Friday, August 23, 2013

X-men Supreme Issue #82: Test Subject Part 1 PREVIEW!


X-men has explored many themes over the years and the X-men Supreme fanfiction series is no different. There are themes of civil rights, social inequity, corruption, and controlling power. Throughout X-men Supreme, I've tried to touch on each one of them. But the concept of controlling power has come up multiple times. It was a major issue when Rogue first joined the X-men, it led to devastating personal consequences when Proteus lost control of his reality warping powers, and was a major driving force when Jean Grey was corrupted by the Phoenix Force. Controlling mutant powers has been a plot that the X-men comics have explored in many forms and in the next arc of X-men Supreme, the lengths some go to in order to obtain that control will be the focal point.

Of all the characters for whom controlling power has most agonizing, Rogue has struggled the most. While Cyclops and Jean Grey are able to manage the powers, Rogue is still trapped in her own body, unable to touch anyone without hurting them. For a while, she could manage her powers with a special inhibiting collar. But after a fateful encounter with Sinister, her powers changed in a way that made them impossible to turn off. This has led her to become isolated at times, which led her to reject romantic advances from Gambit despite clearly having feelings for him. But recent developments in the the Lotus and the Warriorarc have given her more incentive to control her powers once more.

This new arc in the X-men Supreme fanfiction series will be short, but the impact it will have on Rogue will be profound. I call this arc Test Subject. It has finally gotten to a point where Rogue can't stand her powers anymore. Now she's willing to take a chance at regaining control of her powers and she has enlisted the help of former X-man, Angel, for assistance. Angel left the X-men at the end of X-men Supreme Volume 3: Ashes of Hope, but he has been busy and what he's working on has major implications for Rogue and mutants everywhere in X-men Supreme. But his work is dangerous and there will be forces he can't control working against him. This is one arc you won't want to miss if you're a Rogue fan and as always, I have prepared a preview to offer a glimpse of what readers can expect.

The X-leader looked back to see Hank and Rogue emerge from the hatch. Rogue still looked pretty distant. Ever since she got back from Japan, she hadn’t been her usual sassy self. Scott learned from Kitty about what happened between Remy and Betsy. He could see why that would spur a sudden interest controlling her powers again. Rogue needed moral support now more than ever and with Kurt still dealing with the melodrama surrounding Amanda, she was in a difficult predicament.

“I have a good feeling about this, Rogue. I’ve been reading up in this project Warren’s people have been pursuing and I feel there’s room for cautious optimism,” said Hank as he and Rogue met up with Scott and the Professor.

“Ah hope you’re not sayin’ that to get mah hopes up, Mr. McCoy,” said Rogue dryly, “Ah seem to remember you saying that progress on controlling mah powers had damn near stalled.”

“The lab at the X-mansion doesn’t have even a tenth of the resources that Worthington Industries has at its disposal,” he retorted, “There are so many experiments I haven’t been able to do with our limited capabilities. Worthington Pharmaceuticals, it seems, has not only done those experiments. They’ve extrapolated entirely new approaches that could be the key to understanding mutation.”

“Ah don’t care if they’ve uncovered the holy freakin’ grail. So long as it can help me get control of these dang powers again, Ah wanna be the first in line to test it!”

Her tone was somewhat harsh. She had always been cynical about her powers. At times she even had sense of humor about them. But in recent times, it took on a new level of importance. She wanted to touch again and she was willing to pursue that goal more aggressively. Hank chose not to probe for the reasons behind this new sense of urgency as they followed Warren into the building. He assumed she had more than her share of valid reasons.

For Scott Summers, however, it was more difficult to ignore. Having dated Rogue and been intimate with her, he understood her subtleties better than most. He was aware of what had been going on with her, Remy, and Betsy. It didn’t take an ex-lover to figure out why this was bothering her so much.

“Rogue…” he said, reaching to place a hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t Scott,” she said, brushing him off as they started walking, “Ah know what you’re about to say.”

“I’ll say it anyways. You’re desire to control your powers is getting ominously impatient,” said the X-leader, “I get why Betsy’s arrival would add a sense of urgency, but I don’t think you’re doing this for the right reasons.”

“Scott please…Ah don’t wanna be mad at you, but you’re really tempting meh.”

“I’ll take that chance,” he said with a friendly gesture, “I didn’t just come along because you’re my ex-girlfriend.”

“Ah’m guessin’ all that intimate time you spend with Jean guilted you into it,” said Rogue dryly.

“Or maybe I actually care about a woman that I shared plenty of intimate moments with as well,” Scott retorted, “You don’t think I’ve forgotten about those moments, do you?”

“At least you can make new ones with Jean. Ah’m starting to forget with that kind of intimacy feels like,” she said in a more distant tone.

“All the more reason for me to remind you,” he said with supportive gesture, “That’s the main reason why I wanted to tag along for this. I know I haven’t been the most supportive ex in the world.”

“As if there is such a thing as an overly supportive ex.”

“Call me the exception that proves the rule,” he went on, “I actually do want to help you through this Rogue. I’ve been where you are and I helped you the first time around. Ex or no ex, I’m ready for round two.”

Rogue sighed in defeat under the sheer force of Scott’s sincerity. This was part of what made dating him an experience every bit as memorable as the intimacy they shared in the bedroom. He was a hard guy to be snide with. He cared a lot about his friends. He cared just as much about his ex-girlfriends. Him being here was unexpected and maybe a little awkward, but it was still welcome.

“Ah hate it when you’re such a gent, Summers,” she said, “It’s too dang hard to be mad at you.”

“So long as I can annoy you in a healthy way, I’ll take it,” said Scott with a smile.

“Speaking of annoying, you guys wanna hurry it up?” said Warren from just outside the main roof entrance, “We got a lot to cover before we get to the nuts and bolts of Project Kickstart. I won’t make any promises, but I have a feeling you’ll like what you see!”

“If Ah leave here feeling less pissed off, Ah’ll be glad to share that feeling,” said Rogue as Warren led them into the building.

“If nothing goes horribly wrong, hopefully you’ll be sharing many other!”


In addition, the recent introduction of Psylocke has opened the door to yet another expansion of the X-ladies section. For quite a while now, I've been gathering pictures of Psylocke and plenty of other X-women that I have yet to introduce in the X-men Supreme fanfiction series. Now that she has joined X-men Supreme, I'm ready to add her to the pics section. She's a fan favorite X-woman and there's no denying her sex appeal. So I'm proud to add her to both the story of X-men Supreme and the pics section. Enjoy!

Psylocke Pics

So far, X-men Supreme Volume 4: Politics of Fear has covered many diverse themes that are typical of the X-men. I have every intention of exploring more as this fanfiction series unfolds. The challenge will be trying to cover as much as possible because I know that X-men fans have lofty expectations and I have every intention of meeting them. As such, it's very important that I continue to get feedback for my work on this fanfiction series. If ever you want to discuss X-men Supreme or X-men in general, feel free to contact me at any time. I'm always willing to listen. Thank you all very much for your continued support. Until next time, take care and best wishes. Excelsior!

Jack

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