app for thegames

[sizeofyourbaggage]

OUT of CHARACTER
Name: Bri
Other characters: None!

IN CHARACTER
Name: Sam Wilson
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Canon point/AU: After The Winter Soldier
Journal: sizeofyourbaggage
PB: Anthony Mackie
History: Movie-specific wiki + Comic-specific wiki. Since we don't know much about Sam's background prior to the military in the movie, I'd like to fill that in with a few things from his comic history. Namely, that Sam grew up in Harlem and his father was a minister who was murdered trying to stop a fight. This was one of the factors that lead to him enlisting in the military and choosing to go the pararescue route, to save lives.

Presentation: How Sam presents himself tends to vary slightly, depending on the circumstances and how much focus Sam is putting on how he comes across. By necessity, Sam being a friend is different from Sam leading a group at the VA, which is different from Sam the soldier or Sam as the Falcon. Whether it was tending to injured soldiers who may not be at their best or reaching out to veterans with various levels of trauma, Sam has to be very aware of how he's being perceived at the moment, and do what he can to alter it to best suit the current situation.

This means that Sam has had a lot of practice keeping his head and remaining calm in some very stressful, and very dangerous, situations. As a military man he's had to keep his wits enough to provide medical attention to soldiers under far less than ideal circumstances, and working as a counselor for the VA has taught him to remain calm and collected during things like breakdowns and flashbacks. Sam's the kind of guy who rolls with the punches, and it takes a lot to visibly throw him. Case in point, a superhero and a spy show up on his doorstep dirty and bloody, tell him everyone they know is trying to kill them, and his response is to let them in and cook them breakfast. Even if he did feel the need to add a few snarky comments.

One of the things that generally always shows through is his sense of humor. Sam is snarky and sarcastic - and at times casually self-deprecating - no matter what may be happening. He quips over commlinks in the middle of battles, drops one liners and lighthearted questions in the middle of serious conversations, and uses humor to diffuse the tension in a room. He'll poke and tease at just about anyone - even national icons. If sometimes those comments dip into flirting territory, well, he's almost as equal opportunity there as he is about teasing. Sam can definitely be charming, and his levelheaded compassion and casual acceptance can make him come across as a very likeable guy.

Motivations: A large part of Sam is externally motivated, in that a vast majority of his life has been devoted to what other people need. He went the pararescue route after enlisting in the military, which is far from an easy branch to join, and their motto is "That Others May Live." It's a motto that sticks with Sam even after he "got out," made obvious by the fact that he became a counselor for other veterans, and even by getting back in when Captain America needed help. His focus is nearly always on other people, whether it be patching them back up physically, helping them cope with their issues and disconnect with the world, or having their back in a massive gunfight.

That's not to say he completely overlooks himself, however. He knows very well that to help people sort their shit out, you have to have your own shit sorted first. He's not always the best at it - he's human like anyone else, and a former soldier to boot. He has his own demons to face, his own struggles with survivor's guilt and feeling out of place in the world. Sam has his good days and his bad days, but he's at the point where his good days are a lot more numerous than his bad. For the most part, he's confident in himself and his own abilities. He's practical, he knows his limitations and isn't above commenting on them, though he does occasionally try to push them.

In general, Sam is a very good judge of character. He usually knows when to push someone and when to take a step back, and he isn't afraid to ask the hard questions, though he doesn't expect anyone to have all the answers. He's also not afraid to point out the difficult potential truths, even if someone might not want to hear them. He's easily able to relate to people, always able to find some point of commonality, though obviously that's easier with his fellow soldiers. When Sam trusts someone, he does so completely, and he can be fiercely loyal.

Once Sam's on someone's side, there's very little he wouldn't do for them. He was willing to risk his life to help Steve and Natasha, and then pretty much put his life on hold to help track down Bucky. At this point, it's pretty safe to say that he'd follow Steve Rogers just about anywhere - and not really because of the icon, but because of the man.

Setting: Sam's no stranger to violence or fighting others, but that doesn't mean he's happy about that. He got out of the military for a number of reasons, one of them being not having to take orders from anyone he doesn't want to. Being thrown in this kind of setting, where he's expected to obey without question and fight because someone else says so, is definitely going to piss him off. He may have gotten back into the swing of things recently, but he was fighting for everything Panem isn't. He's going to be incredibly reluctant to kill anyone, and resist it for as long as possible, barring protection of others or self-defense. I can also see him getting involved in the rebellion, particularly if anyone he trusts does.


SAMPLES
First Person Thread: For Tributes:
Just when I thought this couldn't get any more like the world's worst reality TV show. You know it's not the first time I've been faced with death, right?

[There's a pause as he rubs one hand over his side, along his ribs, feeling smooth, unbroken skin. Intellectually he knows there's no injury there, but he can't help feeling the ghost of pain.]

'Course, I always thought the first time I actually met him would be the one and only. Apparently we're going to be getting to know each other real well; he better be planning on at least buying me dinner.

[He knows of - and has seen for himself - more than one person that's come back from being supposedly dead, but this is different. This wasn't supposedly, this was definitely, as a doornail, ding-dong the witch is dead. You're not supposed to come back from that. He's not supposed to come back from that. He'd never considered it, not in all the times that he really thought his number was up.

And there's been a few of those. Where he'd let everything go, made peace with dying, and then it didn't happen, and he had to go on living. Sam knows how to get through that; he's done it before. If he works at it, maybe he can convince himself - it's just like that, just like those times before. Better, even, because at least this time he'd been told dying wasn't exactly as permanent as he thought it was, though he hadn't really believed that until now.

Just convince himself, just like that. Easy as pie.

He leans back a little, tosses out a grin. It doesn't matter too much if anyone can see it, he knows making the outward expression is a step towards feeling it on the inside.]

So I'm feeling like I want that dinner. Who's buying?


Prose:
"If you wanted me to impress you, you should've let me grab my resume."

His tone is light, like he wasn't just shoved into a room God knows where and informed that he's going to participate in some kind of Battle Royale. Somehow, he gets the feeling that getting on with these people isn't going to be as easy as dropping his file on the kitchen table. For one, he isn't sure he wants it to be, seeing as the people up there behind the forcefield are probably the ones who brought him here. For another, his resume is unfortunately now very out of date, what with the last wing pack now in pieces along with the helicarriers at the bottom of the river.

Part of him wants to say screw this, give those people up there the middle finger and try to walk right back out. He's done taking orders, at least from anyone he doesn't want to take them from. And anyone who'd kidnap him for a deadly version of Survivor is definitely not on that list.

But he's not stupid. He can't make it out of here alone, and as far as he knows, he's got no backup. Anyone who can get the drop on him with Steve right there, and Natasha and Fury not long gone, has to be good. He's two seconds away from making a smart remark about them picking the wrong guy, considering they had the choice of a superhero and a master spy right there, but common sense makes him shut his mouth. If by some miracle, they didn't know who Steve and Natasha were, he doesn't want to put his friends on their radar. If these people do know who they are, then-

Then they probably grabbed them too, if they could. It makes him more nervous, that these people are capable of snatching Steve and Natasha, but they must have taken them out somehow, for Sam to be here. He likes to think neither of them would let him go without a fight.

So maybe he does have back up. He's just gotta find them, or hang in there long enough for them to find him. If that means impressing these clowns, well, he can do that. Even if he doesn't have his wings, or even a gun. At least there's a few good-looking knives; he can make do with that.


What is your character scored: Sam's used to being a fairly regular soldier in the company of superheroes, but hey, at least here that means he isn't at a disadvantage by being depowered. He's skilled with a variety of weapons, including knives and several different classes of guns, and is very good at hand-to-hand combat. Good enough to take out several Hydra agents and hold his own for a bit against a member of a highly elite strike team, although not good enough to win that last one without the assistance of some explosions. What will really give Sam an advantage in the arena is his training in pararescue. Their training is tough, to say the least, considering it includes what they call "Hell Night": deprived of sleep for 48 hours, during which they have to continue all their normal physical and classroom training. All of that is to simulate and help prepare them for what life as a pararescue will be: functioning well under really crappy conditions and often on little to no sleep. His endurance is high, and he has pretty much the best medical training you can get short of being a doctor. On the other hand, there are better fighters out there than him.

Aside from that, although it isn't necessarily relevant to the arena, Sam's one of the few people capable of flying an EXO-7 Falcon, a highly advanced set of mechanical wings. And he's damn good at it, too, able out maneuver missiles and fighters, and catch fully grown men in mid air.

Mental-wise, Sam is pretty good at keeping his cool. He's not prone to emotional outbursts and he's pretty stable for a veteran with some lingering guilt and trauma issues. He can be charming and likable, and has experience being the focus of a crowd - although granted, a group of returning soldiers is a very different crowd than a group of Capitol citizens. All things considered, I'd probably put him at a 9 or 10.

Comments

re-scoring WIP

[sizeofyourbaggage]

OOC:
Character, District, & Journal: Sam Wilson; District 5; sizeofyourbaggage
What skill will your character demonstrate for the Gamemakers?: Sam would demonstrate his ability with the weapons available, with hand to hand combat, and how he can use his medical training to take someone apart.
Does this accurately reflect their abilities in the arena?: As far as his fighting skills, yeah, and probably a pretty accurate reflection of his medical knowledge, at least as it pertains to injuring people.
What would you score your character, based on the new criteria and why?: Going by the new criteria, I think Sam’d probably be a 10? Still no powers, but his skills and training are:
-formal military/combat training
-pararescue training (which is described pretty decently in the link here, or at least, this is what I’ve been using to base his skills on)
-special ops training
-skilled with a large variety of guns, enough to have good aim while moving extremely fast/erratically and to be able to easily shoot guns he steals off people
-skilled with knives
-very physically fit and seems to be really strong, enough to carry Steve Rogers with one arm for a short amount of time (likely this comes from using his upper body a lot in flying with the wings)
-has killed before, and very recently demonstrated a willingness to kill again

Is there anything else we should know?: Sam’s had PTSD in the past, and it’s highly likely the symptoms will resurface at some point. However, he’s also actually had fairly comprehensive therapy to help with his PTSD, and comes equipped with a pretty wide range of coping skills in order to combat the trauma that will come from being in the arena, so he’s probably better geared to handle it than a lot of people. He can also be charming, likable, and knows how to manage a crowd. He’s been working on both training and how to win over sponsors and bolster his image in the Capitol with his mentor and escort. This might bump his score up, considering mental preparedness and crowd likeability, but not necessarily since A) that's a pretty fickle thing, and B) his willingness to kill only extends to people who might hurt him or his allies.

Token: A falcon pin

IC:
Please answer these questions from Caesar Flickerman ICly. We may respond with follow up questions as needed:

What is your favorite thing about life in the Capitol?: “Really, you’re gonna make me pick just one?” He shakes his head, looking thoughtful, like he’s trying to narrow it down, when really he’s trying to come up with something big enough that’s actually true. Or at least, true enough that he can be genuine. “The people, I think. Everyone in the Capitol is just so interesting, and my mentor and my escort, they’ve been really good to me. Azula’s got me training to the be best Tribute I can, and Porrim - she’s been a big part of showing me how great things can be here.”

Which arena is your favorite so far?: “Well, I’ve only been in the one, so gotta go with that one, by default.”

Do you have a message for the people of your District?: "Yeah, actually, I do." He leans forward a little bit here, looking at the camera. "Look, you've never met me, and I've never even been to district five, but that doesn't mean I'm not fighting for you, the best I can."

Tell us about your token: There’s a lot of reasons he’d picked a falcon pin. Because it’s flight and freedom; because it’s a little piece of Riley; because it makes him remember being the military, that he’s a soldier; because it reminds him of Steve; because it represents how he felt working with Steve and Natasha, as part of a team, as the Falcon; because it’s who he is, still, maybe more than ever. But he goes with the safest option, and gives a smile that’s almost sheepish. “I like birds, always have. I used to work with them, rehabilitating them. They’d get injured, either by accident or because of people, and we’d nurse them back to health.” He shrugs. “Cheesy, I guess, but it was rewarding.”

Who would you say is your biggest competition in the Arena?: He chuckles there. “Nah, man, I’m not giving anyone the ego boost of telling them that they’re my biggest competition.”

Who is your closest friend here?: “You really go for the hard questions, huh? Come on, asking me to narrow it down is just cruel. They all mean a lot to me, in different ways, and I wouldn’t insult any of them by discounting that.”

Heard any juicy gossip lately?: Sam grins, shaking his head. “You know, I think I’m out of the gossip loop. The only bits I’ve heard is what they’re probably saying about me, and why would I go helping spread that around? You wanna know if it’s true, though, you just gotta ask - though I can’t guarantee I won’t make myself look good.”

Can you tell us about the most intense moment of a recent Arena?: “...well, I’d say shoving cake in Steve Rogers’ face knowing he was back to his super soldier self was pretty intense,” he jokes, looking amused, before he turns more serious. All right, he can do this, he can talk about his experience in there - just pretend he's leading a group, he's talking to the people like him, not the ones who're out on the sidelines, watching this for entertainment. “I guess, it'd standing on that platform, before it all started. Once you're in there, every moment is intense. You're either fighting or you're waiting, for whatever's out there, for the next person who thinks you might make a good target, and trust me, the waiting isn't any less intense. Everything kind of bleeds together." There's a pause as he smiles again. "Ask me again later, when I've had a little distance."

Anything else you'd like the sponsors to know?: “Hell yeah - don’t count me out yet. No sponsors, no superpowers, first arena, and I like to think I did pretty damn good. Just think of how far I can go next time, with a little help from my friends.”