Mutant High Episode 3- "Shades of Red"
Commentary
Hey there, Readers. I've decided that after each story concludes, I'll pepper your world with excitement by giving a glimpse into the creative process and all the other exciting things that go into building the world of Mutant High.
First, I'd like to apologize for the erratic nature of my updates. I'm really trying to stick solidly to a schedule. Ideally, I'd like to have a new chapter at least once a week, but I can't make any promises. Mutant High is, first and foremost, a fun pastime, and if I feel like I'm not enjoying the writing process, but rather, I'm cranking out the next segment, then I'm not going to push myself to work through it.
Secondly, I'd like to give a bit of background into the inception of Mutant High. The idea was born after rabidly devouring the DK Ultimate Guide to X-Men. I had seen the movies about a million times and was playing through X-Men legends, and I totally became enchanted with the X-Men mythos—mostly for the characters.
What bothered me, though, was just how absurd the plot lines could be. I have no quarrels with science fiction, but there seemed to be a big, gaping juxtaposition in the X-Men world. These were superheroes who obtained extraordinary powers through totally non-exciting means—they were born with their abilities. That was what sold me to the X-Men—they were simply born with their abilities. It made them more relatable, because you didn't have to be a government scientist or an alien on earth to be a superhero. The X-Men were ordinary.
Yet, at the same time, they weren't ordinary at all. Cyclops and Storm were orphans, and they weren't just kids with dead parents, they were hell and back babies. The X-Men had a jet and a mansion, complete with an ultra-advanced training facility and no explanation as to where the money to fund such things came from, or an explanation as to why nobody else (i.e.; the government) had such technology. It seemed that every other story line involved extraterrestrials, giant robots, extraterrestrials with giant robots, magical beings, alternate dimensions, time travel, mutants with stupid powers, and revival upon death.
I liked the concept of having superheroes who just simply had their powers, and I didn't think there needed to be any more jazzing up. So thus, Mutant High was born.
Jean wasn't originally intended to be the main character. The initial lineup was huge, and I was basically trying to include every character ever, leaving little opportunity for anyone to have too much focus.
In the initial concept, Jean and Scott were still a couple, with Logan as the third player. Logan's always been a little too masculine not to have at least some homosexual tendancies, so the idea was that Logan would be the school's bisexual bad boy, chasing both Scott AND Jean.
And then I read a Remy/Scott fic somewhere and I was so smitten with the idea of them together that I couldn't envision Mutant High without having them as a couple. It totally changed the face of the story, and ended up radically altering Jean's character—I think for the better.
I felt that "Shades of Red" was a necessary episode to have. I wanted to give the reader some more insight into Scott, Remy, their relationship with each other, and the way Jean fits into the mix.
The next story will move away from the main love triangle, though. Episode Four will put Ororo in the spotlight when she takes her role as field leader for the Mutant Club, and the Mutants face their first official "mission," so to speak.
Anyway, I hope you've all enjoyed Mutant High so far. Comments are appreciated, and if you have any questions at all, feel free to ask, I don't bite.
-GuruBishisama