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Creative Writing

The Conceptual Deck (OC insert in the MCU)

Thread starterMetaBettaOmegaLetta

Start dateDec 20, 2021

Tagsmarvel cinematic universe

The Conceptual Deck (OC insert in the MCU) RSS

Last edited Dec 20, 2021

Created atDec 20, 2021Index progressOngoingWatchers1,752Recent readers891Threadmarks84

The story of a Marvel Comics fan getting stranded in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Too bad the movies don't exist where he is from. Thankfully, whoever sent him there decided he needed a little help. (Based on the powers from Pick a Card and See No Evil)

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MetaBettaOmegaLetta

Dec 20, 2021

Hello! Welcome to my first attempt at fan-fiction! My tentative schedule is a chapter every Monday and Friday. I hope you enjoy my story and be sure to check out Pick a Card and See No Evil, the fictions that inspired the my main characters powerset!

It took me almost thirty minutes to realize something really drastic had happened.

I mean I immediately knew something had gone wrong. You don't just wake up in a damp, dirty alley with no memory of how or why you were there and assume all is well. But after a check to make sure my pockets were still full of the usuals and that I was unharmed, my panic went from "where are my kidneys?" to "what the hell did I drink?" pretty quickly. With a stretch and a groan I left my unfortunate temporary bed and stepped into the spring air of New York. My panic faded even further when I realized I knew where I was, at least vaguely. I knew the Bronx pretty well, considering I lived in it, though it had been a while since I had taken advantage of it's fine complementary sleeping quarters.

Looking up and down the street I decided to go left, half looking for a taxi, half looking for someplace to grab a coffee, all while wracking my brain for what had led to waking up in an alley. I certainly didn't feel hungover enough, hell I didn't even drink heavily any more. But if I hadn't been robbed, or drunk then what the hell had happened? Eventually I gave up walking and sat down on a bench, pulling my phone out and swiping it on. A quick check told me it was almost noon, and I had a singular message.

"Nice to know someone… cares…"

I mumbled to myself, trailing off when I realized it was from a number my phone didn't recognize.

Congratulations! You have been

chosen to participate in a new

reality exchange program!

I read and re-read the message a few times before I received a new one.

Check on the bench next to you.

I quickly looked around, checking to see who had sent that message, looking suspiciously at the building in front of me before looking back at the bench. Sure enough, laying on the metal next to me was a folded up newspaper. Slowly I picked it up, eyes drifting over the articles until I unfolded it, reading the headline. My jaw dropped at the newspaper quality picture, an image of Iron Man as he flew in front of a building. I could just make out several things flying behind him. My eyes flew down the article absorbing it as fast as I could. Any hope that they were discussing anything but an actual event was dashed pretty quickly. The article talked about an attack on during the Stark Expo, an investigation being started, as well as the arrest of Justin Hammer. When I finished the article I quickly brought up my phone, my fingers tapping out a message as fast as I could.

Who are yiou? What teh fuck

is going on?

I typed, my fingers shaking a bit as a new panic rose up in my chest. I knew those names, they were comic book characters! Not people you could quote in a legitimate article, especially in the New York fucking Times!

You won the lottery my friend! You

should be excited! Also, you should

check the date.

I shot to my feet, eyes flying across the paper before landing on the publication date. May 2010! I furiously typed into my phone, demanding an explanation.

What the fucck is going on!

Why is this paper dated

five years ago?!

I looked wildly around me, looking for someone with a camera, someone pointing and laughing, anything. I was desperately holding onto the idea that this was just one giant, terrible prank. I kept walking even as my phone dinged again, reading as I walked.

You loved the Marvel Comics

stories so much, it was really a

no-brainer where we would

send you! Now you get to

experience this reality for

yourself!

I read the message as I moved, my pace getting faster as I turned the corner, leaving the empty street. I heard more messages dinging in, but I ignored them, instead making a beeline to the nearest person.

"Excuse me!" I asked, the grey haired man stopping to look at me. "Would you happen to have heard about this?"

I showed the man, who was now eyeing me nervously, the paper with the headline still up. He looked down, taking the paper and adjusting his glasses.

"Guess you missed that? Explosions woke me up last night, all the way from Queens!" He said, handing the paper back to me as he continued to walk past. "Almost called in sick"

I turned to the next person, this one walking away from me. When I reached him I tapped him on the shoulder. He turned and pushed my hand away.

"What the hell do you want?" He asked, taking a step back.

"Did you hear about the Stark Expo?" I asked in a rush, making the man take another step back.

"Of course I fucking did. It's all over the news and radio, now fuck off."

The man walked away at a bit of a faster pace, checking over his shoulder to make sure I wasn't following him. I barely noticed, having already stepped back and sat on an apartment doorstep, my legs almost giving out before I could. My phone gave another ding, so I pulled it out and quickly read the five new messages.

But don't worry, we recognize

that the reality you are now in isn't

quite like your old one.

So we transferred your financials

and belongings to this one! We

even bought your apartment so

you could live in the same place.

We attempted to place you there

but trans reality teleportation has

a rather wide margin of error.

Oh! Your job doesn't exist in this

reality! To compensate for this you

no longer need to pay rent!

We also understand that to truly

enjoy this reality you need to be

able to participate in its

adventures!

As such we have granted you a

single boon! An artifact that is both

flexible and powerful!

Head to your apartment to find

your boon!

I spent the next ten minutes trying to text the number, asking what was going on, trying desperately to get a response. Eventually, when none came, I gave up. After a moment of thought I stood, legs feeling a bit weak but not as shaky as before. They said that my apartment would be here, and that something would be waiting for me. Taking a deep breath, I waved my hand out, calling a passing taxi.

When I finally got to my apartment I nervously looked around. It was built the same way, had the same front entrance, but was somehow painted a different color. If fifteen minutes of listening to the cabbie talk about how backed up Queens was with police, ambulance and fire trucks didn't convince me I wasn't in Kansas any more, then standing in front of a building that was a faded grey yesterday, but a faded blue today sure did. I shook my head and pushed on. I could panic in my apartment. I hurried up the steps, stopping by the door to check the names next to the doorbells. Sure enough, Carson Walsh, my name was next to its usual button. I found my key and let myself in, rushing up the stairs to my floor.

When I finally slammed the door of my tiny run down apartment, I immediately locked it behind me, clicking and dead bolting the two extra locks as well. I turned around and leaned my back against the door, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. For a moment I focused on my breathing, before leaning forward and pulling off my jacket, hanging it on the back of the door. I walked further into my apartment, my head on a swivel as I looked for any inconsistencies, finding none. It was a perfect copy of my apartment, down to every stain. But it was in a building that was the wrong color, in a reality that I had read about in comics and watched on a tv screen.

Four steps into the apartment and I was standing in my living room. A craigslist couch, a pawn shop TV that was out of date and an Ikea coffee table, on which was a brown paper wrapped box, held together with twine. Slowly I moved to the couch, sitting in the middle directly in front of the said box.

"If this is a bomb, please let it be a big one. I don't want to be half exploded"

I mumbled darkly to myself as I reached out and undid the twine, pulling it off from around the box. Next went the brown paper wrapping, revealing a simple yet well made wooden box, accented with copper capped. In the center was some sort of green crystal, about the size of a large egg cut into an octagon. Pushing away the pile of paper I unlatched the lid of the box, opening it to find a cloth covered interior, and a perfectly stacked deck of cards nestled in the center. The cards were facing down, showing off the pattern on the back. A single eight pointed star that shined gold adorned the center, with a border line of the same set in about a quarter of an inch from the edge. The card itself was a marbled emerald green. Before I could reach out and touch it my phone dinged again, the first response after a long list of pleading messages.

Congratulations! You are now the

proud soul bound owner of The

Conceptual Deck! With a little

creativity and these fifty-two cards

there is nothing you can't do!

Please pick up the deck!

"I can't believe I'm doing this" I mumble to myself, picking up the deck and holding it in my left hand, putting my phone down next to the box.

Great! Now put your other hand on

the box and pull with your mind!

"Pull with my what?"

I asked myself, shaking my head. None-the-less I reach out and put my hand on the box, focusing on the feeling of the box against my finger tips. With bracing wince… the box was gone.

"Oh sweet Christ, what the fuck."

I studied the space where the box had been, pulling back my hand and looking at my fingertips. Out of the corner of my eye I notice the top card of the deck. Once just gold and green, it now had a dash of red. In the center of the eight pointed star was a deep red circle. Slowly I drew that card, and gasped softly. I could sense what the card contained. Turning it around I could now see what I already knew. Bordered in more gold leaf was a perfect image of the box with a white background. In the bottom right corner was the letter A, the grade of the card, slightly embossed and stamped in solid green. I could feel the box was high quality, worth a lot, and steeped in energy. I could feel how big it was, what it was made of, and how much it weighed. I stared at the card for a few minutes, mentally examining the strange but clear feelings I was getting from it.

"If it went with a pull, then with a push…"

I trailed off as in a moment the box had returned, exactly the same as it had been a moment before. The card had vanished with it, sparking a moment of panic as I looked back to the deck, frantically counting it, reaching fifty two with a frown. Again I reached out to the box, repeating my first action but focusing on the card staying in my hand. Surprisingly, the card appeared in my hand, rather than on the top of the deck. I counted the cards again, leaving out the new card, this time counting fifty one grey faced cards.

I quickly devolved into experimentation, muttering, and randomly disappearing and reappearing anything in reach. The couch disappeared without a struggle, reappearing backwards, then right way around with a thought. My bike vanished with a cackle because that meant no more lugging it up and down the stairs. The coasters stacked into one card, and I could add to that stack by touching the card to the last coaster and pulling. I vanished the remote, making it reappear in the air when I threw a card at the ceiling. I couldn't disappear anything with a throw, though I could make a card fly back to my hand from the other side of the room with a mental command. So far the cards had always remained at fifty two, and the cards I wanted to draw were always on top, even if I shuffled them together.

Two hours later I leaned back on the couch, watching the news on mute, absentmindedly disappearing and reappearing the remote. Images of the Stark Expo, of the man himself and of the attack flashed on the screen as I continued to wrestled with everything that had just been dumped into my lap. The fact that I was in a different reality wasn't all that big of a deal. I didn't leave any family behind, and I had been in between good friends. There was a reason I didn't drink heavily any more but my first assumption this morning had been that I drank too much. No, the problem wasn't what I had left behind, it was what, and who, I was sharing this reality with. I was stuck, deposited into this world, a world with heroes, villains, Hydra, aliens, sorcery, magic, gods, celestial beings and who knows what the fuck else.

Everything I knew about this reality came from comic books, wiki articles and cartoon shows. And what I knew was terrifying. While the deck was certainly impressive, and I could already think of several ideas that I could leverage to my advantage, how the hell could they compete with the power of Mephisto? Magneto? Hell, I don't think I could even go toe to toe with any of the dozens of cheesy villains that existed in the older comics! Before I could sink into the all-new panic that was rising in my chest my phone dinged again.

Hint: Try combining the gem from

the top of the box with something.

Be Creative!.

"Combine?" I asked the empty room.

With a furrowed brow I pushed the box back out onto the table before studying the gem, embedded in the top. Assuming they meant the gem separate from the box I fiddled and tugged at the green crystal. It slid free surprisingly easily, revealing a pointed eight sided pyramid cut underneath.

"Okay…"

I looked over the room, wondering what they had meant by combine, and wondering what I could combine it with. My hand played with the cool gem while my eyes settled on the end table next to the it was a statue I had gotten as a gift, a small ghost from Destiny, a game that probably didn't… wouldn't exist in this reality. It was mostly white, with orange accents and an angular body that looked vaguely like a folded origami fortune teller. I lifted it up from its base and pulled it into a card. It was an B rank.

"Damn, better quality than I thought." I mumbled to myself as I spun the card in my hands.

I pulled the gem into a card next, my eyes going wide when I saw a golden S in the corner. Shaking my head, I began to wonder how I would go about combining them and if I even should. The statue had been a gift, but judging by the rank I was pretty sure that the gem was an actual massive emerald.

Steeling myself I eventually I settled on tapping the gem card against the statue card, using the same pushing I would have used to take it out of the card. The gem card vanished as the bag card glowed. It pulsed once in a pale green light, just bright enough to cast a shadow of my hand against the table. My eyes grew wide, suddenly aware how much the statue had changed. Everything I could feel from the card was different. It felt active… almost alive. I push it out of the card and onto the table, not exactly sure to expect. The ghost had changed color, mostly shifting to a dark green with the edges lined with gold, very reminiscent of the deck itself. The eye in the middle was marked with a small blue glowing eight pointed star. Much more impressive than the color change was the fact that it was floating in front of me, slowly bobbing around.

"Uh… hello?"

"Greetings!" The little metal robot replied, its voice faintly feminine, before falling silent.

"Uhh… what… are you."

"My apologies, I was running a scan of the room. My name is Emerald, but you can call me Ema."

It took me a moment to restart my brain, eventually nodding with wide eyes before responding with a cough. The small ghost flew in a circle before returning to hover in front of me, leaving slight green glow streak behind her

"Alright… Its nice to meet you Ema. Are you an actual ghost or…?"

"Do you mean can I make you a guardian?" The floating construct asked, before shaking side to side. "Unfortunately that isn't possible. I only look like a ghost. But I'm sure I'll be able to help you somehow!"

"Of course, what else can you do? Are you like an AI or something?"

"Not exactly. I am an artificial construct, but I dont have the pure computational hacking abilities that a real ghost would. I do have detailed scanning equipment, and my ability to interface with technology is superior to a normal human. I am simply bound to what a human could do at that interface."

"Oh, gotcha. So more Oracle than Cortana?" I asked, watching the little robot slowly move around the room, thinking about what it had said.

"If I understand the first reference correctly, then my ability to hack and scan through data is more grounded in reality than the comic book character Barbara Gordon, but essentially yes."

"Well the fact that you understand my references is a priceless power worth more than anything in the world." I assured her with a chuckle. "Beyond that, being a realistic Oracle is still incredibly useful. The emerald I used to make you was an S rank, but that still seems pretty overp-"

Before I could continue my phone dinged, drawing my attention down to it. I put my new bag of holding down, picking my phone up and turning it on with a flick.

Congratulations! You have figured

out the primary use of The

Conceptual Deck. By mixing and

matching, it's possible to create all

sorts of powerful objects!

But be warned! You new friend was

an exception! Creating and finding

unique objects with such potent

powers is rare! With creativity and

ingenuity there are no limits, but

they won't come cheap or easy!

Good luck, and have fun!

Oh! One final bit of advice. If you

ever want to destroy an item you

make, simply tear the card in half!

It will destroy the contents, but the

card will return to your deck!

"Well alright. I need a drink."

Last edited: Jan 1, 2022

471

MetaBettaOmegaLetta

Dec 20, 2021

Reader mode

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GamingandReadingLong

Browses and Replys with Haste.

Grl

Dec 21, 2021

I love the powerset. I can't wait to see what shenanigans he'll get up to.

Evanescalon

Dec 22, 2021

Finally, another Card Power story.

And this one in the MCU, call me excited.

MrAndorxor

Dec 22, 2021

If you ever near the dark hold, put it into a card and then rip it. I want to see what happens with an indestructible object.

TikkyMikk

Dec 22, 2021

I mean I just don't see this working. Your just not God Vergil.

MrAndorxor

Dec 22, 2021

Entity Mags is better than God Vergil, who else would ramp up to a draw with an endbringer that fast.

Threadmarks Chapter 2 - Learning curve

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MetaBettaOmegaLetta

Dec 24, 2021

Two beers and a long brainstorming session with Ema later, I looked down at the several pages of notes I had written down. The first page was filled with crossed out and circled names and topics. As far as the internet was concerned, Magneto and mutants didn't exist. Doctor Strange did, but he currently worked at Metro-General Hospital. Iron Man had been around for a bit, but the only mention of Peter Parker was a science fair award from a year ago. Captain America was only mentioned in past tense, which I sincerely hoped was something that would change. No modern mentions of Thor or a Doctor Donald Blake. I was tempted to look up Hydra while pretending to be doing a history project, but Ema convinced me that it wasn't worth the risk, at least not yet. We also agreed not to look up Black Widow or Hawkeye. Shield existed, and has existed for a while, though I refrained from looking up any names that I could remember. When Ema finally shut down her connection to my laptop and I put down my phone, I was thoroughly confused. This reality I had been dropped into was a complete mishmash of stories. Which meant any knowledge I had about Marvel was an unreliable guide at best, misleading and wrong at worst.

"Perhaps this is simply a reality that is more realistic." Ema suggested after we were done. "Where outliers are based on genetics and technology?"

"It's possible. But it feels more like we are still in the origin story." I respond, rubbing my face. "I think this entire world is sitting on the precipice of weirdness."

After we finished going through my short list of research topics, and after promising myself to write down anything else I came up with, I started running through some simple experiments with my cards. I quickly realized that combining things was hit or miss and extremely difficult to predict. Combining two similar things together would sometimes create an object of better quality, sometimes supernaturally so.

On the other side, mashing two different things together led to some weird, and mostly useless creations. I had managed to create a roll of paper towels that felt smooth as toilet paper, mostly because that was what I combined it with. The torn off squares were still absorbent and tough like paper towels though. Even stranger was that storing a container with objects inside was safe even if you combined an item with it as only the container was affected.

We also found out that I could pull Ema back into a card, but not the cactus I had gotten from an old neighbor.

"I am an artificial construct after all, it is to be expected." she said dismissively when she popped back out.

"It just means you're a different form of life as far as I'm concerned, Ema." I assured her. "Humans are constructed too, we just take longer. Besides, it means that if we really need to, I can combine you with something to improve your chassis."

Her card was also named, The Emerald Construct was embossed in gold on the bottom of the card where the rank would have been.

After a while I forced myself to stop experimenting and leaned back on the couch. While I was sorely tempted to continue, I began to realize that I simply didn't have enough junk to mess around with. While I had enough money to survive, things had always been tight enough that what I did have was stuff I needed. I couldn't just combine my laptop with my notebook for shits and giggles, at least not until I could afford a replacement.

"I need more resources. Mostly money." I said, chewing on the end of a pen cap. "I need to be able to hold my own if I want to control my future."

I knew I couldn't just knock on Shield's door, ask for a cup of sugar, some resources to play around with, and oh hey by the way have you heard anything about Hydra recently? I would be dead, brainwashed, or chained to a workbench by the end of the day.

"I need to build myself up, then I can help without being disappeared or brushed off."

"I can understand that logic, but why not seek some sort of sponsor." Ema asked, reading over my shoulder as I took notes. "There should be plenty of wealthy individuals who would be willing to invest in someone like you, especially if you are willing to share some luxuries with them."

"That just circles around to Hydra again, or any of the other secret societies that could be around." I explained. "Not to mention if I find someone who would be willing to help then I would be putting them in danger."

All of this left me with three real choices as far as I could see. The safest thing for me to do was to use my cards and loot every Walmart, Target and Best Buy in New York. But I didn't want to do that. Not because I cared about any of those stores' bottom line, but if I did that I just knew someone was going to lose a job, or worse, get held responsible for all of the missing junk. Plus that kind of stuff always comes back to bite people in the ass, especially in a comic book universe. Not to mention it would be hard to explain to Captain America if they ever found him.

"Jesus, my new moral guide is Captain fucking America. I'm so screwed."

"Judging from the information on him from this reality he wouldn't have liked you swearing." Ema teased.

"Yeah well I'll give up swearing if he comes back. God, I hope he comes back."

Alternatively, I could go to Tony Stark. I'm pretty sure he would happily fund my projects, if nothing else than to study the process and maybe make some requests. Better yet he could take care of himself and probably wouldn't just brush off my worries about Hydra or secret societies. Though there was a chance he belonged to one.

"It's unlikely the group called Illuminati exist in this reality." Ema assured me when I voiced that particular concern. "I can't find any records of over half of the group, and Doctor Strange isn't a sorcerer."

"Yet." I corrected. "He isn't a sorcerer yet."

Even if that was true, there were quite a few different flavors of Tony Stark in Marvel. In some comics he was a paranoid alcoholic, in some he was a control freak and in some he was both. I didn't want to end up depending on a version that turned out to be an asshole. The next option was a lot less safe than the first two. I could use all my meager savings and get some supplies legally, then pour it all into a single project while holding off on any experimenting. I could build myself a suit, something that would protect me and let me sneak around. Then I could use that to steal from gangs, future villains, anyone who could use a little humbling.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Ema asked, still looking over my shoulder. "A lot could go wrong."

"A lot could go wrong with most of my choices. At least this way I'll maintain my independence and be able to build up resources before anything big happens."

"And you're sure you can make armor and a stealth suit?"

"Judging from our experiments, I should be able to. How well it works is another question entirely."

"If it doesn't work well enough what will you do?"

"I have no idea. But Ema, choices are limited. If it blows up in my face I will go to Stark and ask for help. I'm desperate not suicidal."

Eventually I managed to convince her that it was our only option and began planning out how I was going to make both the armor and a stealth suit. Eventually , when everything was planned out, tossed the notepad into a card and put the deck in my pocket. I headed into the kitchen, having finally admitted I was too hungry to experiment more.

"Hmm… Chinese leftovers or a reheatable pizza?" I asked myself as I opened the refrigerator door.

"The chinese food would go bad first, so you should probably eat that while it's still edible"

"Fair point. Leftovers it is."

I pulled a box of noodles out and grabbed a pan from a hook above the sink, dumping the box's contents into it and clicking on my small stove. As the heating coil slowly started to warm, I stepped back to wait and watch. Eventually the oil in the food started to spit as it heated up, a rather interesting thought popped into my head. I reached out and put the whole pot into a card, examining it with my new sixth sense as well as my eyes. It was graded a C, but what I was really interested in was the fact that I could feel that it was a hot pan of reheated Chinese food. A hot pan. With a mental push the pan returned to the stove before I quickly dumped the noodles onto a plate. I rushed through eating them, shoveling the noodles into my mouth before putting the empty plate into the sink.

"What's the rush, your lucky you didn't choke"

"When I had the pan in a card I could sense that it was still hot!" I explained, rummaging through the draws. "Cmon, I know I have a lighter here somewhere…"

"You're going to try and card the flame itself?"

"Exactly!"

I carried the lighter into the living room, plopping back down onto the couch, pushing my notepad out onto the coffee table before pulling the lighter into a card. It was a F rank, which wasn't surprising considering it was one of those cheap two dollar types. I pushed it back out into my hand before flicking it, holding the lever down. I reached out with a finger and took a breath, guiding it into the flame and pulling before it could burn me. The flame vanished, a card now held between my fingers. It was F rank, the image of a tiny flame, the same size it had been on the tip of the lighter. I could feel that's exactly what it was as well, the smallest amount of fire, of heat, trapped in the card, that it would flicker out the moment I pushed it out.

"That was rather interesting. My sensors show that both the fire and the heat were completely absorbed."

"I know, I can feel it in the card. It's tiny but it's definitely the flame."

Already knowing what would happen, I held the card out and pushed it with my mind. The card vanished, and for a moment a tiny flicker of a flame sat in the air before immediately disappearing.

"I wonder what happens when I combine them?"

I flicked the lighter on again, once again stealing the fire. This time however, I repeated the process. I immediately combined the two little fire cards. The resulting card was basically the same. It was the same grade, not quite twice as big as the first, but it was bigger by a noticeable degree. It was still fleeting and unimpressive however, disappearing immediately when I pushed it out of the card.

Quickly I started capturing little flames. Over and over I flicked the lighter until I had a full hand of twenty little flame cards. I started combining them together, pushing each flame into another to make ten doubles, then five quadruples, then two octuples and a single quadruple. With a frown I started again until I had four octuples. I combined those together, before finally combining the last two into one card. Instantly I could feel this card was different. It was still just as temporary, a split second ball of heat that would be about the size of my head. But its grade had gone up to a D, and I could feel that it better encapsulated the concept of fire. It was more than a flicker of flame.

"I hope you're not planning on releasing that here."

I looked at Ema with a raised eyebrow before starting the process over again with renewed vigor until I had two D rank cards. Unsure of what to expect, I combine them together, only to be disappointed. The card felt more, it was definitely a bigger fireball, but that was essentially it. It didn't go up in rank or feel like it better represented the concept of fire.

"What's wrong?"

"I expected it to be…I don't know, more I guess?" I explained, struggling to find words. "It's hard to describe because I'm sensing things from the card that don't fit common vernacular. But I'm close, I can feel it. "

Chewing my lip, my eyes furrowed, I stared at the card before glancing at the lighter. With a pull I held rank F card, noticing that I could sense it was much lower on fuel. With shrug started to put it against the fire card, before stopping and pulling back. In my experiments it was clear that combining a higher ranked card with a lower ranked card would drop the quality of the item. Combining a F ranked lighter with a D ranked flame seemed like a good way to get no-where. I needed a better lighter.

"Stay here Ema, I need to go to the store." I said, standing and returning my card to the deck. "Feel free to watch tv or use my laptop."

I was up and out the door before I could even think about putting this off until tomorrow, barely hearing Ema's response of confirmation. I could feel how close I was, and I knew there was no way I could rest without figuring out how far I could take this. I made it to the nearby corner store in record time, walking in and waving to the clerk. The store looked a bit different from what I remember, sparking a moment of pause. I hadn't even thought about it on the way here, but this was a different reality. I was lucky this store was still here at all. I needed to remember that, or I would be caught flat footed not knowing something I definitely should.

My thoughts were drawn away to the outside world, finally finding what I was looking for. Picking up a butane torch and two extra containers of butane, I headed to the cashier, putting them down on the counter. I looked behind the teenage clerk, spotting a few zippo lighters.

"Hey, grab me one of those zippos too, maybe the brass one. And a container of fuel."

The clerk nodded, taking the cash I passed him without comment. After a quick count, he passed me the change and a bag with my purchases.

"Have a nice night."

He called after me, getting a wave in return as I headed out the door. I rushed back to my apartment. By the time I got back the sun was setting and I could see my breath. I rushed back up into my apartment, the three flights of stairs catching up with me once I shut the door behind me.

"Ema, remind me that I need to work on my cardio. Like really badly." I huffed out, eyes closed.

"Noted. Was your shopping trip successful?"

When I had recovered enough to push off my once again triple locked door, I pulled off my jacket and made my way back to the couch, dropping my bag on the cheap table. Ema flew down closer to the bag, scanning it before turning to face me as I sat.

"Is it smart to be experimenting with fire inside of the apartment?" She asked, her parts spinning, almost fluttering in a way I was beginning to identify as nervousness.

"I have a fire extinguisher. Two actually. Brought one with me and the previous tenant left one behind."

I assured her as I began to open my purchases, immediately putting each one into a card as I did. Everything was D ranked, with the torch already full of fuel. I popped out the butane torch and clicked it on. It lit like a mini rocket, blue flame extending an inch and a half from the nozzle. With a grimace I reach with my finger, pushing it in and pulling. I could feel my finger singe a bit, not enough to really hurt but enough to sting.

"Careful!" Ema said, hovering directly over my shoulder, almost resting on it.

The card was a F rank, but already I could tell it was much, much more than the tiny flame the lighter had given. As quickly as I could I grabbed seven more cards before combining them all together. The finished product was a D rank, about the same size as the conglomerate I had made from the lighter, but way more intense and directed. I could feel that it was a jet of flame almost a foot long, much hotter than the original torch could make. Quickly I made another, combining the results with the original. Then, after confirming it hadn't jumped in grade, put it back into the deck.

"Still not a C rank. And the last combination did much less than the first."

"Diminishing returns?"

"Seems like it. Wonder if everything works like that, if it's just fire, or if it's because the source I'm getting it from is easy to get. Would fire from a house fire work better? From a candle…?"

I frowned, my ramblings trailing off, still not understanding what I was missing. It was also possible that the scale for jumping from D to C was much larger than F to D. With a shrug I put the free torch into a card, flicking it away and pushing out the zippo. Quickly I filled it with fluid, cleaning it with a handy toilet paper textured paper towel. When I was done I pulled the trash into a card and with a wince, tore it in half. The card disappeared instantly, and in a slight rush I counted my deck.

" Fifty-Two. Guess tearing them up is fine."

"The message did say it would work." Ema pointed out, leaving my shoulder to float near my laptop.

Shaking my head and smiling at my new discovery, I once again pulled the brass zippo and the butane torch into cards, combining them confidently and pushing the result into my hand. The results were… less than stellar. The shape was almost the same as the original torch, but now made of burnished brass. The nozzle had a spring loaded cap just like a zippo, and while the jet of flame was exactly like the original, it required you to spin a striker with your thumb while holding the butane on with the trigger.

"That looks… different?" Ema offered, spinning around the lighter, scanning it. "I can't say how it works, the striker is at the wrong end…?

With a click of my tongue I pulled the torch back into a card, noting that it was still D rank before flicking the card to the table where it popped out the torch and disappeared. Deciding that I may as well go all in I combined one of the extra butane charge with the bottle of fluid for the zippo. The result was still D rank, had both the compressed quality of the butane but mixed with the oiliness of the fluid. With a shrug I rapidly combined it and the last spare butane with the new mixed torch.

"What are you doing?" Ema asked, watching me rapidly mix cards together.

"Randomly stuffing it all together because I'm frustrated." I admitted shamelessly before slamming everything i had created into the brass torch. "Hey! Check it out!"

I held up the final result, a C rank card. I flicked it and pushed the new brass torch out, holding it in my hand. It looked basically the same, but having felt it in the card I knew it was drastically different. I pointed it out towards the kitchen, down the doorway and clicked it on. A jet of flame two feet long fired from its nozzle, roaring like a rocket. The flame was entirely blue, and I could already feel the heat from it. I quickly released the trigger, wincing sheepishly at Ema.

"Really?"

"What? I knew it was fine."

"Right. Maybe it's time to stop experimenting for today."

"Yeah. there isn't much else I can do anyway." I admitted, pulling the lighter into a card, flicking it back into the deck. "Let's just relax. Plenty to do tomorrow."

Last edited: Dec 24, 2021

404

MetaBettaOmegaLetta

Dec 24, 2021

Reader mode

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TikkyMikk

Dec 24, 2021

If he's using Captain as a Basis then your definitely not getting Anywhere you need to be ruthless to evolve in Marvel.

Y Ddraig Goch

Dec 24, 2021

He could always take stuff from the trash

JohnSmith13

Dec 24, 2021

#10

TikkyMikk said:

If he's using Captain as a Basis then your definitely not getting Anywhere you need to be ruthless to evolve in Marvel.

I dunno, depending on how you interpret MCU Cap, it might be enough.

Manticore

Dec 24, 2021

#11

Alternatively he could loot aftermath of the various battles

RazeByFire

Dec 24, 2021

#12

I'm glad to see the card mechanics from 'Pick a Card' are inspiring someone else. I toyed with using them for something but I can't wait to see where you take this.

I also like that the MC is a Marvel fan without knowledge of the MCU. His knowledge will keep him from being entirely clueless but sometimes things can jump up and smack him in the face. This should be interesting.

TatsuZZmage

Dec 24, 2021

#13

So is this a power that can take junk semi-fashioned to look like something and combine it to a finished working product? cause if so team fortress turrets could be a good idea or portal turrets/gun

Kiki

Dec 24, 2021

#14

I have a complaint with instantly believing that you are in MCU from reading what could have been a fake newspaper

You really should think it was a joke unless you find evidence like Stark phones and Captain America in history books

TikkyMikk said:

If he's using Captain as a Basis then your definitely not getting Anywhere you need to be ruthless to evolve in Marvel.

He was probably thinking that he wanted to go Supervillian route for easy power but doing so would mean that Captain America wouldn't want him in the Avengers

So moral dilemma: greater powers or easier time joining the cool kids club?

Last edited: Dec 25, 2021

Aconitum

Dec 25, 2021

#15

He should sell browser games and apps, as these have little effort and offer relative anonymity.

Threadmarks Chapter 3 - Crafting with concepts

Threadmarks

MetaBettaOmegaLetta

Dec 27, 2021

#16

The next morning I woke up much earlier than I usually do. Of course, I hadn't intended to wake up that early, any more than I intended to shoot up gasping for breath. I almost dove for my phone, nearly falling off my bed as I feverishly typed a message.

Please please please I will

never ask for anything ever

again, on my parents graves,

on my own soul, if you just tell

me that I am not in tsome

version of the Marvel

Zombies storyline. .

Please.

There is no way I can enjoy this

adventure if that is hanging over

my head.

I typed, trying my best to appeal to the mysterious messenger from the day before. I slowly caught my breath, my eyes not leaving the screen for a second. I didn't know what I would do if they had stuck me in a universe like that.

"Carson? What's wrong?!" Ema called, floating in quickly from the living room.

I ignored her, the rising panic threatening to swallow me like it almost did in the streets yesterday. Before I could sink any deeper though, my phone dinged.

Do not worry! We have agreed

to confirm that you are indeed

not in that universe or any like it!

Rest assured, this is not a

cosmic joke or punishment!

Before I could respond my messenger app closed out, and upon re-opening the app the mysterious messages were gone. With an exhalation of pure relief I flopped back down on my bed, rubbing my eyes with the heel of my palms.

"Thank you. For answering and for not fucking me over."

"... Who are you talking to?" Ema asked after pausing for a moment, floating over my bed. "Did you get another message"

"No… I had a nightmare. About some of the alternate realities that exist for the marvel universe." I explained, eyes still closed. "Some are pretty horrifying. I dreamed I was in one of the more fucked up ones."

I explained, before slowly sitting up on the edge of the bed in my boxers. Yesterday we had spent a long time talking about what Ema knew about our situation. As far as we could tell she knew nothing about the Marvel franchise as a whole but knew plenty of other media from my universe.

"I messaged the people who put me here, begging for confirmation that this wasn't that universe."

"And they confirmed it?"

"They did, even went as far to confirm it wasn't anything like it, that it wasn't a joke or a punishment. Then they cleared my message app. Pretty sure I used up all my life lines with that one."

Ema hummed and flitted around my room, her "face" staying focused on me. A quick look at my alarm clock showed that it was just about eight. Normally I would be asleep for another hour or so before getting up to get ready for work. There was no point in waiting. If I was gonna do this then I needed to put in the time which meant getting up a bit earlier. I stood with a groan, stretching before walking to my closet to get dressed.

When I finally stepped out of my room I was dressed and ready for my shopping run. Ema was already using the computer, searching through news and taking notes in a word processor.

"You sure you don't mind staying here? You could stay in my coat pocket or something?"

"While getting bounced around like a set of keys sounds amazing" She said sarcastically "I don't mind holding down the fort. Besides that, I can always call you. Just keep your phone on."

"Alright, if you're sure. I'll call you if something comes up."

Not long after that I was zipping up my jacket as I kicked my apartment door shut behind me. The air was cool for late May, but I could already tell it would be warming up a bit as the day went on. I checked up and down the street before pushing my bike out of its card and hopping on.

My first stop was a nearby army surplus store that I had found last night during some research. It was only a few minutes away, but I had never seen it before. It was too close to my apartment to not have noticed at some point, so I'm pretty sure it didn't exist in my reality. Either way I got there pretty quick, cutting through an alley and stopping to pull my bike into a card.

The second I stepped in the front door I smiled. I could already see that they had most of what I wanted to get from here. I grabbed a basket and headed to the back of the relatively large shop, where there were three long racks of assorted styles of camouflage uniforms. I grabbed both pants and shirts of every type they had, save for the pink ones. I was pretty sure that style didn't see active service. I brought the now full basket to the front of the shop, getting the attention of the clerk. I dropped the basket near the desk and grabbed another.

"Hey, how's it going?" I asked, giving the older gentleman a smile. "I'm going to be buying a bunch of stuff, I'm throwing a military themed party this weekend."

"Uhh alright, I'll ring you up when you're done." He responded in a barely interested voice.

I nodded and waved as I headed back into the shop. I grabbed a set of black combat boots in my size, as well as a pair of black fire resistant gloves. I grabbed two different helmets, an older metal style and a more modern composite style. I grabbed a black beanie before pulling a rolled up sheet of camouflage netting under my arm. My second basket now full, I made my way back to the front counter, passing him the basket before waiting semi patiently for the clerk to ring everything through.

"Have fun with your party." He said, passing me three full bags with the receipt tucked inside.

As I left the store I looked up and down the street, heading down to the same alley as before. Making sure nobody had stopped to see where I was going I pulled the bags into separate cards and kept walking through the alley, pushing my bike out and hopping on half way through.

My next stop was a sporting goods store, where I bought a padded dark blue compression shirt with matching pants, as well as hockey chest, thigh, knee and elbow pads. I ended up carrying those for a while before I found a place where I could get them into my cards without being seen. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise however, as I led me past a music store. The front display was lined with sound baffling foam, which seemed like the perfect addition to a stealth suit. I walked in and walked out fifteen minutes later with two bags full.

After that was my final stop, the hardware store. It didn't take long, as I quickly searched the aisles for a source of thick metal plating. I ended up settling for a stack of some sort of steel reinforcing plate. I breathed a sigh of relief when I exited the store with no one commenting because I had no idea what the plates were actually used for. I picked up a pair of sleek safety glasses as welI.

I rushed back to my apartment, only stopping for a quick lunch and a coffee. By the time I got back it was almost noon. I vanished my bike into a card in the doorway of the apartment, before climbing the stairs with a smile. If nothing else, I was pretty sure being able to do that alone was worth getting sent to another reality.

"I'm back." I called out when I was finally back in my apartment. "I think I got everything I needed."

"Welcome back, I'm glad to hear you were successful" Ema responded, floating in from the living room, greeting me with a bob and a soft flare of green light.

"Took a bit longer than I thought but it all worked out." I said with a smile, walking past her to sit down on my couch.

I quickly had my notepad and the deck on the table, ready to see what I could do with proper planning. I rubbed my hands together and clapped once.

"Alright, let's do this!" I said excitedly, pushing all of my bags out of their cards.

"Perhaps… starting small might be the best option?" Ema suggested while scanning the bags.

"Sure, sounds good." I answered with a shrug, pulling most of the bags back into cards "Let's start with the headwear then."

I pushed out the first bag of stuff from the military surplus store, pulling out the two helmets and the beanie. I stood up from the couch and grabbed another beanie from a closet. I carded all four pieces of headwear, combining each of the helmets with a beanie before combining the results together.I pushed the resulting combination into my hands, examining it. It was still a beanie, knitted fabric and all. But when I rapped on it with my knuckles it felt solid. I quickly put it on my head, again rapping my knuckles against it. I couldn't feel the impact, though I could feel the force push against me.

"As usual, my scans can't make heads or tails of it. It somehow registers as being made of metal, fabric, and a composite." Ema said as she scanned the hat while I was still wearing it.

"Should at least keep me from cracking my skull open, right?"

"Without testing it? Maybe?"

"We can test it in a bit, I really want to see if my armor idea works."

Done with it for now, I pull it back into a card, noting it was a C rank before pushing all of the bags I got from the sporting goods store, followed by the bag from the hardware store. I pulled all the metal plates into individual cards before combining them together twice into five cards. I took two and combined them together until I had three plates about a quarter of an inch thick, and one plate almost half inch thick. The thicker plate was about the size of a piece of paper, while the thinner plates were about two-thirds of one. Ema flew around the large one while I held it up for her.

"It's denser than normal steel now." She reported, before turning to me. "I believe this one would even stop most pistol caliber weapons. The thinner ones would probably stop an indirect hit."

"Damn, that's… that's good to know."

Pulling the hockey pads into cards I combined them with the steel plates, saving the bigger plate for the chest. The result was a full set of pads that looked more like armor. What was once plastic and foam was now articulated steel plating, though the metal was now black and connected by durable looking fabric.

"Think it will still stop a bullet?" I asked, holding the chest piece out for her to scan.

"Well the thickness is the same." She stated, scanning the armor. "Plus, your power likes to enforce concepts, and the pads did embody that concept."

"Right, so probably, but don't rely on it until we can get it tested"

I combined the chest armor with the gauntlet like elbow pads, before combining that with the padded compression shirt. The final result was an impressive looking armor plated under shirt. It was thin and clearly lined with black metal plates that somehow flexed and articulated with my movement. The undershirt had somehow influenced the armored plates into fully covering my arms, chest, neck and back. It was lighter than it looked and it fit like a glove.

"That… came out really well." I stated, clearly surprised.

"It did. It looks like professionally made armor." Ema admitted, circling me as I stood. "We should test its resilience

"Alright, let me get something to hit myself with." I relented, standing up and heading to the kitchen.

A few moments later I was back in the living room, a hammer in one hand and holding my arm out. With some hesitation I hit my arm a few times with increasing harshness. Eventually I did manage to dent one of the small metal segments with some wild heavy swings, but the force barely transferred to my arm. What should have been bone rattling hit was instead a heavy thump.

"Holy hell…"

"Try the hat." Ema suggested, still examining the bent metal section.

I nod and push the hat out of my head and quickly put it on. I hit myself again, this time with a little more confidence. The hits definitely shoved me around but the beanie protected me significantly.

"Damn, this is going really well."

"Don't jinx it yet" Ema pointed out, bumping against the wooden coffee table twice.

With a smirk I pulled the undershirt off of me and into a card without taking it off. It was a B ranked card, the highest I had seen save for the gem and it gave off some seriously protective vibes, though I had no way of knowing if it was truly still bullet proof.

Tossing the card into my deck, I combined the padded compression pants and armored pads together. The result was the same rank and looked just like its counterpart. With a satisfied smile I put my new armor into my deck before taking everything I had bought from the army surplus store out and onto the table. I took the boots and double checked that they fit me, before combining them with the amalgamation of a dozen sound baffling squares. The result was a C ranked pair of black boots that you had to purposely stomp in to make any noise. They felt a little squisher than they did before, but the steel toe still seemed strong so I decided it was a fair trade.

"I can hardly detect you walking in those." Ema confirmed as I walked around in the boots.

"Not bad for picking the sound baffling stuff on a whim." I said, pulling the boots off and into a card. "Though I have to admit walking in them is a bit weird. I'll get used to it though."

With that done I moved on to what I hoped would be the real stealth part of my suit. I quickly pulled the camouflaged uniforms into individual cards, ending up with sixteen pairs of pants and sixteen shirts. I got that down to eight each by combining them together once, then adding a single square of sound baffling foam to each. After combining them together again I stood up and went to my closet, grabbing a green rain coat and a hooded sweater. Both were pretty basic but in good shape.

"What are those for?"

"I'm hoping they will take the military edge off." I explained as I carded them both and added some baffling foam to each before combining them into two random camouflaged jackets.

Quickly, before I could lose my nerve, I combined it all down to a single pair of pants and a single shirt, holding each card out in front of me, just absorbing what I had made. Ema flew around my head to read the cards.

"B ranked isn't bad, how do they feel?" she asked

"They feel like they are just what I was trying to do." I answered. "I don't think I could have hoped for better with my budget to be honest"

They were indeed both B rank, and I could feel that they were everything I needed them to be. I quickly stripped, put on my armored underlayer, then the new suit on around it. Between my boots and outfit I made almost no noise, even when I jumped, spun and danced about. As I did Ema circled around me.

"That is incredible, I'm detecting almost know sound. The camouflage is also a very interesting effect. It won't help much in direct light, but you will blend into shadows almost perfectly."

Wanting to hear the effect myself I pulled out my phone and opened my camera app, recording a video. It was bizarre how quiet the suit made me, to the point that I could softly talk and my phone couldn't pick me up in the slightest. I grabbed my keychain, threw it and some change into my pocket and jumped about again. I could barely pick up the sound of change bouncing in my pocket.

I quickly walked to my bedroom, with Ema right behind me. I shut the door once we were inside, so I could use the mirror I had glued to the back. The suit itself was green, a bit lighter than the rain coat had been, with a large hood that easily hung over my forehead. It was tighter than most of the camouflage uniforms had been, but far from skin tight. While it did look high quality, it still looked relatively normal, probably due to the influence of the raincoat and hoodie.

What was really important though, was how difficult it was to see those things. Despite being green the cloth seemed to want to fade into the background, even when I was moving. Once I stopped moving I could feel my eyes wandering away from myself. My eyes would drift to the wall behind me, to my alarm clock or to Ema. I had to really focus to keep my eyes on my new outfit. It was a bit sensitive, the effect broke the second I moved significantly, but it was still potent.

"A perception filter. Fantastic."

"It will make surveillance easier, though it's unfortunate that the effect breaks when you move and that it doesn't seem to work on cameras."

"I'm just glad the fading does. Maybe when I have enough resources I can find a way to force it into camera feeds as well."

After a bit more examining my stealth suit I pulled it and my under armor off into cards. Surprisingly my boots, pants, and shirt all pulled off together.

"Huh, I guess they got grouped together as a stealth outfit." I surmised. "Which means my hat, top armor and leg armor should…"

I pulled my armor into a card, smiling in satisfaction as all three settled into a single card. I made my way back to the living room, getting dressed in my normal clothes while Ema buzzed around the room, focusing on the TV.

"Alright, I have one final idea but I'm not sure how it will go. I came up with it while I was at the military surplus shop."

I took the fire resistant gloves from the last bag, tossing them on the coffee table before heading into the kitchen, grabbing the largest cooking pot I had, bringing it back to the couch and resting it on the table next to the gloves.

"Any hints?" Ema asked, not entirely sure where I was going with this.

"Well, I was thinking about what I would do if I was caught." I explained. "And you can't walk around with a toothpick in New york without getting thrown in jail for carrying a weapon. Not to mention I know fuck all about fighting."

As I talked I wadded up a ball of paper towels and threw them into the pot before grabbing the crappy lighter I had been using the day before. With a click I lit the paper towels on fire, quickly putting the cover over it before continuing.

"But I still need something to help get the heck out at least." I explained, watching the fire in the pot. "And that's when I walked past these gloves."

The fire spread fast before slowly losing steam and fading, filling the pot with a light smoke. Both me and Ema peered into the glass cover as I let the last embers fade. I lifted the lid just enough for me to fit my finger inside, pulling the smoke into a card.

"Your gonna make a smoke bomb?" Ema guessed as.

"I'm going to try and make something even better… Hopefully. It would be a shame to break the streak on the last thing."

After confirming it was a F ranked card, I quickly re-ignited the paper towel and repeated the process. For twenty minutes I made smoke cards, immediately combining them into one card, not stopping even when the card reached D rank.

Eventually I returned the smoke card to the deck, grabbed the dry fire extinguisher from the kitchen and headed to the bathroom. With the door closed, I pulled the shower curtain all the way shut and pointed the fire extinguisher inside. I tapped the trigger for a moment, pulling the massive white cloud that came out into a card. It was already a D rank, but grabbed three more clouds and combined them together anyway.

I headed back to the living room, returning to my "workspace", pulling both of the new cards into my hands as I sat. I combined them together before pulling out the roll of camouflage netting and combining it with the resulting card. It was C ranked now, and was clearly an irritating and dense cloud of smoke and powder that would easily hide me if I sprayed it out around me. It would even stifle a fire to a degree. I grabbed the fire extinguisher and after a moment's pause combined it with the new card. Now I had a container full of the same thick cloud, though it was even better at putting out fires. I carded the gloves from the table and combined them together. The result was a C ranked card, a pair of fire resistant gloves that would spew a dense fire smothering smokescreen out of its palm on command. It had a limited use, but would recharge slowly over time.

"I can't believe that worked." Ema commented after I finished describing the gloves to her.

"Honestly, I'm just as shocked. I'm guessing the fact that they are fire resistant gloves mixed with fire extinguishers helped smooth it out."

I flicked the card into the deck before lounging back on the couch. I was by no means a heavy hitter, but this… this was a good start.

Last edited: Dec 30, 2021

366

MetaBettaOmegaLetta

Dec 27, 2021

Reader mode

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RazeByFire

Dec 27, 2021

#17

Interesting concepts. I like the smoke gloves especially.

Have you thought about combining books to try and make a book that will instantly teach you something? Or just combine a book with a pill-literally swallowing the knowledge down.

Also, you could try combining nutritional supplements, vitamins, and/or various herbs to try and get something that could heal you before you try any hero-ing. Or maybe you'll get lucky and find something more interesting.

I look forward to seeing more.

Tennybro

Dec 27, 2021

#18

RazeByFire said:

Interesting concepts. I like the smoke gloves especially.

Have you thought about combining books to try and make a book that will instantly teach you something? Or just combine a book with a pill-literally swallowing the knowledge down.

I look forward to seeing more.

Click to expand...

Or combine several martial arts books with some BS qi/ki guides, and perhaps get a genuine cultivation manual, on a similar vein, combine base elements with qi/chi manipulation guides for avatar style bending manuals? Insulated gloves+Tazers? Grappling hook+pistol? Computer/Phone+Armor/Motorcycle Helmet? Problem with this one would be getting a proper power source.

Belial666

Supervillain Paragon

Dec 27, 2021

#19

Transparent Plastic + Invisible Ink = invisible plastic.

Invisible Plastic + gun = invisible gun.

Because you can't be caught with an illegal gun if nobody can see you using it!

MetaBettaOmegaLetta

Dec 27, 2021

#20

Tennybro said:

RazeByFire Using books and knowledge is touched on by the source/inspiration for the deck, though the evolution of opening new avenues of power isn't. I will say that I wont dive into whole new branches of power, things like cultivation, bending or things like the force or Harry Potter magic. The reason is that there is a lot of content in those, and if I wanted to write a character with those powers those would be their primary powers, instead of shoe horned secondary power. That said that leaves a lot of flexibility Carson will be exploring

RazeByFire

Dec 27, 2021

#21

I really liked Pick a Card, so I'm happy to see that you will be using it for some inspiration. Make sure to include some whacky screw-ups as well!

VoidReaper

Dec 27, 2021

#22

I hope he tries it in books like a skill book thing. Plus he could try combinations of supplements and brain foods.

Unilateral

One Track Mind

Dec 28, 2021

#23

If you can, integrate the smoke gloves into the rest of the stealth suit proper. If it's the same rank, it should work, since the gloves are presumably a similar color to the rest of the suit, the gloves are designed to protect, which lines up with the defensive buffs, and the smoke, which lines up really well with the stealth aspect. If he does, he should be able to generate his smoke from anywhere and cloak it around himself, and his smoke should gain antimemetic, kinetic dampening, and sound-baffling properties due to becoming an extension of his suit, in addition to its already respectable properties of blocking sight, smell, and suppressing combustion. That last quality is deceptively useful, as it will kill engines and may also inhibit oxygen uptake, in addition to acting as an irritant. If so, it would serve as knockout gas on top of all its other functions. Very useful. Sound, sight, smell, bullets, punches, engines, consciousness, all suppressed and weakened.

Also, this is just my OCD ranting, but please, for the love of god, do not have your oc reveal the nature/limitations of his powers. Going out like this, he should act as though his durability, stealth, and smoke are his powers, integral to him, not his outfit. Hopefully he integrates super strength into the suit to prevent getting crushed or trapped, and to help escape from restraints (since he seems pretty keen on the whole freedom/escape/safety angle), which would leave him with a respectable power package of super strength, super durability, and generating really nasty, multipurpose smoke from his hands/body. The fact that he can generate smoke endlessly without a fuel source and that his clothes are impossibly durable for their flexibility should help him sell it. Major Shaker/Stranger, minor Brute/Stranger, in Worm terminology.

Adding to this, most of his "cape" activity should stick to using the suit, using his power to upgrade it and round off all the edges/limitations while also adding quality of life upgrades such as increased comfort, self-cleaning, temperature regulation, a healing factor, sustenance (no need for food/water/air), sensory/cognitive augmentation (Thinker powers, such as seeing through smoke and in low light conditions), and much more. Thereby playing further into the idea of it being an innate power akin to Cloak's. Thus leaving him able to use his power more flexibly on the down low, so that people don't catch on.

Alternatively, he could opt to go the other route and pass himself off as a gadgeteer by modifying or replacing his suit into or with a purely tech-based version (complete with a finite fuel tank that he has to refill) so that, when he eventually gets caught, they'll just confiscate his tech without realizing he has superpowers. They might keep him under surveillance to make sure he doesn't buy any more fire-related or stealth-related tech, but their misunderstanding will leave him with more options than if people knew he could enchant items.

Last edited: Dec 29, 2021

Threadmarks Chapter 4 - A walk in the park

Threadmarks

MetaBettaOmegaLetta

Dec 31, 2021

#24

It wasn't until later that night, after what I thought was a well deserved pizza and nap break, that I realized I had another problem. I had envisioned some sort of warehouse guarded by crooks that I could sneak into and loot to my heart's content. I knew it wasn't going to be that easy, but it hadn't crossed my mind that the problem would be finding the warehouse in the first place. I had no idea where to look, and I couldn't exactly just look it up online. There were rougher neighborhoods of course but I wasn't looking for muggings. If I started cracking down on muggings then I would definitely be on Shield's radar by the end of the week.

The only solution I could think of, besides kicking down Wilson Fisk's front door, as his address was public knowledge, was to basically go out and get lucky. But wandering around the city at night was a good way to get arrested for scaring the hell out of people.

"I know you were set on this path but maybe its a bad thing." Ema pointed out. "We could still find someone to sponsor your work."

With a groan I rubbed my face as I laid back on the couch, the deck on the table next to me. The excitement from my earlier successes had fully faded as I wrestled with this new problem. Going to Tony Stark and asking for help was starting to look more and more inviting. Even if he was busy with…

"The Expo!"

"What about it?"

"It must be filled with stuff to experiment with! All those leftover exhibits, plus we might even be able to snag some drones. They will be busted but if I combine enough of them together…"

"It has only been 24 hours…" Ema admitted hesitantly. "But I thought you wanted to stay away from stealing from innocent people?"

"Think about it Ema! It would be the perfect place to start, and get some practice in." I explained, pacing excitedly at this point. "The cops wouldn't shoot me unless I did something drastic, and if a few things went missing from around the complex it would be chalked up to the attack"

"You'd still be stealing…"

"From huge major billion dollar companies. The only real risk is the heat we would get from people being on the lookout for their tech…"

"But since you would be combining them with other things you probably wouldn't have to worry about that."

"Exactly! But if I want any chance of grabbing a drone I need to go tonight." I explained before looking over my shoulder at the clock.

"Alright. But I'm coming with you."

"No, I don't think showing you off is a good idea Ema" I said, shaking my head.

"Carson, we are in this together. You made me. I am not letting you do this without me. Besides, I can fly, I'll be much safer than you."

I debated it for a few moments before finally nodding, quickly getting dressed, my under armor going on under my normal clothes. I quickly called a cab as well, I would need one if I wanted to get there before midnight.

When I finally hopped out of the cab it was nearing ten o'clock. I made sure to stop far away from the actual expo, which was in Flushing Meadows. The area was drastically different from what I remembered, with a lot more buildings around. Though some of them did seem to be temporary set ups. I walked along the outskirts for a while, noticing that the police had cordoned most of it off and were patrolling the outskirts, Ema followed along, staying low for now.

"You need to be careful" I explained when she came out of my pocket, where she had stayed for the cab ride. "They are probably on the lookout for drones and what not."

She bobbed in the air in agreement, floating around my shoulders as we walked around the perimeter. The entrances were mobbed with camera crews and vans, but besides the patrolling police the outskirts were empty. Doing my best to seem like a passing rubbernecker I head slightly away from the perimeter before finding a large bush to hide in. I quickly stripped down to my armor, storing my clothes in a card before putting on my outfit, finishing the ensemble with a black scarf wrapped around my face.

"How do I look?" I asked Ema, actually having to talk normally to get past the sound reduction of the suit.

"Pretty serious" Ema answered, talking as softly as she could.

Eventually, after a moment to gather myself, I stepped out of the bush. I felt a bit ridiculous, but I steeled myself and kept walking. If there was anything I needed to get used to in this reality, with these powers, it was wearing a costume in public. Slowly I made my way closer to the perimeter fence, a chain link style barrier. Pausing for a while in the shadow of a tree I watched, noting the passing patrols. There seemed to be the occasional pair of cops walking around, but the real concern was the cop cars, shining their headlights into the shadows.

"It seems to be pretty random." Ema stated after about fifteen minutes of watching. "Probably to keep people from taking advantage of patterns."

"Okay… then this is as good a time as any…" I responded, double checking that the coast was clear.

With a muffled grunt I struggled up the tree next to me, pulling myself up the branches before jumping over the fence to avoid the sharp point on top. I stood up straight on the other side, before putting an arm out and leaning on the fence.

"My knees are already sore"

"Learning some movement skills might be a good idea." The ghost pointed out, flying over the fence to her spot over my shoulder. "Maybe some martial arts too."

I nodded, making a note to work on something to help that as well, I looked around and hurried to the closest building, some sort of refreshment stand. Most of the lights were off in this section, meaning I was extremely difficult to spot. Relying on that I made my way deeper into the dark section of the expo, occasionally peering into the buildings. I was beginning to doubt the severity of the attack when I walked around a corner without checking, only to have to leap back behind cover.

Standing up I peaked around again, watching as a few cops and a half dozen other people mulled about, standing around a building with a hole in the side of it. Lights pointed down at the wall and the small crater next to the building, though there was another hole a bit higher up. I could see flashes of light from inside the building as people with flashlights looked around. I focused as best I could to hear what they were talking about, but the wind and rustling trees covered it too well.

"I could investigate?" Ema asked as quietly as she could, her shell pressing against my hood.

I shake my head, leaning my back against the structure we are hiding behind. Eventually I decided to move on, walking past the group, staying hidden among bushes and trees. We stumbled upon another building that was cordoned off with police tape, but had no one in it. The side of the building was riddled with holes and divots in the concrete, looking like someone had peppered it with a sizable gun. One of the windows was shattered enough that I could sneak in and take a look.

I climbed in, careful not to snag the edges of glass, Ema floating behind me. I slowly made my way deeper into the dark building, flicking on a flashlight. I keep it on its lowest settings, scanning the room slowly, making sure to keep the beam low. The bottom floor was mostly open, and had several areas that were clearly showing off new technology. A company selling their latest phone, another showing of next year's tablet. The nearest was showing various computer parts, showing off a display model with all the bells and whistles. I walked closer to that display, wondering what some high end parts combined with my laptop would do.

"Are you going to take this stuff?" Ema asked, floating around the nearby tables. "This tablet might be an interesting find, you … could… What's wrong?"

I didn't respond, instead looking at the glass case in front of me. I could see my reflection, just barely, from the low light Ema's scans were taking off. I looked terrifying, like I was a burglar. Like a looter, taking advantage of a crisis to grab whatever he could. Ema slowly drifted over to me, looking down at our reflection now.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't take any of this shit can I?" I ask, looking around the room at everything set up.

"Having second thoughts?"

"...Yeah." I admitted after a pause. "I didn't think I'd care. But if I'm going to… be a hero…"

"I thought this was more about being prepared for all of the crazy things that can happen in this reality?"

"Maybe. But I can help. I might not be able to fight on the front lines, I'm not sure I have the temperament for that." I admitted, picking up what appeared to be an advanced harddrive, only to put it down. "But I want to be a good guy. I can't do that by looting."

I said to myself as I scanned my flashlight along the venues. There was a lot of good stuff here, and this was just a basic building. There were bigger, more impressive ones further in. After a long moment I let out a resigned sigh.

"Cmon, let's go. Maybe we can still find one of those drones. I have no issues grabbing one of those."

After another moment I clicked off the flashlight, heading back to the window before I could change my mind. I get back outside and head to the next building, staying out of the obvious lights. I could see that the next few buildings still had power, bright lighting casting shadows and blinking. It seemed like bright neon lights were the theme this year.

I slide back fully into the shadow, walking back around to the opposite side. I look both ways before rushing across the gap, following a line of bushes before hiding behind a tree. Suddenly I froze, the sound of footsteps and talking teaching my ear. I watch Ema glide up to hide in the branches as the voices slowly get closer until eventually I can understand them.

"... ain in the ass, picking …. pieces… most of the … injuries… brutal."

"couldn't pay me, was like running … minefield….surprised more people…"

"No kidding, and the worst … idiots moving to investigate the beeping... exploding in their face's"

"Kinda glad they all exploded though, can you imagine people getting their hands on drones like that? Scary shit."

"Get used to it kid, you're going to be seeing a lot more of that kind of crap now. Cats out of the bag. Stark may make the best shit but - What the fuck is that?"

I was beginning to piece together what they were talking about. By the sounds of it, the drones had all exploded after Stark had finished fighting Vanko. Which means I wasn't going to be finding anything beyond chunks of scrap, if that. I was so wrapped up in the realization that this whole trip was for nothing, I missed how close the voices were getting. I curse in my head, hoping my suit's power would be enough.

"What's what?"

"Uhh… I thought… Never mind, I think it's just a weird shadow. Let's get back, our shifts almost done"

"Alright."

I held my breath, listening to the two people slowly walk away, still talking to themselves. Eventually their voices fade and I slowly let the breath out before turning and stepping out of the shadow.

"Cmon, lets get the hell out of here." I call up softly to Ema, who floats down without a word.

With a frustrated curse under my breath, I scanned the area, looking for the best way back, before heading through the fairground until I had made it back to a familiar spot. Still frustrated, I took another corner without checking it first, stepping out… and right into a surprised police officer.

"Wh- where the hell!" He shouted, stumbling back before pointing his flashlight at me, eyes going between me and Ema. "Hey, what the- what is-? You're not supposed to be here!"

I stumbled back, biting back a shout. The officer took a step toward me, forcing me to step back away. His hand fell down to his gun, the flashlight still pointed right at me.

"I don't know what the hell is going… whatever the hell you're doing, but you need to stop and put your hands on your he-"

I slowly raised my hands until they were pointed at the officer, activating my gloves. Out sprayed a billowing smokey cloud, immediately obscuring the area. I held the effect open, the cloud growing and billowing out.

"What the- Hey, stop it! Get down…Hey!"

I turned and ran as fast as I could, darting to the nearest patch of shadow I could find. I could hear the officer behind me calling for backup, shouting into his radio and coughing. I kept running, rushing around the buildings, staying in the shadows but not stopping until I got to the building that had been active before. Everyone who had previously been focused on the building was now on high alert, some even had their guns drawn as they scanned around with their flashlights.

I ducked down as a powerful flashlight swung in my direction, slowly crawling along the bushes. I kept crawling until I reached the final stretch, a gap before the chain link fence. I could see where I had originally entered, the tree on the other side.

"C'mon, you have to go." Ema urged me before gliding out ahead of me. "Move!"

Frantically I looked along the fence for a way to get out without actually climbing before giving up and preparing myself. I could hear cops shouting and searching for me. With a huff I stood and sprinted to the wall, trying my best to jump as high as I could. Between my desperation and adrenaline I managed to get my hands around the bar that runs along the top, pulling and lifting myself with my feet. My arms burned but with a grunt I all but threw myself over the top, frantically scrabbling with the tree to keep from breaking my neck on the way down.

I impacted the ground rougher than I would have liked, but my armor kept me from being seriously hurt. The sounds of people looking for me were still echoing in the park as I quickly got up and hobbled away. Blew past the bush iI had changed in before, running until I reached another lower fence. I jumped up, hefted myself over and dropped to the other side. I collapsed with my back against it, my heart pounding as I sucked in air. I listened out as best I could, desperately trying to figure out if I was still being followed. I sat there for a for a while, until my heartbeat finally stopped being the loudest thing I could hear.

"Fuck… that went well."

"Well…" Ema began, somehow moving her parts to seem sheepish. "It could have been worse?

I cursed as I slowly changed out of my suit and into my normal clothes. With a flick I summoned my bike, hopping on and riding away. I had a long bike ride ahead of me

Last edited: Dec 31, 2021

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MetaBettaOmegaLetta

Dec 31, 2021

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triflight

Dec 31, 2021

#25

And that's why you do your research! Feels more justified when you're stealing (liberating) from not only a multi-billion dollar corporation but also a corporation that supports child labor in foreign countries or is actively pumping noxious chemicals into the atmosphere, which almost all multi-billion dollar corporations are doing!

Plus this is literally just a Robin Hood Heist, no one gets hurt AND the benefits from here could transition into saving lives in the future. Not to mention that a lot of the items at the Stark Expo are probably going to be held up in police custody for a long long time due to it being an active crime scene. Even for a crime that's been solved, evidence still has to been held for the court case and sentencing. So it's not like the owners of the items are going to be getting them any time soon.

Besides, on the Marvel morality scale this doesn't even register. The Punisher kills people and is still considered on the side of "good" (although not necessarily a "hero"). Stealing from amoral corporations to, in the future, save lives is a good deed in my book.

Not the choice I would have made but certainly one that I can see others making.

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