I’ll admit it, I saw a random clip of Quantumania online, and found the joke of MODOK monologuing his backstory, only for Ant-Man to obliviously shut down the drama by realizing the acronym, to be legitimately hilarious. And while I might change Will Lasher being a Techna for my story, I am suddenly given this humorous idea for an exchange, if I keep that idea...
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Will: They left me to die, but Salazar found me, rebuilt me. Made me an ultimate weapon; A mechanized Techna armed with electric whi-
Nick: Whiplash!
Will:
Nick: Oh- Whi- Oh I get it, it’s a pun! *Calling out to Kate* It’s wordplay! Will Lasher... Whiplash... Do you happen to have a middle name that starts with a P?
I just realized but there’s like... Parallels that can be made between Kate and Will, and Titan and Overlord. I’ll probably talk another day who Titan and Overlord are, but there’s that whole dark older brother, bright younger sister dynamic, except the younger sister is actually kind of messed up herself, their relationship is complicated and at times adversarial (especially for Titan and Overlord), etc. Titan even embodies the same kind of energy that Trexdis uses! Though I can’t say the same for Will and Overlord alas, but then again I’m revising Will’s character, so who knows how far he’ll be changed.
And, obviously the similarities simply come from me repeating character tropes- But screw it! I may as well make good on this parallel, and make the most of it as an intentional thing from here on out. Make the similarities (and contrasts) deliberate this time, that could be a lot of fun! Of course, if there ARE similarities, then presumably there should be a third sibling for Will and Trexdis... But honestly I don’t think I’ll bother with that. Parallels yes, but also contrasts as well.
Will was chosen to retrieve Wayvren’s child not just for his skills, but his position as a trusted lieutenant; And he got that trust because ultimately, him and Shogaken could relate to one another, on a couple of things. Having to grow up and feeling like the world’s pressure is on you, having to do so much with your talent, only to feel rejected and unappreciated for doing your job; In Will’s case, he had to parentify himself to take care of Kate after their parents died suddenly. And all that pressure and hard work led to him becoming increasingly overbearing, until he joined the NOP to provide Kate with as easy a life as possible.
Of course, Kate never asked Will to go that far, and she made it clear; She didn’t need that much money, and didn’t appreciate that it came from serving what was essentially the GEverse’s equivalent to the CIA. But Will didn’t see the problem with the NOP, and felt Kate was wasting the hard-earned money he sent her on others (Kate was loathe to spend ‘blood money’, she repurposed it for charity to minimize damage), since growing up he had to prioritize himself and especially his sister against those around them. And with the psychological toil and guilt being a NOP agent took, it just made Will more bitter, so when he died on a mission…
Well, Shogaken was quite willing to hear his life’s story, and feed into Will’s frustration as a manner of projection. Will still cares though and vice-versa, it’s really complicated between the Lasher siblings, but ultimately, part of the reason Will agreed to become a Skull Kin, and climbed Shogaken’s ranks, was so that he could have the privilege of being assigned a Grisnir and returning to the world of the living… And eventually, he did succeed in reconnecting with Kate; Seemingly for nothing, given their relationship is still fractured and in some ways more damaged, but Will has at least found a new cause to distract himself with.
Both siblings have found themselves captured, reborn, and molded by others, and under the service of a new ‘master’; Will approves of Trexdis finding a reliable income, though does feel a bit resentful that NOW she’s fine with doing these sorts of things for someone else. For Trexdis, it’s actually complicated, and for that she does eventually rebel; But until that point, Kate’s very much bringing up the point that it’s a lot less voluntary for her, and unlike Will she’s less of a blind follower about it.
But they both stick with these violent institutions for the sake of someone younger they’re taking care of… In Kate’s case, a lot of people. And these people they prioritize over the lives of others, so who’s laughing now Kate??? Says Will. There’s both legitimate drama over the comparison, but also petty sibling jabs. Of course, then Kate DOES rebel, and now she has more to leverage; She didn’t do it just to say I told you so to Will, but it’s a nice bonus.
(In terms of other dualities, there’s Kate being able to mirror-travel, while Will has mastered shadow-travel; And both can make their bones visible by altering their flesh. Kate renders her flesh invisible as an occasional prank or aesthetic choice, and Will just removes his flesh entirely once it outlives its purpose.)
Kate and her older brother Will lost their parents at a young age. It was an accident, and Kate doesn’t remember too much of it, but Will definitely blames himself somewhat for it. They of course grieved, that’s easy to do when you had a good and loving relationship with your parents, and the siblings always kept them in mind as they grew up.
For years, Kate and Will mostly had each other- Will playing the typical role of a protective, older brother, more stern and serious… While Kate let herself have fun, was a lot more outgoing and curious, definitely a far-cry from the adult she’d be known as later in life, by the kids she swore to protect and find a home for. Excitable, confident and brash to an occasionally reckless degree, simply out there living life.
Will did most of the work in taking care of himself and Kate, mostly Kate- He was a bit selfless like that, and Kate definitely appreciated his efforts and made sure he was okay at the end of the day. While Kate went out and made the occasional friends and acquaintances, ultimately passing, Will mostly focused on making ends meet and helping provide for the two. They had help from social services and whatnot, but it wasn’t always ideal, and Will felt driven to devote himself to something all the while.
The beginnings of a rift formed between the two siblings, with how Will felt the compulsion to go off and push himself to help provide, and while Kate could tell that he meant well… She could also tell he had his own issues, a paradoxical desire to live life away without having to always worry about his sister, yet at the same time taking care of her. It was frustrating then that Will didn’t really want to talk about it with her, and both began to feel that the other didn’t appreciate them… Will stopped spending time with Kate, and Kate was getting tired of Will relying on work as justification for the distance.
It was even worse how sometimes Will would extend oversight across Kate, telling her what to do in his protectiveness, disapproving her decisions in life, laying out his ideas and plans for the future; As far as Kate was concerned, Will needed to be MUCH more involved in her life to have that kind of claim and stake on it, to provide that sort of input and control. Will had control and the power, and he was beginning to steamroll over Kate a bit in the process, and she wanted her own say and contribution, regardless of whether or not Will felt she was being ungrateful and undermining his help. Sometimes Will was so dead-set in his own vision, in his own plans, and didn’t really believe in what Kate had to offer, because HE did most of the work and success, right?
Things got worse then Will was noticed and recruited by the NOP. The confidential nature of his occupation, coupled with the longer and distant missions, meant Will spending more time away from home. He skipped out on prom and wasn’t there for Kate there, nor at graduation… But it was fine, he reasoned; It was for the good of the two. He might be doing covert-ops missions as an enforcer, but it was part of a legal institution, so how unethical could it be? He was going to be able to pay for college for his little sister as well…
And, Kate appreciated it! But she felt like Will was starting to control her, decide what Kate would do in life in order to make the most of his efforts; Some of his funding towards her college plans meant that Kate couldn’t do what SHE wanted, not without Will having the power to rescind his financial support, or exercise his own control over the matter. Some things she couldn’t do without his permission, some things he even did without telling her! It began to get frustrating and restrictive.
And amidst controlling Kate as an obligation almost, she felt he was beginning to get tired of her as an actual person to hang around with, and Will kind of was… But at the same time, he felt beholden from some sense of familial guilt, and it was frustrating for her- She wanted him to make up his mind and take a stance. Yes, she had a few selfish motives for wanting Will to just leave his job and come back home, she was beginning to miss him as well… But also, Kate had legitimate concerns about the nature of Will’s job, whatever unethical things he may be doing, etc. Will was fine with overlooking it, as part of that greater purpose, both for the siblings, and also himself- Getting to do something he felt was meaningful.
Kate felt like Will was lowkey being indoctrinated by the NOP, but there wasn’t much she could do. The siblings became more and more distant, Will got angry at Kate for not appreciating his efforts, but dammit, Kate made it clear that she did NOT ask this of him! She never asked him to do this, she never asked Will to funnel so much of his paycheck towards her bank account, that was all HIS decision and choice, which he rapidly made without consultation nor notification for Kate! Will felt a little resentful, felt like Kate was kind of holding him back… A part of Kate was selfishly motivated and wanted to keep Will to herself, but there was also real concern there, and it was hard to tell where altruism and personal gain began and ended.
It didn’t help that Kate had her own thoughts about the ethics of the NOP as a whole, which Will of course ignored. Eventually, the two siblings had a falling-out; Kate began to refuse money from Will, because she never asked this of him, and he wasn’t going to force her to be quiet out of gratitude for financial support. She refused to have that kind of obligation thrust upon her, to concede that kind of moral high ground to Will; Now whatever he did with his job, that was all for himself. For Will, this was of course frustrating, and he felt like he’d been rejected, unappreciated… But it was also freeing in other ways. And a part of him was glad to see Kate go off and be her own person now…
It was a lot of mixed feelings. Ever since then, the two siblings had gradually stopped talking with one another, as Will further threw himself into his role as a NOP agent. Kate went out and lived her own life; She got the English degree and pursued the college plan she actually wanted for herself, she picked up various kinds of job experience. While Will reveled in his own dedication and purpose, Kate felt free to go out and live life to the fullest; She definitely had a bit of a wild, punk-rock phase, attended a rally or two, got arrested at one point, protested, accidentally decked someone at a metal concert and apologized, and hitched rides with various fellow strangers to some nearby event. Will was NOT amused, but that was also her life, and hey, Kate couldn’t judge his criticisms, considering HER stance on his life.
Kate eventually cooled and chilled out from that part of her life, especially in the wake of certain other events… But generally speaking, the two siblings just. Stopped talking to one another. Stopped thinking of each other. They went on their own ways… They weren’t exactly on downright adversarial terms, but they had their own things to do. Sometimes they’d wonder about the other, but not enough to really stay in contact, to go out of their way to see how the other was doing. So even when Kate and Will went through their own traumatic, life-changing experiences… Neither really sought out the other even when freedom was earned, nor did they expect the other to have noticed the disappearance and done any investigations.
It was quite a shock when they finally DID encounter one another after all those years, and realized how much they’d changed since then… But even so, they still haven’t caught up much, if at all- Things are tense and awkward, angry but also regretful… And unfortunately, some conflicts of interest are bound to happen, especially now that Trexdis has other people in her life to look forward to; Other people, alas, she has decided are more of a priority than any vain attempt at reconnecting with her brother. Will can’t really blame her for it.
Lloyd and the others are certain that it’s just a matter of talking things out, that’s what it ALWAYS boils down to in the end… And, they’re not entirely wrong; It really should be that simple, in theory, but in practice, who knows? There just isn’t an interest among Will and Trexdis… They did their own things, had their own lives, and their own separate purposes and interests. Both felt tied and even restrained by one another, and then they were freed. They’d reached a mutual agreement long ago to just let the other be, leave them to their own existence, and not really bother them about it. By the end of the day, Trexdis and Will feel as if they neither need nor want the other… And maybe they’re right.
Even if there weren’t these complicated feelings, sometimes their own circumstances were holding them back, because their relationship did NOT occur in a void, and there were plenty of other players and groups with their own input to provide, with or without the siblings’ permission. Some things and duties were more urgent, more their own individual expertise anyway… So for now, Will and Kate just let the other be, and don’t ask nor check up. It is, what it is.
