#never been normal about moira either

[overwatch-oven]

I've been looking at Moira for a couple weeks now and passively thinking "If you find her attractive, you'd find another fictional character attractive." And I couldn't for the life of me pin that character down but it just occurred to me.

Tysm for your time.

[ovwechoes]

Widowmaker Headcanons (general) I like talking about Amelie a lot, so I'm making a general hc list of things I think about her! It's entirely self indulgent but I just want to write for her more so cope /j My asks are open, and they're under the cut - enjoy!

What's Amelie's sexuality? I like to HC her as bisexual with a male lean - she has more experience with male partners, but after Gerald's death she's struggled with dating men (or really anyone since). She's demisexual as well, even though if you said that to her she'd have no clue what you're talking about whatsoever. Her sexuality is known to very few, and she intends to keep it that way to avoid discussions about her spreading more.

What's Amelie's preferred weather and season? Amelie has an appreciation for the spring and autumn - she finds it comforting seeing the seasons change to bring new life in the spring, and then for that life to come full circle in its life span in the autumn. Knowing that it's all a cycle, and it will always repeat itself (with some variation) is something she feels secure in. She loves the rain as well; often times she'll sit by her window, glass of wine in hand and will simply enjoy the music the rain makes against her home. It's peaceful, and helps quiet her mind when it's filled to the brim with things she can't quite understand.

Something small that Amelie enjoys? It might not seem like anything to other people, but Amelie enjoys styling her hair. When she's in private, away from anyone else, she lets herself watch tutorials and enjoy herself as though she's playing dress up with herself as the doll. It's something she keeps under lock and key, with only Moira knowing because she walked in on her trying out space buns after she saw them online. She hates the fact that she has to keep her hair up all the time to fit her image in Talon, and so it's partially a rebellious act, as a way to gain more independence in herself and her identity.

Any bad habits that Amelie has? Her worst habit is her drinking - it's been her main way of coping with her trauma for years. Often times, she'll go to bed wine drunk, with the bottles on her nightstand waiting for her to clean them up in the morning. She feels as though drinking is one of the only times she can actually feel emotions the way she's supposed to, and the way she did before her experimentations in Blackwatch. It helps her feel more human, more normal. She sometimes goes on alcohol bans, especially if she's busy with work. But, she's never going to decline a free drink or a present that's alcohol related. It's her worst feature, arguably.

Does Amelie like being in pictures? Not anymore - not since her wedding photos. She was never really a photogenic woman, but after the experimentations she grew to dislike her body. That's why I think she got her tattoo, as a way to bring something she likes into her appearance so that she's not full of hatred for herself. Amelie doesn't like the reminders of her unhappiness working in Talon, and so taking pictures would only feel torturous of her. She'd have to fully, genuinely, and truly trust someone to feel comfortable taking pictures with them. It's how she's always been deep down, but it's been amplified since Blackwatch.

How well does Amelie take care of herself? Because of Talon's strict guidelines, she has to take very good care of herself both physically and hygiene wise. She doesn't like to feel grimy or dirty either, so she tends to take 2 showers a day - once in the morning and once before bed. She's very into skincare, and likes to have a winding down nighttime routine where she focuses on her skincare, body care and focuses on healing herself however she can. No one knows this besides her, but she keeps a wellness journal to track the emotions she's felt that day, what they mean and what caused them. Amelie often fills it in when she's alone, in the bathroom with the shower still running to make people think she's still busy. It's her way of trying to understand the mental war going on in her mind, especially when these emotions were dulled down and almost removed completely for years. Physically, she does Pilates and endurance training alongside her continued treatments from Moira - it helps her relax, focus on her core strength, and ensures she's ready for the missions that come next. If she could, though, she'd be training through ballet practice. She misses it dearly, but Moira refuses to let her explore that route, just incase it brings back memories or emotions that would interfere with her work. It's something Amelie detests about Talon, but she knows she can't leave and this is all she has left now after everything that happened with Overwatch. It's all she knows, and it's all she can know, so she continues with what's recommended for her training as per Moira's guidelines.

Who do they go to for comfort? Honestly, it would be Olivia/Sombra. We've seen how understanding she can be of Sigma and his ailments in Talon, and if Amelie were to open up and reveal what's going on in her mind, how she's letting herself slowly learn how to feel again, I think Olivia would have her back throughout it all. Olivia would obviously be a risky ear to talk to, incase she spills it for the right price, but Amelie is short on people she can rely on. Anyone she could trust without experimenting on her or ridiculing her is gone now, and all she has is Olivia to give her the hope of support and genuine concern. They have a very sweet, private friendship and Olivia's a good shoulder for Amelie to rely on when she's struggling with her newfound emotions. Olivia's logical nature also helps when Amelie's in a pessimistic, agitated mood and helps her to ground herself and look at the situation from a different lens. Sometimes, though, if she's feeling very restricted, unable to be herself, she'll speak to Sigma about things going on, and listen to his rambles to help quiet her mind. They both feel the pain of being in Talon, even though they have very different mental states. Regardless, it would take a lot for her to go to anyone for comfort, and even if she wanted to she's always careful with her words, making sure that if anything was overheard or spoken about, that she could defend herself adequately.

[zeezelweazel]

Could u do ow headcanons for Widowmaker, Mercy and Ashe when their girlfriend is sick please? 💗

Overwatch| Reader is Sick|

____________________________

The overwatch hyperfixation is still lingering so I'm happy I get a request for them

Speaking of lingering hyperfixations my genshin phase is back sooo

Characters included: Widow, Mercy, Ashe

______________________________________

• Widowmaker •

Widow would be the one to not care much, at first at least, if it's something small like the flu. She'll just quietly make sure that you're getting the rest you need.

She swears up and down that she only does this because if you're sick then you're a burden but you know better than anyone that deep down she's just a softie.

If it's something more serious, she will start to get nervous, though she'd never show it on the outside. It's been a while since she got sick herself, Moira's experiments made her practically immune, so she's forgotten much about what it's like to be sick.

She might not be qualified to take care of you physically but during the time you're sick the usually cold assassin turns into a loving ballerina. She'll be by your side the entire time making sure that you have every one of your needs met.

• Mercy •

She will feel slightly guilty at first. As a doctor you'd think her girlfriend wouldn't be getting sick but she understands that sometimes catching a cold is normal.

She would act more like your doctor than your girlfriend during the time that you're sick. She'd give you the medication you need and make sure that you're getting more than enough rest. Though she wouldn't forget about giving you affection either, as long as close contact is safe though.

In the case that your illness is more serious, Angela would be getting eaten away by her own nervousness. She knows everything about your condition, given that she made sure she'll be your doctor the second she found out, but now she doesn't know if that's for the best or for the worst.

Of course everything turns out okay because Angela is Angela but it was still a big scare for her. Soon enough she'll have a list of do-s and don't-s to make sure you never get this sick again.

• Ashe •

The moment she sees you show the tiniest symptom of illness get ready to be relentlessly pampered until she's 100% sure that you're okay.

Elizabeth's childhood was full of neglect so even when it comes to something silly like a small sickness she wants you to know that she's going to always stay by your side and take care of you.

She'll order Bob to act like your personal butler untill you're okay. Of course, Bob doesn't mind, he loves you and he knows Elizabeth only did this because she trusts him to take care of you.

If it's something more serious you bet Elizabeth will get you the most expensive treatment possible. She doesn't care if she gives up all of the gang's profits, you're way more important than that to her. She'll try to hide how worried she is because she needs to be there for you.

------------------------------------------------------------------

[paradoxcase]

Gideon the Ninth audiobook, to the end of Part 2

New voices:

Camilla's voice is described in the text as "low and calm" which should mean more deep-voiced women rep, but the audiobook isn't really reproducing that description well, I don't think

Palamedes' voice is not bad, although I kind of expected something clearer and lighter. I'm not sure if it's my imagination, but it almost sounds like another accent? I can't decide. It's kind of hard to tell when Moira Quirk's base accent is also foreign to me

I like Abigail's voice, it's definitely the same Welsh accent. I wonder why Moira Quirk picked that accent for the Fifth? Since they are culturally dominant, I would have expected an accent with more cultural capital IRL, but I guess the main characters are already using a standard British accent and the Fourth teens got the French, so I'm not sure what's left in that regard

There were a few words of Isaac voice, it seems fine

Magnus's voice is really growing on me... just in time to never hear it again for the rest of the book. Woe. Oh well, he'll be back in the next one

The pronunciation of Palamedes' name is also growing on me a lot faster than I predicted

Other stuff:

Gideon notes that Teacher does not eat breakfast, and guesses that he just eats it earlier in the morning. NOPE

On the possibility of Harrow being murdered: "What if the murderer was like, weird" and musings on Gideon's subsequent marriage to the murderer, and thoughts about swapping friendship bracelets with them - Cytherea is the murderer and is indeed seducing Gideon here, and this probably also foreshadows the "friendship bracelets" with Ianthe, although who knows if that's what they actually are

Harrow knew that Gideon was hanging out with Cytherea as early as when she was working in the facility by herself, which I had forgotten, and I'm wondering how she knows this. It doesn't sound like she's doing a lot of socializing and doesn't seem to know a lot about the others beyond the Sixth and the Eighth, who she considers her main competitors at this point, and I don't think either of them would know about Gideon's time spent with Cytherea, because they're also busy, and I doubt Harrow has been trading pleasantries with Cytherea herself

I still love that Gideon figures out the purpose of the Imaging/Response rooms by saying "the arms kind of look like swords, I want to fight it" after Harrow has spent literal days beating her head against it

Gideon punches the construct twice in this segment, which I think really shows the utility of her using that move against Babs earlier, and Marta's assessment that she was the better fighter for it. Babs would have been outraged that the construct didn't follow all the proper rules of dueling

I like how written notes and so forth are read in the voice of the character that wrote them (except for John's letter, I guess, but he doesn't have a voice yet); even when Gideon is reading Magnus's invitation aloud to Harrow, it's read in Magnus's voice

After the dinner party, Cytherea tells Gideon "I liked that dinner, it was useful" which is very chilling now considering I now know it made her decide to kill Abigail and Magnus first

She also says "What do [the Houses] compete for? The Emperor's favor? What does that look like?" I think it's interesting that Cytherea, who is intimately familiar with the Emperor, doesn't really know what his favor looks like, or possibly doesn't believe it exists. Or she just knows that John is shit and finds competing for his favor to be pointless and self-defeating, no doubt strengthening her commitment to murdering everyone before they can succeed

After reading the Unwanted Guest, I think I can guess that the reason Gideon sees the thanergetic signatures when she's fighting the construct is more permeability of the soul stuff - that when Harrow sits in her head, Gideon becomes enough of Harrow to see things that only Harrow can normally see? Even though they only did this for like a few minutes at this point

Gideon being completely floored by Harrow's praise of her fighting ability was fun to hear about again

And now Magnus and Abigail are dead and it's time for Part 3. I think the only voice that's left to hear for the first time is Judith, and also John will make his first appearance in the epilogue

[jasmine-kika]

So, I made a Lucio AU for Overwatch 2. I found out about his backstory and Vishkar had taken their home and his dad worked for them. Omnic crisis went by and Overwatch came to help. But what if Talon found him while Lucio was taking tech from Vishkar for his skates and stuff and helped during the crisis instead of Overwatch. (Like, Talon got there faster that Overwatch and offered to help if Lucio went with them)

I drew him!! It’s after the lore and design rant if you wanna take a look. I also kinda animated what his weapon would look like in gameplay.



I seriously got the idea from listening to Chonny Jash, a cover music artist (idk if he makes other stuff, I have only listened to his covers). His stuff gave me this idea collectively. So songs in the same genre of music would be what this AU of Lucio makes rather than what he actually produces in the game.

I made him use more damaging attacks while still being a healer. He uses a gas similar to Moira’s heal while on that mode, although he doesn’t have the speed boost. He has a damaging attack in his bubble that affects enemies. It is a green gas. All the gasses are visible around him, so if this actually was made in a first person shooter, then the player’s screen would be slightly tinted yellow or green while using either one. I designed him with a gas mask because of this ability. His reload would be different, as his weapon is filled with the poison.(in the visual, the poison is visible as a liquid before being released as a gas (kinda like how a humidifier doesn’t use heat but still works) I was thinking it was an oxidation thing that makes it more deadly and also become a gas, so the tanks are vacuumed sealed) When he shoots, he does his normal sound wave attack, but if the enemy is close enough (and ignoring the poison in the original bubble) they’d get a lasting effect similar to Widow’s venom mine. It would continue until the player left his bubble. Almost all of the speakers on his armor-tech have been changed to where the healing gas or poison are released, and also his weapon is connected to tubes that carry the poison he uses, so it’s connected to his body. I couldn’t find a spot, so I used his shoulder.

Talking about the poison, I wanna talk about where it’s stored. I think in the original game, his hair is made from the light that Vishkar invented(I think it’s called Hard Light, but I’m 60% sure I’m wrong). In this version, the light is used as a wall for it and each loc is used as a storage compartment for the poisonous gas. The loc then connects to the headphones which transfer each compartment into two tubes which bring it to each exit.

I tried to think this through logically due to the science fiction in the game, some logic goes a long way, but also fun AU creation.

Random lore part of this AU: While Talon was going around to important places or whatever they needed to do, they ran into the deadlock gang(in this AU Cassidy never left the gang). They ended up fighting and Cassidy and Lucio got separated. Cassidy managed to sly talk his way to death (with training, Lucio got a shorter fuse and isn’t afraid of ending someone’s life). Lucio ended up ending Cass’s life and out of pure spite, he kept Cassidy’s revolver. So that’s just chilling in his pocket most of the time. I wanna say he’d eventually make use of it by learning how to use it, but that would take awhile and bring me too far into the future than I am at right now.

Note for drawings below: I used a picture of the Overwatch 2 skin and traced it to be able to change the colors. I added a couple details and I also changed the shape a little on the Weapon. (Smoothed down the speakers into just a rounder body of the gun. And I also made the tiny little tube on the bottom longer because of a reason I mentioned in my rant.)

Notes, continued…: For the animation, I just used a picture of someone using the Overwatch 2 Lucio skin and traced the gun and added my edits to the design before animating it.

There are tiny notes on the drawing if you can zoom in to see them.

[barrysbaby]

you're hiding something.

"TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON" PROMPTS

“No, I’m not…” she lies. But oh, who is she kidding? She can’t lie to Claire. Not just because the guilt would kill her, but because she just can’t lie to Claire. It’s impossible. The woman knows her too well. Sometimes better than Moira knows herself. “Okay, yes, I am, but… only because you’re probably gonna be mad at me when I tell you.”

Normally Moira would be a better liar than this, only… well, she did have her leg torn open by a J’avo, and being stuck in a hospital room twenty-four-seven doesn’t exactly leave her with enough energy to put on a more convincing act.

“Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, if I tell you this, please swear you won’t say anything to Dad. For now. It’s best if he hears it from me anyway.”

Best if he never hears it, probably, but something tells her that won’t be manageable, considering the circumstances. Moira reaches for a glass of water on the side table, takes a long chug to get rid of the dryness in her throat. Then she sets the glass down and looks at Claire once more.

“So…” she starts, “you remember my squad leader, Ryan? The one I told you I had a fight with back when I first started because of that prank I pulled in the conference room? I’m sure you remember him. I talk about him like… always.” A pause, before she continues. “Well, okay, so… maybe he asked me out yesterday. And maybe I said yes.”

And maybe she’s been flirting with him over the past few months because who cares about breaking fraternization rules, right?

[purplekoop]

Need to do another chart or something of what OW heroes do and don't have a corresponding map (either for country of origin, character-specific connection, or both), and what maps lack any corresponding heroes.

For instance, you could consider Mei's map for a long time to be Lijang Tower since it's from her home country, but she doesn't have any specific ties to it besides it being China. On the other hand, she's not from Antarctica, but her story is much more heavily tied to Antarctic Peninsula and Ecopoint Antarctica.

Moira is an interesting case because her "home" map is meant to be Oasis, but she's not from Iraq. There's also no Ireland map as of now, so it's a weird sort of mismatch. There's also no Netherlands map, but Horizon Lunar Colony works well enough as Sigma's map in lieu of anything more specific.

I may also count maps as fitting a hero if they have any sort of important tangential connection, such as Dorado being the setting of Soldier 76's cinematic.

The reason I thought about this is because I once again noticed Ilios is one of the game's most iconic maps, yet there's never been a Greek hero. Because Lucio was without a Brazil map until recently, people would joke that Ilios is his map anyways since. Yknow. Hole.

We HAVE seen heroes be added for countries that had a map, but no corresponding hero, most recently of course being Lifeweaver, finally giving the arcade-only Thailand map Ayuttaya a hero to call its own. Before that was Orisa, finally giving a character to call the unique locale of Numbani home a while after the game's initial launch.

Whether it's heroes before maps, maps before heroes, or one without the other, it's definitely the kind of niche thing I love to hyperanalyze. The most productive possible use this could help achieve is to possibly predict some future maps (shoot, we know maps very specifically for Symmetra and Torbjorn are on the way, just delayed because 2CP sucks and they're figuring something else out for them right now) or heroes (not the first to say that Colesseo and Esperanca are hella sus, and I won't be the last). But really I think if I don't make or edit some kind of arbitrary list or chart of information for 48 hours then my body stops making blood or something, so frankly this is just normal.

[kurt-wagner-official]

Post #21: UXM issues 148-149

 Following up on last issue's cliffhanger, Scott and Lee wander through the city that just appeared. Lee tries to kiss Scott, and he pulls away, saying he likes her but he's not ready to move on from Jean. She gets upset and runs off, saying she still grieving her father and just needed companionship. Scott beats himself up for being a jerk, although I don't think he did anything wrong here. She did try to kiss him, which is the universal symbol for romance, and then she got upset that he assumed she was asking for romance. He is right that he knows basically nothing about normal human interaction and relationships. Jean could read his mind and his heart, so there were never misunderstandings. And all of his friends have been superheroes, which forms a different kind of bond. Frustrated, he opens his eyes into the sky. Lee comes back, and they both apologize and set off in search of life. Back at the mansion, Logan and Kurt are doing stealth training in the woods and drinking beer, while Warren argues with Ororo and Xavier over Logan's violent nature. Ororo isn't a fan of it either, but she believes that Logan is a good person and that the point of the X-Men is to help people like him. Unwilling to compromise, Warren quits the team. From a reader perspective, I don't really know why he rejoined in the first place. He didn't go through much character development, or have much of a relationship with or influence any of the other characters. Maybe Byrne had big plans with him that Claremont didn't want to follow through with, or maybe he was just there to keep an OG team member around until Scott came back. Anyway, he's gone now, and the book doesn't really feel any different. Meanwhile, Sean, Moira, and Peter's sister Illyana are still here from the last story, and Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman arrives with Theresa Rourke, Sean's daughter that he never knew she had. She first appeared in a Spider-Woman issue, another series that Claremont writes, and one that he likes to cross over with. Moira is happy for him but also pained, because she's too scared to ever have another child after Proteus. Later, some of the women are invited to a show by Alison Blaire, Dazzler. It's interrupted by a lonely mutant named Caliban. He can track other mutants, and also feels the emotions of those around him and converts them into energy. He's a good demonstration of the karmic cycle of hatred that comes with prejudice; when humans attack him, he has no choice but to defend himself using their own hatred and fear. It’s also the beginning of a theme Claremont will be exploring a lot in the next few years of the run- mutant intersectionalism. Most of the X-Men can pass for human and maintain their secret identities. But some mutants, like Caliban, have very obvious physical mutations that make it pretty much impossible to live amongst humans. We have seen a little bit of this with mutants like Kurt and Hank. But Kurt has an accepting family and support system that Caliban doesn’t have, and Hank’s Avenger status protects him from a lot of mutant racism. It’s a pretty clear analogy for the difference between, for example, a cis gay man who isn’t obviously queer and a trans man who can’t pass for cis. At the time, these topics were completely taboo in comics, with Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter blocking Claremont’s every attempt to make his characters explicitly queer. Even now, I think for the most part I prefer the metaphor approach to themes like this. Obviously I don’t speak for every queer person, and I can’t speak for any person of color, but personally, I think using metaphors allows heavy topics to be explored without explicitly reminding me of specific real-world prejudices I’ve experienced. I got a little sidetracked there, so back to the story: Caliban, terrified by humans around him, kidnaps Kitty and runs, both because he thinks mutants belong together and because selfishly he wants a friend. Jessica and Ororo eventually stop him and realize that he’s a mutant. Ororo tells him that if he lets Kitty go, he can have a home with the X-Men, but then Caliban hears sirens and flees into the sewers. Ororo has saved Kitty, but she feels like she’s failed as an X-Man, because she couldn’t help a mutant in need. And Kitty reflects on how she’s treated Kurt, and realizes that it was behavior like that that drove Caliban to the horrible life he leads now. She wants to make amends with Kurt. It’s a huge step forward for Kitty as a character, and for the friendship between my two favorite characters. As the issue ends, we cut back to Scott and Lee, who have finally found the island’s inhabitant, who welcomes them as guests. He doesn’t recognize Scott out of costume, but Scott would know that voice anywhere- Magneto.

Issue 149 starts with Xavier, who hasn’t had much focus lately, reflecting on Magneto and his fear that he’ll be returning soon. He’s interrupted by Kitty, who phases through the wall in a ridiculously over the top superhero uniform she’s designed herself. She phases through the computer, which disrupts it and pisses off Xavier, so of course he telepathically yells at her to get out, leaving her miserable. It’s been so long since Xavier’s been a prick I had almost forgotten. The X-Men cheer her up by tossing her around in the Danger Room. They’re interrupted by Xavier sending them on a scouting mission to Magneto’s old base. Not until they arrive do they realize Kitty’s stowed away. Ororo chews her out in a way that’s angry but not mean, because she’s an infinitely better parental figure than Xavier. Since they’re already there, Ororo allows Kitty to come with them. Unknown to the X-Men, they’re being stalked by Garokk, the enemy they defeated in the Savage Land. Ororo tried to save him when he fell into a pit, but she felt claustrophobic and hesitated, failing to save him and regretting it ever since. We now learn Magneto has employed him as guardian of this base. For unknown reasons, he feels pain when Kitty phases. He easily manhandles the team and tries to throw Ororo into a pit like the one Magneto saved him from, but when he attacks Kitty and she phases, he stumbles and falls in himself, leaving Kitty with the same guilt Ororo has been feeling. On Magneto’s island, he’s fed and clothed Scott and Lee before revealing that he recognizes his old foe, and that his powers are useless.

[islandofsanlunaria]

Big Question

"Hey...get off of me...you two are heavy..." Yipyip grumbles as he yawns, trying to wake Drisz, and Zox up. "There's no reason for you two to be such heavy sleepers..." slowly rising, while trying to push them off.

The moon shining through their window, as the home they stay in is peacefully quiet.

Drisz stirred awake for a brief moment, "Stop moving, it's a hunt day for Moira, so it's the only time we get to sleep in," yawning, and placing his hand on Yipyip's face, "Lay back, and continue to be my pillow." forcing him back down.

"Beside, we can tell you don't really want to get up either...you just want a reason to say you were the responsible older one," Zox interjects, his eyes still closed. "Normally we leave that to Keva since he wants the leader role."

Sighing as he lays there, Yipyip pulling them in closer. While the three of them lay there, basking in the moonlight, Yipyip staring at the full moon.

"You guys ever think about what life would have been if we never met? Like what do you guys think you'd be doing"?

Zox sitting up, sighing and rubbing his eyes, "Are you going through some type of mid-life crisis? That's a very heavy question..."

"I was just thinking about how we all came from different tribes that essentially hated each other, but the five of us get along just fine." Yipyip starting to sit up, but stopped mid shuffle.

"Don't you dare move, I'm comfortable. But I get why you're asking that." Drisz starts, "It's because it's what we were raised to believe, let's not forget our tribes worship different dragons, and that heavily plays into the animosity."

"True."

"And with that, we can't forget we were all either banished from said tribes for being different, or left due to different opinions on how things were run." Drisz finishes.

The three of them sitting, and laying there in silence as the air starts to feel heavy.

Drisz breaking the silence, frustration in his voice, "Damn it, Yip...now I can't get back to sleep..."

"Will a kiss on the cheek make things better?"

"That plus do my chores for today, and we'll have a deal."

Zox speaking up, "What the hell, I want a kiss too."

Chuckling, Yipyip pulling them in, giving each of them a kiss on the cheek, holding them close. The three of them laughing as they lay there, the front door opening as Moira, Keva, and Roark walk in.

"Good night boys, you three seem to be getting closer." Moira says as she sits on the couch beside their little cuddle pile.

Roark automatically wiggling his way in between the three of them, "Night guys, what are we laughing about?" his tail whipping around as Yipyip kisses his cheek as well.

"We were just talking about what we'd be doing if we never became the quintet we are now. Nothing big."

Keva sitting by them, patting Yipyip's head, then his lap, and Yipyip putting his head in his lap. "Heavy topics when we aren't here I see, is that why you three always rush to get chores done?" smiling as he asks.

The three of them shrugging as they bask in the moonlight together.

"We had a short hunt today, didn't find much, so you five can have an easy day today. I'm probably head back to bed myself." Moira says as she gets to head to her room.

Keva speaking up, petting Yipyip's head, "I don't know where we'd be if we never met, but I can say that she definitely is the reason why we stayed together. And I thank her that I found a new family to spend my time with."

The four sitting up, and dogpiling on Keva, giving his a barrage of cheek kisses and nose touches, showing him that they feel the same.

"When Moira Wakes up, we're gonna make her favorite food, because she needs to know that we're thankful to her."

"That depends on when we wake up you know..."

The five of them letting out a collective yawn as they lay back down, all of them cuddled up together, and laying under the window. The moonlight acting as a blanket over them.

Yipyip speaking up, "I love you guys."

The four speaking up in unison, "We love you too, but no more thinking for you tonight."

[aishathetaurus]

Before, I thought everyone was being harsh towards June, but now I've come to realize June is, rightfully, unhinged meanwhile everyone else around her is acting normally. I used to think Rita and Moira were being harsh and not understanding that her trauma just reads differently than theirs, but nah... June is a little nuts and its okay.

I get it though. Her showing signs of feeling bad for Serena and being upset with Luke despite them being on the same page on her in particular... its really fucking odd. She went from both of them agreeing to kill her the next time they see her and having passionate sex to really confirm it (lol), to being upset Luke is doing what he can to make that happen even slightly... but I get it.

Regardless, she's consistently the most unhinged person in the room. Its interesting how trauma affects people differently. However, I cannot stress this enough... I get it. If I was her, I would wanna move to New Bethlehem too if it meant seeing my baby. As a viewer, I'm just also able to see the whole situation and recognize how insane that is. You gotta be extremely desperate and naive to trust Gilead. Especially since Lawrence can't seem to make an promises to June besides "we'll let you see Hannah sometimes."

It was nice seeing June have a moment of clarity and reminding Serena and the audience that they're not friends and she never forgave her. Last episode had people acting kinda delusional about their possible friendship, so this was a nice reminder of reality. She can feel bad for her and her child, while also feeling not much for her. Both are possible.

Anyway, its good that June has the support system around her. She's not well. Idk if they can stop her, but its good to have them. Luke is right... there's no way they can take a kidnapped baby, Nichole, back to Gilead... There's no way... June's idea of them going back as a family isn't logical at all...

Also, the idea that June, someone forced into sex slavery, abandoned her child... To even believe that... despite all the obvious evidence that that's not what happened... June is unwell.

It made me so sad hearing Luke say "we're never gonna be enough for you, are we?" because I really don't think they will be. Its not that Luke and everyone has let go of Hannah and their lost loved ones... its just... acceptance. What can they really do? They are regular people trying to navigate through life the best they can... they literally cannot do all the things June wants them to do. Its not possible.

The end was the perfect ending for this episode and I hope it works out... With everything I just said, I think Hannah coming back will the only thing that'll help June. Like I said, she's unwell. Has been this entire time. Idk why it was this episode that made it click for me? Either way, I hope this changes everything and it actually happens.

[acradelius]

Moira aftercare hcs? Please and thank you!

"Aftercare Is A Must!"

Fandom: Overwatch

Pairing: Moira x Reader

Rating: Lemon [🟡] (NSFW! - Just to be on the safe side.)

Warnings/Mention Of: Sex, Aftercare, Mutual Showering, Naked Cuddling, Suggestive of "Round Two"

Word Count: 622 Words

Author's Note: Y'all gotta stop making me fall into love with Moira more than I already am. Bestie gotta leave some heart room for all the other characters out there.

We all know about the thoughts of those who are associated with Moira O’Deorain within the grasp of Talon. Some consider her to be brilliant, controversial, and ambitious. Others also considered her to be abrasive, arrogant, and sometimes hostile. Yet, this was merely a fronting persona to who she was until being behind closed doors. More specifically, bedroom doors with her lover, (Y/N). 

Whether it was the normally rough housing type of intimate night, or a rare night where Moira would allow (Y/N) to pleasure her, interested in the experience when the tables were turned. Either way, when it both came to them post-orgasm, there was no denial that aftercare was a must between the both of them. 

It begins with a shared moment of silence, laying upon the now twisted up sheets, just staring into each other's gaze while brushing fingers softly against each other’s skin, brushing gently throughout each other's hair. A smile forming on Moira’s lips as (Y/N) softly laughs, slowly becoming more vocal until turning into small talk. Moira nudges the remembrance to (Y/N) that she assures any degradation was just in the moment, that she didn’t actually mean any of it, and that if it caused any offense she sincerely apologizes. 

Once gaining enough strength it becomes time to clean up: dirty linen taken off the bed and thrown into the laundry basket, then deciding whether to take a bath or a shower. Either way, they end up with both Moira and (Y/N) washing each other, soft tones echoing off the walls from the small radio that was brought in. Afterwards (Y/N) dressed within soft warm, fuzzy pajamas Moira had bought them on a trip, while Moira’s were more to her style: satin. 

Snack time and rehydration are an absolute must! Water is usually the go-to, but sometimes there are some other beverages involved afterwards, maybe something else to help relax the nerves. As for food there’s sometimes leftovers within the fridge from an earlier night out. Maybe Moira will be in the mood of creating a dish from her homeland, or willing to try a dish from (Y/N)’s own homeland. Other times it’s also raiding the cafeteria to see what had been bought, or to take other meals if feeling quite sluggish still. Don’t worry if the person finds out as they usually never figure out who actually took it or Moira takes the blame as no one will argue with her over it. 

Determining what to do afterwards is always a playful argument as sometimes there’s an idea of what to do, and sometimes there’s not. Sometimes it’s spending the rest of the night watching documentaries of some sort, or Moira reading some story to (Y/N) until they fell asleep, sometimes sneaking off back to the lab, but staying by their side for the night most of the time. 

Other times it would be Moira deciding to sip on some wine, watching you do a preferred activity: sometimes painting a picture or completing a small puzzle. There’s also been some times where there’s a decision made to walk around the base, meeting up with some of the members, such as  Sigma or even Reaper, chit chatting the night away and waking up the next morning to some rare breakfast of sorts. 

Whatever it might happen to be, whether it’s decided that the aftermath of sex and cleaning up is going to be an eventful or relaxed evening, it really doesn’t matter. Secretly, Moira will do whatever you want to do as long as she gets to be by your side. But who actually knows maybe aftercare becomes the start of another round of pleasure in bed?~

[maxbegone]

if you don't mind me asking how did you colour scenes like the first gif here post/685887651077832704/top-10-episodes-of-9-1-1-lone-star-as-voted-by-my ?

hi! my method is pretty tedious, considering i color frame-by-frame, but bear with me and i'll try to explain below the cut!

this is the gif in question:

now, unfortunately i don't have the before product saved, so i'm going to use this one to explain:

start off by making and coloring your gif

if this is your first time coloring the background of a gif like this, choose something relatively simple; a scene with very little movement, a big focal point. don't go for anything that needs a lot of attention to detail (unless you're crazy like i am). remember, i said my method was tedious. tip: don't make a gif with a lot of frames. the gif above is about 60 frames, but there isn't a lot of movement. stick to 25-35 your first go.

once you've done some basic coloring on your gif, save it if it's in timeline mode and reopen it in frame animation mode. if not, you're good to move straight on to the next step.

2. choosing your color

what i always tend to do first is play around with colors before landing on something. choose something that'll pop, or find a color or hue within the background to use.

once you've chosen your color, create a new adjustment layer and select gradient map. from there, you should get something like this:

click the bar and change the gradient to your desired color or color combo. what i normally do is keep the colors pretty similar, meaning. i either use the same color for both tabs, or go up or down a shade.

go to the blending mode from 'normal' to 'color.' you should get something like this:

3. isolating your color

now comes the fun part!

on the original gradient map layer, if it's not already there, select the add layer mask icon at the bottom of the page. a white square should appear along with a chainlink:

make sure that white square is selected and select the eraser tool (e). choose a nice size brush and start erasing the part of the gif you want to focus on. in this case, it's david.

when you're satisfied with how that looks, now comes the detail. on this same layer, switch your eraser to 'add' by hitting (x) and choose a smaller brush size to add the color back into any spots that might have been erased too much. for instance, moira's out of focus hand and some of her hair over on the right.

once that detail's taken care of, move over to the next frame by clicking the forward arrow in the timeline. if the focal point moves even a little, i'm going in with a small brush and coloring every movement. if david turns his head, i add teal into the spot where he just moved from. or if he moves into the color, i erase it:

hopefully that helps even a little! i've never written out a tutorial before, and there are far better (and more coherent) ones over on ps source blogs like @completeresourcesrces or @chaoticresources.

if you have any questions, just reach out!

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

📖Persuasion📖 Listen- and Read-Along, Chapter  Nineteen

Discussion of Chapter Eighteen Starts Here.

Audio of Karen Savage’s LibriVox Reading on YouTube, starting at Chapter 19  (~ 13 minutes at normal speed)

Moira Fogarty’s reading at LibriVox (~ 15 minutes)

Text of  Chapter Nineteen at Project Gutenberg.

Synopsis:

Captain Wentworth arrives in Bath on his own, before his sister can write to invite him, and he and Anne meet unexpectedly in a coffee house, taking shelter from the rain. Anne has the advantage of him, however, as she saw him through the window before he knew she was there, and she is startled to see how completely flustered he is.

Over the next few days, Anne is impatient to speak with him again, to clarify his own state of mind over Captain Benwick’s and Louisa’s engagement, but is equally nervous about his crossing paths with Lady Russell.

And once, she sees him on the other side of the street, when she is out with her friend. But Lady Russell, though apparently staring at him, admits only that she was looking for a particularly fine set of drawing room curtains.

Finally, there’s to be a concert hosted by Lady Dalrymple, and Anne hopes to see him there. When she tells Mrs. Smith about the concert, and who will be there in the Elliots’ party, Mrs. Smith makes a cryptic remark about how they won’t have many more chances to visit.

Quotes that stood out:

The rain was a mere trifle, and Anne was most sincere in preferring a walk with Mr Elliot. But the rain was also a mere trifle to Mrs Clay; she would hardly allow it even to drop at all, and her boots were so thick! much thicker than Miss Anne’s; and, in short, her civility rendered her quite as anxious to be left to walk with Mr Elliot as Anne could be, and it was discussed between them with a generosity so polite and so determined, that the others were obliged to settle it for them; Miss Elliot maintaining that Mrs Clay had a little cold already, and Mr Elliot deciding on appeal, that his cousin Anne’s boots were rather the thickest.

Okay: now for a bit of psychoanalyzing. Anne has already decided that she doesn’t quite trust Mr. Elliot, and has also decided that she could never marry him, even if doing so would guarantee her place as Lady Elliot of Kellynch Hall, as her mother had been. So it’s not his charm that appeals. I’m left to the conclusion that Anne must really not want to ride with Lady Dalrymple (and maybe not her sister, either).

She now felt a great inclination to go to the outer door; she wanted to see if it rained. Why was she to suspect herself of another motive?

Okay. Is anyone else reminded of Anne’s “Most natural” almost-daily walk to Lady Russell’s, on the day the Crofts came to finalize the details of them renting Kellynch Hall?

After a short interval, however, he came towards her, and spoke again. Mutual enquiries on common subjects passed: neither of them, probably, much the wiser for what they heard, and Anne continuing fully sensible of his being less at ease than formerly. They had by dint of being so very much together, got to speak to each other with a considerable portion of apparent indifference and calmness; but he could not do it now. Time had changed him, or Louisa had changed him. There was consciousness of some sort or other. He looked very well, not as if he had been suffering in health or spirits, and he talked of Uppercross, of the Musgroves, nay, even of Louisa, and had even a momentary look of his own arch significance as he named her; but yet it was Captain Wentworth not comfortable, not easy, not able to feign that he was.

Contrast that with Anne’s judgement of Mr. Elliot -- that he is always too much at ease, and that he’s so good at feigning his emotions that she can’t tell what he’s really feeling. Also, I note that she is not jumping to the conclusion that’s he’s uncomfortable because he’s still angry at her.  I suspect someone has been bonking her with the tube of self-worth. And my prime suspect is Mrs. Smith: an old friend who simply enjoys her company, and who doesn’t (unlike Lady Russell) always have one eye on engineering Anne’s future.

She was very much obliged to him, but declined it all, repeating her conviction, that the rain would come to nothing at present, and adding, “I am only waiting for Mr Elliot. He will be here in a moment, I am sure.”

I am reminded that Anne (and through her, Jane Austen) sees keeping your appointments with other people of utmost importance. Would she be more willing to accept his offer if Mr. Elliot were not expecting her to walk home with him? Or would some other worry prompt her to decline his offer?

As soon as they were out of sight, the ladies of Captain Wentworth’s party began talking of them.

And now, Captain Wentworth is in the same position Anne was in, back in the late summer/autumn, at Uppercross: Left to speculate if she really is courting someone new, and wondering how she feels toward him. They really are foils of each other.

Anne would have been particularly obliged to her cousin, if he would have walked by her side all the way to Camden Place, without saying a word.

Mood!!

“You will wonder,” said [Lady Russell], “what has been fixing my eye so long; but I was looking after some window-curtains, which Lady Alicia and Mrs Frankland were telling me of last night. They described the drawing-room window-curtains of one of the houses on this side of the way, and this part of the street, as being the handsomest and best hung of any in Bath, but could not recollect the exact number, and I have been trying to find out which it could be; but I confess I can see no curtains hereabouts that answer their description.”

Do you believe her? Or do you think Lady Russell is just as wary of Anne noticing Captain Wentworth, as Anne is of Lady Russell noticing him?

[shivorce]

in spirit of ur how would u fix the roys post im curious what you think would happen if the roys got schitt's creeked.

here’s the thing. the roys getting schitt’s creek’d won’t be as effective as it was for the roses because, like, at least the roses were all starting from a point where they seemed capable of expressing love for one another healthily. a source of tension in schitt’s creek is never really that johnny or moira are disappointed by or resent their stupid, spoiled children, and it’s never really that alexis or david have a weird toxic rivalry. like, all in all, the roses are extremely normal compared to the roys in that respect.

all of this is to say that the roys getting schitt’s creek’d would be very very bad but also very very funny. logan dies immediately. partially because i hate him, partially because he would not be able to survive one interaction with roland schitt without keeling over. marcia is not present because she is the one who did the embezzling. good for her.

tom and greg both realize pretty early on that there’s really no reason for them to tag along on this weird development journey with the rest of the roys. there’s no waystar and honestly the whole family’s become quite unpleasant to be around. buying off the rack at a department store and driving your own car is not the horror they’re making it out to be. idk. tom divorces shiv or whatever and he and greg go start a b&b. or something.

kendall takes a while to adjust but a few weeks in decides to just completely over-compensate and throws himself into the lifestyle whole-cloth. very much “i’ve decided to become a meth head” only with, like. simple small town pleasures. he meets a bunch of new dumb friends and throws himself into his soundcloud career. “i’m gonna get it all back,” he tells the rest of his family. “i’ll make it big and get us out of here.” he will not do either of those things but he’s okay with that. it’s not so bad. his sobriety’s never been better.

connor gets even MORE libertarian, if you would believe it. realizes that all the money had clouded his vision and there was one true enemy: big government. he gets a bunch of guns but is unable to shoot any of them without screwing his eyes shut and wincing. he runs for town council on the platform of petitioning the federal government to forfeit the land the town is on. he wins but only because everyone thinks he’s funny.

while their older brothers gave up pretty much right away, roman and shiv stick together and spend quite some time scheming about how to get the company back. shiv tries to wring everything she can out of her old legal and political connections but finds that none of her old friends really liked her very much ): and roman is faced everyday with terrifying sights … like convenience stores … and pick-up trucks. it’s still important to both of them to come off as rich and not cavort too much with the common folk lest they learn some kind of lesson about What Really Matters and are, like, forever changed for the better. or whatever. oh, but they do! perhaps around christmas. it’s a very special episode and everyone cries

[omegaversebutbetter]

Overwatch

Okay lets try this again

Genji: Alpha, one of the motivating forces for Hanzo to duel him and as a result from the "accident" His Ability to smell and produce sents is kinda damaged. He acted very alphaish while part of blackwatch to try and make up for it but nowardays some people dont even realise he is one since hes so chill and dosent act that way anymore.

Hanzo: Omega, got a blocker soon after presenting by order of his father and kept it even after leaving for the convinience of not having heats and because his time in the yakuza basically made him belive omegas are meek and weak and people only looked at them as objects. This causes drama later on. Hanzo is basically feral when joining the team, he holds himself confidently and as if he has poise most of the time but when people try to touch him or somethibg suppr9ses him he is very jumpy and has almost attacked multiple people as a result. This agitation and aggression is partiality made worse by the implant and wouldn't get much better until its out.

Angela: Beta. Ik people normally think she'd be Omega but fr that woman is pure balence. She does get mistaken for an omega allot tho. Her possition as a Beta really helps her tending to all patients so she has no complaints.

76: Omega, had a impact for the super soldier program but once the crisis was over he had it taken out, both to be a good role model for other omegas but also because he just wanted to for him mainly but also for his bf at the time (despite the fact that his eyes still often drifted to a certain other squad leader). Nowerdays he still dosent have one but age makes his heats less frequent and his senses and scent a little dulled.

Ana: Alpha. She is extremely chill for an Alpha but chill in the "I am confident I have complete control of this situation" kind of way, usually because she does. She is known for being calm in arguments with other alphas and often winning those arguments as a result, almost none has seen her in an alpha rage but the rumours are that someone has once and they said it was the most terrifying thing they'd ever seen. Ana has been mistaken for the leader of her packs in the past and despite the fact that she basically is co-leader of evey pack she's in she always makes sure that she's not overshadowing the leader especially when they're not Alpha.

Reinheart: I kiiiinda wanna make him an omega who has litterally no idea what OBA expectations are. He's just the jollyest, largest omega you will ever meet. He does not give a shit what people think of him to the point where he won't defend himself unless someone questions his honour. This leads to people like Ana and Morrison in the past hovering around him and fighting anyone who tried harassing him.

McCree: Alpha. Used to be a brash, cocky, and kinda mean alpha before Blackwatch got a hold of him and mellowed him out through giving him a stable pack with a leader (as opposed to deadlock where basically eveyone fought over being leader). He is the most unmistakably alpha person you will ever meet however he is also one of the softest, kindest and possibly the most adorable alphas you will ever know if you get close to him. He's embaressed every time he growls by accident nowerdays.

Lucio: honestly I can't see lucio as anything other than Beta or Omega so I think probably Beta? But I think none else knows either and if anyone asks he says he'd rather people not know because he'd prefer to be judged my charecter instead of his second sex.

Hana: hasn't presented yet, had an implant bc of the mecha program she was in and hasn't had it out. She dosent really care regardless.

Mei: omega, I dont have much else to add to this, she's small and soft and probably the most typical omega of the bunch.

Zarya: Alpha, much like but in contrast to Mei she is the most typical alpha of the bunch. She has kinda old fashioned views about Alphas and Omegas but after getting her ass handed to her by Reinheart while sparring, finding out he was omega and accidentally being rude to him as a result the others realised she had such veiws and Morrison, Ana, McCree and Mei had a little sit down talk with her. She quickly learnt and when Satya joined later and was rude to an omega member of the pack she was the first to jump up and defend them

Satya: unknown, she has an inplant that has prevented her from presenting since she was a child and still has it. She carries herself like an alpha and looks down on Omegas however she looks down on eveyone so her veiw is often overlooked.

Reyes: Alpha. Pack leader, protective and angy. Nuff said.

Sombra: Beta with blockers that stop her from producing any scent for stealth. She has been a solo act for most her life and Talon with Reyes is her first ever pack so she takes time to adapt but once she does it suits her surprisingly well.

Widow: Amile was Omega. Widowmaker has no heats or scent.

Baptitse: deadass I'm not sure. Could litterally be any. Big soft alpha? Big kind omega? Lovely helpful Beta? I really don't know. I feel like I can't make all medical staff Betas tho...so...omega. He had a blocker put in when he joined Talon and those lot assumed he was Beta or Alpha since he never knew. But once he leaves and gets freedom of a sort he chooses to have it removed. He suffers a little for it but he's generally positive and not insecure about it. He dosent like to share heats with anyone tho, it's the one time he shuts himself off from everyone.

Moira: Alpha. Toxic.

Brigette: Alpha, presented a few years ago. She's like a golden retriever but smarter, if you're her friend she will do anything you ask, gets you random gifts and upgrades, carries anything for her friends no matter how heavy, but if you try to abuse her kindness you'll find she sint stupid and it takes one glare for someone to know you don't fuck with this Alpha. She may be a healer but she could absolutely destroy you if you try to fuck her or her friends over.

Torb: Alpha. Can go into a pure rage in a moment but will never use an alpha voice. He's just a cranky old man who seems to have practically forgotten he's an alpha. Was very proud of Brigette's presenting but gave her a few lectures and lessons to make sure it never went to her head.

Sigma: I barely know this cherecter, can no say

Doomfist: Alpha. Asshole. Talons top dogs and heavy hitters are mostly alphas. It's like...toxic alphaism at its finest. Doom is smart and cunning and wants to complete dominate situations he's in. He's an alpha.

Tracer: can't belive I forgot tracer until now, Omega. She was often underestimated for being a little omega in the past but this spitfire powered through everything in life with positivity and self love and she embraces evey part of herself. She sometimes flies home for heats when they're not too busy and are well staffed so she can spend time with her girlfriend.

Roadhog and Junkrat: Alpha and Omega. They're a couple. No I will not take criticism. These two are mates and do litterally whatever they want as long as they're together. In the wasteland there are no gender expectations, only explosives, violence and love.

Ashe: don't know much about her either but I wanna say omega with major alpha vibes. She is the embodiment of the phrase "power bottom" in every sence

Pharah: mmmmm Alpha. She's stubborn and strong, a real soldier, but if you compliment her muscles or challenger her she will show off.

And I think that's it! Any other ideas? Leave them in the comments!

[bamfdaddio]

X-Men Unabridged: Proteus

The X-Men, those beautiful mutants that have sworn to protect a world that hates and fears them, are a cultural juggernaut with a long, tangled history. We’ve been untangling that history for a while, but sometimes, you really want a more in-depth look. Interested? Then read the (un)Abridged X-Men!

(X-Men 125 - 128) - by Chris Claremont and John Byrne

Fun* fact: this particular issue is the oldest comic I physically own.

* for a given value of fun

Something sinister lurks on Muir Isle…

This arc is very much set up like a horror movie. It starts out as a regular X-Men narrative, where Claremont is weaving along several plot threads. We check in with the X-Men in Westchester, we check in with Magneto who has retreated to Asteroid M and we even check in with Xavier in space, who finally learns more about the true scope of the Phoenix and its nature. Finally, we’ve got Jean stationed at Muir Isle, where Moira is investigating the sheer scope of her powers. (She has realized how strong Jean truly is; akin to a god. Her theory is that Jean’s recent power dampening is the result of her human mind trying to cope with her massive power level.) It’s about as everyday as it gets for the X-Men, but, well…

I always thought Jean molecularly restructured her own outfit into the Phoenix-costume whenever she needed to change, but here, she just… wills it away? Also, why did you need an outfit change for this, anyway? Does the costume simply appear whenever she exerts too much of her powers, like an angry forehead vein? So many questions. (X-Men 126)

Other residents at Muir are Polaris, Havok and the Multiple Man, all of them blissfully unaware that something skulks about in the shadows: the remains of an unfortunate captain, whose body has been taken over by something… other.

But someone else is skulking around in the shadows, too. Jean isn’t aware of it, but a familiar stranger is manipulating her from the sidelines.

I’ve been gaslighting a cosmic force, ask me how! (X-Men 126)

1979 marks the first appearance of the Hellfire Club, though we only meet one member for now: Jason Wyngarde. (Maybe all of this could have been avoided if he’d had a Barbie doll to dress up in black lace as a child, but alas.) ‘Jason’ is a pseudonym and though most people these days know that he’s a familiar villain from the X-Men’s past, the reveal of his true identity will follow later.

Meanwhile, Beast finally gets off his ass to check on the Xavier mansion, even though the X-Men must have been tripping intruder alarms for months now. Still, we do get this sweet moment out of it:

Of course she’s going to be surprised at the sheer amount of plot contrivances that were thrown up to keep all y’all apart for a full year. (X-Men 126)

Beast knows that Jean went to Muir, so Scott immediately goes for the phone. Lorna picks up, but during the call she starts screaming, leaning heavily into the horror genre. She fends off the withering remains of the captain, so instead, ‘Mutant X’ jumps into a duplicate of Jamie Madrox and promptly flees to the mainland on a boat.

Guuurl, that body is snatched. (X-Men 126)

The X-Men (sans Beast) hit Muir Isle, where Moira debriefs them. Moira reveals who Mutant X is: his name is Kevin MacTaggart, her son, who has the terrifying power to warp reality. Because his power is so vast, he burns through bodies at an alarming rate. He can only be contained - or killed - by inorganic metal. In an effort to contain him (and, presumably, help him at some point), Moira locked him in a metal cell. He was kept there, alone, for god knows how long, until Magneto accidentally freed him. They know he escaped the island and, because of his parasitic need for fresh host bodies, Moira posits that he’ll be heading for a big city.

Kevin - who dubs himself Proteus - racks up an impressive body count in the country side, killing 7 people in total. (6 people and 1 dupe? Eh.) He’s a terrific villain, because he’s powerful, has a well-defined weakness and, even though it’s not impossible to emphasize with him -- isolation tends to drive people mad -- the way he discards his victims is truly chilling.

The X-Men chase after him, Wolverine picking up the scent. When Proteus tries to claim him, Logan’s adamantium skeleton repels him. In response, he unspools reality.

I’ve had this trip. I think they call this strain Dragon’s Dynamite. (X-Men 126)

Storm intervenes, but Proteus leaves Nightcrawler and especially Wolverine rattled. Logan’s heightened senses root him in reality more than most, and when Proteus uses his powers, everything is just screaming wrong at him. But nobody is safe: little Kevin MacTaggart turns gravity against Ororo, taking her out as well.

He tries to claim Storm, but Moira repels him, sniping at him from afar. Proteus fears (metal) bullets, knowing they can kill him. When Cyclops realizes Moira’s shooting to kill, he intervenes - X-Men don’t kill, after all. Moira knocks him out with her gun, but Kevin escapes in the confusion. Moira finally realizes where her son is headed, while the X-Men regroup.

In Edinburgh, Moira pays Joe MacTaggart a visit - her husband, Kevin’s father.

The MacTaggarts are definitely in the running for the Xavier/Marko-award for Fucked Up Family Dynamics. (X-Men 127)

There’s a calculating coldness to Moira’s character that I’ve never responded well to, but I like how Claremont fills in the blanks here. It’s part unhappiness, part a deep frustration with her inability to help her own son. I wonder how Kevin was a child, before his mutant gene activated: was he a sweet boy, or one with a cruel streak? Did she fear what he might become?

There’s a few gaps in Claremont’s narrative, but Hickman has drawn on this very well, I think: the Moira X in HoXPoX is equally calculating, equally cold. But how can she not be? How often has she raised Kevin? How often has she had to kill him? How many times has she watched these people, these X-Men, die?

Anyway, Moira’s warning is as effective as anger management therapy for Sabretooth, because Kevin comes by Joe’s office a little while later and snuffs out his dad. Phoenix hears Joe screaming telepathically across the moors, allowing the X-Men to pinpoint him. Claremont also makes sure to show that Jean’s power is steadily growing:

Polaris be like: “No, no, I’m carrying my own emotionally stunted Summers boy, thank you.” (X-Men 127)

Proteus takes Moira hostage as the X-Men confront him. They fight.

Ordinarily, I don’t pay a lot of attention to the fight scenes, because recapping those usually boils down to “Cyclops conks Magneto in the helmet” or “Wolverine snikts Pyro in the gas tank”, but this one is truly great. John Byrne delivers some excellent work, showcasing the scope of Proteus’ powers through his art, his panelling. Don’t just take my word for it:

I love how trippy all of this is. Pivoting gravity, changing an optic beam into flowers… Sure, Proteus might be a callous and cruel SoB, but he’s also one imaginative motherfucker. (X-Men 127)

One by one, Proteus manages to distract or take out the X-Men, either by endangering passers-by, encasing them in amber (Storm) or burying them alive (Banshee). One of my favorite details is how afraid they all are: especially Wolverine and Nightcrawler hesitate before jumping into the fray. For them, this villain is truly beyond their scope.

In the end, it’s Phoenix who manages to drive him back, outside of the center of Edinburg and up an old castle, where there are fewer civilians to threaten. There, on the ramparts, it’s Colossus who makes the final stand: he destroys Proteus’ physical body and realizes that right now, there’s only one thing they can do to stop him. All it will cost is Piotr’s innocence.

Showcasing an ancient Japanese truth: Psychic Pokémon are weak to Steel attacks. (X-Men 128)

Proteus scatters to the winds and the X-Men emerge victorious, though Moira has lost both her son and her husband after this ordeal. Moreover, I think this is the first villain that the X-Men explicitly kill, simply because they have no other options left. This marks the first time that their ideal of mutant rehabilitation fails. What’s worse is that Kevin MacTaggart was essentially nothing more than a supremely screwed up boy who got access to way too much power way too quickly.

I wonder if it would have turned out differently had Xavier been there. (I also wonder if it’s a coincidence that this takes place right before the Dark Phoenix saga.)

I think this might be Claremont’s best arc yet, heightened by John Byrne’s excellent art. Chris deftly mixes horror, action and his usual soap opera elements, serving one cohesive narrative that (for once) doesn’t leave much hanging. Proteus is an excellent villain whose powers work visually (pay attention, MCU) and whose entire being touches on one of the same aspects as Krakoa: can and should every mutant fit into any sort of normal society?

If you have someone who’s interested in vintage X-Men and you want to recommend something that doesn’t require a confusing explanation of all the necessary backstory (and perhaps a crude sketch of the Summers and/or Lensherr family tree), I would recommend this arc.

And the rest, as they say, is Hellfire. 1980 is gonna be a doozy.