Master Bruce

Ultimate One Universe: Season Two

Ultimate One Universe: Season Two Application

The Unflinching Traitor to Mankind...Blue Beetle!

"Great. Just great. My psychotic Jiminy Cricket comes with an error message. Terrific."

Full Name

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Jaime Reyes

Alias

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Blue Beetle

Powers/Abilities

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Synaptic Symbiosis Interface: The Scarab Parasite has embedded itself within the genetic code of the human being known as Jaime Reyes. It's fused together with his internal structure seamlessly, altering his physiology on a molecular level to make Jaime a more perfect host body for the Scarab unit. These changes make Reyes far more robust, even in his 'ordinary' form, and his energy consumption has been made two hundred times more efficient for added endurance at less of a cost. Most importantly, however, it is what allows the Scarab to communicate with Jaime telepathically.

Technological and Biological Assimilation: There is no singular race in the entire universe that can be described as perfect. Each has flaws- gaps in it's knowledge that can be exploited. The Scarab was designed to circumvent this flaw. It's body is the perfect blend of technology and biology, forged with the express purpose of assimilating and absorbing any and all tech it encounters deemed to be useful in the pursuit of perfection. Thus far, the Scarab has encountered nothing it cannot absorb within itself and make use of. Assimilated parts are typically 'upgraded' using other bits of technology already installed in the Scarab.

Absorbed Tech/Powers

Season One:
Standard Scarab Technology Array, MK VI
Jaime Reyes - Human Host
Handcuffs
Glock 17
SHIELD Rifle
Johnny's Cellphone
FBI Radio
F-22 Raptor Engine

Season Two:
Jaime's L-Phone
Standard Taser
Police Scanner

Season One Recap

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Jaime Reyes's life was turned on it's head when he encountered a piece of alien technology in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History that, when activated, crawled down his throat and took control of his body, using him to slaughter nearly twenty innocent people. He was captured by the international organization known as SHIELD and interrogated by one Jasper Sitwell. The interrogation went south, ending in the deaths of several SHIELD agents and Jaime fleeing from the scene with the dubious assistance of the alien squatting inside of his body. He returned to Washington, D.C, intent on discovering the truth when he found himself assailed by an unknown force.

He was kidnapped and brought to a facility owned by Doctor Niles Caulder, a paraplegic telepath with one of the greatest minds the world had ever seen, squandered by ambition and cruelty. The good doctor had spent his life chasing after ancient aliens and unearthly artifacts, bleeding himself and everyone around him dry in his attempt to change the world with his discoveries. He lost his legs in his chase for knowledge, though he gained much more: he and two of his colleagues were granted power beyond their own understanding, and it was with these powers that they pursued Jaime and the Scarab. Niles revealed that he was the one responsible for the Scarab attack; his attempt to communicate with the alien had apparently sent it into a blind rage.

For all of the doctor's attempts to coerce, persuade and force Jaime to give up the Scarab, Niles was unsuccessful in his operation. He had his lackey cast Reyes away, vowing that he would return to take the alien from him when the time was right.

A ragged, wounded and tired Jaime was then dragged into the world-spanning test of the Silver Surfer. Despite his sour state, the boy's conviction carried him to New York City, where he attempted to do battle for a world that had turned it's back on him. He did little in the grand scheme of things, but it gave him a taste for heroism, let him make critical connections with fellow metahumans, and even gave him his new alias...

The Blue Beetle.

Three months have passed since. Jaime lives out of the back of a van with his close friends and allies, Paco and Brenda. They've been dodging SHIELD and working to find the supposed second Beetle that Niles spoke of. Thus far, they've had little luck in the matter; most days the trio is too occupied keeping out of the law's watchful eye to continue pursuing their only lead.

It's far from a glamorous existence. The only money they have for food and gas come from care packages sent in by Brenda's aunt, and even then it often isn't enough to get them through the week. Local police tend to hound them for 'squatting,' and Jaime only attracts more negative attention when he 'suits up' to do nightly patrols. Both Paco and Brenda tell him it's moronic, but he doesn't care. The exhaustion he feels when he comes back helps him sleep.

Where Do You Plan To Take The Character This Season?:

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Season One was about laying out the groundwork for Jaime as a character, and teasing the rest of the story I wanted to tell. Now that we're in Season Two, though, I can really kick it into full gear. Whereas before I was working in a vacuum to build up the mythos and tell Blue Beetle's Origin, this time around I'm looking to introduce him to the rest of the world and hopefully leave an impact on it by the end.

To that end, I've crafted a villain with a very specific motive that'll drag Jaime across the country and beat him to his knees worse than last season's villain ever could. This'll be the biggest threat that Reyes faces, and there's no chance he's going to be able to do it alone. His growth as a hero and as a person are both vital to learning to triumph over what lies ahead, and that includes learning that he can't handle everything on his own.

Many of the threads left unfinished from last season will find conclusions as well. In particular there'll be a focus on the guilt that Jaime has wrestled with, and revealing the ugly ways he's been attempting to absolve himself of it. If I could nail down the themes for this seasons, they'd definitely be redemption and triumph despite (or through) suffering.

Supporting Cast

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Paco Tejas: Jaime and Paco have stuck together through thick and thin. They met all the way back in Kindergarten, and haven't spent more than a week apart from one another since. Paco's one of many middle children in a family of eight. He loves his family to death, but by God if he can't stand how crowded his tiny house is.

Despite his great size, Paco is generally a timid person. He has no room for violence in his heart, and could even by described as somewhat cowardly on his worst days. Still, he's proven himself to be invaluable his companions over the last three months with his technical skill and knowledge of all things mechanical. He wants to be supportive of Jaime's endeavors, but he can't help the feeling that something terrible is going to happen to him if he keeps it up; that armor of his doesn't make him invincible, after all.

Brenda Del Vecchio: The coolest person willing to associate with Jaime, Brenda's been part of the gang since seventh grade. Both her best friends were made aware of her...less than ideal home life a long time ago, and they've done their best to support her through her personal struggles.

Brenda's always had a fire in her that few could tame, but the recent months on the run have only seemed to fan those flames. Hunger and exhaustion has made her temperamental, and the constant need for vigilance against SHIELD has only exasperated her more. She often finds herself forced to keep the leash on Jaime and Paco, who don't seem to understand the danger they've put themselves in. To make matters worse, her aunt grows less and less supportive of her 'road trip' with each passing week, insisting that Brenda return home to El Paso where she can be safe. She's held steadfast thus far, but as the months drag on and their attempts continue to bear no fruit, Brenda's beginning to believe they'll never find this 'alien' Jaime insists they chase.

Ted Kord: Ted Kord is the owner and CEO of Kord Industries. Based out of Metropolis, the tech company is best known for it's advances in nanotechnology- it's one of a handful that's managed to avoid being devoured in the ever-growing titan that is lexCorp. Ted has always fashioned himself as a self made man, and he'll be damned if he sells his soul to anyone.

The Brotherhood of Evil: Led by Dr. Caulder, AKA The Brain, the Brotherhood is a group of metahumans and hired goons meant to assist Caulder in his attempts to capture and study Jaime Reyes. Though they haven't made an attempt on the boy since they dropped him off in Warpath, Caulder continues to keep a watchful eye on his activities, all the while mustering the strength needed to take what rightfully belongs to him.

The current members of the Brotherhood include The Brain, Warp and the deceased(?) Plasmus.

Baran Flinders: A mutant born with an incredible capacity for growth, Baran was an easy target for bullying as a child; he was far too tall for a boy his age, and due to his X-gene, he was often overweight. The cruelty continued as he grew older, seemingly only getting worse as the abuse turned physical. Driven to the edge of his sanity, Baran retreated into himself and began on a path toward self-improvement. He took advantage of his mutant abilities and packed on pounds upon pounds of muscle, cutting down his diet and transforming himself from an awkwardly shaped loser to a paragon of strength. His former bullies treated him quite differently afterward, and that only empowered Baran to exact his revenge against them. He began his own form of torment that escalated in cruelty and violence until he found himself behind bars.

Now, after twenty years, he's returned from prison, though felony assault charges have made life...difficult for him, to say the least.

La Dama: A faceless crimelord and the queen of Texas's underground. Real name unknown. Influences stretch all the way down to various Cartels in Latin and South America. After the Punisher tore his way from her territory and over to Los Angeles, she's grown paranoid and defensive over her holdings, fearing that New York City's Reaper would return to deal out his brand of lead-based justice. She's invested heavily in arming her gangsters for what she perceives as the coming storm.

Jasper Sitwell: The agent assigned to interrogate Jaime after the Smithsonian Incident, Jasper has suffered setback after setback in his search for the boy. More often than not, his own team has been responsible for the escalation of conflict with Jaime; no part of Sitwell enjoys leading a manhunt against a teenager, but the power Jaime wields is far too much to be left in the hands of someone that young. The massacre committed by his hands (whether accidental or not) proves that.

Issue #1

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Issue #1

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The Blue Beetle stars in...The Runaway: Issue #1

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Unknown

Molasses dripped from his bones as Jaime Reyes found himself confronted by his own awakening. It was like a slow-mo punch to the lip- Jaime could feel his face crumpling under the knuckles, but everything was moving so slowly that he felt no inclination to stop it.

His eyes flickered open lazily, like it was a particularly quiet summer Sunday. Every inch of his body had a dull, obnoxious ache lingering in it. Reyes didn't know why. Had he, for God knows what reason, decided to join the Football team last night? Wandered his way into El Paso High's quarterback position and found himself on the business end of a three hundred pound seventeen year old?

Jaime went to rub the sleepiness from his eyes, yet found his hands uncooperative.

"Huh?" The boy murmured, tugging at them again. Something caught on both wrists. Something cold and unforgiving against his weak pulls.

That was when he finally noticed where he was. He was sitting in front of a stainless steel table in room caked in shadow. Judging by the coolness under his tush, Reyes could guess the chair was of a similar make to the table.

He noticed, too, that he was not alone.

"Jaime Reyes. Sixteen. Resident of El Paso, visiting Washington, D.C for...recreational purposes."

Seated on the opposite side of the table was a man that could be described as part high school physics teacher and part serial murderer. Straw-colored hair had been slicked back with thick slabs of hair gel, and a pair of even thicker-rimmed glasses sat on the bridge of his hawkish nose. What caught Jaime's eye, however, was the symbol on his shoulder.

The eagle of SHIELD.

It hit him like a semi-truck barreling down the highway. The haze he'd woken up with was lifting. Yesterday...He hadn't played Football yesterday. No, Jaime could remember there being way, way too much blood for that. "Ohhh no, no...ahh shit! Fuck! Hostia-"

"Son," The agent's voice rose above Jaime's, the laugh lines on his face loosening at the sight of the kid's panic. "I need you to stay calm for me, alright? I know you've..." There was a pause, his expression shifting as he searched for the proper word. There wasn't a word for something like this. Not one that would help.

"You've been through a lot, son, but I'm here to help you. My name is Jasper. Jasper Sitwell. I'm an agent of SHIELD. You know what SHIELD is, right?"

Reyes snapped his eyes shut, letting the darkness choke out the light. His nose flared and air shot into his nostrils. He had to remember more. All he had were bits and pieces, but try as he might it felt like a fog had fallen over his mind. Like his thoughts were being hidden from him. It made his chest tighten. "Why can't...why can't I remember?"

With a sigh, Sitwell brought a manila folder into view. He must've had it open in his lap. "Well, I can walk you through what happened. You're not going to like it, but it's better we pull the band-aid off now. No use in trying to hide it."

He flipped the file open, revealing the printed report tucked away inside. It was titled 'Incident Report #4217 - Smithsonian.'

Jasper began to read in a slow, deliberate drawl. His voice was clinical and detached. "At approximately twelve thirty in the afternoon, Jaime Reyes entered the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. At one forty five he entered the Bialya exhibit, where Special Interest Object number four-two-one-seven was being displayed. The object activated when Jaime entered within approximately eight meters..."

As the words flowed from the man's baritone cords, Jaime let himself go back there. He allowed his mind to slip back into memories locked away. He was standing in the museum, right behind Brenda and Paco. They were nerding out over some old piece of armor, talking about Caesar salads or something. Reyes could feel himself growing anxious and bored when he finally decided to tell them he was 'going to the bathroom.' His excuse for running off to find something better to do.

He...remember the banner over the Bialya exhibit catching his eye. He had heard about Bialya being a war torn hellhole in Civics class. It sounded kinda entertaining, at least. That brought Reyes coasting inside, not chasing anything in particular.

Then he saw it. Jaime could remember what it looked like as if he were standing right in front of it at that moment. A piece of art, made of some...odd metal that had lost it's sheen a long time ago. It was shaped like some kind of bug. The long, almost knife-like legs gave Reyes the creeps. He could've sworn he remembered seeing those legs twitching.

"Dios mío..." The boy rasped, his voice barely above a frozen whisper. The room had grown colder. He swore he felt a chill rushing along his bare arms, eliciting goosebumps to rise along his tan flesh.

"...Four-two-one-seven entered a liquid state and broke the glass around it's display. It crossed the ground, passing by a number of other people as it made it's way directly toward Reyes. The Object crawled up the side of his leg and around his body, making it's way up until it reached the mouth. It entered into Reyes's body..."

Jaime could feel it, then. He could feel something cold tingling at the back of his throat. It was wet and sticky, like milk that'd been left out on the counter too long. That thing...it was too fast for Jaime. It moved up under his clothes, making a sound like nails in a blender played over a little girl's scream. Jaime could feel it moving. he could feel it inside of him.

Reyes wrapped his fingers around the handcuffs that kept him tied to the table. He pulled at them fiercely, air coming into his lungs in short, sharp bursts. Why was he locked up? Wasn't he the victim here? Why wasn't he in the hospital after that thing attacked him?

Agent Sitwell only glanced up at the rapidly unfurling teenager for a second. He had to continue reading: this was the part that really mattered, after all. "Once inside, the Object appeared to fuse with the subject. The liquid state metal that had entered his body came back out of his pores, encasing Reyes's body. Reyes then began to scream in an unidentified language, and..."

Jaime kicked the table hard enough for it to bounce in place. He kicked it again, and again, and again. A rumbling, anguished scream turned his throat raw as the fog finally lifted and the full extent of his actions was revealed. "STOP!" Reyes pleaded, tears stinging in the corners of his eyes. He shook his head with vicious conviction, fighting against his restraints like a man possessed. "Please- shut...shut up! Shut the fuck up! PLEASE."

He wanted it to stop. It needed to stop. He couldn't...this didn't happen. He couldn't have done this.

"Reyes's arms transformed into unidentified energy weapons of potentially extraterrestrial origin, likely as a result of his fusion with four-two-one-seven. Reyes opened fire into the crowd of panicked, fleeing people-"

Reyes threw his body backward. The chair he was in tipped, letting him tumble backward. The table was dragged along with Jaime during the fall with a screech of it's legs against the floor. He wasn't screaming anymore. His throat was too raw, and he could no longer find his voice. He couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. All he could see was the blood. The blood and the people trying to run away from him.

Sitwell stopped. He set the file down on the table with an utter, complete calm. Rising up from his own seat, the gangling agent took a step around the table and toward Jaime. "I know. I know." Jasper tried to comfort him, his voice low and fatherly as he bent down toward the crying boy. "I'm sorry-"

The sound of chains snapping caused Jasper's eyes widening. Before he could draw his sidearm, a fist coated in black and blue armor grabbed him by the collar. "Jaime, don't-"

With strength unknown to his arms, Reyes felt himself toss Sitwell across the interrogation room. The agent let out a cry as his back slammed against the harsh steel and he went tumbling down to the ground. The door was thrown open, several men in identical uniforms rushing inside with pistols drawn.

"I- I didn't mean to-" Jaime rasped, finding his voice overtaken by another, far stronger one.

'Jaime Reyes, I am Khaji Da. You are in mortal danger- let me help you.'

The Blue Beetle Series:

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The Runaway

Issue #1 (scroll up ya dummy)
Issue #2
Issue #3
Issue #4
Issue #5
Issue #6
Issue #7
Issue #8
Issue #9
Issue #10
Issue #11
Issue #12
Issue #13
Issue #14
Issues #15 & #16
Issue #17

Cowboys And Aliens

Issue #1
Issue #2
Issue #3
Issue #4
Issue #5
Issue #6
Issue #7
Issue #8

Season One Epilogue

@Superboy

Ultimate One Universe: Season Two

You think I'm brave because I carry a gun? Well, your fathers are much braver, because they carry responsibility — for you, your brothers, your sisters, and your mothers. And this responsibility is like a-a big rock that weighs a ton. It bends and it twists them until finally it buries them under the ground. --- The Magnificent Seven

Character You're Playing:

Greg Saunders
AKA Vigilante
AKA Host of The Spirit of Vengeance

Powers And Abilities:

The Spirit of Vengeance - Vigilante has learned to work hand in hand with The Spirit, lending him the powers of The Spirit of Vengeance. In a burst of flame he can transform into a skeletal version of himself, complete with hellfire-infused guns and lariat. Vigilante can bring on this transformation through concentration, or when forced into it through a life threatening situation. In this form, Vigilante is extremely durable, fast, and strong. He is slowly learning how to project blasts of hellfire, both from his hands and the maw of his skull, but it is still a learning process. The last ability this form affords him is the Penance Stare, allowing him to finish a weakened opponent by forcing them to suffer for all their sins for eternity.

The Silver - Vigilante’s motorcycle, The Silver, is a souped up chopper, painted a slick cherry red. It’s faster than most normal bikes have any right to be, and packed with a much sturdier frame than most bikes can attest to. It has two saddlebags on either side, typically packed with extra guns and ammo. In his Spirit form, the bike elongates, trading its metal architecture for a skeletal look, as if a skeleton had grown from the gas tank and began spewing hellfire. When enhanced in this fashion, the bike becomes stupendously fast, allowing him to make cross-country roadtrips at speeds comparable to jet aircrafts, though its much more difficult to get up to such speeds in tight spaces.

Gunslinger - Vigilante is a master gunslinger, likely one of the best pistoleros in the world. He has proficiency with other weapons, though mostly those of the ‘cowboy’ type; double barrel shotguns and level action rifles. Vigilante typically carries a half dozen six-shooters on him at any one time.

Whipfighter - Vigilante is a master of the lariat, able to consistently grab and throw objects with it, as well as disarm opponents.

Greasemonkey - Vig is an ace greasemonkey, with a love for modding and tricking out motorcycles in particular, though he is able to work with cars and other comparative machinery if the need arises.

Season One Recap:

Season One saw Vigilante and his team, The Seven Soldiers, returned from Hell and splitting up to chase various leads across the world, with Vig and Jonah Hex left in Warpath, Texas, to keep watch over the townsfolk and protect them from demonic incursion. Unbeknownst to the two, in New York, crime lord Roman J. Solomano, AKA The Hand, made arrangements with the Demon Lord Mephisto such that he would send metahuman assassins after Vigilante, lest his soul be taken.

The first of these assassins was The Dummy, an italian hitman empowered by Solomano. Vigilante was tricked by The Dummy on his arrival, allowing the villain to turn all the denizens of Warpath into living puppets, damned to an unmoving, unfeeling state of existence. Vigilante burst from his own state of dummification on account of The Spirit of Vengeance, allowing him to fight and kill The Dummy in the pitched battle, but leaving the townsfolk petrified.

After some time alone, caring for the wooden townsfolk and repelling the occasional daemonic attack, Vigilante found himself in contact with The Council of Riders, a collection of the previous holders of The Spirit of Vengeance. They warned him his next threat was on the horizon, a band of vengeful spirits known as The Bounty Hunters was inbound for Warpath, coming for Vig’s head. With the aid of The Punisher, Vigilante was able to defeat the swathes of attackers, only to discover that they had been sent by Solomano.

Eventually, Vig found himself challenged by The Silver Surfer. With Jaime Reyes at his side, Vigilante squared off with supervillain Black Star, empowered by the power cosmic. After coming to terms with The Spirit in his mind, the pair took off to New York to do battle with The Silver Surfer alongside Earth’s mightiest heroes. In return for his efforts, the town of Warpath now has a dedicated SHIELD Regiment within, to aid in the protection of the townsfolk and study the demonic energies of the town.

Where Do You Plan To Take The Character This Season?:

Last season was very introspective and slow and ways that I didn’t necessarily intend. Vig found himself alone, fighting a war in Warpath and wrestling with The Spirit. This season will flip the script, pairing Vig up with all of his supporting cast and sending him on a rollicking journey across America. With SHIELD posted up in Warpath, The Soldiers are free to leave the town and scour the US for all manner of magical artifacts they need for their ultimate showdown with Mephisto. They’ll find themselves pitted against demons, Gods, magical folks, and regular metahumans looking to give them a rough go of it. Further, this season will explore Vig’s relationships with each of the Soldiers, their pasts apart and together as a team, and just how their time in Hell changed each of them. But most of all, this season will ask of Vig to make sacrifices, and in going so, really explore what makes the ranchero of Miracle Mesa tick.

Supporting Characters:

Shining Knight- Sir Justin, a medieval Knight trapped in Hell for untold centuries. Over the past several months he searched for and ultimately was reunited with his flying horse, Winged Victory.

Jonah Hex- 1800s Cowboy and member of the Seven Soldiers. Currently trapped in a petrified state after his encounter with The Dummy.

Johnny Frankenstein- Frankenstein, amalgam man of the 1800s. Frankenstein has long been a hunter and researcher of the supernatural, but is no longer “up on things” after spending centuries trapped in Hell. He spent the past several months looking for the current Doctor Occult, and refreshing himself on whatever magical knowledge he could accrue.

Crimson Avenger - The first man Vig met in Hell, transported there after searching for the Miracle Mesa in the 1940s. Vig considers The Avenger one of his best friends and closest confidants. Over the past few months, Crimson Avenger aided The Shining Knight in his hunt for his horse.

Star Spangled Kid and Stripsey - The Kid and his sidekick Stripsey spent the bulk of the past few months trying to accrue SHIELD’s aid, only to come up woefully dry, until Vig came through for them.

Billy Gunn - Old family friend and current Sheriff of Warpath. Currently a petrified dummy in his own living room.

Doctor Occult - Latest in a long line of “Doctor Occult”s, a highly studied magical expert, he is the holder of the Mystic Symbol of The Seven and one of the world’s foremost scholars on the magical arts.

Mephisto - Technically, Mephisto is Vigilante’s current Boss. The demon is responsible for his Ghost Rider abilities and his escape from Hell.

Nebula Man - Herald of The Miracle Mesa, and representation of its power incarnate.

The Council of Riders - A sort of construct within The Spirit of Vengeance, an assembly of every past holder to give advice to the current bearer. Notable members include Johnny Blaze, El Diablo, and Grak.

Agent Meskin - Primary SHIELD Liaison in Warpath.

Post Catalogue

Part One - The Ranchero of Miracle Mesa
Prelude
Strings; Issue 1
Strings; Issue 2
Strings; Issue 3
Strings; Issue 4
Strings; Issue 5; Finale
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Riders on the Storm; Issue 1
Riders on the Storm; Issue 2
Riders on the Storm; Issue 3
Riders on the Storm; Issue 4
Riders on the Storm; Issue 5
Riders on the Storm; Issue 6
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Glitter and Gold; Issue 1
Glitter and Gold; Issue 2
Glitter and Gold; Issue 3
Glitter and Gold; Issue 4
Glitter and Gold; Issue 5
Glitter and Gold; Issue 6
Glitter and Gold; Issue 7
Glitter and Gold; Issue 8
Glitter and Gold; Issue 9
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Season One Epilogue

@DocTachyon

Ultimate One Universe: Season Two

Ultimate One Universe: Season Two Application

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_Name

Clark Joseph Kent

_Alias

Superman

_{Powers & Abilities}

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Alien Physiology: Clark knows next to nothing about his birth species or his home world, but he knows that his body interacts with the world around him in ways completely different to everyone else. He can go for weeks without food, days without water, and even hours without air. He has come to believe that his cells absorb sunlight and process it incredibly efficiently, storing up over a lifetime on Earth and allowing him to do things that would be otherwise impossible. What Clark finds both exhilirating and concerning, though, is that even after years of trying to control and understand his abilities, he is still barely scratching the surface of what he is capable of.

Strength: The first of his abilities to manifest, Clark's muscles are able to generate more kinetic energy than should be possible, allowing him to move massive objects with his bare hands. Thus far, he has been able to hold up several thousand tons of rubble, lift the equivalent weight of a skyscraper, and tow a sinking oil tanker (weighing in excess of 225,000 metric tons) to safety. Though moving these immense weights does cause him a great deal of stress and even pain, he has shown no signs of actual injury afterward, indicating that if he can work through the strain, he is capable of doing far more.

Gravity Manipulation and Flight: While the exact process is still unknown, Superman is capable of expanding and manipulating his own gravitational field to an incredible degree. This, among other things, allows him to fly at hypersonic speeds, and grants him a sort of 'tactile kinesis' that aids his incredible strength, holding together superheavy objects that should buckle under the strain of their weight being focused entirely on his hands. While Superman has only recently demonstrated the ability to fly, he was previously capable of jumping over a quarter-mile into the air, though Clark does not know if this was due more to his gravitational manipulation or to his sheer strength.

Speed and Reflexes: When tapping into his reserves, Clark can move quickly enough to dodge bullets fired at point-blank range, and in a straight sprint, is capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 30. However, moving at full speed creates a tremendous amount of turbulence in his wake, and in populated areas he rarely moves above Mach 1.

Durability: Superman seems thus far impervious to most, if not all, conventional weapons. Small-arms fire seems to have no effect on him at all, and heavy explosive or armor-piercing ordnance does little more than leave bruises or scratches-- and even those have become less effective over time. Recently, Clark was caught in a nuclear explosion while redirecting a hijacked missile away from Gotham City, and while he was temporarily knocked unconscious, even this did not cause any permanent damage. While he is still susceptible to pain, it is unknown if any force exists on Earth that can cause Superman any real injury.

Enhanced Senses: Clark has always been able to perceive the world in ways he could never quite describe. His eyes are sensitive to the entire electromagnetic spectrum, and can even focus in ways that let him see through solid objects, this 'X-Ray vision' capable of filtering through up to six inches of solid lead. His hearing is also incredibly accute, able to focus on minute details at great distances, and his extremely attuned sense of touch allows him to control his immense strength without unwittingly causing damage to everything and everyone around him.

"Heat Vision:" Clark can emit stored energy through his eyes, in the form of incredibly powerful lasers that can cut through solid steel almost instantaneously. Though he typically only uses this ability as an ad-hoc welding or cutting torch, Superman has on occasion used it as an offensive weapon, generating beams hotter than the core of the sun. Doing this, however, drains his reserves of power, and can even cause him to lose consciousness if he overdoes it.

Hand-to-Hand Combat: In the rare occasions where Superman has had to fight an opponent of equivalent power, he has demonstrated an affinity for boxing, wrestling, and the use of improvised weapons. While Clark lacks any formal martial arts training, his raw power, keen senses, and sheer tenacity more than make up for it.

Season One Recap:

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Clark Kent always knew he was different. Growing up in the quiet little town of Smallville, Kansas, where nothing unusual ever seemed to happen, he found himself the cause of unusual happenings all the time. Like the time he flipped over his father's tractor to retrieve a lost toy. Or the time he started seeing people's skeletons in the middle of class. Or after he found out his friend Lana Lang's father had been abusing her, only for the man's clothes to catch fire when Clark gave him an angry glare. These incident, and dozens more like them, left Clark confused and afraid, but comforted by his mother and father, Martha and Jonathan Kent, who showed him the old stories of Captain America and the Justice Society. The things that made him different also made him special, they told him, and he could use those special things to do some genuine good in the world. He could be all those old stories made real: a real, true, honest-to-God superhero.

In his early teens, as his incredible abilities began to manifest, Clark became more curious about where he came from, how he could do all of these impossible things. After a string of arguments that led to Clark accidentally knocking over the farm's grain silo in frustration, Jonathan and Martha finally sat him down and told him the truth. He was not merely adopted, but found in a pod that crashed down from the sky like a meteor. The Kents had happened upon the crash site and, realizing they couldn't simply leave an abandoned child to fend for himself, took him in. Hoping to find some answers about his origins, they had searched the pod, but were only able to take two things from it before the site swarmed with black helicopters and unmarked Hum-Vees: a crystalline ball which hummed with a life of its own, and a red cloak, emblazoned with a logo that looked for all the world like a stylized letter 'S.' Clark was, for lack of a better word, an alien. A strange visitor from another world. Not only was he not the same family as his adopted parents, he wasn't even the same species. The shock of this revelation was too much for Clark to take, and at age 16, he ran away from Smallville, traveling the world to find a place where he might fit in.

For the next nine years, Clark spent his life on the road, meeting new people, helping where he could, and fighting injustice and oppression where he saw it. Invariably, however, whenever he would be forced to use his abilities, the people around him would be terrified, wondering what else this unassuming country boy was hiding. He quickly began using a long line of assumed identities, discarding them and moving on whenever someone got too close to finding him. Despite making greater efforts to cover his tracks, there was one person who started seeing a pattern-- and more importantly, seeing a story. It was while working to depose a warlord in the African nation of Nairomi that Clark first met Lois Lane, who had been tracking him for over a year and was convinced enough of Clark's kind-hearted nature to approach him. While his first instinct was to withdraw, he listened long enough to take some of her words to heart: that he shouldn't have to keep running from himself, that he could own his abilities instead of hiding them, and that in time the world would come around and see him for who he was rather than what he was. Sadly, before he could begin to work with Lois on this new direction, Clark had to return home to Smallville; during Clark's years away, Jonathan had contracted cancer, and didn't have much time left.

While spending those final days on the Kent farm, Clark talked with Jonathan and Martha about his travels, about meeting Lois, and about his place in the world. Taking the old red cloak they had found in his pod, and remembering the old stories and comic books he would read with his dad, Clark fashioned a makeshift costume, little more than a cape and a blue T-shirt with the cloak's logo on it, but it was an effective enough mock-up until they could make a better one. His 'practice' costume would have to do, however, when news broke of a terrorist attack on the Science Spire in the city of Metropolis. Clark sprung into action, promising to tell the ailing Jonathan all about it when he returned. After foiling the attack, holding up several thousand tons of collapsing building long enough for civilians to flee, he flew into the air for the whole world to see and sped back to Smallville....only to find that his father had passed while he was away. Still, Martha consoled him through choked-back tears, he had gotten to see his son stand tall in front of the world, to see him save lives, and to hear what the world called him in return: the "Superman."

With a new identity and purpose, Clark moved to Metropolis permanently, where Lois Lane helped get him a job as a junior reporter at the Daily Planet and an apartment he could share with their mutual friend and Planet photographer, the excitable Jimmy Olsen. Superman was seen as a revolutionary figure not just in Metropolis, but in the world at large, as other metahumans and vigilantes began to make themselves known to the public in the wake of his debut. Many began to question if the existence of such a figure would pose a significant change or even an existential threat to society as a whole, a talking point routinely hammered home by political blowhard G. Gordon Godfrey and billionaire tech giant Lex Luthor. Despite having the eyes of the world on him, however, Clark had never felt better, and he tackled his new persona with vigor, fearlessly taking on the organized crime syndicates in Metropolis and preventing disasters, while Lois Lane acted as his partner in crime, digging up dirt that tied many thwarted disasters and rogue superhumans to corrupt elements in the government and the military.

For six months, Superman was on top of the world, easily besting the various ‘super-villains’ that rose up to challenge him, including the electrified political radical Livewire, the vampiric murderer Parasite, and the radioactive monster called the Atomic Skull. His first true challenge came, however, when he was attacked by a fleet of high-end anti-metahuman military drones, developed by Dr. John Henry Irons for the US military but hijacked by a malevolent hacker calling himself The Toyman. For weeks, Toyman tormented Superman, taking control of vital parts of Metropolis’ infrastructure, endangering millions of lives and causing wanton destruction, while Superman could only try to contain the damage. While the elusive cyber-terrorist continued to frustrate and humiliate Superman, his critics in the media had a field day with it, pressing the narrative that Superman was not someone who could be trusted when the time came.

Superman briefly broke away from his pursuit of the Toyman to meet another threat: an unknown entity called the Silver Surfer had arrived in Central City and was threatening their local hero, the speedster known as The Flash. Together, Superman and Flash were able to subdue the alien assailant, leaving him in the custody of SHIELD, but the battle left Clark severely drained of his power, but also hearing a name that resonated with him: Kal-El. Taking time to return to his home nearby in Smallville, Clark visited his mother, hoping she might have some answers from when she and his father found him. In his room, they found the metallic orb that was with Clark in his pod, which activated when he said the name ‘Kal-El,’ flashing pictures of an alien world and flooding his mind with images and memories, before flying away into the night. Elsewhere, the long-dormant pod in which Clark came to Earth stirred to life, burrowing into the Earth and disappearing from sight, but not before attracting the attention of its new owner, Lex Luthor, who had been performing experiments with the pod and its contents to create the highly advanced technology that made LexCorp a dominant power.

The next day, Clark and Lois were assigned to cover stories in Gotham City: Lois had secured an interview with Dr. Irons in the hopes that it would lead them to uncovering the Toyman’s identity, while Clark was sent to do an exposé on the vigilante known as the Batman. As Clark interviewed people who had encountered the Bat, Lois learned that Toyman was likely a disgraced programmer named Winslow Schott, who had helped develop artificial intelligence for Dr. Irons but had also been secretly torturing his creations for his own amusement. Lois and Irons were attacked when Toyman began taking control of several cars and attempted to ram them, but before Superman could help them, he was called back to Metropolis to deal with the escaped villainess Livewire. During his battle with the electrical menace, Superman was electrocuted with several million volts across the brain, temporarily affecting his mind, impairing his judgement and increasing his aggression.

When Clark returned to Gotham City to save Lois, he found her unconscious in a scene of wreckage, with the Batman looming over her. In his altered state of mind, Superman jumped to conclusions and attacked Batman, believing he had something to do with Lois’s injury. Before he could land a finishing blow, however, Lois was able to snap him out of his delusion, insisting that Batman had actually saved them. Once they reached an understanding, Superman and Batman were able to trace Toyman back to his lair, where it was revealed that Winslow Schott was long dead, and Toyman was in fact a rogue AI based on Schott’s digitized consciousness, created by a fragment of a vast and far more powerful intelligence discovered by Lex Luthor. Before the two could dismantle him, Toyman hijacked a nuclear missile from a nearby Army base and launched it towards Gotham City. With millions of lives at stake, Clark broke away from the battle to stop the missile, leaving Batman to take down the AI himself. While Superman was able to redirect the missile over the ocean, he was unable to get clear of the blast, getting caught by the shock wave of the nuclear explosion and believed dead. Incredibly, Superman survived this, and would later meet up with Batman in a nearby café to discuss the events and any potential plans for the future. In the end, the two would go their separate ways, still far from friends, but at least no longer enemies.

As Clark recuperated at Lois’s apartment (the two having confessed their feelings for each other during the crisis in Gotham and spending the night together), Lex Luthor held a press conference, unveiling his latest creation that would, according to him, render the metahuman ‘gods and monsters’ of the world irrelevant: a hyper-advanced artificial intelligence network, linked to every LexCorp device in the world, which he named Brainiac.

Where Do You Plan To Take The Character This Season?:

Clark has grown from being a down-and-dirty scrapper to a full-fledged superhero at this point, and his relationship with Lois has blossomed from partners-in-crime with a mutual crush to a genuine romance, so now I want to take the opportunity to develop some of the other denizens of Metropolis. I’m hoping to bring out some more of Superman’s rogues gallery, have some more newsroom hijinks with Jimmy and Perry and the like, and most importantly, establish the full-on enmity between Superman and Lex Luthor, developing their rivalry from two influential figures who dislike each other in the abstract, to the eternal nemeses they will eventually become.

Supporting Characters:

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Crucial NPCs

Lois Lane: Clark’s co-worker at the Daily Planet, closest confidant, best friend, and lover, Lois was the one who tracked Clark down during his wandering years and inspired him to adopt a public persona. She is a tenacious and determined idealist, absolutely fearless in the face of evil and intrepid in her pursuit of the truth. While she puts on an air of being cynical and bossy, underneath that she’s a deeply caring and loving person. She’s also something of a thrill-seeker, only ever truly feeling at home when there’s danger about. She believes in truth and justice, and more than anything, she believes in Clark.

Jimmy Olsen: Clark’s roommate, and a photographer at the Planet, Jimmy is an excitable young man who believes that he has the coolest job in the world. A major technophile and an obsessive fan of ‘cape culture,’ Jimmy sees the world in shades of awesome, which more often than not obscures his critical thinking.

Martha Kent: Clark’s adoptive mother, currently residing in Smallville, Kansas. While Martha is incredibly proud of the man Clark has become, she’s never really stopped seeing him as her little boy, the miracle who came from the stars and answered her prayers.

Jonathan Kent: (deceased) Clark’s adoptive father, a former Army infantryman who returned to his home with the intent of living a happy, quiet life with his hometown sweetheart. Jonathan was unprepared to raise a child, let alone one as unique as Clark, but he did his best to instill his son with the right principles, teach him right from wrong, and show him how to fight when it mattered, before succumbing to cancer shortly after Clark’s debut as Superman.

Daily Planet Newsroom

Perry White: A career newsman who climbed his way to the top, the Chief Editor of the Daily Planet is a tough, grumpy, often domineering lion of a man. He has seen it all, usually more than once, and while he has grown jaded over time, he is still committed to preserving the integrity of the Planet’s name even as the paper struggles to get by.

Steve Lombard: The head sports writer at the Planet, Lombard peaked in high school and never truly realized it. Still believing he’s the proverbial big-man-on-campus, Steve routinely tries to assert himself as the macho alpha-male of the office, whether through unwanted advances towards his female co-workers or arguably-good-natured light bullying of Clark and Jimmy, which has gotten him in trouble with Perry on more than one occasion. He is not mean-spirited or deliberately antagonistic, just a meat-head who doesn’t realize how much of a jackass he can be.

Ron Troupe: The Planet’s senior political correspondent, Ron is more often than not the smartest person in the room, a fact which has led him to become something of a snob towards his co-workers. While he is an excellent writer, he routinely has to be reined in to keep him from slanting stories too much with his own biases.

Cat Grant: The Planet’s lifestyle and fashion writer, Cat’s vivacious and flirty persona often gets her in with the movers and shakers of Metropolis. While putting on airs of being bubbly and light-headed, she is actually an extremely clever and ambitious woman with big career goals far beyond simply writing tabloids for a failing newspaper.

Spoiler

Linda Danvers: A newly hired intern at the Planet, Linda is a soft-spoken and shy young woman who tends to keep to herself, and generally avoids speaking or making eye contact with anyone whenever she can.

Other Metropolis Figures

Captain Dan Turpin: A twenty-year veteran of the Metropolis Police Department’s Special Crimes Division, Turpin is a classic hard-boiled detective, tasked with bringing in the increasingly crazy threats the city throws at them. When he’s not chasing down super-criminals or busting gangsters with ray guns, he’s pursuing what may be the city’s greatest mystery: uncovering the truth about who Superman really is.

Lieutenant Maggie Sawyer: Turpin’s partner, a highly competent but inexperienced cop still getting used to the way things work in the big city. She doesn’t share Turpin’s zeal for pursuing Superman, but always has his back.

Dr. John Henry Irons: The founder and CEO of SteelWorks Industries, Irons is a brilliant engineer in the field of robotics. Having recently helped Superman stop the Toyman menace, Irons has gained something of a reputation as an ally in the hero community.

”Bibbo” Bibbowski: The owner and head cook of Bibbo’s, Clark’s favorite hole-in-the-wall diner, ‘Bibbo’ is a large, gruff, somewhat dim-witted but good-hearted man who has become a huge fan of Superman and the other superheroes. When he’s not at work, he can usually be found leading a volunteer neighborhood watch in Suicide Slum, trying to fight back against the rampant gang activity in the area.

G. Gordon Godfrey: A boisterous and bombastic television pundit, G. Gordon Godfrey hosts the highest-rated show on the LexCorp-owned Galaxy News Network. While dismissed by most as a sensationalist blowhard, Godfrey nonetheless continues to stir the pot and foment anti-Superman sentiment throughout the city.

Enemies

Lex Luthor: The CEO of LexCorp, Lex plays the part of a genius billionaire playboy philanthropist, as well as a socio-political firebrand, championing the cause of humanity in the face of superhuman threats. In secret, he is a vicious, sadistic, insecure, and vindictive megalomaniac, having left quite a few bodies in his wake in his schemes for more power and control. While publicly he denounces the superheroes and vigilantes of the world as ‘inhuman,’ he has secretly been using stolen alien technology for years to develop his corporate empire.

Brainiac: A hyper-intelligent artificial intelligence app developed by Lex Luthor, Brainiac is embedded into every LexCorp device in the world, and in several of its competitors. During its unveiling, Luthor claimed it would not only give people unlimited instant access to any information they could possibly want, but even begin to train their minds to become more intelligent with increased use. According to the rogue Toyman AI, however, this intelligence is far more powerful than even Luthor realizes, and is only giving the billionaire technocrat the mere illusion of control.

Bruno Mannheim: An old-fashioned gangster at heart, Mannheim has been the king of Metropolis’s criminal underworld for years. In the wake of Superman’s arrival, his empire has begun to crumble, and he is reaching to increasingly desperate measures to preserve what is his.

Livewire: Originally an anti-Superman activity turned into a violent metahuman terrorist, Livewire’s body has transformed into a mass of living electrical plasma, allowing her to travel at the speed of light project electrical arcs with voltage well into the millions, and pass through solid matter. Her physical form was dispersed when Superman dunked her into the ocean and shorted her out, but it is only a matter of time before her consciousness reconstitutes a new body.

The Parasite: The creature that was formerly LexCorp janitor Rudy Jones was mutated into an abomination, a monster that drains the electrical charge of anything it touches, converting that energy into bio-mass on its own body. Capable of killing a human near instantaneously, the Parasite can use this drained energy to increase its own mass, creating armor plating that can shrug off tank shells, or claws and spurs that can pierce solid steel, or tentacles that can extend its lethal reach by hundreds of yards. Parasite believes that absorbing the energy of Superman is the only thing that can stop its insatiable hunger, and will stop at nothing for the chance to feed again. Currently in super-maximum security confinement on the Raft.

The Atomic Skull: The tragic result of military experiments to create their own metahumans, a trio of special forces operatives named Joseph Martin, John Corben, and Nathaniel Tryon were fused together into an insane, monstrous abomination that emits lethal blasts of radiation. Currently in super-maximum security confinement on the Raft.

The Toyman: Originally believed to be a black-hat hacker and cyber-terrorist named Winslow Schott, Toyman was actually an artificial intelligence based on the now-dead Schott’s digitized thought patterns. Tormenting Superman and the citizens of Metropolis again and again, the sadistic AI saw humans at little more than toys, playthings to be bent and smashed and broken for its own amusement. The combined efforts of Superman and Batman were able to shut the program down, and the Toyman is believed to have been destroyed completely.

HI THERE!

MISTER MXYZPTLK: A CLEVER, DASHING, EXTREMELY GOOD-LOOKING, SPECTACULAR-IN-BED, ALL-SEEING AND ALL-POWERFUL ENTITY FROM A HIGHER PLANE OF REALITY, WHO OCCASIONALLY CHIMES IN WITH PITHY COMMENTS ABOUT THE FUTILITY OF YOUR EXISTENCE AND HOW YOU’RE ALL A BUNCH OF WORTHLESS SACKS OF QUIVERING MEAT SPENDING YOUR DAYS TRYING TO DISTRACT YOURSELVES FROM THE FACT THAT YOU’RE ALL GOING TO DIE SOME DAY-- AND IF THINGS DON’T GO YOUR WAY, THAT SOME DAY MAY COME VERY, VERY SOON….

Post Catalogue:

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"Toy Soldiers" Arc:

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5 (Segue to Multi-Player Event)

Multi-Player Event: Enter the Silver Surfer

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6
• Part 7

Toys in the Attic (Toyman cont'd)

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4

Bat Country (Batman Crossover, Toyman conclusion)

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6
• Part 7
• Part 8
• Part 9 (by Master Bruce)
• Part 10
• Part 11 (by Master Bruce)
• Part 12
• Part 13 (by Master Bruce)
• Part 14
• Part 15 (by Master Bruce)
• Part 16
• Part 17 (by Master Bruce)
• Part 18
• Part 19 (by Master Bruce)
• Part 20
• Part 21 (by Master Bruce)
• Part 22
• Part 23 (by Master Bruce)
• Part 24
• Part 25 (Co-wrote w/Master Bruce)

Season Finale

@AndyC

Ultimate One Universe: Season Two

Less than a day in and we've already gotten around to mocking Morden's propensity for being an old curmudgeon, a painful pun made by Sep, and Ink's inability to accept his own work.

Good to see that Season 2's OOC isn't going to change a thing.

Ultimate One Universe: Season Two

Ultimate One Universe: Season Two Application

Character You're Playing: Batman/Bruce Wayne

Powers And Abilities: Having once trained around the world to hone his mind and body to the limits that made him capable of taking on the mob, Bruce Wayne is now twice as strong, agile, and keen in his abilities following a laborious three months of nightly training under his unconventional drill sergeant, Slade Wilson. As such, his abilities as a detective have grown, he's twice as formidable in hand-to-hand combat, and he's picked up a few new tricks along the way, such as utilizing a variety of disguises to seamlessly blend in, utilizing various means of distraction, and pinpointing the weak points of an enemy just through sheer physical contact.

As billionaire philanthropist, Wayne also has unparalleled access to discard military technology, giving him an array of gadgets and vehicles that are essential in his neverending war on crime. He uses these methods to effectively strike fear into his enemies, appearing as though he is a supernatural creature of the night.

Season One Recap: Feared by the mob and hunted by the police alike, Gotham City's mysterious Batman saw his reputation go from unlikely hero to unhinged enemy of the public at large after a series of violent attacks against the controlling sect of Carmine Falcone's empire, The Five Families, set the stage for a framing that made The Dark Knight look to be responsible for an attempt on the life of District Attorney Harvey Dent. The assassin was, in reality, a mind-controlled Floyd Lawton, aka Deadshot, whom Batman brought to justice before coming into conflict with the puppet master behind the plotted assassination - metahuman drug trafficker and self-proclaimed queen of the underworld, Poison Ivy. But all evidence of Batman's innocence in the crime were wiped clean by a reluctant Captain James Gordon, under the advisement of a morally ambiguous and well connected criminal profiler by the name of Edward Nashton.

With The Batman and the police coming to blows as the vigilante attempted to save the life of Deadshot's daughter, targeted by Ivy in retaliation for his botched hit on Dent, the vigilante gained some unlikely allies willing to take charge of the situation when he was seemingly brought to his mental breaking point - the enigmatic Oracle, secretly the wheelchair bound daughter of Captain Gordon, and superpowered private investigator Jessica Jones, whom Batman helped overcome Ivy's influence. While the villainess ultimately vanished into the night, her return seems not only likely, but inevitable.

Complicating matters further were the allegeances of Selina Kyle, once Bruce Wayne's trusted friend and link to the elite of Gotham's night life. Revealing her true colors as a member of The Five Families loyal to her father, Carmine Falcone, Selina unknowingly made herself an enemy of both Wayne and his alter-ego when attempting to murder the latter during an attack by a cryogenic madman calling himself Mr. Freeze. While Bruce's trust in The Roman's daughter was ultimately shattered, aswell as his heart being broken from lingering romantic inclinations that neither would admit to possessing, the result of this betrayal has left Wayne with a newly refocused purpose to step forward as Gotham's public benefactor. With The Batman having been all but tarnished in the public eye, billionaire Bruce Wayne is determined to be the beacon of hope that his masked persona could never be.

After an encounter with Metropolis' own protector, Superman, where the two heroes taught eachother a lesson about their respective limitations, it became apparent to Batman that he would have to expand upon his training to become smarter, tougher, and overall more formidable in the field. And only one person was capable of giving Bruce what he needed - former mentor and legendary mercenary-for-hire, Slade Wilson. But with Wilson's ruthlessness striking firmly against Batman's rigid code of ethics, how long will it be before Bruce succumbs to his own lingering madness enough to allow the man known the world over as "Deathstroke" to mold him from dark protector to sadistic killer?

All of this comes at a crucial point in time, as Gotham has just been thrust into a major metahuman street war by Oswald Cobblepot, aka The Penguin, seeking to publically overthrow The Five Families - who themselves are looking to counter Cobblepot's coup with the help of a deadly group of allies and the recently revealed fifth controlling family, The Court Of Owls. Agent Nashton's true identity has also been revealed by his two closest confidants, making it clear that not only was he never truly a government official in any capacity, but that the cyber terrorist Edward Nigma possesses a machine capable of bending Gotham to his will. With the murder of Peyton Riley carried out by his loyal right-hand man signifying the start of a growing group of loyalists, Nigma's plan to pit The Batman and The GCPD against eachother is about to bring the city itself into his crosshairs.

And in the midst of the chaos, a grinning man of mysterious intent has just entrapped Dr. Harleen Quinzel into a scheme that threatens to unravel it all. Before 'Jack' is done, all work will lead to deadly play as Gotham City may fall to the deadliest hand in the deck - a Joker.

Where Do You Plan To Take The Character This Season?:

I've gone on record in saying that Season One was very much table setting. Virtually all of it was unplanned and flying blind to establish this world. Now that it's established and I've got my toys out to play with, I get to delve into these characters. What makes this world tick, why certain people are the way they are, how some relationships are going to develop what we know as the proper Gotham City of any given superhero universe, and most importantly of all, how Bruce Wayne himself moves past being a borderline psychotic vigilante out to terrorize the mob into a relatively stable hero capable of saving Gotham from the many threats to come.

Obviously by the way things ended, his resilience is going to be tested in alot of different ways. The Penguin just made his power move and is going to bring about the paradigm shift in Gotham City from being mob controlled to being terrorized by what will become Batman's infamous rogues gallery. Deathstroke's introduction into the fold also makes things alot more complex, as Bruce has to strictly follow the orders of a man who openly kills in order to remake himself into a better, more formidable Batman, putting the lengths that he's willing to go for the crusade into question. And ontop of it all, Gotham's finally got itself a Joker. Nuff said.

But there's some light to add to the darkness. Oracle's still going to be doing her hacker thing, and if anyone liked my version of Kate Kane, just you wait. Kate's evolution this season is going to be something to behold. Especially in light of another young future protege that's currently out there, waiting for the hand of fate to put him on a path that leads to the origin of a certain Dynamic Duo. I'm not saying that this season will end with an up and running functioning Bat-Family, but... it might come close.

Feeling teased yet?

Supporting Characters:

Alfred Pennyworth: Former Agent Of SHIELD turned bodyguard and legal guardian of Bruce Wayne. Offers expertise and navigates the field with Bruce from The Batcave. His daughter, Julia Perry, has followed in his footsteps as a SHIELD operative. In the month of Bruce's absence, Alfred has overseen expanding Batman's influence through going back to work as a spy specifically seeking to gather intel on The Five Families. Undertaking the identity of Matthew 'Matches' Malone, Alfred has seamlessly found himself within the inner-circle of Capo Italiana.

Captain James Gordon: Enemy of The Batman, top cop of The GCPD. Despite his manipulation at the hands of 'Agent Nashton' in turning public opinion against the vigilante, he's still committed to ripping the police out from under the thumb of Sal Maroni and bringing justice to the streets. But as he works to combat against The Penguin's open declaration of war against the mob, Gordon's going to find that taking more desperate measures may do him more good than strictly following the letter of the law.

Catwoman/Selina Kyle: Socialite and daughter of mobster Carmine Falcone by day, thief by night. Having played both sides of the morality scale by simultaneously posing as Bruce Wayne's socialite confidant and the dutiful liason to The Five Families as led by her father, Selina has recently supplanted these roles in favor of a new one inspired by The Batman: The Catwoman, who will stop at nothing to steal what remains of The Roman's crumbling empire out of revenge for Falcone's murder of her mother. Whether Bruce Wayne or his alter-ego can ever trust her again remains to be seen.

Deathstroke/Slade Wilson: Bruce Wayne's cunning, completely merciless mentor. An ex-member of Special Forces, Wilson defected to the life of mercenary work under The Guild Of Assassins, sworn enemies to the terrorist cell known as The League Of Shadows. Earning the name 'Deathstroke', Slade has adopted a reputation of fear that even The Batman can respect - despite his lethal methods. In a desperate bid to hone his skills, Wayne entrusted Slade to help him in exchange for early release from a Bhutanese prison. For one long month, Wilson put Bruce through some of the most grueling training of his life, and Wayne emerged as a better warrior. But now that Slade's out, Deathstroke's not going to let his star pupil go that easily, as Batman has yet to learn the most important lesson of war: there are always casualties.

Oracle/Barbara Gordon: Proven ally of The Batman, daughter to Captain Gordon. Despite being wheelchair bound, the eighteen year-old is dedicated to bolstering Batman's crusade by enlisting the help of other aspiring vigilantes. Calling her recruitment drive 'Project Outsider', Barbara's looking to help shape a budding number of low-level vigilantes into a team capable of picking up the torch should The Dark Knight fall.

Kate Kane: Bruce Wayne's cousin, a troubled but good hearted seventeen-year-old struggling with her own sense of identity in more ways than one. While unaware of her billionaire relative's double life, she has recently taken an interest in the exploits of The Batman, leading to some ideas beginning to form about how to utilize her father's strict military training for the good of Gotham.

Edward Nigma: Sociopath looking to pull the strings. Under the alias of Agent Eddie Nashton, the sadistic hacker-turned-master manipulator seeks to elevate Gotham's intellectual standing by thrusting it's opposing "protectors", Batman and the GCPD, into a conflict that'll allow him to usurp them both and overthrow the established order. Nigma is seeking to build his own group of loyalists willing to carry out his extreme ends, and the worst part is, he has just the means to do it.

Harvey Dent: District Attorney of Gotham and Bruce Wayne's closest friend. After suffering a bullet wound to the temple that left him with a permanent scar on one side of his face, Dent has gone from neutral force for good into an almost obsessive opponent of The Batman's methods, leading the charge to bring the masked vigilante to justice with a task force of specially trained officers studying The Caped Crusader's every move.

Jason Todd: One of many spokes to the wheel of Batman's crusade, Jason acts as both a skilled mechanic and promising technological wizard aswell as the vigilante's occasional eye on the street. Recently, Todd has engaged in a dangerous solo mission for his mentor that has led him to join The Royal Flush Gang as a spy, led by anarchist The Red Hood.

Season One Post Catalogue:

Volume 1: Ninety-Six Hours

1. Signal In The Sky
2. Terrorized And Terrorizing
3. Shall We Play A Game?
4. Shot In The Dark
5. Deadly Influences
6. Motives Unclear
7. Roads Paved With Good Intentions
8. A New Player In Town
9. Allies In The Field
10. Temperate Toxicity
11. Roman's Holiday
12. Life Or Death
13. Out Of Your Element
14. A Fight You Can't Win
15. Desperate Measures
16. Rock And A Hard Place
17. Out Of Control
18. The Impressionable
19. When All's Said And Done

Volume 2: Dark Before Dawn

1. Second Chance
2. Matters Of Family
3. Cold Realities
4. Seeing The Light
5. Gathering Intelligences
6. Through The Mud
7. Fist Of Clay
8. Black And Blue: Part 1 (w/ AndyC)
9. Black And Blue: Part 2 (w/ AndyC)
10. Black And Blue: Part 3 (w/ AndyC)
11. Black And Blue: Part 4 (w/ AndyC)
12. Black And Blue: Part 5 (w/ AndyC)
13. Black And Blue: Part 6 (w/ AndyC)
14. Black And Blue: Part 7 (w/ AndyC)
15. Black And Blue: Part 8 (w/ AndyC)
16. Black And Blue: Finale (w/ AndyC)
17. Cards On The Table
18. The War Will Carry On

Ultimate One Universe: Season Two

Just to make it clear, we're going back to the 24 hour rule period for this week as far as new characters go. So if you're playing someone else and anyone wants to contest your apps, they can. Returning characters, however, do not have to wait for approval.

With that being said...

Ultimate One Universe: Season Two Application

“We are caught in war, wanting peace. We are torn by division, wanting unity. We see around us empty lives, wanting fulfillment. We see tasks that need doing, waiting for hands to do them. To a crisis of the spirit, we need an answer of the spirit. And to find that answer, we need only look within ourselves.” -- Richard Nixon

Character You're Applying For:

The Fantastic Four

Reed Richards – Mr Fantastic
Sue Storm – The Invisible Woman
Johnny Storm – The Human Torch
Ben Grimm – The Thing

Powers And Abilities:

The Fantastic Four’s powers and abilities are unchanged from last season – in that they are almost identical to most traditional depictions of the team. Ben suffered a facial wound in his fight with Hector Hammond at the end of last season which has left him slightly more vulnerable than we are used to. Otherwise, Johnny, Reed, and Sue remain pretty much the same, other than a change of scenery for the four of them.

Season One Recap:

Since arriving in the Ultimate One Universe, Reed has used science as a coping mechanism. Having failed to fulfil his promise to return the Fantastic Four home, Reed throws himself into science once again as a means of coping. Even more so than in his own universe, UOU Reed Richards was held up as a saviour of sorts – a visionary that would chart mankind’s way out of the darkness – and this season we’ll see Reed take that mantle on with both hands. Having “lost” his family, Reed seeks to construct a new one, all the while refusing to humour that his relationship with Sue might be a thing of the past.

Having tried her best to hold the Fantastic Four together last season, Sue embraces the newfound freedom the team’s breakup presents. Away from her brother and husband for the first time in years, Sue trades in New York for a completely new environment, and finds herself mired in a world of politics and intrigue that require her to rely on her wits more than her power – with the fate of millions resting on her shoulders.

The end of last season was particularly traumatic for Ben. Mind-controlled by a power cosmic-imbued Hector Hammond, Ben was forced to beat Guy Gardner within an inch of his life and then suffered a facial wound that he still bears the scar from. But a life on the sidelines is not the Grimm way – and when presented with an opportunity to help change the world in a more direct, impactful way by an old friend, Ben takes it. Though he soon learns that his new field is decidedly more murky than the one he left behind.

Johnny has perhaps struggled most of all. His first few months in the UOU were marred not only by sadness, but a deep, impotent anger towards anything and everyone, as he failed to process the loss of his world – and most of all his close friend Spider-Man. An encounter with Spider-Woman last season managed to help Johnny pull through the worst of his pain, but the destruction of the timecraft has plunged Johnny into despair once more. He, more than the others, is lost without the meaning the Fantastic Four lends to his life. Yet he may be on the cusp of discovering new meaning in his UOU counterpart’s past.

Where Do You Plan To Take The Character This Season?:

The end of UOU Season One saw the destruction of the timecraft that brought the Fantastic Four to the Ultimate One Universe. Without a means to return home, Maria Hill (now Acting Director of SHIELD) presents them with a choice: assume the places of their dead UOU counterparts or be resettled under new identities and commit to never using their powers again. The Fantastic Four begrudgingly agree to the first option and SHIELD announce their “successful” return to distract from the fallout from the breakout at The Raft. Within weeks the strain of the facade gets too much for Ben, Johnny, Reed, and Sue, and they shock SHIELD – and the world – by announcing that the Fantastic Four are no more. Reeling from the trauma of losing their way back to their world, each member sets about carving out a new life for themselves away from the ghosts of their old life.

Post Catalogue:

1. New Frontier in Ruins
2. The Marquis of Death
3. Doom
4. 4th July
5. A Reed Moment
6. Enter: Guy Gardner
7. Interlinked
8. Magic Beans
9. Conflict Resolution
10. Imperius Rex
11. Unfinished Business
12. Home Sweet Home
13. Two Stretches
14. Mission: Fantastic
15. The Surfer Cometh
16. Prisoners
17. Specks of Dust
18. Righteous Fury
19. Snot-Nosed Punks
20. Great Responsibility – @HenryJonesJr
20a. Great Responsibility – Arachne
20b. Great Responsibility – Blubbing
20c. Great Responsibility – Uncle Ben
20d. Great Responsibility – The Promise
20e. Great Responsibility – Flame On!
21. Al Capone
22. An Invisible Woman Scorned
23. Some Egghead
24. The Eye of the Storm – @Lord Wraith
24a. The Eye of the Storm – Freedom
24b. The Eye of the Storm – Invincible No More
24c. The Eye of the Storm – Murderous Intent
24d. The Eye of the Storm – Homeward Bound
25. Fireman from Mars
26. A Question of Risk
27. Guy Hard with a Vengeance
28. No More Monologues
29. Mary Storm
30. It's Clobberin' Time
30a. It's Clobberin' Time – Chrome Dome
30b. It's Clobberin' Time – Supernova
30c. It's Clobberin' Time – Let Gods Be Gods
30d. It's Clobberin' Time – White Lies
31. Superman Returns

@Morden Man

Ultimate One Universe: Season Two

Also, my Batman application is officially up. So to all you fuckers looking to usurp me, tough luck!

Ultimate One Universe: Season Two

As I update my sheet I need to ask, you guys going to do another IntChk? See if there's new blood out there, lurking.

@Sep

Yeah, I'm throwing one up later today.

Ultimate One Universe: Season Two

GMs: @Master Bruce - @Byrd Man - @Morden Man

Nine months ago, the world was made aware that superhumans lived among them. But despite the rise of costumed heroism spawned by the arrival of the Metropolis Superman, this evolutionary leap forward attracted the attention of a powerful being: Darkseid, vanquisher of the New Gods. The Apokoliptian ruler sought to turn the superhumans into members of his own personal army in bringing the universe towards harmony.

Just three months ago, Darkseid's herald, The Silver Surfer, saw defeat at the combined hands of The Flash, The Spectacular Spider-Woman, The Blue Beetle, The Spirit Of Vengeance, interdimensional dopplegangers of The Fantastic Four, and most notably of all, The Mighty Thor. Revealed to have been a brainwashed Mr. Miracle, The Surfer was decommissioned and restored to his rightful self, signaling victory for the heroes of Earth.

But not all is as it seems. While Darkseid has seemingly cast his gaze away from Earth, a series of extreme threats look to destabilize it's already compromised state in the wake of percieved metahuman chaos.

Norman Osborn was the first to announce a superhuman deterrent in the form of a formidable robotic army, their designs fashioned off of the mythical Goblin.

Billionaire Lex Luthor followed suite with his latest discovery to the world in the form of the most advanced artificial intelligence on Earth, Brainiac, providing alien tech with direct access to the world's cellular networks under the guise of a harmless application.

In the highly corrupt Gotham City, the mob saw themselves upended by a devastating attack by Oswald Cobblepot, leading a superhuman group of his own and utilizing a mass  extortion to render himself exempt from retaliation.

In reaction to The Flash's increased prescence as the protector of Central  City, Leonard Snart and Mick Rory have began to formulate a team that whose sole purpose is to dispatch The Scarlet Speedstress and wreak havoc in their wake - The Rogues.

And most chillingly of all, in the remote mountains of Antartica, a powerful threat to all of humankind emerged from the cold - a twisted doppelganger of The Man of Steel from the home dimension of this earth's new Fantastic Four, wielding Kal-El's immense power with none of his moral constraints.

The heroes of Earth about about to be tested in unimaginable ways, as the rise of the superhero has now given way to the dawn of something that was only inevitable - the supervillain. Can Superman, Captain America's Avengers, The Batman, The Fantastic Four, The Flash, King Thor, and others bring order where the seeds of destruction are being sewn?

The answers lie with you. Welcome to Ultimate One Universe: Season Two.

Ultimate One Universe: Season Two

---

Batman / Bruce Wayne
Master Bruce

Black Panther / T'Challa
Star Lord

Blue Beetle / Jaime Reyes
Superboy

Captain America / Steve Rogers
Eddie Brock

Doctor Fate / Kent Nelson
Korack

The Flash / Iris West
Sep

Heroes For Hire
Adrian Chase / Misty Knight
Byrd Man

The Huntress / Helena Bertinelli
Inkarnate

Iron Fist / Daniel Rand
webboysurf

Martian Manhunter / J'onn J'onnz
Hillan

Moon Knight / Marc Spector
Hound55

Mordred Pendragon
Bounce

Ms. Marvel / Carol Danvers
IceHeart

The Punisher / Frank Castle / Fang Chu
Simple Unicycle

Reed Richards / Susan Storm / Johnny Storm / Ben Grimm
Morden Man

Spider-Woman / Gwen Stacy
HenryJonesJr

Superman / Clark Kent
AndyC

King Thor / Blake Donaldson
Lord Wraith

Vigilante / Greg Saunders / The Spirit Of Vengeance
DocTachyon