Welcome back to Heiseina: Memories Long Forgotten, a 'post-post-apocalypse' roleplay wherein our modern world has ceased to be, washed away in a tide of destruction so long ago that its death exists only in myth. In the wake of our world's death, a new one spring up: one in which nature has grown over the corpses of skyscrapers and railways, and creatures from fairy tales live in harmony with the remnants of the human race. Magic is as much a part of life in Heiseina as breathing. Near everyone uses it, in some fashion, to make up for advancements in technology lost in the apocalypse. Magic waters the fields, stokes the fires of forges, and keeps away the dark.
To the people of Heiseina, violence is a foreign concept, found only in stories told around campfires or in the natural cycle of life and death. Heiseina is a place without warriors or weapons, and even the laws of magic prevent it from being misused to harm other people. It is as if the very concept of murder died with the old world.
That's what your elders have told you, anyway.
This is the story of those ancient laws being broken, of worldviews being shattered by a stranger's arrival. Themes of power and violence will be re-occurring throughout this roleplay, and the beliefs your characters have grown up on will be challenged at every turn. There is an overarching plot that will govern much of our game's pacing, but it isn't linear; your choices will radically shape what direction the story goes in, and you'll be making those choices very frequently. I'm drawing on a lot of different sources as inspiration, but I'll be leaning into the archetypes of samurai films, certain anime, and post-apocalypse stories. Our tale may get dark at points, but our heroes will have plenty of opportunities to make things right.
For my returning players, I've made a few changes to the opening post. There's a few new details, especially in the 'Locations' tab.
I'll keep the rules section light as I expect you to know the Guild's guidelines already:
-> No one from the village of Heiseina has traveled beyond the valley and lived to tell about it. Your character's knowledge of broader history and their worldviews will be shaped by the very narrow perspective of their home and its elders. Included in this is the belief that both the laws of nature- in regards to magic- and the village's most sacred customs prevent violence between people. Animals and Yokai are also protected by similar laws, outside the specific context of hunting. Villagers are encouraged to remember the various habits and rituals of the Yokai to prevent conflict. Animal predators- such as bears, snakes and wild boar- tend to avoid humans entirely.
-> I'll do my absolute best to accommodate your character's arc and development. Your enjoyment of the game is my chief concern, and your characters will be the primary engine by which the RP functions. If there's a specific arc you want to follow and you need my help to make it happen, I'll do it.
-> Character death is always on the table. I won't be gunning to kill you or anything of the sort, but the world's a dangerous place and you aren't at all prepared for what it'll throw at you. Write your characters as if this possibility exists, and you'll more than likely make it through to the end.
-> As always I'll be fairly lenient with posting requirements. I'm going to be trying to post at least once every two weeks, personally, but I'm well aware that interest and IRL obligation can wax and wane. Dry spells shouldn't be surprising at this point. That said, I do want to commit to running this game long term this time. I'd ask anyone who wants to join to be similarly invested. Also if I don't post every two weeks you have my express permission to annoy me on discord about it.
-> We'll be starting a week before the Dance of the Serpent, a holiday based around the dragon, Miorochi, and his waking. It is a time celebrating new beginnings, the start of spring, and a chance to make amends with those you've wronged. Preparations for the holiday are well under way: gifts are being prepared, offerings made at the shrine, and a paper dragon crafted. Much like the first go around, you'll have a short period of time to introduce your character and interact with each other and other villagers before I kick off the plot. Once I open the IC, I'm intending to get the plot rolling within the first two weeks.
[color=YOUR COLOR CHOICE GOES HERE][CENTER][img]Character Name Font Meme[/img][/CENTER] [table][row][/row][row][cell][center][img]Character Image[/img] [color=2E2C2C][sup]_______________________________________________[/sup][/color][/center][hider=// INFO][indent][sub][b]P E R S O N A L D E T A I L S[/b][/SUB]
[sup][COLOR=SILVER] [b]Full Name[/b][COLOR=#807B84] - Give me your full name.[/COLOR] [b]Age[/b][COLOR=#807B84] - Character age, preferably teens to twenties but there's no hard cap[/COLOR] [B]Gender[/B][COLOR=#807B84] - Self-explanatory[/COLOR] [b]Occupation[/b][COLOR=#807B84] - Your occupation is likely to be whatever your parent(s) did, but it doesn't have to be. This will determine your characters skillset and signs known, in part.[/COLOR][/color][/SUP]
[color=#2e2c2c]-[/color][/indent][/hider] [hider=// PERSONALITY][indent][SUB][b]P E R S O N A L I T Y[/b][/sub]
[sup][COLOR=SILVER][b]Character Trait[/b] [COLOR=#807B84]Explain a bit about your character's personality.[/COLOR][/COLOR]
[COLOR=SILVER][b]Character Trait[/b] [COLOR=#807B84]Explain a bit about your character's personality.[/COLOR][/COLOR]
[COLOR=SILVER][b]Character Trait[/b] [COLOR=#807B84]Explain a bit about your character's personality.[/COLOR][/COLOR] [/SUP][/indent][/hider] [hider=// SKILLSET][indent][SUB][b]S K I L L S E T[/b][/sub]
[sup][COLOR=SILVER][b]Skill Trait[/b] [COLOR=#807B84]Explain a bit about your character's skills and abilities.[/COLOR][/COLOR]
[COLOR=SILVER][b]Skill Trait[/b] [COLOR=#807B84]Explain a bit about your character's skills and abilities.[/COLOR][/COLOR]
[COLOR=SILVER][b]Skill Trait[/b] [COLOR=#807B84]Explain a bit about your character's skills and abilities.[/COLOR][/COLOR]
[/SUP][/indent][/hider] [/cell][cell][b]Physical Description[/b] [color=#807B84][indent]Self-explanatory [/indent][/color] [b]Character Conceptualization[/b] [color=#807B84][indent] A character's conceptualization would include any relevant backstory, the character's important relations and their motivations and worldviews. This is where you'd outline what arc you'd like your character to follow throughout the course of the roleplay, and some of the flaws that plague them.[/indent][/color] [b]Other Information[/b] [color=#807B84][indent] Anything else you think I oughtta know. Can be used to list things like familial relations, the Signs your characters know, those sorts of things.
[/indent][/color] [/cell][/row][/table][/COLOR]
The first leg of the game will take place in Heiseina, an idyllic village in the center of Heiwadani Valley. The valley has only a few hundred people in it, and most call Heiseina home. Heiseina's society is primarily agrarian, with only the other villages and hamlets of the valley to trade with regularly and minimal contact with the outside world. Sign magic is the backbone of the local economy and culture, with salvaged technology as more of a curiosity than anything else. The singular radio tower in the center of the village mostly functions to play music during holidays and other celebrations, though its rumored that Ayano, the valley's best mechanic and tinkerer, uses it to speak with other, distant villages as well.
All that truly remains of the old world are scattered, broken ruins, picked clean by salvagers over the course of generations. The surviving technology of the old world is early twentieth century, pre-television. Ayano is responsible for repairing and maintaining salvaged tech, as well as manning and maintaining the radio tower. She keeps a number of half-baked and failed inventions scattered across her workshop. The biggest of these projects is the cobbled together pile of junk on wheels that sits under a tarp out front.
The world is a place of magic and wonder. Many creatures out of old world fairy tales now wander the landscape alongside more mundane animals: giant eagles whose wingspan eclipses the sun, dragons hug the peaks of mountains, and Yōkai of all shapes, sizes and kinds inhabit the valley. Most of the largest creatures have only been glimpsed on the horizon or seen as a shadow passing above the clouds, but interactions with mischievous and helpful spirits are common enough. There's little nearby that would ever threaten a human's life, however.
Magic, called Signs, is woven through all parts of human society as well: the blacksmith lights his forge with the Heat Sign, the hunter cleans her kill with the Purify Sign, and the farmer ensures a bountiful crop through daily castings of Growth. These spells are helpful and utility-based; none of them are meant to cause direct harm to another human being. Indeed, many Signs simply will not function if the caster intends to hurt someone with them.
Learning Signs is a time-consuming skill that anyone can attempt, usually in the form of a year or two of intensive study per Sign, though some take to it quicker than others. Heiseina's magic is taught by Seimei Tomo, the Signkeeper, who keeps a meticulous archive of every Sign in recorded memory, and who experiments with Sign combinations that might benefit the village. Sign combinations are essentially casting two or more Signs in succession to produce different effects, such as a Heat Sign + a Water Sign creating a burst of steam.
I'll put together a list of Signs as the Roleplay progress, but I want to leave a lot of that development up to the group(s) Signkeeper(s).
The Master of the Village is an old man named Takamori Kenji, whose family has ruled over Heiseina since its inception. Takamori sits as head of the village council, alongside Signkeeper Tomo, and the Tinkerer Anayo. It is their job to settle quarrels between villagers, uphold the law, and protect the valley from any sort of danger. Kenji is also rumored to be a master swordsman, though such claims are never made to his face-- he is forbidden by ancient customs to ever draw his ancestral weapon except under extraordinary circumstances.
Character Info
Name - Anayo Age - 29 Gender - Female Occupation - Tinkerer
A peculiar woman born amid ancient machinery, Anayo spent much of her early life digging through ruins in search of broken toys. Her father, Musen, was the village's previous tinkerer, a brilliant inventor who'd discovered and repaired the radio that Anayo now maintains. As an adult, she tinkers with a number of creations, most of which are either amusing yet useless or terribly unreliable. Her biggest project- a wheeled vehicle built entirely out of scrap- has never actually been turned on. The lion's share of her time is spent locked up in her workshop under the radio tower, where she prefers the company of her gadgets over that of her neighbors; the only time she really interacts with the community is when she's blaring her collection of records during social events.
Character Info
Name - Seimei Tomo Age - 37 Gender - Female Occupation - Signkeeper
As the Signkeeper of Heiseina, Seimei Tomo is the most respected members of the community after its master. She is the sacred custodian of the village's magics, as well as many of its other, more ancient secrets. On most days she is a teacher to her people, letting them learn the Signs they need to better do their duty to the village. On other days she is an explorer, wandering the valley in search of answers to what became of the world before. Tomo is known to be a severe woman, intense in demeanor and quick to dress down those who step out of line; yet she has a compassionate heart for those rejected, broken things that others turn away from.
Character Info
Name - Takamori Kenji Age - 66 Gender - Male Occupation - Village Master
Takamori Kenji is the Master of the Village, the oldest and most respectable position in Heiseina's history. His family has looked over the community for generations, from the first day they settled the valley. As Master, Kenji's role is to act as a mediator in disputes, to uphold the laws of man and nature, and to protect his people from whatever may come for them. He is a friendly, affable man, who cares deeply for his people and gives himself wholly to them. His sacred vows to protect and nurture Heiseina are of profound importance to him; in all his years he has never shirked from his duties, even through sickness and personal tragedy. The Takamori sword is displayed above the fire pit in his home, having remained sheathed for more than a hundred years. It was said to have been forged by a legendary sword smith from the scales of the dragon Miorochi.
Character Info
Name - Tetsu Age - 41 Gender - Male Occupation - Blacksmith
Tetsu is the master blacksmith of the village, though one wouldn't know it upon meeting him. He's best known as one of the few reprobates who spends their days drinking and partying while shirking his duties to the village; Tetsu's infamous for dropping his work into the lap of his apprentice and sleeping the day away with a bottle of sake tucked under his arm. For all his many faults he is, however, extraordinarily skilled at his craft-- when he applies himself. Tetsu wasn’t born in Heiseina originally but moved there from the mountain village of Tetsuyama when he was young man. He has never shared his birth name with anyone; he’s more than satisfied being referred to by the name of his home village.
Tinkerer's Workshop: Sat just within the town square in the shadow of the radio tower, the Tinkerer's Workshop is a sizable, one-story home that's been added onto several times throughout its lifespan. Half-finished and discarded toys are scattered across both the lawn outside and every inch of the interior, making for a poor experience for what few guests Anayo will bring host. A vehicle built from scrap is the largest of these projects.
The Master's Estate: The largest building in Heiseina, and possibly the whole valley, the Takamori Estate has seen better days. Kenji is not a man with many children as he lost his wife relatively young and has never remarried. The extended family that remain in the estate are those who either couldn't find a spouse in the village or those who wished to vie for Kenji's favor, so that they might take his place as Master when he eventually passes on to the afterlife.
Tower of the Signkeeper: An old tower of carved stone that the original settlers of Heiseina constructed their first homesteads around, it soon became the living space of their line of Signkeepers, the Seimei clan. It hosts the largest collection of written text in the valley, much of it either the ruined remains of scavenged old-world material or the work of previous Signkeepers and the village's would-be poets. Tomo is the only Signkeeper in known memory who has never married or even shown an interest in suitors, though she did secure an apprentice to take up the role in her stead.
Abandoned Shrine: The old shrine atop a hill at Heiseina's edge hasn't had a keeper in many years, as its previous maiden died suddenly and had not yet found someone to replace them. It has since fallen into disuse, much to the chagrin of the local Yokai who were growing used to the shrine's offerings that kept them in good spirits.
Crane's Roost: A large, two-story tavern and inn in the village square. After a hard day's work the lower floor is filled with the farmers and craftsmen of Heiseina seeking to wind down for the night. They drink, play dice, cards and stones, and tell stories around the fire, as their ancestors did long ago. The Crane's Roost is run by Hayashi Benjiro, a hard-nosed, no-nonsense man that can hold a grudge for decades.
The Heiwadani Valley is surrounded on all sides by mountains. The northernmost and highest peak in the valley is known as Ryuhora, for it is believed this is where the dragon Miorochi makes his den. The climb up the mountain is incredibly treacherous, but legend says those who reach Miorochi's cave can receive a blessing from the sleeping dragon- if they find him in a good mood, that is. Those he deems unworthy are said to be roasted alive in the steam of the dragon's breath, to flow down from his open maw into the Shimmering River.
The Shimmering River- born forth from the dragon himself- cuts a swathe through much of the valley all the way down to Kama's Lake at Heiwadani's heart. Kama's Lake is the largest body of water in the valley, and provides much of the freshwater and fish that feeds Heiseina, which wraps around its northern shore. The lake is home to a number of Yokai, such as the mischievous Kappas, who make a habit of dragging impolite humans under the water- it is customary to bring cucumbers to the lake whenever one wishes to swim or fish.
West of Heiseina lies the Mumbling Wood, a forest that expands up to the base of the western mountains. Its home to the largest concentration of Yokai in the valley, from the knowledgeable Kodama tree spirits to the cunning Kitsune that like to trick villagers into giving them food and other valuables. Woodcutters in the Mumbling Wood must know the ordinary trees from Kodama, who appear at first as mundane trees only to bleed and cry out in pain when cut down. Offerings of alcohol and mulch are often made to the oldest and largest Kodama trees to ensure safe passage through the Mumbling Wood. It can be dangerous to wander the wood, especially at night- children ought to be kept out, and those adults who have business there ought to bring offerings and trinkets with them to satisfy those Yokai they encounter within.
If one were to travel east instead, they would find themselves roaming dirt roads between endless stretches of fields and farmland. These lush plains are blessed with a bountiful harvest by the dragon Miorochi each year, bringing great wealth to the farmers that work these lands. The tillage stretches all the way to where the eastern mountain begins, where the mining town of Tetsuyama hides in the shade of its high cliffs. The metalworkers of Tetsuyama are said to be master craftsmen, though they're known to be a curmudgeonly and stubborn folk. Legend has it the Takamori sword was forged in this village by Takahashi Norimasa- ancestor to the prominent Takahashi family- using a dragon scale gifted to him by Miorochi himself.
To the southeast of Heiseina lies Haieki, a fairly large village built in the midst of an old-world ruin. In the distant past it was a subway station, though now its a flooded, moss-covered tomb infested with dangerous Yokai. The Haeikei villagers surround every exit from the subway with flax seeds and sickles stabbed into the ground to frighten the Suiko away from the surface. Isamu, the local tinker, is always looking for brave men and women to dive into the tomb in search of old world technology. He pays quite handsomely, it is said.
Those from outside Heiseina are seen as suspicious by its populace, who have many a story about foreigners being sorcerers, killers and other ne'er-do-wells who would threaten their peace.
The magic utilized by Heiseina, called Signs, is woven through all parts of their society: the blacksmith lights his forge with the Heat Sign, the hunter cleans her kill with the Purify Sign, and the farmer ensures a bountiful crop through daily castings of Growth. These spells are helpful and utility-based; none of them are meant to cause direct harm to another human being. Indeed, no Sign will function if the caster intends to hurt someone with it.
Signs are cast by a combination of tracing the appropriate logogram symbol the air and speaking its incantation in tandem, after one has made the appropriate spiritual connection with its source element. The process is strange and esoteric, unlike anything else one might experience- many struggle to align with even a single element to learn just one sign. Those who have dedicated themselves fully to the craft, however, find it comes much easier to them.
Learning Signs is a time-consuming skill that anyone can attempt: a combination of repeated practice until the physical representation is perfected, and intense meditation to achieve spiritual alignment. This usually takes an ordinary adult a year or two, though some take to it quicker than others. Heiseina's magic is taught by Seimei Tomo, the Signkeeper, who keeps a meticulous archive of every Sign in recorded memory, and who experiments with Sign combinations that might benefit the village.
Sign combinations are essentially casting two or more Signs in succession to produce different effects, such as a Heat Sign + a Water Sign creating a burst of steam, or Purify + Mend to staunch a bleeding wound.
I'll put together a list of Signs as the Roleplay progress, but I want to leave a lot of that development up to the group(s) Signkeeper(s). If you have an idea for a Sign, I'll probably give it the okay if it follows these rules: its base effect is relatively minor and could be replicated with the right tools or skills, and it can't cause harm to living things.
I’ll be keeping a list of known Signs here:
Amplify: Amplifies the effectiveness of an effect, such as making a fire hotter, a light brighter or another Sign more potent. Beckon: Using this Sign compels an animal or free-moving object-such as something that can roll- towards you. Glow: Produces a small, lingering light, akin to a candle. Growth: When applied repeatedly to an animal or plant, Growth speeds up the growing process. Gust: Gust creates a small burst of air strong enough to knock over small objects, or an adult off balance. Heat: A touch based Sign used to spark a small fire. Purify: Casting Purify will remove dangerous toxins from food and minor infections from wounds. Mend: Small breakages in objects can be repaired with Mend. Quicken: when cast on an object or creature, their movement is quickened slightly. Often combined with other Signs to speed up their effect. Reinforce: This Sign protects whatever it is cast upon from harm, such as the force of a blow or degradation from time spent in the elements. Slow: When cast on an object or creature, their movement is slowed slightly. Often combined with other Signs to increase their duration. Spark: Creates a minor jolt of electricity, enough to power a small, old world machine for a short time. Water: A spell used to conjure the equivalent of a cup of water.
Many normal animals exist throughout the valley: birds of all feathers soar through the air, badgers and cats and foxes roam the underbrush, and great elk run across the grasslands. Some of these beasts can be dangerous, under the right circumstances- such as wolves, wild dogs or large cats- but most are content to leave well enough alone. They can be hunted for their meat by those who've learned the proper customs. A hunter must ensure their first blow ends the thing's life, and they must perform its rites before it is safe to carry.
Other, more otherworldly creatures are just as common in the valley. They are most often called Yokai, a catch-all term for all supernatural entities around Heiseina. A few noteworthy ones are:
Miorochi, an ancient dragon said to rest in the northern mountains, whose breath springs forth the Shimmering River that gives life to the whole of the valley. It is a godlike spirit venerated by many, said to protect them from outsiders and ensure a bountiful harvest. He sleeps much of the time, day and night, hiding somewhere far from human eyes- only soaring through the sky once a year, on a day Heiseina calls the Dance of the Serpent. None have ever found where he rests his head, though those that have tried are thought to have met a terrible end.
It is said there is a house that walks through the mists of the Heiwadani Valley at night. One cannot find the hut on purpose- only those who wander the valley without direction can stumble upon it. Legend says an old crone lives within, and the stories differ wildly on what she's like. Some say she is a friendly protector, a healer of the sick and a caretaker to children. Others claim she is a monster in disguise, a second mouth full of sharpened fangs hidden beneath her hair that she uses to consume human flesh. Though she has many names, most refer to her simply as Yamauba, the mountain hag.
One of the most common kinds of Yokai found in the Mumbling Wood are the Kodama, who most often take the form of an ordinary tree- said to bleed when struck with an ax, and to bring misfortune when they're cut down. Woodsmen will mark Kodama with knotted rope, and often they'll build shrines or leave offerings at their base. When entering or leaving the forest its good practice to pray before these shrines, for the Kodama will let one know if the path ahead is safe to travel.
Far and away the most plentiful type of Yokai in the valley are the Bakemono- a category of creatures that are said to be able to change their shape. They can be animals- Kitsune as foxes, Bakeneko as cats, and Bake-danuki as racoon dogs- or they can be plants, like some Kodama, or they could even take the form of inanimate objects, like the tsukumogami. Their appearances and behavior can differ completely from spirit to spirit, their only singular, defining trait being their ability to change. Some are friends to Heiseina; others are nuisances. There a hundreds of stories about villagers encountering their like, and there's no telling how many of them are true or not.
Most cannot say whether the Oni are real or merely creatures of folklore. They are giants of strangely colored skin and horrific visage who are thought to stalk every inch of the valley: in caves in the mountains, under rocks in Kama's Lake, in the darkest corners of the Mumbling Wood. Many woodcutters, hunters and travelers will claim to have spotted those hulking things, though there's never real proof of their encounters. The Oni are supposedly wicked things who kill not for food but for pleasure, and who wield crudely forged weapons, like the men of the old world- the most common explanation for this is that the Oni are actually humans, cursed by the laws of nature for their heinous crimes.
Yurei are the restless spirits of the dead who linger in this world instead of passing on to be with their ancestors. They may remain because their body was never given proper funeral rites, or due to some terrible trauma in their former life that was never resolved. It is the duty of the Signkeeper to see these Yurei laid to rest, to ensure the safety of the rest of the village, for a Yurei allowed to linger for long becomes angry, perhaps even violent. It said spirits that were victims of violence in life will seek out those that harmed them and seek revenge.
The highest laws of man and nature are based around the use of violence. These laws apply to mankind alone, and when broken are punished by both the Master of the Village and the spirits of nature themselves. Cautionary tales tell of men and women who break these laws being stripped of all belongings and told to leave the valley- those that refuse soon find themselves victim to ferociously angry Yokai intent on tearing them limb from limb. Even when one tries to hide their wrongdoing from their fellow man they cannot avoid the wrath of the wood, of the grass, and the ground itself. The only way to avoid a terrible fate is to leave the valley and never return, though no one has been exiled in a generation.
But what lies beyond our small corner of the world? There's a thousand different interpretations and very few can say which is the closest. Rumor has it that Takamori Kenji, Anayo, and Seimei Tomo have all seen the other side of the mountains, though if they have they'll never speak of it. Some think of it as a hellish, dead landscape where nothing lives but roaming demons who consume all they come across. Others think it is the broken husk of the old world, devoid of all life. Still others think of it as just an extension of the valley's terrain, no different from Heiseina except that it isn't protected from violence like their home is. All that really is known is that its a strange, dangerous place, and any who have left the valley of their own accord have never returned.
In days long past, when humans first settled in the valley, they had no magic to call their own- for the magic of the old world had been stripped from their minds and they were left powerless in this new, strange world. It was the Yokai who lived there before them that approached these first settlers and showed them a new form of magic: Signs. These Signs were a shadow of what came before, and could never be used to directly harm another person, but they fulfilled their purpose and helped the first human settlers thrive. Some Yokai still, on occasion, will teach new Signs to humans of the modern day- when Tomo is away from Heiseina it is often her business to seek out new Yokai to teach her their way.
The most common form of religion is the worship of the Yokai; those that are oft venerated earn the title Kami, meaning deity. It is thought that worship increases a Kami's power and influence, and it is thought to anger the Kami when villagers fall away or forget to keep to their customary acts of reverence. Yokai appreciate gifts of specific kind, and can grow irritated when offered the wrong thing or when offered nothing at all. It is the duty of the Shrine Maiden to lead ceremonies at Heiseina's shrine, to keep the local Yokai in good spirits and to ensure the village remains devout. Mothers often tell their children that, if they forget their prayers, they'll be stolen away in the night and eaten.
Location: City Streets -- The City-State of Thorinn, Aetheria
Graves was reluctant to release Seele at first. He had almost forgotten the comfort of another person's embrace. It was like falling into bed on a cold winter's night. There was a warmth and a strength to his friend's touch that surprised him. For all her bodily frailty, Graves was certain there was nothing in this world or any other that could truly harm her. Graves held Seele far too tight and hid his face from her, as if he might conceal the utter shame he felt burrowing into him.
Until Alja came jogging up, of course, and he broke away near immediately. One look at her sent another wave of red-hot shame burning his cheeks. He hadn't the slightest clue how she of all people would react to the mess he'd made. She was as likely to put him on the ground again as she was to hug him too. Graves knew he deserved the latter. Some of his friends were too quick to forgive and forget; others were stubborn enough to talk a mountain into moving out of their way.
Graves wiped his face with the back of his sleeve. "I, uhh..." He started weakly, unable to conjure words enough to explain himself.
Thankfully Seele took the initiative and gave him an excuse to slip away. He nodded a few too many times to her before slinking back to the Laughing Worg, careful to avoid eye contact with Alja or anyone else that still lingered. His eyes stuck on the street as he went, his gaze passed over the knife he'd attacked Siegfried and Seele with- the knife Alja had given him not so long ago. For a moment he considered returning it to her. It was her property, after all, and he certainly wouldn't be using it anymore. But even the thought of picking the steel up twisted his stomach into knots. Graves shook his head softly and walked inside.
He slid Dariel a handful of coins as apology for the trouble he caused. This was the second time he nearly got them thrown out of the Laughing Worg. He really needed to get a handle on that if he didn't want to lose his favorite- only- drinking hole. Maybe a few drinks would help him clear his head. Yeah.
"Run it again, JARVIS." Tony Stark splayed across the couch like a lion on its rock. He was the king of a concrete jungle: a billionaire, a genius engineer, and a world-class superhero. Untouchable. Unassailable. He tore a chunk from his latest successful hunt- a greasy cheeseburger from the joint down the street. He'd lost count of how many Kwikkee Meal Deals he'd eaten ever since moving into Rhodey's apartment.
Tony was unbelievably broke.
A series of simulations flashed across the television, the laptop plugged into whirring angrily as it tried to process the experiment's thousands of unique variables. A full-sized arc reactor popped open on the screen to reveal its internals: hundreds of individual plates placed so close together the human eye couldn't discern the gap between them. The plates rotated around the core at murderously high speeds, driven only by the Casimir effect. The vacuum in the chamber allowed the reactor to maintain its current energy production indefinitely...theoretically.
One of the plates in the simulator began to flash red. "Error in plate one hundred and four," JARVIS warned in a cheery English accent. "Sheering along the joint will cause it to break off after thirty-seven years, six months and twelve days of use." As JARVIS spoke all the surrounding plates began to flash as well. "Catastrophic failure follows shortly after."
Tony ran a hand through his hair in irritation. It was long, wild, and about as greasy as the burger. His beard wasn't much better. He stood from the couch to get a better view and began to pace. Increasing the size of the arc reactor had only made the design's flaws more apparent. No modern metal alloy could hold together under that much pressure for long. Even the gold-titanium his suit used proved insufficient. A carbon fiber mesh would be tougher, of course, but making a mesh that large was difficult and expensive. And making a hundred and twenty-eight meshes? Not viable.
"How much energy do we lose if we add thrust in the opposite direction to maintain a sustainable speed?" Tony asked, stopping to spin the television remote on the coffee table.
"Those calculations may take some time, sir."
"Do it." Tony nodded, despite talking to a computer program that couldn’t see it. "And give me my messages while you’re at it. Filter for job offers and anything from the lawyers."
This time Tony’s cellphone buzzed in response as JARVIS left the laptop to its diagnosis and scrolled through Stark’s email. "You have thirty seven job related messages."
Stark’s expression lit up. "Any takers?"
"I'm afraid not, sir. All thirty seven are rejection letters."
His expression fell like a pile of bricks. Well, at least they’d been polite enough to actually respond, Stark mused. In his previous batch of applications half the agencies saw his last name on the resume and blocked his number. Obadiah Stane- Tony's former friend, mentor, and current enemy for life- had done his damnedest to ensure Stark would never work in any relevant industry again. Maybe Kwikkee needed a new burger flipper.
Tony dropped back into his couch and pulled the phone out himself to check his bank account. There was a distinct lack of zeroes behind the prime numbers. Not unexpected, but still concerning. His reserves were running dangerously low. If he couldn’t find work soon…
He flipped to James Rhodes’ main account. Not something he was supposed to have access to, technically, but curiosity and a guilty conscience didn’t mix well. Rhodey was Tony’s oldest friend and one of the best men he’d ever known- he was also prone to taking on more than he could handle. It wouldn’t be long before Stark’s problems caught up with Rhodey.
Tony paused. He closed his eyes and took a series of deep breaths. He couldn’t drag Rhodey down with him. Wasn’t happening.
“JARVIS, do I have anything from that Pentagon rep?”
There was a moment’s pause as the machine ran through Tony’s emails once again. “Yes sir. I moved all of Major Talbot’s messages to spam as you requested. You have sixteen unopened emails from his address.”
“Alright, let’s set up a meeting. I’m grabbing a scotch.”
it's been two weeks without any posts in the IC. Could you please drop in when you can and let me know if you're still interested? If I don't hear back from you in a week I'll have to take you off the active roster - you're free to resume later if you want but the character will be open to competing apps while inactive.
C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y
_________________________________________________________ Iron Man | Anthony "Tony" Stark _________________________________________________________ American | Human | Unemployed _________________________________________________________ New York City | New York | USA
C H A R A C T E R N O T E S C H A R A C T E R N O T E S
Arc Reactor: Originally designed by Howard Stark to power nuke-bearing submarines, Tony has adapted the arc reactor to his own uses. Namely, at the moment, keeping himself alive. He hopes future iterations of the reactor might be made available the world over. A single large-scale arc reactor could theoretically power an entire city for centuries without producing radioactive waste or filling the atmosphere with poison.
Mark V Iron Man suit: The fifth iteration of the Iron Man armor and the last Tony developed before losing access to his workshop. It’s shell is built from a durable gold-titanium alloy held up by a carbon fiber muscular lace and a series of hydraulic bone-analogs. The suit’s highly advanced systems allow for rapid, AI-assisted movement and superhuman strength and durability. It’s armaments consist of palm-based repulsors, a chest-mounted unibeam, guided micro-missiles, and a variety of less lethal sonic and bludgeoning ordnance. It’s powered by the miniaturized arc reactor lodged in Tony Stark’s chest- without Stark inside the suit is unable to operate. Repairs and alterations require complex technology Tony no longer has access to.
JARVIS: JARVIS is an artificial machine intelligence developed by Tony Stark to assist in the day-to-day operation of his company. It has been fully integrated into most major systems in Stark Industries and assists accountants, software engineers and developers in their various duties. Its computation power is extraordinary, able to run hundreds of different instances of itself working on numerous tasks at a time. JARVIS is a crucial component of the Iron Man suit, which essentially could not function without AMI assistance. Tony continues to tinker with JARVIS's matrices with the hope of unlocking true artificial intelligence.
►Supporting Cast
Lt. Col. James "Rhodey" Rhodes: A career airman and longtime friend of Tony Stark. They initially met at MIT, their shared interest in military technology kicking off a friendship that would evolve far beyond that. Rhodes spent a decade as a fighter pilot before moving on to his current career in command and control operations; he’s aided Stark as Iron Man on a number of occasions, though his requests for his own suit were never realized. Now that Stark has lost his company Rhodey does his best to take care of his friend, offering him a place to sleep while Tony works out how to get his old life back.
Virginia "Pepper" Potts: Pepper is a senior finance manager at Stark Industries, close friend and ex-girlfriend of Tony Stark. Originally a beleaguered accountant at Roxxon, Pepper was recruited by Tony personally, who convinced her that her talents were being wasted at a cesspool like Roxxon. The two dated for some time prior to Stark's kidnapping. Like everyone else, she'd assumed Tony was dead and moved on with her life. The two have remained close friends for several years.
Harold Joseph "Happy" Hogan: While Tony was still the CEO at Stark Industries, Happy was his right hand. He was his driver, bodyguard personal assistant, corporate spy- whatever Tony needed, Hogan was happy to do. He was with Stark's convoy in Sokovia when it was attacked. Despite barely surviving the encounter, he blamed himself for losing Stark. He would've resigned and left if not for the intervention of Pepper. The two grew close in their shared grief; so close that the two were engaged to be married when Tony finally resurfaced. Stark held no ill will toward either of them and was even the best man at their wedding. Happy is currently the head of security at Stark Industries.
►Antagonists
Obadiah Stane: Obadiah Stane was already a veteran business mogul by the time he'd co-founded Stark Industries with Howard Stark. Cutting his teeth as a weapons manufacturer during the Cold War, Stane sees himself as one of last defenders of the old American order- a strong, guiding hand for an increasingly anarchistic world. He's always found Tony's attitude grating, but it wasn't until Stark turned into a hippie that he chose to expel the boy from the company. Stane hopes he can reverse engineer Stark's 'Iron Man' power armor to sell to the highest bidder.
Justin Hammer: Justin Hammer is a lifelong rival of Tony Stark, though Stark's never known it. They shared a class at MIT, Hammer started his own defense contracting company at the same time Tony took over Stark Industries, and Justin began drawing up plans for powered infantry armor when the Iron Man made his first public appearance. Unlike Tony, Hammer has found little success in his life: he cheated his way through university, his company went bankrupt and was absorbed into Stark Industries, and none of many attempts at power armor function up to standard. Despite his ineptitude he's managed to hold onto a position as Stark Industries' head of experimental technologies by groveling at Stane's feet.
Anton Vanko: Anton Vanko is a Sokovian political radical and the son of Igor Vanko, leader of the Sokovská Nacionalistická Fronta that Tony Stark murdered in his escape. Anton scavenged what remained of the Mark I Iron Man suit and reverse-engineered an arc reactor of his own with the intent of tracking Stark down and avenging his father. He has taken on the moniker of Whiplash.
Dmitri Bukharin: Dmitri is the fifth man to bear the mantle of Crimson Dynamo, and he will likely be the last. For decades the Crimson Dynamo was the premier superhero of the Soviet Union- a shining beacon of their technological advancement and military might. Dmitri was one of a dozen candidates chosen to pilot the last version of the mechanized, twelve-foot tall walking tank. The pilot had to be skilled in the mech’s operation, of course, but they must also exemplify all the best traits of the ideal Soviet man: handsome, well-spoken, and a fervent advocate for Marxism-Leninism. Bukharin was to be that man. The country he had so fiercely dedicated himself to would fall apart only five years after his appointment. A distraught Dmitri fled from Russia with the Crimson Dynamo and would spend the next several decades building his reputation as a feared mercenary, doing battle with heroes like Iron Man on many an occasion.
Tony Stark used to have it all. Born the son of billionaire Howard Stark and his wife Maria, he never wanted for anything physically. He was provided the best education money could buy and all the toys he could ever want. All he lacked for was his parents' attention. Driven to prove his worth to a neglectful father, Tony had a doctorate before he was old enough to drink. His parents died a week after the graduation ceremony they did not attend. Tony would go on to succeed Howard as CEO of Stark Industries.
His genius intellect brought the company to new heights. Stark developed weapons that made the Manhattan project look like a baking soda volcano by comparison. Young, arrogant and ignorant of the consequences, Tony sold his designs to governments the world over to fund his hedonistic lifestyle. His perspective fundamentally changed after his kidnapping during a visit to Sokovia. Rebels from the Sokovská Nacionalistická Fronta (SNF) attacked Stark's convoy, killed most of his escort and ferried him away to an isolated compound in the mountains. Stark nearly died from his wounds if not for the creative intervention of a local doctor: an electromagnet was placed in Tony's chest to prevent micro-shrapnel from entering his heart. Drawing on designs his father originally drew up, Tony developed a prototype arc reactor to keep himself alive in captivity. The SNF demanded he build weapons for them.
Instead, Tony spent his year in captivity discreetly building his first Iron Man suit. Donning the armor, he tore through the SNF and escaped. He would return to the States a changed man, having seen the results of his ‘genius’ firsthand. He shifted Stark Industries’ focus to humanitarian causes. In particular, he hoped to create a full-sized version of his arc reactor to revolutionize clean energy. Tony invested much of his personal wealth into the program's development and shifted his attention to another project: the Iron Man suit.
For the next seven years Tony Stark donned improved versions of the armor to fight the battles no one else could. Tony saw saving lives as a chance to redeem himself for the part he played in the global war machine. He threw himself into his alternate identity fully, leaving the running of his company up to his longtime mentor and business partner, Obadiah Stane.
Obadiah found Tony's change of heart vexing. The company's market share suffered horrendously with its shift away from weapons development. Mass layoff after mass layoff nearly broke Stark Industries. Despite Stane's best efforts he couldn't convince Stark to return to sanity. His frustration at its boiling point, Obadiah chose to act: he leaked Tony’s identity as Iron Man to the public, alongside an avalanche of suppressed scandals from Tony's past. Stane drowned Stark in lawsuits and bad press until he had nothing left.
Betrayed by his oldest friend and penniless, Tony shipped what equipment he could- and his latest version of the suit- to a storage locker under an alias. Now he find himself planning his revenge from James Rhodes' couch.
P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S )
This is sort of a pseudo year one for Tony. He has history as a superhero to ground him in the wider world and allow me to easily backfill relationships with other characters, but for the purposes of resources and reputation he’s at rock bottom.
I want to explore a couple different storylines with Stark this go around: his lingering guilt- both personal and generational- from the death and destruction the Stark name wrought in the pursuit of riches and power; Tony’s fight against Stane and the broader Military Industrial Complex to take his company back; and finally Tony coping with the loss of his former place of privilege.
I’m excited to explore Stark’s thematically rich story and rogues gallery. There’ll be a lot of opportunities to examine corporate cutthroat culture, how celebrity behavior warps under public scrutiny, and the heavy responsibility that comes with power.
"Run it again, JARVIS." Tony Stark splayed across the couch like a lion on its rock. He was the king of a concrete jungle: a billionaire, a genius engineer, and a world-class superhero. Untouchable. Unassailable. He tore a chunk from his latest successful hunt- a greasy cheeseburger from the joint down the street. He'd lost count of how many Kwikkee Meal Deals he'd eaten ever since moving into Rhodey's apartment.
Tony was unbelievably broke.
A series of simulations flashed across the television, the laptop plugged into whirring angrily as it tried to process the experiment's thousands of unique variables. A full-sized arc reactor popped open on the screen to reveal its internals: hundreds of individual plates placed so close together the human eye couldn't discern the gap between them. The plates rotated around the core at murderously high speeds, driven only by the Casimir effect. The vacuum in the chamber allowed the reactor to maintain its current energy production indefinitely...theoretically.
One of the plates in the simulator began to flash red. "Error in plate one hundred and four," JARVIS warned in a cheery English accent. "Sheering along the joint will cause it to break off after thirty-seven years, six months and twelve days of use." As JARVIS spoke all the surrounding plates began to flash as well. "Catastrophic failure follows shortly after."
Tony ran a hand through his hair in irritation. It was long, wild, and about as greasy as the burger. His beard wasn't much better. He stood from the couch to get a better view and began to pace. Increasing the size of the arc reactor had only made the design's flaws more apparent. No modern metal alloy could hold together under that much pressure for long. Even the gold-titanium his suit used proved insufficient. A carbon fiber mesh would be tougher, of course, but making a mesh that large was difficult and expensive. And making a hundred and twenty-eight meshes? Not viable.
"How much energy do we lose if we add thrust in the opposite direction to maintain a sustainable speed?" Tony asked, stopping to spin the television remote on the coffee table.
"Those calculations may take some time, sir."
"Do it." Tony nodded, despite talking to a computer program that couldn’t see it. "And give me my messages while you’re at it. Filter for job offers and anything from the lawyers."
This time Tony’s cellphone buzzed in response as JARVIS left the laptop to its diagnosis and scrolled through Stark’s email. "You have thirty seven job related messages."
Stark’s expression lit up. "Any takers?"
"I'm afraid not, sir. All thirty seven are rejection letters."
His expression fell like a pile of bricks. Well, at least they’d been polite enough to actually respond, Stark mused. In his previous batch of applications half the agencies saw his last name on the resume and blocked his number. Obadiah Stane- Tony's former friend, mentor, and current enemy for life- had done his damnedest to ensure Stark would never work in any relevant industry again. Maybe Kwikkee needed a new burger flipper.
Tony dropped back into his couch and pulled the phone out himself to check his bank account. There was a distinct lack of zeroes behind the prime numbers. Not unexpected, but still concerning. His reserves were running dangerously low. If he couldn’t find work soon…
He flipped to James Rhodes’ main account. Not something he was supposed to have access to, technically, but curiosity and a guilty conscience didn’t mix well. Rhodey was Tony’s oldest friend and one of the best men he’d ever known- he was also prone to taking on more than he could handle. It wouldn’t be long before Stark’s problems caught up with Rhodey.
Tony paused. He closed his eyes and took a series of deep breaths. He couldn’t drag Rhodey down with him. Wasn’t happening.
“JARVIS, do I have anything from that Pentagon rep?”
There was a moment’s pause as the machine ran through Tony’s emails once again. “Yes sir. I moved all of Major Talbot’s messages to spam as you requested. You have sixteen unopened emails from his address.”
“Alright, let’s set up a meeting. I’m grabbing a scotch.”
C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y
_________________________________________________________ Iron Man | Anthony "Tony" Stark _________________________________________________________ American | Human | Unemployed _________________________________________________________ New York City | New York | USA
C H A R A C T E R N O T E S C H A R A C T E R N O T E S
Arc Reactor: Originally designed by Howard Stark to power nuke-bearing submarines, Tony has adapted the arc reactor to his own uses. Namely, at the moment, keeping himself alive. He hopes future iterations of the reactor might be made available the world over. A single large-scale arc reactor could theoretically power an entire city for centuries without producing radioactive waste or filling the atmosphere with poison.
Mark V Iron Man suit: The fifth iteration of the Iron Man armor and the last Tony developed before losing access to his workshop. It’s shell is built from a durable gold-titanium alloy held up by a carbon fiber muscular lace and a series of hydraulic bone-analogs. The suit’s highly advanced systems allow for rapid, AI-assisted movement and superhuman strength and durability. It’s armaments consist of palm-based repulsors, a chest-mounted unibeam, guided micro-missiles, and a variety of less lethal sonic and bludgeoning ordnance. It’s powered by the miniaturized arc reactor lodged in Tony Stark’s chest- without Stark inside the suit is unable to operate. Repairs and alterations require complex technology Tony no longer has access to.
JARVIS: JARVIS is an artificial machine intelligence developed by Tony Stark to assist in the day-to-day operation of his company. It has been fully integrated into most major systems in Stark Industries and assists accountants, software engineers and developers in their various duties. Its computation power is extraordinary, able to run hundreds of different instances of itself working on numerous tasks at a time. JARVIS is a crucial component of the Iron Man suit, which essentially could not function without AMI assistance. Tony continues to tinker with JARVIS's matrices with the hope of unlocking true artificial intelligence.
►Supporting Cast
Lt. Col. James "Rhodey" Rhodes: A career airman and longtime friend of Tony Stark. They initially met at MIT, their shared interest in military technology kicking off a friendship that would evolve far beyond that. Rhodes spent a decade as a fighter pilot before moving on to his current career in command and control operations; he’s aided Stark as Iron Man on a number of occasions, though his requests for his own suit were never realized. Now that Stark has lost his company Rhodey does his best to take care of his friend, offering him a place to sleep while Tony works out how to get his old life back.
Virginia "Pepper" Potts: Pepper is a senior finance manager at Stark Industries, close friend and ex-girlfriend of Tony Stark. Originally a beleaguered accountant at Roxxon, Pepper was recruited by Tony personally, who convinced her that her talents were being wasted at a cesspool like Roxxon. The two dated for some time prior to Stark's kidnapping. Like everyone else, she'd assumed Tony was dead and moved on with her life. The two have remained close friends for several years.
Harold Joseph "Happy" Hogan: While Tony was still the CEO at Stark Industries, Happy was his right hand. He was his driver, bodyguard personal assistant, corporate spy- whatever Tony needed, Hogan was happy to do. He was with Stark's convoy in Sokovia when it was attacked. Despite barely surviving the encounter, he blamed himself for losing Stark. He would've resigned and left if not for the intervention of Pepper. The two grew close in their shared grief; so close that the two were engaged to be married when Tony finally resurfaced. Stark held no ill will toward either of them and was even the best man at their wedding. Happy is currently the head of security at Stark Industries.
►Antagonists
Obadiah Stane: Obadiah Stane was already a veteran business mogul by the time he'd co-founded Stark Industries with Howard Stark. Cutting his teeth as a weapons manufacturer during the Cold War, Stane sees himself as one of last defenders of the old American order- a strong, guiding hand for an increasingly anarchistic world. He's always found Tony's attitude grating, but it wasn't until Stark turned into a hippie that he chose to expel the boy from the company. Stane hopes he can reverse engineer Stark's 'Iron Man' power armor to sell to the highest bidder.
Justin Hammer: Justin Hammer is a lifelong rival of Tony Stark, though Stark's never known it. They shared a class at MIT, Hammer started his own defense contracting company at the same time Tony took over Stark Industries, and Justin began drawing up plans for powered infantry armor when the Iron Man made his first public appearance. Unlike Tony, Hammer has found little success in his life: he cheated his way through university, his company went bankrupt and was absorbed into Stark Industries, and none of many attempts at power armor function up to standard. Despite his ineptitude he's managed to hold onto a position as Stark Industries' head of experimental technologies by groveling at Stane's feet.
Anton Vanko: Anton Vanko is a Sokovian political radical and the son of Igor Vanko, leader of the Sokovská Nacionalistická Fronta that Tony Stark murdered in his escape. Anton scavenged what remained of the Mark I Iron Man suit and reverse-engineered an arc reactor of his own with the intent of tracking Stark down and avenging his father. He has taken on the moniker of Whiplash.
Dmitri Bukharin: Dmitri is the fifth man to bear the mantle of Crimson Dynamo, and he will likely be the last. For decades the Crimson Dynamo was the premier superhero of the Soviet Union- a shining beacon of their technological advancement and military might. Dmitri was one of a dozen candidates chosen to pilot the last version of the mechanized, twelve-foot tall walking tank. The pilot had to be skilled in the mech’s operation, of course, but they must also exemplify all the best traits of the ideal Soviet man: handsome, well-spoken, and a fervent advocate for Marxism-Leninism. Bukharin was to be that man. The country he had so fiercely dedicated himself to would fall apart only five years after his appointment. A distraught Dmitri fled from Russia with the Crimson Dynamo and would spend the next several decades building his reputation as a feared mercenary, doing battle with heroes like Iron Man on many an occasion.
Tony Stark used to have it all. Born the son of billionaire Howard Stark and his wife Maria, he never wanted for anything physically. He was provided the best education money could buy and all the toys he could ever want. All he lacked for was his parents' attention. Driven to prove his worth to a neglectful father, Tony had a doctorate before he was old enough to drink. His parents died a week after the graduation ceremony they did not attend. Tony would go on to succeed Howard as CEO of Stark Industries.
His genius intellect brought the company to new heights. Stark developed weapons that made the Manhattan project look like a baking soda volcano by comparison. Young, arrogant and ignorant of the consequences, Tony sold his designs to governments the world over to fund his hedonistic lifestyle. His perspective fundamentally changed after his kidnapping during a visit to Sokovia. Rebels from the Sokovská Nacionalistická Fronta (SNF) attacked Stark's convoy, killed most of his escort and ferried him away to an isolated compound in the mountains. Stark nearly died from his wounds if not for the creative intervention of a local doctor: an electromagnet was placed in Tony's chest to prevent micro-shrapnel from entering his heart. Drawing on designs his father originally drew up, Tony developed a prototype arc reactor to keep himself alive in captivity. The SNF demanded he build weapons for them.
Instead, Tony spent his year in captivity discreetly building his first Iron Man suit. Donning the armor, he tore through the SNF and escaped. He would return to the States a changed man, having seen the results of his ‘genius’ firsthand. He shifted Stark Industries’ focus to humanitarian causes. In particular, he hoped to create a full-sized version of his arc reactor to revolutionize clean energy. Tony invested much of his personal wealth into the program's development and shifted his attention to another project: the Iron Man suit.
For the next seven years Tony Stark donned improved versions of the armor to fight the battles no one else could. Tony saw saving lives as a chance to redeem himself for the part he played in the global war machine. He threw himself into his alternate identity fully, leaving the running of his company up to his longtime mentor and business partner, Obadiah Stane.
Obadiah found Tony's change of heart vexing. The company's market share suffered horrendously with its shift away from weapons development. Mass layoff after mass layoff nearly broke Stark Industries. Despite Stane's best efforts he couldn't convince Stark to return to sanity. His frustration at its boiling point, Obadiah chose to act: he leaked Tony’s identity as Iron Man to the public, alongside an avalanche of suppressed scandals from Tony's past. Stane drowned Stark in lawsuits and bad press until he had nothing left.
Betrayed by his oldest friend and penniless, Tony shipped what equipment he could- and his latest version of the suit- to a storage locker under an alias. Now he find himself planning his revenge from James Rhodes' couch.
P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S )
This is sort of a pseudo year one for Tony. He has history as a superhero to ground him in the wider world and allow me to easily backfill relationships with other characters, but for the purposes of resources and reputation he’s at rock bottom.
I want to explore a couple different storylines with Stark this go around: his lingering guilt- both personal and generational- from the death and destruction the Stark name wrought in the pursuit of riches and power; Tony’s fight against Stane and the broader Military Industrial Complex to take his company back; and finally Tony coping with the loss of his former place of privilege.
I’m excited to explore Stark’s thematically rich story and rogues gallery. There’ll be a lot of opportunities to examine corporate cutthroat culture, how celebrity behavior warps under public scrutiny, and the heavy responsibility that comes with power.
"Run it again, JARVIS." Tony Stark splayed across the couch like a lion on its rock. He was the king of a concrete jungle: a billionaire, a genius engineer, and a world-class superhero. Untouchable. Unassailable. He tore a chunk from his latest successful hunt- a greasy cheeseburger from the joint down the street. He'd lost count of how many Kwikkee Meal Deals he'd eaten ever since moving into Rhodey's apartment.
Tony was unbelievably broke.
A series of simulations flashed across the television, the laptop plugged into whirring angrily as it tried to process the experiment's thousands of unique variables. A full-sized arc reactor popped open on the screen to reveal its internals: hundreds of individual plates placed so close together the human eye couldn't discern the gap between them. The plates rotated around the core at murderously high speeds, driven only by the Casimir effect. The vacuum in the chamber allowed the reactor to maintain its current energy production indefinitely...theoretically.
One of the plates in the simulator began to flash red. "Error in plate one hundred and four," JARVIS warned in a cheery English accent. "Sheering along the joint will cause it to break off after thirty-seven years, six months and twelve days of use." As JARVIS spoke all the surrounding plates began to flash as well. "Catastrophic failure follows shortly after."
Tony ran a hand through his hair in irritation. It was long, wild, and about as greasy as the burger. His beard wasn't much better. He stood from the couch to get a better view and began to pace. Increasing the size of the arc reactor had only made the design's flaws more apparent. No modern metal alloy could hold together under that much pressure for long. Even the gold-titanium his suit used proved insufficient. A carbon fiber mesh would be tougher, of course, but making a mesh that large was difficult and expensive. And making a hundred and twenty-eight meshes? Not viable.
"How much energy do we lose if we add thrust in the opposite direction to maintain a sustainable speed?" Tony asked, stopping to spin the television remote on the coffee table.
"Those calculations may take some time, sir."
"Do it." Tony nodded, despite talking to a computer program that couldn’t see it. "And give me my messages while you’re at it. Filter for job offers and anything from the lawyers."
This time Tony’s cellphone buzzed in response as JARVIS left the laptop to its diagnosis and scrolled through Stark’s email. "You have thirty seven job related messages."
Stark’s expression lit up. "Any takers?"
"I'm afraid not, sir. All thirty seven are rejection letters."
His expression fell like a pile of bricks. Well, at least they’d been polite enough to actually respond, Stark mused. In his previous batch of applications half the agencies saw his last name on the resume and blocked his number. Obadiah Stane- Tony's former friend, mentor, and current enemy for life- had done his damnedest to ensure Stark would never work in any relevant industry again. Maybe Kwikkee needed a new burger flipper.
Tony dropped back into his couch and pulled the phone out himself to check his bank account. There was a distinct lack of zeroes behind the prime numbers. Not unexpected, but still concerning. His reserves were running dangerously low. If he couldn’t find work soon…
He flipped to James Rhodes’ main account. Not something he was supposed to have access to, technically, but curiosity and a guilty conscience didn’t mix well. Rhodey was Tony’s oldest friend and one of the best men he’d ever known- he was also prone to taking on more than he could handle. It wouldn’t be long before Stark’s problems caught up with Rhodey.
Tony paused. He closed his eyes and took a series of deep breaths. He couldn’t drag Rhodey down with him. Wasn’t happening.
“JARVIS, do I have anything from that Pentagon rep?”
There was a moment’s pause as the machine ran through Tony’s emails once again. “Yes sir. I moved all of Major Talbot’s messages to spam as you requested. You have sixteen unopened emails from his address.”
“Alright, let’s set up a meeting. I’m grabbing a scotch.”
C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y
_________________________________________________________ Iron Man | Anthony "Tony" Stark _________________________________________________________ American | Human | Unemployed _________________________________________________________ New York City | New York | USA
C H A R A C T E R N O T E S C H A R A C T E R N O T E S
M I S C E L L A N E O U S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ►Equipment
Arc Reactor: Originally designed by Howard Stark to power nuke-bearing submarines, Tony has adapted the arc reactor to his own uses. Namely, at the moment, keeping himself alive. He hopes future iterations of the reactor might be made available the world over. A single large-scale arc reactor could theoretically power an entire city for centuries without producing radioactive waste or filling the atmosphere with poison.
Mark V Iron Man suit: The fifth iteration of the Iron Man armor and the last Tony developed before losing access to his workshop. It’s shell is built from a durable gold-titanium alloy held up by a carbon fiber muscular lace and a series of hydraulic bone-analogs. The suit’s highly advanced systems allow for rapid, AI-assisted movement and superhuman strength and durability. It’s armaments consist of palm-based repulsors, a chest-mounted unibeam, guided micro-missiles, and a variety of less lethal sonic and bludgeoning ordnance. It’s powered by the miniaturized arc reactor lodged in Tony Stark’s chest- without Stark inside the suit is unable to operate. Repairs and alterations require complex technology Tony no longer has access to.
JARVIS: JARVIS is an artificial machine intelligence developed by Tony Stark to assist in the day-to-day operation of his company. It has been fully integrated into most major systems in Stark Industries and assists accountants, software engineers and developers in their various duties. Its computation power is extraordinary, able to run hundreds of different instances of itself working on numerous tasks at a time. JARVIS is a crucial component of the Iron Man suit, which essentially could not function without AMI assistance. Tony continues to tinker with JARVIS's matrices with the hope of unlocking true artificial intelligence.
►Supporting Cast
Lt. Col. James "Rhodey" Rhodes: A career airman and longtime friend of Tony Stark. They initially met at MIT, their shared interest in military technology kicking off a friendship that would evolve far beyond that. Rhodes spent a decade as a fighter pilot before moving on to his current career in command and control operations; he’s aided Stark as Iron Man on a number of occasions, though his requests for his own suit were never realized. Now that Stark has lost his company Rhodey does his best to take care of his friend, offering him a place to sleep while Tony works out how to get his old life back.
Virginia "Pepper" Potts: Pepper is a senior finance manager at Stark Industries, close friend and ex-girlfriend of Tony Stark. Originally a beleaguered accountant at Roxxon, Pepper was recruited by Tony personally, who convinced her that her talents were being wasted at a cesspool like Roxxon. The two dated for some time prior to Stark's kidnapping. Like everyone else, she'd assumed Tony was dead and moved on with her life. The two have remained close friends for several years.
Harold Joseph "Happy" Hogan: While Tony was still the CEO at Stark Industries, Happy was his right hand. He was his driver, bodyguard personal assistant, corporate spy- whatever Tony needed, Hogan was happy to do. He was with Stark's convoy in Sokovia when it was attacked. Despite barely surviving the encounter, he blamed himself for losing Stark. He would've resigned and left if not for the intervention of Pepper. The two grew close in their shared grief; so close that the two were engaged to be married when Tony finally resurfaced. Stark held no ill will toward either of them and was even the best man at their wedding. Happy is currently the head of security at Stark Industries.
►Antagonists
Obadiah Stane: Obadiah Stane was already a veteran business mogul by the time he'd co-founded Stark Industries with Howard Stark. Cutting his teeth as a weapons manufacturer during the Cold War, Stane sees himself as one of last defenders of the old American order- a strong, guiding hand for an increasingly anarchistic world. He's always found Tony's attitude grating, but it wasn't until Stark turned into a hippie that he chose to expel the boy from the company. Stane hopes he can reverse engineer Stark's 'Iron Man' power armor to sell to the highest bidder.
Justin Hammer: Justin Hammer is a lifelong rival of Tony Stark, though Stark's never known it. They shared a class at MIT, Hammer started his own defense contracting company at the same time Tony took over Stark Industries, and Justin began drawing up plans for powered infantry armor when the Iron Man made his first public appearance. Unlike Tony, Hammer has found little success in his life: he cheated his way through university, his company went bankrupt and was absorbed into Stark Industries, and none of many attempts at power armor function up to standard. Despite his ineptitude he's managed to hold onto a position as Stark Industries' head of experimental technologies by groveling at Stane's feet.
Anton Vanko: Anton Vanko is a Sokovian political radical and the son of Igor Vanko, leader of the Sokovská Nacionalistická Fronta that Tony Stark murdered in his escape. Anton scavenged what remained of the Mark I Iron Man suit and reverse-engineered an arc reactor of his own with the intent of tracking Stark down and avenging his father. He has taken on the moniker of Whiplash.
Dmitri Bukharin: Dmitri is the fifth man to bear the mantle of Crimson Dynamo, and he will likely be the last. For decades the Crimson Dynamo was the premier superhero of the Soviet Union- a shining beacon of their technological advancement and military might. Dmitri was one of a dozen candidates chosen to pilot the last version of the mechanized, twelve-foot tall walking tank. The pilot had to be skilled in the mech’s operation, of course, but they must also exemplify all the best traits of the ideal Soviet man: handsome, well-spoken, and a fervent advocate for Marxism-Leninism. Bukharin was to be that man. The country he had so fiercely dedicated himself to would fall apart only five years after his appointment. A distraught Dmitri fled from Russia with the Crimson Dynamo and would spend the next several decades building his reputation as a feared mercenary, doing battle with heroes like Iron Man on many an occasion. -
Tony Stark used to have it all. Born the son of billionaire Howard Stark and his wife Maria, he never wanted for anything physically. He was provided the best education money could buy and all the toys he could ever want. All he lacked for was his parents' attention. Driven to prove his worth to a neglectful father, Tony had a doctorate before he was old enough to drink. His parents died a week after the graduation ceremony they did not attend. Tony would go on to succeed Howard as CEO of Stark Industries.
His genius intellect brought the company to new heights. Stark developed weapons that made the Manhattan project look like a baking soda volcano by comparison. Young, arrogant and ignorant of the consequences, Tony sold his designs to governments the world over to fund his hedonistic lifestyle. His perspective fundamentally changed after his kidnapping during a visit to Sokovia. Rebels from the Sokovská Nacionalistická Fronta (SNF) attacked Stark's convoy, killed most of his escort and ferried him away to an isolated compound in the mountains. Stark nearly died from his wounds if not for the creative intervention of a local doctor: an electromagnet was placed in Tony's chest to prevent micro-shrapnel from entering his heart. Drawing on designs his father originally drew up, Tony developed a prototype arc reactor to keep himself alive in captivity. The SNF demanded he build weapons for them.
Instead, Tony spent his year in captivity discreetly building his first Iron Man suit. Donning the armor, he tore through the SNF and escaped. He would return to the States a changed man, having seen the results of his ‘genius’ firsthand. He shifted Stark Industries’ focus to humanitarian causes. In particular, he hoped to create a full-sized version of his arc reactor to revolutionize clean energy. Tony invested much of his personal wealth into the program's development and shifted his attention to another project: the Iron Man suit.
For the next seven years Tony Stark donned improved versions of the armor to fight the battles no one else could. Tony saw saving lives as a chance to redeem himself for the part he played in the global war machine. He threw himself into his alternate identity fully, leaving the running of his company up to his longtime mentor and business partner, Obadiah Stane.
Obadiah found Tony's change of heart vexing. The company's market share suffered horrendously with its shift away from weapons development. Mass layoff after mass layoff nearly broke Stark Industries. Despite Stane's best efforts he couldn't convince Stark to return to sanity. His frustration at its boiling point, Obadiah chose to act: he leaked Tony’s identity as Iron Man to the public, alongside an avalanche of suppressed scandals from Tony's past. Stane drowned Stark in lawsuits and bad press until he had nothing left.
Betrayed by his oldest friend and penniless, Tony shipped what equipment he could- and his latest version of the suit- to a storage locker under an alias. Now he find himself planning his revenge from James Rhodes' couch.
P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S )
This is sort of a pseudo year one for Tony. He has history as a superhero to ground him in the wider world and allow me to easily backfill relationships with other characters, but for the purposes of resources and reputation he’s at rock bottom.
I want to explore a couple different storylines with Stark this go around: his lingering guilt- both personal and generational- from the death and destruction the Stark name wrought in the pursuit of riches and power; Tony’s fight against Stane and the broader Military Industrial Complex to take his company back; and finally Tony coping with the loss of his former place of privilege.
I’m excited to explore Stark’s thematically rich story and rogues gallery. There’ll be a lot of opportunities to examine corporate cutthroat culture, how celebrity behavior warps under public scrutiny, and the heavy responsibility that comes with power.
"Run it again, JARVIS." Tony Stark splayed across the couch like a lion on its rock. He was the king of a concrete jungle: a billionaire, a genius engineer, and a world-class superhero. Untouchable. Unassailable. He tore a chunk from his latest successful hunt- a greasy cheeseburger from the joint down the street. He'd lost count of how many Kwikkee Meal Deals he'd eaten ever since moving into Rhodey's apartment.
Tony was unbelievably broke.
A series of simulations flashed across the television, the laptop plugged into whirring angrily as it tried to process the experiment's thousands of unique variables. A full-sized arc reactor popped open on the screen to reveal its internals: hundreds of individual plates placed so close together the human eye couldn't discern the gap between them. The plates rotated around the core at murderously high speeds, driven only by the Casimir effect. The vacuum in the chamber allowed the reactor to maintain its current energy production indefinitely...theoretically.
One of the plates in the simulator began to flash red. "Error in plate one hundred and four," JARVIS warned in a cheery English accent. "Sheering along the joint will cause it to break off after thirty-seven years, six months and twelve days of use." As JARVIS spoke all the surrounding plates began to flash as well. "Catastrophic failure follows shortly after."
Tony ran a hand through his hair in irritation. It was long, wild, and about as greasy as the burger. His beard wasn't much better. He stood from the couch to get a better view and began to pace. Increasing the size of the arc reactor had only made the design's flaws more apparent. No modern metal alloy could hold together under that much pressure for long. Even the gold-titanium his suit used proved insufficient. A carbon fiber mesh would be tougher, of course, but making a mesh that large was difficult and expensive. And making a hundred and twenty-eight meshes? Not viable.
"How much energy do we lose if we add thrust in the opposite direction to maintain a sustainable speed?" Tony asked, stopping to spin the television remote on the coffee table.
"Those calculations may take some time, sir."
"Do it." Tony nodded, despite talking to a computer program that couldn’t see it. "And give me my messages while you’re at it. Filter for job offers and anything from the lawyers."
This time Tony’s cellphone buzzed in response as JARVIS left the laptop to its diagnosis and scrolled through Stark’s email. "You have thirty seven job related messages."
Stark’s expression lit up. "Any takers?"
"I'm afraid not, sir. All thirty seven are rejection letters."
His expression fell like a pile of bricks. Well, at least they’d been polite enough to actually respond, Stark mused. In his previous batch of applications half the agencies saw his last name on the resume and blocked his number. Obadiah Stane- Tony's former friend, mentor, and current enemy for life- had done his damnedest to ensure Stark would never work in any relevant industry again. Maybe Kwikkee needed a new burger flipper.
Tony dropped back into his couch and pulled the phone out himself to check his bank account. There was a distinct lack of zeroes behind the prime numbers. Not unexpected, but still concerning. His reserves were running dangerously low. If he couldn’t find work soon…
He flipped to James Rhodes’ main account. Not something he was supposed to have access to, technically, but curiosity and a guilty conscience didn’t mix well. Rhodey was Tony’s oldest friend and one of the best men he’d ever known- he was also prone to taking on more than he could handle. It wouldn’t be long before Stark’s problems caught up with Rhodey.
Tony paused. He closed his eyes and took a series of deep breaths. He couldn’t drag Rhodey down with him. Wasn’t happening.
“JARVIS, do I have anything from that Pentagon rep?”
There was a moment’s pause as the machine ran through Tony’s emails once again. “Yes sir. I moved all of Major Talbot’s messages to spam as you requested. You have sixteen unopened emails from his address.”
“Alright, let’s set up a meeting. I’m grabbing a scotch.”
A firework exploded in the sky above Central Park, showering red sparkles across the New York City skyline, and Wally West frowned. He unwrapped a hyper-nutrient dense sandwich from the picnic basket and shoved it into his mouth, chasing it down with his sixteenth cream soda of the night. That sandwich contained enough calories to feed a baby elephant. Wally felt his stomach growl with dissatisfaction.
“Everything alright?” His aunt, Iris West, asked from the other side of the blanket. She gave him an easy smile that tapered over the concern in her voice.
Wally gave a half-hearted shrug of his shoulders. “Yeah, of course. Thanks for inviting me.” He nudged his chin in the direction of the fireworks display. Coming to NYC for the first time has been a culture shock and a half, even for him. This place made Central City look like Smallville by comparison. Visiting Lady Liberty and the JSA’s old place in Battery Park with Barry and Iris had been a blast. And watching the Stars kick the Yankees’ asses in their own stadium? Wally’d never forget it.
“I know Barry’s timing was…inconvenient.” Iris sighed, shifting in place. “You know he wouldn’t have left if it wasn’t important.”
“Duh.” Wally groaned, falling on his back and splaying out like a dead man. “I know it’s important! That’s the problem! He’s- I don’t know, fighting the Rogues or an Atlantean sea monster or something- and I’m here. Watching fireworks.”
Wally wanted nothing more in the world than to go with his uncle. He wanted to help him take down bad guys and spin tornados back into sky. But he couldn’t- not without slowing Flash down. By the time Wally would make it back to Central City whatever emergency had drawn Barry Allen there would’ve been over an hour prior. Wally was just too slow.
“Do you know what I did at CCPN for two years before I caught my current beat?” Iris’s smile fell away, replaced by a thin, serious line. “I did fluff pieces for state fairs and interviewed dog show winners. They had me buying coffee for the ‘big shots.’” She gestured quotation marks with her fingers. “I didn’t get a real chance to prove myself until that Batman story fell into my lap. You just got your powers, Wally. Your time’ll come. Be patient, and be ready to chase it when its here.”
Wally gave a weak grin. “Thanks, Iris. I just wish my shot would come sooner rather than later, y’know?”
Somewhere a genie left it’s bottle as fire bloomed in the wrong part of the skyline. “You had to go and say something.” Iris mumbled, jumping to her feet. By the time she had her car keys out Wally was already gone, a streak of red and yellow blasting through Central Park.
Smoke billowed from Kid Flash’s bright, golden boots as he skid to a halt in the street. Chaos filled the neighborhood around him. Buildings were burning, people were hurt and trapped beneath rubble, and a gaggle of draconic lizard-men were shooting lasers at a young woman with a strikingly otherworldly appearance. Another figure in familiar red and blue floated nearby, though he wasn’t the man Kid Flash expected. An article Iris had read to Wally tickled the back of his brain like a half-remembered phone number. “Gonna guess you’re the super-tyke.” Rising to his full, unimpressive height, Wally spread his hands. “But who’re these clowns?”
Location: City Streets -- The City-State of Thorinn, Aetheria
Graves stared down at his hands- at the ghosts of scars he'd given himself. His healing never quite reached the incisions he made to draw his power from. He flinched away from Seele's touch at first, gentle as it was. Though he knew she meant him no harm he reacted on instinct long in the making. He stood stock still, listening. Trying to hear instead of rejecting her words out of hand. He had known men like the ones Seele spoke of: men who used up those around them and threw them away like garbage. Part of him had always wondered if he destined for the same. 'I don't want to be that person anymore.'
He didn't believe he was good, as she said. Not really. But he had it in him to try to be better than he was. Graves kept his eyes on his hands even as Seele let go of his shoulder and moved in front of him. His heart rate spiked when he felt her fingers wrap around his wrists, hiding what lay beneath. It was odd. Her hands looked too small to be as strong as they felt.
'You're allowed to be happy. You're allowed to have friends.'
Graves started to move his arms up slowly, deliberately. He hesitated for only a moment before wrapping Seele in them and dragging her up onto her toes. He squeezed and buried his face in the crook of her neck. "I'm sorry." He croaked. "I'm so sorry."
Member
Byrd Man
shylarah
Ezekiel
Antlers
Memoria
Natty
Eddie Brock
Ruby
Captain Uni
Divine Darkness
