application for capeandcowl

[machiavillain]

[CHARACTER INFO]
CHARACTER NAME: Thaal Sinestro
SERIES: DC Comics
CHRONOLOGY: Green Lantern volume 4 #64 (prior to being trapped in the Book of the Black on Ryut)
CLASS: villain edging into anti-hero territory

BACKGROUND:

Sinestro is from the planet Korugar in space sector 1417. Prior to being selected for membership in the Green Lantern Corps (think universal space cops selected for their ability to overcome great fear), he was an anthropologist.

As a Green Lantern, Sinestro was considered the greatest Green Lantern that had ever been, even in the face of His mentor and friend was Abin Sur, Green Lantern of 2814: Earth's sector. Sinestro married Abin's sister Arin, and together they had a daughter, Soranik Natu. He was well-respected, a leader, and most importantly, fearless. He was a superb example of what Green Lantern should be. His home sector had little crime and war, and his home planet of Korugar had virtually none. The Guardians of the universe (the founders of the Green Lantern Corps) assigned Sinestro to train Hal Jordan upon his entrance to the Corps, and they grew to trust and befriend each other.

What Hal Jordan saw when he finally visited Korugar, however, was oppression. The reason became Korugar was free from chaos and crime was because the citizens had been cowed into submission by fear--Sinestro had become a dictator, twisting the Green Lantern symbol into one of oppression and fear. His wife Arin had since left with their daughter in the face of growing tension and threats to the family due to Sinestro's actions (it was later revealed that Sinestro tracked Soranik down and marked her face with his coat of arms which contained a micro-transmitter so that thereafter he could easily find her). Jordan accused Sinestro of the worst treachery a Green Lantern could commit: using his power to instill fear. He testified against Sinestro during the trial, and when deemed guilty, Sinestro swore revenge on him and the Corps.

The Guardians of the universe stripped Sinestro of his power and banished him to the planet Qward in the anti-matter universe, a place ruled by evil. The Guardians believed sentencing Sinestro to such an abhorrent world would be an apt punishment for someone so devoted to order. However, due to a shared hatred of the Guardians, the Weaponers created a yellow power ring for Sinestro (at this time, the yellow impurity had not been discovered and Green Lanterns' only weakness was the color yellow). Sinestro returned time and again from the anti-matter universe to strike at Hal Jordan, his former student and friend who, Sinestro felt, had betrayed him. Sinestro's attacks were not solely revenge against Hal Jordan, but against the Guardians. He repeatedly attack Jordan and Earth because he could not directly engage the Guardians.

The Guardians imprisoned Sinestro inside the central power battery on Oa. While there, he discovered the yellow impurity was Parallax: the sentient, living embodiment of fear. He spoke with it, communed with it, causing it to influence and torture Hal Jordan slowly over the years. Finally having worn down Jordan's will, Parallax took possession of his body. Ever since, Sinestro has had a connection with Parallax, influencing it. With Hal Jordan possessed and murderous, the Guardians released Sinestro in attempt to combat him. Sinestro neck was seemingly broken (though it is later discovered that his form had been a convincing construct). He returned to torment Kyle Rayner and Hal Jordan, his yellow ring now more powerful than ever with Parallax's release from imprisonment.

Sinestro briefly joined Lex Luthor's Society, but was captured by Hal Jordan.

With Jordan free from Parallax's and Spectre's influence, and the Guardians still remained detached, unemotional, and unmoved, Sinestro changed tactics. On Qward, he began forming a corps of his own, one which strove to spread great fear across the universe. The Weaponers on Qward were enslaved and forced to forge many rings for Sinestro's greater purpose: order through fear. Sinestro appeared alone on Korugar and staged a battle against Soranik Natu in which it appeared she had won, thus manipulating the citizens into trusting the Green Lantern symbol which they had for so long feared and despised. Soranik was to stay on Korugar out of danger during his planned war and keep its people safe; his manipulation s were largely successful. Through multiple devastating attacks on the Green Lantern Corps which culminated on a massive battle on Earth, Sinestro successfully manipulated the Guardians into rewriting the Book of Oa to enable the Green Lanterns to use lethal force.

Sinestro remained imprisoned in a sciencell on Oa until the Guardians decreed he was transported to be executed on his home planet; his terrorist acts had resulted in the Guardians yet again rewriting the Book of Oa (which they would do several more times before the Blackest Night). His execution party never made it to Korugar, however. They were ambushed by Sinestro's corpsmen, as well as Red Lanterns. The Red Lanterns wrested control of Sinestro and took him to Ysmault, the homeworld of the Red Lanterns, where Atrocitus, their leader, crucified him. Atrocitus divined through a blood ritual what Sinestro feared: losing his daughter, Soranik.

Sinestro was freed when his Corpsmen arrived, though a battle breaks out when Hal Jordan and two Blue Lanterns also appear to save him (as they have been instructed Sinestro's survival is imperative to life's survival during the Blackest Night). Sinestro travelled to Korugar to reveal to Soranik her true identity and warn her about Atrocitus.

He then headed to Zamaron, the homeworld of the Star Sapphires, to free his Corpsmen that had been imprisoned. Carol Ferris trapped him in her love crystals where he was treated to memories of Arin Sur (there is no way to word this that doesn't sound like a porno setup). Enraged, he broke free and attacked Carol, but were halted by the arrival of Black Lanterns. Before collecting Atrocitus and Larfleeze on Okaara, Sinestro quelled the civil war among his Corps on Korugar, defeating Mongul (who had mutinied and taken command of the army) and trapping him inside the central power battery. Before he left, he ordered his army to protect Korugar from the Black Lanterns, giving express commands not to harm any of the citizens.

Once the leaders/representatives of each of the corps had assembled, they formed a truce that would last until after the Blackest Night. During the battle in Coast City and awaiting the arrival of their respective corps for backup, each ring duplicated itself. Jonathan Crane became Sinestro's temporary deputy. Their combined powers were still neither enough to defeat Nekron nor the Black Lantern central power battery, nor even the Spectre, who had become a Black Lantern. Ganthet planned to release Parallax (who had been trapped in the lanterns of the four Green Lanterns from Earth) in order to combat the Spectre, and Hal Jordan allowed himself to become the host once again, much to Sinestro's ire. After the Spectre's defeat, Sinestro attempted to regain control of Parallax before the Green Lanterns could, but the fear entity was pulled away mysteriously.

When the white entity of life appeared, Sinestro beat Hal Jordan to the chase, allowing himself to become the host. He learned the history of all the entities and saw the creation of life. He survived being cut in half by Nekron and seemed to destroy Nekron, though Nekron simply reappeared and separated Sinestro from the life entity, allowing Hal Jordan to become the host and finally defeat Nekron and the Black Lanterns by reviving Black Hand.

After the Blackest Night, Sinestro discovered the white battery, but was unable to pick it up, even with Hal Jordan and Carol Ferris. However, they learned that someone was collecting the entities from each of the emotional spectra. The uneasy truce between Jordan, Ferris, Sinestro, Atrocitus, Saint Walker, Larfleeze, and Indigo-1 continued while they searched for the entities. Sinestro took a brief hiatus from the search when his daughter was kidnapped by the Weaponer and taken to Qward in an effort to lure Sinestro there for revenge; Sinestro sent his Corps ahead to remind the Qwardians why they feared him, and eventually extended membership to the Weaponer himself.

Having discovered Krona, the banished Guardian who accidentally created the anti-matter universe, was responsible for taking the entities, the rainbow rodeo tracked them to planet Ryut. When they arrived on Ryut, they discovered the Book of the Black (which supposedly housed entire chapters ripped from the Book of Oa; i.e., the history the Guardians wished to forever bury). Chains from Lyssa Drak (who had been imprisoned in the book since the Blackest Night) then sprung forth from the book, drawing the motley crew into its pages.

PERSONALITY:

First and foremost, Sinestro is incredibly driven. Once he sets his mind on doing something, it will be accomplished. The hallmark of a Green Lantern is exceptional will. Before he was the renegade Green Lantern, he was the greatest Green Lantern. Prideful as he was (and is), he took his duties very seriously. He was a decisive, rallying leader. Well-respected. He was a model Green Lantern. There was little he loved (and still loves) more than order. His home sector had the least amount of crime and chaos in the entire universe.

To Sinestro, there is no greater good than order. Order must ultimately triumph over chaos. His intentions and dreams for the universe come from a sincere place. However, his need for total, brutal control in order for his dreams to be realized absolutely corrupts his mission. For Sinestro, the ends absolutely justify the means. If whole worlds must suffer and die so that the safety of the universe may ultimately be secured, that is an acceptable loss. Death is the cost of order. And in his mind, he is willing to become the villain in order to spur the Guardians to action; in order to save the universe. He enlisted the aid of the most fearsome and vile beings in the universe, the very kind of people he despises, to reach his goal. Such an act he did not undertake lightly; he does not sacrifice his principles on a whim. Only through years of failing in his solo endeavors did he resort to such a method. It is important to note, however, that his rule of Korugar prior to being stripped of his Green Lantern ring was certainlycorrupt and villainous, but (as of his pull point) he has remained unrepetant and stands by his actions. He sincerely believes that his way, however harsh, will result in a better universe.

Sinestro's way is the way of fear. It is far better to be feared than loved. He believes fear is far more powerful than will. Fear can cripple will. Fear will never be eradicated from the universe. Most importantly, fear can control people. People cannot be trusted to control themselves as most people in the universe lack the will to police themselves. If they must be cowed into submission so that order may prevail, so be it.

Sinestro is a proud and vengeful individual. He disagreed and questioned the Guardians during his service as a Green Lantern, but Hal Jordan's "betrayal" and the Sinestro's banishment at the hands of the Guardians was an incredible slap in the face. Ever since, he has taken pleasure in striking at them, though he rarely allows it to distract him from his goals (it helps that revenge neatly ties into his plans for the universe).

Despite his evolution as a hard, calculating, and sometimes deranged fascist, he was, and still is, capable of softer emotions such as compassion and love. Korugar may have rejected him, but he has not given up his duty to Korugar (at least as he sees it as his duty--most everyone else sees it as an unwanted obsession). Anyone who threatens his home planet or its citizens is subject to his wrath. Family is also very important to him. Though his own daughter despises him, he is exceptionally proud of her and extends his aid to her. Harm befalling her is his greatest fear, even more than the destruction of the universe. He has gone to extreme lengths to ensure her protection at the expense of her hatred.


POWER:
1. A yellow Qwardian power ring capable of creating constructs of energy based on whatever he imagines (with a power battery to recharge it--Sinestro canonically keeps his in a confined pocket dimension, an ability which he has used even when his ring is powered down, but which is common to Green Lanterns. The ring must be charged whenever it runs out of power. Depending on the frequency and intensity of use, this could be less than 24 hours or more.). The ring also acts enables flight, a forcefield, provides information, and acts as a translator.
2. Fear attunement: even without his ring, Sinestro's understanding and discernment of individuals' primal fears has been noted. When he arrives, I would like for the Porter simply to boost this ability, enabling him to read fears (this would require a permissions post, of course).


[CHARACTER SAMPLES]
COMMUNITY POST (VOICE) SAMPLE:

[Sinestro has been in the City for some while before he finally deems it time to address the network; he's never been one to give up the tactical advantage of uninterrupted observation. When he speaks, his diction is smooth and unfaltering, his pauses perfectly placed. It is the voice of someone accustomed to making speeches and addressing large groups. Rousing them. Persuading them.

It is also a patronizing voice.]

Citizens.

You are disorganized. Divided. Chaotic. Weak. You lack the will to overcome. You lack the will to rise above the mud and end your petty, inane squabbling.

You are afraid.

You are all infected with fear. Fear of each other, fear of tomorrow, fear of survival. It permeates your little lives and you allow it to do so.

[A beat. His tone becomes distinctly mocking.]

And you will never be rid of it.

LOGS POST (PROSE) SAMPLE:

Earth. It always came back to this backwater planet full of primitives who were still warring with each other. Committing crimes against each other. Breeding discontent. How uncontrolled and savage creatures humans were. The entire planet reeked of chaos.

And fear.

Were its existence not vital to the continued survival of the multiverse, he would have ordered his Corps to destroy it long ago.

This new, alternate Earth was no different. So desperate for order it was that some power unknown to his ring had called countless others before him in an attempt to instill, unsuccessfully, some degree of control. How useless and chaotic the very power itself was in its selection process. If anything, the Porter had only exacerbated the lawlessness, judging not only from the goings-on of the network, but also from a single, reconnaissance sweep of the City. The obvious lack of order was utterly pathetic.

This was unbridled power in the hands a being who did not deserve to wield it. Who did not understand how to wield it. It was a gross abuse of power. It was offensive.

It was wrong.

FINAL NOTES: UHH