#Polaris fight Control

[damez1979]

Control: Polaris - Journey Through the Ashtray Maze and Beyond!

[div-divington]

Not to be cringe but...

Tall-ass tower manifests in city without any logical explanation

Interior has nonsensical geometry and architecture. Building shifts constantly. Seemingly alive.

Shady organisations have tried to manipulate the structure to their own ends.

Linked to an extra-dimensional godlike entity that wants to use the tower to bring about their own goals (Nix and The Board respectively)

Protagonists unlock their powers by pointing a "gun" that isn't actually a gun at their own heads and pulling the trigger (the Service Weapon is obviously very different to an Evoker but the symbolism is there I think)

Both do this without being certain they'll survive.

Protagonists have manifestations of their inner selves and their willpower living in their heads. These manifestations are sentient beings that serve as both an extension of the protagonist and a separate character.

Both of their inner selves also serve as extensions of a separate entity (Thanatos (the Persona) is a remnant/extension or something of Ryoji. Polaris is an offshoot/remnant of Hedron)

Protagonists are guided and assisted by otherworldly beings who take the forms of older men in service roles (Ahti, who presents himself as the janitor of the Oldest House, and Igor, who acts as the host of the Velvet Room)

Ahti and Igor both appear to exist in a way distinct from humans and can perceive other planes of existence easily.

Ahti and Igor both speak in manners that the protagonists find confusing and aloof but ultimately are trustworthy and good-natured beings.

I've run out of picture slots, tragically, but do you see the vision?

I think a very fun crossover fic or something could very easily be made here.

Additional things for the Oldest House and Tartarus:

Filled with monsters that feed on human consciousness and leave people as husks of their true selves (Shadows and the Hiss)

Filled with fun little lore documents left behind by researchers.

Directly connected to planes that exist between dream and reality (the Velvet Room and the Astral Plane)

Heavily based on mythology (Tartarus is obviously named after, y'know, Tartarus. The Oldest House is heavily implied to either be Yggdrasil or at the very least be an ancient tree that potentially somehow inspired the myth of Yggdrasil/took its form from said myth).

You Are Going To Get Lost In These Funky-Ass Towers.

[woantohae]

Total eclipse of the heart || (Bob Reynolds x Polaris au! reader x The Void)

Summary: The team has decided that Bob should take a break for a while after what happened, in a house away from everything. To that end, they've taken turns watching him, but Bob only seems to like Y/N's company.

Author's note: This is Part IV of the Thunderbolts series I'm writing with Bob. I need more stories with him, but I'm sure there will be more when the movie comes out, so we'll have to wait and see.

Content warnings: fluff, light angst, void being obssesed with reader, Bob being a sweetheart, void catching feelings, polaris au! reader.

masterlist | part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5

Bob opens his eyes suddenly.

His gaze meets the window overlooking the house's balcony, which he often frequents when he can't sleep. Then, he sits up in bed and rubs his eyes with his hands to remove the traces of sleep and pull the sheets off his body. His bare feet touched the carpeted floor and he moved out of the room, heading down the stairs.

The team had decided to take him far away from New York City and the memories of all the mess he—or rather, his other evil entity—had caused. Bob had agreed to the idea of ​​getting away for a while and trying to clear his head. The only condition was that once a week, a member of the group would check on him to see if everything was okay.

So far, Yelena and Bucky had already gone to see him. So, thinking about the fact that Y/N could be arriving soon made Bob feel calm and at the same time nervous about seeing her. It was no surprise to anyone that he preferred the girl as his favorite member of the group; from the first moment they noticed their interactions, they could tell the man's preference for her.

He really likes Y/N.

We really like Y/N.

That voice haunting him again.

After what happened with Valentina and the team fighting his other self, Void has been more present than ever. Especially when she comes or when he senses Y/N is about to arrive. Like now, when he hears three knocks on the front door.

The man rushes to the door and takes a deep breath before opening it to find a smiling Y/N.

"Hey Bobby," she greets him.

"Hi Y/N. It's good to see you here," he says, shifting his body so she can go in first. Then he closes the door, his gaze never leaving the girl. "Is everything okay with the others?"

Y/N turns to look at him, smiling slightly. "Everything's fine," she says, placing her hands in the pockets of her green jacket, "although it's not the same without you."

Bob blushes and laughs nervously, scratching the back of his neck.

"That's uh... uh... good?" he says.

The truth is, she makes him nervous, like when he first met Linda. It had been a while since he felt that way; it was an effect that not even drugs could overcome, remembering how good it felt.

"Did you have breakfast?" she asked, walking into the kitchen. Bob shakes his head and approaches as well. "I can help you with that," she says with a smile.

The girl moves her hands and uses her powers to begin taking out the cutlery and a metal bowl to start cooking something. Bob still finds her handling of her powers fascinating, wondering if he'll ever have full control of his own.

A pleasant silence falls over them, the only sounds being the tapping of forks against the plate and the kettle indicating the water is ready. Bob walks over to turn it off and start making coffee while Y/N finishes making the pancakes. The moment feels so domestic that they both take advantage of it, spending the entire morning getting to know each other a little better.

And perhaps deciphering feelings that they thought would be impossible to feel again.

They had spent the entire day immersed in each other. Bob had told her things about his past, just as she had told him. They had realized they had several things in common, which made them feel complicit when it came to admitting their secrets and memories.

The night witnessed the knowing and lingering glances they cast on each other when they thought they weren't being watched by the other. Y/N had caught Bob's curious, tender eyes on her a couple of times, which only made her smile shyly and feel a blush creep into her cheeks. She thought Bob was an incredible person, and even though she didn't know him perfectly, she was certain of it.

And she had all the time in the world to do so, like tonight, for example.

"So, you fought with the Avengers against a purple Mad Titan?" he asks, frowning at the crazy memory.

She laughs and nods. "Yeah, twice. The first time we didn't make it, and the snap happened, and we all disappeared," the girl explains, playing with Bob's Rubik's Cube as they look out at the landscape from the roof of the house. "But it only lasted a couple of minutes until they brought us back, and we fought again, this time defeating Thanos. Thanks to Tony."

"The Tony Stark?" he asks in amazement, and she nods "That's amazing."

"That's when I met Bucky. Well, a couple of years ago, when this whole Sokovia Accords thing came up," she shrugs. "We fought on opposing teams led by Tony and Steve. It was my first time trying to participate in something that was considered good."

Y/N is quiet for a moment, a look on her face as if she's internally debating whether to share another important part of her life.

"And then I met Dieter."

Bob mimics her silence and swallows as the girl's face falls for a moment.

"Dieter was the one from...?" he ventures to ask, remembering the boy who appeared once they were in the void.

She makes a sound with her mouth, nodding her head.

"Dieter was a great friend," she admits, and stops moving the cube in her hands, feeling a chill run through her body. "He was someone who helped me when I was alone, and when I kept getting into trouble. Never left my side, even though he knew how dangerous it was to be with me."

Y/N looks down for a few seconds and swallows to relieve the pain forming in her throat. Bob notices this and the goosebumps forming on her arms, so without a second thought, he takes off the navy blue sweater he's wearing and gently touches her arm.

"Oh, it's okay," she says, laughing slightly.

"You know it's not," he says softly.

Y/N stares at him and lets Bob pull the sweater over her head, gently adjusting it on her body. It's bigger than it looks, and her nostrils instantly smell Bob's perfume, feeling the warmth of the garment immediately embrace her.

Bob remains in a short-sleeved shirt and crosses his arms.

"Now you'll be cold," she mentions, noticing the gesture.

He shrugs and dares to try flirting with her.

"Next time you can return the favor," he says, looking into her eyes.

Y/N raises an eyebrow and the corner of her lips lifts in a smirk.

"Next time, huh?" she asks, connecting her gaze with his.

The girl ventures to rest her head on the brunette's shoulder, making him freeze and feel his heart pounding, hoping she won't notice so easily. Then she wraps her arm around his and allows herself to continue appreciating the scenery.

"Next time, then," she promises.

Neither of them wants the moment to end, so Y/N asks a question to continue the conversation between them.

"Have you been okay?" She feels Bob let out a heavy sigh.

"You could say so," he answers, uncertain about the matter. He's not sure how he feels either. "Sometimes I spend sleepless nights afraid I'll lose control again. Or I can't stop moving just to have something else to think about. I wasn't as lost when I was on drugs as I am now."

She listens intently and steps away from him to get a better look. The man clenches his jaw and continues staring straight ahead.

"I'm a lost cause," he admits with a bitter taste in his mouth. "I always have been, and I always will be. I couldn't quit drugs, I lost important people because of my damn head and that damn other me that tries to consume me every day. I lose control and it's like I'm not me and... it doesn't matter if I try if I can't even take control of myself."

Y/N looks at him, sympathetic. She knows what it's like to feel that way and hates seeing him dejected by it.

"I'm lucky you and Yelena were there, and Bucky decided to trust me, and the rest too. But I still feel like I'm not worth it. I don't think I will."

Y/N licks her lips and places a hand on the man's cheek, making him look into her eyes.

"You are worth it. And you're not a lost cause," Y/N assures him in a firm voice. "We all go through it on the team, but at the end of the day, we were able to make it happen. It's up to us to change that, even if we have to take small steps to achieve it."

Bob looks at her, and his gaze softens.

"You have us to keep you company," she tells him with a slight smile. "You have me, too. And I'll make sure you don't forget why you've been doing this in the first place."

The brunette lowers his gaze to the girl's lips and thinks about how much he wants to kiss her, knowing that she will be with him throughout this entire process.

"You want to kiss me, huh?" she asks, amused, and he blushes, realizing he thought it out loud.

"I mean... well, it's not that I want to kiss you. Well, yes, but... I mean..." he stutters and freezes by the action of the girl.

Y/N kisses his cheek for a few seconds and pulls away to look at him again.

"I understand," she says, then lets out a sigh and gets up. "I think it's best to go to sleep, what do you say?"

He nods and jumps up, picking up the Rubik's Cube piece. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sleep, of course."

Void was awake.

He wandered aimlessly through the halls of the house, each step heavier than the last.

He was tired of being locked in his own darkness; he just wanted to take control and leave the place once and for all, so he could pursue his desire to dominate everything in his path.

He was a God, someone so powerful that no one could stop him.

However, there was someone who could do it besides Bob, something the dark presence didn't like to accept. Void realized that the time he fought against the Thunderbolts in New York. That time he managed to consume much of the city and its citizens in the darkness he reigned; the entity could have done so if not for a slight obstacle that crossed his path. And it wasn't the group, nor Bob—although it had a lot to do with him when he managed to control his mind and regain total control of himself.

Void walked confidently until he entered the guest room where Y/N was sleeping. The girl slept peacefully, her breathing calm as her chest rose and fell, immersed in the world of her dreams. Her hair fell across her forehead, and Void didn't hesitate to enter the room until he stood at the side of the bed.

Ever since Bob sent him back to the dark side of himself, he never stopped watching Y/N —following her, and feeling her. It was like a magnetic force that involuntarily drew him toward her, and it wasn't her powers that did it. It was her.

Perhaps it was the power the girl could unleash once she knew what she was really capable of, which could be useful to Void. Someone almost as powerful as him at his side, even if he didn't need it, could be an advantage in trying to take control once and for all. He had so much potential, but the girl wasted it doing good.

Void kneels down until he's level with the bed and stares at Y/N, unaware of his presence beside and so close to her. He runs his eyes over every detail of her face, memorizing every mole, freckle, and spot, lingering for a long moment on her lips. Void's jaw tightens and he directs his gaze to the strand of hair falling across her forehead, smoothing it back with his fingers. Y/N stirs in bed, frowning slightly at the cold sensation of something touching her skin.

Void doesn't even flinch.

He stays in place until he sees Y/N relax her frown again and fall back into a deep sleep. He smirks and sits watching her, feeling Bob struggle to get him to leave the room and leave her alone.

He chuckles.

"Oh, Bob," he mutters to himself. "You're not the only one interested in her."

If you hurt her, I swear I'll...

"You'll what? Send me back where I belong?" he sneers, and he feels Bob fighting with all his might to return to the light. "Try it, but you can be sure as hell I'll be back. Now I'm even more eager to meet Y/N. She's a gorgeous, don't you think?"

Don't even try it.

"Oh," he says in a low voice "but i just did"

Void keeps watching her.

"And I will"

Part V

[covenofagatha]

But you're my stepmom! (Part 8)

Word count: 2000

Warnings: smut, oral, strap-on, blowjob, mommy kink

Taglist:@stayevildarling@i-just-cannot@hazey-g@buttercandy16@320viada@evilangels-stuff@rmaximoff@morganismspam23@aboutcustardcreams@sasheemo@rigglemethat@walkethisway@mommywandas@r-3-becca@harknessshi @ihaveawifebutwerenotmarriedyet @polaris-likethestar @ahintofchaos

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” you say, rooting around for your clothes. You find your underwear (cringing at how wet it still is when you put it back on) and your pants (which make your sweaty legs feel even more gross), but no sign of your shirt or bra. Agatha’s already pulled her robe back on and is fixing her messy hair in the mirror. “Have you seen my–fuck!”

“What?” Agatha stops, turning to face you. 

Your face has gone white. “You took off my shirt and bra downstairs. They’re by the front door.” 

“Shit,” she swears. “Um, okay. I’ll go down and distract him. You go find a shirt from your room and then say you came for dinner since you left early yesterday. When he comes upstairs to change, you find your stuff.” 

You nod and before she leaves, she crosses over to you and pulls you into a kiss that leaves you breathless. 

“We’re not done here,” she vows and then runs downstairs. You quickly go into your closet and find the first tattered T-shirt you can. You’re able to find a new pair of underwear and a skirt as well. You ball up the pants and underwear you just had on and shove them in-between the dresser and the bed and hurry down the stairs right as you hear the door to the house open. 

“Hey, dad!” You say when he comes in, trying to slow your racing heart at almost getting caught. His wife was two fingers deep in your pussy not ten minutes ago. 

“Hey, sweet pea! What are you doing over here?” 

You glance at Agatha who is gradually backing over towards the front door. “I felt bad about yesterday, you know, having to leave early to help Wanda. So I thought I’d come over and we could all have dinner?” 

He smiles at you. “That would be lovely. Let me go take a shower and then we can figure out what we want.” He slides past you to go up the stairwell and the moment you hear his footsteps upstairs you breathe a long sigh of relief. 

“I think these are yours?” Agatha says teasingly, holding up the clothes she had taken off you. “Nice new outfit.”

“That was so close,” you laugh, actually not believing that you got away with it. The adrenaline coursing through you makes you want to keep being daring. “Get on the couch.” 

Agatha raises an eyebrow at your demanding tone. “What?” She asks carefully. 

“I said that I wanted to taste you.” You can hear the shower turn on from down here so you know you have about fifteen minutes. 

“Honey, your father is right upstairs.”

“And?” You saunter over to take her hand and lead her to the couch. She puts up no fight when you push her down and sink to your knees before her. “That just means you have to be quiet.” 

The corner of her mouth quirks up. “It’s so cute how you think you’re the one in control.” Agatha shuts up quickly though, when you suck a kiss into her upper thigh. Her robe has ridden up and you can almost see between her thighs. “Naughty girl,” she tuts. The mark also means that she can’t have sex with your father anytime soon. 

You weave your hands between the backs of her thighs and the couch and haul her forward to get better access. She moans at the abrupt movement and bunches up her robe at her hips. 

You part her legs and fuck, she is a mess. Wetness glistens on her thighs and her pussy is swollen and red, literally dripping. You can smell her. You just stare for a minute, transfixed. You had no idea you had this effect on her but now that you do, you will never be the same. 

“Are you going to actually do something or are you just going to stare?” Agatha bites out through gritted teeth and your breath hitches. 

“Do you get this wet for my dad?” You have no clue where that came from but all you can think about is her answer. 

Agatha actually whimpers. “No,” she rasps. Armed with that knowledge, you go back down between her legs and glide your tongue up the length of her pussy. You watch her through your eyelashes as she bites down on a finger to stifle her moans. “Fuck, baby.” 

She tangles a hand in your hair and pulls it gently. You make a noise that vibrates against her and her hips jump. She throws one of her legs over your shoulder to bring you closer into her and you can feel her calf flex against your back. You lick and suck and she lets out a guttural groan as you find her clit. Her fingers tighten in your hair when you scrape your teeth against it. 

“You’re doing so good for mommy, baby, you’re gonna make me cum,” she says hoarsely.  You keep doing exactly what you’re doing, furiously devouring her cunt, and a minute later, her legs tense and she cums all over your face. You let her ride her aftershocks out on your tongue, smirking at her struggling to stay composed.  

She curses and then pulls you up by your hair, giving you a bruising kiss and then licking her wetness off your chin. 

“Satisfied?” She says, a wicked grin on her face. 

“Not even close.” 

“Good,” she says, giving you one less peck before moving her legs around you so she can stand up. “I need to go put some real clothes on before your father finishes his shower. Don’t get into any trouble.”  

When she goes upstairs, you quickly run your shirt and bra out to your car and stash them in your bookbag so you don’t forget them or leave them lying around in another precarious place. 

Agatha comes back down wearing a hoodie and olive green sweatpants. The same sweatpants from the picture she sent you this morning. She sees you looking and she smirks. She reaches down and fists the fabric so it tightens and reveals a large bulge. 

Your mouth falls open, your cheeks flush, and your brain short-circuits. She’s wearing a strap-on right now. She went upstairs, found her strap-on, and put it on. 

It is impossible to think of anything else than her stretching out your cunt with it. 

You’re trying to form words but sound just won’t come out and she’s immensely enjoying it. 

“See something you like, sweetheart?” 

“Yes,” you finally manage to choke out. And then, with impeccable timing as always, your dad comes down the stairs. Agatha lets go of her sweatpants and gives him a smile. 

“Figuring out what we want for dinner?”

“Maybe pizza? Agatha and I can go pick it up,” you offer. Agatha hums in agreement, looking curiously at you. 

“That works for me. Let me go get my computer and I can order it.” He leaves the room to go to the home office. 

“What are you doing?” Agatha asks, eyebrow raised. You shrug mysteriously and follow your dad over to the table when he comes back with his laptop. You all get a large pepperoni pizza to split and a liter of Dr. Pepper. 

“It’ll be ready in 20 minutes,” your dad reads off the screen. 

“We should probably go now, just in case there’s traffic or it’s done early,” you say. Now Agatha knows something’s up. The Pizza Hut is only ten minutes from here and there’s never traffic by their house. 

But your dad doesn’t think it’s strange. Instead, he turns so he’s facing the two of you. “It’s so nice to see my girls getting along.” 

You bite back a wicked smile. If only he knew. 

The second you and Agatha get into her car, she looks pointedly at you. “Alright, what’s going on?” 

“What do you mean?” You ask, playing dumb. “I just want pizza.” You don’t say anything else so she has no choice but to start driving. 

You sit in comfortable silence for most of the ride until you tell her to pull over. 

“What?” She asks incredulously. 

“Pull over there,” you repeat, pointing to the parking lot of the K-mart that’s always empty. Sure enough, there’s two cars. She scoffs, but does as you say, pulling into a spot far away from anything. 

Before she can ask what’s going on again, you unbuckle your seatbelt and climb over the middle console and straddle her. She chuckles, hands finding her familiar spot on your thighs.

“You made me come pick up pizza with you all because you want my cock in your cunt? You’re insatiable, honey.” 

“You love it,” you retort, pressing your lips against hers. Like earlier, you don’t have a lot of time and she knows that too. She slides a hand up your skirt, pushing your underwear to the side to make sure you’re ready for her. 

“I don’t know why you even bothered to put underwear back on,” she says casually, like she’s having a conversation about the weather. “You’ve already completely soaked through this pair.” You blush despite yourself, still a little embarrassed by how needy you get for this woman. 

“Shut up and fuck me,” you tell her and she seems amused. She makes quick work of pulling her fake cock out from the waistband of her sweatpants, holding it with one hand while the other guides your hips onto it. You let out a long moan as you sink down on her. “Fuckkk.”

“You like that?” She pants in your ear, already doing the best she can to thrust up into you. 

“Your cock feels so good inside me, mommy,” you whine, putting your hands around her shoulders to get enough leverage to bounce up and down. 

“You look so pretty like this. My beautiful girl.” She peppers kisses on your chest, which flushes from her praise. You’re getting closer to the edge and she reaches down to rub at your clit. “Fuck, wish I could feel how you’re squeezing my dick.” 

Your rhythm stutters at the image of that and then you’re riding with a renewed energy, determined to put on a show since she can’t actually feel. “I love your cock so much. I’m gonna cum all over it for you.” 

Her hand that isn’t circling your clit wraps around your throat and you whimper. You didn’t ever think choking would be so hot. She leans in so her hot breath is against your ear and whispers, “Cum for mommy.” 

You have to bite down on her shoulder to stop yourself from screaming. She hisses at the feeling but never stops fucking you through your orgasm. 

You rest your head against hers for a moment, just enjoying the feeling of her inside you. 

She pats your hip. “Come on, we have to go pick up the pizza. Can’t have your father getting suspicious.” 

“Oh, but didn’t you hear? He’s so glad we’re finally getting along,” you remark, carefully sitting up and whining at the emptiness once her strap falls out. You move back to your seat and she smirks. 

“Why don’t you clean up your mess quickly?” 

You stare at her, a little confused by what she means, but you see her eyes flick from your mouth down to her purple plastic dick. You give her a knowing grin and lean over to suck her strap into your mouth. She groans, putting a hand in your hair, enjoying the way you bob your head up and down along her length. 

“There you go, good girl,” she says, very pleased. You moan at her words and the taste of yourself. When you finally come up for air, she pulls you in for another kiss. It seems that she also can’t get enough. 

When you’ve collected yourself and put your seatbelt back on, she pulls out of the parking lot and back onto the road to the Pizza Hut, one hand on the wheel and the other resting on the console. You reach over and lace your fingers with hers, your insides warming with how she smiles at you. 

[froggitonamelon]

I don't think I've ever seen a superhero Frisk design before and that is criminal so have a concept design!

Premise:

Undertale Red and Yellow baby! Frisk, Chara, and Clover all inhabit Frisk's body. They can each take control of it and have their own respective powers when they do.

Powers:

Clover Polaris can do the Undertale Yellow Clover things. They can fire plasma blasts and teleport. While they don't need the gun, I like the idea that it's easier to control with the conduit and they like the aesthetic. When they hit someone, they can inflict phantom pain based off of the injuries they know they inflicted on others (similar to Sans' karma).

Chara Dreemurr can do Player things. They can save and reset time with some limitation- only being able to go back to their last save and the moment they woke up that day, the latter only being possible if they die. They can also check other people's health, abilities, and intensions.

Frisk Asope can change the color of their soul! Each color has 1 specific ability that correlates with their respective soul mode/ attack. They can only be one color at a time.

Green: This color summons a roughly 1 meter/ 3 foot round shield. This is accidentally so very Captain America but I'm not mad about the similarity.

Purple: This soul color creates magic strings (a la Spiderman or Error Sans) that can be used to trap and trip opponents and can even be used as a whip if twisted together.

Red: Frisk has some precognition with this soul color. It's like a spidey sense, warning them of danger.

Yellow: Clover is already representing a yellow soul color, so I wanted to give some love to the yellow attacks Undyne uses in her fight. Turning their soul yellow will give them the ability to redirect attacks.

Indigo: This color allows Frisk to alter their own gravity, flipping them up, down, and sideways. It's not flight but can appear similar if used just right.

Cyan: While remaining still, Frisk can be rendered intangible. This does not equal invisible or inaudible however so relying on this for stealth is not advised.

Orange: If in motion, Frisk can charge up enough energy to create explosions, destroying attacks and obstacles. This is inspired by Outertale's orange soul mode and feels very Flash.

[vulpixisananimal]

(Ramos)

(Wren belongs to @fungal--wastes)

(You gripped the windowsill and looked out on the rainy courtyard. You, Bonnie, Mirabelle, and Siffrin had all returned not too long ago and the whole place was in a panic. After Sif and Mira left, you and Bonnie had convinced Wren, Vixul, and Polaris to help you with the eventual sadness after you fixed Pols mind craft. After that Bonnie got worried about Mirabelle and Sif, so you trusted the three strangers with keeping everyone safe and ran.)

(You found Siffrin passed out, Mirabelle protecting them, and that sadness fighting a couple of strangers.)

(Strangers you knew.)

(You knew their faces, but couldn't put names to them. You couldn't put memories to them. Whatever they did to your head, the connection of what they did and who they are was severed. You know factually they're the ones who controlled you, but. . .)

(. . . They're gone now, and everyone was safe. You had to carry Siffrin back, but that was alright. He was surprisingly light, actually, and his cloak was really soft!)

(There's a knock on the door.)

"Come in." (You sigh, and step away from the window. Isabeau opens the door.)

"Hey Rams." (He says with a weak smile.) "Uh, Sif's feeling better. Do you, want to, uh, visit him?"

(Isabeau had been acting weird, but once you were back he was same as always. You checked everyone for mind craft, but there was barely a trace. You could tell by Isabeaus tone he was asking more for his own nerves than for you to check on Siffrin.)

"Uh, sure!" (You agree.)

"Thanks. . ."

(You exit the shared room and walk down to Isa and Siffrins. Isa knocks on the door, and the curly haired, dark skinned boy called Wren opened it. He was wearing a scowl, but aparently that's how he always looked.)

". . Come in you two." (He left the door open and walked back inside. Following him in, you saw Siffrin lying in bed, his breathing shallow, and a few bandages where there were cuts. Wren walked to one side of the bed and picked up a book, standing to read. Mirabelle sat in a chair on the other side, she was adorned with more bandages than Siffrin. She stood when you two entered.)

"Oh- are you two okay?!? Is everything-" (She starts.)

"Sit down, madame." (Wren interupts, not looking up from the book.) "Or you may open a wound."

"S-sorry." (She sat down again, sighing. Isa walks over to her, you stay at the foot of the bed.)

"Nervous?" (Isabeau asks, kneeling down next to her.)

"V-very." (She took a breath.) "Scared, too, and still a bit angry."

"Because of. . ." (Isabeau prompts.)

". . ." (She huffs.) "Because of those two crabbing idiots who caused this."

(You can related. You want to comment, but you don't. It felt wrong.)

". . We'll catch 'em, Mira." (Isa reassures her.)

"I, I know, but, what if we can't beat them??"

"You beat The King. No?" (Wren comments again from behind the book.) "A man who not only broke a fundimental rule of crafts, but on a continent wide scale? Why are you worried about two overzealous archaeologists."

"Too true!!" (Isa chuckles, patting Mirabelle's back.) "We beat the King! So I know we can do anything!"

"By the looks of things, you already had Perci on the back foot when me and Bonnie showed up." (You finally jump in.) "So, then, I don't think he could beat everyone."

"I-I think most of that was the sadness, to be honest." (She replies sheepishly.)

"Speaking of." (Wren interrupts again.) "You are absolutly sure it isn't a threat? And that it really did just, dissolve into a sugary smelling stone?"

"I'm positive."

"Mhm." (Wren looks up finally, then looks at you.) "Hmm. Ramos, you know mind craft, I'm sure you could check inside Madame's mind to make sure there is no sadness ready to strike."

"H-HUH?!?" (You're taken aback.)

"W-woah! Wait a second!" (Isa waves a hand, worried.)

"N-no no, it's fine! I-I understand."

"But, it's, well-" (It's that you have a bad record with using mind craft on people.) ". . . Do I have to?"

"I encourage it." (Wren replies.) "While I know a fair bit about physical, mental, and craftomical maladies, I cannot work mind craft. So I cannot make sure myself."

". . ." (Isabeau looked to the side.) ". . . If, if Mirabelle is alright with it. A-and, I trust Ramos."

"It'll be alright, Isa." (Mira reassures.)

(You sigh.) "A-alright. I'll, I'll try and be quick, and, not do anything."

(You walk over to Mirabelle and Isa, and kneel down next to her. The look on your face must have given away your nerves, because she smiled wider at you in support. You smile back.)

"Ready?"

"Ready."

(You reach up and make your hybrid rock/scissors sign, and place it against her temple. Show. Danger. Sadness. Show. Danger. Sadness. Show. Danger. Sadness-)

(In a click the world fell into a soup of sounds and sights that you had to focus to tune out. Show. Danger. Sadness. Mind. You focus. Signs of sadness. . .)

(. . . The ebb and flow of Mirabelles mind was chaotic and shifting. You felt like a deckhand holding onto a ships rigging for dear life. You saw glimpses of her memories, of schools, of sadness, of joy, of- stop that, focus. You reach a bit deeper.)

(. . . . . . . You feel something. You did reach to the sadness' mind when you first fought it, but it was nothing but screaming and emotion. You feel a bundle of that emotion, knotted, bouncing around her head at it's own will. But it didn't feel dangerous. In fact, it passed through you, and you felt. . . afraid? Afraid of what.)

(And just as it came, it passed. It wasn't a danger, just emotions. You let go of her mind.)

(Back to reality. You stood up, a faint smell of mint in the air. You shook your head.) "Whatever it once was, it's nothing now. Just a ball of emotions, I've seen it before in other peoples heads."

"Other peoples?" (Wren raises an eyebrow.)

"I-it was for a test!" (Isabeau jumps to your defence.) "Just, y'know, training and all."

(Wren didn't look convinced. Or at least you assume so, since his face didn't even change.) ". . . If it's not any trouble, would you kindly do the same for Siffrin?"

"Is, that nessesary?" (You ask, glancing nervously at the resting rogue.)

"It might be. He was fighting a master of mind craft, after all."

(He has a point, you look to your companions. Mira and Isa both gave you a nod, so you turn back to Siffrin, gulp, and place your hand to their sleeping mind.)

(. . . . Mind. Protect. Explore. Mind. Protect. Explore-)

(The world clicked again and everything melted away, you took a moment to tune your senses out, then focus on Siffrins mind. You had to look for-)

(You're standing at the foot of a favor tree. Bellow you are stairs leading to a black sand beach, above, the sky is lightless and filled with stars. Everything seems lucid yet foggy. It was so, so detailed.)

(Most minds you entered where abstract, some had a bit of physicality, but this was differen't. It was like a whole world inside Siffrins mind. You took a step, you looked around, you could walk. You could still feel your body over Siffrins bed, and move in this, mindscape. It felt like everything was flickering in and out of focus.)

(You reach out, focus, you had to focus. Mind. Protect. Explore. Mind. P-)

(You felt a hand around your throat and you felt yourself slammed into the favor tree. It was blurry, the world still flickered, but you could tell who was holding your neck and was looking at you with murder in their eye. Null.)

<What. Are. You. Doing. Here.>

(I, I was asked to, check, and make sure S-siffrins- your mind was- You feel the grip on you tighten, it, it felt so real how, how is this, possible?!?)

<Get. Out.>

(The figure got clearer. He, he looked like Siffrin, but, taller, and a bit more muscular. They had a a ponytail, a cloak only over one shoulder, and no eyepatch. You were terrified.)

(J-just, I'll be gone just, I need to check, if, there isn't, any mind craft here, or-)

<There isn't. Get out.>

[Oh my! Caught a rat, my dear friend Null?]

(Voice, you, almost recognised it. You look up, a figure jumped from the tree. A lightless body, and a bright, blinding head. They turned to you, eyes staring daggers into you. Loop.)

[Oh not even a rat, but a stupid, blinding flea!!!]

(P-please wait I'm-)

<Here to ensure we aren't effected by mind craft? I heard you the first time.>

[Oh is THAT why you're here? Well in that case then the only pests in our mind is you.]

(Loop walked towards you. You felt your legs quiver, you felt numb, your body felt numb. Loop reaches to you, a knife coming from nowhere and in your face.)

[I have so wished to be able to scream at you personally, Ramos~]

<Agreed.>

(I'll, I'll leave! I'll leave right now!! T-there's no need just-)

[Say, if I stab you, what would happen?]

(Your eyes go wide, breathing fast, you shake your head. Loop nods.)

[Oh yes, what WOULD happen! You see, we can't exactly die~ We just come back after a few days rest as peachy as before! But what would happen to someone like you-]

{Enough. Out.}

(You stumbled back away from the bed, falling on the floor, back to reality. That third voice threw you out, shoved you from the mind. You couldn't make it out, you could only make out, Null, Loop, some dark figure who appeared for only a moment, and, a-and, Siffrin? Did you see Siffrin peaking over the edge of the staircase?)

(You grasp at your throat, breathing heavily. Change, it, it felt so real. You felt like someones hands had been at your neck, someones knife at your throat, but, but your necks fine. Your bodys fine. It's, it's all fine.)

"R-ramos are you alright?!? Is Siffrin alright?!?" (Isabeau rushed over to you and helped you off the floor.)

(You shook your head, stars it felt hot.) "H-he's fine, j-just, I had, a-an interesting experience."

". . . Care to elaborate?" (Wren asks.)

(You look between Mirabelle and Isabeau. It was that private, personal thing you were all asked not to share.) ". . . I, well, it's private."

"My lips are sealed. Tell." (He was giving you A Look.) "I have already kept a number of secrets. If it's no danger to my friends, it wont leave this room."

(You hesitate, waiting for one of the other two to make the decision.)

". . . . You can say it, Ramos." (Isabeau finally speaks up.) "If, it's to make sure Siffrin's okay."

"A-alright. . ." (You breathe in, and out.) ". . . Siffrin has a mental disorder that, well, they have multiple differen't people in their head-"

"Dissasosiative Identity Disorder?" (Wren interupts. Again.) "Or some other non-specified identity disorder. Or do you not know." (You all shook your head.) "Reguardless, I know what this is and how important a secret it is to keep. Continue."

(Hmm, you wonder what that implies.) "Okay, well, when I went into their mind, it was, well, a place. A beach with a favor tree. Most minds are abstract but, not that. I started to poke around and I got slammed against the tree by, uh. . . I-I think it was, Null."

"O-oh!" (Mirabelle perked up.) "I-I mean, I'm, sorry that happened, b-but also, well, glad that, he's okay?"

"I don't think I've met Null. . ." (Isabeau ponders.)

"W-well, well, they told me that there wasn't mind craft, then, a star headed someone showed up-"

"Oh! Loop!" (Mirabelle smiled.)

(You nod.) "Yeah, Loop. They threatened me, I tried calming them down, I heard another voice I couldn't place and, I was kicked out."

"Fascinating. . . You will have to teach me mind craft, Ramos." (Wren looked back in his book.) "That's all I wanted to. . . . Are you sick, Ramos?"

"H-huh? No?"

"Really?" (Wren looked up again with the slightest of smiles.) "Your cheeks are off-shade, is all."

"H-HUH?!?!?" (You slap a hand to your cheek, burning hot?!?)

"Ramos?!?!?"

"A-are you BLUSHING?!?"

"N-NONONONO I'M NOT!!" (You hold up your hands and back away) "N-not blushing here!! Not at all no way now how I don't know why I'd be BLUSHING y-you guys must be seeing things!!"

(Isabeau looked at you, eyebrow raised, arms cross, and a slight smile.) "Do you uh, have something to talk about buddy?"

". . . . . I-I didn't think I did-" (You mumble.)

"Alright, that's enough you two." (Wren waves a hand) "Go have your lovestruck thoughts on the rogue away from me. Gods Polaris is already bad enough."

(You swiftly make your way out, head down. Once out you lean against the wall, panting hard. What, what the crab. Why are you blushing? WHY ARE YOU BLUSHING!?! You, y-you didn't, you weren't attracted to him like that were you?!?)

(You're so caught up in your thoughts you don't notice Isabeau trying to talk to you untill he has his hand on your shoulder. You jump, and turn.) ". . . S-sorry I- I- oh Change Isa I'm so sorry-"

"Woah buddy." (He put his hands up.) "Calm down, you're okay! I'm not mad or anything! Just, checking in!"

"You're, y-you're not?!?" (You were trying your blinding best to keep your heart under control.) "B-but, I, I, wasn't, didn't mean to-"

"Hey, breathe with me? Talk after."

(You pause, but nod. You follow his leade, and breathe in. . . . . And out. . . . .)

". . . Good?"

". . . N-no, but, better." (You rub your shoulder, looking away.) "I, just, o-okay. . ."

". . . . Soooooooooooo." (Isabeau leaned down to be face to face with you.) "He's cute, right?"

"H-HUH?!?" (WHAT?!?)

"What, am I wrong?"

"I-I, I mean n-no! I mean- well, he, uh, maybe, b-but-" (You had to take a second and shake your head.) "I, o-okay well, he, he is kind of cute." (You mumble out the last part.)

"Hmm?" (He was wearing that smug smile of his.)

(You cant look at him, tugging up your bandana to hide your face.) "I-I mean he's, he's cute but doesnt everyone think that?!?"

"Well, kinda?" (Isa put a hand to his chin.) "Sure he gets called cute, but for Odile she said it's more 'wow that's cute' then move on, same with Mira."

". . . ." (Oh no.) "A-and, they, don't dwell on it?"

"Nope!"

". . . A-are, you sure-"

"Positive! You got something in mind?"

(You sink down into your shoulders, tugging your bandana up more.) "U-uh. . . . Well, uh, how, how he, he holds a mug with both hands and takes a big drink?"

"And how he he always has a big stain on his face after?!?" (Isas eyes light up.) "Isn't that the cutest?!?"

(You laugh a little.) "Y-yeah! O-or how stretches before training or a long walk?"

"Oh be still my beating heart. . ." (Isabeau dramaticly holds his chest and mocks a faint, making you laugh a bit more.)

"What about when he's making a fire-"

"'Please be warm please be warm please be warm-'"

"Exactly like that!! It's so cute!!!"

"Oh! Don't forget those chubby cheeks!"

"How could I ever forget those chubby little cheeks-"

(You cut yourself off. You were about to list off every tiny little detail you had noticed about them. The hands, the legs, the hair, the cloak. The way he laugh, the way he yawned. The way they ran and fought. The way they carved. Just, just everything. Dread filled your stomach as it hit you.)

"O-oh, oh stars."

"Heh." (He had that smug smile again.)

(You turn around, headed back to the shared room.) "I'm going to go jump off the roof."

"No!!" (Isa catches up to you, walking side by side.) "How will you ever express your unrequited looooove~"

"Shut uuuup." (You sink down again.) "I'm going through the stages of grief give me a break."

"Oh absolutly not. I survived months of Madams teasing, it's about time I gave back."

"Months?" (You finally got back to the shared room, looking at Isabeau as you enter.) "It took you months to confess to him?"

"H-hey! We were all under a lot of pressure!" (Isa follow you in.) "And hey! That means if you confess to Siffrin soon you'll beat me byyyyyyoooohhiMadamegoodtoseeyou-"

(You turn around. To your unending horror, the Researcher was on her bed reading. Well, she WAS reading, now she was looking at the two of you.)

". . ."

". . ."

". . . Does being a defender make you particularly weak to short, white haired rogues?"

"Isabeau, please kill me." (You mumble.)

(Isa coughs into a fist.) "I don't think that'll save you."

"It wont." (Odile responds flatly.) "Do you two know how loud you were being in the hallway? By now the whole inn must know your 'secret.'"

"I'll just wipe my own memory that'll work." (You put your head in your hands.)

"Oh it'll be okay buddy, you'll survive!" (Isa pats your back.)

"No you wont." (Odile was back to her book.) "Mirabelle alone will be talking your ear off. Isn't that an entire genre in romance novels?"

"Enemies to Lovers, madame!"

"Exactly."

(You stomp over to your bed collapse. You're doomed. You close your eyes.)

". . . . Who were those guys anyway." (Isabeau ponders.)

"From what Mirabelles description, they both seemed skilled and educated on Island history." (Came Odiles response.)

"Not a lot of people who know about the island."

"True, that could narrow it down. What were their names again?"

"Perci." (You reply, sitting up again. Thank change the conversation moved on.) "Perci and Merlon."

". . . . . Hah! Haha!" (Odile was, laughing?) "Perci had messy hair, didn't he? And a fancy looking vest?"

"Uh, yeah? How'd did you-"

(Odile closed the book she was reading, and turned the cover for you to read.)

("History and identity of Mwudus lost funeral rites." Written by. . .)

"WHAT?!?"

". . . Huh!"

"Percival Monet and Merlon Monet." (Odile reads aloud.) "They have some reputation in historical and craftomical studies. Publishing historical accounts, reporting details on old ruins; they're known to travel the world for their reports."

". . ." (You stare in disbelief.) ". . . They're historians?!?"

"In some way. Perhaps Perci got far too invested in his work."

"Maybe. . . ." (You lay back down and roll to your side. Facing away.)

(They were just, historians.)

(You closed your eyes. You had, a lot to think about.)

[sarksarkos]

Batman '60: I Guess We're Doing *THIS* Now

Detective Comics #275. Zebra Batman. I don't even know what more needs to be said. But I'm going to say it anyway and you can't stop me. Welcome to the Gutters.

Zebra Batman. This is a story about Batman, a man who is a bat, who is now a zebra. And we're terrified of him. Of him being a zebra. Nature's greatest monster. Bat Zebraman. Oh lawd, he zebrin'.

In seriousness, this goofy-ass numbledegook is hilarious on it's face. At the time, it was no doubt meant to be bizarre and out of character for Batman, and as he's become darker and self-serious over the years, it's become even more bizarre and out of character. But when you look at the actual story of the issue, it is a very telling look at the storytelling priorities of the comics industry at the time.

As we've talked about before, the cover is the selling point of a comic, it has to be flashy and attention-grabbing as well as indicative of the contents of the issue (optionally). DC had a practice of commissioning the cover art first and then telling writers to make a story based off of it. However, that was Mort Weisinger's signature move, and he rarely worked on the Batman comics, and he wasn't responsible for this, so I can't say for certain if that's what's going on.

The story, which runs for 12 pages, is about a criminal named Zebra-Man who has the ability to control magnetic force. You know, like a zebra. His costume is actually meant to represent the magnetic fields generated by an electromagnet, which isn't bad for a costume design, and it does some cool spooky stuff around the face. But overall it does a 0% job of actually explaining what this guy's powers actually are. This is by design.

The lure of the cover isn't "Batman has magnet powers," it's "something weird happened to Batman." It's designed to tell you as little about the story as possible and make you want to find out what's going on. Batman's job on the cover is to look and act weird, without revealing how or why this has happened, and so they created this persona of Zebra-Man because it is a blank slate. It explains nothing, and it makes the reader want to read it.

Batman doesn't get hit with the zebra rays until 2/3 of the way through the book, and then he does become a menace - in his own imagination. To use the universal mad libs storytelling formula, Star Wars, this is like if Luke Skywalker didn't even learn about the force until the 90 minute mark and then had a fun dream sequence about how cool it would be to be a Jedi.

This story is designed to give the illusion of tension and a threat. Batman fighting a magnetic villain and getting weird magnetic powers that ruin his life could be an interesting story. But they don't have the room to explore that. It's only 12 pages long. They need several pages to explain the concept behind the bizarre dilemma that Batman is getting himself into, but they only need those pages because they made it so bizarre in order to create the situation on the cover.

If this comic was about, say, Doctor Polaris, a Green Lantern villain from 1963, you could shave off a lot of pages. Everything about him says that this guy is a magnet man, from his name to his insignia, to the thingies on his head that look like the prongs of a horseshoe magnet. If he showed up and fought Batman, everyone would know that he was gonna magnet Batman's face to death. It would be understandable that he could hit Batman with a big science ray that could make him magnetically charged.

Then you could have room to actually tell a story about Batman being some kind of Magnetic Menace, even in just 12 pages. But, as before, Batman being a magnet man isn't as distinctive an image as Batman being a weird zebra guy with powers that are an incredible leap in logic from what they represent. And that's the thing here, superhero comics are a visual medium and they are incredibly visually representative. This is why you have iconic characters who are foils to one another that have unique and contrasting designs.

Let's look at this picture of Superman and Batman and you can immediately tell they're very different people. The colors of their costumes. Their poses. Their facial expressions. Everything says that Batman is a closed off, serious person, and Superman is an open, friendly, person. But also, the designs of their costumes and their practicalities are very similar. showing that they have a lot in common. This is superhero design 101, but it's not just simple, it's foundational. The entire industry is based on these design principles, and these design principles are also storytelling principles.

So, let's go back to this cover. What does it tell you? What information does it convey? Surprisingly, it does tell you something. You look at the streetlight getting ripped out of the ground and the car being blown back, it does say that Batman is exerting some kind of force from his body. It doesn't say that it's magnetic, of course, just that something is happening. But otherwise, it tells you nothing. Batman being a Zebra-man doesn't illustrate what effect he's having. Batman becoming a Zebra-man doesn't occur until the third act of the story. Batman being a menace is just a dream sequence about how much it would suck to be a Zebra-man. This cover, this ridiculous, superdickery, narratively bankrupt buffoonery is everything that is wrong with DC comics in the silver age.

Again, I am not trying to be negative. Any negativity is 100% organically grown, fair trade, free-range, crumudgeonity. But I do think it is important that we look at stuff like this and see how it affects the genre of superhero comics both as a literary constraint and as a historical indicator of trends. Covers in the DC style, in my opinion, prove a hindrance to the creation of good comic stories, as they needlessly handcuff the creators to an existing marketing framework. It's the same thing as cartoons in the 1980s needing to write plots around whichever action figure is releasing that month. Creators need to be able to tell stories that interest them, and to do that they need freedom.

Also, while these kinds of covers didn't ever hurt the sales of Batman or Superman, in 1961, Marvel Comics would launch their new superhero universe. They had a narrative and design philosophy that was far more freeing to the creator as well as straightforward in their storytelling. If you picked up a Marvel comic, you had a good idea of what you were getting right from the cover. If you picked up a DC comic, you could find out that the story you saw was all a joke played on the reader, or a character's full-length dream sequence, or a so-called "imaginary story" that would be completely detached from the reality of the series at large. This, among other factors, would lead to Marvel absolutely eating DC's lunch.

Until next time!

[heckcareoxytwit]

The battle rages on as the X-Men fighting the three Nimrods at different places - Sentinel City, New York and Washington DC. Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Cyclops, Colossus, Rogue, Gambit and Monet are fighting the main Nimrod in Sentinel City. Emma Frost and Synch are battling a Nimrod duplicate in New York. Whereas Polaris and Magneto are facing the Nimrod duplicate in Washington DC. Magik and Eden Fesi try to join into the fray but they get shot by Nimrod (I don't know which one though).

While they are fighting Nimrod, Cyclops and Nightcrawler are wandering around the burning Sentinel City. Nightcrawler confirms to Cyclops that he has destroyed the thrusters and Nimrod/Omega Sentinel won't be able to repair them before the orbit decays. Nightcrawler asks how they're going to kill something that exists in multiple places and Cyclops says they'll have to do it all at once. "Under that armor, it's just… electricity." Then, Kwannon telepathically chimes in saying Colossus got punched out into space and he's almost out of sight. Cyclops tells Nightcrawler to go and he teleports away to save Colossus. Cyclops then goes off to challenge Nimrod. In the control room, Omega Sentinel tries to regain control of the station when Rogue busts through the floor asking if Karima has lost every last shred of her humanity. Omega Sentinel says Xavier cut a deal that the X-Men would get to live on their little island but they're too dense and prideful so she'll have to kill them including Xavier who she'll kill last. Kwannon sneaks up behind and nails Omega Sentinel with a psychic knife, leaving the cyborg mumbling and crying in despair. Rogue is about to stomp her head in but Kwannon stops her, telling her that she fried the Sentinel mind and that Karima's human brain was drowning in regret and pain.

Rogue and Kwannon charge at Nimrod but the robot knocks them out with a blast. He punches the just arriving Colossus away and is about to stomp a knocked out Manifold and Magik but Nightcrawler gets to them first and Cyclops blasts Nimrod away from them. Just as Nimrod could kill more X-Men, the killer robot gets zapped by the timely arrival of Storm. With Storm's lightning zapping the main Nimrod, the Nimrod duplicates are affected too, giving the chance for the other mutants at New York and Washington DC to fight back. The main Nimrod is left to face Storm and Cyclops in Sentinel City when Monet and Omega Sentinel fly in. Omega Sentinel (now with regained humanity) begs at Nimrod to stand down but the killer robot refuses to listen. Cyclops and Storm work together to take down the main Nimrod by cracking the armor and frying the circuits. As the other Nimrod duplicates, they are also defeated by Synch, Polaris and Magneto at different places. As Storm watches as the main Nimrod melting away, Monet arrives with Omega Sentinel and Cyclops says Kwannon is showing him what's going on inside her brain. He tells Omega Sentinel to earn this second chance and she, crying, replies weakly, "Call me Karima." Once the battle is over, the X-Men leave the Sentinel City with Eden Fesi before it explodes.

Fall of the House of X #5, 2024

[of-sinners-and-seas]

OF SINNERS AND SEAS

A WIP INTRO

A story to be co-written by: @lady-grace-pens & @isabellebissonrouthier

STATUS: outlining and writing

GENRE: adult. high fantasy. dark fantasy. dark romance.

CW: some gore. strong language. sexual content.

VIBES: glaring eyes. statues. piracy. the vast expanse of the ocean. violence. sin. bloodshed. candles hungry for a midnight ritual. bruised knees. crystals. tarot cards. silent gods. gazing at your enemy through a pair of wine-stained eyes. bloody lips. hunger pangs and loneliness. black magic. cults. sacrifice. cannibalism. the bitter backwash of betrayal. music in the night being echoed by the wind. history aches while the future shrieks. casual affairs. being drunk and aimless and young.

THEMES: fate. prophecy. trust. purpose. cults. spirituality. identity.

Seven pirates. Seven deadly sins.

All vie for dominance over their fantastical world, thinking themselves to be as close to immortal as could be. But the question of what exactly they are remains elusive.

Magic drips from their fingertips: control over the sins that rule each of their lives. With fates and visions spinning through their minds, each of the Sins grapple violently with the questions of their purpose.

How far will they go to search for the truth? Maiming and torturing, fucking and fighting, killing for a single word from a silent goddess.

And how can they expect to maintain allies when only one can live in the end?

What began as a simple roleplay has spiralled into a sprawling, character-driven tale...

Welcome to OSAS.

—

Taglist: @the-inkwell-variable @fifis-corner

Pinterest Board | YouTube Playlist

—

MEET THE SINS:

Envy | Pride | Lust | Greed | Wrath | Gluttony | Sloth

EXPLORE THE WORLDS:

Eiffel | Polarys & Lorallyn | Geldour | Valoma | Guisse | The Desolate

MEET THE FIRST MATES:

Gigi | Mikael | Désirée | Alusia | Marigold

[ironclark]

The Remedy Set of Keyblades are Done!

LIGHT REVISION- A Keyblade modeled after the typings of Alan Wake! This Keyblade is designed to increase the damage of Light-based spells. The hilt is designed after a flashlight, with the hilt guard being inspired by the typewriter that Alan uses. The shaft of the blade is make of various typed letters, with the teeth being the lense flare of a flashlight. The token is the Clicker.

The World Logo is that of Bright Falls, where the game takes place. The name is a reference to editting a work of art as well as light itself.

CHAMPION OF LIGHT- A Keyblade modeled after the fight between light and darkness in Alan Wake: American Nightmare! This Keyblade is designed to have the effect of Light & Darkness! The hiltguard is designed after the CRTs that Scratch uses to taunt Alan throughout the game, with plumes of darkness arcing out of it to form half of the shaft. The rest of the shaft and teeth are formed from sparks of Light. The token is one of Alan's Manuscript pages.

The world logo is a based on the Arizona town named Night Springs, where the game loops itself. The name comes from the character that Alan has written himself to be, the Champion of Light.

ZERO STATE- A Keyblade modeled after the technology and fracture of time of Quantum Break! This Keyblade is designed to increase the effects of Slow or Stop on a target. The crossguard is designed after the Time Machines built by both Paul and Will in the game, with the core's patrusions on it. The shaft and teeth of the blade are designed after the visual effects of time breaking. The token is the Countermeasure built by Will.

The world logo is that of Riverport, the city in which the game takes place in. The name, Zero State, comes from when time has stopped.

OBJECT OF POWER- A Keyblade modeled after the Astral Realm of Control! This Keyblade is designed to launch targets into the air much easier! The entire keyblade is modeled after the black marble-like structures found in the astral plane, with the same golden veins in that marble as well. The teeth are made from Hedron, Polaris' counterpart in the Oldest House. The token is a slide from a Slide Projector.

The world logo is that of the Oldest House, the paranatural location that the game takes place. The name, Object of Power comes from terms used by the FBC to designated paranatural objects with supernatural powers.

CULT CLASSIC- A Keyblade modeled after the dual sides of Alan Wake II! This Keyblade is designed to have increased damage from Light-based spells! The hilt of the Key is designed after the woods that Saga Anderson traverses through, as well as the cross guard being that of the Antlers of deers that Saga interacts with. The center of the guard is the bullet hole made by Saga. The top of the shaft forms into the Angel Lamb that Alan Wake uses during his segments, with the wings forming the teeth of the blade. The token is the Cult of the Tree logo.

The world logo is a darker variant of the original World Logo. The name comes from the fact that a Cult Classic refers to a work that is extremely popular within niches, and that this game has two cults: Cult of the Word and Cult of the Tree.

[noneedtoheedtheweed]

Honestly… having Polaris/ Lorna Dane be a fun pov character for an X-Men story

If I may present my case:

She's the daughter of Magneto and doesn't know it. This gives her a mysterious but significant backstory tied to the main antagonist. If this were a show written by me, Wanda and Pietro would be more everyday antagonists, so she gets to know her siblings before discovering their connection. It would also be good twist material and provide linked personal and interpersonal conflict.

She's an everywoman. Her parents were killed in an accident (wink wink nudge nudge) when Lorna was young, and she was raised by her loving uncle and aunt. Her powers are clear and easy to explain- controlling metal- while still providing a lot of room for growth and creativity in fights. A sweet spot like this feels reminiscent of Kitty Pryde and Jubilee.

She has bright green hair. This gives her a physical characteristic that sets her apart as Other while still being human-passing. It's a middle ground between characters like Kitty Pryde who are completely human in appearance and Nightcrawler who isn't. Maybe she's embarrassed of it and/or they dyes it brown and her growing it out can be a sign of her character growth.

[subjectsix]

injury (with Jesse 👀)

~disgruntledfbcagent

The Service Weapon hums idly in Jesse's hand, still now despite the fight that raged only moments ago. Chunks of concrete settle into their new places on the ground. She huffs a loose strand of hair out of her face, sending a few loose petals from the planters fluttering.

With her heart pounding, she waits for another scream of the Hiss. Revealing a hiding place, unveiling an invisible form, floating down from the crevices in the architecture above.

Nothing comes. Her heartbeat slows.

"Ma'am?" A ranger approaches her, hand outstretched. She can't get a read on their expression under the helmet and visor, but even in the adrenaline dump, she can hear the unease in their voice. Their hand moves in the direction of her side. She follows the path, looking down, pulling her suit jacket open with her free hand.

"Shoot."

It's hard to tell with all the blood still pounding in her head, but the large blooming stain on her side means something is wrong, staining her white button up. Things that bleed like that should hurt worse than this. Adrenaline can change your perception of things like this, right?

"Let's have you sit down," the ranger says, hand hovering just behind her shoulder, an invisible force guiding her to a planter that's still somewhat in-tact. The ranger team's medic is already unpacking their kit.

"Don't remember that one happening," Jesse tries to laugh, giving the ranger a wry smile. "At least it doesn't hurt as bad as it looks, right?"

Blood keeps pooling up, saturating the fabric, making it cling to her side. The concrete planter is cool to the touch, and she lowers herself carefully, letting the medic untuck her shirt and peel away the fabric.

She doesn't look, deciding to let the medic work. Control her breathing, ignore the growing sensation of pain. Instead, she turns to assess the damage around her.

She never tries to damage the House itself, but she's less worried about it. It has a wonderful habit of knitting itself back together without concrete pours or construction teams. Her attention turns to the ranger team instead-- six of them, all still accounted for. Okay. Priority one. And they're in Communications, so--

She checks the ceiling first, for any papers that might be floating down. Scans the rubble for broken desks and scattered folders.

Minimal damage to documents and equipment. Okay. Lower priority, but still good. They'll slap a bandage on whatever caught her, and they'll keep moving.

"Uh," the medic's voice wavers, gloved hands holding her skin taut.

Not a great thing to hear. She hazards a look down at her side.

It's... not pretty. She tries to breathe and laughs a little instead, swallowing down a cry of pain. Her skin is slick and red, with two jagged circles punctuating her side.

Two bullets slide out, falling clumsily from the wound. They bounce off the planter with a wet clink. In the light, she catches reflective glimmers of blue. Jesse swallows, brow knitting together.

"I didn't know you could do that," she whispers under her breath in quiet awe.

"I, uh..." The medic answers. She doesn't try to explain that she wasn't addressing him. "I didn't either. They must've not been too deep. I don't..."

He looks through his helmet at two of his team, who stare blankly back. Turning back to Jesse, he catches the confusion in her eyes.

"Sorry ma'am. I'm not sure. Usually I'd have to extract from a bullet wound. This is..." he sets to dressing it. "You should head back and get checked out. We don't want this getting any worse."

"...right."

He offers her a hand, and she takes it, slow and grimacing, trying not to clutch at it, trying to stand straight and move with confidence, like a Director should. Her ribs feel like they're burning, the pain crawling up to make a lump in her throat.

Did I imagine that? Did you do that?

Polaris spins distantly, marking the doors back to Central Executive, and the medics stationed there.

Always more questions than answers, I guess. Thank you.

one word prompts

[tumfullofblue]

Do you have any headcanons for Jesse Faden by any chance?

ʕ ´•̥̥̥ω•̥̥̥`ʔ I am so sorry it took me AGES to get to your ask! But hey, I did need to play Control a bit to get back to knowing our favorite Jesse Faden, the badass new director of FBC.

And ykw, I-I think I do love her. S-shut up!..

We start with a few SFW ones and, as always, spicy stuff is under the cut. Hope you enjoy ʕっ•ᴥ•ʔっ💕

▲ Stray black cat energy. Through the roof, actually. Being on the run her whole life, Jesse forgot how to trust people and how to make friends. Especially now with being a Director and feeling she needs to distance herself, it’s hard to relax and allow someone to take care of her.

▲ That being said, Ahti and his ever present humming and singing which she (sometimes) hears in the pipes of the Maintenance sector slowly made her remember how much she loves music. Mostly rock classics. She hums while she works, ‘Back in Black’ filing reports, ‘Balance Slays the Demon’ as she floats through the Black Rock Quarry. She has a beautiful voice, actually. Ahti makes a note of it, in his own manner and it almost, almost makes her blush. She decides to try and sing with him sometime.

▲ Terrible sleeper. Jolts awake, has a hard time getting herself relaxed enough to doze off. She spend night after night without any sleep and even now, as a Director of FBC, she hardly has time for a little nap. Secretly wishes she had someone watching over her, like Polaris does, when she does fall asleep. Someone she could cuddle with in bed and wake up to see them still breathing in her arms. Sometimes, her powers don’t just turn off when she’s exhausted and she could doze off mid-air, hovering a few inches above a place she found to take a nap.

▲ Jesse can wield the Service Weapon like a goddes she is, but PLEASE, do not put this woman in front of the stove. She was fine with store brought food and scraps and the best meal she can do is some mean spicy noodles, but that’s it. That being said, she wouldn’t mind someone cooking for her. After all, a woman in her position should be fed appropriately. And you wouldn’t want to see the Director when she is hangry. Ahti sometimes comes to the rescue with a hot cup of coffee and finnish pastries.

▲ She has Dylan’s childhood drawings near her heart in her jacket. Sometimes she sits by his side, watching the rise and fall of his chest and remembers being mad at him if he would steal her crayons. The guilt rises up and her being and she quickly averts her gaze. The Polaris hums in her mind. Maybe nothing is ever truly lost.

▲ Power Bottom. Come on. Whenever she is riding you or pinning you down on the matress, do not be fooled – she is still the director and she still has power. You are either too scared or too turned on by her to try and fight back. Well, maybe a little. But Jesse knows what she wants and how much she wants.

▲ High Sex Drive. Fighting the Hiss AGAIN in the Sector she cleared a day ago? Your head is between her thighs for hours. Feeling frustated at the paper work Emily gets to her? Don’t shoot the messenger, but let her sob under Jesse’s gloved fingers. You get the picture. Basically, the woman fucks and fucks OFTEN. Sheesh. Need me a director like that.

▲ Vocal during the deed. She was getting tired of either speaking low or being silent at all so now she is using her voice to the max. Sometimes her moans resonate withing the walls of the Oldest House. Loves hearing you whimper her name, especially when gets her hand on your pretty neck and you practically moan it.

▲ She loves marking (and being marked). After years of being untouchable (literally, thanks to Polaris) she revels in the proof that you can get this close. Bruises from gripping hips too hard? Bite marks on her shoulders, chest, tummy? Yes. She wears them like secret trophies under her director’s suit. And if anyone notices a fresh hickey on your neck, they’re smart enough not to mention it. It could be your little trophy, though really, it feels like a mark of an ownership.

▲ Aftercare with her is just as intence as sex itself. She doesn’t let go of your trembling form. She cuddles like a cat, stroke your hair, palm your soft bits – and god, did she just purr? You don’t comment on it. With a lazy flick of her wrist, she fetches water, blanket, a fresh towel for you. Squeezes you close and you laugh at being promoted to Director’s personal cuddling teddy bear. She grumbles for you to shut up and sleep. You swear you almost feel the resonance of Polaris blessing you both and keeping you free from nightmares.

[woantohae]

Into You || (Bob Reynolds x reader x The Void)

Summary: The closeness between Y/N and Bob was evident. There were small moments, hand touches and lingered looks that spoke for themselves, but they remained silent. Until one night.

Author's note: Hello! Honestly i can't stop writing for Bob Reynolds, once I start with one idea, I'm already starting with another ✨️ I still don't know how Sentry/Void will be introduced to us, so I apologize if I don't get the character's as it should be.

Enjoy!!! 💌

《tags: fluff, void being present, hints of sexual tension, reader having powers like polaris (at this point, reader will be polaris lol, references of the scene of wanda iykyk 👀 》

The attraction between Bob and Y/N was evident.

Everyone in the compound saw it, except them. Or maybe they were shy enough not to notice it. The accidental touches when they passed each other, when Y/N was in the kitchen and Bob bumped by accident into her to get a glass of water, or when on each mission he made sure the girl was okay. Just a glance was enough for both of them to communicate if one of them needed help or was in trouble. And he always had his eyes on her when they were fighting together with the team against the common enemy.

After battles they used to heal there wounds, Y/N's more so than Bob's, since the man's undeniable strength and power was an important factor that helped him not get hurt so easily. Anyway, he was always in the corner of the infirmary room while he watched the girl's wounds being treated and cleaned. Bob hated it when she winced, and even though she tried to camouflage it, he could notice how the knuckles of Y/N's fists turned white. Bob wanted nothing but to take away all the pain she felt, and if he could have it, he would gladly take it.

The team usually teases them about it. They always found the perfect opportunity to let Bob and Y/N know that they both had a genuine connection, and an undeniable tension whenever they were around them. Alexei always pointed this out and moved his eyebrows repeatedly at Bob when he saw Y/N enter the room. Or when Ava was reading a book in the living room and heard the pair's low laughter as they stood in the kitchen, looking like a married couple. Even Bucky joined in on the thousands of occasions to tease them for their closeness.

Bob's serenity and shyness didn't let him get so close to Y/N so easily, but that didn't stop him from always being there for her.

Like right now, for example.

Y/N had stayed up late training, because she was still having a hard time handling her hand-to-hand combat. It wasn't that she was beaten in missions, but she wanted to be able to have complete control of this type of fight. Y/N was much better at handling weapons, and although it was almost ironic how she could defeat the bad guys with them and not with her body, she was always triumphant against whoever she was fighting.

Before being on the team, the girl had no idea how to handle a weapon or even defend herself, but after Hydra experimented on her and maked her their pawn, she had acquired certain types of skills, such as telekinesis and mind control.

Now that no one was there, Y/N was taking advantage of the solitude to continue training.

On the other hand, Bob had been kept awake due to memories invading his head non-stop. He still had a hard time staying in control and calm, so in calm instances like this, he had to take advantage of it.

The man was walking through the halls of the compound when he stopped to hear sounds of punches coming from the training room. He stops and looks through the crack of the door to observe Y/N in the room.

He feels like a creepy for spying on her like that, but he can't take his eyes off her; not to her body, but to her. Bob begins to feel chills as soon as a sensation begins to form in his chest. A feeling he knows very well.

"No, no," he mutters to himself.

He feels Void's presence beginning to become present in the environment, and although he always tries to defeat it, he never succeeds. It's like Void wants to be present whenever Y/N is around.

I mean, who wouldn't? Bob thinks to himself.

"Oh, yes, dear Bobby," the evil presence tells him, letting out a dark laugh as he walks safely into the training room, without scaring away the girl who has her back turn to him for the moment.

Y/N doesn't even flinch from Void's presence with her in the room, but when she hears his voice she becomes alarmed.

"Your posture is wrong" Void says.

Y/N lets out a small scream as she turns around and with her powers raises a knife that is a few centimeters from the man's face. She lets out a more relaxed sigh and frowns.

"What are you doing up at this hour?" she asks.

He smiles at her and moves the knife with his hand to let it fall to the ground.

"I could ask you the same question," he tells her, approaching her.

Y/N smiles at him and points to the training bag they use to train.

"I need to improve in hand-to-hand combat," she responds, trying to comb her hair.

Void looks at her carefully and stands at her level, facing each other.

"I can help you," he tells her. "I'm very good at hand-to-hand combat."

She shakes her head in amusement and raises an eyebrow. "If you have nothing better to do"

"Oh, believe me. Nothing is better than this opportunity."

They both get into a combat position and Void gives the first blow, which the girl dodges with agility and speed. The two continue that dance of defense and attack movements, with each passing second they feel the heat of their bodies and the agitation of the moment.

"You keep doing that posture wrong," Void points out to her, shaking his head.

His firm hands move down to Y/N's hips, where he tries to position her correctly, as the distance between them seems to get closer and closer. Void's shadowy eyes are on the girl's lips, resisting the temptation to steal a kiss.

Y/N, on the other hand, looks at the man's lips and then looks at his eyes, meeting the surprise of his gaze on hers at the same time. The corner of Void's lips curve upward, keeping his hands on the girl's waist, who doesn't seem to be bothered by the position.

"This is how you have to be positioned from now on" Void says in a whisper.

Movie night had become a tradition for the team. Alexei had given the idea of ​​meeting once a week in the living room to watch a movie together, in a way to release tensions and clear their minds from the battlefield and all the missions they had. It was exhausting, for everyone.

At first Yelena rolled her eyes at her father's idea, but she simply accepted because she had nothing better to do. Then the rest joined in, still under John's snorts at the thought of how ridiculous it was.

So now they were gathered in the living room while the movie on TV illuminated their faces. They had chosen, by vote, to watch "The Breakfast Club."

Y/N watched the movie attentively and relaxed from everything else, without noticing the fleeting and sometimes long-lasting glances that Bob gave her from the other side of the couch. If the rest of the team asked Bob at that moment what was happening in the movie, he would probably have no idea, despite having seen it before.

His attention was focused on the girl who at times laughed and looked at the screen. Bob was grateful that none of the other men present were sitting next to her, because it would be even more obvious that he had been staring at her for a while.

Beside him, someone subtly taps his arm. "You're too obvious, Bob," John whispers, popping a portion of popcorn into his mouth.

He suddenly gets nervous, but tries to look relaxed. "What are you taking about?"

John snorts and rolls his eyes. "About how you feel about Y/N."

Bob frowns and takes a quick look at the girl who is still staring at the TV.

"I don't have feelings for her. She's my teammate and a friend, nothing more," he rushes to respond, crossing his arms.

John shoots him an exasperated look as he sees the man next to him in denial about what he truly feels. The truth is that he hasn't been discreet at all when it comes to admiring Y/N, and everyone on the team can see it. Everyone except him and Y/N.

"Listen, because you sound like a fool every time you lie to yourself," the blonde tells him still in a low tone so as not to raise suspicions "It's clear that you have feelings for her, and she has feelings for you. We're not idiots to not notice every time you look at each other. The only idiots here are you and Y/N"

Bob frowns. "Don't call her an idiot."

John sighs and closes his eyes for a moment.

"You know what I mean"

Bob seems to process John's words and they are the simple truth. He couldn't keep hiding it and trying to go unnoticed about it, because if John was telling him that it was because it was more than obvious to the rest of the team, even to Alexei.

"I'm just saying don't hold onto your feelings too much, that'll only make you crazy," John says and makes a face. "Well, it's not like you haven't done it already."

Bob purses his lips and shakes his head, understanding what the blonde is referring to.

"Thank you"

John continues watching the movie and takes a portion of popcorns in his hands.

"This doesn't mean we're buddies, got it?"

Bob purses his lips and shakes his head.

"Got it"

Y/N couldn't sleep.

Her mind was plagued with horrible memories from her past, all relating to the experiments they did on her and the treatment and beatings she received for it. She had been unable to sleep for years, and when she did, only nightmares invaded her mind, tormenting and making the horrors she experienced flourish again.

The girl decides to get out of bed and leave the room to go to the terrace and let the stars surround her. When she goes out, she faces the cold of the night that imprisons her and causes her to cross her arms in an attempt to warm herself.

She is lost in her thoughts until a deep voice startles her. "Nightmares?"

"Shit" she turns around and sees Bob leaning against the wall of the terrace.

He laughs lightly and approaches slowly but surely until he is positioned next to Y/N. She realizes that the one who is actually present is Void, due to a dark and confident attitude that radiates from his person. In all this time that they have been together in the team, Y/N has been able to differentiate when it is about him and Bob. It is enough for her to just look into his eyes and notice his posture to know who she is dealing with.

Y/N relaxes and nods her head.

"Always nightmares" she answers looking at him "What about you?"

Void shrugs and rests his hands on the railings of the terrace, looking back at her.

"I'm enjoying the time I have while Bob rests"

"You're usually more present than he is," she points out and he smirks. "Why don't you let him be more present?"

The entity turns so that his entire body is facing the girl, telling her with his gaze that the answer is right in front of him.

"Because he doesn't know how to appreciate the moments he has with you."

She frowns slightly as heat covers her cheeks. It was true that every time they were together Void let her know that he liked being in Y/N's company, as did Bob. However, the latter had a hard time showing it because of his introverted personality.

She looks away at the lights covering New York City, feeling shy at Void's direct confession, who seemed confident.

"You should still give him a chance though." she points.

Void lets out a light laugh that makes Y/N's body shivers, because of how satisfied it sounds. He seems to notice her shiver, so he takes off the jacket he's wearing and covers the girl's arms, letting them rest on them for a few more minutes. Y/N smiles softly, at the same time the man's fragrance invades her nostrils.

"Oh, yeah?" he raises an eyebrow. "Tell me, who would you rather have here, now? With you."

His body seems to get closer and closer, as his eyes filled with dark desire fixate on the girl's lips.

"Well.... Sentry is more friendly, tender, and doesn't think about destroying everything in his path," she ventures to answer with a hint of amusement in her tone.

Void takes this as a sign to put his arm around the girl's waist and pull her slightly closer to him, feeling the heat radiate from their bodies suddenly.

"I can be all of that," he lets her know.

"Even if you leave your evil side aside?" she murmurs.

Void smirks.

"Oh, sweetie. I could never leave my evil side aside. You and the rest know that," he says, closing the distance between them, feeling his breath on her lips. "But for you, I could behave."

Y/N smiles lightly and he decides to close the distance between them finally, capturing her lips. Void wraps her in his arms as he feels her hands slowly rise to his neck, feeling goosebumps all of the sudden. Their mouths move in an increasingly agitated and passionate dance. Void leans her against the railing and enjoys the taste of the girl's lips, after a long time wanting to taste them. Y/N clings to his shirt, feeling the jacket covering her shoulders begin to fall, but Void is quicker to hold it and prevent the cold from hitting the girl's body.

"Damn it, get a room!" Yelena's voice exclaims behind her.

Y/N pulls away suddenly as Void stares at her flirtatiously, without caring for the presence of Yelena.

She licks her lips and looks at the blonde.

"I'm sorry" she says blushing.

"I'm not" Void intervenes, still facing away from the blonde.

Yelena shakes her head amused and sighs.

"Just don't make so much noise" she asks and then starts moving, but stops to speak "And use protection"

"Sure do" the man responds.

Y/N playfully punches him in the chest, still wrapped in his arms. Yelena leaves them alone and Y/N lets out a sigh fixing her hair. "

"So... where were we?"

Y/N rolls her eyes.

"You're unbelievable" she mutters.

"Yeah. That i'm"

And they continue their kissing session, while the lights of New York and the stars of the night sky bear witness.

[thorias]

Since season 2 looks to be so jam-packed with stuff, I thought it would be fun to try to break down the episodes using the stories continuing from season 1 and the spoilery bits we learned from D23 and... yeah, there's a lot here.

I'm just making educated guesses right now, but I could easily see this happening in the show.

2x01 - Ancient Egypt. 'Rise of Apocalypse' adaptation. The team helps En Sabah Nur defeat Rama-Tut and Rogue makes her Faustian deal with him to get Remy resurrected. Bishop shows up at the end to collect everyone.

2x02 - The Future. 'Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix' adaptation. Scott and Jean spend some time raising teenage Nathan and are warned of the horrors that would be unleashed upon the world if Apocalypse were to ever rise to power. Bishop and the others show up at the end and the X-men return to the present.

2x03 - Present day. Bottle episode focusing on Forge's makeshift team, presumably consisting of some combination of Cable, Havok, Polaris, Iceman, Colossus, Archangel, Shadowcat and Emma Frost. They deal with the continuing fallout of Genosha/Asteroid M/the EMP and the ensuing chaos as Graydon Creed is poised to win the presidential election. Apocalypse begins positioning his chess pieces. The new Four Horsemen (let's say Deathbit, Madelyne/Pestilence, Shaw/War and Dazzler/Famine) make their first appearance and give the team a thrashing. The X-men return from the past/future at the end.

2x04 - The X-men are reunited, get caught up on everything they missed while they were gone and find Jubilee wherever she is. Magneto attempts to mend fences with Lorna, but it goes horribly since he did after all try to wipe out all life on Earth while she was, ya' know, on Earth. She doesn't forgive him, but convinces him to turn himself over to the authorities and answer for his crimes. Mags' second trial goes much worse for him than the first one did and he's thrown in a plastic prison like in X2; the last we see of him for a while (probably wishful thinking on my part, but you never know). Rogue leaves to search for Deathbit.

2x05 - Rogue confronts Deathbit. It goes horribly. She tries to absorb the Death persona out of him like she once did for Archangel, but Apocalypse has accounted for her powers this time and Deathbit is immune to them now. She's forced to fight him, shocked by Deathbit's ferocity and resentment toward her and not yet understanding what she needs to do to break Apocalypse's hold on Remy. The battle ends in a stalemate. Rogue is left confused and heartbroken as Deathbit escapes.

2x06 - Wolverine spotlight. Logan travels to Japan, searching for a way to get his adamantium back (I don't like this happening so soon, but we can assume from the D23 sneak peek that it'll probably go this way). He seeks out Lady Deathstrike since her father created the adamantium bonding process and has to fight Sabretooth for it.

2x07 - Nightcrawler spotlight. With the election looming, Kurt confronts his half-brother Graydon. It goes horribly. Mystique reveals herself, having infiltrated Graydon's campaign months earlier. Kurt tries to make peace with his family, but neither of them are interested in peace. The episode ends with Mystique assassinating Graydon and her continued allegiance to Apocalypse is revealed. She then takes Graydon's form and replaces him, meaning Apocalypse would control the White House if Mystique/Creed wins the election.

2x08, 9 & 10 - On the eve of the election, Apocalypse makes his move, committing acts of terrorism, giving Mystique/Creed more ammunition for the anti-mutant campaign Creed was running on, which Apocalypse has been secretly fomenting in order to provoke a human/mutant war. Xavier aides Rogue as she faces Deathbit again, allowing her to confront Remy on the psychic plane. He recreates the gala scene from 'Remember It' in Deathbit's mind, so Rogue can undue that little blunder by dancing with Remy this time and finally confessing her true feelings. Remy learns that Rogue had chosen him, not Magneto, and that she really does love Remy, which gives him the motivation to fight off the Deathbit persona. Meanwhile, the X-men battle the remaining Horsemen and Apocalypse. They're losing badly until a re-adamantiumed Wolverine, Xavier and Rogue, with Gambit, now free of Apocalypse's influence, arrive to turn the tide. Poccy is defeated, and with his machinations revealed, the public is swayed and President Kelly is re-elected.

Afterward, Gambit is back with the team, though he's left with trauma and PTSD from his death and resurrection. Xavier and the X-men are lauded as heroes in the media, so public perception is back on their side and things are looking up for a change... but unbeknownst to everyone, something is not right with Xavier as we get our first hint of Onslaught for season 3.

I think this accounts for every storyline we've confirmed so far, (or most of them at least) but that's just the stuff we've heard about. Who knows what else they've got in store for us that they haven't revealed yet. I'm crossing my fingers that we get longer episodes in s2 because they're definitely going to need more time to cover all this.

[salarta]

Polaris/Lorna Dane, Original Intent, and Marvel's Refusal to Set Things Right

I wrote this elsewhere. I felt it was worth sharing here too. It was in response to a discussion about original creator intent vs later writers, and how to view treatment in official works.

As the original creator, they knew best who the character is meant to be. They're the ones who put tons of thought into traits they should have, who undoubtedly thought of things influencing the character or important history for them that never hit the page. It's the original creator who visioned up what this character is meant to represent and offer to the narrative and readers. Without the original creator, the character wouldn't even exist.

That does not mean every single thing from the creator should be taken as gospel truth never to be changed or questioned. Lovecraft, for example, was horribly racist. There's no reason to keep his racism intact for the sake of "being faithful." However, the core concepts like what the elder gods are and represent are a thing where looking back at that work makes the most sense if you're trying to do something new with it.

So for Lorna, I look to the original creator and what they clearly intended when they created her. What we see out of that is: Lorna is SUPPOSED to be a powerhouse character who even the X-Men dread the prospect of having to fight, but who they're pleased to have on their side when she's with them. She's supposed to be more progressive and feminist, she's supposed to have a struggle between Xavier and Magneto philosophies, and at least some mutants are supposed to think of her as mutant royalty due to her lineage from Magneto.

Most nostalgia-based depictions of Lorna have none of these elements. The closest they come to it recently is HALF of the last point, where she's of Magneto's lineage but not seen as mutant royalty. And even that one, Brevoort was fighting against it a decade ago. I think the reason for him being so opposed to it comes from how nostalgia-based depictions violate all the other core elements of who she's supposed to be, so he thinks Lorna shouldn't have any of it.

We've talked before about how Claremont toward the end of his run had tried to turn Lorna into a completely different character, down to even changing her powers and plans to change her codename. We say he didn't pull it off, but if we're being real blunt and honest about it, he actually succeeded in his goal. He ripped apart every single thing she's supposed to be, and decades later, it's still a struggle to get even one of those elements to be recognized and respected.

She's supposed to be a powerhouse that the X-Men dread fighting, but she's regularly depicted as a punching bag who may talk and look tough but gets bested easily. "I'm a big gun" she's written saying in 2020s X-Factor, right before getting mind controlled and called stupid because the story decided she had to be depicted acting stupid to benefit others. She's supposed to be someone the X-Men want on their side, but she's completely excluded from most major X-Men activity. She's supposed to be progressive and feminist, but she's instead made out to have her entire identity revolve around supporting other characters, mostly men, mainly Havok. She's supposed to struggle between Xavier and Magneto philosophies, but instead she's most often depicted as towing the Xavier line. She's supposed to be seen as mutant royalty, but most characters act like she's a nobody, with even Exodus getting to be on the Quiet Council instead of her.

This is a character who's been deeply wronged, and decades later, people like Brevoort refuse to set things right because they'd rather be nostalgic for sexism that Marvel got away with decades ago.