Morose

🦄 The Paradoxical Emendation - Merged With T.S.

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Andromeda Aldrich

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Location: Ville au Camp - Main House - Room 100: Parlor --> Room 101: Sitting Room
Skills: N/A

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Andromeda nodded slightly, though Sophia's words didn't bring her any comfort. Of course Andromeda knew that her timeline hadn't been the hardest one to deal with. There were people who had lived through their own versions of hell and had come out stronger for it. Still, it meant that Sophia just discounting Andromeda's struggles and worries came across as a slap across the face to the white haired woman. While before Sophia said that, she had been willing to talk to her, now she wanted anything but that. How would she feel better talking to someone who thought that Andromeda's timeline had just been... easy? Fun and games? That it wasn't a struggle in its own right? That her brother hadn't summoned Lucifer, her father hadn't been murdered by a demon, and she hadn't been killed by broken Time itself?

"No thanks," Andromeda told Sophia. She took a slight breath. This was all freaking her out but there was nothing like good old fashioned anger and spite to help her refocus her head. She took another breath and left, going to rejoin the others. James was arguably the Paradox she felt the closest with, now more than ever, so she went and took a spot next to him. Waiting for a slight break in conversation, she lowered her voice to a whisper and quietly asked him, "Did I miss anything significant?" She didn't expect him to give her a point by point rundown of what had happened while she tried to get some air, but hopefully a summary of the top themes would be in order.

Ω Heroes of Olympus: The Next Age of Heroes Ω

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Leda Storm

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Location: Granite Falls, North Carolina, Outside of Crystal River School For Troubled Youth, Parking Lot

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Leda nodded, using her superspeed and she zoomed off, a rainbow streak heading up ahead as she scouted out the area. She had to resist the urge to give a few of these kids wedgies, knowing that this was serious. Just because they were trained demigods here to help, it didn't mean that monsters couldn't kill them. She couldn't afford to get cocky - as much as she would have loved to. "Okay, the kids are there with the Protector - and a handful or so of cyclopes," Leda said, coming to a halt next to Zeke.

"..What's the plural of cyclops anyways? Is it really cyclopes? That seems wrong..." she mused to herself. Being a dyslexic demigod with ADHD, she never really considered herself to be a pro at spelling and grammar. She figured that the daughter of Athena might know - or who knows, maybe she could ask one of the cyclopes (?) when she hit them and burst them open like a piñata. Of course, given that the charges and the protector were running in this direction, Leda considered her bit of recon to be a bit of a waste of time. At least it revealed no one else was going to come and burst their bubble. "That's them, anyways."

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

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Guin Stark

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Location: The Palace - New York City, New York (Outfit)
Skills: Telepathy (Mental Link)

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"Lame," Guin giggled, hearing that she would have to wait till later to get her Hanukkah gift. She wasn't religious, but she had no problem with celebrating the holiday. Eight days of gift giving? Yes, she knew that wasn't the point of it and she wouldn't tell anyone this - certainly not anywhere around King Erik - but she really loved it when Pietro spoiled her every day for over a week with gifts. They also tended to be shiny too and she couldn't help but love shiny objects. It was something she had in common with her mother - the one and only Pepper Potts. She had so many good memories of raiding Pepper's closet to play dress up, Pepper helping her learn how to use make up, even how to walk in heels. "Looks like your parents are here," she said softly.

She loved Pietro's mother - Miranda knew so much about engineering and it was always cool to have someone at the Palace who understood what Guin was doing in her copious amounts of spare time (for once, not sarcastic!) Sure, Lorna was a scientist but she found it difficult to talk to Polaris. Miranda was kind and approachable - while her husband, King Erik, he scared Guin. He was king of the entire world and one of the strongest mutants on the planet. She didn't even want to think about what would happen if he got angry at her.

Let's go talk to Allison - you know your father kinda scares me... Guin told Pietro softly. They had a permanent mental connection, due to how much they loved each other and the fact that Guin was a telepath. It made it easy for them to speak privately, without fear of anyone else overhearing. Taking Pietro's arm, Guin dragged him along with her, heading over to Allison and Oshea.

"Hey Ally," she greeted, giving Allison a hug. "Any hot gossip I should know about?" she asked, hoping the answer was yes. Things could get a bit boring sometimes around the Palace, especially since Pietro really didn't like it when she went to Stark Industries to work on projects. It was an ongoing argument the two of them were having, as to whether Guin should continue to work or just spend all of her time relaxing at the Palace.

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Casper Theriot

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Location: LeBeau Casino - New Orleans, Louisiana
Skills: Mediumship

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"Damn, who let the Femme Fatale in here?" Casper couldn't help but comment, his eyes widening a bit at Anastasia. She didn't look like she could've been older than nineteen and here she was, making illusions to corporal punishment and advocating its use over tardiness. His bottom felt a little bit sore just thinking about it and he moved in his chair slightly, as if to guard his rear from her. His eyes darted around the room, spotting a pair that could have been brother and sister - or brother and age inappropriate girlfriend. Not that he was judging, of course!

"Okay, so we need to figure out what is going on here, Casper..." Ben muttered. "We can't be the only ones that know something is up, right? So we just need to find out who else does... Well, you need to."

Casper nodded slightly. "Just gotta find one," he mumbled to his friend. He knew that it made him look a little crazy, talking to Ben, but he wasn't going to just ignore him or anything. Ben was his best friend - sure, Ben had a crush on Casper's brother and was horribly murdered, but friendship could withstand anything if it was true and strong! He then turned his head, as a girl in a leather jacket came over and started spoiling the kidnapped child. Would that lessen the sentence, if the child seemed to be happily giggling and wearing a gift an accomplice to the kidnapping gave her? Also, was Casper considered an accomplice, even though he had no idea what was going on? What even was the definition of an accomplice?

"Focus!" Ben snapped, telling that Casper was getting lost in his own thoughts. The girl in the leather jacket - he had nicknamed her Bombshell in his head - kissed his cheeks in greeting. Not really knowing what to do, Casper kissed her cheeks back, staring at the Cajun woman. Did she know his mother, maybe? His mom was a piece of work and was from New Orleans.

"... Do I know you?" Casper asked, tilting his head at her. "Did we go to rehab together or something?" he followed up. His brother thought he was high, he knew that much, so he had to have been forced to rehab at some point, right? If there was one constant in the universe, it was Jack forcing him to go to rehab to get clean at least once a year. There was a bit of drama going on with the Gingers - wait, was that GAMBIT?! and Casper took a breath, focusing again on his brother and Jack's impending kidnapping charge.

"So um... What's the laws on kidnapping here in Louisiana?" Casper asked casually. "Asking for a friend..."

"You are so bad at this!"

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Dominika Novikova

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Location: Red Guard Mobile Unit - Sydney, Australia
Skills: N/A

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Novikova glanced over at Cassandra for a moment, hearing as she asked for a refresher on their mission. It was a bit weird - Cassandra had never struck her as the inattentive type, not here and not in the real world. However, her mind practically short circuited as Maria gave her a kiss. It had been so long since she had been able to kiss her girlfriend - to hold her and make physical contact. Cassandra's plight could wait a little while. She returned Maria's kiss, wishing they had somewhere a little more private to go to for about an hour or so. "Agent Abercrombie..." Novikova started to say, she wanted to warn her since it seemed like something odd was going on there, but it was hard to convey a message to people when ruby red shades made it so no one could see her eyes.

She couldn't remain passive much longer, though. The people around her were proposing horrible things. She took a slight breath, knowing that while she had joined SHIELD in order to pursue her scientific dreams, it also had been to help people. She became a part of the Phase Three program in order to make the world a better place. Arguing with Mystique and Frosty? Not a great plan. But Novikova didn't have a lot of options and she wasn't about to let them go piss off the Hulk and kill innocents - fake reality or not.

"Actually, I think I should go in and talk to him. I can take off my glasses, get a good look at the kid, and report back the most likely tactic to get him to come quietly without needing anyone to get hurt," Novikova said. She had the power to see people's alternate lives when she took off her glasses. She couldn't control it, but the longer she looked at someone, the more lives she glimpsed. "And according to the files, he has a girlfriend. A human one. We might just be able to fabricate a crime to arrest her for and just drop the charges against her if he cooperates with our mission."

And then, once they had Dr. Banner, she would spring him and set him free.

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Runa Blake

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Location: Banner Residence - Sydney, Australia
Skills: N/A

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Before the shift in reality, Runa had been at her room in the fabled halls of Asgard. She spent the majority of her time in there, since her treatment at the hands of the other Asgardians was too difficult for her to bare. Her unique abilities made her a threat, one they believed could help bring about Ragnarok, the end of their world and ways of life. But instead of waking up to a bleak morning, she found herself somewhere she had never been before - until the memories slid into place. She wasn't a goddess here. She wasn't Runa, Baldur's daughter, Granddaughter of the Eternal Flame, Goddess of Lies. She was just Runa Blake, a human studying Astronomy in a society that could not accept the lesser evolved species.

And as the door to the room opened and Lance came in, she turned bright red, realizing that she had a boyfriend here. She glanced down quickly, relieved to see that she was wearing some strange garments... Her memories of the false reality then supplied the words for her: pajamas. They were pink with little kittens all over them and she couldn't help but giggle slightly, looking at the cute images. No one had clothing like this back on Asgard. Then as she looked back up at Lance, remembering all of the false things from this world, she felt this intense sensation of yearning. She just wanted to run across the room and hug him as tightly as she could and never let go.

Sure, she had dated Apollo but she never had felt this for anyone before. A slight tear went down her face from happiness and she dried it, only to notice that there weren't scars on her wrists from centuries of self harm. "I'm awake," she said, a bit giddily. Yes it was concerning that reality had shifted completely but... the black dog of depression wasn't lurking in her head. Centuries of pain and suffering didn't exist here!

She got out of bed and ran up to Lance, giving him a hug - he was practically half a foot taller than her. "How are you?" she asked, finding a new enthusiasm for life. She could get used to being human.

🧚🏻‍♀️ The Walking Dead - Year 6 Part 1

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Beatrice Decker

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Location: Quarantine (W: Conference Room)
Skills: N/A

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Beatrice just gave Manny a slight nod of acknowledgement. She didn't need his praise or his explanation that breaking Hunter's arm hadn't been needed. She had come to the same conclusion herself. Having someone else tell her that after the fact? And it wasn't like she considered Manny to be a friend - he was a part of her people, her group, and there was a distinction there. In fact, of the living members of her group, he was arguably her least favorite member. His desire to be helpful and get to know people rubbed her wrong. Her favorite member was easily Alex - sure, she had a special thing going on with Thalia, something beyond definition... But she felt a genuine bond with Alexander that she hadn't with the others.

She smirked slightly at the defeated look on the kid's face though, as he got off of the ground. However, her face was back to a guarded and neutral expression as Ash came her way. She didn't want to be seen as an associate of the Newnan group. From what was happening, she figured that they would be seen as unable to integrate. She wanted Manny, Alex, and Thalia to disappear - to eventually just wave as they saw each other, to just become another piece in the cog of this machine. And Ash, continuously bringing up her ties to Newnan, the ties they all had? It went against that. "You don't need to thank me - it's in the past," Beatrice told him quietly. It wasn't her showing vulnerability or weakness - more of a strategy. "And Ashton? If you want your group to survive and be accepted here, stop referring to them like that - at least verbally," she added at a whisper.

If any of them were going to make a future here, the past had to die.

"However..." Beatrice then gestured at her companions. "Thalia - Alexander - and Manny," she explained, indicating all of them. She wasn't one to give a long winded backstory on each of them. Thalia, Alex, and Manny could choose how they wanted to be known in this place. She wasn't about to mess up a chance at a fresh start for them, if they wanted one. The ensuing fart apocalypse caused her to resort to plugging her nose. Sure, she was tough but she wasn't going to suffer if she didn't have to. The preacher had returned and started going over the system for room assignments, describing it as being like prison.

It didn't alarm her in the slightest. Sure, it hadn't been ~real prison~ but she had been to juvi. She listened to her assignment, seeing that she was placed in a group with Erica and Amelia. She didn't remember much of Amelia from Newnan, but she didn't have to. The entire time, Amelia had been an emotional mess in the corner. If she kept that up all night, Beatrice was already planning smothering her with a pillow. She wasn't going to let a sniffling wreck ruin her sleep here.

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Jack Newnan

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Location: Quarantine (W: Conference Room)
Skills: N/A

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Jack cracked a slight smile as Riley apologized for being a bitch. They all seemed to have been needing to make those apologies to each other at the moment. Fights hadn't really broken out when they were fighting day and day to survive - the drama and infighting always seemed to follow having shelter and security. Amelia had apologized as well, seeming skittish and frightened. He felt a bit bad for her - she was naive and lacked common sense, but she was still a good and kind hearted person. Jack wasn't too surprised to see Ash then go over to talk to Beatrice - she had been with the crew Thana had been a part of. The members of that group were some of the last surviving ~pieces of Thana~ so to speak.

However, his mind was really paying more attention to the woman in front of him, as Tatiana returned his embrace. He gave her a smile and kissed her forehead. "I love ya too - forevah," he promised. However, the smell that then entered the room was horrifying - it was worse than some of Jamie's more epic diapers. He had a numerical scale for ranking the diapers - this was a full Triple W tragedy. That's right - this was so off the scale, he had to start using letters rather than numbers to rank this.

The preacher came in not too long after, carrying medicine for Jamie. Jack's heart could've burst from happiness in that moment. He knew it was probably just a little cold Jamie had, but he didn't want his son to be in pain and to be miserable if he didn't have to be. He wanted to protect Jamie from everything - from emotional pain to walkers to the common cold. The room assignments actually didn't bother Jack too much. Tatiana was placed with Riley and the girl from Boston - sure, not ideal but of the women here, that honestly probably was ideal. He was in a room with Jamie, the amputee veteran who seemed to just want peace and quiet, and another person who hadn't arrived. Sure, it would've been nice to have Ash in there too but at least he wasn't with the kid Beatrice Decker decked to the ground.

And as Amelia went and puked, he was glad that Tatiana wasn't in the same room as her. He didn't want to know where or what Amelia's night was going to look like and Tatiana needed some sleep. They all did.

The Gifted - Concluded

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@Nallore@FantasyChic@BlueSky44@Achronum@Trainerblue192@KazAlkemi

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Washington D.C.: September 8th, 2020 - 11:30 AM

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Homeless Shelter - Mutant Friendly:

"...The hell?" Havok couldn't help but say, looking at Moonwalker for a moment. Very few people knew this but Havok was a bit of a perfectionist. He hated it when things were left up to chance, when new people were added to an already in progress mission. But in this line of work, his perfectionistic tendencies rarely came out. But right now, he was a bit annoyed that Moonwalker showed up to help. He and Spark Plug had this handled. And adding in a new person in the middle? That was just bound to cause a mess.

There weren't any minivans or anything nearby - in fact, the only large vehicles there belonged to the Purifiers. Luckily, the Purifiers were currently trying to ram down the door that they had blocked, being too dumb to realize that they could just go around the building in order to get to the mutants. But hey, not all racists can be geniuses.

The Surface - ColdStones Near the National Zoo:

There are currently about ten customers in the shop. Of these ten, one of them is a big family of five, with the tired parents trying to keep the kids under controlled. It seems that they had taken them to the zoo for a day trip and had made a pit stop for some ice cream, but either way, the happy and excited chatter of the kids keeps anyone from really hearing Jack and Leighton's conversation. "Can I help you?" the skinny girl behind the counter asked, looking directly at Leighton. She then grimaced a bit in sympathy as Jack walked out.

"Fight with the boyfriend? That's rough," she said, sympathetically. She fixed up a cone for Leighton and offered it to her. "Here, ice cream is what the doctor's ordered for that."

Outside of the ColdStones, Jack would practically come face to face with a confident and somewhat cocky looking man. Jack wouldn't be able to see his eyes, thanks to the sick shades he was wearing. "You might want to watch where you're walking," the man said, crossing his arms. He had a Purifier tattoo on his GIGANTIC BICEP! "You wouldn't have happened to see a couple of muties running from terrorizing the zoo, would ya?"

Johnny Ward gave a smile, looking inside and seeing Leighton. "Looking good today, sweetheart."

The Mutant Underground - Washington D.C. Station:

Negasonic didn't even bother to look up from her phone, texting away as Glimpse entered. She and Colossus had gotten back from their assignment early, as the Purifiers hadn't been hitting that shelter. And since they didn't have any fighters left to defend the Underground, they had returned there rather than provide reinforcements to the other groups. It was a good thing they had too, since it allowed them to redirect Moonwalker when he had showed up. "If we told you, we'd have to kill you," Negasonic said bluntly, in response to asking for their decorator.

"Negasonic, please. We have guest," Colossus reminded her. Piotr walked up to Glimpse and offered her a hand, currently in his steel form. "Veil is not here," he explained bluntly. Unfortunately, it didn't seem that Xavier had mentioned to those at the Underground here that Glimpse was coming. Typical. "Why do you look for her?" Colossus then asked.

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Veil

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Location: Jail
Skills: N/A

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"The only thing that is ridiculous would be how much you are protesting this," Veil replied with a bit of a smirk. She closed her eyes for a moment, wishing that she could have gotten any sleep during the night but she hadn't been able to. At least they hadn't placed her in solitary confinement - she remembered being told about false and induced confessions at one of her classes at the X-Institute. People were held for crimes, interrogated about them, and thrown into solitary confinement until they confessed - despite having no memory of it. With Sapphire here for company, at least they'd stay sane, no matter how long they were locked up in this place.

Veil then opened her eyes, ignoring the throbbing pain that went through every inch of her body. She felt strangely at peace, despite the fact that they were in jail and didn't really have a plan beyond hoping Sapphire's friend would show up eventually to spring them out. "You know what I miss? Milkshakes," Veil said softly, as her stomach grumbled. The Mutant Underground was short on funds, meaning that they couldn't afford to get milkshakes. They bought the cheapest food they could in bulk in order to stay alive without stealing. "When I was at Xavier's, there was this kid in our classes who could teleport. When Xavier wasn't looking, we'd cover for him and he'd teleport to Dairy Queen... Get everyone their favorite... and be back for Xavier noticed," Veil smiled slightly.

"He probably did notice, come to think of it," she realized, starting to giggle. "I guess he just didn't mind."

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Sunshine

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Location: the Morlock Tunnels
Skills: Disease Manipulation

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Somehow, Tome's words struck a chord with Erg and he saw himself for a moment. Hardly anyone knew this, but Erg hadn't always been a Morlock. He helped to found the Mutant Underground, wanting to use his powers to help mutants everywhere, to let the dream of the X-Men live. He learned the hard way that tolerance was not the same thing as acceptance. Sighing slightly, he looked at the boy as he left. "My apologies, Tome... That was harsh of me. I understand that you mean well."

"Good," Erg then told James. "Our primary objective will be to figure out where Stretch and Leighton went."

"Guess you need me for this, then," Blink said, brushing some hair out of her eyes. She was how the Morlocks got around the city so quickly. She could construct portals, get them in and out of tricky situations in a flash. Any group that knew how to survive tended to have either a teleporter, a speedster, or someone who could make portals on hand. Usually whenever Blink went up to the surface, she would wear makeup and contacts to hide her visible mutation - but the contacts made it so she couldn't portal. That wasn't an option here.

"Grimlock says there are too many Purifiers nearby - a little over a dozen," Erg explained. "And not very many Morlocks have mutations that allow them to fight..." He sighed a bit. It was true - they tended to get people who couldn't live on the surface, and they rarely had powers suited for fighting.

"... I can get rid of the ones by the tunnel entrances," Sunshine volunteered, wanting to help. Erg nodded and Blink made a portal. Sunshine stepped through it, reappearing near the entrances to the tunnel system. She could hear the chatter of Purifiers up above and she took a deep breath. Closing her eyes, green smoke swirled around Sunshine and she sent it upwards, gassing the Purifiers that were stumbling too close to the Morlocks with deadly diseases. It was the sort of moment that defined a person. But Sunshine didn't feel any sense of remorse.

She felt a sense of pride. It had been too long since she felt that she had a home, the potential for a family - something to belong to. The Morlocks were willing to take her in no questions asked. And if the Purifiers up above died from the diseases she just inflicted on them, so be it. It was to protect her new home. She didn't care about humans anyways. What had humans done for her? They had mocked her, chased her, incarcerated her for a crime she hadn't committed. They called her a monster and so be it - she'd behave like one if she needed to.

Meanwhile, back in the main Morlock tunnels with the others, Erg nodded grimly. "Grimlock says that Sunshine has the entrance secured. Anyone who wishes to go with Blink and me to retrieve Stretch and Leighton, please go so now."

Blink then gave them a tight smile, opening a portal that would drop them in an alley about a block away from the National Zoo - and about three blocks away from the ColdStones.

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Spirit Box

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Location: Sidewalk
Skills: Mediumship

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Casper was whistling to himself as he walked, hoping to run into one of his usual suppliers along the way. The only problem was, the living Séance had made a wrong turn and wasn't heading towards the seedier part of town. Instead, everything seemed to be getting more bright and cheerful. There were blossoms blooming all around him and Casper smiled slightly, picking a flower and taking a whiff of it, only to a few flies to start zooming around his head. "My flower, get your own! You aren't even bees!" he complained.

"Hey, hey man look!"

"Don't you 'hey listen' me, Ben!" Casper snapped, before looking down the block in the direction of where Ben was pointing. There were some hardcore looking trucks parked on the side, with a bunch of muscular men standing around them, like they were waiting for something to happen. "Okay, so they're any number of privileged dicks, so what?" Casper asked his friend.

Ben sighed. He really wanted to get Casper's eyes checked. "It's Jack, idiot!"

"Hey, that is not nice Ben! I thought you were supposed to set a good example for me!" Casper scolded, before he started waving in Jack's direction, hoping his brother would catch a glimpse of him. He had to wonder though if Jack knew about the muscle heads that were near him. From what he could tell, Jack had made a stop at ColdStones? That was confusing - Casper knew for a fact that Jack preferred doughnuts. He used to catch Jack stashing them in his desk when they were kids.

"This doesn't look good, Cas... How much do you wanna bet those guys are here to beat him senseless?"

Casper glanced at the money he had taken from the old woman. "I can bet forty on it? Anyways, he probably just got pictures of them cheating on their wives. He's a professional wedding photographer, right?" He could never remember what it was Jack did. Ben wasn't about to explain again that Jack was a private investigator - and Ben had to admit, a good looking one too. Ben had had a crush on Jack before he died.

"You need to go help him, Cas... Or actually, maybe stay put..."

He shrugged a bit, ignoring Ben's advice and he started running in the direction of his brother. "Jackie! Hey Jackie! Did you get waffles?" he shouted, not caring who heard.

Darke Magyk - Concluded

@Nallore@BlueSky44@FantasyChic@KazAlkemi@eclecticwitch

Hey all, it is house keeping time! We are going to be ending this arc in the next 2-4 updates. You now have permission to start updating your CS, so please get working on the following items:

• Update your relations
• The following characters had Birthdays!
  -Arya would be 22.... if she was alive :'(
  -Cuyler is now 19
  -Luna is now 16
  -Myrus is now 15
  -Amarantha is now 23
  -Sylvi is now 17
  -Myth is now 21
  -Ahote is now 29
  -Mona is now 24
• Everyone gets one skill of their choosing! Please send me a PM, either here or just tag me on Discord with the skill you would like so I can approve it.
• If you want to make any updates/changes to your CS (such as personality section or possessions), let me know what you are doing first and then go ahead.
• Notes ~ Cuyler will be on Asgard at the start of the next arc, as will Arnora. Bruce and Myth, you guys will return to Midgard at any point you wish during the time skip (May to November) or begin at Asgard if you wish. Tate and Sylvi will be returning back to Midgard. The Twins will stick around Bruce and Myth and the baby.

If I forgot anything, give me a shout!

Darke Magyk - Concluded

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@Nallore@BlueSky44@FantasyChic@KazAlkemi@eclecticwitch

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Asgard - Some Time Ago....

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It had been a while since the last of Lance's friends on Midgard had died and Runa finally looked like she was older than nineteen to the unaware observer. She bit her lip slightly, looking at her husband and feeling awful for him. While his father was still alive, everyone else he knew and loved was gone. "Lance..." Runa said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'd like to speak to you about something..."

"What is it Runa?" he asked her, looking at her with a smile.

"What would you think about having children?"

"I wouldn't be at all against it... Why do you ask?"

Runa led him over to the bed, sitting on it. Her feet didn't touch the ground - something that amused her slightly since Lance's did easily. "Well, I know I've always wanted children... And you've lost so much family..."

"Runa, I'd love to start a new family with you... Yeah, I've lost people over the years, but as long as I'm with you, I couldn't be happier."

She smiled at him, reaching out and taking his hand. "We'll have to ask the All-Father for permission... It's annoying but since you're... complicated biologically and so am I, if we had kids... They could be extremely powerful."

"Yeah, we probably should... Since who knows how strong those kids could be..."

"So you really like the idea of having kids?" Runa asked. "Since I know you miss Guin and all... Maybe this will help..."

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine with the idea," he said still smiling at her.

Runa grinned at him. She then pulled him down onto the bed and kissed him, waving her hands slightly and the curtains in the room closed and the door locked.

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A while later, Lance was heading with Runa towards the All-Father's palace. He wasn't too thrilled at the idea that they even really needed to talk to Thor about this sort of thing, but it couldn't be helped. "So... How do you think this conversation is going to go?"

"...He'll probably say no..." Runa mumbled.

"You don't know that Runa... I don't think that he would."

"You are an optimist..." Runa said sadly, entering the Palace. Thor wasn't there however - he was off in Midgard for the day and had left Klara in charge of things while he was gone.

"Looks like Thor isn't here..." Lance whispered to her. Klara was looking a little bored, not sure what she was really supposed to be doing, or what it is that she was supposed to be in charge of.

Runa got an idea and she suddenly smirked. "Okay, so that means Klara is in charge and if Klara says that we can have kids, then that's binding and I doubt her father will want to get into a fight with her... She's such a daddy's girl..." Runa mused.

"...Not sure how Thor would feel about that," he said with a slight chuckle at Runa's reaction to this. Klara looked over at the two, waving slightly with a smile. Runa shrugged, heading up to the throne where Klara sat and she took a knee, bowing to the temporary ruler of Asgard for the day.

"You don't have to do that Runa, so what brings you two over here?"

"...Lance and I are planning to have children."

"Oh you are?" Klara said with a smile, Lance nodded his head slightly at what Runa had said.

"We had come to ensure that the All-Father had no issue with it," Runa added.

"Well, my father isn't exactly here at the moment."

"Might you speak on his behalf, then?" Runa suggested. She knew it was manipulative of her but she didn't care. Even if Thor said no, she would just take Lance and his father and leave Asgard. They'd find a little planet of their own in another realm, another system.

"I don't know Runa... I didn't expect something like that when my father told me I was in charge for the day..."

Runa clenched her hand for a moment. "Klara... We will be good parents. Our children will be loved and they will not harm Asgard."

"I know, I don't doubt that they won't harm Asgard, I don't see why you two couldn't have kids. I'm fine with the idea, even happy for the two of you."

"And should the All-Father protest?"

"...I'll talk to him later when he gets back, I personally think it should be perfectly fine for the two of you to start a family of your own."

Runa nodded, giving her cousin a smile. She saw a flash out of the corner of her eye and she glanced outside. It was Halley's comet. Klara returned Runa's smile, and Lance glanced outside to see what it was that Runa was looking at. "Halley's comet," Runa explained to her husband softly.

"I know... Halley's Comet would pass by on Earth on occasion..." he said with a smile.

She just smiled, looking up at it. It was beautiful and she felt that it was a sign.

"I love you Runa..."

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Asgard: May 11th, 12,508 - 6:45 PM

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Runa gave Arnora a smile. She was wondering where her son and future daughter in law were, though she was practically positive it would be looking in on the sweet little newborn baby boy. "All the family members are assembled in the Great Hall already," she explained quietly, careful in case her voice carried. It reminded her of when she was little and she and Klara were hiding from Runa's older brother, Forseti, in these same halls. It felt like a lifetime ago. "If you would not mind helping me to locate Cuyler, that would be appreciated," Runa told Arnora. It was as much a request for aid as it was a slight test of Arnora's skills.

Meanwhile, in the nursery, the baby was fast asleep, unaware that his parents were present. The little flying puppy that Astrid had gotten them as a wedding gift was flying around the room, ready to attack anyone who dared to harm his young charge.

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The Castle: May 11th, 12,508 - 5:45 PM

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@KazAlkemi@eclecticwitch: At the Palace barracks...

Baby Dawn was crawling around, giggling happily and making incoherent baby babble. None of it seemed to be an untapped power or some sort of forbidden knowledge. The little baby was just that - an infant. However, Baby Dawn suddenly stopped, tilting her head and glancing at someone who appeared to come out of nowhere behind Amarantha and Mona. She had straight black hair, with a silky texture to it. Around her neck, there was a vial that appeared to contain crushed lapis lazuli stone. The woman smiled - the very same woman whom Skaoi had seen at the Manuscriptorium the night the ExtraOrdinary Wizard died. "The babe does not, but fortunately for you, I do," the woman introduced herself, holding out a gloved hand to either woman, whomever would care to take it. "I believe you two have been looking for me - I'm Apollodora Rincewind," she introduced. Although she wore a small mask on her face, Amarantha would be able to see her ice blue eyes.

@FantasyChic: Over in the Badlands, far from the Castle itself....

Constance and Bernice nodded, hearing Fleur's instructions. It was primarily just them at the moment, as well as a few other chosen few. They'd then pass on the information to the rest of the Coven, once a concrete plan had been decided upon. For the moment, they had been training without a plan - just using words and motivation to sustain themselves, without an idea of what they may face or what their objective would be. "And what is your plan?" Constance asked Fleur. There was no sarcasm or malice in her tone. She was simply requesting information.

"And how would you like us to enact it?" Bernice added, eager to get on with it. She wanted to spill precious Valda's blood on the ground and dedicate the Castle to its new ruler - the Witch Messiah! However, they were soon interrupted as Elysium Crow, the warlock from before, entered the space. He gave a slight curtsey to Fleur.

"The spies placed within the Palace's staff are reporting that the young prince is going mad with fear that you will strike imminently," he explained. "However, they also have brought interesting news... Prince Tristan left the Castle. There will be no marriage with Princess Luna."

"Meaning that the Castle will be caught in a war between the Land of Long Nights and Eastern SnowPlains," Constance concluded with a grimace.

Elysium nodded. "Precisely. The Castle is due to hold the Saecular Games in the fall as well - perhaps then would be the ideal moment for your plans, Witch Messiah," he advised.

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Myrus Silvers

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Location: the Palace - Dining Hall
Skills: N/A

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Myrus nodded, looking at his sister Luna and he gave her a slight smile. He wanted to find a cure for the mental ailment, but he knew that they needed to focus on Fleur. Once that problem was dealt with, he could save Luna again. All he wanted was for his family to be happy and safe. He had been given these gifts for a reason, he thought as he glanced down at his hands. This had to be the noblest purpose he could think of putting them towards - the defense of his family. "Fleur is going to be expecting we use Magyk against her," Myrus explained softly. "And we can, but... I think that we need to use machines too." He glanced over at Ahote for a moment, wondering what he was thinking - if he thought the idea was horrible or not.

"Witches are used to fighting against other witches with Magyk so... why fight Fleur on her terms?" he explained, his ears turning red and he rubbed the back of his head, feeling a bit awkward. He wished Amarantha had been at the table - she knew someone who was skilled with machines. Myrus was pretty certain the guy he had in mind, the inventor, was friends with Luna as well. Maybe Luna would be able to send him a message rat and get him to come. Myrus then looked at Valda, swallowing a bit. He didn't like thinking about his sister's past as a Wendron Witch. "But um... Valda... You're going to need to let us practice... fighting you," he finished softly. She was the closest thing they had to a Fleur simulation.

"If we can trick you... then we can trick Fleur."

Agents of SHIELD - Concluded

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@BlueSky44@Kirah@Nallore@FantasyChic

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The Playground - Washington D.C.: October 24th, 2020 - 4:00 P.M.

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@FantasyChic: Tinley will get another message from Barton: Damn it, okay, I know you've got this handled - want me to head back there? We're almost done here.

@Nallore@BlueSky44: Holding is your standard set up for a team that routinely deals with HYDRA and evil agents. The cells had power dampeners built into the walls, designed to at least severely limit an individual's powers. They're based off of a design that was intended to be used on the Hulk, in case SHIELD ever had to bring him in again. In order to talk with the person inside of the holding cell, you need to press a little red button, opening up an intercom channel of sorts. And in order to release someone, you need to have two agents with authorization scan their fingerprints. Funny thing is, only one fingerprint is needed to bring them into a cell!

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Bonnie Chase

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Location: The Playground - Hallway -> Bio-Engineering and Research -> Hallway -> Holding Cells
Skills: N/A

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Bonnie's jaw dropped and she almost dropped Goose out of surprise, as the tentacles sprouted from his mouth and threw the HYDRA agent around. "...What the hell," she mumbled, staring at Goose and closing her jaw as she realized it was still hanging open. "How... Why... Fury..." she shook her head slightly, though she definitely was NOT going to put the so called demon cat down now. She didn't want Goose to get mad and start throwing her around as well! She glanced at Cass, a bit surprised to see her friend so calm with the fact that Fury's cat had tentacles, but then again... It kind of made sense for Fury's cat to be a force to be reckoned with.

She had to wonder for a moment if Goose was really here so they could protect him - or if Goose was there to protect them. As Harry brought over food, Bonnie gingerly set Goose down and then went into Bio-Engineering to grab the inhibitors. She grimaced a bit, hearing Tinley tearing a new one into Maria and Novikova, so she grabbed the inhibitors as quietly as she could and then practically ran out of Bio-Engineering and down to the holding cells.

"Okay, so I think Tinley might kill Novikova and Smith..." she said quietly to Cass. "I haven't seen someone that mad since Coulson found out one of his Captain America cards was a fake..."

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Dominika Novikova

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Location: The Playground - Bio-Engineering and Research -> Hallway Outside Tinley's Quarters
Skills: N/A

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Novikova felt herself suddenly compelled to awake, sitting up straight on one of the beds in Bio-Engineering. It was essentially the medical ward of the Playground, complete with even a quarantine area. She wasn't able to speak or move a muscle, with her commanding officer having a firm hold on her mind. However, despite going behind Tinley's back with all of this, she never once considered getting blockers to keep Agent Abercrombie out of her head. She couldn't speak or interject or interrupt Tinley as she spoke, tearing her and Maria a new one - a lecture that Maria didn't deserve. She had only done this to help Novikova.

There was so much that she wanted to scream and shout at Tinley. She knew that she wasn't in the right here, but Novikova didn't care. If it hadn't been for Tinley, she could have gotten Sparky away from that thing - she might have been able to save her! Nuclear physics, that's all it really was - Novikova's area of expertise, her power set was suited for it as well... and Tinley had had the nerve in her opinion to take her away from her best friend, the person she wanted to help so dearly. She didn't care that Tinley had most likely spared her from falling into the Quantum Realm. Novikova would have gladly traded places with Sparky. She would have gone with her too, in order to help her friend in that realm.

Once the mental grip was released on her mind, Novikova took a deep breath. She wasn't going to wait around any longer. No, this had to be done now. If Tinley had put together her plan, then others were soon - and it wouldn't be too long before it was shut down. Project Ultron had been discontinued for a reason. It was banned technology, deemed to be too dangerous. "Abercrombie!" Novikova called out, taking after Tinley at a run.

"Read my mind," she then told her. She didn't want any of this getting to Barton or Fury. She took a breath, trying to keep her thoughts as coherent as possible. There is one other case of someone trapped in the Quantum Realm - Janet van Dyne, codename the Wasp. I've been working with Pym on Project Ultron in a chance to save his wife and our agents. It's banned technology. If Director Fury found out... well, I'd be fired from SHIELD at best. It's my fault that Sparks is in there. And I'm sorry I went behind your back - but I will NOT stop trying to rescue my friend.

If you want to help me bring Sparky and Raynor and the Wasp back... then we need to go to San Fransisco and meet Pym. But we don't have a lot of time left. The probability fields are so complex and changing so we need to go now.

She took a breath. "I'm sorry I lied to you. Please help me save my friend." Her voice was quiet and it trembled slightly, as tears fell from her eyes. Novikova tended to bottle her emotions up, being a private person. Only Maria had ever really seen her cry before.

🦄 Machiavellian Masquerade - Chapter 1

Professor Walnut

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Location: Shadowell Manor: Central Hall
Skills: N/A
Hit Points: 3
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As Amaranthine asked Dr. Swamp if he was holding up and needed to be seated, Walnut had to wonder what would occur if he were to die. Plum had seemingly been holding it together, so to speak, before he himself perished. There wasn't remorse or guilt associated with this line of thinking, however. No, it was more of a morbid curiosity. Would her treatment in this place change, if Dr. Swamp were to draw his last breath? Of course, she did not wish that to happen. She was firm in her conviction that Dr. Swamp was a madman and a murderer, and she hoped that it would be revealed to Amaranthine. It was nothing personal she held against the woman, but it would be satisfying all the same.

She held back a bit of a laugh at Quinton's admonishment of Swamp, asking for him to not bleed on the floor. These people didn't really care, then, what happened. They didn't care who lived and who died. In fact, she was starting to feel surprised that they were being taken to a special location at all. With the cold treatment, she would have anticipated for the servants to just send them along with the others and instruct them to deal with their injuries and grudges. Or perhaps it was more out of wanting to confirm that they would not attempt something similar on the Lord of the Manor or any of his household?

Avatar: Out of the Ashes 🔥

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Jia Li

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After they had journeyed for a few hours, they slowed to a halt, allowing a moment's rest. Jia Li wiped a bit of sweat off of her brow, feeling like her mouth had gone dry. She hadn't had any water yet that day and the feelings of dehydration were beginning to set in. She often wondered if Fire Benders grew thirsty more quickly than others, given the energy and heat their powers used. She turned and gazed behind them for a moment, glad that they couldn't spot the village anymore. Hopefully the Fire Nation soldiers would be too lazy to come out this way after them, but she doubted it was the case. Once the records were checked, they'd realize exactly who all had escaped. Her countrymen were not known for mercy, or for letting traitors escape.

There was a problem with going off of the road - while it was true it would allow them to avoid the army, it almost meant that they would travel much slower than she would care for. There was a reason why the Fire Nation tended to build roads and travel on them - they sped things up and presented less hazards. They usually replaced natural footpaths, meaning that they tended to the shortest distance between cities. Then there was also the matter of potential hazards in the fields - wild animals that could attack them while they slept. "Heal, then we should head into the fields - hopefully find a source of food or water if we can," Jia Li advised.