Lord Wraith

Wraith's Little Workshop of Horrors

C H A R A C T E R D A T A B A S E:
C H A R A C T E R D A T A B A S E:

_{S U P E R M A N}

ISSUE #01

In which CLARK KENT extolls the virtues of his morning commute and gleans some details from passersby about the mysterious hacker known as the ‘TOYMAN’. After a heated all-hands meeting with PERRY WHITE, Clark joins fellow press LOIS LANE and JIMMY OLSEN in the field to investigate an explosion at a Luthorcorp facility.

^{Character(s) Introduced: Perry White, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen
Key Antagonist(s): Toyman}

Ultimate One Universe: Emergence

^{________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}

_{Location: Undisclosed - Classified Information]}

Shoot to Thrill #1.07: Hot Rod Red

^{_{____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}}

_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: Peaches

“Gentlemen set phasers to stun,” Hammer smiled, chuckling at his joke while Rhodes and Jordan exchanged unamused looks. Straightening his tie, Hammer cleared his throat, his cheeks changing to a shade of scarlet that made his tie look washed out.

“Ahem, more properly this is the Stark Threat Utility Neutralizer, or the ‘S.T.U.N.’, a de-escalation tool designed to numb and nullify enemies in a non-lethal manner. It directly attacks the target, primarily to immobilize them, but more specifically designed to immobilize the mutant gene to render their powers null and void.”

“Is such a weapon legal?” Karoline Farris piped up as Hammer fidgeted his foot uncomfortably.

“It’s uh, a gray area. Technically under current laws, mutants aren’t considered a minority nor a protected class, so they’re not protected from prejudice of any kind.” Hammer replied, “There’s also no way to prove the weapon is specifically designed for use on powered individuals. Our research and development team was very thorough in their keyword use on the patent.”

“With all due respect,” Danvers interjected, “I have no intention of breaking any laws or marginalizing a class of people who can’t help the way they were born. If you want these weapons tested, I’ll only do so with the express purpose of them being used against threats to the safety of the American people, not to subjugate an entire race.”

“My apologies, Captain I didn’t mean to imply-”

“Hammer, did you Hammer up the introductions again?” The snide comment echoed across the tarmac as Tony Stark approached the group, “Why’s everyone looking so hot to trot? Hammer, did you get antsy while I was gone, don’t worry, Daddy’s home?”

Stark smiled at the group, before leaning over and whispering in Hammer’s ear.

“And Papa’ll spank you later for your insolence.”

Spinning around on his heels, Tony took the weaponized gauntlet from Hammer before sliding his arm into it and giving it a couple of swings.

“The S.T.U.N. is incorporated into the gauntlet as a retractable beam weapon. You’ll find it on the rotating cuff. The palm contains the repulsor which is calibrated both for offensive capabilities and flight stabilization. A white glow is utility mode,” Tony demonstrated, pointing the gauntlet towards the ground before launching himself slightly to the side with a controlled burst.

“Orange is offensive,” He sneered, suddenly turning the weapon on Hammer who instantly froze. The collected pilots tensed up at the display. Almost every one of them was military and they knew better than to point a weapon at someone you didn’t intend to shoot.

“I’m just having fun,” Stark said, breaking the tense silence as Rhodes took a step toward his old friend. The palm of the gauntlet resumed its pale white glow as Tony removed his hand.

“The forearm contains another weapon slot, might I suggest a Stark Mutli-Phase Missle, but we’ll let you customize your payloads another day. For the time being, flight is the name of the game.”

Tony rubbed his hands together eagerly.

“Alright, callsigns, ladies and gents.”

“Highball,” Jordan replied as Tony rolled his eyes.

“Right, the alcoholic,” Tony turned and pointed to Karoline, “What about you city girl?”

“Star Sapph-” Major Major attempted to interject before catching a quick elbow to the ribs.

“Spitfire,” Karoline stated flatly, casting a side-eye toward Jordan.

“Yeah you are,” Tony replied before pointing to Danvers. “Your turn, space cadet,”

“Flamebird.” She replied as Tony looked between the two women.

“Did you two coordinate that?” He accused mockingly, “Hopefully the fire theme doesn’t extend to any other burning, Highball any comment?”

“No comment,”

“How about you, my patriotic friend?” Tony asked turning to Rhodes, “The pilot and the mechanic working together again, you must have a great callsign, why don’t we just call you Patriot?”

“Tony, you know damn well my callsign is Shellshock.”

“I’m just saying it’s a rebranding opportunity,” Tony smirked,

“That’s what I said!”

“Joint venture, you and me, the Iron Man and the Iron Patriot,”

“I’d sooner be called War Machine.” Rhodes deadpanned.

“Careful what you wish for, buddy,” Tony replied, slapping James on the back, “When you win this thing, sorry ladies, you might just be.”

“Tony, I-”

“No arguments!” Tony shouted, turning on Hammer, “Why aren’t they in their suits?”

“Jordan made some modifications and I needed to-”

“You Hammered it up again, didn't you?” Tony replied dismissively, “No matter, Daddy is here now, so let's make this right.” He whistled as the four prototype Personal Aviation Suits were brought forward.

“Really Jordan? This gaudy green?”

“Better than hot rod red.” Jordan shot back, smacking his gum as Tony raised an eyebrow.

“You’re entitled to being wrong,” Tony shot back, “Alright Shellshock, you’re in the blue and white, Flamebird, you’ve got red and blue. Spitfire, purple and gold and I guess Jordan you’ve got green and gold.”

“Sweet, we’re going to look like Power Rangers.”

“Jordan can you just,” Tony waggled a finger at the slightly younger man, “Can you just be cool for once.”

“I assure you,” Karoline smirked.

“He can’t.”

Wraith's Little Workshop of Horrors

The Atlantic Regional Center of Hyperhuman Education
A.R.C.H.E

A joint venture between the Alexandria Foundation and H.E.L.P., The Atlantic Regional Center of Hyperhuman Education seeks to bring a cohesive and complimentary merger between the Foundation Institute and the Pacific Royal Collegiate & University to deliver a new option for Hyperhumans looking for a place to belong. Located in the Southern hemisphere between the Atlantic and Indian oceans, the Center of Hyperhuman Learning of the A.R.C.H.E. is a cutting-edge venture built upon a Hyperhuman made island.

Commencement: A Foundation Institute RP

^{________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}

_{Location: Pacific Royal Campus Beach - Dundas Island, Pacific Ocean}

Dance Monkey #4.016: Ready to Go (Get Me Out of My Mind)

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_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time

Exhaustion plagued Lorcán as he made his way across campus. A hood hiding his face as he travelled to the beach and put his board out into the water. He needed to think, everything had felt so real, so intense but when his head had cleared Lorcán didn’t find any marks on his skin, no signs anyone else had been in his room.

The hoodie smelled of roses and peonies, the floral signature of Aurora. Lorcán had picked it up from his parents house while he had been there. Originally assuming it was his, it wasn't until he put the hoodie on did he realize that it was the one Aurora had borrowed during the Trials.

As far as Lorcán was concerned, it was her hoodie but he was happy to have a piece of her with him today. Much happier than he had been to run into Haven this morning. He genuinely was happy for the pair, perhaps even envious that he couldn’t seem to find the words or the timing to have a similar situation.

Now, he felt as though his mind was poisoned and the only thing he wanted to do was run away from it all.

Floating on the Pacific had always been his favourite way to think through his problems. His feet dangled into the cold water as Lorcán sat straddling his board, riding the waves as they bounced him up and down, lulling the exhausted man into a meditative state.

His head suddenly dropped forward.

A pair of tattooed arms suddenly emerged from the water, coming to rest on the edge of Lorcán’s board. He sleepily turned his head to the side, met by bright blue eyes outlined in a heavy cat eye makeup. To no surprise of Lorcán’s, the siren seemed to have forgotten her swimsuit.

“Amma?” Lorcán looked down at the woman with surprise, “Brah, why are you here?”

“Because you want me to be,” Amma replied, batting her long eyelashes towards Lorcán. “You should come in, I’m getting cold and I could use someone to warm me up.”

“You’re not real,”

“I know you want to,” She insisted, raising a hand to beckon him with a single finger.

“No, the only one I want is Aurora,” Lorcán protested, “We totally both know that, but you like did something to me. You’ve twisted my mind somehow,”

“You don’t mean that, that’s just what everybody else wants you to say. You tattooed your arm to impress me, don’t lie and say you don’t want me.” The raven-haired siren purred, batting her eyelashes again. “I want you, Lorcán, and I had a lot of fun last night.”

She began to climb onto the surfboard. Her wet hair perfectly spilled down her back as she tossed her head back, ensuring she gave Lorcán a view of everything before positioning herself on all fours. She slowly crawled towards him, the vixen ready to pounce.

“I bet there’s more than enough room for both of us up here.” Amma whined playfully, “I saved your life, Lorcán, the least you can do is give in to your succubus.”

She stretched towards him, her lips hovering above his, Lorcán tilted his head forward as Amma moved to meet him before Lorcán suddenly pulled away.

“No, this can't keep happening” He protested, “I don’t just like Aurora, love her. I can’t keep hurting her like this.” The lion found its voice before it roared in return, “I need you to get out of my head, like now.”

“Sorry, Lover,” Amma withdrew coyly, “I’m part of you now, and I’ll get what I want.” Those pouty lips curled into a cruel sneer.

“If not now, then inevitably.”

“Get away from me!” Lorcán thundered, moving to push Amma off the board.

Red and silver tendrils crackled from the corner of his eyes, flickering in colour as they pulsed orange and blue before snapping back to their previous hues.

Hands moved through the empty air and the cold water washed over Lorcán as his hoodie became soaked and threatened to drag him down into the depths of the drop just beyond the campus beach.

The shock hindered Lorcán’s usual abilities as he flailed about underwater trying to free himself from the baggy garment. His chest began to burn, his oxygen supply rapidly depleting from the panic.

Scrambling free of the hoodie, Lorcán swam for the surface, bursting through the waves while gasping for breath. Looking for his board, Lorcán froze, his eyes dating back to the depths below. Taking a deep breath, he dove back under the water, popping his eyes open before diving after the sinking sweater.

He couldn't lose it.

He couldn't lose Aurora.

His legs kicked harder as his hand reached forward, fingers wrapping around the heavy fabric before immediately pulling upwards and shooting from the surface again. Lorcán chased the bright light of the sun before bursting forth from the frigid deep and swimming hard towards his board.

It was time to stop running from his problems.

^{_{__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}}

A knock of the frame of her door alerted Dr. Miranda Rivers to the presence of the long haired young man who was currently dripping on her welcome mat.

“To what do I owe the honour of the young Mr. Roth at my door?” Miranda asked as Lorcán entered the office, “Your parents speak very highly of you.” She stated, smiling softly at the young man.

“I heard you have had quite the week and a miraculous recovery to boot. How are you feeling with all of that?”

Lorcán hesitated for a moment, the shadows in his brain shrouding his mind as he thought back through the last couple of weeks. His trip to the woods, his fight with Rory. The sabotaged trials, facing off against Raze and the haunting visage staring back at him every day.

He winced as the scream of the horrific creature echoed in his ears, the pain searing through his arm. His soul fighting to leave his body, the slow death of his every cell. He felt Amma inside him, wincing as the familiar tendrils traversed his body, darkly lined eyes staring back at him promoting Lorcán to close his eyes.

He tried to picture Aurora, her smile, her eyes but every time he did, a cold, shrill laugh reverberated through his skull and Aurora was dragged away before a swarm of moths and beetles gave way to the form of Amma.

A scream of agony filled his mind and suddenly Lorcán was a helpless child again, watching an older boy writhe about in utter despair while his flesh and muscles were melted away by the flames attempting to consume him. He winced again before swallowing the hard lump in his throat. Pushing the images aside, Lorcán finally opened his mouth, pausing once more before answering Miranda.

“I think,” His throat croaked, “I think, I like, came back wrong, Dr. Rivers,” Lorcán replied, “I keep seeing people that aren’t there and feeling things that aren’t right.”

“Shut the door, Lorcán, take a seat and let's talk,” Miranda stated, standing from her desk to pull a chair out for the young man.

“Who are you seeing and what makes you say they aren’t right?” She asked, taking a seat directly adjacent to Lorcán.

“I don’t want to see her, the guilt that comes with seeing her makes me want to throw up. I can't eat, and I can't sleep without feeling her inside me, just waiting for my mind to give in to her.”

“Lorcán, I want you to look at me and take a deep breath.” Miranda requested, her calming tone bringing some ease to Lorcán who did as he was instructed.

“If talking is too difficult, there is another way,” She suggested, Lorcán understood immediately what the telepath meant. He briefly contemplated it, moving to shake his head before hesitating. Words wouldn’t form in his mouth, his throat felt rigid and unable to move. His heart began to beat rapidly instead of his chest before Lorcán started forcing himself to take a deep breath. His right thumb moved to his thigh as he tried to slap a beat against it to calm him.

Miranda immediately recognized the coping method; she had seen it in the boy in previous sessions, though they hadn’t had an official session since before his sixteenth birthday. Still, the familiar ‘air-bass’ playing was a sure sign that Lorcán was suffering from anxiety.

“Lorcán,” Miranda asked softly, “May I help you?”

He managed to nod his consent as Miranda reached forth, feeling the turmoil of his mind. Digging through the memories, she brought forth one that elicited calm and Lorcán immediately heard Aurora’s voice again.

“Lorcán,”

A hand touched his shoulder bringing an overwhelming sense of peace over Lorcán before she suddenly recoiled at the temperature of his skin. He quickly turned to Aurora, grabbing her hand, Lorcán gave it a gentle squeeze before turning it over and inspecting for burns.

“Dude, I’m sorry, I just wanted to tell you everything-”

“Hey, hey, breathe, talk to me.”

“I keep trying but the words won’t come out,” Lorcán stated aloud as Miranda gently nodded.

“There you are, welcome back, Lorcán.” Miranda smiled, but her eyes didn’t smile with the rest of her face. While inside Lorcán’s mind, she felt the touch of not one.

But two.

Commencement: A Foundation Institute RP

In his time at Pacific Royal, Cassander Charon had been in more than his fair share of fights. Some of the faculty saw him as a troubled youth, while others saw a history of abuse leading to poor coping skills and an unhealthy need to leap before he looked.

Aiden had introduced Cass to boxing during his time at Pacific Royal and a couple rounds with the sandbag was exactly was Cass needed to work out some of his emotions after watching not only his sister and cousin, but also Aurora be put through the wringer this week.

Cassander had never really seen what Lorcán had saw in Aurora, at least not the way he had been so hung up on the girl for the last seven years. But having gotten to know her, to talk to her, Cassander finally got it. She had a great smile, a calming presence, her hair smelled amazing.

He struck the punching bag even harder, fighting back the thoughts. He was going to the dance with Harper. Harper was a lot of fun, she had held her own in snark to snark combat, but she seemed different after the trial. Or maybe it was Cass himself, trying to treat Harper like some kind of girlfriend instead of someone he was hoping to get to know to explore the possibility of romance.

Spacing his wrapped fingers, Cassander focused his abilities and created a small orb in each of the gaps before pulling his arm back and striking again. A shockwave erupted from the strike, staggering Cass backwards as a small alarm went off inside the gym.

“Charon!” The attendant roared, “No excessive power use, you’re out for the day. Hit the showers.”

“Don’t get your panties in a wad, I was done anyways,” Cass roared back, wiping the sweat from his brow before turning and heading for the locker room. He almost physically gagged upon walking in to find Chadwick Patterson and his goon squad polluting the air with bargain bin body spray while they bragged about their body count.

“You should have seen the way she batted her eyelashes at me, practically begging me to put her on her back right on the picnic table. Pretty sure I saw her lick her lips after eying me up.” Chad boasted while his lackeys cheered him on. Chad had quite the reputation that preceded him among the males at Pacific Royal. Affectionately known as the ‘Deflower’, Chad often sought out virginal, or even just innocent seeming woman in order to add another notch to his belt. He could appear sweet when he wanted to, but his trips to the woods to pick wildflowers were anything but.

“I still can’t believe you got Aurora Mitchell to say yes, I thought she was practically married to Roth’s snotty brat.”

“The only thing she’s married to is the idea of gagging on Chad’s dick from the sound of it.” Snickered another.

Suddenly a blinding flash filled the change room followed by the sound of a wet towel making contact with skin. The slap was followed by another, and another before eventually drowned by a chorus of yowling jocks.

“The hell, Charon?” Chad asked, rubbing his eyes before looking up to see Cass standing over him.

“I can’t stop you from asking Aurora out,” Cass sneered, “But I suggest you keep her damn name out of your mouth.” Cracking his knuckles, Cass motioned with his head towards the door. “Now if you ladies are done your jaw waggling, some of us mean to use the locker room for what it’s meant for. Hate to see you boys waste your time in here instead of not wiping down the gym equipment or failing to re-rack your weight.”

“You’re not worth it,” Chad muttered, “C’mon,” He ordered motioning for the four other water polo players to follow him.

Rage seethed off of Cassander as he quickly got changed and texting Lorcán. When a few minutes went by with no response, Cassander tried calling. The other device rang, and rang until eventually going to voicemail. Hanging up and trying again, Cass found himself sent directly to voicemail before he let out a heavy sigh and waited for the beep.

“Look cuz, you need to know that Aurora never left your side the entire time you were out. I get wanting some distance. Between the Trials and your experience in the forest, you’ve been rushed from one danger into the next without any time to process. You’re probably thinking to yourself right now that maybe a night off from Aurora, Amma and dying is exactly what you need.” Cassander said, rubbing the back of his head while he kept talking to Lorcán’s voicemail. With a sigh, Cassander hesitated before speaking again. He knew he couldn’t let Aurora go on the date with Chad, but he also knew the girl was stronger than she appeared and wouldn’t let the Deflower get what he was after. Still though, it was definitely worth at least warning Lorcán.

“But you need to know that Aurora has a date to the formal and you’re not going to like who it is. Hit me back when you can, I’m not saying this to your voicemail.”

^{________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}

_{Location: Recreational Center - Pacific Royal Collegiate & University, Dundas Island, Pacific Ocean}

Dance Monkey #4.014: Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time

^{_{____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}}

_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: New Perspective

The dorm was almost foreign to Lorcán after a week of the sterile air and white walls of the infirmary. The hastily decorated dorm was almost an eyesore in comparison. The air smelled of the cheap cologne Rory had been gifted by another girl a few years back and was too polite not to wear.

It has been an exhausting day and Lorcán was glad to not have to come up with any chit chat as he stumbled through their shared space and into his own bedroom. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he tried to unlock the screen only to find his own reflection still staring back at him.

The phone must have died at some point while he was visiting his mother. He had wanted to send a message to Aurora, but it would have to wait now as he placed the device on the charger, hoping it would reach sufficient charge quickly.

Lorcán wasn't sure if it was his injuries from the Trials or the circumstances of his recovery, but he still felt off. There simply was no better way to describe it than that. It was as though there was something inside of him. Shivers raced up and down his spine and sweat dotted his forehead, an unknown craving plagued the back of his mind haunting the young man.

And then as suddenly as it had started it was gone.

He quickly stripped, making no effort to put his clothes in the hamper before flopping on top of the bed completely nude. Slumber came quickly as Lorcán felt his pillows embrace his body. His mind drifted off, darkness taking elsewhere and Lorcán departed consciousness.

That's when his eyes shot open.

Someone was in his room.

A lithe silhouette wrapped in a lacy garment so translucent the moonlight passed through it leaned on his door frame before crackles and slivers of red and silver bidden themself to Lorcán. Encasing his legs and arms, he writhed momentarily, embracing the euphoria that accompanied next as his own abilities sought the tendrils that caressed and restrained his own limbs.

Moonlight danced upon the pale face, illuminating the raven-coloured hair and blue eyes that were like endless pools. Their unfathomable depths threatened to swallow Lorcán whole as pursed lips twisted from pout into a small smirk.

The tie at her waist came undone, the robe softly hitting the floor as her ink covered form glided across the room towards Lorcán. No secrets were left between the two as she pounced atop the young man. Warm breath against his skin, every part of him standing erect out of both fear and pleasure. He felt his hands wander while her teeth found his bottom lip. That taste of his own blood danced across Lorcán’s tongue before Amma’s own hungrily lapped it up, a feeling of pure pleasure dancing across Lorcán’s spine and limbs leaving his body rigid with pent up anticipation.

Amma’s mouth suddenly departed from Lorcán’s as she agilely repositioned herself. He felt her body suddenly straddle his own hips before letting out a surprised gasp as Amma’s nails dragged down his chest. Blood flowed from his scar, the freely flowing crimson billows staining her nails scarlet.

“I’ve already been in you,” She purred, “Now I want you in me.” It was an order, one Lorcán found himself obeying. And in that moment, what was once secret and fleeting became revealed and then fully known.

Lorcán expected to be quick, but instead what should have been moments lasted hours. The two moved as one and soon had left mutual marks across each other, handprints, bitemarks, scratches and burns until Lorcán collapsed back onto the mattress, practically melting into the scattered pillows and blankets.

There was hardly time for sleep however as the dawn’s first light roused Lorcán from his very temporary slumbed. His body was sore and anything but rested. Sweat covered him from head to toe leaving the young man feeling sticky and wet while his bed was spread across the room. His head was spinning, throbbing, while his throat felt dry and raw.

But he was alone.

Stumbling out of the room, he looked around, rubbing his tired eyes before softly calling out.

“Black Betty?” He asked, his call met with nothing but silence. “Amma?” Lorcán asked, this time slightly louder and with more urgency. Again nothing.

“Amma are you still here?”

In-text editor

I'm unsure if it solves anything, but Google Docs has a bbcode converter extension you can add. It's not perfect, but it saves me a ton of time.

It'll tackle almost all your basic formatting and text colouring for your everyday posts.

Ultimate One Universe: Emergence

^{________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}

_{Location: Undisclosed - Classified Information}

Shoot to Thrill #1.06: Peaches

^{_{____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}}

_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: Unbiased

“With this new suit, I’m thinking of a new callsign.”

“Oh?” Karoline replied, raising an eyebrow as she changed out of her civvies, reaching for her flight suit before she caught Jordan staring. With a sharp tilt of her head, she motioned for him to avert his eyes.

“Hey, you’re the one who wore floss in here, Peaches. I’m just enjoying the view.”

“Nothing you haven't seen before Major,” Karoline replied, “And I seem to recall it not being enough for you since you ended up in bed with my dorm mate. About the same time you lost the privilege of calling me ‘Peaches’.” She replied with a sardonic smile giving Jordan a long wink before slowly pulling the flight suit over her underwear. Her middle finger was notably erected and standing tall above the hand that zipped the garment closed.

“You were saying something about a call sign.”

“Yeah, maybe Green… Hornet?” Jordan workshopped, “Or the ‘Iron Lantern’ since the suit is kind of a beacon of hope for people. A light in the darkness.”

“I think you’ve been listening to Stark too much. The suits are cutting edge, not sure I love the political mission attached to it.” Karoline replied.

“You could be ‘Star Sapphire’ instead of Spitfire.” Jordan suggested with an eyebrow wiggle, “Make a new identity for yourself.”

“Really? Star Sapphire?” Karoline deadpanned, “You want me to name myself after the nudie bar you and your frat boys frequented? How charming, Jordan.” Standing, she padded him on the back before walking by, pausing as she saw Jordan raise a hand out of the corner of her eye.

“Keep it classy unless you want to lose that hand.”

Jordan flashed a smile before resuming his usual gum-smacking, blowing a small bubble before it popped between his teeth. His eyes watched as Karoline’s firm behind as it bounced in the flight suit while she walked away.

Standing, Jordan followed her out onto the tarmac, passing to adjust his sunglasses as he surveyed the scene before him.

"Highball!" A nasally voice shot from across the tarmac. "Want to explain why the hell one of our personal aviation suit is green?"

"It's called style, Mr. Hammer, something you'd know nothing about judging by the Hugo Boss spineless and yet somehow still in charge fit you're currently rocking." The pilot in the brown bomber jacket called back whilst obnoxiously smacking a was of white gum against his recently whitened teeth. A pair of black aviators sat firmly on the bridge of his nose beneath slicked-back hair.

"It's Armani actually, and my personal stylist picked it out. Doesn't explain why the armour is green." Justin Hammer replied. "You can't just paint the suit on a whim, we'll need to get our engineers to look it back over, and make sure the paint didn't compromise any of the calculations. I can't lose to Stark and disappoint Mr. Stane just because my suit jockey had to customize his ride like a teenager with his first Honda Civic."

"You worry too much, it's just a little flair. I can fly circles around Captain Rhodes." Highball replied, "Though, I'd kill for another test flight before tomorrow. The suit responds like a dream."

"Tony is a hell of an inventor." Justin reluctantly agreed, "He’s definitely something of an inspiration, but you never heard me say that."

"Why?" Highball asked, "Afraid it'll grow to his already inflated head,"

"It's easy to take potshots when you're not in the trenches isn't it, Jordan?" A third voice interjected as Hammer and Highball turned to find Captain James Rhodes standing behind them

"You can't be seriously defending that blowhard?" Highball retorted, taking his glasses off to look at Rhodes. "Tony Stark builds a great machine, but you can't tell me he actually cares about the 'Metahuman' scare. It's just a way to make a profit. I'm happy to collect a paycheque kicking your tail in the Blue Yonder, but you can't deny this is all a vanity project for the 'Iron Man'."

"You're entitled to your opinion, Major Jordan, but I believe in Tony Stark and I believe in Project War Machine. The American people deserve to feel safe and I intend to instill that sense of safety in them by proving the capabilities of this personal aviation suit. The American people won't have to look to the sky and hope for a 'Superman' to save them, they'll know who is coming and they'll have the confidence it being a homegrown, American-built solution." Rhodes responded, taking a couple of steps forward before clapping Highball on the shoulder.

"Plus, I'll be taking it all in this competition."

“Whoo-hoo,” Jordan celebrated, clapping Rhodes across the back before he pumped his fists excitedly.

“Let’s freakin’ go!”

“Ah what the hell,” Hammer interjected, “Suit up, gentlemen, Project War Machine begins today.”

Commencement: A Foundation Institute RP

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_{Location: Roth Homestead - Alumni Village, Dundas Island, Pacific Ocean}

Dance Monkey #4.012: New Perspective

^{_{____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}}

_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: Don't Let The Light Go Out

“Aurora?” Lorcán called while entering his parents’ house. “Lady Dude, are you here?”

“I’m afraid you missed her, hun,” Tori called from the kitchen, “I also didn’t think you were supposed to be out and about just yet. The doctor didn’t call to tell us they had cleared you.”

Lorcán flashed a sheepish smile to his mother before placing the bouquet down on the counter and taking a seat on the nearby barstool.

“Probably because they weren’t choka with me leaving, I kind of like checked myself out.”

“I see,” Tori replied matter of factly before continuing to ice the dessert she was working on, “And exactly what made you think you were a more qualified medical professional than those the school chooses to employ.”

“See, Cass and Rippers got into my head that I-”

“Should find Aurora and apologize for whatever you did that made her accept a date from someone else to the Senior Dance?” Tori interrupted, “Don’t worry mon petit prince, she didn’t tell me everything but we don’t all have to be Miranda to pick up on what’s troubling a person. Though telepathy might go a long way for you and your father.”

“At this point, I’d be real keen for it,” Lorcán replied, “Why is it so hard to just say what you mean?”

“Are you asking for yourself, or are you asking for Aurora?”

“I don’t know, Mom,” Lorcán sighed, his eyes darting to the bowl of icing before fishing a finger into the rich buttercream and sticking it in his mouth.

“Rejection is a scary thing, and it hurts,” Tori’s brow furled slightly, “It hurts in the moment, but like all wounds it heals, and it won’t kill you.”

Lorcán reached for the icing again only for Tori to swat his hand away before smiling slightly.

“No.” She said firmly before her face softened, “See, that didn’t kill you, did it?”

“That’s not the same,” Lorcán protested.

“No, I imagine the icing is easier to let go, you didn’t cook up a relationship with it in your head for the past several years.”

“I can’t all be in my head,” Lorcán retorted.

“And you won’t know that unless you risk asking her,” Tori said while patting the hand she had swatted. “She could say she feels the same, she might say she’s just a friend. But it’s not the end, you get up and you keep running up that hill.”

“Like ask again?”

“No,” She shook her head, “Respect someone’s answer, what I mean is that you keep going through life, and eventually you’re going to look around and find there’s someone beside you who has been running that same hill with you.” She smiled, “And then you’ll run together.”

Lorcán nodded along to his mother’s words, thinking them through before asking another question.

“But how can you say we haven’t been running life together?”

“I didn’t say anything one way or another,” Tori answered with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, “That sounds like something you would both need to discuss, petit prince.”

Lorcán let out another heavy sigh before looking at the sad excuse for a bouquet he had laid on the counter beside him.

“Probably a good thing I didn’t find her with those,” He chuckled, “Ripley said she was here to get a dress for her date?”

“She was,” Tori replied matter-of-factly.

“So I should probably go to the dance too then,”

“If that’s what you’d like to do,” Tori replied putting the finishing touches on her cake, “Anyone you’re thinking of asking?”

“No,” Lorcán replied honestly, “I think I’ll go stag, maybe I’ll ask ‘Rora to save me a dance.”

“Well if you’re going to the dance,” Tori smiled, “Then you’re going to need a suit. I think your father has a nice blue tie that should pair up perfectly.”

Ultimate One Universe: Emergence

<Snipped quote by Lord Wraith>

Okay, for that Frank would probably look the other way.

@Simple Unicycle

Excellent.

Ultimate One Universe: Emergence

<Snipped quote by Sep>

He'd do it for free.

@Simple Unicycle

Hey, we have no quarrel. Us normal people need to stick together.

How do you feel about a heavily armed and armoured suit?