Post by Marvel Ashcroft on Aug 28, 2024 23:36:59 GMT -5
WELCOME TO LOS EUROSIA,
Marvel Sweeney Ashcroft
"Love to hate me, praise me, shame me
either way you talk about me"
BASICS
NAME: Marvel Ashcroft
AGE: 28
BIRTHDATE: March 6th
PRONOUNS: She/her
SEXUALITY: Demisexual
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single
OCCUPATION: CEO of Ashcroft Beauty & Actress
NEIGHBORHOOD: West Hook
MEMBER GROUP: Hunter
POWERS:
Gifted Asset: Red Dye X - Marvel is the sole creator and distributor of an anomalous red dye that has the power to effectively "mark" a Gifted individual. Made from her ex-boyfriend's Gifted blood, whenever Red Dye X is applied on to the skin of a Gifted person, it stains their skin in the spot where it was applied. This stain is not as vibrant as the original color, but still noticeable enough to the trained eye that is familiar with Ashcroft Beauty's signature color.
The dye also has another function. Edgar's blood, for some reason, likes to stay together; two pools of his blood would move towards each other like a magnet. But when the blood is diluted with the other components of Red Dye X, it becomes one-sided; the blood still is attracted to Red Dye X, but the dye is not. Because of this, Marvel has distributed a handful of vials full of Edgar's blood in her inner circle and to her group of Hunters. They act as compasses, pulling in the direction of a person who has been stained with Red Dye X. The Range isn't very far, just within the immediate vicinity of a person (around 10 feet or so) but when its effects are activated, the pull is very strong. If one of Marvel's hunters had a vial in their pocket or purse, they'd be able to feel it tugging.
With Red Dye X, she is able to track down and terminate Gifted individuals affected by it. Thankfully for Marvel, her Red Dye X is not of public knowledge (in fact, it is extremely classified within the company) and she is able to get rid of the evidence herself most of the time. In the cases where she hasn't been able to dispose of the body in time, it has never been proven that her company was responsible for their death (so far).
Humans are unaffected by Red Dye X. They are able to wipe it off just as any normal makeup.
Other than this, Marvel is completely human and has no gift.
THE LOOKS
HEIGHT: 5'3"
WEIGHT: 148 lbs.
HAIR COLOR: Dyed Blonde (naturally brown)
EYE COLOR: Blue/Gray
FACE CLAIM: Sydney Sweeney
OVERALL APPEARANCE: Marvel is very well-kept and glamorous when it comes to fashion, and it shows; she isn't the slightest bit afraid to stand out. Despite her comically large closet that's practically identical to Barbie's, she tends to mostly stick to long silky dresses, stilettos, designer purses and sparkly earrings, along with any other accessories she may be feeling that day. She occasionally wears other things as well, but that is her go-to signature outfit.
She is the type of person to never leave the house without any makeup on, and even this is rare because she has incorporated putting on a new face in her morning routine. This morning routine also includes a multiple-step skincare routine including more products than how many a 10 year old obsessed with Sephora would own, and this shows because her skin is as clear as marble.
Overall, Marvel is extremely fancy and not ashamed of it. After all, she is the face of her beauty brand; how other way should she present herself?
INSIDE
LIKES:
- Big, fluffy cats
- Makeup & skincare
- Fashion
- Musical theatre
- Audiobooks
- Soul & Pop music
- Science, especially Biology and Toxicology
- A nice hot cup of tea
- Sunrises, Sunsets & the sky in general
- Cucumbers
- Weighted blankets
DISLIKES:
- The very idea of Gifted individuals
- Anything sickly sweet
- Disorder & Uncleanliness
- Large, slobbery dogs
- Blemishes on herself
- Streetwear
- Movies with predictable endings
STRENGTHS:
- Child Prodigy, extremely smart
- Talented actress
- Strong willed
- Charismatic
- Brave
- Unfazed by most things
- Holds a great amount of parasocial power
- A master of pretending
WEAKNESSES:
- Slightly stuck up
- Unempathetic
- Dismissive at times
- so... basically a psychopath
OVERALL PERSONALITY: To an unassuming person, Marvel can be explained as the flawless combination of smart and pretty. The perfect child- a child prodigy who takes a liking to science and math, along with being the definition of beautiful. Not only is she physically attractive, her warm smile and magnetic demeanor make her seem like the kindest person alive. She seems caring, fun, lighthearted and entertaining. The key word there is *seems*.
In reality, its all a play to be liked by the public. She is still somewhat likeable as her normal self, but very snooty at times. She was born in money, and it shows; she has a overwhelmingly toxic work ethic, a slightly condescending view on those who are not at her rank, and throws money at every situation. All of her friends are wealthy aristocrats, individuals with high-ranking status, or people she is using to get something from (although this is rare). There is also the very slim chance that she could connect with someone based on her ethics and beliefs, but so far she has not found that bestie to connect over.
Speaking of which, Marvel is not one for slacking off. She was taught the value of hard work and putting everything you've got into everything you do, and she holds to that steadfast and unwavering. She believes that when life gives you lemons, you take out the seeds and plant them, then make a fortune. This value was only strengthened when she was wildly successful capitalizing herself and her entire being.
Marvel despises Gifted people with a burning passion, but keeps this hate well hidden under the mask of a humble businesswoman (despite her business being ANYTHING but small). Knowing that the same people that took the only people she ever loved makes her blood boil. She has absolutely no compassion for any of them, no matter their sob story, and relishes watching them drop like flies from her Red Dye X.
Overall, Marvel glamorizes herself to hide her true self from the unassuming public. To those who know her well, she's a proud authoritarian who isn't afraid to show who's boss. (And also kind of crazy.)
BACKGROUND
HOMETOWN: Manhattan, New York
FAMILY:
Benedict Ashcroft (Deceased) - Father/Human/48 (at time of death)
Stella Ashcroft (Deceased) - Mother/Human/47 (at time of death)
Ember Ashcroft (Vegetative state) - Sister/Unknowingly gifted (physical invulnerability)/24
Edgar Ravenswood (Stuck in the astral plane, physically dead) - Ex-boyfriend/Gifted (Astral Manipulation)/18 (at time of death)
PETS:
Mina - Mina is Marvel's extra fluffy purebred Siberian cat, more of a home accessory to Marvel than an actual pet. Despite this, Marvel does love her to an extent, often cuddling up with Mina on the couch when she has downtime.
HISTORY: Marvel was born in the least humble of homes in the least humble city on Earth. Her parents were filthy rich; her father an esteemed high-profile lawyer and her mother a well-known actress who also made millions. Even though Marvel was overly spoiled during her childhood, her parents made sure to drill in the fact that the money didn’t come from out of nowhere- it came from their hard work. From the moment she could understand basic English as a toddler, Marvel’s parents began teaching her the value and importance of hard work; at least from their definition of it.
Marvel began idolizing her parents very early on in life, aspiring to be as cool as her father and as pretty as her mother. They did it all and had it all- but how? It amazed Marvel that such two hardworking people ended up being her parents. She only felt more giddy and exuberant when her parents excitedly announced to her that they were pregnant with another child- Marvel’s baby sister. When Ember was born, Marvel made sure to be the best big sister she could be, and before she knew it they were knit tighter than spandex.
When Marvel was old enough to begin school, she was sent to a preppy private boarding school across the country. While she longed to be reunited back with her parents and new babysitter, she didn’t want to disappoint them. So she studied as much as she possibly could, getting to the top of her class by the end of Kindergarten. Her parents were so proud of her- their little girl, growing up to be the successful woman that they hoped she’d become. From then on until 8th grade, she’d come home every summer before getting sent back.
Over time, she got used to being away from home. When she was at school, her academics were her priority- most of the time. Especially in her late Elementary school years, Marvel became more and more relevant socially throughout the school. Once people learned that she was the daughter of famous actress Stella Ashcroft, she became one of the most popular girls in school. It was also during this time where she discovered her love for science and musical theatre, becoming very involved in both areas at the school through clubs and productions.
In her eighth grade year, in the final production of the year, she was scouted by a well-known talent agent in the acting industry. Marvel had been overjoyed- she was becoming more and more like her mother, which helped her feel more content and at peace with herself. Because of time conflicts for her new job, she departed from boarding school and hired her own personal tutor and teacher throughout her high school years (technically homeschooling).
So at the young age of 14 years old, she kicked off her career as a professional television actress into full swing. Her first show was a children’s/family show called “Jo and Bonnie,” where she co-starred as Jo. It was a smashing success, and lasted four seasons, which was coincidentally the entirety of her high school years.
When the show premiered its final episode on Nickelodeon, Marvel and the rest of the cast and crew had planned a cast party, it was something that Marvel felt she couldn’t miss. Things didn’t go as she expected on her way to the party, though- around halfway to the venue, a flash of light in front of her caught her off guard. It looked like a giant bolt of lightning… running across the street? The lightning ricocheted off the nearby buildings and onto her car, causing it to malfunction and swerve out of control. Marvel, thinking quickly, jumped out of the car and onto the sidewalk before the car rear-ended the car in front of it.
Marvel had been pretty beat up from tumbling on the street, and was overall not in a good mood. Thankfully, there were no casualties, but as Marvel waited for the police to arrive, she thought about the accident itself. She was in full control of the car, and then that happened- what the hell was it? It puzzled her, but more than anything she was morbidly curious to know what it was.
The police arrived, but so did another kind of law enforcement with slightly different uniforms than the standard police officers. Marvel wasn’t sure what kind of officers they were, but didn’t question any of them about it. In fact, one of those very officers walked up to her in order to question her. Following the officer was a young man around Marvel’s age, who was squinting his eyes at her keenly. The officer beside him elbowed the young man, sighing in frustration.
“Please don’t mind him,” the officer started, “This is our new intern; he’s here to listen and learn. Now, about the accident…” The officer asked his questions, and she answered the best she could, but couldn’t help and blush a little as the boy continued to eye her.
After the officer finished his questions and walked away, the boy stepped aside and called out to Marvel. “Hey, wait!” She turned to the young man, a neutral expression on her face. “Aren’t you Jo from ‘Jo and Bonnie’?”
Marvel sighed with relief, blushing a bit and tucking her hair behind her ear in a flattered way. “Yeah, that’s me! Haha.” The guy’s face lit up with excitement, and Marvel smiled coyly as he pulled out his phone and opened the camera app. “My little sister, Ivy, is a big fan of your show! Can I get a video message from you to her?”
“Of course!” Marvel responded enthusiastically, the pain of her bruises immediately starting to fade away. The man backed up and began recording, and Marvel put on her signature smile and switched into character. “Hey, Ivy! It’s Jo! A little birdy told me that you really love my show, so I thought I’d say a BIG thank you for watching until the end! Keep being awesome, alright?” Breaking character, she smiled widely once more, blushing a little. “How was that?”
“Perfect! Thank you so, so much.” The young man stopped recording, then extended his hand out in introduction. “My name is Edgar, by the way. I’m a bit of a fan too, haha, but definitely not as much as my sister is.” Marvel accepted the handshake, grinning ear to ear.
Once the whole crash ordeal was over, Marvel took out her own phone, looking at the time. Her eyes widened in shock, realizing that she had completely missed the cast party! “Oh, no! I can’t believe I missed it!” She plopped down on the sidewalk, devastated. Edgar noticed her glumness and sat next to her on the sidewalk in silence, the both of them simply listening to the night air and the occasional car that would pass. After a minute of no words spoken between them, Edgar broke the silence. “Hey, are you alright?”
“No,” she responded, tears slowly trailing down her face. “The cast party for the final episode of ‘Jo and Bonnie’ was tonight, and this crash totally ruined everything. I wasn’t able to make it.”
“Oh my goodness! That sucks. I’m so sorry.” He reached out his hand to put on her shoulder, but hesitated at the last second, pulling away. Staring at the street in front of him, he continued. “Just know it’s not your fault.”
Marvel threw her hands in the air frustratedly, rolling her eyes. “I don’t even know what happened! I swear, something made my car lose its marbles.” To this, Edgar chuckled a little. Quirking her eyebrow and lip, she crossed her arms playfully. “Hey. It's not funny.”
“When you say it like that, it is.”
“...”
“Are you hungry? I’m hungry.”
“Damn… yeah. I am.”
~
A lot of Marvel’s firsts were on that night. Her first time trying McDonald’s was that night (it was pretty crappy, but an experience nonetheless). Her first time staying up past 3am was that night, just talking with Edgar. Her first time going home with a boy was that night.
Her first time getting intimate with another person was that night.
Marvel and Edgar grew closer and closer over the next three years until they eventually began dating. Marvel learned a lot about Edgar during the time that they were together; including the fact that he had powers. Well, that explained a lot about the night they met- a fucking speedster made her car go haywire! Marvel was astounded when he told her, bursting with so many questions. Edgar said he was gifted with “astral manipulation”- what does it mean? What can he do? Did it change his Biology?! WHAT’S THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT?!?! As mind boggling as it was, Marvel was accepting of Edgar and promised to keep his powers a secret. It only made her love him even more.
When they were both 21, they decided that they wanted to go public with their relationship. Only one problem- Edgar hadn’t met Marvel’s parents yet (she had moved away before she met Edgar). Marvel’s first relationship had turned out to be the perfect match, and she was praying that her parents would approve.
Unfortunately, that was not the case.
Marvel expected to be welcomed home with open arms, and she was, at first- until her parents saw the ugly poor peasant boy that accompanied her. She remembered her parents talking a lot about class and social status when she was younger, but didn’t understand it much until she was much older. But unlike her parents, she didn’t care. Love is love and social status shouldn’t determine otherwise.
There was a lot of screaming and bickering- a back and forth verbal abuse battle with her parents about Edgar. Ember, who had been on vacation from boarding school and 17 at the time, came to Marvel’s side and tried to defend her in the bickering. And Edgar stood on the sidelines of it all- that was until Marvel’s father raised his hand threateningly. It looked like he was going to hit his daughter.
Edgar had to protect his girlfriend! In a very impulsive decision with no thought behind it, he dove forwards which sent out his astral projection. It turned into an eagle with razor sharp wings. Both of Marvel’s parents were standing next to each other, along with Ember who was unlucky enough to step forward at the wrong time. Ember was also around a head shorter than both of her parents. So in one fell swoop, the wings on Edgar’s projection decapitated Marvel’s parents and ended up clipping onto Ember’s own astral projection and flinging it far into the astral plane (it would have cut through her head, but she was unknowingly invulnerable). As all three of them fell to the floor lifeless, Edgar’s astral projection shifted back to its normal human form, aware of what he had just done.
Marvel herself could barely comprehend what just happened. Her eyes began to well up with tears, and she began to sob. She rushed over to her sister, the only person still in one piece- she still had a pulse, but was unresponsive in every other way. No matter how many times Marvel screamed at her to wake up, she wouldn’t.
As Marvel got up from crying next to her family, she began to put the puzzle pieces together. Edgar’s astral projection turned into a murderous eagle and took away her family. She turned to him, who was now back in his own body and holding up his hands, also in utter disbelief.
“Marvel, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean-”
“You’re SORRY?! You just MURDERED MY FUCKING FAMILY!!!” She stomped closer to him, her fists balled so tight they were white at the knuckles. Edgar would begin to back up, which only prompted her to begin chasing him around her parents mansion while they fought back and forth. All the while, they were both sobbing, terror filling Edgar and Marvel blinded by pure griefing rage.
“Please, it was an accident! You know I don’t have full control of my gift!”
“Then WHY THE FUCK would you USE IT?!”
“Your Dad was going to HIT YOU!”
“Overreact, much?? WELL, NOW HE’S FUCKING DEAD!! YOU KILLED MY FAMILY WITH YOUR GODDAMN POWERS!!”
“Marvel, please! Just hear me out! Your sister might be-”
“ALIVE, I KNOW!! But you know what’s worse? LEAVING HER IN A FUCKING VEGETATIVE STATE??? How the hell did you even- OH MY GOD. I DON’T EVEN WANT TO KNOW!!”
“I can explain, just please-”
“YOU-”
Marvel grabs onto a large empty glass bowl beside her. It’s so thick that it’s practically impossible to shatter.
“KILLED-”
She catches up with Edgar and raises it above his head.
“MY FAMILY!”
The bowl comes down onto his head.
At the last second before Edgar’s death, he sent out his astral projection. His physical body then perished, trapping him in the astral plane. Because of his gift, he was able to make his astral projection visible when attacking her parents, and made it invisible after his death to escape Marvel.
Marvel watches as Edgar falls to the ground and begins bleeding from his head, unmoving. She stands there, stunned, realizing what she just did. Strangely, though, she didn’t feel bad. She just felt… she felt…
Everything at once. Or nothing at all. She couldn’t tell.
Marvel dropped to her knees, kneeling next to her ex-boyfriend. The mansion was quiet. Not a single bird was chirping. She watched as a scarlet river of blood continued to pour out of his head. She reached out and touched the puddle lightly- just enough to have a drop on her fingertip. His blood was as red as the roses in her parent’s garden.
It gave her an idea.
She quietly walked into her childhood bedroom, fetched a couple of large beakers, then strode back out to where Edgar’s corpse laid. She carefully held each beaker up to the river of blood, letting it pool inside. And when she was finished, she put the corks back on top and put them deep in her purse. She quickly checked herself for blood, then called 911.
~
The trial that followed was long and messy, but Marvel got off with no charges. As far as the official documented story goes, Edgar killed both of Marvel’s parents in cold blood and then went for the final kill, but she acted in self defense ultimately resulting in his death. In the words of an Emmy nominated actress who’s a master at pretending, “Did I do it? Yes! But it was not a murder! We both reached for the bowl!” (Definitely not a Chicago reference that she stole *cough cough*) What happened to Ember remained inconclusive.
Marvel ended up inheriting her parent’s house and all of their assets, including their money. Pooling it together with her own, she had well over half a billion dollars. And she knew exactly what to do with it.
It took around six years to get it perfected, but with Edgar’s gifted blood and her own knowledge of the STEM field, she crafted Red Dye X. A red dye the color of her parent’s rose garden, with the ability to rat out anyone who was Gifted. It was effectively a gigantic arrow, pointing comically at a Gifted person with the text "I have Powers! Kick me!" During these six years, Marvel also dove headfirst into acting, building up as much fame and relevancy as possible. She needed it for what she was going to use Red Dye X for.
For one of her newer movies, Marvel was requested to take a work trip to a city in California called Los Eurosia. She hadn’t heard of it before, but she wasn’t about to decline the offer. It was work, after all. So off she flew across the country.
She was greeted with a pleasantly bustling city, not too busy but active enough to be enjoyable. Not as exciting as Manhattan or Broadway, but a nice city regardless. This is what she thought while she began filming in the town. Her perspective of the city completely changed, though, when a paper flier flapping in the wind flew straight onto her face. It caught her slightly off guard, but when she actually went to read the flier, the side of her mouth curled upwards deviously.
LIBERATION FOR THE POWERFUL KEPT IN CHAINS.
BLACKSTORM NOW.
Well, well, well. If she didn’t know better, she’d say she just found the heart of the Gifted population. She might just have to come back after the movie’s production.
And that’s exactly what she did. She founded Ashcroft Beauty- a makeup company and beauty business with the mission of “unlocking radiance.” Ashcroft Beauty offers a variety of makeup and skincare products for both women and men in all colors, but the color of products they produce the most is the company’s signature color: “Ashen Red.” A bright, slightly dull red that signifies that of a rose. Imagine that.
With that, she also hired her own secret squad of Gifted and Human hunters. They are a group of people who will take her money and shut up, doing what they're told without asking questions. She didn't like the idea of having to use Gifted people to get rid of them, but Marvel deemed it necessary for her ultimate goal. They were disposable anyways, when she was done with them, she'd get rid of them. But for now, they are her most powerful asset, so she pretends to like and appreciate them.
Marvel put the company’s first store right in the Middle of Los Eurosia. So far, it is the only one; Marvel wanted to be smart with her plan; collecting the data and monitoring sales was the most important thing right now. Her business was still new, in fact, and she knew it would make her the most happy to wipe out the heart of Gifted activity before moving on to the rest of the world. She lives in Los Eurosia to this day with her unresponsive sister. Marvel personally takes care of her as a constant reminder of what drives her: revenge for what she's lost.
~
Some clarifying points that may or may not have been clear enough in Marvel's backstory:
1. Edgar, at the start, was a Sector intern who was shadowing Sector officers investigate a possible Gifted case (the speedster).
2. He was still a part of the Sector throughout the three years that him and Marvel were dating, but never specified the specifics of his job. He told Marvel about his powers, not his job. I imagine it's like breaking an NDA, but much worse.
3. Edgar has the ability to not only astral project, but manipulate that astral projection, like make it visible to other humans, shapeshift with it, pass through objects or grip onto them physically; it's basically a glorified ghost.
Thanks for reading this far!
THE PLAYER
NAME: Ray
AGE: 17
TIMEZONE: PDT