Framing A Moose

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

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Iris Rivers

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Location: Main Entrance -> Danger Room
Skills: Survival Skills, Pyrokinesis

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The perpetually high X-Woman didn't seem all too phased by the series of teleportations, one right after the other. The only real effect it had on her was giving her an expression of mild shock, which she blinked away in a manner of moments. She shot a sympathetic frown Neil's way, seeing that he didn't handle the trip nearly as well, before looking over to Lance, one eyebrow raised. "Oh man, that's new. First Bellflower, then you? I wonder who our next teleporter will be...I wonder if Upsilon and I could, like, fire teleport. Maybe we should try. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?" Iris quipped, trying to lighten the intense mood. She quickly flipped her mind from her bard duties to instead think back on the index of wilderness survival tips her mom taught her in Oregon. A long list of mosquito tips came to the forefront of her mind. "Mary, what kind of seeds do you have? Rosemary, lavender, basil, and lemongrass are all natural mosquito repellants. If we can grow a bunch at the entrance of the Danger R-" she began, but stopped when she felt the ground rumble.

Her gaze shifted to Annie as the girl did her fun psychic thing, predicting a stampede coming there way. Oddly enough, it was comforting to know that the rumbling wasn't thunder, or else Iris very well might've made like Elizabeth and ran for cover. Instead, she held onto her mug with both hands, eyes scanning the room, waiting for the animals to bust in. It didn't make it any less surprising when they eventually did. They plowed through a number of her teammates, but either due to dumb luck, her training in the maneuver-focused art of tai chi, or a combination of both, she managed to get herself out of the way, clutching her pecan mug tightly to her chest. She was just as dazed as everyone else as the beasts kept moving to the other side of the danger room, but instead of plowing through the other wall to go become someone else's problem, they turned, and seemed to be intent on coming back at them. As they did, however, Iris caught sight of Upsilon stepping out the hole they'd just made, walking through the rubble.

"Upsilon...RAISE THE WALL OF FIRE!" She yelled in a loud, booming voice, raising her arms into the air like a powerful witch drawing upon the earth for a devastating attack. A line of bright blue flames sprung from the ground in between the X-Men and the animals, rising to the impressive height of...two feet. Iris lowered her arms, looking back at her delusion with a frown. "Come on, dude, raise it a little higher than that." Her voice came out whiny, a stark contrast from the powerful shout she'd released moments earlier. Upsilon stood there motionless for a few seconds, before pointing over to the flames. When Iris turned to look, they were a foot higher. "When I said 'a little' I didn't actually mean a little!"

The Gifted - Concluded

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Waverley Watts - Feedback

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Location: George Washington University
Skills: Perception (failed)

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Waverley visibly flinched backwards as Sapphire began to yell at her, her entire body tensing up. Her shoulders shrugged up against her ears, and she shuffled backwards a few steps as the pale-haired woman hounded her. Her face, which had previously been, to some degree, sharp and determined with the excitement of being useful was instead doe-eyed and hurt. Her backwards shambling was eventually stopped by a hand on her shoulder, which, when she looked over, she found belonged to Echo. Despite his late arrival to the group, he was quickly rising on her list of favorite Mutant Underground members.

She relaxed under his grip as he shed validation on her, and defended her against the torrent of angered yelling Sapphire threw her way. She had been trying to help. She assumed having some water to work with would help, even if it wasn't necessary. And as far as the car went, she had no way of knowing Polaris would be able to lift it up so high into the air. There hadn't been time for a briefing before the fight, and she didn't recognize the woman like she had recognized the other two. Though perhaps, she admitted to herself, running over Pyro was a bit much. Having had a power that was more useful for utility than combat, she always just made due with whatever was around.

She shot a glance over at Pyro, hoping the rise of his chest would be obvious and apparent, but she had no such luck. She looked back to Sapphire, walking away from the group, and part of her wanted to speak up, defend herself, but her anxiety held her back. Instead, she simply stood there, her clothes and body getting damp to fit her mood. The cold would be setting in soon, so she turned to head to the van, only to hear Veil speak up suggesting the do just that. But something else she said caught her attention.

"Cayden's not dead. One of the Echos got him to the ambulance. We're gonna have to pick him up later, and we'll have to do something about the bill, but it'll be worth it," Waverley replied a bit too confidently to be sincere, especially from a girl who was usually too nervous to tell the fast food place they got her order wrong. She was still denial, it seemed. Still, she climbed into the van, taking the first available seat. Glancing back in the van, she caught sight of Cayden's lifeless body. She didn't stare at him long enough to determine there was no more life in him, instead whirling her head to look at Echo in the passenger seat. "I-I thought you were going to take him to the ambulance. I don't think he'll be able to make it back to James!"

Forgotten Space

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Location: Galley
Skills:

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For the most part, Cal's dour expression remained on her face when Kyle attempted to bring up her mood. It wasn't his fault; after everything, making her smile was an impossible task. The corner of her mouth did twitch upward, though, like a boulder someone was trying to push, budging only slightly, but budging nonetheless. She wasn't going to smile, but for half a second, she wasn't frowning. Once that half-second was over, she let out a huff from her nose. "Right then, if we're planning on doing somethin', we should take stock of what we've got, and what we might need. Luckily, we've got the magic menu thing in here, so that's a big plus, but let's see what we've got on us before we decide to make anything," she said, before she began emptying out her pockets and putting her items on the table. First the lighter, then the knife, then the vial of liquid, and finally, her pill bottle. But as her eyes once again brushed against the name typed out on the bottle, it was like unlocking a lock in her head.

Trigger Warning: Attempted Suicide

It was more vivid than any of the other memory snippets she'd felt before. It felt like she was there. She was surrounded by white tile in front of a white sink. A bathroom? A bathroom. It wasn't well taken care of, with grime and water stains on the walls and floor. She felt...loss? She'd lost someone. No, not someone...two someones. And failure. She felt failure. She'd tried to do something, but couldn't. She couldn't remember who she'd lost, or what she'd failed at. But the feelings were strong. In her hand she felt that pill bottle, labelled with the name 'Vincent O'Mally'. Except it was full, and the lid was nowhere to be found. She stood there for a long while, staring down at the bottle. She knew what was to come even before she remembered it. She wanted to stop remembering, but the ball was already rolling. Eventually, she brought the bottle to her lips, tilted her head back, and did the deed. She swallowed a number of the pills, but her throat rejected most of them, coughing and sputtering them into the sink. She reached for the glass of water she'd prepared to help them go down, instead knocking it over, the water spilling onto the floor. What followed was hours of fading in and out of consciousness, vomiting on the white tiles, knowing every time she closed her eyes that she could very well die. But despite what she'd intended, death never arrived.

It had felt like an eternity had passed when Cal came to, but it had really only been a few seconds, her hand was gripping the table, using it to keep her balance. Her head was hung, staring at the ground, where her cigarette and pill bottle lay. She hazily remembered dropping the bottle when the memory hit, and the cigarette must've fallen out of her mouth when her lips parted in shock. Her cheeks were damp with what her sniffling nose suggested were tears. She pushed herself off the table, stumbling in place in a daze, wiping her cheeks clean with her arm. "S-sorry, where were we?" Her words came out as a weak mumble, as if hoping lowering her volume would help conceal the anguish in her voice. It didn't.

Ω Heroes of Olympus: The Next Age of Heroes Ω

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Waverley Watts

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Location: New Rome - Coffee Shop -> The Augery
Skills: Musical Mystiokinesis

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Waverley didn't at all mind third-wheeling with Marco and Emily; she was a hopeless romantic, just as many artists are, and the two of them shared one of the purest loves she'd ever encountered. She liked to think that even simply being around the pair, she'd somehow absorb some scrap of their adorably sappy vibes like some sort of love sponge, which might later fuel her musical creativity. The cheery smile that had rested contently on her lips on their way to the Augery, however, faded as they stepped inside, immediately greeted by a floor filled with the remains of stuffed animals who looked as though they'd been torn asunder by an angry deity as a punishment for their hubris. She didn't even see the painting at first, instead still horrified by the intestines of stuffing that littered the ground.

"By God is right..." Waverley agreed as she kneeled to the ground, picking up a bit of stuffing and feeling it between her fingers like some stuffed animal homicide detective. The girl had a bad habit of anthropomorphizing things, and it definitely didn't help that stuffed animals were made to be anthropomorphized. She couldn't help but try to patch up some of them. Plus, she told herself, it would be good practice. So, while Em studied the painting and Marco went to wake up Alexandra, Waverley began to softly sing under her breath.

"Don't be afraid when clouds are brewin' in your heart
If you can dream just send a wish out in the dark
And do the Care Bear's Countdown
5, 4, 3, 2, 1"

Waverley was more surprised by the fact that she still knew even a snippet of the Care Bears Countdown than she was by the fact that it didn't work right away. She pouted for a moment, before repeating the countdown. Her second try was much more successful, and she watched with a grin as the bit of stuffing she held wiggled out of her fingers, finding its way back to the stuffed animal it had been torn out of. By the time they were done repairing themselves, a good half of them were in pristine condition. Waverley got back to her feet, and only then did she see the painting the sleeping psychic had painted. "Oof, that's...that's grim," she commented, before pulling out her phone and taking a quick photo of it, just in case they needed to take a look at it later.

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

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Iris Rivers

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Location: Living Room -> Main Entrance
Skills:

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"Oh, but I have found a way to get myself killed," Iris replied to the mumbling Mira walked into the living room, before giving a lazy sweep of her arm, indicating the group she'd joined months prior, full of young superpowered warriors who constantly put themselves in harm's way. "It just hasn't worked yet." Her pure amusement in her own comment was visible in her genuine grin, though it quickly shifted to a exaggerated pout as Mary grabbed the jade monkey. "Aw beans, I was hoping we were gonna get the monkey..." she mumbled, instead hoisting up the rhinoceros and putting it in place. Once it was there, she sauntered towards Mira, taking her place next to the girl. "Ours is the rhino, so prepare yourself for hours and hours of 'horny' jokes," she told Mira, her voice low. She liked to treat Mira like a friend, even though the girl despised her. Hell, maybe Mira despising her was why treating her like a friend was so fun.

The blonde girl flinched backwards when the shockwave blasted outward, letting out a huff from her nose as the evil demon board game proved itself to be real. As the riddle was read out, Iris pulled her cigarette from her mouth, and snuffed it out using the side of her mug, before tossing the half-smoked joint onto the coffee table for later. She watched as the bugs began to fly into the room, causing one of their members to freak out and run away. Upsilon entered with them, as if he could hear his powers might be needed, which wasn't unlikely. He tilted his head questioningly, but Iris shook her head in response. Her abilities were volatile, chaotic, and she didn't want to be the one to burn down the mansion. Luckily before the bugs could get too close, Bethany wrapped them in shadows and dragged them away, to the entrance of the mansion. It didn't take a genius to figure out she'd meant to take them to the Danger Room, but this was better than nothing.

"I mean, it's leagues above being stuck inside with a mosquito swarm!" Iris optimistically said, shooting a smile to Bethany and raising her mug to her. She then looked to the others expectantly. "Sooo...there wouldn't happen to be a super secret passage to the Danger Room I don't know about, would there? Because that would be convenient." Iris had been living in the mansion for long enough to know the way to the Danger Room, but she always assumed with a mansion so massive, there were bound to be secret doors all over the place that only the senior members knew about.

The Gifted - Concluded

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Waverley Watts - Feedback

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Location: George Washington University
Skills: Perception, Sound Wave Manipulation

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Waverley wasn't going to lie; it extremely awkward to watch the soap opera-esque scenario playing out in front of her, complete with wild accusations and alleged adultery. So she did her best to focus instead on her whistle, which was more important anyhow. She kept a mental hold of it, ready to amplify it when and where it was needed at a moments notice. When an entire half a car was thrown down onto Sapphire, more than a little self-doubt crept into her mind. After all, she'd just discovered this new ability, and now she would be trying to knock half of an entire vehicle out of the way. But with one final push of her whistle, she shoved out all her uncertainty, and amplified the sound under the car. Much to her surprise, it actually worked. The car bounced off her invisible wall of sound and into a nearby alley, which she hoped no one inhabited.

Her eyes went wide with surprise at what she'd just done. She wasn't sure how much exactly a car weighed, but she knew it was enough that even being able to throw half of one was impressive. Her surprised expression turned to a grin as Echo sailed past, congratulating her on her little stunt. She flashed him a quick thumbs up, before registering the sharp pain of her unattended broken arm, which she immediately went back to holding. With Polaris down, she shot a glance over at the young girl who was standing at the edge of the fight, calling out to Sapphire. Waverley looked over to the iceslinger, who she found hadn't seemed to have heard the girl. When it was quickly revealed that energy attacks wouldn't be effective, Waverley sent a nod in the girl's direction.

"Good thinking, Thunderchick!" she called out as the girl ran back towards Echo. She scanned the area for any more fire hydrants; if they were going to do this, they'd best do it big. She managed to catch sight of one more, so, gathering up the soundwaves Echo's song had sent her way, she sent a wave of amplified music to pop them open. It worked, and water immediately began to gush onto the streets. She took a few steps back towards the car, looking over to Sapphire. "Can you make an wall of ice? Or, like, a slippery ice floor for the Sentinel to slip on?" Waverley wanted to think that she sounded assertive and badass, but in reality, that was not the case. Her voice still had an audible tremor in it from falling out of the sky and breaking her arm, and her tone rose at the end of both sentences, turning them into unsure questions rather than confident suggestions.

Forgotten Space

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Location: Galley
Skills:

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"We don't even know if I need to 'change and reform'. All we've got is the word of a thirteen-year-old," Cal told Kyle, the air quotes audible in her voice, even if they weren't pantomimed. Her words came out in the form of a croak, cracked and quiet. She wasn't looking at him, or anybody, for that matter, when she talked. Her eyes were glued on glowing tip of her cigarette. "Go right ahead, mate. Don't much mind if you pretend I don't exist. Seems like everyone would prefer it that way." Her assertion was almost immediately cemented by Vinnie's rant, most of which went unreacted to. Cal did raise her eyebrow when the phrase 'ableist piece of shit' left her mouth, though. Even without her memories, there were a number of insults she'd direct at herself, but ableist was not one. She didn't have the energy to try to decipher what had led Vinnie to that conclusion, so instead she halfheartedly pointed at the girl with her cigarette.

"Case and point," she mumbled, before taking a long, quiet drag. After a few moments of unbearable silence, she let out a smoke-filled sigh. "Miserable cunt..." she murmured, tapping the end of her cigarette and letting the ash flutter to the floor. She finally looked up to the remaining members of their little crew, who, by decree of Kyle's little division decision, were the only ones who could tolerate her. Three people, four if she included herself, which she didn't. She'd have walked away from herself too if she could've. "You can go with them. I don't give a shit. I mean, what are a chef, a swimmer, a pariah, and a cop going to do against the great mysteries of space?"

Ω Heroes of Olympus: The Next Age of Heroes Ω

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Waverley Watts

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Location: New Rome - Coffee Shop
Skills:

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Waverley gave a solid, single nod when Madalyne divvied up the duties, rising from her seat in preparation to leave. When she did, she found herself standing alone, as it seemed the others weren't quite ready to go. Awkwardly, she slowly lowered herself back onto her seat. As they went on to talk a bit about Nancy's sexuality and aversion to dating, Waverley's eyebrows popped up in surprise. She probably should have picked up on it in her time knowing the girl, but she had always had a pretty garbage gaydar, a fact that lead to all manners of both embarrassing rejections and missed opportunities. She was content to simply listen and fade out of the conversation, but she was quickly pulled back into it when Nancy's sharp voice cut into her. Waverley winced, the smile that came with the enjoyment of being part of something quickly giving way to the hurt expression of a pup who'd just been kicked.

"If you say so..." Waverley mumbled, though her uncertainty was evident. She lowered her head slightly, allowing her hair to partially obscure her face. She'd never been one for confrontation, except for when it came to injustice and things she actually cared about, which didn't apply here. So when Emily declared that they best be off, Waverley wasted no time in popping out of her seat, once again gathering all of her things. "Wait, hold on, don't clock out yet," she told Marco, flipping out her wallet and briskly walking back over to the counter. Once there, she dropped a pair of denariuses into the tip jar. Once they fell with a tink inside, she turned back to Emily and Marco, giving them both a smile. "Alright, now go for it."

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

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Iris Rivers

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Location: Kitchen -> Living Room
Skills:

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Iris gave a nod of agreement when Annie delved into the topic of religion and its perseverance even in the face of alternative evidence. It was an clever analysis, but when Iris opened her mouth in order to discuss further, Lance, seemingly out of nowhere, began to chew her out. Her gaze shifted to him, eyes wide as he tore into her, her lips curling into a frown. It was clear from her expression that she seemed hurt. She would have expected that sort of disapproving rant from Mira or Bethany, what with how open in their abhorrence of her they were, but she'd come to think of Lance as a friend, even if he was too emotionally closed off to reciprocate. After a few moments, though, the hurt expression seemed to fade. Whatever it was that angered him, she got the feeling it wasn't her. As he apologized to her, Iris' frown softened into a small, comforting smile.

"It's cool dude, you seem like you've got a lot on your mind," she softly said, putting her joint back between her lips before lightly patting Lance on the back. After a moment or two, she pulled her hand back and instead stuck her mug out to him. "Y'know, my mom always says that nothing sooths a troubled soul quite like a candied pecan. Though to be fair, she says that about a lot of things," she offered, following him and Marygold out the kitchen and in the direction of the living room.

Forgotten Space

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Location: Galley
Skills:

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Cal didn't try to hide her annoyance as a good chunk of their little space circus followed her into the galley. In all honesty, she had been hoping to get a minute alone, just her and her thousand thoughts. Maybe a little piece and quiet would be enough to dislodge whatever was stuck between her and her memories. But the others made it obvious that that wasn't going to be happening anytime soon, so she turned her attention towards them. Vinnie was the first to get it, with her immediate cry to jail her, the second one of the day. One more, and it'd start getting annoying. Cal brought her cigarette up to her lips in an attempt to calm herself down, and it seemed to half-work.

"There's no laws in space, dipshit. Even if I was a drug dealer, which there's no concrete evidence to support, I still wouldn't be a criminal," she replied, the only emotion in her voice being slight perturbance. With that comment, she brushed off Vinnie and glanced towards Tessa, giving her a shake of her head. "I'm good, mate. Thanks for the offer, though." She wasn't going to lie to herself; it was nice to have someone talk to her in a non-accusatory manner, even if it was to offer a cup of coffee. Her eyes scanned the room as she took another inhale of smoke, and when she counted heads, she noticed a couple missing, though there was only one that jumped out at her. "Where's the kid? Prob'ly just coolin' off. Someone should go make sure she's not about to blow up the bloody ship."