#honestly up there with my fave cf scenes ever

[shayveridekidd]

ok i totally forgot about this scene until i rewatched the episode but now i’m crying. the entirety of 51 + kev lining the streets so that this kid could walk safely to his graduation & matt and boden walking with him🥺🥺

[sapphirescales]

erik and raven in first class

give me excuses not to be resting in bed after meds by asking meta stuff—— ( status: always accepting excuses to procrastinate! )

DID YOU MEAN: MY FAVE TOPIC OF ALL TIME?!?!

*clears throat* *puts on ableist toxic che/rik shipper voice* but LILY! erik and raven came out of nowher–

HERE’S WHERE UR WRONG BUDDY!!!!

the question you should be asking yourself is: where IS their development? why is it that erik looks to her in the final scene and asks her to come with him? why is it that, after being so callously rejected by hank, raven goes to erik for comfort vs let’s say, alex or sean ( who have never been Weird about how she looks! ) or even charles ( her oldest and dearest friend )? 

so. we see them on screen for the first time as they arrive at the Secret C.I.A. base ( tht shaw later blows up and kills darwin in ), in the car! the seating seems to be like this: moira & the c.i.a. agent in the front, and in the back charles-raven-erik, in that order. idk how far away this base was but if we assume tht it was Really Far tht means tht for a few hours, raven and erik were literally squished in a car together. cuties! this has no character-development relevance beyond my own headcanons and experiences w/ being in a car w someone for Hours, but it’s cute!!! i bet u raven drooled on him and won his ever lasting affection!!! anyways, this at least suggests Off Screen development!

fig 1. u can see tht erik is climbing out of the car, charles is already out, and there’s a blonde blur in the middle which is, ofc, ravne. also icb moira is ALWAYS driving sdklfjsdkfj

later on, we see them in the base, meeting hank! erik stands apart from charles/raven/moira/The Agent when they look at hank’s mutation but! you can CLEARLY see him watching with a close eye at the hank & raven interaction, he’s v v v much side-eyeing the two!!! his Immediate suspicion with regards to hank’s motivations with raven, his Immediate ability to pinpoint this possible relationship as Not Good!!! ( TAKE A LOOK AT THIS GIF! )

fig 2. and to the side, u see erik being tsundere like he isnt interested in other mutants what a fake!!!!

then, there’s the Iconique “ki/nky” scene!!! though you see hints of it when he’s side-eyeing raven and hank earlier, this is where we get canon confirmation that erik ALREADY knows not just what raven can do, but how she REALLY looks. although you could argue that maybe raven showed hank and erik at the same time, the earlier Side-Eye Game Strong scene suggests that erik already knew, hence why he’s v much ://// about raven and hank! and look at! where his gaze is!!!

fig. 3 and fig. 4

erik, looking at raven: “by the way, if i looked like you – “erik, looking at hank: “i wouldn’t change a thing.”

fig. 5, fig. 6, fig. 7:and hank unable to meet raven’s eyes after! knowing full well tht erik Knows His Game!

so, from here you get a HUGE set-up for erik and raven already! something absolutely vital to who they are! where charles Avoids the topic of how she looks ( “what, blue?” / “you’re my oldest friend” / “i feel responsible for you” / “i don’t know what’s gotten into you lately, you’re awfully concerned with your looks” ) and where her entire relationship with hank comes to revolve around how they look ( and how they can look normal / pass for normal ), her and erik’s relationship is, from this point, built on something completely different – ACCEPTANCE & BLUNT HONESTY.

i also always get! so mushy! about how erik’s gaze basically zeroes in on hank. it’s the physical equivalent of @-ing him and i cry about it all the time! keep in mind that at this point in time, erik is literally just about to go and steal the files from the C.I.A. and Leave Them All to go after shaw himself; he has no reason, no real need at all, to actually stop and SAY anything to either raven OR hank, to stop and point out that hank is a giant shit for wanting to change both his looks AND raven’s! but! he does! he stops and calls hank out! i Weep

moving onto the next scene – the cerebro scene. ofc this is one of my Most Fave che/rik scenes, but also! there’s an interesting parallel here tht most people don’t usually make – which is that both erik AND raven are wary of cerebro:

fig. 8 & fig. 9: [loud confused noises]

these are not the faces of ppl Excited by the idea tht the C.I.A. has been working on findings mutants ( using other mutants lmao @ hank !!! ) ( which, ofc leads to another question: how much of raven wanting to look Normal is a combination of societal pressure to be blonde, blue-eyed and fair-skinned as it is Fear of dropping her shift, outing herself and being vulnerable [cf. mystique, in xmen ( 2000 ): “people like you were the reason i was afraid to go to school as a child”], how much of her is actually ALARMED by the idea of being able to be found, even if she can hide? ) but it’s definitely! a far cry from charles’ face and general demeanor – nervous but also, excited ( “don’t ruin this for me, erik!” )

but this is a good similarity between them that sets them both Apart from charles, and more similar to each other!

my next scene is ofc, the Naming scene!!! listen every time sb describes tht scene as “mom n dad come home and yell @ the babies” i get so mad because, legit, STOP INFANTILIZING RAVEN!!! just Stop lmfao charles is definitely not her dad and she’s never seen him that way so please just fucking Stop being gross thx! anyways the scene was condescending, though it serves to ( crudely ) highlight the idea tht they still don’t don’t really know what they’re up against at all ( although, im 98% sure if erik saw oxford!charles from like 30 mins ago he’d say the same thing abt him but anyway! im not bitter or anything ). what’s absolutely significant abt this is that, after cuba, erik DOES go by the name “magneto” – so, as dismissive as it is now, as dismissive as he is of it now, he chooses to use this name that was given to him by a group of mutant kids. how Important is it that erik goes by a name that raven gives him, in the last vestiges of her Innocence before darwin is killed in front of their eyes – a name that carries her Hopes for him, when she was more childish? almost a protector’s name – a hero’s name, chosen by His Own Kind ( raven & the rest of the first class )? i’m,,, crying! that he’s so dismissive of it could possibly be as much to do with their perceived immaturity as it about his own dismissiveness about how Big this could be? how Significant? because, at this point in time there’s no cause yet… idk maybe u should weigh in @mutantism ?

ok next bit – after the base gets blown tf up! the car arrives ( with moira driving babbbe ) and both erik and charles share a look and then run over to raven. i die. i die. anywayz, that’s def v important for my tiny poly shipper heart but the Most Important is the Look raven gives to erik:

fig. 10 & fig. 11:

raven: “darwin’s dead, charles. and we can’t even bury him.”charles: …erik: “ – but we can avenge him.”

and i know the meta is only supposed to stick to xm/fc but! how significant is this response, for raven, even in do/fp? she loses all her friends and her response is vengeance, and it’s something both erik and raven are On Board for. it’s both of their instinct to hit back, hard, instead of turning the other cheek / taking it / giving up. MORE SIMILARITIES!

and then they’re at westchester, and erik is Dragging charles for his ( presumably ) easy life, literally Unable to consider for a Second tht maybe :0 ur family ISN’T always lookin out for ur best interests :0 i love him sfm, ADN THEN RAVNE SLIDES IN!

fig. 12:

erik: “i don’t know how you survived, charles, living in such hardship.”raven: “well, it was a hardship softened by me.”

honestly she looks like she’s gonna somehow beat the shit out of him if he ever Thinks abt pressing charles or taking the piss ever Again. but also? look at the lil smirk on her face, look at how erik’s face is just “r u srs” – she’s also absolutely rubbing it in his face that she’s known charles Longer and knows him Better. and he just. lets it be. bc he can’t say anything abt it in front of charles. she’s so. unbelievable.

icb we’re only on the training sequence, we haven’t even gotten to my fave bits. ONE SWEET N GENTLE MOMENT THAT I LOVE IN THIS TRAINING SEQUENCE THO is when sean squawks his way out the window.

erik, in the miami scene, to charles: GET OFF ME!erik, now, in the training sequence:

AND THIS IS SO IMPORTANT TO ME!!! that he lets her in close, that he’s Open to her physically touching him ( even like this, even in this skin that he Hates her wearing! ) when she communicates so strongly with touch. you can see it better in this gifset but i’m also gonna post screencaps because raven LITERALLY is leaning on his back to see how sean goes ka-put. literally! leaning on him! HE IS LETTING HER WITHIN HIS PHYSICAL PROXIMITY LIKE THIS! erik “GET! OFF! ME!” lehnsherr is letting her!!! i Die

also another thing is that while charles is busy Seriously Training everyone else, erik included, raven’s been … given weights to do. it’s … so condescending, even if it does come from a place of wanting to protect her ( in which case, charles, u probs should’ve left her in oxford but wait! u Couldn’t Trust her to keep her shift up and not fuck up or be able to deal w/ her fuck ups bc she’s an adult, so here we are! ) AND THE ONE PERSON WHO GIVES HER SOLID ADVICE, the one person who DOES seem to take it as a Given that she’ll be Part of a Big Battle w/ the hellfire club, the one person who gives her pointers that are for the purpose of helping her SURVIVE – is erik. while everyone else is focused … on everyone else, erik is focused on raven. while charles is focused on making everyone else unlock their full potential by learning how to accept themselves and their mutations, erik focuses on unlocking raven’s full potential by helping her learn how to accept herself and her mutation.

erik: “if you’re using half your concentration to look normal, then you’re only half-paying attention to whatever else you’re doing. just pointing out something that could save your life.” [drops the weights.]raven: [catches the weights, but drops her shift.]  …erik: “you want society to accept you, but you can’t even accept yourself.”

crossing over with @mutantism ‘s headcanon for erik & clothing – he’s dressed in short sleeves for this “Lesson” in self-acceptance. is it premeditated? is it deliberate? does he use it as evidence of he, himself, being Other in the eyes of The People, to create and deepen a connection between them, knowing full well how Other raven feels? you decide. bop it. ( my tiny hc is always that erik does more than just this One Scene; he does focus on her, and help to train her, while charles is focused on everyone else, but we’re here for meta Only and firmly sticking to what’s available in the materials. )

next, is the big controversial scene: raven shows up in erik’s room. there’s plenty of build-up for this, and this isn’t even the culmination of their relationship or even a Peak Point ( which comes much later, in cuba ) but, in case people still aren’t Seeing It, here’s what we’ve got:

erik knows what raven Really Looks Like before hank does;

erik Actively Expresses the idea that he doesn’t think she needs to change to fit society’s standards – and certainly not change to fit hank’s standards;

erik is Watching Her and she Knows It;

there are plenty of similarities between them, which are also differences between them and charles;

raven teasing erik and getting away with it;

erik focuses on raven’s development whilst charles ignores it in favour of The Other Mutants;

erik lets raven within his physical proximity and allows her physical touch – the same way he allows charles’ physical proximity and his physical touch ( so kiss my goddamn ass toxic che/rik shippers who insist charles is The Only Important Person in erik’s life );

erik Wholeheartedly Likes how she looks and Makes It Known Repeatedly.

okay, now next: a breakdown of this scene.

erik: “well, this is a surprise.” raven: “the nice kind?”erik: “get out, raven, i wanna go to bed. maybe in a few years.”raven: [shifts into an older self.] “how about now?”erik: “i prefer the real raven.”raven: [shifts back into her blonde self.]erik: “i said the real raven.”raven: [drops her shift.]erik: “perfection.”

important things to pick up on here: the fact that erik rejects her, even when she’s shifted herself into what she’d look like in a few years is significant because it means that he doesn’t actually think she’s too young – he means, in a few years, when she’s moved past her self-image issues, when she’s grown out of the need to please society. he means in terms of maturity ( which! is a constant theme of the men in her life, thinking she’s Immature and so, incapable of making decisions / knowing what she Really Wants ), especially with regards to her self-esteem. 

look at how smug she looks when he says the real raven that first time. she’s absolutely testing him, and she’s viciously smug when she feels like she’s been proven right; that he prefers this raven. this is, to erik ( the way it is to hank, and to charles, and to everyone in her life ) – the real raven. compare this to how vulnerable she looks when he keeps insisting on the real raven.

she even looks back to check that this is what he means – that he means what she thinks he does, when he says the real raven. the raven that she feels is her real self – who is her real self – is also the one he’s talking about. checking to see if she’s assumed wrongly about what he thinks. and! she hasn’t!

look at how he looks at her! my heart is melting! im honestly dying! you assholes can Meme tf out of this as much as you want but it’s so important! his eyes are so soft on her, esp when you compare it to the earlier training scene where she was lifting weights and hiding! it kills me!

okay, the next part of the transcript:

raven: “could you pass me my robe?”erik: “you don’t have to hide. have you ever looked at a tiger and thought you ought to cover it up?”raven: “no. but – “erik: “you’re an exquisite creature, raven. all your life, the world’s tried to tame you. it’s time for you to be free.”

okay, i laugh ALL THE TIME at this tiger speech but? it’s so Much. raven is immediately feeling vulnerable and exposed around erik, feeling even more vulnerable because he can see how much she’s affected by his insistence – and his response is to ( clumsily ) tell her that she doesn’t have to hide around him, ( their entire relationship! is BUILT on acceptance and honesty! ) that she shouldn’t hide bc!!! she looks So Cool, like!!! like a tiger!!! that’s how cool she is!!! it’s the cutest thing? erik obviously trying for reassurance!

you can see that when he touches her face, too. keep in mind, this is erik “GET! OFF! ME!” lehnsherr, who has passively accepted physical touch, and initiated it once ( 1 ) time with a knee pat with charles ( feel free to correct me if i’m remembering it wrong! ), is holding her face. he holds her face and leans in and kisses her, because she communicates by touch, because it costs him so much to do this but the cost is worth it to reassure her! from the very beginning, them being squished in that tiny car together, their relationship is so defined by the give/take of physical touch!

and, most importantly, how this tiny close-mouthed kiss is enough reassurance for her. she doesn’t demand anything more – doesn’t need anything more from him ( at this point in time ), and he doesn’t need more from her at this point either. this is when their relationship makes the turn from ACCEPTANCE & BLUNT HONESTY and growing into something that also has UNDERSTANDING.

next up, my two fave cutie pies being cute!!!

erik, seeing an opportunity, legit just? drags her? after spending a few secs tryna catch her eye, looking over charles, and then he says hank’s been busy with tht stupid? insinuating tone? she just glares at him and? he smirks? like the little SHIT he is? I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS!!! when will ur faves ever?!

and this bit, right before they board the blackbird is so fckn EXTRA like i can’t? believe?

im crying just! she’s just asked where’s hank? and erik has legit spent a good 30 seconds or so just staring at her, bordering on incredulity, and she’s smirked just as hank has spoken – you can see charles in the bg turning to face hank, which raven would’ve seen, so she knows he’s arrived, but she legit is just. holding erik’s gaze. she’s SMIRKING! erik can’t believe this! and neither can i!

but this is such a good, defining point of their relationship – that she can give as good as she gets, and so can he! i cry about it! and also, erik side-eyeing hank pt 2 ( because, another tiny hc sorry! but you can Bet that raven tells erik Exactly what hank says! )

and this is so important to me, that erik is still so Suspicious because! the audacity / self-centeredness of hank coming up to raven seeking her reassurance after he said she was more beautiful when she was hidden! that her natural form would never be accepted – that he could never accept it! and erik!!! being so Suspicious and disapproving of this!!!

ok anyway, next up, i’m gonna try and point Important things out in cuba without .. crying about cuba. so! the blackbird crashes, everyone is screaming, charles and erik have their Iconique scene where erik and charles are screaming together, as couples do, and he’s using himself as a safety belt.

now, focus on this next bit, after they get up off the floor. charles goes to unbuckle moira and erik gets up … and unbuckles raven. look:

that little figure w/ the booty bending down is charles – and the figure w a flatter booty unbuckling raven is erik.

my tiny children!!!

and then, another Fave ( and important ) scene: erik after killing shaw, after the missiles go off, and charles tackles him, even in a disassociated state, lashing out at everyone, telling them all to back tf off and MAKING them back off …

lashes out at charles  … 

but not raven.

even in this mental state where he’s clearly Not Okay, there’s no part of him that sees raven as a Threat, that sees her as being on a side that’s against him. he sees a threat in moira, in the rest of the fc, in charles – but not in raven. he throws them all physically away, except for raven.

and, once he’s made his Speech, the way they look at each other? that cements this? he looks at her like he Knows, and she looks at him, having made her choice already.

she walks forward and she! she doesn’t even look back at hank or alex or sean, she doesn’t look back at any of them!!! what makes her waver for a second is the fact tht charles is bleeding and just got shot, but erik clearly doesn’t hold it against her. and he CLEARLY doesn’t expect her to stay with charles because he … lets her go to charles, lets her talk to him and say her goodbyes. ( again! how much of their relationship is built on acceptance! on understanding! erik understanding that she cares abt charles! even as she resents him! ) just holding his hand out when she’s ready! 

their relationship was always headed this way from the start! they’re similar, their relationship – unlike most of the other relationships in this movie – are based on mutual understanding, and honesty, and acceptance! it’s a much more Lowkey story than the big, sweeping che/rik romance that is the Highlight and driving point of most of xm/fc but! it’s there! it’s definitely there and a Key Story as well! you don’t have to squint that hard to see it!

anyways this got long but basically, they love each other

references

screencapped.orgsuperheroscreencaps.comthis gifset