NationStates

WHAT IF...?
An MCU-Based RP
Disclaimer: I take no credit for the image/logo. I take no credit for any of the MCU's sandbox; I just want to play in it with other people.

IC || OOC [You Are Here]
DISCORD

I am not the Watcher; nor am I He-Who-Remained or his Variants. Who I am does not matter, but you can call me The Guide. Unlike either of those others, I do not believe direct interference and convergence is necessary - there needs not be a “Sacred Timeline” and only one Universe to keep things... stable. But I also find that I am incapable of doing absolutely nothing as the Multiverse forms, twists, and turns.

And that is why I choose to be the Guide.

I find lost souls - like you - and others that I think can be redeemed, that I think want to find ways to help or save others; and I gather them, guide them, toward Universes in desperate need of help. Of saving. Either because those who live there cannot save themselves... or those who could have already died, or suffered worse fates. Out there, in those vast realities, there are a multitude of threats. Some to just one Universe; others, to the fabric of the Multiverse itself, wanting naught but conquest.

I took you from your Universes at the time when you most likely would have died; to some, this might be considered a second chance. To others among you, this could be considered proof that Death is not the end. Regardless, knowing what I have now told you, will you let me act as your Guide? Or do you wish merely to find a new Universe to call home? That choice, I leave up to you - but if you do not join the others who accept my offer, please consider this: for the rest of your life, should you choose to find a new home, even in your old one, you might be left wondering something:

What If...?

Code: Select all

[box][align=center][size=150][b][i]WHAT IF...? CHARACTER APPLICATION:[/i][/b][/size][/align]

[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Alias(es):[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Sex:[/b]
[b]Appearance:[/b] (In and Out of Costume, if applicable)
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Powers:[/b] (if applicable; or, if tech is used instead, explain it here)
[b]Universe of Origin:[/b] (at least two or three paragraphs summarizing the Universe this Variant comes from)
[b]Affiliation:[/b] (Hero? Villain? Somewhere in-between? Any old friends/teammates? Why did the Guide choose them for this Multi-Universal team?)
[b]Biography:[/b] (this Variant's personal history relative to their Universe, etc. - at LEAST three paragraphs!!!)

[b]RP Sample:[/b] (at least two, unless I know you or have RP'd with you; then just a link to the last RP we participated in together should suffice.)
(REMOVE ALL PARANTHESES INCLUDING THIS ONE!)
DO NOT REMOVE: #AGuideToSaveYou[/box]

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

• Antonia “Toni” Stark / Iron Maiden - Leader of the Guide's Team, Variant of Anthony “Tony” Stark [Played by OP]
• Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus - Team Member, Variant of Otto “Doc Ock” Octavius [Played by The Imperial Warglorian Empire]
• Anton Vanko / Crimson Dynamo II - Team Member, Variant of Anton Vanko [Played by Cetacea]
• Hulk / Professor Hulk / “Bruce” - Team Member, Variant of Bruce Banner / The Hulk [Played by Talchyon

WHAT IF...? CHARACTER APPLICATION:

Name: Miles Morales
Alias(es): Spider-Man
Age: 17
Sex: M
Appearance:
Out of costume
In costume
Personality:
Miles is a quite smart person, and in more ways than one; he has an ample amount of street smarts, which come in handy more often than you may think, and he has also shown, well, normal smarts, being one of the best students in his school academically. He is also a bit of a joker, and is known to throw around a few witty quips mid-battle.
Powers:

Superhuman Strength:
Miles possesses superhuman strength, making him capable of lifting at least 10 tons. His physical strength also extends into his legs, enabling him to be able to jump to a height of several stories in a single bound. He has to pull his punches and kicks, otherwise, his blows would prove fatal to a normal human. In times of great duress, he sometimes displays far greater feats of strength.

Superhuman Speed: Miles possesses the proportionate speed of a spider, therefore he can run and move at speeds that are beyond the physical limits of the finest human athlete.

Superhuman Stamina: Spider-Man's advanced musculature produces less fatigue toxins during physical activity than an ordinary human. This allows him to exert himself physically for much longer periods of time before fatigue begins to impair him. At his peak, Spider-Man can physically exert himself for several hours before the build-up of fatigue toxins in his blood begins to impair him.

Superhuman Durability: Miles' body is physically tougher and more resistant to some types of injury than the body of a normal human. His body is also more resistant to impact forces than most humans. He can withstand great impacts, such as being thrown through a plate-glass window, that would severely injure or kill a normal human.

Superhuman Agility: Miles' agility, balance, flexibility, and bodily coordination are all enhanced to levels that are far beyond the natural physical limits of an Olympic-level gymnast.

Superhuman Reflexes: Spider-Man's reflexes are similarly enhanced and are currently about 20 times greater than those of an ordinary human. In combination with his spider-sense, the speed of his reflexes allows him to dodge almost any attack.

Wall-Crawling: Miles can cling to any surface using just his fingertips and feet. The extent to how much pressure he can stick to walls is thus far unknown, except that he can handle lifting his own weight.

Spider-Sense: When danger is present, Miles feels a buzzing sensation in his head as a sort of early warning system, allowing him to react accordingly. His spider-sense offers him near complete awareness of his surroundings, and in conjunction with his reflexes, allows him to instinctively dodge or counter nearly all attacks.

Venom Blast: Miles can send a bio-electric shock to his enemies or destroy technology by releasing a small spark of electricity from his hands. After the initial spark, moments later the enemy will be electrocuted. It seems that there are varying degrees to this ability, as some opponents have been simply dazed where others have been completely incapacitated.

Mega Venom Blast: Miles displayed the ability to release powerful bursts of energy. When Miles employs this ability, his eyes glow with yellow energy, which then explodes outwards in a radiant burst that can not only repel a large group of opponents but also destroy thick ropes and chains that have been used to restrain him.

Venom Punch: Miles can enhance the power of his punches by infusing his fists with bio-electricity.

Spider-Camouflage: Miles, including his clothing, can blend into his surroundings, allowing him to sneak up on his enemies or, in some cases, flee from them. The resulting effect closely resembles that of invisibility.

Regenerative Healing Factor: Miles is able to regenerate his injuries at a much faster rate than normal humans can.

Bilingualism: Miles speaks English and Spanish (not really a power, but whatever)

Hand-to-Hand Combat: Despite not having any training in combat, Miles' spider-sense and reflexes make him a capable melee fighter.

Suit/Webslingers: Miles’ webslingers are responsible for launching webs for Miles to swing by, providing his primary and fastest mode of transportation. Miles’ suit, on the other hand, provide some extra protection, as well as hides his true identity. Prior to the events of Infinity War, Miles was given upgraded versions of each from his timeline’s Tony Stark, which he still uses.

Universe of Origin:
Not much is different from Mile’s Universe than the one we’re used to, but there is one quite big difference; Rather Peter Parker taking on the mantle of Spider-Man, Miles Morales becomes Spider-Man. Unlike the comics, which have him take on the Spider-Man role following the death of Peter Parker, he essentially replaces Peter Parker as Spider-Man sans the death of Peter Parker, rather being a Peter Parker equivalent. (basically, Miles=Peter and Peter=Miles.)

Being the Peter Parker equivalent, he goes through the same events Peter Parker of the Universe we’re used to, from Civil War, to Homecoming (however a bit differently), to Infinity War, however with a few minor changes, such as being best friends with Ganke Lee instead of Ned Leeds and falls in love with Gwen Stacy rather than MJ, though the relationships Miles has with the former’s mirrors Peter’s relationships with the latter’s.

During the events of Infinity War, Miles fights alongside the Avengers, valiantly going toe to toe with Thanos. However, despite their best efforts, they would fail to stop Thanos, who would successfully gain possession of the Infinity Stones and commence his Snap, and unfortunately, Miles would be among the half of humanity that would go into dust…

Affiliation: Hero; Avengers; Chosen due to demonstrated willingness to fight and sacrifice for the greater good on multiple occasions.

Biography:
Miles Morales was born in Harlem to Rio Morales (mother) and Jefferson Davis (father).

RP Sample: (at least two, unless I know you or have RP'd with you; then just a link to the last RP we participated in together should suffice.)
(REMOVE ALL PARANTHESES INCLUDING THIS ONE!)
DO NOT REMOVE: #AGuideToSaveYou

Deblar wrote:Tag

Would a Miles Morales Spider-Man be alright?

The Imperial Warglorian Empire wrote:Hm, would it be possible to play Sam Raimi’s Doc Ock? I mean he’s gonna be part of the MCU soon enough

• Vanko Arc Generator - A variation of the Arc Reactor, the Vanko Generator powers his Body Harness, EMP Canon and Whip extensions
• Power Harness - The Power Harness provides direct physiological stimulation to the wearers muscles to enhance physical strength, agility and reaction time
• Armor Durability - The titanium weave is bulletproof and also provides insulation against various forms of energy (including electrical)
• Electromagnetic Pulse Canon - The EMP pulses cause both concussive and electrical damage to targets and will cause electronics to overload and shut down
• Cybernetic Whips - usually sheathed inside gauntlets the omnium steel whip cables can extend to 10 ft and can be use to grapple and lift objects upto 300 kg, including people. Moving at twice the speed of sound the tips of the cables can pierce titanium steel and when energized the intensity of the electrical plasma can be varied from that of a taser up to a destructive lightning blast.

The Imperial Warglorian Empire wrote:Hm, would it be possible to play Sam Raimi’s Doc Ock? I mean he’s gonna be part of the MCU soon enough

Talchyon wrote:Tag. I'm having some computer issues right now that are hindering my apping abilities right now so it may be a few days. Right now I'm considering the Mark Ruffalo Bruce-Hulk hybrid. If not him, then maybe Quicksilver.

WHAT IF...? CHARACTER APPLICATION:

Name: Otto Octavius
Alias(es): Doctor Octopus
Age: 63
Sex: Male
Appearance:
In-costume
Personality: Otto Octavius is the epitome of "the path to hell is paved with good intentions." To try and climb the HYDRA hierarchy in the name of his family, Octavius grew to become ruthless and unrelenting in his pursuit of scientific development and power, committing atrocities that would've horrified him when he was younger. A far cry from his previous desire to advance humanity, he has little care for human life. Despite this, deep inside he is extremely remorseful about the actions he has taken (though he justifies it) and can be quite warm & friendly towards those he's on good terms with.

Octavius is also extremely intelligent, knowledgeable in various fields of science and also keenly aware of his surroundings. As a result, he has also become rather prideful, albeit not in an antagonistic way.

Powers:

• Cybernetic Tentacles
  -Doctor Octopus has four mechanical tentacles attached to his back via a harness. Connected via a neural link, Doctor Octopus can move these arms with just a thought and can even command them when not attached to his body.
  -The tentacles are also affixed with sensors and cameras, allowing Doctor Octopus to directly feel and see through them, drastically increasing his sense of spatial awareness.
  -They're even equipped with an advanced mind stone-enhanced AI (albeit somewhat primitive compared to the likes of JARVIS and Ultron), allowing them to react to situations independently if Doctor Octopus himself isn't aware enough to react to them or is incapacitated.
  -Powered by energy from the Tesseract and made of a vibranium alloy, these tentacles are nigh indestructible and can resist extremely high temperatures and corrosiveness.
  -Aside from durability, they are also very strong, able to lift and throw cars with impunity.
  -Far from their original purpose of tools of research, the arms have also been weaponised with Tesseract energy cannons and deployable blades.
  -Furthermore, if the tentacles, though unlikely, were to ever run out of Tesseract energy power, they can recharge via more conventional means and, in dire cases, can activate an emergency tritium fusion reactor; though even activating the thing is a risk in itself.
• Tritium Fusion Gloves-A refined prototype developed by Doctor Octopus, inspired after watching a particular set of sci-fi films, these gloves utilise the power of a limited tritium-infused fusion reaction to launch pinpoint concentrated gravitational pulls, allowing Doctor Octopus to reel things in from a distance without the need for physical contact. However, this can only be done in short bursts, for if left on for too long the fusion reaction could become self-sustaining, which would most likely result in the gravitational collapse of Doc Ock's hands. Yikes.

Universe of Origin: What if... the Tesseract was damaged?
The Tesseract itself was supposed to be a container for one of the six most powerful objects in the Universe; the Space Stone. Meant to keep under control the infinity stone's awesome and unstable power, what if this containment unit had failed? Perhaps some engineer got a little tipsy and made one itsy bitsy little imperfection in the Tesseract's design or the fall into the ocean was harder than it was in our timeline; maybe it was both, maybe neither. Whatever the case, the Tesseract, while not shattered, was breached.

The effects of this nexus were not immediate: as in the original timeline, Stark handed the tesseract over to Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S, albeit with a warning of the excess radiation spilling out of it in droves. The consequences, however, wouldn't appear until the 1980s, when the test of a new light-speed engine using the unstable tesseract as a power source would result in the deaths of lead scientist Wendy Lawson and test pilot Carol Danvers as the Tesseract suffered a catastrophic failure, blowing up the test plane. The 1980s would also see Howard Stark's rather risque research style come back to bite him, as the excess radiation from closely studying the Tesseract for decades would result in him dying from a terminal illness. Howard's consequences would plague his son, Tony, for the rest of his life, as the passing of irradiated genes would result in Tony suffering from poor health.

The Tesseract would only grow more and more erratic as its shell grew weaker and the spilling out of energy grew stronger, many attempts at harvesting its power resulting in lab incidents at best and many many casualties at worst. Eventually, the risk grew too great, and Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S was quietly retired, with the Tesseract (under VERY heavy lock and key) retired into storage in a secure SHIELD facility.

Only to fall into the hands of HYDRA, who would continue experimentation on the cube in secret. It wasn't until the early 2000s, with the help of one Dr Otto Octavius and a large stash of vibranium acquired via an expanded HYDRA-funded attack on Wakanda led by Ulysses Klaue, that the power of the Tesseract finally began to be harvested in full. For the next decade or so, besides some rather trivial changes like the beginning of a shadow war between HYDRA and Wakanda or the continuously ailing health of one Tony "The Sickly Playboy" Stark eventually leading him to take up a protege in the form of a clever child named Peter Parker, things progressed rather smoothly. That changed in 2012 when a brainwashed Loki destined for glorious purpose popped out of the Tesseract with his trusty sceptre...

...only for the Tesseract's unstable portal to promptly collapse, implode, and disintegrate the entire facility, taking with it both hundreds of staff and the Trickster God himself; not to mention a rather large portion of the Sokovian countryside resulting in hundreds of more civilian casualties. While both the Tesseract, as well as a rather handy sceptre, were recovered by HYDRA, the incident had the unfortunate side effect of tipping off one Director Nick Fury who, obviously concerned as to why a supposedly retired artefact of mass destruction was being actively tested on in a Sokovian facility without his know-how, did some private digging. And, with the help of some friends in the form of one Tony Stark and a few angry Wakandan covert operatives, managed to uncover the fact that HYDRA had been hiding within S.H.I.E.L.D the entire time.

With the jig up, all-out war broke out between HYDRA and the remnants of SHIELD, supported by a squad of superhumans Fury dubbed "The Avengers."
Affiliation: Anti-Villain, HYDRA (albeit begrudgingly)
The Guide has recruited him for both his scientific mind as well as the capabilities of his robot arms to hold, manipulate and contain almost any harmful force or material. He has also done so to give Doctor Octopus an opportunity for redemption from his past evil affiliations, for which he knows weren't entirely Octavius' choice.
Biography: Otto Octavius was born into a poor rundown neighbourhood with an abusive father who would often beat him. With encouragement from his mother and a desire to escape this life, Octavius threw himself into his studies. Though ridiculed by both his schoolmates and his father for his dedication to his studies, his work was not in vain as he soon managed to earn a scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Continuing the same diligent work ethic that had earned him his place in MIT, he soon graduated at the top of his class. A genius in the fields of both atomic sciences and technical engineering, Octavius soon found himself contracted by the US Government. It was during this period that he'd meet and later marry fellow researcher Rosalie Mary Anders, to which they'd have a son.

Octavius primarily researched various potential sources of energy; from miniature suns powered by the rare substance tritium to the applications of vibranium, desiring the betterment of humanity. Yet he soon grew frustrated due to his lack of progress; partly due to limited funding for his projects, as the government diverted more funds towards military technology, as well as bureaucratic red tape and politics which interfered with his work. It was during this time he would develop a fruitful friendship and admiration of Howard Stark, who Octavius would come into contact with and often converse concerning energy matters. He would further develop a burgeoning friendship with Tony Stark, who he would come to admire both for his genius as well as his ability to overcome his natural sickness and fragility. Octavius would even work in Stark Industries for a time until the death of Howard and the rageful grief of Tony would cause the younger Stark to lash out and sack Octavius, destroying their friendship and leaving Otto unemployed.

Octavius' biggest breakthrough would not be in his energy research but in the invention of a set of robot tentacles which he utilised to help manipulate harmful and dangerous substances from a safe distance. In a desperate attempt to gain government funding, Octavius stressed the major utility and military applications in his arms, claiming that with the right material the tentacles could handle and contain any harmful substance or source of energy.

It was this claim that soon brought Octavius to the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D and, secretly, HYDRA. Recruited by the agency and sworn with an oath of secrecy, Octavius was shown an object thought lost to history, recently retired from the at that point defunct Project PEGASUS: the Tesseract. Allowed to study the artefact, Octavius grew absolutely besmirched with it. When inquired if he could harvest the Tesseract's energy, Octavius responded that he could, but with how volatile and unstable the Tesseract had grown, he would most ideally need a material inaccessible to even the most powerful nations on earth to help contain and control it: Vibranium, and lots of it. Eager for any opportunity to harvest the power of the Tesseract as their founder once had, HYDRA would come upon and massively fund the expedition of one Ulysses Klaue, who would attack the hidden city of Wakanda with much greater force than Klaue's original employer had intended, coming away with a massive stockpile of Vibranium which he shared with the organisation.

During this time, Octavius soon found himself seduced by the ideas and opportunities presented by S.H.I.E.L.D: to better humanity with no government interference or trivial restrictions like budgets, to explore the unknown vestiges of science with no limit. The prospect of near-limitless resources to which continue his research, as well as his absolute fixation on the Tesseract, grew to a borderline obsession. When the vibranium finally arrived, Octavius went straight to work under the employment of S.H.I.E.L.D, despite his wife's warnings. By the 2000s, he'd been able to develop techniques and machines that allowed him to fully streamline the harvesting of Tesseract energy, as well as upgrading his own mechanical tentacles to help compensate for the Tesseract's awesome yet irregular power.

Yet over time, Octavius grew more and more concerned with the nature of his work. Like the US government, S.H.I.E.L.D began directing him towards more militant ventures using the applications of his Tesseract harvesting technology. Furthermore, many of his colleagues in his particular scientific division, particularly one Wolfgang von Strucker, expressed rather disturbing views and mindsets, some bordering on immorality.

Everything changed in 2012 when the secret Sokovian research facility he'd been experimenting on the Tesseract in was destroyed. Dismayed at the amount of death and destruction his work had caused, Octavius attempted to hand in his resignation, only to be abducted. It was then that HYDRA revealed its true identity in the aftermath of its discovery by Director Fury and informed Octavius that HYDRA had not only abducted him but his family as well.

With the lives of his family on the line, Octavius reluctantly defected from S.H.I.E.L.D and joined HYDRA in full. From there, he would be forced into both designing new weapons for HYDRA and, on several occasions, even fighting for it as an operative due to his tactical capabilities as well as the fighting prowess which his tentacles possessed (unable to be mass-produced due to the extreme complexity and cost of the design).

Steeling his heart, Octavius threw himself fully into his work with the same diligent work ethic that'd commanded his life from the beginning, seeking to make himself invaluable to HYDRA as well as to rise through its ranks in order to further ensure his family's safety. Though initially resistant, Octavius' morals degraded as he did things that would've horrified him years ago for the sake of protecting his wife and child; from designing weapons of mass destruction destined to massacre thousands to even human experimentation. To Octavius' own horror, he'd even come to enjoy some of it as time went by, the ability to pursue scientific ventures with no restraints whatsoever, physical or moral, feeling strangely liberating.

Octavius would even grow to become the primary head of HYDRA's weapons research program, favouring the development of advanced machines of war over Strucker's focus on bioengineering and super soldiers. He would fight many battles on HYDRA's side against its many foes; most notably developing a rivalship with the young Avenger and protege of Tony Stark, "Spiderman."

Doctor Octopus would be cornered by the Avengers at a HYDRA facility in Siberia. Desperate, Octavius would attempt to link the Tesseract directly into his tentacles to try and overwhelm the Avengers. Despite the significant power boost, Otto was defeated, with the Avengers forced to flee the facility as the Tesseract began to overload and prepare for another one of its famed unstable lash outs.

With his last thoughts on his precious Rosalie, Octavius was engulfed in a flash of light—

Beginning his new journey.

RP Sample: Alt Divergence #1
Alt Divergence #2
Point of Divergence
DO NOT REMOVE: #AGuideToSaveYou

Talchyon wrote:So OP, when I get a computer to app with, which would you think would be more fun in this? Hulk or Quicksilver?

Deblar wrote:

The Imperial Warglorian Empire wrote:Hm, would it be possible to play Sam Raimi’s Doc Ock? I mean he’s gonna be part of the MCU soon enough

Ooh, his first meeting with Miles should be pretty awkward

The Imperial Warglorian Empire wrote:

WHAT IF...? CHARACTER APPLICATION:

Name: Otto Octavius
Alias(es): Doctor Octopus
Age: 63
Sex: Male
Appearance:
In-costume
Personality: Otto Octavius is the epitome of "the path to hell is paved with good intentions." To try and climb the HYDRA hierarchy in the name of his family, Octavius grew to become ruthless and unrelenting in his pursuit of scientific development and power, committing atrocities that would've horrified him when he was younger. A far cry from his previous desire to advance humanity, he has little care for human life. Despite this, deep inside he is extremely remorseful about the actions he has taken (though he justifies it) and can be quite warm & friendly towards those he's on good terms with.

Octavius is also extremely intelligent, knowledgeable in various fields of science and also keenly aware of his surroundings. As a result, he has also become rather prideful, albeit not in an antagonistic way.

Powers:

• Cybernetic Tentacles
  -Doctor Octopus has four mechanical tentacles attached to his back via a harness. Connected via a neural link, Doctor Octopus can move these arms with just a thought and can even command them when not attached to his body.
  -The tentacles are also affixed with sensors and cameras, allowing Doctor Octopus to directly feel and see through them, drastically increasing his sense of spatial awareness.
  -They're even equipped with an advanced mind stone-enhanced AI (albeit somewhat primitive compared to the likes of JARVIS and Ultron), allowing them to react to situations independently if Doctor Octopus himself isn't aware enough to react to them or is incapacitated.
  -Powered by energy from the Tesseract and made of a vibranium alloy, these tentacles are nigh indestructible and can resist extremely high temperatures and corrosiveness.
  -Aside from durability, they are also very strong, able to lift and throw cars with impunity.
  -Far from their original purpose of tools of research, the arms have also been weaponised with Tesseract energy cannons and deployable blades.
  -Furthermore, if the tentacles, though unlikely, were to ever run out of Tesseract energy power, they can recharge via more conventional means and, in dire cases, can activate an emergency tritium fusion reactor; though even activating the thing is a risk in itself.
• Tritium Fusion Gloves-A refined prototype developed by Doctor Octopus, inspired after watching a particular set of sci-fi films, these gloves utilise the power of a limited tritium-infused fusion reaction to launch pinpoint concentrated gravitational pulls, allowing Doctor Octopus to reel things in from a distance without the need for physical contact. However, this can only be done in short bursts, for if left on for too long the fusion reaction could become self-sustaining, which would most likely result in the gravitational collapse of Doc Ock's hands. Yikes.

Universe of Origin: What if... the Tesseract was damaged?
The Tesseract itself was supposed to be a container for one of the six most powerful objects in the Universe; the Space Stone. Meant to keep under control the infinity stone's awesome and unstable power, what if this containment unit had failed? Perhaps some engineer got a little tipsy and made one itsy bitsy little imperfection in the Tesseract's design or the fall into the ocean was harder than it was in our timeline; maybe it was both, maybe neither. Whatever the case, the Tesseract, while not shattered, was breached.

The effects of this nexus were not immediate: as in the original timeline, Stark handed the tesseract over to Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S, albeit with a warning of the excess radiation spilling out of it in droves. The consequences, however, wouldn't appear until the 1980s, when the test of a new light-speed engine using the unstable tesseract as a power source would result in the deaths of lead scientist Wendy Lawson and test pilot Carol Danvers as the Tesseract suffered a catastrophic failure, blowing up the test plane. The 1980s would also see Howard Stark's rather risque research style come back to bite him, as the excess radiation from closely studying the Tesseract for decades would result in him dying from a terminal illness. Howard's consequences would plague his son, Tony, for the rest of his life, as the passing of irradiated genes would result in Tony suffering from poor health.

The Tesseract would only grow more and more erratic as its shell grew weaker and the spilling out of energy grew stronger, many attempts at harvesting its power resulting in lab incidents at best and many many casualties at worst. Eventually, the risk grew too great, and Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S was quietly retired, with the Tesseract (under VERY heavy lock and key) retired into storage in a secure SHIELD facility.

Only to fall into the hands of HYDRA, who would continue experimentation on the cube in secret. It wasn't until the early 2000s, with the help of one Dr Otto Octavius and a large stash of vibranium acquired via an expanded HYDRA-funded attack on Wakanda led by Ulysses Klaue, that the power of the Tesseract finally began to be harvested in full. For the next decade or so, besides some rather trivial changes like the beginning of a shadow war between HYDRA and Wakanda or the continuously ailing health of one Tony "The Sickly Playboy" Stark eventually leading him to take up a protege in the form of a clever child named Peter Parker, things progressed rather smoothly. That changed in 2012 when a brainwashed Loki destined for glorious purpose popped out of the Tesseract with his trusty sceptre...

...only for the Tesseract's unstable portal to promptly collapse, implode, and disintegrate the entire facility, taking with it both hundreds of staff and the Trickster God himself; not to mention a rather large portion of the Sokovian countryside resulting in hundreds of more civilian casualties. While both the Tesseract, as well as a rather handy sceptre, were recovered by HYDRA, the incident had the unfortunate side effect of tipping off one Director Nick Fury who, obviously concerned as to why a supposedly retired artefact of mass destruction was being actively tested on in a Sokovian facility without his know-how, did some private digging. And, with the help of some friends in the form of one Tony Stark and a few angry Wakandan covert operatives, managed to uncover the fact that HYDRA had been hiding within S.H.I.E.L.D the entire time.

With the jig up, all-out war broke out between HYDRA and the remnants of SHIELD, supported by a squad of superhumans Fury dubbed "The Avengers."
Affiliation: Anti-Villain, HYDRA (albeit begrudgingly)
The Guide has recruited him for both his scientific mind as well as the capabilities of his robot arms to hold, manipulate and contain almost any harmful force or material. He has also done so to give Doctor Octopus an opportunity for redemption from his past evil affiliations, for which he knows weren't entirely Octavius' choice.
Biography: Otto Octavius was born into a poor rundown neighbourhood with an abusive father who would often beat him. With encouragement from his mother and a desire to escape this life, Octavius threw himself into his studies. Though ridiculed by both his schoolmates and his father for his dedication to his studies, his work was not in vain as he soon managed to earn a scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Continuing the same diligent work ethic that had earned him his place in MIT, he soon graduated at the top of his class. A genius in the fields of both atomic sciences and technical engineering, Octavius soon found himself contracted by the US Government. It was during this period that he'd meet and later marry fellow researcher Rosalie Mary Anders, to which they'd have a son.

Octavius primarily researched various potential sources of energy; from miniature suns powered by the rare substance tritium to the applications of vibranium, desiring the betterment of humanity. Yet he soon grew frustrated due to his lack of progress; partly due to limited funding for his projects, as the government diverted more funds towards military technology, as well as bureaucratic red tape and politics which interfered with his work. It was during this time he would develop a fruitful friendship and admiration of Howard Stark, who Octavius would come into contact with and often converse concerning energy matters. He would further develop a burgeoning friendship with Tony Stark, who he would come to admire both for his genius as well as his ability to overcome his natural sickness and fragility. Octavius would even work in Stark Industries for a time until the death of Howard and the rageful grief of Tony would cause the younger Stark to lash out and sack Octavius, destroying their friendship and leaving Otto unemployed.

Octavius' biggest breakthrough would not be in his energy research but in the invention of a set of robot tentacles which he utilised to help manipulate harmful and dangerous substances from a safe distance. In a desperate attempt to gain government funding, Octavius stressed the major utility and military applications in his arms, claiming that with the right material the tentacles could handle and contain any harmful substance or source of energy.

It was this claim that soon brought Octavius to the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D and, secretly, HYDRA. Recruited by the agency and sworn with an oath of secrecy, Octavius was shown an object thought lost to history, recently retired from the at that point defunct Project PEGASUS: the Tesseract. Allowed to study the artefact, Octavius grew absolutely besmirched with it. When inquired if he could harvest the Tesseract's energy, Octavius responded that he could, but with how volatile and unstable the Tesseract had grown, he would most ideally need a material inaccessible to even the most powerful nations on earth to help contain and control it: Vibranium, and lots of it. Eager for any opportunity to harvest the power of the Tesseract as their founder once had, HYDRA would come upon and massively fund the expedition of one Ulysses Klaue, who would attack the hidden city of Wakanda with much greater force than Klaue's original employer had intended, coming away with a massive stockpile of Vibranium which he shared with the organisation.

During this time, Octavius soon found himself seduced by the ideas and opportunities presented by S.H.I.E.L.D: to better humanity with no government interference or trivial restrictions like budgets, to explore the unknown vestiges of science with no limit. The prospect of near-limitless resources to which continue his research, as well as his absolute fixation on the Tesseract, grew to a borderline obsession. When the vibranium finally arrived, Octavius went straight to work under the employment of S.H.I.E.L.D, despite his wife's warnings. By the 2000s, he'd been able to develop techniques and machines that allowed him to fully streamline the harvesting of Tesseract energy, as well as upgrading his own mechanical tentacles to help compensate for the Tesseract's awesome yet irregular power.

Yet over time, Octavius grew more and more concerned with the nature of his work. Like the US government, S.H.I.E.L.D began directing him towards more militant ventures using the applications of his Tesseract harvesting technology. Furthermore, many of his colleagues in his particular scientific division, particularly one Wolfgang von Strucker, expressed rather disturbing views and mindsets, some bordering on immorality.

Everything changed in 2012 when the secret Sokovian research facility he'd been experimenting on the Tesseract in was destroyed. Dismayed at the amount of death and destruction his work had caused, Octavius attempted to hand in his resignation, only to be abducted. It was then that HYDRA revealed its true identity in the aftermath of its discovery by Director Fury and informed Octavius that HYDRA had not only abducted him but his family as well.

With the lives of his family on the line, Octavius reluctantly defected from S.H.I.E.L.D and joined HYDRA in full. From there, he would be forced into both designing new weapons for HYDRA and, on several occasions, even fighting for it as an operative due to his tactical capabilities as well as the fighting prowess which his tentacles possessed (unable to be mass-produced due to the extreme complexity and cost of the design).

Steeling his heart, Octavius threw himself fully into his work with the same diligent work ethic that'd commanded his life from the beginning, seeking to make himself invaluable to HYDRA as well as to rise through its ranks in order to further ensure his family's safety. Though initially resistant, Octavius' morals degraded as he did things that would've horrified him years ago for the sake of protecting his wife and child; from designing weapons of mass destruction destined to massacre thousands to even human experimentation. To Octavius' own horror, he'd even come to enjoy some of it as time went by, the ability to pursue scientific ventures with no restraints whatsoever, physical or moral, feeling strangely liberating.

Octavius would even grow to become the primary head of HYDRA's weapons research program, favouring the development of advanced machines of war over Strucker's focus on bioengineering and super soldiers. He would fight many battles on HYDRA's side against its many foes; most notably developing a rivalship with the young Avenger and protege of Tony Stark, "Spiderman."

Doctor Octopus would be cornered by the Avengers at a HYDRA facility in Siberia. Desperate, Octavius would attempt to link the Tesseract directly into his tentacles to try and overwhelm the Avengers. Despite the significant power boost, Otto was defeated, with the Avengers forced to flee the facility as the Tesseract began to overload and prepare for another one of its famed unstable lash outs.

With his last thoughts on his precious Rosalie, Octavius was engulfed in a flash of light—

Beginning his new journey.

RP Sample: Alt Divergence #1
Alt Divergence #2
Point of Divergence
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Cetacea wrote:INCOMPLETE I WILL FINISH TOMORROW

WHAT IF...? CHARACTER APPLICATION:

Name: Anton Vankonian
Alias(es): Dynamo, Whiplash, Krasnii Dinamo II
Age: 49
Sex: M
Appearance:
(Image)
Personality:
Powers: Armored Suit with cybernetic extensions

• Vanko Arc Generator - A variation of the Arc Reactor, the Vanko Generator powers his Body Harness, EMP Canon and Whip extensions
• Power Harness - The Power Harness provides direct physiological stimulation to the wearers muscles to enhance physical strength, agility and reaction time
• Armor Durability - The titanium weave is bulletproof and also provides insulation against various forms of energy (including electrical)
• Electromagnetic Pulse Canon - The EMP pulses cause both concussive and electrical damage to targets and will cause electronics to overload and shut down
• Cybernetic Whips - usually sheathed inside gauntlets the omnium steel whip cables can extend to 10 ft and can be use to grapple and lift objects upto 300 kg, including people. Moving at twice the speed of sound the tips of the cables can pierce titanium steel and when energized the intensity of the electrical plasma can be varied from that of a taser up to a destructive lightning blast.

Universe of Origin: The Universe that Anton Vankonian comes from is very similar to the main timeline where the elder Anton Vanko had worked with Howard Stark and the SSR to isolate Vita-Rays for Project ReBirth before returning to the USSR before defecting to the USA in 1963.

In the younger Antons universe his father Ivan Vankonian really had been innocent of selling SSR secrets, the true spy being Obadiah Stane, and thus Antons sense of injustice and anger at Howard Starks betrayal was justified. Anton and his father Ivan were also fortunate that his mother had been a loving, strong hearted woman who supported her family despite their poverty and as such Anton had avoided the beatings his mainline counterpart had suffered.

Anton has also gone on to be something of a hero, at least as much as was possible during the collapse of the Soviet Union, he became a mercenary and saboteur before confronting Iron Man in 2010 .

Affiliation: Anti-Hero, Yerkrapah Union Volunteer, Hates the Starks for betraying his father.
The Guide has recruited him for his technical prowess and his willingness to do whatever is required. Perhaps too, The Guide has given him a second chance to get true justice for his father.
Biography: Anton Vankonian is the son of Ivan Vankonian an Armenian Scientist who had worked with the SSR during World War II and during the 1960's was recruited to the Arsenal Tomask 44 Research facility, Siberia as part of Soviet Cold War effort. Amongst his most notable achievements were development of a compact directed electromagnetic pulse generator (the Vanko Generator), a prototype muscle stimulation harness and the internal systems for the Mk 1 Krasnii Dinamo*
While his scientific acumen and inventiveness was highly regarded, there were doubts about Ivans loyalty to the State and after the Krasnii Dinamo was put into production he came to believe that the KGB was about to eliminate him. Seeking aid from the SSR Ivan Vankonian defected to the west where he was recruited to SHIELD (Research Division) working with Hank Pym, Howard Stark and later Obadiah Stane.
However this came to an abrupt end when Howard Stark falsely accused Vankonian of being a spy. Ivan Vankonian was deported back to the Soviet Union and reincarcerated in a Siberian penal village where he raised his son in poverty. With nothing to offer but his knowledge, Ivan trained his son in Physics and Eletrical Engineering and Anton proved to be a quick and capable student, despite the lack of resources available to him. Anton loved his parents, and they did what they could but his life was not easy and he often felt anger at the injustice suffered by his father at the hands of the Starks who had betrayed them.
During his teenage years Anton got caught up in the Perestroika reforms sweeping the Soviet Union and following calls for Armenian autonomy and the progroms in Karabakh, Anton joined the new Armenian forces bringing his fathers weapons to the conflict, including a compact EM Pulse canon and the very first iteration of his Power Harness. Taking the codename Dynamo, Anton rose through the Armenian ranks and was hailed as a hero. When the USSR finally fell Anton Vankonian found himself in possession of abandoned munitions and APCs including a number of Stark branded ballistic missiles. Even while he salvaged the Stark tech to construct his armor, Anton Vankonian was again reminded of how the Starks had plagued his life. The remaining APCs and Munitions were sold on the black market, providing Anton with contacts in Madripoor, Latveria and Africa.
Following the ceasefire Anton travelled to Sokovia and was present during the bombing of Novi Grad by the US Air Force. He then spent time as a mercenary during the Sokovia Civil War and in Afghanistan and elsewhere. His knowledge of electrical engineering made him an asset in Corporate espionage as well and in this capacity he did work for Roxxon,AIM and Vancorp.
Eventually Anton Vankonian return to take care of his ailing father and it was here that they pair saw Tony Stark make the announcement that he was Iron Man. Ivan Vankonian apologised to his son that he had not been able to give him a life like Stark and died soon after. Anton mourned his father and vowed to seek justice, planning to publicly discredit and destroy Stark Industries.

Securing forged ID and travel documents from the Ten Rings Anton travelled to Monaco under the alias Boris Turgenov with the intention of confronting Tony Stark. The story of ‘Vankos’’ confrontation with Tony Stark, his subsequent arrest and break-out assisted by Justin Hammer is well known, as is the Final Battle at the 2010 Stark Expo. What is not known is that during Justin Hammers trial evidence that the Arc Reactor was invented by Ivan Vankonian was presented and acknowledged, albeit too late for the Vankonians to gain satisfaction.


RP Sample: RP Samples
1 viewtopic.php?f=31&t=211041&p=11852061&hilit=Diaken#p11852061

The broiling edge of the Great Red Spot added a pink tinge to the light that filtered through the observation window into Den Haag, the offices of the United Provinces of Jupiter. Looking up from the latest batch of reports and news feeds Der Kerleen, Speaker for Der Haag, set aside his reader and standing up went to watch the spectacle, grinning like a child as a flash of crimson lightning ignited Callisto’s atmosphere.

Although it was the coolest of the Galilean moons, Callisto did have a few natural advantages that had made it the first to be colonised, and now, the first amongst the United Provinces. Unlike the larger Galilean moons, Callistos orbit lay outside of Jupiters torus, the wide belt of radioactive plasma that still made visits Planetside so very difficult. The inner moon colonies all needed shielding from the plasma winds, but Callisto had its own fluid mantle, a briny sea of slush-ice that produced its own magentosphere and so reduced the need for artificial shielding. Instead the early settlers had been free to harness the plasma torus as a source of heat and energy which they promptly used to release gases trapped in the ice to form a viable life supporting atmosphere. Even more importantly to the settlement of Callisto had been the Amarant Sea that had welled up in all it's glory once the outer ice crust had been cracked, a thick brine teeming with the bright pink archaea that had given the sea it’s name and now formed the base of Callisto’s native ecology.

Der Kerleen had been born amidst the pink fields of Callisto, a direct descendent of the first colonist to build Den Haag and farm Amarant as a viable crop species. He had travelled extensively, visited many planets, and every day had seen the rise and set of the Jovian moons, the arch of the gossamer rings and the passing of the lesser storms over Jupiters surface and still the pass of the Great Red Storm, three times as big as old earth and the most dominant of Jupiters features, inspired within him an unequalled sense of awe and spiritual veneration.

”they say the ancients of old earth worshipped storms” Der Kerleen commented to himself as much as to the slight, dark suited woman who stood silently by his side “I wonder what they would have made of our Red Storm and now this Tachyon blast”

“I can not say sir” the woman, Agneth, replied in the calm, efficient voice that characterized the Diaken "I recall that the diety Jupiter was himself a storm god, Dyeus-Pater, Father Sky and King of the gods”

“indeed he was” Der Kerleen smiled as he turned to consider her in more detail, a handsome woman, certainly no older than 35, her pink tinged hair cropped short and tidy. Often Der Kerleen had imagined that the Diaken were Jupiters own version of a priesthood, perhaps a mystery cult, each trained to serve not only the Jovian people but the ‘higher power’ that they accessed through the neural datalink that he knew to be embedded in the complex ‘tatoo’ that patterned the area from her temple to her left ear. Officially it allowed the Diaken direct access to communications and data networks across the system, but he wondered if there something more to it than just that? Of course the Blackout meant that most of those networks were gone and Der Kerleen had to wonder just what that might mean for a fraternity who had relied so deeply on that link.

“perhaps this is a warning from the gods themselves!” Der Kerleen chuckled as yet another crimson blaze lit up Callisto’s sky “we can only pray that Father Jupiter will keep us”..

“yes sir” Agneth gave a slight smile in return before a message indicator beeped on the sub-com

2 https://www.enworld.org/threads/t20-hig ... st-1162425
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* Crimson Dynamo is referenced in the Black Widow Movie.