#Me If Tagging Posts That Are Just About Charles or Erik Separately As Cherik Was A Job: 💵💵💵💵💵

[bikenesmith]

Despite [Xavier's] previous insistence that he is only whole when able-bodied, he comes to terms very quickly with his return to disability: “My back is shattered, a parting gift from the Shadow King… It appears… if I am ever to achieve my dream… I will need all of you… to walk me there” (Nicieza 23). In the span of a single panel, Xavier acknowledges that he is once again disabled, accepts it, and asks his teammates for help. Due to his previous elation at becoming able-bodied, one would think he would require more time to adjust, to shift his identity once more from “able-bodied” to “differently-abled.” The ease in which Professor X resumes his disabled identity lends itself to the notion that being able-bodied, not disabled, is a plot device. He takes more time to adjust to using his legs than he does to losing them, a pattern generally reversed when other characters become disabled. This smooth transition back to disability implies that his truest identity is as a disabled man.

(emphasis mine) was reading crippled crusaders: disability representation in the superhero genre by cassandra m. nicol a few days ago and was struck by this bit....the idea that charles' "true" self is a disabled self is really interesting. (edited) crosspost from twitter:

the dominant, most objective read is that charles becomes abled, is disabled, + becomes abled again ad nauseam. yet those narrative tendencies have inadvertently created a reading where charles' disability is, functionally, a chronic illness that flares due to outward stimuli.

whether charles' paraplegia is due to physical injury or a brain/psychosomatic/astral issue isn't clear, having been complicated over the years by all the different ways the text has chosen to able + re-disable him.

what makes the most sense to me is leaning into that ambiguity. its both �� either mental or physical injury/ailment can cause him disablement. and the back + forth of charles' paraplegia signifies he's uniquely in danger of that specific disablement — paraplegia/spine issues. and those issues happen ALL the time in real-life non-psychic people who experience (non-psychic….i presume) brain damage. the brain + the spine, the central nervous system, they're basically extensions of each other, and are some of the most important parts of your body.

so you can extrapolate that charles has a particularly "weak" spine, and it's likely to give out if he experiences intense physical or psionic injury. and as an x-man, he risks that often.

i also think the "ease" with which he moves from ability one state to another that nicol mentions is important to this. to be clear: we have seen charles agonize over his disability, and especially losing his ability. it's undeniable that it impacts him emotionally. but charles doesn't go through the intense "grieving" process a lot of newly disabled ppl do — the kind he went through himself when he was recovering from his first spinal injury. as nicol points out:

In Xavier’s next appearance two issues later, he is seated in a golden wheelchair and seems insistent that his disability not hinder his participation in X-Men adventures. Instead he emphasizes his usefulness with his telepathic powers, declaring, “I too shall be coming. Though I am crippled once again, my particular talents may be needed there” (Portacio and Byrne 6). His disabled status is stressed through a visual weight of the word “crippled,” both bolded and italicized in the comic panel, similar to how “whole” was stressed when he became able-bodied in 1983. But here, “crippled” is not laden with judgment. It is merely an acknowledgement of Xavier’s condition. This smooth transition back to disability in some ways rectifies his description of “able-bodied” as “whole,” as Charles insists that even paraplegic once more, he is still more than capable of being an X-Man, and he is still the most powerful mutant in the world. Regardless of the state of his physical body, Charles knows that his disability need not impose limitations on his actions; he harnesses his role as leader of the X-Men and his disability is, effectively, relegated to background information.

of course this is in part bc he'd already been paraplegic for years, but you can also see it as him just being ready for it. seeing it as an eventuality, a familiar state that he will return to throughout his life. a chronic disability that exists whether or not he can walk.

There is one more major instance in which Professor X becomes able-bodied. In 2002, a mutant named Xorn restores Xavier’s ability to walk (Morrison, “All Hell” 32). This is the most short-lived instance of Xavier being able-bodied. Only a year later, Xorn is revealed to be Magneto in disguise, one of Professor X’s oldest enemies; Xorn removes the nano-sentinels that had been holding Xavier’s spine together, crippling him again (Morrison, “Planet X” 19). Later, once freed from captivity, Xavier reappears in a chair with alien-like legs, giving him autonomous movement (Morrison, “Phoenix Invictus” 27). This time, he makes no mention of his return to paraplegia. He is in full command of the X-Men, and has again made a smooth identity transition from “able-bodied” to “differently-abled.” The fact that this occurs once more stresses that to be disabled is part of Charles Xavier’s truest identity, and that being able-bodied is a temporary plot point rather than a character trait.

and that raises the question…what does this mean in the krakoa age? does a newly grown body come without that disability? or is it a "symptom" of his mutation? is it imprinted in his mind-soul-whatever you want to call what part of a person cerebro catalogues?

throughout all of krakoa era, there's never been any mention of what charles feels about making his bodies ambulatory. the closest thing we have is the knowledge that he brought his own wheelchairs with him to krakoa which is a solid point in that theory's direction at least.

(interjection from a subsequent thread:

keep thinking abt the fact that charles brought his chairs with him to krakoa…in this place allegedly free of death or sickness he still prepares for his needs to change, as if its an immutable part of him that can resist miracle drugs + literal resurrection.

its so quintessentially x-men that we only get that interesting insight in the backdrop of an ableist story beat where a character is punished and humiliated by…. being dis-abled.

i'm still floored by how incompetent and tactless that whole thing was but that was the same book that gave us hits like kitty's "viking funeral", emma flashing men to distract them instead of using her, you know, telepathy, emma worrying about eating carbs, + other such bullshit. but i'm still surprised it went so under-discussed in x-comics fandom)

via xuân's resurrection, we know that its possible to request your physical disability be preserved when you're resurrected. so this must have been an active choice of his.

i don't think it's odd at all that charles would choose to walk considering his past feelings about it i just wish the text contended with that like at all 😭 but getting into charles' feelings abt his disability is a long ass post for another day.

(i accessed this paper on proquest here via my alma mater. if you would like to read it yourself but are not connected to an institution or library that has access, dm me and i'll send you the pdf!)

addendum: examples of charles’ disability as neurological illness and/or chronic illness

[badplayerana]

Current favorite cherik fics

part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8

And I really mean 'current' because this changes every other week lol but for now I'd like to give back and rec them, if the cherik nation is looking for some really good stories

Stars Will Tumble From The Blue by Baamon5evr

“Just one night, no fear, no shame, no blame or rage. Just serenity. Just us. Just one night to acknowledge that there is more here and then we go our separate ways and you go back to being angry and hating me.” *missing scene* set between First Class and Days of Future Past

One Life for Yourself and One for Your Dreams by endingthemes

When 00 Agent Raven Darkholme manages to capture the elusive Magneto and bring him in for questioning about a dangerous arms deal involving international criminal Sebastian Shaw, it’s up to Quartermaster Charles Xavier to get him to talk. With time running out, Charles needs to convince Magneto to trust him, but they’re both far too good at keeping secrets, and the growing attraction between them is only making things more difficult.

Dark Flowers by Niphrehdil (I made a post dedicated to this one a while back but this might be my all time favorite, so here it is again)

When Charles is captured by a secret organization and used as a weapon for searching and destroying other mutants, Erik has to go after and save him. Erik keeps telling himself he does it only for the mutant kind. At least until he finds Charles.

the way it travels in and keeps emitting light by populuxe

Charles and Erik aren’t friends: their mutual dislike was both instant and enduring, from that very first day Raven introduced them. But when Charles gets into a life-altering accident, the connections between all three of them start to fundamentally shift, too.

Robbers by dsrobertson (mind the tags/warnings!!)

1933. Bank robber AU. The Bureau of Investigation are after Public Enemy Number Two, bank robber Erik Lehnsherr. Charles Xavier is fiancé to Special Agent Moira MacTaggart. A closet homosexual, Charles visits the Manhattan pansy club scene and meets Max Eisenhardt. Only as time goes on, Max Eisenhardt turns out to be Erik Lehnsherr. Public Enemy Number Two. Charles learns exactly what happens when you accidentally fall in love with a male bank robber in 1930s America.

[lucky-katebishop]

What I Read in December 2021

Hello! Here I am with another post! Kind of a busy month for me, I had to make a ton of presents for the holidays so you'd think I wouldn't have the time to read much, but instead I became heavily obsessed with a very long Harry Potter fic that I will get into a bit later. I have a total of 16 fics, some of them MCU and others Harry Potter. I even included a fic I wrote! Thanks for reading!

MCU

sometimes a family is nine unrelated superheroes and an adopted teenage boy by shrill_fangirl_screaming

Plot: When Peter Parker is fourteen years old, he fixes one of the Black Widow's bracelets and ships it to Avengers Tower. Tony Stark hires him on the spot. When Peter Parker is fifteen years old, he's bit by a spider and everything changes. He keeps his superhero life a secret from the Avengers team that has become a second family to him, but how long can he keep up the act?

Characters: Peter Parker, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov, Thor, Bruce Banner, May Parker, Clint Barton, Vision, Sam Wilson, Clint Barton, Wanda Maximoff

Relationships: Peter Parker & The Avengers

Warnings: canon typical violence

Tags: secret identity; team as family; wherein the Avengers adopt Peter Parker and Spider-Man separately

My Notes: there are three parts and all are complete! Very funny, very cute!

*complete*

Green Glowy Slime by sameuspegasus

Plot: Peter gets a phone call from Tony Stark in class. It raises some questions about the exact nature of his Stark Internship.

Characters: Peter Parker, Tony Stark, Monica Warren

Warnings: none

Tags: POV outsider; teacher pov; interns & internships; there is no such thing as Endgame; Tony Stark acting as Peter Parker’s parental figure; Nerd Peter Parker; Nerd Tony Stark; Stark Industries

My Notes: this is part of a series of five fics but it’s not complete and hasn’t been updated since 2019

*complete*

When You Assume Wrong by TentativeTreason

Plot: Tony is hiding something. The Avengers notice the little discrepancies in Tony’s behaviour, and they eventually come to the only conclusion they can think of: Tony is having an affair. **** (i.e. Tony Stark and May Parker co-parent Peter and somehow the Avengers translate this into him cheating on Pepper)

Characters: Peter Parker; May Parker; Tony Stark; Clint Barton; Natasha Romanov; Steve Rogers; Sam Wilson; Rhodey; Happy

Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark; May Parker & Peter & Tony; May & Tony; Tony & Avengers; Peter & Avengers

Warnings: none

Tags: post-Spider-Man Homecoming; Not Avengers Infinity War Compliant; irondad; Tony stark acting as Peter Parker’s parental figure; Parent Tony Stark; Tony Stark has a heart; identity reveal; protective Tony stark; May and Tony Coparenting Peter Parker

*complete*

turn as they go by meliebee

Fandoms: Wandavision; X-Men

Plot: Monica takes off Ralph's necklace and—oh—he’s Peter again.

Characters: Wanda Maximoff, Pietro Maximoff, Billy Kaplan, Tommy Shepherd, Monica Rambeau, Vision, Charles Xavier, Erik Lehnsherr

Relationships: Pietro Maximoff & Wanda Maximoff; Billy Kaplan & Tommy Shepherd; Peter Maximoff & Wanda Maximoff; Erik Lehnsherr & Pietro Maximoff; Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier

Warnings: none

Tags: emotional hurt/comfort; established cherik; the whole x-men team; interdimensional twins for the win; rejecting canon; fix-it of sorts; angst; family dynamics; post-canon

*complete*

doubt truth to be a liar by plotholes_and_paradoxes

Plot: With Thanos stopped before the snap, the Avengers are ready for some peace and quiet. And it seems like they've earned it. That is, until Loki appears in Avengers Tower, two hundred years younger and just as messed up.Starring: Asgardian politics being fucked up, Loki being both too clever and dreadfully young, Steve being done with America, Tony realizing "Oh Shit I'm A Parental Unit," Peter and Loki being disaster teenagers and Thor doing his best (when his best is actually kind of horrifying). Also, Loki's a girl sometimes.

Characters: Loki, Thor, Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Peter Parker, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanov

Relationships: Loki & Thor; Loki & Peter Parker; Loki & Tony Stark

Warnings: Transphobia

Tags: Team as Family; Avengers Tower; Tony Stark is good with kids; Trans Peter Parker; Genderfluid Loki; misunderstandings; cultural differences; Steve Rogers and the 21st Century; Time Travel; young loki appears in the avengers tower; Loki needs a hug; Jotunn Loki; Loki & Peter Parker friendship; Asgardian culture; Bucky recovering

My Notes: Okay, so, Thor kind of sucks when it comes to Loki being genderfluid in this and it hasn’t exactly resolved yet but I think that it’s going to get better!

*incomplete* [last updated August 2021]

Uncharted Waters by lucky_katebishop

Fandoms: MCU, Young Avengers, WandaVision, Hawkeye (TV), Hawkeye (Comics), The Avengers, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier

Plot: Ever since a few months ago Billy hasn’t been feeling well. It’s not a matter of health, per say, more like his head hasn’t felt normal. His memories don’t feel like his. It doesn't help that the new kid Teddy Altman is trying to become his friend even though Billy doesn't do friends. It doesn’t help that it feels like he’s missing something every time he breathes. It doesn’t help that when he looks in the mirror, it’s like being punched in the gut and he’s overwhelmed with grief. It doesn’t help that when he’s interacting with his parents, he’s waiting for someone to make a quip or a sly remark. It doesn’t help that he doesn’t feel like himself anymore. The worst part is, he can’t remember who that was. Billy's remembering who he was before the events of the finale of WandaVision all the while meeting a few Young Avengers along the way.

Characters: Billy Kaplan, Teddy Altman, Wanda Maximoff, Vision, Tommy Shepherd (more to be added!)

Relationships: Teddy Altman/Billy Kaplan; Wanda Maximoff/Vision

Warnings: implied/referenced homophobia; brief suicidal ideation; canon-typical violence

Tags: canon compliant; Billy Kaplan is bad at feelings; Billy Kaplan deserves a hug; Tommy Shepherd deserves a hug; I try to do justice by the comics because the mcu won’t; post-Endgame; angst; hurt/comfort; fluff; alternate origin story

My Notes: okay, so… this is one I wrote, but I like to think it’s very good!

*incomplete* [December 2021]

Harry Potter

The Love of a Good Wizard by SweetSorcery

Plot: History of Magic has something to teach after all, and two resourceful students decide that the key to having any future at all lies in the past, and in Tom Riddle's heart. Assuming he has one.

Characters: Harry, Tom Riddle, Minerva McGonagall, Pansy Parkinson

Relationships: Harry Potter/Tom Riddle; Minerva McGonagall/Pansy Parkinson

Warnings: Explicit; sexual relations (there’s a lot of sexual tags but I’m not gonna write them all)

Tags: (there’s a lot of smut related tags I’m not going to tag); 1940s; alternate universe; hurt/comfort; guilt; possessive behavior; protectiveness; loyalty; dancing; coming out; snowball fight; angst; slow burn; time travel; fix-it

My Notes: Okay, I can explain this one. I wanted to try out a Tom/Harry fic since they’re so popular and I don’t want to limit myself to really good fics, and this one is written really well and it’s sweet and everything. However, I did kind of feel like Tom could’ve been any original character. I don’t like to criticize fics since they’re free and everything, but this was written so long ago I don’t feel that bad about it. I just feel like McGonagall and Tom weren’t at all in character and weren't given the time to explore their characterizations either. I chose this one however because I wanted to make sure that there weren't any weird age gaps or anything- surprisingly a lot of Tom/Harry fics revolve around Tom being a full grown adult and Harry being 15 or something, which is gross. So if you do read this one, don’t worry about that, however it is underage and has a whole lot of smut in it. That being said, I don’t think I’m going to read another Tom/Harry fic. But it’s what I read this month, so, I’m adding it to the list.

*complete*

Independent Study by SomwheresSword

Plot: Dumbledore doesn't make it in time for Harry's trial, and the outcome is very different. Harry is expelled, his wand snapped. But he refuses to give up. And he is done waiting around for Albus Dumbledore to give him information. Deciding to take his life into his own hands, Harry asks for training from several Order members, preparing himself to fight Voldemort while the whole wizarding world believes he's helpless and back in the muggle world. Meanwhile, his friends are at Hogwarts, tackling their own problems in the form of Dolores Umbridge. Harry hadn't expected the separation to be so difficult - or for a certain mischievous redhead to make the waiting game they'd entered into so very excruciating. He might have lost his home in Hogwarts, but with Sirius and Remus around, Harry begins to learn that rebuilding a family isn't as hard as he'd anticipated.

Characters: George Weasley; Harry; Fred Weasley; Sirius Black; Remus Lupin; Bill Weasley; Tonks

Relationships: Harry Potter/George Weasley; Sirius/Remus

Warnings: Underage

Tags: slow burn; so much pining; Order of the Phoenix; independent Harry Potter; Powerful Harry; AU ootp

My Notes: this one is so good! I really like George/Harry as a pairing, I like it a whole better than Harry/Fred/George because I feel like writers only put him with the both of them because they don’t take the time to figure out their characterizations but when Harry’s paired separately that’s when we really get to see George and Fred’s characters become their own.

*complete*

The Heir to the House of Prince by elph13, Ada_Lovelaced *favorite*

Plot: “So you're adopted? "Supposedly." "So your Dad ... he's not ...?" "Seems like it." "Huh." Theo stares at Harry with those grey eyes that look silver in the cauldron smoke between them. "But you're the heir to this ... House of Prince, so he's probably -" "Yes. Probably." Harry looks at Theo sharply. "You don't know who he is, do you?" "No." Theo looks back just as sharply. "If I did, I would tell you. You know I would." "I do." Something loosens inside Harry's chest. Something that has been tightening ever since Cedric died. He may not have his friends, or Sirius, or even know who he fucking is anymore, but he has this. At least he has Theo. Summer of 4th year and Harry's all alone, dealing with his grief and the sudden revelation that James Potter is not his father. Support comes in a strange form. The form of Theo Nott, son of a death Eater. A strange friend who says he'll help him find his true father, whoever this Lord Prince might be.

Characters: Harry, Kreacher, Tom Riddle, Theodore Nott, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Dumbledore, Nott Sr, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George, Molly Weasley, Blaise Zabini, Draco Malfoy

Relationships: Theodore Nott/Harry Potter; Remus Lupin/Severus Snape; Harry Potter & Severus Snape; Sirius Black & Harry Potter

Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence; Major Character Death; Child Abuse; Suicidal Thoughts; Implied/referenced suicide; body horror; torture; suicide attempt

Tags: Severus Snape is Harry Potter’s Parent; Severus Snape is Lord Prince; Severus Snape has a heart; abusive Dursleys; morally gray Harry Potter; Harry is so done; Parselmouths and parseltongue; Slytherin Harry Potter; Gryffindor/Slytherin Inter-House Relationships

My Notes: This is legit one of the best fics I’ve read, and one of my favorites I’ve read this year (list coming soon). It’s so good, it’s written really well, and I even made a Spotify playlist for it (link here). I do have to warn you, though, it has a lot of discussion of trauma and because of that, you may not like some characters. Sirius, for instance, is not the greatest character in this story but it’s not a cruel thing, he’s just going through a lot in this fic and because of that, he tends to take it out on others. If you’re looking for cute domestic Wolfstar and Harry moments, I’m afraid you’re going to have to look somewhere else. But there is no bashing at all in this fic, the author makes that very clear.

*incomplete* [last updated December 2021]

Kid by evansentranced

Plot: A Potion's "accident" turns Harry into an eight year old. Draco Malfoy begins planning his kidnapping/conversion to the Dark Side. But Harry's a passive-aggressive, revenge-obsessed little bastard. Maybe Draco will wait on that whole Dark Lord thing… Draco's POV. Fourshot. Kinda really AU. Snape is still teaching Potions, for one thing.

Characters: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Severus Snape, Narcissa Malfoy

Warnings: none

Tags: clever child! Harry; de-aged harry Potter; no slash

My Notes: I don’t typically like de-aged fics because I just find them awkward, but Harry is so cool in this one despite being so young!

*complete*

The Foundations of Family by waitingondaisies

Plot: Ron and Hermione spend a lot of time alone together while Harry is off at Quidditch practice. On one such occasion, Hermione finds herself revisiting her childhood dream of playing house with her friends.

Characters: Hermione, Harry, Ron

Relationships: Hermione & Harry & Ron

Warnings: implied/referenced child abuse

Tags: families of choice; friendship; fluff; developing friendships; children; canon compliant; comfort; healing; Harry needs a hug; Harry gets babied by babies; Hogwarts First Year

My Notes: This is quite literally the cutest fic I have ever read. Reminds me of playing house with my brother and neighbor when we were little kids. Also I just like the idea of them playing together because they’re literally 11 years old, that’s what 11 year olds do but instead the books had them fighting monsters. It’s nice to be reminded that they’re kids.

*complete*

Worth Living For by waitingondaisies

Plot: Sirius Black is utterly loyal to his godson, Harry Potter. So loyal, in fact, that not even death can separate them. Sirius returns to the land of the living as a ghost with one mission, and one mission only: ensure Harry's unconditional happiness.

Characters: Harry, Sirius, Ron, Dursley family, Hermione

Relationships: Sirius & Harry

Warnings: implied/referenced child abuse

Tags: ghost Sirius Black; humor; Hogwarts sixth year; Harry needs a hug; Sirius is a little shit; light angst; hurt/comfort

*incomplete* [last updated December 2021]

The King’s Gambit by chatalie99

Plot: When Dumbledore arrived at Godric's Hallow following Dumbledore's attack on the Potter's and their two sons, he decides that the Boy-Who-Lived needed to be raised to be willing to be a martyr (something that James and Lily would certainly not do). The following day, Jack Potter was believed to be the Boy-Who-Lived, and Harry Potter was believed to be dead. Ten years later, eleven-year-old Harry Potter gets his Hogwarts letter, and the lies and deceit begin to be dug up, but much of the damage has already been done, and Dumbledore isn't going to back down easily. OR Another Wrong Boy-Who-Lived story without all of the character bashing (except for Dumbledore) and a Harry who actually acts like a child.

Characters: Harry, James Potter, Lily Evans Potter, Sirius, Remus, Hermione, Ron, Neville, Draco, Luna, Ginny, Fred, George, Dumbledore, Snape, original characters, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan

Relationships: James/Lily; Harry Potter & James Potter & Lily Potter; Sirius & Harry; Hermione & Harry & Ron; Draco & Harry

Warnings: implied/referenced child abuse; trauma

Tags: wrong-boy-who-lived; Harry has a twin; Dumbledore bashing; manipulative Dumbledore; not James and Lily bashing; hurt/comfort; angst; fluff; Harry needs a hug; protective James Potter; good Severus Snape; Draco Malfoy redemption; Harry has siblings; character development

*incomplete* [last updated August 2021]

Lost in Blue by Ohwellwhatever

Plot: “I’m not a child,” he tells her, his voice somehow both slurred and raspy, and sounding very much like a child even to his own ears. “Yes, you are,” Hermione replies. Her voice isn’t mean. It isn’t even her usual bossy tone. It is soft. Sad." -- A study of Hermione and Harry's relationship, starting with Harry's coping (or lack thereof) with Umbridge's detentions in 5th year. Part 3 of the "The Sun Also" series but can be read on its own just fine, if you prefer.

Characters: Harry; Hermione; Ron; Umbridge; McGonagall; Snape; Vernon; Petunia

Relationships: Harry & Hermione; Harry & Ron & Hermione

Warnings: self harm; implied/referenced child abuse; referenced emotional abuse; trauma; canon-typical violence; depression; disordered eating

Tags: black quill; sleep deprivation; touch starvation; touch aversion; angst; hurt/comfort; touch starved Harry; occlumency lessons; mentions of canon character death; disordered sleeping

My Notes: This one is so sweet but also so sad. I really love Harry & Ron & Hermione fics because they care for each other so much and it’s so sweet

*complete*

You’re My Best Friend by chvotic

Plot: There were deep, black bags under his eyes, and his eyes themselves looked haunted and panicked. His skin was covered in a sheen of sweat, which was also visible down the front and under the armpits of Harry’s shirt. When their eyes met, Harry seemed to choke on a sob. “Ron?” Or 5 times Ron was there for Harry (+1 the time he wasn't)

Characters: Harry, Ron, Hermione, Molly, Fred, George, Ginny, Neville, Seamus, Dean, Pomfrey

Relationships: Harry & Ron; Hermione & Harry; Hermione & Harry & Ron; Hermione/Ron

Warnings: self harm; implied/referenced child abuse; depression; PTSD; vomiting; implied/referenced suicide; panic attacks; major character death

Tags: 5+1 things; nightmares; crying; hurt/comfort; bed-wetting; angst; poisoning; Ron Weasley is a good friend; Hermione Granger is a good friend; platonic relationships; platonic cuddling; grief/mourning; sleep deprivation; friendship; Harry needs a hug; canonical character death; horcruxes; emotional hurt/comfort

My Notes: Ron and Harry! Ron and Harry! They mean everything to me! It’s so clear in the books how much Harry loves Ron and it just did not translate to film very well unfortunately.

*complete*

Dead Man Walking by cywscross

Plot: Kreacher goes back to save his master, and Regulus survives but his near-death-by-Inferi puts him into a coma for the next sixteen years. When he wakes, well, the world is not so different. Voldemort is still at large, and the Ministry is still inept. His brother’s got a godson now though, so it’s only natural for Regulus to keep an eye on young Harry as well.

Characters: Regulus Black, Harry, Sirius, Hermione, Ron, Order of the Phoenix, Fred, George, Neville, Luna, Ginny, Snape, Dumbledore, McGonagall

Warnings: none

Tags: alternate universe; Harry gets a secret second godfather; fix-it; Regulus Black Lives; Harry is Lord Potter

My Notes: Oh this one is so good but it will never be updated and I have to live with that. Why does this author have to be so good but then never update their fics??? This is the one who wrote C’est La Vie which is a fic I reread every single month because I love it so much. They still write fics, but mostly for manga now!

*incomplete* [last updated 2016]

[midrashic]

I posted 3,808 times in 2022

That's 540 more posts than 2021!

178 posts created (5%)

3,630 posts reblogged (95%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@americachavez

@insertmeaningfulusername

@professorxsmokesweed

@mutxnts

@sightofsea

I tagged 3,806 of my posts in 2022

#fandom: hated and feared - 869 posts

#genre: visual - 777 posts

#ch: heavy metal broke my heart - 666 posts

#ch: if you can‚ teach (professor heal thyself) - 633 posts

#relship: we'll always have cuba - 570 posts

#filed under: highlights reel - 327 posts

#genre: juxtapositional - 314 posts

#fandom: the road so far - 296 posts

#fandom: and there came a day unlike any other - 194 posts

#hyperfixation: to make bread or love - 193 posts

Longest Tag: 137 characters

#i think spotify is refusing to show me a wrapped option because i don't even know if i've listened to a single song through all year 😂😭

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

after much ethnographic immersion, i have determined that as of 2022, there's actually a roughly equal number of erik stans & charles stans in the current cherik fandom. they just happen to exist in entirely separate spheres & seem to be unaware that the other group exists. if you are suffering from fandom fatigue as a result of feeling that everyone else woobifies your unfavorite, i recommend some kind of cultural exchange that would expose you to a different circle of cherik shippers, because the one thing we can all agree on is that anons whining that everyone else in fandom is so stupid & wrong & annoying is possibly the most annoying thing of all.

80 notes - Posted January 4, 2022

#4

[ID: tweet from @onslaughtverse reading, erik "i'd destroy the world for you" lehnsherr and charles "i'll create a world that deserves you" xavier /end ID]

91 notes - Posted August 18, 2022

#3

new rule: you’re not allowed to call a fandom dead unless you’re actively creating for it

110 notes - Posted January 31, 2022

#2

See the full post

126 notes - Posted July 18, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

but ALSO ON THE OTHER HAND the failure of telepathy. erik who is like "ah so he knows i am a monster" and just goes on like that glumly but also doesn't bother telling charles anything about himself because he already knows, surely he already knows. erik who makes charles his arbitrator of what is good and moral and thinks A Good Person Would Be Against Me Killing Shaw even knowing that he killed my mom, experimented on me, that his death is the only thing that has allowed me to keep putting one foot in front of the other instead of just lying down and dying, this man who knows everything about me and therefore gives me exactly what i am worth and it is the tenderness of friendship but no more, it is sitting three feet away from me in his study. and meanwhile charles is like :) can't wait to get to know him as a real person more than just what my telepathy can tell me because charles knows better than anyone that it doesn't matter what you think and that who you are is defined by what you choose to do (which is why he should convert and not just to give edie the satisfaction of marrying her child off to a nice jewish boy)

164 notes - Posted March 13, 2022

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[lyricfulloflight]

Rumour Has It: Part 2

A modern Cherik AU, powered, university setting.

If you haven’t read part one, here is a link:

https://lyricfulloflight.tumblr.com/post/188224206227/rumour-has-it

Tagging @gold-from-straw because she kindly asked to be tagged if I kept going.  If anyone else wants to be tagged for future additions, let me know!

I will be focusing on my long WIP for the next little bit, so I don’t expect to update this ficlet series for at least a week - fair warning.

Rumour Has It - Part 2

Erik sat in his seat and groaned.  He could not believe that Professor Garcia was going torture them this way.  Group work.  How could he do this?  Erik had actually been enjoying this class until two minutes ago.  Professor Garcia wasn’t a mutant, but he was married to one and had a mutant child, so he was very much aware of the struggles of mutants in society and was relatively sensitive in how he approached the topics covered in class.  He also openly encouraged debate, which made class lively and far more interesting than it would have been in a traditional lecture format.  But this, this was cruel.

“I am assigning everyone a random partner.  And yes, before you all jump down my throat, the selections were totally random, I used a computer program.  Your pairings are final.  You will not change partners, I don’t care how much to plead with me about it.  You will work on this assignment – together – for the rest of the year.  It accounts for thirty percent of your grade, so this is not to be taken lightly.  The list of pairings is right here -” Professor Garcia held up one sheet of paper, “and I will post it up front at the end of this class. Now, let’s talk about the Identification Act of 1985...”

Erik spent the rest of the class half listening to the professor and half absorbed in glancing around to look at all his classmates to try and figure out who would be the worst person to be paired up with. There were half a dozen humans in the class who had apparently signed up just to give speeches about how dangerous mutants were and how identification and separation was “essential for national security”.  Erik wasn’t sure he could work on an assignment with one of them without it leading to him punching one of them in their smug human face. Otherwise, Erik figured one classmate was pretty much the same as any other. Regardless of who he was paired with, Erik refused to let this stupid group project bring down his grade point average.

The class ended with a rush of students clamoring to the front of the class to get a look at the list of student pairings.  Erik sat at his spot and slowly loaded his notes into his backpack.  There wasn’t any reason to rush – the list would still be there in five minutes when the crowd cleared, or his partner would find him before he even had to get up and look.

With his head bent over zipping up his bag, the first thing Erik heard was someone clearing their throat.

“Hello.  I believe we’re partners.” Said a crisp British voice.

Erik leaned back slowly, something like dread curling in his stomach.  He looked up at the man in front of him and found himself looking into the impossibly blue eyes of one Charles Xavier.

“You are Erik Lehnsherr, yes?”

“Yeah.”  Erik spoke, determined to react normally – surely it couldn’t that bad to have been paired up with the most promiscuous man on campus. “That’s me.”

“I’m Charles, Charles Xavier.”

Charles held out his hand and Erik found himself reaching out, and having his hand grasped in a surprisingly firm grip.

“I think it best if we meet to talk about the assignment as soon as possible.” Charles continued. “I have to admit my schedule is quite full and it may be difficult for me to arrange time to meet with you if we don’t plan ahead.”

Erik bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from making some sort of snarky comment about Charles ‘schedule’, which the majority of the university seemed to think involved enough sex for about three healthy young men, and instead nodded in agreement.

“I don’t have class until later this afternoon.  We could go to the library now and sort something out, maybe pick our first topic from the list Garcia gave out?” Erik suggested.

“Excellent.  I have about an hour before my next commitment.”

Erik found himself walking about a step behind Charles as they exited the classroom. Xavier was a startling fast walker and even though Erik had a good five inches on him at least, he found he had to consciously keep himself from falling behind the shorter man.

He was so focused on lengthening his stride to keep up with Charles, he almost ran right into him when the other man stopped abruptly only a few meters outside the humanities building.

“Found a new fuck, have we Charlie?” Sebastian Shaw’s voice dripped with contempt.

“If you’ll excuse us Sebastian, we were headed to the library.”  Charles said blandly, head held high.

“You know he’ll have sex with anything that breathes, right Lehnsherr? If you want to join his pussy footed little Mutant Human Alliance, you don’t have to sleep with him, even though everyone knows he’s slept with the entire group.”

Erik glared at Sebastian but said nothing – there was nothing to say to his baseless accusations.

“Fine.” Sebastian shrugged. “Just wrap it up – who’s know what diseases Charlie has by now.”

Sebastian cackled as he walked away, waving his fingers in a jaunty fashion as if he was saying goodbye to a couple friends, not two people he’d just insulted.

Charles didn’t spare a second to look back at Sebastian, he simply soldiered on and Erik followed him in silence until they found an empty study room at the library.

“Does he do that a lot?”  Erik asked.

“Hmm, what?” Charles frowned, apparently confused by Erik’s question.

“Shaw – does he go around saying shit about you all the time?”

“Oh, that.” Charles waved a hand dismissively. “Sebastian doesn’t like the fact that I run a Mutant Human Alliance – it clashes far too much with his ‘Brotherhood’ and their belief in mutant superiority. He likes to try to get back at me with petty insults.”

“He’s an asshole.” Erik grumbled. “And his ‘Brotherhood’ is practically a terrorist organization – their blog has a list of all the human politicians they’d like to ‘eliminate’.”

“I’m aware.” Charles sighed. “I feel the less attention I give Sebastian and his efforts, the better. Now, the assignment – was there a particular piece of legislation you wanted to look into first?”

Erik let his desire to dig into Sebastian’s insults about Charles’ sex life drop.  It wasn’t really any of his business.

Working with Charles was nothing like Erik had thought it might be.  Charles did not flirt – he didn’t so much as bat his eyelashes.  He was completely professional and focused the entire hour they’d spent in the library.  

It only took about five minutes for it to become clear that Charles was incredibly intelligent and well versed in mutant legislation.  He also wasn’t afraid to voice his opinions, or disagree with Erik.  They both agreed they wanted to pick the broad topic of ‘Mutant Identification and Suppression in the Education System’, but spent a good fifteen minutes arguing over which specific piece of legislation to analyze first.

Erik was impressed.  A lot of people, well most people actually, backed down in the face of Erik’s tirades, but not Charles.  In fact, he hadn’t missed a beat – he was ready with a calm rebuttal to every argument Erik offered. Erik finally, after much back and forth with Charles, compromised by agreeing to start with Charles’ top choice (the Dangerous Mutant Identification Act of 1999), but only after Charles explicitly agreed to end with Erik’s top choice (the Mutant Segregation Bill of 1961).

The meeting ended with a quick check of their schedules and a plan to meet every Tuesday for a brief face to face chat after class and to have a longer collaborative work session every Saturday morning.

Erik walked home feeling unexpectedly happy about the whole thing.  It seemed that working with Charles was going to be fine, even if he was nothing at all like Erik had expected.

One might think a man described as the biggest slut on campus would look a certain way. Sean had asked if Xavier was pretty and… he was so much more than that, and yet also, strangely less.  Today, he’d been wearing an oversized knit sweater, the type you might see a fisherman wear to keep out the cold, paired with rather ill-fitting corduroy pants. The entire ensemble did absolutely nothing to highlight Charles’ body; clearly he had a body somewhere under all that fabric, but Erik couldn’t have told you if he was thin, muscular, pudgy, or somewhere in between.  Despite his complete lack of fashion sense, Xavier’s face more than made up for his clothing choices.  His face… his face was achingly handsome.  It wasn’t quite pretty, not with its slightly too large nose and the freckles, but it was somehow better because of its flaws.

No, Charles Xavier wasn’t pretty.  But damn if Erik was going to tell Sean that Charles’ eyes practically glowed when he was talking about something that got him excited, or that his lips looked just as impossibly red up close as they did from across the room, or that he cheeks flushed an enchanting shade of pink when Erik had teased him about how many books he’d had stuff in his book bag.  Erik wasn’t going to share any of that with Sean.  Sean’s head would probably explode from excitement from the knowledge that Erik had been within five feet of the infamous Charles Xavier.

No, Erik thought, he’d just keep his newfound knowledge of Charles to himself. No need to add fuel to the already raging inferno that was the Charles Xavier rumour mill.  How difficult could it possibly be to keep one little secret from his freshmen roommate?