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AGE: 29
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sleepofreason
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sleepofreason | aim samsara survives | samsarasurvives @ gmail (dot) com
OTHER CHARACTERS PLAYED: n/a
C H A R A C T E R;
NAME: Natasha Romanoff (aka Black Widow)
CANON: Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)
POINT IN CANON: post Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier
AGE: Birth year give in canon thus far is 1984, making her 30 by the close of 2014. If MCU Black Widow's backstory goes in a direction similar to the Marvel comic's version of the character, that year (and her age) will change.
APPEARANCE: scarlett johansson as natasha romanoff
CANON HISTORY: [wiki's subsection on Natasha in the MCU] leaves quite a lot to be desired.
So let's go over each film one by one (with links, still): [Iron Man 2] [The Avengers] [Captain America 2].
What is missing from this list is a personal background/history. We have no confirmation in the MCU of whether or not Natasha was really born in 1984, if she knew the Winter Soldier before he was given to HYDRA, who trained her, or where all that red in her ledger even comes from. She says that she wasn't picky about what she did or for whom, but we also know that Natasha doesn't say anything to anyone without a calculated reason. We also know, by measure of history, that anyone working for the KGB born in 1984 would only be 7 at the oldest by the time the KGB dissolved in 1991.
Which is to say, part of that must be a huge glaring lie. But which part?
Considering that Natasha's "crimes committed for and against this country" and Soviet-made weaponry featuring throughout the film, I am going with the idea that '1984' is a cover year. Since there is not, as yet, a canon history that has been established as fact within the MCU I will be using a rough framework of events (but not pinning anything down to an actual year) that coincides with the comics version of Natasha's past.
This involves training with the KGB (and knowing the man later to become the Winter Soldier as a KGB operative) and Clint Barton's assignment to assassinate her leading to his decision to bring her into SHIELD. I plan on avoiding possible canon contradictions through the fact that Natasha is highly unlikely to discuss her past with anyone, even those closest to her.
CANON PERSONALITY: Speaking of calculated reasons, let's start with a general overview of Natasha's personality and motivations. This can be complicated, considering that she is a very good liar who is much more interested in obtaining information than being honest with anyone else. "The truth isn't all things to all people all of the time."
Natasha has been described as a 'room of mirrors' by others in that she reflects what people want to see in any given situation in order to obtain the information or response that she requires. In the most recent film she states "I find that it's easier to keep your true self buried under several layers of untrue selves, to protect yourself." When Steve (Captain America) points out that this is not a good way to live, her response is that it's a good way not to die. Unlike Steve, she harbors no illusions about the state of national security and what steps the world has taken to get where it is today; her disillusions, when they are shown, are strictly about her own path, the sense of checks and balances she uses to compare her present self against the past version of her from before her time with SHIELD.
The person you meet the first time you encounter Natasha will depend heavily on the circumstance. Who she is during combat, who she is in a social group, who she is when she intended to speak with you and who she is when she didn't are completely separate people than the one who talks with you honestly, on your level, and with no one else around. If you see a snag, a hitch, a mistake, then it's very likely a lie created to make the illusion even more 'real'. Real people make mistakes, after all. Natasha, on the other hand, is incredibly calculating and something of a perfectionist - even when she is being honest, which isn't often. Her personality is usually teasing to some degree, delivered soft and with a smile, no matter who or what she is pretending to be at the moment.
Her expressions are subtle and subdued, smiles reserved for outright lying or moments of achievement. She does have a bit of a tell, when lying: her eyes tend to go flat and unresponsive. Otherwise her mannerisms can make her seem withdrawn and aloof, as she doesn't easily connect with other people nor know how to carry herself in a way that does not, on a subconscious level, indicate how dangerous she is. Her work has taught her both how to be patient and how to make the moment work towards her own ends when she doesn't have the time or the inclination for said patience. She is a perfectionist, but Natasha is not perfect - don't hold your breath expecting her to admit it.
Natasha is a realist, not an idealist; she doesn't believe in the inherent goodness of mankind. She believes in very specific people: people such as Fury, Clint Barton, Steve Rogers. It is not even the 'goodness' of these people she is drawn to (except possibly in Steve's case) but the opportunity towards her goals that they provide and have provided. She believes in them because she trusts them, and she trusts them because they each have explicitly saved her in one form or another.
So, to summarize: accomplished assassin and perfunctory liar with trust issues, honesty issues, and a fucked up past seeks recompense for her actions by working for the 'good guys', then finds out the good guys aren't all that good. Will definitely lie to you, will probably tease you, maybe not even in the same breath.
POINT OF DEPARTURE: n/a
ABILITIES: Combat: Natasha is a spy that has been at work for quite some time now. She is skilled in hand-to-hand and an excellent marksman. Preferred weapons are handguns and a garrote. Natasha is here to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and she's all out of bubblegum.
Essentially if someone/something isn't intensely super powered, she can likely beat it six ways to Sunday. If it is? She might be able to give them a run for their money.
Technology: Natasha is also an accomplished hacker and all-around technical genius. She can probably reprogram it, can definitely take it apart, and might make it do something completely different from what it was created for. It, in this case, being nearly anything run by a chip or a motherboard that she can get backend access to one way or another.
INVENTORY; Widow's Bite
ANYTHING ELSE WE SHOULD KNOW? I love you all very much.
S A M P L E S;
FIRST PERSON: [ Natasha in liminal space on the test drive ]
THIRD PERSON: Natasha stands, arms at her sides, listening to this explanation of where she was now. Arcana. The Mystic Journey. Liminal Space. Travelers. Her face remained blank, impassive as the person in front of her told her a story for the comic books. When they finished she smiled, eyes remaining flat and unresponsive, and thanked them for their time. Their effort in explaining things to her.
It was, in her opinion, frankly bullshit.
Sure, it was dressed up in fascinating words and an interesting concept but the crux of the matter was this: she'd been yanked, along with countless others, into someone's idea of a game. Given the basic rules, or some approximation thereof, and let loose in a very interesting, gilded cage.
Bullshit.
This is not, by any means, a new SHIELD or HYDRA pissing contest; of that much she's certain. It's not a comforting thought, not when announcements can be blared directly into her mind, not when her own memory is tampered with on a regular basis as she switches between Investigator and Infiltrator. Then again, Natasha wouldn't know what to do with a comforting thought if it chose to stick around in all honesty. Being in this situation has not changed that. No matter how often it changes her mind, her memories, her appearance.
It's still bullshit when she wakes up from it.
Instead she focuses on what information she can get her hands on, the contrast of Joscelin and Remy's goals at any given time, the limits of Liminal Space, the missing abilities of telepathic mutants. She hordes them, like small gemstones in a dark cave, because this entire fiasco is a puzzle she intends to solve before the game is finished playing out.
Natasha doesn't like being used, being toyed with. She especially doesn't like bullshit.
NAME: era
AGE: 29
PLAYER JOURNAL:
sleepofreasonTIMEZONE: Pacific
CONTACT:
OTHER CHARACTERS PLAYED: n/a
C H A R A C T E R;
NAME: Natasha Romanoff (aka Black Widow)
CANON: Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)
POINT IN CANON: post Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier
AGE: Birth year give in canon thus far is 1984, making her 30 by the close of 2014. If MCU Black Widow's backstory goes in a direction similar to the Marvel comic's version of the character, that year (and her age) will change.
APPEARANCE: scarlett johansson as natasha romanoff
CANON HISTORY: [wiki's subsection on Natasha in the MCU] leaves quite a lot to be desired.
So let's go over each film one by one (with links, still): [Iron Man 2] [The Avengers] [Captain America 2].
What is missing from this list is a personal background/history. We have no confirmation in the MCU of whether or not Natasha was really born in 1984, if she knew the Winter Soldier before he was given to HYDRA, who trained her, or where all that red in her ledger even comes from. She says that she wasn't picky about what she did or for whom, but we also know that Natasha doesn't say anything to anyone without a calculated reason. We also know, by measure of history, that anyone working for the KGB born in 1984 would only be 7 at the oldest by the time the KGB dissolved in 1991.
Which is to say, part of that must be a huge glaring lie. But which part?
Considering that Natasha's "crimes committed for and against this country" and Soviet-made weaponry featuring throughout the film, I am going with the idea that '1984' is a cover year. Since there is not, as yet, a canon history that has been established as fact within the MCU I will be using a rough framework of events (but not pinning anything down to an actual year) that coincides with the comics version of Natasha's past.
This involves training with the KGB (and knowing the man later to become the Winter Soldier as a KGB operative) and Clint Barton's assignment to assassinate her leading to his decision to bring her into SHIELD. I plan on avoiding possible canon contradictions through the fact that Natasha is highly unlikely to discuss her past with anyone, even those closest to her.
CANON PERSONALITY: Speaking of calculated reasons, let's start with a general overview of Natasha's personality and motivations. This can be complicated, considering that she is a very good liar who is much more interested in obtaining information than being honest with anyone else. "The truth isn't all things to all people all of the time."
Natasha has been described as a 'room of mirrors' by others in that she reflects what people want to see in any given situation in order to obtain the information or response that she requires. In the most recent film she states "I find that it's easier to keep your true self buried under several layers of untrue selves, to protect yourself." When Steve (Captain America) points out that this is not a good way to live, her response is that it's a good way not to die. Unlike Steve, she harbors no illusions about the state of national security and what steps the world has taken to get where it is today; her disillusions, when they are shown, are strictly about her own path, the sense of checks and balances she uses to compare her present self against the past version of her from before her time with SHIELD.
Natasha: Regimes fall every day. I tend not to weep over that, I'm Russian... or was.Her self-view is very interesting and rather different from most heroes she interacts with. Natasha feels wholly responsible for all of her actions, be they for the Russians she worked for or furthering HYDRA's goals while working under the mantle of SHIELD. She didn't become one of the world's most renown assassins by playing nice in the sandbox. She is painfully aware of every misstep she has made in the past and every death she has caused; she balances the bad of the past against the 'good' of her present, and after the reveal of HYDRA's involvement in SHIELD over the course of history, finds that things are still radically imbalanced. This does not, however, translate to self-loathing or a wish to turn away from the life she's been leading for decades. As far as Natasha is concerned, she has a unique skill-set and a history that does not allow her to simply fade into the background; she has to act in order to make retributions for what she has done.
Loki: And what are you now?
Natasha: It's really not that complicated. I've got red in my ledger, I'd like to wipe it out.
The person you meet the first time you encounter Natasha will depend heavily on the circumstance. Who she is during combat, who she is in a social group, who she is when she intended to speak with you and who she is when she didn't are completely separate people than the one who talks with you honestly, on your level, and with no one else around. If you see a snag, a hitch, a mistake, then it's very likely a lie created to make the illusion even more 'real'. Real people make mistakes, after all. Natasha, on the other hand, is incredibly calculating and something of a perfectionist - even when she is being honest, which isn't often. Her personality is usually teasing to some degree, delivered soft and with a smile, no matter who or what she is pretending to be at the moment.
Her expressions are subtle and subdued, smiles reserved for outright lying or moments of achievement. She does have a bit of a tell, when lying: her eyes tend to go flat and unresponsive. Otherwise her mannerisms can make her seem withdrawn and aloof, as she doesn't easily connect with other people nor know how to carry herself in a way that does not, on a subconscious level, indicate how dangerous she is. Her work has taught her both how to be patient and how to make the moment work towards her own ends when she doesn't have the time or the inclination for said patience. She is a perfectionist, but Natasha is not perfect - don't hold your breath expecting her to admit it.
Natasha is a realist, not an idealist; she doesn't believe in the inherent goodness of mankind. She believes in very specific people: people such as Fury, Clint Barton, Steve Rogers. It is not even the 'goodness' of these people she is drawn to (except possibly in Steve's case) but the opportunity towards her goals that they provide and have provided. She believes in them because she trusts them, and she trusts them because they each have explicitly saved her in one form or another.
So, to summarize: accomplished assassin and perfunctory liar with trust issues, honesty issues, and a fucked up past seeks recompense for her actions by working for the 'good guys', then finds out the good guys aren't all that good. Will definitely lie to you, will probably tease you, maybe not even in the same breath.
POINT OF DEPARTURE: n/a
ABILITIES: Combat: Natasha is a spy that has been at work for quite some time now. She is skilled in hand-to-hand and an excellent marksman. Preferred weapons are handguns and a garrote. Natasha is here to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and she's all out of bubblegum.
Essentially if someone/something isn't intensely super powered, she can likely beat it six ways to Sunday. If it is? She might be able to give them a run for their money.
Technology: Natasha is also an accomplished hacker and all-around technical genius. She can probably reprogram it, can definitely take it apart, and might make it do something completely different from what it was created for. It, in this case, being nearly anything run by a chip or a motherboard that she can get backend access to one way or another.
INVENTORY; Widow's Bite
ANYTHING ELSE WE SHOULD KNOW? I love you all very much.
S A M P L E S;
FIRST PERSON: [ Natasha in liminal space on the test drive ]
THIRD PERSON: Natasha stands, arms at her sides, listening to this explanation of where she was now. Arcana. The Mystic Journey. Liminal Space. Travelers. Her face remained blank, impassive as the person in front of her told her a story for the comic books. When they finished she smiled, eyes remaining flat and unresponsive, and thanked them for their time. Their effort in explaining things to her.
It was, in her opinion, frankly bullshit.
Sure, it was dressed up in fascinating words and an interesting concept but the crux of the matter was this: she'd been yanked, along with countless others, into someone's idea of a game. Given the basic rules, or some approximation thereof, and let loose in a very interesting, gilded cage.
Bullshit.
This is not, by any means, a new SHIELD or HYDRA pissing contest; of that much she's certain. It's not a comforting thought, not when announcements can be blared directly into her mind, not when her own memory is tampered with on a regular basis as she switches between Investigator and Infiltrator. Then again, Natasha wouldn't know what to do with a comforting thought if it chose to stick around in all honesty. Being in this situation has not changed that. No matter how often it changes her mind, her memories, her appearance.
It's still bullshit when she wakes up from it.
Instead she focuses on what information she can get her hands on, the contrast of Joscelin and Remy's goals at any given time, the limits of Liminal Space, the missing abilities of telepathic mutants. She hordes them, like small gemstones in a dark cave, because this entire fiasco is a puzzle she intends to solve before the game is finished playing out.
Natasha doesn't like being used, being toyed with. She especially doesn't like bullshit.