#between dofp and apocalypse kind of

[ineffable-cats]

ITS DONE!!!! ITS BEEN OVER A MONTH OF SLOW WORK ON THE WEEKENDS BUT ITS FINALLY DONE!!!

im very proud of this and probably not touching digital art for a while (OR get so motivated i get too into it again, well see)

(this is set in the movieverse but i really think eriks white hair is too iconic to go away;

to explain the fact that charles is able to walk-- between dofp and apocalypse i feel like charles would still go back to his medicine if he feels really down and in this particular case he was feeling very upset for whatever reason (be it erik, mystique, logan, who knows) but something sparked in his mind when he got to let out some of his emotions out to erik

im curious if some of you will fully guess why both of them are monotone at the beginning of the coloured pages and later coloured :] give me your best guesses! (though its probably obvious)

[atimesfeeler]

A lot of people, I think, were surprised at how angry and mean Logan was in Deadpool and Wolverine. I think we see him being like this in Logan 2017 but in the rest of his movies he’s much more tame.

Of course. He’s finding family, he’s finding love, a place that accepts him for who he is. He has a purpose, a people. Of course he’s rough around the edges, but he’s softening and learning to open up and let himself care for other people. He still has his rage, his stubbornness, his don’t care attitude, but the force of the X-Men and Charles wearing down his defenses sorta mellows him out. And then when he leaves the X-Men Mariko and Yukio bring out his heroism and loyalty again.

In Logan, he’s the angriest and meanest because his lost literally everyone. (I’m not 100% sure but I think it was set after DOFP so it was right after he got everyone back that he lost them again. He’s lived through losing them all TWICE, once to the apocalypse and then second to one of his best friends because of a seizure) and in the brief time that Laura interacts with him, she is able to bring out some of his better qualities, but… like she says, Logan is dying and he wants to die. He’s mean and he’s trying his best, but he’s relieved when he doesn’t have to try anymore.

In the Deadpool and Wolverine, Worst Wolverine is most like Logan 2017, not the past version people got used to. And he doesn’t have Charles or Laura. He’s all alone for so long. This Wolverine lost everyone and he blames himself. He doesn’t know Wade and he doesn’t give a fuck about him. He lost his humanity back at the mansion when everyone he let himself care about was slaughtered. Not only does he not care, he’s probably so guarded that he won’t let himself care about anyone after what happened to the x-men. Not to mention that everyone hates him, no one gives him a chance, he’s hated by both his own kind and humans. He wouldn’t be able to find work completely vilified. He wouldn’t be able to stay sober and he probably spent what money he did have on drinking because the weight of everything was too much. He probably has to move constantly to find bars that will serve him or to avoid people trying to capture him.

So he’s kidnapped, told he’s the worst version of himself in the entire multiverse, and he’s sober for the first time in a decade. Withdraw and Wade Wilson does actually sound like a nightmare, and in the void of all places.

At first I was surprised at the amount of aggression and violence he displayed, but then I got it at this scene:

And then I was surprised at how mellowed out Logan was at the end of it

But then it made sense. Wade and his little adventure basically fast tracked rehab, therapy, and recovery and then gave him a new chance, a home, and a friend who is so loyal that he’d tear apart the universes for his people.

This is why Logan being less angry and violent after the void is so important to me. Like, he’s still grumpy and mean and traumatized, and obviously Wade didn’t fix everything, but he helped so much. Logan definitely cares about Wade and wouldn’t just see him as the most annoying person he’s ever met anymore. Not after what he did for him.

It’s a delicate balance between not erasing Logan’s inherent and learned rage and anger, but also not whittling him down to only angry violent and mean around Wade.

[panfroggy]

Zombie Apocalypse AU Character Stuff!

Im still on this so here we go.

The original post for this to make more sense is HERE

Here is general character stuff! Some appearance stuff but mostly character. Some appearance specifics at the end though!

Charles Xavier. Age 30. 

Charles is the main POV 1. He is your typical Xavier in FC. Witty and charming but a deeply caring person. He’s out of his depth with travelling, he grew up rich as hell, remember, and I imagine that his appearance will slowly become more and more like DOFP Charles esc

His character arc is very much acting as a shepherd to everyone he meets but also struggling with the violence of the world and his reluctance to use his powers offensively. He acts as a guide for most of the people he comes across and is just trying to do right. This relation is seen most obviously with Alex, Jean, and Logan. Obviously he has a whole thing with getting close with Erik because they have the shared trait of caretaking but opposite views of violence. 

Erik Lensherr. Age 33

Main POV 2. FC/Apocalypse typical Erik. Closed off and harsh but he has a deep care for those closest to him. In my head he’s just typical Erik appearance, nothing crazy from the apocalypse.

He is just fine with all the travelling  but has much more issues with wrangling children. His tendency for violence is constantly getting interrupted by all the people he has to deal with. His big arc is definitely just calming down and letting himself relax in this crazy world. 

Raven Darkholme. Age 27.

She’s lowkey more of a mix between OG trilogy Raven and NewTrilogy Raven. Serving cunt at all times even though it's the apocalypse. She is usually in her true blue form but shifts whenever there are others around they don’t know/trust. 

Raven starts off this au Very snobby and selfish. She doesn’t care about any of this, she doesn’t want to travel with anyone but Charles. Overtime she will get out of this. Mostly thanks to the kids. Ultimately culminating in her self sacrifice for them.

Alex Summers. Age 21

FC typical appearance but his hair is getting longer and longer. Alex is really a first half character but he’s still important. He’s overprotective of his brother and trying to do whats best. A lot of it is just finding himself and doing what’s right. Lot of his bonding is with Raven. His decision to stay with FC hurts but he’s doing what he wants. Keeping Scott safe and finding a place they can call home together.

Logan Howlett, Age ???

Typical scruffy scruffy Wolverine. So mad, like genuinely he is pissed at everyone except Kurt, Jubilee and Kitty. He’s basically having to be re-civilized since he’s been thriving as a crazy wilderness man again. However he’s having to relax and keep going for the girls. The people who set him on the right path are Cherik + Kurt. Kurt is basically Logan’s common sense buddy. 

Kurt Wagner. Age 24. 

Blue elf! Some other things that are for later. Kurt is weirdly normal for being here. He’s kind of an anchor that helps all these highly emotional people. He’s mainly just trying to keep the people he loves safe. He’s careful with the kids and gentle with the adults. Honestly helping people is his main thing. 

Wanda and Peter. Age 11.

Wanda has dark dark curly red hair and is a spitfire child. Peter has typical silvery white hair and is going too fast all the time. They are a handful, two halves a whole. Wanda is quieter and more polite but she is Mean in the way all preteens are mean. Peter is loud and unruly but he means well. They’re only big conflict/character moment is at the facility where they’re fighting and Peter lets them do the tests on him first so they could practice and maybe wouldn’t have to go so deep because he could “heal fast itll be fine”. Just trying to live their lives,

Scott Summers.  Age 14.

Ima be honest, he is primarily a plot device for Alex and Charles. He’s just wants his life back and to help him brother. He does have a tiny crush on Jean tho, its sweet and silly and reminds the elders that life is going on despite the horrors. 

Jean Grey. Age 15.

Oh poor girly. She's been through it!!! Her arc is learning not to blame herself for everything. Mainly through the help of Cherik and Wanda she accepts that it’s not her fault. She’s terrified of her powers and of accidentally hurting someone again. Unlike most telepaths, she has minor control over infected people due to being the originator of it all. Unfortunately it’s not very strong and she freaks every time she tries.

Not gonna go into depth but! At some point they do run into Rouge and Remy. In this interaction we learn Remy is bit but they’re hiding it and uh… A Lot Happens that day. Lemme know if you wanna know more! 

Appearance Tidbits

Long hair Raven, I mean everyone’s hair has grown out a bit but like LONG hair raven because I said so. 

Kurt has some major scarring he obtained when he and Logan got caught in a massive brawl of survivors in the city they were passing. His teleportation worked but it was impossible to see where he was going. He got them out but with Logan's claws in him and very cut up. He’s pretty banged up, looks very much like he’s been through hell but stays relentlessly kind.

Jean has scars on her temples from breaking the machine she was hooked into. Starburst type ones.

Wanda’s bite is on her arm. It now just looks like a regular bite scar instead of the festering wound it is for most people. 

Jubilee is actually missing her left arm. Why? She got bit and Logan/Kurt decided that the best course of action was unfortunately to cut it off. She is still in bandages from it because neither of them really know how to handle an amputation. 

Alex has scarring/burns around his torso from excessive power use when getting out of a hoard. He rarely uses them now. 

Some less important people things: Angel’s wings are badly cut up and she currently can't fly. Hank is perma-blue and doesn’t have the serum that lets him obtain a normal appearance. Emma’s diamond form is fractured and she can’t hold it very long anymore.

Yeah! Hope this makes a lick of sense. Lemme know whatcha think :3

I want to yap about this so bad plz ask me anything i mean anything lololols.

[arale2126]

Cherik 「Jean-acquisition」 fic list

Went over my Pocket List and here is the list of dads!Cherik and Jean as their daughter.

For those who want to skip my personal ramblings: my absolute top top top favorites [one] [two] [three] [four]

— turning tables

I didn't even mean to search for Cherik fics at the time as I don't even ship them. The ship was huge so I had always knew of them and enjoyed watching people going crazy over them for more than a decade but I didn't get deep into the fandom or anything. Until that very fateful night. I was knee deep in Grindeldore feels for unknown reasons (still am, btw) and got a huge urge to read Dumbledore using legilimency to soothe his crying daughter. Being not the top ship as Grindeldore was, there simply wasn't any fic that fit the criteria. And what did I do? Searched the Cherik tag, obviously. It was just a logical shortcut: what telepath with kids wouldn't do that? Stayed up until 2am to finish the entire thing and the rest was history. The idea of Cherik with wee!Jean had taken root like the most normal thing on Earth.

— An Earlier Heaven

Pre-DOFP so Erik is characterized as only borderline-abusive instead of, you know, full blown, Charles-need-to-file-a-restraining-order-against-his-ex-who-is-incapable-of-being-anything-but-angry kind of abusiveness.

— Red Riding Hood | 5 times Jean said something embarrassing + 1 she didn't

pure chaos wee!Jean crack and two very embarrassed and exasperated dads

— Looking Forwards (Backwards)

grown-up!Jean reminisces about growing up with Charles and Erik as she fills in for all the history that Logan has missed after DOFP. I wish it was longer because it's so sweet and warms my heart.

— Four times Erik was called dad and one time he was called husband

fluff domestic ASMR basically

— Rest of their Lives

Prompt from Mnemo_ink: After Jean destroys Vuk by letting the Phoenix force free, the light descends back on Earth and envelops Charles. When the light fades away, Charles has a baby in his arms: it's Jean. I can't describe how much I love this idea. It's a cultural thing, I think. There is a notion that if the bond between people are strong enough, it would continue lives after lives. Whatever you incarnates into in the next life, in one way or another, you would find a way to be back together again and again. This prompt reflects that idea really well. Of billions others on Earth, once again, Charles is chosen. He is forgiven. He gets a chance at redemption, to be a father again. It is just indescribably beautiful to me.

— To Love and Be Loved

👌🏼👏🏼😫 have to use emojis because i'm lost for words at how *chef kiss this is. It's domestic fluff on steroid strapped to a rocket. 「 of course erik would give the kids little metal tokens so he could always sense them--and there is some COMPLICATED meta to be written here about how charles's wheelchair binds them together too 」

— For I Mean to Conquer Troy

This fic purifies my heart and ascends me. It's like I'm wrapped around by warm comfort and soothing lullabies. You know how in First Class Charles tells Erik "There is good, too. I felt it." That is the Erik in this fic, the characterization that is grossly overlooked, I dare say. And the author predicts who he could be in Apocalypse in 2011 as well. 👏🏼

[mcmusing]

It's no secret that x-men apocalypse was- in simple terms- a hot mess. Charles and Raven are still estranged for absolutely no reason, Erik is living as a hypocritical coward and has such a predictable arc that it's insulting to the audience, the senseless killing off of Alex, Erik's continued abuse of Charles and sickening ease of which he's forgiven for it, undeserved hero worshipping of Raven, Apocalypse being the most one-dimensional villain since 1960s cartoons, a group of novice mutant children defeating said villain before dinnertime, Jubilee being highlighted in promos only for her to be discarded in favor of a bland Storm and wet rag Jean, and all of that's just off the top of my head.

However, despite it's many, many, many flaws, it got right some things that dofp screwed up. It has an upbeat tone with bright coloring that suits the excellent 80s. Charles is as happy, vibrant, and thriving as his school. He's fully embraced being a mutant elder and father figure. The warm reunion between him and Alex was something to treasure after dofp ruined all the relationships established in FC. While Jean is still played by a poor actress, xma heals hers and Charles' bond, redeeming herself from her vile actions in the last stand. Notably, it's the only time Charles gets a more positive ending than Erik. The metal moron lost his family due to his own actions and admitted what a treacherous snake he is (not nearly enough to make up for Alex's death but still). For a bit of unexpected poetic justice, Erik loses out on having a relationship with his last living child. Peter chose the Professor as his mentor the way Raven abandoned Charles for Erik. Better yet, Charles did not have to groom Peter like Erik did to Raven. Charles' sincere paternal kindness simply made a significant impact on Peter. In the end, Charles even gets his sister back while Erik, once again, walked out on his alleged loved ones. Likely to track down, impregnate, and ruin the life of another female homo sapien.

Unfortunately, Simon Kinberg went out of his way to destroy all of xma's positive aspects. After the implication that Charles and Raven would repair their sibling relationship along with the X-Men, the stupid phoenix movie could hardly wait ten minutes to make Raven a walking contradiction. She spent every scene venomously criticizing her brother, pissy that he's 'endangering' the very 'kids' SHE insisted he militarize. Jean regressed into being a demonic omen child again, betrayed her team, killed and maimed people, got talked into joining a cult in five seconds, and single-handedly placed mutants back on government radar entirely because she couldn't take one minute to have an actual conversation with the man who raised and gave the little manslaughter menace everything! Raven went from being the smiling sweet sister many felt for in FC to an irrational shrew that made people cheer when she died. After 30+ years as colleagues and best friends, Hank not only threw away their relationship but betrayed Charles to flippin Erik! Hank was the ONLY one to consistently hold the moron of magnetism accountable for his evil actions then abruptly teams up with him to murder one of his students?! Erik, put simply, was hypocritical garbage soup.

To cement the film's miserably depressing tone, they extracted every ounce of the levity by side-lining fan favorite and Charles Xavier Loyalist Peter and swapped gentle Christian Kurt for violent sociopath Kurt. To top it all off, they tried to sell stripping Charles of EVERYthing and forcing him to be dependent on his twisted abuser as a happy ending. And slash fans actually bought that bs. In a world where the consensual relationships found in Twilight and 50 Shades are lambasted as toxic waste, slash fans *bought* that bs. Huh, guess those other franchises should have hired actors with more beauty and less hetero cooties.

Yeah, I've heard all the excuses. The movie was originally supposed to be a two-parter, Captain Marvel ruined the ending, Disney was diabolical, blah, blah, bull! A shorter running time is NO excuse for the piss poor product that is dark phoenix. We are talking about a 20-year-old cinematic universe, years of fan grievances to consider, mostly capable actors, a massive film budget, supposed Hollywood professionals behind the wheel, and they STILL wrecked the brand new Ferrari ten seconds after being gifted with it. This absurdly stupid phoenix movie isn't fit to stand alongside the most mediocre fanfic written during a cocaine binge.

At least xma had a family theme going on, which is why it ends with Erik and the X-Men on relatively amicable terms. What was the point of the stupid phoenix movie? What was the message? The crew claimed it addressed mental health issues. So, yet another film that depicts the mentally ill as too dangerous and unstable to live among the human race. Or was it going for asinine dofp logic? Be a loving, protective brother and you'll wind up with a homicidal sister? Be a loving, protective father figure and you'll wind up with a homicidal foster demon? Truly inspirational, oh prolific POS writers.

The worst part of it is that NONE of this was necessary. Xma already offered a mostly sufficient wrap-up fot the First Class cast. But that's the problem, isn't it? Even the smallest flicker of happiness for Charles is forbidden according to Simon Kinberg. He used this movie as a vehicle to assassinate Charles, completely indifferent to any casualties along the way. Kinberg claimed he wanted to shine a light on Charles 'ego' and 'hubris' but only wound up projecting his own.

Now, time for continued re-watch of the 90s series to cleanse my X-Kid spirit.

[thatsinterestingveryinteresting]

wandavision spoilers please and thank you

——————————————

im pretty sure it should be confirmed that evan peters is supposed to be a quicksilver, or more specifically xmen peter. namely because they wouldn’t cast evan peters unless it was just some caneo joke but they wouldn’t keep him in the series if all it was was a joke? so when i refer to peter, im talking abt evan peters’ quicksilver, and when im talking about pietro, it’s atj’s version

so here are the possibilities and theories ive seen so far including a couple of my own personal ones:

he’s nicholas scratch, aka some sort of shape shifted version of that rabbit (señor scratch) into a quicksilver that’s still alive but in a different universe. it’s possible that this power is like the skrulls in captain marvel where they have to see it to transform into that thing, so they could’ve tried to find an alive quicksilver and decided it was close enough since pietro is now unfortunately a decaying corpse.

he was pulled into the mcu/wandavision universe by either agatha or wanda. agatha most likely because she always knows what wanda is thinking (??) and thus wanted to drive a wedge between vision and wanda since she apparently knows what they were fighting about. or wanda because subconsciously she wanted her brother back i guess. either way, it can explain why peter knows a little too much to the point where it’s just suspicious. plus he’s a cheeky bastard and him being all meta and stuff kind of makes sense for his character?

a little more in depth, he was pulled in by agatha involuntary and is being mind controlled by her, explained by the purple magic when he first arrives at wanda’s house. none of his words were necessarily his own but you could say that him oddly knowing a lot about the hex was in a way telling wanda that he like obviously doesn’t know why he’s there exactly? i don’t know how to word it but for lack of a better word, it was a cry for help. after he was yeeted by wanda, he was shaken from agatha’s hold and the post credits scene in episode 7 is him being himself and scaring monica by saying “snoopers gonna snoop”. after this, it’s really just a free for all and he’s probably going to be like “hey, i don’t know why im here im from a different universe”

alternatively, he’s still being mind controlled in the credits scene and was set up as some sort of bodyguard/goon for agatha’s house/the hex? and the reason why monica’s eyes were purple was because peter did some fun little wiggly woo magic since he’s being controlled by agatha? or he just captured her somehow and is justgoing to be in leagues with agatha until he’s set free by vision

i don’t know about this ^^ though because i don’t know if it would make sense for this all powerful witch to need a bodyguard and against what? monica’s arrival wasn’t planned. if a bodyguard was really needed why didn’t quicksilver catch monica sooner i guess? like when she entered the hex? he is a speedy boy after all. but i don’t know it’s still a possibility, but personally it’s probably just my confirmation bias and hope that this peter maximoff is a good guy and is staying/leading to the multiverse thing.

he’s mephisto, just shape shifted. maybe? but agnes was controlling peter. unless she had to use her magic to make sure that he kept up this form of peter. question is, why not just use pietro if it was mephisto and he can shapeshift somehow.

i just came up with this one, maybe between the events of days of future past and apocalypse, he might have experienced extreme grief like wanda (maybe he lost his sister, either one of them, maybe that elusive other sister mentioned in the rogue cut) and made a deal with mephisto in order to get his sister back during his extreme grief. however, in turn for that he had to help agatha and he’s instead voluntarily being this bad guy. or maybe even during his time with wanda, he realized something and in the credits scene he saw the opportunity to help wanda and co.? the possibilities are endless.

nevertheless, i’m still really happy that xmen quicksilver is back since he was honestly kind of did dirty in apocalypse, dofp, and dark phoenix (didnt wwtch it but from clips ive seen he barely gets screentime)

this also does open up the possibility of the multiverse to maybe get fully incorporated into the mcu and we get to see cameos from the xmen universe and maybe even fantastic 4. but im still really excited for the possibilities that this show has to offer, especially considering that it’s the first show that is supposed to be fully canon in the mcu. now all i have to do is wait another excruciating week until episode 8

[rileybug14]

Polaris Rant Because I’m Lowkey Obsessed With Her

I think I have an obsession with Lorna Dane/Polaris. I just finished watching X2 on Disney+ and in the files on the computer when Mystique was getting Magneto’s file, it showed “Dane, Lorna”. EXCEPT THEY FUCKING SPELLED IT “Dane, Lorne” UGGGGGHHH. All we’ve gotten of Magneto’s little magnet is a (misspelled) name on a computer and a non-confirmed appearance (Peter’s little sister in X-Men DOFP). I was actually kind of upset about this while watching it. If the X-Men couldn’t have Scarlet Witch, would it have killed them to give us Polaris? Come on, people. I’m guessing Bryan Singer doesn’t care about timelines or comic book accuracy, so Lorna could’ve shown up. ALSO. Why the hell was Jubilee a teenager in X2, which took place in the early 2000s, but also a teenager in Apocalypse, which took place in 1983? Really, Bryan? Make up your mind, man. I kind of want a Logan-style movie for Magneto. Like, it could take place in-between Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix, in, I dunno, 1986 or something. Erik would hunt down and kill a bunch of Nazis ‘cause he’s badass like that, and maybe Lorna would somehow join him? Like with Laura going with Logan. I have maladaptive daydreaming, so I’ve been kind of playing around with this in my daydreams. Also, they could run into Peter and maybe even an alternate Wanda. And like at the end of the movie, Peter and Lorna (and maybe the alternate Wanda) could tell Erik they’re his kids. And what I mean by alternate Wanda is that Marvel’s been talking about a multiverse, right? What if the X-Men are in another universe than the Avengers? I don’t know. I just want Lorna to have justice, dammit. I mean, they canceled The Gifted! Which Lorna was in! I- Disney, please. Fix it. You probably won’t, you’ll just ruin it, but please. I’m begging you.

[westchstr]

WESTCHSTR RE: 616 AND XMCU

it’s important for me to note that my knowledge of 616 charles characterization is not very vast, i am only aware that he is in fact a very flawed character who makes morally grey decisions that nine times out of ten are misguided at best. i would never try to deny this, nor do i want to give the impression that by having a mostly hc based interpretation, i am attempting to erase or excuse his behaviour. simply put, i am mostly unfamiliar with 616 canon, but i use what i do know and try to balance charles as one with good intentions with his misgivings. for this reason, much of my characterization comes from the xmcu, paired with my critiques of his behaviour. much of the xmcu characterization i utilize comes specifically from apocalypse. this blog doesn’t acknowledge the vast majority of dark phoenix, but for good reason - the charles created in the first three films (first class, dofp, and apocalypse), and arguably the original trilogy, vs the charles you see in dark phoenix are two wildly different characters.

dark phoenix charles is selfish, power hungry, doesn’t see raven as his real sister, and blatantly disregards the wellbeing of those around him. this is … a stark contrast to the charles we’ve come to know, particularly in apocalypse, wherein he is naive and optimistic and filled with hope. it could be said that dark phoenix is an attempt to reflect 616 charles more accurately, but where it comes in at the eleventh hour, it just feels wildly out of character for the rest of the films. ten years can change a lot, to be sure, but one of charles’ defining characteristics is that he is, fundamentally, a person who sees the good in others. in fact, it’s a recurring motif throughout apocalypse that charles is a peak example of unwavering hope. there’s a line between hank and raven that goes ‘charles wants students, not soldiers. he thinks the best of people. he has hope.’ this also manifests throughout the series in the way he refuses to give up on erik. charles believes to his very core that people are good and kind and can be redeemed. does this make him naive? absolutely. does this play into him having a complete saviour complex? also absolutely.

for the most part, charles does try to be selfless (ex: the quote ‘it didn’t matter what was best for me’ when alex asks him if wiping moira’s mind was a good idea for him), but he is at heart a very flawed person. as i mentioned, i would never deny nor try to erase the fact that charles is very often misguided in his actions. he has a saviour complex, is incredibly naive, wildly overprotective, misguided, and sometimes bordering on misogynistic, just to name a few things. though i do think it is worth noting that charles does most of what he does with the aim of helping others, or ‘doing what is best’, even if it doesn’t turn out that way. he often does things that he thinks are the best situation for others (ex: wiping moira’s memories, the ‘mental scaffolding’ in jean’s head, etc.) without really thinking about how it’ll affect things in the future. as the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. charles sees the best in everyone, even those others might consider undeserving, and believes that he has the capacity to fix or change those who he believes need help. we see this in apocalypse with his grand plans for the school, to turn it into a campus where mutants and humans can co-exist. while the school teaches the students how to master their mutations, it does precious little to actually educate them on how to exist in a world where people do not like them. the school is a wonderful invention, but its worth noting that it largely functions to create a new generation of naive and sheltered youth who don’t know how to interact with the world beyond the walls of the mansion. 

while all of this comes from the goodness of his heart, it’s … not practical, nor is it often asked for. he is doing the best he can, to be sure, but i really want to stress that this doesn’t always translate well nor come across the way he intends. he is still, after all, a bit of a pretentious ass. there will always be something of a disconnect, no matter how selfless he believes himself to be, because he doesn’t understand what it means to be an ‘average’ person, mutant or not - he is immensely powerful, with a mutation that is not blatantly apparent to the average person, and stupidly rich. even within a disadvantaged community of mutants, charles is still wildly privileged and this will always cloud his judgement. 

[angrylizardjacket]

Yaaasss!!! Jelous Ben was si cuteee and we love a supportive mother, her mom is fantastic and a savage. I hace a question, how did you come up with reader's character in x-men?? I legit googled it as I thought it was a real character, so welk done.

i love her mum so fuckin much, dude, she’s supportive but can still be embarrassing at times. i wrote her, not like my actual mum, but like my dad now that i think about it. dude literally told me over the phone that he’d physically fight people for shittalking me (not just in general, there’s more context, but the point still stands). idk i think it’s disingenuous to not let parental characters have certain flaws, like they’re allowed to be overprotective and spiteful, as well as caring and supportive. i love her too.

oH SHIT DUDE LEMME TALK ABT MY GIRL CASSIDY TEMPLE I LOVE HER SO FUCKING MUCH AND I”VE PUT SO MUCH THOUGHT INTO HER THAT THIS WILL HAVE A READ MORE

so cassidy’s powers are actually based off of an xmen oc i’ve already written 70k about, Aoibheal Cassidy, younger sister of Banshee, Sean Cassidy, and Cassidy Temple’s name is a reference to her, since originally I was going to essentially have Y/N playing Aoibheal (because it’s my fic and i can include an homage to my xmen oc as a treat). the powers themselves are based loosely on Multiple Man from X-Men: The Last Stand, except Cassidy’s clones can’t live a life of their own like his can. In the xmen fic, aoibheal starts off with having unlimited clones, and they can explode because i thought it was neat tbh.

From the original fic, Molotov Heart, chapter 3, rubatosis:

[Context; humans experimenting on mutants between X-Men First Class and X-Men Days Of Future Past have caught Sean and Aoibheal and they experiment on them even though Aoibheal’s powers have not manifested (she is approximately 13) and they kill her brother in front of her]:

Stunned into silence, she can feel something white-hot building inside of her, all the rage and fear and pain becoming almost tangible.

She mutates.

Copies of Aoibheal, clones, appear around them, filling up the space between the now screaming and bewildered 'doctors'. Aoibheal herself doesn't seem to notice the clones, bawling her eyes out, an action the clones themselves are mirroring, and she thinks of nothing but freedom and escape, focusing on the white-hot feeling inside of her until it overwhelmed her. With the force of a bunker-buster bomb, the clones began to combust, began to explode, first a few, and then all at once. Killing the human personel who had kept her hostage, the blast reduced the warehouse to mere cinders, freed Aoibheal and left her clothing in tatters, but she was alive damn it.

The reason Cassidy has a limited number is because i needed a way to have her powered up as a horseman, like a distinct power up, rather than just something unseen like heightened reflexes and strength. 

I would like to point out also, that it’s not stated, but Cassidy’s explosions (NOT AOIBHEAL’s) are never to do with heat, they’re always about force. the explosions themselves are never hot, never have anything to do with fire or anything like that, she builds up force inside of the clones, and lets it tear her apart from the inside out as a wave that destroys the things it comes into contact with.

The scream was originally hereditary, like Banshee, it developed as her secondary mutation.

From the Marvel Wiki:

The Secondary Mutation (or "Second Mutation") is a phenomenon in which an existing mutant undergoes another mutation, gaining additional powers, such as healing, or a change in appearance.

Secondary mutation is noted as the appearance of new powers, or an increase in existing powers.

It was stated by Beast that the secondary mutations usually occurred in the twenties of the subjects, and generally appeared in time of great stress.

From the original fic, chapter 8, nodus tollens:

The appearance of the secondary mutation:

The world falls apart in a blur of movement. The gun goes off just after Raven jumps and makes a break for the window, the bullet curves as she crashes through the glass, following her on the way down. Tackling Erik earns Hank a mean right hook to the jaw, but Aoibheal’s there, looking at Trask like a dear in the headlights, memories whipping through her head like a hurricane - the sick fuck looks pleased to see her – her mouth falls open and she screams. She and the clone scream in tandem, their voices supersonic as the surrounding people clutched their ears for dear life; struggling to keep a hold of the feeling in her chest that caused her to explode, the clone detonates like a firework, scorching the wallpaper while Trask is stumbling to the door. There’s blood leaking from his ears but Aoibheal can’t move, can only scream and relive the memory of her brother’s murder over and over again.

Hank discussing it:

"I've never seen a secondary mutation so vastly different!" No longer blue or furry, [Hank’s] smile is excited as he looks over at her. Sharing the cockpit feels almost familiar by now, with Aoibheal curled up in the passenger seat nursing a glass of water. "It makes sense though, your original mutation – the explosions – would be an extension of your temperature immunity, but your secondary mutation is hereditary."

Cassidy’s scream, however, unlike Banshee’s, only effects things with ears, not inanimate objects like glass. Of course she could learn the right pitch to get glass to shatter like an opera singer, but generally speaking, her scream only effects things that can hear. 

OKAY LETS TALK ABT THE STUFF I FABRICATED FOR THE FIC

oh GOD I WANT TO TALK ABOUT HER RELATIONSHIP WITH MAGNETO

not as in romantic, as in he is literally her character’s main inspiration in the films. i’m literally making a fake trailer right now that’s intercut with moments from his DOFP speech that was broadcast to the whole of america.

i love dofp (possibly to my detriment) but i always thought it was weird that no-one was ever like.... magneto has a point. BECAUSE HE HAS A POINT. he’s speaking directly to disenfranchised and SCARED mutants across the nation, and yet everyone’s heralding Mystique as the new face of mutant kind. YES she made a point, but like.... did no-one vibe with magneto when he promised the destruction of mankind? i would. anyways.

so i thought it would be interesting for this character, Cassidy, to have this hero-worship of Magneto, taking his words to heart like scripture, ultimately making her a foil for Phoenix, Xavier’s protege. 

it’s why i specifically included this:

“You should be,” you hissed, putting your all into the words as you spoke them, and you hear Ben inhale sharply beside you, “we shall inherit the Earth.”

“What follows is a struggle as Cassidy and the figure – revealed to be her clone – proceed to kill the man. When they’re finished, and the man’s dead on the ground, Cassidy straightens her outfit, and we hear –“ as the director reads, Michael begins to slowly clap, “a slow clap, and it’s revealed that Apocalypse, as well as Storm, Angel, and Magneto, had all witnessed the event.”

“We are the future, we are the ones who shall inherit the Earth,” Michael reads as he stops clapping.

“Magneto,” you breathe reverentially, and when you look to him, you and Michael share a sharp smile.

which is a direct quote from magneto’s speech in Days of Future Past:

You built these weapons to destroy us. Why? Because you are afraid of our gifts. Because we are different. Humanity has always feared that which is different. Well, I'm here to tell you, to tell the world, you're right to fear us. We are the future. We are the ones who will inherit this earth, and anyone who stands in our way will suffer the same fate as these men you see before you. Today was meant to be a display of your power. Instead I give you a glimpse of the devastation my race can unleash upon yours. Let this be a warning to the world. And to my mutant brothers and sisters out there, I say this; no more hiding, no more suffering. You have lived in the shadows in shame and fear for too long. Come out, join me. Fight together in the brotherhood of our kind. A new tomorrow, that starts today.

which ALSO is what turns her into the next big villain for the franchise, because she sees Magneto, the man she kind of thinks of like a god, turn on and help kill Apocalypse, the man who claimed to be an actual god, and side with the people who, ultimately, don’t want to destroy the human race like she does, and also killed the man she loved. she takes Magneto’s ideologies and turns them up to 11. he fucks off to create a mutant paradise away from prying eyes and is happy, she won’t be happy until all humans are punished.

it’s why, in the beginning, she and raven can’t still work together, because raven wants to rescue mutants, but not at the expense of unnecessary human lives, and cassidy sees all humans as complicit in the torture, and therefore deserving of punishment. 

she has deemed herself judge, jury, and executioner of human kind, and they have all been found guilty.

i’m so excited to see if i get around to writing some of the next film because i really want to explore the dichotomy of Xavier’s ‘no-one is ever really gone/there’s always hope’ and magneto’s ‘you were right to be afraid of us, we are the ones who shall inherit the earth’. Everyone has given up on Cassidy in one way or another, whether it be by betrayal or death, and so when she finds this symbiote who literally becomes a part of her, makes her stronger, and is happy to kill people with little regard for who they are, she’ll take it. 

EDIT: here’s the first 26 seconds of the fake trailer (Y/N here is played by Jurnee Smollett, aka Black Canary from Birds of Prey)

ANGEL & RIOT

i wanted y/n to kiss ben hardy that’s literally it. 

actually no that’s not it 100%, i think it’s super amusing in a kind of bleak way that he got fridged for her, like his death, both in the “””comics””” (as in the comic universe for the fics) and in the film, causes her to seek out a force that would help bring him back to life. in the “””comics””” she originally seeks out a mutant, but when the mutant who can bring people back refuses to help her, she’s told of experiments at The Life Foundation, who are working on engineering the next step in human evolution, and she’s thinking that they’re experimenting on mutants again, like trask, and goes in guns blazing, but instead finds symbiotes. she bonds with a symbiote, thus becoming Riot Control, and the symbiote initially promises her all these things, including being able to find a way to ressurect angel, but eventually (in the “””comics”””) the power he gives her overtakes her need to ressurect her love, and riot ends up using her to try and build a ship to bring more symbiotes to take over earth.

IN THE FILM

okay OKAY okay OKAY so she’s looking for a way to ressurect angel at first, but riot’s in her ear while he’s seeing all her memories, and is convincing her to get revenge on the people who are responsible for his death (nightcrawler, jean, and Magneto specifically) so its not that the xmen are just in the plot by happenstance there’s like actual beef, love it. 

I also love that Cassidy’s powers are handicapped when she’s got Riot, since her scream would injure or even possibly kill him. Yes i specifically paired her with a symbiote for that reason, which is also the reason why her clone explosions aren’t heat based. 

but anyway, can i spoil the ending? i wanna spoil the ending;

so there’s this big showdown between riot control and the xmen, and jean confronts cassidy, trying to talk her down like ‘what would angel think if he saw you? What you’ve become?’ and Cassidy’s furious, thinking that jean’s trying to guilt her, like, angel would be so ashamed

“Keep his name out of your fucking mouth, you have no idea what he’d think-”

“He’d be terrified of you.” And it’s so fucking like, cruel and cold coming from Jean.

“Shut up.”

“You have become a monster; you have maimed your idol-” [we cut to a shot of magneto looking all fucked up and bloody, watching with anger in his eyes] “and you have left Angel for dead. If you’d really cared about him, you would have already gotten him back. Instead, you come for revenge against the people who could have helped you -”

or something like that, and riot control has a whole breakdown, lashing out, snarling that no-one could help her, and when they tried, they ended up dead (angel, apocalypse) and she starts losing control, and her voice starts to distort in and out of riot’s, making it clear he’s taking control of her completely. 

there’s this big, final fight, which culminates with jean grabbing cassidy’s face and trying to burn riot out of her.

“No-one is beyond help.” And Jean’s like, got tears in her eyes, desperate to save this girl who’s caused so much pain, but who sees herself as so wretched and beyond help, and we see the symbiote burning away and screaming, but also the physical signs of cassidy’s mutation as like, peeling away in embers, like the black scales around her eyes, and the way her whole eyes are seen as black is now clearing away, and she takes both of Jean’s hands and forces her to keep holding on, to keep looking in her natural fucking eyes for the first and last time as she burns out too.

“You can’t save everyone.” and then Cassidy’s just ash in the wind.

also this ending, in a meta-sense, makes sense, because after this Disney buys Fox and there’s no more this-universe X-Men films, so they had to do a self-contained story, there couldn’t be things left super unresolved.

OR maybe she’s fine, maybe she gets saved and riot burns out of her (spoilers, he fucks off and doesn’t die, hence, Venom (2018); it takes him about 20 years to recuperate) i haven’t decided.

[originalbirdboy]

Dark Phoenix Rundown with Beth;

It’s gonna be under the cut bc it got long just in case anyone cares about my full thoughts at this point

Things I liked;

Comic book-esque action sequences esp. including Quicksilver/Magneto’s Genoshan mutants

Michael Fassbender’s consistent performance as Magneto is the highlight of the entire damn franchise

Genosha being introduced and the Genoshan mutants!

Jessica Chastain’s lack of eyebrows

Magneto’s helmet being reintroduced with a great score and then the destruction of the helmet is a good scene I feel like it’s come full circle in the films - although the score should have had a bit of the original Magneto theme in. But I did get tingles upon seeing the helmet ngl

Magneto’s power is getting stronger and stronger through the films and I appreciate that increase a lot it shows that Erik is still trying to progress and grow - but the Sub Lift score should have been referenced when he lifts that subway train up

Scott protecting unconscious Jean in the train carriage felt very comic book to me - I felt like Scott got more true to the character as the film went on.

Chess!

The Dazzler cameo was kinda cute

Things I didn’t like;

Mutants ever being accepted seems a bit out of tune with the past films. Them being cheered after the Endeavor thing felt especially odd to me. Reminds me of those ‘...and then everyone clapped’ social media posts

The characterisation of the X-Men including Jean, Scott and Kurt - Scott especially should have been the leader and Charles’ second in command from the get go in my opinion

Everything with Nightcrawler in this film - I have issue with everyone who was introduced in Apocalypse though

Lack of Storm as a useful member of the X-Men when she’s clearly one of the most powerful - she’s kind of implied to need help to take those aliens down and she just wouldn’t. She’s much more powerful than that.

Lack of continuity between the films - Hank’s appearance doesn’t seem consistent with the rules introduced in DoFP and also didn’t Apocalypse imply that Jean already had the phoenix force inside of her (but don’t hold me to that I’m not rewatching that damn film)

Building on this, why can Hank control becoming Beast? I don’t like it and I’m not having it.

Magneto wasn’t reintroduced until like halfway through the film which means they were still setting up everything until like an hour and ten into this film and it’s only an hour fifty long.

I’m not sure that Jessica Chastain’s character and the alien sub-plot really added anything to the film

Selene being introduced and then dying and we only even know it’s Selene because Erik says so after she dies. Also Selene dying? Isn’t she immortal?

The final fight/phoenix firework bit at the end was just meh to me like I don’t feel anything for this version of Jean and let it be known that it doesn’t actually take that much to make me cry at a movie

General lack of visible mutations in the school apart from Kurt and Hank

Where was Quicksilver in the whole final fight scene? Did I miss something? For how slow this movie went in the start they could have addressed the Magneto being his father thing like they implied they would in Apocalypse.

It would have been much more effective to me if the picture of Raven on Hank’s desk at the end would have been a picture from any of the other films like let’s show they have a past further than this film.

Overall verdict; idk maybe a 5/10. It had bits I enjoyed a lot - largely in relation to Erik and most of the action scenes but overall the plot fell flat for me. 

I think if you can watch this for free without paying anything for it then I think yeah, go for it, but it isn’t anything special or more than a pretty middle of the road movie to me.

[irelise]

Secret Mutant 2019 Round-up

So this was one of the first ever fandom events I’ve ever joined in and I wrote a couple of fics, both for Cherik and other miscellaneous pairs! In no particular order:

no such thing as bad publicity (4562 words) - Cherik, mutual pining, oblivious idiots being oblivious, grumpy protective Erik Several months ago, Charles Xavier and his twenty mutant students were kicked out into the streets after the Xavier mansion was seized by Sebastian Shaw to settle an old debt. At the same time, Erik Lehnsherr, founder and CEO of Lehnsherr Steel was embroiled in a publicity scandal that resulted in a backlash against his business. In an attempt to repair his reputation, Erik charitably opened his penthouse duplex to Xavier and his children. The kids are loud and hyperactive, and Xavier too damn kind and earnest and hopeful, but eventually they settled into an uneasy peace.

Now, months later, the publication of a provocative magazine article threatens to throw everything into chaos once more...

with eyes downcast (2099 words) - Kurt Marko/Charles, underage, character study The listless turn of days.

(Charles grows up. He is missing something, but he doesn't know what.)

The Time for Home (4040 words) - Cherik, sci-fi AU, old(er) mutants in love, DOMESTIC FLUFF!!! The relationship between diplomat Charles Xavier and engineer-turned-vigilante Erik Lehnsherr is a tumultuous one. However, once a year, they enjoy a week of (relative) peace and quiet with only each other for company. This year sees them on the planet Didyma in the depths of winter.

Sowing the seeds of discord (691 words) - ESN/Charles, background Cherik, non-con (non-explicit), mythology AU Charles is the golden apple of Greek mythology. En Sabah Nur wins him.

Bonus: Technically not part of the challenge, but for one of my Madness prompts I wanted a harem AU of some sort and ended up plot bunnying myself for it so hard I started building a whole new AU with a friend of mine! Come check it out, we’ve done a metric fuckton of world-building and we’re starting a fic collection!

carrying the torch (6261 words) - Cherik, Shaw/Erik/Charles in all combinations, non-con, harem AU, angst and H/C Erik has lived under Shaw’s thumb for most of his life after being captured in a failed rebellion. Charles is a new arrival to the harem, and already he has an agenda of his own. The bond they develop comes as a surprise to both of them, but now that they have each other, can they survive Shaw’s attentions?

AND FOR THE GIFTS I GOT oh my goddddd i’m so excited about them!!!!!! @ikeracity was my gifter for the main exchange and she wrote me the longest and THE BEST au with Charles as a runaway from ESN, and Erik as a hunter sent after him. Absolutely brilliant characterization with both Charles and Erik being wonderfully competent BAMFs slowly learning to trust each other and work together. I love love love the way ESN was written, and there are a few surprise characters involved ;D (and of course, plenty of cuddling and sharing body warmth! eeeeeeee)

all your love is sunlight by ikeracity (29961 words) Over twenty years ago, the world ended an inferno. From the ashes of what was once a modern world, survivors gathered what remained and slowly knit civilization back together. The Keep is one of the largest new cities in the north, ruled by the iron fist of a mutant named Apocalypse. He keeps an inner circle of favored mutants around him, a mixture of some of the most powerful mutants to walk the earth. But when his most prized treasure, Charles Xavier, escapes from the Keep, he sends wanderer and hunter Erik Lehnsherr after him.

An easy task, Erik figures. But soon enough, he discovers that Charles is much more of a handful than he'd bargained for. Their tumultuous meeting sets into motion a chain of events that will lead them deep into unfamiliar territory--in both the world and in matters of the heart.

for madness i got 4(!!!!!) different fics dealing with Christmas time at the mansion, all of them wonderfully bittersweet as Charles struggles through the dark days after Cuba/pre-DoFP and finds love and support from the people around him. Please read the first two in particular if you’re in the mood to read fics centered on the platonic love and loyalty between Hank and Charles, because there’s simply not enough of that relationship out there!

And I Wouldn't Have It (Any Other Way) by librata It's 1970, and Charles hasn't been dealing with a decade of loss with as much grace as he could. Hank wants to help.

There's Only Us by flightinflame Being alone in the mansion on Christmas, their children sent to war, is breaking Charles's heart. Luckily, one other resident remains.

i love you straightfowardly, without complexities or pride by lavenderlotion They were mere feet apart, and all Charles wanted was to get closer.

Missing Pieces by librata After coming home from Cuba with what's left of his little family, Charles is doing all he can to forget and move forward. Too bad a certain someone keeps pulling him back.

Thank you so much @jackyjango​ for running the event this year! Had a brilliant time and I’m still going through the fics because there’s SO MUCH good stuff!

[discord-thyla2023]

Hello! I'm R, and this is a roleplay partner search post.

I've got some cravings and I'd love to workshop some specifics and roleplay with the right person.

Firstly: a bit about myself.

I'm a 22 yr old woman living in Sunny Florida and I've been roleplaying for a long while now. I absolutely love talking about characters and plots, making playlists, playing on picrew for OCs, and very occasionally I make some art too. I reply as often as I can -which is usually daily- but I do work and I'm not neurotypical (details not needed). My reply length can vary anywhere between 2 lines and 3 paragraphs, depending on energy and time and the scene.

Some general things about roleplaying with me. I like to do nsfw, so I ask that you do too - which also means I need you to be 18+. My pairings will almost always be same-sex with very few exceptions. I like fandom, OCs, and AUs! And, I have no big triggers - any general 'no's are so minor and rarely come up, so I'll mention if anything happens, but it's not even worth mentioning ahead of time. While romance is a big part of my stories, I also want action and adventure, mystery, and intrigue!

Now, specifically what I'm after. This is in desired order of what I'd really like.

Xmen:

I'm a huuuuge, long time XMen fan. Any team. Any timeline. But if I had to pick favorites, I'd say Core Team, XForce, and New Mutants. Regular or DOFP timelines. For anything else I'd say "I'd play anyone!" Except, I do have a few babies here that I'm greedy with. If we play with Logan, Laura, or Illyana, they gotta be mine. I love them too much haha. Anyone else is fair game, though! I also have many mutant OCs and I love making more. They can be anywhere at anytime too. No need to confine us to West Chester circa the present.

Post- Apocalypse:

This is just a general idea, and I'd love to hash out some specifics - how, why, and where. I do have some loose concepts that I'd love to incorporate. Here are some examples! We see a lot of desert or jungle environments with this prompt and I'd just be thrilled to do something kind of different. My current obsession is a frozen tundra. I've played a lot of Horizon: Zero Dawn and Elder Scrolls and the idea of ancient technology and religion being involved very much piques my interest. I started one where the cause was actually Ragnarok (Asatru, not MCU) and we did a soulmates sort of thing, but my partner ghosted me. Clearly, we don't have to do exactly that, but it's a little tidbit of information you might like. We could do OCs here, or we could pick out another fandom to drop in for an AU. The setting is the most fleshed out part of this story I have.

She Ra:

I actually hesitate to say She Ra at all, but the world of it interests me quite a bit. I think there's a lot of environments and groups of people that I'd like to play with, but I really don't want to interact with the main story much (if at all). We'd do OCs on this one, because I don't want to play any princesses. I love them and I love the show but I don't feel like I really want to mess with any of that. Unless we take the canon characters into an AU, which I might consider IF we have a really solid concept for it.

I have a lot of ideas here, but I want to hear yours and see what you're into. Feel free to take any amount of this and just run with it! Or maybe you see that I have some things that would bring me to like something else - like how I mentioned Horizon: Zero Dawn. There are a lot of other fandoms and worlds that I'd love to live in, populate, and explore! Let's just have a good time. 😊

Message me here then add me on Discord, if we decide to partner up. Thanks for reading!

[ceasarslegion]

Alright. I’ve been studying film history all day in preparation for an exam tomorrow, and I’m sick of it. Time to talk about movies the way I Want To Talk About Movies

Those of y’all who’ve been around for the entire scope of my run on this hellsite know that the one hyperfixation that has been a constant for me is Marvel. It’s always there, waiting, watching... My favourite team is the X-Men, my favourite heroes: Wolverine, Quicksilver, Spider-Man, and Iron Man... name a Marvel movie and I’ve definitely seen it at least twice, and that was just in cinemas. I dare say Marvel is my special interest (Endgame doesn’t exist though)

Except for one. I never saw Logan again after the premiere I attended with some high school friends (gap years are a normal thing outside of North America you guys like what are y’all on going to uni straight out I fucking hate the American dream) and I don’t want to.

It was the best Marvel movie I ever saw. Hands down. Absolutely incredible. And I don’t ever want to see it again, because it fucking destroyed me. And in my opinion, that’s what made it perfect.

Buckle up, y’all, we’re getting into deep lore

When you think of a superhero movie, what do you think of? Actually, let’s narrow that down. When you think of an X-Men movie, what do you think of? Probably something like this, if not this exact scene:

Okay, let’s unpack: Apocalypse was by no metric the best team-up X-Men movie (I’d argue Days of Future Past for that title) but this scene kind of encapsulates the entire tone and storytelling style of the X-Men Cinematic Universe so far. And it’s just REALLY satisfying.

There’s danger. There’s so much danger. But it’s not really in the forefront of your mind, is it? The entire Xavier school’s about to blow up with every student, teacher, admin, and X-Man in it, and what do we get for playback but Pietro’s headphones playing Sweet Dreams from his walkman. We get spectacle as the entire world slows to a screeching halt to show how a mutant speedster as powerful as himself experiences the world. And we’ve already seen him in action in Days of Future Past, so we know he’s capable of saving everyone and absolutely will. That effectively eliminates all tension, because as the mansion explodes around him, it feels less like he’s running out of time and more like he’s moving along at a brisk pace. It feels like the explosion moves at his will, and we’re free to gawk at Pietro’s cocky antics once again.

Isn’t that what the X-Men movies are all about? An unapologetic embrace of how wacky and odd the comicverse is with a storytelling style to match? Danger feels far away, even the more serious plotlines like DoFP have this understanding that good always triumphs, the heroes are always good, and therefore the heroes will always triumph, no matter how great the adversity is. Jesus, even with Deadpool movies, you get this shit. I mean, remember the opening of Deadpool?

God, what a brilliant opening. This song is my go-to drunk karaoke song because of this, and I am a tenor. I didn’t say I cared about vocal matching.

Clearly, there’s a lot of violent shit going on here. And we know that Wade Wilson plays by his own rules in the comicverse, so it makes sense that he’d play by his own rules in his movies. But still, with all the filthy, uncensored danger in these movies it’s all lighthearted superhero wackiness. They always triumph, even though Wade Wilson is a total schmuck. But he’s a lovable schmuck, so we let that go. Wade always wins. That’s the superhero formula, as much as he makes fun of it.

Logan, though? Logan didn’t do that. With those two scenes in mind, I now implore you to watch the opening scene of Logan:

I... um. Holy shit. Directed by Martin Scorsese?? No, mans wouldn’t work on a Marvel movie if it made him a billionaire, that’s... just how it is. It feels like fucking whiplash. 

Logan isn’t necessarily a hero from this opening. We’re no stranger to the Wolverine berserker rage from past movies, but it’s always been directed righteously before. Now it had him carry out an execution because they damaged his car. He’s not heroic, he’s... old, and slow, and really hasn’t aged well. The tone here is brutal, and gritty, and altogether bleak. It feels more like a mob film than a wacky X-Men movie. I remember being in the cinema just slack-jawed and wide-eyed because what the FUCK

And it didn’t end there, because this film just got darker, and darker, and DARKER as it went on. Charles Xavier died a terrible death after a stint with dementia that completely broke him as the powerful psychic he was, Logan is broken from all the trauma of his life piled onto itself and then even more being shoved on top of that. Mutants are pretty much being hunted for sport, because the X-Men LOST. They LOST. It’s a superhero movie where the heroes lost, and that is the ultimate broken rule you can pull within this genre. Infinty War only teased at it, and boy howdy, did they do it badly. I walked out of Infinity War to a chorus of scoffed “yeah they’re not dead they’re a money-maker”s. I walked out of Logan a shell of a man.

It doesn’t end well, either. Logan doesn’t win. He gets the mutant children across the border, but there’s this sense that if the world is hunting mutants down then he’s only bought them a little more time. The violence is hauntingly realistic within the confines of the XCU, the hope that you’d expect from a big blockbuster superhero movie just isn’t there because Logan’s lost it, and maybe he was right to lose it. Because otherwise he’d be kidding himself.

I don’t wanna see Logan again because it made me too sad and hopeless. And I think that made it brilliant. I think that made Logan something great that was uniquely its own. This is a genre known for hope and resilience, and it gave us none of that. You go in expecting it subconsciously, even when you’ve seen the trailers, and you at least expect him to win, right? Logan’s not gonna lose, he’s Wolverine. Everything about this film is what I think the superhero genre could really use more of. I really like the wacky, out-there, scripted formulaic adventures because I get enough bullshit in real life and it’s nice to just have the fun misadventures of Peter Parker scaling the Washington Monument in Spider-Man: Homecoming sometimes. But those don’t really stick with me the way Logan did, even though I only saw it once when I was 18.

I love how Iron Man 3 explored and normalized PTSD in mainstream media. I love the father-son relationship between Peter and Tony: two characters who both lost father-figures, and one who never wanted to become his abusive father. I love how Thor: Ragnarok felt like a norse mythology fanfiction comedy adventure in space. I love how Black Panther gave an unrepresented group a hero who’s not just a lackey, but a powerful king worth like 200 trillion dollars who protects his people through a cultural tradition. But Logan really felt like it challenged every established convention of the superhero genre and pulled a “no, you move” on it. A lot of people cite The Dark Knight to be the most brilliant superhero movie, but in my opinion, that spot belongs to Logan.

I’d call it cinematic art, but Martin Scorsese might put me on his hit list.

[dismembered-narrator]

i know im like six years late to the party but i think what made apocalypse suck so bad (especially compared to days of future past) was character. like, dofp focused on the relationships between just a few main characters and built a compelling story out of that, while apocalypse kind of just shoved a ton of characters into the story and half-assed their arcs and uhhhh it didnt work

[citrinesunset]

Dark Phoenix thoughts

I saw Dark Phoenix! I wasn’t sure if/when I was going to get a chance, but I managed it. And have some spoiler-y thoughts.

Overall, I thought it was pretty good. There were some things that I think could have been done better, but it came together better than I feared it would considering the reshoots and the fact that I question how invested Fox was in the franchise at this point.

I will say I’m sad to see the franchise ending. I only got into this fandom a couple years ago, and am sad that I missed a lot of its heyday. So I’m definitely not ready for the possibility of activity dying down, and I hope that doesn’t happen for a while yet. I’ve also really enjoyed this series, and am not sure whether I’ll be as into a rebooted series or not.

Anyway, my thoughts are a little jumbled and I probably haven’t processed the movie much, but....

Things I enjoyed/mostly enjoyed

- Charles’ 1975 hair. Yes, this is shallow, but I have tried to imagine what his hair looked like after DoFP, when he presumably still had it long but hopefully washed it more, and now I have an answer.

- I really liked the musical score.

- I really liked a lot of Charles’ scenes with young Jean. Charles as a teacher/mentor to young people has always been one of my favorite parts of him.

- I’ve enjoyed how Sophie Turner plays Jean. I thought her interpretation was interesting back in Apocalypse, and I think she did a good job here. I like this version of Jean a lot.

- Raven in the alternate timeline movies has been kind of hit or miss for me, but I thought her connection to Jean in this movie worked great. She was the perfect character to express concerns about how Charles had treated Jean, and I feel like the framework of setting her up as a mentor figure and hero in Apocalypse helps a lot in Dark Phoenix.

- I liked the interpretation of Genosha, and am curious about how and when it got started. I like to imagine it was a compromise reached after Apocalypse, and that the government was like, “Well, we can’t ignore that this guy is a terrorist who threatened to assassinate the president on live television, even if it was Nixon. But he apparently helped defeat this Apocalypse guy, and if we arrest him now it might look bad. Maybe if we give him some land, he’ll go away.” That said, Genosha did look very small. How many mutants could really live there?

- I really liked Jean going to Erik for help. I also found Erik ultimately defending and protecting the human military guys from her attack interesting. That’s not something Erik would have cared much about in the past, I don’t think, and it speaks to him becoming more moderate over time or perhaps valuing the peace that he’s been able to create on Genosha.

- I love the hints of concern that Erik shows about Charles and his team. First asking Jean whose blood is on her shirt, and then the anticipatory look on his face when he sees the jet. I think he was expecting Charles when he saw the plane.

- The first appearance of the Magneto helmet made me happy, because of course. Though, I’m kind of amused by all the different versions of that helmet Erik has had. Does he make them himself? Does he decorate and customize them?

- So...I don’t think Erik pulling up the subway train and pulling it behind him made much sense, but I am 100% here for Erik making needlessly grandiose gestures because it looks cool, because that is very on-brand.

- I liked the parallel between Jean assisting Charles telepathically when he was unconscious at the end of Apocalypse and Charles connecting with her and encouraging her when she was unconscious.

- The phoenix effects were great.

- I liked the conclusion Jean got, and that while she still sacrificed herself, it felt like an active, strategic choice on her part. And I liked that it ended on an ambiguously hopeful note for her. I also like that this movie, while it did address things like Charles lying to her, did have the Phoenix Force be an external entity as well (as opposed to just a part of her own personality like Last Stand did).

- I love it when Erik offers chess as an ice breaker (it was a nice callback to DofP), and I absolutely loved his final scene with Charles.

Things I didn’t care for

- I wish the relationships between some of the characters had been fleshed out a little more. I felt this movie did a great job overall of centering things on Jean, but so much of Jean’s conflict depended on her relationships to other characters, and I would have liked to see the stakes raised more by seeing more of her relationship with Scott and her friendships with the other team members. Also, were Hank and Raven supposed to have been in a relationship at this point, or were they teammates with a side of pining? Because I feel like it could have been read either way, and I think that context is important.

- I didn’t buy that Raven’s death would be enough to motivate Erik to kill Jean, especially after telling Jean about how killing and vengeance had never brought him peace. I can fully believe that Erik liked and respected Raven a lot, but most of the interaction we’ve seen between them in the alternate timeline films involved things like him turning down her advances and trying to kill her for the greater good. It’s not like they had a great love story or even seemed to spend much time together. 

- The Mystique makeup looks really bad compared to what it used to look like. The first time I saw Raven in one of the trailers, I thought it looked like good but not professional-level cosplay, or like she was Mystique’s cousin from some  direct-to-DVD spin-off movie. I can understand why Jennifer Lawrence may have disliked the time and work that went into the more detailed makeup from earlier movies, and if there were health/safety/comfort considerations, I respect that. But it was a really noticeable difference that made it seem like they didn’t make much effort.

- Quicksilver being awkwardly sidelined was annoying and obvious, and dammit, I wanted Erik to find out he has a son. Also, we didn’t get to find out what music Peter likes these days!

- I didn’t like what I saw as an implication at the end that Charles had retired because he failed. But more on that below...

Things that can’t be easily classified one way or another

- I was really on-board with the idea of this movie exploring Charles’ flaws and hubris, but I’m not sure how I feel about the way this was approached. I found the idea that mutants were cautiously accepted but on very conditional terms interesting, as well as Charles’ awareness that he was being strategic in order to hold onto that public support. And I thought that him lying to Jean because he felt it was best, but ultimately realizing that he was wrong and accepting responsibility for that, felt in-character. But I also didn’t feel like the movie really explored the link between Charles lying and Jean going Dark Phoenix, and on the surface, those two things didn’t feel very related. You could argue that without the emotional shock of learning that her father was alive, Jean might have remained on a more even keel while they figured out what was going on, but I think it would have made more sense if Charles had messed with Jean’s powers in a way that affected her ability to keep control after becoming Phoenix (and if he had, that wasn’t clear to me). But I feel like that would have conflicted with his encouragement of Jean unleashing her power in Apocalypse. I think Charles was right to accept some responsibility, but I would have liked to have seen more reconciliation between him and the other characters and would have liked to see more of his reasoning for retiring.

- I didn’t find the aliens all that interesting, but I didn’t really mind that. I felt they served a purpose by providing some external conflict and helping explain what the Phoenix Force was, but they didn’t distract from the meat of the story about Jean too much. I felt it was a better approach than Last Stand, where they tried to use too many storylines that did deserve to be fleshed out more.

- I found it interesting that Hank can apparently switch to Beast form on command now at a second’s notice. I wonder if he can change back on command, too.

Shippy thoughts

My top X-Men ships are Charles/Hank, Charles/Erik, Erik/Hank, and Jean/Erik, roughly in that order.

- I was hoping for more Charles/Hank fodder than there was. I loved the early scene of them watching the news together, but they get very little screentime otherwise, and their fight didn’t give me as many C/H feelings as I was hoping it would. I also don’t like knowing if they ended things on good terms or not.

- The last scene between Charles and Erik is shippy and glorious. Chess as a flirtation device! Smiles! A kind of proposal! 10/10

- I am always on-board with an angsty, unlikely team-up between Hank and Erik, but the movie didn’t deliver on this front as much as I was hoping.

- Jean going to Erik was certainly satisfying, and I can’t be disappointed even if she didn’t stay long. I’m sure I’ll be able to come up with fic scenarios based on it all the same.

[oncerpotter2018]

The Cherik Tag (part 1)

1: Who do you identify with the most personally, Charles or Erik – and why?

Erik, definitely Erik. We have both got huge anger issues and I'm not smart enough as Charles so definitely Erik.

2: What would you choose for yourself and why – telepathy or metallokinesis?

Oh that's is a tough one, I would have to go with metallokinesis becuase I am a lazy person who want doesn't like getting up to walk to the fridge for food. Opening the metal door would be fine 🤣

3: You can only chose 1 theme for the Cherik honeymoon suite – what would it be?

Oh, kinky, should it be kinky, I don't know.. I would say it would just be filled with metal items for all those kinky times that Charles and Erik gets down and dirty when they are on their honeymoon. 😄

4: Your favourite Cherik kink?

Hurt and comfort, with a lot of Whump and a lot of angst just a lot of them. A bit of fluff but mostly a lot of hurt and angst. I'm swap between Charles and Erik but I mostly do whump Erik to twist it around. Charles always gets hurt I'm turning it around a bit.

5: What do you think about “Dadneto”?

Hell yes, I want to see Peter to just say "I'm your son"... Like come on! I like seeing Erik as a father, shows his soft side.

6: Bottom!Charles or Top!Charles?

Gosh well it depends, bottom Charles is good and yet Top Charles is kinky. Bottom Charles gets the fun of having Erik on him but top Charles gets his turn to have fun with Erik. I would say Top Charles becuase we need more of that.

7: Who do you prefer physically and why – Charles or Erik?

Physically? Umm.. both. Can I say both? Oh well... Both are physically good. But Erik is the rough one and Charles is the gentle one when it comes to physical actions though if you know what I mean 😉

8: If you could direct a Cherik movie - what would the plot be?

Well, I would say that I would have a lot of Whump and hurt and comfort and a bit or a lot of angst. So my plot would be that Charles and Erik have gotten together but Erik has a secret which leads him to believing that Charles had died but in reality Charles too has a secret that involves him faking his own death in order to complete his mission to kill Erik. He goes and does it but he couldn't do it and he ends up going back to his leader and so he takes it in his own hands and kills Erik himself. Charles is than left to think about what he has done.. yeah I crave for darkness and hurt and no comfort. Deal with it.

9: Who would you rather join – Prof. X or Magneto?

I can't decide, they are both so good. Both have good points and I can't decide. I love both Charles and Erik so.. gah please don't make me choose! But I would join Charles for the sake of chosing a side but Erik always comes back. He says comes for Charles.

10: Alpha!Charles or Omega!Charles?

It's the same with the top or bottom Charles. It really depends on how Charles is feeling. But I do love Omega!Charles becuase I love Charles getting heated for Erik. But we do need more Alpha!Charles though.

11: The saddest Cherik scene you can think of that ISN’T the beach divorce?

Well... That time Charles died in X-Men: The Last Stand where Erik screamed his name. And that time when Erik proved Pyro wrong about Charles that he did more for their kind then anyone else. Also there's that moment in X-Men: First Class where Charles enters Erik's mind and both of them cry. In X-Men: Apocalypse where Erik cries after having flashbacks of Charles. That moment when he technically saves Charles from Apocalypse by placing two iron beams forming an X to protect his Charles.

YEAH I HAVE A LOT AND THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE! 😫😫😫😭

12: If Erik and Charles had matching tattoos, what would it be?

I'm going to go all cheesy and cliché but I want them to have hearts with the words " You aren't alone becuase I love you" with their names of each other at the bottom. It's so done like last year but I find that is the only one I have found that is cute.

13: Describe your feelings regarding Charles and Moira?

I'm not going to lie but that kiss at the end of First Class was like so forced for me. I love her as an individual character but when with Charles she seems to frail a bit. I didn't like that lack of chemistry that they had. Charles had more chemistry with Erik than Moria to be honest. I just feel like if I saw more chemistry with Moria and Charles than I might have gone with a different ship but luckily I didn't. This is just my opinion so don't get mad at me if you ship Charles and Moria.

14: If you were to meet Cherik in a restaurant – what would you wear (currently in your wardrobe)?

I would wear this blue dress that we bought for a friend's birthday party. It's a pretty dress too.. I would just be there waiting for them to kiss and squill when they do.

15: FC, DoFP or XMA Charles?

All.. EVERYTHING! HE IS ADORABLE IN ALL OF THEM. ERIK COULDN'T AGREE MORE! PERFECTION!

16: At which point did you know that you had sold your soul to Cherik?

X-Men: First Class! The older ones too but definitely First Class. Also when Erik had Charles in his arms in the beach and Charles was crying and Erik was shaking him and he was saying " I want you by my side.. we are brothers you and I.. we want the same thing"

I was like " They are so in love with each other"

17: If Erik proposed to Charles – how would he choose to do it?

I wrote this and like he would kneel down and take Charles hand and first he would kiss it than he will look into his eyes and as he does be would say his lines and with his powers he would make the box appear and open it in front of Charles. He would ask him to marry him and when he says yes he would carry him and fly him home. Or he would set a prank for Charles and start hating him for no reason and he would than after getting Charles really mad get to one keen and pull out the box. Charles will hit him of course but it will be worth it.

18: Which Cherik AU is your absolute favorite and why?

My absolute AU would be where Charles and Erik are young and in a domestic life. With some hurt and comfort here and there. I love many Cherik AU but there's something about mutant husband AUs that strikes me the most. Modern AUs are awesome too.

19: If you had to write/read a crossover, which TV show would you match with Cherik?

I would say that becuase I'm currently watching Once Upon A Time at the moment I decided to choose that one as a way of balancing out the magic and their Mutations. Or maybe Gotham... I don't know.

20: Dom!Erik or Sub!Erik?

Maybe a bit more of Sub!Erik. I want to see more Sub!Erik really and it would be a different take on the fanfics. I want to see some dominant Charles for a bit you know what mean.

21: Would you prefer Cherik in a Coffee shop AU or an Office AU?

Oh... Um Well a coffee shop AU is all the fluff and the Office AU is all the smut but what happens when there is an office in the coffee shop and Charles and Erik work there so by the morning they are working sweetly sailing cake but by night they are having sex over the desk. 😉

22: Who do you fantasize about the most – Erik or Charles?

Both.. I my mind I would say I would fantasize more about Erik becuase he is my babe. But I do fantasize about Charles too.

23: Finish the sentence: “Cherik or…?”

Cherik or My work..? I should be doing it but these two asshats are like drugs to me. They are distructing me because of their damn cuteness.

24: How do you think the beach scene should have ended?

They should have kissed each other and Erik never let go but Charles wanted him too but Erik won't listen. And when Erik won't let go Moria took another shot at him and becuase he was being distructed by Charles he didn't deflect the bullet and gets hit. Charles isn't the only one whose hurt. Charles screamed and soon he kisses Erik again and Erik realises that she had hit him in his chest right at his heart. They say their goodbyes... For good.. GOSH I'M SORRY!