#HoX 1

[xxplastic-cubexx]

it doesnt need to be said but its genuinely so funny how at-the-hip charles and erik are in krakoa like they really had the green light- the OBLIGATION- to be as obnoxiously close to each other as possible and abused that right to the fullest extent

[dizzyfaced]

Summary:

Charles shows up with Moira at Island M, after so long, with an impossible plan and an incredibly absurd truth in his hands. He asks Erik to trust him, and Erik should be smarter than to do that.

Alas, it's as though he is simply unable to resist him. It's more a matter of time until they inevitably end up with each other again. The question, of course, is when?

[agatharkn3ss]

Billy's spell book

First of all, can anyone help me decipher what a couple of the handwritten words are in Billy's spell book?

The note in the middle of the left page, next to the Waning Moon says "Waxing xxxx and severely slows the spell". Maybe "deters"?

Then the note at the bottom of the page on the right is partially covered/blurry in all photos, but maybe someone can work out the missing/incorrect parts:

"A person who was bound cannot be bound again until xxxx spell can be unbound"

If this note really says that, then I would wonder why Billy would be interested in whether someone can be bound again or not?... Was he looking to bind Agatha after? Is the Witches Road just another binding spell? The whole spell text:

Release Spell [Scribble wiggle of some kind] A powerful counter to reverse a binding spell. Binding spells are frequently used to prevent another from committing harm or using magic on themselves or others. This magic also binds the two which otherwise could not be connected. A release spell is most effective when attempted during a Waning Moon. [Scribbled notes: "Waxing xxxs and severely slows the spell"; "Waning Moon 3-10 Days after Full moon"; "personal item of the bound -  perfume, or jewellery, photographs"] Materials: A personal item from the Bound A successful release spell requires an item of personal importance from the person under the binding spell. It should not be from someone recently deceased as that will corrupt the spell. Be careful not to use an item that shares energy with an additional person, or an item belonging to many. To begin, clear your mind and centre yourself. Remain calm and present, guiding your energy and spirit. Hold the personal item and pass back and forth between your two palms, focusing intently on it, seeing every detail, until you can picture it with perfect clarity in your mind’s eye. Breathing slowly and with intent, imagine your energy projected into the item with each breath. Let all sound fall away. Repeat the words: “DIMETTE EAM EX HOX CARMINE” [Scribbled notes: a drawing of the eye of the mind] As you speak, imagine dissolving the item you hold in your mind’s eye. Continue flowing your energy into the item, focusing with great detail, until the spell is broken. You’ll feel the energy shift as the spell is broken. Caution: The person formerly under the binding spell might be disoriented and blame you for the binding spell they were previously under. [Scribbled notes: a drawing of moon phases? + "A person who was bound cannot be bound again until xxxx spell can be unbound"]

General thought - Billy wasn't very good at following that spell's instructions - he pretty much broke every single one of them. He didn't even say the same words (in both ep.1 and 6 he recited "Exsolve hanc feminam defixam. Meo carmine exsolve hanc feminam defixam."). But maybe as Wiccan he doesn't actually need to follow the instructions because it's all about the intent - his powers let him do whatever he wants. And so all of this could be why Jac Schaeffer felt the need to say that "Witchcraft is murky. Witchcraft is imprecise".

But there are other elements that don't align:

Even though the instructions and scribbles focus on the moon phases, we don't even know whether he hit the correct phase timing-wise. (I couldn't find a way to work it out either - there was no moon shown in both ep.1 and 6 and no dates shown or suggested anywhere). Maybe we could assume it was the Waxing moon and that's why it took a while for Agatha to be released from it?

The spell warns against using an item that "shares energy with an additional person, or an item belonging to many." - well, the locket not only originally belonged to Evanora, but it also contains Nicky's hair (I believe this because every time Agatha focuses on the locket, Nicky's theme plays). And there could be even another layer to that, because we could assume that his hair would share energy not just with Nicky but with Rio as well. The book doesn't explain what consequences are in this case, but I do believe this rule has been thoroughly broken.

There is also the rule that the item "should not be from someone recently deceased as that will corrupt the spell" - Evanora wouldn't count as she died 350 years ago. But we still don't know how long ago they lost Nicky. Granted, at least 3 years, so would that still even be considered "recent"? It would also be interesting if the item really does share energy with Rio and so will directly be connected to Death - could this rule therefore be hugely affected by that? So the spell is in fact corrupted?

We do hear Agatha still using wrong words and phrases here and there, I originally assumed it was just a malaproper trope, but could this be the effect of the corrupted spell? Similarly, it would explain why she couldn't remember Sharon's real name? (I'll get back to that later) Would anyone realise it's corrupted? (I'm sure Agatha would)

So I THINK, in the true Wizard of Oz style, Agatha actually has her magic powers in her. Wanda didn't take it all, but because the release spell is corrupted, it will take her a while for the spell to completely disappear and for her to access them. Unless...

And this brings me back to the original notion that I think the Witches Road could be just another binding spell. Whether Billy fully realises this, I'm not sure. Maybe he fully believes this is the Witches Road, but when he was casting the "release spell" on Agatha, his intent did more than he bargained for? Maybe this is more controlled by William Kaplan who is still in there, somehow? Why make a note about whether someone could be bound again?

Agatha seems to be able to pick up these details - when Billy says in ep.3 that the road is exactly how he imagined, she responds weirdly "it suits you". She also points to her environment when she says in ep. 6 that he really is a Maximoff, otherwise "all this wouldn't be as dramatic". Not to mention she does not seem to recognise this Road and its trials. (though I believe this is because she has never actually been on the Witches Road. She just happily perpetuates the myth to find naive witches to syphon powers from)

Now this last bit is one I am less sure about. It's a niggling thought about how jarring the inconsistencies of ep.5 are... But still, I'd like to have this as a thought exercise...

So, what happens when Billy loses the spell book? We get this odd-feeling "spirit" trial. Many have written plenty about how inconsistent it was compared to the previous trials. So I won't dwell on that. BUT I will point out two small continuity errors that I haven't seen anyone discuss:

Sharon's full correct name was never revealed to the coven. They all knew her as Sharon Hart. Agatha not only never seemed to actually pay attention and acknowledge Sharon's surname but she always interrupted just at the right time so Sharon never said her actual surname in front of other witches. They called her either Sharon or Mrs Hart, always. And Agatha didn't even seem to realise the "Sharon" name - as highlighted at the end of ep.3. So it's odd that when she trolls the coven at the ouija board, although the board says Mrs Hart and the coven happily use that name to talk to her and not suspect anything... then Billy corrects Lilia saying "she's Sharon Davis" and Agatha nods happily that she is indeed this "Sharon Davis". How would Billy know Sharon's real name? Why would Agatha accept that and not be confused by what he just said?

in the trial Rio's bracelets keep disappearing in different scenes around the ouija board moment. In most of the close ups she has both sets of bracelets, but in all the overhead shots she is missing one set on her right wrist (the green and yellow bands - same colours as the trolls' hair by the trial entrance). Now this COULD WELL BE that the costume department made a mistake or that Audrey lost her bracelets because she was working on multiple projects. But we know how much effort and thought they put into the settings and costumes, would they really miss a crucial detail like this? (and in his posts the costume designer kept pointing out the bracelets to people because of the lesbian flag colours...)

So yeah, not really sure about this last one. Maybe it's intentional or maybe ep.5 just became too much for the producers as it was edited so much and became this 24min thing of gibberish.

[freezingmcxn]

The Maine Forests AU

This is a creepypasta AU i made up many moons ago, this is a full break down of everything, there is certain things I need to go in depth with but they will have to be in a separate post, so please don’t hesitate to ask about anything you want to know more about!

Playlist to listen to when reading :)

My AU is set in Maine, obviously, but it primarily focuses on a place called Durham in my fanfiction.

Instead of all the creepypastas being confined to one large mansion, they live separate lives in different parts of Maine, some within the forests, some in towns.

Some of them have crossed paths and formed relationships, while others have not.

Those who live in the forests (although not all of them do) can move around various parts of Maine to stay hidden from society.

They only leave the forests to get supplies or, in some cases, to kill.

The forests are connected through a Portal System, allowing them to move around easily and stay hidden.

Portal System:

What is it? How does it work?

There are hidden gateways located deep within the forests of Maine.

For example, you can find a portal in Durham that leads to Carmel and vice versa.

90% of Maine is forests so you could go anywhere you wanted, this is extremely useful to the creeps who go about their lives slaughtering people.

These portals are invisible to the naked eye and are situated between two trees, which the creeps mark for convenience.

For those unaware of the forest's secrets, it would take months to understand this system.

Hikers or campers who accidentally wander through a portal become disoriented and confused due to the sudden transportation, leading them deeper into the forest and closer to any lurking creatures (or creeps).

These lost individuals are called "Wanderers" and are commonly seen by the creeps, standing around aimlessly and on edge, their sanity slipping as they’re usually scared shitless and very confused.

Wanderers usually die after a few hours but sometimes the torment can last days.

They usually die at the hands of feral entities, dehydration or hunger.

It’s rare that a creep will kill the wanderer as there’s a limit on how far creeps can go in the forest.

At a certain depth there’s a risk of being affected by The Slenderman or attacked by dangerous entities, most of them stay away.

Entities:

What Entites? Why are they there?

There's a lot to unpack about this topic.

The forests in Maine are unusual, there’s a supernatural element that nobody fully understands.

These forests are home to mythical creatures and cryptids like skinwalkers, wendigos, fairies, and various forms of the rake.

Some entities come across as humans, some do not. It is common to see shapeshifters.

All of these creatures exist because of the supernatural aura in the forests (I will discuss why this exists later in this post)

Many blogs online detail sightings of these unusual beings, most creatures are never close to hiking trails or forests outskirts so it’s easy to dismiss the claims as fake or hoxes.

Due to the forests being hotspots for all things supernatural, cult and satanic rituals take place within them.

Due to this a lot of demons, spirits, and other things of that sort arise and inhabit the trees.

Also, you should note that the Portal System allows some entities to appear anywhere at anytime.

The Forests:

What’s happening there? Danger Zones?

The forests are divided into three zones: Zone 1, Zone 2, and Zone 3.

As you move deeper into the forest, your chances of survival decrease. In addition to the natural dangers, there's also the looming threat of becoming a victim of The Slenderman.

Zone 1 (The Outskirts): This area includes parts of hiking trails and camping sites. Creatures here are generally not a major risk. You'll encounter normal forest animals and perhaps the occasional cryptid, but they aren't typically harmful.

Zone 2 (The Forest): This zone presents moderate threats, with a mix of bloodthirsty and harmless creatures. It's advisable to have someone with you for added safety, as an extra set of hands, eyes, and ears can be crucial. Additionally, this area is known to harbor various creeps living in cabins, tents, and campers.

Zone 3 (The Depths): In this barren and silent area, there are only two likely outcomes: becoming food for The Slenderman or one of his proxies. If you've made it this far without dying, the chances of survival are slim. No animals or sounds exist here, amplifying the eerie and deadly atmosphere.

The Slenderman:

Who is he? Whats his relevance?

This has changed over the past few months and Slenderman has came and gone from my AU but this is the official release of it so here’s the deal with him.

Important: The Slenderman is not the primary focus of this AU, it is more so focused on how the creeps survive and live their lives.

The Slenderman, like other mysterious creatures of the forest, is a manifestation of supernatural energy.

He lives in the deepest parts of the Durham forests, where he lures victims by calling their names and leading them off hiking trails, then feeds on their fear. (think of pennywise!)

He also targets "Wanderers," who end up in Zone 3.

These specific “Wanderers” usually end up becoming his proxies, they lead people to Zone 3 in order for him to feast on their fear.

The Slenderman gains strength with each feeding, empowering him to edge closer to civilisation and feed on the fear of more people.

However, despite growing his power, he has never successfully breached into inhabited areas (towns).

The Slenderman awakens every five years to feed, remaining active for one year during which he tries to move beyond the forest's boundaries.

During the time of my AU he is awake!

Proxies:

What are they? What’s their purpose?

PSA I did cross the Marble Hornets characters Brian (hoodie) and Tim (masky) but please be know I treat them differently than how they are portrayed in MH! I am aware that they are separate from creepypasta, this is for fun and convenience..(same is said for Kate)

Proxies are people who have become hollow shells under The Slenderman's control, they rarely speak or interact with others, it depends on how far gone they are.

Their actual consciousness is gone, The Slenderman can use their bodies to do his bidding by possessing them.

They are no longer their old selves and have no memory of what they were before serving The Slenderman.

The proxies help The Slenderman by luring new victims to him, helping him grow stronger. The reason he needs proxies is because he is confined to Zone 3 due to lack of “food” for lack of better term..No food means no growth, no growth means no power or ability to get close to his goal.

The furthest he has gotten before is Zone 2.

The Proxies are recognized by the others, who give them nicknames based on something unique about them.

For example, Kate, who wears steel-toe boots, is called "Boots," and Brian, who wears a bright yellow hoodie, is called "Hoodie."

Purus:

Whats is Purus? What’s their role in this?

Purus is the main reason the portals are open/were created. This is very detailed and an important part of my AU so please read for the full effect.

This is only a summary of the timeline, I can totally post that another time!

Purus, was a cult that emerged in the 1970s and captivated many until its abrupt end in the 1980s.

David Newton was once a seemingly ordinary real estate agent in Durham, David's life took an unexpected turn following a psychotic episode.

This episode plunged him into an obsession with religion, marked by vivid and terrifying hallucinations of a deity named Zalgo.

According to David, Zalgo revealed to him a chilling prophecy, the imminent collapse of both the “underworld” and overworld, an event that threatened all of humanity.

Compelled by these visions, David believed it, he took this as a sign, his divine duty was to lead people to safety and into a new era of salvation.

As he gathered followers, Purus became a sanctuary for those seeking refuge from the apocalypse.

David Newton’s followers abandoned their previous lives without a trace, retreating deep into Durham’s forests to live nomadically, cut off from civilisation.

Major concerns arose over these individuals who had vanished from society, raising alarms among authorities and loved ones left behind.

Within the forest, a disturbing atmosphere of mass hysteria took hold of those poor souls.

Driven by David’s incessant preachings of an impending apocalypse, the followers were consumed by a relentless wave of anxiety and fear.

The constant dread of the foretold collapse of both the “underworld” and overworld left them clinging desperately to David's promises of salvation amidst the looming threat.

David became convinced that creatures from the "underworld" had begun wearing the skins of the humans in the towns of Maine.

Fueled by this delusion, he initiated a series of terrifying hunts, targeting these supposed "skin stealers."

As paranoia spread, the cult's members were drawn into his madness, also participating in the brutal rituals.

These sacrifices became a grim staple of life within the cult, each ritual further binding the followers to David's twisted vision.

The once peaceful forest sanctuary devolved into a stage for their dark ceremonies, where fear and devotion merged in an attempt to ward off the apocalyptic doom they believed was closing in on them.

The cult began to spread beyond Durham’s forests, travelling across Maine.

They moved from town to town, convinced they were purging these places plagued with "skin stealers."

Each new town that encountered the grim rituals of Purus, was left with fear and devastation.

Hundreds were killed and thousands were reported missing during this time.

As authorities began to close in on the mysterious murders and disappearances linked to the cult, David Newton found himself under mounting pressure.

Unwilling to face capture before the apocalypse, he devised a final, desperate plan.

One day, he announced to his followers that Zalgo had delivered a new vision, the apocalypse was imminent, and their salvation lay within a nearby lake in Carmel, Maine.

Believing this lake to be a portal to a safe haven, David led his followers to its shores, proclaiming that they had finally reached the gateway to salvation.

In an almost euphoric state, the cult members rejoiced, convinced that their journey was at an end.

One by one, they entered the lake, seeking the promised sanctuary.

None survived.

The aftermath was gruesome.

Rumors spread through the surrounding towns, whispering that the bodies recovered from the lake had been disemboweled and despite a thorough search…

David Newton’s body was never found.

Some stated that he had escaped, while others believed he had met a fate even darker than that of his followers.

Purus haunted Maine long after the cult had vanished into the depths and left behind a whole new mess.

David led his cult through a sinister circuit, moving between Portland, Fort Kent, and Bangor in Maine.

These towns became the primary sites of their horrifying sacrifices. When viewed on a map, the locations form a triangle, with Carmel positioned at its center.

Theories suggest that the supernatural energy and portals that are now present in the forest are a direct result of the blood rituals carried out within this triangle.

David’s dark actions were thought to have unleashed a malevolent force, binding the locations in a web of significance.

Oh my god it’s finally finished..this has taken…a lot time and effort, I had worked on this throughout my finals trying to make it all make sense, so thank you so much for the patience and unwavering support :)

Asks are always open! I will be definitely spending lots more time on discussing my AU this summer and working on the fanfic as well :D

[graphicpolicy]

X-Men Krakoa Era Reading Guide Part 1

X-Men Krakoa Era Reading Guide Part 1. Get caught up with the X-journey! #xmen #hox #pox #comics #comicbooks

So you want to read the Krakoa Era of X-Men? Well, you’ve come to the right place! We here at Graphic Policy are going to be publishing a series of (mostly) comprehensive reading guides for the Krakoan Era. We’re starting with House of X, Powers of X, Dawn of X, and finally X of Swords. Now before we dig into the reading guide let me preface this all by saying that we’re gonna be covering a lot…

[what-yadoking-likes]

Dumb WolfHox Au Part 2 [Link to Part 1 here]

"You sure know how to make a guy feel special, Hox," Chains says, folding his arms as his eyes crinkle in amusement. "You gonna tell 'im what else they'll hate? Go on, really boost his ego-"

Wolf is starting to see the possibilities, though. He rests his head on his hand, thinking.

"If you really want to make their lives miserable - & possibly get me killed - I could flirt with your dad at this thing," he muses, "maybe tell 'em I work as a stripper. Heavily imply I'm only with you for the money & mansion. Call you 'Daddy'. Wear one of those shirts that says 'Don't bully me, I'll cum-"

"Don't bully me, you'll what?"

"Cum, Dallas," Wolf deadpans, as Chains CACKLES. "Keep up."

When the ruckus that causes dies down, Hoxton becomes serious again.

"Look - I went about this all wrong. I don't actually want you to get hurt by them. But I really do wanna take the mick, & I reckon you'd be good at it." Hoxton frowns, and prepares himself to be vulnerable for a change. "These things are always miserable for me. You'd make them a bit more interesting, at least."

"Smooth, Hox. You should be a pick-up artist-"

"Shut the fuck up, Chains-"

Wolf considers Hoxton for a long moment, weighing up the proposal. Then,

"You're paying for everything. And we fly Business Class - at least."

The terms are relatively tame.

"Done!" Hoxton whoops and shakes Wolf's hand - the deal is done. "England, here we come!"

[false-pyre]

I know @ceasarslegion didn't directly tag anyone, but I'm always looking for chances to expand my music playlists. So I'll add my own list of "on repeat" for the fun of it! 1. Mary on a Cross- Ghost 2. Between- Courrier 3. Machine Love (ft. Kasana Teto)- Jamie Paige/JamieP 4. Every Little Thing I Say I Do- Dayglow 5. Run Your Mouth- The Marias 6. Romantic Homicide- d4vd 7. My Mother Wants Me Dead- carolesdaughter 8. The Adults Are Talking- The Strokes 9. Treacherous Doctor- Wallows 10. Holly Hox, Forget Me Nots- Saves the Day

Tagging: @angrycheesegirl @just-a-space-nugget @imtheaura

[newx-menfan]

I mean…if Marvel’s sliding time scale is gonna be this nuts…why not just have all the NXM “21 Jumpstreet”-ing it 😂🤣

[velathetanager]

Ghost Hoxton AU has 3 possible endings depending on how things go down.

Ending 1: Houston, out of options and desperate to save his brother, does something to his own soul, then grabs onto Hoxton so the two's souls will be erased from existence together.

Ending 2: Houston manages to talk Hoxton out of the influence of the Nephilim, and Hox more or less just stays around the safehouse harmlessly, actually happy to be with his crew again.

Ending 3: Hoxton finds a magic spell and tries to use it to become a god, and Houston interferes, causing the two to become eternally clashing deities.

[yonadave]

“I’m Not Anti-Mutant Just Anti-Krakoa '' - Why We Should Compare Krakoa to Israel.

When HoX\PoX came out in 2019 I was living in Jerusalem and talking to a friend about it and eventually the question went up “Do we want to talk about Krakoa and Israel?” The answer was a resounding no. Unfortunately for me, some of the latest issues of X-Men titles made the connection between my actual homeland and my fictional favorite Island-state clearer and clearer. I don’t know if the writers meant to make the connections I see, but they are there and in order to truly understand what we’ve seen as the road to Fall of X is being published we need to look at the triangle of Israel, Anti-Zionism, and Anti-Semitism in real life. 

Since we are talking about a volatile subject we do need to put on some very basic ground rules. Many critics of Israel claim Zionist would use the Anti-Semitisim card in order to ignore valid criticism. While my side of the issue needs to understand that not every criticism of Israel is antisemitic, the other side needs to understand that not all Anti-Zionism is automatically not Anti-Semitic. Anti-Semites also use criticism of Israel to ignore criticism of their own anti-semitism. In my opinion, both sides of this equation are not opinions rather basic recognition of reality needed to talk about this issue. The point of this article is not to prove that Israel is the source of all evil or to justify its existence/importance. This is about understanding what the plot of a comic book means to readers living in the real world and vice versa.

The Naive - Krakoa as Ugande.

While I decided to write this specifically during my reading of Duggan’s X-Men issue 23, I think it is best to start at House of X issue 1. It’s hard to ignore the parallels between Krakoa and Israel when Magneto, a Holocaust survivor, is hosting foreign ambassadors in Jerusalem. The new mutant nation was showing what Krakoa is, and what it has to offer to other nations. Host of the Cerebro podcast, Connor Goldsmith, brought up Krakoa as Israel without the Palestinian Issue. Since Krakoa is a newly formed island it can represent the good in the Zionist project without the bad - the fact that the country was formed in a land that was already populated. As an Israeli who is temporarily living in the US, this seems to be a desire shared by many left wing jews who want to love Israel but feel like they cannot due to the plight of the Palesstinians. Jonathan Hickman himself, while being a guest on said podcast, said that Magneto represented a form of politics evolved and better than humanity’s politics.

This aspiration, formed out of both of these hopes, reminded me of two Zionist naive works. The first one is a parody song by the Israeli comedic trio “Ma Ka’shur” - Why Not Ugande. The song, released in 2008 celebrating the 60th anniversary of the state of Israel, claims that Theodore Hertzel, as a symbol for the entirety of the Zionist leadership, was wrong to decline the British Uganda Scheme to create a Jewish national home in Uganda instead of our ancestral homeland. The chorus of the song begins with the words “Why not Uganda, why not Uganda, we do not go on busses” refering to the waves of suicide bombers who bombed Israeli busses during the time of the Oslo Agreement and during the first couple of years of the second Initifada. This naive view of the early days of the Zionist movement assumes that the Zionist project would not be opposed in Uganda. 

The other work is from the writings of Rav Avraham Issac Kook, a rabbi who’s writing would eventually be the basis of the contemporary Religious Zionisim movement in Israel. Rav Kook was heavily influenced by European philosophers who believed that WWI was the last war in history. In his most famous book “Orot” (Lights in Hebrew) he writes “We have left the global political stage [after the destruction of the second temple and the beginning of the Diaspora YT] due to an external source forcing us, in a way that also reflected our inner wishes. Until that glorious time where a kingdom can be run without wickedness and cruelty.” (Orot, Lights out of Darkness, War, Passage 3) 

Thinking that if only Zionism went a few dozen miles to the side everything would be perfect is as silly as saying that WWI is the last war in history and that’s why the Zionist project is going to be perfect. But this silly naivety can also become insidious. Krakoa started out as a perfect nation, harming no one while helping everyone. But that wasn’t enough. Setting the bar for what humanity expects of Krakoa so high that no other country could ever pass it, while expecting the mutant nation to do it is a ruse. Even when they ran a seemingly perfect country it wasn’t enough because Krakao’s actions were never the issue. Not when Krakoa is morally wrong, not when it is morally right. From its birth, Krakoa could never be accepted by those who prosecuted mutants. The problem would always be the existence of Krakoa because the world that hates and fears mutants cannot accept that they would have control over their own future. 

The Good - Krakoan Pharmawashing

Since its inception the island nation of Krakoa has performed many outreach programs. The krakoan miracle drugs were the big opener of the nation’s international activities, the X-Men team built and lived in the tree house to help people outside of the island and now we’ve also seen Mutant First Strike, a team meant to act as disaster relief. It would be one thing if those efforts would simply fail to move the needle of public opinion towards mutants, but we see how these efforts are being used in anti mutant/Krakoa propaganda. 

The mutant medicines are seen in the pages of X-Force and Wolverine to be a point of contention by those who oppose the island nation. In X-Men 22 we even see that Orchis are blaming mutants for poisoning their medicines. Sure, the lie is because Orchis are the ones who put the poison in, but all I could see is Krakoa being blamed for poisoning wells. Israel was also accused several times in poisoning wells, but the source for these rumors seem to come not out of fact, since those haven’t been presented, but out of the centuries old antisemitic trope of Jews poisoning wells. 

In the real world, Israel is being blamed for “Pinkwashing the Occupation”; later on it also evolved to other issues like Veganwashing. The pinkwashing campaign does not mean that the good Israel does can not cancel out its wrongs, which is an actual critique. It started, back in 2010 as a critique saying the Israeli government uses its LGBT community to hide our atrocities. It also evolved, and today, in its extreme form Israel is blamed that many of the good we do (such as promoting green energy and vegan products) are only done in order that we can continue and oppress the Palestinian people. Every other country has done both good and evil, and reasonable people can see that a country, or people, can be both at the same time. But if you view a group as demonic then even its best qualities must be viewed in that light.  

The Bad - Why Is It always Sentinels

I started writing this after reading X-Men 23. In this issue, Orchis, a global union of many anti-mutant groups, use of a sentinel as a proposed vehicle for peace and feint of ignorance made my blood boil. Orchis propaganda claims they “do not know” why the X-Men decided to attack a sentinel. The intentional use of Sentinels, the most recognized symbol of mutant oppression, is not foreign to me. While being accused of being a Nazi is pretty common for most people on the internet, it’s different when it’s used against the victims of that regime. When Roger Waters wanted to ‘criticize’ Israel he chose to do so wearing Nazi uniforms. Many Arab countries who ethnically cleansed their Jewish population blame Israel for committing that act, without an inch of recognition for what they did to the ancient Jewish Communities they used to have. The choice of Sentinels was not meant only to bait a response from the X-Men, it was meant to hurt them by reminding them all of their shared trauma. 

The only thing I was missing in the issue was the claim that Orchis isn’t Anti Mutant, it is simply Anti-Krakoa. But Duggan already wrote that scene in his original Marauders run at the Dawn of X. And while it is not said explicitly here, Orchis are asking us to believe that the use of sentinels is not out of mutant hatred but due to something else. The idea that mutants shouldn’t attack a sentinel is absurd, but claiming that mutants are not allowed to defend themselves in face of clear aggression actually does makes sense. Because even after Israel spent decades developing a defensive technology that doesn’t hurt any Palestinian, we are still being blamed for using it, as famously seen made by Jon Oliver regarding the Iron Dome. In the last year we have seen so much bad spewing out of Krakoa, but the hatred came before all of that. Krakoa is primed to be a quick excuse for mutant hating bigots, just like Israel is used by many anti-semites regardless of all the bad and good that comes out of my country. 

One of the common conceptions surrounding X-Men comics is that the mutant metaphor is problematic since minorities are in a position of weakness while mutants have super powers. But while Jews and Israelis do not shoot lasers from the eyes we are at the bottom of every conspiracy theory. From space lasers from the right to being blamed for American police brutality on the left, we are attributed fictional powers and being blamed for them long before the forming of Zionism as a modern political movement in 1840. Krakoa isn’t Israel, it is better than we could ever hope to be and it is worse than we will be able to become. Krakoa is mostly a fictional state, something that we will never be again. So the answer to Israel-Palestinian conflict would not be found in the Fall of X, but looking at the hatred, be it justified or Antisemitic, surrounding Israel is a great way to write visceral scenes that sticks with the reader. Especially now as things are about to take a turn for the worse for my favorite made up nation. 

I do not know what the Fall of X has in store for us. I truly hope we are not about to witness the end of Krakoa, but I know it’s a possible outcome. Both from watsonian and the doylist perspective Krakoa was always going to fail. In the pages of Powers Of X issue 6 we learned that Xavier, Magneto, and Moira , the founders of Krakoa, knew the threats that are facing this miracle island and are not sure they will make it in the long run. From an industry perspective, many fans simply assume that Krakoa can’t last since every big change in comics gets pushed back eventually into the status quo. Not to mention that no one thinks that the MCU is going to let Krakoa in. 

Even if Krakoa doesn’t fall, the threat of the destruction of the nation is on full display in previews we’ve seen. And that’s the point, most countries in the world are not under constant threat of complete annihilation, but Krakoa and Israel are. When we criticize most nation we demand a regime change, not promoting relocating millions of people, but that is always the explicit goal of anti Krakoa and Anti-Zionist campaigns. You do not have to support Israel in order to be a “true” X-Men fan, but it is my opinion that the best way to understand this age of comics, and the best way to write it, is to lean in on the Israel metaphor.

[xxplastic-cubexx]

i finished reading krakoa era and comic cherik are amazing SO i wanted to ask do you have any favorite issues/series i still don't really remember how to call it where cherik are also cool?? some iconis comic moments with them maybe??

im FARRR from finishing all of krakoa (ive probably barely even made a dent in this series), though i do think following the HoX + PoX issues themselves are great if we're talkin cherik-focused issues/books. i already said one of my fave aspects of cherik is their moments working together, so having a whole Omnibus dedicated to them Working Together and trusting each other (bonus points for Protective Erik with the Something Sinister bit) is already guaranteeing a sure spot in my Faves collection

one of my fave cool moments i've read so far- which is a moment i wager a lot of people can agree is Sick As Hell Visually if i may be so daring- is ABSOLUTELY this sequence from Inferno #4

any time erik and charles get to do some bamf shit together it is IMMEDIATELY peak to me this cannot be disputed and i'd be lying if i didn't say i bought this run solely for this moment here (ignore the fact they fumble this fight horribly that dont matter they looked cool as hell for five seconds !!!!!!!!!!!)

i can't wait to read more and find even more moments i love and want to tape to my eyelids <3 !!

[positivelybeastly]

Evil beast got sinisterized. Easy peasy, clean explanation. I feel like he absolutely should be sinisterized by his auto-resurrection stunt (no hope to stop it! Didn’t even know it was a problem!)

Just say he got sinisterized early on off panel working with the corrupted dna (or through experiments with resurrection)

"Ahhhh, still banging on the old 'it's not poor Henry's fault!' drum, are we? Let's face it, dearest grey face, he was skidding wildly off the rails long before this delightful process of resurrection was put in to place - the only shame is that he's decided to be so frightfully boring in his shuffling off of his moral coil."

"Honestly, he could stand to be so much more joyful about his work. He's slowed his roll recently, of course, but I'm hoping he goes after another country soon."

I feel like I might have actually just responded to your thread on Reddit? This is how I would implement a similar solution to this problem:

"Beast died on a mission integral to Krakoa's founding in the gap between Rosenberg's X-Men and HoX, becoming the trial run for resurrection.

All of his back ups were corrupted by Dark Beast still being alive when everyone else thought he was dead, so he comes back weird, and no-one quite knows how to handle it because this is the first time they've really done this. He subconsciously identified the one back up that wasn't corrupted (the Avengers back-up) and lined things up so X-Force would kill him, only having partial control of his actions."

This works a bit better than the Sinisterisation just because Sinisterisation appears to really fuck with your personality and make you act more like Sinister, which . . . . I mean, Beast has certainly stolen parts of his M.O., but he's not as dramatic or as fun as Sinister.

This also makes Hank more heroic and tragic by virtue of having died for Krakoa before anyone even knew about it, as well as explaining why the memories didn't get spotted as immediately strange when his mind was read by Jean in X-Force. They would, after all, still read as the memories of Henry McCoy, rather than Henry McCoy + a desire to wear capes and extract Summers family genetic material.

I feel like it's also important to draw a distinction between what Beast has been doing vs. resurrection - one requires the Five and is more 'natural,' whereas Beast's method is just wholesale scientific cloning with memory engrams.

They appear to share similarities, which is why Sage is able to just jam the Cerebro back up that's presumably compatible with Krakoan resurrections into a Beast clone not created by the Five, but I don't think they're 1:1 the same. I don't quite remember how Sinister polluted the Five's resurrection protocols, but I don't think it makes a ton of sense for it to have affected a seemingly completely independent cloning operation way over in the Pointe/wherever Beast was hiding all this shit.

[thevindicativevordan]

Comics this week ?

Anonymous asked: Thoughts on Kneel Before Zod's first issue?

Apologies for the delay, caught a case of Covid I'm still recovering from.

Kneel Before Zod #1 - Loved it. McDaid's art evokes memories of the DCAU for me, and his style is fantastic when it comes to scifi concepts. Casey has a great approach to Zod here, his son is the hot headed conqueror who wants to force everyone to KNEEL immediately which forces Zod to be the adult and actually plan things out. Complicating things is the cosmic politics of the United Planets breathing down Zod's neck which I've been begging to see for ages. Bendis formed the United Planets out of pure optimism and almost immediately after everyone started deconstructing the hell out of them. Zod's philosophy that peace can only be assured through mutually assured destruction is exactly the kind of philosophical differences I've wanted to see explored between him and Superman. Kal believes you can unite everyone by appealing to their better natures, Zod believes you can unite everyone by terrifying them into submission. Ursa here is an interesting question mark - she's no less ruthless but maybe a touch softer where her son is concerned? Speaking of which, Lor getting banished out into the galaxy where he's forced to undergo a version of Jon's own trip through space is actually brilliant and I adore it. Sets Lor up as a contrast to Jon in a way where I actually want to see the two meet. Oh and for those who want to see some Injustice type violence, we get that. Normally I'm not a "feats" guy but I actually am eager to see Zod kick ass and claim some skulls for his trophy room. Glad to see Casey following up on that plot thread from Williamson's Batman/Superman run where Zod has half of the Kandorians and is working on curing them. Zod tapping into the planet's core for his super weapon makes me think this series will end with New Kandor being destroyed as a result of Zod's own hubris, but Zod will successfully revive the Kandorians and they will blame the United Planets for what happened/not supporting New Kandor as agreed, causing them to attack the United Planets in retaliation.

Superman '78: The Metal Curtain #3 - Think I get why this series isn't hitting as hard as the first. With Brainiac Venditti had a take that allowed him to position Brainiac as a foil for Superman, plus he had the Bottled City of Kandor to give Superman a new internal conflict. Here there's no new internal conflict for Supes and Metallo doesn't contrast well at all. The Soviets view Superman through the lens of being an American icon, but Superman himself isn't even aware yet about that being why they're targeting him. Hopefully Lex entering the fray spices things up.

Blue Beetle #5 - Will the twist be Victoria doesn't betray Jaime, because right now they're practically screaming what's coming in your face.

Fantastic Four #11 - North speed running his way through a topic that the X-Line has been dealing with since HoX/PoX, and doing a better job of it than the post Hickman X-Writers generally have in the bargain, is one of life's funniest twists. Glad that the kids are finally back.

Dr. Strange #11 - Teasing that maybe Strange and Clea will one day have a kid of their own? Or that they'll raise Donna full time? Could get behind either one of those.

[thedegu]

Thanks to @fishbeholder for letting me know about Hox genes.  After this paragraph is an in-universe description of dragons, all real-world locations described in the text are equivalent of not direct 1:1 comparisons; for Reath, I’m using our world as a map and outline but many of the details are vastly different.

Dragons have a mutated Hox Gene causing them to have an extra set of small limbs. This mutation happened sometime during the early Jurassic era; these limbs were originally only used for mating displays. Though in one species found in Southeast Asia, these fins evolved into tools for gliding. This arboreal species was much smaller than those we know and recognize as dragons today.  This was the only draconic species that survived the  K-T extinction event.

With the skies open after the extinction of non-fay pterosaurs, the niche of flight was available for anyone willing to grab it first.

Yes, birds got there first by just a few million years,  but they never really grew much use for magic, generally preferring more mundane means of flight. The only species within the class that bear any major magic ability are harpies, sirens, phoenix, and Rocks. So Dragons fully embraced the niche of massive magical flyers.

During the Pleistocene, with the explosion of megafauna, the growth of dragons followed. This period is where the only major split of the draconic class happened. With the early semi-aquatic forest-dwelling smooth Dragons moving into rockier, flatter terrain and deeper seas: The mountain-dwelling horned dragons, the forest-dwelling sail dragons, and the fully aquatic finned dragons were born.

During this time, there was an intriguing mammalian upstart in Africa who grew a deep coevolution with dragons were born.  Maybe you've heard of these two-legged hairless apes.  While the interactions between early humans and dragons are challenging to study, it is known that humans and dragons hunted the same prey and lived in the same regions. Many traditions say Dragons taught humans magic, speech, and how to make fire.

Though it is known that dragons and humans must have been able to find some sort of truce. Early humans had no way of defending themselves against dragons, but entire generations of humans could be born, reproduce, and die in the time it takes for a single dragon egg to hatch and reach sexual maturity. So while any one-on-one fight with a dragon would easily defeat any human, the death of a single dragon, especially young dragons, could devastate the entire population. But we found peace

Dragons are deeply magical creatures, and without this magic, they would not be able to function at all; their bodies are too heavy for their bones to carry them, let alone fly.  They also simply cannot live off of consumed calories alone, their hibernation periods being used to take in, filter, and store magical energy inside their bodies like batteries for their animated periods

While it is unknown if dragons were the ones to teach humans basic magic, it is known that humans taught dragons refined spellcasting.  Only a handful of species are known to purposely and consciously manipulate the magic around them rather ten passively using it as a means of predation or defense. In other words, true spellcasting. Dragons are also the only known species, outside of humans, to not take their magic through the filter of Fairy; instead, they directly manipulate the magic from the magical plane.  

This leads us to today; dragons are our collaborators, an equivalent to humans, if not surpassing us. Another species that is considered to be a person amongst us fay and sephlopods.  While dragons as a species live very different lives to us, you may be surprised to meet one on the street or have one as a coworker, they are rare; with only a few thousand alive today, and only a fraction of those living outside their suspended animation but they are people, our peers, and living history. Though we may need to return to the amniotes to find our common ancestor, I am happy to call dragons brethren.”

- Prof. Julian Corzo 

Space Magazine, October issue 2012

[kanohimineka]

LOOK AT THESE X MEN

So, I just want to talk some comic books, because some stuff is looking cool. But it requires some context.

So, near the start of the 2000's, a little book called Ultimate Spider Man came out. It was meant to be a reader friendly alternative to the main Spider Man comics that had been running since the 60's. You know, something a bit less overwhelming. It was mostly written by Brian Michael Bendis, and it ran up to 2015. It was a massive success, and it led Marvel to make many other "Ultimate" comics adapting many of their other characters, such as the Fantastic Four, the X Men, and the Avengers, rechristened the Ultimates. Many of these influenced their modern film counterparts, with USM inspiring much of the Sam Raimi Spidey films and the ASM films, and the Ultimates heavily influencing the MCU Avengers. However, in the 2010's, it started to peter out, the only real notable exception being the creation of Miles Morales, the second Spider Man. As such, in 2015, the universe was destroyed by the event Secret Wars (2015), written by one Jonathan Hickman.

Hickman got his start at Marvel working on some Nick Fury stuff, but really got his start when he began writing Fantastic Four, pushing it forward to new heights. In which, he introduced the character of The Maker, a corrupted evil version of the Ultimate Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic). From there, he began to write The Avengers, creating a grand multi year epic that all led up to the new Secret Wars, Marvel's closest equivalent to DC's many crises, where the multiverse was destroyed and reformed by Dr. Doom into Battleworld. After this event, the Ultimate universe (World 1610) was destroyed, and the main universe (World 616) was reformed, with a few changes (Such as bringing in Miles). From there, after a brief period of independence, he reformed the X Men into the Krakoan era with HoX and PoX, though he left that period to other creatives to focus on other things. Then eventually, he came back.

After a decent amount of teasing, Hickman began work to bring back the Ultimate Universe... kind of. Hickman brings back the Maker in this four issue mini to mess around with universe 6160, futzing with it to make his own epic universe. However, things don't go exactly to plan, but it doesn't really matter, because a new Ultimate universe comes back, with new characters like a young Iron Man and so on and so forth, introduced this month in the book "Ultimate Universe #1"

This book kicks off this grand new universe, but it will be flanked by others in the near future. Hickman himself is taking over Ultimate Spider Man, a story of an older, married Peter who gets his powers after living a longer life. Cool. There is also a Black Panther book. I don't have too much to say, but it does look neat. However, why we are here is for Peach Momoko's Ultimate X Men, which got a backup preview in Ultimate Universe.

This is a big book for Peach Momoko, a Japanese artist who was hired by Marvel as mainly a cover artist, but with some of her own works as well. It seems to focus on the character of Armor, one of the many mutants by Marvel, seeing her grow into a mutant in this universe. And it looks FUCKING SICK!

Again, it got some teaser images in Ultimate Universe, though it won't come out until next March. However, this brief look gives some interesting images that I'm just obsessed with.

I am obsessed with this seeming adolescent body horror approach. It feels right in line with this idea of younger mutants dealing with all these ideas in a new, cool looking way. The artstyle really helps it, since a lot of the given teasers are very dialogue light. It lets the art and the emotions therein shine.

It does, at least at the start, seem to focus on just a few dorks hanging out. They're both mutants by the way, the white haired kid is a character created for a cover by Peach Momoko, and she's getting integrated here.

Overall, it looks really promising. How will they integrate the actual X Men, who knows. But, I'm excited for this interesting take on this gaggle of mutants

[welcome-to-latveria]

Hickman gave a new interview on the Cerebro pod where he talks about his X-Men some more. Apparently he almost quit during covid but was convinced to stay. X of Swords was expanded into a meandering mess because of covid. HOX/POX sales changed up the DOX structure & they were going to "soft pilot" staggered titles thru main X-Men. Also we been knew Hickman almost did Legion of Superheroes but he confirmed he also was gonna do New Gods but DC was dragging their feet so he took the X-Men job (1)

Also he apparently was happy that they lost Bryan Edward Hill which he blames on editorial, and the Imperial Guard book he talked about before was supposed to be about the Phalanx but nobody else wanted anything to do with it when he left and it just kinda died. Apparently he's also had HOX/POX sitting in the tank since his days on the Ultimates. (2) Oh yeah ALSO!!! According to Hickman! Jordan D. White, the CURRENT EDITOR OF THE X-DESK, didn't like his X-Men pitch!!! THE GUY WHO MARVEL PUT IN CHARGE OF X-MEN DIDN'T LIKE THE PITCH!!! No wonder the line turned into such a mess and Hickman wanted out almost immediately. Imagine if we got an editor who actually wanted Hickman to succeed

No because the fact that White didn't like the pitch and ended up in charge of it... who let that happen!!

Tbh I forgot it came out just before Covid so I'm sure that contributed to most of the problems with all the titles but it really did end up as a mess you're right lmao