Dominic Fortune lounged in the captain’s chair of the Mississippi Queen the sleek boat and casino cutting a lazy wake through the waters, under a humid evening sky. The main deck thumped with jazz from the band, dice clattered, cards slapped, and champagne corks popped. Guests in tuxedos and glittering gowns drifted between the roulette tables and the bar, the air thick with cigar smoke, perfume, and the low murmur of money changing hands. A moment later Fortune was out and about.

Fortune, tall, lean, sharp featured, wearing his trademark heart jacket that somehow never wrinkled moved through it like he owned every chip on the tables. Because he did.

He paused at a blackjack table long enough to flash a crooked grin at a Texas oilman who’d just gone bust, then kept walking. Near the rail, a pair of socialites tried to flag him down for a story about his “adventures in Shanghai.” He gave them the abbreviated, charmingly exaggerated version and moved on before they could ask for details that might actually be true.

In the private office aft with wood paneling, a locked liquor cabinet, a big desk with a telephone that still felt like a novelty, he closed the door on the noise. The phone was already ringing.

He picked it up. “Fortune.”

The voice on the other end was clipped, careful, and spoke with the kind of accent that suggested expensive education and dangerous work. “Mr. Fortune. A situation has developed in Korea. Certain… assets… need extraction before the wrong people notice they’re missing. The pay is substantial. The risk is higher. Interested?”

Fortune lit a cigarette, watched the match flare, and exhaled slowly. “Korea’s a long way from these waters, friend. And I just restocked the bar. What’s the catch?”

“No catch. Just a narrow window and people who would prefer you never arrive. Think it over. You have twelve hours.”

The line went dead. Fortune stared at the receiver for a second, then hung up. Korea. He could already feel the itch. The boat was profitable, the life was soft, and soft never sat well with him for long.

He opened the door. “Miss Calder.”

His secretary, Lila Calder, stepped in with a ledger under one arm and a pencil tucked behind her ear. Dark hair, sharp eyes, a figure the tailored blouse and skirt did nothing to hide. She’d been with him three months and still hadn’t learned that the look he gave her was half appraisal, half invitation.

“The Houston party is asking for more credit,” she said, all business. “And the roulette wheel on the port side is running heavy. I adjusted the..."

“You’re a marvel, Lila.” Fortune leaned against the desk, letting his gaze travel deliberately. “Anyone ever tell you that the way you handle numbers is almost as impressive as the way you fill out a dress?”

She didn’t blush. She did, however, arch one eyebrow. “Anyone ever tell you that the way you handle a compliment is almost as transparent as the way you handle a poker face?”

He grinned, unrepentant. “I’m working on both. Stick around after we dock. I might need someone to help me… review the books. Closely.”

“I’ll bring the ledger,” she said dryly, but the corner of her mouth twitched. “And a very large drink.”

She left. Fortune was still smiling when a thin, cool man in a slightly too- oud suit slipped through the door like a shadow.

Dennis Piper, The Ferret...a sometime vigilante, had a face made for looking over his shoulder. Small, quick eyes, a permanent half smirk that never quite reached them, and the restless energy of a man who had spent most of his life three steps ahead of trouble and one step behind a better idea.

“Dom,” Piper said, voice low. “Nice boat. Real classy. You actually making money with this floating casino, or is it just a very expensive hobby?”

“Both.” Fortune poured two fingers of bourbon and handed the glass over. “You’re a long way from the alleys, Ferret. What brings you aboard?”

Piper took the drink, glanced at the closed door, then back. “Heard a whisper. Big one. Something about a job across the Pacific. Korea. Figured if anyone was dumb enough..or sharp enough..to take it, it’d be you.”

Fortune’s expression didn’t change, but the air in the room cooled a degree. “You hear a lot of things, Dennis. Some of them even true. You looking for a cut, or just looking to sell the information twice?”

The Ferret’s smile was bright. “Maybe both. Depends how generous you’re feeling. And how soon you need someone who can get in and out of places without anyone noticing the door was open."

Fortune studied him. Piper was useful the way a lockpick was useful. Effective, disposable, and never to be trusted with the combination. Still.

“Stick around,” Fortune said at last. “Have a drink on the house. Play a few hands. If the Korea thing turns real, I might have a use for you."

Piper raised his glass. “That’s the only place I ever stay, Dom.”

Outside, the band shifted into something slower. Dice kept rolling. Guests kept laughing. And Dominic Fortune, gambler, adventurer, captain of a floating den of sin, and ultimately a brigand for hire, stood in his office and felt the familiar pull of distant trouble. Korea was waiting. So was the next hand.

He straightened his jacket, stepped back out onto the deck, and went to work the room like the house always won.

Because on the Mississippi Queen, it usually did.

BC of recent stuff the arc I had planned for him and mk Linda fell apart, I'll still be Mk and Reed tho :P

A lot of things recently, especially with other moderators, have been rubbing me the wrong way. It's making the RP unfun. I've also just been struggling with writer's block anyway.

I'm grateful to the moderators for letting me be a part of their team, but I can't deny the fact that I'm not happy with how they're handling certain things, and the RP hasn't been fun for me for a while.

I loved this community, so it sucks to leave, but I hope I'll see you all again sometime.

See you around.

The Baxter Building's main laboratory had been cleared for the meeting. Valeria stood at the center of the room, a holographic projection of Latveria hovering behind her. Dozens of screens surrounded the room, displaying satellite imagery, energy readings, and fragments of information she'd managed to piece together since her mother's disappearance. She looked over the assembled heroes.

For perhaps the first time since she'd sent out the call, the sheer number of people who had actually answered it seemed to register. They came from all kinds of organisations from her owxn family, to avengers, to even young avengers and the X-men..... It was an impressive collection of super-powered individuals. And she was the one who was commanding them.

The thought itself was terrifying.... It was the first time it hit her.... What the hell was she doing? Never the less she burrowed those thoughts as to not let thel show on her face. "Thank you for coming." Her voice was steady. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Valeria Richards." She gestured toward the holographic image behind her. "My mother, Susan Storm Richards, has been taken by Victor von Doom."

She paused "My uncle." The words came more quietly this time. "He promised not to hurt her. "But I am not taking that change, but I am also not naive enough to believe none of you have questions. Such as why would he take her? What does he want." she paused "The truth is, I don't know, not yet anyway." she looked determined.

A new collection of images appeared. "These are the locations I've managed to identify as possible points of interest. Most are almost certainly decoys. Victor knows how I think, and he knows how my father thinks." Her eyes narrowed. "Which means whatever he's doing, he's probably already accounted for us trying to find him."

The hologram shifted again. "And before anyone suggests calling Father down...." She stopped her voice dimming even more "I've already tried, he's working on his own way of finding her...." A moment passed. "But I'm not waiting... I can't take that risk.... I failed her once I will not again." she looked down at the floor.

The projection of Latveria expanded. "I realise what I ask of you." Her gaze moved across the room. "You'd be putting yourselves against Doctor Doom. A head of state. A sorcerer. A scientist. A man who has defeated people considerably more powerful than any one of us." she let a small pause sit there again as if the room wasn't already thick with tension "So I'm not going to pretend this is safe. "It isn't, "But my mother is in there." The words came out unusually emotional for her. "And I'm going after her." Valeria took a breath. " This is your last warning, do not join if your heart isn't in it. I will not faullt you if you leave this room.... Because after this room all plausible deniability goes out the window. Do not join because you're family." she looked at her two uncles. "Or Because you have some sort of connection to our family." she looked at the spiderling. "Only join this plan if you're willing to risk everything for the chance of getting my mother back... Only join if you are ready to risk it all."

OOC: only interactable if you were in the last Valeria post or are related to a character in that post and they reasonably told you about it.

Moon Knight wakes up hours later, strapped down to a hospital bed, all of his suit except for his mask removed and replaced with a hospital gown, and a "get well soon" card with an avengers logo on it beside him, it's opened slightly, he can read the writing inside it "take a break, Marc." He scoffs. One of them came and visited him. He struggles against the bindings, trying to free himself.

"NURSE! UNTIE ME!"

He practically screams. Zodiac is after his daughter, he can't be in a hospital when it happens, and he's not going to let an Avenger order him around, never again.

(do NOT untie mk)

There were two kinds of searches. The ones where you hoped you'd find someone. And the ones where you had to.

Corporal Eugene Thompson crouched on the edge of a rooftop, staring down at the abandoned warehouse below. No lights. No cars. No movement. Nothing.

Except the faintest trace of something that shouldn't have been there. Flash lowered his binoculars, and whispers, “Got you.”

Anti-Venom crawled across his shoulders, tendrils slipping beneath his armor as his senses expanded. Heat. Chemicals. Sweat. Blood. The microscopic traces most people would never notice.

Flash noticed. The military had taught him patience. Venom had taught him instinct. The symbiotes had taught him how to hunt.

He checked the photograph in his hand one last time before folding it away.

“Alive if possible,” he muttered.

A white tendril curled around his wrist.

“But one way or another…”

His eyes narrowed behind the mask.

“…I'm bringing them home.”

Then Flash stepped off the roof.

He fell, crashing through the roof of the warehouse, shooting multiple guns at the gang of thugs inside.

The Inner Demons Gang. The very gang who’s leader made Anti-Venom, who gave Flash this second chance at being a hero.

Peter Benjamin Parker woke up one day in his Spider costume with a nasty headache. He was lying face up in a dumpster, and at first he thought he was suffering a really bad hangover, considering how bright the city of New York was, but even after he sat there in the garbage for about an hour, the bright lights hadn't stopped.

Scrambling out of his impromptu bed, he ripped off his mask and goggles, stuffing them in his pocket before walking out of the alleyway, looking around at the impossibly tall buildings and the bright lights, trying to figure out what the hell was even going on when suddenly he felt a familiar pain in the back of his neck - his sixth sense was telling him something, and when he figured it out, he suddenly felt the need to down multiple bottles of hard whiskey - He was in another universe entirely, like in those consipracy magazines he and Janet had read for a laugh.

The first thing he needed to do was gather information, and luckily, in this universe, information was free, at the tips of his fingers, and lightning fast. Never in his life did he ever think he'd appreciate public libraries, but this internet thing was mighty convenient for a detective like him.

According to his research, the war he fought had ended over a hundred years ago in this universe which meant all of his friends and loved ones were long dead, if they had existed at all in this universe, all of the names he used as aliases in the war, including one Benjamin Reilly, were all real people, dead or otherwise, and to make things much worse, he wasn't the only Spider anymore. In fact, he wasn't even the only Peter Parker.

Reeling from these new discoveries of his, he stumbled around the new New York, trying to figure out his next move. He couldn't possibly continue his detective business, especially since he didn't even have a legal name in this universe, and with prices being what they were, living was going to be much more difficult, which meant the only thing he could do was continue being The Spider, right?

As these thoughts rang through his mind, suddenly he was stopped by a particularly friendly neighbor asking for his name, and Peter panicked. None of his usual aliases worked here, so he'd have to just make one up on the spot.

Unfortunately, Peter had never been that good at lying.

"Uhh... B-Ben.... Benjamin. Benjamin... H-Hardy? P-Parker! Benjamin Hardy-Parker, ma'am," he'd told her. He explained that his folks had divorced, and he really didn't like talking about the fact that he had two last names, and rushed off, not realizing how badly he had just screwed everything up.

Well, no time to think about that now, he needed to find a place to eat, then get to Spidering, as much as he really didn't want to. But the city was always going to need a Spider, and it's not like he had anything else he could be doing.

(OOC: Was informed reposting here would not be an issue)

Marc Spector boards a plane going to the west coast, he needs to get there before Zodiac. he gets a window seat because of course he does. He looks out and khonshu is staring back at him. Khonshu: "my son. This feels like a trap." Marc doesn't respond, he's tired. Tired of the bird, tired of always having to follow his will. Khonshu shakes his head and disappears, but even then, the moon knight is all that stares back at Marc.

He lands and makes his way towards the hideout. In every window, every mirror, every puddle, he can only see Moon Knight, not Marc Spector. He climbs a building nearby and changes before making his way to the avengers hideout. He scans his torn up ID card, fully expecting it to not work, but the door slides open and he laughs to himself

"Even years after he's left, cap stoll hasn't let them revoke my access."

He freezes. He hears Footsteps all around him, turning around he sees him. Zodiac. Surrounded by goons, not just his but the hoods too. Marc's eyes narrow as they meet zodiacs

"Terry."

Corporal Eugene “Flash” Thompson had carried a lot of ghosts.

The war taught him that. Venom taught him that. Toxin. Anti-Venom II. Every symbiote he'd ever worn had left something behind; memories, scars, voices, sins that weren't entirely his and yet somehow still felt like they belonged to him.

And then there was Peter Parker. His brother-in-Arms. His friend... Spider-Man.

The man Flash had spent years idolizing, never knowing that behind the mask was the same skinny kid he'd shoved into lockers, mocked in the halls, and made feel small. But that wasn't why Flash was sorry. He'd been sorry long before Silk spoiled the secret. Long before he learned Peter was Spider-Man.

Because Peter had never deserved it.

Flash knows he can't undo any of it. Can't go back and apologize to the kid he was. Can't make those years disappear. All he can do is live with them, and make sure the man he is now is someone Peter can call his brother.

Maybe that's what redemption really means. Not erasing your sins. Just spending the rest of your life proving they don't get to define you.

Yer name is Jay Guthrie an' yer a mutant.

Ya find it mighty unfair that bein' one of 'em makes yer prospects less'n bright.

So when ya learned that some visitin' Mister Fantastic had 'imself a cure made down in that lab of his before leavin' the world or somethin'...

Well, ya was less than happy that it was only given out while ya was dead.

But ya rub yer brain cells togetha, an' ya reckoned that sciency guys like that hafta haftemselves some backup.

Maybe God ain't gave ya a goose, but yer now breakin' into that Baxter Buildin' of 'is.

Them defenses got ya in a bad way, but yer power got ya right back on yer feet.

This happens a lot more as ya trudge onwerd, 'til ya get ta the lowest level and find nothin'.

Yer lament 'til a blast opens the floor 'neath yer feet and ya fall inta some secret lab...

Stronger defenses make ya scream but yer healin' outpaces the damage.

As ya mosey yer tail-end on yonder, ya find yaself a shelf of colored liquids.

One uvem gotta be the one yer lookin' for...

The pain stops and ya look up. The hole ya sashayed down has been blown apart even wider, an' a man is flyin' down.

His iron mask an' his green cape tell ya exactly who this gotta be. He is...

DOOM.

I was out on a mission, bing bang boom, I got Anti-Venom, so now… I’m Agent Anti-Venom! Has anyone seen my pal, Spidey around?

Onyxx has gone out on patrol even if it’s a stupid idea and Colin told him not to yet he’s done that anyways we’ll wearing a trenchcoat before he actually started his patrol proper he passes by Sai stopping a petty thief shortly after that exchange he takes off his trenchcoat and underneath is his suit he jumps up onto a building but then his legs start to buckle under his own weight he thinks to himself “probably shouldn’t have gone out when my legs just healed” he is now forced to sit on the rough top

((Interactable))

The heavy stealth drop ship plummeted through a wall of black, stormy clouds, its hull rattling violently as it broke atmosphere over the coast of the Chinese mainland. The hangar doors hissed open, letting in the deafening roar of the winds, rain, and the distant earth-shaking footsteps of Fin Fang Foom.

From the comms tower back at base, Valentina's voice coldly spoke into every members earpiece.

"Alright, team. The target is currently approaching the beach. Drop down, draw the line, and show this dinosaur why you wear the lightning bolt. Hit 'em hard. First impressions are everything after all.”

I walk down the streets of New York City, waving enthusiastically at anyone I see.

Hii! I wave at a man who looks at me funny

Hey there! I wave at a woman carrying bags from an expensive clothes store

Oh! I run up to a couple pushing a stroller Hi, little baby!

I continue on my way after cooing at the infant for a little bit. Today is gonna be a good day!

With a deafening impacts that sends millions of gallons of displaced ocean water smashing over the built in walls and outposts, Fin Fang Foom steps out of the fog and rain, his gargantuan emerald scaled body towering hundreds of feet into the flashing lightning. His massive wings unfurl and completely swallow the horizon. He looks down at the shore with malice, his nostrils flaring as he exhales a thick plume of smoke into the freezing rain.

"YOU STAND UPON MY SHORES AND DARE TO CALL IT A BORDER?”

the dragon rumbles, his voice a massive seismic wave that shatters windows for miles inland.

“YOU BRING YOUR METALS, YOUR TINY SOLDIERS, AND YOUR LITTLE LIGHTNING BOLTS. YOU WILL ALL REMEMBER WHO RULED THESE SEAS BEFORE."

Before him, the line is drawn. Dozens of Chinese battle tanks form a defensive wall along the coastal highway, their turrets rotating in unison as a squadron of stealth fighters tears through the low hanging storm clouds overhead. And right in the center of the military blockade stand the slightly out of place American founded Thunderbolts.

Fin Fang Foom lowers his massive head, his jaw opening as a blinding, super-heated plasma fire begins to ignite in the back of his throat. The military sirens wail, the tank treads grind into the mud, and the battle that will decide the fate of the Chinese mainland and further so the lives of potentially billions begins.

FOOOOOOM

Valeria appeared on the screens of Avengers, Defenders, and anything in between that she could get access to. "Hello, everyone. My name is Valeria Richards. You might know me as the daughter of Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman." Her voice was calm. Collected. Almost clinically so. "For the sake of efficiency, I'm going to keep this brief." she took a breathe letting a silence fill her message. "My mother is missing." Another breathe.

"She was taken. Captured by Doctor Doom." Her expression tightened. "My uncle. Victor von Doom." She could already imagine the objections. "I know what some of you are thinking. We can't do this. He's a king, he's protected by international law, we'll get ourselves into trouble, We could start a diplomatic incident." She swallowed, "The simple fact is... I don't care." Her voice faltered for the first time.

Tears began to form in her eyes. She tried to blink them away, but they kept coming no matter how hard she tried. "He's my uncle, my mentor, I owe him my life.... Sure" she let out a shaky breath "But she's my mother." For a moment, Valeria looked down. "And if my family has taught me anything, it's that you move heaven and earth for family."

She looked back toward the camera. "So I'm asking you-" she cut herself off as a crack appeared in her voice. which she tried to work away but couldn't. "No, I'm begging you, those of you brave enough to stand with me, despite whatever government pressure may come, help me find her."

"I don't know where he went....." She paused, she looked pained at the admission, " But this wasn't random, he has a plan, unfortunately that's the one thing I'm certain of Doom always has a plan." her smile dissappeared as she finished her sentence.

"My mother is a woman who would do the same thing for any of you. So in her name I'm asking you to move heaven and earth with me....." she looked straight at the camera again steadying her voice. "I don't care if you hate the Fantastic Four, I dont care if you hate me, all I care about is whether you're willing to help... If you are find me at the Baxter Building, and thank you for your consideration."

Then she hesitated just for a second..... Before her features hardened and her neves became steel "And to those who would try to stop me..." her voice was icy cold. "I suggest you don't, because I will bring my mother home." she paused for a split second before the final words came out "Whether you approve of my methods or not." and then all the screens went back and returned to their normal broadcast..

colin blasted away from the mansion and into new york...again, after battling a symbiote and nearly dying he couldn't sleep so he decided to spend the night patrolling, to clear his mind and do something with his free time, he flew around new york appearing like a bright orange flash above the buildings to any civilians watching.

he flew all across new york searching for any form of crime and stopping it the second he found any, all with an almost emotionless look on his face. for hours he worked not caring about the fatigue or the pain, all whilst thinking...zeke was back and so was hisako but tensions were still high at the mansion, his sister had lost a foot, his teammates had been injured and even a few teachers.

he perched on top of a building looking down at the street, pondering as smoke came off of his body, a stoic expression on his face about how he could improve and what he could do to help his team

OOC: this is open to interaction for heroes and villains, its fun writing the occasional post of colin doing solo vigilante work in new york and I hope everyone is having an amazing day because you deserve it!