Roman

Sensation & Wonder: An Absolute Comics Roleplay [DC & Marvel One Universe Style Game]

Politics, making it official, public appearances, PR puff pieces, yada yada yada.

Roman's Scrapbin

Sensation & Wonder: An Absolute Comics Roleplay [DC & Marvel One Universe Style Game]

I'm working on a Venom post first before Wonder Woman.

Realized about Frank, so is anyone else interested in having an alien symbiote around?

@Mao Mao

What was the initial thought pre-edit? I may be amicable.

Sensation & Wonder: An Absolute Comics Roleplay [DC & Marvel One Universe Style Game]

_{SEASON ONE Sensation & Wonder}

PUNISHER #4

---

Explosions and screams rocked Frank from his slumber, and he whipped awake, arm up and pistol out. His sights trained immediately on the figure in front of him, stolen pistol pointed dead between the eyes; it was only when Frank blinked and adrenaline sharpened his vision from sleep that he realised the figure was the still-dead body of Ace, tied to the chair and slumped over from the bullet he'd already received the previous night. Blood had pooled directly beneath his head and coagulated on the carpet. Some had mixed with stray ends of hair and matted to Axel's forehead. From Frank's seat on the couch a few feet away, the smell of blood could have been overwhelming.

To Frank, it smelled like his mornings in the old days.

Another boom from outside shook the building and Frank quit reminiscing and moved carefully and quickly to the window. Pistol at the ready, he risked a peek outside.

Frank had seen a lot of carnage in his time in the military; during his tenure as Punisher he'd committed even more. What was unfolding now before his eyes on the streets of Manhattan was unlike any firefight he'd ever experienced.

Fanged, vicious-looking creatures, skin lemon-like with jaundice and foreheads painted a deep crimson, tore through the streets and alleys. Civilians fled in every direction, panicking and screaming; bodies littered the asphalt of human and alien alike, many shot down, some trampled beneath fearful feet. Somewhere in the distance, towards Times Square, Frank heard a distinctly reptilian roaring, and then high in the air came a blurred speck of bright yellow that he couldn't quite make out. No time to work it out. In the sky above Manhattan, a terrible ship loomed over the horizon, blotting out the sun; the rampaging creatures poured forth from its bowels, and havoc spread in blood and fire and smoke. Frank took a step back from the window, mind racing - his eyes drifted down towards the pistol he held firmly in his grip. The skin on his hands had never looked quite so wrinkled before.

One thing was certain: he'd need some better hardware.

Quickly he gathered what he needed; from Axel's closet he emptied a black duffel bag of coke bricks, sneering as he did so, and replaced the contents with some essentials - lighter fluid, matches, strips of t-shirts for makeshift gauze, duct-tape - Frank considered changing his clothes too, but the sticky heat of blood across his chest suited him just fine. He found the rest of Axel's stashed clips for the pistol Frank had appropriated; a fresh clip went in the gun and another in his waistband, but the remaining three tumbled into the bag. The tape that had inspired his return from retirement - awoken Frank back to his truest self - went in too, back in the clear plastic he'd found it in, and with a black marker Frank scrawled the name Axel had given him the night before across it. Prioritising was easy; but Frank wasn't the type of man to let one mission abort another.

With bag slung over his shoulder, he departed Axel's apartment, sparing one last hawk of spit at the corpse's foot, and quickly descended the building's staircase to street level. At the main doors he paused, peeking through the crack to survey the street outside. Despite distant screaming and the all-too-familiar sounds of sirens and heated battle, the way seemed eerily quiet. Footsteps echoed from a block over, but in Frank's immediate vicinity, all was still. He exited the building gun-first, eyes sharp and senses keen. An unseen foe was almost as dangerous as an unknown one. Frank's training would deal with the former. Some impromptu battlefield research would probably fix the latter.

He didn't have to go far to get it; despite his destination being only a few blocks away near the outskirts of Hell's Kitchen, Frank had only managed to pick his way across a few short streets before coming face to face with the snarling visage of Manhattan's invaders. The Dominator's 8-foot frame towered over Frank, and drool dripped from its vicious maw as it approached him, skin sickening, forehead a rich maroon, hunched over as it carried a large rifle in its long, sinewy arms. Frank was certain he could make out a sadistic smile spreading across the alien's face, and then it raised its weapon and let out some guttural, barking chortles as the rifle made the tell-tale humming whine of charging-

Frank ducked, rolling beneath the Dominator's legs, faster than it could anticipate. The beam of its disintegrator rifle charred the concrete of the sidewalk as it missed completely, but Frank was already sweeping the legs of the creature before it could turn and take another shot; as the rifle clattered to the asphalt, the alien swung with its talons, a powerful blow that could have removed Frank's head in a single swipe. Instead, Frank deftly back-stepped the strike and put a bullet in the back of its claw as the arm came past, and then another in the shoulder of the same arm. The Dominator screeched, a howl that Frank recognised both pain and fury in, and he breathed as it clambered quickly to its feet once more and advanced, swiping with the other arm. Compelled by anger and agony, its newly-spurred speed took Frank by surprise and he was unable to move out of the way; instead, he brought both arms up in a boxer's guard. The blow connected with a ferocity Frank had never experienced before, and the claws of the alien lacerated his forearms while the strike itself lifted him from his feet and knocked him several feet backwards through the air.

Somehow, Frank managed to turn his would-be rough landing into a combat roll, and he stabilised himself as the Dominator approached again. In his peripheral vision, Frank could see the discarded alien rifle a few feet to his left, but the advancing foe would quickly put itself between him and the weapon, and he could already feel his ribs aching from the single blow he'd taken. A few more of those and he wouldn't be of any use to anyone. The fight would be over.

Despite a decade of retirement, Frank wasn't ready to give up his war just yet.

He launched himself forwards, belting out a war cry that came from animalistic depths Frank had grown unfamiliar with, and as he ran he emptied the clip of his pistol towards the alien. It screeched in response, doing what it could to dodge the incoming fire, some shots still finding their marks in legs and torso; with its remaining good arm, it struck again, thrusting forward with its claws in a stab aimed for Frank's heart; it found only air as Frank dived to the left, landing poorly on his shoulder. The last bullet in the clip went into the back of the alien's neck, burying itself deep in its throat but doing little to stop it in the immediate future. The Dominator attempted a roar, but was only able to manage a garbled and wet throaty sound as the trauma caught up with it; and then the sounds of battle was punctuated with the whine of the rifle, and Frank saw the snarling visage of the Dominator twist into a facsimile of fear.

The whine turned into a zap, and a volley of bright twin beams erupted from the barrel of the rifle and placed themselves squarely center-mass of the alien; in a word, the results were explosive.

Frank picked himself up off the ground, rolling his now-sore shoulder and reloading the pistol before holstering it in his waistband and hefting the heavy rifle with both hands. Where the Dominator had once stood was instead a small blasted-clean crater, and covering both the immediate area and Frank was a thick, dark, viscous mix of alien blood and bits of flesh. Frank wiped his face clean with a hand and realised his arms were bleeding as he felt the familiar sticky warmth of blood replace the cold, lumpy alien gore. He fetched the makeshift gauze and duct-tape from his duffel as he began to move again, applying some quick warzone first-aid while he made the rest of the way to his safehouse. Behind him, Frank could hear more screeches and roars, and he knew that the battalion his foe had belonged to was close; too close. Time to retreat and regroup.

---

The safehouse had not been breeched in over a decade; even before his retirement, Frank's career often pushed him away from locking down in a singular secure location. More often than not, he needed to be on the move, chasing his next target or evading misguided law enforcement after dispatching his last one. To have a fortress, though, a reliable storage unit, somewhere to stockpile his armoury or hang on to useful contraband - Frank understood that very well. Vigilantism had never been lucrative, despite the appearances of his so-called peers, and the targets of the Punisher were often wealthy with ill-gotten gains. Repurposing for the greater good felt as just as any other judgement Frank meted out.

The metal shutter rattled loudly as Frank pulled it up. The inside of the safehouse was sparse, utilitarian. There was a wire-frame cot and a minifridge with bottled water and beef jerky; the only window was plated with double-thick bulletproof glass, and barred on the outside for good measure. Against one wall was a small bookshelf, its cheap wood racks bowing beneath the weight of the tomes it bore; against the other was a gun rack of considerably higher quality, and upon it hung both an exquisite collection of high-end firepower, and a very familiar vest. The crown jewel, however - the piece that Frank now wrapped his fingers around and welcomed the weight and the heft of it, even enjoying the dull pain that it brought to his torn forearms - was the Barret XM500 Anti-Materiel Rifle. Leaving his duffel bag behind but taking the vest and a couple boxes of ammo, Frank slammed the shutter of the safehouse closed behind him, and made his way to the building's rooftop.

Thirty minutes later and the streets in a 5-block radius around Frank's position were clear, and civilian refugees were guiding other survivors towards the safe-zone. The first few had been afraid when Frank started shooting, but when he'd thrown his vest to the ground and they'd realised who he was...Frank wouldn't call himself 'safe'; but he would call himself reliable. And he would reliably put a large hole through the head of any Dominator that he could see. Those fleeing sought out the area of lowest enemy concentration; naturally, when Frank made that concentration zero, they gravitated toward him. By his reckoning there were at least 50 people seeking refuge in the building below him, and scores more in the buildings surrounding.

Off in the distance, he could see Rogers flying in, bringing with him the full force of SHIELD and the Avengers to live up to their nomenclature; some great spectral fanfare erupted towards the Dominator ship, and through his scope, Frank could see distant arrows whipping through the air as well.

Fine; let those more equipped handle the major objectives. Frank was satisfied in his massacre, and protecting civilians.

Sensation & Wonder: An Absolute Comics Roleplay [DC & Marvel One Universe Style Game]

No big deal! Just a small detail I picked up on that I didn't want to incorrectly influence further IC.

Loving Silk! I'm excited for the opportunities of a brand new Spider in NYC following the sudden disappearance of Peter Parker, especially with all the Manhattan locals we have on the roster.

Additionally, this song is now permanently stuck in my head, courtesy of your character banner:

Sensation & Wonder: An Absolute Comics Roleplay [DC & Marvel One Universe Style Game]

@Pirouette a quick character note - the President's identity as Superman is a well-kept secret from the nation and especially Washington's political elite.

It's not a massive deal, but I just wanted to clarify in case it affects anything around your character, or you brought it up IC when no one's supposed to know.

Otherwise, loving all the event posts guys! It's great to see the activity begin to rise again. I'm working on something with Frank to pick him back up in Manhattan, and spinning my planning cogs for Batman.

Sensation & Wonder: An Absolute Comics Roleplay [DC & Marvel One Universe Style Game]

T H E B A T M A N
T H E B A T M A N

^{"Criminals are a cowardly and superstitious lot."}

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 _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ 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 _________________________________________________________ Bruce Wayne _________________________________________________________ Caucasian | Vigilante/Billionaire _________________________________________________________ Gotham | New Jersey | 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 _________________________________________________________ [+] - M I S C E L L A N E O U S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ►Given the number of Gotham-based and/or Bat-family characters in the game, I'm looking to take a more paternal role with Bruce as the crisis facing Gotham forces him to reconsider his capability as Gotham's protector. The events that unfold will test the mettle of every man and woman in his city; heroes, villains, civilians - all will be made to prove they have a place in this new era. ►Given MB's well-established Batman and previous interactions with other characters that remain in the game post our soft re-launch, I'm not looking to erase or retcon any of that work; merely take guidance from the direction MB was originally going, and try my best to do it justice while also telling my own story. - P O S T C A T A L O G P O S T C A T A L O G _________________________________________________________ [+] - P O S T C A T A L O G ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ -

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 ________________________________________________________________________________________ Bruce Wayne was born to two loving parents on a cold night in September, 1988. Bruce Wayne died beside his parents on a cold night in November, 1996. He was eight. He was never mourned. The child is dead; what remains is a paracausal being of zealotry, rage, and willpower. This unnatural creature spends twelve years inhabiting the body of Bruce Wayne, seizing every new day as a fresh opportunity to push itself towards some as-yet-unknown goal. Alfred, the guardian, secretly fears this changeling child, in his worst moments pining for the bubbling, gleeful boy that left the manor with his parents that fateful November night, and never returned. At twenty-one years old, the skin-walker leaves Gotham, and Alfred allows some dark corner of himself to believe that the City has been spared an unknowable evil. On the sixteenth anniversary of his parent’s brutal, senseless murder, the prodigal Wayne son returns to his city, anger tamed and zealotry focused, and he brings with him a singular purpose: to rid his home of the corruption that threatens to swallow it whole. He dons a mantle of fear, and begins a war. Another sixteen years hence and Bruce is mid-40's, and while his war has never stopped, the landscape of it has shifted; gone are the old days of bribery, politics, and corrupt infrastructure. Instead, modern Gotham is plagued by megalomania, psychopathy, sadism, and terrorism: the nature of the world has changed, and with it, the nature of evil. Over the course of his long career, Bruce has been well-supported by an ever-growing network of allies - but now he finds himself relying on them more than ever, as his own body begins to fail him. As the face of Gotham shifts once more, there is nagging doubt that Bruce refuses to acknowledge; the disquieting thought that maybe, he is not enough for the fight anymore. As the era of a new war erupts - perhaps it is time for a new soldier. P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) ________________________________________________________________________________________ With this Batman, I'm looking to carry on the spirit of the Bruce MB was playing; an older Batman, slowing down, perhaps even struggling to keep up with the ever-flowing tide of criminals into his city. Things are slipping out of his grasp, and a new crisis rocks the city - one that Bruce isn't even sure he's capable of handling anymore. Bruce won't admit it - can't admit it - but the time for Batman has passed. A new breed of protector is necessary for the continued safeguarding of Gotham; but does such a hero even exist? Would the most suitable protector even be a hero? Evil is evolving. Good needs to adapt alongside it.

---

Roman's Scrapbin

T H E B A T M A N
T H E B A T M A N

^{"Criminals are a cowardly and superstitious lot."}

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 _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ 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 _________________________________________________________ Bruce Wayne _________________________________________________________ Caucasian | Vigilante/Billionaire _________________________________________________________ Gotham | New Jersey | 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 _________________________________________________________ [+] - M I S C E L L A N E O U S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ►Given the number of Gotham-based and/or Bat-family characters in the game, I'm looking to take a more paternal role with Bruce as the crisis facing Gotham forces him to reconsider his capability as Gotham's protector. The events that unfold will test the mettle of every man and woman in his city; heroes, villains, civilians - all will be made to prove they have a place in this new era. ►Given MB's well-established Batman and previous interactions with other characters that remain in the game post our soft re-launch, I'm not looking to erase or retcon any of that work; merely take guidance from the direction MB was originally going, and try my best to do it justice while also telling my own story. - P O S T C A T A L O G P O S T C A T A L O G _________________________________________________________ [+] - P O S T C A T A L O G ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ -

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 ________________________________________________________________________________________ Bruce Wayne was born to two loving parents on a cold night in September, 1988. Bruce Wayne died beside his parents on a cold night in November, 1996. He was eight. He was never mourned. The child is dead; what remains is a paracausal being of zealotry, rage, and willpower. This unnatural creature spends twelve years inhabiting the body of Bruce Wayne, seizing every new day as a fresh opportunity to push itself towards some as-yet-unknown goal. Alfred, the guardian, secretly fears this changeling child, in his worst moments pining for the bubbling, gleeful boy that left the manor with his parents that fateful November night, and never returned. At twenty-one years old, the skin-walker leaves Gotham, and Alfred allows some dark corner of himself to believe that the City has been spared an unknowable evil. On the sixteenth anniversary of his parent’s brutal, senseless murder, the prodigal Wayne son returns to his city, anger tamed and zealotry focused, and he brings with him a singular purpose: to rid his home of the corruption that threatens to swallow it whole. He dons a mantle of fear, and begins a war. Another sixteen years hence and Bruce is mid-40's, and while his war has never stopped, the landscape of it has shifted; gone are the old days of bribery, politics, and corrupt infrastructure. Instead, modern Gotham is plagued by megalomania, psychopathy, sadism, and terrorism: the nature of the world has changed, and with it, the nature of evil. Over the course of his long career, Bruce has been well-supported by an ever-growing network of allies - but now he finds himself relying on them more than ever, as his own body begins to fail him. As the face of Gotham shifts once more, there is nagging doubt that Bruce refuses to acknowledge; the disquieting thought that maybe, he is not enough for the fight anymore. As the era of a new war erupts - perhaps it is time for a new soldier. P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) ________________________________________________________________________________________ With this Batman, I'm looking to carry on the spirit of the Bruce MB was playing; an older Batman, slowing down, perhaps even struggling to keep up with the ever-flowing tide of criminals into his city. Things are slipping out of his grasp, and a new crisis rocks the city - one that Bruce isn't even sure he's capable of handling anymore. Bruce won't admit it - can't admit it - but the time for Batman has passed. A new breed of protector is necessary for the continued safeguarding of Gotham; but does such a hero even exist? Would the most suitable protector even be a hero? Evil is evolving. Good needs to adapt alongside it.

---

Sensation & Wonder: An Absolute Comics Roleplay [DC & Marvel One Universe Style Game]

As probably the least involved Batfamily member, any new Batman won't really require a whole lot from me. It's more about establishing the relationship between Dick and Bruce and where they sit with each other. I had always seen this version of Nightwing being a bit later and more independent, the stage of life where your Dad is more friend than mentor allowing Bruce and Dick to be in a more relaxed and mutually respected stage than we've seen in the comics due to the need for drama.

@Lord Wraith

This is very easily done. Given the amount of Batman legacy characters active I will need to have an older Bruce with pre-established relationships to all his proteges. Nightwing will be the easiest to accommodate.

Batman is an interesting case because he does have four other characters directly tied to his lore. That said, I think at the end of the day as long as nothing with the other active players is directly countered, you'd be fine to remove or ignore the rest.

@Lord Wraith

The biggest thorn in my side currently is the direction AndyC was taking with Joker, particularly around the Arkham breakout, as the story I'd like to tell with Batman has a similar catalysing event but unfolding differently for different reasons.

That said, with my base need being 'mass breakout of inmates from Arkham', I can probably work with what already exists without too much ret-conning needed.

Hooray! I'd love someone to play Batman :3

Cassandra Cain needs to become Cassandra Wayne. that's the end goal for me anyway. Cassandra's entire life is basically her role as a vigilante in Gotham, in this instance, as the second Batgirl. Unlike a lot of other members of the batfamily, she doesn't want to 'branch out' or 'move beyond', this is her whole life and in her view, the only thing keeping her afloat.

So I was hoping Batman would go from mentor, to father figure, to actual adoptive father for cassandra. because her last one kinda sucked. she's loyal to the cause through and through. and getting a new family in the form of the bat family would just be really special and a very fun story to write.

I'm also looking forward to her meeting Damian IC because again in my ideal world, they'll become real siblings. :3

@Zoey Boey

Not to play favourites but I think I'm most excited for the interaction between Bruce and Cassandra of all the Bat-family in the game. We'll discuss more privately but I am very on-board with these goals.

As an aside, I'll go over your Wasp sheet today and give my feedback to Wraith.

<Snipped quote by Roman>

Wasn't mentioned, but my own is fairly simple. Cops operating in the shadow that the Bat casts over a city.

And I'm perfectly willing to snatch up whatever supporting/fringe antagonists are left on the table.

@Hound55

My apologies - somewhere in the muck I counted you out.

Renee and Marcus offer a unique perspective on the arc I want to play out. Having GCPD in the IC will be wonderful, and with what I'm planning there will be plenty to work with; again, we'll pick up offline.

Thanks all!

Sensation & Wonder: An Absolute Comics Roleplay [DC & Marvel One Universe Style Game]

@Lord Wraith, @Ever Faithful, @Zoey Boey, @Natty

GOTHAMITES...a rare opportunity stands before me.

I've caught up on the IC, and I'm looking next to recap myself on character sheets to know where our remaining roster stands and what the direction for these characters was originally.

With Master Bruce declining to return, the cowl sits un-characteristically empty, and I would be remiss to pass up these unique circumstances.

The question remains, however...what are you looking for from a Batman/Bruce Wayne in this setting? What weight does he carry in your stories, and what arcs and character moments are needed from him? MB was approaching an old Batman grappling with the physical and mental consequences of aging, and I'm not against a Batman who is significantly more progressed in his vigilante career.

Additionally, to pose a more self-interested question to the GM; what room is there to disregard and/or retcon Bat-family characters that are no longer participating in the game?

Edit: it would appear Wraith has an announcement to make shortly. Take it away, big guy.