Origin: The Remarkable Marked Alliance

The members of the Remarkable Marked Alliance all came to Dr Mistry to find answers about themselves. What they found was a team of superheroes going out to save the world – the original Marked Alliance – but by the time these newcomers arrived the group was already starting to fall apart, and the new influx of team members didn’t help the tension.

One by one, the original heroes left the Academy behind. The Remarkable Marked Alliance took their places on the battlefield and in the school to put their training to good use. Though they didn’t always get on, they worked well together in a crisis. For a while, the media couldn’t get enough of them.

They were featured on everything from late night talk shows to the national news, while the tabloids gossiped about their personal lives. But when mistakes were made under the constant scrutiny, the press turned on the team with just as much enthusiasm as they’d praised them. Nowadays, the Remarkable Marked Alliance avoid the cameras and refuse to speak to anybody with a press badge. Online speculation is rife.

Then came the fight with Beacon. They pushed the Beacons of Purity back, and Beacon was killed, but Dr Mistry was lost too. Nothing has been the same since. Without Dr Mistry, the team feels pointless and broken. Asumang, who had known Dr Mistry longest, is trying to keep morale up – but it doesn’t come naturally, and they are struggling with their deep grief.

Blum, the former soldier, has become even more recalcitrant than usual; losing yet another person in battle has hit them hard. And the others are on course for a fight, since Mukherjee has never forgiven O’Reilly for using their powers maliciously when they met.

But all of them must hold it together if the Academy is to survive.

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50: P. Mukherjee // Showstealer

Age: Staff, Origin: The Remarkable Marked Alliance, Training Team: Tempest /

Subject: Marked History
Power: Fireworks

Mukherjee grew up just outside Bradford, the youngest and most volatile of three siblings. When they found their Mark, nobody was surprised when their power turned out to be fireworks. But when their experiments with their powers caused a near-fatal fire, they left home and resolved to find out how to truly control themselves. Their first real test was meeting O’Reilly, but they were losing against them when Dr Mistry showed up. After a tense stand-off the three of them headed back to the Academy, but Mukherjee has never forgotten or truly forgiven it. They joined the Remarkable Marked Alliance as soon as they could, calmer but no less stubborn, and specialise in causing distractions. They are well-liked by the students for their quick sense of humour (which has gotten the whole team into hot water several times), but Dr Mistry’s death has sobered them. Without her, Mukherjee isn’t sure what to do next for the first time in their life.

Content warnings: Fire, being cut off from family/friends

50: P. Mukherjee // Showstealer Read More »

53: K. O’Reilly // The Chimera

Age: Staff, Origin: The Remarkable Marked Alliance, Training Team: Monsoon /

Subject: Power Ethics
Power: Telepathy

O’Reilly grew up in Derry in the 1980s, right in the middle of The Troubles. The constant barrage of fear, pain, grief, and confusion was nightmarish. It culminated in them discovering the other side of their power: when they came across a fight, they told them all to stop – and they did, dropping dead on the spot. O’Reilly decided to use their power to end all conflict forever. They were almost inside the Houses of Parliament before being stopped by Mukherjee and Dr Mistry; but not before leaving a string of bodies across the Irish Sea. Once they entered the Academy and could protect themselves from everyone else’s thoughts, they began thinking clearly again. They put their hopes into education and diplomacy – two things that they saw making a positive difference for their students every day – and ignored the attacks from the press demanding their arrest. However, that hope has been shaken since Dr Mistry was killed. O’Reilly is beginning to wonder if the high road is worth it.

Content warnings: Sensory overload, PTSD and war

53: K. O’Reilly // The Chimera Read More »

56: R. Blum // Admiral

Age: Staff, Origin: The Remarkable Marked Alliance, Training Team: Hurricane /

Subject: Combat Strategy
Power: Explosively Charge Objects

For a long time, Blum didn’t realise that they were using their power. Being in the US Army meant that a lot of things exploded regularly. But then they lost their partner in an explosion caused by Blum’s powers. Their trauma was obvious, so they took an honourable discharge without arguing. They found Dr Mistry on a list of experts in the Marked phenomenon, and decided to join the Academy to help ensure that no one else causes such a tragedy. Despite a reputation as the grumpiest teacher, Blum is fiercely devoted to their students, and still has a good reputation in the wider world. Becoming a teacher gave them a useful role to fulfil, and joining the Remarkable Marked Alliance helped them feel that they could redeem themselves. The Academy is their life now, and they will protect it as long as they can.

Content warnings: War, violent death of partner

56: R. Blum // Admiral Read More »

59: B. Asumang // Delphi

Age: Staff, Origin: The Remarkable Marked Alliance, Other Staff /

Position: Librarian
Power: Predict Interweaving Consequences

One day, Asumang began seeing things that weren’t there, and nearly lost their mind. It took some time to realise that they were seeing potential futures. Asumang knew Dr Mistry from their university days, and decided that joining her Academy was the best way forward. They have lived at the Academy ever since, developing exercises for different powers and planning for every contingency. Asumang has been happy. But with the loss of Dr Mistry, they are in territory they prepared for but never expected. They certainly never wanted to be a leader, but as the oldest and longest-serving member of the Remarkable Marked Alliance, they don’t feel they have a choice (particularly with the press and the social media personalities immediately making very loud assumptions). They have to act the part now. They only hope they can guide the others to the right decisions, for everyone’s sake.

Content warnings: Death of a friend, mental health issues

59: B. Asumang // Delphi Read More »