Question Round and Round

SPOILER ALERT
Below is a stream of conscious commentary I type up as I read the story. There will details from the story included in it. If you have not read the story yet and don't wish to have details of it spoiled, read no further.



Round and Round Part 1 comments
Ouch, I know what David is going through, had migraines that bad before. Little sister Becky and yes, even a whisper can feel like someone is shouting when you have a migraine, so her exclaim in a loud voice would be like cannons going off nearby. Dang, David is lucky, when I got a migraine that bad as a kid and in my early teens I had to go to the hospital to get a shot to knock me out after suffering for over 2-3 hours.

Uh oh, headaches started just 2 months ago and that often, surprised the doctors only gave him prescription meds. MRI and nothing, always glad to hear it isn't what you feared but also worried about what it might be with each test that turns up nothing. Bouncing off the walls hyper from an espresso, how can he handle the taste of that stuff. Oh boy, a precocious six year old little sister, thinks being made to be quiet deserves her getting back at him. Okay...Becky is not your normal little girl by a long shot. Doing that to a doll, yesh.

"That's it... No more A-team reruns..."

Bwahaha, you can never tell what a kid will latch onto for a source of fun and imagination. Cook at a diner, nice job to have if you love the work. Hehehe, I like Becky, won't let herself get bullied and fights back. And oh boy, that attitude towards mutants, I hope this doesn't end badly for David and he loses his family. Calling it a mutant 'problem', ugh. Nice change of subject though, that will make them forget what they were talking about quick...possibly rush to get medicine for the headache Becky's singing might induce.

Sweating that much, I would take a moment to catch my breath as well, despite what Henri says. Gets to the bank right as a migraine starts, ouch. And a robber shows up, exemplar from the description, Pinball, oh boy. 'Librarian' says to do what they say, why do I get the feeling she might be working with Pinball somehow. Yup, everyone calm and relaxed despite the situation, has to be the 'librarian' using a PSI or ESP power on them.

Summons forth something like a soap bubble around herself, yet it vanished and David's headache got even worse. Body feels like it is on fire, not burnout! Pinball drags him into a side office and ask what color his eyes are, they aren't gray like he stated, in the middle of manifesting as a mutant, others might assume he was with Pinball, oh brother. All this because he went to deposit a check in the bank.

Okay, what happened when Pinball touched his forehead, please tell me his power isn't like Rogue and skin contact-based. Dang, didn't expect Pinball to be so nice to him, guess she wants to help a fellow mutant out. Great, thinks Pinball was just messing with him, that will complicate things later. Golden and glowing irises for his eyes, poor kid is freaking out now.

Ouch, blaming Pinball, scared of how his parents will react. Golden glow around him, plus worse things to deal with than the cops or his parents. Superheroes or worse, the MCO, and David hears the truth about what they are really like for the majority. Taking him 'hostage' to get him out of there safely, oh boy, so many ways this could go wrong. Hair is starting to change color too now, oh boy, hope this doesn't fall apart fast and they both get out safely.

Ah, so that is what that 'soap bubble' earlier was, her force field and it can absorb kinetic energy to become stronger, dang.

"Are you sure you're not called Hamster Ball?"

David has gotten a lot braver in the last couple of minutes to joke like that. And we find out why she chose that codename, Pinball is very apt for how she bounces around off things.

I have to admit, her power is impressive, offense, defense, and movement ability all rolled into one. Pinball is pretty nice for being a criminal, good advice to new mutant just manifesting, hope David follows it. Joy ride with a super villain, wonder how many kids at Whateley can brag about that.

Confined to his room, ouch. And Goodkind Bank branch, heh, perfect target. Sent to his room and only allowed out to eat, all because they are freaking out he is a mutant. Oh brother, they are buying into all that crap about mutants, believing their own son is dangerous to himself and everyone else now just because he manifested. Called in some experts, oh no! She called the MCO like a trusting fool, throwing her own child to the wolves.

Golden eyes, red hair that is growing fast, entire body feeling odd and strange tingling sensation in one place or another, sounds like a changeling turning into a girl to me. And I was right, she called the MCO and they are treating him like a dangerous criminal, sickening. And taser on him simply because he started to glow, arrogant idiots. Kicking him when he is on the ground, bunch of thugs.

This is for the best, his mom is an uninformed idiot imo, acting out of fear. Oh boy, dad isn't home and doesn't know mom did this. Wait a minute, headaches triggered by sensing other mutants, as he sensed Mister Harris every time he went down that hallway, is he a power copier or something? Dang, tries to fight them with a ball of fire and they shoot him dead, MCO monsters.

Chained up like that in the van, one of the MCO thugs had his sister killed by a mutant so he blames all mutants, even punching David, makes me want to scream. Wait, how could his body not hurt anymore, especially after those punches, did he copy Pinball's powers including exemplar and gain some exemplar regen?

Pinball to the rescue! Highwayman helping her out, nice. Fun-looking bike Highwayman has. *eyes bug out* Monster shot David in the shoulder, saying he won't let him get away. Okay, yeah, force field like Pinball's but golden, power copier of some sort and copied her powers. Finding out Pinball didn't save him from the second bullet, plus the wound and all that happened, too much for the poor kid to take and passes out.

A dull pain from where he was shot, definitely some level of Regen of some sort. And only in his underwear, he is going to be embarrassed when he finds out Pinball did that to dress his wound. And the first major sign he is turning into a girl, poor kid is going to have it rough with the continuing changes for a while. Softer and smoother skin, body shape just feels...off, puffy chest. Dang, has to have Regen 3-4 type effect to be changing that fast after being injured.

Hair shoulder length and almost the exact same color of red as Pinball's, oh boy, don't tell me because he copied her powers he copied the BIT that came with her exemplar trait as well. That is going to lead to a lot of complications. Can't go home, on the run from the MCO, and now his clothes don't fit right anymore because of the changes, triple whammy. And Pinball reveals that regeneration is one of her powers as well, how long until they figure out what is going on themselves I wonder.

And she is an Exemplar 4, if David retains her powers he is going to be very powerful even without copying anyone else. Oh, ouch, thinking he will become handsome with big muscles. Jaqueline "Jackie" Martin, nice name. And the 'librarian' from the bank, Emily, is there as well making pancakes. Her partner in crime, among other things. Energizer for her force field and David has the same appetite, believing it is due to fueling his healing and physical changes alone.

Emily is a project empath, potent ability to have. Paralegal, wonder how many cases involving the MCO or Goodkind businesses she has been involved in. Good thing she was keeping an eye on David, or he would have just been another kid disappeared by the MCO. Emily points out they have a lot in common and Jackie starts to realize that is a LOT of coincidences. Wonder who they can go to get David tested safely.

For David it is like the universe put him on a rollercoaster and said "Hold on tight and don't let go." with how his life has been in just a few days. And he finally figures out he is turning into a girl, have a full on freak out, what is a dream to some is a nightmare to others. Have to get Emily to keep him calm, scared and confused but not freaking out anymore after Emily stops using her power.

Ah, Jackie and Emily were in Poe at Whateley, had some changelings in their class and knew the process of an exemplar turning from a guy into a girl. Oh boy, hearing that he can't just turn it off and stop from turning into a girl, plus the changes finishing up in a day or two, ouch. Has a lot of expenses and can't earn the money to pay it legally, ouch. And David learns about the Goodkind family, yet David is trying to think about why the MCO agents who came for him might just be the exception to the rule, the bad apples in the bunch. A lot to take in in such a short amount of time.

"It's called common sense. Most people just don't have it."

And Emily first brings up Whateley Academy, David thinking it is a school for super villains at first. Ouch, having to deal with his new and changing body. Hhm, is Emily a receptive empath as well, need more than the way she was looking at David to figure that out. Dark blue SUV, nice vehicle and doesn't stand out, perfect.

Dang, David reminds Jackie of her little brother who she hasn't seen or her family since shortly after she started her career. Awww, asked out Amanda Conner only for her to turn him down and avoid him, after of being outed as a mutant. Dang, outed by her former best friend at school and her family had to move away, all because of an argument.

30 minute drive to a place with old warehouses, plus the fact they aren't currently in use, good for their purposes. Joking about it being her evil lair, even dubbed the Pinball Machine by David which Jackie says she will have to remember. Having to get stressed to trigger the force field, at least she is a pro and could have stopped if needed. Punching the bubble and it holds for a while, they still don't realize why David's powers are so similar to Pinball's yet.

A game of bumper cars with their force fields, fun. Ouch, slammed like that with the force field dropping, good thing he only got bruised. Woah, levitating the force field like that, something even Pinball can't do, just what is going on with David's power? And off to an all you can eat place, good thing most places like that have energizer specials.

Ouch, wake up with C cups and completely a girl except the internal plumbing which should finish in a few hours. Well, at least he/she is trying to see the postive side of this, if she is stuck as a girl she is a hot one. Emotions bouncing around like a yo-yo and doesn't want to do it again, sometimes it isn't our choice though.

Doctor Diabolik launching a raid on Toronto, Jackie doesn't work with anyone who has too much ambition like that or world conquerors. Jackie and Emily teasing each other and then kissing, they are cute together. Emily realizes what has happened, gets the photo album and shows it to Jackie, David looks like she did at that age! Except for the golden streak of hair and David having gold eyes instead of green, they could be twins.

Jackie thinks it is shapeshifting and David might be able to change back, yet I'm guessing that would be way too simple an answer and solution. At least Emily figures out David needs power testing to figure out if it is shapeshifting or something else. Dang, David is a great cook, keeping all those things going at once, scrambled, over easy, and even omelets while cooking bacon at the same time.

"Bjork bjork bjork."

Love the Swedish Chef bit.

Ouch, thinking about what it says about the world when a super villain is nice to him and his own family treats him like crap, just ouch. Emily's codename is Soothe, hasn't used it since high school. Dang, rebel and called herself Riot Act in her freshman year, grew up thankfully. Things change and sometimes life doesn't go as planned, painful but true. *eyes bug out* Summoned a sphere the size of a baseball in her hand, able to move it around like the large sphere, and it isn't another thing Jackie can't do, dang.

So what is going on, David seemed to have copied Jackie's powers yet the force fields have additional capabilities which Jackie's doesn't. Hopefully they get some answers soon, more mysteries than answers about what is going on with David's powers now. Can only have one small sphere out at a time, oh well, improve with practice possibly. Yikes, how to embarrass a new girl easily, poor kid is going to find out what it like having Jackie as a 'big sister' now. Can't wait to find out what David's powers are in the next part and more.

SPHERE is finally cannon, the main deviations from the original fanfic will come in the later parts IIRC -based on certain GLOWing events and characters

Thanks for the read!

I really enjoyed the pacing at the beginning. We are thrown almost immediately in the middle of the action, with help coming from an unexpectedly caring villain, despicable MCO agents, and fun powers.

I wonder. If David is a power mimic, and if that slight headache hints that she could take on another mutant's power, will she stick with Jackie's powers or swap to something else, maybe even changing her appearance along the way? I kind of like how David turned out, and I really enjoy her powerset. Wouldn't want it to change, but the possibility is there.

This is going to be fun.

Trying to discuss differences from the cannon version from the original FF and not spoiling it for those who never read the FF.

Were there any changes at all? I don't think I spotted any.

mhalpern wrote: SPHERE is finally cannon, the main deviations from the original fanfic will come in the later parts IIRC -based on certain GLOWing events and characters

Since this story is taking place after Glow's there shouldn't be any changes required

annachie wrote: This is going to be fun.

Trying to discuss differences from the cannon version from the original FF and not spoiling it for those who never read the FF.

Were there any changes at all? I don't think I spotted any.

Other than dates and a location added, farther north than I expected, I didn't notice any.

I'm glad to see Sphere finally becoming Canon, as this was the first Whateley story of any kind I read. (I wonder how much change is needed in the story to make it fit Canon?)

I'm just glad we won't have to wait for the 21 parts like it was originally posted over at BC. (looks like it will be three or four parts)

I guess I never noticed it when I read the original fanfic, but is it a coincidence that David-as-Jackie's-Clone shares a passing resemblance in appearance and has a similar ability to one of Blake's from Morpheus' Twisted story?

I know a few of his other characters share similarities, backgrounds, appearances, and powers with previous works, often deliberately (e.g. Absinthe and CHASM).

annachie wrote: Were there any changes at all? I don't think I spotted any.

I'm lazy, so I ran a text-compare to find out if I would need to read the story again...

Other than the added place/timestamps where the fanfic had chapter breaks... only a few typos were fixed. That is, the story is pretty much identical to the fanfic.

So far.

I find it amusing that both this week's stories begin with the main characters getting migraines.


I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't anticipating Round and Round and Absinthe a great deal. This is going to be lots of fun!

Does the story ever mention how big Pinball's ball is? And does it form intersecting the ground, or rolling around on top of it? If it rolls around on top, how does it form without slicing off her feet? If it intersects the ground, how does it roll around?

Well we know that a couple of Poe alumni will HAVE to take note of the additions to Poe, I am eagerly waiting to see them (or at least Sphere) being introduced to the cause of said additions, if Ayla hears her story, he will once again think of the millions he donated to the MCO due to upbringing and false information.

loved this the first time I read it, even better now that its canon, and since ive spent a lot of time in minniapolis and finished high school in eau Claire Wisconsin its just plane fun lol

This was actually my very first introduction to the whateley-verse.

<.<

Apparently i'm still here, and writing fab-lab stuff, so it definitely did a great job. I really appreciated that it explained all the concepts of the universe in a fairly organic matter so even a novice like me could understand what was going on.

Well done Morpheus I look forward to reading it again!

~Shaiden

Arcanist Lupus wrote: Does the story ever mention how big Pinball's ball is? And does it form intersecting the ground, or rolling around on top of it? If it rolls around on top, how does it form without slicing off her feet? If it intersects the ground, how does it roll around?

You are assuming that the field starts and remains as a rigid sphere. It helps to think in terms of the people who ran around in the old weather balloons (think about Rover in the tv series The Prisoner) - they deformed to maintain a smallish flat footprint but rolled around just fine. Much the same happens with car tires.

In theory, such a field forms pushing outward from the body. When she forms it, it probably lifts her feet (or whatever) a small fraction of an inch off the ground.

Round and Round (Part 1) wrote: “Needless to say, we have a VERY large food bill,” Emily pointed out, sticking her tongue out at Jackie. Jackie just grinned, stuck her own tongue out back, then went back to eating.

“Is that…is that why you rob banks?” I asked Jackie quietly.

That part always cracks me up.

SPOILER ALERT
Below is a stream of conscious commentary I type up as I read the story. There will details from the story included in it. If you have not read the story yet and don't wish to have details of it spoiled, read no further.



Round and Round Part 2 comments

The sisterly bond that Dana and Jackie develop really brings a smile to my face.

A really fun chapter! I felt relieved during the power testing when it was revealed that Dana had imprinted for good on Jackie. The two are just too close and adorable together, and with the same appearance, powers and humour (and gradually the shared involvement in escaping the law?) they really do feel like sisters already. Wouldn't want to lose that for anything.

My favourite scene was the dad scene, which hits all the right notes, contrasting with Dana's mutant-phobic mom and the MCO. It was a hint of hope that she might get to keep her family, and even if she can't exactly come back, in the end that hope took deep root with "Thank you for giving me back my Dad." Loving it.

Torment left an impression for what little screentime he had. Jackie made a big deal of avoiding the guy, but that was really just a setup for the fight with Super Star. I can't help but feel like he drew too much attention for only a cameo scene, and that he'll probably have an important role in part 3.

One thing... The MCO's shooting of Mr. Harris makes for a great anti-MCO talking point, and it clearly shook up David/Dana's worldview quite a bit. On the other hand, Mr. Harris was in the process of forming a fireball between his hands. Peppering him with holes was perhaps not the best response, but it wasn't particularly unreasonable either.

Arcanist Lupus wrote: One thing... The MCO's shooting of Mr. Harris makes for a great anti-MCO talking point, and it clearly shook up David/Dana's worldview quite a bit. On the other hand, Mr. Harris was in the process of forming a fireball between his hands. Peppering him with holes was perhaps not the best response, but it wasn't particularly unreasonable either.

I've always looked at that one as a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy. The MCO constantly treats mutants way, way more harshly than necessary which makes mutants really twitchy around them which makes Mr Harris go straight for 'Oh shit the MCO better shoot first!' which leads to the MCO putting several rounds into him which leads to future mutants hearing about that and many, many, MANY other incidents like it leading to more Mr. Harrises. Which leads to them being even twitchier and more terrified of the MCO, so they fight back, so the MCO gets more aggressive, etc etc repeat ad nauseam until everything explodes. (Or, y'know, until people get their shit together and manage to stop the spiral of escalation and idiocy, see MCO agents like Agent Wylan and friends).

GrimGrendel wrote: Torment left an impression for what little screentime he had. Jackie made a big deal of avoiding the guy, but that was really just a setup for the fight with Super Star. I can't help but feel like he drew too much attention for only a cameo scene, and that he'll probably have an important role in part 3.

IIRC, he played a somewhat larger role in the non-canon version of the story. But even as it is, he functioned as both a cause for the SS encounter and a trigger for the realspeak conversation about Pinball's boundries.

@Dreamer: regarding your passing question about Indian cuisine, I can tell you that talking of 'Indian food' is like talking of 'Chinese food', in that it lumps together several radically different traditions and influences. Imagine if someone were to say, 'European food', and offered everything from leg of lamb with mint sauce, to Spaghetti Bolognese, to borcht, to peirogi, to tapas, to vichyssoise, all on the same menu as if they were all the same... except that's exactly what a lot of 'Chinese' and 'Indian' restaurants do, often as very Westernized (e.g., sweeter and toned down) versions of the dishes at that, or even 'traditional' dishes made up whole cloth for the European/American tastes (most notably chop suey, fortune cookies, General Tso's chicken, and crab rangoon for American-Chinese, and Mulligatawny soup , kedgeree , and Chicken Tikka Masala for Anglo-Indian).

It is also like Chinese food, in the US at least, in that the quality varies from cheap buffet food that would gag a rat, to gourmet meals that require a mortgage to purchase. In general, though, it is spicy (though usually in a balanced way, in comparison to a lot of Southeastern Asian food (certain Thai and Southern Vietnamese dishes come to mind) and some Sonora Mexican dishes, with a lot of rich and liberally spiced sauces - with different types of curry mixes used in different regions. If memory serves, Northern dishes (especially Bengali) tend to have different kinds of breads, such as naan and roti, while more Central and Southern dishes focus more on rice (generally Basmati or jasmine rices). Beans and lentils tend to get a lot of use as well, as many dishes are vegetarian; the meats that do get used are usually chicken, lamb, or goat (which, confusingly to a USian, is often labeled 'mutton' - in the US, that term usually refers to meat from an adult sheep, as opposed to lamb, but apparently in some places it is used for goat instead, or interchangeably).

Just to clarify the matter: the Anglo-Indian and American-Chinese fusion dishes aren't bad, per se, they are just different from the dishes they are derived from, sort of the way New York, Chicago Deep Dish, and Cali Fusion pizzas are different from Italian pizza Margherita . Some have even made the trip back to their sources, most notably Chicken Tikka Masala .

Give me butter chicken or korma anything over tikka masala any day!

It's hard to find a good indian restaurant around here and you're making me hungry.

You forgot to change the end, when they get to Poe and don't mention the changes.

SPOILER ALERT
Below is a stream of conscious commentary I type up as I read the story. There will details from the story included in it. If you have not read the story yet and don't wish to have details of it spoiled, read no further.


Round and Round Part 3 comments

Morph your a genius. After re reading this story with your re introductions to canon hood a lot of things have clicked between your other stories. It's like a micro plot line inside the greater WU plot. When i first read your stories a few years ago i thought they were independent affairs. But now....Having wised up i am happily surprised with the results. I love having those "Ah hah!" style moments. Can't wait to see how Dana handles things moving forward.

I keep getting "Round and Round" confused with "A Little R&R". Morpheus. You're not a pirate. It's okay to use other letters, you know.

Are you sure?

sure... no-one complains about the Imp puns... but he uses R a few times and it's too much?

I have read sphere's origin story at least 3 or 4 times in the last year, and yet I think this new reading is the first time that I have picked up on the link between the Imp job and Hexfire's owed favor to Pinball.

Thanks Morpheus.

Kettlekorn wrote: Are'R you sure?

Fixed that for you.

Welp, another probability warper is around. Do we have to get worried about Whateley disappiring in some one in a billion fluke this year? That aside, that was an interesting ending for an interesting story, I don't remember seeing so many origins stories involving supervillains like this, or obnoxious superheroes needing to be force-fed modesty (or utterly unmourned ones). The moment fith Jackie's family also offerred a welcome pause for the characters.

Now... How the duck can the MCO field freaking death squadrons like this in all impunity? Even billions of from world-class sponsors have to run out with this sort of stunts, without talking about the fact they pretty much don't care about collateral damage. I mean, spin doctors can only work up to a certain point.

Hardric wrote:
Now... How the duck can the MCO field freaking death squadrons like this in all impunity? Even billions of from world-class sponsors have to run out with this sort of stunts, without talking about the fact they pretty much don't care about collateral damage. I mean, spin doctors can only work up to a certain point.

I suspect that the answer is that they can't. The squad leader here seems overly disturbed, even for the MCO, and I suspect that they're going to throw him under the bus.

For those curious to know what happens to our MCO baddie.



Always subject to change of course.

Math time! Hopefully I won't need Kayda to check my work if I've got this correct.

I burst out laughing and had a hard time stopping when they told me a girl they’d gone to school with whose code name was Bunny. Apparently, she’d had some kind of rabbit spirit and it made her grow a pair of rabbit ears out of the top of her head and a fluffy bunny tail, leaving her looking like some kind of Playboy bunny.

So Jackie and Emily are in their late 20s in 2007, and this Bunny Avatar was their classmate in the 90s. Ibby was active during the 1970s and modeled at least into the 80s, and Tia has a contract in 2016. I know they only said the avatar girl looked like a Playboy Bunny, but should we expect a three Bunnygirl photoshoot in the future, each representing a generation?

Only Ibby and Tia are tied to the brand, so they'd have to find this mysterious woman in her mid/late-30s in 2016. I suppose there isn't any way for Tia and Ibby to know about this third woman unless Jackie still talks to The Imp on occasion.

Hardric wrote: Welp, another probability warper is around. Do we have to get worried about Whateley disappiring in some one in a billion fluke this year? That aside, that was an interesting ending for an interesting story

Jinx is rooming with a person who was crushing on her that she was quite friendly with but she rejected because she's a lesbian. Suddenly, her new roommate is a hot redhead girl who still carries that crush on her. Big difference from Murphy who is constantly worried airplane engines are going to Donnie Darko her.

So Murphy is plagued with bad things that happen around her subconsciously. Jinx implies that she more positive subconscious luck, while her "Jinx" powers are the active ones seen in Imp's stories. Maybe they allow them to both be in Poe because they hope that they will cancel each other out?

Hardric wrote: I don't remember seeing so many origins stories involving supervillains like this, or obnoxious superheroes needing to be force-fed modesty (or utterly unmourned ones). The moment fith Jackie's family also offerred a welcome pause for the characters.

There are some other well-known fanfic series out there (that I will not name or promote because their fanbase isn't as nice), superpowers no less, where it is very overt who the (generally) selfless are and where the superheroes are pretty much the worst people on Earth.

What I've read of other series out there, Whateley in comparison has a lot more depth and nuance to even their one-off side characters.

In other words, the WU is very nice, because it has subtlety and nuance you don't often see elsewhere. All the way back to the very beginning.

Hardric wrote: Welp, another probability warper is around. Do we have to get worried about Whateley disappiring in some one in a billion fluke this year? That aside, that was an interesting ending for an interesting story, I don't remember seeing so many origins stories involving supervillains like this, or obnoxious superheroes needing to be force-fed modesty (or utterly unmourned ones). The moment fith Jackie's family also offerred a welcome pause for the characters.

Remember that the hero team is attempting to capture a wanted bank robber, that is also now wanted for kidnapping. With the exception of Starburst Super Star, who has a hatred of Pinball, and Adonis who is seriously disturbed, the rest of that team is as normal and well adjusted as could be.

Hardric wrote: Now... How the duck can the MCO field freaking death squadrons like this in all impunity? Even billions of from world-class sponsors have to run out with this sort of stunts, without talking about the fact they pretty much don't care about collateral damage. I mean, spin doctors can only work up to a certain point.

Partially the same way that Police officers can sometimes get away with various crimes. Note that most of the time the MCO is much subtler. They kidnapped Ayla without much production, they normally are disappearing kids when they go in for testing or are turned over by their parents. If Pinball hadn't rescued David, he would have disappeared quietly.

If Nikki cranked up her glamour to help her talk down a young man without using violence, are we supposed to call her seriously disturbed? Because that's all we actually saw Adonis do. Rather than continue employing violence against a teenage girl who's probably barely even done anything wrong yet, he chose to try resolving the situation peacefully by manipulating her emotions in the only way he's able. Sure, the MCO implied that he's been using his powers to take advantage of women, but they're the MCO. It's entirely possible that those sexual assault charges were bogus claims made by criminals in a vindictive attempt to sabotage the hero who put them behind bars. Assuming there even were any charges to begin with; like I said, this is the MCO we're talking about.

I'm not saying he definitely was not a sleezeball, and with a name like Adonis, he probably was. Still, I think he deserves some benefit of the doubt until we see evidence of actual wrongdoing.

But in all honesty. We don't have to worry about Adonis using his psychic roofie anymore. Hard to be sexy when you have a hole the size of Cleveland in your chest.

A bit over 3 years ago Morpheus started publishing a Whateley fanfic called Round and Round. It was received with great fanfare and introduced some people to the Whateley Universe. He followed this up with stories about Absinthe, and Porcelain, mostly using his own original characters and only a few of the WU Canon characters. Then he was invited into the Canon Authors, which he accepted (lucky us).

This story had a bunch of what looked to be "throw away" lines, or at least lines that had no context in the story and didn't seem important. Little did we know. Now a few of these lines have been mentioned, but think about what he did...

Much too the readers' disappointment, and enjoyment he didn't immediately submit a Canon version of Round and Round. We got to read about Ribbon, and then Roulette. Two new Freshman for 2007. Then we met The Fabulous Imp, and Imp did a job with Pinball, Hexfire, and The Highwayman. Wait these were characters from Round and Round! And now that mysterious debt payoff makes sense.

Still no Sphere, but we got to meet Glow and the Liberty League and we find out why Ginormous isn't around but Twist is. Finally Sphere and Round and Round become Canon, and then he slips in Tether, who just happened to be Twist's roommate.

So three years ago as a Fanfic, either Morpheus had all this planned out, or he just stuck in lines that he later worked stories around.

We are still awaiting Absinthe and Porcelain Mask, but Absinthe II requires some major rewriting.

I do wonder if there is any more stories linked into Round and Round that we just haven't seen yet?

The only other connection i can find seems to be "Small Mercies." And that's a small connection through Absinthe's father. I might binge on his stories some more in the next day or two. Who knows i might find a few more.

Yolandria wrote: The only other connection i can find seems to be "Small Mercies." And that's a small connection through Absinthe's father. I might binge on his stories some more in the next day or two. Who knows i might find a few more.

I had also forgotten that Imp did business with the White Lady, which is his Gen 2 Character.

Valentine wrote: Remember that the hero team is attempting to capture a wanted bank robber, that is also now wanted for kidnapping. With the exception of Starburst Super Star, who has a hatred of Pinball, and Adonis who is seriously disturbed, the rest of that team is as normal and well adjusted as could be.


Partially the same way that Police officers can sometimes get away with various crimes. Note that most of the time the MCO is much subtler. They kidnapped Ayla without much production, they normally are disappearing kids when they go in for testing or are turned over by their parents. If Pinball hadn't rescued David, he would have disappeared quietly.

Well, Stardwarf made a perfectly atrocious impression (not helping that Carson would be out for her blood for the 'targetting Pinball's relatives), and Adonis managed the deed of building up on that (someone using that glamour that easily and with this handle probably had actuals charges agianst him.). Does not help either that Pinball took the supervillain road because the system pretty much decided to personally wreck her life. I ended up with Stomwolf flashbacks here, and the guy needs to stop with his addiction to Purity seals.

Sublte or not, we're still talking about tens of kids just disappearing, seemingly every year, and not just in the USA. No amount of subtle should be hide this, especially when they can also be so unsubtle. Meaning I'd really like to see the stories with MCO pointed out earlier go canon, and more about these stories and these characters.The directions the stories could go are fascinating.

I'd also wish this for most of the dearest Goodkind to get a taste of this:
Wishful thinking, but such a nice thought.

Hardric wrote: Sublte or not, we're still talking about tens of kids just disappearing, seemingly every year, and not just in the USA. No amount of subtle should be hide this, especially when they can also be so unsubtle.

There are more than three hundred million people in this country. Tens of kids "just disappear" all the time. The MCO's contribution to that is a drop in the bucket, even before you factor in prejudicial apathy toward mutant disappearances.

Valentine wrote: We are still awaiting Absinthe and Porcelain Mask, but Absinthe II requires some major rewriting.

I do wonder if there is any more stories linked into Round and Round that we just haven't seen yet?

Almost all of the supporting cast of Round and Round and Absinthe 2 fanfics have already shown up. Either as students in Imp's class or when she substituted Survival class, in the dorms as either a roommate or in the wing, encountered in the bathrooms (disturbingly commonplace for character introductions in Whateley ), floor meetings, in the cafeteria, or mentioned as being under a specific RA.

Jinx is easily identifiable when Imp covered for Survival class, along with most of the others from Absinthe 2. Porcelain is in one of her art classes. Others show up in Kayda, Roulette, or Ribbon narratives.

The only few who haven't been alluded to are the students who won't arrive until October, and maybe Fixx, but I might have missed an unnamed reference to him. edit: Oops, Fixx has been around for a long time.

Katssun wrote: edit: Oops, Fixx has been around for a long time.

If I remember correctly the Fixx already mentionned WU is a senior and has graduated in the G1Y2 timeline. In fact, Morpheus even referenced it because Fixx was glad the canon Fixx had graduated because no one bothered him about his codename.

Hardric wrote:

Valentine wrote: Remember that the hero team is attempting to capture a wanted bank robber, that is also now wanted for kidnapping. With the exception of Starburst Super Star, who has a hatred of Pinball, and Adonis who is seriously disturbed, the rest of that team is as normal and well adjusted as could be.


Partially the same way that Police officers can sometimes get away with various crimes. Note that most of the time the MCO is much subtler. They kidnapped Ayla without much production, they normally are disappearing kids when they go in for testing or are turned over by their parents. If Pinball hadn't rescued David, he would have disappeared quietly.

Well, Stardwarf made a perfectly atrocious impression (not helping that Carson would be out for her blood for the 'targetting Pinball's relatives), and Adonis managed the deed of building up on that (someone using that glamour that easily and with this handle probably had actuals charges agianst him.). Does not help either that Pinball took the supervillain road because the system pretty much decided to personally wreck her life. I ended up with Stomwolf flashbacks here, and the guy needs to stop with his addiction to Purity seals.

Sublte or not, we're still talking about tens of kids just disappearing, seemingly every year, and not just in the USA. No amount of subtle should be hide this, especially when they can also be so unsubtle. Meaning I'd really like to see the stories with MCO pointed out earlier go canon, and more about these stories and these characters.The directions the stories could go are fascinating.

I'd also wish this for most of the dearest Goodkind to get a taste of this:

Wishful thinking, but such a nice thought.

As I understand the Whateley Neutrality, it is "Thou shalt not target the families of Whateley Students." Now as Stupor Star and Pinball were both graduates, Whateley Neutrality no longer exists. Mrs. Carson might not like that Stupor Star staked out Pinball's family, but she did not target the family.

Round and Round wrote: Jackie just snorted at that. “More of a high school rival who never let go.” Then her expression darkened a bit more and she said, “But the last time I went to visit my family, Super Star attacked me. She’d been watching my parents, keeping them under surveillance so she could catch me when I showed up. She’s the reason I haven’t seen any of my family in years.”

Stupor Star did collateral damage that destroyed Pinball's dad's car, and probably some other stuff. He should have sued her.

Stupidstar would just claim Pinball did it, and Dad might not have wanted to be outed that way.

There's also the Syndicate hands off the fam policy, but then Pinball might not be a member.

Maybe he did sue her, and maybe he even won. It doesn't change anything for Pinball's situation, and it doesn't bring back the vehicle he liked.

Kettlekorn wrote:

Hardric wrote: Sublte or not, we're still talking about tens of kids just disappearing, seemingly every year, and not just in the USA. No amount of subtle should be hide this, especially when they can also be so unsubtle.

There are more than three hundred million people in this country. Tens of kids "just disappear" all the time. The MCO's contribution to that is a drop in the bucket, even before you factor in prejudicial apathy toward mutant disappearances.

Dresden Files say the same thing. Still, when you got an entire group of people disappearing like this, especially when MCO is suposed to be the last contact every single time... Pretty hard to miss it when someone always take a spoonful of water out of your bucket every time you get to carry it. And always in the same way at the same place.

Hardric wrote: Pretty hard to miss it when someone always take a spoonful of water out of your bucket every time you get to carry it. And always in the same way at the same place.

But some people are aware of it. I don't mean just some characters who have access to top secret information, I mean even in the general population. The thing is that yes they tend to say each time "no we have not seen that person, he has never come to his appointment". Still, it is not discreet. In seraphim's origin story, they were called on it because one case had been publicised in another country and they (the local church mostly) feared that the MCO would try to do the same thing to Seraphim.

Edit: the case in question was the disappearance of Isabel Anaelez in Chile after the church handed her to the MCO. Amnesty international was pretty vocal about this.

“No, our position is such that if the Mutant Commission Office asks us questions about this boy’s background, we can honestly say that we don’t know. We don’t want a repeat of that debacle with the church at Calahorra. Amnesty International still hasn’t stopped busting our chops over that one.”

“But that was in Chile! The MCO has to operate by American rules, here in the States.”

“All that means is that they’ll have to be quieter. Do you really want this boy to disappear in the night and fog, like Isabel Anaelez did?”

In court :

“This is a classic example of why the Right of Sanctuary came into being in the first place.” Father John said in a clear, carrying voice. “The Mutant Commission Office was created to investigate dangerous mutant criminals. The child in question has committed NO crime. The child in question has SAVED lives, and given succor to the sick and infirm. The child in question poses NO threat to anyone who is not directly threatening her. And yet, when the MCO came to St. Gregory’s they didn’t ask to TALK to her. They COULD have come in and asked their questions with a responsible adult to stand for her best interests. But NO, they insisted on taking her prisoner!”

The MCO rep objected loudly, but Father John overran him. “I will gladly turn her over, if you can answer me this ONE simple question: WHERE IS ISOBEL ANAELEZ?”

The MCO rep objected again, and Father John waved him aside. “Very well, I won’t hold you responsible for the Chilean branch of your organization’s actions.

Then answer this- WHERE is Charlie Denver? WHERE is Sandra Kwan? WHERE is Anne Clearlake? WHERE are these three children, none of them over 16 years old, who were released into the ‘safe keeping’ of the MCO?” He flourished his hands theatrically. “No one knows. The MCO denies that these children even EXIST. Gone … Gone into the Night and Fog.”

Father John turned to Judge Evans, “Your Honor, during World War II hundreds of Jews threw themselves upon the mercy of the Church, begging for Sanctuary. And, though Sanctuary was granted, those unfortunate people were turned over to the Gestapo. And we know what happened to them. This is a horrible stain upon the Honor of the Mother Church. I will NOT repeat that. I will NOT send that child, whatever she may be, into the Night and Fog. If you want her, you will have to send in police officers and TAKE her by force.”

Actually, most people know the allegations, most just don't believe them, and many of those who do support anything that gets rid of mutants regardless of who they are, what they have done, or how old they are. Seriously, when the main objection that most people seem to have with the MCO is that they are an international, extra-governmental body playing the MIB image to the hilt, and don't play well with the actual government bodies when they interact with them, that says a lot of how mutants - and supers in general - are viewed by the majority of people.

You have to realize that most of them aren't thinking "these people are different, let's got kill them", they are thinking "Holy shit, that guy can fly and lift a tank over his head, what happens if he's snaps, he's gonna kill us all one day!" It never occurs to most people - even most educated and otherwise tolerant people - to see past that part.

I recall that when X-Men: Last Stand came out (setting aside how bad that film was compared to the others in the series for a minute), I recall at least one film reviewer who said something to the effect of "these people are nuts, the government is doing the responsible thing by weaponizing something that can stop an obvious threat and the writers and fans are all frothing at the mouth like it is some kind of war crime, WTF?" Now, it is possible that the reviewer was taking a devil's advocate position - they pretty much stated outright that they thought anyone over the age of eight who liked comic books, or any other sort of SF/F or spec-fic, was a drooling moron who needed to be locked up for their own safety - but I really doubt it. He genuinely thought that presenting it as an allegory of civil rights was idiotic, and that he was being the voice of reason while everyone else was losing their minds. The responses in the comments were almost all supportive of this, too, even praising the reviewer for their courage in saying it.

The series reflects this attitude in its portrayal of H1 and similar groups, because something like them would almost certainly arise in the real world. It only seems unreasonable to us because we are fans of these series; if superbeings were real, most people who weren't fans and groupies would probably see it that way, sadly.

It is easy to forget how most people see things if you don't see them the same way. We learned that the hard way last November.

Kettlekorn wrote:

Hardric wrote: Sublte or not, we're still talking about tens of kids just disappearing, seemingly every year, and not just in the USA. No amount of subtle should be hide this, especially when they can also be so unsubtle.

There are more than three hundred million people in this country. Tens of kids "just disappear" all the time. The MCO's contribution to that is a drop in the bucket, even before you factor in prejudicial apathy toward mutant disappearances.

But it's not "tens out of 300 million." It's tens out of thousands? hundreds? How many teenage mutants are there in the US? Because that is the number of kids to count. My high school had roughly 4000 students, do you think we would have noticed if 10 disappeared over the course of the school year?

Valentine wrote:

Kettlekorn wrote:

Hardric wrote: Sublte or not, we're still talking about tens of kids just disappearing, seemingly every year, and not just in the USA. No amount of subtle should be hide this, especially when they can also be so unsubtle.

There are more than three hundred million people in this country. Tens of kids "just disappear" all the time. The MCO's contribution to that is a drop in the bucket, even before you factor in prejudicial apathy toward mutant disappearances.

But it's not "tens out of 300 million." It's tens out of thousands? hundreds? How many teenage mutants are there in the US? Because that is the number of kids to count. My high school had roughly 4000 students, do you think we would have noticed if 10 disappeared over the course of the school year?

Yes, it's tens disappeared out of thousands of mutant children. But mutants are such a tiny minority in a population of over 300 million that it's in the noise range. Children killed in car accidents, runaways, etc, are such a larger statistic that the tens don't stand out. And your comparison is false logic- the mutant children aren't in one concentrated community like a school. The tens who disappear are scattered among that thousands that are nationwide, so in a very few communities or schools, it's like ONE disappears.

Schol-R-LEA wrote: Actually, most people know the allegations, most just don't believe them, and many of those who do support anything that gets rid of mutants regardless of who they are, what they have done, or how old they are.

Yep. And while there actually are some important people who are both aware of and opposed to what the MCO is doing, and for the right reasons (we saw some of this back when the Berlin MCO office got cleaned out, and I'm pretty sure it's come up other times), their ability to act is limited. Politicians have to be careful about making controversial changes, because if they push too hard, they'll just get replaced and their work will be undone. Not to mention the possibility of pushing people so hard that they start riots and cause more harm than the MCO themselves.

Valentine wrote:

Kettlekorn wrote:

Hardric wrote: Sublte or not, we're still talking about tens of kids just disappearing, seemingly every year, and not just in the USA. No amount of subtle should be hide this, especially when they can also be so unsubtle.

There are more than three hundred million people in this country. Tens of kids "just disappear" all the time. The MCO's contribution to that is a drop in the bucket, even before you factor in prejudicial apathy toward mutant disappearances.

But it's not "tens out of 300 million." It's tens out of thousands? hundreds? How many teenage mutants are there in the US? Because that is the number of kids to count. My high school had roughly 4000 students, do you think we would have noticed if 10 disappeared over the course of the school year?

You would have noticed, but why would I notice? I didn't go to that school. What is obvious to mutants is not obvious to baselines, and it's the baselines who are in control. (Or so they think... but even with shadow leaders pulling the strings, they have to tug gently or everything will snap.)

I spent the whole story thinking "What if David/Dana meets Amanda at Whateley?"

Objectively I could have figured it out IF I had better memory OR I had bothered searching every story containing Poe freshmen in G1Y2, but I didn't (and honestly the clues are divided between a single line A Little R&R (part 1) that tells that she was forced to leave her hometown in a hurry and another single one in Kayda 10: There's No Place Like Poe (Part 1) that associate the codename Jinx to the name Amanda), so I was left wondering.

The probability that Amanda had been enrolled at Whateley is dependant on how widespread the network of people in the know is, but it was a definite possibility.... the trickier part was Amanda sexuality, David asked her out and she started avoiding him, it could have meant that she was a lesbian and David's advancements made her unconfortable, but it was also enterely possible that she knew about his parents attitude toward muitants and avoided him for that, or maybe it was something completely different, I had no way to know, however if she was lesbian she would be in Poe and maybe Amanda and Dana might hook up..... What I didn't see coming was Dana and Amanda becoming roomates, the probability of the event taking place are so low that without Amanda's probability warping it would have been hardly believable.

I guess I got what I wanted and then some..... can there be too much of a good thing?

Otherself wrote: I spent the whole story thinking "What if David/Dana meets Amanda at Whateley?"

Objectively I could have figured it out IF I had better memory OR I had bothered searching every story containing Poe freshmen in G1Y2, but I didn't (and honestly the clues are divided between a single line A Little R&R (part 1) that tells that she was forced to leave her hometown in a hurry and another single one in Kayda 10: There's No Place Like Poe (Part 1) that associate the codename Jinx to the name Amanda), so I was left wondering.

The probability that Amanda had been enrolled at Whateley is dependant on how widespread the network of people in the know is, but it was a definite possibility.... the trickier part was Amanda sexuality, David asked her out and she started avoiding him, it could have meant that she was a lesbian and David's advancements made her unconfortable, but it was also enterely possible that she knew about his parents attitude toward muitants and avoided him for that, or maybe it was something completely different, I had no way to know, however if she was lesbian she would be in Poe and maybe Amanda and Dana might hook up..... What I didn't see coming was Dana and Amanda becoming roomates, the probability of the event taking place are so low that without Amanda's probability warping it would have been hardly believable.

I guess I got what I wanted and then some..... can there be too much of a good thing?

The probability gets a bit higher if you're familiar with Morpheus' fondness for hooking up his changelings with their lesbian crushes.

Arcanist Lupus wrote:

Otherself wrote: I spent the whole story thinking "What if David/Dana meets Amanda at Whateley?"

Objectively I could have figured it out IF I had better memory OR I had bothered searching every story containing Poe freshmen in G1Y2, but I didn't (and honestly the clues are divided between a single line A Little R&R (part 1) that tells that she was forced to leave her hometown in a hurry and another single one in Kayda 10: There's No Place Like Poe (Part 1) that associate the codename Jinx to the name Amanda), so I was left wondering.

The probability that Amanda had been enrolled at Whateley is dependant on how widespread the network of people in the know is, but it was a definite possibility.... the trickier part was Amanda sexuality, David asked her out and she started avoiding him, it could have meant that she was a lesbian and David's advancements made her unconfortable, but it was also enterely possible that she knew about his parents attitude toward muitants and avoided him for that, or maybe it was something completely different, I had no way to know, however if she was lesbian she would be in Poe and maybe Amanda and Dana might hook up..... What I didn't see coming was Dana and Amanda becoming roomates, the probability of the event taking place are so low that without Amanda's probability warping it would have been hardly believable.

I guess I got what I wanted and then some..... can there be too much of a good thing?

The probability gets a bit higher if you're familiar with Morpheus' fondness for hooking up his changelings with their lesbian crushes.

In his Twisted universe, changelings have a tendency to hook up with other changelings - or girls who were former crushes. Nice to see he hasn't changed his romantic tendencies

elrodw wrote: In his Twisted universe, changelings have a tendency to hook up with other changelings - or girls who were former crushes. Nice to see he hasn't changed his romantic tendencies

Or with the boy they were bullying before their twist (Serenity !). Or they end up in a BDSM relationship. (the "I will enslave you" kind of relationship. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if morpheus's muses hadn't pushed him to write the Changeling chronicles instead. Mind you, It is already great as it is.)

Schol-R-LEA wrote: Actually, most people know the allegations, most just don't believe them, and many of those who do support anything that gets rid of mutants regardless of who they are, what they have done, or how old they are. Seriously, when the main objection that most people seem to have with the MCO is that they are an international, extra-governmental body playing the MIB image to the hilt, and don't play well with the actual government bodies when they interact with them, that says a lot of how mutants - and supers in general - are viewed by the majority of people.

You have to realize that most of them aren't thinking "these people are different, let's got kill them", they are thinking "Holy shit, that guy can fly and lift a tank over his head, what happens if he's snaps, he's gonna kill us all one day!" It never occurs to most people - even most educated and otherwise tolerant people - to see past that part.

I recall that when X-Men: Last Stand came out (setting aside how bad that film was compared to the others in the series for a minute), I recall at least one film reviewer who said something to the effect of "these people are nuts, the government is doing the responsible thing by weaponizing something that can stop an obvious threat and the writers and fans are all frothing at the mouth like it is some kind of war crime, WTF?" Now, it is possible that the reviewer was taking a devil's advocate position - they pretty much stated outright that they thought anyone over the age of eight who liked comic books, or any other sort of SF/F or spec-fic, was a drooling moron who needed to be locked up for their own safety - but I really doubt it. He genuinely thought that presenting it as an allegory of civil rights was idiotic, and that he was being the voice of reason while everyone else was losing their minds. The responses in the comments were almost all supportive of this, too, even praising the reviewer for their courage in saying it.

The series reflects this attitude in its portrayal of H1 and similar groups, because something like them would almost certainly arise in the real world. It only seems unreasonable to us because we are fans of these series; if superbeings were real, most people who weren't fans and groupies would probably see it that way, sadly.

It is easy to forget how most people see things if you don't see them the same way. We learned that the hard way last November.

Well, I agree with all of that. Thing is, I intellectually agree with that. I understand this position, and I find it logic, but I have trouble wrapping my head around it at a gut level. Call it naive, but I don't really like the fact this statement is true and what it says about us humans, even if I acknowledge it's plain truth. Sorry about that and for having dragged out the discussion that much (and yeah, November hit Americans hard. We get elections here in France in a few monthes, and things are Not Looking Good either).

I guess it also means I'd really like Absinthe's story to be rewrote so it becomes canon.

There is definitely a strong tendency towards the formulaic, but I enjoy the writing more than enough, so I don't mind too much. Of course it helps that there are enough twists to keep me guessing, even if by now I *know* they'll be there, somewhere.

For this story in particular, I was struck again by how much I enjoy Amanda being used as a bookend. Being mentioned relatively early on in offhand comments, then bringing her in for the close.

Hardric wrote:

Warning: Spoiler! [ Click to expand ] [ Click to hide ]

Not only I like [Absinthe] as a character, but the whole nuancung to the situation offered by her story and her ties to the MCO.

It's worth noting that as Dana is a material witness to a blatant murder of a mutant by an MCO official, and various other crimes on her way to school:

Katssun wrote:

Hardric wrote:

Warning: Spoiler! [ Click to expand ] [ Click to hide ]

Not only I like [Absinthe] as a character, but the whole nuancung to the situation offered by her story and her ties to the MCO.

Warning: Spoiler! [ Click to expand ] [ Click to hide ]

Absinthe isn't the only MCO intern/employee in the student body now, and she's also not the only MCO Scholarship recipient. Should make things a lot more interesting. Quite a few things have the possibility to change with regards to Dana testifying about she saw. Perhaps the other Whateley intern will try to get her to agree and fail?

Esar wrote:

Katssun wrote:

Hardric wrote:

Warning: Spoiler! [ Click to expand ] [ Click to hide ]

Not only I like [Absinthe] as a character, but the whole nuancung to the situation offered by her story and her ties to the MCO.

Warning: Spoiler! [ Click to expand ] [ Click to hide ]

Absinthe isn't the only MCO intern/employee in the student body now, and she's also not the only MCO Scholarship recipient. Should make things a lot more interesting. Quite a few things have the possibility to change with regards to Dana testifying about she saw. Perhaps the other Whateley intern will try to get her to agree and fail?

Warning: Spoiler! [ Click to expand ] [ Click to hide ]

Who are you talking about ?

Esar wrote:

Katssun wrote:

Hardric wrote:

Warning: Spoiler! [ Click to expand ] [ Click to hide ]

Not only I like [Absinthe] as a character, but the whole nuancung to the situation offered by her story and her ties to the MCO.

Warning: Spoiler! [ Click to expand ] [ Click to hide ]

Absinthe isn't the only MCO intern/employee in the student body now, and she's also not the only MCO Scholarship recipient. Should make things a lot more interesting. Quite a few things have the possibility to change with regards to Dana testifying about she saw. Perhaps the other Whateley intern will try to get her to agree and fail?

Warning: Spoiler! [ Click to expand ] [ Click to hide ]

Who are you talking about ?

And then Abbie makes three. But she hasn't manifested yet. So were still at 2 for the time being.

Finished Part 2, and in the interest of not copying anyone...

... I bet Super Star hasn't gotten laid in a long time? Or she's carrying that grudge for... unknown years... ... Well, she's also an Exemplar, so Galahad and Heracles Syndromes to some extent... ... How well are those syndromes known in the Exemplar Community, actually?

And now done Part 3: So, I guess the coincidences that kept Dana alive are due to Jinx... That's some range!