#and we don't even know if erik himself knows

[copsecore]

Redacted Audio / Kenju Audio Comparison

PSA: just found this very interesting how similar the two are - I am NOT accusing Xander of stealing Erik’s content

I made a table comparing different character types/video titles and I found that there's a redacted vid that perfectly aligns with every kenju vid - it's linked in the replies if anyone wants it

With the videos, some titles are so similar they're basically exactly same, eg. "Bakadere Empathy Daemon Asks You For Help" [R] / "Werewolf Hunter Asks For Help" [K] and "Tsundere Werewolf Boyfriend Teaches You How To Cook A Meal" [R] / "Trying To Cook Dinner With Your Tsundere Werewolf Boyfriend" [K]

the same/very similar aesthetics

use of the same font (Montserrat bold/regular)

use of the same icon style (from Microsoft)

Thumbnail design - when i saw a kenju vid pop up on my feed, ngl I thought it was one of us making a redacted thumbnail as fanart bc I've seen that been done before

I've seen some people say "oh he's inspired by erik's channel" yes i know, but being inspired and having your stuff be the same are two different things (guys please don't attack me, i dont mean this to be malicious)

I checked on here to see if someone else had noticed it before i had and saw a couple people had - thank god it's not just me

character similarities: I looked at the two channels side by side and I could easily put the characters in pairs, eg. "Grumpy Medic" = Sam, "Biker Wolf" = David, etc

IDK if this is a standard "don't copy my work message" taken from somewhere but they both have the same thing in their video descriptions

[REMEMBER THIS IS LESS CRITICISM/ACCUSATIONS (for now) AND MORE OBSERVATIONS]

paraphrasing plagiarism: "the use of someone else's writing with some minor changes in the sentences and using it as one's own. Even if the words differ, the original idea remains the same and plagiarism occurs"

[theheadlessgroom]

https://www.tumblr.com/beatingheart-bride/707405965270614016/theheadlessgroom-beatingheart-bride

@beatingheart-bride

“Uh-huh,” Randall grinned playfully as he leaned back in his seat, kind of enjoying this brief bit of banter between them: Here she was, commenting that maybe he should consider getting a little sleep, while she was yawning herself and refusing to do the same! Like student, like tutor, he supposed, given how she was encouraging him to get some sleep the previous night like she was, only for him to stay up all hours, doing the exact opposite of what she suggested...

He snickered a little to himself as he cradled his empty coffee mug, still smiling a little: When was the last time he’d been able to joke so easily with someone, affectionately ribbing each other for silly little matters such as these? So far, he could only think of doing so with Emily, and it made his chest feel warm-he enjoyed how at ease he felt with her, knowing he could be so...relaxed with her. She was a true friend, and he was grateful for that.

“Well, if you say so,” he continued, tone still amused as he set aside his mug for the moment, shrugging a little: He supposed he would just refresh his coffee here and a bit while she rested her feet...

In fact, he could kill two birds with one stone, as he suggested, “Well, why don’t I get you that tea? I was just about to get myself some fresh coffee before you arrived-that might help us both!”

[autistic-billcipher]

hello I've been thinking about cherik lately (have been for like two months and a half), so i come to yap a bit.

we know that near the very end of first class, erik tells charles “I want you by my side. we want the same thing.” and charles answers with “I'm sorry, but we don't”. after that, erik's face falls and he just leaves, taking raven with him.

fast forward to days of future past, cherik have a discussion in which charles is almost crying when he says “you took the things that mean the most to me”, followed by “you abandoned me! you took her (raven) away and you abandoned me!!”. he's hurt for many reasons, but one of the biggest one being having lost his sister and erik, two of the most important things for him (he says so himself!!). erik's response is an angry “you should've fought harder for them”, meaning “you should've fought harder for ME”. it makes a lot of sense considering erik told him he wanted them to be side by side, and charles answered with a simple “I do not”, just letting him go. they both feel like the other abandoned them, erik by walking away and charles by letting him without even trying to stop him.

and that's reflected in the rest of the movies as well, in those few moments of charles asking “you're sure I can't convince you to stay?” and erik going “you're a psychic charles, you can convince me to do anything” and then walking away. they want to stay together really badly, but besides their different points of view, charles needs erik to CHOOSE to be by his side, not be forced to. erik so willingly walked away that first time, charles needs him to actively choose not to, so he never insists or tries to convince him further because he wants that choice to be genuine. but erik is still waiting for charles to fight for him, to demonstrate he really does want them to be together. after all, charles did just simply say “no, we don't want the same thing” when erik told him he wanted him by his side that first time.

that's all, thank you for coming to my TED talk. like always, they're making me miserable. I'm in pain.

[masonmontz]

heey, hope you like it :)

fluff word count: 1,2k

✦‎۟    ࣭   ⊹

You sighed when you stopped the car and saw Mason standing there waiting for you, and as soon as he saw you he walked slowly towards the car looking at the ground.

Rasmus walked in front of the car and greeted you, and you gave him a smile, but you knew neither of them were happy about the draw in today's game.

“Hey babe” you said as Mason sat in the passenger seat, and he just threw his backpack in the back seat and rested his head on the seat. 

“Hey” he spoke softly and sighed, and you unbuckled your seatbelt and leaned in to leave a kiss on his cheek. Mason turned his face and you kissed his lip, trying to hug him, but a car honked behind you and you had to let go of him. “What a day.” 

You smiled and started to leave the airport parking lot while Mason didn't say anything, and he was quiet the whole way home. It wasn't a bad game, but Manchester United didn't score any goals even with possession, and they missed a lot of chances to score, but you know that's not what's bothering Mason.

“Do you want to have dinner with me?” you asked as soon as you entered the house, without talking much during the journey. You talked about everything except football, and sometimes Mason answered or he just listened to you. “I can make pasta or we can order something.”

“Actually, honey, I'm not hungry, but you can order something for dinner and I'll pay” he said and took off his uniform jacket, and you just shrugged because it's hard to comfort Mason at times like this. “I'm going to take a shower.”

You sighed and went to the kitchen to get a bottle of water and then went back to the living room to look for a restaurant to order something for you, and even though Mason said he wasn't hungry, you knew he would eat your food if you didn't order anything for him. 

Fifteen minutes passed and Mason still hadn't come downstairs, which was odd, so you put your phone away after ordering Mexican food for the two of you and went upstairs to talk to him.

You could hear the shower running from the bathroom in your room, so you walked over there only to see Mason with his eyes closed and his hand resting against the wall. He had left the door open, but you still knocked before entering. Mason opened his eyes and saw you, and even though he was sad he smiled at you, making your heart skip a beat. 

Mason turned off the shower and you grabbed a towel for him from the counter, and as soon as he opened the shower you handed him the towel, which he thanked you for before starting to dry himself.

You watched Mason dry himself off as you leaned against the bathroom sink, and even though you knew he was sad, you couldn't help but run your eyes over his thick thighs, which looked more attractive every day. Mason wrapped the towel around his waist and you left the bathroom, and when you lay down on the bed, he went to the closet to put on a black sweatsuit. 

In less than five minutes he threw himself next to you on the bed, and you just reached out to stroke his damp hair.

“Wanna talk about today?” you asked and Mason closed his eyes, putting his hands on his face. “You don't have to keep it all to yourself, Mase.”

“I’m so frustrated” he said and you sighed, approaching him and placing your face in his neck. “I don't even know why I traveled with the team today if I didn't even leave the bench.”

“You were injured until last week” Mason tends to put too much pressure on himself and that's why he gets so frustrated when things don't go as he expects.

“I know, but Erik said that I was going to play today and he didn't even consider putting me in, it's ridiculous” you just put your hand on his chest and caressed it over his sweatshirt, but it was difficult because Mason spent his vacations training to be in the best shape and return to play and he got injured quickly, and only you saw how he reacted when he received the news that he was injured again.

“You need to be patient, Mason, Coach believes in you and-”

“I've been patient for so long, I just want to play and be a starter in a game for ninety minutes, is it really that difficult?” you could hear the frustration in his voice, and he knows you get sad the same way he does. “I can't stand reading so many bad messages about myself anymore, and it consumes me.”

“I know last season was tough, honey, but everyone knows how hard you worked to get back in top shape this season” you said. “Erik believes in you and so do I. You're there for a reason, you need to understand that the more you demand of yourself, the more frustrated you become.”

“Sometimes I feel like I'll never play like I did at Chelsea and-”

“You know you will, the season has started now, you have many months left to prove everyone they were wrong about you.”

“I just feel like if he had put me in today we would have had a chance, I just watched them and couldn't do anything to help the team.” 

“Today's draw wasn't your fault, and yeah, maybe you would have helped if you had played but questioning the coach is not the best idea, Mase. Who knows, maybe next time you'll start as a starter?”

Mason didn't respond and just sighed, but he pulled you against him and wrapped his legs around yours, hugging you while leaving a few kisses on your neck. You laughed out loud as he tickled you because he wouldn't let you go as he laughed with you at your screams. 

“Let me go, oh my God” you were out of breath from laughing so hard, and Mason climbed on top of you and finally stopped tickling you, and you pulled him by the neck and pressed his lips against yours. Mason leaned on the bed and when you ended the kiss he looked at you smiling, and you ran your hands over his face, because you love seeing him happy.

“Thank you for this, I know I'm being annoying but you always know how to help me” he said and you just gave him a little kiss. “You’re the best part of me, Y/n.” 

“You can talk to me about anything, right? I'll always support you, Mason.” Mason lowered his head to give you another kiss, but the sound of the doorbell interrupted you. 

“What’s that?”

“My dinner.”

“Your dinner? How about me?” 

“You said you were not hungry” you said as you walked down the stairs, smiling. 

“Looks like I'll have to eat yours then” Mason said and took the credit card before leaving the house and going to get your dinner. 

You went to the kitchen to get some plates and cutlery and returned to the living room, so you could have dinner as you always do at the coffee table watching some movie. 

“Ah, you really know how to make me feel better” he said as he saw you sitting on the carpet. 

“Do you want to watch One Tree Hill with me? Please, please” you begged and he smile. “Thank you, that’s why you’re my favorite.” 

“Just because I love you, ‘cause I can't stand hearing about Nathan and Haley anymore.”

“Don’t be so dramatic.”

[othervee]

The birthday breakup

For some reason I have been musing over Wilmon's birthday breakup and what might have happened if Simon hadn't done it. I'm very interested in what possible futures might have played out and I'm convinced that if they hadn't split up then, they would never have ended up together.

When Wille excuses himself from dinner, Simon is trying to negotiate the situation as best he can. Wille is allowed to be upset, but he's also abandoned Simon to two people who barely know him, are talking without him about someone he never knew, and have nothing in common with him except Wille. Polite as the three of them are to each other, Simon and Wille's parents don't really know how to interact with them at the best of times, and this is not the best of times.

What Simon sees and hears when he goes to talk to Wille in the corridor is really important. He offers to leave. He can feel the air vibrating with tension and he knows that his presence is just standing in the way. Wille wants to hash things out through talk while his parents are in denial. Simon's presence provides a shield for them all to hide behind; we need to be polite and pretend everything's fine in our first real interaction with our son's boyfriend.

Simon's offer to remove himself is actually the most sensible thing he can do. He's fairly casual in the way he offers to go, and also in the way he says to Wille, "Please don't leave me alone with your parents like that." It's making his wishes clear and honest but keeping things as light as he can, not wanting to increase the tension in the air.

Wille, though, is incredulous that Simon even suggests this but his main response is "I… I need you here!"

In that moment and in the scene that follows, I think Simon sees what their future will be if he accepts the role he's being set up to play. He'll be Wilhelm's mascot, his buffer, his shelter from the storm.

I'm not suggesting that Wilhelm is the selfish one and Simon's the selfless one, because things are more complicated than that. Wilhelm loves Simon for himself. But Wilhelm at the palace inhabits a different world and is under different pressure, and as the cracks worsen he needs Simon there to comfort him and soothe his feelings and be on his side. Wilhelm hasn't had anyone on his side in the palace since Erik died. At the palace Simon is his buffer, his shelter from the storm.

But having Simon there will also mean Wille has a crutch to lean on, and an excuse to keep going in the same old patterns with his parents, because he thinks he can bear it as long as he has Simon. And that means he will stay in this role, he will keep trying to fit himself into the wrong shape, even as everything cracks and shatters around him. And eventually things with Simon will sour as well.

Simon can't fix the family relationships, and he can't stop the bad things from happening, and he can't give Wille the tools he needs to cope because - like Wille - he's a teenager. A teenager who has no idea how to operate in Wille's unfamiliar royal world. Wille needs Simon to ward off the bad atmosphere, but he'll only end up poisoning them both. So Simon needs to go. Going might not fix anything, but staying definitely won't. It will give Wille an excuse to maintain the status quo.

So Wille doesn't give up the crown for Simon. Absolutely not. But Simon's action in breaking up with him helps to create the conditions that make Wille able and willing to give up the crown for himself.

[icarusredwings]

Gossip with Logan.

Hank sneezes like a kitten. Kitty told me so.

Rouge says Sometimes Remy tries to sleep cook. She's found him up once "Makin' crawda' boil" and was stirring an empty pot for about 5 minutes. She didn't have the heart to wake him and thought it was the cutest thing ever.

Scott snores like a guy from the 1900s with tuberculosis

If Storm is really sad, it'll rain on her, and just her specifically like a cartoon charater.

Kurt gets fleadipped once a month or else he'll just sit on the floor and itch his ears like a dog.

Charles talks about Erik in his sleep.

Erik doesn't even know when his sons birthday is. It's in February, and the last time he brought gifts in July. (Pathetic)

Jubilee keeps accidentally exploding the microwave but tells me so I stab it a few times to make it believeable because Im Chucks favorite

Morph makes himself taller then he actually is for pictures

Sometimes Jean makes food so bland even I don't want it... (I rather chew on the table leg..)

Wade used to have braces

Kittys' first crush was Zayn from One Direction

Rouge uses so much hair spray that im pretty sure the only reason she hasn't suffocated yet is because of her powers

Yukio unironically litsens to Hatsue Miku

Negasonic sometimes trips down the stairs because she's too busy staring at Yukio

Piotr keeps stealing recipes from bake off shows and claiming they're his own

Laura is wanted in 5 different states. Literally, no one knows what she did, and Im guessing it's something super embaressing.

Creed sucked his thumb all the way up until we were 38.

[captainkirkk]

✩ WEEKLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩

All the fics I’ve read and really enjoyed in the past week-ish. Reminder: This list features any and all ratings and themes. Please look at tags and warnings on ao3 before reading.

The Nine Worlds series (Hands of the Emperor)

nothing less than the world by ariex09

At least there wasn’t an audience for the look Ludvic turned on Kip and the too neutral way he said, “Tor?”

Kip could feel himself flushing - in Astandalas this was the kind of thing that had lost him jobs before - but he had the excuse of, first of all, amnesia, and second of all, “He didn’t give me any other name!” Kip hissed. “He deflected me off the topic twice!”

-

AU where the landslide at the Liauu happens several years earlier, and the younger Kip has a rather different experience of the future.

diving for a flame pearl by ariex09

It took me an appalling three hours and thirteen minutes to even realize that Kip was gone.

Ah, but that was too charitable. Once we had a timeline together, we discovered that Franzel had seen Kip last, turning in for bed at twelve minutes before midnight, and it was not until Shoänie went to wake him at dawn that anyone knew he was anything but asleep in bed. This meant that by the time the knock on my study door came, shortly past the third hour of the morning, Kip could already have been missing for more than nine hours.

-

In which Cliopher goes missing midway through The Hands of the Emperor. Fortunately, he has friends and family willing to do whatever it takes to bring him home.

A nap at the feet of the sun by SunInGlory

Prompt: Cliopher somehow falls asleep on HR’s robe, and rather than wake him, HR has one of the guards cut that part of the robe off of him. Just looking for something soft and sweet here, but of course go in whichever direction you’d like. Bonus points if Petty Treasons era.

---

Cliopher decides to take a nap. Okay, perhaps decides is too strong of a word.

Stranger Things

Robin's Guide to the Care and Feeding of Your Newly Adopted Former Mean Girl by formosus_iniquis

She extends a hand, ignoring the laugh it gets her, “Welcome to Hawkins, I’m Robin, occasional Dustin babysitter.”

The girl’s smile pulls lopsided at her mouth, kissed with a bit of irony and undeniably charmed. “It’s nice to meet you Robin,” her voice is soft, and a little unsure. Wavering like Becky Simpson’s tone deaf oboe playing, unsure of what pitch and timbre to land on. “I’m Stephanie Henderson, Dustin’s cousin.”

The bit crumbles immediately between Robin’s fingers.

“Stephanie? You went with Stephanie? Are you kidding? We workshopped so many names!”

Marvel

Three Kinds of Learning by luchia

Erik intends to recruit Raven's supposedly amazing, all-powerful older brother. Instead, he finds himself dealing with Charles Xavier, a weak, tweed-addled professor who seems to think powers don't matter nearly as much as personality. Erik's misconceptions are blown apart when Raven goes missing.

SVSSS

In Durance Veil by Mikkeneko (+ podfic)

Right, the villain's beautiful daughter, who had caught a glimpse of the Protagonist from afar and, naturally, fell madly in love at first sight. She'd used her knowledge of her father's lair to sneak into the dungeon where Luo Binghe was being held and eventually proved the key to his escape, betraying her father for love. "So, you want to try to find some random girl who's willing to sneak in past the guards to Luo Binghe's prison and..."

"What random girl could we possibly trust? I'll do it myself!"

"You know what," Shang Qinghua said. "Somehow I feel like I should have expected this."

---

Shen Qingqiu self-detonated at Hua Yue City, but he didn't die. Instead, he wakes up to a world where Cang Qiong is victorious and Luo Binghe has been imprisoned beneath the mountain. What's a poor transmigrator to do? He has to find a way to free the Protagonist before he breaks out and razes the Sect to the ground! Clearly, the best way to do this is to pretend to be one of Luo Binghe's future wives.

Clearly.

Harry Potter

A Place That Fits by BitchesLoveAngstImBitches

Harry had been prepared to save Sirius’ life, no matter what the cost. Harry put himself in danger, and Sirius had come running, and it was the last thing he ever did.

And then it turned out Harry’s life wasn’t even worth saving: Neither can live while the other survives.

At the rate of Voldemort’s rising power, Harry would be lucky to survive the year.

Sirius had died trying to help Harry. He’d died for nothing.

-

Harry is struggling in the aftermath of the Ministry battle to come to terms with Sirius' death. His isolation and mistreatment at Privet Drive only make things worse. Remus Lupin checks on him in Surrey, but with both of them grieving, his assumptions about Harry might only hurt him more.

[stardustamaryllis78]

Ok, I'm really getting tired of seeing people saying Aaravos is manipulating Claudia and I don't know if those people are watching a different show or seeing the show through a different lens but clearly, they turned a blind eye to the intention of this scene:

Aaravos confesses the whole truth about Viren to Claudia.

Then Claudia confessed that she KNEW Viren wasn't in the in-between and that she has been going along with Aaravos by her own free will.

Aaravos even asks her if she knew he wasn't there, then why would she want to invert the Nexus?

And that's when she asks Aaravos to give his full reasoning for opening up the Nexus. And he does. He becomes vulnerable to his true feelings.

Then Claudia stays by her own agency.

There is no more manipulation. They are now both on the same page.

Those of you saying after this that he's manipulating her have completely turned a blind eye to this scene for some reason and I really don't know why. Its a beautiful scene where two people who have both been through immense trauma have bonded and have become family. They have both lost someone and are now walking the same path together whether good or not.

I spoke about it in my post yesterday so I won't go too much into detail here but you can even see it in this scene:

Terry and Soren hatch a plan to use an illusion of Claudia's mum to get her away from Aaravos (now THATS manipulation) and Claudia says to Aaravos that she will handle it and guess what? He respects her wishes and stands back.

Even when the illusion version of her mum comes out from the Nexus, Aaravos doesn't say anything. If he really was manipulating her, he would have tried to stop her but no, he gives Claudia the breathing space to do what she needs to do and stays back.

Aaravos had given her a chance for an out earlier at the Nexus and Claudia went with him by her own free will so if she chose her mum, Aaravos would have respected that. Especially from the language he was choosing here by letting Claudia take the reins in this situation. It was about her, not about him. Why is this stuff being overlooked?

There's even proof in the openings:

Season 6 Opening:

Season 7 Opening:

Claudia no longer turns to stone and Aaravos has a much softer expression. Now why do you think that is?

That's right. She's no longer his pawn but someone he genuinely wants to see happy and healthy.

Now, lets look at the season 7 interview:

Note: Its supposed to say, "When Aaravos confessed that he does not believe Viren will emerge from the Moon Nexus" because we know that's what happened.

This is a Youtube interview from Cartoon Universe with the creators of The Dragon Prince. This was said by Aaron Ehasz himself:

"One of the things the season does, it deals with this idea of the transference - like Claudia's relationship with her father - and he's (Aaravos) sort of very aware of like she sees me as a father now and its not a perfect transference and he really sees her as a daughter - and he really does - I will not watch another daughter die, he says - he MUST save her. And so, I don't know. I do think - he's not just completely - he's not just an evil force, he has ALOT of cosmic anger to play out. He looks up at the stars "Are you watching?!" He's got a lot to work through."

Aaravos legitimately does see Claudia as a daughter and does very much care for her. There is no denying it.

At the end, Aaravos gets Claudia out of the final fight and says "I will not watch another daughter die" and you can feel how much he means those words (amazing performance by Erik Todd Dellums.) and in the way he looks at her, even though he's beaten and bruised.

He is now her father and she is his daughter.

No manipulation to be found after episode 6.

Was he once manipulating her? Yes. But not anymore. They are very much on the same page and care for each other very much as family.

Can we please move on from this whole "Aaravos is manipulating Claudia" charade now because I'm getting very tired of seeing it.

[bertoyana]

funniest thing to #Me about the use of charles' telepathy in charles' and erik's relationship in the prequels is how both of them suck SOOO bad at using it LMAOOOO

like, you'd think having a telepath in the dynamic would actually help things along with the communication, but they are both USELESS at making use of it

charles will use it to crossdress erik and tell angel how much he wants to fuck him and erik will use it to tell charles how much he wants to be controlled, but that's ALL they use it for. it's not even horny or funny anymore it's just SAD, man. they suck so bad at it

(the only time they ever make good use of it is when charles unburied one of erik's memories with his mother, and that's it)

erik just automatically assumes charles knows everything and that he knows WHY erik does the things he does (because charles is in his head, so he MUST know, right?) and charles automatically assumes erik understands the hidden meaning of every single thing he says (because erik is also in charles' thoughts, so he SHOULD know, right?)

(wrong. they are both stupid and they will keep going in circles for 30 years straight)

like. take their first interaction in xma as an example

(on the other hand, i don't even want to think about the "you are looking in the wrong place" line because it makes me want to k1ll myself in front of the writers)

they are in each other's heads right now, and yet they are not even LISTENING to each other, they are just going in circles because both of them are too wrapped up in erik's own grief to actively try to hear what the other is trying to say. and while you can tell charles is hurting for erik and wants to help him, he's probably not going about it the best way

also if you pay attention at the start of the scene, when erik feels charles in his mind he just... looks confused, curious maybe, as to why charles is there, but he doesn't get angry or defensive straight away. he just lost his family for the second time (simon kimberg i'm in your walls) so he's probably even welcoming the only familiar thing he still has left.

he doesn't get defensive UNTIL charles starts talking and just kind of... also starts putting his own foot into his mouth. bless his heart.

and the thing is, while they get interrupted by apocalypse... being there lmao, i don't think this would have pan out any different if it was just the two of them. as i said, they are not listening to each other. charles means well but he's not really listening to what erik is trying to tell him, and in response to this erik is rejecting any type of help charles wants to give him.

and we know apocalypse was using erik's grief (about magda and nina, about the camps) to manipulate him - *we* as an audience know that, but back in this scene, charles doesn't even NOTICE apocalypse. and this, plus the fact that as we've established, they SUCK at trying to listen to each other and communicate, just brings the entire thing to failure.

(also imagine being the most powerful telepath in the world and being too focused on your best friend to notice the god standing a few steps away from him... which could mean nothing)

(mind you. they are literally in each other's heads rn. they can hear what the other is thinking and feeling. AND YET)

and it's even funnier (no) how they are even WORSE without charles' telepathy. take as an example, both of their fights in the plane in dofp

from charles' point of view, erik was the one that left him. erik literally and physically LEFT him in cuba, took the only teleporter there was and left charles to bleed out (lmao). meanwhile, from erik's point of view, he might have left first physically, but he only did so after charles rejected him. so, from HIS point of view, charles was the one to pull away FIRST. when he told him they didn't want the same thing (rejecting erik's ideals and by thus rejecting erik himself as well)

(and charles also let erik to rot in prison for 10 years so he could be also referring to that lmao)

this also brings me to my other point. which is something that i do think is pretty much ignored by everyone, but to be fair, it's also ignored by the movie so,

and it's the fact that the movie establishes that erik has been isolated for 10 YEARS. again, we as the audience know that charles has been struggling for the past 11 years, we know he did all he could for the mutants and we know he's been struggling, and we also know he's been using the serum because he couldn't stand the voices.

mind you, erik doesn't know any of this. not only because he's been in prison for 10 years (and i doubt they let him keep up with the news) but also because charles doesn't tell him any of this (fair)

and the last thing erik said to charles before they parted ways in cuba was that they wanted the same thing, which charles denied.

so from erik's point of view, all that he knows is that charles promised him all those years ago that he wasn't alone, and then he rejected erik in cuba, sent him away, and then proceeded to give up on erik and on their cause by doing nothing when the mutants were being tortured and experimented on. and he started using the serum and living with hank like a normal human being, sacrificing his powers and 'betraying' their cause.

ofc none of this is what actually happened, and *we* know that. but erik doesn't. and for some reason??? that i find extremely hilarious??? no one ever BOTHERS to correct erik's assumption, lmao. also none of this ever comes up again in the movies which to me just means erik went on believing that charles just briefly gave up on their cause for 10 years LMAOOO

okay, moving on bc i still have things to yap about

the other plane scenes comes in. erik shows up with the chessboard, they actually DO talk a bit and erik tells him he didn't mean to kill jfk (can't believe i wrote that down these movies were insane) and then they settle to play chess. AAAND this scene comes in

and he apologizes for SHOOTING charles, because he never meant to hurt him, and he does regret that. but he's not apologizing for leaving, because, once again, from his point of view, charles left HIM

and then charles hits him with the most pathetic saddest wettest expectant look in existence (james mcavoy you are insane) because he thinks erik is going to apologize for leaving

and then erik hits him with this LMAOOO

and charles realizes erik is apologizing for shooting him (something i'm pretty sure charles didn't exactly blame him for? his biggest accusation was that erik abandoned him)

and you can see charles literally and figuratively backtracking and shutting down immediately AGAIN.

(because, again, charles thinks erik left him, and erik should apologize for that, but from erik's pov? charles rejected him, he pulled away FIRST so he wasn't the first to abandon the other. charles was)

(they both are wrong and right in a way. they also don't tell each other any of this)

then it's erik's turn to give charles the wettest and saddest look known in mankind, charles shuts down, refuses to even look at erik, he changes topics and erik lets him.

(they never talk about this again, btw)

(it probably blew up in their faces in genosha. i just know they make everyone's life miserable as hell in there . god bless)

anyways, i'm sure someone smarter than me could make a more interesting analysis of how you can tell they do genuinely care about each other, but their failing to communicate properly just brings them to their fall down over and over. especially because it's something that keeps blowing up in their faces all the time in the prequels. something something the failure of telepathy something.

[nimpnawakproduction]

The ultimate reference sheets for all of Vash's outfits in Trigun maximum (with commentaries)

IT IS DONE. I'M FREE. Now I can forget all about Trimax and draw Trigun stampede designs only hahaha (just kidding I have things for Trimax on the stove).

Trigun bookclub was an awesome initiative, I loved the manga with my all heart and wanted to honor Nightow's designs ;w; I also wanted to help my fellow artists with references for Vash's clothes because DEAR GOD it's difficult to understand how the hell he dresses himself in the morning. I have a lot of fun dressing and undressing him like a barbie doll. My hyperfixation is completely healthy.

I put a "read more" section to avoid spoilers :) !

The July coat

The very first coat in Trigun chronology and the one he wores during the destruction of July ! There is not a lot of panels to take references but I tried to stay as close as possible to the manga. I don't know what number of prosthesis he had before but let name this one Prosthesis 1.

Scars map

Next, nakey Vash ! There's A LOT of changes between one panel to another. Scars changes places and forms panel to panel and the design evolved from the first chapters of Trigun, the time we see him naked as Eriks and his undressed state while he was a prisoner on the Ark. I drew the scars that appeared more than once or were in clean view in a panel (but really you can do like Nightow and draw as many scars as you want without thinking about consistency, this boy has been in a meat grinder)

After July underclothes

Or the jumpsuit that gave me grey hair. His suit does not make ANY sense, I don't know how the hell he dresses himself in the morning with this. My solution is that it's very long gloves and chaps strapped to a belt. The position and shapes of the belts changes IN EVERY PANEL. Same for his knee guards, sometimes they're here, sometime they cover his shins, sometimes they are tiny..... I gave up in the end and draw them as we see them in the very last panel he wears this suit. But damn he looks good in it.

Also in all of the 13 volumes, there is not a single panel with a clear view of his holster (I checked...) so here is my interpretation.

This is prosthesis n°2, the design is a little different from the first one so I guess Prosthesis 1 got destroyed (this happens a lot).

After July coat

The very first Trigun coat he wears in the manga ! Very simple, very basic, it gives him impossibly wide shoulders but Vash deserves it. The first one is worn Post July until Vash's confrontation against Brilliant Dynamite Neon. The second one is the state of his coat after the sandsteamer incident. He loses his prothesis after his fight against Monev the gale. He meets Wolfwood with only one arm and stays that way while he fights Knives for the first time.

Eriks

I took liberties with colors because there's no colored panels with Vash as Eriks. Yes I drew him without suspenders because he has them for like 5 panels and then Nightow drew him without them for the rest of Eriks arc so I made choices ;w;

I love the fact that Vash choose to wear tight jeans even in his casual outfits, this boy will not let his skin breath. This is now Prosthesis 3 ! It's way less advanced than the ones he wore in the rest of the manga, the other ones seem to replicate skin.

After his years as Eriks

And now the first Maximum coat, he wears it until the famous Yuri hospital arc! Finally an undersuit that makes sense, I love it, too bad Nightow-san decided that I had to suffer and changed it again to add BELTS EVERYWHERE. We only see his legs in this part of the manga so I gave him the same top because I can.

The tubes he has on his waist are filled with bullets, he can connect them to his prosthesis to have a mini machine gun.

We are now at Prosthesis 4 !

Hospitalization on the Home ship

The famous Yuri hospital phase! Vash definitely shared his wardrobe with Wolfwood, you can't tell me otherwise.

The first outfit still shows Prothesis 4 but he keeps it for like 5 minutes and lost it again against Nine-lives. I don't really know if the prothesis comes with the integrated glove or if there's synthetic skin under it but why would he keep the glove on if it's not intergrated?

The second pictures is the different outfits he wears during his convalescence. I took liberties with the colors, I drew this in like 10 minutes, everything seems easy when you don't have to draw BELTS. We are now on Prothesis 5 ! Nightow drew it as a regular arm so I guess Vash wears gloves on top of it??????

Back on the road in pursuit of Knives

He wears this one after his stay at Home, throughout the Dragon's nest ark and until his 2nd fight against Knives.

I liked the design of his jumpsuit until I looked closer at the panels and saw that the design change ON EVERY ONE OF THEM. Knee guard on only one knee? No kneeguards? Two??? WHO KNOWS ??? I tried to make it work but really go wild with this one, even the author does not know how his pant looks.

Still prosthesis 5, BUT UNTIL WHEN?

Prisoner on the Ark

THEY MASSACRED MY BOY. Did they even feed him at least in 7 months? Those pictures are the definition of the drenched kitty cat left under the rain. Give this man a blanket and a therapist.

Bye bye Prothesis 5 ! And see what I mean when I say that his outfit does not make sense????? It comes out in parts????

After his imprisonment on the Ark

The last suit in the manga! He keeps this coat until the end of the story. From this point, only his hair changes (or the color of his coat).

I adore the little angel wing symbol on his left arm, such a cute addition. Too bad it appears in one of the most traumatic event of his life.

Speaking of his jumpsuit...The return of belts.... But at least this outfit stays relatively coherent except for his kneeguards who appear and disappear panel from panel but most of the time he doesn't have any, so no kneeguard it is. Prosthesis 6 hello !

Final battle and end of the story

It hurted to drew those outfits ;w; And working on the design of his coat when he fights Legato made me realize where Orange studio took inspiration to chose the colors for Vash's coat in the final episode of Stampede ! Great job ! I tried to color the same effects as one of the illustrations showing dark Vash but I'm not really good with colors..... He actually radiates energy but with some purple undertones, I took some liberties because those are my drawings I do what I want.

I'm not sure at 100% that he has a tuft of blond hair left when his outfit turns black but his hair is all black at the end of the fight. His prosthesis is destroyed at the end of the fight. He got another one in the final chapter. So 7 prosthesis throughout the story!

[zee-has-commitment-issues]

Okay question. Cause I see everybody be like “this is not true to Wilhelms character” “end of s2 wilhelm would never” and I just don’t understand that point of view? To me this makes so much sense as yeah he ended s2 with saying that it was him - but as simons friend also pointed out: he did that without talking to Simon about it. And I feel like with everything happening around him it makes so much sense to act the way he does. Is it good behavior? No, but with the way he was raised I wouldn’t expect otherwise. And also, it’s not like he’s the worst person to ever exist (also it is hilarious to me that he tries to solve every conflict between him and Simon by having sex or making out - peak teenage behavior). I’m just curious as to your pov of his character this season so far.

I think this is very much true to Wilhelm's character. Impulsivity and protectiveness have always been two of his key traits and we see that consistently throughout the season. He often acts impulsively to protect himself and/or Simon, even if he ends up doing the opposite in the end.

And it is because of how he was raised that he doesn't check with people before acting. He has never had a good example of that. He has always had decisions made for him. He has never been given the privilege of a choice, and he has been told that that is love. It makes sense that he replicates that with the one person he loves more than anyone else. He is making decisions for Simon because he has learned by example that love is protecting people even when they don't understand what they are being protected from, even when they don't want protection.

Wilhelm also has a history of projecting his feelings onto people. Constantly. We've seen it since season one. The first example that comes to mind is when he tells Simon that dealing is "so fucking low" when he is the one in the middle of a potential drug scandal. So it makes sense that Wilhelm continues to project his own feelings and insecurities onto people throughout this season. We see it in season two when he does whatever that was with Felice. We see it in season three with the Erik stuff.

Wilhelm has committed at this point. He came out, he is out, and he's with Simon. So, to him, pushing it in everyone's face at school, not having to hide, is exactly what he and Simon wanted. But then he has this other side where he needs to control how everything is working within the royal family/court, so he needs to have Simon under control. He doesn't take a second to think about how Simon has his own opinions because he's acting impulsively almost all of the time.

You mention how Wilhelm seems to always turn to sex or making out, and yeah it's because he's a teenager, but it's also because physical touch is his love language. He's using it to make up with Simon, sure, but he's also using it to just show Simon "hey, I love you, and I know we're in a rough spot, but I still love you."

So to me, this all tracks.

Impulsive? Check. Projecting? Check. Not asking for input on things he should have input on? CHECK.

True to character.

[argisthebulwark]

I Confess I'm A Mess

summary: After an especially nasty argument, you decide to sleep somewhere other than beside him. gn reader, no pronouns or y/n used. feat: Farkas, Brynjolf, Vilkas, Mercer, Cicero, Erik the Slayer, Miraak warnings: language masterlist

Farkas curls up on the couch beside you, kissing away the furrow in your brow. He mumbles apologies into you skin when he clutches you to his chest. Despite the lingering anger you can't help but cuddle closer into the inviting warmth of his skin. "Sorry for bein' an ass." He murmurs, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. "Can't sleep without you."

Brynjolf paces around the house, anxiety building until he can't take another moment. He stalks over to the Cistern, hating the sight of you curled up on that old cot. Even in sleep you look annoyed - face scrunched up and pillow clutched to your chest. Trying not to wake the others he clambers into an empty bed, each breath coming a bit easier once you're close.

Vilkas grumbles, scooping you to his chest. He refuses to let you sleep in some shitty recruit bunk - he knows how badly they hurt your back. You grind your teeth, knowing full well that as soon as you speak the argument will start again. "We can keep fighting in the morning." He promises, voice stiff when he places you carefully back into bed. "I promise."

Mercer refuses to chase after you. He tells himself that he is content staring out the window and recounting the argument, taking note of all your errors. His inability to sleep only feeds the mounting annoyance. Stomping out to the main hall, he grumbles angrily at the sight of you curled into a cushy chair. Mercer throws a blanket over you before settling onto the couch, endlessly agitated that he cannot sleep without the sound of you snoring.

Cicero absolutely panics. He's catastrophizing - thinking over every word you'd said to him convinced he's fucked everything up. He's pushed you too far this time. You're going to leave him. Clambering into your bed, chilly fingers grab yours and Cicero presses nervous kisses to your wrist. He's relieved when you don't shake him off, a sleepy kiss pressed to his head. "Don't leave poor Cicero." He pleads into your skin, basking in your scent. "Perfect, lovely Listener. Your Keeper will do better."

Erik gives you space but is unwilling to go too far. He's unfamiliar with the Rift and you'd run into a fair amount of bears on your trek, leaving you in a flimsy tent is wrong regardless of his anger. His bedroll is placed a few steps away - still agitated over the argument but remaining close in case you need him. He stares up at the stars, stomach churning as he slips into an uneasy slumber. He wakes with relief as you slide into his bedroll, all anger forgotten when your head rests on his chest.

Miraak leaves the bedchambers to you, finding solace in his library. He allows the hours to pass while the confusing mess of feelings in his chest continues to fester. Surely you will come to him. You will seek him out and demand an apology as you always do. When night slips into morning, Miraak finds himself glaring at the door. Raising his hand to knock before entering his own chambers feels silly but simply entering could rekindle the argument. He's shocked when you wrench open the door. Your eyes are wide when you notice him, clearly still upset. Miraak wants to make some snarky comment but you look too cute wrapped up in his robes.

[grapehyasynth]

nature boy

wille has always been told not to expect to marry his soulmate. others dream of the day they’ll get their soulmate mark – it appears the day after the first meeting and is there every day after, but changing each day to reflect something meaningful from your soulmate’s previous day – but wille’s mother insists he has duties to fulfill, that he can create his own fate and find a partner whether or not she's a soulmate. (and yes, they only ever discuss in terms of she.) 

he's on his way to another one of the dates his mother keeps setting up for him, and it's about thirty minutes before he needs to be at the restaurant, but instead he's at a greenhouse. he approaches the front desk, where a young man in a button-down shirt open over a looney tunes t-shirt with a name tag that reads Simon is nodding off over a textbook.

"i was hoping to buy some flowers for a first date," wille explains, when simon has looked up.

"we don't actually do bouquets," simon says.

"i know, i - i thought i would get something they could plant, afterwards," he clarifies, and he hears himself use they and tries not to make anything of it. he’s trying not to second-guess himself, knows his mother would tell him to go with a traditional bouquet, can picture erik all dashing with a few roses.

simon sets his pen down, looking at wille with a new expression, like he's reconfiguring his impression of him. "that's really thoughtful. i can help you with that."

wille follows him into the greenhouse, winding past tables of ceramic pots and meter-tall fronds, ducking under some vines that boast a sign about an upcoming workshop. simon hovers over a few plants before moving on. every now and then he glances at wille, seeming to size him up and factor this into his considerations. (wille wishes he knew what simon was seeing.) finally he scoops up a medium-sized pot with pale purple flowers, holding it out to wille with both hands.

"spreading bellflower. it's similar to the small bluebell, which is--"

"our national floral emblem,"  wille finishes for him, because of course that's the kind of nonsense his mother has made him learn, though it feels a lot less vapid in this moment.

simon looks impressed. "exactly. everybody wants the small bluebell. we don't sell a lot of the bellflower."

"it's perfect," wille tells him, and as he lifts the flowers to his nose, he sees simon's eyes crinkle with a smile.

his date is lovely, much more unpretentious than he's used to, nervous but striving to be genuine. she's definitely a bit thrown by the flowers, and she sounds apologetic when she explains she doesn't have any outdoor space, not even a balcony or patio, and her windowsills are too slim to host the plant. wille feels a bit wounded, wants to insist that she could just find a small table and set it near the window, but she's already suggested that he take it home with him and care for it "for me, until i can visit," she says, and he doesn't mind the idea, actually - has grown a little attached to the flowers.

he goes to sleep thinking of brown eyes and purple blossoms. he wakes up with them on his chest. the blossoms, that is, not the eyes. the spreading bellflowers bloom across his chest like elaborate watercolor tattoos, and he feels his heart leap behind the flowers as he traces them reverently. so he met his soulmate yesterday, and the bellflowers were meaningful to their day. but is it the boy from the greenhouse, or his date?

he knows who he wants it to be, but maybe fate, like his mother, has its own ideas about his path.

he doesn't want to contact simon or his date until he knows a bit more, so he has to wait a full day. he drags himself through his classes at uni, biting his nails down, the bellflowers burning under his clothes. (he'd been tempted to wear a v-neck shirt, show them off, but he also wants to cradle it to himself for a little while.) he stays up late, skin itching as the clock ticks towards midnight, at which point the bellflowers fade. instead, vines twine up both of his arms, curling like bracelets, embracing his wrists and forearms and the cut of his muscle. he knows those vines - couldn't name them, but he recognizes them from the greenhouse. there'd been a sign next to them, for an upcoming workshop, which he's guessing simon led yesterday.

he has an answer. and if the interest is mutual - which it isn't always, with soulmate marks, but he suspects it might be, if the bellflowers were a meaningful part of simon's day - then he is eager to bloom under this plant boy's touch.

[bubblergoespop]

new porter audio rambles <3 (i don't think any of this makes sense it's 6/7am)

okay so, to begin and get this out of the way, i believe neither side of this argument is the right side. and neither side is entirely wrong. the common obsession with one person needing to be entirely right and the other entirely wrong irks me so much.

porter is clearly not innocent here. he speaks to treasure in such a condescending way despite the fact that their main goal is just to HELP. they care for him and, though they're going about it in the wrong way, they're truly trying to help him work through his problems in a healthy way. and the way porter shuts treasure down isn't just mean, it could be damaging. for all we know, porter could create a repeat of early freelancer in treasure with his "your problems aren't as big as mine" mindset that he holds throughout this argument. i can imagine how torturous it is to be in treasure's shoes when all they want to do is help. every attempt they make to help porter in the long term is shut down and i know how draining that can be. i can't stop thinking back to porter's sleep aid audio where the same topic was covered but on a much calmer level. how many times has treasure tried to help porter and how many times has he refused to let them?

that said, treasure is also not free of the blame in this. porter has been repeatedly setting a clear boundary with treasure on topics to do with his house's drama and yet they continue to cross this line and try to get him to talk about it. they start taking offense when he says no and begin lashing out at him, even going so far as to call porter a coward. now, i know it was a heated moment and they didn't originally say it with their full chest but that's so wrong of treasure to say when porter was just establishing that he wasn't ready to talk about his feelings on an apparently life threatening matter. in my opinion, porter had every right to snap back at that. not to mention the hypocritical nature of treasure's side of the argument. saying porter's running from his problems, as if that isn't exactly what treasure did back during the audio in which the pair met.

porter tells treasure "i don't owe you more of me" and that's so interesting to me. because he's right. if he doesn't want to share more, that's his prerogative. and treasure shouldn't be pushing too hard on that when it's clearly upsetting for porter. however, just two audios ago, both porter and treasure agreed that they wanted to expand on their relationship and get to know each other better. i think that's one of the reasons why treasure continues to press so hard in this audio (plus a hc of them being the therapy friend but who doesn't hc that at this point?). treasure tries so hard to get porter to talk because they're under the impression that that's the direction porter wanted their relationship to go. to treasure, porter made it clear that he'd like for their relationship to go further and yet he seems to be making no effort in actually letting down his walls for them. they try and bridge the gap, and porter snaps. god forbid someone wants to help their partner feel better.

oh and the fact that this was the same night as porter's talk with sam is obviously not coincidental. that talk with sam already had emotions bubbling close to the surface in porter and having this discussion with treasure resurface again during that short time window is just another factor that caused this to turn into such a big thing. porter himself was aware of this and even tried to prevent it by telling treasure he wouldn't be good company for the night. this was one of the few times porter tried NOT to cause a fight and it led to one anyway - "every association i have ever cultivated i have turned into ash" :(((

this argument not being resolved is killing me already i don't know if i'll make it to the next treasure and porter audio, i really don't. erik clearly wants me to WITHER AWAYYYYYY AAAARGHHHH!!! whether this is next followed up with more angst or an immediate resolution, i don't care, i just need more asap.

i do wonder if this will be the end of porter's spiral or if he'll continue clashing with his other associations. he's clashed with sam, now treasure. who's next? vincent again? it's possible, considering he's been trying to contact porter. maybe it'll be even william himself next? porter's been expressing doubt when it comes to his servitude of his king - "the person i've used as my compass in this second life has always held the needle pointed firmly back into his own pocket and i've allowed my own fear and desire for any kind of meaning to blind me to even imagining any other alternative."

repeatedly, porter seems to be dramatizing the current situation. from what we know for a fact so far, only three vampires are leaving the solaire house and despite one of them being the prince, the house should still be strong. they've still got their king, his first-born progeny and his right hand man, surely the house would still survive, albeit weakened? regardless, porter says he needs to "save a few dozen lives, if not multiple houses," as well as "i don't need to talk about it, i need to solve it. before people end up dead," and this could either just be porter being dramatic, as he tends to be, or he could be being genuine and there's more to this situation than we know so far.

anyways, hearing a speaker have a talk with his listener and speak with such vitriol in his voice? oh how i've needed this drama and of course it's from these two silly billies.

[kalinara]

So as someone who immensely enjoys disliking Charles Xavier, I have to admit, I was utterly delighted when the X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic (in Krakoa age, one of the rare times it did not involve Nature Girl murdering people) decided to do what is, essentially, an "It's a Wonderful Life" plot for the guy.

So if even if you've never seen the original movie that the plot comes from, you've undoubtedly seen a parody or homage, (at least if you're American). Sitcoms particularly like to use the idea, but occasionally even serious shows will do it too. A character goes through some shit, is dreadfully unhappy, and is shown what life would be like without him.

Now the thing about X-Men, is that we did see what the world would be like without Charles Xavier in the Age of Apocalypse storyline. And admittedly, it's pretty bad. Scott has long hair. Enough said.

And of course, the gist of this story is that Xavier ends up in the Age of Apocalypse world (or maybe just dreaming about it), and introduces them to the Krakoa concept and gets a big ego boost.

It is what it is. The part that amuses me is what drives Xavier to the point of needing this ego boost. And it is an AMAZING level of petty.

Since there are a lot of scans, I'm going to put them behind a cut. Enjoy! (These are all from X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #62, by the way.)

So we start off with Xavier's daily schedule:

It's a pretty busy itinerary, admittedly. So now, let's see how Xavier's day actually goes.

We actually start off with Xavier waking up, disgruntled, at 6:00 AM. I'm not actually going to show this, because I am not a morning person either and can't make fun of him for it.

Also, he's shirtless, and not being named Max or Erik, I am not into that. Sorry.

But, let's look at the rest.

6:30's resurrection of Rusty Collins

Xavier was apparently a bit slow, and Hope decided to resurrect the dude without him. That happens. You can hardly blame a teenager for leaping at the chance at grown-up responsibility.

Also, she's a Summers. So it's pretty much inevitable.

--

So then we get the 7:45 meet and greet.

A small child adores Kitty. Kitty is a little meta here, but not wrong. After all, part of what the Marauders do, at this point, is rescue people.

Now, Xavier looks kind of neutral here, but given that this is part of the litany of disappointment, contextually, one must interpret this to mean he is disappointed.

But here's the thing, Chuck. You're not an "X-Man". You're the dude who sends them out from the shadows. You didn't even publicly admit to being a mutant for decades. And while, yes, you did have some physical issues that made being a field operative impossible, it's not like you're going out on rescue missions NOW.

Sorry, I shouldn't rant. There's more to mock.

--

So how does the 9:15 teaching session go? We don't actually know. Presumably it's not notable. Despite the fact that teaching is the one thing Xavier can claim he actually does.

Instead, we skip ahead to the 11:05 parole hearing:

I mean, you can't actually be surprised by this. I'm not even sure that Sabretooth is still IN there. But he's busy torturing people, if he is. So no, he's not getting out.

You could let the kids out though. Poor Idie.

--

This bit makes me laugh:

Got stood up by the guy whose mind you forcibly wiped. You can't be shocked by this, Chuck. That was a fucking dick move and you know it.

(Especially since you decide that Franklin isn't a mutant after all.)

--

How about the X-Corp Review?

Huh, who'd have thought that multi-millionaire business people would have the business shit handled?

I mean, to be fair to Charles, he does seem to never lack money, so he likely has business sense himself. But meh. I can't blame Warren and Monet for wanting to go off and canoodle or whatever.

--

I admit to some sympathy here, just a bit:

I've mentioned that I'm not a really a fan of the Arakko focus on Omega mutants, and how that kind of spoils my enjoyment of Storm basically being amazing up there. (I feel like it'd be more satisfying to have a non-Omega show them that sheer power isn't the only measure of awesome. I did like watching her use teamwork to kick Vulcan's ass though.)

That said, why did you not realize this would be a thing, Xavier? Arakkans make no secret of how their society works.

--

Now, sadly, we skip the legal conference about the X-Babies. Presumably it goes well and no one mocks Xavier, but I'm kind of fascinated by the idea.

But then we get the official Treehouse lighting ceremony:

...are you really feeling left out because your two former child soldiers are getting honored as "mutantkind's greatest heroes".

Fucking REALLY?

Are you living among humans and saving them from various threats? Heck, are you sticking around to help hand out meals, as the mayor mentions? Because you're not down there, and your itinerary says you'll be having a meeting about Orchis with Beast in like an hour.

It presumably goes well, because we skip ahead to sparring with Logan.

This goes pretty straightforward. They have a heart to heart, which I appreciate, because I'm still utterly boggled by that bit in X Lives of Wolverine where he claims that, despite their respective ages, Logan sees Chuck as a father figure.

By the way, Logan doesn't act like a "son" in this scene at all. He does give some legitimately good advice though and asks the question that's the point of all this:

And for FUCK'S SAKE, Xavier. The fact that this is apparently an armor piercing question, after a day where the WORST thing that happened to you was having a few appointments go on without you, getting stood up by a dude who's got every reason to dislike you, and seeing Kitty, Scott and Jean get SOME MEASURE of weak recognition.

THAT's what leads to the "It's a Wonderful Life" moment?

I mean, presumably, the interview with Trish Trilby which happens before the sparring match goes well. Meaning you're going to be on the fucking news as the face of Krakoa again. But that hardly matters because the Mayor of New York considers your SURROGATE CHILDREN to be the greatest heroes.

You couldn't even be HAPPY for them?!

(I also can't help but note that upon meeting AoA Cyclops, who assumes Xavier is an escaped clone and tries to kill him, we see no sign of the ACTUAL character's complexity or depth. He's just a random villain here. Because in the end, it's all about Xavier's ego.

He does refer to Scott as "the most pragmatic man I've ever known", which is a really interesting description that I'm not sure I agree with. But that's an analysis for another day.)

Anyway, as mentioned, the rest of the story is basically just fueling Xavier's ego. I mean, Age of Apocalypse IS a hellhole. (Though a friend of mine suggested once that possibly the only thing Age of Apocalypse proved that Xavier was necessary for is preventing Mr. Sinister from regaining control of Cyclops. I think I'd have to reread the story to see if I agree, but since I hate Xavier, I DO like that thought.) And he does bring them Krakoa and joy.

But I'm just going to bask in the fact that Xavier's deepest pain on Krakoa is that someone occasionally recognizes other people instead of him. I bet he hated Scott's Rolling Stone cover too. :-D

[waybeforeyourtime]

Why this line was the last straw?

"Why can't I decide how the hell I want to live? I want to live a normal life."

Before S1E1 even hits the 3-minute mark, we see a frustrated Wille make this statement. We, the audience, think it's simply the spoiled demands of a privileged prince.

We come to find out that it's not. It's a boy being forced into a role he doesn't fit into. He's a square peg being shoved into a round hole.

Then he meets Simon. Then he becomes Crown Prince.

"I can't keep doing this anymore."

He tries, but he can't. So, he goes back to Simon. Then he * fucks * up again. The video is leaked. More shame on the family. He lies to be a good prince.

He's surrounded by the privileged and expected to act like the privileged while loving someone unprivileged. August betrays him and hurts Simon because he isn't a good enough Prince.

August: "You have it all, and you don't want it." (paraphrasing).

August can be his backup, but he hates August for what he did. Except Wille is getting desperate. He's lost Simon, and he considers letting that happen to give him the normal life he always wanted. Except August is worse than he thought. August would send Simon to jail to protect himself.

He wants to be a good prince and not let August take the role, somewhat out of spite, too.

Wille - impulsive last-minute Wille - decides, mid-freakin'-speech, to try being true to himself and remain a Royal, and he outs himself publicly and declares that it was him with Simon in the video.

It doesn't change anything, though. In fact, it gets worse. Now, Simon has to fit into the mold of a Royal, and he's miserable. Wille tries to explain how it works but he can't. It's half-hearted. He doesn't believe in it, so how can he sell it to Simon? He doesn't think Simon should have to stop posting his music or being who he is, but it's what is expected of him. It's how the privileged act. They expect the lower class to conform to their wishes. They don't care about the wants or needs of the lower classes.

Simon breaks up with him. Wille's defeated because he knows Simon is right. Simon will never be happy being stuck in the expectations of Royal life. But Wille isn't either. And Wille sees that his mother isn't happy - she's having a mental breakdown. Erik wasn't the perfect brother either. He did toxic things and then covered it up.

Everyone is fake. Except Simon, so he lets him go.

"You'll make a great King."

This was the last straw. Wille had never heard that before. Everything he's ever done has been the wrong thing. The wrong way of thinking. The wrong way of acting. Wanting the wrong things. When he tried to make it right, it failed. Now, his mother is telling him that he'll make a Great King. Why? Because he gave up Simon and tried to fake it like everyone else.

And in that moment, our impulsive last-minute Wille, decides that 'no. he will not make a great king.' He stops just trying to get approval from his parents. He will not carve out pieces of himself to fit in that round hole, and he runs. He runs away from it and runs towards a life where he can make his own choices. He doesn't know who he wants to be, but he knows it's not King.

A hopeful ending. Not a happy ending.