[CENTER][i][color=darkgray]"Woe to you, blind guides! You say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.'" - Matthew 23:16[/color][/i] [COLOR=SLATEGRAY][B]C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T P R O P O S A L[/B][/COLOR][h1][color=9e0b0f][b]T H E D E V I L O F H E L L ' S K I T C H E N[/b][/color][/h1][hr] [img]https://danielhdr.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/daredevil-blacksuit.jpg[/img] [h3][sup][sub][color=ed1c24] [b]M a t t h e w M u r d o c k[/b] [color=black]♦[/color] [b]D e f e n s e A t t o r n e y / V i g i l a n t e[/b] [color=black]♦[/color] [b]H e l l ' s K i t c h e n , N e w Y o r k C i t y , N Y[/b] [color=black]♦[/color][/color][/sub][/sup][/h3] [/CENTER][COLOR=9e0b0f][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR] [CENTER][sup][b][color=9e0b0f]"You believe people can change? I don't think we can. Well, maybe we get a little... nicer. A little angrier. But we can't change our fundamental nature."[/color][/b][/sup][/CENTER] [hider=Devil's In The Details][i]Some time ago, a boy from the boroughs of Clinton was blinded in a freak accident involving radioactive chemicals. His father, a prize-fighter who took dives in order to scrape by, promised his son that he'd make a better life for them in light of the accident. What Jack Murdock didn't know is that while young Matty's sight was completely lost, his other senses were heightened to superhuman degrees and gave him a considerably different view of the world. While it became an assault on his daily life at first, he quickly began to learn to cope. It inspired his father, a relapsed Catholic, to start studying again and become a better man. So when his next bout for the Heavyweight Championship came his way, Jack refused the offer to go down in the third. Instead, he K.O'd his opponent - a Russian newcomer named Anatoly Kynazev - within minutes. Matt doesn't remember much about what happened after that fight. Only that he woke up at three in the morning to the sound of arguing and a gunshot, not far from his and his father's apartment. Jack Murdock was found in an alley, beaten to a pulp with an exit wound splattering the wall. No investigation was ever properly put forth. The police deemed Jack's death a suicide. Matt knew better, having heard other voices and their displeasure that his father would go against the betting racket of a man they called Rosoe Sweeney. But no one would even think to believe a blind kid who hadn't been at the scene. No one would go onto second guess something that Matt indisputibly knew was cold-blooded murder. And so eventually, the boy was forced to keep silent, taken in at his local church and looked after by the kindly priests and nuns. Until a man eventually came around, claiming that he believed Matt's story about hearing things that weren't there. A blind old man who called himself Stick. Stick was a bastard, hard-edged and quick to insult. But he knew potential when he heard it. Matt had the soul of a warrior, even at a young age. So the years went by, as Matt devoted his time between finishing his schooling through the Church, honoring one of his father's last wishes by beginning his studies into criminal law, and training with Stick to overcome his disability to learn how to fight. His heightened senses made him a natural, mastering everything from his dad's trade of boxing to jujitsu, and even parkour and gymnastics, which he took a specific interest in as a bid to better hone his superhuman hearing. At seventeen, Stick thought he was ready to hear the reason that he'd chosen Matt as a pupil. About the war that was brewing between two rival factions. Ancient warriors, practicers of dark magic. Ninja assassins and a clandestine group of fighters looking to prevent their conquest of the world. It was too much for Matt to buy into. After weeks of fights between him and his grandmaster, Matt cut his ties with Stick and decided that he'd devote himself fully to his studies. Stick honored his wishes, but kept in the shadows, knowing that the offer might seem more appealing when he earned some experience in the real world - with some coaxing, of course. But with his devotion to God keeping his moral compass in check, Matt was determined to engage the system that had ignored his dad's murder and get the case re-opened by becoming a lawyer. Columbia University came calling, and with that, the first real love of his life - a fellow alumni named Karen Page. The two were of equal minds about the justice system's flaws, and had the same aspirations about opening a practice that made a difference. They just needed someone to mentor them in the way that law in Hell's Kitchen could be properly implemented. Down-on-his luck attorney Franklin "Foggy" Nelson fit the bill perfectly, seeing a couple of promising young talent that could revitalize his struggling practice. Nelson was instrumental in Matt and Karen's simultaneous honors within their class, and they were both primed to graduation within the top of their class. Unfortunately, Matt's life took an unexpected turn. When Roscoe Sweeney began making the rounds again, looking to buy his way back into racketeering, Murdock was overcome with a desire to finally extract the vengeance that had been denied to him for so many years. While he'd worked so hard to work his way up the ranks within the justice system to put Sweeney away, a burning need to hand out justice with his own two hands was beginning to consume him. It was a mentality that conflicted with the Bible's teachings, but he had to put that aside and seize the opportunity to avenge his father. So, he slipped on a pair of black sweats, wrapped his hands in Muay-Tai ropes, and put a hastily-constructed mask over his face. By the time he'd made quick work of Sweeney's men, Matt was shocked to sense another prescence enter the fight. A female, judging by her heartbeat and perfume, who had no problem shedding blood to get through the group. While Matt and the mysterious woman squared off for the chance to kill The Fixer, they both realized that the man was already hiding in his top floor apartment, keeled over in the midst of cardiac arrest. While the woman was all too quick to leave the crook to his fate, Matt listened for any sign that he could save Sweeney, having a last-minute change of heart when he realized that he wanted his father's murderer to stand trial. But it was too late. Solemnly, Matt left the building without a word, feeling a hollowness in the pit of his soul. If he couldn't have his revenge, what was the point of it all? A few weeks later, and the woman - who Matt could identify through her unique body chemistry - arrived at his apartment, unannounced and immediately curious. It hadn't taken much effort at all to identify the masked man that she'd fought in a bid to kill The Fixer, but what struck her was the fact that he was really a blind man that possessed gifts that lent themselves to far greater things than this seemingly mundane existence. Introducing herself as Elektra Natchios, she offered Matt a chance to continue his training where Stick had left off. It turned out that she had also run afoul of the old man, and found his war just as insane. But rather than use his teachings to better herself, Elektra had been hellbent on a quest to avenge the assassination of her own father, a Greek dipolmat on tour in America, which had taken place when she was a child. She freely admitted to operating as an assassin-for-hire, but had grown bored of the life and was looking for an escape. Matt, on the other hand, was at a crossroads. So the two made a deal. If Elektra could teach him the skills that he needed to complete his training, Matt would show her a better use of her talents - avenging those whom the justice system had similarly failed. If he couldn't bring his father's killer to justice, he'd devote his life to bringing [i]every[/i] criminal that had fallen through the system's cracks to justice. So by the time that his graduation with a degree in criminal law was acquired, Matt was already spending his nights fashioning an upgraded black suit to compliment Elektra's own fashioned attire. It left his budding relationship with Karen in a strained place, with the two of them agreeing to be partners rather than lovers, but it was the path that Matt finally felt like he could make tangible a difference with. And so, with the practice of Nelson, Murdock, and Page established as a cheaper alternative for the less fortunate to be defended in court, Matt Murdock began to make waves himself as the washed-up Nelson's top asset in the courtroom. He seemed to have a superhuman sense of when a plaintiff was lying or not, and could exploit that to get innocent clients cleared of their charges. But when they were representing someone that Matt knew was guilty for certain? He took matters into his own hands. While the law seemed to favor his clients' rights, justice still needed an agent to carry out a sentence. His relationship to God would never allow him to kill, but everything else was fair game. Deciding that he'd take an eye-for-an-eye approach to doling out justice, Matt - along with his partner, Elektra - would don the mask and take to the streets as an unforgiving force of God's wrath. This cruelty, combined with the psychological games that Matt would employ out in the field to get a confession from the guilty, would earn him a feared moniker - [color=9e0b0f][b]The Devil of Hell's Kitchen[/b][/color].[/i][/hider] [INDENT][INDENT][i]Five years into his career as an attorney by day and vigilante by night, Matt is starting to have doubts about the level of brutality that he inflicts on a nightly basis. His senses allow him to control every encounter so that he doesn't go so far as to strike a fatal blow, but his restlessness along with Elektra's influence has begun to blur the line over where he stands. He seeks weekly penance in the form of confession from a nun that watched over him, Sister Maggie, but he's started to challenge God's wisdom in the face of his own inner-turmoil. He wants to be something better than he is, but he can't figure out what that would be. Making matters worse is that while he and Elektra have been able to keep the small-timers and the wannabe members of the Maggia out of Hell's Kitchen, there's been a new presence beginning to loom large over the fledgling criminal underworld that's been operating in the district - a distant voice in the ear of every petty crook that instructs them on how to claim their piece of the Kitchen, and the considerable wealth to back up all of these endeavors, so long as they pledge loyalty. This figure calls himself The Kingpin, and while he isn't a major player when compared to the likes of Hammerhead, Caesar Cicero, or The Owl, he's been cutting enough deals to potentially, with time gain control of not just a single operation.. but all the Kitchen's illegal output. Matt Murdock has a choice to make, and soon. Uphold the law by trying to fix the system from within, embracing a side of himself that yearns for true justice... or let the Devil out for real, letting it consume his soul at the cost of saving Hell's Kitchen from complete damnation?[/i][/INDENT][/INDENT] [COLOR=9e0b0f][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]C H A R A C T E R M O T I V A T I O N S & G O A L S:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT][i]Only behind Batman, Spidey, and Supes, Daredevil ranks high among my favorite characters. He's someone you can do so many things with, as alot of the prolific runs have taught, but there's something very appealing about his relationship with morality and how he often falls very short. Law and order are nice concepts, but justice is a whole other ballpark, and that's what is going to define Matt's journey towards truly becoming Daredevil - which he distinctly hasn't become, because I want to take the ideas of Born Again and his other low points of Matt's from the comics and use it to enact a tipping point. He's not a particularly good guy right now, as he maims and tortures criminals without a second thought. The question is, if he puts on the red suit, does he become Daredevil in the traditional sense? Or does he decide that Daredevil is what needs to be feared by all, and really use it as his advantage in an act of letting go of all of the things that he perceives is holding him back? The reason that Elektra and Kingpin are so focal to this Matt aren't because they're simply enemies to overcome, but they're shadows - echoes of what Matt's inner thoughts are telling him to do. A sort of literalization of the Angel and Devil on the shoulder idea, with Elektra indulging his promise to God not to allow more blood to spill onto the streets while Fisk takes on the role of what Matt would become if he looked at his vigilante crusade as a mission to keep the streets clean, no matter the consequences.[/i][/INDENT][/INDENT] [COLOR=9e0b0f][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]C H A R A C T E R N O T E S:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT][u][b]Supporting Cast:[/b][/u] [b]Elektra Natchios[/b] - Matt's partner on the streets, having traded in the life of an assassin for fellow vigilante. While they're devoted to one another and even engage in the occasional one-night stand, Matt refuses to let their relationship move beyond that because of Elektra's willingness to let herself be known by the criminals they fight. As a result, he doesn't include her in his daily life, fearing that she might destroy the only normalcy he has life. [b]Franklin 'Foggy' Nelson[/b] - Matt's boss and mentor. No longer the bumbling sidekick, Foggy is instead an adept, seasoned attorney that runs the practice of Nelson, Murdock, and Page. While certainly still eccentric, wearing bowties and regularly blasting swing music after a hard day's work, Foggy is more authoritative in his approach to holding Matt accountable. [b]Karen Page[/b] - Matt's law partner. As a defense attorney on her own merits with five years under her belt, Karen has remained the heart and soul of what Matt and Foggy do by regularly reminding them what merits the law still has, and taking both men to task when they seem to forget. Karen and Matt harbor feelings for one another, but Matt's distant behavior regarding his off-duty hours - coupled with the times she's found a mysterious Greek woman enjoying his company at his loft - keeps her at bay. [b]Wilson Fisk[/b] - A renowned land developer and leader of business, Fisk is beloved by the public for his unwavering critique of corrupt officials and law enforcement, even garnering him a few supporters for a Senate run. What few are privy to is the fact that Fisk is a mover and shaker behind the scenes aswell, supplying resources and guidance to those in the criminal underworld that need it. This has earned him the codename 'Kingpin', and a spot among NYC's worst mobsters that think he's worth far more to them as an asset than an enemy. Recently, Wilson has taken particular interest in Hell's Kitchen as a testing ground for something that could result in an empire. [b]Sister Maggie[/b] - Matt's biological mother, unbeknownst to him, and his religious counsel. [i]Lawrence Cranston - Ben Urich - Mary Walker - Leeland Owlsey - Vincent Patillo - Melvin Potter - Jonathan Powers - Detective Larks - Detective Taurens - Officer Day - Turk Barrett - Stick -[/i][/indent][/indent] [COLOR=9e0b0f][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]S A M P L E P O S T:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT][i]A sample post that can be used in the IC if you so desire upon acceptance. This post should provide an example of your vision for the desired character. This sample post should meet all standards outline in the rules and additionally include dialogue, mannerisms and other actions representative of your intended portrayal.[/i][/indent][/indent] [COLOR=9e0b0f][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]P O S T C A T A L O G:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT][i]A list linking to your IC posts as they're created. This can be used for a reference guide to your character or to summarize completed arcs and stories.[/i][/indent][/indent]