On apping to Tartarus and recent canon

[the_first_light]

...I used to think you weren't so bad, but I'm not so sure any more. I'm not Apocalypse, I'm not, and giving me a mark that will remind me I could be all the time isn't fair, Mundane! Even if you're going to claim it's A for anger, we both know that's only half the reason you chose that letter.

Even if that guy from the future is convinced I'm going to be evil, even if he's convinced everyone else, I don't need to be reminded of it. I know it's a possibility. And you know I won't let it happen if I can help it. So if I can't stop you from making me go there, can you at least pick a different mark? Maybe in a different place? Please?

Comments

[toadthejanitor]

[Toad hasn't quite realized he's not at the X-Mansion anymore. Oh, and poor, poor Evan.]

"Hey kid." Toad reached out a hand, giving him a queasy smile meant to be reassuring. "I, uh, hope I'm not interrupting anything." He stepped back as if expecting the kid to explode in justifiable anger.
"It's just that I couldn't help overhearing and it might not be my place to say, but, you don't have to be anything you don't want to be." He gave a firm nod. "You can always choose differently. Especially since you're young."

He side-eyed the kid worriedly. "And what's that about being marked? Is someone planning to brand you? Should I be keeping an eye out for you?"

[the_first_light]

[In Evan's time, Toad had been fired, but he was still a relatively familiar face.]

People keep telling me that, and I keep trying to believe it, but it's kind of difficult when almost everyone else keeps expecting me to be him. Apocalypse.

[He crosses his arms, and shrinks in slightly.]

I think it just happens to everyone where I might be going. Mundane's already got someone else there, and they ended up being marked too, and if anyone was going to get away with not being marked it would be him.

[toadthejanitor]

[This Toad hasn't even been to the Hellfire Academy yet. Shh.]

Apocalypse. I can...see how people might think that.
[Toad steps back and examines Evan again. The resemblance is really remarkable.]
But that doesn't mean they're right. It's rough when people expect you to be a certain way, but with a little patience you can prove them wrong, maybe. Or else kill them all in their sleep. Ha. That was a joke.

They're sending you away, just like that? Who's this Mundane? [He cluches his head.]
Ow, okay I think some telepath just told me I'm going to end up somewhere too eventually. They haven't decided yet. Great.

[the_first_light]

Yeah, most people do. I'm not him, though.

[Evan steps back a little, because joke? Not all that funny to Evan.]

I don't think that's a good thing to joke about, not if you really are trying to prove people wrong.

Mundane is just her code name, I think, but what she says pretty much goes. Arguing helps, sometimes, but not that often. So yeah, she's already decided, and it's just a case of when.

[summerset]

Sometimes it helps. Being reminded all the time.

[the_first_light]

I think I'd really prefer not to be, though, Miss Summers. My face is kind of bad enough, without having it branded into me.

[toadthejanitor]

You're right, s'not really funny or smart to joke about that. Just gallows humour.

[He shifts uneasily and glares up at the ceiling.]

Do you mind? Telepaths! Would you stop saying my voice isn't right? And what do you mean, right? It's my voice. Alright then, yes. Yes, Mundane.

[He turns back to Evan, shaking his head.] It's Mundane again. If you'll excuse me I have a few things to take care of. Maybe we'll run into each other again sometime. Just...don't let her boss you around too much. If you can help it.

[summerset]

Miss Summers. Never thought I'd here that in my life.

Your face is fine, Evan.

[the_first_light]

Oh, sorry. Was that wrong?

[He's not really sure how to respond to that one, because his face is pretty clearly not fine. He looks like Apocalypse.]

[summerset]

No, it's just - I'm a few years behind you, I think. I never thought -

[She shrugs, smiles a little.] But I guess that's the point. It doesn't matter what we were made for, Evan, or - what other people turned us into. We decide who we are, and no kind of mark is going to change that.

[the_first_light]

Oh, right. So you're still Miss Summers, just before she was a teacher?

[He looks slightly dubious.] I know, but... there's three futures where I decide to be a bad guy. And no futures where I'm a good guy, even though that's what I already chose. It's getting really hard to believe that.

[summerset]

Yeah. [And she can't quite stop the giddy little smile. A teacher. Like her parents, like Xavier, like Kate.]

Three out of thousands, probably. I mean, I've seen a universe where Nightcrawler was a Nazi.

[the_first_light]

[Which is... weird. The Miss Summers Evan's used to is really not the smiling kind of person. Still, he tries to smile back, but like always it's a little hard to tell. His face just isn't made for smiling.]

No-one's ever seen the other thousands, though. Just those three. Nobody ever comes back from the okay timelines to say "crisis over, he can be a good guy".

[summerset]

Well, if the timelines are okay, why would they go back?

[kid_apocalypse]

I know how you feel, heh.

You and I know that Uncle Cluster wouldn't have done what he did if he thought there was a chance we'd be anything but a hero. Doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.

[the_first_light]

[Oh. So that's what it's like meeting yourself. How strange.]

There's a whole lot of them, though, and only... well, two of us, I guess. Don't you ever find it a little hard to believe things like that when everyone who comes back from the future says we end up bad?