#Savage Land Mutates

[splooosh]

“it will not be”

Jim Lee - Scott Williams

[onlylonelylatino]

Ka-Zar and the Mutates by Alan Davis

[pepperclint]

[elgaberino-mcoc]

spreadsheet cleanup subseries: brotherhood of evil mutants subseries: savage land mutates LORELEI (LANI UBANU)

ComicVine: 79 issues Fandom 25 appearances, 4 variants 1 video game

siren-like artificial mutant engineered by Magneto

Low priority for the @MCOCwishlist

- Other Gabe

[rogunetocentral]

ROGUE: THE SAVAGE LAND #1 Written by TIM SEELEY Penciled by ZULEMA LAVINA Cover by KAARE ANDREWS

RELIVE AN ICONIC TIME WITH ROGUE, MAGNETO, KA-ZAR AND MORE!

The X-Man called Rogue has always been a survivor, but without her mutant powers she’ll need to prove it like never before! As the Savage Land turns towards war, Rogue will need all her skills to survive dinosaurs, mutates, and the Master of Magnetism himself! Writer Tim Seeley (LOCAL MAN) and new artist sensation Zulema Lavina tell a lost story of a lost world!

[phoebepheebsphibs]

Double-Mutated Mikey

Chapter 14: Like the Saying Goes... You Can't Teach an Old Dog New Tricks, But You Can Teach a New Mutant Old Tricks

Continued from the short story written by @boots-with-the-fur-club

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Mikey is thrust into an empty room with cameras placed in each corner of the ceiling. He fidgets with his new tail, rubbing the edges of the scales and spikes that slowly rise as his anxiety grows. The scales on his shoulders have lifted, creating quills. He didn't have those before... did he? He can't remember.

He has a vague recollection of what he looked like before whatever happened to him... he knows that he didn't have the long tail. He knows that he didn't have the claws. He thinks he had the spots... maybe. He's not sure.

A hatch opens from the other side of the room. A creature hops in, sniffing around. It has bright red and pink eyes, white fur, and long ears. It's just a little bit smaller than Mikey, but something in his mind tells him it used to be very small. The way that the fur is malformed and mangy, the way that it is uncomfortable with its gangly legs that flop around and flail as it tries to move. There are antlers crowning its head, its paws are hiding sharp claws like Mikey's. It has a mouth full of misshapen fangs and teeth that stick out and stab its lips, causing cuts and scars across the bottom half of its face. It is drooling uncontrollably as it hops around the other end of the area, exploring.

Mikey chirps at it in interest, creeping closer.

Friend?

The creature turns its head in his direction.

It shrieks at him, the teeth criss-crossed and tangled. Its eyes are wild. It lunges sloppily at Mikey, gaining speed.

Mikey screeches in fright as he runs in the opposite direction, dodging the attack. The creature rams into the walls savagely and clumsily. It knocks several of the teeth out. But they instantaneously grow back. It turns around, searching for Mikey. One of the ears twitch when Mikey's nails scratch against the floor. The mutant jackalope's head does a full 270 degree turn and stares blindly at Mikey. It runs at him again, snarling and growling. Mikey tries to run away again, but the creature suddenly jumps -- much higher than Mikey can -- and pounces on him. Mikey falls against the floor, staring up in shock at the jackalope, who drools all over him. It snarls, snapping its jaw, trying to bite his head. Mikey moves back and forth, avoiding it as best as possible. It keeps getting closer. One of the fangs snips Mikey's bottom lip, tearing the skin. A profuse amount of blood spurts out, staining the white fur of the rabbit. It licks the tooth with a long snaking tongue, and the sound it makes almost resembles grotesque laughter. Mikey lifts his feet up underneath the creature and kicks it off of him. The creature goes flying and lands several feet away, crashing onto the floor. It wriggles and flails about in a terror, trying to get itself back up.

LET ME TAKE OVER, Instinct demands. LET INSTINCT KEEP YOU SAFE.

Okay, Mikey whimpers in his thoughts. Do what you must...

Mikey's thoughts grow soft and pliable as he lets the savage warrior mentality in him take control of his body. There is a shift, and suddenly every part of him can be commanded and controlled like a puppet, every ability and new feature at his order.

Mikey can't do that. But Instinct can.

Instinct doesn't wait for the jackalope mutant to get its footing back. He crawls up the side of the wall, situating himself at the ceiling as he watches what it will do.

The rabbit finally gets up and sniffs the room. Its head turns in every direction, as if it is looking for something... but the eyes don't move. The ears do.

It's blind. The creature is blind. It is listening for him.

Instinct silently starts to crawl across the ceiling, making his way to the other side of the room where the discarded teeth from earlier are.

He scales down the wall as the jackalope inspects the room for him. Instinct carefully reaches out and takes the long, sharp fangs in his hands. The rabbit's back is to him. It will never see him, it doesn't hear him. Now is the time to strike.

Instinct lunges at the rabbit, stabbing the broken fangs deep into its back. The monster makes a quick cry of pain before falling to the floor, writhing and wriggling and bleeding. Instinct pulls one of the teeth out of its back before stabbing again, and again, and again.

The mutant stops moving. The room is silent again. Instinct lets Mikey back in.

Mikey groggily looks around, trying to figure out what happened in his absence. He looks down at the poor thing underneath him. He looks at his hands, covered in red.

Mikey starts to cry.

A door opens behind him, startling him. He turns around, whimpering in fear.

"Well done," one of the scientists say, as several guards wearing thick gloves, helmets, suits made to protect them from savage animals come in and take Mikey by the arms and drag him away. "Well done, 'Mikey'. That was quick work. Let's see what else you are capable of, hmm?"

.

.

.

Mikey wakes up, and the first thing he feels is someone wiping tears away from his cheeks. He opens his eyes to see Red Raph standing there, whispering loving shushes at him. Leo is asleep on the beanbag again.

Mikey whines at Raph. He wants to tell him what he saw, what he did. He wants to ask him to hold him tight and never let him go again. He tries.

"Chirrup," he croaks.

Miraculously enough, Raph gets the message and wraps his arms over and under Michelangelo, lovingly lifting him up and cradling him close.

"You okay, big man?" he asks, rocking him back and forth.

Mikey nuzzles his face into Raph's shoulder. He sniffles and sobs without making a noise. Raphael hums a gentle tune to him, like he used to do when he found Mikey having a nightmare as a kid...

Huh. Mikey remembers that. That helps...

Mikey smiles at the happy memory. It replaces the ache in his chest from the bad memory...

Mikey smiles even more when Leo gets up and joins them, rubbing circles on Mikey's head. He purrs at the touch.

"Morning, Miguel," Leo says with a smile. "How're you doing?"

"Chhrrrrr..."

"Ready for some breakfast?" he asks with a smile.

Mikey's tail wags with all its might. He's starving.

.

.

.

Raph didn't expect to find Mikey crying in his sleep. He'd asked what he was dreaming about during breakfast, and Mikey had sheepishly signed something about a mutant that he'd had to fight in the labs. But he didn't give many details. Raph wanted to offer comfort again, but for whatever reason Mikey flinched when he touched his shoulder and refused to return the affection like he had that morning. Something felt off, Mikey felt far away...

Raphael had resolved to do something with Mikey that would make him smile again. That's what he's doing now, as Leon and Donnie are cleaning up the kitchen from breakfast.

Raphael follows after his baby brother, who trots back to his bedroom to play with the paints he and Leo found last night. He's dipping his hands in the small bottles and scribbling messy doodles onto the sheets scattered across the floor.

"Hey Mikey, whatcya drawin'?"

Mikey looks up with a shy smile and signs to him.

'Brothers. R-A-P-H, D-O-N-N-I-E, and L-E-O.'

"You remember our names?" Raph asks with excitement.

Mikey nods and signs that he and Leo practiced their names the night before. Raph smiles brightly as he sits across from Mikey.

"That's amazing, Mikey! I'm so happy for you!"

Mikey's shy smile grows bigger. He squeaks out a gleeful beep, his tail wags and the very tip of it taps against the floor several times.

"Hey, I know you're busy with drawin' and artsy stuff, but do you think Raph could try sumthin' with ya?"

Mikey nods, intrigued. He wipes his fingers off on the paper, and gives Raph his full attention.

"Okay. Now, this is just an exercise, it's okay if it doesn't work on the first attempt, but we might as well try, right?"

Mikey purses his lips and tilts his head in confusion.

"I want to see if I can help you figure out how to talk again."

Mikey's eyes go wide as saucers. Is he serious? Could Mikey actually talk again?

"I know, I know, but you can make sounds with your throat, right? It's just to try. Can we try?"

Mikey nods ecstatically. He so badly wants to talk again, he's so desperate to communicate with his voice.

"Okay! Great! Let's try this... I know you can growl. Can you make the growling sound for me? Grrr?"

Mikey nods and begins to vibrate his vocal chords.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrghh..."

"That's great! Okay, now just the 'rrrr' sound."

Mikey mimics Raph as he purses his lips and produces a softer growl, enunciating just the 'R's.

"Great! Now, try saying 'ah'?" Raph asks. "I've heard you do it before, it's easy, right?"

Mikey nods, making the 'ah' sound, opening his mouth wide and unintentionally giving Raphael a glimpse of the many sharp fangs and canine teeth he has now.

"Good, good. Now, let's try a new one. Can you make the 'ff' sound?"

Mikey's expression falters. He concentrates, following Raph's instructions as best he can. He presses his teeth against his tongue and blows air through.

"Thhhh...?"

"Try it like this," Raph says, pointing to how he bites his lower lip.

Mikey tries, but bites down too hard at first and yipes.

"Gently!" Raph yelps nervously, reaching for Mikey. "Gently! Don't bite down so hard, just... softly place your upper jaw on your lower lip."

Mikey tries again, carefully resting his teeth against his lip and gently blowing.

"Fffffffft? Ffff!"

"Nicely done!" Raph congratulates. "Okay, let's review those sounds again. 'Rr'?"

"Rrrrrrrhh..."

"Ah?"

"Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh!"

"Ffff."

"Pffff!"

"All three together?"

Mikey clenches his fists and concentrates hard.

"RRrgghh... Aaaahh... Ffff... RrAhhPpFfff... Rrrraafff... Rraff? Raff. R-Raff! Ah!! RAFF!!"

Mikey looks up in shock and sheer delight. His eyes sparkle and he almost starts crying.

"RrAAaFfFf!!" he shouts in excitement, pointing at himself and then at his brother as he realizes what he had him learn to say. "Raff! Raff!"

"You did it, Mikey!" Raph cheers ecstatically, grabbing Mikey's hands and shaking them with joy. "I knew you could! I knew you could do it!! Hey, wanna go show our brothers?"

Mikey nods furiously.

Raph stands up and ushers Mikey out, who zooms away quickly but halts to wait at the end of the hall.

The two waltz into the kitchen where Leo and Donnie are just finishing up the dishes.

"Excuse me, boys," Raph announces, swelling with pride. "But Mikey has something he'd like to show us!"

"Oh?" Leo says, pausing a conversation he and Donnie were having. "What's up, Miguel?"

Mikey saunters into the doorway with ego and self-admiration, sitting himself down and lifting his head up high to loudly proclaim...

"Raph."

Donnie and Leo freeze.

"Did... did he just... Mikey, did you just say Raph??"

Mikey and Raphael beam.

"He sure did! We've been working on phonics and enunciation."

"That's so AWESOME!!" Leo yells, running to Mikey and wrapping him up in a hug. "Ohmigosh! Can he say my name, too?"

"Well, he only just learned how to say my name, but we can practice yours. You wanna give it a go, Mikey?" Raph asks.

Mikey nods and chirps before repeating the only word he can say.

"Raff! Rapfh! Raph!"

"Okay, I think you can make the 'ee' sound alright, so let's focus on the 'L' for now. Make the 'rrr' sound again for me?"

Mikey does, and Leo practices along with him.

"Rrrrr..."

"Rrrr..."

"Okay, now, while you make the 'R', press your tongue against the back of your teeth."

Mikey looks confused, but Leo gives it a go.

"Rrrrrrlllll--! Ah! Hey! I never realised that... How did you know to do that?" Leo asks.

"When Mikey was a turtle tot, he had that speech impediment where he pronounced his 'R's and 'L's as 'W's. I had to help him figure out how to say them properly," Raph explains. "I guess that's why I wanted to do this speech therapy with him."

Leo and Mikey share a smile and awww at him.

Mikey goes back to focusing on the enunciation, making a soft rumble from his throat that turns into the Rrrrrrgh sound. In the middle of the 'R's, he presses his tongue against his teeth.

"RrrrrrrrllllLLLLL!" Mikey bounces and laughs. "LLLLL! LLLLA! LA! LALALALA!"

Leo laughs along with him. Donnie smiles and huffs out a soft chuckle. The room is laughter and smiles and the lightest feeling of happiness and genuine joy that has existed in this home since Mikey had been taken from them. In this moment, there is healing and wholesomeness. And nothing could break it.

.

.

.

Over New York, a series of small drones fly through the skyline and scan over the city, searching for something... or someone.

One such drone hovers over a specific area, going round in circles as it scans a series of buildings and alleys.

The scans and video footage is transmitted live to a security room in the Techno Cosmic Research Institute Labs, a branch of the Earth Protection Force. A woman is watching the video feed, eyes never blinking and expression totally blank. Her gaze darts from computer to computer, screen to screen. She is looking for anything out of the ordinary.

A door behind her opens. Two men with walk into the room, one in a white lab coat and one wearing a dark uniform and carrying a small weapon on his belt.

"Ah, hello Ms. Campbell," the lab coat greets as he stands behind her, leaning against her chair. "How is it coming along?"

"The drones are functioning properly, Dr. Chaplin," she states flatly.

"Is that so?" he asks, his tone irritated. "Then explain to me why drone 5574 keeps going in circles?"

"Drone 5574 is programed to locate the escaped experiment," she responds cooly. "It is following the embedded tracker."

"A stroke of genius to install trackers in them all," Dr. Chaplin sighs with exasperation. "In case events like this occur... But why is it just circling the one area?"

"It cannot use the artificial recognition software to locate the experiment."

"Why is that?"

"Could the experiment have removed the tracker?" the young man in black uniform asks, stepping closer.

"Impossible, it was unconscious when we inserted it, completely sedated!" Dr. Chaplin says with aggravation and exasperation.

"Then, perhaps the drone is malfunctioning?"

"Ms. Campbell here says all the drones are working properly," he rebuts. "She is never wrong."

"I suspect that the experiment is hiding," Ms. Campbell states. "Either in one of the buildings, alleys, or perhaps even in the sewers."

"Hmm. It could be. Have you detected any movement from the alleys?"

"Negative."

"I doubt it could have lasted this long hiding unseen in any of these buildings... my guess is it's in the sewers. We'll start searching down there... In the meantime," Dr. Chaplin says, turning back to the agent behind him, "Bishop, take a small group of men and do some reconnaissance. I want to make sure he isn't hiding in plain sight. Any idiot could see him and sell him to some circus sideshow or -- god forbid, post a selfie with him. The last thing we need now is publicity, so be discreet."

"Very well. What are you planning to do?" Agent Bishop asks.

"The sewers are too reckless of a place to send a squad in yet. We'll send in some drones to look around."

Dr. Chaplin smiles.

"We'll catch him again soon. There's no doubt about that. He is TCRI property. He could hold the key to so many genetic discoveries and uncoverings... but first, to recapture him. Ms Campbell, I trust you don't mind staying here to watch the feed?"

"I will be fine," she says, still not having taken her eyes away from the video feed.

"It's almost like you were made for this stuff," Dr. Chaplin jokes, as he and Agent Bishop walk out of the room, leaving Ms. Campbell to watch the computers alone again.

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[wishchip106]

can someone rewrite all of season 2 to just be cherik in savage land and the rest of the xmen stories be in the background

like they barely gave me anything ☹️

THEY WERE THERE FOR THE WHOLE SEASON GIVE ME A FULL EPISODE ATLEAST

i need these guys to have like an awkward sitting around a campfire scene

or more of them just traversing through the woods avoiding dinosaurs and the mutates

like unfortunately i do not care about whatever the fuck Logan is doing. i’ve seen enough of him

give me the classic romance story where two people get stuck in a dangerous situation and they have to find their way out while also slowly falling in love with each other (except they’re already divorced so its like that second chance type thing)

they gave me the beginnings of that but then dropped it 🤨

i guess i’ll just stick to eating crumbs 😒

[odditycircus-2002]

Medusa!Reader and Shang Tsung MK 1 (Part 3)

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Spoilers for Mortal Kombat 1: Proceed with Caution

At first, Shang didn't recognize you since you changed in height and voice. He realized it was you from your mask and mannerisms. To Shang's credit, he seemed genuinely glad to see you again and relieved to see you are well, almost remorseful to see you ran away because of your "accident."

He claimed that he had guards searching the nearby land for you but didn't think you'd willingly go to the Wastes. Your mind and heart warred with one another when Shang touched your shoulder with a soft, fond expression. A look you haven’t seen in many moons and find yourself sometimes missing as much as hating.

That's when Baraka barked at Shang to back away from you. Internally, the Tarkatan's reasoning was to protect his friend from getting hurt, but deep in his soul, the reason was the same as a territorial male taigore.

As if flipping a switch, Shang went from acting affectionately with you to callously gesturing for the guards to hold Baraka down so he could plunge a syringe into his spine, unflinching at the Tarkatan's pained roars.

You shout Baraka’s name before demanding the soldiers to release him, chastising him for treating one of your patients so callously as if they were mere animals. Shang Tsung didn’t stop you. You kneel down to check on Baraka, free him from his bonds, and help him get back on his feet. You had to physically hold the large man back from attacking the Sorcerer, who then made the mistake of opening his mouth.

"Get away from that savage, Y/N! I don't want you to share its fate as well."

That’s when you hiss and yell at Shang Tsung that you more or less share that with Baraka, or has he forgotten that he caused your affliction? Shang’s eyes widened as he seemed honestly taken aback that you blamed him for your accident. He then offers to take you from the Wastes’ ghettos and back to your laboratory as an apology. He would find a way to reverse your mutation there, and you both can continue your noble work on a cure for Tarkat.

You immediately declined his offer, stating you were fine working at the camp. Shang's eyes widen at your rejection, a look of pain flashing across his face before it’s placed with a look of contempt. He narrows his eyes at you as he takes note of Baraka gently holding the hand you had on his chest within his much larger one. 

Shang sees how it is and thus changes his tone accordingly. He gives a pantomime sigh, stating it’s a shame you refused since that’ll mean he’ll have to report to the Empress that you abandoned your post to hide your affliction from her. When she finds out, you’ll be stripped of your rank and assets, including your years of research and supplies, before being left permanently in the Wastes. Reminding you that Sindel is likely to take his word over yours because of your schism with Sindel and the promising results he’s shown.

"You remember why I have the Empress's ear, don't you?"

The sorcerer could feel your despair oozing from behind your mask. Baraka lets out a low growl, able to smell your troubled state, as he begs you to let him dice the Sorcerer into tiny meat chunks.

But you don't let Baraka do so. That's when Shang offers an ultimatum. You can continue your research at the camp, and Shang won’t let Sindel know about your condition in exchange for your notes on your progress.

Shang will give you some supplies to continue your work monthly since he WILL return to the colony to take what he needs from the Tarkatans. Failure to comply means letting Sindel in on your new appearance and desertion. It was an offer you couldn’t afford to take.

So it’s with a heavy heart that you accept, much to Baraka’s discontent and Shang’s delight. The latter leaves you with the consolation that you could always return to the Laboratory whenever you desire, ensuring you’ll never return to the Tarkatan’s wretched camp. You merely hiss at Shang to hurry up and leave. Later on, in the privacy of your workshop, Baraka demands to know why you accepted an offer with that snake in the first place.

As much as you want to tell him, you have your oaths and can only say Shang Tsung is treating someone very dear to you. While Baraka is, understandably, upset you didn't tell him this sooner, he promises to TRY not to kill Shang for the foreseeable future but makes no guarantees that he won't. Baraka admits that seeing Shang Tsung in his colony and near you brings out something dark and feral within him, demanding he remove the threat from his home. While he's unable to see, you smile warmly at him behind your mask as you thank him, placing a hand over his knee.

So, for the next few moons, you and Shang stuck to your new arrangement. However, even then, he tried to court you. He’ll leave you with new supplies to replenish your stocks and gifts in the form of herbs and luxuries such as fine soaps and bedding. If it weren’t for the colony’s need for such things, you would’ve thrown his gifts back in his face. So you had to swallow your pride and thank Shang for his “generosity.” You still tried to keep Shang from doing anything more to the Tarkatans under your care, warning him constantly that provoking them only worsens their symptoms and makes them more likely to violently lash out. Yet, the Sorcerer mostly doesn’t heed most of your warnings. You also had to ensure Baraka didn’t rip and tear into Shang Tsung on sight, but the Sorcerer didn’t make that easy. In fact, he seemed amused to watch Baraka’s hatred and irritation for him tug against your metaphorical leash.

During one of Shang’s monthly visits, Baraka finally had enough of the Sorcerer. Rather than letting the Sorcerer walk away after extracting his marrow, Baraka swiftly killed the guards that held him down with his arm blades. Shortly after, the rest of the colony would follow suit and attack the imperial soldiers who herded them to the edges of the camp, finally fed up with their cruel treatment. Baraka then turned his attention to Shang, who grabbed you with a free hand to drag you away from the scene; Baraka then proceeded to kick his ass.

No doubt, the Tarkatan leader would’ve killed Shang Tsung if it hadn’t been for you holding out your arms in front of the Sorcerer and reasoning that Shang needed to stay alive. However, before Baraka could retort, Kenshi interfered by grabbing Baraka from behind. As Baraka is surrounded by Kung Lao and Johnny Cage, Shang Tsung drags you away from the fight.

He urges you to come with him, as it's now, or never to join him or be left behind with those beneath you. You refused, backing away from the Sorcerer. Shang Tsung seems hurt by your rejection before, but it's so quickly replaced by that iconic smug grin that you thought you'd imagined his hurt.

"You'll regret not coming with me sooner."

He then takes the form of one of the Tarkatans before disappearing into the approaching crowd right in front of you. You don't have any time to ponder about the sorcery you just saw as your attention is caught by Kung Lao voicing your confusion out loud. You stood with the rest of the camp against these intruders. You had no idea whether or not they worked for Shang Tsung, but you wouldn't let them hurt any of the Tarkatans!

You fought one-on-one with Kung Lao as Johnny was occupied with the rest of the camp. Admittedly, the young monk fought valiantly against you, even with your use of magic and toxins. Still, even battered and bruised, you wouldn't back down. You reached your hand to your mask, having not initially taken it off during the fight, ready to unleash your power on the monk. You and the rest of the camp stood off from the three intruders until Kenshi explained to himself and his companions to Baraka that they were after Shang Tsung on behalf of Lord Lui Kang due to the threat he poses to both his and your realm.

Sensing no deceit from him, Baraka explains what he and the rest of the camp are and the illness that made them this way, including his life before Tarkat. When Johnny Cage asks if Tarkat is why you wear a mask, you take the time to explain that you're not infected as far as you can tell; however, your appearance is drastically altered thanks to Shang Tsung. It's also because of the latter that you cannot remove your mask unless absolutely necessary. You also explain that you treat everyone at this camp as its main healer. You finally drop your hand from your mask after Baraka signals everyone else to back down.

After leaving a couple others to attend the camp, including which medicine is for which, you tag along with Baraka to your former laboratory. You assuage Baraka's concerns, reasoning that you know where it is and the layout well, to which Kenshi agrees.

While none of the others could read your expression beneath your mask or body language, Baraka knew what was going through your mind while trekking to the lab. He knows and smells the anxiety coursing through your veins as you get closer to where it all went wrong for you. Yet, he silently assures you he's here for you when taking your hand into his own as if to lend you some of his strength. And you know something? You think you're already feeling stronger just by his touch alone.

You already ran once from Shang Tsung; you won't this time, not after the new information that's come to light and from your experience for these past moons. There are more lives at stake besides your own now, after all.

A/N: And that's all for now. I didn't exceed the word limit this time, but it seemed like the best place to stop. Hope you enjoy it. If so, don't forget to like, comment, and reblog, as those encourage me to write sooner rather than later! Stay weird, my fellow humans.

Playlist while Writing:

"Bury a Friend" By Billie Eilish

"Diablo" By Simon Curtis

"My Demons" by Starset

"Fish Inside a Birdcage" by Fish in a Bird Cage

"Loser" By Neoni

"Nightmare" By Set it Off

[mikupepsi]

Finally posting my cringe Xmen ocs and their lore! Skeeter is a mosquito mutant originally from the Savage Land, but was raised in the rural Southern United States (I'm thinking maybe Kansas, Kentucky, Georgia?) He finds Allie in a box by the dumpster one day as a kid, and raises her all on his own, taking on the role of her big brother. Once Allie's mutations come in-- they're strikingly similar to Wolverine's, with retractable claws and regenerative health. Skeeter takes her to the X-men, accusing Allie of being Wolverine's daughter... with a DNA test proving to be the long lost daughter of Sabertooth instead.

[therobotmonster]

The Fantastic Four Movie Problem: A Pulp Peg in a Hero-Shaped Hole.

There's been a lot of attempts to make Fantastic Four movies, and none of them have really worked.

(I made the best one biggest. Fight me.)

I know why.

It's because the Fantastic Four, while being in the superhero genre, are not superheroes. They are adventurers.

They have more in common with these guys:

Than these guys:

And it all comes down to story structure, particularly in the origin episode.

Superheroes are by nature reactive. They respond to threats, protect people, and generally act as a blend of rescue worker and (usually) nonlethal sheriff. They are the heightened-reality version of the helpers of Mr. Rogers' philosophy. Doomsday shows up, you stop Doomsday. If there's no crime, you're not doing anything that day.

But the Fantastic Four, and particularly Reed, are adventurers. They go and find their trouble. There might be vague rumblings of something strange or unusual seismic activity or whatever to initiate the adventure, but Reed isn't waiting for the phone to ring so he can punch a bank robber, he's making plans for an expedition to Monster Island or he's built a doorway to the Negative Zone for the express purpose of exploring another universe.

The Fantastic Four go looking for interesting things and find trouble when they get there. The main exception to this is Doctor Doom, and the rush to make him the main villain in the first film is a rush past a glorious feast to go straight to the dessert.

It's like starting Holmes off face to face with Moriarty from day one, and it puts the Fantastic Four in the same do-gooder box as the rest.

It chops out their most unique aspect, their proactive nature, that all their personalities hinge on: It informs Reed's obsessive need to know and how it warps his priorities. It feeds Johnny's thrill-seeking and recklessness. Ben's mutation is the cost of that drive taken to the point of hubris and informs the spirit of the whole team. And Sue, who is the most traditionally superheroic in her outlook, has the codependent role of keeping her loved ones safe despite their self-destructive adventurism.

It's a long standing fandom joke that Reed is an asshole.

It's not unwarranted, but the whole team is a dysfunctional but still caring family, each with similar flaws. A thing that the adaptations often lose because they wind up being overly bicker-y to make up for the more static, reactive superhero format, and blaming Reed for them being freaks is easy pathos.

If they were treated as the pulp adventurers they are in spirit, you'd have a lot more chances for them to bond as each leg of the journey into the Savage Land runs into natural hazards and lesser foes on the way to the climax fight.

In short: Pulp it up.

[magnetic-regent-magneto]

I absolutely love your answer, super thought out 10/10. Follow up question to that, looking "scary" or "ugly" is one thing, but there's also a level of like.... Sometimes, when you're a mutant, things are gonna suck not because of other people but because of the mutation itself. Like the story of one kid who was so radioactive that he killed everyone who got close to him, or even Rogue not being able to touch anyone. Sometimes it can hurt your body, fuck up your mind. Pride in what you are can feel really impossible when it's fucking up your quality of life.

Does Magneto's powers have any sort of downsides that come from inside? Any headcanons on like, how being a big ol magnet(o) can suck a little bit?

He has canon debuffs actually. Just to name a few.

-- TW: MENTAL HEALTH

When he got his powers, relatively late for the average in modern times (he must have been 30-45), he could barely use a wink of his powers-- lest he was frying his brain.

Using his powers gave him severe headaches, pressure on the brain, as well as brain bleeding (aneurysms) which got worse and worse over time. This means that, originally, his powers were supposed to have a usage limit and he was killing himself slowly when using them.

MORE BELOW

THIS IMPACTS HIS MENTAL HEALTH. It is also mentioned that his powers create a pressure on his mind. The brain works on electrical signals and his electromagnetism messes with his own mind. It is mentioned in the Classical X-Men comic with Isabelle's death that his powers were breaking his mind so much that he was going mad-- that which finally turned him into Magneto.

Besides his obvious PTSD, it is said that his powers contribute to his mental health issues. He has heavy depression and suicidal thoughts ,as well as, obsessive behavior, chronic nightmares and anger issues. This is mentioned in old comics, also in Savage Land, also again in Magneto 2014, House of M consequences, and so on. Fun Fact, Pietro has the same side-effect to his own powers, but it is explicitly mentioned various times.

(below are some examples from early Magneto)

Only after various times of losing his powers and regaining them or being buffed or taking heavy drugs (or Fabian Cortez), did the "debuff" of aneurysms and headaches stop. But it is very clear that oftentimes, his powers take an immense physical strain on him. The last time they appeared was in X-Men (2019) comics when he tried to move Orchis' forge into the sun and he died to an aneurysms twice.

Also, I get the feeling that each time his powers are weakened, his mental problems skyrocket again. This could, of course, be for various reasons of the circumstances of losing his powers. However, I think it might be that when his powers are weaker, more out of his control, the pressure to his mind becomes more significant again. Getting his powers back full means control over his mind again.

[positivelybeastly]

X-Men #6

Getting caught up!

Let's go.

Mmm, this is a good page. It's interesting to see Quentin in a kind of melancholy - it's not a state of mind you see him in very often, honestly, and I have to wonder if it's because of what he saw in Ben Liu's head, the fact that Cassandra Nova is on the board now, or just a general ennui about the state of things as an X-Man. Being a teenage firebrand only lasts as long as you're willing to burn, and Quentin's been burning for a while now with very little to show for it.

Also, wow, Idie, you have the eyes of an eagle that you were able to see that girl pulling a Spider-Man tribute - uh, I mean, the Midnight M, or whatever it's called.

Fun fact - this is the first time in this series that someone's directly mentioned Hank's psychotic villain turn from X-Force. Makes sense it would come from Quentin, since he's the only other member of X-Force on the team and he has the most face time with evil Hank, though I have to call bullshit - psycho Beast was a fucking bore.

Cain and Illyana continue to be hilarious bash brothers. I also like Hank being like 'ix-nay on the beheading-ay while the newbies are around to hear you-ay!' while Ben and Jennifer have little shock lines around their heads.

You will not get me to read Marauders volume 2, Jed. You will not.

So, this is a bit early in the run to have a 'this is what you missed in the series so far' scene, though I suppose having new context means they want to put the pieces together in a straightforward way so that no-one's confused going forward. And it's at least being done with character interactions, and not just a rote recitation of facts.

So, you, uh, ever gonna go and be a dad to those Savage Land mutates you fucked around with and made, Max? No? Mmkay.

Really dancing around the hashtag, huh, Scott?

"Maybe if you'd taken better care of your last resident genius instead of treating him like shit and neglecting him, so that he didn't go insane and blow himself up in a homoerotic stupor, you'd be having an easier time of this, but you're stuck with me."

Don't you fucking dare talk shit about quiche, Quentin.

I genuinely love the amount of play Glob is getting in this series. There's such an obvious affection for him that you can't help but be charmed. Also, a rare acknowledgement of Glob's past as a member of the Omega Gang and the fact that he was one of Quentin's very few friends during New X-Men! Love to see it!

There's that patented Scott Summers paranoia.

Also, I have to say, I love what this issue is doing with Illyana and Idie. As far as I know, these characters have barely, or never, interacted before, and there's just such an easy interplay between them that I already want more of - they tease and poke and prod at one another, in a way that feels younger and more vital than the older members of the team, even as Illyana demonstrates what being on a mainline X-Men team for the last 10-15 years does for your knowledge base.

It also really, really makes me happy that Idie is getting as much play as she is. The people who were worried about her being background fodder for this series really couldn't have been more wrong, she's getting a lot of good development and agency here.

It's something that only really shows up when you're reading continuously, but it's visible here - I like the panel composition in this issue, and this series in general, a fair bit. I like the separation of panels to show progression and create distinct scenes while still creating a larger tableau. Good composition makes you notice it, but doesn't pull you out of the experience, it merely serves it.

Also, oh boy, Hank's getting nostalgic again . . . that only ever means he's about to get depressing.

Yeah, that tracks.

Now, I do like this sequence and this conversation, but I have to pick at something that bugs me here, even though I have to wonder if it's intentional or not.

. . . Max, you and Scott were both on Krakoa. You remember that, right? You were dead for a fair bit of it, sure, but you were around long enough to see the start of X-Force. You were a member of the Quiet Council and Scott was the General or whatever of Krakoa.

You had the power to stop him. You don't get to say that you won't allow it when you both already did allow it. It would have been outrageously easy for the both of you to just waltz right up to the Pointe, grab evil Hank by his hair, and kick the shit out of him for being a genocidal maniac, but neither of you did that. None of you did. You allowed him to continue. Worse, you enabled him, you and your little twink 'I Can't Believe It's Not The Maker' Xavier.

And even before that, you hold responsibility for encouraging Hank to loosen his morals and kill people! You were there during the Inhumans vs. X-Men conflict, encouraging him to double cross the Inhumans for mutant gain! And Scott outright told Hank, MULTIPLE TIMES, that the ends justify the means during the Utopia era! Are you going to acknowledge that fact? Are you going to confront the fact that he internalised YOUR methods? Fucking evil Hank's penultimate words before he was atomised were MAGNETO WAS RIGHT, for fuck's sake!

That's why I like that Hank says, 'Of course, of course.' There's a ring of, yeah, sure, whatever to that, that I like. He doesn't say I know, because he doesn't. He's well aware that everyone saw what was happening to him and didn't stop it, that they didn't care enough to intercede, that Scott was too busy fucking Jean and Logan on the regs to care that one of his oldest friends was turning into the lovechild of Josef Mengle and Henry Kissinger.

I need that to become text. I need it. I know that it fucking sucks, Jed MacKay, to have to answer for Ben Percy's sins, but you cannot have dialogue like this and expect it to fly through uncommented on. No-one becomes a monster on their own.

I really do hope that dialogue choice was intentional and that MacKay is willing to interrogate this. Thus far, he hasn't let me down, but I need this to be the first part of a conversation, not the end of it.

Yeah, valid, I wouldn't want to deal with Cortez either.

Hank is very cute here. Like, he's always cute, but he's especially kawaii here. Hims have the teefs.

Yeah, you gotta get on choosing a mutant name quick, or else you'll get stuck with something like Negasonic Teenage Warhead.

Hoo boy. Yeah, this is . . . that would be a problem. I can see why Scott's pissed. Then again, valid for Idie going for forgiveness over permission, as far as she knew, Piper might have been being abused, and the info she has here is pretty important . . .

All right, roll on issue #7!

This was a good issue! I don't know that it needed the whole 'here's what you missed on Glee' segment in the middle, but it was at least done with enough character and verve that it wasn't boring, and the rest of the issue giving everyone some shine and interactions made it more than worth it - plus, it feels as though the plot is finally starting to move, which was a little bit of a concern with the previous issues.

Be there or be square . . .

[geekcavepodcast]

"Rogue: The Savage Land" to Take Place During 1981's "Uncanny X-Men" Run

In 1981 Rogue took a trip to the Savage Land and started a relationship with Magento in Chris Claremont and Jim Lee's Uncanny X-Men #269-#274. Now, in Tim Seeley and Zulema Lavina's Rogue: The Savage Land, we can get the whole story of that chapter of Rogue's life.

"The X-Man called Rogue has always been a survivor, but without her mutant powers she’ll need to prove it like never before! As the Savage Land turns towards war, Rogue will need all her skills to survive dinosaurs, mutates, and the Master of Magnetism himself!" (Marvel Comics)

Rogue: The Savage Land #1 (of 5) goes on sale on January 15, 2025. The debut issue features a main cover by Kaare Andrews and variant covers by Russell Dauterman and Nick Bradshaw.

(Image via Marvel Comics - Kaare Andrew's Cover of Rogue: The Savage Land #1)

[pepperclint]

[pikagatogirltits]

Magic the Gathering x Marvel Set Speculation: Creature Types

I'm pretty excited for the upcoming Universes Beyond Marvel set. I've already made one post where I just rambled about random bits of speculation I had about the set, but I've still been rotating some ideas in my head and I've decided to do a focused dive on a subject I love to think about: creature types. I'm gonna break this up into three sections to try and give it a little structure but it'll probably be a bit rambly within each section. The first two sections (Species/Races and Classes) will focus more on broad strokes that take into consideration both legendary and nonlegendary creatures...I'm not going to try and guess every possible type random legends might have. The third section will be more for me to speculate on specific characters that I think might have especially interesting types. I'll repeat some of my thoughts on creature types from my other post here too so they're all in one place.

Species/Races

Existing creature types I expect to see the most of are Human (obviously), Mutant, Alien, and Robot...

I don't really think any of the various species of aliens really need their own creature type... they can all happily chill under the Alien umbrella

For IP reasons I expect Mutant to solely be used for characters with the X-gene...a lot of other characters that are "mutates" by Marvel terminology will probably just be typed as Human, with a few other exceptions...

Honestly, I think the Marvel sets might only need to make two IP specific creature types: Inhuman and some kind of catch-all for all the various gamma mutates (Hulk and related characters)

The Inhumans are enough their own thing within the context of Marvel that I don't think they really fit in with any existing creature type

Hulk and the other gamma mutates (She-Hulk, Red Hulk, Abomination, etc.) also don't cleanly fit into an existing type...kind of. In a vacuum, I would probably use Mutant for them...but like I said earlier, Mutant is probably going to be reserved for X-gene related characters. I don't really have a super solid idea of what to use though. You might be able to get away with just using Hulk as the creature type, as a lot of these characters have Hulk in their name, but I don't know if it's actually the best choice.

You could maybe introduce a Mutate creature type to handle the Hulks and certain other characters, but I feel like there would be a legitimate concern over its similarity to Mutant, especially in a set where I think there's a decent chance of Mutant typal being a theme.

There's one other IP specific type I could see them making: Asgardian. Personally I think it's unnecessary, Thor and related characters could just as easily be given the God type instead of making a new one, but that might depend on what Marvel wants.

Speaking of the more magical/supernatural side of Marvel, while I don't expect to see them in as high of a quantity as the four I mentioned at the top it should be noted that we could possibly see a non-zero number of Vampire, Elf, Dwarf, Troll, Giant, Demon and/or Devil, and Spirit creatures.

Oh, and between the Savage Lands and also characters like Sauron, Old Lace and Devil Dinosaur I think there's a good chance we can expect at least a few Dinosaurs

Classes

Now I've seen some speculation on the idea of using Hero and Villain as class types in this set but personally I really hope they don't. First, it will reduce that backwards compatibility of the set, which is something WotC thinks about with the popularity of eternal formats. Captain America will interact with more cards as a Human Soldier than as a Human Hero. Second it just looks monotonous, especially in conjunction with how many Humans we'll be getting. What's a better set of creature types for Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye: Human Soldier, Human Rogue, Human Archer or Human Hero, Human Hero, Human Hero?

So setting aside the types I don't think we'll see, how about the ones I think are likely? I think some types we could see multiple of are Soldier, Warrior, Rogue, Scientist, Detective, Assassin...and maybe Ninja, Pilot, and Wizard and Warlock as well.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Citizen make a comeback just so we can get cards that represent civilian characters without just typing them as Human... although I could see Advisor getting some use here too for characters who are lawyers, journalists, or politicians.

Specific Character Speculations

A slight aside at the beginning of this section: if there is a set that really could benefit from finding some way to make the Legendary supertype not eat up so much space on the typeline, it's this set

Also, me listing a character here doesn't mean I think they're 100% certain to get a card, I'm kind of just idly speculating about characters that could have some unusual types.

Rocket Raccoon: I've heard a couple of different stories of Rocket's origin but apparently the (current) comic canon is that he's an earth raccoon that was abducted and genetically enhanced by aliens so I think Raccoon Rogue would be a good fit

Groot: I could see them using Treefolk, Alien Treefolk, or Alien Plant for Groot. Small aside, but I really hope there's at least one card with the flavor text "I am Groot."

Blade: Warrior is a likely choice for a class type, but the real question is how they'll represent him being a dhampir. Human Vampire seems like an obvious pick but Legendary Creature - Human Vampire Warrior is probably going to really push the character limits of the type line. Depending on what aspects of him they want to emphasize I could easily see them dropping his class type if they really want to emphasize his dhampir nature and just type him as Human Vampire...but if they don't want to skip a class type they could decide that Vampire Warrior works and just not bother differentiating him from full vampires.

Ghost Rider: Is Ghost Rider fully skeletal? I could easily see Skeleton Pilot or Skeleton Warrior depending on if they want to emphasize him as a motorcycle rider or a badass fighter...maybe even Skeleton Rogue

The Thing: How non-human do you have to look before you stop counting as Human for creature type reasons? According to the Marvel wiki he's considered a human mutate so technically he could still be a Human... but I could just as easily see them making him an Elemental just to add some variety to the creature types in the set. As for a class you could get clever and make him a Pilot because that's what he originally was, but I don't really see a The Thing card caring about Vehicles so I think Warrior is the best call.

The Lizard: The best possible creature type for him would possibly be Human Lizard Scientist but that might have space issues...but honestly Lizard Scientist is novel enough I wouldn't complain.

Venom/Carnage/other symbiotes: This is less a speculation about their creature type (Alien would probably suffice) but a different typing adjacent question... I wonder if we could justify making them Enchantment Creatures with Bestow to represent other characters wearing them.

Namor: Oh dang, I forgot Marvel had Atlanteans. If we wanted to maximize backwards compatibility I could try and argue we could lump them under Merfolk... but honestly they could also make Atlantean its own type and future proof themselves for other IP that feature inhabitants of Atlantis that are a separate species from humans (like a Universes Beyond: DC for example.) Oh, and Noble would be his class.

You know, I could go on and on trying to guess random characters' creature types so I'm gonna cut myself off here. Maybe one of these days if I get sufficiently bored I'll add onto this post. If anyone else has some ideas for fun Marvel creature types or wants to debate my ideas don't be afraid to add on a reblog or comment. I'd love to talk about this kind of stuff.

[theanoninyourinbox]

The Stars and the Afterlives

Starclan is the Afterlife of the Clan Cat. But what Roles might a cat have in the starry lands above? And where do non-clan cats go? Where do Traitors go?

STARCLAN

This is where every Clan cat wishes to go, a lush land of greenery and peaceful days. Where kits become the adults they were meant to be, mentored by their ancestors. Where elders shed their aches and dance in the meadows. The prey is endless, the predators nonexistent, the trees forever blooming. Honey drips where industrious stingless bees gather, and deep glens give privacy and comfort to the traumatized. Borders are gone, and those banned from relationships, either cross-clan or Healers, may find love.

Starclan cats have white four-pointed pupils, and small stars scatter in their fur. Scars they chose to keep gleam like the night sky, and they nearly float with each step. Starclan cats have four major roles, though others do exist, and any cat may change to any other role if they wish.

Star-Guide: these cats are the prophecy givers, often cryptic and mysterious. They plant signs like Herbalists plant Poppies, and divine the future in a great Crystal in a pool of starlight. Yellowfang is a Star-Guide, one that refuses to be any more cryptic than she has to.

Kit-Shaper: these cats guide the Faded, those long forgotten even by Starclan cats, into their final form - the next living generation. The Faded will fall apart into motes of light in a Sacred Glen, and Kit-Shapers will take these gleaming shapes and create kits. They fashion tiny noses and triangle tails, paint stripes and spots and patches, and set starlight in their eyes, before sending them to a laboring queen or king. Lionheart is a Kit-Shaper, spending his time molding the perfect kitten for each queen or king.

Path-finder: these cats periodically wander the living world, seeking to bring lost cats home, whether living or dead. They tirelessly search for Spirits who are missed, and often will guide lost or abandoned kits to the clans. Whiteclaw is a Path-Finder, knowing what it’s like to feel lost himself.

Comet-Claw: the Brawlers of Starclan, that patrol the line between the Stars and the Dark. Moonlit claws and sunbeam teeth savage any intruder, and rescue any living soul they may find lost. Swiftspirit is a Comet-Claw, always watching for Tiger”star”.

THE KITTYPET AFTERLIFE

Often referred to as the Twoleg Starplace, kittypets go to the same afterlife as their owners. There’s always food out, the toys are endless, and just about every twoleg wants to pet you. If their twoleg was abusive, kittypets will find a new loving twoleg to pet them and help them heal.

LONER AFTERLIFE

Referred to as the Quiet Hunting Grounds, loners go to endless fields and evening skies. The prey is plentiful, or as challenging as one wants, there’s company and shelter if one wishes, and the rolling fields and hills go on forever.

Those who chose to wander the lands of the living from these places are Spirits - they cannot touch another, save other Spirits or Star-Blessed cats. They can move items, so someone moving the prey you caught might be a mischievous Spirit.

THE DARK FOREST/MIRETREES

Where those who believed in Starclan go if they break the Code’s major rules (do not harm others needlessly, never harm the helpless, and kill not thy clanmate without true need) and do not atone in some way. It’s a dark and moonless place, with a variety of landscapes - all twisted from what they once were. The river where Rushtooth died is constantly writhing like worms, grasping at any who draw near. The clearing where Tiger”star” died is full of pain wails and the feeling of being betrayed. There is a shady Healer’s den, that’s covered in deathberries and thorny vines with yellow flowers.

Cats from The Dark are twisted and monstrous, often with bloody pelts and twisted limbs. The older a Miretree can is, the more insane the mutation. The dread One Eye, the first cat of the Dark Forest, is missing much of his face, all of his claws, and most of his guts. In comparison, Tiger”star” just has a flapping belly full of noxious dripping ooze and twoleg chains.

Those who escape the Miretrees are called Geists. They are near-universally malicious, and often haunt the place of their death. They DO have some power over the living, with their aura poisoning the spirits of the living.

For Example, the Geist Mapleshade poisoned almost the entirety of Crookedstar’s family, only sparing his brother and two of his kits. It took the Comet-Claws days to drive her back to the Mire, and having lost most of her power, she now plots vengeance.