So here's my pitch for a new X-book or concept during the Krakoan Era.
Basically, inspired by the increase in Mutant Technology, the formation of The Five and the terrforming of Mars, our lead characters start musing about the future of Mutant Training. Will the school still exist on Krakoa? Or is the idea of a school outmoded? How will young and old mutants learn how to master their powers when everyone is so busy with the expansion of Krakoa?
Lead Characters:
Sage
Cecelia Reyes
Supporting Characters (turning into Lead Characters as series progresses):
Triage - Christopher Muse
Caliban
Masque
Morph - Benjamin Deeds
Prodigy - David Alleyne
Forge
Cecelia Reyes is settling into life on Krakoa, but she's a doctor at heart, and finds herself feeling isolated and increasingly redundant in a world of resurrections and mutants with healing powers. She considers leaving Krakoa to return to the human world, but she's torn because she has grown to love her fellow Krakoans, and is wary of the anti-mutant distrust which has only been exacerbated by the birth of Krakoa. Returning from a visit to the human world, she strikes up a conversation with Sage. They discuss CeCes feelings, and spitball for a bit about where she might place herself. She's a doctor, what about teaching? They start discussing the history of the X-Men, where kids would come to the school to learn how to control and perfect their gifts, and wonder if even that process is different in the new world?
They think of Hope stabilising the Five Lights powers when they ignited, and her role in the Five and the creation of planet Arrako. In this new world, maybe there's a way to help mutants to be the best versions of themselves using mutant technology?
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Sage has been working with Caliban, seeing how his mutant tracking ability might help with her job of monitoring entry and exits from Krakoa. Caliban had hoped to take up Polaris' vacant role in X-Factor to help find missing mutants, but Sage has a theory that his mutation might offer more than it seems. She thinks that Caliban's power may have the potential to evolve, and performs a "jump-start" on him. Following this, Caliban is not only able to track mutants, but to perceive the full potential of their powers. He agrees to continue working with Sage and as word grows round Krakoa, Caliban becomes exceedingly popular and sought out, as mutants are keen to learn what they can do. Having lived a life of isolation and rejection, this is the happiest Caliban has ever been.
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Meanwhile, Morph - Benjamin Deeds has been seeing CeCe Reyes to deal with some depression. He's unable to shift it, and wonders if there's a chance the Krakoan flowers could help. As they talk, he explains his frustrations regarding his passive mutation, especially now on this island of abundance and colour. CeCe spends some time analysing Benjamin's mutation, wondering if the slight electrical fluctuation it causes (shown in an issue of Bendis' UXM, can't remember the number), might be something? She also wonders if it could potentially be a stunted version of full shapeshifting. She briefly considers calling on Mystique to ask her advice, but decides against it. She considers going to Synch or Rogue, to see if they can absorb his powerset and discover any corners he might have missed, but again decides against it. Finally it clicks, and she decides to bring Morph to Sage and Caliban.
They analyse Benjamin, but sadly reveal that...this is it. This is his full powerset, at full capacity. Benjamin begins to cry, heartbroken, but Sage, Caliban and CeCe comfort him. On Krakoa, not everyone HAS to be a fighter, this is a new world, this is a place where mutants can LIVE rather than survive. His mutant power might not be a showstopper, but he is a mutant, and therefore he has a place. This strikes a chord with CeCe, and she realises that she's counselling herself as much as Morph. Inspired, she asks Morph what he wanted to be before he was a mutant. He says he wanted to be a therapist, and was studying psychology before he developed (will have to check this). CeCe then says this is perfect, as his mutation allows him to put people at their ease, to gain their trust, to mirror them. So, Benjamin vows to continue his training in psychology and will become a therapist for the mutants of Krakoa.
All of this inspires CeCe and Sage to develop what we'll call X-LAB/X-WORKS/THE SYMPOSIUM. A place where mutants can come to learn how to develop themselves, and find their place in the new world.
It will work in sort of anthology structure to begin with, with some of the less showy mutants, or forgotten mutants, coming to the lab to see their potential. Sometimes the mutants may need a physical modification in order to achieve their potential (more on that below), so they recruit Triage as a Biokinetic. Triage will work with CeCe Reyes, though his powers work automatically, he feels more inclined to understand what his powers are doing to bodies, so he starts learning (interning) with CeCe Reyes. Masque comes in to help repair damage done to mutants bodies with their emerging powers. Morph and Prodigy will help where there may be a psychological impediment (think Cyclops' brain damage, or Jubilee's early fear of her powers).
CLIENTS INCLUDE:
Angelo Espinosa - Skin.
Skin initially comes to Morph because he is having difficulty accepting Utopia, and is struggling with being brought back to life after death (something Morph will realise is common). He then expresses dissatisfaction with his power set, in particular his grey skin, and the pain it causes to make himself look "normal". Again, Caliban and Sage determine this is the extent, his powers won't change, but they all agree that his body isn't necessarily "optimised" to cope with his extra skin. Triage and CeCe work together to adapt Skin's body so it has more blood to support his extra skin, and enhance his circulatory system. From this point on, Skin's tone returns to a regular pigment, and he is able to rearrange it without causing pain. With this, he begins to experiment further with his stretching (we'll see him swinging away like spider-man on lengthened fingers)
Jono Starsmore - Chamber
Simple one. He has a hole in the chest. He has considered running Crucible to have a recreated body, but he is nervous. Masque and Triage combine their abilities, with CeCe's guidance to refashion him a chest and face. Forge fashions him an aperture to emit his psionic energy (like the one Chamber wore in AoA). But Caliban can see that there's more potential here, he notices that Chamber survived what would be a fatal injury when his powers ignited, and that he developed telepathy to communicate, and lost the need for food/air. Chamber is in fact an adapter, in the vein of Darwin/Lifeguard. The energy within him is violent, but it is also symbiotic, so it works to keep Chamber alive. (Haven't quite worked this one out yet).
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SO YEAH, basically, this would be a really good place to showcase and enhance some of the lesser featured mutants, without the need of a secondary mutation, (just some minor retcons) or clarifications. I could also see this as being the STARTING POINT for Krakoa's experimentation with the Chimera concept. As they work with individual mutants, Sage will begin compiling data and seeing opportunities for combinations of powers, where teams could be formed, or how powers could come together for non-offensive benefits, as with Mars. If Madrox wasn't being used elsewhere, and Synch wasn't being used elsewhere, I would have snapped him up for a role. I had in mind that he would permanently absorb Madrox's powers of duplication, and create multiples that could then absorb each clients powers and experiment. He would begin to absorb more than one at a time to test Chimera possibilities.
Anyway, I hope you like my idea! Apologies for the bad formatting, non-linear layout, I've been thinking about this for months while trying to sleep, so lots of ideas to get down.