henchweasel | duplicity: application

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Name: Dee
Age: 35+
Contact: weeyotch (discord, plurk)
Timezone: EST
Other Character(s): N/A (though I was previously here with Jeff the bard!)

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Name: Fabian Cortez
Door: Door Pass

Canon: Marvel Comics (616)
Canon Point: Krakoa Era, X-Men: The Onslaught Revelation

Age: Early 30s
Appearance: Visual Reference.

Fabian is a tall man, well over 6', with broad shoulders and an athletic build. Like most comic characters, he's pretty jacked, though it can be hard to tell when he isn't wearing skin-tight spandex. He's fair skinned, with blue eyes, red hair (except when he's inexplicably blonde or brunette), and a face that could be described as conventionally handsome-- if he didn't ruin it with his rancid personality. He keeps his hair long, and prefers wearing it in a ponytail or, if he's in dire straits, a bun.

These days, Fabian's given up the 90s tactical spandex in favor of nicely tailored designer clothes, opting for button-downs and waistcoats. He's also said goodbye to the perpetual five o'clock shadow he once rocked (which I only assume he maintained in order to look like a rugged commoner-- it makes him more relatable to the peasants!), and now favors a clean shaven face. But one thing hasn't changed: this man fucking loves wearing a cape-- or, barring a cape, a long jacket. Just give him something to swish around dramatically in.

History: Marvel Database
CR AU (Optional): N/A

Personality:

Survivor (+): Cortez may be a sea of negative qualities, but there's something admirable in the way that he's absolutely determined to survive, no matter which powerful mutant wants him dead, or how many people are gunning for him. The guy's like a cockroach. He won't give up, and he won't lay down and accept death. Of course, his desperation to survive can (and often does) lead him to do terrible things; however!! It's also driven him to change, adapt, and commit a few genuinely good actions, which have laid the foundation for him to... start to grow as a person? Over time, he actually does a few arguably heroic things in the name of survival, like healing injuries and boosting Sunfire, a fellow mutant, to the point where he could easily take out a symbiote dragon, even though the action ultimately draws attention to Fabian and leads to his (temporary) death, along with Sunfire. Sure, he revels in the heroic act for all the wrong reasons, but it does show that he's capable of setting aside his own selfishness and cowardice when survival's at stake

Over time, his survivor mentality begins to extend beyond himself to include the mutant nation of Krakoa. After reluctantly aiding in the defeat of Onslaught, he actually becomes shockingly committed to helping nurture a peaceful haven for mutants, finding purpose by joining Nightcrawler's team of misfits, known as the Legionaries. Cortez can be seen jumping into the fray alongside the heroes at multiple times, aiding in evacuations and peacekeeping, this time acting as more of a team player. I mean, he's still an arrogant, bitchy jerk even when he's being helpful, but we can't let the perfect be the enemy of the halfway-decent here!

Eventually, he even starts to help humans, using his abilities to heal them from illness and injuries, which is a significant turn for his character ~~and will probably never be explored or followed up on in future comics~~. Though this happens well after the canon point I take him from, it shows a trajectory of him veeeerrrryyyyy slooooowwwwllllyyyy finding the value in others' survival as well as his own.

Insecure (-): Although Fabian likes to project a confident, arrogant front, he's deeply insecure and absolutely riddled with self-loathing. By his own admission, he's hated himself for as long as he can remember, and other characters point out how obvious it is that he despises himself. Though he grew up with absurd levels of wealth and privilege (he's old old money), the knowledge that he did nothing to earn it, that he would never know struggle, ate away at him. All he had was built on the shoulders of his ancestors: nobles, colonizers, influential men who made their marks on the world long before he was ever born. Even his mutant powers felt like a joke when they manifested, because they're wholly dependent on boosting other, 'greater' mutants. It probably doesn't help that, even when he's trying to actually do good in one of his most recent appearances, he gets it thrown in his face with the line: "All you've ever been good for is your ability to enhance your superiors' mutant gifts." Thanks for reinforcing his biggest insecurity, Mystique.

And so that insecurity became a poisonous seed, blossoming into envy, covetousness, spite, and cruelty. In time, he came to see the advantages of his abilities, and the ways he could weaponize them against great, powerful mutants like Magneto and others, choosing to use his powers as an addictive, deleterious drug, rather than a force of good. His desire to make his own bloody mark on the world drove him to start a terrorist cult, kill his own sister as collateral damage, incite global conflict, and more! In his own words, he did it all so that he could "pretend to matter" and sees himself as being a "poisonous little trickle of mediocrity," which is a pretty brutal condemnation of one's self. He also has a whiny meltdown at one point and complains that he just wants people to like him or think he's important GOD IT'S SO HARD BEING FABIAN--

Anyway, that's Fabian in a nutshell. He's insecure, he's got an inferiority complex, he wants to be liked, and he'd burn the whole fucking world just for a pat on the head.

Entitled (-): Affluenza, now with super powers! Given his background of extreme wealth and privilege, it's no surprise that Cortez is a massively entitled brat. He was both coddled by his family and ultimately rejected by them for being a mutant (left with nothing but a mere six figure allowance and a home in Florida!!), and now it's the entire world's problem when he doesn't get what he wants. He sees himself as royalty and expects to be treated as such, and when that doesn't happen, he will throw a very dignified tantrum, with shouting, insults, whining, threats, and more! Even his venomous hatred of humans seems to just be an extension of his entitlement, because I'm about 95% sure at this point that he's just mad that his family shunned him for his mutation, rather than bow down and treat him like the apex of their bloodline. And of course, that sort of familial rejection is genuinely upsetting, even if it happens to a spoiled rotten brat, but he seems far more pressed about losing the prestige, resources, and connections that he feels entitled to rather than, like, his mother's love or anything like that.

He's so spoiled and self-absorbed that it's damn near impossible for him to look beyond himself and think about others most of the time, to consider that their lives or wants or needs exist at all, let alone matter even a fraction as much as his. Even in the middle of flushing out Onslaught-- a very pressing threat to the lives of all mutants-- Cortez whines about how unfair it is that his beautiful heroic moment is ultimately just a backdrop to somebody else's story. Even when he's sort of being a good guy, he still needs to make sure EVERYBODY KNOWS just how much he's suffering or inconvenienced, because the "WHAT ABOUT MEEEE" of it all is very very important.

Deceptive (-): So much about Cortez's public persona is rooted in artifice. From his very first appearance, he presents himself as helpful and worshipful of Magneto, and as a zealous true believer in his cause of mutant liberation, all so he can get close to Magneto and earn his trust long enough to stab him in the back and win points in his stupid murder game. It's only then that he goes mask off and starts to show his true cynical and entitled self. He uses flattery and manipulation as weapons, and when that doesn't work, he'll get on his knees and play the craven, deferential follower, switching the script to whatever it takes to save his own skin and buy himself some time to scheme and get back on top.

Naturally, this is a tactic that has diminishing returns, since you can only betray people so many times before they stop giving you chances, but... it's really pretty impressive how many times Fabian manages to weasel his way back into positions where he can cause problems. By his current canon point, he's burned so many bridges that he didn't even get a chance to attempt any inevitable betrayals before his team leader preemptively ousted from his position at the first possible opportunity. In the middle of a council meeting, which he was forced to attend in the buff. It was probably the most humiliating moment of his life.

Anyway, Cortez lies so much that it's hard to say who he really is, and even he can't seem to answer the question. Though he's pledged himself to various causes and masters over the years, always playing the part of being a true believer, the truth is Cortez never once believed in anything. Maybe if he did, he could stomach his own crimes and justify them as righteous. Instead, he's aware of the hollowness of his actions, the pointlessness of his cruelty and bloodshed, which only feeds into his self loathing. You'd think that'd maybe get him to stop being such a big phony at any earlier point in his life, but nah. He's so allergic to displaying any sincerity that it takes a cataclysmic event threatening all of mutantkind to even get him to admit any of this.

Unfortunately, this means that even when he is trying to do something genuinely good, for once, nobody really believes him. It has to be another deception. There must be some scheme, some angle he's working, because to anyone who knows him (or even knows of him), he's a dangerous, conniving liar to his core.

~~jesus christ i really tried to keep this personality section short, what is wrong with me i'm so sorry~~

Powers and Abilities: Cortez has the ability to manipulate other mutants' powers, through augmentation/boosting or dampening/nullifying, by touch. Offensively, he'll boost their abilities to dangerous, uncontrollable, sometimes life-threatening levels, but he can also be genuinely helpful and boost allies to make them more powerful in their endeavors. In other words, he makes mutants mutant harder.

His powers also cause mutants to experience a rush, like a shot of adrenaline, and it can feel like an amaaaazing drug. And, oh yeah, it can also be addictive and ultimately debilitating, though he is capable of controlling the addictive qualities of his powers. Too much exposure to his powers in repeated, highly concentrated doses can/will ultimately sap the vitality from others. In the past, he used it to weaken Magneto and make him dependent on his power boosts, all while pretending he was healing him. He's also recently reduced Mystique to a shriveled near-dead husk, but like... for once, it wasn't on purpose. She kind of did it to herself by kidnapping him and forcing him to be her living battery in the first place.

Cortez's power manipulation only works on other mutants, for the most part, though he's also used them on Inhumans before, so uh. IDK man, I figure these powers are completely useless on regular humans, enhanced humans, or magic users, but can affect mutant-adjacent and metahuman types on a case by case basis.

Since his Krakoan resurrection, Cortez has also gained the ability to legitimately heal others, humans and mutants alike. He can repair broken bones, internal injuries, illnesses, and infections, though the extent or limits of his healing powers haven't really been outlined, and likely even he doesn't know just how far he can take it. He's probably not capable of healing terminal conditions, chronic illnesses, missing limbs, etc.

Anyway, it's probably ironic that the worst person in the world now has a totally benevolent power that can do some genuine good.

In addition to his mutant powers, Cortez is also skilled at combat, mostly in the use of firearms, though he's shown to be capable with hand-to-hand and knives. He's not, like, amazing, though, and tends to get subdued, tossed around, and otherwise beaten pretty regularly.

Inventory: He'll arrive with nothing and whine about it probably

Samples: thinking sample (with some chatting) | chatting sample (with some thinking)