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Heroes

• Superman (@Vandy)
• Green Arrow (@GreenGrenade)
• John Constantine (@Roman)
• Commisioner Gordon (@Byrd Man)
• Batman (@BlackSam3091)
• Supergirl (@Ruby)
• Swamp Thing (@Xtreme)
• Oracle (@Blue Demon)
• Wonder Woman (@Weird Tales)
• Blue Beetle (@Natty)
• Nightwing (@Lord Wraith)
• Red Robin (@Nightrunner)
• Booster Gold (@Morden Man)
• Aquaman (@BlackSam3091)
• Stargirl (@Blue Demon)

Walking the Line

• Huntress (@Ruby)
• Catwoman (@The Grey Warden)

Name:
John Constantine

Alias:
Constantine

Origin:
John Constantine was born into the shit that would follow him for the rest of his life - and appropriately enough, he arrived in Liverpool, 1989. His twin asphyxiated in the womb on John's umbilical cord, and his mother, Mary-Anne Constantine, died giving birth to him and his stillborn brother because an earlier forced abortion had weakened her womb, causing it to rupture and bleed out. Thomas Constantine, John's father, and the man who had forced the abortion upon his wife, was incapable of accepting the responsibility of Mary-Anne's death, and instead blamed his surviving son, John - and they grew up harboring a deep dislike of one another. Thomas had little involvement in John's upbringing, and much of his care was left to his older sister, Cheryl Constantine. After their father descended into alcoholism and was imprisoned for petty theft and voyeurism, Cheryl and John moved to Northampton to live with their Aunt and Uncle for a brief time, before returning after Thomas' release. It was their return to both Liverpool and their father that set John off onto his journey into the magical and occult.

John had discovered his ancestry in Northampton, his blood belonging to a long family line known as the Laughing Magicians, legendary mages known for their power over Synchronicity and their uncanny ability to bluff and trick even gods. This discovery led him to delve into the practices of his lineage, and he began to partake in magic. His first act was to seal away his childhood innocence and vulnerability in a small wooden toy-box he once used, ridding himself of the burdens of virtues he'd lost long ago. Later on, in his teenage years, John botched a curse that left his father withered and frail and doomed to die - and subsequently ran from home, his sister, and Liverpool, heading to London and making a permanent home in an apartment with his roommate, Francis 'Chas' Kramer, who would go on to be John's oldest, closest, and longest surviving friend.​

| 2008: Zatanna Zatara, Mucous Membrane, and Astra |

John soon got involved in the occult circles of London's population. He practiced his magics and learned more about the occult world lying behind the mortal one, and began to travel to other cities and countries to expand his knowledge. In New York, 2008, he met a talented female magician called Zatanna Zatara, and the two began a relationship. Together, they grew enamored with Punk Rock after attending several gigs, and John was inspired to put together his own punk band, a three-man piece called Mucous Membrane. They released an album, and it was on their first tour that John got his first taste of magical heroism, and the disasters it would rain down upon his life.

On tour with his band in Newcastle, John stumbled across the aftermath of a horrific magical incident: an abused child - a little girl called Astra - had taken revenge on her adult tormentors by tapping into her raw innate magical abilities, conjuring a vicious monster to slaughter them in the middle of an orgy - and now the monster refused to leave the mortal plane. With a recklessness that would soon enough become his MO, John convinced Zatanna, Chas, his bandmates, and several other occultist friends to pour their power into summoning a demon of their own to combat the monster. Sadly, while their abilities were enough to bring forth the creature, they were not enough to bind it to their will. The demon, Nergal, killed the monster, and then tormented Constantine's friends and snatched Astra away to Hell. John suffered a nervous breakdown, severing ties with everyone he knew, and eventually being committed to Ravenscar Psychiatric Hospital, only ever keeping regular contact with Chas Kramer.





Constantine was released from Ravenscar in 2010 with a clean sign-off on his mental health - despite persisting nightmares - and several 'goodbyes' from inmates and keepers alike. Constantine had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer - brought on by his continuing smoking habit of nearly 30-a-day - and he'd been let out to enjoy his last days in freedom. The world had changed during his time in the ward, and was now filling up with extraordinary men and women, on all sides of the moral compass, and while Constantine knew that perhaps he was one of them, he refused his call. Instead, he traveled to Ireland to seek out a friend he once had who he believed could help cure him with magic and rituals.

He found Brendan dead, having drunk himself to death with rampant alcoholism and a suspiciously infinite supply of the best wines known to the world. It was at Brendan's funeral that Constantine had his first encounter with the entity that would become his greatest nemesis - the First of the Fallen, one of the three Triumvirate Rulers of Hell. Brendan had sold his soul to this being in exchange for an endless cellar of the finest wines in the cosmos, and the First had arrived to collect. Not wanting his old friend's soul to be eternally tormented in Hell, Constantine proposed a final toast to the mortal - spiking the First's wine with Holy Water, and tricking him into drinking it, rendering him helpless and unable to collect Brendan's soul. Unable to collect before midnight, Brendan's contract was declared null, and his soul ascended to Heaven. Wounded by the insult of being fooled by a mortal, the First declared Consantine's soul his by the 'right of insult', and swore to collect him upon his death and render unto him torment twofold, enough to make up for the soul he lost.

Slowly dying from cancer, Constantine created a plan. In secret, he summoned both the Second and Third of the Fallen - the others of the Triumvirate - separately and struck up deals with both, pledging his soul now three times over. Soon, the First, Second, and Third discovered Constantine's scheme, and realized that should he die, the Triumvirate would erupt into a war over ownership that would tear apart Hell and of which the only true winner would be God and His angels. Too proud to form an alliance, they instead decided that their only option was to cure John of his cancer, and allow him to live. While doing this, however, they also took their power to create a counterpart to Constantine, a Demon formed of all his worst attributes and vices, but lacking none of his cunning or magical prowess. In doing this, they were assured that when Constantine's soul finally came to rest in Hell, it would be consumed by this Demon, whose power would be near unparalleled, and used for naught but evil and the destruction of Earth and Heaven. John knew this, and in cunning desperation, contacted God. His aspect appeared, and came to converse by campfire. John warned Him of the demonic power that would be released if his soul was to come into Hell, and that such a being would surely topple the Triumvirate and unleash countless Demons upon Earth and to assault Heaven, and shut the Gates of Hell so that the damned would have no rest, and be forced to rise again. Constantine blackmailed God into keeping his soul from Hell to prevent this. God knew that the events John described would come to pass, and agreed - but before His aspect disappeared from Earth, He warned John of great suffering that would soon visit itself upon his life.





​
John drifted for a time, travelling throughout and between England and the US, performing as a stage magician and learning more about magic and his abilities, and occasionally being drawn into occult business. He found himself in America for a time, investigating occult happenings and aiding with his magic where he could, but soon left again, and came back to Britain to reconcile with his sister Cheryl, whom he'd thought dead. It was at that time that a Magic War erupted in London, and Constantine found himself thrust into the middle of it, his sister dragged in with him. He allied with an entity known as the Shadow Dog against a demonic being known as The Beast; the ensuing battle and eventual victory left him vulnerable, and he was ensnared by the demon Rosacarnis, under commands from the First, who bound him to her will for day. She had John father three demonic children, who then went on to slaughter anyone who had ever known Constantine - from family and friends to enemies and those who had met him only briefly as an ally in the Magic War. Cheryl's husband, a pious man, was whipped into religious fanaticism and pushed to see his wife as a witch - and she was duly slain by his hand. In grief, Constantine dove into Hell to retrieve her soul and resurrect her, accompanied by the demon Nergal.

It was not long through their journey that they encountered the one who barred Constantine's entrance into Hell; the demon created from his negative aspects. John was forced to allow Nergal possession of him to defeat the Demon Constantine, tainting his soul irreparably. Eventually, John and Nergal arrived at the hall of Rosacarnis, wherein a feast was being held with Rosacarnis, the First, and Constantine's three children in attendance. John baited Rosacarnis into attempting to slay him in return for Cheryl's release, but as she attempted to do so, the First intervened and immediately killed her as well as two of the three demon children she had forced John to sire, declaring that Constantine was his to collect when he deemed.

Alone with Constantine, the First summoned up Cheryl's soul. He deemed her pure and innocent, a soul that truly did not belong in Hell - but offered her a deal. Telling her that her husband killed himself after murdering her, and was therefore twice-damned, the First offered to fairly divide his punishment between him and Cheryl if she remained to be tormented in Hell of her own free will. Constantine argued and pleaded in vain against it, screaming that her husband had murdered her and was not deserving of such mercy at one's own suffering - but ultimately, Cheryl still loved her husband too much, and agreed to the deal, deciding to stay in Hell, and preventing Constantine from bringing his only remaining family back to Earth. The First gloated, and sent John back home, and in mad grief he ran into the night and fled to America, turning his back on Britain and the torment he suffered there, only Chas Kramer following him.



Now, it is 2016, and Constantine is 27 years old, a resident of Chicago who likes to holiday in Gotham, earning a living as a Private Investigator of both mundane and paranormal matters, as well as being drawn into occult conflicts and slowly growing into his role as a hero of Earth - as much as he hides from it. While cynical, disillusioned, and foul-mouthed, and still going strong with his smoking habit, Constantine is a compassionate Humanist at heart, and struggles to keep the forces of both Heaven and Hell in check within himself and in the world around him, seeking to keep humanity free from either influence.​

Attributes:
While Constantine's magical prowess is most certainly not to be dismissed out-of-hand, he rarely relies on it, especially in the midst of combat. He faces his challenges instead armed with the cunning and quick-thinking that his family line is nearly legendary for, as well as his vast knowledge of the paranormal and occult, his skill at manipulating friend and foe alike, and his extensive list of contacts - which, combined, are often more useful than the spells, rituals, and curses at his command. John Constantine is considered by many to be the world's greatest con-man.

Constantine's sorcery is still a force to be reckoned with, however. With experience in Evocation (the calling of supernatural entities), Illusion (the distortion and misdirection of the senses), and Necromancy (the summoning of, and communication with, the dead), John Constantine's magic spans many fields. He also has a wide range of protective magics at his command, shielding him from both physical and supernatural attacks, and well as protecting his mind from offenses such as telepathy, possession, and mind control. John is also capable of using sigils and runes to block omnipresence for a time, rendering his actions completely secret for a period of time, similar to when he dealt with the Second and Third of the Fallen to trick the First. John's offensive magic is less practiced than his defenses, but still capable of mild electrokinesis, telekinesis, pyrokineses and immobilisation. John's magic has also permanently granted him a form of Third Sight, allowing him to see Demons, Angels, and Half-Breed for their true selves constantly, regardless of what disguises and illusions they have thrown up to hide themselves among mortals, as well as allowing him to utilise magic to dispell camoflauge.

Finally, beyond his wielding of the arcane arts, Constantine is also versed in the use of stage magic, including sleight of hand, pick-pocketing, and escapology. He is also in possession of many magical - or anti-magical - artifacts, some of which he uses regularly to battle the forces of Heaven and Hell.​

EQUIPMENT:



Stomping Grounds:







People of Note:















Character Goals:
My Constantine's immediate goal is the retrieval of Astra's soul from Hell, a fate he indirectly inflicted on the girl, and something he considers his greatest failure that still haunts him today. Beyond that, Constantine defends the world from the influences of both Heaven and Hell, and works to solve crimes and mysteries of both mundane and occult natures. Hopefully, he will come to be friends with the major heroes of the DC universe, and go on to recruit Deadman, Zatanna, Black Orchid, and Andrew Bennet to form the Justice League Dark. He will also deal with the First and his activity, and resolve supernatural phenomenon that have been haunting him since his birth.

Sample Post:

Name:
Bobo T. Chimpanzee

Alias:
Detective Chimp

Origin:

TL;DR, "Homeboy is a talking chimp."

Originally a chimp from equatorial Africa, Detective Chimp was taken from his home by circus owner Fredrick Thorpe, who named him Bobo. Thrope taught Bobo sign language and a routine of rudimentary answers to pre-determined questions. Labeled "Bob the Detective Chimp," the act was a hit across the country. During a road trip through Florida, the circus convoy was involved in a freeway pileup that overturned cars and set animals free. Bobo was among those that fled into the woods in the confusion. After weeks in the wilderness, the chimp discovered a strange pool near the everglades. This pool was revealed to be the long sought after Fountain of Youth. Bobo drank from it and discovered its side effects immediately. His intelligence skyrocketed to genius human levels. With his new intellect, he found his way back to civilization and Thrope's circus. It was soon discovered that Bobo could, in fact, speak and no longer needed sign language.

Bobo's new abilities led to a boom in the act with people everywhere flocking to see the genius chimp. In San Francisco, Bobo found his calling. During a routine show, Bobo was able to deduce that an audience member had murdered his wife. The sensation of the story led to more headlines for Bobo and his eventual falling out with Thorpe. He left the circus and, after drifting through the country, became the world's first chimp private eye.

Attributes:
DC has the physical characteristics of a normal chimpanzee. Intelligence wise, he is one of the world's greatest detectives with a genius-level intellect and mastery of over a dozen languages.

Stomping Grounds:

Opal City

A mid-sized metropolis in Pennsylvania, Opal City is a very blue collar town that Detective Chimp uses as his base of operations. As part of the Rust Belt, Opal is dealing with a lack of industrial jobs as more and more manufacturing goes abroad. High unemployment and suburban flight has led to urban decay throughout the city. On top of that, an apathetic police force has given way to more corruption and disconnect from the people they have sworn to protect.

People of Note:

Effie Peters - Detective Chimp's secretary/Girl Friday

Effie assists Bobo through his cases during the day while she attends law school at night

Jake Lonnegan - A short-con grifter operating in Opal City

Jake is a long-time pro in the Opal City area and acts as an informant and occasional helper for Bobo when the job calls for it.

Sgt. Florence Marlowe - Squad Seargant, Opal City PD

Sgt. Marlowe is a squad supervisor in OCPD's Major Crimes Squad and works/competes with Bobo on cases.

Character Goals:

I just want to do hoodrat stuff with my friends. I'd also like to be a talking chimp detective.

Sample Post:

Opal City, PA
5:21 AM

A grouping of three police cars made a semi-circle around the dead-end alley. Their lights flashed, bouncing off the brick walls of the alley and creating a strobing aura of red and blue lights in the predawn morning. Two cops drank lukewarm coffee out of paper cups while a third stood nearby a tarp covered body.

A pink sedan pulled up beside the cop cars and came to a stop, the brakes squealing. A young, dark-haired woman in a pants suit got out of the driver side. The two cops behind the crime scene tape perked up... until they saw the car's passenger get out.

"They sent you, huh?" one of the cops said with an arched eyebrow.

Walking towards the two police officers was a chimp dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, wearing a plaid coat and a deerstalker cap. A cigarette dangled from his lips. The chimp smiled at the cops and exhaled smoke into the air.

"Yes," said Bobo, the world's first and only chimp detective. "I guess your bosses don't trust your homicide boys.

"Who's the girl?" one of the cops asked, nodding towards the girl.

"This is my friend and associate, Ms. Peters."

"Friend? Since when do you have friends?" the other cop asked. "Oh, my god... is this your idea of a date?"

"What? No," stammered Effie Peters. "You think we're....no...I mean," she quickly looked down at Bobo and turned a shade of red. "Not that there's anything wrong with that."

Bobo shook his head and walked past the two cops. He flicked his cigarette across the alley before crossing into the crime scene. He easily walking under the yellow crime scene tape without needing to duck and reached into his jacket for a pair of white latex gloves. They snapped on with a pop and Bobo approached the body. The third cop gave him a nod and backed up while the chimp went to work. Effie stood by, notebook in hand, while Bobo pulled back the tarp to reveal the dead body.

The victim in question was a man, late middle-age and clothed in a white shirt and gray trousers. Bobo leaned forward and took the corpse's face into his hands. He leaned forward and looked closely at the body's red cheeks and nose. He took a small mental snapshot of the bruises around the neck, deep purple verging on black and all the way around the neck, before moving down to the shirt.

Pinned to the shirt was a white piece of paper with a single number typed on to it.

4

Bobo took note of the gut and looked at the belt and pants. The pants appeared to be in good shape, a spot of fresh mud on the right kneecap. He dabbed a finger in the mud and rubbed it between his latex-covered fingers. Rolling up the pants leg, he examined the veins of victim's legs before going up to the hands and the man's scarred knuckles.

Bobo stood and looked at Effie as the two cops strolled over to see what was going on.

"Are you ready to take notes, Effie?"

"Go for it."

"The victim is approximately fifty-five years old, the cut of his clothing indicates he's wearing a uniform from work. He has varicose veins, which means he did a lot of standing. He's more than likely currently employed as a security guard, but he's only been doing it a few years. No security guard has scarred knuckles like that. His age, coupled with the bloated and red face implies he's a heavy drinker. Only one job I can think of where one can be a functioning alcoholic and still be paid."

"Detective Chimp?" Effie asked with a smirk.

"Police. Our man was a former cop. The cause of death is strangulation. Someone at least 6'4 had to get behind with him with a cord to make those exact marks. The mud on his pants isn't consistent with what you find around here. The mud looks more like the mud you find out by the Three Rivers area. He probably worked for a business in that area."

"What about the note?" one of the cops asked.

"...Seriously? I have to explain that to you? My God, Jones....I would think OCPD would make sure all their officers had a functioning brain."

"On with it," one of them said curtly.

"Well...let me say this much...the sooner you find out who and this man worked with as a cop, the sooner you can find the next victims."

"The next victims?"

"Yes, the note is a warning. The countdown has started. Three more murders will follow if we don't hurry up. This is the first sign, the sign of the four."

Clark Kent or...

Superman
The Man of Steel

Age: 29
Powers/Abilities:

Superhuman Strength given to him but the sun's radiation. Superman is able to pick up and toss just about any on planet Earth.
Limited invulnerability, small weapons fire and punches from regular humans do hardly any damage. Superman cannot take a round from a tank or stop a speeding train without getting hurt for example. Also if another superhuman with super strength hits him it will hurt.
Solar healing factor. When on a planet with a yellow or other wise young star, Superman can heal extremely quickly.
Superman can run extremely fast and jump impossibly high, he also has the ability to fly faster than a speeding bullet.
Super breath, heat vision.
X-ray Vision is completely operational for our young Superman. Let's just say he figured that one out as a teenager. He is also able to see EM frequencies and microscopic particles/organisms with the naked eye.
He also has a heightened sense of smell and hearing.
Fighting for Superman has been heightened. He has knowledge of ancient Krytptonian forms of martial arts and has even been trained by Batman in situations where Clark did not have his powers.
Superman has two invincible Kryptonian Battlesuits and his cape which is itself invincible.

Weaknesses:
Kryptonite weakens Superman by blocking his ability to use his powers. These chunks of his home planet trick his body into thinking he is on Krypton essentially making him feel human. Walking into a room of Kryptonite will not kill Superman but he will find it hard to function as he will feel like a human which compared to how he usually is means extremely weak. Getting stabbed or shot by a piece of Kryptonite will also block his healing factor making it extremely dangerous. This is the only way Superman could bleed out or die of wounds. The same effect can be achieved when Superman is on a planet with a red or similarly old star. Being on such planets will make him completely unable to use any of his powers and he will be just like a normal human. The amount of gravity on a planet affects his ability to jump and fly. Earth is normal gravity and he is able to fly normally. Put him on the moon or in space and his flying abilities are enhanced but put him on a world with high gravity and it will be hampered. In very very rare cases gravity will make him unable to fly. Of course a red star would make this true as well.
Clark is also weak when it comes to magic as it effects him in the same way it effects most people. Superman's powers are biological not magical so he is susceptible to many forms of magic. In fact using magic against the Man of Steel is the second most effective way of fighting him behind using Kryptonite.

Stomping Grounds:Metropolis, also known as the city of tomorrow is one of the largest cities in the United States of America. The center of the city is occupied by the Island of New Troy, the largest borough in town. Many of the major corporations and businesses (including LexCorp) are headquartered in this part of the city.

One of the newest cities in America, Metropolis has become a sort of "new western frontier" despite its position on the eastern side of the country. Thousands of people flock to the city each year in hopes of finding a better life.

Crime in Metropolis is the lowest in the country due to its unique protector, Superman. Most small time criminals avoid the city out of fear of fighting the Man of Steel. However, on the other side of this debate, a large number of super-villains frequently attack the city simply to test themselves against the most powerful being on the planet.

People of Note:
Lois Lane: Wife
Jimmy Olsen: Long time friend and co-worker
Jonathan and Martha Kent: Parents (Adoptive)
Jor-El and Lara: Parents (Biological/deceased)
Kara Zor-El: Cousin (unknown)
Perry White: Boss
Lex Luthor: Rival/Nemesis

Backstory/Orgins: The last son of Krypton, Kal-El was born to the foremost scientist on the planet of Krypton Jor-El and his wife Lara. As an infant, Kal's father discovered that in a few short months Krypton would be destroyed. Jor-El spent months trying to convince the Kryptonian government to evacuate the planet however they were distracted by the uprising of General Zod the foremost military leader of Krypton. Ignored by the government, Jor-El began constructing prototype spacecrafts capable of bringing his family to a new home. Time ran out however and as the planet destroyed itself killing billions, Jor made sure his son would escape by placing him in the only working stasis pod in working condition. Jor programmed the ships Braniac computer to target worlds with yellow suns and low gravity knowing that it would make his son a god among men. The planet was destroyed and the only surviving pieces of it became known as Kryptonite.

Years ago Kal's pod crashed in Smallville, Kansas where he was found and adopted by the Kent family. Renamed ClarkKent, he was raised as a farmer and taught good morals at a young age. The only thing remaining from his Kryptonian heritage was a red cape with a black El family crest on the back. As a young child he often used it as a blanket. It wasn't until the age of ten when Clark's parents told him of how they found him after he had shot lasers out of his eyes for the first time. They told him that they had no idea where he was from but they knew his real parents must have sent him to Earth for a reason. Clark's father then explained to him that his powers were only to be used for good. Growing up Clark was bullied at his local elementary school but never raised a hand at his attackers saying that his parents taught him to never "punch down." During this time, Clark began to discover his powers. At the age of 11, he saved a bus load full of kids from drowning by pulling it out of the water during a school field trip.

During his freshman year in high school, Clark fell in love with his childhood best friend, Lana Lang. Despite his nerdy personality and what some would consider a naive viewpoint of the world, the two began dating. They stayed together all throughout high school but eventually grew apart when they attended college states away from each other. To this day, Lana is the only other person besides Clark's parents that knows about his powers.

In college Clark was room mates with a rich young man named James Olsen. The two quickly became best friends though Clark kept his powers hidden. Jimmy majored in photography and Clark in journalism where he met Lois Lane. She became the third part of the trio and throughout college the three became extremely close. Eventually Clark began to have feelings for Lois but never acted upon them because of his plans to reveal himself to the world after college.

During college, Clark practiced his abilities. He honed his speed and agility as well as his super sight/hearing. He never quite mastered flying or heat vision during this time but has become adept enough to use these abilities to his advantage.

After the trio graduated, they moved to Metropolis together. Jimmy's parents bought them a large three bedroom apartment in the city where the three live together. Within a week, they all got jobs at the Daily Planet. The newspaper had recently been bought by billionaire Morgan Edge and was having a new building being constructed.

After settling into his job and new home for a month, he disguised himself and went to a local clothing shop. He had 100 t-shirts printed with the 'S' logo from his cape on the torso and begins his career.

Clark spent the next seven years protecting not only Metropolis but the entire planet. His long time rival, Lex Luthor being his primary enemy. He became one of the founders of the Justice League during Darkseid's invasion and eventually took a leading role in the organization.

Perhaps the most dangerous of Superman's enemies has been Brainiac. Clark has fought the creature on multiple occasions, the last of which took the entire Justice League to stop the invasion.

Character Goals:
Basically I want to humanize Superman a bit more. He already has a sense of humor in my favorite adaptations of him and I want that to show. I also want him to discover his Solar Flair ability and to go through what he is going through in the actual comics now. (Loss of power and secret identity.) One thing I do really think would be cool is if we could do a Justice League event in where we all get involved in a war between Darkseid and Brainiac.

Can't post tonight or tomorrow, tonight because birthday stuff. And tomorrow i'm travelling.

Name: Kar'a of House El, daughter of Zor-El and Alza. Much of her given name does not translate into terran languages. On Sol-III, Kar'a has a few aliases, chief among them the US native Kara Connors.

Alias: When she dons the ceremonial vestments of House El Kara becomes Supergirl, guardian of Sol-III.

Origin:

Kar'a of House El was born to an esteemed line, but one long past it's golden hours. Where House El had once been noteworthy for it's Science and Administration Caste members, too many generations had past without anything of note from House El. Some said this was starting to change with brothers Jor-El and Zor-El; both were well known in their fields, though both struggled to overcome the dwindled fortunes of House El. Political connections had been lost to both brothers, making their climb to renewed respectability all the more impressive.

And ensured their story, and the story of every Kryptonian, would end in tragedy.

If House El had retained it's prominence, maybe Kryptonian decision makers would have listened to Jor-El. Had Zorel been convinced by his brother sooner of the coming end of times, something could have been. Something, anything. But nothing was done, for no one listened. When the universe gave signs of ruin no Kryptonian could dispute, it was already far too late. Krypton was in it's last twilight.

Many young Kryptonians refused to accept it. Surely their futures were not gone already. Something could be done, anything? Some tried. Ero of House Rol, the most renowned mind of the Science Caste, became convinced of a universal doorway that could be constructed, and used to at least get some young Kryptonians off the surface. Individual craft, he argued, would never get enough Kryptonians off the surface to make a difference. Most would likely die in the long, A.I. directed, trip to whatever destination while the Kryptonian lay dormant in stasis.

Where the renowned dismissed the idea, Jor-El and Zor-El became obsessed with it. All they needed, the brothers argued, was to get Kal and Kar'a off the planet. Kal was so young, and the trip so inherently dangerous, that Jor-El's wife nearly talked him out of sending the infant. But Kar'a promised she could look after him, and protect her infant cousin. The mission was finalized, construction and training for Kar'a began. It was then that Kar'a said saw many of her friends for the last time, saying farewells before retreating to Jor-El's secluded citadel.

Kar'a still keeps a picture sent to her by a group of her friends, all of them together for the final end, mere hours before the dying began.

The best laid plans...as predicted, something went wrong with the plan of House El. Kar'a craft went off course, slipping through an unrecorded wormhole. The A.I. of her craft, Sanctuary, corrected the course, but the damage was done. Going off course would cost Kar'a twenty seven years, unknown to a frozen in stasis Kar'a. She would spend an unknown amount of time at the bottom of one of Sol-III's oceans, until a figure with alabaster skin and starlight for eyes came to her in dreams, and gently pushed her back to realm of the conscious.

It was Kar'a first contact with any Terran, and the figure's protective nature, to say nothing of what he did for her, would do much to open Kara's mind and heart to Terrans. After awaking just in time to save Sanctuary from major damage, Kar'a would spend days repairing Sanctuary to full functionality and working order. Immediately after, Kar'a moved onto the second thing on her 'To Do' list: expose herself to the yellow sun. The resulting chaos in her physiology would result in Kar'a becoming quickly ill, but even quicker was she feeling better. Better than ever. And soon after that, better than she ever could have imagined.

Sanctuary set up a training regiment for Kar'a, and soon there were endless days of VR training in Sanctuary, and live training over the depths of the Atlantic. Soon Sanctuary would locate Kal, but twenty seven years was too long for Kar'a to retain any hope that Kal might know her, or be compelled to listen to her as another Kryptonian might. Sanctuary suggested Kar'a seek him out, but she would not: not until she knew more about him, until she knew he wasn't completely "humanized."

Instead, the plan became her own covert assimilation into the population of Sol-III. Months of training and research on Sol-III followed, all of it in the utter isolation of Sanctuary and the Atlantic ocean. Eventually a plain was laid; Kar'a would adopt the alias of Kara Connors, Sanctuary would break into human computer networks and establish the details of the identity. Since money was needed, Sanctuary took it from the computerized bank accounts of several human corporations that Kar'a had discovered during research to be more harmful to the planet and eco-systems of Sol-III than good.

The alias and funding in hand, Sanctuary edited the records of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston to make Kara Connors a first year student; one face among so very many. The school's strong record in Science and Technology appealed to the Kryptonian Science Caster. The idea was to provide Kara with an introduction into not just Terran technology and science, but an introduction into the society and culture of 'hew-mans' as well. During her stay at MIT, the Astrology department reported several break-ins. Nothing was ever taken, but their instruments and computers were always left pointing to the same sector of deep space. Despite searching for curiosity's sake, the MIT astrologists could never find anything in the sector of space. Only debris and light from an explosion of incredible magnitude.

Once Kara Connors left MIT, the break-ins stopped. While her assimilation to Sol-III and it's customs weren't complete, she'd been given an opportunity to get closer to someone she had highlighted during her research: Lex Luthor. His Presidential campaign had come through Boston, and there Kara had dazzled a pollster working for the Luthor campaign with her ability to compute even complex statistics in her head. Moreover, Kara offered several algorithims for more efficient, improved, polling. Quickly, the pollster gained permission to hire Kara, and take her to Lex Luthor For America's national headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Though Sanctuary warns her about going too far with her "bizarre" fascination of Lex Luthor, even the A.I. can't deny the benefit in keeping an eye on the 'hew-man' that they've noticed Kal keeping an eye on. Luthor may be her only connection to Kal thus far, and so far she remains unwilling to let the connection go. Sanctuary suggests she is still trying to protect a grown, and largely "humanized" Kal. Kara dismisses it, attributing it to scientific-like curiosity, and little more.

During her stay in Boston, Kara remained an undercover student. For much of her stay in Washington D.C., the same has been true. At least, until three 'hew-mans' assaulted the Smithsonian with a suicide bomb, followed by gunmen. The bomb went off, right into Kara's chest, covered by the ceremonial vestments of House El, and the sheild of House El. One of the gunmen, in their broken English, pointed his weapon at her and screamed, "Death to Superman!"

After punching his lights out, Kara sneered over the men. But a survivor and eye-witness took up the idea, explaining to the television news camera that was pointed at him, "It wasn't Superman, it was SuperGIRL." Currently, the Department of Homeland Security is coordinating with the NSA to discover the true nature of this "Supergirl."

In the meantime, Kara has gone back to laying low, and getting further into terran culture. She has a friend, who showed her icecream, and movies, and high heels, devious and evil a remnant of terra's sexist history as exists, as far as Kara's concerned.......though they do make her legs look rather good. At a campaign function, she was introduced to a Kyle Kayce, a military officer for the US, and a 'hew-man' that possessed the unusual ability to make Kara laugh, seemingly whenever he wanted to.

Despite her caution, and warnings from Sanctuary, Kara accepted Kayce's offer to go on a "date." They have gone on three, and while Kara finds herself enjoying the man's time when they can find mutual time together, there are no illusions on her end: she is using Kayce to acclimate herself to Sol-III, and for information on the US military. He doesn't realize it, but Sanctuary is hoping to use he and his secure work laptop as an entrance to the U' military-intelligence complex's "secure" internet.

While information on the US and it's intentions are nice, what Kara really came to D.C. for was Lex Luthor. After several promotions within the Luthor campaign, Kara Connors finds herself close enough to Luthor's senior staff that she has seen Luthor already a dozen times, and been introduced to him once. It's only a matter of time until Kara and Sanctuary have the opening they need to learn much, much more about Luthor and his intentions.

Attributes: Like all Kryptonians under a yellow sun, Kara possesses vast superhuman strength, speed, and stamina; invulnerability; flight; super breath; x-ray vision; telescopic and microscopic vision; freeze breath; heat vision; and super hearing. Unlike most other Kryptonians left, Kara was truly raised in the Kryptonian culture. Her training as a Kryptonian of the Science Caste remains her foundation; her work with, within, and upon Sanctuary and it's A.I. a clear testament to that.

Stomping Grounds: On a daily basis, Kara has found herself rooted in the Washington D.C. area, working in the national campaign office of Lex Luthor for President. In her off time, the world is literally her playground, though she maintains a small apartment a short bus ride from the campaign office in D.C.

People of Note:

Sanctuary - advanced A.I., as well as the modular vessel that brought Kara to Sol-III. Kara's partner/sidekick.

Kal - cousin. Aware of his existence, watching from a cautious distance for now. Afraid he's "turned" human.

Gemma Hamilton - next door neighbor, fellow college student turned campaign staff, closest thing to a normal friend Kara has to speak of.

Lex Luthor - smartest man in the world, by Kara's estimation. Not the wisest. Kara finds herself fascinated, but will only study him from afar...and within his organization.

LCDR Kyle Kayce - aviator in the US Navy assigned to the capital as a congressional attache. Kara Connors has gone on three dates with him in the past month; apparently this holds some social significance on Sol-III. What social significance, exactly, Kara couldn't say.

Dream of the Endless - he found her while she lay in stasis at the bottom of the Atlantic, and rescued her from never-ending sleep of a malfunctioning stasis pod. Sometimes Kara feels his presence when she sleeps.

Character Goals:

I want to write a good, quality, Supergirl. A girl who lost her entire world, then lost decades of her life, only to re-emerge on a strange world filled with stranger people. Survival is an ongoing crisis, a struggle to come up with new reasons to stay, a struggle for her soul between tragedy and tomorrow's hope. This Kara will be an alien first, and a superheroine second. Less irrational teen girl, and more overwhelmed young Kryptonian woman, just trying to find a solid place to hang onto in the great cosmic storm that is the ever-expanding and volatile universe.

I'd like her to get close enough to Lex to have some idea of what he really is, maybe even really tangle with him.

I'd like her to eventually meet Kal, even see Smallville.

More than anything, just want to get her involved in story arcs. I don't always play well in isolation.

Sample Post:

Do you know what infinite darkness is...?

"My name is Morpheus, and I know it well, Kar'a of Krypton. It eventually ends. You can wake up--I know the way. You need only follow."

Follow you to fire and ruin? There is nothing left for me in waking, Morpheus. Nothing left for me, any where.

"There is Earth, and soon water. Awake, Kar'a of Krypton. Before you drown."

The scream had frozen in her throat; from her very last conscious moment, watching her parent's great home shake violently and crumble as fire exploded from the sky all around. Krypton was dying, and unlike it's people, the planet had no intention of going quietly into the night. But while the scream had started in the dying gasps of Krypton, it ended in the cold darkness of another planet. A new planet.

Sanctuary's design had factored in all elemental and natural circumstances. Whereas Kal was an infant who could not protest, in Kar'a they had a Kryptonian who was only a year of study away from Final Trials in the Science Caste. She knew the perils, she knew exactly what could go wrong with an automated interstellar vessel. She had the greatest faith in her father and her uncle...but she had still gone over Sanctuary and it's design plans herself. She had still been at Jor-El and Zor-El's side as the vessels were constructed. She still raised every concern about her own safety that she had.

She could have landed on a water world, and Sanctuary should have been fine. She, inside Sanctuary, should have been safe and dry.

So when the darkness passed beyond her and light began to once more hit her eyes, Kar'a was expecting anything but what she actually got: emergency klaxons, and the sickening scent of circuitry burning. For now, the scream and the fire and ruin was shoved from her mind, survival instincts kicking in, her hands more clumsy and stiff from stasis than they ought to be from such a short trip. It made reaching and pulling her stasis chamber's emergency release closer to impossible than design dictated it should be.

Along the far reaches of her spine, she felt a cold rush of panic, all the way from her tailbone to her ears. How far has the design failed? That fear deepened as she finally achieved release from her stasis pod, and fell down to the floor of Sanctuary. The vessel was dark, only sparks illuminating an all too familiar interior to Kar'a. But Jor-El had insisted she spend hour upon hour training for just this very scenario. Her father thought it extreme, but Kar'a was Science Caste like Jor-El...she understood the need for contingency.

But they had never discussed a contingency for three meters of water in Sanctuary, with more bone chilling black water rushing in from...somewhere. "Sanctuary, talk to me." Kar'a half expected the A.I. to be extinguished, despite it's protective casings. Or to not understand her; even she had to admit so soon after stasis that her voice sounded more drunk than newly awakened.

"We are at the bottom of a medium sized ocean."

Kar'a spit the ocean water that had rushed into her mouth when she fell to the floor, drawing her body up uneasily on hands and knees, her hair and everything else soaked. "H2O ocean. Is this it? Did we make it to Sol-III?"

"Yes."

Small miracles. The only light came from her stasis pod, at the moment, glowing like a light bug in a night time Kryptonian forest. It meant the circuitry from the batteries to the computer cores had been damaged. "I thought we were designed for oceanic landings, Sanctuary?"

"We are...we were. A plasma storm along the way has hindered much of my functionality. I would assist you if I could, Miss Kar'a. I do apologize."

She almost chuckled, but for the salt taste still raw in her mouth and throat. "Just relax, Sanctuary. How's the exterior nano-repair?"

"It is the reason we are not completely flooded already."

Okay. Big miracles. It would take time, but the nanite skin of the craft would keep them from drowning--assuming she got main power restored. Normally a safe assumption. But when she could barely seem to use her fingers...? "What happened to me, Sanctuary? I shouldn't be this physically deteriorated, I feel like I landed on an ice world and got left in the elements."

"I am still computing possibilities."

Even as Kara yanked on the release mechanism for the required access panel, her blue eyes twitched upward. "Did water get in your core casings?"

"No."

A few quick yanks, and a small shock that left Kar'a yelping, and at least tertiary power was restored to the interior of the craft. The rest would take a nano multi-tool, a laser cutter, and a lot of spanners. The main tool box was behind a panel that could finally open with tertiary power up and running. But even as her fumbling fingers went about their tasks, Kar'a mind returned to an earlier suspicion.

That Jor-El and Zor-El would try to protect her, even when they were gone forever now, and there was no protecting her from that. "How honest are you right now, Sanctuary?"

"85%."

"Try 95%, and answer my question again."

"Done. Which question, Kar'a?"

"What happened to me?"

"We went off course. You were in stasis for longer than your father and uncle ever anticipated, and--"

"How long?"

"...twenty seven years."

The tears thawed her cheeks from the frozen sting of sea water, burning all the way down to her chin.

"We still have to stop the water and fix the power relay system, Kar'a."

In the frozen black water, Kar'a of House El, daughter of Jor-El and Alza, dropped once more, the shock and horror of it overcoming everything to leave her on the brink of sobbing. Instead, Kar'a finally finished that scream that started during the destruction of Krypton, her last memory of her lost home world.

OOPS

Name:
Alec Holland

Alias:
Swamp Thing

Origin:

Boy Tsigane de la Louisiane (Gypsy Boy of Louisiana)

Alec Holland was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was not planned. Alec’s mother and father were acts at a travelling carnival, they had zero notions of planting roots anywhere, they were gypsies and having a child was not what they wanted. However neither had it in them to abort the child, so on the morning of his birth, a child was placed on the edge of the bayou and left with only a name badge; Alec Holland. Found and raised by a swamp dwelling “witch”, Alec grew with very little contact with the outside world of the bayou other than from television or when his mother sent him out into the quarter to fetch her supplies. Over the years his face became known but not his name and in and around New Orleans, the blonde haired blue eyed rascal came to be known as “Boy Tsigane” or “Gypsy Boy”. Throughout his childhood, Alec began to have a fondness for plant life and nature. Being raised away from normal society was the catalyst for this love. Young Alec would spend hours upon hours in the swamp, unaware of how big a part it would play in his future.

Le lieu au-delà du Marais (The Place Beyond the Swamp)


(Alec Holland)

A second love of young man’s life was his moto bike. Enamoured with everything from the sound of the engine to the touch of the steel on the body, he love dit wholeheartedly. When his mother was dying of cancer, she often told stories to Alec of when she was a young girl about how one night during a massive thunder storm, she got caught out in it and became lost. Alone and frightened, she saw a light and followed to « a place beyond the swamp. A magical, wonderful place » she hoped that Alec would find his way there one day. Upon her death, seventeen year old Alec climbed onto his bike and took off. The Bayou wasn’t the place for him anymore.
After touring the country on his bike, Alec finally decided to turn his love of nature into a career, becoming an enviormental expert, mountaineer and explorer. Alec travelled not only the USA but the world, taking his bike with him wherever he could (except when he climbed the likes of Everest aged just 19). He had become the Gypsy Boy once more.

Racines de plantation (Planting Roots)


(Alec and Abigail)

After several years of riding the roads, climbing mountains and traversing sees, Alec returned to Louisiana. Looking to relax after a few hectic years of extreme sports and normal adventures, he took a job as a gardener for the wealthy Arcane family. Alex thought it would be a relaxing gig. He only had to work a couple of hours every morning, then he could get on his bike and ride the roads at night. It was supposed to be relaxing but it was oh so far from it. Upon their first meeting, Alec did not trust his new boss Anton Arcane, he was for the lack of a better term « creepy little bastard » who had made a fortune out of science experiments. Two weeks after Alec started ,a second visitor arrived at the plantation, Abigail Arcane , Anton’s daughter. And thus of course, an ill fated romance began. One would not think that these two lovers were made for each other. Alec was a crude, rude and tattooed rider, Abby was a prim and proper princess. What drew the two together was their love of plant life, a love that evolved to one for each other. For them, it was like catching lightning in a bottle. The two eventually married and settled in a small cottage just outside the bayou where Alec had grown up. Not long after, Abby gave birth to a baby girl, Tefe.

La Mort de Alec Holland (The Death of Alec Holland)


(Alec, Abigail and Tefe, three hours before his death)

With the birth of Tefe; everything seemed to be perfect for the new Holland family. Sadly, Anton Arcane had finally had enough of this outsider ruining his family, his life’s work. Anton had spent the better part of his life trying to tap into something called The Black; an elemental force strongly ascociated with decay, rot and death. Believing he had finally found a way to tap into the Black, Anton began machinations that change the course of fate forever. Asking his son William to take Abby and Tefe out for the night, Anton approached the Holland home in the dead of the evening and knocked on the door. When Alec opened, the elder Arcane shot the young gardener point blank in the chest. He then quickly doused the two of them in a formula of his own making and set the house ablaze. Both men were engulfed in fire and Anton could feel himself being pulled into the Black. Alec with what little strength he still had in his dying body, smashed Anton in the face with a framed picture of his young family and fled the house. His body still alight from Anton’s ritual, Alec fell into the nearby swamp and his heart beat its final beat.

L 'avatar du Vert (The Avatar of the Green)

In the moment of his last breath, Alec awoke in an ethereal place, a green place. Was this The Place Beyond the Swamp his mother had told him about all those years ago? Entranced by the mystical elements that now surrounded him, Alec was told that he had been chosen by fate to become a champion of Earth, an avatar of the parliament of trees. Without really being given a choice, Alec was imbued with the magical properties of all of Earth’s plant life, becoming the living breathing embodiment of nature. Emerging from the bayou changed, Alec had become encased in thick vegetation, he could not vocalise his words and he had knowledge of strange magics and ancient ways.

Despite a new duty to the world, all Alec wanted was to see his wife and daughter, rushing to his home, Alec was shocked to discover that his modest little house was now an auto shop. Scaring away the mechanic with his terrifying appearance, the creature searched for answers, discovering the date; 2016. It had been twenty years?! How was that possible? He could only have been gone two hours! Despondent, Alec moped around the garage that was once his home and the swamps that had created him, stories starting around New Orleans and eventually crossing the country about the mythical Swamp Thing. In a moment of true peace, the Swamp thing reverted back to Alec Holland and came to a sudden realisation, his old life was gone and now he had a second chance, it was time to make the most of it. Finding his old bike at a garage sale, Alec took to the road and became the Gypsy Boy once more, his goal? Serve the Parliament of Trees where necessary but in reality, get back that which he had lost; his family.

Attributes:
Unique Physiology: As the Avatar of the Green, the Swamp Thing's body is composed of plant-based stem cells that are capable of forming into any form of plant life imaginable.[7]

Elemental Control: As the Avatar of the Green, Swamp Thing has complete control over plant life.

Chlorokinesis

Self-Sustenance: The ability to nourish oneself, typically via an external energy source. In Swamp Thing's case, likely through a form of photosynthesis.

Superhuman Strength: The Swamp Thing's strength level is directly tied to his connection to the Earth. Occupying his most commonly used body, the Swamp Thing is capable of lifting volumes of mass many times greater than his own body weight. With additional power supplied to him by The Green, his ultimate strength level is nearly incalculable

Botany: Alec is an expert in botany and vegetation with an expansive knowledge of plant life, fauna and fungi.

Skilled Motorcyclist: A daredevil of the highest calibre, if he wasn’t so interested in nature there would no doubt that Alec would either have been a rider or a stuntman.

Hand to Hand Combat: Although never trained, Alec can definitely hold his own in a fight.

Survival Tactics: Before becoming the Swamp Thing, Alec was a well-known mountaineer, explorer and adventure who would often head out on his own to some of the most dangerous locations on the planet, so he is well versed in how to survive in the wild.

Bilingual: Alec is fluent in French.

Stomping Grounds:
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- The Arcane Plantation
- The Bayou
- The Open Road

People of Note:

Friends/Allies
Abigail Holland: Alec’s great love. He has searched all over that internet thing to finds her but he cannot. He must find out where she is, even if they never speak, he must see her, one last time.

Tefe Holland: Alec’s daughter with Abigail, now 21, studying botany in college and dating some fool called Buddy Baker (according to something called Facebook, Alec isn’t exactly sure what that is). He would love to re-connect with her but finding a way to say “Hi, I’m your father. I know I look twenty seven and I’ve been dead for twenty years but you know, here I am” is a difficult task.

Chester Williams: A kid of out of time much like Alec, Chester is a wannabe hippy biker whom Alec met upon his return to the land of the living. Initially terrified of the Swamp Thing but eventually after discovering his human nature (and his ability to grow hallucinogenic herbs), Chester became his first confidant.

Buddy Baker: Some wannnabe rockstar dating Tefe; oh Alec really wanted to meet this butthead.

Alex Olsen: The first Swamp Thing in the 1930’s and a direct ancestor of Alec Holland, it seemed the poison of the bayou ran deep in that family. Now the avatar used by the parlimant of trees to communicate with Alec, he acts as his guide and mentor; fun fact, nobody else can see him.

John Constantine: A potential ally Alec has heard about through the grapevine.

Enemies
Anton Arcane/The Rot: Abigail’s father and a right creepy bastard. The very definition of a mad scientist, Anton’s obsession with sorcery vs science was what created the Swamp Thing. Vanishing on the night of the Holland Cottage fire, no one has seen or heard from Anton since. Unbeknownst, he had gone through his own transformation and is ready to finally reveal himself.

Jason Woodrue/The Floronic Man: Once an ambitious young scientist, an ill fated apprenticeship with Anton Arcane led to a similar obsession with the elemental forces of the universe. Imbued with the power of The Green, The Floronic Man began a quest to build an army of followers to await his masters return.

Cyrus Gold/Solomon Grundy: The Avatar of the Grey and the flip side of Alec’s coin. Both hulking beasts sworn to do a duty. The two have clashed several times but Alec can never bring himself to end Solomon as he always come back inside that shell of a monster is an innocent, broken and lonely man.

Avery Sunderland: Head of the Sunderland Corporation and a research scientist; Sunderland had become obsessed with discovering the true nature of the Swamp Thing. With a private army and a limitless budget at his disposal, he will stop at nothing to get to the truth.

Character Goals:
Swamp Thing I believe is a character that does not get the love he deserves in the rp community, hence why I de decided why he was right for this roleplay. My version of Alec is a man out of time, searching for the family he never really had a chance to get to know, while forcibly bound to become a terrifying creature by the powers that be. He's fighting for control of his life. I see him very much like Bill Bixby's David Banner in the old Hulk TV Show. Drifting from town to town, searching for something, something that can save him.

Sample Post:
Pulling one hand from the warmth of a pocket, long standing detective Darryl Frye squats down to grab the dead girls chin, pushing the head slowly to the left side until the wounds that were once hidden becomes visible as two small, ovate holes in the right temple ooze red and white. “Ain’t she pretty?” A young officer, clad in a black leather jacket and converse shoes watched as the February sun set onto the still warm body and blood leaked into the pale grass. “Two puncture wounds to the head, no other signs of trauma or struggle. This definitely wasn’t some random act of violence, this, Harrper was an execution. You know, if Corrigan was still here, he’d have this solved in five minutes” It was painfully obvious to anyone watching that the younger detective, Harper, was sick of hearing about this Corrigan fellow. As the two officers chatted casually over the body, the piercing blue eyes of Alec Holland narrowed. He stood in the gathered crowd, listening and watching. He certainly wasn’t in the swamp anymore. He gazed at the body; a sparkle of gold, a trail of pollen. They couldn’t see it but he could.

Leaving the crowd, Alec subtly followed the pollen trail. It was unusual for such high traces be in the air at this time of year but here it was, like breadcrumbs. Holland would find the girls killer and when he did, he would be the judge, the jury and the executioner; this was the right given to him by the parliament of trees. They had chosen him. Not that it was what he wanted but you can’t fight fate. Alec had been in Gotham for just over three weeks. He doesn’t plan on staying much longer. He just needed to stay until he had enough cash to move on; being dead for twenty years doesn’t help a man’s financial situation.

A heartbeat. That’s all he needed. Alec had spent months honing his newfound talents. He had learned to read a heartbeat, even identify its owner from the rhythm of the beats. Walking the downtrodden neon streets of the Bowery, he could hear everyone. Those that were lost, those that did not want to be found, those preparing to, those that were and those that had committed terrible, unforgiving acts. The vapour trail lead Holland to a familiar place, one he had come to know over his time in the dark city….Of course, it all made sense now.

When he had first arrived in Gotham, Alec had managed to very swiftly gain some employment at a store in the Bowery. At first it was just watering plants but the owner Raf; he didn’t seem much like the gardening type. Sure enough, he soon revealed why he had really hired Alec; to take care of some rivals. Since resurrecting from the dead, Holland’s view point of right and wrong had become very skewed. Now in his mind, if the Green deemed a man evil enough, the Swamp Thing would take care of it. Dispatching the Kush’s was not an issue. Now there was a new target on the Green’s list and Alec knew what he had to do, what the parliament was asking him to do, the question was, did he have the balls to do it?

Before leaving Gotham, Alec had one last bit of business to take care of at Raf’s flower shop. The place was all but empty except for one other man; an Middle eastern male sitting in the centre of the room. Alec took a seat opposite him and the two men sat in silence for at least a minute. “Is it done?” The man asked placing a roll of cash on the table. Alec’s electric eyes never moved from the flower man’s face. “I told you I’d do it didn’t I?” The gypsy responded in kind. “I always keep my word, Raf. The Kush brothers will not be bothering you again” The man now identified as Raf broke his stoney faced façade to breathe a great sigh if relief. “And me? You said you would not let me come to harm at his or his thugs hands” Alec placed his hand on top of Raf’s and gave him a subtle smile. “I did” Raf removed his hand, allowing the gypsy boy to pick up the money that had been beneath it. Alec stood up and placed the dollars in his pocket. “I gave you my word that you would come under no harm by their hand. I said nothing, about harm under my own” Raf began to feel a burning sensation in his hand, his throat tightening. “I normally don’t particularly care for what my employers do, but you Raf, spend your days turning young children into your personal sex slaves and then discarding them like they were trash. That is one thing, I cannot let lie” Every word Alec spoke was deliberate, calm and with class. “The poison that I just introduced into your system acts fast, so you’ll die quick. Your lungs will close, your blood will boil and eventually your brain will shut down. You have maybe a minute, probably less. Your heartbeat betrays you. The Parliament of trees has judged you and I have just executed you”

Origin:
Barbara Gordon was born to James Gordon and Barbara Gordon. She was obviously named after her mother. For a while her parents tried for another child, but they were unsuccessful. When Barbara was a young girl her mother just left one day. She tried to talk to her dad to find out where her mother went, but he would just ignore her and drink.

Barbara's father got better as she aged. But drinking remained a problem for him from that point on. As her father progressed in the Police Force, the more he worried for her safety. He enrolled her in self defense classes at the young age of six. She excelled at it and genuinely enjoyed the sport. She continued her classes and even took other types of martial arts in High School and in College.

Barbara graduated college at the age of 22 with a degree in Forensic Sciences. She had wanted to be an Officer like her father. However he refused on the basis that he didn't want her exposed like him. He thought it was bad enough he had to fight the corruption in the force and the evil on the streets. So even though she really wanted to be an Officer she majored in Forensics. At least that way she could still be involved. It wasn't until Batman showed up the year before she graduated from Gotham University that she knew what she must do.

By day she would work with the GCPD and at night she would be Batgirl. She thought about Batwoman, but that felt weird. She spent her off time working on a costume and some gadgets modeled off bats, just like Batman. She had to thank her dad for letting her see the ones recovered at the scene. After she graduated college she was quickly able to secure work at GCPD as a Forensic Technician, thanks to her father and her prior volunteer work done at the department.

Within a few months Batgirl first hit the streets. Her first few "cases" were muggings, assaults, and a car jacking. What she really lacked was a mode of transportation. She didn't have the proper equipment like Batman to easily go from building top to building top. Which meant she was limited to crimes in progress or happy circumstances.

Since Barbara wasn't one to rely on luck or happy circumstances. She turned her smarts to crimes in progress. She didn't bother with crimes like petty theft or the like. She went after the long games. Her next few cases were small time drug running cases. There was even a case of human trafficking. Her first major case that put her on the map was busting a gun smuggling ring. She interrupted and arrested Penguin's man. Unfortunately she hadn't gotten enough on Cobblepot and he walked away with his lawyer. His buyer also slipped through his tracks, though she tracked down the would be crime lord a few months later.

After she had the route shut down she received a visit from the Batman. He wasn't happy with what she was doing, but grudgingly let her continue, only after he had trained her. For a few weeks she couldn't even don the costume without his permission. Though after he deemed her capable he did gift her with her own set of gadgets: Batarangs, rope lines, etc. Though it would take far longer for her to earn his trust and to for him to tell her his identity, though she was reasonably certain what it was within a week of meeting him in person. To this day she isn't sure when he learned hers. Whenever it was, he isn't talking.

It was also at that time when she learned her that Dick Grayson was also Nightwing. Which also helped her be certain she knew who Batman was. Before that point, despite Bruce and her father being friends, she hadn't had much to do with Grayson. After that the two went from awkward kind of friends to an awkward mutual attraction over the years.

Barbara, in 2014, came to help a quasi-hero group known as the Birds of Prey. She was contacted by a woman code named Black Canary. At first she was hesitant to help out. Two out of the four members were known criminals, Pamela and Selena. However Black Canary pitched a good case and she agreed on the condition that as soon as the Birds of Prey do more harm than good, she would no longer help them out. The longer she aided them the more they relied on her for leads when Black Canary had other things to take care of.

When Barbara was 25, two years after her first encounter with Batman, her life changed forever. One uneventful day she had been at her father's apartment, waiting for him to get off work. It was a typical ritual they followed whenever they could. However this time it wasn't her father who came through the door. It was the Joker. He put a bullet through her and her spine. He left her there, almost dead for her father to find. It wasn't until later she learned that the Joker had been after her father, and her presence there probably saved his life.

Even knowing that, Barbara had a bout of severe depression over being paralyzed. She ended up in the hospital for two months and in physical therapy for a while afterwards. Even after she got out of the hospital she took a leave of absence from the Force, not mental or physically able to go back.

Thanks to Bruce Wayne, a friend of her father's, she was able to afford to take leave and to not worry about not paying for her apartment. Or at least that was what the world saw. While she was recovering she asked him for a favor, and he came through. He helped her gather the equipment she needed to become Oracle.

While she recovered both mentally and physically, often with Dick by her side, she became Oracle for the Batclan first. Then she branched out for the Justice League. She has yet to reach back out to the Birds of Prey.

Attributes:

• Martial artistry
  Barbara's training began when she was six. Her father had enrolled her in self defense classes fearing for her safety because of his job. Later she trained in judo and karate, earning black belts. She was a star athlete even before she took up the Batgirl mantle. After the Joker shot and paralyzed her from the waist down, Barbara continued to train in the martial arts as Oracle. Despite her handicap she has maintained a high level of physical fitness. Being in a wheelchair doesn't slow her down much anymore. She also has extensive skills with eskrima fighting sticks, small firearms, and batarangs. She customarily keeps a pair of eskrima sticks stored in the armrests of her wheelchair as a contingency.
• Intelligence and technological skill
  Barbara has a genius-level intellect and possesses a photographic memory. She likes to think of herself as the most intelligent person from the Batclan. As with her physical skills, her technological skills were developed before she took up being a superhero. Her skills in this area include a vast knowledge of computers and electronics, expert skills as a hacker, advanced research skills, and graduate training in Forensic Sciences.
• Gagets
  Like Batman does, Barbara originally used a wide variety of computer electronics and gadgets during her tenure as Batgirl. As Oracle she often tweaks the Bat Boy's toys to make sure they stay ahead of the newest villains.
• Information broker
  As Oracle, Barbara places her considerable skills and knowledge at the disposal of many of the DC Universe's heroes. She is a skilled hacker, capable of retrieving and dispersing information from private satellites, military installations, government files, and the properties of Lex Luthor. However the Batclan usually ranks first on her priority list.

Stomping Grounds:
Gotham City
GCPD
The Internet and other secure online databases.

People of Note:
Batclan

• Bruce Wayne/Batman
• Dick Grayson/Nightwing
• Jason Todd/ Robin
• Alfred

Birds of Prey

• Poison Ivy
• Black Canary
• Starling
• Catwoman

Justice League

• Whomever happens to on it. :)

GCP Forensics Friends

Tim Drake

Character Goals:
The main goal is I would like for other players to come to her for support and information. That would make me feel like I did a good job at settling her in as a support character. Basically I'd just like her involved with everyone, even if it's only in a minor way.

I'd also like to explore Barbara both as Oracle and as Barbara. How is she doing mentally as well as physically. How does mainly interacting with people through a computer hinder her improvement. Also how does she juggle Grayson and her isolation?

Sample Post:
Batgirl lowered her binoculars as Jim Gordon put the cuffs on Calendar Man. Barbara heaved a sigh and relaxed for the first time since she had placed the call. It was one thing to know what your father did at work. It was another to actually be the one who called the cops to lead them to the bad guy and sit back and watch. No wonder her dad had thrown a fit when she had mentioned being a cop. He didn't want to go through that everyday.

Barbara was glad he didn't know that it was her who was Batgirl. He was happier just thinking of her being a lab monkey. And this way she could do what she loved.

Babs lifted her binoculars again as a dark shape rose from one of the roofs. She tensed all over, ready for anything. A heartbeat later she relaxed again as the dark shadow vanished back into the night. A smile danced briefly on her lips. No matter how had Batman tried, he always showed he cared. It was just harder to spot. Still, even with his belief that everything would be fine, Batgirl didn't leave her spot on the roof until Calendar Man was bundled into a cop car and driven off.

The window to Barbara's apartment slid open easily. She gently popped off the screen and slipped in. Her computer glowed softly in a blue light. She walked over and wiggled the mouse. The screen flashed into life and exposed all the hard work she had done the past week. It had all started on Monday. There had been a robbery at Gotham University's Planetarium. Someone had stolen hundreds of dollars worth of lunar models.

Batgirl, had taken over the case, believing it was a one time occurrence. When another robbery occurred at the Museum. Several valuable pieces from the Roman wing, directly connected to Mars went missing. Batman ended up working on that one with the boy wonder since Babs was still trying to get leads on the first robbery. It wasn't until the third robbery on Wednesday that she put them together.

On a napkin at breakfast she had scribbled:
Monday= Moon's Day
Tuesday = Mars' Day
Wednesday = Mercury's Day

Each of the robberies corresponded to a crime. When she headed off with the Robber on "Thor's Day". She had been confronted with a rather, eccentric man. He had dressed up like Thor, the one from the movies. He even had his own hammer that tossed out lighting like a Tesla rod. That revelation had been a surprise, but a well tossed batarag had the offending object dropped to the ground.

Calendar Man, as he had proclaimed himself had then run off. For a portly man he moved quickly. If he hadn't stopped to change costumes, she might have lost him. As it was she caught him half way changed from his Thor Costume into a costume with calendars on it. She had let him finish dressing before she tied him up and left him for the police. She also left a map to his hideout pinned to his calendar doffed chest.

Barbara shook her head as she powered down the computer. Sometimes even Gotham continued to surprise her. But at least tomorrow at work should be interesting when she got to go to his hide out and catalog his stolen goods.

Name:
Theodore "Ted" Stephen Kord

Alias:
Blue Beetle

Origin:
Theodore “Ted” Stephen Kord grew up to a wealthy family in Chicago, with his father the CEO of Kord Omniversal Research and Development. He was pressed quite hard through his childhood, with the prospect of him following his father’s footsteps initially being what strove Ted for greatness. Ted excelled at school, both academically and athletically. It would seem that once he put his mind to something, Ted wouldn’t be satisfied until he had mastered it, with an example of this being him taking on gymnastics at an early age. Another thing to note was that he also took an interest in computer science. He spent the majority of one of his summer breaks shut off in his room staring at his computer screen, having giving himself the challenge of hacking into the US Defence Network. It was an easy task but a stupid one. Within the hour Special Forces were upon their house, bursting in during the dead of night, their golden goggles shining like that of an insect’s eyes. After all the interrogations and threats, Ted just didn’t seem afraid of the world anymore.

The threats didn’t hinder the boy however and with his continuous high grades and academic achievements, Ted was soon offered a scholarship to MIT at the age of 15. Here he gained degrees in many fields including Physics, Theoretical mathematics and Robotics. By this point he had gone off the idea of joining his father’s business, believing it to be rather dull and boring. He attempted to get a doctorate in his fields, although that too wasn’t to his liking. Instead he just simply decided to travel the world, with him journeying through Europe and eventually most of Asia. This was when he found it. The Scarab. He had watched it fall down from the sky one night while volunteering in a small village in China. Amazed at the sight of the meteorite, Ted had gone to investigate, finding nothing but a small blue piece of metal at the crash site. Realizing instantly that the beetle shaped thing was alien in nature, he phoned his father at once, taking the next flight home at his request.

Returning to Kord Omniversal, Ted and his father Dan set to work on trying to discover what it actually was that he had discovered. After weeks of work, they seemingly came no closer, until finally the thing actually did something. The scarab device began to emit what appeared to be an infinite source of energy. This got the attention of one of the top scientists working at the company, Ted’s uncle Jarvis. Seeking to use the scarab in order to exploit its energy creation abilities, he was promptly fired by Dan. Angry at Dan due to his apparent ignorance, Jarvis murdered him, with him taking the scarab and fleeing.

Ted mourned for many weeks, completely unaware of what had been the cause of his father’s death. This was until he got wind of his brother Jarvis, who was apparently offering an unlimited supply of renewable energy to the largest bidder. Realizing what he had done, Ted vowed that he would get justice for Jarvis’s actions. After being inspired by a news report of some crazy masked superhero in Gotham City, Ted, who was quickly appointed CEO of the company, paid a visit to Kord Omniversal’s R&D department. Here he fashioned a makeshift costume using a Kevlar bodysuit, with him collecting numerous gadgets and weapons, as well as donning a pair of bright yellow goggled, with Ted being inspired by the government agents who had raided his house all those years ago.

It didn’t take long for Ted to track down his uncle. The man had purchased a luxury beach house down in Miami with what he had earned already, as well as hiring a hefty security force. Ted was ready for them though, using a strobe light gun to blind them before they could attack, with him then using his acrobatic and martial art skills he had learnt over the years to quickly take them down. After tricking Jarvis and secretly recording him confessing how he had murdered Dan, Ted apprehended the villain and took back what was stolen from him. However having the Scarab back didn’t fill the hole in his heart.

Deciding that he would become a man that his father would be proud of, Ted decided to stay in the superhero business, with him manufacturing a proper costume and turning the penthouse if the Kord Omniversal building into his secret base of operations. He donned the name “The Blue Beetle”, taking inspiration from the mysterious alien scarab that had changed his life.

Attributes:


Equipment:





Stomping Grounds:



People of Note:










Character Goals:
I'm hoping to try and bring some more life to regularly forgotten character and remind people that Ted is actually smarter than the Dark Knight himself. As for story goals i plan for Ted to:


Sample Post:
"Sir, what the hell is that?"

Tracy's voice broke the hum of machinery and the regular bursts of noice from the blow torch Ted had been using. Turning, he gave the smartly dressed woman a smile, before pulling his goggles from his eyes and hoping down from where he had been working.

“That, my dear Tracy is my latest creation!” Ted exclaimed loudly, ignoring the obvious sound of annoyance emitted by her at the ”my dear Tracy” comment. “The Bug MK-5. She’s sleeker and much faster in fact too, as she can…”

“Sir…”

“… go up to twelve hundred miles per hour!”

“Sir.”

“Oh and you should see the circuitry on this baby!”

“Ted.”

“I’ve made it all much simpler! We shouldn’t be having the issue we had before with the smell. Granted that was my fault but now…”

“Ted?!” Tracy had to shout for Ted to hear her over his constant rumbling. Truth be told, this was a regular occurrence and was obviously something that led to Tracy wishing to throttle her boss more and more on a daily basis. Oblivious to this house, Ted just stared at her, a look of pure confused across his face. Huffing in annoyance, Tracy continued.

“I didn’t mean that heap of junk! You think I actually care about most of the shit you make in here?” Ignoring the babbling that followed from the Kord Omniversal CEO, Tracy pointed to the corner of the room. “When the hell did you get a dog?”

Quickly recovering from his assistants hurtful words and making a mental note to send an angry worded letter to her in the future, Ted let his signature smile run across his face once more, laughing slightly as she pointed to the new member of his family. Truth be told he had gotten lonely after having been bed ridden for the past week. This had been after breaking his leg in the field while giving chase to a group named the Madmen across the rooftops of Chicago. It had been quite embarrassing. Tracy had laughed to his face. This had led him to adopting the Labrador that currently lay before them in his basket.

“His name’s Blue Beagle.” Ted stated happily, having finished explaining the story to her.

“He’s a Labrador.” She stated firmly. “Not a beagle.”

“I know but Blue Labrador just sounded stupid!”

“Like The Blue Beetle then?” She smirked.

Before Ted could reply with what was probably going to be an even wittier remark, the neon blue lights of the penthouse turned to a violent red, with the monitor of the Beetle Computer flashing into life. Ignoring the barks of the Blue Beagle, Ted burst forward, eyes reading the information as soon as it appeared on the monitor.

“Looks like there’s a fire down town.” He stated, noting down the address. Pressing a button on the console, a short whiz from the back of the room sounded as the roof hatch of the Bug slid open.

“You realize that the fire brigade could probably handle it?” Tracy asked, slumping down into the chair in front of monitor.

“Now where would be the fun in that?”

Name:
Michael Jon Carter

Alias:
Booster Gold

Origin:

Michael Jon Carter grew up in twenty-fifth century Gotham. He was born into a poor family made poorer when his father took what little they had and left his mother, his sister Michelle, and he destitute. Despite their financial hardships Carter made the most of what physicals gifts he had inherited from his father and became one of the most decorated high school quarterbacks in the country at the time. Universities across the country sought out his services and eventually after a long recruiting period fraught with accusations of underhand payments, Carter opted to commit to his hometown team Gotham University. Michael became the first true freshman quarterback to start for a Gotham University team and would lead them to a bowl game in his first year of starting. From the outside it seemed like Carter was well on his way to a great deal of college success followed by a financially fruitful professional career afterwards.

That was until the authorities started digging. As more and more accounts of misconduct throughout Michael’s recruiting period came out it became clear that he had in fact taken money in order to support his mother and Michelle. On top of this it became clear that he’d continued to take money once enrolling at Gotham University and that he was in fact academically ineligible. Gotham University was hit with harsh penalties, their wins from Carter’s freshman season were vacated, and until he regained his academic eligibility he was suspended from the field. Physically gifted though he might have been, Carter was by no means a great intellect and failed time after time to regain his eligibility and sensing that he’d outstayed his welcome in Gotham he left and dropped down a division to seek out a fresh start.

Carter eventually found a place at Metropolis State University and led them to great success against much lesser talent. With questions surrounding his character, the corruption that had mired his time at Gotham University, professional teams were reluctant to take a chance on him but eventually the Central City Cougars signed him as an undrafted free agent. He would spend years riding the bench for them, coming in during garbage time in blowouts or to take kneel downs, behind their legendarily durable, Canton-bound starting quarterback.

Only once in his career would a glimmer of the talent he once had rear its head: the Cougars had made the playoffs and were seeded against their fierce cross-town rivals Keystone City and were down big going into the fourth. Their starting quarterback was knocked out of the game by an illegal late hit and Carter was thrust into the game, down twenty-eight, without a hope in hell of bringing the game back. He hadn’t played meaningful football all season, had barely trained with the first team, and wasn’t well liked amongst his peers. But he did the unthinkable and led the Cougars on a furious comeback for the ages, winning the game on a last second broken play that would be seen on every television screen across the nation.

The next week Carter started for the Cougars and led them to the worst playoff defeat of all time as his hometown team Gotham blew them out. The next season his comeback against Central City would earn him a trade to the Metropolis City Metros where he would fail to live up to the large contract they gave him and bounce around the league as a backup once more until eventually he washed out of the league. Unsure of what and where to go next, Carter pursued an acting career and hoped his football background would earn him some regard in Hollywood. It did not. Carter struggled to be taken seriously, as he had done his entire life, and instead opted for stunt man work for years whilst he hoped for some big break to fall into his lap.

Once more Carter’s big break would prove to come at the hands of someone else’s misfortune. Whilst working as a stuntman on the pilot for a network television program called “Supernova” about a superhero in the mould of Superman that patrolled the skies of twenty-fifth century Metropolis, the lead actor sustained life-changing injuries. The accident heaped pressure on the producer to halt production of the pilot but Carter offered to sign a waiver and step into the actor’s shoes instead. He took to it more naturally even than he had taken to football and was cast as the titular character “Supernova” going forward. The first season was well received and the show was brought back for another season though this time the budget had swollen larger than before as audiences expected bigger stunts and more explosions.

Certain the show would continue to be a success Carter took to spending his newfound fortune as freely as if he were pouring water down a drain. He bought houses for his friends, for his sister Michelle and their mother, and even lent money to their father who had reappeared in Michael’s life once he had heard of his son’s success. The cars, women, and houses began to stack up and unwittingly Carter began to burn through what money he had acquired. Worst of all after the second season of “Supernova” received horrible ratings and the reviews stank it was cancelled and Carter was left holding the bill for nearly a dozen mortgages on properties, some of which he had never been to. Broke once more, having squandered another opportunity, Carter declared bankruptcy and took to bartending and working nights at the Space Museum at Metropolis between auditions to make ends meet.

And that is when Rip Hunter would appear in Michael’s life and offer him the chance to reinvent himself once more.

Attributes:

Rip Hunter gifts Booster several pieces of equipment that he has acquired throughout his travels through time that make up Booster’s menagerie of toys. Firstly a power suit upon which there are wrist blasters and that enables him superhuman strength. Secondly a Legion Flight Ring and a force field belt that Hunter personally stole from Brainiac 5 that allows Booster the power of flight and affords him a degree of protection from both physical and energy attacks. And last and certainly not least a pair of goggles that Booster can be used to read the electromagnetic spectrum, for telescopic and microscopic vision, and to protect oneself from sudden flashes of light, but Booster mainly wears them because he thinks they look cool.

Stomping Grounds:

Booster is a former Gotham native and has notably spent time in both Metropolis and Central City though all three cities have changed a great deal in four centuries. In the twenty-first century Booster works out of Chicago due in large part because his ancestor Daniel Carter lives there and Booster once heard that “blood was thicker than water” and wishes to test the extent to which that is true. Conveniently for Booster, Ted Kord also calls Chicago home and thus Booster splits his time between Daniel’s apartment, Ted’s penthouse, and Chicago’s skies.

People of Note:










Character Goals:

The initial point of tension for Booster upon arriving in the twenty-first century is that he’s been deceived. He believes he’s been sent back for one reason, which he believes to be his own personal gain, when in fact Rip Hunter has much greater plans for him. Naturally Booster isn’t going to be very happy about that and I want to explore his reaction to it and attempt to carve something of a niche out for him in the game. Booster and Ted are often a ray of sunshine in otherwise gloomy, gritty storylines and their shenanigans, and their friendship, can hopefully bring a real change of pace to proceedings.

Sample Post:


Today was the day that Michael Carter’s life was going to be changed forever. He sat in the seat of the Time Sphere, his hands wrapped tightly around the seat at its centre, and stared down at his feet. Beside him was his benefactor Rip Hunter who was running some last minute security checks on both Michael’s power suit and the Time Sphere. It wasn’t exactly in great condition and that fact hadn’t gone unnoticed even by Michael’s untrained eye. Rip had explained it only had enough juice to make one journey and that meant once he was in the twenty-first century there was no way of getting back. Understandably Michael was a little anxious about that.

“What if something goes wrong?”

Rip sighed.

“Nothing is going to go wrong.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I’ve done this a thousand times before, Michael.”

Rip’s voice was smoky and authoritative and the look he gave Carter was doubly so and yet Carter’s nerves were no closer to being assuaged. Maybe it was something to do with the copious number of science-fiction films that Carter had watched over the years but he couldn’t help but feel like something was going to go wrong. Something always went wrong when time travel was involved. Anyone that had ever seen a Back to the Future film knew that much.

“But what if I get stranded in the Jurassic Period and have to spend the rest of my life running away from dinosaurs? Or I materialise in the exact same place as a cinder block and I’m liquidated before I even get a chance to smell that sweet, sweet twenty-first century air? Or worse, what happens if I get stuck in the 1990’s and I have to pretend I like grunge music? What then, Rip? Have you thought about these things?”

An impatient Rip Hunter looked up from Booster’s power suit.

“Could you stop talking for once?”

The pair sat in silence for a time as Rip made the last few alterations that were needed before walking off into his Time Lab leaving only Carter and Skeets behind.

“Easy for him to say,” Booster muttered under his breath. “It’s not him that's going to be strapped into this damn thing.”

“There really isn’t any reason to worry, sir, Master Hunter is the foremost expert in chronospace transportation. You’re in safe hands.”

Booster shot the robot a churlish look.

“Why don’t you marry him if you like him so much?”

“Alas, sir, even in the twenty-fifth century robosexual marriage has yet to be legalised. Were it possible though I might give it some consideration.”

“Very funny.”

Before the robot had a chance to respond to Carter’s comment Rip Hunter came striding back into their portion of the Time Lab and hurriedly pressed a few buttons on the platform overlooking the Time Sphere. On a large screen in front of them appeared what appeared to be a heavily-armed militia of some sort making their way towards their Time Lab with menace.

“Skeets, we have company.”

“Locking down the Time Lab, sir.”

A confused look appeared upon the face of Michael Carter.

“Company? What? I don’t understand.”

“What we’re doing here isn’t exactly legal, Michael, there are some people that don’t take too kindly to time travel. You’re going to have to leave sooner than we planned.”

“How much sooner are we talking?”

“Like right now sooner.”

For the first time since Michael had met Rip he allowed himself a moment of seriousness as his thoughts drifted to what little family he had in the twenty-fifth century. His mother and his sister Michelle meant the world to him, it was for them that he had taken those bungs in high school, and for them he had taken crappy acting job after crappy acting job to make ends meet. They had grown up poor and he’d promised himself they wouldn’t have to live their entire lives like that. What would they do without him? How would they get by? Michael shook his head as he pictured their faces before him.

“But what about my sister? My mom? I haven’t even had a chance to say goodbye to either of them.”

The Time Lab began to shake from the as explosion after explosion from the militia outside began to rain down upon it. On the screen in front of them more militia began to appear with every passing second and it seemed like there was to be no stop in the hostilities.

“Sir, I’m not sure how long the Time Lab’s security can hold them.”

Rip stared Michael in the eye intently as he ran his fingers lightly over the buttons on the platform before him.

“It’s now or never, Michael, either I hit this button and you can become a hero, the hero you were always meant to be, or you can stay here and spend the rest of your life sweeping up after people at the Space Museum.”

“Thirty seconds, sir.”

Michael nodded.

“Do it.”

The explosions continued and a particularly violent one hit that shook the Time Lab so badly that Rip Hunter was nearly knocked from his feet. He clutched onto the platform and returned Michael’s nod as he began to adjust the figures on it. “April 8th, 2010” the figure read to begin with but once Rip was done the date stood at “April 25th, 2015” and he hit another button that seemed to lock the date in.

“Twenty seconds, sir, they’re almost in.”

The door to the Time Sphere began to hiss as Michael buckled himself into the seat and Skeets floated inside just as the door shut. The explosions were coming thicker and faster than before now and it seemed like the militia would overrun Rip’s lab in any second. As Carter stared at Hunter a pang of gratitude washed over him as he realised what exactly the man stood before him was doing for him.

“I know I've never thanked you for this but I really ought to,” Booster muttered. “I know I’m not the easiest person to be around sometimes, I know I’m hard work, but you’ve given me a second chance in life, maybe even a third chance, when nobody else would. So thank you, Rip, thank you for everything.”

The Time Sphere began to glow with a white energy and the Time Lab began to spin around Carter and Skeets as they sat unmoving within it.

“Five seconds.”

Less than a second after Skeets had spoken there was a flash of orange light and a loud bang that made it impossible for Skeets and Michael to see what was happening outside the Sphere. The white light of the Sphere overtook them and they were plunged headfirst into the time stream, unaware of Rip’s fate, hurtling head first towards whatever awaited them in the twenty-first century.

“Deactivate Simulation: Enemy at the Gates.”

At the Time Lab the explosions and the banging had had stopped. The militia that had come pouring into the Time Lab had proven to be little more than simulations of Rip Hunter’s own design. Even the damage his lab had taken during the faux-attack had been falsified. Hunter stood alone at the platform, his shame worn clearly on his face, as he eyed the date he had sent Booster to. When Hunter had sought him out he had promised Booster he would make him the greatest hero of all time, that he would be considered greater even than Superman, and that time itself would owe him a greater debt than anyone else. They hadn’t been lies. Allowing Booster to believe he’d be a founding member of the Justice League? Those had. He was going to arrive five years later than he thought. Faking the attack was the only was to ensure that he wouldn’t realise beforehand and call a halt to the entire thing. Rip sighed as he weighed up the morality of what he’d done, the lies he’d told, but within seconds shook his head determinedly.

The universe needed Booster Gold, even if it meant lying to him.

Name:
Commissioner James Gordon

Alias:
"Whiskey Jim" "Schoolboy Jim"

Origin:

James Worthington Gordon was born in Chicago, the latest in a long line of family of cops. When he was sixteen his father was killed in the line of duty. The death of his father was further motivation for him to become a police officer. He joined Chicago PD soon as possible and made patrolman a year later. He married his high school sweetheart, Barbara Kean, and soon had a young daughter also named Barbara. When the girl was just an infant trouble came to the Gordon family. Jim's sergeant, a corrupt policeman with mob ties, targeted Jim for his refusal to take part in a protection racket in their sector. Jim went to Internal Affairs and reported the sergeant. Unfortunately, the case did not stand and Jim was labeled a rat. He was forced to leave Chicago for a job in Gotham City with the PD.

In Gotham Jim learned to keep his head down and his mouth shut. He moved from the beat to the office as a detective and later Detective Sergeant. To cope with his silence, he began to pick up the bottle and drink. The drinking and his general discontent destroyed his marriage with Barbara. One day she left both him and little Barbara. Jim laid off his drinking in order to raise Barbara, but he continued to languish in a deep depression as he saw the horrors of the job and the corruption that plagued the GCPD.

Enter the Batman.

The masked vigilante tapped Gordon, one of the few straight cops in the GCPD, as an unlikely ally. Reluctant at first, Jim began to slowly see the things Batman could accomplish and soon found himself working with him and Deputy District Attorney Harvey Dent to clean up the streets and government of Gotham. Results began to improve, as the three engineered a state investigation into the GCPD that led to the arrests and dismissal of many of the PD's top brass. The vacuum led to promotion for Jim, first to lieutenant then up to major. Harvey Dent swept into office as district attorney and the future looked good for the city and the small band of reformers.

Salvatore Maroni had other plans.

During a trial, the mob boss horrible disfigured Dent with a bottle of acid. The attack caused Dent's already fragile psyche to shatter. What emerged from the accident was Two-Face. With their once ally now an enemy, Jim and Batman found themselves at odds as they coped in different ways: Batman tore up the streets looking for revenge while Jim retreated into a bottle. With Batman's help he was able to get out of that funk and back into the job. After Dent's arrest, Gordon found himself on the fast track to police commissioner. After a brief time as a deputy, he was appointed commissioner of police.

Tragedy struck again when Barbara was attacked by the Joker. A bullet meant for Jim instead paralyzed Barbara below the waist. The closest Jim came to losing his sanity was when he faced the Joker and almost took his life. If not for the timely intervention of Batman, he would have found himself crossing that line and murdering in cold blood.

As police commissioner Jim continues to clean up the GCPD, work with the Batman against the colorful freaks and villains that plague the city, and make sure that the people of Gotham remain safe.

Attributes:

No powers. Jim is a skilled police detective, in relatively good shape for a man his age, and a decent shot with a pistol.

Stomping Grounds:

Gotham City
Gotham Central - Downtown headquarters of the GCPD

People of Note:

Inspector Sarah Essen - Commander of the GCPD's Eastern District, Jim's on and off girlfriend.
Lt. Harvey Bullock - A rough and tumble GCPD detective and commander of the Major Crimes Unit. Jim's right-hand man in the department.
Crispus Allen - Detective in the Major Crimes Unit, a skilled investigator. Partners with Detective Montoya
Renee Montoya - Detective in the Major Crimes Unit, a specialist in interrogation. Partners with Detective Allen
Marcus Driver - Detective in the Major Crimes Unit, a strong arm man. Partners with Sgt. Fields
Sgt. Charlie Fields - Detective in the Major Crimes Unit, second in command behind Bullock.
Inspector Arnold Flass - Jim's former partner, now head of a special gangland taskforce reputed to be corrupt.
Mayor Arnold Krohl - Mayor of Gotham City. Jim's boss and up for reelection this year.
Councilman David Kane - Gotham City Councilman running for mayor.

Character Goals:

My ideas with Jim are to just pump out some good story-telling and interaction with the good Gotham folks where possible. I imagine this Gordon as a figure similar to Cormac McCarthy's Ed Tom Bell or Jame Ellroy's Ed Exley. He is good man who has been exposed to bad things for far too long and has found himself hardened by it. He still believes in justice and the system, but he is willing to bend it in the form of his partnership with Batman to see things done. As much as I love detective stories, I see this playing out more like a western. The lone man in the wilderness, battling his demons and the wicked outlaws in the name of justice.

Sample Post:

These are end times.

Not biblical, seventh seal breaking end of days times. This is something else. This is like standing on the ice of a frozen lake in late winter. The cracks are beginning to show and every movement creates more cracks. On the other side of that ice is a new age, something lurking beneath that dark water that we can see through the ice but cannot truly fathom until the ice breaks. They say that it will be an age of gods. Even now men and women walk the earth who can defy the laws of physics. Each passing day more and more of them come into the world and the ice get a little bit thinner. What looms behind the sheet is a new epoch of existence. The superheroes of today are a vanguard for a new tomorrow. This is the last age of the human race. What waits for us behind that ice is the new humanity.

I don't believe much will change whenever what's coming finally comes. It will still be loud and violent and cruel because that's humans, no matter the place or the time. Ever since the first monkey bashed the other's one head in for a few extra grubs we've skipped hand in hand with violence like a constant companion. That violence will be the legacy we leave the planet when we're gone. The one thing that will change is how the battles will be fought. When men and women can level buildings with a single blow and melt steel beams with their gaze, what hope does an ordinary cop have? In a world like this, what can one man hope to accomplish? I don't have an answer to those questions. I just do what I've been doing for twenty years: Roll up my sleeves, start another pot of coffee, and get to work.


The Bowery
Gotham City

Jim's unmarked cruiser rode in the wake of three GCFD trucks. The trucks' sirens wailed. Their brights lights lit up the night. Jim kept both hands on the wheel and kept close to the fire trucks. The call: a four-alarm fire in the Bowery. Civilians and prosties gawked on the adjacent sidewalks at the convoy. Jim caught the eye of a wino on the sidewalk. The wino flipped him off. The wino tossed a bottle. It smashed near his rolling car. Jim swore he could smell the cut-rate booze. It made his mouth water.

The Thirst beckoned. The Thirst was his siren and bright lights. It tried lured him away from sanity and towards the rocks of binge drinking. Six months without a drink. Six months spent fighting something he was afraid to discover was true. White knuckle sobriety was his way. He didn't truck with AA. Nothing there but sob stories and thinly-disguised Christian tracts. The second of the twelve steps: You must admit there is a power greater than ourselves, and this power could restore us to sanity. He rejected that notion outright. Over twenty years as a cop proved that if a greater power actually did exist, there was no way in hell it could ever restore anybody's sanity. He would not utter falsehoods even for the sake of his own sobriety. He would not be beholden to a sponsor or a higher power.

The trucks pulled up to a four-story flop house. Three other fire trucks were on the scene watching as an inferno consumed the building. It roared and blew heat outward. Ten minutes since the call and it was already fully involved. The firefighters kept adjacent buildings wet in case the fire tried to spread. Containment was their mandate now. Anyone in the burning building could not be saved. Jim shook his head and watched from the car. The sixth building to go up in the past month. Every single fire burned hot and fast, taking out the building in less than a half hour. The previous five were ruled arson. This one would be too.

A knock on his window. A fat, gray-haired man in a firefighter suit stared at him. Jim rolled down the window and caught the smells of smoke and burning. Heat pulsated from the fire and radiated against his face. The fire burned too hot to be natural.

"Commissioner Gordon," he said with a nod.

"Commander. Someone is burning this city to the ground, one rowhouse at a time."

"So it would seem, sir. This one was stronger than the last one. It's those chemicals I found at the last fire, it has to be."

Intuition melded with experience. Thoughts and ideas clicked and unclicked. A hunch coalesced into a theory. Hypothesis formed from hysteria. Experimentation. Theory in practice.

"It's a stronger dose," said Jim. "Whoever is doing this, Commander, is experimenting. These rowhouses are where they're testing these chemicals."

"For what purpose?"

A scream went out from the burning building. A few seconds later he could smell the unmistakable scent of a human body burning alive. Burning hair and fat had its own personal fragrance. He put his hands on the wheel to steady them. The Thirst screamed at him, it begged for him, it needed him... and right now he needed it.

"I don't know," he said slowly. "But we're going to find out."