Enarr

The New Frontier: A Marvel/DC One Universe RP

_{The Time to Act Has Always Been Now // Part 01}

Sender: [e-mail]
Subject: The Attic
Recipient: [e-mail]

Excuse me, Mr. Hourman, I'm not really sure how to format this but I need your help. My name is Mike, I work at the Hamill-Meringue Theatre downtown and we have something of a problem. I work as a janitor. In the attic there is a room that's dependable locked. Well, one day it wasn't. I'd been wiping its handle clean and restoring its shine when it slipped open a little bit and revealed the closet behind it. There are some masks, which is nothing extraordinary because I work in a theatre, but there's also a duffle bag and several weapons, specifically guns, and pictures of a prominent stage actor who we're expecting to arrive shortly for a performance. I'm not a genius or anything, but I think something fishy’s going on.

---

Sender: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: The Attic
Recipient: [e-mail]

I see your cause for concern, but have you considered calling the police? It clearly seems to me like an upcoming murder can be easily prevented.

---

Sender: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: The Attic
Recipient: [e-mail]

Oh yeah. I forgot. The guns are mine. The masks are mine. And so is the dufflebag. But the thing is that I have amnesia. I've recently suffered blunt head trauma or something and, this is awkward, but I’m pretty sure I plotted a murder. So there's these phone I have that written down that no one responds to. So yeah, I think I hired a hitman.

---

“Well…” Rick said, pouting in confusion.

As he typed out his final response, he spoke his text aloud. “Meet.. Me.. At.. The.. Busstop.. On.. Lee and Morrison.” Decisively scooting his mouse over the paper plane icon, he sent the message.

The scenario made him feel entirely uncomfortable, like he'd be better off ignoring the plea for help completely. Calling the police crossed his mind, and then it double-crossed his mind. He couldn't think of a single reason not to call the ACPD except for the possibility of having the man assigned a charge he didn't deserve, as unlikely as it seemed. The possibility of ‘Mike’s’ mental state being conveniently rewound to a period of complete innocence seemed a little far-fetched, to be honest. Then again, what could it hurt?

Besides the actor.

“Egh…” Rick slid his hand over to the phone and dialed 9-1-1, hovering his thumb over the green call icon indefinitely.

“God dangit.”

---

Bus Stop #17, Appleton City
New York State

Mike was leaning against an aluminum sign. The bus came and he awkwardly explained that he wasn't interested in boarding. Then Rick, decked out in red and blue, makes his approach.

“Do you have the documentation?”

Mike springs into the air, jerking his arms and projecting a folder of medical printouts into the air. “You scared me.” After half a dozen exhalations he pointed to the scattered sheets before Hourman shuffled them into a neat order.

“Identification?”

Mike produced his wallet with a New York State issued driver’s license, social security card, and a folded photocopy of his birth certificate. Anticipating further requests, he deposited copies of several gun permits and his phone records for the last several months in the hands of the masked mystery man.

“I'll see what I can do,” he said, before turning with the papers in custody and taking off toward the horizon and beyond.

The New Frontier: A Marvel/DC One Universe RP

<Snipped quote by Lord Wraith>

WELL...

-walks away slowly-

-locks bedroom door-

-curls into a little ball-

-cries-

@Sep

- sends discouraging emails and mean texts -

The New Frontier: A Marvel/DC One Universe RP

And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the Circle

The New Frontier: A Marvel/DC One Universe RP

Whether he’s sabotaging evil operations by the day’s light
Or safeguarding Appleton by night
He may be assaulting thugs
Or abusing drugs
If you should spot flashes of blue and red
You may wish you were dealing with a fed

Name:

Richard “Rick” Tyler; AKA Hourman

Alignment:

Neutral Good

History:

1990 - Richard Tyler was born.

1994 - Doctor Rex Tyler and a select group of pharmaceutical engineers are hired by an independent developer to be Team Miraclo. The objective was to create the ultimate fast-acting steroid that would revolutionize manufacturing.

1998 - Miraclo Version 1 is completed. The team observes that it truly lives up to the objective of creating a fast-acting steroid. Patients display heightened strength, superior reflexes, greater cognitive function, and an enhanced equilibrium. The temporary effects burnt off roughly after half an hour and were seen to be addictive.

1999 - It was statistically established that the constant use of Miraclo causes muscular degeneration and the weakening of bones. A recommendation was made to use it only once a day, if that often.

2001 - The entire staff of Team Miraclo is laid off, right when they were about to conclude trials for Miraclo V 2. Miraclo V 2 had very different side effects for those with frequent usage. Specifically, it seemed to cause shrinkage in male genitalia, a slow and steady decrease in intelligence, and occasional bouts of sleepiness.

2001 - The United States Government classifies all documentation of Miraclo.

2002 - Rex Tyler continues his research from memory before finally creating Miraclo V 3. Because of the lack of traditional support, he decided to test it on himself. Amazingly, the effects extended to the length of an hour’s time. Afterward though, Tyler noted a feeling of decreased focus.

2003 - Rex began patrolling the streets of his home, Appleton City, picking fights with junkies, petty criminals, and anyone he happened to catch in the act of a misdemeanor. Over time, he refined his art and targeted more serious crimes. He took up the alias Hourman.

2008 - With his family’s finances in ruins, Rex was forced to find a full time job when he found that his son, Richard (now known as Rick), had grown up before he had an opportunity to notice.

2009 - Rick prepares to go to college, but before he has the chance to leave his dad offers him Miraclo. Realizing what the pill did to his father, Rick silently chooses to abstain for the most part.

2012 - Not finding a lot of meaningful activities at college, Rick decides to dip his toes in the past time of crime fighting. Rather than aimlessly patrolling the streets as his father had, he sets up an email address that he exclusively accessed on the deep web. By messaging [e-mail], any citizen was welcome to report a crime, suspicious activity or make a request for help.

2012 - Rick was contacted mostly with prank messages. Appointments were arranged where he was stood up, and occasionally he was tricked into trespassing before he began requiring proof of identity. Eventually though, he filed through the decreasing amounts of spam to find legitimate pleas. His first case was to run a squad of bikers out of a bar he was barely old enough to enter.

2013 - Rick Graduates college with a bachelor's degree in pharmacology.

2014 - Rick’s assistance was requested when various prominent citizens began going missing. From the mayor to kids to police officers to musicians. Missing persons were reported everywhere. In their place were wax sculptures that seemed lifelike. The papers called him the Wax Killer. Rick stormed into his lair and captured him after he received an anonymous tip via his email. Afterwards, the Wax Killer was arrested by the police, who were initially hesitant about working with a “vigilante”, but most of the rookies got over it quickly before honorarily welcoming him to the police force.

Present - Rick “Hourman” Tyler supports the police force of Appleton City and meets the concerns of individual citizens while maintaining a relatively secret identity and working as an auto mechanic part time.

Supporting Cast:

Dr Mid Nite - Cross
Hourman (I) - Tyler, Sr
Sandman - Dodds

How (if at all) does the New Frontier version of your character differ from the original?:

I think for the most part I've just updated the original Pre-Crisis version so that he's not too terribly old. Also, the concept of the email location comes from the fact that the original Adventures Comics stories featured Rex Tyler receiving letters at a mailing address. I was unsure about the origins of the pill Miraclo, so I filled it in as best I could.

Post References:

http://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/88234-the-corrigan-school-for-advanced-learning-and-development-a-dc-school-rp/ic?page=3#post-3151322

http://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/86113-maximum-comics-dawn-of-justice-rebranding-please-stay-tuned/ic?page=8#post-3067990

http://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/2903104

Also:

Appleton is West of the NYC, is not quite a neighboring city, but is close enough to conveniently travel to the big Apple.

Because Hourman doesn't seem to have a lot of related characters, I would like permission to make some of my own assuming I meet the following conditions as outlined in a previous, though unrelated, conversation:

I've created quite a few, I wouldn't go so far to call them original characters, but people who don't exist in the canon before hand. The rules I usually use are:

1. They can't be a superhero or a supervillain, and have to have as little or no affiliation to another character besides my own.

2. They have to fill a role that no already established character can fill. Why give Batman another police ally when Jim Gordon is the bomb and the only one he needs. Same with an Alfred or Lucius Fox type character. Now, if you wanted to create a Jim Gordon like character for someone like Daredevil who never really has had someone like that, then go ahead and just make someone. This same principle applies to villains, especially a villain you want to kill off. You kind of have to create bad guys if you want to play the Punisher because... damn.

3. Make them expendable. Not necessarily someone who can be killed off, but someone who isn't so entangled in the character's life that if another player picks them up they can't explain the character's absence without it seeming like they're getting put on a bus. (Comics writers are plenty guilty of this one... *cough* Milla Donovan.)

Byrd Man

I don't intend to create the Justice Society at this moment at all. But I do intend to guest feature some of it's members on occasion

The New Frontier: A Marvel/DC One Universe RP

By the way I had a thought earlier (A dangerous pastime I know!)

the Steven Grant identity of Moon Knight made his initial fortune off of unique access to a large amount of rare and extremely well-preserved Ancient Egyptian artifacts combined with Marc Spector's mercenary money and investments, but for some reason Spectrecorp also gives him access to advanced materials, weapons and technology for his toys and lair and stuff. Instead of leaving it unexplained, would it make sense in this universe that Moon Knight/Steven Grant has access to Thanagarian technology given their occasional association with Ancient Egypt?

It would help explain why a minor independently wealthy artifacts dealer is able to become so much richer and branch out, plus it explains his Fist of Khonshu ancient egyptian alternate set of equipment a lot better than 'made by a time traveling Hawkeye'. Plus the anti-gravity technology of Nth metal helps explain the drone-board thing and Mooncopter.

Just a thought, feel free to ignore me.

@Dblade26

That seems fiendishly clever to me.

The New Frontier: A Marvel/DC One Universe RP

<Snipped quote by Nightrunner>

In all likelihood, probably not :P

@Lord Wraith

Pet Avengers! Bathound Edition!

The New Frontier: A Marvel/DC One Universe RP

<Snipped quote by Nightrunner>

We have a Bathound, he's Alfred's dog from his Kingsman MI-6 Days.

@Lord Wraith

You thinking what I'm thinking?

The New Frontier: A Marvel/DC One Universe RP

<Snipped quote by Nightrunner>

Sorry, cave's full.

@Lord Wraith

Could you use a Bathound?

The New Frontier: A Marvel/DC One Universe RP

<Snipped quote by Lord Wraith>

No, as Red Hood. Jason will be Nightwing and Dick will be Red Robin. I want to make things as confusing as possible.

@Byrd Man

And I'll play Roy Harper as a transvestite Batgirl so that he can be a tool with which I can explore gender identity cuz it's trendy and modern.

The New Frontier: A Marvel/DC One Universe RP

Lol Did I already lose T'challa? NR, you sneaky bastard.

@Kal-El

Gotta try, man.