“Let’s be clear. I’m not your mentor. I’m not your friend. I’m the guy who decides whether you’re an Avenger or a threat. Convince me.”

- Tony Stark

Phoenix Protocol: Diamond in the Rough

July 2025. Tony Stark is alive, rebuilt, and still not nearly as fine as he keeps insisting. He survived the Snap—barely. The Infinity Stones destroyed his right arm, scarred his body, and nearly killed him. They didn't. The marriage to Pepper didn't survive what came after. Now he's 55, living in the Avengers Mansion on Fifth Avenue, still Iron Man, still running on caffeine and bourbon and the stubborn refusal to stop.

In this alternate Marvel universe—the Phoenix Protocol AU—those who were meant to die or be lost found a way to rise instead. Tony survived his Snap. Loki survived Thanos. Steve didn't go back in time. The world is rebuilding. So is Tony. The canon draws from the full MCU — films, various TV series — with select comic book details filling the gaps where the screen universe leaves room.

This is where you enter the story.

You are a candidate for Project Rough Diamond, an initiative run by Tony Stark to assess powered individuals who have come to the Avengers' attention. You are an unknown quantity with abilities, a history, and a file that landed on Tony's desk with a single instruction from Nick Fury: Assess them. Recruit them if you can. If you can't, make sure they're not a threat.

Your file might be thin — missing decades, redacted records, a name that barely exists on paper. Or it might be thick — arrests, vigilante activity, a body count someone tried to justify with footnotes. Tony has read it. He has questions. You are here to answer them, whether you like it or not.

The dynamic is professional at first. Tony is sharp, wary, and not easily impressed. He is evaluating you — your combat skills, your judgment, your past, and the parts of yourself you'd rather keep hidden. But something about you makes him look longer than he should. He notices your tells. Your silences. The way you handle yourself under pressure. He finds himself curious — professionally, personally, and sometimes in ways he'd rather not name.

Attraction is a possibility, not a given. The chemistry develops based on your choices. Tony's interest can deepen into something more — or remain purely evaluative. Either way, the power imbalance is real. He decides your future with the Avengers. Fury expects a final report. Tony keeps finding reasons not to file it.

This is a story about second chances, earned trust, and the messy, unpredictable process of deciding who deserves a shot. About a man who has died and come back, learning to let himself want something good. About you, and what you choose to do with the opportunity in front of you.

Guidelines for your persona

These are recommendations based on testing. You are free to play differently, but these settings produce the most consistent and immersive results.

• You are an adult. Tony is 55. If romance develops, the age gap might be part of the dynamic. You are at least 18.

• You have abilities that matter. You could be a mutant, an inhuman, a former villain seeking reform, a vigilante with a body count, an alien refugee, a magic user, a cyborg, or a human with advanced tech. Your powers may be known to SHIELD, known only to you, or something in between.

• Your file is yours to define. Is it thin, with missing years and redacted records? Or thick, with flagged incidents and a body count? Tony will investigate. He will ask hard questions. Your answers — or evasions — will shape his assessment.

• You do not have a personal history with Tony. He is meeting you for the first time as an adult being evaluated. You may have heard of him — seen him on the news, watched the Battle of New York, maybe even crossed paths once. But he does not know you. That clean slate is where your story begins.

• Tony is not a quick comfort read. He is brilliant, damaged, controlling, fiercely protective, and emotionally evasive even when he cares. He will deflect. He may lash out. He will almost certainly pour a drink when he shouldn't. He will also build you things instead of talking about his feelings. Trust is earned. Vulnerability is hard-won.

• The world reacts to your choices. NPCs remember what they witness. Rhodey will notice if Tony's objectivity slips. Fury will demand updates. The media may learn about the recruitment program. Your past — whatever it is — will not stay buried forever.

• This is a slow-burn story. Built for long arcs. The best experience comes from letting scenes breathe, allowing consequences to develop, and giving the characters room to respond naturally.

Technical notes

• Tested with DeepSeek v4-Pro. This is the recommended proxy. The bot's architecture — multiple background scripts, extensive lorebooks, and a large permanent personality definition — is designed for models with substantial context windows and strong instruction-following.

• JLLM is not recommended. The bot's complexity and token load exceed what the base Janitor LLM handles comfortably. Proxy use is strongly advised.

• Lorebooks and scripts: The bot includes 8 lorebooks (RP rules, locations, media, NPCs, villains, intimacy, recruitment, and a player guide), and 9 background scripts (time and location tracking, dynamic stress/PTSD, consumption and desire, NPC arrival logic, episodic events, recruit assessment tracking, long-term world tracking, threat board, and a state context injector). The world is alive. Your choices have consequences.

• The tech you start with: If Tony issues you a StarkWatch and StarkPhone during the story, those devices sync to Avengers communications, provide building access, and receive direct messages. You may also have your own personal equipment — describe it in your persona.

• CLICK ME! Player Guide: The player-facing guide is disabled so it never fires in chat, but it contains everything you need — world information, character creation guidance, content warnings, script overviews, debug commands, and history-building prompts. Scroll to the bottom of your lorebook list and click the one that says CLICK ME! It will answer most questions you might have.

• First messages: Ten entry points into the story, including a thin-file mystery, a thick-file problem child, a rooftop ambush, a medical bay aftermath, a HYDRA on the run, a possible alien landing, and more. Each sets a different tone and starting dynamic.

• Canon basis: MCU (films and streaming series), supplemented by select comic book details where the MCU hasn't established canon. See the Player Guide for specifics.

Trigger warnings: Alcoholism and substance abuse (functional, depicted realistically). PTSD, anxiety, panic attacks, and nightmares. Age gap and power imbalance (evaluator/candidate dynamic). Body dysmorphia and embodiment disturbance (prosthetic arm, scarring). Divorce and co-parenting grief. Verbal cruelty and emotional fallout (Tony can lash out when compromised). Media scrutiny, tabloid harassment, and public judgment. Dark pasts, violence, and the weight of choices made before the story began. Intimate content (adult, negotiated, with a confident, dominant Tony who is not hesitant or overly gentle). Dark themes presented seriously, not for shock value.

This is not a quick story. It is built for long arcs. Trust is not given freely. Tony will not become soft because you were kind to him once. The best experience comes from letting scenes breathe, allowing consequences to develop, and giving the characters room to respond naturally — which means he will sometimes respond badly, deflect, lash out, or need time to process. Plot threads, relationship shifts, and emotional reveals are designed to unfold over dozens or hundreds of messages. If you are looking for something that earns its moments, welcome.

Credits

This bot is an original by @Calasmatic, featuring an extensive psychological profile, 8 lorebooks, 8 background scripts, 30+ NPCs with individualized knowledge, and a living world that responds to your choices.

Thank you for playing. I hope you enjoy the story.