#I didn't know what else to watch so I just watched x-men evolution

[hellmandraws]

I accidentally got really into X-Men lately, and I'm not immune to... them. 🥺❤️

[doubleragnarok]

My friends, let me introduce you to my lazy mini-comic about the X-men "Evolution" AU. (You don't need to watch Evolution to understand it)

First read the text, then look at the accompanying picture below. Lets go ~

tw: blood. But nothing really scary is going on.

This summer, another new student entered Xavier School. They were older than the other students (23 y.o.), so those around them suspected that their X-gene had manifested later than the others. They asked to be called "Morph", and made friends with all the mutants so quickly it was surprising.

One day after a battle, Morph broke away from the others, and Jean asked Wolverine to find him.

Jean: Logan, we need your keen sense of smell!

Wolverine: There you are. And you look pretty scratched up.

Morph: How did you know it was me? Oh, yeah, your super-sense.

W: What's wrong with your face?

M: Oh, this?

M: This is my real face.

W: What's going on? Does it show up when you're hurt too badly?

M: What are you talking about, ha ha. I was just in too much pain to focus on holding the image. But the wounds are superficial, I'll be fine.

W: F@ck! Then why do you have such a mournful face, like you're dying?!

M: But my real form is terrible! Doesn't that bother you?

W: You should have realized by now who you're talking to. X-men will never judge you for being different from the rest of us. We are all just like you.

M: Yeah, when it comes to superpowers. But all the other x-men look good. Kurt has to change his look, but he's handsome!

You're all beautiful!

M: Now look at me. My skin color is like a corpse. My face looks like a skull, no pupils or irises. I don't even have a nose! It's like I'm not a human being, I'm a human template!

W: I'm the last person who cares about your outer beauty. No nose? But you breathe somehow, right? That's the most important thing.

W: Besides…

W: If you don't have a nose, it won't get in your way when you kiss.

M: Wait

Was he flirting with me?

M: WOW.

...

M: Maybe

M: Maybe I have a chance?

M: Besides, our age difference is not critical, right?

(Morph didn't yet know that the age difference was far greater than they realized)

It all started with @balkanbitch 's post and @baylecn 's drawings (I hope you draw something else on this theme). I couldn't help but join in.

Bonus: the first versions of Morph's design.

[animentality]

I was going to unfollow after disagreeing with your opinions on Steven Universe

But your philosophical discussion on how mpreg and omegaverse are the collage girls and milfs of fandom?

That's content I just can't turn down.

Listen, I was around for when mpreg was hot.

Everyone used it as an example of how deranged the internet was. Now omegaverse is the new thing, and people don't really use mpreg anymore.

And you see way less negative reactions to omegaverse vs mpreg. Possibly because mpreg was this infamous creature of the early 2000s, which lurked on fanfiction dot net and other fan sites, this taboo little beast that people only brought up to laugh at.

But omegaverse is classier. It's evolved and matured.

It's no longer the screaming spring break college girl, but the older and wiser mommy who knows what she wants and isn't ashamed of it anymore.

She's a CEO in a sharp pants suit and 6 inch heels and glasses and a scarf that costs 40,000 usd.

I also propose the idea that omegaverse is more trans inclusive than mpreg, because it has a more nuanced understanding of how gender operates in this fanfictional word.

Back in the old days, mpreg was like...men shit babies out their asses.

Not many people really knew what else they could do.

They still wanted the gay sex but didn't understand exactly what they were craving.

I have always felt that "yaoi" and "bl" and m x m pairings all arose from this longing for connection.

See, in the 2000s, whether you watched Naruto or supernatural, you just noticed how female characters were just these... non people.

They were love interests. They were sexy and didn't do much, except get killed off for drama, or they were dutiful lovers, waiting for the main character to finish the plot.

Women gravitated towards gay pairings because first off, many of them are attracted to men, so two guys getting it on had this irresistible sexual draw for them. But also, these two male characters just had this genuine feeling of affection for each other.

They were well written and nuanced and had genuine connections. Women responded to that.

Where there was no compelling canon het relationship, women decided there would be a compelling, almost canon homo relationship.

So that's where boy x boy found a home.

In the hearts of women who wanted romance outside of romance novels, but didn't get compelling heterosexual ones in other media.

But mpreg was a weirder thing, where perhaps you want to impregnate this character...but he's male.

But you don't know how to do that exactly. So you go to this fictional thing...where men shit babies.

But omegaverse is better.

Omegaverse will do you one better.

It'll propose that we can acknowledge...that women can have dicks. Men can have vaginas.

Men and women can have both.

Omegaverse like...transitioned from mpreg!!!

It became gender fluid and gender inclusive.

I have always felt also that saying yaoi is just a straight woman's plaything to be wildly shallow and dismissive.

You know how many nonbinary and trans people who are afab realized they were not women through yaoi???

A thousand million trillion hundred.

Omegaverse is cool to me, ok.

Mpreg was alright, but it was sort of strange just so far as, you don't need to recreate a whole organ when you can just say, yeah. He's a man and he has a vagina.

So what.

Maybe he still has a dick. Maybe he doesn't.

But that's the beautiful thing.

He doesn't need either. He can have both.

A female character can have a big old dick too.

Gender is just...it doesn't matter.

You can prefer anal sex between two characters with penises, or you can prefer vaginal sex between a trans character and a cis one.

You can have two penises, if you want. Three. Four.

Spiked penises.

Doesn't matter.

Omegaverse to me was just like...the next step in fandom evolution.

It brought with it a whole other gendered system that I find interesting.

And fascinating from an anthropological standpoint.

I am pro omegaverse.

Not necessarily what I wank to, but...I like it better than mpreg.

I think it took the best of mpreg and tossed out the problematic side of it.

I think...the kids are alright.

And the girlies are wellfed.

Also on the Steven universe thing...I fully admit, my brain was sort intoxicated by a lily orchard video and another video by some guy.

I've been re watching it and I think I was too harsh.

In retrospect, I still think the pink diamond reveal wasn't well thought out and was an easy cop out...but I still like the series in general.

The music and the visuals and the world itself are fun. It also did way more for gay rep than its haters will admit.

So I admit my brain was seeped in toxic fumes.

But anyway.

Omegaverse.

Good thing.

Classier.

[local-lamppost]

Feel free to ignore this, its just me gushing about how important Code Lyoko is to me.

I'm not one of those people who gets nostalgic and for multiple reasons, A) I'm very rarely emotionally sentimental towards media, B) I am a bit stunted emotionally, and C) due to a childhood/teenage years of a number of head injuries my memory is absolutely shot.

But through it all, Code Lyoko-the weird show from France with its stilted animation and repetitive plot-is what gets me. Not my favorite movies, games, or even other tv shows will do this to me.

Now, I started watching Code Lyoko when I was pretty young. I'm more or less a year older than it. So, when it was dubbed into english for the states, I was just old enough to catch onto the plot and some time later be enthralled with the later seasons/reruns. I have two older brothers and we all have vastly different taste in media, but for a solid part of my childhood we all agreed on a shared love for this show. We would meet in the den to watch the episodes every day and get along as only kids watching cartoons can.

When we moved states the subject I was most upset over was that CN for some reason didn't have Code Lyoko in this new area. Which, considering the move took probably about a day or two, really confused me. But for years this show lived only in my memory, not even my friends at school-in grades above or below-knew what I was talking about.

Some years pass, Code Lyoko is this shiny little memory that sits in the back of my brain, and I'm given a gen 1 iPad. It's slow, it dies quickly, I didn't even have my own headphones, but I didn't have to share with my brothers and had Youtube.

Now, for any young folk reading this for some reason (first off, good on you for getting into Code Lyoko) Youtube had been around for a few years at this point and had only really started getting traction circa 2008-09. The fun thing about early Youtube was that you could watch anything. Very few restrictions, no concept of enforcing copyright, it just had to be ten minutes or less and even that was beginning to change(I think). This was the era of watching a lagging anime in 3-4 parts an episode, and this is where I was able to finally watch Code Lyoko again.

I remember very specifically marathoning the show in the kitchen, sitting oddly in an arm chair, utterly engrossed in this show. It had action, it was 3D animated, the characters were cool and funny, and I would've done anything to have a hangout like the factory. Not to mention the intro was the best thing I'd ever heard and still is to this day one of my favorites.

But why do I love this show? Well a couple reasons...

Thing 1: Animation

Now I know the jokes and the jabs and the fact that its old and dated are what anyone unfamiliar with the show is quick to point out. If anyone has even passing knowledge of Code Lyoko its usually the weird character designs. If you watch the show you get used to it and sorta come to notice that it fits the characters much better in the 3D world more than the 2D and Lyoko is where all the cool action scenes are so.

And, I don't know if this is a hot take, but I like the 3D animation a lot. It looks like the ps2/3 games we would play as kids, and the premise is basically kids fighting monsters in a video game in 2003. It's an aesthetic that I appreciate for better or worse.

Thing 2: Stakes/Story

Code Lyoko is one of the few shows (cartoons especially) with the unique ability to be episodic in a serialized way. Things build up, connect, and whatever big changes happen in the past seasons continue on in the following. This was kinda insane to young me, shows were episodic or serialized, not both. Not to say there was nothing else (Teen Titans, Generator Rex, X-Men Evolution, Avatar, etc.) nor to say that Code Lyoko was the best at doing this, but no matter how repetitive the usual episodes are it more than makes up for with the stakes of those epidoes.

I don't think many cartoons put the kids in as imiment danger as Code Lyoko. Military satellites, Nuclear collisions, plagues of rats and hoards of wasps, using nano tech to give people amnesia that spread like the flu, being drowned or boiled alive, molested by plants, haunted by internet ghosts, Jeremy messing up a code so badly the antagonist needs to help the heroes out, feeling what it is like to be killed every time they are devertualized, having gravity turned off, having to deal with the fact that they are all months to potentially years older than their peers due to time travel, stressing over keeping everyone alive because time travel doesn't fix that, and so much more. Keep in mind they are all 13-15 years old and also in boarding school, on their own those are experiences that will deeply scar and change you without the cyber terrorism.

Thing Last: Characters

This is the real kicker and probably something I'll dedicate an entire series of things to talking about in depth, but for now.

Code Lyoko was the first show with characters I truly cared about. My young brain would be so absorbed in those stakes that I could forget that a cartoon for children would not kill any of its main characters(at least back then).

Individually, each character had something going for them. Jeremy was smart, witty, and made me feel better about being a nerd; Aelita was all that and more, being one of the kindest characters in media but still managing to hold her own both verbally and physically (no sequence was cooler to me than in season 1 when Aelita had to avoid monsters without aid and managed to kill a bunch using only the terrain); Yumi was the groups strength in the real world, a bit older and down to earth, it's weird she had no friends prior to the series; Odd, what to say about Odd? He is the only emotionally intelligent person in this whole cast with only Aelita coming close. He is happy, funny, proud, and kinda carried the team in the early episodes when Ulrich wouldn't go to Lyoko for whatever reason; Ulrich, my boy, the best fighter in Lyoko and a contender for best Lyoko design, my relating to him as a child was probably the earliest indicator I had mental health problems, but I will always remember him taking down Kolossus. Lastly, XANA. For a villain with maybe a line of dialog, XANA had a strange sense of character to him. He was a malicious, ruthless, powerful entity that wanted freedom for itself and the destruction of those who imprisoned him. XANA was meant to be a helpful AI, but it got out of hand and was persecuted by the men in black due to its capabilities, even scaring Hopper, his creator. XANA's death in the second to last episode is shown as a smoke being of him contorts in agony and dissipates; so close to being free.

More than anything, the Lyoko Warriors are friends. They goof around, get a virtual Aelita a birthday cake, know when to tease and when to just listen, they will do anything for each other through thick and thin, but they can also just hang out. A lot of stories have groups that feel like they only spend time together to achieve something, for a purpose, the Lyoko Warriors are friends who like being together.

To wrap this up.

Code Lyoko has numerous problems, most of which can be seen in Miraculous Ladybug the current popular French cartoon created by a former Code Lyoko storyboard artist, but it had heart. It showed me how far animation could go, how a world could be created. It motivated me to improve my writing and taught me that no story-no matter how good the visuals or plot-is anything without lovable characters.

More than anything serious, Code Lyoko was fun. It gave me time to spend with my brothers, an introduction into internet media/culture, and the first ending that I ever found satisfying as a child. I love this show, if someone came up to me and said 'if you quit your job and studies that your actually happy with and come make a Code Lyoko reboot/sequal' I wouldn't hesitate.

I love you Code Lyoko and here's to another 20! Let's live in a world without danger.

[fishplayinggames]

update:

the electrode I found hasn't exploded

why didn't he explode

I don't have drip in this hotel full of punks and apparently they have a boss?

they wont let me in

"it's important to forget things"

legendary reveal - looks likes the letter Y noway bro

comically small mamoswine

frost cavern

ice physics!

I will never complete this dex because trade evolutions

what is this golducks moveset it has soak, screech, zen headbutt and aqua tail im so confused

found an obamasnow and team flare want it to mega probably

the poke ball thieves are catching pokemon - why else would they have stolen all those poke balls

they said the nerd was not bright lol

"these people have a few screws loose" yeah not like they're evil or anything

"definatly" very fasionable poses

ice type route with a dragon/ground lead :|

rival fight he finally got a 4th mon

7th gym time - psychics

what the hell just happened this is kinda cool

finally made it to the leader blahaj better not get oneshot i swear to god

I MISS

HYPER POTION

HYPER POTION AGAIN

BLAHAJ FAINTED

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

PLEASE I JUST WANT GARCHOMP

worst gym

got a call from a tech giant which saved me from a rival fight

HES COME TO MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT?!

he's reviving nuclear weaponry to kill everyone who isn't team flare

to return to world to its natural state

unproductive fools are consuming our future acutally kinda hits

this game made me like team flare before I just thought their drip sucked lol

I can't believe the bad guys lair is in probably his cafe

also poke-amie minigames kinda fun

I got jumped in the cafe

I am so sick of blahaj dying

"oh no. they'll discover the passwork is 'open sesame'" lol these guys are great

you were obviously part of team flare you attacked me

oh no the hidden door who's password i know

I found the door

fighting the big bad now

he has mienfoo - not even mienshao

and he has murkrow

he's making my go talk to a scientist to get the key and I don't know where that is and don't want to go find it

oh wait they're all in the lab that's fine

the pokedex superheros are here too

oh they're spying on my phone calls

I got the key

I found the floette man

lore time

france just got obliterated

so is like AZ the immortal king that x&y gifted? and he is the dude who made the weapon? I think so

oooo cutscene

who is this egg looking mf

the weight of the world is on my hands

red pill blue pill

oh I pushed the button they would have pushed anyway

let's watch the end of the world in 4k on our monitor that just so mappened to be that one funny rock town

comically small pillar

it looks like AZs floette

to funny rock town we go!

BLAHAJ IS BIG GARCHOMP BABY WOOOOOOO

villain elevator

legend time

"Why are you crying" WHY IS HE CRYING the bad guy is sad that he does bad things

hes making pokemon extinct

he got mienshao and honchkrow now

the funny kazoo noise for disarming voice

shauna jumpscare

"friend should stick together" bro we're trying to save the world now is not the time for you to feel left out

door

hackerman - the device broke

immsa masterball it in the face

where did this horde of angry men come from

they left me for a 5v1 man

things happening

very cool reveal

master balled

what kind of goofy tech is this idiot wearing?

oh hes got megas now

hes lost it

big man is fighting me

I won

he is seething

hes nuking me

france is being oblitorated again

it blew itself up lol

I love how the pokemon centre continues as if nothing is wrong

POKEMON Y

Playing pokemon Y, having a good time - experience to gym 1.

the game is not bad so far. having fun.

mum asking if the professor I've never met sent her a love letter (If you know professor oak you know)

Chose froakie - his name is Ourbbles

it has not explained to me how to get pokeballs or what a pokemon centre is. It has told me how to catch tho so that's nice

kurb-stomped several small children who think they're him

why doesn't this person know how pokeballs work you own pokemon in balls

pikachu spotted 20 minutes in.

this 3 year old knows how to spell ecspecially

I caught a pikachu. He was meant to be merchandise but instead he is merchanf

why is azurill tanky?

the character design is not bad. I cn work with it. (schoolboy looks like the 🤓)

oh her name is Rinka, like roller rinks... real funny game freak

first gym done. pretty easy

considering that this game is know for overlevelling, I am suspicously underleveled

[bluebxmfing]

Margali? Yes. The circus? Unlikely. They never showed much of his life didn't they? He's the only character besides Magneto X-23 and Logan who got a flashback and even then it's pretty much nothing. We vaguely know what happened with Mystique and from his adoption? It's everyone's game. Sure he has two parents with jobs at a German village but maybe Kurt made the conscious decision to join a circus which could've happened between the only "memory" we have and the X-Men. Would explain his stunts

Lemme preface by saying I still love this show. It’s charming and cheesy and I grew up watching it in parts on youtube bc I guess that’s how it be sometimes.

But I’m allowed to be critical of something I love. This got long so RANT UNDER THE CUT!! Ily plz don’t be mad at me I’m just salty *wheeze*

Okay so what you described is at least part of my headcanon (where his abilities are tied slightly less to his mutation and more to his life in a circus BC I’M KEEPING IT, DANGIT)

But my brain sees this ↓↓↓

and goes

Wow thems sure are some random whitebread-ass folks.

The main problem that I have is that they retconned Margali as his mother, not to mention what they did to his sibling(s).

In the episode talking about his adoptive parents we learn a few things. A.) Magneto experimented on him??? B.) Found by these two random farmers who were apparently nice C.) Mystique is his birth mother (Even though they try to be like “But is she though?” Yes she is stfu Evolution) Nothing else, my dude.

Other people got wholeass episodes and shit about their past. We get to see Kitty’s parents, we get to learn about LOGAN’S backstory and he’s nOT EVEN A PART OF THE MAIN CAST OF STUDENTS??? Dude we get backstory for fuckin Tabitha. (As a note I honestly kinda love Tabby)

We get Storm’s past (Even though it Definitely Did Not Age Well)

We get Wanda and Pietro’s pasts and their interactions

We get wholeass arcs for other characters so why not Kurt???

One of the things in Evolution about Kurt is like “Oh yeah he’s dexterous bc of his mutation” which I mean ok I guess but also circus boy please. With how much of a cute showoff he is in the show I don’t see why he wouldn’t mention it. They had a BUNCH of opportunities for him to comment about his life in that oh-so-present early 2ks style of exposition via cheesy terrible dialogue.

Opportunity 1: Literally when we first meet him and he talks about himself a little

Op 2: Any time someone talks about his abilities around him

Op 3: The episode that’s literally about his backstory/family

Op 4: The Entire Survival Camp Episode

Op 5: JUST. ANYWHERE??? HE’S A LOUDMOUTH. THAT’S LIKE HALF HIS CHARACTER IN EVOLUTION

The weirder thing is that they DO INCLUDE MARGALI. AND SHE’S A WEIRD HOUSEWIFE. AND THEY STILL HAVE AMANDA AS KURT’S LOVE INTEREST? Maybe it was them trying to keep a ‘canon’ ship while making it less awkward??? But Why Though?? I don’t get it? They could have given them different names. They didn’t HAVE to use Amanda and Margali. Plus she’s still not a single mother and idk why that bothers me but it does. I don’t think they even mention Stephan...

Basically I’m salty that they neglected my favorite boy in the show and erased who Margali was. AND they didn’t even elaborate on his new backstory. You can’t just mulligan a wholeass backstory and then not explore the new shit you barely made up.

I’m so sorry this got long oh god please don’t yell at me--

[thepineapplejuicer]

Know It All: Xmen evolution fanfic  Chapter Three

Title: Know It All

Chapter Three

Nightcrawler fanfic (I do not own the X-men or the gif).

Violet Ashbourne is a gifted human hacker in possession of a radio, a secret device that gains her access to a large underground information network and electronics all over the world. Human and mutant coexistence has always been her goal, but will the betrayal of her mutant mother and father- once partners to her rise to power- distort her beliefs? Will the X-men be able to save her from her own pride and ambition? Or will she sacrifice everything, including the only boy she’s ever trusted, for vengeance?

The bus's small window fits the picturesque landscape of overlapping trees and emerald groves. The tranquil squirrels and deer drift carefully along the thick branches and bubbly bushes. Evan's pointing finger drags everyone to shoot to the windows, a breath of relaxation washing over us once our eyes meet the mirroring water of the river running through jagged, copper rocks. "It's beautiful." Kitty sighs. "Yeah," I answer so quietly as if part of me was too proud to admit it. The bus swerves gently around the path until we reach an opened dirt entrance with four cabins surrounding it. A low chime comes from my phone informing me of my lack of service. Luckily, I packed a hotspot box, but part of me still felt anxious about not having access to my files. I feel... vulnerable, more than usual. A sudden stop jolts me forward, signaling the others to get up. I am the last to step out and fall into the line formed at the side of the bus.

A grizzly man walks in front of the long line of students, "You will be taking 20-mile hikes, rappelling 200-foot cliffs and crossing treacherous water with no more than a rope and all the courage you can muster! Do you read me?!"

"Yes, Sergeant Hawk!" the students yell out.

"I said do you read me?!"

"YES SIR, SERGEANT HAWK SIR!"

"Scott sumner!"

"Summers, Sir."

"Well, Summers-"

I tap along my phone, trying to tune out all the yelling until I feel an elbow jab me. Evan looks down at my phone and quickly to the side, warning signs in his eyes. I follow his eyes to the grizzly man who is staring at me with rage.

"It was clear that there are to be NO electronics allowed." he towers over me, the shade from his hat cooling me down.

"Oh no, no. I'm not with them." I smile pointing at the others.

"Oh, so you're with the other team?" Sergeant Hawk asks.

"Other team?" I glance over and see the brotherhood composed of Lance, Pietro, Todd and bob all looking as pathetic as the files I have on them.

I snort, "No, absolutely not with them."

Sergeant Hawk snatches my phone. "In that case, Xavier didn't mention anything about the Queen of England coming, so you are to fall in line like everyone else!" his spit lands on my face as he turns, my phone locked in his grip. "Oh okay, you just hold on to that one then!" I groan with a fake smile. I kneel and unhook the second phone from the side of my boot.

"As I was saying . Because of Scott Summer's scholastic achievements at Baville high, he will be your team leader. " Sergeant Hawk stares at me again, wide-eyed as I tap along my backup phone. "Did you not hear a thing I just said?!" He gets in my face again.

"Sir, I'm sure Charles Xavier sent you an email about my the extent of my 'involvement'. You can even use my phone to check! I promise you that I'm not involved in all," I flay my hand around, "This."

Sergeant Hawk raises his brow, the lines around his mouth weighing down.

"I mean this place is quaint, with all your dirt," I shift my foot, accidentally sprinkling some onto his boots, "and uh... you."

He yanks the second phone from me, "If I see another phone come out of god knows where your entire team is doing 500 sit-ups. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!"

My brows narrow and I wipe the spit from my bare shoulder, "Transparently."

"You have 10 minutes to stow your gear in your cabins! Go, go, go!"

"Ugh, I'm not going to last one day here!" Kitty complains, sitting on her luggage.

"You?! I'm a city boy, I wasn't built for this." Even joins.

"What did ve ever do to deserve this?" Kurt groans.

"Enough complaining." I stomp ahead, my duffle bag swung uncomfortably over my shoulder, " let's just get this over with."

"Here, let me get that for you." Kurt rushes over and gently removes the duffle bag from my arm. I glare at him, " Next time you convince me to go somewhere, make sure it has wifi that I can actually use."

"Sorry." he mutters.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You will be racing to the top of Mt. Humiliation to retrieve a flag I had placed at the top. "Cakewalk!" The silver-haired boy steps up, "You watching pretty girl?" he turns and winks at me.

"Ugh." I groan. If all of these exercises weren't enough, Pietro's constant flirting was driving me near insanity.

"Not if I get there first." Kurt smiles proudly.

Mutants are all the same. They think just because their abilities allow them to cheat through life that everyone else is stuck with the short straw.

"Everyone in your team needs to make it to that mountain!" Sergeant Hawk growls, "And I want a picture as proof!"

"Like, that's if they don't cheat first." Kitty hisses at the brotherhood.

"Hey, we could beat you guys without our powers," Lance shouts, mostly directed at Scott.

"Alright, a fair game, no powers. Come on, guys!" Scott shouts.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

We all run for miles along the mountain, until gradually we slow to a jog, "Sooo, like what's my favorite food." Kitty asks me.

"Are we still playing this game?" I huff, weaving the sweaty tangles out of my hair. "Come on! It's like so boring."

I sigh, giving in, " Hummas and pickle quesadilla, as bizarre as that sounds."

"Ooh, do me next." Rogue chimes in.

Before I can answer Jean interrupts, "I don't get what so cool about knowing all our favorite foods are."

She walks past me, bumping into my shoulder nervously.

"Is it that hard to impress you... Miss. Phoenix?"

She stops, "how did you-"

"Trust me, I know more about you than you ever will." I return the hostile bump and walk ahead of the girls, trailing behind Scott, Kurt, and Evan.

"Kurt pop up and see if the flag is still there."

Kurt turns, smiles briefly at me and then at Jean who is distracted, "Are you sure Jean will be okay vit that?"

"Don't you want to win?" Scott persuades.

"Figures." I butt in, scraping the dirt from my painted nails.

Scott and Kurt look at me with drooping eyes, "Oh am I in your way?" I ask and raise my wrists.

"If you could just step back like two feet," Scott asks nicely or at least tried to.

My eyes narrow and I realize... this is why Xavier wanted me to come here so badly. To neutralize them. Like I care if they cheat.

I take a giant step back and signal for Kurt to teleport.

"The flag is still there," he shouts as he reappears within seconds.

"Good," Scott hands Evan a rope, "forget climbing, spike this up."

"Uh, you sure?"

Scott glares at Evan.

"You look sure to me." Evan steps away from me and hurtles a spike into the cliff above.

Jean makes her entrance and glares at Scott as he hands her the rope. She climbs freehand and the others follow, taking their sides with Jean or the rope. I stare at the top that distorts as my vision blurs.

"Are you okay?" Scott grabs my hand.

"I'm not exactly a fan of heights."

"Oh." he looks at the steep cliff and then back at me. "Come here."

I watch him bend down and unexpectedly hook his arms around the back of my knees, pulling me against his back. "Hold on tight."

He didn't have to tell me twice, I nearly choke him as he begins to climb, nails digging deeper into his chest. He never complained though, but by how Jean snarled at me I can tell she wasn't too happy about this predicament.

"You are too kind, Scott." I thank.

"Anytime, Violet. That's what a team is for."

I am taken back, absolutely speechless.

We reach the top and Scott lowers me down softly, holding me steady until he's comfortable my queasiness is gone.

"HELP!" screams come from ahead, jolting us to investigate. I watch from a distance as the X-men rush into action, pulling the brotherhood out from a crumbling mine, being told to keep my distance several times. Their powers working in perfect sync, all unique... all useful.

A hand shocks me out of my depressive episode as Rogue pulls me to follow the others to the top of the mountain.

They all thank each other, leaving me in the distance to regain my breath. "Violet!" Someone shouts. They are all posing for a picture, signaling me to join. I cautiously squeeze in, arms folded, leaning away as the flash blares.

"Hey! Its the X-jet!" Evan yells pointing at the blackbird hovering above us. Storm walks out, "The Professor needs your help!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Snarling and crashing comes from the danger room as we all rush to stop The Juggernaut, both Brotherhood and Xmen. We jump through a hole in the wall watching as Wolverine dodges the Juggernauts attacks. I watch as Kitty and Rogue lift each other up to unhinge the Juggernauts helmet, failing the first time. Kurt teleports onto him, successfully unhinging one latch before being flung to the wall beside me.

"He's too strong!" someone yells.

I place my hand on Kurt's head as he regains consciousness, "I'm okay." he groans, leaning into my touch.

"Sorry kid." Logan's raspy voice comes from behind me as he forcibly flings me across the floor, right underneath the Juggernaut. I scream and block my face as he readies to strike me.

The giant Iron rod in his hands causes him to tumble back as all his strength is drained by my bands. "Impossible." he roars, staring at his hands and then at me. Suddenly, Pietro, Scott, and Logan tackle him and remove the helmet. Logan grabs me and slides me rapidly across the smooth granite floor away from Professor Xavier.

I turn back seeing the Juggernaut passed out and everyone begin to cheer. It takes me a moment to get up and without warning I stomp over to Logan who looks at me confused, opening his hand to apologize. "HOW DARE YOU?!"

SMACK

The blood in my hand pumps from the sudden sting, Logan's face in shock as he touches the perfect red handprint across his cheek. "You have the AUDACITY to throw me into danger like a ragdoll?!" I scream, the Xmen and Brotherhood taking a step back. He grips the side of his cheek, "That hurt a lot more than I thought it would." he groans, chuckling.

"And YOU!" I point at Xavier, "Don't you ever use me as a tool to neutralize your students again! Forge better have a lead on how to get these damn things off because I want out of this Horror House!"

I stomp off hearing only silence from behind me.

(Chapter Four will be posted Wednesday, June 19, 2019)