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threeolives) wrote2012-01-22 12:03 am
threeolives) wrote2012-01-22 12:03 am
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[nick / name]: Chris
[personal LJ name]:milennialfalcon
[other characters currently played]: N/A
[e-mail]: gingerpottsceo@gmail.com
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gazzafizza
[series]: Iron Man (movieverse)
[character]: Virginia “Pepper” Potts
[character history / background]: Her marvel-movies wiki page gives a great history through the first movie. In the second movie, Pepper is appointed CEO of Stark Industries when Tony believes the palladium poisoning from his arc reactor implant is killing him. He hires Natalie Rushman from the legal department to replace her as his assistant, for what Pepper suspects are less than virtuous reasons. When Tony falls into a deep bout of drink and debauchery, Natalie stays on to assist Pepper instead. (It is later revealed that Natalie Rushman is actually a SHIELD agent named Natasha Romanov.)
At a Stark Expo show, Stark Industries’ main rival, Justin Hammer, unveils his fleet of armed military drones meant to replace the government’s reliance on Iron Man, led by Tony’s own friend Lt. Col. James Rhodes (“Rhodey”) wearing a stolen Stark tech suit, now calling himself War Machine. Unfortunately, the genius convict Ivan Vanko, who Hammer had hired to build the drones, hijacks control over them (and War Machine) to terrorize the Expo. Iron Man arrives in time to help fight Vanko’s drones, while Natasha infiltrates Hammer Industries to return control of War Machine to Rhodey.
Meanwhile, Pepper takes charge on the ground and calls police in to arrest Hammer, proving that you don’t need jet boots or skintight leather jumpsuits to bebadass a hero. When Tony returns to Pepper (saving her from an explosion at the last second), they fly to safety where Pepper, frustrated and possibly in shock, yells at Tony and steps down as CEO. Then, finally giving in to the sexual tension that’s been building over the course of the two movies, and their entire time knowing each other, they kiss. Only to be cockblocked interrupted by Rhodey, who’d picked the same rooftop to land on.
[character abilities]: Normal human abilities, unless you count impeccable organization and the ability to put up with Tony Stark’s bullshit as a superpower.
[character personality]: Pepper is punctual, efficient, tactful, and clever. Everything you’d want your personal assistant to be. She also has a quick wit and enough confidence and strength to keep the world’s most notorious billionaire playboy in line. She is order where Tony is chaos, discipline where he is laxity. Tony and Pepper have a special language in their interactions, where even though to the outside observer it may appear cold and precise, full of "Will that be all, Mr. Stark?" and "That will be all, Ms. Potts," in reality Pepper is one of the few people who can cut through the evasive swagger to get to the real Tony Stark.
When a conversation isn't going his way, Tony looks to Pepper for backup, or at the very least for confirmation. Realistically, she knows she isn't always able to give him what he's asking for, and when his words are too much for even her to smooth over, all she can do is answer him with a sigh and a look he recognizes to mean "Change tactics, Tony. You're burying yourself here." Only one other person has such a connection with Tony, and that's Rhodey. Tony's relationship with Rhodey was built over time, starting with their years together at MIT. Pepper on the other hand came to this level of closeness through depth, not length. Whereas Rhodey spent years getting close to Tony, Pepper by the very nature of her position quickly became involved in every aspect of Tony's life. She does everything from help manage his professional obligations to clean up after his various one night stands.
Pepper is well-versed in fine art and art history, and is entrusted with the task of choosing and curating Tony's extensive modern art collection. It bothers her somewhat that he buys art carelessly only to store it rather than display it somewhere it can be admired. She knows this is just a part of Tony's wildly exorbitant lifestyle, even though she thinks art is wasted if no one sees it. Perhaps a painting would be better appreciated by a different buyer, but if Tony says 'buy it,' then she will, because that's her job.
Later, when he donates the entire collection to the Boy Scouts of America (part of his "I'm dying, let's wrap up loose ends" frenzy), she is outright angry. She spent years building that collection, advising him every step of the way. In a way, it's as much Pepper's collection as it is Tony's. The fact that he just sold it without consulting or even telling her feels like a betrayal. When your job is to arrange an aspect of someone's life and they go and do it behind your back, you don't know why you bother.
At times Pepper struggles with maintaining a proper boss/assistant relationship with Tony, or even deciding if she wants to maintain it. Because Tony and Pepper are certainly more than just boss and assistant. Pepper knows Tony's reputation with women probably better than anyone, and knows exactly what getting too close to him will look like. She knows that people who see them acting anything other than professionally will assume that she's trying to make moves on him to further her career, or for money, or fame, when really she doesn't need or care about any of that. Pepper knows that she is all Tony has, and that he is all she has too. She does everything for him, not because she wants or expects anything in return, but because there's simply no one else who will.
In times of distress, such as when he's being water-tortured by terrorists or when the arc reactor in his chest is failing after a gigantic explosion nearly kills him, Tony hears Pepper calling his name-- evidence that she means a great deal to him. Likewise, Pepper cares incredibly deeply about Tony and his wellbeing. The first time she saw him in the Iron Man armor, her initial reaction wasn't "what the hell is this?!" but was instead "…are those bullet holes?" When he throws himself into his self-imposed mission to rid the world of Stark weapons, seeking some kind of redemption for the damage he has been secondarily responsible for, Pepper warns him that if he continues down that road that she will walk away. It would be too much for her to bear to watch him kill himself.
Tony Stark has been called many things, but nostalgic is not one of them. Pepper, on the other hand, appreciates the value of keeping certain outdated objects around, most notably the first arc reactor prototype, which she encased in a plexiglass box with the words "proof that Tony Stark has a heart" carved around it. It's that sort of tongue-in-cheek accolade that only Pepper can make Tony appreciate. She didn't know that it would end up saving Tony's life. She only knew that Tony can be called heartless because of his cavalier attitude and the way he'd rather deal with his inventions than the people around him, and thought he could use a reminder that not everyone sees him that way.
There is a fearlessness in Pepper that has gotten her through the rough times with Tony. When Obadiah Stane is revealed to have been behind the attempt on Tony's life, and to have built his own prototype armor, Pepper doesn't just show the SHIELD agents to Section 16 and stand back while they arrest Stane. No, even having seen Tony's armor at work and the damage his repulsors can do, she walks into Section 16 with Agent Coulson and his men, knowing that it's up to her to see this done. Yes, she screams and runs when Stane attacks, but she has the wisdom to know that Tony is the only one who can stop Stane, and swears to do everything in her power to help him. She doesn't want to blow the arc reactor while Tony's in the path of destruction, but she does it when he insists because it would be worse not to, and to let Stane destroy Tony himself. She has faith in Tony, if only because there's nothing she can do but have faith in him.
When Vanko's drones wreak havoc on the Expo, not only does Pepper handle the disastrous situation with cool precision, getting on the phone with NYPD command central and ordering Hammer to step aside, but even after Hammer is arrested and most of the drones rendered inactive, she volunteers to stay until the park is clear of civilians. She consults with the police on arranging buses to take people home now that the train lines have been stopped. It is simply in Pepper's nature to think of every detail and see that they're covered.
Tony giving Pepper the job of CEO was a complete surprise, but at the same time really wasn't all that different than anything else Pepper does for Tony. She knows he isn't telling her the complete reasons behind this decision, but she takes it upon herself to "man up" and deal with the fallout because Tony refused to. As Pepper herself says, "I am trying to do the job that you are meant to do." While Tony asks her to handle the company, Rhodey begs her to handle Tony. Even though he hired Natalie as his new personal assistant, Pepper is still Pepper, and only Pepper can control Tony at his wildest. So there Pepper is, still having to do parts of her old job while at the same time taking on this whole new, much bigger job. At the end of the whole ordeal, after the debacle at the Expo, she admits to Tony that she can't handle all the stress and resigns as CEO.
[point in timeline you're picking your character from]: post Iron Man 2 *canon updated to post Avengers
[journal post]:
Tony? I know you’re there, Tony, don’t even bother not answering, because while it might work for your interim assistants, you ought to know by now that it won’t fool me or make me stop calling. [There is an audible sigh and a pause as the speaker gathers her thoughts.]
I was just calling to remind you of the board meeting you have in twenty, the board meeting you can’t miss because we’re this close to solidifying that deal with the Hong Kong group. You need to be there on time, in person, and for god’s sake Tony, looking somewhat professional. Which means no grease stains, and please at least try to shave.
Like I said, I was just calling to remind you of the meeting, but now I... I think we’ll have to have an important discussion about conducting unstable physics experiments on company property without proper warning, because while I don’t know how I’ve ended up-- where is this even, Chicago or something?-- I am fully prepared to blame it on you.
Call me back.
[third person / log sample]:
Pepper woke up Monday morning ten minutes before her alarm was set to go off, like she did most days. Slipping out of bed, she began her usual morning routine of pulling together her outfit for the day, padding barefoot to the kitchen to start a fresh pot of coffee, and turning on her laptop to check for new emails. Only nine this morning. A bit lower than average, but then again it was only Monday. Things would pick up again soon enough. Hearing the faint beeping noise of her alarm going off without her, she headed back upstairs for a shower.
Slipping back into her role as assistant had been comfortably easy, like slipping into a favorite pair of Louboutins. Her days were routine and familiar, just like she was used to. Navigating the new ground with Tony, though… perhaps not so easy. Ever since they kissed on the rooftop the night of the Expo, it had been hard to get things back to normal.
"As though anything is ever normal with Tony," Pepper mused to herself.
It was an odd thing, trying to redefine this relationship that had always been there, but on different terms. Tony kept referring to “that night,” the night of the Fire Fighter's Fund benefit. Of course, for him it was the night when Pepper wore a backless dress, they danced, then he flew off and played hero. For her, it was the night she and her boss got closer than they’d ever been, then he left her standing alone on the roof without so much as a martini to keep her company.
Sure, he’d tried to make up for it since, with omelets and with strawberries, of all things, and Pepper should know better than to expect him to be good at this, she’s been around him long enough. Still, no matter how much she cares for Tony, in the end she’ll have to make the decision whether she wants to deal with what being in a relationship with him will mean, and she’s not sure she’s ready to come down one way or the other just yet.
Drying her hair and pulling it into a bun, Pepper finished getting dressed and returned to the kitchen. Four more emails since she'd left for her shower: a confirmation for Tony's afternoon meeting with some investors (a meeting which he would probably blow off), and three back-and-forths on some office business she probably didn't need to be cc'd on, but asked to be anyway because she'd rather deal with a few extra emails than not know what was going on around her. She had learned early on that if she didn't insist on being included in all correspondence, people would ignore her and go straight to Tony. Tony, who would then instantly forget everything they told him in favor of his newest engine rebuild and have to ask Pepper to debrief him on something which she'd never heard about in the first place. Needless to say, once people figured out that they wouldn't get anywhere by dealing with Tony firsthand, Pepper started getting a lot more emails.
She poured her coffee into her travel mug, packed up her laptop, and left her apartment. She used to eat breakfast at home more often, but during her time as CEO she'd gotten used to longer hours with fewer meals and didn't really miss the odd bagel or yogurt. As she got in her car, she turned on her bluetooth headset and called JARVIS.
"Good morning, Ms. Potts," the artificial voice intoned in its crisp British accent.
"Good morning JARVIS. How is he today?"
"At the moment, still asleep. He had rather a late night."
Pepper wasn't surprised. A normal night for Tony meant staying in his workshop 'til 3am. "What was it this time, business or pleasure?"
"He was not with a female companion, if that's what you're implying." JARVIS' talent for politely sidestepping unpleasantries was one of Pepper's favorite bits of his programming.
"Business then. I hope it was at least SI business." She'd only sent him those insurance papers three weeks ago and he still hadn't managed to sign and return them to her.
"I'm afraid not, Ms. Potts. Mr. Stark spent most of last night working on SHIELD business."
Pepper raised her eyebrows at that. When SHIELD had brought Tony on as a consultant, Pepper had had to suffer through three days of him insisting he wasn't a "textbook narcissist" who "displays compulsive behavior." She'd nodded and replied "sure, Tony," until he finally gave up trying to defend himself. Still, she didn't think he was so invested in SHIELD work as to stay up all night working on something for them.
"In any event," Pepper answered, "try and wake him up if you can, I'm getting on the PCH now."
"Very well, Ms. Potts."
"Thank you, JARVIS." She pulled the headset from her ear and merged onto the northbound highway, ready to face another day.
[personal LJ name]:
milennialfalcon[other characters currently played]: N/A
[e-mail]: gingerpottsceo@gmail.com
[AIM / messenger]:
[series]: Iron Man (movieverse)
[character]: Virginia “Pepper” Potts
[character history / background]: Her marvel-movies wiki page gives a great history through the first movie. In the second movie, Pepper is appointed CEO of Stark Industries when Tony believes the palladium poisoning from his arc reactor implant is killing him. He hires Natalie Rushman from the legal department to replace her as his assistant, for what Pepper suspects are less than virtuous reasons. When Tony falls into a deep bout of drink and debauchery, Natalie stays on to assist Pepper instead. (It is later revealed that Natalie Rushman is actually a SHIELD agent named Natasha Romanov.)
At a Stark Expo show, Stark Industries’ main rival, Justin Hammer, unveils his fleet of armed military drones meant to replace the government’s reliance on Iron Man, led by Tony’s own friend Lt. Col. James Rhodes (“Rhodey”) wearing a stolen Stark tech suit, now calling himself War Machine. Unfortunately, the genius convict Ivan Vanko, who Hammer had hired to build the drones, hijacks control over them (and War Machine) to terrorize the Expo. Iron Man arrives in time to help fight Vanko’s drones, while Natasha infiltrates Hammer Industries to return control of War Machine to Rhodey.
Meanwhile, Pepper takes charge on the ground and calls police in to arrest Hammer, proving that you don’t need jet boots or skintight leather jumpsuits to be
[character abilities]: Normal human abilities, unless you count impeccable organization and the ability to put up with Tony Stark’s bullshit as a superpower.
[character personality]: Pepper is punctual, efficient, tactful, and clever. Everything you’d want your personal assistant to be. She also has a quick wit and enough confidence and strength to keep the world’s most notorious billionaire playboy in line. She is order where Tony is chaos, discipline where he is laxity. Tony and Pepper have a special language in their interactions, where even though to the outside observer it may appear cold and precise, full of "Will that be all, Mr. Stark?" and "That will be all, Ms. Potts," in reality Pepper is one of the few people who can cut through the evasive swagger to get to the real Tony Stark.
When a conversation isn't going his way, Tony looks to Pepper for backup, or at the very least for confirmation. Realistically, she knows she isn't always able to give him what he's asking for, and when his words are too much for even her to smooth over, all she can do is answer him with a sigh and a look he recognizes to mean "Change tactics, Tony. You're burying yourself here." Only one other person has such a connection with Tony, and that's Rhodey. Tony's relationship with Rhodey was built over time, starting with their years together at MIT. Pepper on the other hand came to this level of closeness through depth, not length. Whereas Rhodey spent years getting close to Tony, Pepper by the very nature of her position quickly became involved in every aspect of Tony's life. She does everything from help manage his professional obligations to clean up after his various one night stands.
Pepper is well-versed in fine art and art history, and is entrusted with the task of choosing and curating Tony's extensive modern art collection. It bothers her somewhat that he buys art carelessly only to store it rather than display it somewhere it can be admired. She knows this is just a part of Tony's wildly exorbitant lifestyle, even though she thinks art is wasted if no one sees it. Perhaps a painting would be better appreciated by a different buyer, but if Tony says 'buy it,' then she will, because that's her job.
Later, when he donates the entire collection to the Boy Scouts of America (part of his "I'm dying, let's wrap up loose ends" frenzy), she is outright angry. She spent years building that collection, advising him every step of the way. In a way, it's as much Pepper's collection as it is Tony's. The fact that he just sold it without consulting or even telling her feels like a betrayal. When your job is to arrange an aspect of someone's life and they go and do it behind your back, you don't know why you bother.
At times Pepper struggles with maintaining a proper boss/assistant relationship with Tony, or even deciding if she wants to maintain it. Because Tony and Pepper are certainly more than just boss and assistant. Pepper knows Tony's reputation with women probably better than anyone, and knows exactly what getting too close to him will look like. She knows that people who see them acting anything other than professionally will assume that she's trying to make moves on him to further her career, or for money, or fame, when really she doesn't need or care about any of that. Pepper knows that she is all Tony has, and that he is all she has too. She does everything for him, not because she wants or expects anything in return, but because there's simply no one else who will.
In times of distress, such as when he's being water-tortured by terrorists or when the arc reactor in his chest is failing after a gigantic explosion nearly kills him, Tony hears Pepper calling his name-- evidence that she means a great deal to him. Likewise, Pepper cares incredibly deeply about Tony and his wellbeing. The first time she saw him in the Iron Man armor, her initial reaction wasn't "what the hell is this?!" but was instead "…are those bullet holes?" When he throws himself into his self-imposed mission to rid the world of Stark weapons, seeking some kind of redemption for the damage he has been secondarily responsible for, Pepper warns him that if he continues down that road that she will walk away. It would be too much for her to bear to watch him kill himself.
Tony Stark has been called many things, but nostalgic is not one of them. Pepper, on the other hand, appreciates the value of keeping certain outdated objects around, most notably the first arc reactor prototype, which she encased in a plexiglass box with the words "proof that Tony Stark has a heart" carved around it. It's that sort of tongue-in-cheek accolade that only Pepper can make Tony appreciate. She didn't know that it would end up saving Tony's life. She only knew that Tony can be called heartless because of his cavalier attitude and the way he'd rather deal with his inventions than the people around him, and thought he could use a reminder that not everyone sees him that way.
There is a fearlessness in Pepper that has gotten her through the rough times with Tony. When Obadiah Stane is revealed to have been behind the attempt on Tony's life, and to have built his own prototype armor, Pepper doesn't just show the SHIELD agents to Section 16 and stand back while they arrest Stane. No, even having seen Tony's armor at work and the damage his repulsors can do, she walks into Section 16 with Agent Coulson and his men, knowing that it's up to her to see this done. Yes, she screams and runs when Stane attacks, but she has the wisdom to know that Tony is the only one who can stop Stane, and swears to do everything in her power to help him. She doesn't want to blow the arc reactor while Tony's in the path of destruction, but she does it when he insists because it would be worse not to, and to let Stane destroy Tony himself. She has faith in Tony, if only because there's nothing she can do but have faith in him.
When Vanko's drones wreak havoc on the Expo, not only does Pepper handle the disastrous situation with cool precision, getting on the phone with NYPD command central and ordering Hammer to step aside, but even after Hammer is arrested and most of the drones rendered inactive, she volunteers to stay until the park is clear of civilians. She consults with the police on arranging buses to take people home now that the train lines have been stopped. It is simply in Pepper's nature to think of every detail and see that they're covered.
Tony giving Pepper the job of CEO was a complete surprise, but at the same time really wasn't all that different than anything else Pepper does for Tony. She knows he isn't telling her the complete reasons behind this decision, but she takes it upon herself to "man up" and deal with the fallout because Tony refused to. As Pepper herself says, "I am trying to do the job that you are meant to do." While Tony asks her to handle the company, Rhodey begs her to handle Tony. Even though he hired Natalie as his new personal assistant, Pepper is still Pepper, and only Pepper can control Tony at his wildest. So there Pepper is, still having to do parts of her old job while at the same time taking on this whole new, much bigger job. At the end of the whole ordeal, after the debacle at the Expo, she admits to Tony that she can't handle all the stress and resigns as CEO.
[point in timeline you're picking your character from]: post Iron Man 2 *canon updated to post Avengers
[journal post]:
Tony? I know you’re there, Tony, don’t even bother not answering, because while it might work for your interim assistants, you ought to know by now that it won’t fool me or make me stop calling. [There is an audible sigh and a pause as the speaker gathers her thoughts.]
I was just calling to remind you of the board meeting you have in twenty, the board meeting you can’t miss because we’re this close to solidifying that deal with the Hong Kong group. You need to be there on time, in person, and for god’s sake Tony, looking somewhat professional. Which means no grease stains, and please at least try to shave.
Like I said, I was just calling to remind you of the meeting, but now I... I think we’ll have to have an important discussion about conducting unstable physics experiments on company property without proper warning, because while I don’t know how I’ve ended up-- where is this even, Chicago or something?-- I am fully prepared to blame it on you.
Call me back.
[third person / log sample]:
Pepper woke up Monday morning ten minutes before her alarm was set to go off, like she did most days. Slipping out of bed, she began her usual morning routine of pulling together her outfit for the day, padding barefoot to the kitchen to start a fresh pot of coffee, and turning on her laptop to check for new emails. Only nine this morning. A bit lower than average, but then again it was only Monday. Things would pick up again soon enough. Hearing the faint beeping noise of her alarm going off without her, she headed back upstairs for a shower.
Slipping back into her role as assistant had been comfortably easy, like slipping into a favorite pair of Louboutins. Her days were routine and familiar, just like she was used to. Navigating the new ground with Tony, though… perhaps not so easy. Ever since they kissed on the rooftop the night of the Expo, it had been hard to get things back to normal.
"As though anything is ever normal with Tony," Pepper mused to herself.
It was an odd thing, trying to redefine this relationship that had always been there, but on different terms. Tony kept referring to “that night,” the night of the Fire Fighter's Fund benefit. Of course, for him it was the night when Pepper wore a backless dress, they danced, then he flew off and played hero. For her, it was the night she and her boss got closer than they’d ever been, then he left her standing alone on the roof without so much as a martini to keep her company.
Sure, he’d tried to make up for it since, with omelets and with strawberries, of all things, and Pepper should know better than to expect him to be good at this, she’s been around him long enough. Still, no matter how much she cares for Tony, in the end she’ll have to make the decision whether she wants to deal with what being in a relationship with him will mean, and she’s not sure she’s ready to come down one way or the other just yet.
Drying her hair and pulling it into a bun, Pepper finished getting dressed and returned to the kitchen. Four more emails since she'd left for her shower: a confirmation for Tony's afternoon meeting with some investors (a meeting which he would probably blow off), and three back-and-forths on some office business she probably didn't need to be cc'd on, but asked to be anyway because she'd rather deal with a few extra emails than not know what was going on around her. She had learned early on that if she didn't insist on being included in all correspondence, people would ignore her and go straight to Tony. Tony, who would then instantly forget everything they told him in favor of his newest engine rebuild and have to ask Pepper to debrief him on something which she'd never heard about in the first place. Needless to say, once people figured out that they wouldn't get anywhere by dealing with Tony firsthand, Pepper started getting a lot more emails.
She poured her coffee into her travel mug, packed up her laptop, and left her apartment. She used to eat breakfast at home more often, but during her time as CEO she'd gotten used to longer hours with fewer meals and didn't really miss the odd bagel or yogurt. As she got in her car, she turned on her bluetooth headset and called JARVIS.
"Good morning, Ms. Potts," the artificial voice intoned in its crisp British accent.
"Good morning JARVIS. How is he today?"
"At the moment, still asleep. He had rather a late night."
Pepper wasn't surprised. A normal night for Tony meant staying in his workshop 'til 3am. "What was it this time, business or pleasure?"
"He was not with a female companion, if that's what you're implying." JARVIS' talent for politely sidestepping unpleasantries was one of Pepper's favorite bits of his programming.
"Business then. I hope it was at least SI business." She'd only sent him those insurance papers three weeks ago and he still hadn't managed to sign and return them to her.
"I'm afraid not, Ms. Potts. Mr. Stark spent most of last night working on SHIELD business."
Pepper raised her eyebrows at that. When SHIELD had brought Tony on as a consultant, Pepper had had to suffer through three days of him insisting he wasn't a "textbook narcissist" who "displays compulsive behavior." She'd nodded and replied "sure, Tony," until he finally gave up trying to defend himself. Still, she didn't think he was so invested in SHIELD work as to stay up all night working on something for them.
"In any event," Pepper answered, "try and wake him up if you can, I'm getting on the PCH now."
"Very well, Ms. Potts."
"Thank you, JARVIS." She pulled the headset from her ear and merged onto the northbound highway, ready to face another day.