I've got a good amount of a first post going and I started work on a rough "episodic" outline.

See last season episodic stories didn't work for me, so this season I'm trying 3 joining arcs. One for each month, roughly.

Yeah, I've never been one to meticulously plot, and while the results on that are obviously mixed... I'm happy with what I've produced for Season Two already. At some point, I'll need to have an idea for the structure of the season, but right now I'm just trying to string together solid posts and let the rest reveal itself to me as I go.

Ultimate One Universe: Season Two Application

Character You're Applying For: Anthony "Tony" Edward Stark/Iron Man

Powers and Abilities:

Powered Armor: All of Stark's "superhuman" abilities come from the use of his many self-made powered exoskeletons. These abilities include flight, superhuman strength and durability, and an array of various weapons.

Intellect: Outside of the armor, Stark is an inventive genius, primarily in the field of technology. His intelligence extends to business, social, and political knowledge.

Origin and Backstory: Tony Stark was adopted and raised by Maria and Howard Stark, the latter of whom is the owner and CEO of Stark Industries, a technology manufacturing and research company.

Tony, a boy genius, attended MIT and graduated at 17, earning his master's degree in electrical engineering and physics. Not long after, his parents were tragically killed in a car accident, leaving the company in Tony's hands.

During an overseas business trip, Tony was injured in an explosion caused by enemy forces, and was promptly kidnapped. The leader demanded Tony build weapons for them, but Tony discovered that a piece of shrapnel from the explosion had lodged itself in his chest and was nearing his heart. Another prisoner, notable physicist Ho Yingsen, assists Tony by building a magnetic chest plate to keep the shrapnel away from his heart. Together, the two work in secret to develop a powered suit of armor, which Tony uses to escape and rejoin American forces, with Yingsen being killed in the attempt.

Back home, Tony switches his focus from weapons manufacturing to building similar suits for use in fighting other threats against Stark Industries. When news coverage of the mysterious "Iron Man" appears, Stark claims that the figure is his personal robotic bodyguard and company mascot. Only two individuals know of Iron Man's true identity; secretary Virginia "Pepper" Potts, and chauffeur Harold "Happy" Hogan, both of whom work for Tony.

What Makes This Character 'Ultimate?': On top of keeping his double life secret, this Tony is far more laid back and not as quick to anger as other interpretations. While he does take his work and status seriously, he's not as serious about it as, say, Bruce Wayne. Some say this is a coping mechanism, although it's not clear whether it's to combat the painful memories of his neglectful father, or the trauma he experienced early on in his career. As beneficial as psychiatric help would be, Tony doesn't have the time nor the humility to pursue it.

Supporting Characters:

-Virgina "Pepper" Potts: Tony's secretary and close friend. One of the two people who know of Tony's identity as Iron Man.

-Harold "Happy" Hogan: Tony's personal chauffeur, whom Tony hired after Happy saved his life in a particularly rough spot. One of the two people who know of Tony's identity as Iron Man.

-J.A.R.V.I.S.: "Just A Rather Very Intelligent System." Named after the butler of Tony's parents, the AI acts as Tony's personal assistant both inside and outside the Iron Man suit.

Character Picture:



Sample Post:

"Sir?"

Tony woke with a start, hitting his head on the bottom of his work desk, which he had somehow ended up under. "Ugh. What happened?"

"You fell asleep while working...again. I relocated you under the desk so you would not be stepped on," J.A.R.V.I.S. replied.

Tony groaned, sliding out from under his makeshift sleeping spot and standing up. "Why would I be in danger of being stepped on?" he questioned. "There's nobody here but you and me."

"Correction, sir. Miss Potts came in earlier this morning."

Oh, God.

"And what did she do?"

"She delivered your mail, sir. It's on your work desk."

Indeed, Tony saw a pile of envelopes on the desk, along with a handwritten note.

"you should talk to someone"

Typical Pepper. Sure, it was nice to have someone looking out for you, but she honestly had nothing to worry about. At least, that's what Tony thought. There was nothing wrong with staying up for days, tinkering away at his "pet projects." Besides, it was all for a good cause. So what if he had to sacrifice a little sleep here and there. That's the price of being a protector! Well, self-protector anyhow.

For the moment, Tony stuck to being Iron Man solely for the sake of Stark Industries. He was his own superhero; he didn't need any of those other ones out there. They didn't interfere in his business, so they didn't interfere in his, simple as that! Iron Man was for Stark Industries, not the people, and that's how it should be.

Right?

"J.A.R.V.I.S., what time is it?"

"Half-past one in the afternoon, sir."

Tony popped his knuckles. "Anything on the calendar?"

"No, sir, you have no scheduled events for today."

"Perfect. Could you fix me some coffee? Two sugars." Tony pulled on a pair of goggles and grabbed some tools. "We've made quite a lot of progress in the past few days. Why stop now?"

------------------------------------------------------

"Alert. Queens Testing Facility has been compromised."

Tony sighed and tossed his crossword aside. So much for a quiet day. "Activate suit-up protocols and get a visual on the building," he commanded as he headed for his self-dubbed "hangar."

"Interior or exterior, sir?"

"Both."

Two separate CCTV feeds appeared on screen. Outside, there was an armored truck, parked just behind the building. The inside painted a bleaker picture. Not only were there hooded figures grabbing any tech they could find, there was also a line-up of security guards, forced against the wall my more figures with guns. Big guns.

"You should know that the local police have been informed of the situation," J.A.R.V.I.S. pointed out as Tony approached the platform.

"Yeah, well, I have a feeling they're going to need back-up."

Tony extended his arms, slipping his hands into the awaiting gauntlets. The massive machine around him worked quickly, screwing the armored plates in position while the wearer simply waited. A hostage situation was nothing new, and neither was having the police be involved. Tony knew they meant well, but at the end of the day, it was Iron Man who protected his company.

Hell, Iron Man practically WAS the company.

With a final CLANG, Tony's faceplate locked into place, and the AI within the suit came to life.

"All systems are functional," J.A.R.V.I.S.'s announced.

"Let's not keep them waiting, then."

Fire ignited under his boots, giving the armored man the bit of lift he needed to hover out onto the "launching pad" of his building. Palms facing the ground, he lifted off, shooting into the atmosphere like a rocket.

Queens wasn't far, and when he got there, those tech thieves wouldn't know what hit them.