Robert Meta

The Conceptual Deck - Chapter 55 - Final countdown

With a method of enhancing my body sorted I started working on my next project, impact absorption. I had made a note to take a crack at it ages ago, but hadn't tackled it yet because I had more important things to work on.

My armor protected me from bullets, piercing and some of the damage from impacts but they still rattled me around. I needed a way to absorb more kinetic energy to keep myself from being knocked around. After all, my amulet might heal bruises but if someone splaters my...

What should his next _____ be?

This poll is now closed, i'm breaking the tie in favor of the toughness tattoo, mostly because I have an idea for it. 

The Conceptual Deck - Chapter 54 - Ink

It didn’t take long for me to put together the upgrades to Ema’s wings since I had already done it on my own. Tony suited up while I worked, stepping into a rather impressive looking contraption built into the workshop floor and ceiling, going from normal man to Iron Man in just over forty five seconds.

“Damn. Impressive.” I said, watching as his face plate slapped down.

“You like? I’m working on something better but…”

I smirked and tapped the activation butt...

Should I notify everyone when a chapter becomes available?

So as I work out the kinks of the new  reward tiers I've realized that when I make a chapter available to the next tier down (IE when a chapter that was once only available to Board members becomes available for Investors) I could notify everyone of the change, or I could let everyone do it on their own so I'm not stuffing peoples notifications with a bunch of updates. I'm going to leave this poll up for a week, so let me know what you think. Rather than make a judgment call I'd like to ...

Mettle, Metal, Meddled - Chapter 20 - Back to the quarry

Robin arrived through the Zeta-Tube first, dressed in costume and smiling. He immediately started working on the central room's projected computer, accessing something before pulling a file up. He opened it and turned to the three of us and waved us closer.

“So, I spent yesterday putting together all sorts of data on team dynamics and survival ratings. I even found some clips on pack tactics and that sort of thing.” He explained, gesturing at through the holograms and starting a sho...

The Conceptual Deck - Chapter 53 - Introductions

Just a reminder that this is part of the transition to new tier reward. Be careful not to read out of order

Edit: There was a slight mix up for my post scheduling, should be fixed now.

Edit 2: I'm going to be away tomorrow, with spotty access to the internet, so I decided to release this chapter early!

~~~~~

I couldn't help but smirk as Ema flying around the workshop caught Tony off guard. When he focused back on me, Ema floating above my shoulder, I reached out my han...

The Conceptual Deck - Chapter 52 - Attention grabbing

Just a reminder that this is part of the transition to new tier reward. Be careful not to read out of order

Edit: Apologies everyone, I messed up the post schedule. 

~~~~~

I woke up slowly the next morning, my room already brightly lit from my window. I had clearly slept much later than I usually did. That was to be expected though, seeing as I was up so late waiting for…

I bolted upright in bed and looked around, realizing that I was supposed to pick Ema up whe...

The Conceptual Deck - Chapter 51 - Expanding horizons

Just a reminder that this is part of the transition to new tier reward. Be careful not to read out of order

Edit: I'm going to be away tomorrow, with spotty access to the internet, so I decided to release this chapter early!

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We were barely over the bridge connecting the Triskelion to the rest of Washington DC when Ema brought up going to see Tony Stark again.

“He is the best option for getting our hands on thrust as a concept in a small form.” She insisted. �...

Mettle, Metal, Meddled - Chapter 19 - Late night

Just a reminder that this is part of the transition to new tier reward. Be careful not to read out of order

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Kyle left to get some sleep not long after our conversation, leaving me alone as I waited for M’gann to return. I was more or less done for the day, but I couldn't go to bed early because I wanted to meditate, but I promised M’gann I wouldn't do that until she was asleep to keep from freaking her out.

Thankfully I didn't have to wait too long, as she returned...

The Conceptual Deck - Chapter 50 - Squad

Just a reminder that this is part of the transition to new tier reward. Be careful not to read out of order

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It took a fraction of the time to make the second pair of wings for Ema than it did to make my pair, mostly because I didn’t need to pause every step of the way to double check the concepts and plan out the next steps. Unlike mine, which were bound to me because I combined it with my deployable armor, Ema’s was not bound to her, which led to some problems once she ...

The Conceptual Deck - Chapter 49 - Leaving the ground

Ema and I poured over the repair list for the arm, settling on a final list of what we were going to leave out once we were ready. When we were done the list was eight parts long, having to do with its connection to the Odin Force, the ability to control it remotely and several other parts of what drove it. It also apparently had its own repair function that could fix minor issues, which we regretfully added to the list. Having armor that could slowly repair itself over time was nice, even if...

Mettle, Metal, Meddled - Chapter 18 - Named

The next day started with what was quickly becoming my morning routine. I  woke up and headed down to the gym, where M’gann, Superboy and I worked out for an hour or so. Superboy spent a chunk of time fine tuning his limit for his speed, finding that he could run a pretty decent hundred and twenty miles an hour before his legs started to ache. He could punch at a blistering speed too, wailing on a super reinforced punching bag that measured the force he was imparting.

“Superboy...

Lair Divers Tale - Chapter 16 - 20

Hello again and happy June! Here is the next five chapter of Lair Divers Tale. Please enjoy and let me know what you think!

Edit: Meant to make this a scheduled post but its only a day early so I've decided to just leave it up. Enjoy!

The Conceptual Deck - Chapter 48 - Back to making

The five of us sat around one of the workshop tables and ate breakfast, in relative companionable silence. Ema of course didn't eat anything, which caught Peggy’s attention.

“What's wrong dear?” She asked after she had finished putting cream cheese on her own bagel. “You know… I don't think I’ve ever seen you eat?”

Ema opened her mouth to respond but slowly closed it, giving me a look. I shrugged and gestured that it was up to her, all with a mouth full of sesame bag...

What should Skarns outfit style be/inspired by?

Here are some links to examples 

Earthbending Police: https://avatar.fandom.com/wiki/Republic_City_Police

Earthbending Soldier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuvira

Scifi Soldier: https://www.pinterest.com/pi...

Increased Investor and Board Member Perks!

Hello! I'm happy to announce that on June 6th I will be increasing the rewards for all of my tiers. Patrons will have access to one early chapter of my primary fan-fiction (currently Conceptual Deck), Investors will have access to three early chapters from my primary fan-fiction and one of my secondary fan-fiction (currently Mettle, Metal, Meddled) while Board Members will get access to four chapters from my primary and two from my secondary. Both Investors and Board Members will continue to ...

The Conceptual Deck - Chapter 47 - Healing the mind

"Fuck!” I shouted, holding the base of the arrow, blood leaking around my hand. “How the hell did I forget about those fucking arrows?”

Bullets sparked through the doorway, peppering the far wall. Eventually they stopped and a voice came out from the vault.

“Steve Rogers. I didn't expect to see you so soon.” It said almost casually. “I don’t suppose I could convince you this is a Shield operation could I?”

As the man continued to talk I stood up straight, my ...

Mettle, Metal, Meddled - Chapter 17 - Looking glass - Steve Rogers Interlude

Steve Rogers watched Warren as he talked to a hero named Batman, explaining who he was, where he came from and why he was here. The clear, two dimensional plane he was watching him through fluttered occasionally, like a ripple in water. He was standing in a void, dark and infinite, marked with stars, nebulae and spark that dance between the gaps. The currents of milky way like dust swirled and circled around him and the viewing plane, far enough that it was impossible to really j...

The Conceptual Deck - Chapter 46 - Go time

Hello! Again I want to apologize for missing my last post. This is the second chapter I'm posting today, so make sure you've read chapter 45 before reading this one. 

Thank you again for your patience!

~~~~~~~~~~~

I ended up only being gone for two hours, returning silently on the landing pad. Peggy was watching the bank, sitting far enough from the window that the shadows covered her while Steve sat completely out of sight around a corner, watching a video on his phone...

The Conceptual Deck - Chapter 45 - Waiting for word

I would like to apologize for missing Fridays post. Everything was all set to go out, and this post was complete but for some reason it was saved as a draft and not published. I don't know how I messed it up but I clearly did. Rest assured you will be getting two chapters today. 

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After watching the video Peggy immediately rewound it to listen to Sitwell’s confession again, going over everything he said. Steve, already mentally messed up by Bucky and his lost time...

Mettle, Metal, Meddled - Chapter 16 - Sparring

Wally immediately bolted towards me, zipping left then right, trying to throw me off before shoulder checking me from the side. I had seen how fast he could go during the fight with Captain Cold, but it was still incredibly difficult to judge his movements. He easily blew through my defensive posture and shoulder checked me, forcing me back a handful of steps. He stopped after he collided with me, seemingly shocked I was still on my feet. I resisted the urge to reach into my well of energy an...

The Conceptual Deck - Chapter 44 - Heads will role - Shield Interlude

Natasha listened as Sitwell described a long record of corruption, infiltration and manipulation. Hydra had been growing inside Shield since day one, living off of it like a parasite, twisting its purpose and using it for its own gain. By the end of his tirade he was smiling, proud of what his organization had achieved.

“It doesn't matter that you know.” He said, sneering through his pain. “You can’t find us all. No matter how many times you cut us down we will just gro...

Conceptual Deck - How is Carson going to fly?

At some point Carson is going to crack flight. What method will he use?

The Conceptual Deck - Chapter 43 Inspiration File

The Conceptual Deck - Chapter 43 - Light on the shadows

I found Steve and Peggy waiting for me in the underground parking center at Shield headquarters, Natasha standing not far away. Steve was carrying what looked like an artist's portfolio bag, stretched a bit to carry his shield. Peggy noticed me first and pointed me out to Steve, who’s eyes went wide at the super truck as he spotted us. Peggy, who had already seen the super truck in passing, just smirked when Steve walked around my green and gold behemoth.

“Is this a normal truck the...

Mettle, Metal, Meddled - Chapter 15 - Next step

“So what's our first step?” Robin asked, repeating the question he asked a few days ago. “We know what we want, how do we make it happen?

“The first part is putting together a brief.” I said, getting a nod from Kaldur. “We need to inform the League, including your mentors about what our plans are. We still function at their discretion so we need to prove our idea has merit.”

“And how would we do that?” Wally asked. “If this is all so new, how do we prove its a ...

The Conceptual Deck - Chapter 42 Inspiration File

The Conceptual Deck - Chapter 42 - Awake

When I finally stepped back into Steve's room it looked quite a bit different. Ema was standing in the corner, visibly relaxing when she saw it was me. The room itself had been cleared of most medical equipment, leaving it a simple, undecorated space. If the door wasn't an extra inch and half thick and visibly armored from the outside I would have assumed it was just a boring white room. Before I could say anything Ema took my arm and led me back outside into the hall. Once the door closed sh...

The Conceptual Deck - Chapter 41 - Waiting game

Bucky escaped within an hour and a half of leaving the facility.

It wasn't long after Fury managed to get me the samples of his blood and hair that they carted him off, chained and locked in an elaborate restraint system. Ema and Natasha both kept watch over the preparations. Apparently the Natasha of this reality also had some dealings with the Winter Soldier, though the timelines were obviously very different. They had both seen him off, with Ema promising that they would fix him, eve...

Mettle, Metal, Meddled - Chapter 14 - Vote

M’gann and I spent a few hours compiling a list of potential new teammates, whittling down the giant list of known heroes and vigilantes that the Justice League had down to around a dozen people, all around our age.

“I didn’t expect there to be so many.” M’gann said after we had finished. “How come I haven't heard of most of these people?”

“Not sure to be honest. Maybe news networks don't consider non local heroes to be news?” I suggest...