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| Powers: Enhanced Empath of sorts. Her power works passively most of the time. Empathy allows her to sense others emotional patterns and feelings. It also aids her in examining body language and nonverbal forms of communication. On the aggressive level, she can manipulate emotions and control them. She works much like a psionic does, but on an emotional scale. She can forge emotional rapports with some people who are close to her allowing her to sense them and feel them even when they are far away. She has shared this bond with her ex-boyfriend Tristan Lehnsherr and his sister, Lilian Lehnsherr, children of Magneto. It is possible for her to forge emotional rapports with those she is not naturally close to, but it puts much strain on her and her abilities. When forging this rapport, it is possible for her to share their mutagenic abilities (if they have any). Her unborn mutagenic abilities include molecular metamorphosis and supposed immortality. |
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| Family: Marie Taylor (mother, deceased), "John Taylor" (Apocalypse, surrogate father) |
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| History: |
| Arianna Embeth Taylor was born in March of 1845 to Marie Taylor. Marie Taylor was the wife of John Taylor, a local senator in London, England. While Arianna was the daughter of Marie, she was not the daughter of John. Secretly, Marie had an affair from which Arianna was born. Upon discovering Arianna was not his true daughter, John murdered his wife making it look like an accident. All of this happened before Arianna ever reached age one. She never got the chance to know her mother. |
| She grew up with her father in London, England well cared for. Her father never remarried and never hired a housekeep to look after his daughter, but rather took her everywhere he went. Arianna grew up fast and to all that knew her, she was the proverbial apple of her father's eye. In truth, however, John Taylor was not a real man, but rather the mad superhuman Apocalypse in disguise. |
| Upon entering her early adolescent years, Apocalypse recognized his daughter's mutant potential and capabilities long before she was aware of it herself. He watched his daughter grow with great interest, but never letting on that he knew something she didn't nor telling her of his true identity. |
| In 1859, at the age of 14, John Taylor took his daughter to see a doctor after she had been complaining of frequent headaches and emotional outbursts. The doctor she saw was a man named Nathaniel Essex. Essex believed that through selective breeding of humans, he could bring about the rapid evolution of superhuman mutants. Apocalypse offered to transform Essex into a long-lived superhuman being himself to give him the time to further his research, but at a cost: his servitude. Essex accepted, and Apocalypse transformed him into Mister Sinister. |
| Sinister's first experiment would be on the daughter of senator Taylor, Arianna. Arianna was still unaware of her father's (or who she believed to be her father) true identity and Essex's true motives. It was during the early fall months of 1859 that testing began on Arianna. In the process, Apocalypse finally revealed himself to his surrogate daughter and Essex's motives were made clear. Arianna discovered her mutant abilities, but she was a virgin to them and believed them passive. |
| Against Apocalypse's warnings, Mr. Sinister began testing on Arianna that would change her forever. Taking some of his own DNA, along with some of Apocalypse's, he merged the two into a single strand that could easily be duplicated by the body if accepted. Unbeknownst to Apocalypse, Sinister then took a sample of Arianna's DNA, spliced it and merged her DNA with the Apocalypse/Sinister DNA. He then reinjected the altered DNA into her body. |
| The DNA merger altered Arianna's genetic makeup and rewrote her DNA structure. Along with her natural enhanced empathic abilities, she now shared in Apocalypse's immortality and morphing ability. It is unclear if Arianna actually gained anything from Sinister, considering that he possesses both of those abilities as well. |
| Only a week after the experiment, Arianna began showing signs of her newly acquired powers. Unable to contain her any longer, Arianna broke free of Sinister's lab and fled. |
| Arianna Embeth Taylor changed her name upon fleeing England and moved to Spain. She was now going by the alias Cassandra Marie Perez. She used Marie in memory of her mother. |
| Much of her life, however, from this point is unclear. It is known that she never stayed in any one place very long, never getting attached to anyone. Arianna kept to herself, however, as much as she could. During the age, mutants were unheard of and certainly not common place. She didn't understand her Empathic abilities well, let alone her new found genetically altered powers. She was scared. It was during this time she learned of the aggresive side of her empathic powers and the true side effects of Sinister's experiments. |
| When Sinister forged their DNA with her's, the DNA was forced to rewrite itself to survive. The process was long and painful for her and her body. The end result left Arianna empathically forged with Apocalypse and Sinister. With her natural empathy embedded in her DNA, spliced with the genes of Sinister and Apocalypse, it formed a permanate rapport. The rapport does not affect Sinister or Apocalypse, but it left Arianna very aware of their conditions at any given moment. If Apocalypse or Sinister were to be injured fatally, Arianna would feel the pain. If either of them were to die, part of Arianna's conscious and perhaps her powers would become dormant, falling into a coma-like state. Since this has never happened, this is mere speculation, but it is highly likely that something similar would occur. |
| For many years she travelled abroad in Europe, occasionally taking to Asia and the United States. She even spent a brief period in Australia. After leaving Australia she reassumed her "birth name" Arianna Embeth Taylor, but never did she claim heritage with the former senator John Taylor. She made quite a name for herself learning all that she could from the many cultures of the world. |
| Her travels eventually lead to Japan for a brief stint in the 1970's. It was here that she had her first meeting with a man named Logan. He was a regular at a restraunt that she worked in, mostly there, it seemed to Arianna, not for the food, but for Arianna's friend, Sakura. Eventually, however, Logan discovered Arianna's secret and she his. |
| The two shared an almost intimate friendship, though not quite. Relatability more than anything contributed to this. After just a few short months, though, trouble arose in Japan. For unknown reasons, the pair split the country separately. Logan simply disappeared one night and Arianna moved to the United States. |
| In the mid to late 1980's Arianna gained admission to the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, the X-Men's home. Taking on the appearance of a young woman in her late teens, she grew up as a teen in the X-Men's home. Only Wolverine, who had apparently joined the X-Men sometime prior, knew any different. For some reason, however, he never did expose Arianna's secret. When a new recruit to the X-Men, Lily Lehnsherr, joined in the early to mid 1990's, the pair became fast friends. There seemed to be some deep, hidden connection between the two girls that either they were unaware of, or refused to comment on. Regardless, a bond was formed, as was an eventual emotional-rapport. |
| For the few years Lily was with the X-Men, there was much havoc to be caused. The four "loners" of the X-Men, Wolverine, Gambit, Lily and Arianna (Raven and Rhapsody respectively, eventually nick-named R 'n' R), stuck close. They eventually paired off even further as Remy and Lily fell in love and finally left the X-Men in 1997. |
| Only two years prior to Lily and Remy's departure from the X-Men, while much "fun" was still to be had, the X-Men were sent on a mission to Japan to investigate possible Hellfire Club activity. What it was, however, was simply the opening gala of an establishment dubbed Hellfire Enterprises. The owner: Tristan Lehnsherr. |
| The X-Men infiltrated the gala, Arianna along with them, keeping undercover and occasionally mingling about. It was here that the star-crossed pair of lovers met. Blissfully unaware of the other's status, Tristan and Arianna fell in love almost instantly. And in love they remained, even after discovering the ugly truth of the situation. |
| As the years passed their relationship remained a secret to all. Not even Lily, her best friend, knew. In time Tristan was asked into the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle, inducted first as the Black Bishop and later becoming their White King. The stress this put on their relationship was only greatened and it seemed neither could understand the other, or their motives; both refused to leave their affiliates. |
| Just before the Fall of 2000, though, things would come to a head. Arianna was conducting the ritual of infiltrating the Hellfire Mansion, disguised and psionically protected, looking for information. This was just one of the many ways Tristan and Arianna were able to keep their relationship secret. It was here the Tristan warned her of the impending doom she would face if she remained on the X-Men, but she would not listen. |
| Not two weeks, it was Fall. The X-Men flew out to Colorado to disassemble the Sentinals base. As the Hellfire Club ambushed them, Arianna was one of the first to go down, at the hands of Tristan nonetheless. When she came to, the battle was all but over, her friends for the most part slaughtered. Tristan had apparently hidden back in the shadows as the battle drew to a close and was there when she awoke. He'd offered to help Arianna escape, but she refused. A heated argument ensued and the two parted on uneven terms, their relationship all but shattered. |
| The remaining X-Men regrouped and Arianna stayed with them for reasons unknown. Tristan and Arianna haven't spoken since that fateful day, although she has renewed her close relationship with Lily. At present her appearance has reverted to a dark-haired, indigo shaded eyes, her emotions seeming to control her life again. And though she remains a member of the X-Men, Arianna spends less and less time with them, unsure of herself, the darkness surrounding her. |
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