Cute Romance Week - It's cute, but it's not quite... right.

[icon_uk]

One that even Chris Claremont never pursued to it's logical conclusion...



Cypher has merged with Warlock to become Douglock for the first time, and saved the New Mutants, Captain Britain and Psylocke from the machinations of Spiral and Mojo, which had resulted in them all being trapped inside the Wildways, a mind-controlled Psylocke's psyche-scape.

This is the first time Doug has even heard of Brian and Betsy, but that didn't stop him risking everything (and possible technorganic infection)to save them (and his friends), because that's the kind of guy he is.

So he's ended up zapped back to the real world, into the remains of the office that the controlled Betsy was in, and where Douglock had tapped into her mind. Bear in mind that this is the first time Doug has laid eyes on the "real" Betsy...



I can't say I ever approved of Betsy's choice here, but the emotion of the moment is nicely captured by Alan Davis, with Doug welling up into tears in sympathy, and then just giving her a hug...



And so Doug gets a hug back from a Braddock, even if it's not the Braddock he might have been looking for one for. (I adore Brian's big, broad, not even potentially suggestive hug), and look at that smile on Doug, who couldn't love this kid?



And aside from one scene in the next X-Men Annual, where Doug breaks Mojo's renewed hold over Psylocke, not by fighting her mental attack, but by opening his mind and memories to her, so she can see how much he cares and the depth of that emotion does indeed shock her back to her senses.

But nothing happened beyond that, which given the age difference I'm rather glad about. Still I'd love to see the two of them meet again....

Oh, and just for fun, a sketchcard (not mine alas) featuring the two of them in the brief period before several shovel-loads of shit hit the fan they were standing directly in front of...






Now, I'm omitting bromances, no matter how close to romances they might be, but I've found an image or sketchcard or two which highlights cute couples...

Longshot and Dazzler - I'm given to understand that he's been given some sort of "ability to influence women" power, which is extremely skeevt, but that was never part of his original powerset. He was very charismatic, and very good looking, but people tended to fall for him of their own volition, not because of any inherent power.

So this is from pre-those days, when he and Dazzler, made a very cute couple...



Then we have the tragically doomed, but heartbreakingly cute romance between Kelda Stormrider and Bill, son of Bill



And because this is s_d and we have no problem with such things, a couple of non-hetero pairings (Sorry those who like ladies with ladies, but this is my post so we're looking at guys with guys)

Shatterstar and Rictor, whose relationship we can't actually feature on this comm due to our rules about Mr David's work



And let's not forget Wiccan and Hulkling, who are rather adorable together...



There's an absence of Mr Grayson's romance's in my posts for this topic, but that's the way it goes, I just wish I could remember which issue it is that has Dick making use of his knowledge of Kory's weakness... she's ticklish... it's a very cute, very ordinary moment, but rather fun. C'est la vie...

Comments

[protogarrett]

I loved Betsy's first outfit.

Also wish the Young Avengers were still about and less emphasis on the A. Academy. Let's be honest we get slammed with 50 new characters every other week it seems with Marvel. Heck, we have a NEW student body of mostly alien mutants now.

[auggie18]

Yeah, really. I did this piece about the X-men, but really, you can sorta apply it to the Avengers now.

http://magickmaker.deviantart.com/#/d4nmytj

[pallas_athena]

I loved British Betsy. I mean, I get that the body-swap added some much-needed ethnic diversity to the X-Men lineup, but katana-wielding ninja assassins are so overdone that I lost a lot of interest in the character after that point.

[auggie18]

Massive ditto. Plus, her outfits were much better when she was British. Her original flowing outfit, the hooded armor. Then, BAM! Bathing suit, bathing suit, bathing suit.

[pallas_athena]

I did love those costumes! She's got her own distinctive look now with the leg bands and the sash, but yeah, nostalgia. Also I miss the butterfly psyche-thingy.

[biod]

She does the butterfly psyche-thingy a lot more recently.

[icon_uk]

I often think that Betsy dropping of the distinctive, different and rather pretty, pai-butterfly effect (which could range for miles), to be replaced by a nonsensical "psychic knife" which has a range of about 3 inches, summarises a great deal about what I disliked in comics in the 1990's.

[biod]

I like the butterfly effect a lot, but I must say that having a knife that's at hand at all times, barring power dampeners, can be pretty darn useful.

[icon_uk]

But she's a telepath, distance should be, relatively, irrelevant, and in fact needing to be so close to her opponent was positively dangerous. She blasted the likes of Sabretooth and managed to kill Kaptain Briton without the need for any physical proximity.

[biod]

Which is precisely why a knife would be useful, should some beastly foe catch her unawares or if she should need to cut some bondage. It would be folly to turn it into her combat strategy, but as a supplement it would be useful.

[icon_uk]

The knives couldn't actually cut anything solid, they were a typically Claremontian "Ultimate manifestation of her psychic powers" and were six inch spikes of energy from the backs of her hands which were only effective when they came into contact with other living things. My issue is that she could just as effectively mindzap them from the other side of the room, or indeed, even if she were tied up.

[biod]

Thanks, I couldn't remember if they could literally cut or just disrupt neurons and other psychic hokey.
My take is still that, unless she trained herself otherwise (not hard to imagine), her instinctive reaction to immediate danger would probably involve her hands in some way, but from a story standpoint it makes a lot less sense to add it (other than it looks cool).

[icon_uk]

I never really thought of the bodychange as being anything to do with valid ethnic diversity, because Betsy's internal ethnic-ness wasn't changed, she was still an English born and raised, Causcasian, woman who was now in a Japanese body against her will, so it seemed to be more about another bit of body horror from Claremont, and Jim Lee wanting to draw an Asian woman on the team, and they didn't have one.

[skalja]

Yeah, speaking as an Asian American myself, I see "Asian" Betsy as pretty much the exact opposite of actual ethnic diversity. In fact she's one of a few characters in comics whose mere appearance makes me wince on reflex.

[crabby_lioness]

You are so not alone.

[pariahsdream.livejournal.com]

Hey neat! That Ric and Star card was done by my friend Lynne! She's also done some Wiccan and Hukling cards for Marvel as well. She loves the boys. :)

[icon_uk]

She loves the boys. :)

And it shows in her work! :)

[kusonaga]

I remember a reference in the Crimson Dawn mini to Doug, but I could be wrong.

[icon_uk]

He did show up, but not in a good way alas. IIRC Betsy was being taken through a trip through her own mind, and the various people she has cared for, Doug shows up at one point to suggest she's being recklessly self-destructive and she berates herself for ever caring for someone who was such a complete child (I can't recall if she then did the "Oh no, I didn't really mean it" routine).

[lieut_kettch]

Well, nothing's stopping Betsy now that Doug's legal.

[icon_uk]

I recall a fanfic just after Betsy was killed by Vargas where Mr Sinister gets the news and is annoyed because he'd had plans for her DNA, but then recalls that he would have been most interested in crossing her telepathy with the Ramsey communications abilities, to see what sort of a powerset resulted, and that that opportunity was long gone.

[ian_karkull]

What is their age difference anyway? From the Davis art I'd guess 15-16 to 21-23? While that's borderline skeevy then, there's nothing keeping them from hooking up now. They'd have the whole dying and body switching thing in common at least and Betsy's taste in men has been... questionable, to say the least.

And yes, British Betsy was a much more compelling and interesting character than the hot incoherent mess that is Ninja Betsy.

[icon_uk]

Doug was about 15/16, but Betsy was signfiicantly older than 23 or so... She and Brian are twins, and he had IIRC gone to University, graduated and taken a fellowship at the research place where he got his powers. BetsyI'd say he and Betsy are in their late twenties at least (Brian has always looked older than Betsy I think, but that could just be down to his physical bulk)

[bruinsfan]

Yeah, I usually love Davis' version of characters—his Kurt and Rachel are my Platonic ideal looks for those in particular—but I never liked how he made Brian this roided-out bruiser with Fabio hair (and with Claremont gave him a matching steroid-based temper and disposition).

Also hated his Warlock, but at least he only drew that character here and in a couple of other instances.

[icon_uk]

I have a soft spot for his Warlock, which is cartoonish is a different way from Scienkiwicz and Art Adams take, it makes him appear to be a sort of colony of millions of small components, always shifting, always in motion, and probably sounds like pouring sand most of the time.

[skalja]

Wasn't there an MTU story in which ESU transfer student Brian Braddock was housed with Peter Parker? Which would make them agemates within a couple of years, so late twenties seems likely.

[icon_uk]

Yes there was, good catch! :)

[mercia]

I... I have to admit, I don't disapprove of this couple. I think they'd be cute together.

Also, no matter HOW I try, I can't help but reading Warlock's "Systems nominal." with a bit of a suggestive lilt in my head. I just CAN'T.

[icon_uk]

Oh NOW, I'm all for it. Both legal, a mind reader and someone who reads everything EXCEPT minds, plus he's still adorable and after her last few relationships, she might prefer the stability of relative normalcy (although Warlock being part of the equation might be a tad tricky... or delightful depending on how one views such things)

Oh, and who said Warlock was talking about his OWN systems? ;)

[djt2445.livejournal.com]

Did you by any chance read "The Return" by Chris Roberson which explored this a bit more?

[icon_uk]

No, but I'm intrigued, do you have a link?

[djt2445.livejournal.com]

It's a print book, so I can't exactly -link- you.

Check Amazon for "Chris Roberson, X-Men: The Return"

It heavily features Doug Ramsey and Betsy Braddock, roughly a little bit after the scenes you posted here.

You can also see an excerpt here:

http://books.simonandschuster.com.au/X-Men-The-Return/Chris-Roberson/9781416510758/excerpt_with_id/2574

[icon_uk]

Cool thanks! :)

I do recall there being one of those Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books with Wolverine, which has a sort of pre-credits sequence where Logan is working through a Danger Room session that Doug is running (since he designed it).

It ends with Logan versus lethal Blues Brothers simulacra, which makes Logan note not to let Doug stay up late watching the Movie Channel again. :)

And as for Doug's first Danger Room session, I've always had my own ideas about that...

[djt2445.livejournal.com]

I've read that fic many many times in the past on "Fonts of Wisdom'.

(My own ideas tends towards Sailor Hellblazer and Dire Fates, but it's been a while since I've dabbled in fanfiction writing.)

Do you recall the title of that Wolverine book? I'd like to see -that- one. :)

[icon_uk]

Thank you, it's always been one of my favourite fics. I MUST get back into the swing or writing again; I still have an idea for a Kitty, Warlock and Doug story set whilst he was dead... or was he? ;)

Events have overtaken it of course, but I still think it'll be a good story.

[icon_uk]

Oh, and the book is, IIRC Night of the Wolverine

[djt2445.livejournal.com]

Idly, Chris Roberson a) has declared that his favorite personal mutant is Doug Ramsey, b) writes comic books (last one was Grounded, and Cinderella), and c) is probably available to write New Mutants. He's probably your best bet for seeing this plotline picked up. So start a write-in campaign for him to be the next writer of New Mutants. :) I wouldn't object at all, based on this X-Men novel.

[icon_uk]

I could learn to like this guy! :)

[biod]

I love it when Captain Britain gets friendly. It's so jovial: "You're the best of mates, you are!"
Dani totally wingmanning for Doug is equally delightful.

[icon_uk]

Wingmanning? That was first class cockblocking, no?

[biod]

Nah. Britain must have been incredibly worried and would have found them soon. She alerted them to his presence and offered some encouraging words to our young Don Juan.
And now, Britain is totally cool with Doug, furthering the noble cause of young love ever onward.

[icon_uk]

I LIKE the way your mind works, kudos! :)

Longshot's 'influence on women' power

[kiev4am]

Hope no-one minds a bit of tl;dr on the subject of Longshot's powers? For the record, Longshot's supposed ability to influence women doesn't come from any sort of canon, it comes from a debate-that-became-a-troll-fest on a CBR thread after an issue of X-Factor where Longshot propositions Dazzler. As she agrees, you see his eye do that flash thing that usually implies he's using his powers. Hence someone started a 'did he rape Dazzler?' thread. There could have been a genuine and valid discussion there, but mainly all that happened was massive trolling of PAD when he showed up to post that there was nothing whatsoever in his script to suggest the eye-flash or the use of his powers, and that the artist had (rather foolishly) put that in of his own accord to suggest a more traditional form of 'getting lucky.' Posters then proceeded to tell him that it didn't matter what he'd written in his own script and that they were entitled to call Longshot a rapist based on the artwork. Which again is a possibly valid point, but the thread veered far away from any genuine concern over the character's behaviour or its implications. In an nutshell, there's no canon change to his powers - he still can't use them for his own gain, which is how he's been written for ages.

Sorry for the derail... on topic, I love all those sketch cards. The Longshot/Dazzler one is really cute, and it's always nice to see RicStar. And for the main scans, Warlock is my favourite :)

Re: Longshot's 'influence on women' power

[icon_uk]

Thanks for that, I think there was a small a discussion we had here on s_d about that moment too, or it may have been elsewhere, given our usual embargo on PAD's work.