January 20th, 2019 - 10:26 am | Living Room - Aristotle Rodor's Home
Vic Sage was currently stuffing his mouth with beef jerky.
"Mm... Mmmm... Jesus Christ... Tot, man, you could sell this." The ginger said around a mouthful of jerky. "This is the best beef jerky I've ever had... How do you make this?" He swallowed the bite he had been chewing, looking at his elderly mentor in curiosity. Vic's enjoyment of the food led to a chuckle from the other man.
"It's a secret, Charlie. You should know all about those."Tot replied, looking at his younger friend in amusement. They had known each other for a little over a decade, and while good friends for the first half of that, it wasn't until Vic became the Question with the assistance of Rodor that the two became very close, forging a bond akin to that of a father and son. The older man laughed at Vic's hurt expression when he wouldn't share the formula for the jerky, grumbling as he put away the bag containing the rest of the jerky in his pocket.
"God Tot, do you have to torture me? What if something happens to you? Where will I get my jerky then? And for the last time, it's Vic now. I've been telling you this for a little over six years." The journalist/vigilante replied, crossing his arms.
This yielded another quick laugh from Tot, "I see. So, say if I were to pass, all you'd be sad about is not being able to have anymore of my beef jerky, hm?" The older man asked with a quirked eyebrow and a smile.
Vic groaned. "Okay, you know that's not what I meant, ju-"
The talk between friends was interrupted by a beeping from Vic's watch. The ginger sighed, "Aw hell, League meeting. I've gotta go Tot." He took his mask out of his belt buckle, applying it to his face and releasing the adhesive gas before throwing on his baseball cap; he had chosen to forgo his usual get-up today.
"See you later, Charlie. Keep your nose clean, you hooligan." Tot grinned at his ward.
"Oh shut up y-" Vic was teleported to the Metro Tower silently.
Metropolis:
January 20th, 2019 - 11:29 am | Justice League Headquarters - Metro Tower
"-ou old coot." Question finished in the middle of the Metro Tower lobby. He looked around, noticing Huntress and Zatanna laughing at his statement being finished after teleporting. Blushing slightly beneath his mask, Question cleared his throat and nodded to the two women. "Ladies." He said, readjusting his baseball cap, before heading in.
Behind him, he heard Jimmy Olsen, also known as the Guardian, coming in. He looked over his shoulder at the younger hero, seeing him bump into the Atom before asking where Supergirl was. Question chuckled, 'Man, poor guy. He has the biggest crush in the world and Lara probably doesn't even know it... Well, at least all of us do.' Shaking his head in amusement, he continued on into the Tower proper.
Jude had taken to leaning against a tree close to the food table after eating his sandwich, eyes closed as he fell into a state of unawareness. All he could hear after a while was the rise and fall of his chest and the beating of his heart. His face was home to a tranquil expression, a small smile on his face. These quiet moments, he always loved them. Nothing but himself and the world slowly going round, and round, and rou-
"Hello there!" A voice interrupted his strange form of meditation.
The drifter opened his eyes, taking in the woman in front of him. She seemed to be a few years his junior, with long ivory hair and brown eyes. Jude listened as she continued on, introducing herself as Olivia and explaining that she owned the farm in town and apologizing if he had went there. She finished by asking him how he liked the village. The blond man was quiet for a few moments, as if processing her question, then replied: "... I like it. Different from the cities, seems close-knit. Been to a few other places like this."
He stuck out a hand for the younger woman to shake. "The name is Jude. I answered your ad a week or so back for a farmer. Went to the farm earlier, you weren't there so I decided to familiarize myself with the area, as it were." Jude looked around a bit, catching a red-haired girl snapping a picture of Olivia and himself, blinking a few times at the brightness of the flash. He watched as she continued on, Jude pointing her out to Olivia. "You know the redhead?"@baraquiel
Name: Victor Charles 'Vic' Sage (born Charles Victor Szasz) Alias: The Question Age: 30 (born March 15th, 1988) Personality: Enigmatic ? Bitter ? Snarky ? Curious ? Eccentric Archetype: Gadgeteer Abilities/Gadgets: Skilled Martial Artist: The Question is a skilled martial artist, having trained under Richard Dragon for a time. He also utilizes his former fighting style of dirty tricks and pragmatism, making him truly a force to be reckoned with. Indomitable Will: Adding onto that last part about the Question being a force to be reckoned with, this extends to his willpower. He was able to drag himself out from the bottom of a river in the middle of winter, all after taking a brutal beating and being shot in the head by an air gun. Yes, he had help from Lady Shiva once he made it to the shore, but it doesn't change the fact that he's a damn resilient guy. Master Detective: Though not on par with the Dark Knight, the Question is still a masterful investigator, able to spot the smallest of clues and make deductions from minuscule findings. Tech Savvy: Again, though not on par with Batman, the Question also has a knack for technology. Primarily, his knowledge extends to hacking and managing the defense systems of Metro Tower; he knows little to none about the hardware aspect of technology. Grappling Hook: The go-to mode of transportation for gadgeteers, able to scale large distances or buildings by just aiming and pushing a button. Weaknesses: Normal Human: Unlike most of the League, Vic is just a normal human. He still needs to eat, drink, and sleep, he is not fast enough to dodge bullets, he is not durable enough to shrug off knives and other weapons, and he is not strong enough to punch holes in concrete walls; he's just a normal man trying to do good. Horrible With Others: Vic is very independent, and does not enjoy working with others. While he will suck it up most of the time, if someone comes up with a plan that he doesn't like, he will ignore it in favor of his own plan. Add to this his snarky attitude, and people aren't very willing to put up with him most of the time. Appearance:Vic Sage is a tall man who stands at 6'2 and has a very fit, muscular frame, weighing in at 189 pounds. He has short red hair and icy blue eyes, as well as a rather ruggedly handsome face. Most often his attire consists of a suit and tie, which is what he wears to work as an investigative journalist for World Wide Broadcasting. As the Question, Vic wears a mask made of an artificial skin known as Pseudoderm to mask his identity. The Pseudoderm is bonded to his face using a special gas, which is kept in his belt buckle (the mask also kept there). It also changes the color of his hair from red to black by reacting with chemicals he sprays in his hair. Most often he wears a suit, trenchcoat, and fedora; however, on multiple occasions he has been known to wear street clothes instead. Character Evolution: Vic is still essentially an angry boy trapped in a man's body. Rather than go into therapy or something similar to cope with his problems, Vic has instead chosen to bottle up his anger and let it out in short, but powerful, bursts. I'd like to see him grow more as a person as the RP goes on, letting go of his anger and maybe finally understanding Richard Dragon's teachings as well. In addition, maybe an episode featuring Dragon or Lady Shiva or even an episode set in Hub City would be beneficial for the character. As far as personal relationships, I liked the dynamic that Question and Blue Beetle had and hope to see more of that. Romance isn't a priority for this character, but if it happens naturally over the course of the RP then it happens. Altered History: This version of the Question has been changed up quite a bit, being three years older (and as such active for another three years) and having had his physical appearance altered slightly. He has trained with Richard Dragon after being 'killed' by Lady Shiva, but rather than adopting the Zen-like philosophy he took on in the comics it only served to make him angrier and more bitter than ever. Recommended Background Leaguer: Booster Gold Bio: Charles Victor Szasz was born to a prostitute and one of her clients, whom she only ever referred to as 'Walter'. Despite what most would think, his home life wasn't horrible, or at least it wasn't as bad as it could have been. His mother did her best to care for him, never blaming him for her problems or taking her anger out on him, and she ensured that Charlie had the best life that she could provide.
However, outside of home, Charlie was frequently the target of bullying and scorn due to his mother's profession and origin within the slums. Most of the time, Charlie would just take it and never react; however, when he was ten, he was taken away by Child Protective Services after getting into a fight with two boys who cornered him, which ended in one boy being blinded in one eye by a lit cigarette and the other having part of his cheek bitten off.
When asked what made him do this, he stated that they called him a 'whoreson' and various other things. Normally, he would be fine with this, but when one asked the other if he thought Charlie's mother would suck their dicks for a dollar, he flew into a rage. He was sent to a run-down home for problematic children, and everything he did that could be perceived as bad was punished with a few hard wraps on the knuckles with a yard stick. Despite many attempts, he never spent longer than a few weeks with a foster family, and Charlie spent the rest of his childhood and adolescence there.
At eighteen, Charlie was let go from the home. He did his best to track down his mother, only to discover that she had died two years earlier. Jobless, homeless, and with no hope left, he was found and taken in by a college professor named Aristotle 'Tot' Rodor, who became something like the father that Charlie never had. With Tot's help, Charlie got into college and graduated with a major in journalism.
He got a job at Hub City's biggest news station, World Wide Broadcasting, at the age of 22, and became an investigative journalist at the age of 24. Due to most people's inabilities to pronounce his last name, he changed his name to Victor Sage, or just Vic Sage, as a sort of stage name. Eventually, however, it stuck, and even people in his personal circle just called him Vic.
At 25, Tot approached Vic and informed him that one of his colleagues, Arby Twain, was going to sell a substance called Pseudoderm to third world countries despite its toxicity if applied to open wounds. Vic wanted to bring Twain to justice since the police would not owing to 'lack of evidence', but he could not do so as himself because of his famous features. Tot then suggested that Vic use a mask made of Pseudoderm to do so, and Vic agreed. Vic took Twain down, getting a recorded confession from him, before binding him in Pseudoderm and leaving him in front of the police station along with a copy of the confession.
After that, Vic decided that this new alter-ego would be useful, and began to use it to fight crime and dig up leads where he couldn't go as Vic Sage. Eventually, Tot modified the bonding gas for Pseudoderm to also change Vic's hair color, and Vic gave this alter-ego a name: The Question. And so, the faceless vigilante as we know him was born, and Hub City was never the same.
Two years ago, Vic was bested by the assassin Lady Shiva after deciding to go after her contractors at the time. He was beaten half to death by her and shot in the head with an air gun by a random mook before being dumped in a river. Miraculously, he survived with Shiva's assistance, and was taken to Richard Dragon in order to be trained. He did so, honing his skills, but did not manage to grasp Dragon's philosophical teachings and as a result just became angrier and more bitter. Now, armed with training in the martial arts, the Question is more dangerous than ever before and is just a powder keg waiting to go off.
It was around the time he returned to Hub City after training with Richard Dragon that he joined the Justice League, and he has stuck with them since. He has been of great help to the team, and was crucial in deducing the Society's goal for their first few attacks. The entire year, through thick and thin, the Question has been there, and plans on being there for another year and beyond that. Notes: This interpretation of the Question differs from the one in the original game, being more sociable and snarky and having more experience. He's less Rorschach, less JLU Question, and more the O'Neil characterization of Question before he was trained by Richard Dragon. The Question first partnered with Scarlet Scarab (then Blue Beetle) on August 28th, 2013. They worked together for a time after that before both joined the Justice League in 2017. Vic's press pass. The Question's grappling gun. Artist of image used for Vic's appearance. All credit goes to them. Theme song. Sample Post:
A man finds himself in a dark bedroom late one night, searching for answers.
Who am I?
His name is Victor Sage. He is 30 years old. He is an anchorman for World Wide Broadcasting.
Not recalled, provided. Who are my parents?
His parents are Walter and Charlotte Sage.
What do they look like?
... His father is tall and muscular with a big bushy greying black beard and a full head of greying black hair, his mother was tall for a woman with a petite frame and long black hair he remembers braiding as a chi-
Ages?
... 54 and 51 respectively. His mother jokes that his father will die any day now because of all the cigarettes he smo-
Wrong, wrong, wrong, all wrong. Try again. Who am I?
His birth name is Victor Szasz. His professional name is Vic Sage, due to his uncommon last name. He is 30 years old. He is an investigative journalist and anchorman for World Wide Broadcasting.
Who are my parents?
... He does not know his father because he died before Victor was born, however he knows his father's name was Walter and his mother is Charlotte Szasz.
What does she look like?
... She is tall for a woman with a petite frame and black hair in a pixie cut.
Age?
... 51.
What does she do for a living?
She is a retired hair styl-
Wrong. Who am I?
His birth name is Charles Victor Szasz, however he changed his name to Vic Sage, due to his uncommon last name. He is 30 years old. He works as an investigative journalist for World Wide Broadcasting.
Who are my parents?
He doesn't know anything about his father apart from his name, Walter. His mother is Charlotte Szasz.
What does she look like?
She was tall for a woman with a petite frame and red hair in a pixie cut.
Age?
She would be 51 this year, however she died at the age of 37.
Cause of death?
Murdered.
By who?
Her pimp.
What did she do for a living?
She was a prostitute.
Enough dillydallying. Who am I, really?
He is the Question.
That's right. Now make me remember everything.
He is 12. He remembers long, cold nights in a boys' home, often lying awake at night just listening to the rumbles of his empty stomach. He went hungry because he wasn't good enough for food today.
He is 18. He remembers long, cold nights in an abandoned apartment complex, often lying awake at night just listening to the rumbles of his empty stomach. He went hungry because he couldn't scrape together enough money from his begging for food today.
He is 19. He remembers the feeling of bones breaking against his knuckles as he pummeled a drug dealer for selling him bad acid. He had bought the acid to experiment and found himself faced with a psychedelic version of his life up until now. It scared him.
He is 26. He remembers long, cold nights in Hub City, walking through the streets and alleys of the hellhole looking for criminals to pummel to a pulp. He went on because he felt if he didn't no one else would.
He is 27. He remembers a girl that was maybe four or five, frail little body covered in black and blue bruises from a belt, and carrying her away from the equally bruised and battered body of her unconscious father.
He is 28. He remembers the feeling of hitting the cold water and sinking, his ears ringing, his body broken and battered, but using his good arm (or at least not as horribly broken arm) he begins to swim to the shore.
He is 30. He remembers being in the lounge of the Metro Tower before falling into this nightmare.
In the blink of an eye, he finds himself going from the dark bedroom to sitting on a couch in Metro Tower's lounge. The Leaguers nearby are all frozen, and sitting next to him is the also frozen form of Scarlet Scarab, his half-formed statement about something the R&D department at Kord Industries is working on not leaving his lips.
He finishes up his mental countdown. Two minutes and twenty one seconds to break the illusion.
The Question awakens a choice number of Leaguers (Scarlet Scarab would be nursing that black eye for a week) to help him figure out what's happening. They rooted the problem out, and discovered that it was an alien lifeform that puts its prey in a docile state by trapping them in an illusion of a perfect world before devouring them.
"Well, that was a plot worthy of Star Trek." The Question comments, before heading to his room to retire for the night.
Sorry I've not been able to post yet guys, site keeps giving me trouble.
Ha. Well, I'm flattered you thought so. Also sucks the site is giving you trouble, that's happened to me a few times in the last couple of days.
Also, @baraquiel, I'll try to get a reply up later today, gotta go to my cousin's basketball game at nine. Hopefully be able to squeeze a post in before or after that.
Finally got another post up! Had trouble tapping into my creativity. Thankfully I managed to force myself to write and came up with something that, while not my best work, is definitely better than nothing.
After ordering nothing but a black coffee and leaving the cafe after he was done, Jude went down to the farm only to find it empty. Releasing a sigh, he decided to head back into town and check back tomorrow. He didn't want to just sit around waiting for the owner all day; never was his style, waiting, he always preferred to be out and about.
By nightfall, he saw many of the villagers leaving their homes and heading to some house. Curious, Jude followed after them, noticing that the majority of them were well dressed. '... What are they doing?' He thought to himself as he continued to follow after the crowd. When they reached their destination, he found a picnic set up, a bearded man enthusiastically talking about his orchard blooming.
'This how the villagers celebrate the new year or something?' That seemed logical enough. He supposed that he was a townsfolk now, and part of being a townsfolk was participating in the town's events. Nodding to himself, he went over to a table that was set up with food, taking a sandwich from it. He tore a piece of bread off, sticking it in his pocket for Jimmy to eat.
After finishing his sandwich, he let out an impressed whistle. 'Goddamn. That was a good sandwich.' He felt rather out of place from the others, who were in nice clothing for the most part. He looked down at his own attire: his jacket had more than a few stains, his shirt had its fair share of holes in it, his pants were torn, and his boots were stained with mud. Add to that the fact that he hadn't showered in a good week or two, and he definitely wasn't winning any awards for best dressed anytime soon.
After thinking about it for a moment, Jude shrugged. He'll look into washing his clothes and getting a shower when he gets set up in the farmhouse. For now, he should just unwind and enjoy the festivities.
Absolute clown. Dark and gritty superhero fan fiction guaranteed or your money back.
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<div style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Absolute clown. Dark and gritty superhero fan fiction guaranteed or your money back.<br><br><div class="bb-center"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/dwHX9x5Z/q.gif" /><br><img src="https://media1.tenor.com/m/OO9sfTEs5eEAAAAd/marvel-rivals-moon-knight.gif" /><br><img src="https://media.tenor.com/k77Wq4b6rLMAAAAM/asian-guy.gif" /><br><img src="https://c.tenor.com/Y3LcKGaK7fsAAAAd/tenor.gif" /></div></div>