#mark grimm

[somacruising]

Tales of the Rays: Mirrage Prison

CHAPTER 6: THE ATONING HERO AND REMORSEFUL CHOSEN (PART 5)

(Part 4) | (Part 6)

Hi y'all, it's been a while, huh? I'm just gonna slide this out and pretend I didn't forget to upload this hahaa... (some of the images are different sizes cuz I switched phones). Anyway, this chapter covers Mileena and Co discussing what it means for someone to lose their core. We'll also see the Salvation Front having an odd encounter with Shirley...

Part 5 (Imperial Capital Hy'Brasail)

Keele: Let's hear what Cecily has to say. She says she came up with a way to save Ami’s life. それじゃあ聞かせて貰おうか。セシリィが思いついたアミィを救う方法について。

Cecily: I approached it from the direction of mirristry. Mileena, you know about this, don't you? The core loss that a mirrist can suffer. 魔鏡学の方向からアプローチしてみたの。ミリーナも知ってるわよね。鏡士に起きる心核喪失現象のこと。

Mileena: Yes, know about it. It’s a condition that can occur if a mirrists’ mirrage drains too much energy from their heart. ええ。一応習ったことはあるわ。魔鏡によって心がエネルギー不足になって機能しなくなる現象よね。

Cecily: When a core is lost, part of the mirrist’s mind changes. Sometimes, it seems like they’ve lost their emotions. ええ。心核喪失状態になると鏡士は心の一部に変調を来すんだけど時に感情の一部を喪失したようになるの。

Jude: So, in Ami’s case, are only the emotions that make her smile left? もしかしたら、アミィの場合は笑顔になるような感情だけが残っているってこと？

Cecily: Possibly. I’m…just a mirrage technician, so I can’t look into people’s hearts. But, Mileena is capable of doing it… ええ。私は……魔鏡技師でしかないから鏡士のように心を覗き込むことはできないけれど、ミリーナなら……。

Mileena: Looking into people’s hearts…? No, I can’t. I understand the theory of it, but looking into someone’s heart is very difficult. 心を覗く……。それは私では無理だわ。やり方は知っているけれど人の心を覗くのは、とても高度な技なの。

Mileena: I can’t do it while maintaining the virtual mirror field simultaneously. It requires a delicate touch. 私は今仮想鏡界を維持するので精一杯でそこまで繊細な力の制御はできないと思う。

Cecily: Hmm… Maybe you should ask Phillip to help you, then? そう……。だったらフィリ��プさんに協力して貰うのがいいかもしれない。

[ Chester rushes in ]

Chester: Will we be able to get Ami back to normal if Phillip helps!? フィリップに頼めばアミィは元に戻るのか！？

Cecily: Well, it will give us a way to confirm Ami’s symptoms. In order to treat her, we’ll need an otherworldly weapon called Soma. ううん。それはアミィの症状を確認する為の手段なの。治療にはソーマっていう異世界の武器が必要になると思う。

Rita: Huh? Soma? Why would you use a weapon to treat someone? 何、ソーマって。武器で治療なんてできんの？

Cecily: From what I’ve heard, Soma gives someone the ability to enter the heart. 私も聞いた話だけど、ソーマは心の中に入れる機能があるみたいなの。

Rita: What!? How the hell does that work!? 何それ！？どういう理屈な訳！？

Chester: …Wait a minute. Isn’t that the name of Shing’s weapon? Soma? ……待てよ。ソーマって確かシングの武器じゃなかったか？

Cecily: Yes. That’s why Shing’s power is essential for saving Ami. うん。だからアミィを助けるためにはシングの力が必要不可欠なのよ。

Chester: I’ll go get Shing! Mileena and you all need to get in touch with the Salvation Front! だったらオレがシングを連れてくる！ミリーナたちは何とかして救世軍と連絡を取ってくれ。

Chester: Senel is getting worried about Shirley, too. セネルもシャーリィのことでジリジリしてるしな。

Kocis: But, there’s no way to contact the Salvation Front… けど、救世軍と連絡を取る方法はないんですよね……。

Mileena: That’s right. Because of those crystals all over Tir Na Nog, communication through mirristry is subject to a lot of interference. ええ。世界中にこ魔鏡結晶があるから魔鏡通信が干渉を受けてしまうのよね……。

Rita: We’re trying to modify what we can to boost signal power, but it isn’t working. 通信強度を上げるように改造はしてるんだけど中々上手くいかないのよねー。

Keele: Pascal and Rita are working together, but they haven’t got a clue. パスカルとリタが二人がかりでも糸口をつかめないんだ。

Rita: It’s frustrating, but it's expected when you’re dealing with something as elusive as a heart. 悔しいけど、心っていうつかみ所のないものを相手にしてるから勝手が違うのよ。

Karia: Miss Mileena! It’s urgent! We’ve received a message from Phillip on the mirror comm! ミリーナさま！大変です！フィリップさまから魔鏡通信が来てますっ！

All:！？

[ SCENE CHANGE ]

Mark: —Okay. Mileena and I scheduled a meet-up. They have some business with us as well, so it works out nicely. ——OK。ミリーナたちと落ち合う約束を付けたぞ。向こうもこっちに用事があったみたいだから丁度良かった。

Phillip: …Thank you, Mark. Now, we can warn Colette and anyone else who might be predisposed to being used as a vessel. ……ありがとう、マーク。これでコレットや他の鏡映点の器の素養がありそうな人たちに警告することができる。

Gareth: Biqe... ビクエ様……。

Phillip: I know, Gareth. I’m worried, too. I’ll have to look into this. わかってるよ、ガロウズ。僕も気になっている。これは確認しないといけないだろうね。

Mark: By the way, Shirley. Who…are you? だとよ、シャーリイ。あんた……何者なんだ？

Mark: You don’t strike me as the kind of person who could fix a transmitter that even Phil and Gareth were scratching their heads over. フィルもガロウズも手を焼いていた魔鏡通信の送受信機を直しちまうなんて普通の人間じゃねえよな？

Shirley?: Huh…? Yes, I knew how to do it. あー……？やっぱりそうなっちゃうわよね。うん。

Mark: It just doesn’t make sense. どうも不自然だったんだよな。

Mark: You’re a nexus who was used as a vessel, but now you’re saying that you’re not a nexus at all. 器の鏡映点として、神降ろしの器にされていた筈なのに、自分は鏡映点じゃないなんて言い出すし。

Zelos: Well, well, looks like we came back at the perfect time. おーっと、俺さまたち絶妙なタイミングで戻ってきたみたいね。

Zelos: I’ve been wondering the same thing. You’re…bizarre. 俺さまも気になってたんだよなあ。あんた……普通じゃない。

Sync: Heh… So, you’re a Living Doll? If that’s the case, you might be a mole for the Empire. へぇ……。じゃあやっぱりリビングドールなの？だとしたら帝国側の間者って可能性もあるよね。

Kratos: Shirley, we’re up in the sky. You can’t escape; can’t you just come clean? シャーリイ。ここは空の上、逃げ場はない。全て話してはくれぬか？

Shirley?: …I wanted to repay you for everything you’ve done for me, but now you’ve turned against me. ……色々お世話になったから恩返ししたかったんだけどそれが仇になっちゃったわね。

Shirley?: I'd love to explain it to you—but I'm afraid I can't right now. ��当はちゃんと説明してあげたいんだけど——ちょっと無理みたい。

Zelos: What do you mean? どういうことだ？

Shirley?: I have an uninvited guest. I’m going to be a little busy, so allow me to excuse myself, boys ♪ 招かれざる客が来ちゃったみたいなの。ちょっと忙しくなるからこれで失礼するわね、お兄様たち♪

[ A flash, and an unknown woman appears over Shirley ]

[ Shirley collapses ]

Mark: H-hey!? She just fainted!? お、おい！？気を失ったのか！？

Sync: Wait. There’s someone standing next to Shirley. 待って。シャーリィの隣に誰かいる。

???: I’m sorry, I had to borrow this child’s body for a bit. ごめんなさい。その子の体、ちょっと借りていたわ。

???: I noticed there was some tampering with her core, so I treated it. It’s a real gratuitous service. * 心核をいじられていたから治療もしておいたわよ。これは出血大サービス。

Phillip: You repaired her core!? 心核を治療した！？

Kratos: Who are you? 何者だ？

???: I am Yaw Biqe. I'm surprised to see that the Biqe system is still in place, but this generation’s Biqe are quite good. 私はヨウ・ビクエ。まだビクエ制度が続いていたのには驚いちゃったけど当代ビクエはまあまあ優秀ね。

???: Keep up the good work. Bye. これからも頑張って。それじゃあね。

[ A flash, and the woman disappears ]

Gareth: She's gone!? 消えた！？

Sync: …No sign of her. A transfer? ……気配もない。転送？

Kratos: No, she must have been using some sort of non-physical body. いや、先ほどの姿は何らかの精神体だったのだろう。

Kratos: Perhaps…could she have been maintaining her existence using Shirley's tampered body? 存在を保つため、心をいじられていたシャーリィの体を利用していた……のではないか？

Mark: …If she is, that’s not great news for us. ……もしそうだとしたらえらいことになるんじゃないか？

Zelos: Yeah? How come? うん？どういうことだ？

Phillip: Yaw Biqe is the founder of mirristry. Her actual name is Yolanda Biqe Odanse. ヨウ・ビクエは鏡士の始祖の名前だ。正確にはヨーランド・ビクエ・オーデンセ。

Phillip: She’s also known as “Dana’s Priestess”, the catalyst for the spirits’ awakening. つまり彼女は精霊が目覚めるためのきっかけである「ダーナの巫女」だ。

Sync: …Then, that means this world will be destroyed soon. ……だったら、この世界はもうすぐ滅びるってことだね。

Sync: Dana’s Priestess only awakens when the world faces destruction, right? ダーナの巫女は、世界が滅びに直面したときに目を覚ますんだろ？

Gareth: But…how do we know if she’s real? しかし本物……なのか？

Kratos: I don’t know. In my world, at least…there have been instances of humans from long ago finding ways to avoid dying. わからんな。大昔の人間が生きているという事例は……少なくとも私の世界ではあり得たことだ。

Shirley: …Mm… ……ん……。

Zelos: Whoops, looks like Shirley is waking up. おっと、シャーリィが目を覚ますぜ。

Shirley: ………？

Zelos: Ah, good morning, Shirley ♪ お、シャーリィちゃん、おはよう♪

Shirley: …G-good morning…wait. …Huh? Are… are you people from Sellund? ……お、おはよう……ございます。……え？あの……皆さんはセールンドの方ですか？

Kratos: Sellund, huh? I think this girl may have been exoflected and tinkered with before the Mirrorshift. セールンド、か。この娘が具現化され心核をいじられたのは鏡殻変動の前のことなのかも知れぬな。

Shirley: ………？

Phillip: Let me explain the situation. Right now, your friends are searching for you. 僕から状況を説明しよう。きみの仲間がきみを捜しているそうだからね。

*出血大サービス literally means “heavy bleeding service”, and alludes to, like, “I’m so fanservice-y that my actions are going to cause blood to rain from noses”. It’s hard to make it make sense in English.

(Part 4) | (Part 6)

[h34vybottom]

Mark Grimm

[vertigoartgore]

2009’s Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #570 cover by artist Alan Davis & inker Mark Farmer. Also used years later as the cover of Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman: The Complete Collection Vol.1 TPB (2018).

[shouts-into-the-void]

Happy pride month to:

Cancer patients with a history of arson

Former detectives with attitude problems

Goth athletes forced to wear orange

Lesbians in the survival version of American Idol

Lactose intolerant gangsters with a napoleon complex

Female manipulators with anxiety

The sole living heir to a line of psychics

Autistics from Vegas with a special interest in math

Redheads who like antagonizing the FBI

Gay models whose crush will never like them back

Former cult members

Guys with homoerotic relationships with their nemesis

Monsterfuckers who actually have fucked a literal monster

Playwrights who give their OCs trauma as a coping mechanism

School headmasters with no teaching degree

Bleach blondes with questionable relationships with the police

People on the ace spectrum

Lobotomy victims

Cannibals

Stage magicians murdered by their assistant

And also the rest of you lovely queer people :)

[magpieddd]

Why did no one tell me mindless doodling is fun

[ultrameganicolaokay]

Fantastic Four Fanfare #1 by Mark Waid, Alan Davis, Sara Pichelli, Andrew Wheeler and Ramon Rosanas. Cover by Matteo Scalera. Variant covers by (2) Nicoletta Baldari and (3) John Byrne. Out in May.

"LEGENDARY COMIC CREATORS GIVE THE FF THEIR BEST!

In this special, full-color anthology series, each issue focuses on a particular member of the team! For this inaugural outing, Mark Waid and Ramon Rosanas depict an escalating prank war between the Human Torch and the Thing; Alan Davis sends the team into hazards deep underground; and Andrew Wheeler and Sara Pichelli reveal what happens when the Mole Man interrupts Johnny Storm’s star-making turn on reality television!"

[wwprice1]

Stunning Alan Davis Fantastic Four covers!

[amourcherie606]

work doodles

[ladyoftheburn]

Forever in love that Simon’s love language is biting his vampire boyfriend

[somacruising]

Tales of the Rays: Mirrage Prison

CHAPTER 6: THE ATONING HERO AND REMORSEFUL CHOSEN (PART 6)

(Part 5) | (Part 7)

I’m so sad that Rays is getting shut down, so I want to work even harder to finish this chapter before it does. I wonder what the offline mode is going to be like… anyway! Here’s the next part! The Salvation Front and Mileena's Group have convened to exchange people and information. Lloyd and Kratos have some minor drama and Zelos comforts Lloyd.

Part 6 (6-6 Deserted Plains)

Zelos: …Hey, even if he’s a smart guy, isn’t your master a bit of a coward? ……なぁ、お前のご主人様頭はいいのに、ちょっと腰抜け過ぎない？

Zelos: He’s leaving you to do all the work talking with Mileena while he hides out nearby. ミリーナちゃんとの通信だってお前に任せてこの待ち合わせの場所でも姿を隠してよ。

Zelos: Even Gareth is here, no matter how awkward things are. ガロウズだって気まずいだろうにちゃんとここにいるんだぜ。

Gareth: Well, it is pretty awkward being here…but I had promised Minister Gefion I would take her that one time. そりゃまあ気まずいが……あの時ゲフィオン様を連れ出したのはゲフィオン様との約束だったからな。

Gareth: Well, I really do think that it’s about time that the Biqe met with Mileena. まぁ、ビクエ様もそろそろミリーナと会った方がいいとは思うけどな。

Zelos: Look, even Gareth says so. ほれ、ガロウズもこう言ってるぜ。

Mark: Let me turn that back at you, is there nothing in your life that you’d try to run from? じゃあ聞くが、あんたには逃げたくなるものが一つもないのか？

Zelos: There are a whole lot of things that my amazing self would run away from. But, Mileena isn’t one of them. そりゃ逃げたいものだらけよ、俺さまは。けど、ここでミリーナちゃんと対面しないでいつ会うんだよ。

Zelos: Look at Kratos right now. その点見てみるクラトスをよ。

Zelos: I could go on and on about how many things I hate about him, but I’ll give him this. At least he isn’t avoiding Lloyd right now. 色々気に入らねえが、こういう時にロイドを避けないところだけは認めてやってもいいぜ。

Kratos: ………！

Sync: So, now the Idiot Chosen is defending his daddy. 今度はパパを庇うんだね、バカ神子。

Zelos: What!? You stay out of this! はぁ！？お前大概にしとけよ！？

Shirley: …Um. I…can understand a little. I understand the feeling of running from someone you have to meet. ……あの。わたし……少しだけわかります。会わなければいけない人から逃げてしまう気持ち。

Shirley: I’m sure Phillip knows what he has to do, too. He just needs to find a little bit more courage… フィリップさんもきっと本当はわかっているんじゃないでしょうか。あと少しの勇気さえあれば、きっと……。

Kratos: …A little bit more courage, huh? ……少しの勇気か。

Zelos: Hah…! Shirley, you’re adorable! So brave! Do your best! I’ll never run away again, I’ll make sure I protect you! はぁ……！シャーリィちゃん、可愛い！健気！一生懸命！俺さま守ってあげたくなっちゃう！

[ Mark moves between Shirley and Zelos ]

Mark: Shirley, come over here. It’s not safe to stand so close to a ravenous beast. シャーリイ、こっちに来てな。飢えた野獣の近くにいるのは危ないからよ。

Zelos: Are you calling me a dangerous man? You know, Mark, you’re so right. I’m so sexy that it’s dangerous— 俺さまが危険な男だって？フッ、わかってるじゃないの、マーク君。そう、俺さまは危険と色香を——

Kratos: —It seems as if Mileena and the others are here. ——ミリーナたちが来たようだ。

Zelos: Eh!? Why do you guys always ignore me!? えー！？俺さまこのメンバーでもこういう扱い！？

[ Mileena Enters ]

Mileena: Mark!! Where’s Phillip!? マーク！！フィリップは！？

Mark: How about you take a guess… 察してくれると嬉しいねぇ……。

Mileena: …I see. ……そう。

Mark: So, before anything else, I have someone to hand over. で、話の前にこの子を引き渡す。

[ Mark brings Shirley out. Senel sees her ]

Senel: Shirley!! シャーリィ！！

Shirley: …Senel! ……お兄ちゃん！

Senel: I’m so glad you’re safe…! 良かった……無事だったんだな！

Shirley: These people here helped me. この人たちが助けてくれたの。

Senel: Thank you. ありがとう。

Zelos: Don’t worry about it. いいってことよ。

Lloyd: …Kratos. It’s really you. ……クラトス。本当にクラトスなんだな。

Kratos: …You look like you’ve grown strong. ……壮健なようだな。

Lloyd: …Yeah…uh…? More importantly, how come you’re with the Salvation Front? ……そう……け……？あ、いや、それよりどうして救世軍にいるんだ？

Kratos: …Various reasons. ……色々とな。

Lloyd: ………

Kratos: ………

Kratos: …In any case, I’ll be taking Ami. Phillip can have a look at her. ……ところでアミィを預からせてくれ。フィリップに見せる。

Chester: If so, I’ll go with you. Where Ami goes, I go. I can’t leave her alone. だったらオレも一緒に行く。アミィを一人にはさせられない。

Cress: I’ll go with you. 僕も行かせてもらいます。

Chester: Cress… クレス……。

Kratos: Is that all right, Mark? 構わぬだろう、マーク。

Mark: It’s fine, you have every right to be worried. ああ、心配するのは当然だろうからな。

Gareth: Is Cecily here too!? セシリイも来てるのか！？

Kocis: Oh, she was hiding back here. C’mon, Cecily, quit being so shy! あ、隠れてる。ほら、セシリィ何恥ずかしがってるんだよ！

Cecily: …Uh… ……あ……。

Gareth: Cecily! I’m so sorry, the Empire’s done terrible things to you and it’s all my fault… セシリィ！悪かったな、俺のせいで帝国に酷い目に遭わされたみたいで……。

Cecily: …Um…yeah. Uh…long time, no see, master. ……ん、ううん。あの……お久しぶり、師匠。

Gareth: Master!? Since when did you start calling me that!? 師匠！？お前いつから俺のことそんな���に呼ぶようになったんだ！？

Cecily: Eh? O-oh, I’m your master… But…fufu…Gareth, when did you get so…old? え？あ、だ、だって師匠だから……。でも……ふふ……。ガロウズ……師匠、老けたね。

Gareth: Huuuuuh!? はぁぁぁ！？

Cecily: S-sorry. Um, anyway, here’s a paper detailing our theory surrounding the use of Shing’s Soma to treat Ami that Mileena was talking to you about. ご、ごめんなさい。あの、これ、通信でミリーナが話していた、ソーマを利用した心核へのアプローチをまとめたもの。

Cecily: Please read it over, master. 確認してね、師匠。

Gareth: …? Y-yeah… ……？お、おう……。

Mark: I’ll be heading off now. If something comes up with Ami, I’ll give you a call. それじゃあ、そろそろ行くか。アミィのことがわかったら魔鏡通信で連絡する。

Lloyd: Oh, um, wait a sec. Kratos… umm— あ、ま、待ってくれ。と……クラトス、あの——

Kratos: —Take care, Lloyd. ——元気でな、ロイド。

Lloyd: Kratos!! Don’t just leave! I need to ask, are you my father!? クラトス！！ちゃんと話をさせてくれ！あんた、俺の親父なんだろ！？

Kratos: …I need to go. ……行くぞ。

     [ Kratos leaves ]

Zelos: …Don’t look so sad, honey. I’ll make sure I keep an eye on the old man for you. ……ハニー。そんなしょげた顔するなって。あのおっさんは俺さまが見張っとくからよ。

Lloyd: …Yeah. Thanks, Zelos. ……うん。ゼロス、ありがとう。

(Part 5) | (Part 7)

[jellysmudge]

Do you think Nick has ever had to get a rabies shot from the amount of times Juliet tells him not to fuck around with the raccoons outside and how he clearly does not listen

[vertigoartgore]

2006's Fantastic Four: The End Vol.1 #1 page 2. Script and art by Alan Davis, inks by Mark Farmer, colors by John Kalisz and lettering by Dave Lanphear. Source

[nevenkebla]

El día de paga

Fantastic Four (1998) #68 Mark Waid (Escritor), Mike Wieringo (Dibujante)

— Johnny Storm: … Querría adelantarte efectivo, Benjy, pero ese mensajero en bici que te atropelló por accidente… He pensado -je, je- que deberíamos pagarle la placa de metal de la cabeza, y, claro, de algún sitio saldrá el dinero. Pregunta otra vez mañana, grandullón. — Ben Grimm: No existe el día de Killarney. — Johnny Storm: Ahora sí. Y cerramos temprano en el día de Killarney. ¡Felices fiestas!

— Johnny Storm: … Que el día de paga es ahora los jueves. Mandé una nota…

[inexorablyinsecure]

Sinclair… Sighed a little, as she watched the door between her, and Hong Lu close once more. Her heart pounded in her chest for a moment, as she let herself relax, her shoulders drooping for a moment as she closed her eyes, and… Then, turned on her heels, back towards the bed. Hong Lu was patient. He’d wait on her as long as she needed, to decompress and get dressed for their outing, and yet…

This was as much an outing for her, as it was for him. Someone had stolen something precious to him, and…  It was his turn soon.

She needed to be there for him. She needed to put everything behind her, and… Be there for him; to close her eyes to the inner turmoil she felt, and hold a hand for him like she had Don Quixote before him. Sinclair’s eyes ached as she brought a hand up, and rubbed away at them; as she dug her fingers into the sockets of her eyes, gently massaging the bridge of her nose, before… Taking a deep breath, and letting go.  [Long Post; Continued After the Cut]

To start, she removed the collar from her neck. It was cute, but it wouldn’t fit with the outfit, not… Really, and they would be going out in public. She didn’t need to look like that. In an instant, she winced as she felt her hearing grow… Lesser, as she felt her spine shift slightly, her posture worsen, as simultaneously, and instantaneously, the ears and tail that she had been sporting disappeared. With a slight shrug, she tossed the collar onto the bed, and… Then, set about removing her LCB jacket, awkwardly pulling it off while trying to snake her arms out, only…

To shift, and paused, as she heard a noise. A familiar noise.

A ping, from her PDA.

Her heart sunk, in an instant, as she began to glance around, as if looking for… Something. Something, whatever it was that a ‘Magical’ Anonymous asker had sent, only to wince as she felt something… Appear? Manifest? In her mouth. Lime, round. It was bitter, sour, she felt as if she should spit it out, with a slightly copper taste, and yet-- As if her body had begun to refuse her commands, she… Swallowed it.

Her heartbeat grew louder, in her chest, in that moment, as she lunged forwards, towards the bed, and grabbed at her PDA. Her grip tightened, knuckles growing white as she gripped the PDA, and… Began to scan the ask in front of her.

Sinclair… Almost seemed to relax, at that; having read the post. It… Didn’t seem that bad, really. So the last game Sinclair played… Huh? It’d been a bit since she had even opened a game on the PDA, since everything had been… So much lately. She couldn’t even really remember what the last game she opened was. She…

“Wait-”

The words left her mouth as… A wide eyed look overtook her expression, as she opened her mouth, and… Swallowed, uncomfortably. “Wasn’t I doing-” she began, frantically opening her recently opened apps, and… Flicking through them. “Wasn’t I doing my dailies before Kromer sent that ask, and-”

A fear. A certain kind of fear settled into her heart, as, she felt her skin… Prickle. Shift. Ripple.

As she heard the shattering of a mirror.

Her heart thundered in her chest, and in an instant--

Everything around her shifted. Everything around her was gone. She was gone; her mind moved faster, and faster. It was moving faster than a human mind was supposed to. It was… It was disconnected, as her vision flickered, blurred. As a slight disconnect came between herself and her body, and for an instant, she felt her body lag. She felt as if she was trapped somewhere, a bit away from her body. Connected to it, but away.

Her body felt heavy. Impossibly so, far more than before. It was a struggle to move it at all, and she felt her limbs stagger, flicker as she tried, as she fought to do something. To breathe, to move, to think, it all was so difficult. Her mind burned, her eyes hurt, her sight grew… Pixelated, as her head pounded. Memories flooded at once. Too many.

To o man y.

There was a girl who so l oo ked up to the h e r o e s that she would die/die/die/die give herself over to be c ome one and sh eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Would Kill Them To Become Them. 

To Surpass Them.

To Protect T h e m .

F o r 

H e r

Q u e e n

Her heart beat in her chest as she brought a hand up to her eyes, shaky, unsteady. There was a red glow. A red reflection, upon a white pair of gloves, as her hands flickered and shook in front of her. Metallic tendrils. Metallic, cold, claws. Beautiful, white gloves. Her breath hitched in her throat. It wasn’t real. She couldn’t breathe, and yet she had to. If her heart didn’t beat, she felt as if she would die.

She had felt this way before.

When Abe had begun the test, and when Red Shoes. Had betrayed them all. When she had Betrayed Her. When She Had Betrayed Them. When She had caved their sssssssssssssssssssssss$$$$sku

Her mind flared with pain, as she stumbled backwards, hands shifting towards her throat, unsteadily. She wasn’t human. She was no longer human, she knew this. Tears flickered at the corners of her eyes, as her mind seized. She had hurt them. She had killed them. She had failed them. They came back. They would rewrite their story. They would become Goddesses. They would tell a Fairy Tale Story, And Get A Good Ending. But she had Failed. She Had Failed. And Abe? Krom had been hurt in the process.

All Because of Him.

Her memory flickered. It melded and hurt, as her time with the Limbus Company mixed with… Another time. Her body was wrong. It felt right and yet wrong at the same time. Her hair was still the same, and yet it was different. Long. It covered an eye. But it was still a golden yellow, as it had always done. A beautiful yellow. Something was over her shoulders now, and her body had shifted. It was mechanical, and yet it had skin. It was soft, it was indistinguishable from a human’s.

But it wasn’t human. It wasn’t human. She waSN’T human. She was something else. A weapon to defeat the raptures. To defeat and kill humanity.

Beams of light erupted from something nearby, as if reacting to her thoughts. Were her walls physical, they would have been incinerated in the blast, and yet she didn’t care. She couldn’t care. Her throat had grown parched as she struggled to find something, anything, to sate it, and yet. And yet. Her hands struggled as she looked around, eyes desperately searching across the room, until finally setting on------

A mirror. 

Her heartbeat grew softer, and for a moment, she stumbled forwards, unsteadily upon a pair of heels. She wasn’t confident to walk in them, yet the body was. Mechanical. It walked on them perfectly, as if she commanded them to do so just like it was her own body. It was her own body. The only body She Had. And she. Looked in the mirror.

To See If She Was Beautiful.

The person in front of Sinclair was different, and yet it was undeniably her. It was the only body she had. It was taller than the one Sinclair had in her life, before becoming a Nikke. It had long blonde hair, which covered only the right of her two, red eyes; otherwise, it was tied back by a black bow, which allowed the rest of it to trail down harmlessly behind her. She wore a black choker, and had a black jacket slung over her shoulder… And was wearing a tube-top, almost skin-tight gray dress, who’s skirt ended just above her knees. 

More to that, however, was that her body was beautiful. 

It was different than the one she had in life. Of course, it had hardly a single scar or callous upon it, but it also was pleasantly soft; as if pampered, as if well taken care of. Her chest gave the impression that, had she been alive, she had been on hormones for quite some time, and her figure was… One that she might have been envious of, before. One she would have looked forwards to, and yet now, felt as if she had to protect.

It was an ideal. A beautiful ideal, that was important, as it was the gift she had been given, for being willing to pay such a price.

All that time ago.

Back when she was still just a girl who had been enraptured by their beauty as they saved her life.

Sinclair’s voice finally broke through, as she stumbled forwards, towards the mirror, and laid a pale, gloved hand against the window. She looked like she had never set foot outside the bus; as if the sun had never seen her before. She had been pale before, but now, she was ghostly. And her eyes, her red eyes…

Her head stung, as she tried to think. As memories mixed and melded, and as she tried to focus, tried to bring her mind to bear. Tears welled up against her eyes, but as she opened her  voice, she could hardly bring herself to speak. She hardly knew what voice would come out. She knew logically what she had become, who she had become, and yet the question that remained, that stuck out in her mind was------

If she wasn’t human, in the city, what was she?

She

Cried.

[i-lavabean]

Fragile creatures on collision with our judgement day

[ultrameganicolaokay]

Fantastic Four Fanfare #4 by Daniel Warren Johnson, Mark Bagley, Greg Weisman, J. Michael Straczynski and more. Cover by Rachael Stott. Variant cover by Nicoletta Baldari. Out in August.

"The celebration of Marvel’s finest heroes continues in three more stories by Marvel’s greatest! J. Michael Straczynski and CAFU tell of a fateful confrontation between the Invisible Woman and the Mole Man! Greg Weisman and Mark Bagley bring Reed and Sue, Alicia and Ben and Johnny and Crystal to a sinister carnival! And Daniel Warren Johnson and Tyrell Cannon take the Thing back to his days as a professional wrestler!