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8 mos ago
Current Ribbit.
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Watch out.

The gap in the door... it's a separate reality.
The only me is me.
Are you sure the only you is you?


DON'T TOUCH THAT DIAL NOW, WE'RE JUST GETTING STARTED

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I've signed correspondence 'Houndito Brigande' for years


The more I find out about you the more based you become. This is hilarious.
<Snipped quote by DocTachyon>

I've said it before and I'll probably say it again, I find Ben Affleck to be a highly overrated Batman. But my issue with the casting has always been that I think they made a mistake by casting a well known, well established actor to play the role. When Adam West, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, and Christian Bale were all cast, they had maybe one or two notable hits if that. Their careers were in their infancy compared to their post-Batman notoriety. Affleck had a whole ass career of ups and downs and was a known celebrity, so it was hard to really buy him as the character without just seeing Ben Affleck in a tuxedo/batsuit.

Which is interesting, because Robert Pattinson is similarly more established at this point than those aforementioned actors. But I also think he's more of a chameleon type of actor, so he may pull it off. I don't know.

Point being, the only Batman that really counts is Kevin Conroy.


Affleck is my favourite Batman to date and the only one in my eyes who has convincingly pulled off both Batman and Bruce Wayne, rather than excelling as one and disappointing as the other.

My other unpopular opinions are: BvS was a good movie with cinematography that had me staring in wonder at shots that were straight-up comic panels and editing that had me going ‘oh shit we just flat-out finished an issue and here’s the next one’ and I haven’t seen another comic-book movie that so effectively captured the feel of a comic book.

Also I don’t like Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn but I categorically could not tell you why. The portrayal has never sat right with me and has always felt a little off and three movies later I still haven’t pinned it down.
D A R Y L
D A R Y L

"Mm-my name... my name is DARYL."
C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T
C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T
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C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y
C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y
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Daryl Tynon
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Possessed | BPRD Agent
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Fairfield | Connecticut | America

C H A R A C T E R N O T E S
C H A R A C T E R N O T E S
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P O S T C A T A L O G
P O S T C A T A L O G
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C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T
C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T
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March, 1989, Webequie.
Daryl Tynon goes out for a hunt after an early thaw, thinking the clearing of the weather to be an omen for coming fortune. Seventy minutes after breaking through the treeline of the forest, he is caught in a freak blizzard, unable to see his own breath billowing out in front of him. Lost in the squall, Daryl wandered for three days, unable to find his way back out of the forest and its storm. During this time, he is overcome with paranoia, and the feeling of being watched and hunted, but cannot identify, or even confirm the existence of, his unknown stalker. On the fourth day, the blizzard breaks; but Daryl is starving, dehydrated, exhausted, and slowly freezing to death. He drops to the ground, half-dead - and it is then that the Wendigo uncoils itself from the snow and the trees, and descends upon him.

April, 1989, Webequie.
Daryl awakens, confused and his mind mudded and foggy. He is hungry, and still lost - but the weather has cleared, and he slowly makes his way out of the forest to return home. His cabin is abandoned. His family is missing. There is no food. He goes back to the woods to find help. To hunt. To eat.

November, 1989, Webequie.
Webequie Indian Reserve Sheriff receives a visit from a large, red-skinned, horned man, accompanied by a blue-skinned man with gills and goggles. They have come in response to the sheriff's queries about freak snow-storms, an increase in missing persons, and a disturbing frequency of animal carcasses being found by would-be hunters, torn up and chunks of flesh missing. After a difficult night for all parties involved, Daryl is made aware of his new state of being - the latest victim of a malevolent, body-stealing spirit: the Wendigo. They took him in, and his new un-life was now to be spent in the custody of the BPRD. He would slowly lose all his memories and sense of self, his humanity worn away and replaced with bloodlust, hunger, and the cold. But the world would be a little safer from monsters than it was the day before.

June, 2000, Connecticut
Following Hellboy's abandonment of the BPRD, the Bureau finds itself suddenly bereft of its most valuable asset, and begins evaluation of its current capital to find a suitable replacement. The idea of Daryl the Wendigo is floated, and with little alternatives, the discussion moves towards how such a feral beast can be made effective in the field. In the days that follow, B.P.R.D. Liaison Agent Katherine Corrigan quietly begins recuperative therapy with Daryl - while the technical department figures out how to turn fire into a method of control.

Present.
Twenty years of psychotherapy work, paranormal research, engineering innovation and tactical training have successfully drawn the man Daryl out of the depths of the beast Wendigo. He is a successful, if unnerving, B.P.R.D. Field Agent, under the command of Captain Ben Daimio, deployed as a stop-gap against threats of an extreme physical nature. Utilising a delicately balanced feeding regime, extensive and indefinite psychological treatment, and a containment suit lined with white phosphorus capsules, the Wendigo has been soundly weaponised for the greater good of Mankind against the dark that seeks to swallow it; but how much control does Daryl retain, over the baser urges of the spirit that possesses him?

The B.P.R.D. hope to never find out - but they have contingencies should they do.

P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S )
P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S )
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With Archangel89's Hellboy having departed the BPRD, I realised there was a gap for a replacement, and wondered what that replacement would look like. Hellboy is obviously a physical powerhouse, but also a being with a lot of prophecy and mythology behind him as well, and perfectly encapsulates the theme of embracing that darkness within us, but not allowing it to rule you. Hellboy is an inherently dark creature that chooses to be a force for good. So how best to carry that theme forward with a new character?

Enter Daryl the Wendigo, whose short arc, and the BPRD's interactions with him, are sublime shorthand for the tone of the comics. An innocent man befallen of a foul fate, holding onto his humanity while it's slowly eroded away - he is as much a victim as he is a monster, desperately trying to suppress the evil that picked him merely for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. As many here know, the Wendigo spirit is already a personal fascination for me, so to stumble upon a character that fit the mold for the concept while also being of personal interest felt like an opportunity too serendipitous to pass on.

Where Hellboy is out on his own personal oddessey, I very much want to approach Daryl with the idea of B.P.R.D. being on 'Business As Usual' mode; threats are identified, assessed, and dealt with, agents being deployed as necessary to detain, secure, or neutralise depending on the circumstances. Daryl is one in a long line of re-purposed 'assets', helping the B.P.R.D. 'bump back'. Interspersed with his assignments will be his own struggles with holding on to his humanity as the Wendigo spirits eats away at him, trying to figure how to live this new life (or if he even wants to), and crossing paths with other players as well as a myriad of weird and wonderful creatures and myths. Daryl will learn that as dreaded as the Wendigo is, it is far from the most terrible beast to wander the Earth.

Hi Maxx I really liked your Superboy run looking forward to more can't wait to see the kid bounce off other characters and for you to explore and advance CADMUS' plansokay byeeee
Got a direction for Frank set out now, and I can really bring him into the game. Now just to catch up on the IC again. Really enjoying some of the stuff coming out in this game so far.
SEASON ONE Sensation & Wonder
PUNISHER #2

Hell's Kitchen. New York.


Frank woke up in much the same way as he'd fallen asleep that morning; sharply and unwillingly, followed by settling in to a cold routine. He stood, picking up the book from the floor next to the bed where it had fallen and folding the corner of the page he last recalled reading before setting it down on his pillow. He undressed, feeling clammy from sweating fully-clothed in his sleep, and pulled a large trunk from beneath his bed to fetch another uniform. Nothing extravagant: black utility trousers, a white tank top, a black denim jacket. The cap, black with a small logo on the front, was the only thing the company had paid for; most of his first paycheque had gone on buying something his boss deemed acceptable. Something black and "tough-guy-looking", he'd said. Frank disliked his boss.

Still, he dressed as instructed all the same, all black with heavy boots and his flashlight swinging on his hip again. No weapons, company policy - they were watchmen, not guards, and insurance was pricey enough without employees looking for fights - but Frank had sworn-off weapons just over a decade ago. The brass knuckles were just for self-defence. Hell’s Kitchen was a rough side of town, only getting rougher despite all the ‘good’ that horned bastard thought he was doing.

Frank checked his watch. 2130. He’d slept late. Better get a move on.

-


The job this week had been boring but well-paid, relative to Frank’s other jobs. Better thank watching the door on another failing dive bar at least; some abandoned ex-factory near the waterfront. Been empty a couple years, but last week someone had bought it, a nice chunk of dilapidated real estate, and this week they needed someone to watch it while they figured out what to do with it. The chain-link fencing around the perimeter had gone up in a day, and the day after that had been spending ‘evicting’ the squatters within. Frank had gotten the post Sunday just gone, and the last three nights had been uneventful.

He relieved the afternoon watch in his usual way; appearing near-silently in the door to the impromptu ‘office’, spooking the shit out of the early-20’s ‘roid-head who had his feet up on the desk and his phone propped up against a coffee mug, watching some livestream of a young blonde in some kind of costume. Frank vaguely recognised it from some freak he’d seen in the news a few months ago. Kids today had no respect.

The ‘noon guard pocketed his phone quickly, paling beneath Frank’s glare despite the finely-crafted muscles he obviously spent most of his time and money on. Despite standing a good few inches taller than Frank, he still felt small. He scooped up the one walkie-talkie provided to the job and handed it to Frank, squeezing past the older man as he looked to make a sharp exit. Frank had a way of making rooms uncomfortable to be in.
“Nothin’ t’report, Pete. All quiet.”
Frank nodded and stepped aside, clipping the talkie to his belt next to his flashlight and taking a seat on the folding chair. It was as close to a formal relief as Frank was going to give. The ‘noon guard lingered awkwardly, as if pausing to collect some words. Frank just stared straight ahead out of what once probably housed a glass pane, looking out onto what was once probably a production floor. The ‘noon guard left, and Frank breathed an infinitesimal sigh of relief. He rarely felt like talking, and tonight the stale, rust-scented air sat even more uncomfortably than usual in the back of his throat.

-


Four hours went by slowly. Frank had made a couple rounds of patrol since he'd started, but right now he was simply enjoying the last dregs of coffee from his thermos. With his watch rolling past 2AM, Frank crossed and uncrossed his legs. His bladder was filling, and the on-site toilet was on the other side of the building. Irritating; he was comfortable, and it was chilly tonight. Nevertheless, it was get up and walk, or piss himself. Frank was older, but not quite that old yet. He got up, grunting as he felt his knee pop. Old scars. He ambled across the ground floor, assorted gravel and broken glass crunching beneath his boots. His torch swung at his side, un-needed; while the bulbs in the building had burnt out long ago, Frank was well-used to moonlight and muzzle-flashes being his only illumination. The former filtered through the skylights nicely and he found his way easily.

He pushed through a door at the rear of the building into the cool night air, letting the distant cacophony of the city drift in. New York, the city that never sleeps. The crisp air felt good in his lungs and he savoured it, taking long, even breaths. Despite the background ambience of New York proper, there was a detachment from it at this building that afforded an almost peaceful atmosphere, and offered a clarity of thought that wouldn’t be possible once enveloped fully in the din of so-called ‘civilisation’.

So Frank was displeased when a distinct, tell-tale clinking off to his right let him know someone was scaling the chain-link fence that was meant to ward off this exact kind of intrusion. He sighed, pausing in his purposeful plod, and turned carefully on the spot in the direction of the noise. There was the crunch of someone hitting the ground on the inside of the perimeter, followed by more clinking and two more landings. There was a swollen pause of silence, and then Frank saw them cutting across the yard towards the main building. Three figures, with dark jackets and beanie caps. Two were holding crowbars. Frank sighed, and quietly followed at a steady pace.

The trio pushed forwards into the factory, moving carefully but with little regard for the amount of noise they were making. Frank trailed behind, imperceptible in the darkness and silent as the grave. By the way they were looking around, they were obviously expecting a night watchman, but they weren’t thorough in their investigation. Frank felt almost bored at how easy it had been to follow them across the old factory floor without being noticed. The lead of the three was distracted, though, fidgety. He kept adjusting his jacket - obvious firearm in the inner pocket, one Frank simultaneously wished he would and wouldn’t be forced to use - and checking a scrap of paper that creased a little more every time he retrieved it from his pocket. They passed the ‘office’, and even gave it a cursory sweep - but they weren’t here for the guard.

Instead, they approached a seemingly random factory press, and the biggest of the three - nearly a foot on Frank, and probably the better part of forty kilos - braced himself against the rusted old manufacturer and heaved. There was a terrible screeching roar of metal-on-metal, but Frank was nearly impressed to see that the damn thing moved, and then all of a sudden noticed the machine was sat on finely-carved rails in the floor. Frank cursed himself for not noticing sooner, for not taking better recon on the job before he’d accepted it. He was getting complacent in retirement.

There was a pause as the sound faded, echoing off rotting walls and rusted rafters. Frank didn’t breathe. The trio muttered amongst themselves, and each gave another cursory sweeping of the eyes across the factory floor; but Frank knew how to wait, and the trio thought whoever was supposed to be here wasn’t interested. Either that, or impatient and stupid.

With the machine press out of the way, the crowbars came out, and the larger two dug the prying ends sharply into deep grooves in the floor. There was some pushing and tugging and grunting and swearing, but slowly, surely, a great lid began to lift, and soon enough all three men were beneath it, heaving it up from out of the ground and pushing it back on rusted hinges. The trio paused again to collect themselves and take some gulping breathes - which they immediately regretted as the unmistakeable scent of old sweat and stale blood ballooned out of the hole like mustard gas seeping across a trench. Frank’s nostrils flared, but he didn’t gag and retch like the men he was watching. Instead, he zeroed in on it, like a grey old bloodhound catching the scent of a hunt again. The crowbars were cast aside as the men descended the steps down, covering their noses with their arms. Frank scooped one up as he followed them into the pit.

-


At the bottom of the stairs, Paulie flipped the lightswitch, and was surprised when the fluorescent tube in the ceiling actually flicked on. Vin, despite being maybe half Paulie’s weight, shot him a look. Paulie just glared. Like the noise hadn’t screamed out their presence here anyway. Guard wasn’t here, just like they were told he wouldn’t be here by Ace. Pete Castiglione was Ace Security Solution’s latest hire, and he was just some washed up bootcamp reject with a vocabulary better than his IQ. Ace told Pete to jump, Pete asked how high, and either he wouldn’t bother you at all or you can just chuck a couple hundred his way and he’ll go sit in a dark room until you’re done. And what’s a couple hundred compared to what they were getting paid for a little bit of clean-up?

Paulie wondered what ‘vocabulary’ meant.

He hadn’t shown anyway. No sign of him as they entered the factory, no sign of him after moving the machine, no sign of him after lifting the trapdoor. It didn’t even look like he’d turned up to his shift. That was Pete’s problem, though, not Paulie’s or Vin’s or Karl’s. Ace would dock him the night’s pay and then pocket it.

Paulie was broken out of his wondering by Vin hitting his shoulder, and Paulie scowled.
“Find what we came to find or watch the stairs. Don’t just fuckin’ stand there like a retard.”
“Fuck off, Vin. Find my ass.”
Karl chuckled as he overturned a soiled mattress. He tried to ignore the handcuffs beneath it, stained with drops of blood, just like he was trying to ignore the faint sight of scratch-marks on the underside of the lid when they’d lifted it.
“What we lookin’ for again Vin?” Karl asked as he let the mattress fall again. Vin swore and smacked Karl.
“Some kinda stash. Few valuables, some photos. Ace said there was a tape, though. Said if we walk out without the tape, we’re done in this town.”
Karl considered the threat for a moment, then nodded, and resumed his search. Paulie leant against the wall, absentmindedly scratching his chin.

Vin looked around the room. It wasn’t very big, and only sparsely decorated; a handful of mattresses, a couple chairs. There was a desk in the corner, but no drawers. Drawers would have been too easy, he supposed. There was a drain in the corner of the room, and a vent above it.
“Paulie, make yourself useful. Boost me up.” Vin commanded, gesturing at the vent in the wall. Paulie trudged over and cupped his hands for Vin to step in, hoisting him up until his shoulders were level. Vin balanced himself, then grabbed the vent with both hands and wrenched it back; a couple yanks, and it popped out. Vin grinned in success and stuck his arm in shoulder-deep; after a few seconds feeling around, he gripped something and grinned again, pulling it free.

It was a small plastic bag, duct-taped shut. Inside the bag were some bracelets, rings, necklaces - assorted jewellery, but nothing extravagant or overly mature in its style - a small pouch of photos - the top one was a provocative image of an attractive young woman, but the rest weren’t visible - and a black, un-marked videotape.
“Bingo, boys. Payday tonight.” Vin said, affecting an air of triumph as Paulie lowered him down. “Let’s get out of he-“

Vin stopped mid-sentence as he turned back towards the stairs and came face-to-face with Pete Castiglione. Pete had cast an eye over the squalid little pit already, and his face bristled with rage and disgust; now, Pete’s gaze fell to the baggie clutched in Vin’s hand, and the content within. Pete’s face contorted into something Vin could only describe as demonic. Carefully, Vin rested his other hand on the pistol in his pocket. Frank rolled the crowbar in his hand, feeling the weight and the swing of it.

“Pete? Pete Castiglione? You’re on watch tonight? Ace - your boss - he said you would be. Said you’re a reliable guy. Said you don’t talk much, but you’re smart and money-orientated. Well, Ace asked us to come and pick up some bits. Said if we ran into you, that you’d be smart enough to know we’re not causing trouble, just here to collect some stuff the old owners left behind. Smart guy like you would take an easy couple hundred to let us get on with our business so you can get on with your business.”

Vin liked to talk, Frank thought. Liked to think he was in control. Liked to think he was faster with that .45 in his pocket than Pete Castiglione would be with his crowbar. Liked to think he was never wrong, despite rarely being right. Liked to be backed up by men bigger than him with less brains, like Paulie and Karl. Unfortunate.

“You’re wrong.” Frank said. “My name’s not Pete.”

“What?”

“It’s Frank.”

“Huh?”

“Frank Castle.”

“Oh, fuck.” Vin could only whisper.

The last thing Frank saw before he threw his crowbar at the lightbulb was three men, making their peace with God, illuminated only by the moonlight and a muzzle flash.
What's everyones favourite Superhero film?


Under The Red Hood is still one of my favourite animated Batman features.

I feel like Kickass 1 is underrated as well, even if they blew it with keeping Big Daddy's story legit instead of the reveal from the comic.

I really enjoyed Gunn's The Suicide Squad.

Into the Spider-Verse is one of the most visually amazing films I've ever seen.

Guillermo's first Hellboy is extremely solid.

Nolan's The Dark Knight goes without saying.

Watchmen, especially the director's cut, is an incredible adaptation and very well-written.

And these days, finally, I am more and more forgiving of Constantine starring Keanu Reeves, and feel more and more that despite mis-casting Reeves (who performs as admirably as I feel he was capable of at the time), and the obvious mistake of transplanting the character to the US, it's actually a decently-written Constantine story that hits good pillars and themes of the character and despite Reeves not being right for John, the rest of the cast makes up for it and Reeves is at least watchable.
<Snipped quote by DocTachyon>

Roman's British, hardly even a person.


He’s_out_of_line_but_he’s_right.gif
One of my favourites is the Winter Soldier’s theme from the MCU. It’s impactful and sinister and I often listen to it when attempting a big lift at the gym:



Additionally, I really like the Netflix Daredevil theme:



It’s a shame but aside from the obvious that’s already been stated, DC don’t have as many great themes that spring to mind as quickly as Marvel ones do.
<Snipped quote by Sep>
Predictable answer is predictable, but I think I listen to parts of this every week.



This one is a close second.



Additionally I feel like as good as all Batman themes are, this remains one of the most underrated:

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