Addendum to "More Captains Britain, ch1"
Addendum to More Captains Britain, ch1 .
Annotations that had to be removed from the main post since it already was so long.
Further notes
Timeline
[ Explanations and notes about the timeline ]
Original timeline. It refers to an AU story I’ve fully planned - draft ready, sequence of events thought out and details fixed. Chances for the fic to ever see the light: 20%. As in: I have everything I need, each scene has been already thought out and the style I am to use wouldn’t require much dwelling into dialogues. It’s just the time and will to actually write it that lacks.
Reality number random generated. Number not yet used for official designation in Marvel at the time of the posting.
*
Notes about the names
[ Ramblings about character names different than canon ]
In the fanfiction the characters have their canon names. I'm striving to use variants of the canon name when I can, and being this a full alternate universe set in a fantasy world, I decided to come up with “alien” versions of their names only for this series: the change won't apply to the original fanfiction.
*
Notes on the story
[ How the story came to be ]
The secondary powers for the four girls have been chosen mostly to fit the “one opposite to another” theme. So, for a Jean that regains her (canon) Phoenix, at least in relation to the fire power, Emma gets ice (which, accidentally, could also act as a vague reference to that time when she possessed Bobby Drake and used his powers in ways he never imagined).
And, for a Rogue that gets plasma/energy powers of Ms. Marvel (in specific, I’ve latched to Carol Danvers' Binary era), Elizabeth is given something similar but related to darkness (think Darkstar for an idea of how) but a hint of tendrils that would reference to the darkness she wields and uses after getting the Crimson Dawn enhancements.
The fourth spot in the Queens (and in the Goddesses as well - more below) was up to grabs for ages - I was planning on having all of them with mind-related powers but there is no fourth big telepath woman in the X-Men (besides Rachel). Also, I wanted to use all the most prominent X-Women, and that meant I couldn't leave Rogue out. So I had to adapt and change a bit the themes, until I managed to fit Dazzler in the Four Goddesses and Rogue as last Queen.
Same issue for how the Horsemen roster came to be. I don’t know which came first, Gambit as Horseman or Rogue as Queen, but it clicked. Warren's (duh, it’s a Warren/Betsy AU) and Logan’s spots on the team were a given from the start - then I planned to draw from the mutants who had been Horsemen, but none convinced me. To have the team balanced, I didn't feel anyone like Sunfire (and the likes) would fit, and I couldn't pick a marginal Horseman to stay near A/B-list X-Men. Initially Banshee was picked, to be paired with Emma in a homage to Generation X, but I felt I couldn’t really have him and ignore Emma/Scott (plus, I wanted only Warren as a flyer), so, as the story developed further, I gave the third spot to Scott. All in all, two are the mutants who carried their Death legacy the most (Warren, and to a lesser extent, Remy), one is a Wolverine (duh) and the fourth for a time was merged with Apocalypse himself.
*
The fanfiction
[ Spoilers about the fic that won’t see the light ]
Focusing on Elizabeth's story, I didn’t have the chance to tell here about what happens before the Age of the Four Queens.
The story starts with four gods, consisting of the quadrumvirate of Krakoa (Charles, Magnus, Apocalypse, Moira). Annihilation corrupts Genesis, wife of Apocalypse, the battle to repel Annihilation is so destructive that everything needs to be rebooted. Then comes the Age of the Goddesses: Storm, Phoenix, Polaris and Dazzler, covering four elements and preserving the balance. Then Scott’s death triggers the darkness in Phoenix and the other three are forced to fight her - the balance is broken and the sunset comes for their age. Dazzler turns into light and vanishes, Polaris becomes one with her element and Storm leaves the earth to join the universe.
Before that, each of the goddess have taken a liking and have grown a connection to a mortal (Jean-Scott, Polaris-Alex, Dazzler-Longshot, Storm-Warren). Each of the mortals face a grim or bitter end. Warren is stripped of his wings and seeks the help of the ancient god Apocalypse, thus turning into a god (I’m still deciding if the Black Vortex is involved as well). Scott dies, and as Phoenix vanishes (with the promise to be reborn and join Scott again) a splinter of Phoenix revives him but he’s twisted (in an homage to his Phoenix Five story) and he’s deposed after becoming a tyrant. Alex betrays his goddess to follow a vengeful minor dark goddess (Goblin Queen) with whom he finds love. Longshot is turned into a star to forever stay with his goddess.
In these very years live also Logan and Remy: Logan is a witness of the tragedies that led to sunset of the Age of the Goddesses, while Remy is one of the favored of Storm.
Warren, as the only one who kept his memories from his mortal existence, knows about his peers, and also recognizes Phoenix in Jean.
How and why Apocalypse picks exactly Logan, Remy and Scott is left a mystery.
*
Arts & pics used
[ Credits and general ramblings about the pics used ]
Originally, the images used to represent this Betsy featured Skye from Zenescope's Grimm Universe.
I might be old-fashioned but I like the art style of the Grimm Universe. Of all the covers I stumbled by in the years, this specific character (who turned out to be the Snow White of this universe) always gave me "Betsy Braddock" vibes. Might be the color of the hair, or the fact that her powers are colored purple-to-red and in a way similar to how Betsy's TK is depicted. Also, she got a sword that, when imbued with powers, looks so much like a powerful tk sword.
While doing some image research, I discovered a bit about this character: she is the protector of the Nexus (hello Betsy!) and also has been involved/had an arc in which she ended up in Camelot.
Call these coincidences.
Anyway. I always pictured Betsy in the covers whenever I saw them, but never really had any AU in which this specific kind of art (or costume) could apply. Curiously enough, in the same comic appeared a Snow Queen (see cover for issue #2) which would be a good reference for the Emma of this fanfiction.
The idea that Skye could be a stand-in for Betsy came out of a sudden, while I was using another Grimm Universe character for another Betsy. Of all the AUs I have, I thought this is the one where this sexy style could work.
In Summer I eventually changed the images, switching from Skye's standard costume (a sexy redesign of the Snow White Disney dress) to Skye wearing armor - with the original look recycled for another AU of mine.
In October 2024 I have changed once again the images, this time with two other characters whose looks I liked so much that I wanted to use them; one of them, curiously, is named Elizabeth, while the other is a Red Queen. Searching through all my AUs, this is where they better fitted. Skye in armor will be used in another AU.
I also added references for both Jean and Rogue.
Fun fact: these images lasted like three days, before I changed them again with yet new ones.
MASTERPOST PICTURE
The image is a Lady Satanus from Coffin Comic's Lady Satanus: Sinister Urge, 2023.
Artists: Omar Zaldivar (pencils, inks) and Hedwin Zaldivar (colors).
ID PICTURE
Summary image is a Lady Satanus from Coffin Comic's Lady Satanus: Sinister Urge, 2023.
Artists: Omar Zaldivar (pencils, inks) and Hedwin Zaldivar (colors).
GALLERY PICTURE #1
The first image in the gallery is a Lady Satanus from Coffin Comic's Lady Satanus: Sinister Urge, 2023.
Artists: Omar Zaldivar (pencils, inks) and Hedwin Zaldivar (colors).
MODIFICATIONS
I covered some naked skin and changed colors to make it a Captain Britain.
GALLERY PICTURE #2
The second image in the gallery is a Red Queen from a variant for Zenescope's Grimm Fairy Tales presents Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass #2, 2013.
Artist: Renato Rei (pencils, inks) and Alessia Nocera (colors).
ADDITIONAL GALLERY PICTURE, #1
The image of Warren is a limited-edition Angel skin from the videogame Marvel Super War. The skin is referred to as Fallen Angel (Nightmare Dimension: Fallen Angel) and was first sold between 17th and 23rd December 2020, with a limited re-release between 30 December 2021 and January 26 2022.
The name of who designed this cool costume has sadly never been revealed.
LINKS
There is a promo art of it, but not a textless one. Interesting enough, there was a release of the inspiration for the design, highlighting look choices. While small, the graphics is interesting: you can check it here.
A video promo for him was also shared, in which he is seen in selection mode and then is played in the game. You can see it here. (on YT)
ADDITIONAL GALLERY PICTURE, #2
The image of Jean Grey is an art of Lady Death from Lady Death Gallery, 2019.
Artists: Eric Basaldua (pencils), Nei Ruffino (colors).
MODIFICATIONS
I covered some naked skin (the original was midly risque) and changed colors to fit Jean Grey.
ADDITIONAL GALLERY PICTURE, #3
The image of Rogue is Dawn from the textless art of Sirius Entertainment's Dawn: Lucifer's Halo trade paperback, 2005.
Art by Joseph Michael Linsner.
MODIFICATIONS
Fixed the color of hair and some tweaks here and there.
ADDITIONAL GALLERY PICTURE, #4
The image of Emma Frost is the Snow Queen from the textless variant cover of Zenescope's Grimm Fairy Tales (Vol 2) #2, 2016.
Art by Antonio Bifulco with colors by Hedwin Zaldivar.
Annotations that had to be removed from the main post since it already was so long.
Further notes
Timeline
[ Explanations and notes about the timeline ]
Original timeline. It refers to an AU story I’ve fully planned - draft ready, sequence of events thought out and details fixed. Chances for the fic to ever see the light: 20%. As in: I have everything I need, each scene has been already thought out and the style I am to use wouldn’t require much dwelling into dialogues. It’s just the time and will to actually write it that lacks.
Reality number random generated. Number not yet used for official designation in Marvel at the time of the posting.
*
Notes about the names
[ Ramblings about character names different than canon ]
In the fanfiction the characters have their canon names. I'm striving to use variants of the canon name when I can, and being this a full alternate universe set in a fantasy world, I decided to come up with “alien” versions of their names only for this series: the change won't apply to the original fanfiction.
*
Notes on the story
[ How the story came to be ]
The secondary powers for the four girls have been chosen mostly to fit the “one opposite to another” theme. So, for a Jean that regains her (canon) Phoenix, at least in relation to the fire power, Emma gets ice (which, accidentally, could also act as a vague reference to that time when she possessed Bobby Drake and used his powers in ways he never imagined).
And, for a Rogue that gets plasma/energy powers of Ms. Marvel (in specific, I’ve latched to Carol Danvers' Binary era), Elizabeth is given something similar but related to darkness (think Darkstar for an idea of how) but a hint of tendrils that would reference to the darkness she wields and uses after getting the Crimson Dawn enhancements.
The fourth spot in the Queens (and in the Goddesses as well - more below) was up to grabs for ages - I was planning on having all of them with mind-related powers but there is no fourth big telepath woman in the X-Men (besides Rachel). Also, I wanted to use all the most prominent X-Women, and that meant I couldn't leave Rogue out. So I had to adapt and change a bit the themes, until I managed to fit Dazzler in the Four Goddesses and Rogue as last Queen.
Same issue for how the Horsemen roster came to be. I don’t know which came first, Gambit as Horseman or Rogue as Queen, but it clicked. Warren's (duh, it’s a Warren/Betsy AU) and Logan’s spots on the team were a given from the start - then I planned to draw from the mutants who had been Horsemen, but none convinced me. To have the team balanced, I didn't feel anyone like Sunfire (and the likes) would fit, and I couldn't pick a marginal Horseman to stay near A/B-list X-Men. Initially Banshee was picked, to be paired with Emma in a homage to Generation X, but I felt I couldn’t really have him and ignore Emma/Scott (plus, I wanted only Warren as a flyer), so, as the story developed further, I gave the third spot to Scott. All in all, two are the mutants who carried their Death legacy the most (Warren, and to a lesser extent, Remy), one is a Wolverine (duh) and the fourth for a time was merged with Apocalypse himself.
*
The fanfiction
[ Spoilers about the fic that won’t see the light ]
Focusing on Elizabeth's story, I didn’t have the chance to tell here about what happens before the Age of the Four Queens.
The story starts with four gods, consisting of the quadrumvirate of Krakoa (Charles, Magnus, Apocalypse, Moira). Annihilation corrupts Genesis, wife of Apocalypse, the battle to repel Annihilation is so destructive that everything needs to be rebooted. Then comes the Age of the Goddesses: Storm, Phoenix, Polaris and Dazzler, covering four elements and preserving the balance. Then Scott’s death triggers the darkness in Phoenix and the other three are forced to fight her - the balance is broken and the sunset comes for their age. Dazzler turns into light and vanishes, Polaris becomes one with her element and Storm leaves the earth to join the universe.
Before that, each of the goddess have taken a liking and have grown a connection to a mortal (Jean-Scott, Polaris-Alex, Dazzler-Longshot, Storm-Warren). Each of the mortals face a grim or bitter end. Warren is stripped of his wings and seeks the help of the ancient god Apocalypse, thus turning into a god (I’m still deciding if the Black Vortex is involved as well). Scott dies, and as Phoenix vanishes (with the promise to be reborn and join Scott again) a splinter of Phoenix revives him but he’s twisted (in an homage to his Phoenix Five story) and he’s deposed after becoming a tyrant. Alex betrays his goddess to follow a vengeful minor dark goddess (Goblin Queen) with whom he finds love. Longshot is turned into a star to forever stay with his goddess.
In these very years live also Logan and Remy: Logan is a witness of the tragedies that led to sunset of the Age of the Goddesses, while Remy is one of the favored of Storm.
Warren, as the only one who kept his memories from his mortal existence, knows about his peers, and also recognizes Phoenix in Jean.
How and why Apocalypse picks exactly Logan, Remy and Scott is left a mystery.
*
Arts & pics used
[ Credits and general ramblings about the pics used ]
Originally, the images used to represent this Betsy featured Skye from Zenescope's Grimm Universe.
I might be old-fashioned but I like the art style of the Grimm Universe. Of all the covers I stumbled by in the years, this specific character (who turned out to be the Snow White of this universe) always gave me "Betsy Braddock" vibes. Might be the color of the hair, or the fact that her powers are colored purple-to-red and in a way similar to how Betsy's TK is depicted. Also, she got a sword that, when imbued with powers, looks so much like a powerful tk sword.
While doing some image research, I discovered a bit about this character: she is the protector of the Nexus (hello Betsy!) and also has been involved/had an arc in which she ended up in Camelot.
Call these coincidences.
Anyway. I always pictured Betsy in the covers whenever I saw them, but never really had any AU in which this specific kind of art (or costume) could apply. Curiously enough, in the same comic appeared a Snow Queen (see cover for issue #2) which would be a good reference for the Emma of this fanfiction.
The idea that Skye could be a stand-in for Betsy came out of a sudden, while I was using another Grimm Universe character for another Betsy. Of all the AUs I have, I thought this is the one where this sexy style could work.
In Summer I eventually changed the images, switching from Skye's standard costume (a sexy redesign of the Snow White Disney dress) to Skye wearing armor - with the original look recycled for another AU of mine.
In October 2024 I have changed once again the images, this time with two other characters whose looks I liked so much that I wanted to use them; one of them, curiously, is named Elizabeth, while the other is a Red Queen. Searching through all my AUs, this is where they better fitted. Skye in armor will be used in another AU.
I also added references for both Jean and Rogue.
Fun fact: these images lasted like three days, before I changed them again with yet new ones.
MASTERPOST PICTURE
The image is a Lady Satanus from Coffin Comic's Lady Satanus: Sinister Urge, 2023.
Artists: Omar Zaldivar (pencils, inks) and Hedwin Zaldivar (colors).
ID PICTURE
Summary image is a Lady Satanus from Coffin Comic's Lady Satanus: Sinister Urge, 2023.
Artists: Omar Zaldivar (pencils, inks) and Hedwin Zaldivar (colors).
GALLERY PICTURE #1
The first image in the gallery is a Lady Satanus from Coffin Comic's Lady Satanus: Sinister Urge, 2023.
Artists: Omar Zaldivar (pencils, inks) and Hedwin Zaldivar (colors).
MODIFICATIONS
I covered some naked skin and changed colors to make it a Captain Britain.
GALLERY PICTURE #2
The second image in the gallery is a Red Queen from a variant for Zenescope's Grimm Fairy Tales presents Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass #2, 2013.
Artist: Renato Rei (pencils, inks) and Alessia Nocera (colors).
ADDITIONAL GALLERY PICTURE, #1
The image of Warren is a limited-edition Angel skin from the videogame Marvel Super War. The skin is referred to as Fallen Angel (Nightmare Dimension: Fallen Angel) and was first sold between 17th and 23rd December 2020, with a limited re-release between 30 December 2021 and January 26 2022.
The name of who designed this cool costume has sadly never been revealed.
LINKS
There is a promo art of it, but not a textless one. Interesting enough, there was a release of the inspiration for the design, highlighting look choices. While small, the graphics is interesting: you can check it here.
A video promo for him was also shared, in which he is seen in selection mode and then is played in the game. You can see it here. (on YT)
ADDITIONAL GALLERY PICTURE, #2
The image of Jean Grey is an art of Lady Death from Lady Death Gallery, 2019.
Artists: Eric Basaldua (pencils), Nei Ruffino (colors).
MODIFICATIONS
I covered some naked skin (the original was midly risque) and changed colors to fit Jean Grey.
ADDITIONAL GALLERY PICTURE, #3
The image of Rogue is Dawn from the textless art of Sirius Entertainment's Dawn: Lucifer's Halo trade paperback, 2005.
Art by Joseph Michael Linsner.
MODIFICATIONS
Fixed the color of hair and some tweaks here and there.
ADDITIONAL GALLERY PICTURE, #4
The image of Emma Frost is the Snow Queen from the textless variant cover of Zenescope's Grimm Fairy Tales (Vol 2) #2, 2016.
Art by Antonio Bifulco with colors by Hedwin Zaldivar.