April 2008

Several newcomers arrived - Adrienne Frost, sister to Emma and reluctant substitute Math teacher, arrived, bonding somewhat over baseball with Garrison. Cessily Kincaid and Inez Temple, new students, also arrived with a certain degree of reluctance. And old face Manuel de la Rocha returned, to a veritable storm of response from those who had and hadn't known him previously.

Scott and Alex had mixed reactions to a visit from their father and Garrison and Marie's relationship ended on his birthday, plunging the Canadian into depression punctuated by Air Supply and alcohol. Crystal and Forge's relationship progressed, despite her decision to quit teaching at the school and spend the next school year on Attilan. Lorna also made the decision to leave, hampered by an unknown prankster who changed her enrollment details at Berkeley and made various items disappear or become difficult to move. Kevin and Jay's relationship continued to be strained, this time by Jay's new job at Silver as a bartender, Kevin's secrecy, and the fact Kevin had kissed Angel during the San Diego mission.

X-Force had a hard month, finding themselves struggling to cope with Mark's 'death' and subsequent return from the Warwolves' dimension, particularly in light of the response of some of the students at the school. Their stress was increased with Wanda's and Garrison's encounter with the Gamemaster, who tortured them both before their rescue by Sofia. And at the end of the month, something odd in London came to light at Amanda's prompting.

A spate of poetic truth-telling, prompted by a mutant working in a sports drink factory with a grudge, hit the mansion specifically. It caused its own degree of tension, although much humour was also to be had with the situation.

The X-Men faced a mission failure when the priest they were attempting to protect was assassinated by Tara Trask and her followers, despite being warned ahead of time by undercover agent Tanya Callery. Trask's group included new members, including Amber Hunt, a former patient of Moira's and William Moses, who put the team to the test.

Timeline

Apr 1 - Angelo wishes Nathan a happy birthday. Operation: Take A Bow: The brownstone alarms go off and Wanda and Amanda investigate to discover a frostbitten and injured Mark falling through a portal; in Wanda's arms, Mark flashes back to his arrival in the Warwolf dimension; Wanda spreads the news among X-Force; Amanda emails Angelo with the news; Doug posts to x_journal with the news; Marie-Ange tells Jean-Phillipe; Emma emails Pete, Remy and Betsy with the details of Mark's care; Cyndi emails Mark to wish him well; Julio posts about making sure someone is dead next time before posting, and earns the wrath of X-Force.

Apr 2 - Operation: Take A Bow: Scott and Medusa both email Mark with well wishes; Illyana sends a get well card to Mark; Illyana asks about the breach of security protocols on the student journals; Emma does the same, only with less asking and more admonishing; Tabitha almost starts off the cycle again with a joke of her own about DNA confirmation. Julio complains about the strangers insulting him in his journal and wants to lock it; Nathan comes across Julio trying to burn off steam and tries to reason with him. Amanda drags Marie-Ange out for coffee. Forge and Laurie talk about being an X-Man. Lorna announces she is going to move to California for graduate study in May. Jay emails Amanda asking to meet up. Laurie talks to Nathan about being a good X-Man and what it entails. Nathan discusses his poor telepathic shielding with Jean and they worry about Angelo.

Apr 3 - Amanda is under the weather after Pete's buying of rounds at the pub the night before. Mandelbrot Bound: Garrison has an odd murder case that he asks Wanda and Sofia for advice on and it's revealed chaos math is involved; Wanda and Garrison visit the latest crime scene and are ambushed by the killer. Amanda suggests clubbing together money and music for a new iPod for Mark and Doug goes to Forge for some 'modifications'. Laurie claims the TV room for a Press Gang marathon. Jay and Amanda have coffee and discuss what happened to Mark.

Apr 4 - Laurie is confused by Rick Astley and Nigerian spam. Forge asks Julio to come help him with something. Mandelbrot Bound: Amanda wonders where Wanda has gotten to; Wanda and Garrison both wake up to find themselves in the hands of the Gamemaster, an omnipath who has been trying to counter the effects of Wanda's power on his neatly-controlled section of New York by 'pruning' various individuals; Garrison is forced through a series of death traps whilst the Gamemaster gets to know Wanda better; Sofia determines where the Gamemaster is and sets off to recover Wanda and Garrison; Garrison has failed the last trap, but is rescued by Sofia; the pair free Wanda, and the backlash destroys the Gamesmaster's mind; an injured Garrison asks to be retrieved from the hospital and the combination of blood loss and painkillers makes for some amusing journal comments. Operation: Take A Bow: Amanda visits Mark in hospital and gives him his new iPhone, and he has another flashback to his time in the demon dimension. Nathan speaks to one of the Muir patients about their return to the school. Julio helps Forge test out a new bullet, and they discuss various recent events. Scott and Haller go out drinking, talk about fathers and wind up being joined by Cain Marko| Cain, Betsy and Lorna.

Apr 5 - Manuel de la Rocha returns to the school, creating a furore of epic proportions as those who knew him previous react with shock (and sometimes dismay) and those who don't with confusion as to all the fuss; Amanda tells Laurie and Jane about breaking the link, to help them understand the reaction; Lorna takes sick days and refuses to eat; Amanda spars with Marie-Ange and later talks to Angelo about Manuel's return; Jennie emails Marius, but only gets an automated reply and instead gets drunk while Terry keeps her company; Laurie yells at Forge for calling Manuel a monster on the journals; Remy emails Ororo to check on the security issues entailed with Manuel and directs the Snow Valley team to research every angle; Haller emails Alex to check on Lorna; Manuel emails Kevin to explain his powers and the two have quite the chat; Jean-Phillipe is confused about what's going on. Nathan emails Sofia to check on her after the previous night's adventures. Mark gets his journal access back. Wanda also posts to the journals following her traumatic experience with the Gamemaster and Garrison drops by to check on her. Jane gets her GED. Illyana emails Jennie and they bitch about things, specifically Snow Valley, Amanda, Laurie and Angelo.

Apr 6 - Jubilee posts to x_grads a bit tipsy. Dani and Tabitha go out to a concert and stay out late. Bishop trains with Scott in the quarry. Tatiana is confused about the response to Manuel and Nathan tries to be reassuring, despite the jokes of some of the other residents about people coming back from the dead. Jane and Dani discuss college over breakfast. Crystal emails Lorna, concerned about her reaction to Manuel. Angelo and Laurie talk about his snapping at her on the journals and his past. Manuel emails Jennie, asking for a meeting. Jay emails Forge, one part concerned and one part annoyed about Forge telling Kevin about his first boyfriend, also Kevin. Crystal and Forge discuss his reaction to Manuel and her reaction to Julio and Tabitha's jokes about proof of death. Jubilee and Amanda discuss the past week's events. Bishop runs into Kurt in the brownstone and they chat.

Apr 7 - Garrison announces he has baseball tickets for the next weekend and makes an open invitation to the game. Kevin and Terry meet to talk about Manuel and realise they will never agree; afterwards, Kevin takes Manuel dinner and meets the man behind the uproar. Nathan returns from Muir with reading glasses and is mocked by Angelo and Juliette. Shakespeare Syndrome: Jan remarks on a history teacher singing his lesson; Kyle starts posting in haiku. Remy goes to the mansion, first speaking to Forge about keeping an eye on Manuel, and then visiting Manuel to warn him that if he goes back to his old ways, he won't get another chance; Remy emails Amanda, telling her it's okay to go to the mansion again; Amanda runs into Manuel and they have an awkward but not destructive conversation; afterwards, a distracted Amanda runs into Nathan and they discuss the changes in Manuel. Tabitha emails Dani about the very handsome Bishop, spotted on campus.

Apr 8 - Laurie posts quotes from Ghandi and Pearl S. Buck which explain her outlook on life. Operation: Take A Bow: Jubilee visits Mark and he remembers fighting to survive in the Warwolves dimension. Jennie advertises her tax services. Amanda invites the grads and Snow Valley people to her 21st birthday pub crawl in a week. Scott announces his and Alex's father will be visiting the school. Clarice runs into Amanda after visiting Mark and they have lunch and chat.

Apr 9: Emma announces an impending absence on a business trip and emails Kurt to inform him of the same. Scott and Angelo run into each other whilst running and Scott confronts Angelo about his need to punish himself. Marie emails Amanda to explain about her new pet, Jack the Monkey. Bishop runs into Clarice after a training. Manuel emails Amanda letting her know he isn't sure about going to her birthday party. Yvette meets Alex out by the skateboarding ramp, and they talk about his father visiting.

Apr 10 - Garrison is visited at his FBI office by US Marshall Bernard Kettleman, who explains that he is bringing his niece, daughter of a felon, to the school; a disgruntled Inez arrives and is met by Dani; Inez announces her arrival on the journals. Mark emails those who emailed him while he was too ill to respond. Christopher Summers arrives at the school, to Alex's joy and Scott's displeasure. Jubilee pins down Farouk to try and ask him his motives, and gets a lesson in information gathering and diplomacy.

Apr 11 - Manuel and Yvette meet, vaguely recognising each other. Dr. Samson turns up at the school covered in permanent marker, thanks to one of his young patients, and Clarice is amused. Laurie demands a trip to the zoo and Garrison reminds people of the baseball trip. Remy trains Jubilee le parkour and gives her some life lessons. Kevin emails Laurie to thank her for the meditation lessons in San Diego. Adrienne Frost arrives at the school and is unimpressed with her new suitemate, Terry. Jennie and Manuel talk about Europe and she makes it clear they're friends.

Apr 12 - Angel meets Christopher Summers and puts her foot in it about his 'pornstache'. Lorna receives a mystery gift to a spa for a time after she's moved to California.

Apr 13 - Tabitha apologises for missing Dani's birthday due to tax time. Inez meets Garrison, and is impressed until she finds out he's FBI.

Apr 14 - Kurt meets Christopher Summers and impresses him with his loyalty to Scott's leadership. Kevin and Nathan have an awkward conversation about telepathy and Nathan's lack of shielding. Adrienne introduces herself on the journals. Garrison and Adrienne meet and bond over baseball. Mark wonders on the X-Force comm if Adrienne is evil. Kevin has a clear out of sculptures. Adrienne emails Garrison to crow over the Red Sox' win and the Jay's defeat. Betsy emails Pete, amused that Emma has a sister who apparently hates her. Amanda's 21st birthday; she thanks Wanda for her gift and is excited about the pub crawl for later that evening; Manuel wishes her a happy birthday; on the pub crawl, Amanda has her first legal drink at Harry's, meets a singer friend of Garrison's and gets mushy with Wanda; Forge, Marie-Ange and Doug talk in different combinations about various things, serious and not. Jean chats with Christopher Summers about his sons and her 'death'. Shakespeare Syndrome: Kyle, Jean and Jane start speaking in poetry on Adrienne's post; Jean posts on nightshift in poetry.

Apr 15 - Garrison and Crystal pick up Cessily Kincaid, a new student. Amanda realises she's outed her relationship with Angelo on the journals and tries to arrange a meeting with Manuel before he reads about it. Kevin wonders if anyone would like to go to the Metropolitan Museum with him sometime. Kevin emails Manuel, asking about a comment about someone breaking in and Manuel is vague. Jennie asks Scott if she can not be paired with Marius while they're not getting on, and Scott sternly turns it down. Various party-goers are hungover. Shakespeare Syndrome: The poetic truth-telling spreads, with Laurie, Crystal, Tatiana, Jennie, and Julio all effected; Betsy emails the Xavier's staff, concerned about the poetry. Jay asks Clarice to alter some shirts for his job, and manages to insult her by asking if the X-Men get paid.

Apr 16 - Shakespeare Syndrome: The poetry outbreak continues, with Angel complaining about school in verse, Crystal breaking into limericks, Julio seducing Nori with Spanish poetry, Laurie posting free form verse; Marius raises questions about the phenomenon and Amanda researches possible occult causes; Forge removes himself from the journals as a security precaution; Farouk is disturbed; Scott asks for theories from the staff; Forge comes up with a way for Crystal to avoid humiliating herself on the journals; Angel and Jane gossip about boys in verse; Crystal announces she won't be teaching the next day; Jane encourages everyone to see the lighter side of things; Manuel reflects things haven't changed much in the mansion and Amanda comments about them needing to talk; Julio and Nori sleep together. Shiro meets Christopher Summers and inadvertently reveals his history with Alex when he doesn't realise Corsair speaks Japanese.

Apr 17 - Shakespeare Syndrome: Kevin posts his comments, and during the course of comments, it's revealed a number of the girls think he's hot, he kissed Angel in San Diego, and Jay gets upset; Pete is disappointed about the lack of dirty limericks; Jean-Paul's belief everyone is insane is confirmed; Jean stops rhyming and is confused; various people note the phenomenon isn't restricted to just the school and Amanda posts to the X-Force comm about possible patterns; Angelo confiscates Laurie's laptop before she embarrasses herself with any more admissions of crushes; Terry is also struck down and talks to Nathan about her wanting to do an internship over the summer with Interpol; Jennie confronts Marius on his lack of response to Manuel's return, and effected by the poetic truth phenomenon, almost admits she has a crush on him. Jennie drags Kevin out for waffles after her near-slip and they talk about their respective love lives. Kevin emails Jay and they manage to address some of their issues. Garrison emails Marie to invite her for dinner on his birthday. Amanda sends Ororo and Scott information on the Warwolves. Laurie emails Julio about his cheerfulness and is told the truth of his night with Nori. Amanda wishes Garrison a happy birthday; Garrison and Marie break up over dinner; Garrison posts to his journal in the early hours, depressed.

Apr 18 - Marie emails Amanda, asking for beer and pizza night; Amanda cancels a night out with Angelo, letting him know she'll be comforting Marie about the breakup. Adrienne goes to the Elpis offices and manages to make a bad impression on Angelo and Nathan. Doug posts sleep deprived after a Rockie v. Padres baseball game goes to 22 innings. Shakespeare Syndrome: Tatiana seeks refuge with Nathan; Lorna has a theory regarding the poetry, and tests it with Jean, proving it's a batch of the sports drink "Green Speed" that's causing the issue; Jean announces on the staff comm that she's identified a foreign substance in the Green Speed and she's going to Oregon to the factory; Jean announces on the general comm that they've found the cause; Jean asks Jennie to come with her to Oregon; Adrienne reflects that she might have been able to identify the culprit with her powers; Betsy goes out clubbing and gets a drink spiked with Green Speed; Jean and Jennie have an unproductive meeting with the man in charge of the Green Speed factory, but get access to the factory floor. Adrienne emails Garrison to taunt him about baseball and try to get him to come out, and he's not particularly amused. Kevin emails Clarice, asking for help with a six-month anniversary gift for Jay. Ororo meets Chris Summers and they talk about Scott and the team. Kevin emails Yvette with a plan to overcome both their issues with crowds and visiting the Met. Amanda and Marie-Ange share a bottle of red and gossip.

Apr 19 - Cessily introduces herself on the journals; Cessily comes across Kevin in the process of taking sculptures to New York for sale, and he's captivated by her. Kevin invites Manuel, Jane and Tatiana to the Met trip. Shakespeare Syndrome: Betsy reveals she's also been hit by the poetry effect; Cessily meets Tatiana, who is still stuck in verse, and things are initially awkward. Julio asks Kyle to leave the room for the night so he can invite Nori over. Angelo finds Jay working at Silver and they talk about relationships and John's bisexuality. Remy and Ororo spend time together and talk about Remy's reaction to Mark's 'death'.

Apr 20 - Manuel emails Amanda, wanting to arrange that meeting. Amanda takes Forge and Angelo with her to buy her first car; Amanda posts about her new acquisition.

Apr 21 - Jay gets home late from his bar tending job and things get hot and heavy with Kevin.

Apr 22 - John has insomnia and gets Laurie to make him a sandwich, before annoying her enough to dump juice in his lap. Nathan is cleared for active duty. Following comments in John's journal, Jay emails him asking for "something he doesn't know". Forge lets Amanda know her car is ready to be picked up. Operation: Take A Bow: Mark is released from hospital and there is a celebratory burrito party in his apartment. Scott emails Ororo complaining about his father still being at the mansion. Shakespeare Syndrome: Jean emails Betsy, pointing out she didn't take advantage of Betsy's being hit with the Green Speed of Truth. Mark emails Jean-Phillipe, asking where he's been while Mark was recovering. Inez has PMS and demands chocolate. Adrienne thanks Elpis for the information provided to her. Bobby's birthday, and Terry gets roses. Medusa emails Nathan, apologising for her extended absence and mentioning an ongoing illness. Amanda tells Manuel about her dating Angelo, and there's a tense scene. Angelica posts a "how to tell your pyrokinetics apart'" list after a mix up. Bishop apologises for his unavailability, mentioning a job for a friend. Marie-Ange invites Yvette, Angel and Cessily to officially join the Red Head Club. Jay emails Kevin to thank him for Monday night, and there's another misunderstanding.

Apr 23 - Crystal emails Scott, Ororo and Charles to let them know she will not be teaching in the new school year, instead remaining on Attilan.

Apr 24 - Laurie posts a cartoon to her journal. Lorna is confused and panicked when she is told her Berkely enrollment has been cancelled; the confusion deepens when she receives an email welcoming her to NYU. Adrienne meets Amanda and the two get on surprisingly well. Scott and Chris finally have that confrontation, and Alex gets involved trying to break up the ensuing fight; Scott rides off on his motorbike and Jean tracks him down to talk sense to him; Alex takes his father to Lorna's for dinner to avoid any more issues and she isn't impressed at the lack of notice. Kyle is finally allowed to drive alone. Crystal tells Forge about her plans to remain on Attilan/travel the next school year.

Apr 25 - Jean goes to talk to Chris about the previous day's incident and advises him to go to Alaska for a time. Operation: Take A Bow: With another flashback, Mark is back at work and gives Jay advice on the bartending.

Apr 26 - Tabitha invites Jane to go running with her. Kevin reminds everyone of the Met trip on Sunday. Kurt stops by to visit Wanda and he spooks her a bit.

Apr 27 - Wanda needs to bribe Forge, so she asks Dani for frybread; Wanda talks to Forge about her powers and if what the Gamemaster said was true, that she caused him to kill. X-Men Mission: Becket: The team is called out on short notice by Tanya Callery to try and stop Tara Trask from assassinating a pro-coexistence priest; the team battles William Moses and Amber Hunt while Kurt guards the priest; the priest is killed in a car bomb despite their efforts; Scott makes a brief team announcement of what happened; Kurt mourns the death of Father Alexi Garnoff. Adrienne is unhappy about the Red Sox being swept by Tampa Bay. Wanda has her weekly dinner with Betsy and they gossip. Tatiana is optimistic about her future, although nervous about school.

Apr 28 - Monet offers Tatiana a job cleaning her and Clarice's suite. Laurie talks to Manuel about her powers and asks him to the prom with her. Wanda apologises to Kurt for not being around the night before. X-Men Mission: Becket: Tabitha posts about her knee, injured in the mission; Nathan and Cain discuss the assassination and Callery's double agent status; Jean and Scott talk about the mission. Terry returns from Cassidy Keep to find Adrienne has broken her glasses.

Apr 29 - Jay thanks Clarice for altering his shirts. Mark celebrates the release of the new Madonna album. Lorna has managed to clear up the mess with her schools, but only to find someone has booby trapped her office. Adrienne gloats over the Blue Jays loss. Crystal emails Lorna about her prankster. Emma announces her presence in London. Operation: London Calling: Amanda has a restless evening for reasons she can't pin down, culminating in a strange phone call.

Apr 30 - Operation: London Calling: Amanda ask the rest of X-Force if something strange is happening in London. Crystal and Lorna have dinner and discuss Crystal's reasons for resigning as a teacher.

Plots

Operation: Take A Bow

Mandelbrot Bound

Shakespeare Syndrome

X-Men Mission: Becket

Operation: London Calling

External Links

April 2008