Tigers and Bunnies all over this place!

dresdencodak:

The Premise - Thousands of years ago, godlike alien beings known as Celestials came to Earth to secretly experiment on the human race.  Their goal was to use homo sapiens as a genetic template to revive long-dead civilizations and species throughout the universe.  However, their initial tests proved inconclusive, and the project was abandoned.  What was unknown at the time was that the original “program” developed by the Celestials had spread and embedded itself onto the DNA of countless human beings and continued to be passed down through the generations, dormant.

The story begins where in the past few years this “x-gene” begins to activate, creating outrageous mutations and causing a general panic in society.  While no one is sure what is causing the mutations, it’s clear that the power in human society may quickly shift if something isn’t done.  Most mutants go into hiding or destroy themselves when they are unable to control what is happening to them.  A few, however, are taken in by a handful of more knowledgable mutants like Charles Xavier and Erik Magnus.

Kitty Pryde - Leader of the X-Men and Xavier’s prize student. When Kitty first discovered her ability to “phase” through matter, she immediately put it to use in solving crimes, clandestinely helping local police, signing her clues to them as “The Shadowcat.”  Upon encountering Xavier, Kitty concocted an elaborate excuse to go to his prestigious prep school so that she could learn more about her abilities and what this whole “mutant” hysteria was all about.

Notes - I think Kitty’s a good choice for the leader of the team in my version fo the X-Men, largely because she’s the least crazy.  She is also one fo the few X-Men who actually enjoys being a mutant (at least for the moment).  Kitty is also the most sheltered, which would definitely come into conflict with the more tragic and world-weary members of the team.  Visually I’m definitely going for a “teen detective” look, as well as keeping her in a boyish look contrasted with a reasonably curvy figure.

Rogue - Disturbed runaway from Mississppi.  After her power to absorb the physical strength and memories from others manifested, Rogue fled her hometown, living for a short while on the street before being discovered by Xavier.  She is terribly confused most of the time, as she has trouble distinguishing her own memories from those that she has absorbed.

Notes - Rogue’s initial ability is to temporarily absorb the thoughts and physical attributes of living beings, but as she continues to mutate along with the others, her abilities expand to include more elemental forms of energy. Visually, I wanted a look that felt like someone looking for an identity, and the hipster mullet felt like a right move.

Storm - Ororo Munroe was born in Kenya, but due to various mishaps found herself as a member of Egyptian militants by the time she was a teenager.  Worshipped as a deity due to her incredible powers, Ororo was quickly becoming a warlord before encountering Xavier.  After being soundly humbled by Professor X, she came to realize that she was not a goddess, but a misguided youth among many mutants.

Notes - Storm is the “muscle” of the group, having actual combat experience as well as a monumental amount of confidence in her abilities.  She routinely comes into conflict with Kitty, the leader, but usually backs down when she cools off.  I wanted her personality to be generally calm but unpredictable, like her namesake.  Visually I went with something close to her punk rock look from the 80s, as well as a few “mutant” attributes beyond just having white hair.

Phoenix - After a terrible domestic violence incident, young Jean Grey was killed when her father accidentally shot her. Moments later, Jean Grey found out that she could not stay dead, returning to life in a flaming explosion that completely incinerated her family and neighborhood.  Before authorities could find her, Jean was picked up by Charles Xavier, who offered her both consolation and a new home where she could control her growing mutations.

Notes - Jean is about as neurotic as someone who comes back to life by exploding should be.  Over time and through further mutation stages, Jean discovers that her true power is control over matter itself, and that her “immortality” is actually just an instinctive defense mechanism, making her sort of a crazed teenage version of Dr. Manhattan.  Even so, she’s ever concerned about losing control and hurting those close to her.  Visually I wanted a tall, gawkish figure, someone who’s not entirely comfortable in their own skin.  Also she has creepy devil eyes now.

Cyclops - Similar to Jean, poor Scott Summers discovered his mutant ability after incinerating half of his school with an optic blast.  Scott’s mutation first appears as a large strange hole in the center of his head.  While he has no eyes, Scott seems to have no trouble seeing, and in fact can perceive reality in very unusual ways.  Although he has not since been able to reproduce the strange laser that came out of his head, Scott trains to discover the potential of his weird, disfiguring mutation.

Notes - Nobody likes Cyclops, it’s an empirical truth.  Knowing this, I’ve tried to make him a little more sympathetic and less stuck up. With my X-Men he’s much more the shy, reserved voice of reason since he’s not in a leadership position.  He’s also (currently) the most disfigured, and has dealt with the most public ridicule.  He is also infatuated with Storm because she is bossy.  Visually, I put a big hole in his head, with the notion that a weird dimensional gateway that can tap into energy reserves is a neat sci fi concept that should be explored beyond “optic blast.”

Wolverine - Dr. Logan is Xavier’s oldest friend and trusted advisor.  Dr. Logan also descends into a murderous feral form every 50 years and murders everyone around him.  This leaves him with amnesia and disorientation that can last years.  Logan’s origins are stranger than most mutants because he is in fact one of the original mutants, created by the Celestials thousands of years earlier.  He originally hails from Macedon, and due to his incredible powers of healing has never aged or grown sick for millennia.  Due to his unusual appearance, he has also been mistaken for a werewolf throughout history.

Notes - I basically combined Beast with Wolverine, with a touch of Vandal Savage.  Having lived for so long, Logan has become a pretty sophisticated guy who is nonetheless constantly trying to hold together his strange, mutant feral rage.  Visually I kept it close to the classic look, just emphasizing his short stature (being from such an earlier time) and giving him little fangs.

Colossus - Pitor Rasputen had made a decent living as a body guard and bouncer in New Jersey, 

Notes - Colossus is basically Eurotrash Mr. T.

Want.

rubywhiterabbit:

My little brother got into outer space and stuff so my step-mom bought him a place mat with all the planets on it. When I first saw it, I was upset, because it was newer and so Pluto wasn’t labeled. I was about to say something when I noticed something…

Pluto is there.

The artist remembered Pluto.

Guys…

The artist drew Pluto crying.

(via rainbowbarnacle)