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Winged Freak

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Very well, where do I begin?

My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen year old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet.

My father would womanize, he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament.

My childhood was typical. Summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds - pretty standard, really. At the age of twelve, I received my first scribe. At the age of fourteen a Zoroastrian named Vilma ritualistically shaved my testicles.

There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum... it's breathtaking. I highly suggest you try it.

Most Recent Posts

In Master Bruce's Multiverse Of Madness → 5 yrs ago Forum: Character Sheets
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 T E V E   R O G E R S

♦ ...S T E V E N   G R A N T  R O G E R S...♦...V E T E R A N / R E T I R E E  / L I V I N G   L E G E N D...♦...
...W H E A T O N , N E W   J E R S E Y... ♦ ...( F O R M E R L Y )   S . H . I . E . L . D ... ♦

C H A R A C T E R   C O N C E P T:

"The price of freedom is high. It always has been. And it's a price I'm willing to pay."

At this point, the foundation of who this version of Steve is wholly belongs to @webboysurf's fantastic work all throughout last season. I only want to build on what he's established and use it to push Captain America forward. At the end of season one, especially, he had to do alot of things that would completely break a lesser man. Murdering two villains fits that bill. While not broken, Steve is definitely lingering into this season with some considerable scars. Even a man of action needs some time to re-evaluate and figure out his place when things go that dark for him, and Steve's intent is to learn from what he considers to be compromises in order to discover if there's a better way. It'll be a road that'll last all season, and I'm not content to put him back in the stars and stripes immediately. He'll have to earn that, but I hope that in the journey there, I can help build Steve Rogers into the Captain America of today rather than keep him as the Captain America of yesteryear.


After the series of events that disillusioned him with both S.H.I.E.L.D. and the world that he once thought he knew, but learned he never really did, Steve Rogers left New York three months ago and retreated west. He now lives in partial isolation, taking up residency in the small town that was once home to his training camp in 1942. The locals don't ever really recognize him, and if they do, they keep it to themselves as he spends his days repairing an old house that belonged to a dear friend, and spends his nights catching up on every significant world event that transpired between 1945 and 2019 to observe, learn from, and form his own conclusions on modern society as it took shape without the bias of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files to blanket everything under the global peacekeeping organization's version of events.

But while Cap remains benched and unauthorized for field duty, Nick Fury and his Commandos have been struggling to balance the fallout of the Metahuman Supremacy Front's attack on New York and shutting down the machinations of the newly reformed HYDRA as they operate under the command of The Red Skull, seizing power away from Baron Zemo's personal vendetta to set a course for destruction on a worldwide stage. And while Fury himself may not think much of turning away a liability like Captain Rogers, there are those on the team - some likely, some very unlikely - who feel as though the fight with HYDRA only ends when Captain America returns.

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:

Captain America is one of the highest echelon of characters in comics, not because of how long he's been around, but because of how writers have shaped him over the nearly 80 years of his existence. He's one of the few characters that I'd consider it an honor to play. My motivation beyond that is whenever webboysurf indicated that he'd be retiring the role, I went back and read his stuff out of curiosity. Rather than finding myself bogged down by another person's continuity, however, I really found myself envisioning his next chapter as the stories played out - to the point that as his run wrapped up the first season, everything fell into place organically to tell my story entirely unaltered. Now I just have to carry it out while trying to keep true to the established character, weaving both webb's continuity and the larger mythos of Cap's history together into a tapestry of my own.


C H A R A C T E R   N O T E S:




S A M P L E   P O S T:

Normandy, June 1944 - D-Day

The humidity of a hard-fought battle finally gives way to the smell of gunpowder. Corpses of both allies and enemies line the sands of the beach. Distant gunfire and bombs pop off, filling the air with a metaphorical symphony of cataclysm. For the soldiers that stand, the hope is that it's the cataclysm of German forces and their stranglehold on the area. For those that want to go home, see their families again, and put aside the ever-looming threat of a violent end in service of a greater sacrifice. But for the man standing on the hill, just overlooking the parameter that leads directly from Omaha Beach into the Nazi-occupied city of Bayeux, the hope is that his men come back with good - hell, any news about the subsequent strike against Erwin Rommell's forces. Commanding the 107th battalion, the figure clutching at the hunk of metal strapped to his wrist had ordered that his personal strike team go ahead without him as he personally dispatched six enemy tanks that were flanking every direction. And yet Captain America's primary concern, amongst the dead and barely living, was that he hadn't made a grave error in sending these hundreds of an overall twenty-four thousand man operation directly into Hitler's clutches.

"Come on, Buck.", he silently whispered. "Don't do this to us. Not today, not now."

Five agonizing minutes went by without so much as a shot, signaling a change of course in the battle. Placing his battle-worn helmet atop his leather cowl, the Captain had finally ran out of patience. Of the many still stationed to watch the coast, Rogers counted fifteen who weren't visibly damaged or cut apart by enemy minutes. He'd need more to truly be able to breach the Nazi's wall and get into Bayeux to find his Howling Commandos - or what was left of them, at least - before it was too late, but he didn't see waiting as a viable option anymore. The wounded were being treated to, as were the dead. His job on this front of the war was finished. Now it seemed that a rescue op was in order. In an effortless motion, he removed the shield clinging onto his gauntlet and placed it on the satchel attached to his back. For the men below, it was an awe-inspiring sight. Even with the colors muted from a bright red, white, and blue into a virtually maroon, gray, and black uniform, Captain America still looked uncharacteristically fictional among the very grim reality that surrounded him. Like something out of the pictures or the pulps had sprung forth into their reality.

"Corporal?"

Turning his head as an armed soldier approached his six.

"Tell the others to gear up and prep for a run. We're going after the missing."

The color from the soldier's face nearly cascaded out of existence. But over the past few months, the man had grown to know better than to question a direct order from the man who was almost assuredly going to drive his fist through Hitler's jaw.

"Consider it done, sir."

Emptying the magazine from his side-arm, Captain Rogers removed another clip and placed it into the chamber. He had already practically spent every ounce of his super-soldier serum given strength and agility to take out those tanks, and yet any hesitation to head back into battle never appeared in his mind. But even he knew that there was a chance that this could be their last stand. His enhancements gave him a clear edge, but he wasn't invincible - at least, literally speaking. He could never tell that to the men who stood even less of a chance surviving the through the day.

"We charge for the city walls in..."

A deafening explosion knocked several of the soldiers off of their feet, as Captain America found himself interrupted. He turned, shield raised, to the North and braced for something to hit. An enemy band of troops sent to scout for survivors. German planes looking to incinerate the shores. At this rate, Rogers was half-expecting some metal monstrosity straight out of the adventure books he read as a child to emerge, with big claws and a beam from outer space.

Instead, he lowered the shield upon hearing his own troops begin to cheer. Cap looked again to the North, watching as a German tower crumbled onto itself like a sandcastle on the very beach beneath his feet. Brick and dust shot out of the side of it followed by a gust of fire. Steve could hardly believe his eyes, but the grin on his face was no less visible.

"THEY DID IT!", one of them cried. "SON OF A GUN, THEY ACTUALLY KICKED THAT GERMAN'S TAIL!"

This was the sign that Bucky had told him they'd give upon victory. They were alive.

How many, of course, was yet to be determined. But they were alive.

And that meant that they were going to see another fight, bringing the War even closer to the finish line.

"At ease, soldiers!", Cap shouted, looking over his shoulder. "Lieutenant Barnes and his fleet have done the hard work. Now it's up to use to clean up the mess. So let's make sure that bastard Rommell never sees the light of day!"

The soldiers gave an even louder cheer, raising their guns as they ran forth to join Captain America while he marched ahead.

He felt a hand clasp onto his shoulder, forcing him to stop.

"Captain?"

Steve spun around, seeing a familiar face greet him. But he felt the pit of his stomach immediately turn, and the hairs of the back of his neck stand on end. The figure that stood infront of him was familiar, sure, but it was one that didn't belong. The face of a blonde, hazel-eyed woman that smiled back him. A person that had never been alive in the year 1944. And one that he would never see again after 2019.

"God..."

Cap removed his helmet, his eyes widened in fear.

"Sharon?"

Sharon Carter evaporated just as quickly as she appeared, torn apart yet again by Zemo's horrid machine. Steve reached out, realizing that he had failed to grab onto her a second time. His heart stopped, and he immediately became aware of his surroundings. He wasn't in 1944, and this wasn't D-Day. As he looked back at the soldiers heading into battle, they began to evaporate too. Leaving him alone with their ghosts.

"You shouldn't have let them die."

Sharon's voice was no longer tangible as human. It was all around him. In the skies above him, in the sands. Even the seas seemed to bellow out with disgust, as Steve dropped his shield into the mud. He dropped to his knees, closing his eyes and realizing that he was hyperventilating.

"You shouldn't have let me die."

It felt as if his asthma was back. Only a thousand times worse, as though his lungs were made of lead.

"But that's all that Captain America ever was, wasn't it?"

"No..."

Steve clutched at both sides of his head, Sharon's voice becoming illuminated even further by the sudden return of the ambience of a destructive conflict.

"A harbinger of death, painted up as a symbol."

The Captain fell onto his side, trying his best to block out the voice.

"Stop..."

But it wouldn't leave.

"Please... stop..."

It would never leave.

"You failed us all."


P O S T   C A T A L O G:
N/A
In Master Bruce's Multiverse Of Madness → 5 yrs ago Forum: Character Sheets

Name: Peter Reilly Parker*
Hero Name: Spider-Man
Known Aliases: Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, The Human Spider, Spidey, Wallcrawler, Webslinger, Menace
Age: 16
Powers: A genetically mutated spider transformed Peter's DNA into that of a human/arachnid hybrid, giving him the abilities proportionate to that of a spider. These powers include the ability to stick to any solid surface, superhuman strength, agility and reflexes, a biological survival sense that warns Peter of impending danger, and an organic pair of wrist spinnerets that secrete a tensile silk.

Equipment:

Spider-Suit: Put together from the ground up using salvaged bits of technology, the head-to-toe bodysuit that Peter wears in the field is based on his amateur wrestling gear, which consisted of a red jumper and a light blue hoodie. The advanced costume is designed to help Peter navigate throughout New York, easily take advantage of his ability to stick to walls, tune the mask's two-way mirror lenses to a variety of settings, and even protrude a gliding mechanism for emergencies.

Web-Shooters: Originally built as a container to house his own webbing samples for research purposes, Peter's outfitted these wrist-mounted devices to allow him to control his webbing with precision accuracy. Without them, he can still spin simple webs and traverse an area with ease. With them, however, he can pull of considerably more difficult stunts, such as catching a falling demolition crane, snatching up several criminals at once, and creating "impact webbing" - Peter's go-to for offense.

Spidey-App: Created by Peter himself, the encrypted phone application turns any common smartphone into a self-capture camera, an NYPD bulletin feed, a wi-fi based tracking device, and a low-level hacking tool. It's also capable of storing up to a terabyte of data on a private server.

Appearance:



Known Affiliations:

Uncredited Photographer for The Daily Bugle
Rotating Employment At Various Shops And Restaurants
Junior At Midtown High School

Allies

May Parker: Peter's aunt and widow to his Uncle Ben. His maternal figure and guardian.
Harry Osborn: Peter's best friend, one of the few to treat him kindly.
Gwen Stacy: Peter's neighbor since childhood, his classmate and friend.
Mary Jane Watson: Harry's girlfriend and Peter's classmate, harboring a rebellious side.
Dr. Curt Connors: Peter and Gwen's science teacher, an incredibly gifted genetic biologist that left Oscorp in disgrace following an accident that severed his arm.
Otto Octavius: Considered one of the world's leading authorities on robotics and their application in the research for clean energy sources, Otto is Peter's idol. Labelled 'Doc Ock' by the press following the Oscorp incident, the doctor is determined to rebuild his career.
Quentin Beck: A fellow classmate and kindred spirit, also frequently targeted by Flash Thompson. Peter keeps trying to help Beck out, only to be shunned by the teen's aggressively anti-social demeanor.
Felicia Hardy: Peter's classmate and longtime crush, she is virtually unaware of the timid teenager's existence - and is likely never to learn of it, given Peter's responsibilities.
Mac Gargan: Gwen's boyfriend, the high school jock with a heart of gold. Considered one of the only members of Flash Thompson's clique to accept Peter, Gwen, Harry, and MJ.
Miles Morales: A senior at Midtown, Morales regularly accepts Peter's help on science tests in exchange for helping Peter out with his own achilles' heel, history. Miles' dad used to work with Peter's uncle when they owned a small business as electricians.
Liz Allan: Flash Thompson's girlfriend, daughter of Adrian Toomes. While cold to Peter in public, she's more lukewarm when Flash isn't looking, even going as far as to befriend Gwen and MJ.
Jessica Drew: Principal of Midtown High. She genuinely cares about her students and looks to keep the peace among a growing paranoia about mutants and metahumans.

Enemies

The Chameleon: A mysterious crimelord whose use of uncanny mimicry and penchant for disguises has put him at the top of the local gangs. He can appear to be anyone, making his identity unknown.
Norman Osborn: CEO of Oscorp Industries, Harry's father and a figure of controversy. His presence alone seems to draw up more trouble than anyone Peter actively fights.
Eugene 'Flash' Thompson: Peter's rival in school, and the frequent instigator of bullying against him and the other 'nerds' of Midtown since the fourth grade. If he has any likeable qualities, they're well hidden under an oafish need to step on the little guy.
The Rhino/Alex O'Hirn: A two-bit thief, and the first recurring enemy Spider-Man ever made. Possesses an abundant strength and resistance to injury, chalked largely up to his size.
The Sandman/William Baker: Former corrupt cop turned genetic freak of nature, able to control his molecules and redistribute them in a similar method to grains of sand.
The Vulture/Adrian Toomes: Part of Oscorp's VULTURE para-glider militia, Toomes commands a team outfitted with technologically advanced armored wing-suits for the sole purpose of protecting Oscorp and it's employees.
Electro/Francine Frye: Serial killer who, along with her betrothed Max Dillon, was caught in the same accident that Sergeant Baker into The Sandman. She now possesses latent electricity-based powers and a burning need to avenge her fallen husband.
Hammerhead/Joseph Lorenzini: The Chameleon's rival, a hot tempered crime-lord with an indestructible plate surgically grafted to his skull.
Kite-Man/Charles Brown: Kite-Man. Hell yeah.
Edward 'Eddie' Brock: A relentless reporter for The Daily Bugle who, in conjunction with shock-jock J. Jonah Jameson, looks to discredit Spider-Man at every turn. Unlike Jameson, Brock holds no shred of integrity and values fame over all else.

In-Between

J. Jonah Jameson: The television host of a nightly news program, Just The Facts With J. Jonah Jameson, the loud-mouthed veteran newsman regularly criticizes superbeings and metahumans from Superman to Iron Man, and everyone in between. His newest target is Spider-Man, and judging by the ratings generated from Jameson's rants against Queens' new hero, he's unlikely to stop questioning the web-slinger's intentions anytime soon...
'Stan': A mysterious figure that keeps watch over Peter from the sidelines. A man whom he's never actually met, but seems to know a great deal about Peter's life. For now, he'll remain distant...

Who Is This Character?: Really?

List Of Reimagined Traits:

There's not much in the way of reimagination for Peter himself, so much as a remix of a couple of different versions. He's basically 616 Spider-Man mixed with Ultimate, the MCU, the Raimi films, the Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon and the Insomniac Games' universe version. He's still a teenager burdened with Great Power and Great Responsibility with roughly the same origin, but he's of the year 2019.

The real change-up is how Spider-Man's origin relates to some of the villains' origins (Peter wasn't the only one affected by Oscorp's mistake) and how the supporting cast works and interacts with him. But otherwise, this is Spider-Man as purely as I can write him.

Story Overview:


Sample Post:

"Boy, there's just nothing I love more than being rained out on a swing home!"

I grumble to myself as the rain, almost as if the universe itself is sensing the wedgie building up between my soaked tights, begins pouring down to Biblical proportions over 5th Avenue. On a Wednesday afternoon. Funny enough, I checked the weather on my phone as I was leaving for work this morning. Sunny skies! Not a cloud in them! High of 87!

Now I know how the Yankees feel. Except, you know, I've probably got a better shot of winning the championship than them. Blindfolded, with one hand tied behind my back and no powers. They suck, is what I'm saying to myself. Why am I saying this to myself?

"Because I'm a sad, strange little man..."

Aunt May always tells me to think of all the best things in my life on days like this, where it's not so much raining cats and dogs as dumping entire buckets of zoos onto the rooftops ahead of me. Uncle Ben used to double down on that one with, "Son, for every rainy day in life, you get to enjoy years of sunshine."

Probably a good time to note that neither of them ever had to get into fights people who can actually control the weather, but hey, I'm just internally venting here. Poking my hand out infront of me in a vain attempt to see if it's somehow calmed in the forty seconds since I started on the Yankees analogy, I pull back my glove to look at my watch. Gwen and Harry wanted to see a movie tonight, and I said sure, as long as it's a matinee showing. Looks like someone's paying full price for sticking his foot in his mouth.

"Who am I kidding? That's practically my side career!", I say to myself, preparing to fire out a webline to brave the storm. "Eh, well. At least no matter what, I'm having a better day than Sandman."

Just as I say that, the distinct sound of an explosion rings out across Manhattan. My Spider-Sense buzzes loud enough to cause me to jump out from under my perch, somersault upwards, and land on the scaffolding above.

"I think I liked it better when the rain was my enemy..."

With alarms blaring from what appears to be the Fifth National Bank, I sigh to myself and briefly consider sending Gwen an apology text. But then I remember that I don't have my phone. Because I'm wearing wet, skintight underpants that can barely even hold spare change.

"Whelp, Parker. You wanted a change of pace from a lousy rainy afternoon."

Firing off a webline, the rain becomes something of a pelting series of windy scratches, as I soar high into the air and begin to fire another. Aunt May would be proud of me, because I am starting to think positively.

"Can't say you never get what you want."

- - -

*(Yeah, I know his middle name is Benjamin. This is a different Peter than in 616. Wanted to reflect that.)
In Master Bruce's Multiverse Of Madness → 5 yrs ago Forum: Character Sheets
Ultimate One Universe: Year One Application



Character You're Applying For: Batman/Bruce Wayne

Powers And Abilities: No physical powers, but is a master of twenty-seven martial arts, a gifted detective, and a billionaire with limitless resources that provide him with an arsenal of state-of-the-art gadgets and vehicles.

Origin And Backstory (In A Maximum Of Four Paragraphs): Born as the son of a wealthy philantropist and the head doctor of Arkham Asylum, Bruce Wayne witnessed the unthinkable whenever a mugger ended the lives of his parents on the streets of Gotham City. Suffering severe post-traumatic stress from the event, young Bruce was put under the care of legal guardian Alfred Pennyworth, who sought the treatment of Martha Wayne's dearest friend, psychologist Leslie Thompkins. Together they would act as Bruce's surrogates, trying to shield him from the ever-present public eye as he was mentally rebuilt. But despite their best efforts, Bruce would never be psychologically whole again.

Eventually fleeing the country in the middle of his senior year at Bludhaven University, Bruce travelled to the most remote areas of Asia and Europe and spent a period of ten years engaging in what he considered to be extreme trauma therapy. This soon evolved into lessons under a series of different masters that would incidentally make him an adept thief, a cunning detective, and a brutal hand-to-hand combatant. His experiences brought him closer to the criminal underworld as he began to see his own psychosis take on some of their habits - that is where he learned the nature of fear, and how powerful of a weapon it could truly become.

Under the tutilege of the legendary Ra's Al Ghul of The League Of Shadows, Bruce would learn to face his own fears in the dangerous Thogal ritual, meant to simulate a state between life and death to achieve a spirtual awakening. All that Wayne found waiting for him were shadows. Echoes of something he didn't fully understand, until he reached out - and was met by a large nest of bats, circling out of the monolithic caverns that The League operated from. But a falling out would occur whenever Bruce revealed that he held no desire to take his enemy's lives, leading to a duel between master and student that would only stop when the master's daughter forbade her father from delivering the killing blow. Exiled, Bruce travelled back to the United States at the age of 28.

Discovering that Gotham had become crippled by inner-city corruption headed by what was considered The Five Families, including mafioso Carmine Falcone, his rival Salvatore Maroni, a Siberian native that took to calling himself The Penguin, and a powerful drug lord known only as Poison Ivy, Bruce took up a mask and a series of gadgets supplied by his family's company of Waynetech and became a vigilante. But after being beaten half to death by the masked gang of sociopaths calling themselves The Royal Flush Gang, led by an individual called Red Hood, Wayne was forced to reconsider the nature of fear as he understood it. Only in a state of euphoria brought about by blood loss did he revisit his incident in the caves during Thogal, and remember the fear that overcame him when he was attacked by the bats. And so in order to strike terror into Gotham's criminals, a Bat is precisely what he would become.

What Makes This Character 'Ultimate'?: The comics, the movies, The Animated Series. The image that they conjure in your head is who he's destined to become - but for now, he's still new to everything. So his aversion to using guns, for instance, isn't exactly set in stone yet even if he still doesn't use them to kill. In addition, his psychosis is a little more unhinged, with vivid hallucinations and dreams often plaguing his waking hours whenever he's not fighting criminals, along with his violent tendencies being a little more brutal in his need to make criminals fear him. He also doesn't live in Wayne Manor or have a traditional Batcave, choosing to live in an inner-city penthouse with an underground bunker that leads out into a massive tunnel system beneath Gotham. This is Batman by way of the version Frank Miller created, if that version also produced an offspring with the Denny O'Neil and Scott Snyder versions that favor the humanistic detective. Mine sits at a happy medium.

As far as Gotham itself is concerned, virtually every supporting character is different from how they're usually portrayed. Alfred isn't Bruce's butler and is more of a proactive agent for the cause, Gordon isn't his ally in any capacity and the police almost entirely distrust Batman (The Bat-Signal still exists, but with a twist), Barbara Gordon is already paralyzed and will never become Batgirl, and Jason Todd isn't a Robin or a vigilante. The big villains are all going to be reinvented in ways that feel familiar but operate differently, aswell. And then there's the interconnected crime families, who are going to more closely resemble the warring factions of Westeros from Game Of Thrones than any previous incarnation.

Lastly, I've toned down the whole 'master of everything' element of his character. He's good at what he does, but I wouldn't call him the best ever as a fighter, or even close to the World's Greatest Detective. He's a man who learned alot of tricks that make him a force to be reckoned with against street criminals, with the cash to pick up his slack. If he were to go toe-to-toe with Daredevil, for instance, he'd probably do alright. But a fight with Captain America or Iron Man would leave him dusted fairly easily, not to mention a certain Man of Steel. And he's definitely not the brilliant strategist that makes the Batman of the comics seem almost ridiculously untouchable, with plans upon plans for every possible outcome. He's simply quick on his feet and lucky to be alive.

Supporting Characters: I'll start with his allies and leave the exact roles of his enemies as an in-game surprise.

Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce's mentor and trusted field agent, among many other things. Raising Bruce from the time his parents were murdered, Alfred has overseen most of Bruce's training abroad and continues to act as his moral compass.

Captain James Gordon, Batman's relentless law-abiding rival who believes him to be a criminal. He's an honest cop and honorable man, but belives Batman to be the cause of several of the city's newest threats.

Harvey Dent, Bruce's best friend since boarding school and the city's crusading A.D.A. Unwittingly acts as an informat of Batman's through Bruce's charade as a carefree friend for Dent to vent his frustrations at.

Oracle, Batman's online accomplice whose identity even he doesn't know. In actuality, she is Barbara Gordon, the wheelchair bound teenage daughter of the Captain with a vendetta all her own.

Lucius Fox, Bruce's armorer, who outfits him with the latest in scrapped military tech. Fox also currently acts as a member of the board of directors for Wayne Enterprises, keeping an eye on it's shady business dealings with a potential buyer in the majority shares, Roman Sionis.

Jason Todd, Batman's twenty-something streetwise informant and occasional mechanic, responsible for customizing the equipment Fox provides. Known for his ability to seamlessly infiltrate the local gangs.

Leslie Thompkins, Bruce's psychiatrist and a surrogate mother who helps guide Bruce through the darkness. She also works as a doctor in Arkham Asylum, where her care is considered kinder to that of men like Jonathan Crane and Professor Hugo Strange, the Asylum's administrator.

Duke Thomas, Batman's only informant from within the GCPD. One of the few honest cops in Gordon's precinct, he nevertheless only seeks the vigilante's help in times of absolute crisis and only begrudingly feeds him information out of loyalty to Gordon.

Selina Kyle, Bruce's liason to the elite of Gotham. The daughter of crimelord Carmine Falcone, whose real alliegances are routinely questionable, she is primarily responsible for introducing the billionaire to some of the city's most powerful individuals.

A.C.E, Batman's Waynetech-provided A.I. that acts as a digital super-weapon, able to black out portions of the city, remotely control his vehicles, give him three-dimensional readouts of his surroundings, and hack into the GCPD criminal database, among many other features.

And Katherine 'Kate' Kane, Bruce's cousin and one of only a handful of blood relatives. Still a teenager, she occasionally resides in Wayne Tower to escape her militant father. She remains unaware of Bruce's double life.

Sample Post:


Post Catalogue:

Volume 1: Ninety-Six Hours

1. Signal In The Sky
2. Terrorized And Terrorizing
3. Shall We Play A Game?
4. Shot In The Dark
5. Deadly Influences
6. Motives Unclear
7. Roads Paved With Good Intentions
8. A New Player In Town
9. Allies In The Field
10. Temperate Toxicity
11. Roman's Holiday
12. Life Or Death
13. Out Of Your Element
14. A Fight You Can't Win
15. Desperate Measures
16. Rock And A Hard Place
17. Out Of Control
18. The Impressionable
19. When All's Said And Done

Volume 2: The Dark Before The Dawn

1. Second Chance
2. Matters Of Family
3. Cold Realities
4. Seeing The Light
5. Gathering Intelligences
6. Through The Mud
7. Fist Of Clay
8. Black And Blue: Part 1 (w/ AndyC)
9. Black And Blue: Part 2 (w/ AndyC)
10. Black And Blue: Part 3 (w/ AndyC)
11. Black And Blue: Part 4 (w/ AndyC)
12. Black And Blue: Part 5 (w/ AndyC)
13. Black And Blue: Part 6 (w/ AndyC)
14. Black And Blue: Part 7 (w/ AndyC)
15. Black And Blue: Part 8 (w/ AndyC)
16. Black And Blue: Finale (w/ AndyC)
17. Cards On The Table
18. The War Will Carry On
In Absolute Comics - Justice Rising → 5 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay

The Journal Of Alfred J. Pennyworth
June 27th, 1947

One cannot ever properly prepare for death. The war taught me this cruel lesson in earnest. Watching friends and compatriots alike be ripped from this Earth with such precise ferocity was supposed to steel one's heart from feeling these bitter strikes at the center of my soul, and yet, here I find myself again. Answering death's call, my grief at the ready. I received a knock at the door of the Manor at 11:30 PM. A pair of uniformed officers, barely even half my age, waiting for me in the pouring rain. They tell me that they've arranged for me to be escorted into the city. Their words ringing in my ears as they've spoken of an unthinkable tragedy. Master Thomas and Lady Martha. They...

I suppose it does not do anyone any good to detail the grotesquely violent manner in which they were taken. Nor do I feel it necessary to offer my opinion of the event itself. I was, after all, not present for it. A fact of which shall haunt me until my dying day. Would I have been able to prevent it? Were the instinct to take hold, would seven years' service of training in combat medicine and the theater arts have given me some disproportionate advantage against their murderer? Perhaps not. But were it required for me to lay down my life for either party, for they were two of the finest people I shall ever know, I would have done so without question.

But the burden of my grief for their passing shall have to wait. In some small way, perhaps, the shock of their sudden removal from this life will allow me to carry on with my duties. For as important as it may be to honor the memory of the Wayne family, the tragic reality is that they are not the last of their bloodline. They left behind a son. A small, inconsolable boy whose life was just shattered amongst the rain. Carelessly taken for granted in a world where the horrors of humanity are becoming a more frequent companion to any redemptive qualities one might find.

Young Master Bruce. How I should hope that you never have to read this entry. For this night may undoubtedly be your darkest, my immense task shall be to guide you as far away from these memories as possible. Though I am neither your father or your blood relation, I owe it to your parents to try my very best. The world has such greater things in store for you than this, and when you are to come of age, I shall be comforted to see the pain of losing your family be washed away by your immeasurable success. In time, perhaps we shall even look back at this night as a faint glimmer in your life's overall story.

One could certainly dream.


Two shots ring out into the Gotham City nightscape. In a space where three individuals once stood, a boy drops to his knees and screams.

The gunman grabs the couple's valuables and flees for his life, never once daring to look back at the sobbing child's immeasurable loss. He simply wanted them to hand over some spare cash, he tells himself in between fits of panic. Why didn't they just give it to him?

He doesn't stop to question that line of thinking. He doesn't stop, period, as the sirens begin to sound off a mere block away. The police are already on his tail, and this idiot's still holding the smoking weapon. He hops a chain-link fence, lands hard, and takes off down a dark alleyway. His ankle beginning to lock up, the thug gasps for breath as he pitches the gun into a nearby open dumpster. Long as he has the cash, he can stay alive long enough to buy a new one. That's what the man wearing a sports jacket labelled "J" above the faded starting number for the Gotham Knights tells himself to remain assured that he didn't just shoot a couple of people for no good reason, that he didn't make an orphan out of some kid who never meant him any harm. That he didn't just fuck up and ruin his own damned life.

"Jesus Christ, call an ambulance! We've got a couple of gunshot victims on West 39th!"
"Over there! I think I hear footsteps..."
"He's over there! He's over there! In pursuit of suspect!"
"You two! Cut him off on the opposite alley at O'Neil Jewelers!"

The harsh barking of orders from a fedora adorned detective echoes out from behind the mugger, giving him even more reason to keep pushing past his aging body's limitations. He tosses the hat that he wore to keep his identity conspicuous, in the event that there were unexpected witnesses to his crime. He'd worked up the courage to do something like this for months, and it all seemed to go swimmingly in his mind. A pair of bodies, no kid, no police. It was supposed to be clean and simple. But he'd gotten desperate, and desperation had evaporated what was left of his patience, putting him squarely in the line of sight for Gotham's dirtiest bunch of crooks, the GCPD. He wouldn't have been surprised, he thinks, if they were on their way to collect protection money whenever they heard his two-bit 22. go off.

But that was just how it rolled. In Gotham City, you were either born as the top fish, or you always got swallowed up by the bigger one. And ever since The Roman's Holiday Massacre of 1929, the top fish in town was always the one in control of the cops. Sergio Falcone had taken a dive so that his own son could plunge the city into open chaos during one night that served as a grotesque power shift between rival factions of the mob. In alot of ways, it felt like the city would never recover from that night. And here this clown was, trying to scrape a couple of bucks off of some punk's mom and dad. He shook his head to himself, wondering how he'd ever worked up the stones to try and pull this pathetic stunt off. The amount of money he'd stuffed into his jacket was probably worth far less than this month's rent.

Just as it seemed that he'd outrun his pursuers, tires screeched out across the street infront of him. Red and blue lights shot out against the pitch black darkness, causing the crook to slide to a complete stop and stumble forward. He flailed wildly, trying to push himself up, but he heard the clicks of their weapons. He saw the slicked shoes coming towards him, and worse, he could sense even more coming his way from the rear. He was cornered, and this was over. He'd violated his parole, and this would easily send him back to the pen for life.

"FREEZE!"

"Don't even blink, asshole! We've got you pinned from all sides! Let's see those hands!"

"You're under arrest for armed robbery and double homicide! Put your hands on your head and lie forward on the ground!"

With an exasperated breath, the sweating crook complied with the officer's demands. His chin soon found itself against the pavement, and he could feel the cold steel of the officer's handcuffs snap hard against his wrists. Two sets of hands pulled him to his feet, and in a moment he'd feel particularly ashamed of later, a third officer pulled out the earnings of his crime: a measily fifty-seven dollars in cash. The criminal looked on with shock, swearing that there had been more. The way the bills were stacked, it seemed like so much more. But he'd killed two people over less than the going price of the gold necklace adorned around his neck. The criminal hung his head in shame as the officers forced him against the nearby squad car, patting him down for the murder weapon or any other unpleasant surprises.

"And so began the true end of Johnny 'The Spider' LaMonica's life..."

Mugshots from that night flash across the screen, showing the real-life Gotham City gunman that looked practically unrecognizable next to the actor that had just been shown playing him in a very dramatic re-enactment. The actual LaMonica's forehead was busted open, clearly suggesting a more violent encounter with the police than the television program had been permitted to show. Stories like this were often alot worse than they were presented as told.

"Caught dead to rights in the city's East End, LaMonica was arrested and charged with the murder of local grociers Edwin and Patrice Prewitt on October 12th, 1951. One of the more prominent couples in the city's growing community of African-American leaders of business at the start of the 30's, Edwin Prewitt and his wife were considered patron saints of the Park Row slums, with many residents portraying them as lively storytellers, eager to spin a yarn about Gotham's glory days for any customer that seemed to want to listen."

Tragically, a pair of photographs show the victims of LaMonica's crime in happier spirits, with Edwin Prewitt playing an impromptu set of drums outside the entrance of his supermarket, clearly helping out a group of street performers looking to make an honest dollar. His wife looks on, mid-laugh, as a vague tune can be heard in tandem with another set of photographs of the two together.

"It was this crime, among notable others, that led to Gotham's restructuring of Park Row as the now infamous Crime Alley. And their murderer, as identified by their grieving grandson, the sole witness at the scene, would soon face two life sentences in exchange for coldly taking the couple away in the midst of a botched robbery. LaMonica pleaded no contest, with his lawyer stating at the time that the known trigger for hire had expressed deep remorse for the senseless act, citing his inability to keep a steady job following the criminal takeover of the East End by the Falcone Crime Family as his only motive."

Grainy newsreel footage shows LaMonica, in prison stripes, being led out to an awaiting Blackgate Penitentiary escort amidst a field of reporters.

"Though speculation at the time pointed towards it being a racially motivated assault turned calculated murder, the Prewitt's grandson would later cooaborate LaMonica's version of events during an adulthood interview in retrospect. LaMonica was eventually locked away on August 3rd of the following year, leaving behind a tragic legacy that the victim's family would never be able to escape."

Unexpectedly cutting back to a panaround shot of the actor playing Johnny LaMonica in the re-enactment, now dressed in a prison uniform and sitting in an obvious television set's recreation of an interrogation room, the show keeps "LaMonica's" side profile in focus as the door opens. Two suited men enter, throwing down a lengthy file and staring the crook directly in the face. LaMonica's tired eyes, likely an effect of makeup, stare blankly at the mustached member of the pair.

"But would that be the end of The Black Spider's story? Or would this so-called 'deep remorse' act as fuel to an escalating fire within Johnny LaMonica, arguably put into this position by the very criminal factions that he used to run with?"

After a silent moment between them, the suited man nods to someone on the other side of the door to the room. In walks a third party, a member of the prison staff, carrying a massive suitcase. LaMonica looks confused, but distinctly intrigued. Something more is going on here. Something much bigger than him, it seems, as the camera focuses on the badges pinned to the suited men's lapels. The letters 'FBI' shine against the glare of the light, dramatically recontextualizing this seemingly innocuous meeting.

"He had the motive. He had nowhere to turn. And as far as the world was concerned, no one was ever going to miss a lifer that had plainly made his bed and chosen to lie in it. What if, instead of the reported hanging that would seal LaMonica's fate in the history books as a man who'd chosen to take the easy way out, The Black Spider had chosen to align himself with Uncle Sam's top men? What if the hanging was a cover-up made to conceal the fact that LaMonica had simply traded one animal moniker..."

The suitcase lands, hard, onto the table infront of him. The convict takes it with both hands, and slowly lifts open the top half, revealing contents which clearly shock LaMonica to his core.

"For another?"

The camera pans around, finally revealing what's inside the suitcase.

A fearsome, leathery black garb, seemingly extended from a mask attached to a folded cloak.

A black garb in the form of a Bat.

"I'm Waylon Jones. And tonight, we're asking Gotham City to contemplate the question that has rested on the minds of each citizen for half a century: which one of their own could have possibly been... The Batman?"

Lightning strikes, ever dramatically, across LaMonica's face as he raises the cowl to meet his own. The scene fades out to a heavily produced title card, displaying an assortment of headshots and mugshots alike across a golden banner, with the center filmstrip reading off the program's all too familiar title:



A loud cough interrupts the program just as it goes to commercial, prompting the junior member of the board of directors - who had been streaming the latest episode of Gotham's hit "reality" television show on his smartphone, while waiting for this meeting to begin - to suddenly look up and gauge the room around him. Practically everyone was either staring or side-glancing him, having noticed that he'd put in his wireless earbuds and wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention.

Adjusting his tie, nervously, the 31-year-old proceeded to remove the buds and place his phone on lock, quickly slipping it into the pocket of his suit's jacket. If his face weren't a shade of red before, it certainly was now, looking toward the far more professionally dressed woman standing at the end of the long table.

"If we could have everyone's attention before we proceed?"

The younger member of the board places his hands together, nodding silently while refusing to make eye contact. The woman merely shot him a stern look of disapproval before turning her attention towards the digital clipboard that she held firmly infront, marking down a note with the strokes of her fingertip.

"Glad to see that we're all equally as engaged. Please continue with the next phase of your pitch, Mr. Isley."

A red-headed gentleman adorned in a several-thousand dollar suit glances over his shoulder, clearly annoyed at the sudden interruption, but quickly composes himself and clears his own throat. He gestures to the image floating infront of him, projected via hologram.

"Yes, well. As I was saying, esteemed members of the board, I feel as though the next logical step for this company to take is one that evokes a more vested interest in New Gotham's economical growth than we've seen in the last decade."

Waving his hand over the hologram, Arthur Isley watches as a digitally reconstructed neighborhood of Gotham's slums becomes a theoretical haven of modern shopping, with several dummy businesses - such as a smartphone carrier, a couple of trendy restraunts, a corporately owned boutique, and a clothing store - appearing in the places of buildings seemingly abandoned and left to ruin over the years. Some eyebrows raise, while others sit intrigued.

"While these are just a few examples of the jobs we'd be creating if we pursued my initiative, imagine if we invest in enough neighborhoods to provide these spaces to prospective small business owners aswell as the local corporations. What you see here reflects a more traditional sense of systemic consumer output, but what if we could diversify the palate? What if we could actually turn one of the city's most notorious neighborhoods, affected in equal measure by crime and the impoverished conditions that have made these streets practically uninhabitable, into a more attractive lure for tourism?"

Several of the storefronts change, reflecting Isley's 'diversity' - though each new business seems to be a hollow imitation of the ones that came before it. Still, several members of the board eye eachother, clearly seeing the potential in such an investment.

"And if there's anything Gotham ever needed at this stage of it's economical lifespan, I would say tourism ranks far higher than the more steady approach we've taken in the past. While vital city resources have come to rely on us for land development, market research has suggested that the margin of tourism has dipped by over sixty-one percent ever since the implementation of Mayor Dent's Blackgate Wall."

Placing his hands together, Isley initiates the hologram's shutdown, triggering the overhead lights to come on and illuminate the room.

"Bottom line? This company's focus on reaching out to those affected by the conditions of the Mayor's strict documentation regimine for leaving the suburbs of Old Gotham is, while I can agree to be a noble cause, leaving the rest of the city to hang out to dry up in the current landscape. While we've no shortage of practical businesses operating out of the area, what we need is a firm invitation to people across the country - nay, across the world - that Gotham is once again open for business. Not just for local consumers, but to the casual market aswell."

Looking upon the room, Isley's eye darts to a seat at the very front that's been turned away from him for the entire meeting. It remains turned towards the large window overseeing the city below them, with the sunlight just barely reaching the chair's as-of-yet silent occupant. Isley raises an eyebrow, turning towards the individual members of the board.

"Are there any objections? Questions? Any feedback at all?"

While some go to speak up, evidently ready to share their own opinions, a voice of a much lower register cuts them off before any can attempt to broaden the discussion.

"This proposal is absurd."

Isley's annoyance only grows as several members of the board are caught off guard by the harshness of the older man's tone. The chair slowly spins around to meet the stewing business executive's gaze with an equal amount of contempt. Dressed in an entirely black suit with a silk tie that clearly costs more than any given part of the room itself, the elderly CEO of Wayne International remains completely, almost chillingly still as he continues to outline his displeasure.

"Gauging tourism, in my experience, has always proven to be a temporary fix for much bigger problems. And while we can certainly try and make the city seem appealing from afar, the fact remains that nobody's coming to invest their money here anytime soon. You of all people should know why, Arthur."

Isley, while clearly flustered, stands as one of the few in the room completely unintimidated by the commanding presence of the 81-year-old.

"Perhaps you'd care to enlighten us, Mr. Wayne."

Bruce Wayne sneers, slowly rising from his chair.

"While your people have been conducting market research, I've been paying more attention to the headlines. The crucial element of engaging tourists that you're missing is good publicity. And publicity for Gotham ever since Dent took office has been decidedly unkind. While most consider us to simply be bad for business, I keep hearing a common refrain used to describe the state of the city."

By the time he's fully stood, Wayne clearly stands a few inches taller than Isley, even at his advanced age. It quite literally casts a shadow over the executive, whose brow furrows when confronted with the debilitating fact.



"Dystopian."

Isley scoffs, turning towards his fellow members.

"An overexaggeration, I assure you."

"But a believable conceit in the minds of the public."

His hand gripping a polished wooden cane, Wayne begins to walk across the whole of the table as he eyes each individual member of the board himself. They're quick to pay attention, as the aging billionaire has spent a good portion of his life building up a reputation for blunt honesty, something that Isley seems to shy away from.

"The reason that Wayne International has been reaching out to the, as you call them, victims of 'documentation' is because we've devoted our resources towards helping those that are financially unable to provide the city with sustainable business. Not only those living in complete poverty, but those struggling to even stay afloat. Even if we were to cut out a swath of land for an investor with a modern sensibility, the fact remains that without the citizens of Old Gotham and New Gotham working together to provide revenue, we'd be delivering a staggeringly empty promise. In the short-term, that could be damaging. In the long-term, crippling."

Turning to meet the whole of the assembled board members, Wayne's face is only partially lit as he continues to outline why the proposal won't work. It's an image that unnerves even the stoic Arthur before the elder Wayne eventually steps forward to become fully illuminated.

"Our focus is to be dedicated to uniting both halves of a city that our Mayor has carelessly sought to divide. And as long as I'm still CEO, that's where it will remain. Vote however you wish, but I think I can safely speak for most of our stockholders when I say that Mr. Isley's proposal will solve nothing."

Arthur crosses his arms as his barely contained frustration washes over him.

"All in favor?"

A deafening silence fills the room, causing Isley to bitterly sigh.

"All opposed?"

Unanimously, the entire board raises their hands. Wayne's gaze never leaves Isley as he turns to head back to his seat.

"Meeting adjourned."

Helped back into his seat by his assistant, who hands him her clipboard while simultaneously beginning to pour him a glass of water, Wayne removes two pills from his jacket's pocket and downs them before anyone can notice. Taking a careful swig of his drink, Wayne does everything he can to hide the fact that his pulse is racing. His breathing momentarily shallow. It would be an eye-opening glimpse at a titan of industry, were anyone paying attention to anything other than the desire to leave the room and resume business.

But just as the door opens and people begin to pour out, Arthur Isley takes a few steps forward.

"And how exactly do you suggest that we unite this city, Mr. Wayne?"

"Your proposal is denied, Arthur. The meeting is over."

"But the discourse certainly isn't!"

Isley's outburst catches the attention of everyone. Wayne merely stares back.

"For months, I've been coming to this table - this same table from the same position - to do nothing but offer new ideas and expand the company beyond it's shrinking potential. And yet at every turn, you've made it your mission to cut every proposal down in it's infancy. The problem that the stockholders see with Wayne International is an inability to try something new, but you won't even let us get to that point. We're draining resources fast, and all because you tout an idealist's dream of bringing together a unified Gotham."

Isley finds himself leaning against the portion of the table directly infront of his boss, unafraid to get too close.

"You're the leader of this company. So I implore you, Mr. Wayne, to lead us. Help us understand your strategy for doing the impossible."

Bruce leans forward. "It's called faith."

Isley corrects his posture, immediately on the counter-offense.

"It's called suicide. We need to be proactive if this company's going to last into the next decade and avoid a buyout. And hoping that Mayor Dent's crime prevention initiative magically goes away along with that wall is well within the area opposite of productivity."

As the members of the board look towards their CEO, Wayne remains curiously silent.

"I realize that in your day, Gotham was an easier landscape to navigate. But we're suffocating under the conditions that you refuse to acknowledge as anything but temporary when, infact, all evidence points towards the contrary. I want to help the citizens of Old Gotham as much as you do, Bruce, but that's what the Wayne Foundation is for. And the whole of this company can't exist entirely as your charity."

Isley's tone borderlines on disrespect, but it's laced with enough truth to keep Wayne from an immediate retort. The two men clearly don't like one another, but the question of which one is ultimately right becomes more blurred as Isley speaks.

"But you and I both know that already. You also know what this is really about. So with all due respect, I'll try not to waste any more of your valuable time."

As Arthur turns to leave, finally, Wayne eventually speaks up.

"Isley..."

Arthur pauses, but doesn't bother to turn around and face his superior. He knows all too well where this discussion will lead. He's already cursing the fact that he even tried persuading the old man to see it his way. And yet the next few words still send a tremble down the spine of each lingering member of the board.

"Bruce is reserved for friends."

Seemingly lowering his shoulders in defeat, Isley gathers up his materials and wordlessly exits the room, along with the rest of the board. While Wayne's assistant personally sees to escorting Arthur out of the room, for fear of another outburst, Bruce takes another sip of water. By the time the door closes, his steely gaze gives way to a look of tired, frustrated repetition.

He made the mistake of giving up on Gotham once, years ago. And it cost him everything he held dear. The Manor. His closest friends. The remnants of the family that he built. And the other part of himself that could have fixed this - could have solved the problem before it even began.

If there's ever been a time for Bruce Wayne to remain hopeful that his city can power through the darkness, it's now. Because his days of fighting for Gotham are long since over. All he can do is sit back and allow it to try and heal itself.

Because right now, it's limping.

"Package is en route to destination. I repeat, package is en route to destination..."

A figure watches from the darkness above Gotham as two trucks cross the bridge from Arkham Island. A shipment of materials from The Arkham Institute is on it's way to the Blackgate Wall, to be delivered back where they originated: GCPD's archival warehouse. The figure has waited weeks for an opportunity to sneak into the heavily guarded facility, but he wasn't sure of how to gain entrance until a request for research materials was processed. Turns out, there was a mistake, and no doctor from Arkham had requested any of the items onboard either truck. That would be what happens when a report is electronically falsified, as the figure knows all too well. After all, he was the one that falsified it.

Perched atop two stone gargoyles, the figure briefly looks out across the Gotham skyline. He remembers, as a child, when it was brighter. The skies seemed to illuminate in a perpetual glow that cast the normally dangerous city in quite literally a safer light. But a sharp line now stands between that light and the people on the other side of the Blackgate Wall, cutting it off and leaving 'Old Gotham' in a shadowy landscape of terror and oppression.

No more, the figure thinks to himself. After tonight, everything will change.

It's been too long since Gotham's had a reason to believe again.

In hope.

In the future.

And especially in heroes.

The figure doesn't know whether he has what it takes to fill the void. But he's going to try his best, even if it kills him. And it may very well do so. Nevertheless, he positions himself firmly against the gargoyles that once were laid claim to by another man - and leaps into the night.



The first of many.
In Absolute Comics - Justice Rising → 5 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Now, now, let's not make this yet another game where we dogpile on @Sep.

Let's save that for the mid-season.
In Absolute Comics - Justice Rising → 5 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Captain America, Supergirl, Green Lantern, Bruce Wayne, The Hulk, and Iron Man are all approved.



I'll accept this outcome, mostly because I'm aware of how terrifying you all clearly feel a raging hormonal Clark Kent would have been to unleash onto this game.
In Absolute Comics - Justice Rising → 5 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
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 R U C E W A Y N E

P H I L A N T H R O P I S T ♦ G O T H A M C I T Y , N E W J E R S E Y ♦ W A Y N E I N T E R N A T I O N A L
C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T:

"Never again."

For over half a century, Gotham City had been protected from the forces of evil by an unseen guardian. Considered an urban myth whispered among a superstitious and cowardly criminal lot, those who had been saved by him and those who had been unfortunate enough to earn his wrath knew him only as The Batman. And as the times and traditions of Gotham's citizens changed, he remained the one true constant, striking terror into criminal factions of all creeds and urban terrorists that sought to challenge him through their own bizarre, inspired gimmicks. But with the aid of Commissioner James Gordon, his trusted and faithful servant Alfred, his one-time partner Robin, The Boy Wonder, and the use of his civilian identity as billionaire Bruce Wayne, The Batman crusaded against evil successfully for many years - until one fateful night in 1986 changed everything.

Becoming hardened, grim and vicious, The Dark Knight Detective began to forgo the shadows and legitimately terrorize evildoers, leaving them maimed, broken, and scarred beyond repair. Some terrible evil had been committed against him, and those who knew him best were unable to comprehend how Gotham's greatest hero could have fallen so far. It wasn't until many years later, in a final fight against arguably his greatest foe, The Joker, that something finally shattered The Caped Crusader's restless spirit. Bruce Wayne realized that he'd come too close to the edge for comfort - or worse, that he may have even descended into the abyss without even realizing it. And so he made a choice.

Retiring the cape and cowl, destroying the many weapons, gadgets, suits and vehicles that he'd used to operate as a vigilante, and going so far as to abandon Stately Wayne Manor and block off the fabled Batcave beneath, Wayne devoted himself to his philanthropic and financial efforts entirely. One way or another, The Batman was dead. And as soon as his absence became noticed, his rogue's gallery seemed to slowly dissipate, either dying out due to age, unfortunate circumstances, or retiring far away from Gotham to live in peace, their war against the masked vigilante having ended. With only a few remaining in Arkham and no further escapes reported, Gotham seemed to settle into a period of peace, seemingly affirming that The Batman's war on crime had escalated the very evil he sought to vanquish and that the city was better off without him.

But while Batman's abscence may have left Gotham with eased tensions, they eventually began to boil over once again with a dramatic rise in street crime. With Commissioner Gordon having left the GCPD years earlier, a new civil servant had to rise up and challenge this escalating violence - and to everyone's surprise, the one to answer the call would be Harvey Dent. The one-time criminal known as Two-Face, Dent had been given a clean bill of health and returned to civilian life shortly after his masked enemy retired. Having managed to amass a fortune that rivaled Bruce Wayne's own in the years following, Dent's charm and ambition managed to win him back the public's trust - aswell as an eventual election for Mayor of Gotham City.

In a move that could only be seen as suspicious soon after taking office, one of Dent's first acts as Mayor was to erect a massive wall, blocking off the crime-ridden East End of Gotham City from the more fortunate West End, where the rich were accommodated while the poor were left to fend for themselves against common criminals and street gangs. Despite the best efforts of Commissioner Renee Montoya and the GCPD, whose members were beginning to align with Dent's promise of a Gotham where good and evil could be easily separated, The Blackgate Wall eventually stood as either an achievement in forceful dominion over crime or a testament to a city too far gone to be saved. Montoya eventually quit the force in disgust, leading the way for the ruthless Lyle Bolton to succeed her. But regardless of who was running the police, the massive blockade proved to be effective at preventing GCPD from interfering with what transpired in what was then dubbed "Old Gotham", with even fewer citizens of "New Gotham" willing to lend a hand. While some initially heeded the legend of The Batman as an example to try and take back their streets, those that fought back were soon eliminated by a vicious gang of masked criminals calling themselves The Disciples Of Order.

In the year 2020, all hope seems lost. Bruce Wayne is 81 years old, forced into a pending retirement as CEO of Wayne Enterprises. The once gallivanting socialite has turned into a bitter old hermit, never seen among the public between his hours at the office and the many nights spent alone on the top floor of Wayne Tower, overlooking the city he once would have given his life for - wishing desperately to be able to defend it once again, but physically and mentally unable to return to the mantle of The Bat. In his mind, he is poised to die a failure, leaving behind a Gotham City torn apart by the very sort of criminal that murdered his parents.

It is only until a mysterious figure treads the soiled ground where a ghostly Wayne Manor now stands and begins digging, reaching the partially collapsed ruins of The Batcave beneath with the intent to steal a very important book - The Journal Of Alfred J. Pennyworth - that the quest for Gotham's salvation begins again. Someone out there knows Gotham's biggest secret, and they're determined to continue the fight whether Bruce Wayne allows it or not.

The Batman is dead.

Long live The Batman.

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:
This concept is the most ambitious endeavor I've ever attempted with the character. It's not so much about one single narrative - with the exception of Bruce Wayne and the new Batman's perspectives, since they're the protagonists - as it is the biggest statement I have about the myth and legacy of Batman and how that can affect a Gotham City which has seemingly lost it's hope. When Bruce began as a vigilante, he was trying to save a corrupt version of the city. This is the antithesis, where the war was seemingly won, but the corruption naturally took back over after the age of the costumed supervillain passed. There's been no one there to stop it - until now.

I've taken alot of inspiration from notable Elseworlds stories, including The Dark Knight Returns, Year 100, Brotherhood Of The Bat, The Batman of Bethlehem, White Knight, Arkham City, a very tiny bit of Batman Beyond, and the general history of the character in comics, films, television, games, and everything in between. I've also taken some inspiration from stuff like HBO's Watchmen, Logan, Netflix's Daredevil, and the current political climate of The United States to really try and tell a story with some meat to it. It's going to be something very personal that I hope can be wholly mine and yet honor everything that Batman is and has been for the last 81 years.

C H A R A C T E R N O T E S:
Gotham is home to many characters that operate within the new status quo of a city quite literally divided. Very few of the original rogues gallery remain, and if they do, they're far too diminished to make any trouble now. But there are quite a few recognizable names that still appear within the city that will make up the supporting cast of Bruce Wayne and the as-of-yet-unidentified Caped Crusader.

































And finally...



The Once Deadly... And The Dead
Many of Batman's original rogues gallery were either scared off by their arch-nemesis' newly gruesome approach to striking fear into the hearts of his enemies, forced into retirement by debilitating circumstances, or simply died off due to a varying number of causes. Whatever the case may be, their names are almost as mythic as Batman's own, even now existing as whispers within the halls of The Arkham Institute from the mouths of those who still remember. They are...







Residents Of The Arkham Institute

Julian Day
Thomas Elliot
Hugo Strange
Drury Walker
Jervis Tetch
Arnold Wesker

The Dead

Poison Ivy
1966-1997. Transmutated.

Bane
1965-2012. Overdose.

Ra's Al Ghul
????-2005. Natural Causes.

The Scarecrow
1941-2008. Heart Attack.

Harley Quinn
1952-1992. Murdered.

Deadshot
1950-2016. Suicide.

Firefly
1952-2012. Asphyxiation.

Victor Zsasz
1972-2005. Shivved.

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



THE DARK KNIGHT LIVES
1. And I Heard, As It Were, The Voice Of Thunder
In Absolute Comics - Justice Rising → 5 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
To hell with it! If Bruce isn't accepted, this is my backup.

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 U P E R B O Y

C L A R K J O S E P H K E N T♦ J U N I O R R E P O R T E R ♦ S M A L L V I L L E , K A N S A S♦ T H E D A I L Y S T A R - S M A L L V I L L E H I G H E D I T I O N
C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T:

"This looks like a job for Superboy!"
This application is for Superman, but like, as a teenager. He does regular Superman stuff like saving the world, making out with a teenage version of Lois Lane, battling teenage versions of Brainiac, Doomsday, and Metallo, but he does it while balancing having to do homework and chores around the Kent Farm. It's Superman but not!

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:
I 'unno. He'll be going through super-puberty, I guess?

C H A R A C T E R N O T E S:
Perry White, Age 17
Lois Lane, Age 15
Jimmy Olsen, Age 8
Ma And Pa Kent
Lex Luthor, Jr.
Lana Lang, Age 15 (She'll be like a Betty to Lois' Veronica)
Pete Ross, Age 14
Mr. Mxyzptlk, Age 1,000,002
Grant Morrison, Age 60
Neil Gaiman, Age 59
Alan Moore, Age Unknown, Possibly Immortal

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.
In Absolute Comics - Justice Rising → 5 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Curious, though. Are you completely retconning the previous Batman Beyond character with this reboot? Or is Terry's time under the cowl still canon?


It's a retcon. Bruce will have been the only Batman until this new guy shows up. As much as I love Beyond and what Wraith did with Terry, I felt I had to do my own thing just as Wraith had to do his own thing following Byrd's tenure.

In Absolute Comics - Justice Rising → 5 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
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 R U C E W A Y N E

P H I L A N T H R O P I S T ♦ G O T H A M C I T Y , N E W J E R S E Y ♦ W A Y N E I N T E R N A T I O N A L
C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T:

"Never again."

For over half a century, Gotham City had been protected from the forces of evil by an unseen guardian. Considered an urban myth whispered among a superstitious and cowardly criminal lot, those who had been saved by him and those who had been unfortunate enough to earn his wrath knew him only as The Batman. And as the times and traditions of Gotham's citizens changed, he remained the one true constant, striking terror into criminal factions of all creeds and urban terrorists that sought to challenge him through their own bizarre, inspired gimmicks. But with the aid of Commissioner James Gordon, his trusted and faithful servant Alfred, his one-time partner Robin, The Boy Wonder, and the use of his civilian identity as billionaire Bruce Wayne, The Batman crusaded against evil successfully for many years - until one fateful night in 1986 changed everything.

Becoming hardened, grim and vicious, The Dark Knight Detective began to forgo the shadows and legitimately terrorize evildoers, leaving them maimed, broken, and scarred beyond repair. Some terrible evil had been committed against him, and those who knew him best were unable to comprehend how Gotham's greatest hero could have fallen so far. It wasn't until many years later, in a final fight against arguably his greatest foe, The Joker, that something finally shattered The Caped Crusader's restless spirit. Bruce Wayne realized that he'd come too close to the edge for comfort - or worse, that he may have even descended into the abyss without even realizing it. And so he made a choice.

Retiring the cape and cowl, destroying the many weapons, gadgets, suits and vehicles that he'd used to operate as a vigilante, and going so far as to abandon Stately Wayne Manor and block off the fabled Batcave beneath, Wayne devoted himself to his philanthropic and financial efforts entirely. One way or another, The Batman was dead. And as soon as his absence became noticed, his rogue's gallery seemed to slowly dissipate, either dying out due to age, unfortunate circumstances, or retiring far away from Gotham to live in peace, their war against the masked vigilante having ended. With only a few remaining in Arkham and no further escapes reported, Gotham seemed to settle into a period of peace, seemingly affirming that The Batman's war on crime had escalated the very evil he sought to vanquish and that the city was better off without him.

But while Batman's abscence may have left Gotham with eased tensions, they eventually began to boil over once again with a dramatic rise in street crime. With Commissioner Gordon having left the GCPD years earlier, a new civil servant had to rise up and challenge this escalating violence - and to everyone's surprise, the one to answer the call would be Harvey Dent. The one-time criminal known as Two-Face, Dent had been given a clean bill of health and returned to civilian life shortly after his masked enemy retired. Having managed to amass a fortune that rivaled Bruce Wayne's own in the years following, Dent's charm and ambition managed to win him back the public's trust - aswell as an eventual election for Mayor of Gotham City.

In a move that could only be seen as suspicious soon after taking office, one of Dent's first acts as Mayor was to erect a massive wall, blocking off the crime-ridden East End of Gotham City from the more fortunate West End, where the rich were accommodated while the poor were left to fend for themselves against common criminals and street gangs. Despite the best efforts of Commissioner Renee Montoya and the GCPD, whose members were beginning to align with Dent's promise of a Gotham where good and evil could be easily separated, The Blackgate Wall eventually stood as either an achievement in forceful dominion over crime or a testament to a city too far gone to be saved. Montoya eventually quit the force in disgust, leading the way for the ruthless Lyle Bolton to succeed her. But regardless of who was running the police, the massive blockade proved to be effective at preventing GCPD from interfering with what transpired in what was then dubbed "Old Gotham", with even fewer citizens of "New Gotham" willing to lend a hand. While some initially heeded the legend of The Batman as an example to try and take back their streets, those that fought back were soon eliminated by a vicious gang of masked criminals calling themselves The Disciples Of Order.

In the year 2020, all hope seems lost. Bruce Wayne is 81 years old, forced into a pending retirement as CEO of Wayne Enterprises. The once gallivanting socialite has turned into a bitter old hermit, never seen among the public between his hours at the office and the many nights spent alone on the top floor of Wayne Tower, overlooking the city he once would have given his life for - wishing desperately to be able to defend it once again, but physically and mentally unable to return to the mantle of The Bat. In his mind, he is poised to die a failure, leaving behind a Gotham City torn apart by the very sort of criminal that murdered his parents.

It is only until a mysterious figure treads the soiled ground where a ghostly Wayne Manor now stands and begins digging, reaching the partially collapsed ruins of The Batcave beneath with the intent to steal a very important book - The Journal Of Alfred J. Pennyworth - that the quest for Gotham's salvation begins again. Someone out there knows Gotham's biggest secret, and they're determined to continue the fight whether Bruce Wayne allows it or not.

The Batman is dead.

Long live The Batman.

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:
This concept is the most ambitious endeavor I've ever attempted with the character. It's not so much about one single narrative - with the exception of Bruce Wayne and the new Batman's perspectives, since they're the protagonists - as it is the biggest statement I have about the myth and legacy of Batman and how that can affect a Gotham City which has seemingly lost it's hope. When Bruce began as a vigilante, he was trying to save a corrupt version of the city. This is the antithesis, where the war was seemingly won, but the corruption naturally took back over after the age of the costumed supervillain passed. There's been no one there to stop it - until now.

I've taken alot of inspiration from notable Elseworlds stories, including The Dark Knight Returns, Year 100, Brotherhood Of The Bat, The Batman of Bethlehem, White Knight, Arkham City, a very tiny bit of Batman Beyond, and the general history of the character in comics, films, television, games, and everything in between. I've also taken some inspiration from stuff like HBO's Watchmen, Logan, Netflix's Daredevil, and the current political climate of The United States to really try and tell a story with some meat to it. It's going to be something very personal that I hope can be wholly mine and yet honor everything that Batman is and has been for the last 81 years.

C H A R A C T E R N O T E S:
Gotham is home to many characters that operate within the new status quo of a city quite literally divided. Very few of the original rogues gallery remain, and if they do, they're far too diminished to make any trouble now. But there are quite a few recognizable names that still appear within the city that will make up the supporting cast of Bruce Wayne and the as-of-yet-unidentified Caped Crusader.

































And finally...



The Once Deadly... And The Dead
Many of Batman's original rogues gallery were either scared off by their arch-nemesis' newly gruesome approach to striking fear into the hearts of his enemies, forced into retirement by debilitating circumstances, or simply died off due to a varying number of causes. Whatever the case may be, their names are almost as mythic as Batman's own, even now existing as whispers within the halls of The Arkham Institute from the mouths of those who still remember. They are...







Residents Of The Arkham Institute

Julian Day
Thomas Elliot
Hugo Strange
Drury Walker
Jervis Tetch
Arnold Wesker

The Dead

Poison Ivy
1966-1997. Transmutated.

Bane
1965-2012. Overdose.

Ra's Al Ghul
????-2005. Natural Causes.

The Scarecrow
1941-2008. Heart Attack.

Harley Quinn
1952-1992. Murdered.

Deadshot
1950-2016. Suicide.

Firefly
1952-2012. Asphyxiation.

Victor Zsasz
1972-2005. Shivved.

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.
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