Irene Oxwell (THE CRYSTAL DEVIL)

✧ ────────────────────────────────────── ✧

trigger warnings: Implied parental abuse, emotional abuse, manipulation, implied body issues and death. 

☆   Irene Oxwell was the daughter of Juliette and Douglas Oxwell, having grown up alongside her older brother under a strictly anti-mutant/conservative household. Having been expected since she was younger to fit the mold of being a stereotypical girly-girl who would eventually grow up to start a family after marrying a nice rich man. This plan of theirs of course, didn’t pan out as Irene had other plans that didn’t involve following the “nuclear family” blueprints. She had other ambitions, other plans that she was going to follow through on whether her parents wanted her to or not. 

She worked hard, focusing on her studies and her passion for art rather than paying attention to what others wanted of her. Being so invested in her work that she didn’t even realize she had been developing superpowers until she awoke, startled to find that there was a geode-like growth developing on her back. Her body started to horrifically change in ways that would guarantee that she’d be living out on the streets if her parents were to ever discover the rocky formations on her skin. So for the rest of her time living at home, Irene never showed her skin. Always choosing to wear hoodies, jeans, long skirts, anything to keep her parents from finding out she was a filthy mutant. Biding her time until she was able to leave her old life behind, and focus on her college experience. 

Eventually, Irene’s hard work paid off, and she ended up getting a scholarship to her top college of choice. Overjoyed and ready to cut ties from her horrible family, Irene immediately told her family and revealed that she was a mutant to both of her parents. Doing it as a final ‘fuck you’ before she got disowned and disappeared off to NYC for college. Her mother and father shunning her from the same house she grew up in for being an abomination in their eyes. 

After working for 4 years on her BFA in illustration, Irene started working underneath JJJ to earn herself some extra cash while living on her own in the city. Using her mutation to an advantage to get closer to the action and get the best photos for The Daily Bugle. Almost getting a thrill from being able to witness such gruesome fights up close while on the job.

In between working for The Bugle, Irene performs in a touring heavy-metal band as their lead singer, and does her own artwork in her spare time to keep herself occupied in between gigs.

Things were going well for the young woman post-graduation, the band she was a part of was getting semi-popular, and her art was doing well on the social media platforms she posted to. But the more Irene tried to continue on with her life, the more she felt like she wasn’t meant to exist. The more she scrolled the comments on the videos of her band performing, the more she felt uneasy with how willing people were to openly insult her because of her mutation being out in the open. Irene was willing to overlook it considering it was just on her band’s page, however the hatred soon started to trail over to her art account, with her receiving more comments/messages about her ‘gross geode body’ and how ‘not even a monster like you could make it in the art world.’ Their comments wounded her, left a mark on her mind as she tried to continue with her life as if she wasn’t afraid of their comments. She vented her frustrations about her souring online presence through her artwork, channeling the anger she couldn’t draw out into her music as she screamed her lungs out until the audience’s ears bled. Almost taking pleasure in the pain she caused after the mental strife she started to experience once she started being more open about her mutation. 

Things started to get worse once Irene stopped posting to her social media, stewing in her own rage as she watched people laugh at her and her friends for putting themselves out there unabashedly. She wanted to hurt them, no, kill them for the mental torment they caused her and her band-mates. Why couldn’t they just leave her- them alone? They did nothing to them, so why were they being so cruel to someone they’ve barely even met?

IT all came to a head one night after another performance from her and her band, Irene was followed into the parking lot of the venue by a small group of men. All of whom were taunting her, ridiculing her, throwing their trash at her. The group were doing everything they could to try and rile Irene up while she was being separated from her band. The biggest mistake the men made that night was isolating her away from the crowds that came flooding out of the concert venue. 

When Irene got back to her crew, there was blood on her knuckles and underneath her nails. The rest of the night was a blur to the young mutant, she remembers tearing the men apart with her sharp crystals, she remembers lying to her band-mates about what happened, and she remembered the thrill of it all. Oh god the thrill of her first kill was euphoric. Striking back against those who wished her dead, frightening those who thought her as nothing but a meek pacifist. It felt good for once, to truly be feared by those who projected onto her and portrayed her as nothing but a gross looking beast meant to be outcasted back to the depths of hell. 

If they wanted her to be a monster so bad, then so be it. They’d get exactly what they wished for. The only thing is; Humankind will have to look much, much closer to discover the monster they’ve created deep within.