The Young Avengers Initiative
- Thread starter Wightraven
- Start date
- Location
- The Trash Pile
"We aren't reality warpers" is a good mantra. Vilina is way closer to Domino than she is Scarlet Witch. It also helps to be vague about what happens. "I hope Bling dodges that attack" is more likely to activate her powers than "I hope Bling does a triple somersault away from the attack and lands on her feet to a chorus of cheers". "I hope something gives us an edge in the upcoming battle" is also way more likely to work than "I hope we win". That could result in the mouse biting through the wires, as you suggested, and it's a separate instance that isn't affected by the moment-to-moment uses of her powers.
Poll's closed. I'm gonna try to get this update out before I have to go to work.
002 - Lessons in Heroism A
- Location
- The Trash Pile
Winner: Improvement: Just Lucky, I Guess - Enemies are less likely to hit Vilina.
Number of voters: 9
Theoretically the weekend should give you enough time to recover... but it doesn't. There's too much nervouscitement over Monday that sleep refuses to come easy or stay for long on Sunday night. Classes begin, and you begin to take them, as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as you can be. It's a different vibe from high school, but you're committed to adjust and have taken a few prep courses just for that. You take copious notes, you keep your focus on the professors no matter how tired you actually are. Combat training is the hardest part of the day; Ms. Morse starts out with a small warm-up that only reminds you how exhausted you are, and then personally tests everyone's strength and reaction time to gauge how to best train the class. You suck. You never thought you were going to be amazing, but you know you could've done better and it eats at you a little bit as classes continue through the day. Finally, evening comes. You work on papers and reading, research and tending to sore muscles... and it's time to do it all over again the next day.
You feel like you barely have time to see your roommates, though only Kitty seems as stressed as you do. Robbie is about as tired, but looks like he's handling his courses with relative ease. They're in the elective courses you took together, but even those take a toll on you, just adding in general to the pile of work you have to do. But you can do it. This is a completely manageable work load. It is just now also your whole life. The first weekend comes and it's a wall of relief. You finish up the assignments you have ASAP and finally have a little time to relax. Nothing about you wants to go out. Quentin seems to sense your tension and leaves you alone beyond politely checking in with you. Late Saturday Kitty manages to convince you to go with her to see Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. The two of you have a really good time. The movie is stupid, but fun, and the songs are (as could be expected) amazing. Eventually the weekend concludes and the new week begins, and around Wednesday of the week that follows you realize that this is just your life now. As much as your first week felt so full of social interaction and adjustment, college hits you hard enough that you adjust to its schedule immediately because it doesn't give you much choice. The course load is heavy, and you don't have a lot of free time, but you never expected to have much free time at all pursuing medicine. This, you remind yourself, is light compared to actual medical school or anything that follows.
But there is that shining beacon on the horizon... the siren song of your other potential career choice. And almost before you know it; it's here. Your squad's first patrol. You're standing on a rooftop with your team in full gear, though honestly Kid Omega and Bling aren't dressed any differently than they were a few hours ago. Rage has really only added what looks like a luchador mask to his ensemble. Shadowcat, however, is wearing protective black leathers with a small domino mask. You would feel ostentatious in your similar ensemble in gold and white, with a deep hood... if it weren't for Speedball's gear that looks a little like pop art come to life; predominately blue with colored portions matching the spectrum of his bubbles. The lot of you are staring down over the city, where you were told to meet, having idle conversation catching up and discussing what you're supposed to do when there's a sudden noise behind you; a soft thump. Everyone turns, and rising from a crouch... there's Spider-man.
"Uh... hey! Friendly neighborhood Spider-man, but uh... you prob'ly already knew that. Right? ... am I famous?"
"We know about you all the way in Oregon, so... yeah. Pretty famous."
"Cool. Cool. Uh... then I guess I don't need to go into introductions. Mr. Stark sent me some files on you guys, you look just like your pictures-- nice costumes, by the way. So, uh... let's get to patrol! Yeah?" Spider-man, yes, actual freaking Spider-man walks forward to the edge of the roof and crouches in that Spider-man crouch, pointing around as he talks. "Okay, so, I'm gonna keep overhead. Completely cool, I'm just sorta like... an instructional guide and safety net. You can pretend like I'm not here. It's not a big deal. I'm just backup in case things... y'know. Go horribly wrong, or whatever. But they shouldn't! Cuz..." he sighs. "Well, anyhow, if the six of you go rolling through the street together... make a big scene or whatever, there's not gonna be any crimes to stop. Also, people might wanna take your picture. And that's cool, makes you feel good and stuff, but it also isn't why we're here. Y'know? I mean, there's somethin' to be said for creating a presence on the street, right? To... like, discourage crime. But, like, you wanna set it up so people feel like you're always watching, even when you have homework or a hot date, y'know? You want every crook out there to feel like you might just pop outta the shadows at any second to stop 'em. Make 'em think twice about doin' somethin' in the first place, whether you're actually out there on patrol or not." He stops to see if everyone is following along, and you all nod out of sync. He nods back. "Right, so... I figure if you each split up into teams of two, you can cover more ground. We wanna try to stick to Jacskon Heights area, but if someone bolts on you... y'know, let us know and chase 'em down. You guys got communication, right? The telepath?"
"That's me," Kid Omega raises his hand.
"Cool. If you could get me in on that, uh... network or whatever, so we can all keep in touch, that'd be awesome."
"Consider it done. You'll hear a slight buzzing, and I can't dig too deep, but keep your thoughts quiet and nobody will know your secrets."
"Uh, shit. OK. I'm gonna mess that up. I'm always thinkin' out loud and it's not much better up here," he points to his head, "so, hey, lemme be honest with you guys so I don't embarrass myself later. You're really pretty, you're really pretty and I freakin' love your hood! Wish I had a hood, I bet that'd look sweet. I like your circles but I don't know what they are. You look awesome as hell, you... you're HUGE, man! I'm both impressed and a little intimidated over here! And you kinda scare me because you remind me of the cool kids back in school who smoked in the bathroom between classes." He nods. "OK, awesome. I think I've destroyed any mystique I had bein' Spider-man just now, but that's fine. Might as well get it outta the way. You guys decide how you're dividing up, and just try to stick to the shadows. Watch and react, y'know? I'm gonna go ahead and swing away now." And so he does, zipping off into the night sky as webbing flies forth from his wrist and he pulls toward a taller building.
Who Would You Like to Patrol With?
[ ] Shadowcat
[ ] Bling!
[ ] Kid Omega
[ ] Rage
[ ] Speedball
Number of voters: 9
Theoretically the weekend should give you enough time to recover... but it doesn't. There's too much nervouscitement over Monday that sleep refuses to come easy or stay for long on Sunday night. Classes begin, and you begin to take them, as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as you can be. It's a different vibe from high school, but you're committed to adjust and have taken a few prep courses just for that. You take copious notes, you keep your focus on the professors no matter how tired you actually are. Combat training is the hardest part of the day; Ms. Morse starts out with a small warm-up that only reminds you how exhausted you are, and then personally tests everyone's strength and reaction time to gauge how to best train the class. You suck. You never thought you were going to be amazing, but you know you could've done better and it eats at you a little bit as classes continue through the day. Finally, evening comes. You work on papers and reading, research and tending to sore muscles... and it's time to do it all over again the next day.
You feel like you barely have time to see your roommates, though only Kitty seems as stressed as you do. Robbie is about as tired, but looks like he's handling his courses with relative ease. They're in the elective courses you took together, but even those take a toll on you, just adding in general to the pile of work you have to do. But you can do it. This is a completely manageable work load. It is just now also your whole life. The first weekend comes and it's a wall of relief. You finish up the assignments you have ASAP and finally have a little time to relax. Nothing about you wants to go out. Quentin seems to sense your tension and leaves you alone beyond politely checking in with you. Late Saturday Kitty manages to convince you to go with her to see Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. The two of you have a really good time. The movie is stupid, but fun, and the songs are (as could be expected) amazing. Eventually the weekend concludes and the new week begins, and around Wednesday of the week that follows you realize that this is just your life now. As much as your first week felt so full of social interaction and adjustment, college hits you hard enough that you adjust to its schedule immediately because it doesn't give you much choice. The course load is heavy, and you don't have a lot of free time, but you never expected to have much free time at all pursuing medicine. This, you remind yourself, is light compared to actual medical school or anything that follows.
But there is that shining beacon on the horizon... the siren song of your other potential career choice. And almost before you know it; it's here. Your squad's first patrol. You're standing on a rooftop with your team in full gear, though honestly Kid Omega and Bling aren't dressed any differently than they were a few hours ago. Rage has really only added what looks like a luchador mask to his ensemble. Shadowcat, however, is wearing protective black leathers with a small domino mask. You would feel ostentatious in your similar ensemble in gold and white, with a deep hood... if it weren't for Speedball's gear that looks a little like pop art come to life; predominately blue with colored portions matching the spectrum of his bubbles. The lot of you are staring down over the city, where you were told to meet, having idle conversation catching up and discussing what you're supposed to do when there's a sudden noise behind you; a soft thump. Everyone turns, and rising from a crouch... there's Spider-man.
"Uh... hey! Friendly neighborhood Spider-man, but uh... you prob'ly already knew that. Right? ... am I famous?"
"We know about you all the way in Oregon, so... yeah. Pretty famous."
"Cool. Cool. Uh... then I guess I don't need to go into introductions. Mr. Stark sent me some files on you guys, you look just like your pictures-- nice costumes, by the way. So, uh... let's get to patrol! Yeah?" Spider-man, yes, actual freaking Spider-man walks forward to the edge of the roof and crouches in that Spider-man crouch, pointing around as he talks. "Okay, so, I'm gonna keep overhead. Completely cool, I'm just sorta like... an instructional guide and safety net. You can pretend like I'm not here. It's not a big deal. I'm just backup in case things... y'know. Go horribly wrong, or whatever. But they shouldn't! Cuz..." he sighs. "Well, anyhow, if the six of you go rolling through the street together... make a big scene or whatever, there's not gonna be any crimes to stop. Also, people might wanna take your picture. And that's cool, makes you feel good and stuff, but it also isn't why we're here. Y'know? I mean, there's somethin' to be said for creating a presence on the street, right? To... like, discourage crime. But, like, you wanna set it up so people feel like you're always watching, even when you have homework or a hot date, y'know? You want every crook out there to feel like you might just pop outta the shadows at any second to stop 'em. Make 'em think twice about doin' somethin' in the first place, whether you're actually out there on patrol or not." He stops to see if everyone is following along, and you all nod out of sync. He nods back. "Right, so... I figure if you each split up into teams of two, you can cover more ground. We wanna try to stick to Jacskon Heights area, but if someone bolts on you... y'know, let us know and chase 'em down. You guys got communication, right? The telepath?"
"That's me," Kid Omega raises his hand.
"Cool. If you could get me in on that, uh... network or whatever, so we can all keep in touch, that'd be awesome."
"Consider it done. You'll hear a slight buzzing, and I can't dig too deep, but keep your thoughts quiet and nobody will know your secrets."
"Uh, shit. OK. I'm gonna mess that up. I'm always thinkin' out loud and it's not much better up here," he points to his head, "so, hey, lemme be honest with you guys so I don't embarrass myself later. You're really pretty, you're really pretty and I freakin' love your hood! Wish I had a hood, I bet that'd look sweet. I like your circles but I don't know what they are. You look awesome as hell, you... you're HUGE, man! I'm both impressed and a little intimidated over here! And you kinda scare me because you remind me of the cool kids back in school who smoked in the bathroom between classes." He nods. "OK, awesome. I think I've destroyed any mystique I had bein' Spider-man just now, but that's fine. Might as well get it outta the way. You guys decide how you're dividing up, and just try to stick to the shadows. Watch and react, y'know? I'm gonna go ahead and swing away now." And so he does, zipping off into the night sky as webbing flies forth from his wrist and he pulls toward a taller building.
Who Would You Like to Patrol With?
[ ] Shadowcat
[ ] Bling!
[ ] Kid Omega
[ ] Rage
[ ] Speedball
Silvereagle21
Soaring through the Sky
- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
[X] Rage
- Location
- Everywhere, Anywhere, Nowhere.
[X] Shadowcat
- Location
- California
[X] Shadowcat
Ave Anathema
Ave Imperator
- Location
- Jacksonville Illinois
[X] Shadowcat
Girl time with our fellow chick since we IC are you know a chick
Girl time with our fellow chick since we IC are you know a chick
BBBence1111
Harbinger of Bad Luck
- Location
- Magyarország
Cat isn't really a good partner for our first partner. We can support, but we need someone who can actually fight.
[X] Bling!
[X] Bling!
- Location
- United States
[X] Shadowcat
- Location
- Canada
[X] Bling!
[X] Bling!
The Froggy Ninja
The Blade Will Never Die
Peter is a huge dork and I love him.
WanderingEye
smol skeleton
[X] Bling!
One of these days we need to interact with other team members
One of these days we need to interact with other team members
002 - Lessons in Heroism B
- Location
- The Trash Pile
Winner: Bling!
Number of voters: 7
"Bling! Why don't you and I patrol together? I think our abilities would pair well with each other."
"Sure, darlin'. But only because you said my name right!" She smiles warmly and stands by your side.
"Well, someone needs to watch scrawny, here," announces Rage. "I'll stick with Kid Omega."
"I'd like to announce I'm officially for plan 'protect the squishy'," responds Quentin.
"Guess that leaves you and me, Shadowcat."
Kitty doesn't say anything; just grins. the six of you amble down the building as Quentin establishes his mental connection between the group.
"Testing one, two. Testing one, two. Can everyone hear each other?" You all respond in the affirmative, including Spider-man. "Try to keep the chatter down, like we practiced. Verbal communication when you're close enough, mental when something is important."
You all go your separate ways, with you and Bling starting out by learning how to keep an eye on the street while also staying out of sight. It isn't super easy with your light-colored costume and Bling's tendency to… well, shine like a diamond. But if she stays concealed enough the effect is diminished. She takes on sort of a dull lavender hue in the darkness. As for you, gold and white outfit or not, you're a small woman with a deep hood who's trying to stay out of sight. It's harder determining what is and isn't a threat.
Mr. Stark was right; crime doesn't exactly just run rampant through the streets. Patrols like yours are likely highly unnecessary, at least en masse. But you assume these are smaller building blocks to help lay the foundation for larger conflicts in the future. Easier to learn the ropes against a gang-banger with a knife now than immediately start on a maniac with a death ray in the future. It is quiet, though. A little boring. You and Roxy have set up a route that keeps you out of the way and still gives you a few quick and easy options for traversal. You're mostly looking for people behaving suspiciously… but everyone just seems to be going about their Friday night.
"I kinda expected beating up more punks," she comments out loud with a subtle laugh.
"Yeah," you respond in kind, "I… don't know how much beating up I thought I was going to be doing, realistically anyway, but I did expect to be thrust into more danger. Saving people from emergencies and responding to super-powered threats…"
Roxy shrugs. "I guess your average day in New York is exactly that… police and fire take care of most of it. There isn't exactly a hotline for super-heroes like there are for them."
"There aren't enough of us to go around even if there was. But I get what you mean. I feel… a little antsy. It would be comforting to know what we were steeling ourselves for, what we were supposed to be looking for in specific. So we could hurry up and fix it, y'know?"
"Heh. Yeah. I keep waiting for one of these goons to jump, then--"
Suddenly, Quentin's voice buzzes into your brains. "HaHA! WOW! Rage just bagged us a mugger!"
"YEAH! RIGHT there, FOOL!"
"Oh, I saw that! That was awesome!" Spider-man confirms, "He barely put his hands on that purse and you were just like-- WHOOM! BASHOOM! 'Not today, joker!'"
"He SO did not say 'joker'," corrects Quentin.
"Yeah, but I was raised better'n to say that. OK, stay where you are. I'm gonna get some police down here so he can get… uh… processed and stuff. Make sure the lady doesn't go far, they're gonna want a statement."
There's that vicarious bit of rush running through your body right now, excited for what Quentin and Elvin must've just experienced! The fact that a member of your squad stopped a real crime from happening! … but it abates quickly. You're left a little uncomfortably warm and alone in the alley with Roxy. The two of you share a look of light envy and understanding, and Roxy pushes off from the wall.
"C'mon, Fortune. Let's change spots. Where you wanna go to now?"
Where to Patrol Next… ?
[ ] The Park
[ ] The Subway
[ ] That Thali Restaurant
Number of voters: 7
"Bling! Why don't you and I patrol together? I think our abilities would pair well with each other."
"Sure, darlin'. But only because you said my name right!" She smiles warmly and stands by your side.
"Well, someone needs to watch scrawny, here," announces Rage. "I'll stick with Kid Omega."
"I'd like to announce I'm officially for plan 'protect the squishy'," responds Quentin.
"Guess that leaves you and me, Shadowcat."
Kitty doesn't say anything; just grins. the six of you amble down the building as Quentin establishes his mental connection between the group.
"Testing one, two. Testing one, two. Can everyone hear each other?" You all respond in the affirmative, including Spider-man. "Try to keep the chatter down, like we practiced. Verbal communication when you're close enough, mental when something is important."
You all go your separate ways, with you and Bling starting out by learning how to keep an eye on the street while also staying out of sight. It isn't super easy with your light-colored costume and Bling's tendency to… well, shine like a diamond. But if she stays concealed enough the effect is diminished. She takes on sort of a dull lavender hue in the darkness. As for you, gold and white outfit or not, you're a small woman with a deep hood who's trying to stay out of sight. It's harder determining what is and isn't a threat.
Mr. Stark was right; crime doesn't exactly just run rampant through the streets. Patrols like yours are likely highly unnecessary, at least en masse. But you assume these are smaller building blocks to help lay the foundation for larger conflicts in the future. Easier to learn the ropes against a gang-banger with a knife now than immediately start on a maniac with a death ray in the future. It is quiet, though. A little boring. You and Roxy have set up a route that keeps you out of the way and still gives you a few quick and easy options for traversal. You're mostly looking for people behaving suspiciously… but everyone just seems to be going about their Friday night.
"I kinda expected beating up more punks," she comments out loud with a subtle laugh.
"Yeah," you respond in kind, "I… don't know how much beating up I thought I was going to be doing, realistically anyway, but I did expect to be thrust into more danger. Saving people from emergencies and responding to super-powered threats…"
Roxy shrugs. "I guess your average day in New York is exactly that… police and fire take care of most of it. There isn't exactly a hotline for super-heroes like there are for them."
"There aren't enough of us to go around even if there was. But I get what you mean. I feel… a little antsy. It would be comforting to know what we were steeling ourselves for, what we were supposed to be looking for in specific. So we could hurry up and fix it, y'know?"
"Heh. Yeah. I keep waiting for one of these goons to jump, then--"
Suddenly, Quentin's voice buzzes into your brains. "HaHA! WOW! Rage just bagged us a mugger!"
"YEAH! RIGHT there, FOOL!"
"Oh, I saw that! That was awesome!" Spider-man confirms, "He barely put his hands on that purse and you were just like-- WHOOM! BASHOOM! 'Not today, joker!'"
"He SO did not say 'joker'," corrects Quentin.
"Yeah, but I was raised better'n to say that. OK, stay where you are. I'm gonna get some police down here so he can get… uh… processed and stuff. Make sure the lady doesn't go far, they're gonna want a statement."
There's that vicarious bit of rush running through your body right now, excited for what Quentin and Elvin must've just experienced! The fact that a member of your squad stopped a real crime from happening! … but it abates quickly. You're left a little uncomfortably warm and alone in the alley with Roxy. The two of you share a look of light envy and understanding, and Roxy pushes off from the wall.
"C'mon, Fortune. Let's change spots. Where you wanna go to now?"
Where to Patrol Next… ?
[ ] The Park
[ ] The Subway
[ ] That Thali Restaurant
BBBence1111
Harbinger of Bad Luck
- Location
- Magyarország
The restaurant looks safe, which means it'll go horribly wrong somehow, the subway is just asking for running into Omega's group, so....
[X] The Park
[X] The Park
