berserkergang: (Default)
thor odinson. ([personal profile] berserkergang) wrote2015-04-28 11:44 am

systemwide. application.

UNPLUGGED

OOC

Name: Samm
Age: /fourth wall staring
Contact details: neveryourmask @ plurk
Characters already in Systemwide: William Cage, Benji Ryans

BASIC PROFILE

Name: Thor Odinson
Age: Cognizantly, roughly 1000 years old. Practically, apprximately mid-30s, but it's anyone's guess.
Canon: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Appearance: He is depicted by Chris Hemsworth. Since unplugging, he has regained his impressive musculature and his beautiful hair, and also some Nordic-inspired tattoos on his arms and chest.
Extraction point: At the conclusion of Thor: The Dark World. Instead of getting the girl, it's more like he is extracted from virtual prison.

OVERVIEW

Personality:

Where Thor began in MCU chronology and where he was last seen since presents a character who has displayed possibly the most fundamental personal change of all the title characters in the series. Forgive me if I talk both about how he Used To Be and how he is Now, as both tend to be relevant. Some fundamental truths remain between then and now.

The first one being the kind of person he is on the surface. A big heart tends to shine through as if it were at risk of eventually going supernova some day, radiating outwards and basking all around him in its light. This is less about simple kindness as it is a generousity of spirit -- he laughs loud and smiles easily, and there is something inherently warm about his interactions, for all that this makes for a hot-running temper as well. He is nigh incapable of not wearing his heart on his sleeve, and even when he is being a more solitary and introspective creature as he's taken to being of late, this is broadcasted as loud and clear as anything else. He moves through the room with the inevitability of a glacier, and in his youth was more prone to elbowing for space and clapping shoulders when now he is more inclined to tread careful, perhaps because he doesn't necessarily seek the attention of everyone in his vicinity so much anymore.

Another constant has been and always will be his temper -- the difference between then and now being that once, he never tried to rein in his rage, nor try to think before he acted. These days, he will, when he can, display more wisdom, and second-guess the impulsive behaviours of his youth. But rage is the kind of emotion that runs ready and hot, and one he will turn to in particularly fraught moments, in the heat of battle, when the answer to a problem is refusing to present itself despite his best efforts. It will never not be there, so long as his blood runs red, and it will not always be a bad thing in the same way it's not always a good thing. In many ways, his fury has repeatedly saved lives, as much as it has cost them.

Thor is the kind of person to have thereabouts one emotion at a time, when he can help it. Anger. Joy. Sadness. These emotions are emphatic and seem to block out all other options, or are at least difficult to curb into something else. Of late, he displays the ability to feel three, maybe four feelings at a time, lapsing into a quieter contemplation where his heart's desire (Jane Foster) is at odds with his sense of duty, when once these two things had been one and the same. Emotionally stubborn as well as practically stubborn, Thor tends to want to do things his own way and go after exactly what he desires to have or do, and this is both an admirable quality as well as a not so admirable one, sprung from entitlement and privilege. In the latter stages of his canon, this is more grounded in personal confidence and spiritual certainty, as well as being able to work in a team and utilise the skills of others rather than just relying on his own battle prowess. But it would take more movies to remove Thor completely from being an arrogant ass sometimes, if one with more moments of self-deprecation.

His sense of honour, the value of keeping promises, being honest, these are things he values and things he does easily. Although obliviously selfish in his youth, he has become more sacrificial, putting the needs of others before his own wants, or at least, it is a behaviour he strives to have and, as flawed as the next man (or god), does not always achieve. He is also brave, although some may argue that his bravery comes from being powerful and all around difficult to kill in that he has fun when he does battle as opposed to court real fear. However, he has demonstrated courage during his time on Earth when he was confined to a mortal body, and it's too tangled a quality to separate from obnoxious confidence. The act of breaking the Bifröst is a different sort of brave. As is defying his father during the throes of his grief.

Fear, in the conventional sense, is a thing that Thor does not struggle with. He once disdained of cowards and people who would run and hide instead of confront, and so he doesn't fear putting himself at risk, even when he doesn't have all the powers he is used to having, or when he is outnumbered. But he has other fears, probably too esoteric for him to identify easily. There is a fear of not being exactly who he pictures himself to be, of not living up to expectation, of not being able to acquire what he wants. Being trapped or rendered helpless, in any real way, is a horrifying thing that would chafe against what he's used to. He fears losing the people he loves despite his best efforts - Asgardians are long living, making death a very significant impact when it's one of his own.

In the latest installment of spaceviking canon, Thor makes for a lower key presence than he did previously. He misses Jane Foster to the point of stubborn distraction, and he questions where his heart lies. Frigga's death weighs heavy, but so does his responsibility to save Asgard and the Nine Realms. He can't stop to mourn and scream and thrash as Loki does, to make tactical mistakes out of pure vengeance as his father does, for all that their grief is equivalent to his own. Thor displays a true strength of character in his ability to set this aside and go after what he perceives to be the solution to the plot of the movie.

But while Thor's quieter presence and more mellow manner is a sign of growing wisdom, it is also a little circumstantial, and not reflective of how he is forever. While he is unshakeably more humble and considerate than he was when this series started, he will probably always be prone to fits of anger, of boisterous ego, of personal neglect for the troubles of his fellow man if evidence of which is not immediately obvious, and of carelessness.

His upbringing was one steeped in privilege, as well as one that did not make him question himself until on the cusp of his coronation. Thor, and his brother Loki (adopted, secretly), were the princes of Asgard, and although a path of greatness was assumed for Loki too, it was never one that was writ so clearly as Thor's, who trampled his way to its conclusion. He was very much the title character of his own story, with little regard for others, including his brother.

Where Thor was lightness and noise, Loki was darkness and silence. Where Thor was vying to become the best warrior that Asgard has ever known, Loki was learning that magic and deceit could win his battles. Thor was favoured by Odin, All-father and warrior king, and Loki was favoured by Frigga, gentler mother and sorceress. This dynamic of opposition was one that Loki was sculpted by, but one Thor became aware of too late when one day, he realised he didn't understand his brother the way he thought he did, never mind his true origins.

But Thor loves Loki. They were good companions and best friends. He sees good where Loki recalls bad, and he remembers the man Loki used to be before his fall from grace. Although his trust had been shattered by the time the latest instalment had come around, this was just as much out of duty as personal disappointment. As of now, Thor believes that Loki died saving him.

But his conflict regarding Loki has been put on ice, as have so many other conflicts, such as his rule of Asgard, being a part of the Avengers, and his protection of Earth.

Since unplugging, letting go has been harder than he would care to admit, and perhaps he has sort of swung too far in the opposite direction. His aim has been to put Jane out of his heart entirely -- like many, the philosophical quandries surrounding the nature of the people still plugged in and the mirror worlds has him conflicted, but unlike many, these conflicts are frightening, to him. He was already struggling with concepts around Midgardian mortality and accepting that as his own, but what does it mean when mortality can also be defined as a single conscious stretched over so many bodies?

What did his own place in this world mean, anyway? What is he meant to do without a universe to protect and feel almost solely responsible for? His response to these questions is to ignore them and focus instead on integration into the Real and exercising patience towards trying to understand these things while he gains back what he can: his strength.

But save for responding with a kind of internal steeling up/denial (because if he has to choose between that and having a breakdown, he will always choose whatever else is available, and there was nothing he could punch this time), Thor hasn't changed a great deal. It would be hard to change a great deal when who he is feels ingrained over a period of a thousand years. The cadence of his speech is still very Thor-like, with a few more jargony, contemporary phrases mixed in. This is a necessary kind of stagnation, holding onto who he is so he doesn't lose all sense of it entirely.

Matrix:

The world that this canon revolves around is an Earth that is very much like our contemporary Earth in culture and mainstream technological levels, with some advances in science and engineering thanks to the presence of one Tony Stark and the influence of Thor's homeworld, the realm of Asgard. It, along with Earth (also called Midgard in accordance with Thor's understanding of the universe), are part of a multi-dimensional system that Asgardians call Yggdrasil, which connects nine realms together through some kind of astrophysical phenomena that permits travel through these dimensions so long as you have the power and technology capable of doing so.

Asgard considers itself the ruling realm of these Nine, although its governance is mostly in the form of peacekeeping and protection from anything from space marauders through to galactic threats. For two thousand years and until recent events, Midgard was not even aware of its presence, with the figures of Asgard falling into myth and legend, such as Odin, Frigga, Thor, and Loki.

The world of Asgard might seem contradictory to contemporary Earth dwellers. It is at once very backwards in culture (with its monarchy, its gender roles, its warrior-like culture, and other cultural signifers that sound outdated by several centuries), while also being incredibly advanced. They may fight with swords and axes, but modern computers are bordering on primitive, as Asgardian technology has transcended the divide between science and magic, knowledge and intuition. It also houses the Bifrost, a device with incredible power that is able to pierce time and space and transport people and objects across dimensions, which enables much of Asgard's right of rulership over the Nine.

It is an idyllic and beautiful place, with a throne that Thor was heir to until he turned his back on his kingly duty so that he could be with the woman he loves get unplugged. It also has its flaws. The effects of suppporting a god-like population of citizens that live to see four thousand years makes for a slow moving society that is rich in wisdom but lacking in progressive thought. Gender roles are rigid, if not necessarily oppressive -- while women may be expected to rule the hearth, be magic users, and never hold a sword, they are not considered lesser citizens. Men are warriors who use steel in their battles rather than magical trickery, and both may be scholars, but it is when one chooses to deviate from this social norms that one faces conflict or derision. This is the case for the Lady Sif and Thor's adopted brother, Loki. But not for Thor, who has had the privilege of being Asgard's masculine ideal.

Asgard is only one part of this Matrix, which is a particularly diverse and sprawling one. Most of its population is condensed to live in a contemporary-Earth type setting, with Asgard as a realm and nation featuring only one major city, and probably some outlying settlements. Vaneheim also depicts a possibly nomadic type human-looking population who are likely plugged in to human fields as well. The separate nature of these societies is probably a part of machine manipulation and experimentation, particularly with regard to slowly introducing fantastic, alien concepts to the Earth realm, and possibly using places like Asgard as a means of making human slaves do the work for them.

Another aspect to consider is the longevity of the Asgardian race, which could account for the fact there aren't as many of them, because the information input is not broadly sustainable. Essentially, when an Asgardian lives with another Asgardian, their sleeping bodies receive information at a ridiculously rapid rate, making it seem like many years are passing when they, in fact, do not. When as Asgardian interacts with a more normal human, they conform to this time scale. It is flexible and complicated and the best we can do to explain it.

As for Agents, HYDRA soldiers are probably the most accessibly machine-like faction in Earth. In Asgard, I imagine that they are scattered through the population as passive observors. Unfriendly, very alien races like the Chitauri are very probably programmes. Potentially, so are the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. I might also propose that Odin is an AI due to the control he exhibits over Thor's power, but one that holds fatherly and kingly like protocols as opposed to being totally clinically detached.

Thor's personal history is laid out clearly throughout the following movies:
Thor (2011)
The Avengers (2012)
Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Real World: Thor was extracted eighteen months ago to a new reality and way of being, and to say he was devastated by these revelations might be an understatement. He hadn't entirely considered the implications of being human and what waking up would mean in terms of being weak, and being alone, and how fundamentally it would change his ideas about being the protector of Midgard. His was a part of the ZDG for a little while -- he went exclusively by a callsign, Bolt, which is not super creative but as much energy as he was willing to expend on anonymity. The crew he was with, however, collapsed in on itself after some terrible mistakes were made surrounding some already ill-advised extractions and a pirate-related attack they should have seen coming, and voluntarily dismantled.

Thor left for Antioch. He decided that he didn't want to just be strong of mind enough to fight the virtual war, but he needed to be strong again in the ways more familiar to him. He worked in the mining tunnels, opting for the most brutal of physical labour that people were willing to give him. In that time, he also learned his way around piloting. He would never become any kind of technician, but he became an adequate pilot.

As of the present day, how he gets to Zion is undecided. I will either coordinate with castmates to dig him up, or he will arrive at his own volition. Either way, civilian life will begin to bother him, and duty will call.

ABILITIES AND SKILLS

Anomalies:
Asgardian Physicality: Thor is super strong, super agile, and super durable. He can take an immense amount of punishment, such as getting into a fistfight with the Hulk who could crush a man with a punch. Thor just kind of bounces. It is incredibly difficult to even get a scratch or bruise on him thanks to god-like properties, let alone broken bones or anything more serious. As for his strength, he could probably, two handedly, lift a car onto two wheels with relative ease. His agility is supported by things like strength, but practice and skill are equally important.

Longevity: Thor had previously believed himself to be a thousand years old before unplugging, and thus, enjoyed the power of longevity. Practically speaking, this is actually having been given lots of information incredibly swiftly, and how this mental processing effects him in the Matrix is yet to be seen, but it could make for some time disparities in Matrixes where long-living beings exist.

Phenomenal Cosmic Power: Thor can generate and channel electricity in the form of wild lightning bolts. Although this is typically summoned and directed through his hammer, this power is most certainly an intrinsic part of him (and his coding) too, and can be performed with less effectiveness without it. Despite having this ability, he does not seem inclined or taken by gaining new magical skills or studying up on them in any way.

Mjolnir: The code for his hammer was retrieved when he was extracted, and allows him some extra tricks and stunts. It is personalised to him, meaning only he can lift it -- rather than ideas of worthiness, this is a functional of code, blocking people from interacting with it unless somehow programmed to, such as Thor, or as seen in recent media, Age of Ultron, it's acceptable to say that Mjolnir being used to awaken the Vision also passed this ability onto him.

The use of Mjolnir allows Thor to perform greater feats of control over his lightning ability, as well as master some telekinetic-esque power over the hammer that can be weaponised against foes (throwing it and summoning it back, leaving it somewhere else and summoning it again, etc.) or use its momentum to fly as if he is being dragged in its wake.
Skillset: First and foremost, Thor is a great warrior. Even without his hammer, and even without his abilities, Thor is able to kick the collective asses of multiple SHIELD goons during his first movie in his quest to retrieve Mjolnir. He is a slugging brawler but demonstrates more agile twists and tricks, as likely to roll and kick as he is to straight up headbutt his opponent. With his powers and with his preferred weapon, he is scary dangerous.

He doesn't exhibit any particular intuition for technology, but his upbringing as an Asgardian means he has some abstract intelligence around technology and scientific principles. He is well travelled and well socialised, making him good king potential beneath all the rough.

Since being unplugged, Thor put his focus on learning to pilot a hovercraft. Flying is fun, even if he has to do it via a huge clunky machine, and it seems like a very useful skill. The physicality and intuition necessary to be a good pilot jive with the way he thinks, even if he is slower to grasp some of the more technical aspects.

Upload Capabilities:

Anomalous Skills: 2
Martial Arts: 5
Projectile Weaponry: 1
Technical Skills: 0
Wild Card: 2


SAMPLES

Sample One: An extraction gone awry.

Sample Two: Network post and ensuing action thread, at Multiversal.