Lord Wraith

Variety Hour: An Absolute Comics Roleplay

We all wear masks, and the time comes when we cannot remove them without removing some of our own skin.

_{Location: Gotham State University - Founder’s Island, Gotham City}

Welcome to the Masquerade #1.03: Meet Cute

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_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: Growing Pains

Chatter could be heard across the open campus space as it echoed between the buildings that enclosed it on all side. Words filled with gossip, weekend plans and the latest accomplishments of the Gotham Knights were all nearly indiscernible from one another as they rang out within the ever growing din.

A groan escaped from between the lips of Terry McGinnis as he lowered his head onto his crossed arms. The cold surface of the metal table was soothing against his tired eyes, the same eyes which now protested in agony as the sun continued to rise high above the Gotham skyline. For a brief moment, Terry had been able to forget about the Gotham State University student body that all around him hurried every which way. But the noise had brought him back to reality as Terry raised his head to watch the other students move between classes as they passed through the quadrangle.

Slumping back in his chair, Terry let his head fall backwards, squinting as the sun threatened to blind him. A disgruntled groan emerged from his loosely slung jaw as his personal pity party was interrupted by a familiar voice.

“You look like shit, Terry.”

“Good morning to you too, Max.” Terry replied before lifting his head as he corrected his posture. Smiling in response, Max flicked a straightened strand of bright pink hair out of her face before taking a seat across from Terry. For as long as Terry had known Max, she had always coloured her hair in the same shade, and it worked for her. The bright bubblegum presenting her with an eye-catching contrast between her hair, her warm, amber eyes and her rich, umber complexion.

Placing her bag down on the table, Max turned and smiled towards a nearby redheaded girl, who Terry only know noticed seemed to be waiting for an invitation. Before he could make the motion, Max eagerly waved her over, gesturing for the girl to take the seat directly beside her.

“Terry,” Max began gesturing to the girl beside her, “This is Carrie,” Max smiled before nodding back towards Terry. “Carrie, this is Terry, he and I have been friends since sophomore year.” She stated before quickly correcting herself, “Highschool sophmore year, not-”

“I follow,” Carrie replied with a smile towards Max as she adjusted the green frames on her almost comically large, oval glasses. “Be a little weird to introduce a friend from last semester like that.”

“Max is a little weird.” Terry smiled before realizing Max was shooting him daggers across the table. “Er, until you get to know her that is-” Max’s look only intensified as Terry scrambled to correct course only to thankfully be rescued as he felt an arm wrap around his neck.

“Hey, Babe,” Dana smiled as Terry turned to look at her. His eyes slightly widened as Dana’s nose crinkled while she looked down at him. “Terry, I don’t mean to be rude but-” Dana paused, lowering her voice to a hushed tone before continuing. “You look like shit this morning.”

“So I’ve heard.” Terry replied dryly as Max put a hand over her mouth, stifling her laughter while Dana took a seat.

“Mr. Wayne has you working all hours of the night, does the man not sleep?”

“I’m sure he does,” Terry replied solemnly before a smirk crept into the corner of his mouth, “‘Cept it’s while I’m at school.”

“Terry, that’s horrible.” Dana stated, her bottom lip sticking out in the slightest of pouts giving away her obvious dissatisfaction. “We’re young, and we’re fun, I can’t have my boyfriend falling asleep between every class and at every party.”

“Remember when he fell asleep with a drink in his hand?” Max interjected with a smile. “Spilled all over his lap, never seen Terry move that quickly.”

“Not my finest moment.” Terry muttered as Dana put a hand to his cheek.

“Forget about it, ask for this weekend off.” Dana pleaded, now emphasizing her bottom lip. “Everyone else is entitled to time off, why aren’t you?” She asked, “Besides,” She paused, leaning forward as her lips brushed against Terry’s ear. “I’ll make it worth your while.”

“Uh, guys? Right here!” Max exclaimed from across the table, waving her arms at the pair while Carrie looked down, the freckles dotting her face disappearing beneath a flush of crimson.

“I don’t think we’ve been introduced yet,” Carrie suddenly spoke up as she stood and extended a hand towards Dana, “I’m Carrie, Carrie Kelly.”

“Dana Tan, Terry’s girlfriend.” Dana replied, her tone almost icy as Terry looked up at her curiously. Drawing her hand back, Dana brushed a few strands of her dark hair behind the nearest ear as she waved a hand towards Terry not-so-subtly instructing him to move so she could sit on his lap.

“How’d you two meet?” Dana asked motioning between Terry and Carrie as Carrie’s face suddenly went red again. A small cough from Max broke the awkward silence, as Dana turned her eyes towards the other woman.

“I introduced them this morning,” Came Max’s voice as Dana turned her head towards her, “Carrie and I have been hanging out for a while now, so I thought it was time to introduce her to my friends.” She continued, reaching towards Carrie as she took hold of her hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze.

“Oh, you two-,” It was Dana’s turn to blush as flustered words tumbled out of her mouth, “I didn’t realize, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s cool,” Carrie replied. “Max already told me I’m her first.” She added, adjusting the lime coloured glasses again. “This was hardly the most awkward introduction I’ve had.” Carrie stated, allowing herself a small giggle as Max smiled.

“I’m happy for you,” Terry nodded towards Max, wrapping an arm around Dana’s waist, “Both of you,” He nodded towards Carrie with a smile. “Any friend of Max’s is a friend of ours.”

“Thanks,” Carrie replied before glancing at her cellphone as she looked at the time. “Sorry guys, I’ve got to run, but it was a pleasure to finally meet both of you.” She added, placing a quick peck on Max’s cheek, Carrie stood before disappearing into the throng of students that filled the quad.

“I like her,” Dana stated as Terry scoffed. “What?” She asked, her tone indignant as she turned towards Terry who held up in his hands disarmingly.

“Don’t mind him,” Max replied waving a hand towards Terry, “And thank you, Dana, I appreciate it.”

“The Dean’s Office does not reflect the wishes of the student body!” A voice suddenly roared over the din of the quad. Turning to look, Terry’s eyes were drawn to a figure who had climbed atop a central table, megaphone in hand as he shouted over the numerous conversations that filled the open space.

“Your school is managed by bureaucrats and magnates running back alley deals with your tuition. The highest bidder controls future, dictating who will receive their degree! It is sickening!” He was working himself into a frenzy now, “Education should not be a privilege held by gatekeepers, it should be a right to all!” The young man roared, his volume only growing as people stopped to listen.

“Who is that?” Terry muttered as he and Dana both turned to look at Max. Returning her gaze with an exasperated look, Max let out a reluctant sigh as she answered.

“His name is Lonnie Machin, big proponent of the old ‘anti-establishmentism.’ He’s all over all of the school’s boards under the alias ‘Moneyspider.’” She stated, raising her hand as she put air quotes around the alias. “But he’s harmless.”

“Good,” Terry replied in a low tone as Max smiled, acknowledging their shared secret. “Shit!” He suddenly exclaimed noticing the time. “I’m late for bio!”

Springing up, Terry hurriedly helped Dana to her feet before planting a quick kiss on her lips and scooping up his belongings.

“We’re still on for tonight right?” Dana asked pressing a perfectly manicured nail against his chest.

“You bet,” He replied before waving quickly towards Max, “Catch you around.”

“Will do, McGinnis,” Max called as Terry pushed his way through Machin’s listeners. “Ten bucks says he falls asleep in class,” Max muttered to Dana as the petite young woman spun around on her the heel of her ankle boot.

“Twenty and you’re on.”

---

_Placeholder

Next Issue: Down the Rabbit Hole

Variety Hour: An Absolute Comics Roleplay

M A R V I L L E, O K L A H O M A:

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^{M O N D A Y, J U L Y 2 N D, 2 0 1 8 - 0 9 : 0 2 a m | S H E R I F F ' S O F F I C E}

The buzzer echoed in his ears as Carl 'Crusher' Creel was marched from his cell to the interrogation room where a man dressed head to toe in black waited for him. The deputy on his left was practically shaking as he guided Creel to the metal chair and connected his handcuffs to the heavy reinforced table in front of him. It was quite evident that the metahuman scared the living daylights out of the deputy but none the less, the members of Marville's Sheriff's Department carried out their duties diligently as they delivered Creel to his lawyer. As the door closed behind the deputies, Creel leaned forward, hissing at the man in black.

"Why don't my damn powers work in here?" He asked as the other man leaned back, seemingly bored before addressing the man across from him.

"My disappointment in your performance, can not be overstated. We had made a deal." The man in black mused as he rolled a coin between his fingers, leaning back in his chair before slinging his feet onto the table. "But you failed to deliver on your end, the mortal, Blake Donaldson, still lives and therefore once the sun had set, your powers faded away to nothing. For the briefest of moments, I let you taste true power, but you squandered it on a petty robbery."

"I had that bastard dead to rights until fuckin' Sparky showed up." Creel retorted, his face twisted into a snarl. "I need a second chance."

"And what if Thor gets in your way again?" The man asked, a smile growing across his face as he anticipated Creel's answer.

"Then he fuckin' dies too."

"Excellent," the man in black exclaimed with a clap as a scroll unfurled from his left hand and he plucked a quill from mid-air. "Then we have an accord."

Taking the quill, Creel made a face before plunging the tip into the back of his hand. Blood began to spill from the wound as he made quick work of dipping the quill into the warm liquid and signing him name on the bottom line of the scroll. Almost immediately, Creel began to feel a change as the reinforced steel of the table was duplicated by his cells. The man's pale skin quickly turned silver, the bleeding from his hand ceasing as it quickly healed while his strength swelled. With a quick tug of his wrists, Creel snapped the handcuffs that held him to the table as he stood.

The man in black had disappeared but Creel was free, and this time, Blake Donaldson would die.

---

^{M O N D A Y, J U L Y 2 N D, 2 0 1 8 - 0 9 : 2 5 a m | S H E R I F F ' S O F F I C E}

Barbara paced back and forth in front of the Sheriff's office as her level of annoyance rose quickly with each and every step. Blake had promised he would come down to the office, he had promised he would talk to someone, more importantly, he had promised her he would talk to someone. Blake didn't break promises to her, he had never lied to her about anything in the nearly ten years that had been together.

But then, he had been acting erratically for the last two days, the Blake she knew would never have picked a fight with his father, especially on Sunday and in front of his mother. It was like he had been possessed by an entirely different person.

Pulling her cell phone out, Barbara dialed Blake's number, the tone ringing in her ear several times before the automated messaging service played out the same recorded message she had heard the last five times she tried calling him.

"Just me again, call me." Barbara snapped before hanging the phone up and roughly shoving it back into her pocket. Looking up, she noticed a pair of deputies excitedly chattering between themselves as they walked from their patrol car to the office. As they neared the door, one of them looked up, noticing Barbara before tapping the other on the shoulder as the pair came to a stop together.

"Deputy Norris," The first deputy asked as he approached her. "You were there on Saturday, with Thor and the Absorbing Man right?"

"Yeah, I was there," Barbara stated. "What did you want to know?"

"Well, what'd he look like?" The deputy asked. "Thor, that is, Creel's ugly mug is obviously locked up inside."

"I honestly didn't see much, I was on the ground for most of the altercation and when I wasn't I was looking for Blake. There's a couple of photos that captured the altercation, looks like he had glowing eyes, blue lightning bolts coming right out of them." She paused, searching her memory for anything else, with everything that had been going on with Blake, Barbara hadn't put much thought into the appearance of Marville's first real 'superhero'. "Outside of that, I just remember a red cape, like the Superman in Delaware and some kind of fancy armor."

"Do you think he's who he says he is?" The other deputy asked as Barbara just gave him a shrug.

"Thor, the God of Thunder?" She answered the question with a question. "Who knows, far as I'm concerned though, there's only one God, and he sure doesn't dress like that."

The familiar sounds of screaming and gunfire echoed through the office behind the trio as Barbara's hand flew to her hip as she turned around. The doors in front of her suddenly burst open as Sheriff Lamb's limp body soared through the air, hitting the paved ground with a sickening 'THUD' before rolling down the stairs. Drawing her weapon, Barbara motioned for one of the Deputies to flank her while the other tended to Lamb.

Not even five steps inside the door, Barbara came face to face with Creel, coated head to toe in a metallic skin once again. Taking a step back, Creel continued to advance, smiling at her as she began to open fire. Laughter echoed in the hallway as Barbara emptied her clip into Creel, the bullets doing nothing to slow, let alone harm the hulking man.

"Donaldson will come for you," Creel stated before suddenly advancing towards Barbara, swatting her empty weapon from her hand. A steel coated hand shot out, taking Barbara by the throat as it carried her across the hall into the brick wall. The sound of bone on brick echoed in the corridor as Barbara's skull cracked against the wall. Slipping into unconsciousness, Barbara was barely able to register being slung over Creel's shoulder as he confidently sauntered out of the Sheriff's Office.

---

^{M O N D A Y, J U L Y 2 N D, 2 0 1 8 - 0 9 : 2 8 a m | F I N C H ' S U S E D C A R S & T R U C K S}

Justin Finch had not expected a sale on a Monday of all days of the week, less so when he saw the small Prius drive onto the lot. But yet, he could practically smell the green as the large man sat on the Honda Valkyrie, revving the large engine.

While it wasn't a Chariot-Class Fighter, Thor was impressed by the mortal engine that went into the motorcycle. Blake had never been a fame of this particular form of transportation, Thor's memory recalling that Blake had once referred to motorcyclists as 'donors'. But Blake's fears and skepticisms towards motorcycles came from his own mortality and that was not something Thor, or Blake for that matter, needed to worry about anymore.

Feeling the phone in his pocket vibrate yet again, Thor quickly silenced the device before turning back to the salesman.

"What did you want for it again?" Thor asked as the salesman looked at the Prius and back at the Valkyrie.

"I'll call it an even trade." He smiled at Blake as he extended a hand.

"Pleasure doing business with you!" Thor replied, accepting the hand as he climbed off the bike. Human negotiations were still baffling to him. No doubt this man would now want Thor to sign some sort of papers when they had sealed their deal with a handshake. He failed to see the point in signing papers when he had already given his bond but Blake's memories told him that the world simply did not work that way.

"Does the Prius need any work done at it?" Justin asked as he opened the door to the small office.

"Nay, it's in great condition," Thor replied honestly, indeed Blake while not much of car person had, in fact, kept his commuter in near pristine condition. Taking note of the single desk occupying the office, Thor addressed Justin. "Do you do all the work here yourself?"

"Oh no," Justin replied dismissively. "My brother used to run that side of the business before he moved to Gotham. He was always more of a gearhead than me." He added with a chuckle. "Now I just hire the odd mechanic."

Sliding in behind the desk, Justin quickly printed off a couple of forms, starring with a red pen beside where Blake needed to sign. Quickly signing the forms, Justin shook Blake's hand one last time as Thor took hold of the keys and left the dealership on his new motorcycle.

Cruising along, it didn't take long for Thor to find his way back to Marville as the bike thundered down the main stretch only for Thor to bring it to a screeching halt as he reached the aftermath of Creel's assault on the Sheriff's office.

"What happened here?" Thor roared as he climbed off the bike.

"Prisoner escape." The deputy answered before turning to see Blake standing behind him. "Oh! Dr. D, haven't you heard? Deputy Norris was taken by Cre-"

"WHERE?" The sky began to darken and thunder boomed over the horizon as Thor took a hold of the deputy by the collar of his shirt.

"No one knows, we have a BOLO out for Creel, but the squad car he stole was found abandoned a mile out of town."

"What direction?" Thor asked already turning towards the motorcycle.

"West." The deputy shouted over the roar of the bike's engine as Thor nodded, kicking the bike into gear, the back tire squealed on the pavement and launched in the direction Creel had gone. Creel's grudge was with Blake and Thor only knew of one thing West of Marville that would matter to Blake Donaldson.

The Donaldson Farm.

Wraith's Little Workshop of Horrors

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Wraith's Little Workshop of Horrors

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Wraith's Little Workshop of Horrors

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Wraith's Little Workshop of Horrors

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Wraith's Little Workshop of Horrors

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Variety Hour: An Absolute Comics Roleplay

We all wear masks, and the time comes when we cannot remove them without removing some of our own skin.

_{Location: The Batcave - Wayne Estate, Bristol County}

Welcome to the Masquerade #1.02: Growing Pains

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_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: False Faces

“You’ve been doing this for far too long for me to have to babysit you, McGinnis.” Bruce growled, leaning heavily on his cane as he paced back and forth in front of the wall of monitors that made up the screen of the ‘Batcomputer’. A high pitched screech was followed by the leathery flapping of wings as the bats which occupied their namesake cave flew overhead, their slumber disturbed by the elder’s man’s volume.

“That was sloppy work tonight,” Bruce snapped as he continued to berate Terry. Every step the old man made was matched by the large dog beside him. Black as the night, Ace was more than enough to make even Gotham’s most seasoned crook second guess his next move. Clearing his throat, Wayne launched into another verbal lashing as Terry could do nothing but listen to his mentor tear him down.

“I can’t believe you allowed yourself to be shot. You should have never deactivated the cloak on your suit. It could have been a clean takedown, but you had to quip, you had to gloat.”

“The suit took the blow.” Terry protested by Bruce raised a single finger to silence him.

“That’s not the point, McGinnis!” Bruce retorted, “Your brashness allowed one of the False Faces to get away, that’s another piece of trash back onto Gotham’s streets. Another gang banger free to continue to sell stolen drugs back to the junkies and dregs that line the back allies of this god forsaken city.”

“Bruce, I-”

“I’m not done yet, McGinnis!” The old man interjected silencing his younger protege again. “When I started this mission, this war, when it was me out there, I was alone. I had no one to rely on, there was no one was watching my back.” He stated before taking a breath and continuing. “I worry I’ve coddled you too much, made you too reliant upon my eyes and ears. You’re not prepared, you’ve not yet made the sacrifices it takes to be Batman.”

“I’ve done everything you asked and then some, that’s not fair!” McGinnis spat back as Wayne stood defiantly before him. Even leaning on his cane, the elderly man was eye level with Terry. In his prime, he would have been terrifying without the cowl let alone with the mask. It took everything Terry had not to blink as the pair stared each other down, Wayne’s gaze still able to make Terry’s skin crawl.

“Life isn’t fair, you know that.” Wayne retorted, the growl gaining more of an edge. “If it were, you’d still have a father.”

Silence fell over the cave, broken only by the bats overhead as the two men stood nearly nose to nose. Terry felt his first curl as his eyes looked down for a second, noticing Wayne’s white knuckles as his fingers threatened to crush the cane grasped beneath them.

“Terry, I-” Wayne began, his tone softening only for Terry to take a step back, tossing the Batsuit down on the nearby table.

“Should probably check the suit for damage, synaptics felt sluggish on the way home.”

“Circuits might not be making full contact, it would reduce the response time,” Wayne replied as he pulled up a chair. “You should get some rest, Ace and I will handle this,” Bruce added, nodding towards the sizeable Dane mix pacing the floor behind him.

“Uh thanks,” Terry replied, the pain of Bruce’s words still stinging as he rubbed the back his head, “Goodnight, Mr. Wayne.”

“Goodnight, McGinnis.”

---

_Placeholder

Next Issue: Meet Cute

Variety Hour: An Absolute Comics Roleplay

M A R V I L L E, O K L A H O M A:

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^{S U N D A Y, J U L Y 1 S T, 2 0 1 8 - 0 8 : 0 1 a m | H O M E O F B L A K E D O N A L D S O N & B A R A B A R A N O R R I S}

"You should risk your life more often."

Barbara's voice broke the silence in the kitchen where Blake was currently standing, listening to the birds sing their song. Leaning against the railing of the staircase leading to their bedroom, Barbara was only wearing one of Blake's t-shirts tossed haphazardly over her slender, shapely figure, the tease of her black barely-there underwear peeking out from underneath. The morning sun illuminated her golden hair as she smiled at her lover when he turned to listen.

"Don't get me wrong, you've always been good." Barbara continued as she walked into the room, straddling a stool on the island adjacent to where Blake was standing, in front of the fridge, a carton of milk pressed to his lips.

"But last night... wow,"

"I've got some pretty high standards for you now, Dr. D," She cooed. "It was like you were a whole other person, and the way you held me, so firm and... Like have you been working out?" She asked biting down on her lip as Blake smiled back at her, putting the milk carton away as he moved around the island. Outside, the wind had begun to howl as the skies became overcast, the kitchen becoming notably darker while rain started to pelt against the windows.

Standing over Barbara, Blake leaned down, pressing his lips against hers. She pressed back, her hands wrapping around his shoulders as his hands found their way beneath her and hoisted the smaller woman onto the island. Outside thunder boomed as lightning illuminated the room. Blake's lips departed from Barbara's, moving to her earlobe, then her neck before continuing their way down her body as she let out a euphoric moan while another roll of thunder shook the house.

"Oh my... God!"

_{° ° ° °}

Fastening the last button on her blouse, Barbara looked over at Blake as she lifted her long hair over her shoulders.

"You know, we're going to be late for church now right?" She stated before pausing as Blake pulled on a t-shirt.

"Is that what you're wearing?" She asked with a small giggle. "I know the church has a whole, 'Come As You Are' policy, but at least wear something with a collar."

"Right..." Thor replied with a pause of his own. "We go to church..." He stated, the words feeling foreign in his mouth.

"To worship, Jesus Christ." He continued, reluctantly pulling his shirt off and looking through 'his' wardrobe for something with a collar.

"You say that like it's the first time you've heard it." Barbara teased, "It was your insistence that we start going so we 'didn't disappoint your parents'." She raised her hands, making 'air quotes' with her fingers as Blake finally found a shirt that was both comfortable and had a collar.

"Wait," Thor stated suddenly as Barbara turned towards the door, stopping as she turned and shot him a mildly annoyed look.

"We're not married," He continued, "And we just had sex, before going to church? Isn't that a little... sacrilegious?" Thor asked with a smile as Barbara rolled her eyes.

"Really, now you want to talk theology?" Barbara snorted. "You know very well we're only going to keep the peace with your parents. Now c'mon, if I have to give up two hours that I could be back in bed with you, then the least we can do is not make a scene by walking in halfway through the sermon."

"Eh," Thor muttered. "Don't know what got into me." He chuckled as the pair left the house, walking down the front porch towards the large pick-up truck in the driveway. Walking around the front of the truck, Thor made his way towards the driver's door before Barbara whistled at him.

"Yo! Tall, fair and handsome." She yelled mockingly, "Get your ass in the bitch seat, you're not driving my truck."

"Your truck?" Thor blurted out, undeniable surprise plaguing his words. The conflicting memories in his head were rather difficult to sort out and Thor was quite surprised that his reincarnated self would ever have been driven around by a woman.

"What's that supposed to mean!" Barbara snapped back. "I sure as hell didn't buy it for you. You chose to drive your dinky little hybrid. Sorry if I'm hurting your manhood." She stormed while climbing into the driver's seat.

Looking at the 'dinky little hybrid' in question, Thor rolled his eyes.

"That's not going to do." He muttered only to be nearly deafened by the horn of the truck.

"GET IN!" Barbara yelled as Thor took hold of the door, gingerly opening it so as not to damage the new vehicle before climbing inside. "God, what has gotten into you."

"I've just been," Thor paused, "Thinking about making some lifestyle changes."

"Can you do it on your own damn time." Barbara teased, the edge in her voice lessened but was still notably there. "Look, I know being attacked, hell, seeing your life flash before your eyes, it can be traumatizing if you need to see someone-"

"Babe, I'm good, great even," Thor assured her as they pulled up to the church. Climbing out of the truck, music could be heard from the open windows even with the sound of the cicadas echoing out over the nearby cornfield. Entering the church, Thor reluctantly accepted the bulletin from the usher as he and Barbara tried to sneak into the back row.

Sitting down, Thor felt Barbara begin a sigh of relief before the air was suddenly drawn back into her lungs sharply as an elderly man turned around to look at Blake.

"Y'know son," Erik Donaldson's voice was loud and clear even as the worship team continued their praise to the 'one true God'. "No one likes a back row Baptist, 'specially a late one."

"Sorry Dad, we were-" Thor looked at Barbara who motioned for him to say something. "A little tangled up." He spat out as his dad shook his head.

"If you get that woman pregnant, I'll march you to the altar myself with a shotgun," Erik stated flatly before smiling at Barbara. "Always a blessed day with you around of course though, Barbara." Turning back around, Thor balled his fists in and out, his nostrils flaring.

Outside, the thunder rolled again causing Thor to suddenly sit up in his seat, the sky lightening outside as he took a deep, calming breath. It was going to take some practice to regain control over his powers again, especially without Mjölnir.

"Weather sure has been weird today huh?" Barbara whispered as she looked out the window. "Must be one of them meta-humans."

"Must be," Thor muttered his reply as the worship team left the stage only to be replaced by a man in a short-sleeved collar shirt and a tie. "And here we go."

The sermon was admittedly short to what Blake remembered, and Thor was quite grateful for that. As the service ended, Thor and Barbara bid Blake's parents adieu before they paused and looked at them confused.

"You're not coming for Sunday dinner?" Erik asked as Marcy stood beside him. "Your mother made pot roast, son, it's your favourite."

"Sorry, Dad," The word felt both foreign and familiar in Thor's mouth as he spoke it. "Thought Barbara and I might take, well a, rain check." He continued, Barbara noticeable flinching as the words made Marcy's face scrunch up in an expression that Thor didn't quite comprehend but Blake did.

Disappointment.

"What on Earth could you be doing that's more important than making your mother happy, son?" Erik pressed, his hands in his pockets but his shoulders were pointed forward, an aggressive stance that Thor quickly matched, folding his arms over each other as his biceps swelled. Blake couldn't remember a time that Erik had ever struck him, but Thor wasn't about to chance being sucker punched by a mortal.

"I, uh think we should be going," Barbara stated as she not so subtly tugged on Blake's arm. "Always a pleasure, Mr. and Mrs. Donaldson." She added, waving as the couple turned and headed back towards her truck.

"What the hell kind of stunt was that? You pick Sunday, of all days, to stand up to your father." Barbara hissed as Thor shot her a glare.

"No mere man shall speak to me in that manner." He growled as Barbara took a step back, confusion covered her face as she looked up at him. The skies began to darken again as rain showered the pair prompting them to scramble inside the truck.

"You're not okay, Blake." She continued. "We're going home, and tomorrow you're coming down to the Sheriff's Office and I'll get the staff therapist to squeeze you in."

"That's not necessary," Thor replied, brushing her off. "I told you, I've never felt better."

"Bullshit, Donaldson," Barbara stated. "Tomorrow, you're getting help."

Variety Hour: An Absolute Comics Roleplay

So my question here is: Why did everyone (that isn't new/making someone new) decide to take a go at these characters again? Why bring them back?

@Sep

I have a huge nostalgia factor for the Ultimate One Universe that @Master Bruce and @Morden Man did almost three years ago now. It was one of the first RPs where I had a successful run portraying Thor but going into the second season, I started to expand his story far too quickly and kept adjusting plans on the fly to compensate for people using characters or concepts that I wanted to use. This ultimately hurt my story and discouraged me. Going into this, I have the opportunity to revisit Thor and what I enjoyed playing about him in a next to no stress environment where it won't matter if I'm using the same characters as other players (see the character roster, we already have three separate Batman iterations).

For Terry McGinnis/Batman Beyond, I had similar frustrations as I did with Thor since due to the popularity of Batman, his rogues and Gotham City, in the usual structure of these games, everyone wants a piece of that pie. But more to the point, my run at Batman Beyond and RPing, in general, was brought to an end as I went through my marriage ending and went on a journey of self-discovery. However, I had numerous arcs and plots create for Terry that I'd hate to see wasted and genuinely enjoy the character and would love to play him out more.

Plus while continuity isn't a point of this RP, I'm kind of interested to create a world where my characters can exist simultaneously while allowing for shenanigans with other players. It helps that my Thor and @Sep's Iris Flash already co-existed within the same RP but it would be just as fun to bounce Terry off of @DocTachyon's Spider-Man and so forth.