. THE NEW ULTIMATE DC RPG .
.Screen name: Harlekin
.Character you wish to portray: Jason Bard, P.I.
.Hero, villain, or walking the line?: Hero
.Powers and physical attributes: Bard is not superpowered in any way, but possesses a keen mind and a certain roguish charm. He is a good fighter, of the brawling, kicking-sand-into-your-eyes kind. A wartime injury to his right knee impedes his physical prowess slightly. As a result, he has mastered the use of a cane in combat.
.Origin and backstory (as you see it):
Jason Bard's youth was a troubling one. When Bard was just five years old, his mother murdered his father. When his mother managed to evade justice, the young boy took a solemn oath to find her and bring her to justice. However, there was a slight complication: her father had destroyed all pictures of Bard's mother. The name on his birth certificate even proved to be false.
So the young orphan spent most of his youth training himself in the ways of the detectives he so admired: Dick Tracey, Sherlock Holmes and many others. Naturally, the nuns at the orphanage, situated just outside the Narrows, sought to guide Bard towards other pursuits, but Bard was relentless in his dedication to the sleuthing arts.
Life in the orphanage, and by extension Gotham City, was often rough. At a young age, Bard learned to fight dirty - and he was good at it too. But even then, Bard already preferred to talk his way out of things. A natural charmer, the other children naturally gravitated towards him and even the nuns found it hard to punish Bard when he had been up to mischief.
Eventually, the nuns even came to accept Bard's quest to become a detective, and a fundraiser was even held just before his 18th birthday in the hopes of raising enough money so he could go and study criminology. Unfortunately, the funds were insufficient and instead, Bard joined the Marines and was one of the first to go into Iraq.
Six weeks later, and Bard was back home. Shrapnel lodged itself into his right knee, walking without a cane became nearly impossible. So, on the G.I. Bill, Bard was able to enroll in university. He majored in criminology and ended up in the top of his class.
Finally, Bard was ready to become a detective. Becoming a member of the GCPD, Bard spent a number of years on the force, but he refused to cooperate with its deep-rooted corruption. Soon, Bard was knocked down to the Pawnshop unit. A year later and Bard left the GCPD to go into his own business.
Now, Jason Bard operates out of the orphanage that was once his home. Closed down years before, the building doubles as his home and offices. He has already built an impressive clientèle, but his favourite past-time is sticking his nose where it doesn't belong, and most often in GCPD business.
And, there's a file in the top right drawer of his desk. It counts over a hundred pages and is leather bound. Its contents have never been shown to anyone else, collected from a variety of sources. It is all of the information Bard has on his mother. A woman that doesn't seem to have ever existed.
.The burning question - Why this character?:
I wanted to do something with Gotham. No, I
had to do something with Gotham. Originally, I was going to ultimize Adrian Chase, but I'm saving that for another time. Jason Bard soon cropped up as the perfect choice. I can interact with all elements of Gotham, all the while having a little fun along the way.
.How will this version of your character differ from others? How will it be Ultimate?:
If you know Jason Bard's history in the regular DCU, you'll notice I haven't really changed much, mostly marrying the pre-Crisis version to the post-Crisis version. As it stands though, reading up on Bard, I found that the plot with his father killing his mother (which I've subverted here because the thought appeals to me more) was never really touched upon again but for a throwaway bit in his origin (please correct me on this). I'm going to make that a recurring element here, as he tries to find his mother, not to be reunited with her, but to bring her to justice.
.What do you believe you can bring to the RPG?:
Some fun, action, a well-written character and hopefully, interesting plotlines.
.Provide a sample post as the character you wish to portray, in three paragraphs or more:
Yo, I got that hit that beat the block
You can get that bass overload
I got the that rock and roll
That future flow
That digital spit
Next level visual ****
I got that boom boom pow
How the beat bang, boom boom pow
The music reverberated in Jason Bard's ribs. He and his companion were seated to the side of the dance floor. Around them, bodies writhed against one another and drinks were consumed at a regular and fast pace. The private detective stood out a little with his dark red tie - and more noticeably, his cane set against the table. Less inconspicuous was the woman seated opposite of him, with her long blond tresses and a short, nearly skin-tight black skirt.
He smiled as he leaned over the table to talk to her.
I like that boom boom pow
Them chickens jackin' my style
They try copy my swagger
I'm on that next **** now
I'm so 3008
You so 2000 and late
I got that boom, boom, boom
That future boom, boom, boom
Let me get it now
She smiled as she leaned back in her seat. They took another sip of their drinks: she drank red wine, he a vintage scotch. As she leaned over to whisper in his ears, her hand left her drink and slid across his hand, the other worked its way up behind his ear to his brown hair. She twirled it around her finger, her lips edging closer to his ear.
Boom boom boom, gotta get-get
Boom boom boom, gotta get-get
Boom boom boom, gotta get-get
Boom boom boom, gotta get-get
Boom boom boom, now
Boom boom boom, now
Boom boom pow
Boom boom pow
The two men slowly waded their way through the crowd. Where they noticed, the people gave them disapproving looks and when one refused to get out of the way, they simply snarled. They were big men, dressed in black suits that seemed a size too short for their hulking forms. They were bald and had shades tucked into the front pocket of their jackets.
The left one placed a firm hand on Jason Bard's shoulder.
The woman sat back again, smiling broadly.
I'm on the supersonic boom
Y'all hear the spaceship zoom
When, when I step inside the room
Them girls go ape-****, uh
Y'all stuck on Super 8 ****
That low-fi stupid 8 bit
I'm on that HD flat
This beat go boom boom bap
I'm a beast when you turn me on
Into the future cybertron
Harder, faster, better, stronger
Sexy ladies extra longer
'Cause we got the beat that bounce
We got the beat that pound
We got the beat that 808
That the boom, boom in your town
People in the place
If you wanna get down
Put your hands in the air
Will.i.am drop the beat now
Bard kept grinning as the behemoth calmly and carefully laid out in quite certain terms just what they planned to do to him outside. The private detective's hand meanwhile slid down to his cane, which was still resting against the table. Bard gripped its handle firmly and before either of the two heavies could react, he swung it upwards between the legs of the man closest to him.
The man yowled and released Bard.
The other man quickly found the cane striking his face.
On pure instinct, the thug kicked at Bard's chair and toppled it, sending the P.I. sprawling.
Bard groaned in pain as he momentarily gripped his knee.
His assailant was about to pounce upon him when the music stopped suddenly and a whole horde of men came barging into the club. Leading them was a heavy-set man - not the result of training but copious amounts of beer - wearing a hat, a dirty trench coat and with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. There was a service revolver in his hand, which he pressed firmly into one of the thugs' neck.
Jason Bard smirked.
"Detective Bullock! Always a pleasure!"
The gumshoe rose slowly and dusted off his pants. An officer was hesitant on putting the cuffs on the leggy blonde that had whispered sweet nothings in Bard's ear only a few minutes ago.
"Go ahead, kid," Bard said as he lit his own cigarette and turned to Bullock.
"I figure she gets about life on, oh, what, three murders? Stacy will've put all the evidence you need on your desk by now."
Bullock grit his teeth.
Bard smiled.
"Usual fee, Harv?"
Yup, yup
I be rockin' them beats, yup, yup
I be rockin' them beats, y-y-yup, yup
.Do you know how to post pictures on the Hype?:
I do.
