#I know Mystique from X-Men should also be here

[batri-jopa]

Why are all the shapeshifters so fucking cool?

Nimona

T1000

Genie

Could it be that being a shapeshifter usually have those aro / ace / nonbinary vibes

of never fitting to only one definition? as if not touching the Earth? and pining to belong somewhere?

but also

of no rule applying directly to you? as if you were free from being judged? and thus free to be whoever you choose?

But this kind of freedom is both a blessing and a curse. Because being one of a kind means you're all alone in the whole world.

[cyborgartalchemist2]

Imagine being so fucking aggressive about a ship you make jokes about Magneto and that very groomer scene from X-Men 97 that just... excuse the behavior? Because that doesn't sound very progressive in my opinion. Like yeah... rape culture in relationships just permeats fucking shipping but lets do nothing to argue against it. Lets make jokes that perpetuate the behavior and excuse men taking advantage of women.

To me having Magneto take advantage of a much younger mutant under his tutelage because she's desperate for physical connection and he's the only one she can touch is meant to showcase A) how Gambit contrasts Magneto and B) remind us that Magneto is never above using mutants for his own gains.

If this were reality most people would be calling Magneto a groomer and worse. We know Rogue was still a teen when Mystique took her in. We know that she's been an X-man for a few years. So Magneto was patient enough to wait until she turned 18?

Historically he hasn't done well with his love life. Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver's mom left him without telling him he fathered children because she was scared of him! (I'm only going on TAS and 97 here since this is an adaptation.) So where in the high heavens does everyome think he would be good for Rogue?

I don't care about the 'better than Remy' arguments because that's not the point! The point of who you ship Rogue with should be about if it's a relationship that is good for her! Is she their equal? Does she get treated with respect? Magneto looked at the Genosha council and without asking Rogue said "I'll lead but only if this woman I am trying to get back is my queen". LIKE DOES THAT EVEN SOUND MATURE? Magneto shows up, sees Gambit and Rogue being even mildly affectionate and starts pulling asshole moves on Rogue. And the narrative did nothing to make Rogue stand up for herself (which she would have) she should have told Erik "I'm a big girl I can get my own sugar for my coffee." She is shown numerous times to remind everyone she is no one's 'territory'.

Also wish to address the fact that making Rogue x Magneto comes with a 'sex is the only thing that matters!' Flavor that is exactly what so many of us are tired of in shipping. When did shipping stop being about the drama of a couple fighting against a narrative that pushes them apart or about finding love in the most unconventional of places, like alien hunting? And become solely about how nasty they can fuck? Seriously?

AND it's so blandly hetero it's not even funny. Because honestly the ways in which a couple can experience pleasure that don't involve traditional p in v penetration is vast and wild and there are enough types of gear and costumes and the like to facilitate that between Rogue and Gambit. Because that's all the argument has to stand on, is which man can fulfill her sexual needs. WHICH SHE HERSELF REALIZED WASN'T ENOUGH. She kisses Erik and goes "nope they're ain't any sparks there. This isn't going to be fulfilling ever."

Not to mention the fact that I can't genuinely see Magneto offering to die for Rogue. Sorry that grandstanding in Genosha was not the same. It was barely a heroic move... he still didn't save the Morlocks he promised to protect... he still failed. He couldn't save Leech and he couldn't stop the Sentinel either. Because yeah Magneto attempted to save Rogue and Gambit, but he did nothing to save the Morlocks at his side and he also survived without taking out the giant killer robot... but Gambit? Gambit said fuck it, gonna take this motherfucker to hell with me. He stopped Rogue from facing the sentinel so he could. And he actually stopped it. All on his own. Because that's what an x-man would do. Sure Magneto protectdd two people but sacrificed the morlocks yet again...

AND ON THE SUBJECT OF ROGUE x GAMBIT

Has Gambit always been great with Rogue? No, but that was the 90s and now look at how he handles shit? Comics writing has grown. It was a lot more heternormative and still had lots of rape culture hold overs in it.

Look at the episode when Cody shows up. He uses Rogue's connection to him from the past and then puts her in a situation that almost takes away her humanity. Her powers, which was what lured her into this trap in the first place, saved her from a man taking advantage of her. And the one time Gambit (in TAS) takes advantage of her, Morph in her form, told him to come and get some from her first. (So while he should have paused and woke Rogue up before kissing her, he had what he thought was an invitation.)

Gambit takes Rogue's decision to rule Genosha with Magneto incredibly well. He doesn't get mad, he doesn't call Rogue names, he doesn't do anyhting to hurt Rogue the way she is hurting him. He accepts it like a gentleman. Unlike Magneto who pursued Rogue's affections in unhealthy ways.

So uh... yeah that's my fucking rant.

[spaceorphan18]

The Rogue and Gambit Project: Previously On X-Men... Rogue (Part 1)

Ten years before Gambit even came along, Rogue became a staple of the X-Men line. That's a lot of time for her to be established, so I thought I'd give a quick run down of her adventures in the 80s. There's so much to go over, though, I've decided to split it into two parts...

The Basics:

What's her name? Hahahaha, canon has no desire to tell you. It'll take the movies to force the comics to give her a first name and her marriage to give her a last. So, we're getting way ahead of ourselves. But, in case you don't know, it is Anna Marie LeBeau. I'm going to need to keep an eye for when we first learn it!

What's her backstory?? Again, we're not going to find out for a long, long while and... like all superhero origin stories its wonky and weird and doesn't make a whole lot of sense. (Oh, guys, just wait...)

Power Set (via uncannyxmen.net) : Absorb the essential energy of others on contact, allowing her to draw upon a template of their memories, learned skills, and superhuman powers, with the strength of the template proportionate to the side-effects to the victim, ranging from minimal weakness to leaving them temporarily powerless or comatose; accumulated residual templates make her mind extremely difficult to read

She'll have more but... we'll get to that, too....

Previously on Rogue's Story...

Alright, so jumping in, there's a lot of canon to go over in ten years, but Rogue doesn't play a huge role in her first decade. However, she is around, a lot, once she arrives, so I've decided to go over some of the best issues that feature her. Overall, though, Chris Claremont's 17 year run on the Uncanny X-Men is pretty classic, and I do recommend the whole thing if you're ever feeling like really digging into the X-Men...

Anyway... Rogue's best stories during the 80s (Part 1)...

Avengers Annual #10

Rogue's first appearance. This sets up a few key things you should know about her --

She was originally a part of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants working for Mystique. We learn that Mystique (and Destiny) is somewhat of a foster mother to her.

In her attempt to steal powers, she steals from Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers - then known as Ms. Marvel) and absorbs her power set a little more permanently.

That power set consists of flight, invulnerability and super strength - the power set she's often associated with.

Absorbing Carol also means that Carol is often a part of her psyche, and Rogue has somewhat of a split personality for most of the 80s. Often times, Carol comes to the forefront and Rogue herself is buried.

She clearly has no qualms about assault and villainy at this point.

Classic X-Men 44

We do get a little bit of her backstory some years after her first appearance. There are a few nods to this incident before Classic X-Men comes out -- about her past with Mystique and about Cody, the first boy she ever kissed and the time she discovered her powers. (He ultimately ended up in a coma, btw.) He's going to be a seminal part of her story for a long, long time. But this issue lays them out a little more plainly.

I should note: when she kisses Cody and when she runs away from home is not always consistent. Sometimes the kiss comes before she ends up with Mystique, sometimes it's after.

But this issue at least gives us the first real look at it.

Uncanny X-Men #158

The first time she appears in Uncanny X-Men - the main X book of the time. Carol Danvers is on the team at the moment, and spots her. The two throw down. Rogue ends up (kissing!) and stealing Wolverine's powers, Nightcrawler's powers, and Storm's powers. Storm eventually sends her away via tornado. Not a whole lot of character development here as she's purely in a villain role, but it is nice to see her in X-Book.

Dazzler #22-24, 28

Rogue then spends some time in Dazzler's solo book - as one of the primary villains there. Mostly, she's jealous that Dazzler has everything that she (thinks she) wants -- fame, money, the ability to kiss people without killing them... The Dazzler solo is mostly action heavy, but it is interesting to see Rogue in such a villain role, especially since she'll be notable hero for so much of her history.

An interesting note - Rogue takes on Angel, and Mystique wants her to steal his powers, but she's terrified of doing so since she's never absorbed someone with a more physical defining mutation. She also claims that kissing is the best part of her power stealing (she's drastically going to change her mind about this). And she doesn't hesitate to say she'll kill if she has to (an aspect of her character that she does go back on, but when push comes to shove, she will kill if she absolutely has to.)

Uncanny X-Men #171

Rogue finally comes to the X-Men after the voices in her head become too much and she wants help controlling her power. The X-Men stand around debating whether to take her in or not, and Xavier finally gives her a chance despite reservations from literally everyone on the team.

I love this issue. Not only do we see Rogue finally coming on board, but she's drawn much differently in the issue. She's much softer and more vulnerable as she comes to terms that she hasn't been a great person and her powers are something that draws a line from having actual intimacy with anyone.

This is also where we can really see that Mystique (and Destiny)'s parentage has been rather terrible and that Rogue just has zero idea what to do. As an aside - we learn here that she's only 18!!

Uncanny X-Men #173

When Wolverine's fiancée goes missing, Rogue teams up with Wolverine to see what's going on. This starts Rogue's slow integration into the team and how she befriends Wolverine. I don't know if I'd say they're super close over the years, but they do have each other's backs, and they do make a great team -- all of which starts here.

Uncanny X-Men #(177-)178

Mystique comes back to take Rogue home but Rogue isn't about to go. She's found a new home and ultimately does the healthy thing and reject Mystique here. (Mystique takes it relatively well even if she doesn't like it.)

Uncanny X-Men #182

The first issue that mostly focuses on Rogue. We get a big insight into what's going on in her head as her own psyche battles with Carol Danvers. It's a really great issue that digs into who Rogue is and the identity battle that she's going to face for a long, long time.

Uncanny X-Men #185

This is a great issue for the development of Rogue and Storm's friendship. There's a huge conversation about trust and vulnerability and it's an issue that really solidifies the bond they have with each other. This is also the issue where Storm loses her powers, and kicks off a mini arc with Rogue on the run, all of which is really good.

Uncanny X-Men #192

While not a huge Rogue focused issue, she does get to spend some time with Nightcrawler and Colossus and is beginning to really feel integrated onto the team.

After this, things take a turn. For one, Rachel Summers (the alternate reality daughter of Scott and Jean -- ooff, comics) has shown up and has become Chris Claremont's darling. Rogue kind of takes a backseat, and while she'll have a moment or two hear or there, is not a primary focus for a long, long while.

Secondly, we start to move into the crossover era, where the X-Books are less about one shot stories and mini arcs, but become sprawling, cross book stories. It's a lot to untangle, and while Rogue is never center stage through any of it, it's enough that I'll pick it up in Part Two...

[yellowballoondogs]

I’m having too much fun with my little head cannon list so here’s x-men characters I head cannon as being different races

Mystique- she’s desi, specifically from India. Her og design is based of the Hindi goddess kali as well so it really works. Also her skull/gem/forehead accessory thing (is it a part of her? It’s so unclear) is reminiscent of a bindi. Also imagine her white dress look as a saree!

Pyro- he’s already Australian just let him be aboriginal as well. Plus his skull face tattoo could go from being just plain black into a really cool traditional design. There’s also a big aboriginal history with the control of fire. From fire stick burning to keep vegetation healthy to traditional fire dances.

Rouge- African American. It wouldn’t change her original character but it would add on to the marginalization of her mutant identity, her southern identity, and make her hair mutation that much cooler (because fuck the revamp I’m still on the different colored sections of her hair having different textures as well because that’s cool as hell)

Nightcrawler- he’s destiny and mystiques son so he’d kinda have to be half Indian and half Austrian for that to work but they also messed with his dna so he’d look like azazel so genetics don’t really matter. People often forget that he was raised rromani, he has a Roma identity, he speaks the language he follows the culture the whole shabang. Let him be more Romani

On a side note. Amanda sefton/jimamine szardos and meggan puceanu should be dark skinned. Or at the very least not blue eyed white girls with blonde hair. They’re Romani too- and that’s cannon. At least they’re pretty okay with scarlet witch and quicksilver about this (though their kids are often extremely whitewashed still)

Banshee- this is just me projecting because I want representation but I’m making him Irish traveler/ pavee. People don’t know who the fuck we are and outside of like a tv show about Irish crime there’s legit no pavee characters. Banshee is Irish so he’s getting hit with the beam.

Okay but despite my fun little headcannons the x-men have been so good for diversity and inclusion through representation in all sorts of categories: racial, religious, sexuality, gender, disability, I just love to se it.

[altoace]

I love X-Men Evo, and I have hundreds of incorrect quotes saved. I love all of these dumb teens (as well as Logan and Ororo) very much.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Scott: No, I’ll tell you what the problem is! The problem is—

Lance: {holds his breath and covers his ears}

Scott: Great, that’s just what your brain needs. Less oxygen.

— — — — —

Pietro: Isn’t it weird that people kill mosquitoes just because they’re annoying?

Pietro: Imagine if people did that to other people? I would’ve been dead years ago!

— — — — —

Rogue: Behold, the field in which I grow my fucks! Lay thine eyes upon it, and thou shalt see that it is barren!

— — — — —

Kurt, during training: Hey, who wants to see an impression of my mother?

Scott: Kurt, no.

*Kurt teleports out of the room*

Scott: KURT, NO!

— — — — —

Scott: Isn’t it weird that we pay money to see other people?

Kurt: Plane tickets?

Evan: Concert tickets?

Kitty: Prostitution?

Scott, eyes closed, holding his shades: Glasses.

— — — — —

Lance: {walks in}

Todd and Fred: {making horse noises at each other}

Lance: {walks out}

— — — — —

Tabitha: Every now and then, I like to do as I’m told just to confuse people.

— — — — —

Kitty: {running away from mutants working for Magneto while on the phone}

Scott: Where are you?!

Kitty: I don’t know! You tell me!

Scott: Any sort of notable sign or something?!

Kitty: Umm…staircase!

Scott:

Scott: Anything else? Like a room name?! Any item that’s unique?!

Kitty: Fire extinguisher!

Rogue, muttering under her breath: She’s gonna die…

— — — — —

Kurt: When life gives you lemons—

Rogue: Squeeze them in people’s eyes.

— — — — —

Evan: Someday, in the distant future, people will once again be capable of hearing the phrase “what is love” without also feeling the primal urge to respond with “baby don’t hurt me”.

Kitty: So at that point, people will say “baby don’t hurt me”…no more?

— — — — —

Wanda: Can you pass the pepper?

Todd: What’s the ~magic word~?

*Wanda begins chanting*

Pietro, panicking: JUST TAKE IT OH MY GOD

— — — — —

Xavier: I admit, I was wrong to give up on you all so quickly.

The Brotherhood: Good.

Xavier: However—

The Brotherhood: No, no however. Just be wrong. Just live in your wrongness and be wrong and get used to it.

— — — — —

Lance: Where’s the yogurt? I thought you went to the store?

Pietro: {incoherent mumbling}

Lance: Huh?

Pietro: IT WAS ON THE TOP SHELF

Lance:

Pietro: I COULDN’T REACH IT

— — — — —

*at the zoo*

Lance: So, what are they in for?

Kitty: This isn’t prison.

Lance: So they can leave?

Kitty: Well, no but—

Lance, pointing at a penguin: I bet that one killed somebody.

— — — — —

Xavier: Do you know why I chose you as my first student?

Scott: I assumed you lost a bet.

— — — — —

Scott: What did you guys get in your yearbook?

Evan: “Best smile”.

Kurt: “Nicest personality”.

Kitty: “Most likely to start a bar fight”.

Rogue: “Least likely to start a bar fight, but most likely to win one”.

— — — — —

Jean: Evan, if we get out of this alive, I will kill you.

Evan: So what’s my incentive to live?

— — — — —

Kurt: Are you a morning person or an evening person?

Scott: If I’m lucky, I get a good few minutes in during the middle of the day.

— — — — —

Scott: Sorry I’m late. I broke down on my way here.

Rogue: Is your car okay?

Scott: Car?

Rogue:

The X-Men:

— — — — —

Lance: Mystique is gonna try and have you killed.

Scott: I can’t say that surprises me.

— — — — —

Kurt, about Tabitha: I don’t know what she’s planning, but I can tell you two things. We won’t like it, and it won’t be legal.

— — — — —

Pietro: Of all the things I am low enough to do, how could you even doubt if that was one of them?

— — — — —

Todd: Why are only roosters allowed to start the day screaming?

Lance: Because we live in the same house and I will murder you.

— — — — —

Scott: We can’t tell you because you’re not a member of the club.

Wanda: What club?

Rogue: The hating Magneto club.

Wanda:

Wanda: The fuck? I should be the leader of that club.

— — — — —

Kitty: Guys! Logan just fell down the stairs!

Ororo: And what did he say?

Kitty: Should I skip the swearing?

Ororo: Yes.

Kitty: Then he fell in silence.

[positivelybeastly]

If I may, what's your opinion on Hank from Earth-41001/X-Men: The End and GeNext: United?

So, I had to brush up on my X-Men history for this one, because Chris Claremont's post-2000 work often tends to slip my mind, especially his The End series, which has as many insane and weird choices as it does good ones.

The man really did lose a step after he got taken off the books in the 90s, and while I think that he's written some good stuff after that (his 2000s Excalibur runs are honestly better than I remembered them being), there's a reason he doesn't get asked back to do much more than the occasional story here and there, like the recent Uncanny #700 feature on Mystique, Nightcrawler, Destiny and Rogue.

Compare and contrast that to Louise Simonson, who got asked back to do a whole Jean Grey mini-series during Fall of X, and it's pretty clear that he's just not considered frontline talent anymore.

That being said, I think this Hank, and Claremont's work on GeNext, definitely skews more towards the good side of the scale.

This version of Hank is, of course, best known for his relationship with Cecilia Reyes, which, in this universe, blossomed into a fully fledged marriage with multiple kids - and that's a good choice, honestly! Of all his romantic partners, Cecilia has always struck me as the most level headed, the most stable, and the most likely to want to settle down, which Hank has, on some level, always wanted to do, and has perhaps the best ability to out of a lot of the X-Men.

Despite his physical mutation seeming like the biggest obstacle to him living a normal life, Hank's work with the Avengers and Defenders has resulted in a massive boost to his popularity in-universe, he's equivalent to a real life celebrity, and it's made it easy for him to settle down and stop doing superhero work if he so chooses.

It doesn't hurt that his public persona, of a well spoken, charming, and funny blue little guy, is an effective one, and one that's easy for him to maintain because, well, it's pretty damn close to what he's actually like.

But, back to The End and GeNext. It's a clear sequel to X-Treme X-Men in a lot of ways, something Claremont establishes pretty clearly by bringing up Hank's trauma regarding the death of Psylocke in Valencia, which I appreciate, because I feel like it really gives a lot of important emotional context to Hank's state of mind in New X-Men, and it weighs heavily on him. I don't think Hank is a person who takes death easily, and Claremont gets that.

I also have to include this, because it is hilarious.

I also really appreciate this moment, because . . . yeah, Hank is the guy you want to leave behind, because Hank is a fundamentally nurturing, bridge-building, educational force. There was a period of time, from roughly 2001-2005, where the X-Men became a lot more like the school focused book that people always kind of think of it as, where hundreds of mutants were running through the halls and the X-Men were teachers.

And, to be frank, a lot of those X-Men didn't really feel fit to be teachers? A lot of them have very good practical experience to teach certain applied subjects, but Hank, Emma, and a few select others have always felt like the most suited to actual higher education for the students, which is why Hank's recurring role in New X-Men vol. 2/Academy X always felt like such a natural fit.

Like, this man was born to be the cool teacher.

And born to be a dad, too.

I'll be real, I'm not . . . 100% on the clothing? I'm not an expert, but I don't know that a WASP man, even if he's blue, should be wearing this kind of clothing, even if he does rock it. Someone who's more of an expert on American cultures and African clothing would need to weigh in here, but it's not a choice I personally would have made? It feels a little bit 'older hippie accidentally strays onto the landmine that is cultural appreciation because he has a non-white girlfriend.' But, then again, this series was written in 2006, and Claremont is an older generation writer, so I can't judge it too harshly.

So, now we move on to GeNext, which, as the first issue states, deals with the premise that the X-Men's ages progressed in real time, rather than being stuck in the sliding timescale, which means that Hank is nearing 50. I've long since headcanoned that his healing factor, even if it isn't up to Wolverine or Sabretooth's levels, means that he should be just as agile and spry age 50 as if he were 20, and this series generally tends to hold to that?

I do appreciate that this series leverages the differences in Hank and Cecilia's outlook on the X-Men. Hank's always bought into Xavier's dream, always regarded the work the X-Men do as necessary, and while Cecilia holds to that, she reflects another aspect of Hank's take, which is that it's a worthy job, sure, but not everyone with an X-gene is suited to be an X-Man, and it's a worthwhile thing to consider.

Sometimes, people just want enough training that they can control their powers, and then they just want to bounce, and that's an outlook that should be respected, even if it doesn't always pan out.

This is a particularly interesting development, given where Scott would fall on the axis of letting kids be kids, versus making kids into X-Men, later on in the 616 continuity.

But it makes sense. In this universe, the Decimation never happened, and the arc of these two characters changed as a result - hell, Hank never turned feline, either, which I always regarded as a massive learning process and maturation for him, a furthering of his arc in New Defenders where he was learning what it meant to be a responsible adult.

It feels, in this universe at least, like he never quite lost the devil-may-care spirit that feline Hank's brushes with mortality beat into him. Maybe that's a good thing, maybe that's a bad thing, but it's hard not to see his point - if good kids have the power to effect change, then they're going to do it, with or without your say so. Denying that fact only leads to a New Mutants/Magneto situation, where they kind of end up resenting you for holding them back, even if your intentions are only to keep them safe.

His tune does change a little bit in United, though it's a very different situation here - rather than pushing the boundaries as an Xavier sanctioned X-team, seemingly with some training wheels on, as Hank seemed to be suggesting, here, Cooper is hinting at a more formal, more high stakes, more original flavour X-Men solution, which. Hank has thoughts about. Though, it wouldn't be Hank if he weren't capable of holding two contradictory viewpoints at the exact same time about the exact same thing.

It does always make me laugh when people say that Hank always turns evil in alternate futures. What about this one? He's like the coolest old guy ever. He's solid. He's reliable. He's flexible. He's understanding. There's not a goddamn evil bone in his body. He counts just as much as Dark Beast does, is all I'm saying . . .

Soft. Sweet. Gentle. This is Hank McCoy at his purest.

Hank McCoy. Everyone's friend.

That being said, I'm a sucker for moments like these.

Oh, shit, yeah, Hank IS strong enough to bench press ten tons, and he IS a raging beast with uncanny speed, reflexes, and brutality. Maybe fucking with him and removing the thing that tempers and controls and keeps him reasonable - his soul - isn't a good idea??? Oops.

There's not a ton more left to comment on, Hank is very much a supporting character in United, but it does remind me of something that I've always felt in my heart of hearts - that even though Chris Claremont didn't get to write Beast very much, he had a very strong appreciation for the character, and enjoyed writing him when he had a chance.

There's an alternate universe out there where Hank stayed with the X-Men rather than joining the Avengers and Defenders, and though I don't think I'd want to live in that universe - I enjoy New Defenders entirely too much to give it up for anything - I definitely think it'd make for an interesting What If, where Hank's present for much more of Claremont's defining 16 year run on the X-Men. I definitely think he would have done him justice.

[tobiasdrake]

Y'all, I have no idea how Mystique has gone 11 years since leaving to join Magneto's crew without ever killing anyone.

Mystique gets an introductory fight where she beats up Stryker, who is continuing to put in various cameos in every film he's not dead yet for because he's the best villain the brand has and they know it.

She beats the shit out of Stryker's entire force and then tries to choke him to death.

However, before she can pre-emptively thwart the entire Weapon X program and the suffering of countless mutants, Havok stops her.

Havok blasts Stryker across the fucking room with a kinetic blast that probably should have killed him anyway, to stop Mystique from definitely killing him. Thus ensuring that the horrific events of the Weapon X program in Origins and X2 can still come to pass, while also deadnaming Mystique for good measure.

The fucking X-Men, y'all.

But the thing that gets me is that. Like. Mystique shows zero hesitation in going in for the kill here. How has she been doing this for 11 years with zero moral reservations about the sanctity of life or whatever, but never once killed one of these yahoos before? Not even accidentally, in the heat of the fight?

[nutcrawler]

X-Men 2024, or, what the fuck should I read this year?

As someone that wasted the last week catching up on all current X-titles, here's the long short on which books are nice

Uncanny X-Men

The first one I read because it has my boy Kurt, with Rogue, Gambit, and Wolverine, traveling a bit and hanging out in Louisiana until the plot comes to get them with 4 new younger mutants being hunted.

Exceptional X-Men

This is the slice of life book. Kitty Pryde is a bartender in Chicago, while she balances trying not to fuck up her wlw dates twice in a row with rescuing every baby mutant that she crosses paths with. Pretty gay, I like it, it has good writing.

Adjectiveless X-Men, aka X-Men

The Scott Summers Show, I would actually recommend this one above Uncanny, as it seems to be the "true" book the x-events are moving around. Scott & Co. living in Alaska, Beast is back and trying to cure Magneto, Glob and Quentin are here too. If you are only gonna keep up with one book, this one wouldn't be a bad pick.

NYX

Or, the Young Mutants Pride book. The Kamala Khan/Laura Kinney book. Pretty focused on the "community" aspect of mutants, issue #3 has a scene that really highlights this with regards to where you belong, what you hide, etc. So pretty gay like Exceptional, a Morlock even mentions scalie fetishists. I don't really like X-23 but she's good with Kamala in this book.

X-Factor

Reality show mutants with a side of "you can't work for our oppressors." Leans pretty comedic when not focusing on mutant oppression and the question of integration. Oh yeah btw all these books are wearing their politics on the sleeves, some more than others though.

X-Force

Forge made a device that tells him where shit is gonna hit the fan, and he's assembled a team to keep shit together, and if they do their job right, nobody will know. Clearly building to something, so the action focus is a little dull for me, but the couple writing between Captain Britain and Askani is nice. Forge is hiding something because he refuses to take off his psi-shield.

Sentinels

The edgy book, people dressed like sentinels and hunting down mutants. The letters page at the end of issue #1 was explicit about how they are pulling the energy of Robocop and Starship Troopers, so if you like fascy tacti-cool stuff, this is the one. Not hating btw I love Verhoeven, I saw some posts on 4chan about how this book is triggering the libs but that's just cope.

The solo focused books:

Dazzler

Mutant and proud, and on tour! That's it, there's only been one issue. Includes an entire mutant pride song called Out and Proud. Didn't particularly enjoy this one.

Storm

Wanting to begin her political career, but starts with the harsh truth that a local nuclear disaster was the fault of a mutant instead of negligent engineers. She also gave herself a megadose of rads and has hours to live. Also only 1 issue out right now, but decent.

Phoenix

Jean Grey, space cop (except she helps people). Has a very strong "actions and consequences" theme. Phoenix's history is constantly brought up Jean works to rehabilitate her reputation. Also some kind of fatherhood theme going on, Jean inadvertently gets an alien girl's dad killed which is slowly working its way around to be a problem for Jean again; Jean also run's into her father in law, who brings her to some Asgardian zombies, it's a whole thing. Not too bad imo, but as the "cosmic book" it's kinda all over the place.

Wolverine

Absolutely unhinged, my boy Kurt gets shot in the fucking face first issue. But it was to motivate Logan to be a good boy, so seal of approval.

oh there is also From the Ashes Infinity Comic that is p good, a sort of anthology where every 3-4 issues is a different story, I actually really liked it despite the Infinity Comic format

So that's the first 6 months of post-Krakoa, p good so far, will keep reading for sure.

Mystique #1 comes out in a few days which I'm kinda hype for, she finally got married to Destiny last year so Marvel's premier lesbian couple is thriving.

So long true believers, and remember:

[mcu-multiverse-order-review]

X-Men: The Animated Series - Season 1 (1992-1993)

Ok, so I just finished watching Season 1 of the X-Men and honestly, it holds up well. Like, really well. Disturbingly well. The show is really good at portraying the struggles of oppressed groups and the bullshit bigots throw at them. This is very prevalent in the Sentinel storyline, which is the main story arc of the season.

Honestly, I enjoyed it. Like, yeah, there were a few moments that I wasn’t vibing with, as a whole I can confidently say it was good. I am very excited to jump into Season 2.

As usual my live reactions (? I guess. I mean, I write these as I’m watching. What do you call a text version of a reaction?) are below the cut. Gimme like a couple weeks to watch Season 2. 

Episode 1 - “Night of the Sentinels - Part 1”

Ok, so as our introduction to the world of the X-Men, I thought that was alright. Honestly thought we’d spend more time with Jubilee to flesh out the world a bit more, but eh, I’m too bothered. Certainly got more outta this 20 minute episode than any of 60s Spider-Man 20 minute episodes, this actually had decent action and a plot. But of course it comes with a level of 90s edge, which isn’t my particular vibe but I don’t hate it. I’d honestly say my biggest gripe with this episode is it was quantity over quality, it introduced pretty much the entire main team, but didn’t really do a lot in terms of characterisation. Not to say that it didn’t do any, every character is very much in character this episode, it just felt a little shallow. I expect this to be remedied by the end of the season.

Characters introduced:

Jubilee / Jubilation Lee

My sheer lack of X-Men is about to come through. I have next to no idea who this is. I’d vaguely heard of her before, but as far as I’m aware she isn’t in the Fox films, so I’m just not familiar. Which is fine, because it allows me to get to know her as the show continues, which is what a show is supposed to do with its characters. Anyway, I think her powers are weirdly vague and not really explained, but you kinda get the jist of them after a bit.

Sentinels

I was not expecting Sentinels right off the bat, but they do create an immediate threatening and domineering presence. So I checked the Marvel wiki and apparently these specific Sentinels are the Mk IV variants, I think that’s what they are in Earth-616, as it seems like they’re something new in this continuity.

Rogue / Anna Marie

So I’m vaguely aware of the Ms. Marvel situation in this show, which leads me to wonder if she has flight and super strength in the comics? Cause she doesn’t in the films, at least I don’t think she does. It’s been awhile since I’ve watched them.

Storm / Ororo Munroe

As Shakespearian as ever, Storm is here. She honestly raises the question for me, are there actual people that talk like her? Like, seriously her dialogue would fit in a Dickens novel.

Gambit / Remy LeBeau

“wooimbouttamakeanameformyselfere”

Cyclops / Scott Summers

I have nothing to say about Cyclops. He’s just kinda here. He’s a bit boring. I hope he does something later.

Beast / Henry "Hank" McCoy

Another case of “do people actually talk like this?” Like who the fuck quotes books and shit mid conversation? “Teri, you quote vines on a daily basis.” Touché

Morph

So going into this, the only shapeshifter mutant I knew about was Mystique, so finding out about Morph was a surprise. I actually did a bit of digging around them. Found a few things: Originally they were supposed to be another guy, but the show runners didn’t wanna kill off like the only Native American from the comics, so he got swapped out for another guy, called Changeling, but they couldn’t use that name because Beast Boy was using that name at the time, and the show runners didn’t wanna catch heat from DC, so settled on an original character, Morph. Also, it should be noted that apparently in X-Men ‘97 Morph is revealed to be non-binary, which is great and if anyone has a problem with this fact I invite you to go fuck yourself.

Professor Charles Xavier

I don’t really have much to say about Xavier other than he has some weird eyebrows, and I don’t much care for his hover chair. Like, what’s wrong with having a normal wheelchair Charlie? You think you’re better than everyone? Prick. For sake of clarity, this is a joke. I actually have no strong opinions on the chair. That’s a lie, I think it’s an ugly colour. 

Jean Grey

She sure does appear in this episode. That is all I can say about Jean Grey. I know fuck-all about this woman.

Wolverine / James "Logan" Howlett

Logan is as aggressive as I expected him to be. So this is fine.

Henry Gyrich

Another guy that I know next to nothing about. I honestly thought he was Trask, and I am apparently wrong, so there you go. He seems like a slimy git.

Episode 2 - “Night of the Sentinels - Part 2”

Oh no, I can’t believe Morph died, who could’ve ever seen this coming.

I didn’t mention in the last episode that the mutants are pretty much a stand-in for every oppressed group in modern society. I never used to fully understand it, until watching this and being part of the LGBT+. It hits very close to home. The idea that your own government hates you, wants you dead for something you have literally no control over. It’s not fun. Seriously, try being trans in the UK, it’s bullshit. Granted I know there are much worse places, but I’m just talking from personal experience. And also, being trans doesn’t give me random powerful abilities, it would be great if it did. Point being, mutants are very on the nose about what they represent in the lens of the real world, you could try to argue this level of social science has no place in a children's show, but I would argue that this is the perfect place to teach children that sometimes are different, and that’s ok.

At bare minimum this kinda plot leads to some truly hateable villains, which would be funny if it weren’t realistic.

Onto the actual contents of the episode, it’s pretty good. Characterisation is pretty much on point, dialogue is aggressively 90s, and the non-mutant characters are mostly despicable.

Characters Introduced:

Bolivar Trask

That ain’t Peter Dinklage, what kinda bullshit you pulling here?!

Episode 3 - “Enter Magneto”

If George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” were a picture book, I still don’t think the guards watching Beast would understand it.

Anyway, hi Erik, nice to see you, glad you could drop in.

Something I noticed is certain scenes with flashing imagery seem extremely slowed down. I presume this was a decision by Disney for the Disney+ version, as modern rules regarding epilepsy are a lot stricter than they were in the 90s.

Not gonna, the anti-mutant protest outside the courtroom and the cunts in the courtroom are so frustratingly realistic. Like, seriously, what the fuck do they think they’re gonna achieve? That if they say “no more mutants” hard enough Hank will lose all his fur? Of course they don’t think that. This show in 3 episodes has done a very, very good job at showing how bigotry works. I know it gets more extreme as the show goes on, but as far as I’m aware, at no point does it become unrealistic. This show came out in ‘92, everything on display is still relevant in 2024. That should horrify you. Or piss you off depending on who you are as a person.

Onto something lighter, can we appreciate Wolverine’s sheer disdain for Sabretooth. It’s great.

Also since when could Xavier transfer information from Cerebro to X-Men on the field? Specifically, how did Storm insta-learn how to shut off nukes? Deus-ex my arsehole.

Character Introductions:

Magneto / Erik Magnus Lehnsherr

Here we finally have Magneto. Genuinely as I’ve got older, I’ve understood his entire deal so much more, and like, yeah, he’s a villain, he’s a prick that can and will kill anyone in his path, but he’s not completely wrong.  Again, I do not think he’s in the right, but he is also someone that has been scared by the worst of humanity. His anger is justified, and ultimate goal of mutant freedom is good, but the way he plans to achieve that goal is fucked. I think it’s a really good detail that Erik sounds and looks genuinely hurt when the X-Men go against him, cause he actually believes he is doing the right thing. So, round of applause for a complex villain. Hooray!

Sabretooth / Graydon Creed, Sr.

Diego is my least favourite of the Ice Age herd, I think he’s a bit of a dickhead… Wrong sabretooth, Teri. Graydon Creed is definitely a guy with a very hateable face. All I really know about him is that he’s a cunt that’s involved in Wolverine’s backstory. I’m sure this will be explored further as the series progresses.

Episode 4 - “Deadly Reunions”

HIM! WHERE IS HE!? WHERE IS WADE?!

So this episode establishes Storm’s claustrophobia and Rogue’s power absorption. Cool.

“...you wish me to wage war on six billion humans?” Oh. 3 decades. All it took was 3 decades to add another two billion to the human population. This has nothing to do with the episode really, it’s just that fact only just sank in with me. I’ve got nothing to add, just bloody hell, these are some scary numbers.

Jesus Christ Xavier, the fuck man? Weaponizing war trauma to beat Magneto? I mean, I get why he did it, but like, nah I ain’t about that.

“Right, and I’m the queen of England.” Honestly, Jubilee would be a much better queen of England than our useless king.

So, how the fuck did Sabretooth actually manage to wound Wolverine? Like, surely his healing factor would just fix him up real quick?

Character Introductions:

Senator Robert Kelly

Finally in the flesh, the king bigot. Motherfucker pretty much says he wants to set up concentration camps for mutants. As if the metaphors couldn’t be anymore on the nose.

Episode 5 - “Captive Hearts”

I do quite like how Storm’s claustrophobia is a recurring problem, it actually adds at least a bit of depth to her character.

Not gonna lie, I’m fond of the Wolverine pining for Jean bullshit. 

Is this episodes plot just Callisto getting pissy that Scott won’t fuck her?

Also can we just talk about how creepy Wolverine gets when chasing Callisto, like I’m not here for that. It’s not good.

Anyway Storm and Callisto having a lightsaber duel was pretty cool.

Character Introductions:

The Morlocks

Ok, so yes I’m grouping a lot of characters together here, but honestly I know so little about them I don’t have anything interesting to say. Before watching this I had never even heard of them, with the sole expectation of Leech, because I’m pretty sure he appears in one of the Fox films. Anyway, according to Marvel Wiki, here's all the named Morlocks: Leech, Sunder, Erg, Plague, Masque, Tar Baby, Annalee, Callisto, Tommy, Ape, Scaleface, & Glow Worm.

Episode 6 - “Cold Vengeance”

Oh no, Wolverine threw a tantrum and left, who could have ever seen coming.

Genuine question, how much of Canada is an ice cap?

Is Sabretooth wearing a skintight suit, or is he butt naked?

Can we just talk about the fact that both Storm and Jubilee wear appropriate casual attire, but Gambit’s still in his combat attire.

How did Sabretooth manage to catch and tie up the entire village? Like, surely someone could have escaped? Or more likely, wouldn’t he have just killed them all? Like, he’s a murderous psychopath, I’m surprised he could even be bothered to set bombs.

Ooo, looky the Sentinels are back.

Episode 7 - “Slave Island”

One of the antagonists of this episode is some cunt who calls himself “The Leader”, he’s not the actual Leader (Samuel Sterns), so I ain’t including him in the character introductions.

Why is Gambit weirdly out of character this episode? Like, he's much more of a prick than usual here.

Why is Cable here? How is Cable here? What time travel shenanigans were required for him to be here?

Character Introductions:

Cable / Nathan Summers

But seriously, why is Cable here? Not that I don’t appreciate him being here, I just kinda want an explanation. Especially since the episode seems to indicate that he’s not from the future, but I’m fully aware later seasons will contradict that. Maybe I’m missing something and this’ll be explained later.

Mastermold

That’s a big arse Sentinel.

Cameron Hodge

So, technically this guy first appears in Episode 3 as Beast’s lawyer, but he had no impact on the story and he was being pro-mutant, which is out of character.

Blob / Frederick Dukes | Sunfire / Shiro Yoshida | Feral / Maria Callasantos

These guys have speaking roles in the episode, but I honestly have nothing to say about them.

Cameo Appearances from Mystique, Pyro, Rictor, Avalanche, Thunderbird, Northstar, Aurora, Caliban, & Domino.

Episode 8 - “The Unstoppable Juggernaut”

Not gonna lie, I like how the Fox films actually show there being students at the X-Mansion, cos honestly without them, the place looks abandoned.

I really feel bad for Colossus, guys just doing a job and gets attacked by a group of bigots and then Wolverine & Jubilee. Like, seriously, when he says “What is it with these Americans? They are very strange people.” I’m inclined to agree with the guy (this is ignoring the fact that Logan is Canadian). Then he gets arrested for a robbery he doesn’t commit. Bloody hell, this man can’t catch a break. Thankfully his company in prison was Beast. The man may talk like an academic but at least he’s friendly.

What does Juggernaut need money for? Can’t he just take literally anything he wants? He’s the Juggernaut, who the fuck is stop him?

Anyway, I think he is fucking hilarious. Legitimately the funniest character the show has introduced.

I’m sure Juggernaut vs. Colossus is a fight I’m never gonna see again…

Ok, what we’ve learnt is that if Rogue absorbs Juggernaut’s powers, she breaks. Interesting.

And at the end he just walks away, because of course he does. Not like they can beat him any other way.

Characters Introduced:

Colossus / Piotr Rasputin

Can I just say that I think Colossus is lovely. Like, I think he’s a very good example of what a man should be. Strong, friendly, a little bit dumb. A himbo by true definition. I may be crushing on a fictional character. 

Juggernaut / Cain Marko

“Don't you know who I am? I'm the Juggernaut, bitch!”

Episode 9 - “The Cure”

More Cable shenanigans. I’m sure he’s actually from the future this time.

Oh look Logan being a twat and antagonising most of the team, I’m sure that’ll go really well for him.

Damn, Gambit really out here trying to push himself onto Rogue, despite knowing she could kill him just by touch. What a knob.

Everytime Cable asks for Dr. Adler, I’m just reminded of this moment from Dragon Ball Z Abridged.

That is all.

Character Introductions:

Angel / Warren Worthington III

This millionaire in the colour blue is available for pre-order. Call 1800-APOCALYPSE now!

Moira MacTaggert

As far as I’m aware she’s important to the X-Men mythos, but I personally know fuck all about her. 

Mystique / Raven Darkhölme

Ah, Mystique, the psychotic bitch with the power to make all trans people jealous. Infuriating.

Pyro / St. John Allerdyce

For some reason, they decided he needed English instead of Australian in this continuity.

Avalanche / Dominikos Petrakis

Ok, so his powers are like, seismic energy right? It just bothers me that a guy named Avalanche doesn’t have ice powers.

Apocalypse / En Sabah Nur

Not gonna lie, I’m kinda surprised to see Apocalypse here. I honestly expected him to be, like, ‘the big bad’ at the end of the series.

Episode 10 - “Come the Apocalypse”

Ok, so lemme get this straight, Warren wants a cure for his mutation because he considers himself a freak, yet the fucker wears a full spandex superhero suit that incorporates his wings. If you hate your wings, why would you own a bright red and white costume? Make yourself more visible? Dumbarse.

“Death, the winged avenger”, 🤓☝️erm ackshually, Apocalypse, Archangel isn’t an Avenger.

And then they all fuck off. Kinda anticlimactic, ngl.

Character Introductions:

Archangel / Warren Worthington III

This millionaire is now available in the colour. To get yours call 1800-HORSEMANofDEATH now! “Didn’t you already include Worthington here?” Yeah, but this time he’s blue… and slightly insane.

Episode 11 - “Days of Future Past - Part 1”

Wow, it really takes no time at all for Bishop to flip teams.

Ok, so what causes Bishop’s amnesia? Was it Nimrod reaching for him? I don't think this is ever explained.

Oh, hi Frank. Good to you see. Going by the wrong name I see.

More questions, why’s Bishop’s time thingamajig not working properly?

I’m sorry, but what the fuck? Bro just drove a bus straight through the X-Mansion XD.

Ok, I like Wolverine’s constant mocking of Bishop. The man deserves it, he’s a bit of a stuck up prick.

… Oh my god. I just made a horrifying realisation.

Silver is just Bishop’s hedgehog-sona.

Gambit finally shows back up and Bishop’s immediate first thought is to shoot the bastard. Don’t worry man, it happens to all of us. I too murder the first frenchman I see when sent on important missions.

Characters Introduced:

Lucas Bishop

“It’s no use!” Bishop is the kinda guy to shoot first, ask questions never.

Forge

He is here. I don’t actually have any idea who he is.

Nimrod

This is a really dumb name for something that’s supposed to be threatening.

Episode 12 - “Days of Future past - Part 2”

Jesus, Jubilee, what’s your beef with tattoos? I mean, they’re not really my vibe, but there’s no reason to call Bishop a freak. (We’re just gonna ignore that the guy shot Gambit and Rogue, that ain't important.)

Genuinely, Logan’s been pretty funny these last few episodes.

So, is Magneto not the leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants in this continuity? Interesting.

Again with the protesting? What the fuck do they hope to achieve? Fuck me, bigots are really fucking dumb.

Loving Blob’s Hawaiian shirt, tho.

Speaking of, how does Blob’s powers work? Like, is he just impervious to damage by sheer fat? If so, that is both really gross, but really cool.

“This kid’s crying. Do something” before shoving the child into Jubilee. Honestly, same, Logan. I too don’t wanna deal with crying children.

Mystique is just the queen of gaslighting and manipulation. Especially with Rogue.

I quite like that the whole assassinate Senator Kelly plot was Apocalypse’s plan, keeps him lurking in the background like the big bad he ought to be.

Characters Introduced:

Blob / Frederick Dukes

Technically, Blob made his first appearance in Episode 7, but this is his first appearance of actual significance.

Episode 13 - “The Final Decision”

Oh look, the bigots have resorted to rioting cause they’ve decided a group of people are responsible for shit only a few have done. 😒Where have I seen that before? 

Ok, so a few things. One, how the fuck did Mastermold achieve sentience? Two, why is its plot effectively just to create the cybermen from Doctor Who?

Oh, hello Ghost Rider, fancy seeing you here.

“Stop him gently, Storm.” “As gentle as the falling snow.” She then proceeds to almost kill Gyrich by making him crash into a tree. Good job, Storm.

This is the first thing I thought of when the X-Men were debating on if it’s worth saving Senator Kelly with Gambit reluctant to join.

“You're all fools... Heroic fools.” I literally could not agree more Erik. “The brave are always the first to die.” and that is just fucking cold. Not gonna lie, I fucking love Magneto in this show.

Thinking about it, why do the sentinels even bother discussing what they are doing? Like shouldn’t they all be talking to each other through some kinda network? I feel like that would’ve made them more threatening.

“What is that object? It appears to be the ace of spades.” Like, seriously, how are these guys a serious threat?

“Did you think I would let you die alone, Xavier?” Aw, Erik does care.

“Mutants are human. Therefore, humans must be protected from themselves.” Ok, so Mastermold is based. Still an evil prick, but at least it ain’t a bigot.

Ok, so with Scott and Jean’s proposal scene, why does she jump straight to talking about kids? Like, that’s a whole new fucking conversation ma’am.

Oooo, how very Sinister of an ending.

[spongebobafettywap]

I once had a chat with someone from the X-Men Reddit who was a fan of the more niche characters in the franchise (not a totally obsessed fan, pretty casual and chill) and one of those characters was Destiny

The way they put their view on the retcon for her character was this and it kinda opened my eyes on a few things :

"The thing about Nightcrawler's origins is that it used to be a logical explanation for how HE came to be without making it all a "there were no other alternatives" (which is what makes it a tragedy) and a logical progression for Mystique's character and her relationships.

To recap, there was Sabretooth, who represented her criminal lifestyle and extremist tendencies. Mystique was masquerading as a fellow mutant without much of a big history to get what she needed from Sabretooth. From that relationship, Graydon was conceived by accident, born and then abandoned.

Then there was Azazel, who represented her double life, double identity, double many things. I know many who won't agree with me when I say this but the biggest problem there was with their relationship is that they were too similar as people, which should be encouraging for a relationship but they had goals that didn't match and couldn't be reached without hurting one another. There might have been something genuine between them but they are ambitious people by nature so a betrayal was going to unfold one way or another unless they gave up on their respective goals and that would betray their person when identity is a central theme to each of them. They both showed their true selves to each other, their true feelings then the first one who retracted ended up hurting the other irreparably. From that relationship, Nightcrawler was conceived not by accident but by obligation, born as part of a masquerade just like Mystique (he would have played the part of the Baron's legitimate heir) and then also abandoned when he didn't fit his role.

Then there was Destiny, who had the same goals as Mystique but had a personality opposing hers without them violently clashing with each other. This made things work and last which is something none of Mystique's other known relationships ever did because of the problems each of them carried. From that relationship, Mystique gained a foot soldier at first which fed her manipulative side as she masqueraded to Rogue in the form of a compassionate soul. Then she started genuinely growing attached to Rogue and it became less of a mask and more of how she really was and felt about her. She thought of her less as a coworker and obligation and more like an extension of herself and a part of her she could accept. She never abandoned Rogue but ended up left behind by her in a role reversal situation as she had so far always been the one to leave her children behind. This is why she worked hard to try and get her back.

The most important thing to note here is that Mystique always had enough free will to chose those relationships, how she treated them and the way each child tied to those relationships would turn out to her from the way she treated them : An enemy with Graydon, a painful regret with Nightcrawler and a future with Rogue.

With the retcon, the very act of having Destiny always with Mystique removes all free will she ever had in her decision making, all the smarts she exhibited in her actions and the choice she had in her relationships : This cannot explain Graydon's existence since he has no purpose whatsoever and was bond to kill Destiny's human family in the future which is why Mystique had to personally kill him. This cannot explain Nightcrawler's as the very reason he needed to be born for both Azazel and Mystique antagonizes Destiny's own and her prophecy and removes the logical explanation tied to his looks and Mystique's attitude towards him and removes the tragedy of his origins. This cannot explain Rogue and removes all intricacies of her relationship with Mystique and her more peaceful and warm one with Destiny (which goes back to how Rogue is often described and shown to act a lot like Mystique with a few subtleties).

I am all for developing niche characters and building on top of what they already were but what we have here with Destiny is a bulldozer wrecking everything then an air carrier dropping an already build house that was stolen elsewhere over the remains. What happened with Margali Szardos and her character was also genuinely engaging in the year prior to the retcon. "

"To recap, there was Sabretooth, who represented her criminal lifestyle and extremist tendencies. Mystique was masquerading as a fellow mutant without much of a big history to get what she needed from Sabretooth. From that relationship, Graydon was conceived by accident, born and then abandoned."

Yes this is very true and then you could argue that Graydon himself represents that criminal and extremist lifestyle because he's a Human Supremacist.

"Then there was Azazel, who represented her double life, double identity, double many things. I know many who won't agree with me when I say this but the biggest problem there was with their relationship is that they were too similar as people, which should be encouraging for a relationship but they had goals that didn't match and couldn't be reached without hurting one another. There might have been something genuine between them but they are ambitious people by nature so a betrayal was going to unfold one way or another unless they gave up on their respective goals and that would betray their person when identity is a central theme to each of them. They both showed their true selves to each other, their true feelings then the first one who retracted ended up hurting the other irreparably. From that relationship, Nightcrawler was conceived not by accident but by obligation, born as part of a masquerade just like Mystique (he would have played the part of the Baron's legitimate heir) and then also abandoned when he didn't fit his role." Yeah thats true they are quite similar in personality, its like that comparison of Kurt Darkholme being basically a male version of Mystique in AoA. The ultimate goal of there's doesn't match and I guess you could kind of use Nightcrawler to symbolise that he has a complete opposite goal of both of his parents and doesn't have a similar personality at all. I wish we got 1 reality where Kurt is raised by Azazel so that we could have a comparison to how he is when he's raised by either parent and then another 1 where he's raised by both.

"Then there was Destiny, who had the same goals as Mystique but had a personality opposing hers without them violently clashing with each other. This made things work and last which is something none of Mystique's other known relationships ever did because of the problems each of them carried. From that relationship, Mystique gained a foot soldier at first which fed her manipulative side as she masqueraded to Rogue in the form of a compassionate soul. Then she started genuinely growing attached to Rogue and it became less of a mask and more of how she really was and felt about her. She thought of her less as a coworker and obligation and more like an extension of herself and a part of her she could accept. She never abandoned Rogue but ended up left behind by her in a role reversal situation as she had so far always been the one to leave her children behind. This is why she worked hard to try and get her back." This is always how I interpreted their relationship and I'm surprised Destiny fans don't lead with this because what else was there for them to be fan of other than the stories that were made with these two?

"The most important thing to note here is that Mystique always had enough free will to chose those relationships, how she treated them and the way each child tied to those relationships would turn out to her from the way she treated them : An enemy with Graydon, a painful regret with Nightcrawler and a future with Rogue."

Beautifully put there anon. I wish more of Nightcrawler and Mystique's stories would lean into her regret with him not this whole "oh well i wanted you but excuses excuses" more her wanting to have been his mother but acknowledging her actions that came from a mix of selfishness and concern for him being around her.

"With the retcon, the very act of having Destiny always with Mystique removes all free will she ever had in her decision making, all the smarts she exhibited in her actions and the choice she had in her relationships"

This is the biggest problem people have with this and its similar to when stories decide things that were previously happen stance or by chance now have to be preplanned. It's like how when Hasbro decides instead of Optimus happening to be the Autobot the matrix of leader ship is passed onto or earning it himself they just decide he's actually one of the original 13 transformers reincarnated.

Or like when they decide Peter Parker was destined to be Spider-man, it just feels weird for characters who weren't written to be that way.

[sammysdewysensitiveeyes]

12, 15 (I think I know this one but here's you're chance to wax poetic), 20 (can't be pyro), & 21 for avalanche!

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

Since I have already posted a ton of headcanons for Pyro over the years, I'm giving this question to Morph from TAS. Exiles Morph was born with his X-gene activated (basically appeared as a white blobby vaguely human-shaped baby) and also lost his mother to cancer at around 13 or so. Since TAS Morph seems less powerful than Exiles Morph, I tend to assume they were born "normal" and developed powers later, but I consider the dead mother to be part of their backstory. So, my headcanon is that the first thing TAS Morph ever shapeshifted into was their mother - shortly after the funeral, when they were desperately missing her and wishing they could see her again. It completely freaked them out, and it took a little while for them to go, "Oh, I'm a mutant and also shape-shifting can be fun." But if any X-Man ever asks Morph how they discovered their powers, they always give a wacky joke answer because the truth is kind of a bummer and they don't want to get into all that, not to mention all the weird Freudian implications. (Of course, X-Men 97 might completely negate this headcanon.)

15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)

You're right, you know it's gonna be Pyro and Avalanche. Honestly, I just love the contrast of (relatively) serious, stoic, less chatty guy with excitable, extroverted gregarious guy (not mention the big guy/skinny guy aesthetic). I think Pyro is constantly dragging Avalanche out to DO things, and Avalanche (mostly) enjoys it. And the way those two have been together for so long, through thick and thin, Avalanche going with Pyro to the Savage Land to try to find a Legacy Virus cure even though he's not infected and there's no personal benefit for him. I can't imagine Avalanche going to such great lengths for anyone else. Like even in canon they are bros, even if the comics won't let them bang. From their very first introduction you see them having each other's backs and not really fighting with each other the way they both occasionally fight with Blob. And, much like Mystique and Destiny or Blob and Unus (or Black Tom and Juggernaut), I just love the idea of two criminals in love.

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?

For Not Pyro. Hmmm.....I'll say that I think Toad should be good friends with Blob, because they have both been on the same team (a few times), both have mutations that make them "ugly" in the eyes of most people, and are treated badly because of it. They've both been through some shit. And I think Freddy's general attitude of "Fuck you, I am who I am, and I'm okay with it," might help Morty deal with some of his own issues. Freddy doesn't really take any shit from anyone, and seems comfortable with himself in general, while Toad is always full of self-loathing.

But since Toad is currently part of the Exiles, I kinda hope he manages to bond with some of them. Third Eye at least reached out to him. Let Toad have some friends.

21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

For Avalanche - much like with Blob (or Pyro) I want to give him some internal complexity and not just write him as a dumb, violent criminal, even though all three of them often are in the comics. And filling in his backstory, of course, dude has been in comics for decades and we know almost nothing about him, even his supposed "wife." One of my headcanons is that he grew up in a large family as one of the older kids and therefore knows a lot about dealing with children because he was expected to help look after his siblings. Put him in a situation with a crying baby, and he will automatically take charge, whether he actually wants to or not, he just jumps into the role of "I guess someone has to deal with this." He has a love-hate relationship with his family, he hated all the expectations and responsibilities placed on him, but he misses the sense of community, and having a place where he "belonged." He also probably got kicked out for being a mutant.

What I don't like in fic - how the popularity of "Lance Alvers" from X-Men evolution has completely overshadowed Dominikos, and any fic with Avalanche in it will likely be Lance. Much like movie Pyro John Allerdyce has mostly overshadowed comics Pyro in fandom. And I actually like the adapted versions, sullen bad boy American teens Lance Alvers and John Allerdyce are both interesting characters. But they definitely are very different from their comics counterparts, Lance is basically just Rictor in all but name, and it's made it hard to find any fan works for the original versions of the characters.

[moth-in-the-moon]

Howdy I was that first ask (sorry I'd rather stay anon, bad xmen fandom experiences taught me to keep my opinions to myself or people will go after you personally). I'm only answering now cuz it doesn't look like we got the same timezones : I found your blog after looking up Margali related stuff (I needed this) and saw the reblog with the tag about "messy timeline". I like putting together timeline charts for my favs so I pulled out my Nightcrawler related one (slightly messy from following Si Spurrier's runs) and decided to give a shot to X-Men Blue. Big mistake. I should have listened to you. My 10 years in the making timeline chart is now only good for the dumpster and I'm done with Si.

I sent my ask to you because everyone is very hush hush about these kinds of complains and I just wanted you to know you weren't alone.

Okay so, I don't hate the Golden Child on her own, it's... How she came to be was unnecessary weird (genetically Kurt is as much her grandpa as he is her dad, wtf). What a weird road to go down instead of having her be like Cardinal. You know the chimera engineered from Nightcrawler's DNA +2 mutants that's straight up Azazel with red hair and eyes ? From PoX ? (Not sure if the editors remember him at all)

Funny stuff about Azazel btw, the demon thing was a retcon on his mutant status done after Austen left (he's back to being a mutant since 2019), Azazel keeps close contact with other Winding Way witches than Margali and Nightcrawler's ectrodactyly might have come from him too because he has been shown in a few comics (when doing his behind the scenes scheming with no one else around) to have that at least for his hands and uses his shapeshifting to hide it... For reasons.

I personally never cared about the Baron because he was a nothing character ? Man didn't even have a first name or canon appearance until TAS and his lastname's a plothole. This gets to the point where having him and Azazel turn out to be the same person, like a secret identity to the latter dude, would actually be an improvement and funny idea.

You're right, that "beloved darling child" is a straight up joke when looking at Mystique and Destiny's actions : They adopted and raised Rogue in 616 since she was a CHILD, raised both her and Kurt together in the "Children in the attic" what-if (Scott Lobdell but Mystique didnt throw Nightcrawler into a waterfall to save herself. Still calls Rogue the child she "always wanted" even then) and straight up let Nightcrawler die saving Hope when they were ready to sacrifice her as a baby to save Rogue (Kurt's death was avoidable and Mystique didn't know he'd be back to life like ever).

Mystique also raised Nightcrawler from birth in Age of Apocalypse where everything is Hell and he gets killed (Apocalypse attacks long after he was born so it's the same chain of events until that) and kept close contact and looked after Destiny's many human children, mutant grandchildren and grand-grandchildren throughout the years in 616... To the point of killing Graydon Creed, her biological son which she kept close watch on until his teens, to protect them. Kurt turns out to have been neglected more by her than Graydon at this point following this one shot.

The change made here on the "definite origin story" complicates and contradict stuff for no reason. It also adds another layer of unanswered questions which goes against the point of a definite story

"Why would Mystique and Destiny plan on having this kid, finally have him then straight up abandon him because of a 'sudden vision' when one of them is a precog who checks the future 24/7 to be sure everything goes perfectly fine but apparently kept things going when she saw 0 futures with that baby in it post due-date and never even once wrote about said baby in her future diaries for Mystique to do stuff for him in the future when she was gone (contrary to Rogue the child they adopted) ?" Si Spurrier doesn't care to think about important elements like that and just keeping throwing stuff on a wall to see what sticks

"Why didn't they rescue Nightcrawler before Xavier at any point and recruit him/secretly raise him with Rogue ?" Nightcrawler's first appearance was him literally running away from a mob (canonically not his first) before being saved by Xavier, one of the 3 people Mystique and Destiny were going to assassinate in their first appearance (Days of Future Past) which directly led to Nightcrawler being one of the first (avoidable) mutant casualties of that timeline. So even without years of baggage, these two didn't care about Kurt within their first X-Men issue with him. But sure the answer to this is probably the future vision excuse again I bet...

Well tell that to Margali Szardos, the circus fortune teller who managed to properly raise Kurt and protect him with half the power, wealth, means, knowledge and people. Oh wait we can't cuz she ded (Weird coincidence that the same writer behind this story which tries to make Mystique and Destiny look like the best moms for Nightcrawler turned Kurt's actual good mom into the complete opposite of who she was then unceremoniously killed her...)

Mystique has also spent her time using her knowledge of his origins as way to get him to do stuff for her then lied about them over and over again (this story makes it the third time she lied). Something she never hesitated or regretted doing

Then you have... Krakoa. So much to say. Most recent example ? Mystique and Destiny abandoned Kurt (for the 2nd time now) in the Sins of Sinister timeline when they left the island before he got switched with his sinister clone and Margali did her full corruption thing. They straight up ignored him when he grew horns in present time from beginning to end. He gets mind-controlled, murders people and has to leave to an Orchis filled Earth without keeping in touch with anyone, no reaction whatsoever from them

This reveal just turned Mystique and Destiny from bad to god awful parents in general (it looks like they never cared because they never raised him themselves) and yet the story pretends otherwise

One, before I get into anything, BIIIG ask. I've never had an ask that big. Two, Before I get into anything, Cardinal my beloved, my son, my beautiful beautiful boy, he and god baby should both be canon and like. weird universeally/timeline displaces siblings. A thing about Cardinal that I personally think is an interesting concept is how, being part Rachel (so a descendant of Jean) would make him probably be on the Phoenixes list of favourite hosts, which I think could be interesting with his anti-violence genes (<- whatever the fuck that was). Also they should remember him, since they made Rasputin 4 canon (I have my complaints about her genetic make up too, considering shes part. illyana and piotr.) Again, long thoughts under the read more

Yeah, again I completely agree on the neglect paart. The reveal managed to make Destiny and Mystique even more horrible parents, but it's trying to paint them as loving their son, which, is kinda nonsensical with past context. As I said, this retcon at this point in time is bad for the characters BECAUSE of the years of plot from the past. From mystique caring for other children to how they both act towards Kurt throughout things like Krakoa, it doesnt really add up. Plus, what would be the reason for them to not tell him sooner? Did destiny specifically see Kurt get a sick ass magic sword and go "this is incredibly important to the timeline" and thats why they stayed quiet? Having them make destiny and raven be heartbroken about the baby having to go and having the description literally be like "neither of us ever had any kids because of love until we decited to have you" It's a whiplash that could technically work if built up right, but this wasn't built up. Because I do think this could've worked with better set up, but its too late for that.

And yeah no, there have been what-ifs of mystique "successfully" raising Kurt, so it just makes the vision a weirdly cruel plotpoint. Plus that means Destiny is now canonically at fault for all that happened to Kurt, because she knew and actively set it in motion through this retcon. Which. is a wild thing to accidentally do.

Though I do like the moment where Mystique is like "I wished for a daughter", that feels fitting to her and kurts relationship.

Also this does make Kurt doing his "make 'em talk by letting them freefall under the threat of letting them splat" to Destiny funnier. You go boy, threaten matricide!

And man, yeah, Margali wasn't a perfect mom, but we have many scenes of her being a good mom or at least trying to be (specifically for kurt). Shout out to her calling Kurt her specialest boy that one time, she loved her baby. We need a Margali comic about her and her powers honestly, she's canonically one of the strongest sorcerers ever, bound by the moody nature of a living dimension, it would be so interesting to see how the way actually effects her and if she's like, bound to certain actions by the way, lest it destroys her or something. She is the sorcerer supreme of it iirc so there is a very specific connection here, especially since the wandering way is alive. With Kurt having the magic sword now too, it would be interesting for margali to come back (cause lets be real, she isnt gonna stay dead (<- threat. by me. at the comics.) and maybe teach him magic or how to work with magic. Let them actually work out the cracks in their relationship, show that they both do love eachother, but time and everything that has come up just kept tearing at them and margalis laissez-faire nature and following of the winding way didnt really help.

also man, krakoa was a good fun idea, i hate that they killed her, you couldve done alot of good with krakoa, the writers were just on their "uuuuh. shit we cant have mutants be happy" path again

[garak]

here are my thoughts on the x-men movies since ive finished most of them

x-men (2000): in my top 3. love mags and xavier in this one mostly because its ian mckellan & patrick stewart. my main gripes are with the merging of magnetos and mystiques brotherhoods & the exclusion of destiny from the brotherhood. magneto being willing to sacrifice his life & another mutants for his dream to be realized seems pretty accurate but i feel like they didnt make it clear enough that if the plan worked he would have died too...? HATE wolverine trying to put the moves on jean grey but thats true regardless of whether its a movie or a comic or a stageplay for all i care.

x2: the plot of this one kind of lost me mostly because i havent read god loves man kills yet so i didnt have any basis to understand wtf was going on except stryker was there and hes evil. love maggy in the prison being emo and shit although them deciding when he can or cant fly or use certain powers seems pretty arbitrary... ? i feel like deathstryke is treated pretty poorly by the plot here seeing as shes you know kind of an important character who they never introduce properly. nightcrawler looks better in this movie than he does in the later ones but still not good.

last stand: ive already talked about the choice of angel & worthington industries as the villains in this one so i won't go over it again. i think its DEEPLY funny that scott disappears and wolverine finds his glasses (which he cannot live without) just lying around and doesn't think "hey i wonder what happened to cyclops" until jean is quite literally unbuckling his belt halfway through trying seduce him. why does no one in these films seem to give a fuck about what happens to cyclops he dies in the first 10 minutes of the movie and its never addressed. also prof x dies in this one and i dont remember how he comes back to life so what was that. also they fuck up bobbys characterization SOOOO bad like i know they didnt know he was gay and he is kind of a player but in the comics kitty uses him as a rebound then breaks up with him and then his younger self (teleported to the future from the 60s) is like "why arent you gay. i'm gay" and bobby is like "no i'm also gay. i just act straight because of irish catholic guilt". so having him cheat on rogue with kitty and pressure rogue into getting the mutation blocker thing so they can have sex is retroactively an insane plotline. sorry im bobby drakes number one fan and this is so fake. also beast is so hot in this movie. what? who said that. also the phoenix plotline sucks and also magneto was right to try and explode the factory or whatever

origins wolverine: INCREDIBLY funny movie serious excellent. completely unintentional in how funny it is but so enjoyable to watch. why was cyclops there? why was emma frost there? what is going on in this movie? why is wolverine naked all the damn time? why does he know the blob? why can he BEAT the blob? why is the blob in this movie? seriously what the fuck is going on in this movie? x-men origins wolverine does not have answers to these questions. its really great to see the awful cgi claws though. i liked that gambit was in this movie.

first class: i have a lot of questions on this one. why is hank here. why is mystique acting like a child when she should be over 70 years old at the least. why would they get my hopes up by putting banshee and moira in the same movie but then not give them a relationship. why the fuck is scott summers' younger brother here. however it does well by making you root for magneto and then being like "and everybody then teamed up with magneto because hes awesome and abandoned xavier except for hank because theyre both centrist democrats" like you know what. so true. i like how mags just starts drama constantly for no reason like why was he fucking w mystique like that... good for him i guess but hes so gay in this movie its not even funny. okay it is funny but only a little.

the wolverine: i fell asleep during this one so i don't know but it seemed weird and racist in many ways and wolverine was a complete bitch during it for NO reason as always. also its so funny to see him fail on screen with basic japanese when in the comics he gets mind wiped and regains the ability to speak japanese before he regains english like that guy is an r/whiteguyswithasianwives prodigy. i liked deathstryke in this movie the actress was very cool. why didnt wolverine take the deal to save his friend and not be immortal anymore when he fucking hates being immortal half the time like bro come on... i hate him sorry

days of future past: okay at this point they should have known bobby drake was gay. so why all that with kitty. also why blame MYSTIQUE for the creation of the sentinels dawg she had nothing to do with that in the comics. the sentinels were not purple enough OR big enough btw. also, where is rachel summers. you cant do days of future past without rachel summers. either way this was a pretty good movie. quicksilver was excellent.

apocalypse: guys. why is scott summers wearing raybans. here are some other questions i hate about this movie: why is cyke's backstory never properly discussed. why do they give cyke angel or bobby's personality. why does nightcrawler look so bad. why would apocalpse choose angel over literally anyone else. why is it never addressed that nightcrawler is mystique's son. why is psylocke here if theyre not going to do anything with her. why is xavier such an annoying liberal. why would they introduce a new magneto daughter when he already has like 3 to pick from. why dont hank and mystique just sort their shit out. why does mystique go to bat so hard for maggy. why does jean already have telepathic abilities when she and scott meet thus making the way they originally get together (one of the main reasons i give a fuck about their relationship) impossible. who is the girl with the yellow hoop earrings they hang out with. dazzler??? why does jean have the phoenix spirit in her if she hasnt died yet. why isnt storm in her home on the mountain at this point. why is moira not scottish. why introduce her son if theyre not going to do the moira son plotline. last but not least, why would they include any character in this movie who wasnt quicksilver when hes obviously the best character by a wide margin and all scenes that dont include him are basically worthless. otherwise i quite enjoyed it. i liked angels haircut and im so glad they FINALLY made xavier bald.

i will add my reviews of new mutants, dark phoenix, deadpool, etc. once i watch them

[renatogpadilla]

My version of an MVC4 Roster:

I'll be real: I think I cooked with the Marvel side, but I don't know about the Capcom side. I've tried to be as unbiased as possible.

For the record, the main concern with the Marvel Roster was fixing the CRIMES commited by MvCI. Thus, the first 24 base roster characters are returning faces. I separated them in groups (Avengers, Spider-Man, X-Men, Supernatural/Magic and Cosmic) and then did Heroes, Villains and then Newcomers in each. I wanted to have a roster that would make the most people happy (if it were up to me, Captain Marvel wouldn't be here), bringing back some familiar faces (Ghost Rider but no Blackheart felt like a crime to me).

Also set myself the goal of bringing in as many cut characters from the previous ones as I could, even if they can't be base roster.

Let's be real though, I feel like Blade could sell a whole DLC pack by himself in the same vein as Vergil.

I ALMOST didn't put Deadpool here... But if Ruby Heart is Base Roster for Capcom, Cable had to be base roster too. You understand.

Speaking of which, this was CONSIDERABLY easier than the Capcom side.

Here, the point wasn't to correct anything, but rather make sure the usual suspects got represented, but leave some room for the deep cuts, so I set myself some goals:

Goal 1) CLASSIC Mega Man! He and Roll and Wily were a MUST! Zero and Vile are there for the X Series and T-Bonne for MM Legends.

Goal 2) As much gameplay diversity in SF as possible, one character for each: Ryu for 1, Chun for 2, Gil for 3, Juri for 4, Rashid for 5 and Bison is supposed to be based off his SF6 gameplay style.

Goal 3) Get the MvC2 trio back! Amingo, SonSon and Ruby Heart SHOULD be put in a Darkstalkers game in the near future for the love of GOD! Speaking of which...

Goal 5) REMIND THE WORLD THERE ARE MEN IN DARKSTALKERS! Morrigan returns, obviousIy, but as much as I love Felicia and Hsien-Ko, it's time for the boys to play! Jon Talbain, IMMEDIATELY, and Lord Raptor because I NEED the world to see him turn Thanos into a basketball and DUNK him straight to Hell! And YES, Jedah comes back! He HAS to! He's too cool not to! But the main reason I went with Jedah and not Dimitri is because Midnight Bliss would take a LOT of resources we probably already blew making sure Mystique can copy everyone without issue.

Goal 6) Resident Evil. Look, I'll make a confession: If it were up to me, there would only be Jill and Wesker here, but RE has become so MASSIVE that we HAVE to pay it the respect it deserves, so I did what I though would be a proper compromise: Jill and Wesker for RE staples, Leon for the Remakes and Lady D to represent the obligatory new Poster Monster of the franchise. Let Chris and Nemesis sit this one out and keep Jill's gameplay more like her MvC2 style and we are golden!

Goal 7) THAT DLC IS FOR THE FANS! I wanted to put in a mix of characters that Capcom fans would want first and foremost: Vergil, to continue the tradition of him being the Special Edition/DLC character, Donovan and BB Hood for more Darkstalkers love, Gil to round out the SFs, Monster Hunter because it's MASSIVE nowadays, Vile, for one more Mega Man villain and Jin and Captain Commando for the Oldies that mained them in MvC2. Full disclosure: Edward Falcon WOULD NOT BE HERE if Power Stone hadn't just announced a comeback earlier today. And Regina is here because... Well, because you Dino Crisis stans went absolutely CRAZY this year. I'm not gonna lie. You guys kinda scare me. But you wanted her, so here she is!

So yeah. If anyone asks WHY Amaterasu is Main Roster, it's because I got Rocket in there and it only felt fair. I DO regret leaving Frank West out this time, but I couldn't find a way to fit him in without taking out someone that SHOULD have been there... AND YES, LUCIA HAS TO BE THERE! She's the ONLY unique thing about DMC 2 anyone remembers! Trish can rest for a little while!

So yeah, this is what I got! Lemme know what you think and I guess I'll answer any questions you might have as to why I picked anyone or why I didn't pick soomeone else, if you want to know!

[enrogued]

@themckaytriarchy asked "Be honest." She regards Rogue from the corner of her eye before going back to what she's doing. (Peering at Jubilee's Mario 64 strategy guide.) "How old were you when you joined up with the Brotherhood?" Because it's only fair: "I was fifteen when Caliban brought me to the tunnels. With the Morlocks. It was only a few years for me." And also an entirely different situation. She's aware.

no conversation that ever started with 'be honest' was a good conversation. it meant the asker knew they were about to touch on a topic that wasn't gonna be well received. so already rogue is steeling herself for an onslaught of invasive or deeply personal questions from tess- about what, she doesn't know.

but instead, she asks about the brotherhood. rogue can see why she might consider rogue's time as a part of a terrorist cell a touchy subject. but they've all got history and most of it isn't as clean or free from sin as they all like to pretend.

she goes on to talk about how she was fifteen when she joined the morlocks, swapping stories- rogue thinks she can handle that. " i was... young, " she admits. " might be why i was so darn foolish. but i was also kind of a late bloomer by mutant standards. my powers kicked in when i was sixteen. i kissed my boyfriend and put him in a coma. " oh, cody. the thought of him hurts her heart, not because of what she did but because of how she lost him, in the end. unsavable. not many people are, but what he became, well there wasn't any coming back from that. not without logan's power (or, in her very specific case, her own ability to absorb logan's powers).

" when my daddy found out he had a mutant for a daughter? well, he didn't like that one bit. so i ran away. it was a couple of weeks 'til i was picked up by a kindly lady who knew all about mutant powers. i know now that it was mystique in disguise. she trained me, taught me to use my powers, introduced me to...other mutants. " a wistful pause, teeth worrying her lip.

" i was with them for years, the brotherhood. 'til mystique had me drain the life and powers outta miss marvel- carol danvers and i absorbed her psyche into me completely. then the episodes started, i began to lose control, began to realise the awful things i'd been doing for the brotherhood.

" so i ran away again, the professor found me and helped me. i was twenty two when i joined the x-men. that was 'bout five years ago. almost six. been here ever since. " she doesn't feel the need to point out that she doesn't have anywhere else to go. but it brings to mind a symmetry. coming up on six years with the x-men just about balances the scales of spending six years with the brotherhood. " why do you wanna know? " maybe this is an overshare, maybe tess actually wanted to talk about the morlocks, maybe she should have shut her mouth and listened instead of blabbing on and on.

[idealog]

Craven Maroons \ Jackass

misinterpret kindness to stir bullshit,

violent, hateful criminals,

abusing all

comprehending honest kindness,

unscornful critique for excellence,

as a threat or insult,

but the Truth is,

without justice and equalness,

you have sold your children

to the slaughter,

because anything they say to help you,

you choose to take as an excuse to hurt them,

as an insult, mistakenly, because of your own insecurities caused by the weakness of neurosis and despair,

Because you are mean, selfish, cruel, jealous, envious, anti-other, competitive, and you harm others, not for play, and not Cooperative,

And you've destroyed the innocent who Are.

You will regret failing to save your daughters,

because you chose to attack the true rather than your own evil.

I have already repented of all my harm. You still refuse to defend the community.

Why? Because you only care about pride, about yourself.

*Spit*. Be destroyed?

Bless your Enemies!

For they showed you what not to do,

Even though they destroyed themselves from Eternity.

There's beauty in that, I spose.

Aeon

And that's why you hate dialogue, discussion, because you're in the wrong, and you only care about using force (violence, implied, covert, or direct) to destroy others.

But, ETERNITY Will Destroy you with Unimpeded and endless Annihilation,

cleansing the earth of your blustering bullshit pride in self,

And not a shred of real selflessness.

You'll learn, in Hell, like I Did,

If you don't clear it yourself.

Jesus Christ

How you hate instruction, and the Father. But there are two sides to the coin of parent.

'The obstacle is the way'. Though it's clear the mind say we learn by going where we are tunneled by the evil of others, I see no reason to thank them,

And they have shown NO reason to be trusted,

BeCause in the end,

ThY only care about themselves.

Thanks for the keys,

And the lag,

And all the Waterboarding,

O Grate Ones.

Your Pride is such Awe!

ALLAH

Irrational selfish crazies.

-✓-

Where is your sight?

Will You barge into Heaven?

Or is it already too late?

Since you, Regretfully, do nothing to defend the children,

Who aren't yours,

But God's,

Just like you,

But if ye are gods,

What fallow beast is Ye.

You could Be,

But are not.

Stand up, or shut up. <What have you done to save all you know from evil, but project it in others?> I don't care about your offense. You should be Offended by your self, proud one of self and against others, against the team.

You're not your self, you are part of the Divine Soul;

Though perhaps lost apart from it now.

Separation is important, even in Union. (&v.v.)

Do right.

Do something.

halp

One shouldn't have to ask for help,

But men tend to band together against God,

So their 'help' isn't help at all.

X

I don't care about pride, because I'm not violently spiteful hateful scornful against others, I only state the truth as I Know it.

1: "Don't speak unless it's epicly wise, or I'll kill you.'

2: *Speaks the most epically awesome truth and beauty evah*

1: Woops I'm a piece of shit how dare someone speak truth and not make me look like the coolest cat in town oy vey. "I Warned you!" *Attack!*

When a good person realizes they're a piece of shit, they feel bad and fix it.

Damn.

Respect isn't denying others the opportunity to speak honestly.

What is it you fear, but your own evils being unveiled?

I Already Told you I forgive them if you repent and make amends by changing your way to stop hurting the future and the now and the all.

But some shades must not wear white.

Or, Rather, there can be no common field for the beast and the worm.

But the Bird, unguiled, guileless honesty, Spirit's truth, remains.

Chirp

~Mystic

#nonjudging

MYSTIQUE

#envy #jealousy #unattractive #violent #hateful #scorn #judgement

When I'm not Free,

TheRe is nothing here I want,

For I Am not me,

Peace & Harmony of all,

And so there shall also there be none for thee.

Respect.

King Christ,

Protector of All

#judgmental #projection #scorn #derision #unbelief #pessimism #doubt #Faith #sorrow #Cheer #JOY #Love #selfishness #assumption #ego #Matthew 25

Scorn in calling others Stupid,

Remember that you don't Know the Unknown,

Or whatever,

Unlearn these lessons of Pride,

Which perpetuated hatred

By scorning others

So we can have some peace.

#The Forever War

Our assumptions ingrained and trained into us,

Are enemies to all.

I gave up my worldview entire.

I only cared about the truth.

It's the only sure thing,

Which one can at least say,

I did honor,

And betrayed none,

Even in sorrow,

For the Hope of . . .

Something that makes sense,

Where there is no Tomorrow of fear,

But sunny holyness Eternal?

Every element of the body is but vestigial,

I will use them for holiness.

The Dark Avenues I Wander

Provide upon which to Ponder

Truth,

The Functioning of honesty,

That I might not offend

to presume above my translation

of the mechanics which run parallel

to the Cosmos.

JJH, Son of Mankind, Lover of Heaven

√(π+1)

:P

🐞

KIndness, defined - Good News

The soft touch of Heaven

You don't wanna hear a peep

As you fill your own water bowl

Despoiling the River.

#FREESPEECH

#Hate #sovereignty #personal sovereignty #violation #boymeetsworld #free will #bullying #repentance #Change

The Sun

Of the Spirit

God's Kingdom

"Will you help those in the desert?"

#selfishness #sin #vanity #guilt

Refusing to face your own crime, you need someone to blame, since you can do no wrong, but are always perfection who should get everything you want at the expense of and without any regard to anyone else or the consequences to others.

Let nothing good come, you say, that hate rules over love and forgiveness.

Do your part. Let others Breathe.

You don't want tO thunK? (Sic: to think)

Mindless

zombies

#witch hunt

#hypocrisy

O Power,

Robbin'

#Robin Hood

More more more more more for you

.

\/

_

🕳️

⭐

🌈

Factory Farm

WASTE

Truth

Honesty is Innocence.

The Just Way of Heaven.

/\

😇

No sorries for true to Spirit.

the Spirit of Truth in the Moonlight, Yaik