514 – Plan 9 From Westchester

I’m so glad Miles went straight to “Medicine” for Hector’s future path as it was my first thought too.

His ability reminds me of a scene in an old Legion of Super-Heroes comics, where the White Witch, a sorceress on the team whose extensive powers are limited by the fact her spells require significant prep time (and like D&D she can only hold a few in her head at a time), carries out a similar spell to perform a non-invasive autopsy. By turning the skin of the body translucent she could see the injuries that caused the death without even needing to touch it.

I rather like the idea that it’s his power which stops Magneto because it’s not a power he would expect to be dangerous, Maggie is used to dealing with energy blasts and super strength and can handle those, the idea that someone’s only ability might be touch based paralysis (and even that as a side effect of another power) is somewhat poetic.

Of course, Hector leaving at the end is also an utter abandonment of responsibility on Jean’s part. Where is he going to go? He’s a minor, who was already running from a hate filled mob when she found him, so whilst home is perhaps the only place he can go, it’s also incredibly unsafe for him to do so.

My one random fact about St Sebastian: The famous thirst trap pose with the arrows is _not_ his martyrdom, because he actually survived that (though only just). He died some time later after he was nursed back to health, when he confronted the Emperor Diocletian, the one who had originally ordered him shot with arrows, and harangued him for his cruelty. He was promptly beaten to death with cudgels by the Emperors men. There’s probably a lesson there, but likely not a good one.