MID-LATE 20′S and SIX FEET OR TALLER. LEAD. Physically powerful, very handsome, occasionally egotistical, petulant, and wild. A natural warrior with a quick charming wit who must be genuinely and severely humbled before becoming the compassionate, mature hero of our film.

(Band)wagons East!

2009-03-06T18:33:10Z

It goes LIKE SO. You comment here and ASK A QUESTION. It can be anything - OOC, IC, relationship, psychology, thoughts, whatever. I.E. my character's opinion of your character, or maybe some specific behavior you've been wondering about, or general thoughts on my characters or canons, who I might consider raping you into apping, my favorite color or variety of ice cream, etc.

WHEN I REPLY I will also ask you a question in turn!

In this way we talk at each other, which is fun.

I'll start replies ~~once~~ if when I get home from work tonight. Also, feel free to use this to kick me to prompt a response from any other meme I never finished, if you like!

Thor Ricochet the Spirit & Xanatos.

PS-Note to self and sundry others: do not stay up until 4 AM reading World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War on a weeknight.

PPS-Note to self: stop planning tactical escape route from inevitable undead uprising. It's still entirely evitable.

... oh Marvel

2009-02-18T01:56:31Z

I was out. I thought I was done with it as a Camp gimmick--it worked a few times, but I figured I'd gone to the well--or perhaps to the pond--often enough and now it was dry. I deleted all the icons except this one, a memento to recall those brief times of glory and majesty when the Frog of Thunder croaked his way through CFUD.

... and then Marvel goes ahead and does this. Thanks, Marvel.

Courtesy of Newsarama's coverage of Marvel's May solicitations, here comes Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers!
Written by CHRIS ELIOPOULOS
Penciled by IG GUARA
Cover by KARL KERSCHL
Variant Cover by NIKO HENRICHON
And there came a day, a day unlike any other, when Earth’s mightiest heroes were unaware of a threat greater than all of them could handle. And on that day, a teleporting puppy scoured the world to assemble a team of animals to fight the foes no single beast could withstand! Strap on your collar and hop on-board the adventures of LOCKJAW, LOCKHEED, REDWING, HAIRBALL, and an all-new FROG THOR!

Also, if there was ever any question as to why people should be reading The Incredible Hercules, here's May's solicit for that title:
Written by FRED VAN LENTE & GREG PAK
Penciled by RYAN STEGMAN
Cover by DAVID WILLIAMS
In this issue: HERCULES AND AMADEUS CHO DIE!!! We heard that cheap death sells comics, and we're more than happy to oblige. Though seriously, if you had to plunge into the UNDERWORLD and bring back Hercules' slain father ZEUS to counter Hera's power, could you think of a better plan? And come to think of it, have you ever noticed how... impermanent death is in the Marvel Universe? Well, while hobnobbing among the most famous Marvel deceased over the last few years, Herc and Cho learn the terrible secret why -- and why PLUTO, Lord of the Dead, is fighting-mad about it!

Thorcabulary!

2009-02-16T20:12:32Z

So, in the course of having this character for roughly two and a half years, it finally dawned on me that maybe not everyone has as perversely intricate a grasp of faux-Shakespearean speech mannerisms as is necessary to know what the hell Thor’s talking about sometimes. So while I’m still not entirely sure how I do it (other than knowing it has a direct correlation to my nerditude), I figured it might be helpful if I actually listed some of the ground rules and common words, phrases, and conventions that comprise how I do the Thorspeak.

Note this listing will likely evolve over time as more things occur to me. Or if you're really, really interested, feel free to ask me for clarification on some speech issue here.

Glossary of Words & Phrases
--aught, naught: “anything” & “nothing,” respectively.
--amiss: wrong, incorrect. So Thor asking: Is aught amiss?, Is anything wrong?
--thou, thee: “You.”
--thy, thine: “Your.” Thine typically comes before a word starting with a vowel—“thine own self”—although I’m not always consistent with this depending on how I think it sounds. Similarly, Thor will often use mine in place of “my” if it comes before a vowel, but again dependent on how I think it sounds as I’m writing.
--thou’rt: contraction of thou art, “you are.”
--'tis, 'twas, 'twould, etc.: contraction of "it + (verb)," or occasionally "that + (verb)."
--e'er: contraction of "ever." ne'er is--you guessed it--"never."
--ere: "before."
--Have at thee: traditional godly battlecry in the Marvelverse. Used in the sense of the phrase “have at it,” to attack or go at something vigorously.
--pray: used in the sense of asking or politely petitioning, not actual prayer. So I pray thee…, is similar to “I would like you to…,” or “I hope you would…”
--pray tell: See above, so—“please, tell me.”
--say: As in I say thee, “I’m telling you.” I say thee nay, the phrase his username is based on, is a catchphrase, an adamant denial of something.
--wont: can be both an adjective and a noun. The former is “likely”—Thor is not wont to start spontaneously breakdancing. The latter is “custom” or “practice”—It is his wont to carry a big damn hammer.
--verily: "truly." Not to be confused with "very."
--passing: this one is "very." 'Tis passing strange, "It's very strange."
--enow: "enough." I don't often use this one.
--like: in the sense of "likely." I am not like to..., "I'm not likely to..."
--electronic computational engine: “computer.” Thor’s… sometimes poetical.
--yon: i.e., yonder—that one over there.
--nigh: "near."
--manner: In the sense of type or kind. What manner of…, “What kind of…”
--milady: contraction of “my lady,” more on that immediately below.

Names & Honorifics
Thor often uses archaic Western honorifics when speaking to or about someone, particularly women but also royalty, nobility, and occasionally the clergy. He’s also very particular about how and when he uses their names, particularly if they happen to fall into one of the above categories. So here’s a scattershot overview of how and why he does this.

--Women: Odds are if you’ve ever spoken to Thor and you’re a girl, he’s taken to calling you “Lady So-and-so” and “milady,” and referring to you as “the Lady So-and-so” when speaking about you to others. This stems from his being brought up to practice the code of chivalry, one of the tenets of which is a respect for women. A couple ladies in Camp have asked him to forgo using an honorific for them (Aeris & Megara spring to mind), but he always feels odd doing that--and he'll use "milady" as much as possible to compensate.

Where it gets tricky, though, is that he’ll drop the Lady honorific of his own volition both for women he really likes and those he really dislikes. The former is to indicate closeness and less need for formality; the latter is to intentionally indicate his disdain. You’ll probably know which category you’re in if he does this, because both circles of friends that close and enemies that loathed are pretty small for him. But for dropped examples: Rosalyn was the former; Potamos, the latter.

--Men: Thor typically doesn’t use an honorific when referring to men (outside those special categories of nobility). This is partly because he doesn’t see a reason to—chivalry doesn’t single other guys out for particular respect as it does for women—and partly because there’s not a good equivalent male honorific that carries the same connotations as “Lady.” It wouldn’t be “Lord” or “Master” because Thor isn’t acknowledging them as superiors, and “Sir” carries specific connotations of knighthood in his lexicon. The closest Thor’s come to a male honorific is using “good” before someone’s name, which I did specifically with Chase and Kon, among others. In their cases, though, it was almost the opposite of his policy of female honorifics—using “good Kon” to indicate how closely he regarded their friendship, whereas with a woman he would’ve not used an honorific at all.

In short—he’s probably not going to use an honorific for you if you’re a guy.

--Nobility: … unless, of course, you’re a noble. Then, if you have a specific title and relevant form of address, he’ll use it. The exception to this is when someone with a title has specifically told him not to use it—Larsa, for example. As yet no word if “Pimperor” is acceptable. Thor is more okay with dropping an honorific for the nobility when asked because it’s his own practice in Camp not to use his royal titles except in introductions and those times he’s specifically calling on his position.

Otherwise dropping an honorific (i.e., without being told to) with one of the nobility works much the same way as it does with women—either a sign of close friendship, or else serious disdain. This can lead to some weird overlap, though it’s mostly an individualized thing and is more a thought rationale for Thor that doesn’t necessarily come out in play. For example, Thor’s not terribly fond of Azula. She’s someone he wouldn’t bother using an honorific for, except that she’s also a princess. So she gets “princess” and “Highness” from him when he’s speaking to her, but he’s less likely to refer to her with an honorific.

It’s also worth mentioning that at this point in canon Thor isn’t wildly enthusiastic about any religions—even his own—so the best most members of the clergy can hope for is “priest” or “prophet” used pretty disdainfully. You will not get him to call you "Father."

--Names: Thor generally does not use nicknames. I don’t know why he’s anti-nickname, but he is. Even when it’s people he’s known for years and to whom he’s very, very close—full name. Like his fellow Avengers—Janet van Dyne, the Wasp, was always Janet and never Jan; Steve Rogers, Captain America, was always Steven. Ask him or tell him otherwise, and he’ll politely continue to use the full form of your name. (Fred and Ith would be notable exceptions to this rule, and I don’t think he’s always been consistent in canon—I’m pretty sure he’s called Iron Man “Tony” a time or two instead of Anthony.) But in general—no nicknames.

Special New Category: Glossary of Insults & Terms of Derision
--sirrah: this is an 'honorific' Thor will use with men--specifically men who tick him off somehow. It's a term of address from a superior to an inferior, with specific connotations of contempt in its use. If Thor uses this, it means he's flat out talking down to you and wants you to know he's annoyed. In case the gathering thunderclouds weren't indication enough.
--caitiff: a base, despicable person. A villain.
--blackguard: a scoundrel. It's pronounced "blaggard," rhymes with haggard. Also very piratical.
--knave: an unprincipled, untrustworthy, or dishonest person. Curb thy tongue, knave is an old favorite: "stop talking, person of whom I have a low opinion" is a good, literal reading, but it does lack panache.
--wretch: another for "despicable person," with the added aspect of being pitiable. Used with contempt.
--craven: can be either "coward" or "cowardly," "fearful."
--bastard: ... take a wild guess. But Thor would use it only in its literal sense of someone born out of wedlock and thus unable to inherit, not a general catchall for disreputable persons.

Everyone's Everything Meme

2009-01-14T12:27:48Z

I just woke up and lookit the spam. But since there's nothing as refreshing as good ol' meat-in-a-can-inspired posting...

Everything Meme. Have at me with Relationship, First Impressions, Hot or Not, Essay, Please Ramble About This At Me, Explain Your Thoughts on Their Thoughts, You Should Jump Me, App My Canon and whatever you want to ask for.

And that's for Thor, Ricochet, the Spirit, and Xanatos.

Jump (meme) Good

2009-01-04T17:52:55Z

Comment with a character of yours that you'd like me to tag sometime, and with who! 'Cause hey, why not? Not setting limits on this because I figure it's more like a goal, right? Anyway, have at me and I'll do my best to make the tagging actually happen.

Thor, nascent Norse God of Thunder easily mistaken for a RenFaire escapee. 50% warrior-prince, 50% warrior-poet, occasionally mystified by modern mores. Think Sir Galahad with a magic hammer and a taste for smorgasboard.
-Axel
-Ginji & Sharon
-Glinda

Ricochet, B-list superhero and A-list film nerd. Spidey-esque predilection for wisecracks and snappy banter, plus similar touches of an emo-tastic & guilt-ridden past. Owner/operator of Camp's Video-Rama rental store.

The Spirit, archetypal mystery man. Cynical, irreverent masked detective who's certainly not trying to mislead you into writing him off as a goofball. Honest. Not a superhero, thank you.
-Kagari
-Narumi (& Maria~)
-Rayne

David Xanatos, Machiavellian multi-billionaire & magnificent bastard. Disney's anti-villain--an amoral deadpan snarker with just enough redeeming qualities and occasional flashes of decency to hint at possible redemption.
-Yuffie

Hulk vs. -- Also relevant to my interests

2008-12-24T22:00:31Z

Deadpool posted one of Marvel's new clips for their upcoming "Hulk vs." movies earlier, so I thought I should join the club with this little addition. From "Hulk vs. Thor," we observe that Odin's taking a nap, Balder's getting his ass kicked, and Thor is dating Azula.

No, really.