Lord Wraith

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

<Snipped quote by Lord Wraith>

And without a sample. I'm a goddamn legend.

(The sample which I will still be making... Eventually...)

@DocTachyon

Damn, these holidays really have me slipping.

Although I did consider dropping samples on secondary apps.

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

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C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T P R O P O S A L

S O L D I E R S O F V I C T O R Y

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^{_{G R E G S A U N D E R S ♦ C L A R K S A U N D E R S}}

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T:

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^{"What ever happened to the Seven Soldiers of Victory...?"}

The Seven Soldiers of Victory!

The Law's Legionnaires!

The leanest, meanest crime-fighting troupe ever put together!

Unstoppable! Unbreakable! Invincible!

So where did it all go wrong?

Greg Saunders isn't sure how he came to the life. This life, that is, the one full of characters in kooky costumes and mortal men that can bend lightning with their hands. Those memories are lost to him, hidden behind thick panes of glass frosted over from the passage of too many years to count. What he does remember is the Soldiers, and the burning steel of his revolvers against his flesh as he tried to jam in more rounds.

The team was formed more by accident than anything else. Well, call it accident if you like. Fate. Divine providence. The words of it don't mean much. The black mark of The Hand couldn't be ignored. Five fingers of the hand, each more terrible than the last, tore through the nation's underworld. The Dummy. The Needle. Big Caesar. Professor Merlin. The Red Dragon. Their names are gone from the public consciousness, banished to the dregs of decaying books and filled-in bullet holes. To the Soldiers, they were scum and villainy, the worst that humanity had to offer. Defeated, all the same. It wasn't long then before they began contacting each other. The 'capes' were few in those days, an oddity, a sideshow attraction. There was no flash and spectacle, no throwing cars and no slinging webs. There was the work, the soul of it, something that called out to each of the seven. To make their mark. And there was the Iron Hand. Roman Solomano's dark hand had wrapped itself around the beating heart of New York City. It was a sheer glass tower that dared to stab through to the heavens, a monolith with the sole purpose of dragging God to earth. It didn't matter much to the Soldiers, another enemy, a villain determined to stifle the soul of this country. They fought like hell, cutting through every manner of goon and baddie until the showdown with the man himself. He fell, The Soldiers rejoiced -- they had won.

In the mop-up, they found themselves sobered by the magnitude of the threat they had dealt with. A massive crime boss, eliminated only through the effort of the seven, not one could have done it alone? What if something like it should happen again? Should the world need heroes? The Soldiers would find themselves called together again and again as the situations presented themselves. Hostage takers and terrorists, metahumans, even honest to goodness aliens once or twice.

The death that claimed them, in the end, wasn't a bang, but a drawn-out whimper. The kind that happens to any group of friends or allies, Greg supposed. That gradual distancing, the feeling of looking in someone's eyes and realizing you don't quite remember their color. The kind of quiet remembrance and holding the phone off the hook, unsure whether to dial. The kind where you only see each other for weddings and funerals. Not that there were many of either among The Soldiers. Well, except for one.

It hit Pat Dugan the hardest, Greg supposed. He'd known The Star-Spangled Kid longer than any of them. Greg isn't much given to remembering the little details, but he does remember Pat standing stiff as a board beside the casket, holding Sylvester's hand in his. It was small and white and fragile. Greg had never seen Pat cry. It was quicker, after that. Ollie, then Roy. None of them had heard much from Pat since the funeral. Sir Justin went next, looking for his destiny in some place neither Greg nor Lee could pronounce. Then it was Lee, set to settle down somewhere by the suburbs of Chicago, try to live a little. Greg thought he could try some of that.

Greg had been from Texas, a little town called Warpath, but he'd grown too much for it since those days, and the town along with him. It was a different place, given to teenagers and shopping malls. They'd closed down old Derdrie Yarmuth's movie theater where she showed Clint Eastwood movies every weekend and put in a Regal. He tried most of the country that he cared to visit. Montana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Louisiana, even a little stint in Alabama. But it was in Kansas he learned he could never put the life behind him, not really. It was a little town called Smallville. They'd taken kinder to him than most, but few places are really ready to accept an outsider, an alien. He caught their furtive glances, whispered rumors. He tilled his fields and payed them no mind, spending his nights dreaming of where he'd go next. Maybe change it up and call Lee -- see what Chicago's like. Then, the crash.

Somehow fighting a dark magician at the throat of the world didn't seem to odd anymore. An alien baby boy. It looked like any human kid, but Greg didn't think that anything human was given to crash landing in an alien pod. Vig knew, at some level, that they wouldn't take him in here, either. Another alien, a transplant. Maybe he could make something of the kid... Or at least take him to someone who could. He was called Clark, after Clark Gable, and Vigilante packed up his truck the next day. They were city-bound.

The following years were slow and fast all at once. He took to being a father easier than he thought he might. Raising the boy on manners, hard work, honesty. He'd have taught the boy to shoot if he weren't liable to crushing the grips with that strength of his. It was a struggle to figure out the alien parts in the early years, but soon enough he and Clark were back on the road. Odd jobs for Greg and training for the boy. It seemed like he had a new little trick every day. Strength, speed, heat vision. And he was liable to start floating away every now and again.

As of now, Greg and Clark find themselves in The Savage Land. Nominally, an island vacation. Really, an excuse for Clark to practice on something that could give him a challenge for once. But now, Greg finds he can't sleep most nights. He hears whispers deep within the woods, rustles that ain't made by anything natural. Something is out there. Watching and waiting. He's heard the tune before, darkness, impending evil.

But he hasn't felt it. A dread deep within his heart. Eyes burning on the back of his neck from the depths of the jungle, and the pits of fear as Clark launches up, silhouetted against the sky. Something is coming.

Maybe he could use a few soldiers.

C H A R A C T E R M O T I V A T I O N S & G O A L S:

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Originally I was thinking about rolling The Variety Hour as my second character, but the stars have aligned too perfectly for me to not run this idea. I suspect we won't see Kid Clark being exactly available for some time, so I found myself driven to start getting the gears turning on this idea. I kind of love Vigilante for reasons I can't quite place, and he's always the most fun when dropped into situations he isn't super equipped to handle, and that's kind of how I first learned of the character: fighting aliens, a giant Hulk-esque monster, and more. I figured having to raise an alien child would fit nicely into that niche. I think its a way to explore Vig's character in a way that hasn't really been done before, and a way for me to feel out the in and outs of Superman and what makes him so... Well, super.

This story is set against the backdrop of the Seven Soldiers falling apart for a couple of reasons. For one thing, that's kind of what's going on in comics right now, the original band hasn't been together in a very long time, and I feel like there's some genuine opportunity there that no one is taking advantage of. Secondly, I feel like that's also what happened to my previous version of the Soldiers. They were all just kind of cardboard cut-outs that got slotted in for the last days of Vig's short-lived adventures, and they deserve better than that. With this, I intend to take a much more character focused approach, showing exactly what each of the soldiers brings to the team, and what it means for them to be together.

Overall, I think The Seven Soldiers are a team with a tremendous amount of potential that precious few writers have really been willing to let them use. The original line-up hasn't had an outing in a damned long time, and I want this run to be a testament to these characters. They can be more than they were in the original stories, and I think they can be damn fine heroes.

C H A R A C T E R N O T E S:

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The Cast

Vigilante // Greg Saunders: Former cowboy turned globe-trotting Vigilante and father figure to an alien, Greg Saunders finds himself in fear of a threat he cannot rightly understand. He fears for himself and his boy -- and he intends to do something about it.

Superboy // Clark Saunders: Clark hasn't known one home for most of his life -- he's been skipping around the country with his father, training in his abilities and trying to help out the common folk where he can. Recently he's taken to the name 'Superboy', after the Supergirl he's seen so much of on the television and in the papers.

Shining Knight // Sir Justin Arthur: A 6th Century Knight and the toast of Camelot, Sir Justin battled the forces of evil alongside the Round Table for decades, thanks to an enchantment from the wizard Merlin. Through the battles and trials and tribulations, Sir Justin never lost a battle -- until a fateful encounter with an Ogre froze him for over 1300 years before he was awoken by a scientist in the late 1900s. After his stint with the Soldiers, Shining Knight has taken off to parts unknown, searching for his purpose.

Crimson Avenger // Lee Travis: A former newspaper editor turned superhero, Lee Travis used his gas gun to bring justice to the streets of Chicago, and later, fought alongside the Seven Soldiers. Lee would put intense focus into his superhero work to the detriment of everything else, until The Star-Spangled Kid's death, when he realized he may have lost his way -- last Greg heard of him, Lee was reduced to an entry-level position at the paper he used to helm, working his way back up as best as he can.

Stripsey // Pat Dugan: Brilliant mechanic and engineer, Pat Dugan was Sylvester Pemberton's partner, and nominal sidekick. The two All-American heroes made a name for themselves fighting for truth, justice, and the American way with nothing but their fisticuffs. The papers considered the two of them to be the next Captain America. Greg hasn't heard from Pat in the years since the funeral when he dropped off the map. Supposedly he now makes his home somewhere near Metropolis.

NOTE: The cast is abbreviated so I can keep some of my cards up my sleeve. If need be, I can share a full version with the GM team.

S A M P L E P O S T:

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Issue #1

No Country For Old Men -- Issue #1

“The crime you see now, it’s hard to even take its measure. It’s not that I’m afraid of it. I always knew you had to be willing to die to even do this job – not to be glorious. But I don’t want to push my chips forward and go out and meet something I don’t understand.”

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Antartica --- The Savage Land

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POST TEXT

P O S T C A T A L O G:

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A list linking to your IC posts as they're created. This can be used for a reference guide to your character or to summarize completed arcs and stories.

@DocTachyon

This is a bizarre concept but hey, accepted!

Wraith's Little Workshop of Horrors

Interest Check Draft

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ A DC & MARVEL SINGULAR UNIVERSE ROLEPLAY ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

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^{◼ G M: Lord Wraith ◼ G E N R E: Fandom ◼ T Y P E: Sandbox with linear and Collaborative Arcs}

^{"We all wish we had super powers."
"We all wish we could do more than we can do."
S T A N L E E ( 1 9 2 2 - 2 0 1 8 )}

I N T R O D U C T I O N:

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Welcome fans of Marvel, DC and all comics alike. Absolute Comics is a sandbox based RP that seeks to merge and mix the lore of your favourite DC and Marvel characters into one living cohesive world. The idea behind this RP is not to embody our favourite heroes to simply retell iconic stories and origins but to take these characters and make them our own. In fact, the goal of the RP is for players to take their favourite characters and re-imagine them to tell their own stories. We only ask that the 'heart' of the character remains the same. Players will take the roles of their favourite characters and tell stories either alone or in collaboration with other players in order to develop and grow the world.

Absolute Comics has been going strong since March of this year and is now coming to the conclusion of its first season. Going into the second season, we're looking to recruit some new players. Players are encouraged to review the current roster to ensure their ideas are viable before applying. It should be noted that anyone listed under inactive or withdrawn can be applied for if the player is interested in continuing that character/story.

If any of this interests you, please feel free to apply in the thread.

P R E M I S E:

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The world of Absolute Comics is a singular universe comprised of both the DC Comics and Marvel Comics universes. How heavily mixed these elements are is dependent upon the players as the world and its lore is shaped by you and your stories. Do Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark know each other? Has Lady Shiva trained with Danny Rand? Have Thor and Superman going toe to toe? These are questions for you to ask yourself and it can only be answered as the RP unfolds, sharing not only your vision but that of the other players.

In-game history is decided on a first-come, first-serve basis. However, it should not be designed in a manner which locks out another player from taking on a favourite role. To give an example, if a player applies as Dick Grayson before an application has been received for Bruce Wayne, then the player applying as Grayson can decide to portray Dick as Robin, Nightwing or even Batman. No matter which of these roles the Grayson player chooses, it has an effect on a future Bruce Wayne player.

Due to the inclusive nature of the roleplay, a Bruce Wayne player would have to craft their CS to reflect a Bruce who allows for opportunities for a Grayson player or other notable members of the Bat-family. For instance, if the Grayson player chooses to be Nightwing, then the Bruce Wayne player will need to portray an older Batman. Even if a ‘Dick-Bats’ could block a player from playing Bruce Wayne as Batman, it shouldn’t necessarily block Bruce Wayne as a character. If so desired by both parties, a Batman Inc. like scenario could even be worked out.

A major change to Absolute from the previous iteration is that the IC will be divided into three types of play. Like most 'One Universe' roleplays, players will be encouraged to write and create their own 'Chapters', solo stories that follow their character in whichever point in their career they so choose. 'Crossovers' will be player-coordinated events which run alongside 'Chapters'.

Crossovers are available to any player to create and coordinate, and there will never be a lockout on Crossovers allowing as many players as desired to participate. These events will range from a city-wide to national level pending the ongoing events and players involved. Intended for players who thrive on group interaction, Crossovers will act as a more traditional roleplay, thus sating the needs of those who need a break from solo 'Chapter' writing.

Lastly, there will be 'Crises', these Crises will be GM organized and potentially universe-wide and will change the status quo of the entire game as needed or desired. This can be used to re-align players by challenging their personal beliefs, open gateways to the multiverse, repel alien invasions or even a total rebirth of the roster to allow new players to take up roles which have been abandoned with a completely clean slate.

It is important to remember that interaction, much like any role-play, is the bread and butter of the game. To that end, players are encouraged to work together not only to create Crossovers but also during Crises to better determine a mutually desired outcome for all those involved. Classic teams ups such as Batman and Robin or Wolverine and Hawkeye are always welcome but don't forget, this is a One Universe Rp where the Devil of Hell's Kitchen can work alongside Gotham's Dark Knight.

T H E C O N T I N U I N G S T O R Y:

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Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within, picks up after the events of Season One: Gods Among Men. Throughout Season One, the world of Absolute was established through each player's narrative arcs. In this new world, the status quo has been shaken to its core. In a world that has never had Superman, WONDER WOMAN was the first superhero to go public.

Appearing during the First World War, Wonder Woman was later joined by the likes of CAPTAIN AMERICA and CAPTAIN MARVEL who fought alongside her during the Second World War. Despite this alliance, the age of heroes did not come from this time. Though the three heroes would go on to inspire the creation of a 'Justice Society,' all would just as suddenly fade from both the public's eye and its memory. Still, the idea persisted, and some would again follow the example set by those who came before them. Throughout the seventies and eighties, rumours flourished of a 'BATMAN' terrorizing Gotham's underworld. While in the decade that followed, message boards across the early internet were set aflame with fear. Fear caused by the metahuman scare that rapidly spread across North America and then the world. Children of the 'Atom,' the general populace feared these so-called 'freaks,' these 'mutants.' In some ways, they were right to.

The most powerful of them were Gods Among Men. At the height of this scare, a young man by the name of Charles Xavier decided to combat ignorance and dedicated his life to the study metahumans and their meta-gene. While across the country, a man with the ability to wield lightning protected the streets of Dakota until his disappearance in the 2000s.

In the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks on the United States, Wonder Woman came out of retirement. Returning when America needed her the most, Wonder Woman went on to become a global figure. She dedicated her time to lending aid to those in need, all while the United Nations kept a close eye on her activity. While the general populace admired the heroine, the government feared what she could accomplish if she ever chose to side against them.

Wonder Woman was soon followed by others like her. It was a slow-burning fuse, but it would quickly lead to an inferno. In the late 2000s, an alien pod was sighted over the skies of Delaware. This was the harbinger, the herald of an era to come.

An era of hope.

It began with the first sightings of the woman the media would go on to dub SUPERGIRL. A young hero who unlike Wonder Woman, was not associated with war. Rumours of the Batman resurfaced in Gotham while New York was plagued by menace dubbed SPIDER-MAN.

In fact, New York quickly became a breeding ground for these so-called 'superheroes.' Xavier's team of X-MEN soon descended upon the city to clear the good name of metahumans everywhere, while another group of TITANS banded together, united by common goals and needs. Hell's Kitchen is under the protection of a man without fear known only as the DAREDEVIL. Down on Bleecker Street, under the tutelage of the Sorcerer Supreme, the young MAGIK protects that which lies behind the mystic veil.

Even Boston has recently had a hero to call its own, as the odd flying craft belonging to the BLUE BEETLE has been spotted numerous times over its streets. The city of Dakota is now home to both STATIC and VIXEN. Central City has adopted a hero known only as the FLASH while a new GREEN ARROW has appeared to rescue Star City.

To the south, Jump City is under the protection of a group of displaced aliens known collectively as the LEGION while out in the coldness of space, a human and god have united to create the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY.

Apart, each of these heroes has fought against vicious foes, some more powerful than even they themselves are. But together, they united to stop a threat meant to frame metahumans as terrorists. Led by the mysterious STRYFE, the 'Metahuman Supremacy Front' unleashed a horde of nanoscopic drones which upon embedded in a victim, drove the host into a frenzy. Based on a mysteriously reversed engineered technology from Stagg Enterprises, the drones were made to mimic a metahuman attack. Fortunately for all involved, the timely intervention of the heroes saved the day.

Or at the very least, postponed a larger threat.

S O U R C E M A T E R I A L:

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As previously mentioned this roleplay allows players to draw upon characters from not only the Marvel and DC Universes but other characters may be considered on a case by case basis if they fit the tone and feel of the game, however, priority will be given to characters who originate from Marvel and DC comics. Your character concept can be based on any iteration of the character, and can start from any point in their career as there won't be one date isolated as 'Zero Year'.

What this means for you as a player is that the world's Spider-Man could currently be Miles Morales, Iron Man could be replaced by Iron Heart, Batman could be Terry McGinnis. This also means that some heroes might just be starting out, perhaps the Teen Titans were just formed? Maybe Scott Summers just found out he was a mutant? The changes and possibilities are near endless but are sure to create a unique world for us to tell our own takes on these 'modern myths'.

G A M E P L A Y:

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CHAPTERS:

Chapters are the stories told by the players themselves for whichever characters they have chosen to portray. This is the bread and butter of the RP, driving it forward and filling out the world as each player tells their stories and builds the setting that directly impacts their character. A chapter could be as short as a single post, to a story spanning over thirty posts. Think of a chapter as an episode of a television show or a single comic issue.

It is essentially that all players contribute their own 'Chapters' to the IC and drive their characters independently. Equally it is important to read other player's 'Chapters' and making note of significant events or even just 'broadcasted' ones to reference and relate to within your own posts. Small efforts like this go a long way in making the world feel alive and connected.

CROSSOVERS:

Crossovers are the icing on the cake, keeping players invested through interaction and back to back posting with each other. A crossover is defined here as a player coordinated and driven interaction between two or more characters in the IC. A Crossover may be as simple as a one time team up or a small part of a larger over-arching story depending on the ambitions of the player(s) coordinating the story and those involved. There is no limit as to how many crossovers can take place at any one time as they will be completely moderated by those involved and not the GM Team.

Crossovers may take place in a single city or even multiple, spanning up to a national event depending on the number of players involved in the current crossover. Players are not required to participate in a crossover if they do not want to, and if you have approached a player and they have turned you, we ask that you please respect their wishes. That said, all players should consider participating in a crossover from time to time if only to recharge and avoid burnout due to lack of interaction. You will never be required to remain within the crossover for its entire run unless you become integral to its story, which case it is only respectful to do so.

Ultimately, the structure of each crossover will be dependent upon the player(s) organizing it. It should be noted that a crossover should never change the status quo of the game, and while consequences and fallout is encouraged, it should be limited to only those involved unless special permissions have been granted.

CRISES:

Crises are large scale events which affect the roleplay on a massive scale. These events can be global, universal or even multi-dimensional. Ideally, the occurring Crisis will affect all players, but all players need not directly contribute to the Crisis at hand. The outcome of these events will affect the roleplay's status quo, wiping the slate clean or drastically changing the present world. This could mean something like DC's Rebirth where abandoned characters can be reset allowing new players to assume their roles without the need to continue previous stories, or Marvel's Civil War where characters and their beliefs will be challenged, changing the alignment of different characters and the shape of different team rosters. These events won't take place often but when they do, they will be designed to directly impact the RP.

C H A R A C T E R S U B M I S S I O N S:

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Due to the nature of the RP, character submissions will not be based on traditional sheets but on 'Character Proposals'. This differs in that instead of the usual fact spill that a character sheet is based on, a Character Proposal outlines the character you're intending to play, any differences from their source material and a proposed character arc. This is so we know coming in that you have a story you want to tell with this character. Unlike other RPs where you create a character and then enter the IC for collaborative writing, Absolute Comics is based around self-directed arcs. That's not to say you can't write with other players, by all means, make plans with other players but it's unlikely you'll be able to do this for your first arc.

Character Proposal sheets do not necessarily have to be limited to one character per se, meaning you could make a sheet for Batman and Robin or the X-Men if you wanted to. As this is a One Universe RP don't hesitate to mix the teams up a little or try out some new team-ups. It should be noted however that all applications are limited to heroic characters only and that villainous character sheets won't be accepted.

Players will only be allowed one character concept to start with, potentially able to earn or request a second primary point of view at a later time, pending the IC's activity coupled with their own. However, due to the singular universe of the RP, it is asked that players choose the opposite franchise when creating a second character. This means that if you started the game with Captain America, then your second character will be required to be a character from the DC Universe, not another Marvel Character.

Players interested in the same character will be judged based on the strength of their proposed concept and sample with the GMs choosing the preferred candidate. In the event that someone applies as a character you were interested in, you will have a window of twenty-four hours to submit a competing application. If a character submission goes unchallenged for twenty-four hours and the GMs have no outstanding issues with it, the character will be accepted.

C H A R A C T E R S H E E T A P P L I C A T I O N:

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Sample Application

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T P R O P O S A L

A L I A S

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^{_{B I R T H N A M E ♦ O C C U P A T I O N ♦ L O C A T I O N ♦ A F F I L I A T I O N}}

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T:

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^{"Witty Quote"}

This is where you outline your vision for the character including any notable changes or differences from the regularly accepted canon. This should be a short summary that provides insight into where the character is in terms of their overall progress and development.

C H A R A C T E R M O T I V A T I O N S & G O A L S:

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Why do you want to play this character, what is the driving motivation behind both this desire and the character themselves. What do you hope to accomplish and where do you want the character's story/stories to go?

C H A R A C T E R N O T E S:

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Any additional notes you want to put either for yourself, the GM's or other players to help clarify your vision or continuity.

S A M P L E P O S T:

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A sample post that can be used in the IC if you so desire upon acceptance. This post should provide an example of your vision for the desired character. This sample post should meet all standards outline in the rules and additionally include dialogue, mannerisms and other actions representative of your intended portrayal.

P O S T C A T A L O G:

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A list linking to your IC posts as they're created. This can be used for a reference guide to your character or to summarize completed arcs and stories.

Application Code

[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=1E90FF][b]A L I A S[/b][/color][/h1][h r]
[img]IMAGE/BANNER[/img][h3][sup][sub][color=LightBlue]B I R T H N A M E [color=1E90FF]♦[/color] O C C U P A T I O N [color=1E90FF]♦[/color] L O C A T I O N [color=1E90FF]♦[/color] A F F I L I A T I O N[/color][/sub][/sup][/h3][img]IMAGE/BANNER[/img]
[/CENTER][COLOR=1E90FF][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][h r][/COLOR]
[CENTER][sup][color=ADD8E6]"Witty Quote"[/color][/sup][/CENTER]
[INDENT][INDENT][i]This is where you outline your vision for the character including any notable changes or differences from the regularly accepted canon. This should be a short summary that provides insight into where the character is in terms of their overall progress and development.[/i][/indent][/indent]
[COLOR=1E90FF][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]C H A R A C T E R M O T I V A T I O N S & G O A L S:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][h r][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT][i]Why do you want to play this character, what is the driving motivation behind both this desire and the character themselves. What do you hope to accomplish and where do you want the character's story/stories to go?[/i][/indent][/indent]
[COLOR=1E90FF][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]C H A R A C T E R N O T E S:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][h r][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT][i]Any additional notes you want to put either for yourself, the GM's or other players to help clarify your vision or continuity.[/i][/indent][/indent]
[COLOR=1E90FF][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]S A M P L E P O S T:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][h r][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT][i]A sample post that can be used in the IC if you so desire upon acceptance. This post should provide an example of your vision for the desired character. This sample post should meet all standards outline in the rules and additionally include dialogue, mannerisms and other actions representative of your intended portrayal.[/i][/indent][/indent]
[COLOR=1E90FF][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]P O S T C A T A L O G:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][h r][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT][i]A list linking to your IC posts as they're created. This can be used for a reference guide to your character or to summarize completed arcs and stories.[/i][/indent][/indent]

^{*Note: You will need to remove the space from the[h r]tags in order to make the horizontal line work.}

C O N C L U S I O N:

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Absolute Comics will continue to use the same thread moving forward. It might seem intimidating at first, but I assure you everyone is friendly and welcoming. To see the active roster, don't hesitate to pop over to the Characters Tab. Additionally, there's a list of Inactive and Withdrawn Characters. Any of those characters can be claimed by a new player and their story continued. For instance, both Wonder Woman and Supergirl had significant roles in the world, it'd be much easier for a player to step in and fill the role than to start all over again.

Season Two is slotted to begin in August, but acceptances are always open.

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

@Star Lord and @HenryJonesJr, Punisher and Booster have been approved for Season 2

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

I can haz approval?

@HenryJonesJr

Just waiting for Gowi to weigh in on the GM Chat.

Wraith's Little Workshop of Horrors

Season One Synopsis Draft&#91;/HIDER

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within, picks up after the events of Season One: Gods Among Men. Throughout Season One, the world of Absolute was established through each player's narrative arcs. In this new world, the status quo has been shaken to its core. In a world that has never had Superman, WONDER WOMAN was the first superhero to go public.

Appearing during the First World War, Wonder Woman was later joined by the likes of CAPTAIN AMERICA and CAPTAIN MARVEL who fought alongside her during the Second World War. Despite this alliance, the age of heroes did not come from this time. Though the three heroes would go on to inspire the creation of a 'Justice Society,' all would just as suddenly fade from both the public's eye and its memory. Still, the idea persisted, and some would again follow the example set by those who came before them. Throughout the seventies and eighties, rumours flourished of a 'BATMAN' terrorizing Gotham's underworld. While in the decade that followed, message boards across the early internet were set aflame with fear. Fear caused by the metahuman scare that rapidly spread across North America and then the world. Children of the 'Atom,' the general populace feared these so-called 'freaks,' these 'mutants.' In some ways, they were right to.

The most powerful of them were Gods Among Men. At the height of this scare, a young man by the name of Charles Xavier decided to combat ignorance and dedicated his life to the study metahumans and their meta-gene. While across the country, a man with the ability to wield lightning protected the streets of Dakota until his disappearance in the 2000s.

In the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks on the United States, Wonder Woman came out of retirement. Returning when America needed her the most, Wonder Woman went on to become a global figure. She dedicated her time to lending aid to those in need, all while the United Nations kept a close eye on her activity. While the general populace admired the heroine, the government feared what she could accomplish if she ever chose to side against them.

Wonder Woman was soon followed by others like her. It was a slow-burning fuse, but it would quickly lead to an inferno. In the late 2000s, an alien pod was sighted over the skies of Delaware. This was the harbinger, the herald of an era to come.

An era of hope.

It began with the first sightings of the woman the media would go on to dub SUPERGIRL. A young hero who unlike Wonder Woman, was not associated with war. Rumours of the Batman resurfaced in Gotham while New York was plagued by menace dubbed SPIDER-MAN.

In fact, New York quickly became a breeding ground for these so-called 'superheroes.' Xavier's team of X-MEN soon descended upon the city to clear the good name of metahumans everywhere, while another group of TITANS banded together, united by common goals and needs. Hell's Kitchen is under the protection of a man without fear known only as the DAREDEVIL. Down on Bleecker Street, under the tutelage of the Sorcerer Supreme, the young MAGIK protects that which lies behind the mystic veil.

Even Boston has recently had a hero to call its own, as the odd flying craft belonging to the BLUE BEETLE has been spotted numerous times over its streets. The city of Dakota is now home to both STATIC and VIXEN. Central City has adopted a hero known only as the FLASH while a new GREEN ARROW has appeared to rescue Star City.

To the south, Jump City is under the protection of a group of displaced aliens known collectively as the LEGION while out in the coldness of space, a human and god have united to create the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY.

Apart, each of these heroes has fought against vicious foes, some more powerful than even they themselves are. But together, they united to stop a threat meant to frame metahumans as terrorists. Led by the mysterious STRYFE, the 'Metahuman Supremacy Front' unleashed a horde of nanoscopic drones which upon embedded in a victim, drove the host into a frenzy. Based on a mysteriously reversed engineered technology from Stagg Enterprises, the drones were made to mimic a metahuman attack. Fortunately for all involved, the timely intervention of the heroes saved the day.

Or at the very least, postponed a larger threat.

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

Warbird

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T P R O P O S A L

W A R B I R D

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^{_{C A R O L D A N V E R S ♦ S U P E R H E R O ♦ W A S H I N G T O N D. C ♦ T H E U N I T E D S T A T E S
O F A M E R I C A}}

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T:

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^{My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right. - Carl Schurz}

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The world of today is different from what it once was, new threats and dangers challenge the old order of things. The dawning of the new millennium has shown that the United States of America once defined by its stalwart impregnability can bleed. A bleeding that has only been worsened by the continued arrival of metahumans and other 'powered individuals'. This new existential threat to the country having been clearly shown in the recent tragedies in Star City and New York. The damage to both innocent lives and property endured in this devastating attack on the American people has confirmed earlier suspicions by the Department of Defense that America must have a readied response to these new types of potentially catastrophic threats. These fears would lead to the formation of the Department of Extranormal Affairs headed by King Faraday. It was then quickly decided that the Department would need a face for the common people to rally behind. With Wonder Woman's loyalty being questioned more and more each day, and Captain America swallowed into Nick Fury's shadow games, it was felt that America needed someone new to hold up the virtues of Truth, Justice, and the American Way.

Luckily for the USA they already had an ace up their sleeve.

Carol Susan Jane Danvers was born in Boston, Massachusetts to working-class parents, Joe and Marie, and had two brothers, Joe Jr. and Steve. Succeeding both academically and athletically in her younger years, Carol gained admittance to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado, Springs, Colorado. As her time in the Academy ended, she was tapped to undergo further training to prepare her for operations underneath the banner of the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). Predictably Carol would excel in her time in the special forces, she would earn high praise from her commanding officers, as well as numerous commendations including the Air Force Cross. It would be her continued gallant actions and her time and time again commitment to the cause that would lead her to being tapped for EXCELSIOR.

Project EXCELSIOR began soon after the end of the Second World War as an attempt to create an improved Super Soldier Serum. Due to budget restraints and bureaucratic red tape, EXCELSIOR would be canned, and the project would all but be forgotten until a decade ago. Everything changed when a Kree scout ship would crash in the New Mexico Desert; ironically enough it was the Corpse recovered in the crash that would breathe new life into EXCELSIOR. Gone now was the old plan of simply making a stronger Super Soldier Serum, instead using cutting edge genetic engineering technology they would splice together Kree and Human DNA to create the perfect mixture of both species’ strengths.

Carol was the 23rd EXCELSIOR test subject and thus given the designation of Subject - W. But where the others had failed, Carol's DNA took to the gene splicing exceptionally well. The two divergent helixes would merge together to create something entirely new. The DoD immediately saw the potentiality of Carol's powers and soon Carol would be shifted back under the oversee of United States Special Operations Command under a new codename - Warbird. Not wanting too much information to be leaked about their new weapon, SOCOM would use Carol sparingly and only in the direst of situations usually rescuing other operators that otherwise couldn't be saved.

But now Carol's time in the shadows was over. Transferred out from underneath SOCOM and under the jurisdiction of her new boss King Faraday. It was something that Carol welcomed with eager arms ready to take a more proactive role with the powers that she had been granted. And with the Department of Extranormal Affairs first press conference scheduled, it would only be a matter of time until the whole world knew Carol's name.

C H A R A C T E R M O T I V A T I O N S & G O A L S:

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^{“By stressing that the identity of a democratic political community hinges on the possibility of drawing a frontier between 'us' and 'them', Schmitt highlights the fact that democracy always entails relations of Inclusion & Exclusion.” - Chantal Mouffe - The Democratic Paradox}

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Without mincing words too much the story I currently have outlined is very politically charged, as at its heart it is fundamentally the story of the failure of the Western democratic model. A model built on the promise of ensuring the rights of all its citizens but having never really been able to do so. A model that has propped up and supported increasingly authoritarian systems of governance supported by its most fundamental framework of inclusion and exclusion. The plot, I currently have outlined attempts at least in part to explore not only these broader ideas but the underlying themes of fear, hate, displacement, and the "other". For a point of reference thematically it is much closer to a House of Cards style show than a West Wing style show.

Carol then, serves as the perfect character to use to explore these narratives. In many ways, she represents the strange juxtaposition of ideals and values that can form in distinctly non-homogeneous place such as the USA. On one hand, she matches even the Cap himself in her belief in the American experiment. On the other hand, she is everything that same exact experiment seems to despise: a woman, LGBTI+, and in the Absolute Verse she falls under the category of Extranormal. And so, there is an unmistakable tension there in her character, which will serve primarily as the central tension of the story going forward. A tension that will only increase as Carol rather than rejecting the establishment outright as some might do, instead chooses to take up the herculean task of trying to make real change from the inside.

Beyond flexing my creative muscles with a tale about the moral gray on gray of the modern nation state, Carol also provides with me an opportunity that Zatanna's story did not - collaboration. Carol's position as the "face " of the Department of Extranormal Affairs will hopefully allow me to be much more open and active with collaboration and just helping expand the wider world further.

All in all, this is a story I’ve been thinking about for some time now, and I’m excited to have the potential opportunity to share it with you all.

C H A R A C T E R N O T E S:

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^{"Order, is a kind of compulsion to repeat which, when a regulation has been laid down once and for all, decides when, where, and how a thing shall be done, so that in every similar circumstance one is spared hesitation and indecision." - Sigmund Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents}

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• Carol will be wearing her more modern Captain Marvel style suit, because aesthetically I feel it fits better with where she is coming from and what she is doing in this story.
• Putting my money where my mouth is, I will be listing a supporting cast below, but there inclusion here no way, shape or form means that I'm claiming complete ownership over them the only thing I ask is please consult me before you do anything life changing with characters marked with a Δ.

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▼ Department of Extranormal Affairs ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ Δ King Faraday - - - ◼ General Samuel Lane - - - - ◼ Δ Jessica Drew - - - - - ◼ Jimmy Woo - - - - - ◼ Avril Kincaid	- - - - - - -

▼ Enemies of the State ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ Δ Karla Sofen / Moonstone - - - ◼ Δ Robert Hunter / Nitro - - - ◼ Albrecht Krieger	--

S A M P L E P O S T:

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^{"By this I mean a number of phenomena that seem to me to be quite significant, namely, the set of mechanisms through which the basic biological features of the human species became the object of a political strategy, of a general strategy of power, or, in other words, how, starting from the 18th century, modern Western societies took on board the fundamental biological fact that human beings are a species. This is what I have called biopower." - Michel Foucault, Security, Territory, Population}

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Prologue

1401-1409 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Willard Hotel, Washington D.C | Four Hours Ago

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^{Blast Radius|Prologue}

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A buzz of activity hung in the air around 1401–1409 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, as a pack of journalists made their way into the Willard Hotel. All the big names were there: Times, Post, WHiH, Planet anyone that was anyone was sending somebody to the press conference held by the Department of Extranormal Affairs. The government's newest department was creating a significant amount of noise on the political circuit. The cynics amongst them were eagerly anticipating new blood to grease the gears, expecting similar controversies to that of Homeland Security, the last department created in response to an attack on American soil. Others were just curious to see what Extranormal Affairs purpose was going to be. The Extranormal Affairs Bill which give the department life followed very typical political mannerisms in that it said a lot while saying very little at all.

This air of anticipation was only intensified by the lack of information following the bill's passing. Little was made public about the hiring and staffing of this new department with only a few key roles being disclosed. The names that were released predominantly included former members of the military and intelligence communities. Among those drawing several raised brows being the inclusion of one General Samuel Lane, an old warhawk that made his name during the War in Iraq and being one of the main playmakers in the United States more proactive counterterrorism policy. With members such as Lane, it didn't take long for the conspiracies to begin to form about a militant wing of the government seizing power. This chatter only increased in volume when it was announced King Faraday, a relative nobody when it came to public politics, but someone with many ties with Langley and the broader Intelligence community, was tapped to serve as the department's inaugural secretary.

The shakers and movers in the Department of Extranormal Affairs seemed to be playing into this aura of mystique. Where the traditional way of communicating to the journalistic community may have been a courtesy phone call or email, the details surrounding the press conference came much more traditionally. The selected editors in chief finding a spotless white envelope on their desks closed with a wax seal carrying the department's crest. Only two dozen of these letters were sent out in total, the rest having to watch the live television broadcast like everyone else.

The lucky two dozen were ushered from the Willard's lobby to a second-floor conference room. The room was spartan in its layout, at the back a table with miniature bottled water, cups filled with precision cut spears of carrots and celery, and a small selection of patriotic themed baked goods. Beyond the table was the camera equipment being used for the press conference. A small film crew worked to get rigs set up, microphones ready, and gaff tape on the ground. They were following the directions of an arthouse documentary filmmaker who had made a minor wave at Cannes the year before for her documentary on Seoul's grassroots punk rock scene. Her presence another oddity replacing a veteran C-SPAN crew that would traditionally be taking on a conference like this. The journalists filtered pass the film crew and towards the front of the room where a few rows of chairs and a lectern was set up.

As the press moved to take their seats, Agent Woo counted heads with an analogue clicker as his partner checked passes. Dressed in a finely tailored black suit with matching tie and sunglasses, Woo played the role of government spook like he was born into it. Having served with the South LA County Violent Crimes Task Force for the better part of a decade, before spending time teaching at the Macau Security Forces Training College to get back in touch with his roots. He dropped the grade book and picked up the badge again when Faraday had finally cashed in an old favor. Woo would never tell his wife, but it felt good to be back in the field.

As the number on his clicker moved closer to the magic number he leaned into his arm to cough. As he leaned in closer, he whispered into a receiver that was clipped to the lapel of his suit jacket.

"This is Fisher to Kasparov, only a few stragglers left."

"Understood, be with you shortly Fisher." King Faraday replied.

He sat in an adjoining room as he tapped the ashes of his cigarette into the soil of a windowsill planter. Faraday wore the same navy-blue suit that he had been wearing for the past thirty years. The old intelligence operator was shameless to admit he did not own a suit in any other color. It came from some old kernel of wisdom he had picked up from his grandfather years ago - "King, my boy" he would say, "suits are like women. When you find one that fits stick with it." The hand spun Italian linen wasn't necessarily the kindest to his wallet, but it breathed easily and didn't restrict his movement.

King lounging there in his chair as he took another drag from his cigarette was the complete antithesis of Carol.

Carol Danvers stood in front of a mirror straightening out her medals for the fifteenth time as she practiced smiling. It was ridiculous really, she could storm an entrenched enemy position no problem, fly a million-dollar tin can with rockets strapped to it breaking the sound barrier, but she couldn't smile. Each attempt only managing to push her further and further into demented serial killer territory. And it wasn't like this was a new struggle that she was dealing with, her parents had an entire school yearbook that said otherwise. When she was little, her mother always told her to just think of something funny in her head, but how could you laugh at your own jokes?

As the blonde-haired woman gave out a defeated sigh, Faraday piped up from his chair.

"Loosen up Danvers, you look like somebody just shot your dog."

"Easy for you to say, you aren't the main event."

King stood up grinding the butt of his cigarette into the planter. He had the rigid locked-in perfect posture of a career military man; his 6'1" stature giving him roughly three solid inches over Carol. Despite being on the far side of fifty, King managed to fill out his suit quite nicely, he adhered to a strict physical fitness regimen to combat any ill effects that his advanced age and lifetime pack-a-day habit may have brought. As he walked over to the mirror were Carol stood, he licked two fingers and flattened out an unruly strand of white hair.

"Danvers, I spent years using media to influence foreign elections to suit our great country's many interests. And in that time, if I learned anything it's that the media loves a good story."

"So what? I love cake but I still know when I'm eating a shitty one."

"Well good thing we aren't feeding them cake then. And even if we were, any cake will taste good after being starved for weeks. We've been denying them any information for weeks and now they are just begging for any little morsel we may dish out. Trust me Danvers everyone in this country is going to know who you are by the end of the day."

Yeah as that girl who can't even smile right Carol thought to herself as she followed Faraday out of the room and into the hallway.

King straightened his tie before entering the conference room. He gave a small wave as the clicking of cameras filled the air like rain rolling off a roof. He walked towards the lectern at a controlled pace, giving the cameras all the time, they needed to track his movements. Despite being a spook for most of his life, Faraday navigated the crowd like he was a movie star. From his first step he made it clear that he was in command here and everyone else was just along for the ride.

As he got to the lectern, he made a show of pulling a piece of paper from his suit pocket. It was a piece of loose leaf, the edges off kilter in a way that suggested he had just torn it out of a notebook moment prior. It echoed another man called King, who finished his "I Have A Dream" speech in the Willard's lobby several decades prior. Of course, in King's case, the paper was blank, an artist hired to rip, wrinkle, and fold it in such a way that created the most aesthetically pleasing mimicry of frantic energy that money could buy. Another prop in the carefully planned show that was unfolding in front of a nation's eyes.

Clearing his throat Faraday began to address a waiting populace.

"Thank you, members of the press, for joining me here today, as well as all of you at home watching this live. Today is a monumental day in the history of our great nation, because today I get to introduce to you the future of American security & safety. Before we begin, I believe introductions are in order, my name is King Faraday and I will be serving as your newly appointed Secretary of Extranormal Affairs.

What is Extranormal Affairs you may be asking? All of you, I assume are painfully familiar with the attacks the befell New York and Star City. I will be frank with all of you, we were unprepared, and we paid the price. The Department of Extranormal Affairs was created to ensure that we are never unprepared again. By committing to developing our state of readiness and enabling proactive measures against potential threats we, will ensure that no Extranormal threat is able to devastate our people in such a way again.

But our mission isn’t just preventative, it is also about building bridges. The only way our new department's mission will ever come to pass is through the aid of those among us that possess abilities and understanding far beyond our own. As many of you undoubtedly know it was many of these exact kinds of individuals that at the end of the day were essential in stopping the attack on two of our greatest cities. And so, it is our intent to foster dialogue and communication between the everyday citizen and these remarkable individuals. For it is the belief of myself and the entire department that we will work better together.

To that end, I would like to introduce you to a very special individual. Many of the bravest members of our armed forces community know her personally and those that don’t, know someone that was saved by her. She is one of our own having graduated near the top of her class at Colorado Springs and afterwards serving with Air Force Special Operations Command with distinction for several years. And yet she is also unlike us with abilities that most of us could only ever dream of. In this way she has a foot firmly planted on each side of the divide, and if our mission goes according to plan, will help erase that divide from our vernacular completely. When she is on mission, we call her Warbird, but today I will introduce her to you under a different name. Without further delay, it is my pleasure to introduce you all to Ms. Carol Danvers.”

The woman of the hour closed her eyes and exhaled as she tried to expel the tingling sensation which was causing her lungs to seize up. Standing in the hallway by the same door that King had entered moments earlier, she half-listened to Faraday. She had heard the newly christened secretary give the speech at least seven times during their car trip to the hotel. The words were already solidified, but each variation he would change his dictation and inflection in subtle ways. The meticulous way in which he hung on each word reminding Carol of an old fling who worked at the Smithsonian telling her why the old renaissance masters marble sculptors were so impressive, it was because they were about subtraction. Painting she told her was about addition and so wayward mistakes were easier to fix, but sculptor was about subtracting and that was permanent. That’s how the white-haired man went over his speech, the subtle cutting away at particular pauses and moments of emphasis to give a new angle that would reshape the work.

The words all too familiar at this point, she waited absentmindedly for her cue. Most of her attention was drawn towards wrestling with the other thoughts that were racing through her head. The primary one was that she didn’t give her parents a courtesy call before the conference went down. None of her family knew about the whole “super powered government” agent deal, they just knew that she did work for the Government that she wasn’t able to talk about. The first that they would be hearing about any of it was going to be with the rest of the country. Carol could only imagine the angry string of text messages and voicemails that her mother was going to send her way. Her father would try to do damage control of course, but being an undercover superhero was a lot bigger than hiding a rescued stray cat in your bedroom for a month, and when Marie found out about Apollo, Frank had only managed to reduce her sentence to one long month of nothing but chores, homework and sleep. And now the Danvers’ matriarch babied old Apollo like he was her long-lost child or something.

Was it okay to feel nervous about your entire way of life changing? Since her last day at the Academy life had become at least partially defined by the bureaucratic masquerade. A system of security clearances, long established cover stories, and the type of lies that after a while just ended up becoming fact. A structure of organized hoops and dotted lines to at least create the facade that somewhere in the chain of command that someone knew what they were doing. After all, if the public even understood half of the uncertainty that went with protecting and securing the interests of the world’s biggest superpower, Danvers was sure they would wonder where all that money for drones and the NSA was going. But now in a way, Carol was being liberated from that structure, though if she was being honest, it felt less like being freed of something and more like being pushed out of the nest.

Though if that was the case, she only had herself to blame. She was given ample opportunity to turn the offer down and the DoD would have been more than happy to keep her for themselves. She couldn’t though, Danvers wouldn’t have necessarily described herself as religious despite growing up in a family of self-identifying Ulster Protestants, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that doing this was what she was put on the Earth to do. She believed tremendously in the Department of Extranormal Affairs intended message of collaboration and acceptance. A fundamental idea that at the end of the day you were always better trying to build a bridge than burn one. It was a simple choose to her really, it didn’t take more than a casual observation of any playground brawl at the local school, violence always ended up breeding more violence. Healing only was able to happen once you put the swords down. It was time for Carol to put those beliefs to test, to make them more than just moral philosophizing done in the dead of night to bring her own demons to rest. And that all started now.

“…it is my pleasure to introduce you all to Ms. Carol Danvers.”

There was a moment before Danvers had entered the room, while Faraday pivoted his torso and extended his arm to greet her that their gazes met. In that brief fraction of a moment as the perfect blue of the sky collided with the deep earthen gray all that needed to be said was. A playwright from England once said that all the world was a stage and now for just a few minutes that stage was going to belong to Carol. She nodded her head in affirmation, smacking a palm across her right shoulder to get the blood pumping again and then she stepped in from the hallway.

The blonde-haired woman had to fight the urge to block the flashes from the cameras. The rapid fire clicking that preceded each shot sending an involuntary shiver down Carol’s back as they sounded eerily like the punctuated staccato firing of a machine gun emplacement. There was no moment of reprieve as each barrage of flashes followed closely on the heels of the last volley. Somehow though, despite the efforts to seemingly blind her, Danvers was able to make it to the podium.

Standing there she felt like a specimen on display. Bright lights from either corner of the room brought in by the film crew were centered on the podium radiating heat like two miniaturized suns. As sweat began to build on her brow, Carol looked out onto the crowd but only found shadows looking back at her as the lights swallowed any significant detail from their facial features. The conditions were at least vaguely familiar to her, having been cast as the corn stalk in her preschool thanksgiving play, but they were still unwelcome. The world watched on in a stretched out and agonized silence, as Carol took a few seconds too long to get adjusted. The ease and command that her boss exerted moments earlier replaced with an awkward anticipation. Gripping the edges of the podium, she forced out a slow and shaky breath as she looked down at the podium, King’s artisanally disheveled paper still sitting where he placed it. As she exhaled, she looked back up at the journalists and too nervous to think about it, Carol produced the easiest smile in her entire life.

“Sorry,” She started out “it’s a little bright up here.”

Her words hung in the air for a moment as the blonde fought the urge to sprint out of the room. Thankfully, one of the journalist’s chuckled and a few others followed. Carol wasn’t sure if the journalist was laughing at her or with her, but in the moment, she didn’t care either way. The laugh dissipated the tension in the room, as Carol could feel the heavy knot in her chest start to loosen. Flickering her eyes quickly to her left, she caught Faraday stone-faced and standing to one side, but ever so slightly he nodded his head in approval and confirmation to continue. Having caught her own momentum and unwilling to let it go again, Carol practically jumped to the next comment.

“My name is Carol Danvers, but I guess you all know that already don’t you? I am a superhero and I will be working with the Department of Extranormal Affairs to bring back a sense of normality, to allow our great country to heal the wounds that have been unjustly placed upon it. And it is my hope, that along the way, I can inspire some of you to do the same…”

The script that a gaggle of speechwriters had worked hours on painstakingly crafting for her had gone straight out the windows. The words became muddle and key points lost in the haze of the moment unable to find purchase upon her tongue as she spoke. Despite going off the range the journalists seemed to respond well to her comments as she reinforced many of the same talking points that Faraday had hit on previously. Her primary focus being on a message of unity and community building rather than the disciplinary side of Extranormal Affair. Hopeful in tone and assertive in her convictions, through the course of her speech citizens of not only the nation, but the world watched as Carol slowly came into her own. And at the end she gave an even bigger smile than before as she looked out into the crowd.

“Any questions?”

A forest of hands sprouted from the seats as the eager journalists all began to try and get Carol’s attention. Peering into the crowd, she picked a hand jutting outward from somewhere in the middle. The lights still made it hard for Carol to get a look, the journalist’s face still covered in shadow. Though as she peered forward Danvers was able to pick up on two details: The first was the man’s long white hair pulled up into a tight ponytail; the other was the slightest glimpse of the man’s eyes. It was the eyes that made Carol freeze, she’d seen those eyes on only two kinds of people before: those that were about to kill themselves and those that were about to kill somebody else. The blonde could hear the smile on his voice as he spoke, his voice distinctly light and velvet smooth, like a cold glass of water on a hot summer’s day.

“Have you ever seen a man explode Ms. Danvers?”

Time slowed down to a crawl around Carol as her human/kree adrenaline gland kicked into overdrive as her “sixth sense” kicked in. She watched as the white-haired man’s skin began to crack and flake away as pulsating red energy poured through rapidly forming cracks and fissures. Her options were limited, if she broke the sound barrier she was at risk of permeant deafening the people with less than superhuman eardrums, the bomber had intentionally positioned himself in a location where she also couldn’t safely let off an energy blast without hurting the other journalist. The only real option she had was trying to absorb whatever energy that the man was about to release. And so, she moved.

In the blink of an eye, Danvers vaulted over the lectern and bolted forward like a bullet through the air. She outstretched her right hand and gritted her teeth as she flew directly at the “journalist”. The last she saw of his face was a haunting wild grin before it vanished consumed by the red energy. As the man combusted and the energy rocketed outwards Carol attempted to absorb it. Like smoke being pulled into a funnel the energy pulled towards her. She could feel it begin to course through her veins, but the energy was too much for her to handle, it felt like liquid metal coursing through her body and she couldn’t hold on. The explosion spilled back outwards filling the space as it went, and the last thing Carol saw before the darkness took her was an angry wall of red as she felt the heat and heard the screams.

The world, through the lenses of one of the still functioning television cameras, watched in horror as there was a bright flash followed by heavy smoke. And in the middle of that smoke there was a newly reformed figure who emerged from his cloud of death. The white-haired man’s hair was no longer in a ponytail and he was now wearing something closer to a skintight jumpsuit, but the manic grin still clung to his face as his eyes were bright with bloodlust. He stalked up to the camera slowly and with inhuman strength yanked it up and into his hands so that the whole world could see his face.

“The meek shall inherit the Earth no longer.”

And with that he threw the camera to the ground; as the picture faded into static, he to faded into the smoke.

_{Prologue End}

P O S T C A T A L O G:

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^{"The fact that man is capable of action means that the unexpected can be expected from him, that he is able to perform what is infinitely improbable. And this again is possible only because each man is unique, so that with each birth something uniquely new comes into the world" - Hannah Arendt, The Human Condition}

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N/A

@Hexaflexagon

Going Through Everyone's Trash Since 1967

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T P R O P O S A L

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^{_{V I C T O R C H A R L E S S A G E ♦ B L O G G E R / V I G I L A N T E ♦ H U B C I T Y ♦ I N D E P E N D E N T}}

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T:

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^{"Superhero? I'm no superhero. I'm just a man in a ratty trenchcoat with a habit of sticking my nose where it doesn't belong."}

Most would say that Vic Sage was a nut. He would say that they were still in their shells.

The man's life from birth to age five are a mystery to him. He was an orphan, his mother dead and father long gone, and as far back as he could remember he lived at Charlton Boys Home. The staff there called him a problem child, frequently locking him away in a closet for the night without dinner. Nothing but a pile of newspapers for a bed and the faint voices from beyond the door to keep him company. And Victor, stubborn little brat he was, decided he'd show them a problem child. He began to pick fights with the boys in the home and around the neighborhood, vandalize local attractions, shoplift, even leave restaurants without paying for his food first. He did all he could to make their lives a living hell. Ashamed as he is to admit it now, he enjoyed it.

It wasn't until he was removed from the boys home at 18 and rendered homeless that he realized that maybe, just maybe, he shouldn't have been so spiteful. It was only through a stroke of luck that he managed to meet Aristotle "Tot" Rodor, a local inventor and man of the sciences, who took pity on the boy and brought him under his wing. Tot was an old man, well past his prime, and all he asked was Victor get a job and he'd be allowed to keep living with him.

A few months into Vic's stay with Tot, him having found a job flipping burgers at the local Big Belly Burger, something happened that would change Vic's life forever. He came home from work to find Tot panicking, and after calming the old man down listened to his story. In his younger days, Tot worked in a lab alongside a man named Arby Twain. Together, they led a project and made a substance known as pseudoderm, which was a skinlike bandage. The only problem was that the only means of applying it was through a bonding gas, which was toxic when exposed to open wounds, thus defeating the point of the bandage. Tot and Twain agreed to shut the project down and parted ways... Until Tot discovered that recently Twain had been selling the substance despite knowing of its toxicity.

The police wouldn't listen to Rodor and no one would have stopped Twain otherwise, so Vic had an idea: he could use a mask made of pseudoderm to hide his face and take down Twain's operation. With nowhere else to turn, Tot agreed, whipping up a mask for Victor and sending him on his way to foil Twain's plans. Needless to say, Vic succeeded, leaving Twain wrapped up in pseudoderm outside the local police station alongside an audio recording of his confession.

For a few months, Vic didn't pick up the mask again, but eventually he used it once more to take down a few street toughs pushing drugs onto the neighborhood teens. Then he did again a month later, to beat up some creep that was stalking a girl he knew from work. Then a week later he did it again to foil a mugging, and soon he was doing it nightly. It was entirely an accident that Vic became a vigilante, and the news dubbed him "the Question", because the biggest question was just who the hell he was supposed to be.

He's been going out like this for years now, having officially adopted the name of the Question. He's since moved on from Tot's house into an apartment of his own, still visiting his old friend when he has the time. In his downtime, he began to run a blog under his vigilante alias, and uses his ad revenue from it to keep himself housed and fed. On it, he does everything from review the latest games to leaking corporate emails to sharing his wacky conspiracies with the world.

Against all odds, despite his rocky upbringing and the constant threat of death hanging over him every time he leaves for the night, Vic is content with his place in the world.

C H A R A C T E R M O T I V A T I O N S & G O A L S:

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Y'all know me. I love me some faceless boi. That should be enough.

In all seriousness, I love the Question and find him to be a very intriguing character. I've done enough versions of the character in various roleplays that I've kind of gotten sick of using the exact same rendition each and every time, and while writing this sheet I decided to switch some things up. Nothing too radical, but different enough from what I'm used to writing that it will provide me with an interesting challenge.

Overall, in terms of the character's story, I'm looking to tell some standard detective stories with the occasional conventional baddie Vic just has to punch. Something like a case/baddie of the week type format. There won't be any straight up long-term story arcs, as I'm just trying to have fun without worrying about telling an epic tale. Besides, I like to think that I have a solid enough characterization for Vic that I'm confident I can carry my posts through that alone.

C H A R A C T E R N O T E S:

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None that I can think of right now. Might expand later with a supporting character list.

S A M P L E P O S T:

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Unknown Location
Hub City, Illinois

I woke up unable to recall my own name.

The room was cold and damp, with no decorations to speak of. A small window behind me, a ray of pale moonlight seeping through the glass and onto the brick walls. I tried to push myself up but found my hands and feet bound by rope, unable to move too much without chafing my wrists and ankles. How long had I been here, passed out and tied up?

I needed to think... What can I remember?

---

It was raining, the sky above me the color of a television tuned to a dead channel. An informant of mine, an old drunkard named Roscoe, had provided me with a tip. He said that there were shady things going on at this address, something a man of my talents would be able to bust no problem. The address led to an old shack, tucked cozily into a back alley in The Wedge. I waited outside, pressed up against the wall of the shack and peeking in through the window at a group of men playing poker.

"Yo Johnny, you got any sixes?" one man asked, looking intently at another man, Johnny.

"Go fish," Johnny replied, and the other man grumbled and pulled another card from the deck.

Well never mind, then. They were playing Go Fish. I suppose poker would have been too stereotypical.

I watched on as they played, getting bored and cold and wet. The seconds ticked by into minutes, then an hour. Part of me thought that Roscoe was pulling my leg sending me here. So far it seemed I was just spying on a group of thugs having game night. Hell, maybe the old wineo was going senile, misheard something. I wouldn't put it beneath him.

It was two hours into my stakeout that it finally started to show promise. The men started making small talk while playing, having stayed silent most of the time, and one of them asked the question I was waiting to hear.

"Ain't boss gonna be coming tonight?"

"Yeah, he's on his way. Got in a bit of a jam, had to clean up a mess. Should be here soon."

Interesting... Maybe this is what Roscoe was talking about.

TO BE CONTINUED

P O S T C A T L O G:

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Coming Soon!

@Simple Unicycle

I'm going to go ahead and approve both of these primary swaps.

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

Season 2 CS (need to fill in the catalogue0

A Bunch of A-Holes

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T P R O P O S A L

T H E G U A R D I A N S
O F T H E G A L A X Y

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^{_{T H O R ♦ S T A R - L O R D ♦ R O C K E T ♦ G R O O T ♦ H A W K ♦ H E R O E S F O R H I R E ♦ S P A C E ♦ T H E M S E L V E S}}

C O N T I N U I N G C O N C E P T:

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^{"Let's go save the frickin' galaxy."}

When we left the Guardians, they had just formally became a team after escaping from Warworld. Thor, the team's leader, has reclaimed his old weapon Jarnbjorn. Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, has started to find a true purpose for his life. Rocket and Groot may have found a home. Hawk just found a group that needs to survive as much as she does.

While this group of misfits is anything but a cohesive team at this point, they will need to be in order to survive the coming ordeals. Whoever has destroyed Asgard now has their eyes focused almost exclusively on the so-called Guardians of the Galaxy. They have a price on their head that any bounty hunter will try to cash in on, and their enemy has also dispatched his generals against them. In order to expose who their enemy is, they will have to work together and learn to be a family.

C H A R A C T E R M O T I V A T I O N S & G O A L S:

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Thor's entire aim is to find whoever destroyed his home as well as to draw said person's gaze away from Heimdall's efforts to gather the surviving members of the Asgardian race and find a new home. The other Guardians still aren't sure they can trust a god or each other, and it will take them time to really gel as a unit.

C H A R A C T E R N O T E S:

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The Guardians of the Galaxy

• Thor Odinson
• Peter Quill/Star-Lord
• Rocket
• Groot
• Hawk

Asgardian Refugee Ship

• Heimdall
• Korg
• Miek

S E A S O N O N E S Y N O P S I S:

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After the sudden and premature onset of Ragnarok, Thor Odinson was cast into the depths of space where he found himself unworthy to lift the mighty hammer Mjolnir. While he mourned his failure and the loss of his family and home, Thor was discovered by Peter Quill.

Together, the two traveled to Knowhere. There, Thor located a nearby cache of Asgardian treasures thanks to Knowhere's science officer Cosmo. While there, Quill was approached by his captain and surrogate father Yondu, who told Quill Thor had a price on his head. Quill informed Yondu that Thor had promised him treasure, and he wanted to get that before turning the other man in for a reward. Thor and Star-Lord's time on Knowhere was cut short by the arrival of a Chitauri battle cruiser. The attack forced the pair to flee to where Thor had found the cache.

When they got there however, they found the once ocean world had turned into a vast desert. When Thor discovered the cache, he found it had been ransacked by someone, and now guarded by a cadre of vicious insecticide creatures. Thor and Quill barely escaped with their lives, only to find themselves pursued by a Thanagarian bounty hunter named Hawk. In the chase, the two ships jumped through an unknown jump point.

On the other side, both ships found themselves suddenly in the atmosphere of Warworld, where they crashed. Thor was throne from the ship, while Hawk and Quill were forced to team up before joining with Rocket, a sentient raccoon, to escape. Meanwhile, Thor was reunited with the Asgardian sentry Heimdall who had a plan of escape of his own.

Before the gates of Warworld's capital, Thor slew the gladiator Draaga and defeated Warworld's leader Mongul with ease after reclaiming Jarnbjorn. After the escape, Thor sent Heimdall and his group of gladiators to search for surviving Asgardians, while he, Peter, Hawk, Rocket, and Groot searched for their unknown enemy.

P O S T C A T A L O G:

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_{S E A S O N O N E:}

This section should include a list of hyperlinks to your posts from the previous season. This is both for GM use and accessible for new players and those feelings nostalgia for posts they read three months ago.

_{S E A S O N T W O:}

Same as before, this section is for a list of hyperlinks to your ongoing IC posts as they're created.

Reposting TWS, will edit this depending on what webby decides regarding Cap

The Winter Soldier

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T P R O P O S A L

T H E W I N T E R S O L D I E R

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^{_{R E D A C T E D ♦ A S S A S S I N ♦ E A R T H ♦ U N K N O W N}}

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T:

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^{"They aren't ready."}

The Winter Soldier has appeared out of nowhere to test the heroes of the world. Her goals are unknowable, her origins are untraceable, and her memories are lost to time. All she knows is her mission, and her mission is all she cares about.

C H A R A C T E R M O T I V A T I O N S & G O A L S:

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So I hate to pull the "if I tell you too much it will ruin where I plan to go"....but well if I tell you too much it will ruin where I plan to go. GMs, I can PM some stuff if requested. I have some twists and turns planned for the story, and I would love to have a lot of interaction with other players. Especially considering my other characters can't do that much at the moment.

Needless to say I plan on her testing the heroes of the world while also struggling with her own shattered memories and psyche. Over time she will come to discover who she truly is, who is really pulling her strings, and what she truly wants to fight for.

C H A R A C T E R N O T E S:

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The Masters of Evil - A coordinated and cunning team of super-powered individuals that have descended upon the world. None of them know the true names of the others in the group. They only know their mission given to them by their benefactor.

• Crimson Dynamo - A warrior in an armored, high-tech suit.
• Radioactive Man - A man with super strength, speed, and agility and the ability to manipulate radiation.
• Swordsman - An Olympic level athlete and master of hand-to-hand and melee fighting.

The Boss - The enigmatic mastermind behind the Masters of Evil.

S A M P L E P O S T:

---

The blinding beam of light woke her from a deep sleep, with a scream tearing through her dreams. She couldn't remember whose it was. It came from no face in her dream, just the blackness of unconsciousness. It wasn't high enough to be her own. It was too deep. A man, more than likely. Who he was she had no idea, but it was the same scream that always woke her up. It was full of pain and loss, the sad kind of scream someone bellowed when one had nothing left to lose and were resigned to their fate. She hated it. Not only because she did not know who it came from, but because of how weak it was.

The Winter Soldier hated anything that projected weakness. If there was one thing that her line of work taught was that any weakness would be turned around against you and would often end with you lying in a shallow grave on some godforsaken spit of land. No, weakness was not to be tolerated. It was something to be expunged from the body.

"Good morning, agent," the voice from the speaker in her room greeted her the same it did whenever she was woken up. It was The Boss, the one that always had her instructions. She had lost count how many missions she had been sent on. The number wasn't important. What was important was that she had never failed The Boss, and she wasn't planning on starting. "How are you feeling?"

"Restless," was her only answer. Her eyes had begun to adjust to the light emanating from the ceiling of her room. It was spartan, but comfortable. Her bed in one corner, a kitchenette across from it, and a door to a bathroom on the same wall as the bed. A small sitting area stood in the center with a comfortable chair and a table. It was all she needed, if she was being honest with herself. Some assassins in the world chose extravagance and luxury when not on the job, but that seemed merely a trifle for her.

"Excellent," the voice smiled. She had never seen The Boss, nor did she think she ever would. But they had a vision for the world, and she was ready to make it happen. "Are you ready for your next mission?"

"Always," she said with an unmistakable hunger.

"Good, for the time we've been waiting for has arrived. It's time for SHIELD to shatter."

P O S T C A T A L O G:

---

A list linking to your IC posts as they're created. This can be used for a reference guide to your character or to summarize completed arcs and stories.

@HenryJonesJr

The Guardians look good to go, although you don't need to get approval for the updated sheets. Just wanted to make the information more readily available.

I do have some concerns with the Winter Soldier application though. We have a pretty firm no villain rule and if I'm understanding the concept correctly, it sounds as though you're intending on playing her as such. Unless I'm completely off base and she's more of an anti-hero in which case, please let me know. I'm just trying to balance precedent in such a way that it doesn't come back to bite me in the ass.

As an aside to everyone submitting secondary sheets, please remember the strain that running two characters in this type of game brings. If you feel you're going to be able to keep up and won't suffer any issues, then awesome. But if you're just looking for something different but not quite willing to let your primary go, then it might be worth reconsidering your secondary. There are very few examples of someone successfully running two characters in these games and I'd hate to see anyone burn out. After all, you're never just playing one character, you're playing a character, their allies and their foes. You are writing a complete story within a larger game, picking up a secondary means running two such stories now and managing the time for them.

Just some food for thought.

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

C H A R A C T E R M O T I V A T I O N S & G O A L S:

---

Look me in the eyes. I know we’re separated by miles of cable and a glass screen that feels thicker than the source wall itself but one glance and I know that you know why I need to write this. I am not an escapist. I am a madman scratching on the walls, pencil long gone, leaving a trail of blood and fingernail etched in my wake. I am no escapist. Art matters. Fantasy is a means of engaging with the soul and I’ve come, keyboard in hand, to take back the weird that has been egregiously outcast from our beloved fandom.

I want to tell a story that seems like it should’ve been told long ago, whose plot seems like an obvious choice. The Lanterns classically exist neatly in their own little box, dealing either with crises that concern the entirety of the Lantern Corps or are regional nuisances, if not filling their role as supplemental strong-man within the Justice League. I have a string in hand and I’m going to unravel the kite that it is attached to, even if it soars ahead of me.

I’m going to whisper in your ear about the conspiracy carried out on Korugar. And I will tell you about the past, not as it was, but as it should have been.

@Nightrunner

Character motivations, man. I don't need to know yours.

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

As an update, to ensure that everyone has adequate time to finish their own stories and this Season's Crisis, the official start of Season 2 will be held off until August.

Season 2 is planned to run from the first of August until December 31st, 2019. As that puts us directly in the holiday season we'll adjust as necessary.