Jump 2: Marvel Cinematic Universe Part 1
Age: 27
Location: Free Choice - Kamar-Taj
Origin: Drop-In
Perks:
Soundtrack of the Galaxy - Could be neat!...I wonder if having a soundtrack only I can hear will be distracting, though.
They Call Me ‘Monkey’ - ...yeah, okay, not the best nickname but I couldn't think of anything that described me and didn't sound too chuuni or too complicated.
Make This Look Good - I can make nicknames and look good in just about any outfit. That means I can pay even LESS attention to my fashion sense!
Darcy Time [1100] - I now have a knack for showing up during important events. Which means I'm less likely to miss the bus, I guess?
Monkey Wrench [800] - Being able to figure out what's going on and turn the situation my way somehow...I feel like I'll need that. I'm not exactly a superhero on my own, after all.
Super Soldier [600] - Captain America throws his mighty SHIEEEEELD...okay, sorry. Peak human performance and mental abilities. Hell yes.
Enhanced Senses [400] - Sharpened physical senses. Now I SUPER don't need glasses!
Put Together A Team [300] - Be able to assemble a team and get them to iron out their differences. Hey, it's got my vote.
Grootologist [250] - Can get an idea of what someone is saying even if they just say their name over and over again.

Items: [+300 for this only]
Tactical Suit - Bodysuit. Has the Yin-Yang symbol of Taoism on it. Because it's cool.
Taser Rod - Handheld taser. Not much to write home about.
Quad Blasters - Space guns with a lethal and non-lethal setting respectively.
Bar of Booze - I am a weak man. [200]
Translator Implant - I feel like I'll need this. [150]
Night Night Gun - More non-lethal takedowns are important. [100]
Hangar Bay x3 - Might be a bit of an investment, but...you know. Spaceships. [0] [100i]
Helmet of the Stars - I decided they're goggles that can turn into a space helmet at will. Nice. [0i]

Drawbacks:
Catch-Phrase [1100] - “Make it so.” Not a terribly awful catchphrase but literally anyone who catches that reference is never going to let me live it down.
Literal-Minded [1200] - It's literally high school over again.

When she said I'd be going to the Marvel Cinematic Universe next, I was...skeptical. Mostly because it's full of one-liner spouting superheroes with a myopia of personality disorders and an inability to go longer than five minutes without arguing or eventually ending up in conflict against each other. I asked if there were any better options for my journey into Marvel. Then she showed me a vision of the present-day comics universe and decided...you know, I think I'll stick to the universe that is only slightly less likely to implode due to reasons out of my control. Once the dice were rolled, I celebrated upon seeing the eight - free pick! She looked at me with some amusement and asked where I wanted to go.

Once I had picked up everything else, I decided that the front door to Kamar-Taj was the best place to be. I didn't have much of a place in the Avengers during the early years and the less attention I attracted, the better. Besides, I wanted to see if I could convince The Ancient One to teach me magic and if I could see what Mordo was up to before Stephen Strange stumbled onto their doorstep. She looked at me with some concern.
>"You...you sure that's where you want to start?"
Without thinking, I nodded in affirmation. She bit her lip and then nodded.
>"Alright, have fun, skippy. See you in a few years."

Then, I was there. The door leading to Kamar-Taj. Not only that...but there was a key in my hand, with a little note saying ‘Your new stuff is in here.’ I instinctively knew the key could be used on any lock - mostly because she just finished explaining all of this to me. The second thing I noticed was how much sharper everything felt around me. My sight, my hearing, even the feeling of the wind in Kathmandu. I felt like I could run a marathon and still have time for seconds. But before I get lost in that sort of thing, it's time for me to knock on the door and ask for training.

...and now this is when I knock again.

And again.

Hello?! Is anyone home?!

Right when I'm about to knock again, the door swings open and I see Mordo looking at me with an expression of equal parts annoyance and confusion. I'm about to open my mouth before he quickly interjects, “You are here to see The Ancient One?” See, it's important that she's referred to as The Ancient One instead of the Ancient One. Because Wizards Like Lots Of Capital Letters.

Anyways, I nodded and smiled sheepishly. “I was hoping I could learn-”
“Come.” Mordo merely stands aside and invites me within.
Something you don't really experience when you're watching a movie is the different scents within a given area. The interior of Kamar-Taj in particular smells heavily of different kinds of incense and just the faintest bit of tobacco. I was a little distracted by it since I've never really liked the smell of smoke, and that was before my senses suddenly got an upgrade. Anyways! I came face to face with Magic McBaldlady herself, The Ancient One.

Because it felt like the right thing to do, I put my fist into the open palm of my other hand and did what I thought was a polite bow. She seemed more bemused than anything, and Mordo merely watched quietly. “I, uh...thought that was how you, you know, greeted someone with respect...when you asked them for-” I tried explaining, but mostly came off as awkward. The Ancient One just watched me fumble over my words before I stopped myself. “I wanted to ask you if you could teach me magic.”

“I could.” She said with a small shrug.

Awkward silence ensued. “Then...could you please teach me?”

“Again, I could. But there's two things that are apparent about you just from seeing how you carry yourself.”

“Those being?”

“One, you are either not comfortable in your own skin, or you're from another world.” I flinched.

“Was it that obvious...?”

“You're wearing clothes with markings and insignia that don't exist in this world.”

What? Oh. I look down. Sure enough, I'm still wearing my adult-sized trainer clothes, with a few holes in the jeans and the Pokegear sticking out of my pocket.

“...right. Sorcerer Supreme. I forgot.”

She smiled wryly. “The second thing is that, you seemed too sure that following some sort of routine in your mind would result in me teaching you magic. Like a computer program you activate at the click of a button.”

“I wasn't rude or anything, was I...?” I asked, a bit self-conscious.

“No, you're quite polite, stranger. But the look in your eyes tells me you're a bit lost. Did you have a plan of action within this world, were I to turn you away at the door?”

“...no.” I admit, hanging my head.

She smiled. “I will teach you, stranger.” My head snapped up and I must have looked like a child on Christmas morning. “On one condition.” Nope, there it goes.

“That being...?”

“Prove yourself worthy. Journey into this new world, do something you never would have considered doing until this day. Circle the Earth once, then return here. And then I will teach you.”

“...you want me to do a literal lap around the entire planet and just have an adventure?”

“It's not about what I want. After all, you look to me like someone full of wanderlust. Having you meditate and train in Kamar-Taj without a chance to explore would likely bore you.”

She's got me there.

“So, circle the globe, have an adventure. Okay, cool. I can do that.” I should have time before the events of Dr. Strange, so, shouldn't be too hard, right?

“I know you can.” She says with a nod. “Just know that not everything may turn out as you expect.”

Pffft. As if. I knew what to avoid and how to still do what she needs me to. Just avoid the Avengers and book a few travel flights, then get into a scrap or two. Shouldn't be too hard, right?

Anyways, I step out of Kamar-Taj with absolute confidence in myself...up until I realize that I'm in the middle of Nepal and neglected to buy both a vehicle or money I could actually use here. All I had were Pokedollars that basically amounted to Monopoly dollars. I'm about to turn around and ask for a lift before the door to Kamar-Taj closes and makes a locking noise.

Right. My old archnemesis - my lack of foresight.

Well. First thing's first - get my equipment from my shiny new Warehouse and pack up. I can't afford a plane, so I guess I'm going to go on foot until I reach the Atlantic. I put my scarf back on, take a deep breath, and start on walking.

...wait, what year is it, again?

My journey to the west is complicated a bit by the fact that the countries directly to the west of India are a perpetual war zone, and shiny new gear with a punch-dog or not, I was not really equipped to handle that sort of nonsense. I also have a hangar but no spaceships because I am literally retarded. ‘I shouldn’t need one', I said! ‘It’s not an adventure unless you can't just fuck off to space!' I said! Blah.

I access my shiny new Warehouse, which is holding all of my new and my old gear. That translator thingy was going to be my best friend in the coming year, and I bloody well knew it. Soon as I find a solid road I roll out the old motorcycle and start my journey. I have plenty of traveling clothes leftover from my days as a Champion, so I should be able to handle whatever the weather throws at me, too. Just need to have a door nearby whenever I need to make a pit stop. Who knew having a portable Warehouse would be so handy? Without having to worry about fuel or sustenance, I'm mostly preoccupied with avoiding obvious battlezones or trouble and riding towards the western end of Europe. My goal? Make a stop at Paris, sightsee for a bit, then head for the States. Then I could circle back around the Pacific and finish my ‘lap’.

Planet Earth is definitely a lot bigger when you're not just staring at a map of it, you know? The sights and sounds of Eastern Europe as I circled around the north were something I couldn't resist snapping a few photos of...at least, until I dropped my camera into a lake on accident and then lost track of it. That kinda sucked. Anyways, I had managed to make my way to the border of France by smuggling myself in a breadbox.

...okay fine I went around any checkpoints between me and there, happy?

I didn't realize until years later the EU still had an open borders policy at the time.

So while I went to Paris for some sightseeing, figuring that went under the criteria of ‘something I’ve never done before', my time was interrupted by someone crashing a runaway bus and being chased by various black vans with insignia I didn't recognize. There was a lady running away with a box in hand. I figured this wasn't any of my business, up until the lady suddenly created telekinetic blades she threw at the people with suits. Then she got tapped in the head and dropped the box. Which...promptly rolled at my feet.

I tried diffusing the situation and stepping away from the box, but somebody started shooting. So I decided ‘fuck it’, grabbed the box and started running, parkouring my way around the hail of gunfire. I tossed Hobbes out help me tear a path through the streets until I barely managed to lose my pursuers. Then I went into the Warehouse and decided to open the box! Which in hindsight was a stupid idea...at least, if I didn't find something neat inside that wasn't radioactive. It was a collection of stone pendant-thingies with an old map that looked like the coast of Italy, and a point drawn just around Firenze-er, Florence.

...

WELL WHY THE FUCK NOT.

Doing an about-face, I went off in the opposite direction and began riding south towards the Mediterranean to make my way to Italy.

Turns out there was some kind of ancient magic ruin hidden away by the Romans that had somehow evaded detection for nearly millennia and the pendants I was holding were the keys to it. I learned this in between fleeing mysterious people in suits using technology that had weird chromelights on them and having to fight my way through trouble at INCREDIBLY HIGH SPEEDS. The worst of it was when I managed to crash my dumb ass on the highway and had to crawl into the Medbay while it was still dark. Not fun.

Anyways I put in the weird pendant-medallions into this ominous looking ruin where the map had pointed, and got a crash course in what I call the Indy Style Ruin Raiding because OF COURSE IT WAS FULL OF TRAPS. Not the kind people argue about on the internet, either - that would have been extra strange. Then I found a staff being held in the middle of an altar of some kind, and decided ‘oh, free stuff’. And then the staff glowed with a bunch of runes and letters I didn't recognize, and then the altar burst open. Turns out it wasn't an altar at all, it was a sarcophagus for an undead sorceress who announced herself as ‘Circe’ and then claimed that a thousand years of darkness were to follow.

...

Whoops.

Thinking quickly, I hit her with the staff. Not terribly effective considering she had magical powers and I didn't, and she promptly did a force choke thing and then slammed me against a wall. And then another. And then another. After taking a moment to contemplate what choices led me to this unfortunate situation, I manage to choke out that the world is different. I bullshit something about the world being full of sorcerers ready to seal her away again, and I just happen to know a few, and could lead her to them. There was one thing I came in this world good at: The ability to bullshit myself into looking confident and in control when I had no fucking idea what I was doing.

She bought my bluff and released me, with me taking some time to reacquaint myself oxygen in my lungs, before ‘guiding’ her out of the ruins...and just waiting outside was an entire blockade of the suits who had been chasing me, complete with a military arsenal. At this point I ditch Circe at the first possibility and duck for cover. They all opened fire on her but of course this is a crazy undead magic lady and she tosses helicopters around like toys and a bunch of the soldiers involved all turned into pigs and then bacon in that order. It's at this point I realize my mistake - and while I shed no tears for the people who had been shooting at me and chasing me without once explaining themselves, Circe was going to start killing a lot of innocent people unless I thought of something. Running away now was a horrible idea. I then noticed there was an empty van from the suits just resting in reach.

Magic takes a lot of concentration, I figure, and she was waving her arms around all mystical-like when she used magic. So the second it looked like her back was turned and she was talking to one of the still-living agents she was levitating up the air, I floored the pedal and played a game of woman versus van. I leapt out before impact and it promptly crashed into the stone wall of the ruin. Then I fire my quad blasters into the van and where I thought its engine was before it caught fire and exploded. I'm not sure if it's supposed to do that, but I guess this world really does operate on movie logic.

The staff I was holding started glowing a bit when I did that. Weird.

So it turns out fire and explosions relatively did the trick - she didn't get up after that. So I thought at the time, anyways! We'll get into that later. I decide to help up the Agent and promptly chewed them out for chasing and shooting me for the past few months. They then chewed me out for letting an evil sorceress free. This argument went nowhere but I learned two things - this Agent's name was Wellington, and they were actually working under SHIELD. Apparently one half of the people chasing me were remnants of HYDRA, and the other was SHIELD trying to secure the staff from HYDRA.

Considering the truth of this, this meant HYDRA was fighting HYDRA and then I showed up and now HYDRA was after me.

Woo.

I contemplate turning myself in just for the chance to talk to Nick Fury...but when I remember I'm TECHNICALLY now a Super Soldier and I've probably been giving HYDRA grief for the past few months, I decide being a fugitive is a SLIGHTLY less risky option. So I high tail it out of there, and its' not long before I'm pursued again.

Sneaking and hiding on an ocean liner was never more tense.

Anyways I manage to make my way into America mostly by jumping out of the liner and swimming to the coast of New York like a fucking madman. It was a lot easier in my head than it was in reality, that much was certain. My journey to the west coast was regularly interrupted by SHIELD's pursuit, but they became less and less determined as time went on - I figured it'd get harder since I was on American soil and the midwest had a lot of empty space for deniable assets, but I guess something else was taking up their attention at some point? Or maybe they lose track of me...the fact I didn't have a paper trail PROBABLY contributed to that.

So aside from running afoul of a certain Samurai in silver during my stay in Japan, most of my hobo quest was fairly uneventful.

A year and a half later after many misadventures and mistakes, I collapse at the doorstep of Kamar-Taj to be greeted with a bemused Ancient One and a mildly furious Mordo when he saw the staff on my back.

But that's another story.

Jump 2.5: Marvel Cinematic Universe Part 2
Origin: Drop-In [1300]
Age: 32
Perks:
You're Welcome, By The Way - Snarks and quips. Didn't I have this already?
Oooh, Shiny - Good at finding things of interest, and figuring out the best ways I can use them.
Put This In Check - I can inject common sense into my arguments and people can't completely ignore me when I do. Christ in Heaven, where has this been all my life? [1600]
Can't Do It [1300] - Can declare myself neutral in a conflict and everyone involved will leave me the fuck alone.
Enlightenment [900] - What I came here for - magic! Stuff like forming energy weapons and generally playing with the ‘source code’ of reality.
+Can't Do It - Can easily access the Mirror World as well as manipulate it as easily as a Dark Dimension user, and can do it in normalspace, too.
Fist Over Hand [700] - Chi generation - add more force to my blows, heal others and purge disease, that kind of mystical thing.
Like A Spider x2 [500] - Crazy reflexes, like in The Matrix movies sort of thing. Dodge bullets.
So I Heard...[300] - Always able to get something useful and tangible out of the rumor mill.

Items: [+300]
Innocent White Van - Sure wish I knew how to drive.
Sling Ring - Foci that lets me make those spinny fire portals that go just about anywhere, even between dimensions.
Chakra Books - Books on opening the chakras, which are apparently pretty important to magic here. Also includes spell books that detail making spells using the various energies of the Multiverse, whether making my own or casting existing ones. Warning labels are AFTER the spells. [200i]
Mystic Dojo - Basically a miniaturized Kamar-Taj - has meditation rooms, a courtyard to practice in, a library for a collection of books (not included), an armory for magical weapons (still not included), and a storage unit full of replenishing food, water, and tea to as many who need it (YUSH). Has a boosted learning effect for those studying magic. Make it a Warehouse attachment. [0i] [600]
Slice of Heaven - Similar to the above except more spiritual and kung-fu-y. Kung Fuey. Hong Kong Fooey![0]

Armor:
Suit Up - Get myself some protection. [+1000AP]
Type: Regular
Power Source: Kinetic Coils [800AP] - Power from motion and being able to absorb the energy from impacts. Nice.
Defenses: Vibranium Weave [500AP] - The stuff Cap's shield is made of. Can't go wrong with it, right?
Kinetic Gel Interior [400AP] - And diffuse the impacts with some gel, too.
Weapons: None
Utility: Designated Weapon Slot [350AP] - Opening on the back for the staff.
Hidden Pockets [300AP] - Exactly what it says on the tin. Comes prepackaged with lockpicks, tiny diggers, fake ID, and somehow some rope.
Misc:
Aesthetic Upgrade - Give it a minimalist body armor sort of look, like a suit. [250AP]
Slim It Down - Make it more compact. [200AP]
Stress Distribution System - Protect dose joints. [100AP]
Environmental Protection - Because I can't keep shopping for new winter clothes. [0AP]

Relic:
Reveal The Magic - The Heart Staff
Minor Effects: Glow of Magic - Collection of glowing blue runes along the staff when in use. [950RP], Inert - can appear like a mundane staff, too. [900RP]
Physical Might - Increase in strength when in use. [800RP]
Self-Maintenance - Because repairs are for chumps [600RP]
Force Amplifier - WHACK. [0RP]

Drawbacks:
Continuity - Catch Phrase, Literal-Minded [1400]
Nerd [1500] - It's just how I am, okay?! May as well get points for it.
Baskin-Robins [1600] - An ice cream shop can't be THAT big a deal, right?
It's Strange [1700] - That ‘Monkey’ name isn't leaving, is it...?

So my return to Kamar-Taj wasn't as triumphant as I hoped it would be. Sure, I had managed to complete a lap around planet Earth and gotten up to various mischief I previously wouldn't have imagined myself being in. On the other hand, I was now on the wanted list of SHIELD/HYDRA for keeping them from securing a dangerous artifact and had released one of the Ancient One's rivals during her early years as a Sorcerer Supreme - a legendary sorceress by the name of Circe. The Greek Circe, in fact, who had discovered the secrets of immortality via what amounted to being a lich. When I protested that I had no idea this was the case and I had managed to stop her, it was pointed out that this had merely destroyed her body and she would reform again in her original lair - somewhere in Greece, which had likely been built over by a modern town or city. Which meant it wouldn't be long before she emerged and caused trouble again.

As Mordo very loudly informed me while shaking me by the collar.

The only way to defeat Circe permanently was to activate the Relic I had acquired - The Heart Staff, and jam the thing into Circe's heart. Apparently it was designed to be a one-time immortality remover specifically for her. I immediately noticed the discrepancy when I asked: ‘Okay, so why didn’t you just kill her the first time this happened?'. The Ancient One had said that Circe was largely misguided by megalomania and loneliness caused by her long immortality, and the fact she went down in history as an evil sorceress. Having remembered the ‘Exploding Bacon’ spell, I can't help but quip, ‘Gee, I’m sure she was really nice deep down.' The Ancient One had hoped to bring her some measure of peace and possibly turn her into a powerful ally, but it was clear this plan was no longer (and may have never been) feasible - and she had barely survived the initial battle in her youth. Thus it was now my duty to bring her down. I'm about to argue before Mordo points out this was my fault to begin with, and I should be grateful The Ancient One is still training me for the occasion.

And because they didn't want me breaking anything else, I would be chaperoned by Mordo.

Okay, so imagine a drill sergeant. Now imagine that drill sergeant neither likes you nor your personality nor your actions and has license to kill you if you step out of line. That is what having Mordo shadowing me as I learned the Mystic Arts felt like, and I could tell he barely tolerated my presence most of the time. I didn't question at the time why The Ancient One both still saw fit to train me but also saddled me with this responsibility - I wasn't sure if it was another test or just a chance for me to atone for the trouble I had caused.

This, combined with me wielding the Heart Staff and having gone westward for my initial journey, earned me the nickname of ‘Monkey’. It stuck. And would never leave. Do you know how embarassing that is?! “Monkey, fetch some water. Monkey, stop leaving your socks on the floor. Monkey, the sling ring is not a toy.” Anyways learning magic was a bit of an uphill experience especially since my initial training was being rushed. Something interesting happened, though - trying to open one of my chakras resulted in my being able to supercharge my fists and my feet, making me a bigger deal in melee.

Once it looked like I was ready, myself and Mordo journeyed to the town where Circe was supposed to re-emerge...and that she did, as if sensing our arrival. She kicked up a very literal storm and began to try and destroy the entire town for reasons I couldn't quite hear because it turns out you can't really process a monologue while being assaulted with HIGH WINDS. Mordo manages to get a good hit on her but is then is nearly hit with one of those polymorph lights of hers...I use my own magic to deflect it. This battle was mostly one of attrition - she just kited us and hit us with bad weather conditions and exploding beams of light, until I got the idea of using my ki to super-jump and then impaling her on my staff right in the bosom.

...

That sounded a lot less dirty in my head.

I also neglected to account for the landing.

Ow.

After that, my reward for fixing a problem I caused in the first place was exactly what I asked for - tutelage under The Ancient One. She might have been a bit hard on me for that incident - a lot of the lessons stressed discipline and focus, as if trying to drill it into me that I shouldn't make careless mistakes. It's not just my life on the line when it comes to dealing with mystical threats or things I couldn't just smash and be done with.

I never ended up joining the Avengers or even meeting much of anyone up close besides the good Doctor Strange. I was all adventured out and I wasn't nearly prepared or confident in the idea of a confrontation with Thanos. Call me a coward, but discretion is the better part of valor and I don't believe for a second I'd make much of a difference against a monster like that.

...well, there was...one exception. I intervened in the battle with Kaecilius. I tried to save The Ancient One. I did a pretty good job - Kaecillius had a lot less zealots by the time I was done with them. But I missed the mark by the end. I don't know if it was the hand of destiny or if she just knew it was her time to die - but sure enough, she passed away on the medical table.

...she wasn't so bad, you know?

So. That was my story in the Marvel Cinematic Universe - a sort of ‘side hero’, unseen and the cause of - and solution to - a bit of trouble off on the side. Hey, that's a win in my book. Just had to make it so.