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[img]https://i.imgur.com/MdnWqry.jpg[/img][h3][sup][sub][color=#1C86EE]♦[/color][color=ffff00] S C O T T  S U M M E R S [color=#1C86EE]♦[/color] J E A N  G R E Y [color=#1C86EE]♦[/color] H A N K  M C C O Y   [color=#1C86EE]♦[/color] B O B B Y  D R A K E [color=#1C86EE]♦[/color] 
[color=#1C86EE]♦[/color] X A V I E R  S C H O O L  F O R  H I G H E R  L E A R N I N G [color=#1C86EE]♦[/color] T H E  X - M E N [/color][color=#1C86EE]♦[/color][/sub][/sup][/h3][img]IMAGE/BANNER[/img]
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[CENTER][sup]"Like I said before, helping mutants is sort of what we do."[/sup][/CENTER]
[INDENT][INDENT]The X-Men are a ragtag group of young and aspiring metahumans seeking to make the world a better place. Each of them came to Charles Xavier, the mind that discovered the Meta-Gene and has led the fight for metahuman civil rights, broken and lost. He offered them something no one else could: purpose, and the means to see that purpose come to fruition. All of them already knew from personal experience the difficulty that came with being born a mutant, but it wasn't until Xavier that they realized just how widespread their repression and abuse was, and how deep the roots of hatred went. 

The system was fundamentally broken, but they had an opportunity to fix it.

The one place metahumans found some degree of acceptance was as heroes: servants of justice dedicated to protecting the people from those that would do them harm. Metas like Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel and Captain America had laid the foundations for such acceptance long ago, and Charles saw it as the perfect way to expose the general population to Metas- to prove to them that Metas aren't some dangerous, subversive element of society, but people. Ordinary people who just want to be treated as such.

So he founded the X-Men. He gave them the flashy costumes, helped them control their powers, and sent them out into the world to change it. The road is long and hazardous, but they're as dedicated as they come. They won't stop until their people are free.[/indent][/indent]
[COLOR=ffff00][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]C H A R A C T E R   M O T I V A T I O N S   &   G O A L S:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT]The recent escalation in violence and meta-normal tension has proven to the X-Men that they are far from equipped or prepared to deal with either the former or the latter. They have so much more to learn if they ever wish to have the positive impact on society that the team desires. Minimizing collateral damage, de-escalating potentially violent situations, and winning hearts and minds are just some of the vital skills they'll need to succeed as public metahuman superheroes. Young and inexperienced though the X-Men may be, they're dedicated to defending the civil rights of metahumans from all threats- no matter who or where they're coming from. Xavier taught them that both man and mutant kind can live in harmony, it'll just take some work to get there.[/indent][/indent]
[COLOR=ffff00][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]C H A R A C T E R   N O T E S:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT][hider=Cyclops] Scott Summers is the over-eager leader of the team. The oldest member at twenty years old, he was orphaned from a young age and spent all of his youth being abused in the system by peers and adults alike. The birth of his mutant powers brought him into local police custody and eventually into Charles's care at the age of sixteen, and he learned under the Professor with an earnest, idealistic passion. He cared deeply for his fellow mutants and often got into trouble trying to protect them from harm- his heroics were the first sign that perhaps something like the X-Men was viable.[/hider]

[hider=Beast]It was Scott that brought Hank McCoy into the fold when he found the young, brilliant man being picked on, harassed and bullied by his peers for his appearance. He had a mind that could rival Xavier's even at only eighteen years old, and his great strength and agility were comparable to that of a simian. Hank was introduced to Xavier via Summers and, before long, Hank had accepted an invitation to join them at the manor. It was McCoy that created the first prototype of the ruby-red glasses that allow Scott to have some semblance of control over his powers, and it was his idea to use the mansion as a 'boarding school' of sorts as a cover if they were going to continue recruiting young mutants to their cause.[/hider]

[hider=Marvel Girl]Jean Grey was later found in a coma, apparently having gotten into a car crash and mentally experienced the death of the car's driver- her best friend since middle school. Xavier was called in by the Grey family to lift the coma and protect Jean from her own mentalist abilities, which had taken on a dark nature after the traumatic event. Xavier convinced the Greys to let Jean join him at the 'boarding school' in Worchester so that she could learn how to more properly control her powers. At only eighteen years old, Jean was terrified of herself and these strange abilities. It was Scott that convinced her to work with the 'team,' persuading her into believing that it was the best and most productive way to learn how to control her mutant talents.[/hider]

[hider=Iceman]It was the rescue of Bobby Drake that marked the first official mission of the X-Men. Three costumed heroes appeared in his hometown of Floral Park, where an angry mob had chased the sixteen year old mutant into the police department, where the sheriff had barred the inside to keep the mob out. Bobby had frozen the local bully in a block of ice- whether by accident or on purpose, he couldn't say- and an angry group of citizens attempted to remove the threat themselves. The X-Men arrived. Their attempts to calm the rowdy masses quickly proved futile, and they were forced to push their way to the station. It was a dire situation, but it thankfully ended in Bobby's successful rescue, and he was returned to the safety of the school. Drake, without anyone else to turn to, decided to join the team. [/hider]

[hider=Nightcrawler]Kurt Wagner is a German-American immigrant that found his way to Pennsylvania when he was just a boy. He had always faced discrimination due to his strange appearance, and his family had faced such intense mistreatment that they were forced to move homes across the state several times. Kurt, in his anguish, turned to religion, finding solstice and some comradery in the Catholic faith. He spent much of his time serving a local minister. It wasn't until puberty hit that his teleportation abilities appeared. His newfound mutation brought the hatred and distrust back to the forefront as he struggled to keep his powers in check. His family was attacked one night while they were returning home, and Kurt chose to run away to protect them from further danger. He was later found by Jean Grey hiding in the remains of a rundown church, and he was brought back to the Xavier school where he finally found acceptance.[/hider]

[hider=Professor X]Professor Xavier is a wheelchair-bound mutant telepath capable of tremendous and terrible feats of power. He's a genius in the field of genetics, specializing in mutants and the 'X-Gene' that gives them their superhuman abilities. He's written a number of scientific papers on the phenomena and taught at a number of universities on the subject, and while he's well-respected for his research, it's his civil rights activity that has earned him his true fame- and infamy- in the public eye. The fear and prejudice that mutants often face from their communities and in the world at large are disturbing to Charles, and he fights constantly to see these people protected from those that would see them harm. His movement brought him to the X-Men, a group of young adults and teenagers all looking to make a difference. Xavier brought them under his wing and gives them the tool they need to continue the fight. That fight is uphill, unfortunately, and in no small part due to the terrorist activities of his former friend turned nemesis, Erik Lehnsherr. [/hider]

[hider=List of characters making an appearance in the ASTONISHING X-MEN]
Avalanche AKA Lance Alvers
Marrow AKA Sarah Rushman
Pyro AKA John Allerdyce
Freakshow AKA who the fuck knows
The Negasonic Teenage Warhead AKA Ellie Phimister

The Hellfire Club
Emma Frost
Sebastian Shaw
Cassandra Nova

Bolivar Trask
Senator Robert Kelly
Magneto AKA Erik Lehnsherr
Mystique AKA Raven Darkhölme
Quicksilver AKA Pietro Maximoff
Scarlet Witch AKA Wanda Maximoff
Juggernaut AKA Cain Marko

Potential X-Men (Subject to change if interest is shown):

Storm AKA Ororo Munroe
Rogue AKA Anna Marie LeBeau

[/hider][/indent][/indent]
[COLOR=ffff00][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]S E A S O N   O N E   S Y N O P S I S:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][/COLOR][hr]New York City has a long and storied history of racial violence, and the recent rise in the metahuman population has brought about a continuation of that tradition. Tensions reached a boiling point when a metahuman youth named Lance Alvers went on a rampage in Bayville High School, injuring several students and killing two police officers before evading arrest. The X-Men were noted for attempting to subdue Lance, though many commentators and even the police chief have argued that the vigilantes only exacerbated the situation. 

A vigil for the fallen officers was held at the church of the prominent anti-metahuman activist, Reverend William Stryker. It was at that vigil that he radicalized a number of the Bayville survivors, recruiting them into the Purifiers- a militant militia organization dedicated to protecting America from the threat of metahuman violence.

Stryker went on to strike a deal with unknown, foreign elements to acquire advanced technology and military-grade hardware. Now equipped with technology indistinguishable from metahuman powers, the Purifiers launched a terrorist attack that would forever change the political landscape of America- perhaps even the world. They called themselves the Metahuman Supremacy Front. Their leader, Stryfe, declared an all-out war on humanity, and urged metahumans everywhere to violence. Using a swarm of unknown, bug-like drones, Stryfe took control of the minds of many of New York's citizens and forced them to murder one another in the streets. Untold numbers were killed or wounded during the incident. It was only by the combined efforts of many of America's best and brightest heroes that Stryfe was eliminated and the threat was ended.[INDENT][INDENT][/indent][/indent]
[COLOR=ffff00][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]P O S T   C A T A L O G:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][color=1C86EE][sub]S E A S O N   O N E:[/SUB][/COLOR]

[INDENT][hider=Rumbling Earth]
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4867172]Issue #1[/url]
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4868848]Issue #2[/url]
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4871540]Issue #3[/url]
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4875305]Issue #4[/url][/hider]

[hider=Along Came A Spider]
Begins in Spider-Man's first chapter, THE DISTANCE
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4878186]Issue #1[/url]
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4878296]Issue #2[/url]
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4890306]Issue #3[/url]
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4890972]Issue #4[/url]
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4895107]Issue #5[/url]
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4895124]Issue #6[/url]
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4895399]Issue #7[/url]
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4895978]Issue #8[/url]
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4897132]Issue #9[/url]
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4897394]Issue #10[/url]
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4901486]Issue #11[/url]
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4904025]Issue #12[/url]
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4904786]Issue #13[/url]
[/hider]

[hider=All the World a Stage]
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4895399]Issue #1[/url]
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4904653]Issue #2[/url]
[/hider]

[hider=Infamy]
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4915252]Issue #1[/url]
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4915373]Issue #2[/url]
[/hider][/indent]
[color=1C86EE][sub]S E A S O N   T W O:[/SUB][/COLOR]

[INDENT]N/A[/indent][/indent]