[hider=The Question]
[CENTER][COLOR=SLATEGRAY][B]C H A R A C T E R   C O N C E P T   P R O P O S A L[/B][/COLOR][h1][color=skyblue][b]T H E  Q U E S T I O N[/b][/color][/h1][hr]
[img]https://www.writeups.org/wp-content/uploads/Question-DC-Comics-Vic-Sage-Dennis-ONeil.jpg[/img]

[CENTER][sup][color=skyblue][b]"My face? Looked too far into a bowling ball returner."[/b][/color][/sup][/CENTER][h3][sup][sub][color=skyblue]C H A R L E S  V I C T O R  S Z A S Z   [color=lightgray]♦[/color]   J O U R N A L I S T   [color=lightgray]♦[/color]   H U B  C I T Y ,  I L L I N O I S   [/color][/sub][/sup][/h3]
[/CENTER][COLOR=lightgray][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3] O R I G I N S:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR]
[INDENT][INDENT][i]"What an asshole."

That was something a lot of people muttered under their breath after a close encounter with Vic Sage; "rough around the edges" was putting it lightly when it came to him. His whole life he's been fighting, maybe not for the right reasons in the eyes of many, but in his eyes he was [b]always[/b] in the right. Fighting is what you have to do to survive in Hub City. The only good influences he had ever had were his mentor, former chemist Aristotle "Tot" Rodor, and his ex-girlfriend Myra Fermin, an up and coming politician. They tried their best to soften his sharp edges, but it seemed like nothing would ever dull Vic's aggressive persona.

Vic's rise to vigilantism was sparked by Tot, whose former colleague Arby Twain was trying to illegally sell one of their inventions: pseudoderm, an artificial skin designed to be used as a bandage. It would've been a miracle, were it not for the fact that the gas used to bond pseudoderm to the skin was toxic when exposed to open wounds, negating the entire point of it. Rodor designed a mask for Vic using the pseudoderm and had Vic topple Twain's operation, with Vic leaving Twain and his cronies bound in pseudoderm in their warehouse before calling in an anonymous tip to the police.

A week later, he submitted what would be his final article for the Hub City Gazette, a piece slamming Mayor Wesley Fermin as incompetent and corrupt and accusing him of having ties to the Gospel of Sinners, Hub City's own crime syndicate. The next day, he and Myra broke up. Three days later, he was fired. Blacklisted from every major news network in the city, Vic was hired by Sam Starr of Starrstruck Media Inc. specifically because of the article. Vic continued his vigilante activities, though there were no major arrests, much as he tried to expose the politicians and public figures embroiled in the Sinners' activities. It was two months into his career that he finally caught his big break: a meeting between Mayor Fermin and the head of the Sinners at the dockside warehouses on Hupert River. He donned his mask, buttoned up his winter coat, and set off into the night in the hopes that he would finally take Fermin down for good.

Vic Sage didn't show up for work the next day.

A year passed with no sightings of the faceless freak stalking Hub City's streets.

Until tonight.[/i][/indent][/indent]
[COLOR=lightgray][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]S A M P L E   P O S T:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR]
[INDENT][INDENT][hider=Aftermath]2:44 AM. The sky above is the color of a television tuned to a dead channel, grey clouds rolling in and thick drops of rain drenching the pavement. I hear the sound of footsteps behind me and turn away from the window to look at Tot, who sets two double shot glasses and a bottle of brandy down on the table between our chairs. He sits down in his chair and uncorks the bottle, pouring two shots.

[color=khaki][b]"A drink,"[/b][/color] he says, lifting his glass. [color=khaki][b]"To Twain and his cronies rotting in jail."[/b][/color]

I lift mine as well. [color=skyblue][b]"To douchebags getting what they deserve."[/b][/color] With that toast, we take our drinks and set the glasses back down on the table. I reach a hand into my coat pocket and pull out the rubbery mask that Tot had designed for me. [color=skyblue][b]"... Think I can keep this?"[/b][/color] I ask.

[color=khaki][b]"Of course. It'd serve as a nice memento."[/b][/color]

A memento. That's all it'll be after tonight. Something to remind me that I did something important, and I'll never do that again. No. It won't just gather dust in a closet for the rest of my life. [color=skyblue][b]"Actually, Tot, I was thinking of using it some more."[/b][/color]

[color=khaki][b]"... What do you mean?"[/b][/color]

[color=skyblue][b]"I don't know. Wear it and go out and beat up some bad guys. Like The Phantom or Green Hornet or something."[/b][/color]

[color=khaki][b]"... Are you sure that's wise? This wasn't the mob, Charlie, it was some scientists looking to make some quick money."[/b][/color]

[color=skyblue][b]"Okay, so I don't start off going after the mob. I go after thieves and street gangs, start small."[/b][/color]

[color=khaki][b]"And take a bullet to the head for it?"[/b][/color]

[color=skyblue][b]"At least I'd die doing something good."[/b][/color]

[color=khaki][b]"You'd die doing something stupid for the sake of your own ego."[/b][/color]

I glare at Tot with a scoff. [color=skyblue][b]"And there it is. What, you think I helped you out because I wanted to feel cool?"[/b][/color]

[color=khaki][b]"Charlie, you helped me because you wanted to do something that mattered. And it [i]did[/i] matter. But there are better ways to fight against injustice than throwing yourself right into a fight with it."[/b][/color] Tot reaches out and places a hand on my shoulder. [color=khaki][b]"You'd just be getting yourself killed."[/b][/color]

I shrug off his hand and stand from my chair. [color=skyblue][b]"Whatever you say, Tot. I'm going home."[/b][/color]

He doesn't say a word as I walk out of the house and get into my car. The rain beats down upon the roof of the old Beetle, a rhythmic thumping that does nothing to soothe my frustration. I clench my eyes shut and take in a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. I reach into my pocket to grab my keys when I feel the mask again, rubbing my thumb along its smooth surface.

Tonight won't be the last time.[/hider][/indent][/indent]

[COLOR=lightgray][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]S U P P O R T I N G  C A S T:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR]
[INDENT][INDENT][color=khaki][b]Aristotle Rodor[/b][/color] - Vic's mentor and oldest friend.
[color=salmon][b]Albert "Al" Kert[/b][/color] - Vic's editor at Starrstruck.
[color=olivedrab][b]Samuel "Sam" Starr[/b][/color] - Founder, owner, and editor-in-chief of Starrstruck.
[color=thistle][b]Myra Fermin[/b][/color] - Vic's ex-girlfriend and sister of mayor Wesley Fermin.
[color=mediumpurple][b]Wesley Fermin[/b][/color] - Mayor of Hub City and brother of Myra Fermin. Vic fucking hates this guy.
[color=peru][b]Jeremiah Hatch[/b][/color] - The Reverend, head of the Gospel of Sinners. Hub City's de facto kingpin.
[color=orange][b]Richard Dragon[/b][/color] - Vic's [i]other[/i] mentor.
[color=indianred][b]Lady Shiva[/b][/color] - Mysterious assassin and martial artist. Kinda killed Vic.[/INDENT][/INDENT]

[COLOR=lightgray][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]P O S T   C A T A L O G:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT][hider="The Question" by Simple Unicycle]
[hider=Act One: Odyssey]
[color=skyblue][b]Issue #-1:[/b][/color] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5543812]Overture[/url]
[color=skyblue][b]Issue #0:[/b][/color] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5359012]... Like A Butterfly[/url]
[color=skyblue][b]Issue #1:[/b][/color] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5359112]Devotion[/url]
[color=skyblue][b]Issue #2:[/b][/color] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5360185]... Like A Bee[/url]
[color=skyblue][b]Issue #3:[/b][/color] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5363086]Self Care[/url]
[/hider]
[hider=Act Two: Zen And Violence]
[color=skyblue][b]Issue #4:[/b][/color] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5544497]Back In Town[/url]
[color=skyblue][b]Issue #5:[/b][/color] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5545253]House of Balloons[/url]
[color=skyblue][b]Issue #6:[/b][/color] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5545892]Danny Boy[/url]
[color=skyblue][b]Issue #7:[/b][/color] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5546493]Suffer The Children[/url]
[color=skyblue][b]Issue #8:[/b][/color] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5546897]The Binding, Part One[/url]
[/hider][/hider][/indent][/indent]
[/hider]
[hider=The Punisher][CENTER][COLOR=SLATEGRAY][B]C H A R A C T E R   C O N C E P T   P R O P O S A L[/B][/COLOR][h1][color=black][b]T H E  P U N I S H E R[/b][/color][/h1][hr]
[img]https://i.postimg.cc/FHxsDqvr/punisher2.png[/img]

[CENTER][sup][color=black][b]"This isn't revenge. This is punishment."[/b][/color][/sup][/CENTER][h3][sup][sub][color=black][b]F A N G  C H U   [color=lightgray]♦[/color]   V I G I L A N T E   [color=lightgray]♦[/color]   N E W  Y O R K  C I T Y ,  N E W  Y O R K   [/b][/color][/sub][/sup][/h3][img]IMAGE/BANNER[/img]
[/CENTER][COLOR=lightgray][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3] O R I G I N S:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR]
[INDENT][INDENT][i]One day, you have it all. The next it comes crashing down. Everything ripped apart in a New York minute.

The boy that would be known as Frank Castle grew up as Fang Chu, the only son of first generation Chinese immigrants who moved to New York City in the mid 90s. He grew up hard and fast, forced to contend with street crimes all around him and an abusive father who drove his mother to suicide. The day he turned 18, he packed his bags and moved out. He changed his name to Frank Castle in order to distance himself from his past and got a job as a bus boy to support himself, while attending community college in the hopes of acquiring the credits he needed to become a police officer. 

Frank joined the police force at the age of 21, rising up the ranks and making detective at the age of 25. It was during his early years on the force that he met Maria Falconio, whom he began to date and later married after she became pregnant with their children, twins Lisa and Frank Jr. Two months ago, Frank had his biggest bust yet: taking down a drug ring run by the Saint crime family. The heir to the Saints, Bobby Saint, was killed in the raid on their operations. Things were going well for the Castles.

A month ago, the Castles' apartment in the Bronx was broken into. No valuables were taken, but Maria, Lisa, and Frank Jr. were killed. Frank took a bullet to the chest and fell into a coma. 

Last week, Frank woke up.

Tonight, he has a made man tied up in a warehouse on the Jersey side.[/i][/indent][/indent]
[COLOR=lightgray][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]S A M P L E   P O S T:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR]
[INDENT][INDENT][hider=Funeral]The cemetery is silent as the three caskets are lowered into the ground.

Then it's over. Time to leave.

Maria's mother is crying too hard to look me in the eye.

Dave gives me a hug and tells me that I know where to find him if I need anything.

Captain Stacy doesn't say a word as he places a hand on my shoulder and squeezes, before walking away.

I get into my car and start to drive.

My first stop is a pawn shop in the Bronx. The proprietor of the pawn shop, Emil Greco, is one of many associates of the Saint family. The shop is a front for a gunrunning operation. I watched and waited until there were no customers in the store. It took about twenty minutes until finally, it was just Greco. I grab my service pistol and walk out of the car.

The bell above the door dings and Greco looks my way. [b]"Good afternoon sir, we're getting ready to close up, but what can I..."[/b] he trails off, noticing the gun in my hand. I level it at his head and move around the counter, pressing it against his skull. [b]"What the hell is this? You trying to rob me?"[/b]

[color=black][b]"Yeah. Show me what you've got in the back."[/b][/color]

His eyes go wide. [b]"T-there's nothing back there, everything is out fro-"[/b] I whip him in the face with the pistol and he shouts in pain. [b]"FUCK!"[/b]

[color=black][b]"Show me what's in the back."[/b][/color] I give him a sharp poke to the ribs with the barrel of the gun and he springs into action, leading me to the basement of the pawn shop. Guns and ordnance line the walls of the room and there are dozens of crates filled with even more: pistols, SMGs, shotguns, rifles, Goddamn [i]grenade launchers[/i]. It was enough to supply a militia.

Or a one man army.

[color=black][b]"Thanks."[/b][/color] I slam the butt of my handgun into Greco's temple and he collapses into a heap on the floor.

Fifteen minutes later and I'm leaving the pawn shop with duffel bags full of guns and ammo stuffed into my trunk. Forty minutes later and I'm on the Jersey side, an abandoned warehouse in Hoboken, dropping off the ordnance. Ten more minutes, I'm outside of a night club run by the Saint family, waiting for one Nicky Francesco. He was a made man, tough guy, liked to beat on women and shoot men in the back of the head before they knew what was going on. We'd been trying to make a case on the guy for months.

Now I didn't need to make one.

He's about to get into his car when I strike, pulling a plastic bag over his head and slowly suffocating him. He tries to scream, he tries to hit, and eventually he's just trying to keep breathing. After that, he's limp in my arms. I drag him to my car and throw him in the back seat, slapping a pair of handcuffs on him just in case he wakes up early.

I drive him back to the warehouse. I tie him to a chair below a dim lamp hanging from the ceiling. I pull up a chair and take a seat in front of him.

And then I wait.[/hider][/INDENT][/INDENT]

[COLOR=lightgray][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]S U P P O R T I N G  C A S T:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR]
[INDENT][INDENT][color=darkkhaki][b]David "Dave" Lieberman/Microchip[/b][/color] - Frank's best friend and fellow police officer.
[color=silver][b]Billy Russo/Jigsaw[/b][/color] - A capo in the Saint family whose face Frank rearranged into a series of scars.[/INDENT][/INDENT]

[COLOR=lightgray][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]P O S T   C A T A L O G:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT][hider="The Punisher" by Simple Unicycle]
[hider=Act One: Genesis]
[b][color=black]Issue #1:[/color][/b] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5543597]Pliers[/url]
[b][color=black]Issue #2:[/color][/b] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5544383]Better Off Alone[/url]
[b][color=black]Issue #3:[/color][/b] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5544903]Triage[/url]
[b][color=black]Issue #4:[/color][/b] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5545568]Room Service[/url]
[b][color=black]Issue #5:[/color][/b] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5546246]Night Terrors[/url]
[b][color=black]Issue #6:[/color][/b] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5547484]Running With The Devil, Part One[/url] (Crossover with Daredevil)
[b][color=black]Issue #6:[/color][/b] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5549092]Running With The Devil, Part Two[/url] (Crossover with Daredevil)
[/hider]
[/hider][/indent][/indent][/hider]