Justin Rhodes

A question

discord28@gmail.com — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 03:53:33 GMT

Everything was ready for tonight. Tina would be here any time now and Justin couldn't wait to see her. He checked on his surprise one last time and smiled.

Tonight would be perfect. The rest of the team was out of the building and Tina would be here with him. He needed her.

He understood that now.

When she arrives, she'll find him dressed in tuxedo with his favorite watch, the one she fixed for him, on his wrist.

"Hey, baby. I missed you." Justin says.

Late Year Character Round-Up

discord28@gmail.com — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 19:28:11 GMT

Justin: This guy has really grown on me over the last few months since I've gotten to know him better. Justin is fiercely protective of his family members and is in love with Christina Frost. Finding out about what she really does for a living, as well as the horror she was put through in her youth, has been hard for Justin: if the people responsible weren't already dead, he'd kill them himself. His heart is still a major issue, and that's going to be dealt with very soon.

Needs to Happen: Justin and Misha are going to go up against Weapon X, which will aggravate Justin's heart condition. I'd like to see him develop a closer relationship with Tony, which may happen if this Force Works idea Dylan has discussed comes together.

Plots: Weapon X Plot, various.

Julian Howard/Gallio: All hail the king. I thought that becoming the Grey King of the Hellfire Club would be the apex of Julian's goals, but he decided not to let me off that easily. Julian's desire to aid and provide for his family may be his greatest strength as well as his greatest flaw. He sees Andrew as the future, but feels that his nephew is still not wholly willing to do whatever needs to be done to advance his causes. He doesn't know Luna yet, but seeing her become less like her own parents and more like her grandfather would make Julian happy. The Hellfire Club will be looking for new members and the Grey King is going to build a new inner circle.

I think what Julian needs most is a true friend, someone he can count on without worrying about being stabbed in the back. He doesn't feel he has that with Lisa, currently. For now, this doesn't bother him, but eventually, one of them will have to put up or shut up. I've been discussing Julian striking up a friendship with an unlikely ally, which would make things interesting for his allies, and very unfortunate for a certain member of the Fantastic Four.

X-Factor is his baby, but Julian never wanted to be on camera with them. He prefers everyone to think of him as a regular human, but that may not hold.

Needs to Happen: More X-Factor plots, developing friendships outside the team, possibly meeting Magneto for the first time, and Selene's return to his life.

Joey: This guy is definitely up there in my list of favorite characters. He really was supposed to be just a con-man with a heart of gold, but he's become something more since I've started playing him. His relationship with Rose is out of left field to a lot of bystanders, but Joey knows that all roads lead to and from Rose. He's told her that he loves her, and he can't see himself with anyone else. Of course, the fact he's now blind means he can't see himself with anyone, literally. I originally thought that this development would be temporary, but I'm starting to like the idea of this struggle being permanent for him. Perhaps Joey's greatest moments are still coming up, especially when people start realizing that getting beaten by a con-man is embarrassing, but losing to a guy who can't even /see/ you is downright painful.

Joey's suffering is not nearly over yet. He's talked a great deal about what saving Cassidy and keeping the kid from paying for what he's done means to X-Force and mutants and general, but Joey is about to find out just how much he, personally, will have to put on the line to keep Cassidy safe, and it may cost him his life.

He's also got issues with his mother and Foxx to work out, which will be fun to see.

Needs to Happen: Learning about his mother and extended family, as well as the return of his old thieving crew.

Plots: Lots of X-Force Stuff.

Tech: One of the new guys on the block, I have to admit, I didn't know how well Tech would come off in play. So far, I enjoy him a great deal. He's eccentric and odd, but he's also a good person, despite his circumstances. He and Sam Fury both have older brothers who are criminals, which gives them something in common. Tech's largest issue is that his brother used him to create weapons that kill innocent people, which is why he's with S.H.I.E.L.D. trying to make up for that. He's got a few secrets to him, especially when it comes to his family and his powers. I'm hoping to watch him go from reclusive geek to unlikely, but well-adjusted, agent eventually and develop stronger bonds with his teammates.

Needs to Happen: Dealing with his brother and the distribution of his weapons, possibly finding his father, and life-altering event.

Plots: To be determined.

Andy/Titan: These two are a lot of fun and have grown quickly for being newer characters. Andy, as I play him in meta, comes across as far less assured of himself, but that's not really the case. He's just very different from Argo, his father and his mother. He sees how free they are with certain parts of their character, but it doesn't work that way with him. He'll fight to death for his teammates and family, and Jenny, who he's pretty sure he's in love with. The biggest obstacle to any of Andy's future plans is going to come from Titan, who was content to smash and destroy ad nauseum until he met Marlow.

Titan is starting to want his own life and the ability to make his own choices, which often are in direct opposition to what Andy wants. Fighting, drinking, playing with Short Stack and hanging out with "Magic Babe" are really the only things that Titan needs to be happy. Andy assumes that Titan is some manifestation of his his godhood that Olympus cursed him with, and has, until recently, been the more dominant of the two personalities. What Andy doesn't realize is that Titan represents a darker force inside him, one that he wouldn't be comfortable acknowledging at all. I'm hoping to see that come to the fore eventually.

Needs to Happen: Separation Plot, Titan and Marlow Adventures, more Jenny, Andy and Cheesecake!

Plots: Separation Plot, "Nation of Violence" plot, etc.

Character Roundup

discord28@gmail.com — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:19:20 GMT

Looking at the state of my characters so far, there's a lot to be done.

Julian: Julian's was conceived as a villain, but there are already some signs that X-Factor could change that for him. I'd like to see both of his parents come into play in his deciding which way he'll ultimately go. Magneto is his father, but he doesn't really know his father, except from how people perceive him. Meanwhile, everything in life he knows, he's learned from his mother, which is a bad thing. He's protective of his family, which may end up including X-Factor.

I'd also like to see him make his bid for leadership in the Hellfire Club, or even start his own branch of the Club with the descendants of their children.

Needs to happen: Get more involved with X-Factor, choose a side, go for broke.

Plots: Anything with X-Factor, maybe some visits with other characters.

Joey: Joey is probably one of my favorite characters to play just because of his mindframe. He's always looking for an angle or a mark, but I think hanging out at Xavier's is starting to rub off on him. He has a few friends, and he likes Rose beyond that, which conflicts with his original, "get in, speak to Professor X, get out" plan. His friend Foxx (actually Mystique) is still out there, and Joey could wander into the Independent scene looking to make a quick buck or two under the table.

I'd like to explore his past a bit more, and touch on his relation to another of my characters, Avery.

Needs to happen: Get involved with the Rose/Rachel/Sinister Plot, find out about his mother and where he comes from.

Plots: Sinister, maybe something with the X-Men

Justin: One of the new guys on the block, I'm still getting a feel for who Justin is. He already feels insanely out of place in this new world, and he really wants to get back home. Finding out that his home is gone will be hard for him, but he'll find a way to soldier up. Also, the issue of his heart not being able to stand the armor for long periods will frustrate him. I hope to see him either find a way to live with his limitations or exceed them.

He'll be on the Avengers for awhile, at least, but I could easily see him going to learn about this new world and ending up almost anywhere.

Needs to happen: Getting adjusted to the new world, learning that he can never go home, finding a way to deal with his disability

Plots: None currently.

Sample Scene

discord28@gmail.com — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 01:23:44 GMT

The two iron men ran through the Thunderbolts complex, batting aside guards as they ran. Iron Man stopped, lifted both hands, and fired a twin repulsor blast at a nearby Bio-Sentinel, cleanly severing both its arms from its body. The cyborg kept coming, however, and Iron Man readied himself for the charge.

War Machine lifted an arm, and fired a mini-rocket at the Sentinel. The rocket crashed into the cybernetic monstrosity and slammed it through a wall, showing pieces of flesh and metal about the area.

“Show off.” Jim Rhodes says, looking to War Machine.

“Mom says I get it from you and Uncle Tony.” Justin replies, grinning beneath the helmet.

“Where did she say you got your smart mouth from?” Jim asks.

“Oh, she takes full credit for that one.” Justin retorts.

“Thought so.” Iron Man says, firing up his thrusters and heading skyward. Justin follows him easily, the armored suit following his mental commands. The new interface he and Dad worked on was going well, and improved his reaction time, but Justin still felt it could be faster. If only there was a way to link the armor directly to his nervous system and neural synapses, it would improve his reaction time even more, and cut precious seconds off all the speed and maneuvering trials they constantly put the armors through.

Dad said Uncle Tony was working on something like that before he died, but the project information was password locked and encrypted. They’d have to figure out something on their own.

The pair landed at the edge of the cliff that the base was built into, and found themselves standing besides the remaining Avengers...

…and directly into the face of Norman Osborn, the Thunderbolts, every registered mutant and hero they’d gained over the last few years, and no less than twelve OsCorp Sentinels.

Osborn smiled like the cat that ate the canary. “You can all lay down your weapons and register, and nothing further needs to happen. Rhodes, you’ll even get your wife back in one whole piece.”

Justin raised an arm, a small-calibun automatic gun rose from the back of his gauntlet. A red dot from the laser-targeting reticule appeared on Norman’s forehead.

“Counter-offer.” War Machine snapped back. “You surrender, give back Mrs. Rhodes, and you’ll live to see trial.”

“Justin…” Jim said, keeping his eyes on Osborn.

“Thunderbolts, if War Machine doesn’t lower his arm in five seconds, attack. Venom, you have my permission to eat him.” Norman says. Venom drools at the prospect, staring hard at War Machine.

Justin’s arm doesn’t move a fraction of an inch.

“Five.” Osborn says, counting down.

“War Machine, stand down.” Iron Man says.

“Four.”

“War Machine. Stand. Down.” Iron Man commands.

At three, the red target vanishes from Osborn’s forehead as Justin lowers his arm.

Osborn smiles again.

“Next time you have someone dead to rights, son, take the shot. Might be the last chance you get.” Norman says.

“Thunderbolts…kill them all.” Norman commands.