#just pretend Charles is in a wheelchair

[wishchip106]

first class but erik feels so bad about accidentally paralyzing charles so he stays and they get married<3

mazel tov! 🎉

[e-nonsense]

hello girly! can i request for roses in lace if it isn't hassle for you dear!

a scenario where we end up turning the tables on him, just to get him flustered and embarrassed maybe with some suggestive jokes, freaky invitations since he keeps telepathically talking to them so thats her way of getting back at him and she just enjoys how he fumbles

hes so gorgeous i swear, got me going feral for him fr!! anyways feel free to ignore this if it doesnt interest you, have a lovely day <3

MENTALLY VULGUR

pairing. charles xavier x fem!reader

warning. smut, oral (69, m&f), post cuba (he’s in the chair), charles being a cutie

a/n. i love love that picture of james, he looks so cute. did i write my longest smut fic for a character ppl dont read? yes

it started innocently, little flashes of the two of you cuddling in bed together, you completely thrown over him, then he started speaking in your mind. little teasing remarks that he’d act innocently about later.

you’d decided to turn it against him.

“may i add that you look stunning in that dress”

“you should see me without it then.”

you held back the giggle when you saw him pause, you could hear his brain go blank at your innuendo before he cleared his throat, shooting you a flustered smile before pretending to have not heard anything and he went back to grading papers.

you realised since then he’d had a tendency to stay out of your head, well he wasn’t speaking in it anymore but you’d still get the little flashes of his fantasy’s with you.

“you’re a little psychic perv, Charles.” you whispered low into his ear, you’d been pushing his wheelchair along the pathway outside, taking him for his usual rounds around his land, he liked getting out of the school everyday, especially if you were the one he’d be spending that time with.

“i have no idea what you’re talking about.”

you hum softly in response, “take a look inside my head, sweetheart. you’ll find what you’re looking for.”

he can’t help his curiosity sometimes so he does, he takes a little peek inside your thoughts, his lips parting in surprise at the image at the front of your mind.

him under you, very much naked.

“oh my..” he mutters, blue eyes widening comically. he looked cute as he turned his head to look at you, before turning away just as fast, flustered.

“what’s wrong, Charles?” you practically purr, amusement dripping from your voice. “you started it.”

you hear him grumble, a whining edge to his voice. “stop teasing.”

“make me,” you reply, lifting his hand up, your chin on his shoulder as you lean down, you place two of his fingers against your temples. “c’mon, sweetheart. if you want me to stop so badly, make me.”

instead of listening he uses his mutation to make you take him back to the manor, straight to his bedroom. it’d be a struggle if you weren’t telekinetic, he smiled as you pressed several kisses against his cheek, returning the favour when you sat yourself on his lap.

he sat up, leaning back against the headboard of his bed for support, one of his hands on your hip and the other on the back of your neck, pulling you in for a kiss.

your kiss was consuming, like he was trying to possess you, to physically bind you to him so he could kiss you like this forever. his gasp made your stomach flutter, you feel his half hard on pressing against you.

he’d clearly liked the image you put in his head earlier.

your fingers tugged his jacket off, tugging his shirt off over his head, his body shivering at the cold air hitting his pale skin.

his fingers tugged at your shirt, helping you pull it off. his eyes immediately dropping to your chest, unclipping your bra and tossing it to the side.

“you’re beautiful.”

he didn’t waste a second before grabbing them, eyes darkened with desire, his fingers pinching your nipple as your hands went to his pants, undoing his zipper and button and dragging it down his legs along his his boxers.

he flushed as he sat naked in front you, hands sagging to his sides now that your boobs were out of reach, you’d heard his grumble of complaint about that.

you didn’t wait much longer before you stripped down yourself, tossing your remaining clothes into the pile with his.

charles’ eyes lit up, an idea in his head before he flashed it into your mind. no verbal communication needed, he wanted to taste you.

you helped him lie down on his back properly, before adjusting yourself on top of him. stomach to stomach, pussy hovering over his face, and his crotch in front of yours.

he dragged your hips down, so you were no longer hovering over him, your core meeting his mouth, his tongue darting out to taste you.

your hand pumped his half hard cock, spitting on it to lubricate and you felt his groan vibrating against you. your lips parted as you took the head into your mouth, swirling your tongue around him.

he could’ve sworn he could cum right then.

but he wasn’t ready to be outdone by your skilled tongue and hands. so he moved a hand up towards your pussy, his tongue flicking against your clit teasingly as his index finger prodded your hole.

dipping in when you least expected it to draw louder moans out of you when he sucked on your clit. your hips squirmed against his face, rolling against him.

he heard a gag but felt the warmth of your mouth completely enveloping him.

he fingered you as his head fell back, his middle and index fingers moving in and out of you quickly. charles had come to learn how to use his fingers more skilfully every since he’d lost the use of his legs.

not on other women of course, women no longer looked at him because of his disability. he’d learnt it for you, because you were the only woman who looked his way nowadays, not that he minded.

“charles—”

he could tell his ‘training’ had worked when you came all over his face with your cut off warning.

he licked his fingers clean off your essence before pulling your mouth off his cock. you whined in protest, met his his soft tsk in return.

“later, i wanna feel you now. don’t deny me this, sweetheart.”

your pout didn’t go away but you complied, lifting yourself up away from his face. he frowned slightly.

“i’m sorry, but i’m not going to be much use now.”

he could feel the doubt settling in his heart, what if you just realised he couldn’t give you what you want? what you need? charles wasn’t a self sufficient man anymore, he needed to be taken care of.

“that’s okay,” your answer came before he could fully believe in his doubts. you pressed a gentler kiss against his lips. “let me take care of you, charles.” you whispered softly to him, he could’ve cried right then.

but it would’ve ruined the mood, he’ll open up about that later, he thought. you’d listen, he knew you would.

he nodded. watching you line yourself up with him, charles was a good length. a satisfying length, with the perfect thickness to stretch you out and not hurt you at the same time.

you both moaned in sync as you lowered yourself onto him, sinking onto his cock until he filled you up to the hilt.

his hands moved to your thighs when you started bouncing on his cock, he adored the way you looked like this. on top of him, so pretty with the way your face contorted out of pleasure.

“you look so pretty.”

he called out to you, his hands running down your body, one of his fingers rubbing your clit in circular motions.

“that’s it sweetheart. you’re doing so well.”

charles guessed that if he couldn’t fuck you like you deserved then he’d help however he could, touching you and words.

and god did he love the way you reacted to his words. he watched you bounce on his cock, this angle did you wonders.

you looked like a goddess, the warm lighting from his lamps shining against your sweaty skin and eyes dazed yet so concentrated.

his fingers sped up their motions on your clit, running faster until your hips stuttered and you tightened around him as you came.

maybe this would work. maybe you’d love him despite everything, love him the way he does you.

the stars pale in comparison to your beauty, but he’d tell you that another time. a sweeter time when you weren’t so exhausted.

maybe when he buys you that ring if the day comes. then he’d tell you how much he adores you, for now he’ll settle for the teasing and the way you lay atop him thighs burning under his gentle touch.

for now he’ll hold you.

© e-nonsense. do no copy/steal/translate. do it and I’ll bite your toes off

[screechingfromthevoid]

So I was thinking about that modern AU, trying to figure out how to incorporate FCG because robot (literally he's just a pastors son. Duh)

but for some reason my brain said "Ashton's service dog" first. Then I thought about Ashton needing a service dog because of brain stuff. THEN I thought about Ashton needing a service animal AND a mobility aid.

So I'm just living for Ashton in a wheelchair rolling through school. They've got the key to the elevator. They've obviously got a whole dog at school that people try desperately not to pet.

When someone decides to bully FCG (Francis Charles Grady) or Laudna, they get out of their chair to their full height. People freak because they didn't know he could walk or stand. Ashton just shrugs because "you know what they say about assuming"

And when Dorian shows up and asks about it not as tactfully as he probably meant to Ashton pops a wheely and is just like "what's sadder than an orphan with a wheelchair and a service dog? Unfortunately it didn't get me adopted. People just don't want their inspiration porn in house anymore I guess."

And they try to be chill. They try to avoid those harsh topics with their friends because they don't wanna be a bummer. It'd bring down the mood to say "sure I can walk but sometimes my spine is on fire and my calves are full of knives so I don't." It'd suck to say "I can walk fine until I can't." It's not relatable to say "my whole body hurts all the time and if I want to be able to do other things like think, I should probably be sitting."

Slowly their friends get them to understand that they don't have to put on a brave face for them. They don't have to pretend like it doesn't hurt. They don't have to pretend like it doesn't bother them. Their friends care about them. Hell they're even down to help if they can. Anything to make Ashton feel like they are wanted, that they're not a burden.

[brunettemarionette]

x-men | preference 1 » where / how you met

I'm going to be doing x-men content now too! so both past and present x-men included (well the ones from the films I've watched).

» Jean Grey: Sitting in a lab with your head clenched in your hands and gritted teeth, you began praying to anyone out there to make it stop. You weren't the best at controlling your power, but this was the worst it had ever been. It was like having your skull torn apart.

Two soft hands were placed on either side of your head as the pain slowly dissipated, and a feeling of calm washed over you. Glancing up, you saw a beautiful redhead with her fingers gently caressing your temps as she winced before smiling at you.

"Feeling better?" All you could do was silently nod, hoping she doesn't bring the pain back. "I'm Jean. Jean Grey," she introduces with a knowing smile, but she doesn't stop whatever she does to help you.

You wince as a tiny slither of pain rockets through your head before it's gone again, and all you can hear is Jean's soothing voice in your mind. 'Don't worry, I'm here,' letting your eyes close for a minute; you sat with the pain-free calmness, wondering if Jean was an angel in disguise.

» Scott Summers: Logan was one of your oldest friends. You remembered the day seeing him in a bar fight and getting ganged up on for being a mutant. He probably could have handled it himself, but you were also a mutant and weren't about to let a bunch of humans try that shit.

You found out that he was back at the school and went to visit him under the guise of having nothing better to do, but truly, you had missed him, not that you would have ever told him that. The two of you have one of those sibling love/hate relationships- where you pretend not to care for the other but love the other dearly.

Upon seeing him working on a bike, you could help but mess with him, tiptoe into the garage, you clapped loudly, yelling, "Logan!" his claws came out instantly before he groaned when he noticed it was just you bothering him.

Another voice came from behind you as it let out a chuckle. "Wow, I've never seen anyone get one up on this big grump" The guy was about Logan's height and wore a red visor across his eyes but a polite grin as he held his hand out to you. "I'm Scott Summers."

You took the offered hand before letting out a gasp of realization. "Oh, you're the uptight asshole that Logan always grumbles about," you say, clicking your fingers in Scott's direction. "I'll admit you're prettier than I thought you'd be."

Scott gapes as Logan stands, wiping his oil-covered hands and nudging your shoulder. "Look what you've done. I think he's broken," he smirks, walking over to the door where a redheaded woman peeks in and smiles lovingly, seeing your friend as they kiss.

Smiling at Scott, who still hadn't recovered from your compliment, you throw his a wink as you follow Jean and Logan out of the garage. "It was nice meeting you, Scott. Hopefully, you'll be more talkative next time."

» Logan / Wolverine: Trusting someone was a big deal, mutant or not, and having to trust a bald guy in a wheelchair when he tried to explain that he wasn't going to hurt you all the while he had a Cyclops-looking guy by his side was indefinitely harder.

Charles had found you lost and wandering around the woods, he had given you a gentle smile while trying to explain who he was, but you barely even knew who you were. The older man explained what you were and how he found you, a mutant who had unfortunately been a test subject who had escaped whatever facility you had been in.

The tests they had done erased anything you had ever known; the only thing you knew was that you had some weird power that had scared you, but other than that, you wandered through the woods hoping to find anything that could help you.

Scott, as Xavier had told you his name, gave you a blanket while softly telling you that you were safe with them. They had led you back to their mansion, where his team had begun to try and piece your life together, except for a gruff-looking man who only leaned on the doorway to the lab.

Jean and Storm had just finished explaining what they needed from you in order to find out who you were, but as soon as the needle in Jean's hand touched your skin, a vague and scary memory scorched through your mind.

Breathing heavily, you panicked and used your power to get them away from you as you jumped up from the metal table. It was too much like the lab, the one in that memory. What if you hadn't escaped? What if these were the same people, and they were just pretending.

A hand lay on your shoulder, and you turned with a hiss seeing the gruff man from before subtly restraining you while his eyes flashed in concern, almost as if he knew what you were going through. He calmly told you to breathe, but his no-mess timber helped more than the clinical-like tone that Jean had been using.

You liked him a lot more than the others; they felt patronizing, whereas Logan was straightforward and genuinely understanding.

» Bobby Drake: You had been running with this group of mutants for a while. You were the youngest in the group, with the others in their 20s. After gaining a mutation, you were quickly cast out and shown the true nature of humans and their fear of anything different.

Your group leader picked you up and helped you realize that mutants were the superior race, and from then on, you helped them rally together to teach the humans a lesson in any way you could.

You were a group of outcasts, causing an uproar.

You and your group had caused a disturbance at a protest rally, where the humans were fighting against mutant rights. Seeing the rest of your group causing trouble, you reached into your backpack, pulling out the firecrackers you had bought.

Lighting the end, you quickly through them into a group of protesters, all of who scream while you cackle, throwing more fireworks when you are suddenly tackled away from the humans.

Seething, you saw a blond staring at you as others seemed to be doing damage control.

Growling angrily, you stood up, ready to fight out of this, until you felt something like a taser rushing through you. A girl held her hand out as yellow sparks sizzled from her hand.

The blond from before grabbed your wrists as they became encased in ice, almost like a pair of handcuffs.

Your eyes widened in fear as you quickly looked around for the rest of your group, only to see them making a quiet getaway while these other mutants were focused on you. They were leaving you behind to save themselves.

The guy frowned, following your gaze, almost realizing the betrayal at the same time you had. He gave you a soft pitiful look and quickly took your arm, leading you away from the yelling crowd and fast-approaching police.

"You're a mutant, right?" You nodded at his question, wondering where he was taking you. "There's a school for people like us, somewhere we can be protected and be safe from people like them," whether he meant the humans or your so-called friends, you didn't know.

"I can take you there with me, and you can stop all this-" He motioned to the riot, "or I can leave you in the police's hands" Knowing one option was starkly different from the other, you relented, the cops aren't very nice to mutants let alone ones who cause a riot at an anti-mutant campaign.

The blond smiles when you nod in agreement to his offer as he melts the ice from your wrists and holds out his hand. "I'm Bobby."

» Rouge: You had been at the school for a few years now, your power had manifested on your 13th birthday, and Charles had been there pretty much since day 1 and helped you get it under control and live being a mutant.

Today had been the most excitement anyone had seen in years. A man and girl had come to the school, but the fact that the rugged-looking man was unconscious was the exciting part. The adults never really let us see any danger, so this was about as close as any of us had gotten.

Storm had told us about the girl, she was our age, and asked if we could look after her. You and your friends agreed. Being different was hard, so you knew she would probably need a few shoulders to lean on.

Playing with Peter, you nudged into him as the two of you raced downstairs, ignoring the chastising comments from Scott about running in the halls. Unfortunately, Peter often forgets how strong he is, and this was one of those times he reached towards you and pushed you out of his way.

Yelling, you tripped and fell into a pretty dark-haired girl who caught your arms in her hands. You started introducing yourself, only stopping when you saw her face go from absolute horror to wonder before stopping in awe. "I didn't hurt you?" she mumbled to herself as her hands trailed down the skin of your arms.

Her brown eyes filled with tears, and everything sort of went awkwardly silent as the girl asked if she could hug you. Xavier just smiled when you almost immediately let the girl do as she had timidly begged to do.

» John Allerdyce: The school you were at was on a field trip. It was boring and had nothing fun for you to do there. Your teacher rolled his eyes and reminded you that the trip was for learning and not for fun, to which you reminded him that anything could be fun with the right motivation.

You were the oddball, the weird mean girl in class. It wasn't that you were, but you didn't fit in with the other girls and didn't want to try. You didn't want to sit and conform to the things they droned on about, but worst of all, your classmates were mostly mutant haters, which wasn't good for you, someone who was secretly a mutant.

It wasn't just them, your mother, who hadn't taken the news well, had moved you from school to school in hopes that her child would for once try to be normal, but instead of normalcy, she was building a child who was growing a vast hatred for humankind.

Rolling your eyes as your teacher began explaining another lie about mutants and how dangerous they were, you decided to split. Backing out of the museum exhibit, you pulled out the pack of smokes you'd stolen from your dad. He was rarely home anymore, so he wouldn't notice.

Fishing in your pocket for a lighter, you accidentally bump into someone who seems to be trying to escape from their group. "Shit, sorry," you mumbled, hand still moving in your bag to find your lighter.

"I'm John-" he introduced as he discreetly winked, and the end of your cigarette was alight. "Or you call me Pyro," you gasped, glancing up at the dark-haired guy you had bumped into. He was a mutant like you, yet he wasn't afraid to show it.

» Kitty Pryde: You waved your new roommate, Jubilee, off as she told you that she would hang out with her friends and for you to meet them later if you felt comfortable. It was your first day at Charles Xavier School for Mutants, and you'd felt a little out of place.

Sitting on your bed, you smiled, seeing all of Jubilee's possessions. She seemed nice, maybe a little too bubbly for you, but very welcoming. Moving to look at her pictures, you smiled, seeing the ones she'd obviously taken with her friends – remembering her offer, you decide it would be wise to put yourself out there and meet them.

Unlocking your suitcase, you quickly set out a new outfit for yourself. Taking off the top you wore when Jean and Scott came to pick you up, you let it drop to the floor without thought. Standing in only your jeans and bra, you gasp when someone walks through the wall.

"Hey Jubilee, can I borrow-" A girlish scream came from the girl who quickly placed her hands over her eyes, profusely apologizing. You smile, seeing the bright red blush emerging from the collar of her shirt up her neck and to her cheeks. She's so cute.

[marvelmaniac715]

A short while ago I posted about my hope of Chucky’s human body being in Season Three, and it got me thinking. How would Nica react to the original Chucky now that he can tower over her? I decided to write that as a fic. I hope you guys like it, because if it doesn’t end up happening in Season Three, at least this fic exists to entertain the idea of it :).

————————————————————-

There was something deeply wrong. Nica didn’t know exactly what it was, but she could feel it deep within her bones. Some sort of forbidden knowledge made her shiver in both fear and anticipation, as she grew antsy at the multitude of terrible possibilities. There was only one person who had ever made her feel this way, but he was dead now. Wasn’t he?

Pushing down her looming dread of something horrible happening, Nica went about her day, running a few errands, grabbing a coffee and a chocolate cupcake, even buying herself a new book to cheer herself up. She had almost forgotten about her bad feeling by the time she was nearly back home, but just as she approached the elevator that led up to her apartment, she felt someone grab hold of her wheelchair. 

Nica tried to pretend that her chair had gotten caught on something, but then she felt someone breathing down her neck. With a rising sense of horror, she craned her neck upwards, only to be met with a horrifyingly familiar set of blue eyes and a twisted grin. There was no reason to ask who this was. She knew, even if he looked much older, and there were bones and maggots poking out of his skin. This was Chucky. Alive. But… how?

Nica began to hyperventilate in her immense panic, and she hardly noticed when Chucky stepped out from behind her chair and rested his far too cold hands on her shoulders, squeezing very tightly. Deeply confused, Nica took a gulp of air and asked:

“Whose body did you steal this time?”

Chucky simply shook his head and smirked, infuriating Nica, who immediately continued.

“What do you mean? You can’t just shake your head and not-‘

Chucky cut her off with a laugh and responded in a patronising tone:

“I didn’t steal this body, Nica. This is me.”

It didn’t click in Nica’s brain for a second, then it suddenly made sense. This man, whilst clearly older than the pictures and home movies she’d seen of Charles Lee Ray, looked exactly like him. They had the same eyes, the same face structure, even the exact same voice. Sure, Chucky could use something similar to his voice in most bodies he possessed, but this was an exact match. 

Then the terror set in. She was staring up at Charles Lee Ray, in the flesh. All of a sudden, she understood the terror people had felt when he’d slaughtered them in the eighties. Her heart ached for her poor father, because the last person he’d seen was this terrifying man looming over her. Then of course, a secondary realisation set in. One of the hands that was currently squeezing her shoulders far too tightly had paralysed her, put her in a wheelchair, all before she was even born. 

These horrifying realisations had left Nica stunned, unblinking. Seemingly noticing this, Chucky smirked and leaned in so that his face was mere centimetres away from Nica’s. Cold, mocking blue eyes met frightened, almost glazed over in terror blue eyes. The sensation of his breath on her face brought Nica back to reality, and her eyes landed on the maggot that was still burrowed in his cheek. Almost self-consciously, Chucky’s confident act dropped for a moment as he took a hand off of Nica to poke at his face, asking:

“Is there still one on me? I thought I’d gotten rid of these little bastards for good.”

Losing herself in the absurdity of this situation, Nica helpfully pointed and responded as Chucky began fumbling around:

“Yeah, you’ve … got one right there. No, no, not there, look where I’m pointing. Yeah, that’s it, do you want me to grab or are you gonna-‘

Her sentence was cut off when Chucky yanked the maggot from his face and slammed it against a wall, effectively and brutally killing it. Nica’s stomach turned, and her disgust returned tenfold. As Nica cringed, Chucky backed away from her and did a little spin, spreading his arms out as he asked with a grin:

“Well, what do you think? You reckon I can still get some tail like this?”

Nica’s brain short-circuited again as her mouth began moving on autopilot. If she’d been rationally thinking things through, she would’ve stayed silent. But instead, her nose wrinkled as she scornfully scoffed:

“You’re old!”

It was a rude thing to say, but that fact did come as a genuine shock to her. Of course she’d always known at the back of her mind that she was battling against a guy who was 31 in 1988 so he’d have to be in his sixties, but what has to be understood is that hearing a voice and trying to kill a children’s toy is one thing, but being confronted with the fact that she’d tried to slaughter a senior citizen was something else altogether. Chucky looked very hurt by this, and, looking down at the floor, he muttered:

“I’m 65.”

Trying to cover up her blunder, Nica queried:

“How is that possible? The bodies you inhabit don’t normally… age. It’s not that you look bad per se, it’s just that, it’s unexpected, y’know?”

At this, Chucky looked less hurt and grinned again as he began to explain.

“Well, as you probably already know, after a certain amount of time the human body begins to decompose. By the time I gathered enough remnants of my soul in various doll vessels in order to return to my original body, there wasn’t a scrap of flesh left on my bones. I was just a skeleton, which gave me the weirdest out of body experience of my life, let me tell you. But I still went through with it, and because there wasn’t any skin or features left, the voodoo magic I used improvised and aged my body to the age of my soul, making me look, well, old as you so eloquently put.”

His last few words were said with a pointed glare in Nica’s direction. This made the woman gulp as she began heavily regretting her choice of words. She knew that Chucky was vain, and as a doll he wasn’t that hard to get rid of- a kick or a punch could send him flying. But now he was human again, and tall. If he wanted to, he could simply put the brakes on Nica’s chair down, trapping her there as he killed her. The only reason she still lived was by the grace of Chucky’s benevolence, as fleeting as it was.

Instead of confronting her word choice, she decided to change the topic, gathering some of her courage as she asked defiantly:

“Aren’t you scared of dying soon? Flesh isn’t as resilient as plastic.”

There was a bitter laugh, then…:

“Nobody lives forever, Pierce. I’ve made my peace with death by becoming an executioner of sorts. I have plenty of doll bodies roaming around, not to mention two kids who carry my bloodline and the parts of me that I’ve left in you, Kyle and Andy, meaning that part of me will never die. I didn’t possess my original body as some sort of power play, I just wanted to return to something familiar. I missed the feel of my own teeth.”

Brushing off the last part of Chucky’s confession, Nica immediately became drawn to the part about him never dying, the parts ‘left’ in her, Andy and Kyle. Was that just metaphorical or something related to voodoo? She had to know. 

“What do you mean about leaving parts of yourself in me, Kyle and Andy?”

Chucky sat down on a nearby bench and inspected his fingernails, seemingly ignoring her for a good long while. Then, he glanced at her and said:

“I like to think of my influence as a weed. Your once noble and heroic brains are the gardens I’ve slowly overtaken. The part of me in Andy Barclay led him to torturing a vessel of mine’s head for an entire year. Would a purely good man do that? The part of me in Kyle Simpson made her drug teenagers for God’s sake. That’s something I’d do, hell, I once swapped paint darts for real bullets so teens would shoot each other to death. The part of me in you is a little harder to spot, but whilst sharing your brain I noticed that your perception of right and wrong was becoming slightly… crooked. I didn’t think much of it until I learnt that you tried to shoot Tiffany. Of course, I wasn’t happy to hear that the bullet hit my kid, and I’m still not entirely over it, but I suppose there was nothing to be done.”

It took a special brand of narcissism to see one’s influence as being so powerful, but given the evidence that had been presented to and by Chucky, his view of the situation made a lot of sense. But that throwaway comment about Glen didn’t seem quite right to Nica. It seemed kind of flippant, like he didn’t really care, so she pressed further.

“Wow, you’re really torn up about your kids ‘dying’, aren’t you?”

Chucky’s expression became unreadable, and his tone emotionless as he said:

“They’re together in one body again, just like when they were first born. What sort of father would I be if I wasn’t happy for them?”

After that, there was an almost amiable silence between them, interrupted every so often by someone coming up or down in the elevator. Eventually, Nica softly asked:

“Why did you come here? You don’t seem like you want to hurt me.”

Chucky replied in an unsure tone, as if he wasn’t quite sure.

“I… wanted you to see me. Yeah, I wanted you to know what I actually look like. We have quite a history, don’t we Nica?”

All Nica could do was nod as she watched Chucky raise his right hand in a little wave. She knew what was coming, but still she stayed silent as he continued.

“I think it was this hand that did it, all those years ago. To think that such a small stab could have such life altering consequences, it’s weird to think about, isn’t it?”

Again, Nica nodded, eyes brimming with rage-filled tears at the injustice of it all. Then, Chucky did something very strange. He got up from the bench, walked over to Nica, knelt down in front of her and took hold of her chin with his left hand. With his right hand, he brushed a strand of hair out of a now quivering Nica’s face as he mused aloud to himself:

“Y’know, you look quite a lot like me when I was young. You’ve seen the photos, you know what I mean. You remind me of myself too, over the last few decades. Trapped inside a body you can’t escape. Ironically, both of our predicaments were my fault. I think that’s why I like you.”

Nica didn’t even get a moment to think about what he’d said before Chucky stood up and regarded her with a cold stare. He folded his arms behind his back as another maggot poked out of the bony holes in his flesh. As he began backing away, he commanded her in a voice that was worthy of his former reputation as a terrifying serial killer - the Lakeshore Strangler.

“Now, when you get home, I want you to call your little friends, Barclay and Simpson. Tell them that I’ve got a new body, and that they’ll never guess which one. Also, please let them know that I’ll pay them both visits soon so that they get to ‘play’ with someone their own size.”

With that, he walked away, whistling under his breath as Nica processed what had just happened.

[charles-and-camilla-fanfictions]

Assassination Attempt- Part 2

For the past two years, seeing him had been like performing a complex military manoeuvre in order to escape the constant clicks of the cameras, so the amount of time they had spent together had greatly reduced. This had done nothing to ease the need to be together, with each snatched meeting more precious than the last. They’d spoken on the phone throughout his trip to Australia but had never been entirely confident with the security of the line and therefore conversation had remained on safe subjects. By the end of the trip he’d been phoning her constantly, for a scant few minutes at a time, and she’d known he’d used her voice as a way to calm himself. It had made her ache for him with the need to temper his anxiety. He’d phoned her when he’d reached St James Palace and, secure in their privacy, they’d talked until he’d fallen fast asleep whilst on the line. She’d placed the receiver next to her ear and had listened to him snore, knowing that was as close as she could get to him and had then rested her head on the pillow to allow him to ease her to sleep. Neither of them had broached what had happened in Australia; it hung like a sword.

Tonight, they are meeting at her sister’s house for dinner and her heart is pitter-pattering in anticipation of seeing him. Her sister’s household is as chaotic as normal and she gets stuck into the chaos quickly, rushing about the kitchen, doing a hundred jobs before the guests arrive. She contrasts this with her own parties, which run like clockwork, and smiles as she recalls how Andrew panics when she’s up in her room, pretending to be still getting dressed to wind him up, ten minutes before people are meant to arrive. She used to host enough events to manage a simple dinner party without stress but her sister seems to thrive on it so she never intervenes.

“Darling, the door! Get it for me!”

She knows better than to argue with her sister when she’s like this, even if really, Annabel should be the one greeting the guests. Her parents are at the door and she starts to help her father with her mother’s wheelchair before he tells her to get her brother, looking at her in shock and a touch of disapproval. Of course, she should know better than to do a man’s job whilst in a pretty dress. She makes to return inside but recognises Charles’s voice as he calls out to her and turns as he and her father help her mother up the steps. Beating abnormally loudly, her heart informs her of its pleasure to see him and as he kisses her cheeks in greeting, she feels her body sinking against his. It’s difficult to pull apart, made doubly so by how he kisses her lips, once, making her gasp out her breath. Then decorum dictates they must part so they do, and she attempts to greet her mother, who is in a daze of pain and barely acknowledges her.

He wants her attention all evening, demands it, even as he engages in conversation with those around him. His eyes are just on her, following her around the room, smiling at her, laughing with her. When they’re stood together, it’s difficult to speak as just this chaste distance makes her heart pang against her chest and she wants to kiss him so much it’s painful. It’s only much later on that she gets him to herself and she wraps her arms around him and pulls him down to kiss her and it’s fire.

Her sister interrupts them with a knock on the table and even then it’s difficult to pull away. They stand clinched, together, not wanting to return from the daze of each other. Realising that her sister is handing them both a glass of port, they are ushered into the snug and they sit huddled on the sofa, opposite Annabel and her husband, pressed as close to each other as possible, fingers entwined. She takes a sip of port before placing her glass on the side table, noting him mirror her and reaches to hold his other hand, her fingers gently stroking down his.

“So go on, tell us about what happened.”

Ever direct, her sister is more nosy than she is and she smiles as she presses her shoulder into his, feeling him adjust to accommodate her, to allow her to be closer. He’s nonchalant about the whole affair, telling them the facts but skips over any detail, despite Annabel’s prompting. A frown grows on her brow as she worries about him and her fingers press harder into his.

“We saw it on the news,” Annabel looks to her husband for confirmation, “and I have to say, Sir, it was frightfully worrying.”

“It scared me.” She uses her own feelings to prompt his but it just allows them to raise to the surface again.

“It was nothing, really.”

She feels his hand on her cheek, turning her face towards his and meeting his eyes with a jolt. “But it still scared me.”

“Don’t be scared for me. I was never really unsafe.” His voice is breathy and his eyes are boring into hers earnestly.

“But you could have been. That’s what scared me. It still scares me.” She feels her lip twitching with the effort of not allowing her emotions to take hold of her.

“I think we’re retiring upstairs now. Everything’s locked up so you can head up when you want.” Her sister nudges her husband out of the room, leaving them. She knows they’re giving her space to talk to him and she’s grateful.

“It was that little of a danger, I did my speech straight afterwards.”

His fingers are caressing her face and it’s difficult to maintain the conversation.

“But you’re allowed to cry if you need to.”

She shakes her head, annoyed with herself. “You were amazing to deliver that speech. I don’t think most people would have managed to do that. I was so proud of you.”

“It was nothing.”

She feels a stray tear flee her eye and race down her cheek, flinging over her chin and down her neck. He traces the pathway with his thumb before kissing her neck, making her heart ache. “It wasn’t nothing. You don’t realise how special you are.”

“Why are you crying? You knew I was alright.”

It wasn’t that. It was that you didn’t care. I saw your face, you just… It was as if it genuinely didn’t matter to you what happened. Charles, I need you to care…”

“I do care, my Darling. I’m so sorry I couldn’t get in touch with you. I wanted to terribly when I realised how big the story was, but by then it was like everything was deliberately conspiring, not letting me reach you. There wasn’t a break in the engagements and I had no one around me I could trust to phone you. Then there was that awful storm… But I know that’s no excuse. I should have phoned you right away but I didn’t think…”

“I don’t mind about that. That’s not what upset me so much.”

“I’m sorry, though.”

She feels his lips kissing her neck in penitence and it’s difficult to keep questioning him, it would be far too easy to reach for him instead. “Why didn’t you care about what happened to you?”

He pulls away from her immediately and she doesn’t try to stop him although her heart pangs.

“What do you want me to say?”

“The truth, Darling. Always the truth. Even if you think I won’t like to hear it.”

“I’m cold.”

She pulls a blanket from the wicker basket at the end of the sofa, knowing he’s stalling, letting him organise his thoughts. Wrapping it around the both of them, she feels him wriggling until he has his head on her chest. Gently, she eases them down onto the sofa, their legs entwined and then she adjusts the blanket around them again. She waits.

“I was disappointed.”

He stops but she doesn’t interrupt, just strokes his head softly.

“It wasn’t real. I don’t want to die, don’t worry. I just… even an assassination attempt wasn’t a real one. I knew it wasn’t a real gun. The sound wasn’t right. It was pathetic. Just like me.”

“You’re not pathetic, Darling. Please don’t think that.”

“I could just imagine Diana laughing at me for making a scene and I don’t want to embarrass the boys any more than I already have. They already think I’m weak.”

It makes her heart ache for him. She kisses the top of his head.

“And then I couldn’t even ring you and I turned into a monster. I shouted at all my staff. I was obnoxious to everyone. So rude. My father would have taken me to pieces if he’d had heard.”

“You are allowed to be upset after what happened. You are human.”

“You were upset with me, weren’t you.”

“Yes.”

“You wouldn’t even come to the phone. Andrew answered for you.”

“I didn’t answer because Andrew didn’t want me to worry you, I wasn’t not talking to you.”

“Andrew needs to stay out of it! He’s always interfering. I was worried that you weren’t talking to me. If you’re upset, I still want to talk to you. I want to make you feel better. I still want to talk to you if you’re upset with me; I want to fix us, to make it alright. I thought you must have been so angry with me. I sat and stewed for two hours, waiting to call you. I’ve worried about this for two weeks.”

“I wasn’t angry with you. I promise. And I wouldn’t do that to you. Well I was a tiny bit angry but not like that. You could have demanded that Andrew pass the phone over.”

“If you were angry with me, me doing that would have lit the fuse.”

“True. I’d not thought of that.” That makes them both giggle, despite the conversation.

“Your eyes if I’d done that… I’d have loved to have been a fly on the wall but there is no way I would deliberately cause that!”

She smiles and her fingers caress his face, running along his cheek, over his lips which reach out to kiss her.

“I’m sorry for making you upset. If I’d been able to phone you earlier, you would have been fine.”

“It’s okay. I’m tough.”

“I know. But I’m sorry you have to be. Was Andrew good with you?”

“Yes.”

“Well that makes a change.”

“No it doesn’t.”

“He’s never there for you when you’re upset. I know. I’m the one who holds you when you’re crying.”

“I’ve never let him know I’m upset.”

“Why?”

She shrugs but he doesn’t say anything, waiting for her to continue. This is uncomfortable; she feels a cold prickle down her spine. He never usually picks at her marriage. “To never give him reason to not want to come home to me.”

He sighs and she knows he’s annoyed with her, or perhaps annoyed with Andrew. “If you ever do that to me, I will be so angry with you. I love you, my Darling, not the cultivated fragments of yourself you feel you should proffer to keep me happy. With me, in person, alone like this, are you always yourself or do you feel you have to perform?”

“That’s a level of honesty I’m not sure I can always manage.”

“What about most of the time?”

“Are you always honest with me?”

“In person, yes… Most of the time…”

“Then I’ll try for most of the time.” She smiles and wriggles down so she can reach his lips. “On the subject of honesty, tell me what you were thinking.”

“At that moment, not very much. Disappointed, like I said.”

“And after?”

“Fear. Not of death itself, I don’t fear that. Fear that I could die without being true to myself. Fear that I could die thousands of miles away from you and not see you before I have to go. I’m not ready to give up. I must find a way to be with you or there’s no reason for existence, even if I can’t see a way forward. Oh, Darling, you’re crying again.”

“Only a tiny bit.” But her heart is beating so hard, he must be able to feel it against his hand as he spreads his fingers over her chest. This love is so different from anything that came before. His words encompass and soothe her even as she’s trying to help him, to listen to him. She feels his soft kisses across her cheeks and on the tip of her nose.

“I would be so happy with you. I’ve always known that. And I believe I would make you happy, if we married. I think it’s the only solution available to us.”

“Marriage?”

“Yes, Darling. I can’t have you subject to the constant indignities of being my mistress. Marriage is the only way forward.”

“I’m not so sure other people would agree.”

“Well we’ll have to show them. Darling, you’d be quite wonderful. I know you would.”

“Would I be Queen Camilla? Even saying the name sounds ridiculous.”

“No, you wouldn’t. You’d be Her Majesty, The Queen.”

“It’s ludicrous. You’re sounding like Andrew.”

“Andrew said I would make you my Queen?”

“I think Andrew was just joking about which titles I could bestow on him were I to become Queen. But he was having a laugh. He wasn’t serious.”

“Well I am.”

“And I would happily marry you in this fairytale land you’ve concocted.”

“Only in a fairytale land?”

“I would marry you in any land.”

“Marry me now.”

“I take thee Charles Arthur… to have and to hold…”

“I take thee Camilla Rosemary… for better, for worse…”

The words had started as a joke but the second he says her name, she realises it’s not. It’s a longing too desperate to give any inch of escape but she can’t help it, the words come tumbling out, “To love and to cherish…”

“Till death us do part.”

They’re lying nose to nose and she can feel his breath heavy against her lips. “I mean it.” The words are whispered but she says them loud enough for him to hear.

“As do I, my Darling, as do I. One day. I promise you.” He bites her nose, making her giggle and she tries to retaliate but he pulls away each time, making them both laugh.

“Now we’ve remedied that infliction, was that the only thing that bothered you?”

“Are we not going to consummate the marriage first?”

She giggles at him, kissing him firmly, letting it linger until he reaches to kiss her again then she pulls away. “No. Later. What else bothered you?”

“Loneliness. Unfulfilment. Boredom. Dissatisfaction with life. Love or the lack of love.”

“I love you!”

“I know. But you’re not with me and I spend my time pining for you, longing for your love.”

“You need to soak it up when you’ve got it. Store it up and make it last.”

“Does that work for you?”

“Well… not exactly…”

“It doesn’t work for me at all. Perhaps if I could spend enough time with you to get fully charged up? Then I might just need to be topped up but I run down to zero the day I leave you and I know how far away the next time will be and I live on empty, clinging onto your voice when we speak on the phone.”

She closes her eyes at his words, her face scrunched as if to deter the tears but he wipes them from her cheeks and kisses her heavily.

“And yet again, I’ve made you cry. I’m so sorry.”

“You have my love. You have all of it. It’s yours. Take it. Take all that you need. Take more. It’s the most natural feeling in the world and it grows and grows. I give it all to you and it’s still there, overflowing.”

“Mine isn’t like that. Mine feels like a solid structure, part of me, grown throughout my life into what makes me, me. I worry I don’t share it enough with you.”

“You gave me your heart thirty years ago. I kept it here, safe.” She taps her chest. “It’s a part of me now. You need to remember that you possess mine.”

“I find it so difficult when we’re apart for so long.”

“I know, Darling. But I’m here. I’m always here for you. Was there anything else? Anything else that troubled you in Australia?”

“Just that it was such a poor attempt. He didn’t even make the effort to do it properly. I wasn’t worth the effort.”

“He was protesting. He wasn’t trying to kill you.”

“I know that now…”

“It’s a stupid reason, being disappointed.”

“Just a pathetic little man with an agenda.”

Seriously, Charles. You sound like a spoilt brat.”

He scoffs but she can tell he finds her amusing. “I am a spoilt brat. I think that’s the entire point of being a Prince.”

“You don’t get to be a spoilt brat around me.”

“Yes, I’m aware… I’m on my best behaviour at all times around you.”

“Christ. That’s your best behaviour?”

“If it had been a real assassination attempt, and I’d escaped unscathed, or possibly with just a very attractive mark which would turn into a war wound, then you’d be so beside yourself with worry, you wouldn’t be able to keep your hands off me.”

She giggles. “Especially if you’d been terribly brave and apprehended the armed man with your bare hands.”

“And saved all the people in the event from his tyranny.”

“You are a hero, Darling.”

“And then I handed him over to law enforcement and pulled you to me.”

“And I was overcome with how astonishingly brave you are.”

“And you kissed me in front of everyone.”

“Desperately.” Her stomach spins and she squeals loudly as he flips her over onto her back and then her skin fires with the anticipation of kissing him as he grasps hold of her wrists and hoists them above her head. She hears the side table hit the floor with a loud thud and they both giggle.

“What else would you let me do in celebration of my heroics.”

“Anything you want to do.” She strains up to kiss him, hearing the moan leave his mouth but he pulls away and looks down at her, his eyes impossibly dark.

“Jesus, Milla.” He reaches to kiss her again and she tugs her wrists from his grasp, reaching up to hook her arms around his neck, pulling him down to her, kissing him, the rush through her body immediate and fierce.

“This might…” Her words trail off as he kisses her harder, his hands dragging down her body making her strain to get closer to him. “…shock people.”

“Let it.” The words shoot out with his breath as he pulls down the straps of her dress and his hands against her bare skin shoot through her into a thousand separate strands, piercing through her body, making her call out. She can’t pull him close enough.

“For Christ sake Camilla. I put you in the back bedroom so you’d be on the other side of the house to us. This room is directly under our bedroom. I’m not having it.”

She pulls him against her to shield herself, and starts to giggle at the expression on her sister’s face. Her giggle sets Charles off and Annabel is not amused, turning on her heel and shutting the door with a thud.

“She’s jealous.”

“Oh absolutely.”

They giggle to themselves, kissing intermittently, trying not to get carried away with the kisses.

“Let’s stay here. We’d have to be quiet. Not get caught by my sister.”

“Oh no. You promised me that you’d do anything I want. I most certainly don’t want to be quiet. And I don’t want you to be quiet. And I need more room than on a shabby old sofa.”

“Well you can start me off here.”

“You think you can be quiet?”

“Yes!”

“Are you positive?”

She bites her lip, her eyes gleaming up at him. She feels his hands grab hold of her legs and he pulls her roughly to him, making her stomach fly, making her squeak slightly.

“Your sister will be really annoyed if she has to listen to you after that.”

But he touches her and she can’t stifle the moan even as he presses his hand against her mouth and he laughs, reaching down to kiss her.

“Upstairs.”

“Yes, Sir.” She giggles again as he raises his eyebrows at her before wriggling out of his grasp and rolling off the sofa onto her feet. Holding her hand out to him, her face gleams as he tugs it, threatening to pull her on top of him and then he lets her pull him up and charges at her, holding onto her as he manoeuvres her backwards out the door, both of them giggling, unable to stop kissing each other.

[verstappentime]

dropping another preview of the racecar driver fic, because several people have asked <3

as always, i'll try to answer literally any questions people have about this 'verse!

our heroes meet. enjoy. (last preview here.)

Erik agrees to meet Charles Xavier over coffee.

He’d be more comfortable meeting at the garage, but he’s not ready for anyone else to know he’s considering hiring Charles. As soon as they’re seen together, his staff is going to have a lot of questions. Might as well make sure it’s going to be worth it first.

Charles is already there when he walks in, seated at a table toward the back. He looks younger in person, almost too boyish for thirty. Erik hasn’t seen him since before his accident – he supposes he thought Charles would look older.

His arms are toned and his chest and shoulders are broader than they were before – Erik assumes from the manual wheelchair he’s sitting in. It stirs something in Erik that he quickly pushes down.

He’s hoping Charles didn’t hear the thought – he doesn’t feel the presence in his mind that he’s used to with Emma. Just incase, he adds: Please pretend I didn’t think that.

“Erik,” Charles says, before he can open his mouth. He holds out a hand, smiling.

Erik shakes his hand, orienting himself around Charles as he does, feeling the sleek metal of his wheelchair and the sensation of metal embedded in his spine. Strange, but not in a bad way. He takes a moment to flex his senses around it. It’s alive, part of a whole, and he finds he enjoys the sensation.

And– there’s something on Charles’s wrist, wrought with metal wiring.

“Why are you wearing that?” Erik blurts, before he can stop himself.

“This?” Charles holds his wrist up for inspection. “I figured it might make you feel more comfortable. It puts most people at ease.”

“Why would you–” Erik can’t help the flare of anger, of righteousness, deep in his chest.

The inhibitor Charles is wearing is a new model. Erik’s read they needed an upgrade to create one strong enough to shut down Charles’s telepathy. He’s supposed to be one of the most powerful mutants in the world.

Sitting here like a dog in a shock collar, afraid to step outside its yard.

“Take it off,” Erik says. He sits down heavily, and with the barest twitch of his fingers, the clasp on the device comes undone. “I’m not frightened of you.”

[elfdyke]

hey, im still new to the chucky franchise and idk like jack shit about it lol. could you explain to me why everyone hates him? im guessing its for a fair reason but i cant find much explaining it outside of people saying he destroyed the series

WELL UHHH when you say youre new to the fandom do you mean you haven't watched all the movies + show yet? because if thats the case well. you can see for yourself 😇

but just a basic little answer um well he prioritizes doing "shocking" things over writing his characters well and consistently.

the most offensive victim of this is obviously nica and a lot of the story around her. he bastardizes charles lee ray's character in curse just to give him a forced connection to nica that he did Not need to do. then goes on to retcon that in the tv show so it was like.. well what was that for. he has nica attempt suicide, be sexually assaulted, and get dismembered but then refuses to have her emotionally react to any of these things.

the fact he does all of this to his wheelchair using character is insane too like bro do you have something to share with the class.

season 2 was some of the worst character writing I have ever seen in my life. u have 4l3 children who saw people die in traumatic ways but because he is insane he only gives 1 of them a traumatic response to this. LIKE. LEXY???? BECAUSE OF JUNIOR????? she did not even like him. meanwhile Devon and his mom were so close and yet no not a word from him 💖💖

it just sucks here. he will make characters experience insane levels of torment and give them 0 emotional catharsis which is CRAZY because at its core childs play Is a character driven story, not a gore driven one. if it was just about shock horror the dismemberment would work! its shocking! its horrifying! but no we have to sit with nica as she lives with this and continues on and it's just insaaane it doesnt work and then he gives her those stupid fucking robot arms which i loathe.

also he made chucky eat andy like beef jerky for an entire year and we just have to pretend that was normal and ok

[darcyolsson]

hELLO? WHAT. IS GOING ON IN RIVERDALE

(give us your top five moments from that show)

so very much... all the time. it's hard to remember every crazy thing but here's the first 5 insane plotlines that jump to mind

organ stealing death cult - basically there was this guy whose wife pretended to be his daughter to recruit teenagers into their cult so they could harvest their organs and they tried to lobotomise cheryl but it didn't work so the leader tied to go to space in his diy rocket ship but then betty's mom, who was very high in the ranks of the cult, shot him because she was an undercover fbi agent the whole time. they even stole gay kevin's kidney.

cheryl's dead brothers - okay so after escaping the cult cheryl went home with her brother's dug up corpse in a wheelchair (which they had used to hypnotise her into joining the cult- but that's irrelevant) and she kept it in her basement and went to dinner with it and stuff. and then her grandma told her she ate her triplet in the womb and this triplet then posessed a doll and started haunting her, moving around the house by itself, etc. her family discovered the doll eventually so cheryl ended up having to trick them into cannibalism. in the end it was just her mom who lived in the walls of her house who was moving it around tho

hashtag love wins - betty's long lost half-brother charles (who is also jughead's half-brother btw! that's her boyfriend) turned up except in the end it was revealed that it wasn't charles at all, it was this guy named chic. anyway some stuff happened and he murdered some people and went to jail. and then ACTUAL charles turned up and he was an fbi agent and some more stuff happened and he also went to jail bc he killed some people (he has the serial killer genes like betty) but not before it was revealed he was chic's boyfriend and that the identity theft was, in fact, consensual. so they went to gay jail together and then they gay broke out and went to their house and held betty's mom at gunpoint and theatened to murder their entire real/fake family so she would marry them. romance!

gay maple syrup witch jesus - after locking herself in her house for 5 years bc she believes she's cursed cheryl joined her mom's cult which they started in name of her dead brother jason and maple syrup. however her mom got more cult clout than her so she decided she had to perform 3 miracles to prove she is the 2nd coming of christ and become the cult leader. with help of gay kevin who is now also part of the cult in hopes of processing his trauma of being gay by singing musical songs at the altar she did some fake magic but then it was revealed she can do ACTUAL magic (?)

mothmen - jughead got abducted by mothman and everyone was like lol jughead it wasn't mothman. and then cheryl's grandma was like ohhhh mothman? yeah i have one of their corpses hidden in a maple syrup barrel. anyway the mothmen kept kidnapping and murdering people and hiding them in hiram's swamp so betty and jughead went to investigate it and it turned out it was just an illegitemate clan of blossom family members living in the maple syrup woods for generations upon generations and nana knew the whole time but it went against her moral code to stop a clan of serial killers in their tracks so she didnt say anything

[mimisempai]

You walked into my life like you had always lived there

Summary

Charles has resigned himself to a life alone in Paris, but he might be surprised by a visit from an "old friend"... Will they get another chance to reach happiness?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/31463351

Words:3719 - Chapters:1/1

This morning, like every other morning, sitting on the terrace of the café downstairs from his small apartment, Charles was waiting for his usual coffee while watching the bustle of the street. Delivery men unloading their vans at the grocery store on the corner, the bookstore owner unpacking his shelves, a tourist couple having their picture taken with the view of Montmartre in the background. The passers-by, people going to work, others walking their dogs. All this lively and colorful world coming and going, talking, laughing, reminded him of the hallway of a certain school, in the mornings just before the students entered their classrooms.

And like every morning, Charles was acutely aware of his loneliness. He had voluntarily closed his mind to all other thoughts than his own.

Thoughts that were enough to torment him.

More often than not, they were memories which he forced himself to face. His mistakes, what he should or should not have done. Searching, dissecting when he had lost sight of his values. At what point he had let down those he had sworn to protect since the day he had discovered Raven in his kitchen so many years ago.

But appeasement never came.

At the beginning, Hank gave him news of the school, of the progress of the students, news of each one and then little by little the messages had spaced, Charles put more and more time to answer, letting the distance grow voluntarily. It was now 3 months that he had no news and it was good like that.

Raven, Jean, Alex... and the names of all the others were spinning in his head, like a macabre dance, a torture he was inflicting on himself to atone.

There was only one name that he refused to pronounce, that he refused to think about. The one name that had always been able to read him without having any telepathic powers.

"You're always sorry, Charles. And there's always a speech. But nobody cares anymore."

"Will that be all sir?"

The waitress, pulling him out of his musings, put his coffee on the table.

"Yes, thank you," Charles replied.

"Mutant and proud."

Raven had always been right,

"Or is that only with pretty mutations or invisible ones, like yours. But if you're a freak, better hide."

Mutant yes, but proud he was no longer. He was the freak who had to hide.

He took a sip of his coffee and ran his hand over his face.

He suddenly felt a presence behind his back, and a shiver went through him at the sound of the voice with such familiar inflections,

"How's retirement treating you Charles?"

Erik sat down and placed a small case containing a chess set at his feet. Why was he there? To taunt him? To provoke him? Charles resisted the temptation to read his mind. He clenched his fist on his knee. Erik was the only one to provoke this storm of emotions in him. The only one who had the capacity to unsettle him.

So as always he chose the attack,"What are you doing here, Erik?"

He finally dared to meet Erik's eyes, and he almost gasped, because, in the blue-gray eyes, there was nothing of the harshness, of the disappointment from their last meeting. Erik's gaze was kind and open as he replied with a slight smile, "I came to see an old friend. Fancy a game?"

Erik showed him the chess set at their feet. Their usual chess game, the moment when their minds clashed. That space outside of time, where despite the fights and conflicts, they always managed to find each other. But this time Charles wasn't sure he had the strength to offer Erik a worthy opponent. So he shook his head and replied, "No, not today. Thank you."

He looked away. He couldn't look at Erik when so many emotions were running through him. He was sure he would never see the only man he had ever loved again, and there he was in front of him, beautiful, making Charles even more aware of his own state.

"A long time ago, you saved my life. Then you offered me a home. I'd like to do the same for you."

Charles studied Erik's expression for a long time. Always the same openness and acceptance. He was once again tempted to read Erik's mind.

"You can, you know." Erik made the hand motion that Charles made when he wanted to access someone's mind.

As always he had seen right through Charles, but again no disappointment or disgust in the voice and the eyes.

Charles after swallowing, answered in a slightly hoarse voice, having trouble containing his emotions.

"I don't do that anymore."

Erik simply nodded with a half smile, put his hands in his pockets, then took them out, and held them out in front of him in clenched fists, just like in the old days.

"Just one game. For old times' sake."

Charles gave in, he didn't feel like fighting anymore, he didn't feel like pretending. So he held out his hand to Erik's right fist, which opened to a white pawn.

Erik said with a slight teasing smile, "I'll go easy on you."

Charles replied with the same smile, just a little more hesitant, "No, you won't."

As they set up the pieces, Erik added, "I might surprise you, you know Charles."

Charles stopped his motion as he went to move a knight, and said with emotion in his voice as he stared into Erik's eyes, "You already have."

Time stood still for a moment, neither of them able to take their eyes off the other. Then Charles continued his movement and the game resumed.

The sun was high in the sky when they finished their game. It was Erik who had won. But as always, no matter who won, neither of them cared, the important thing was the duel not the result.

"Well?" inquired Erik as he closed the chess set, "Did you have time to think about my offer?"

"Did you mean it?" Charles hoped Erik couldn't hear the eagerness in his voice, because he really wanted to accept Erik's offer. But did he deserve it? Did he have a right to this home Erik was offering him? And what did a home even mean?

His hand began to tremble slightly, as if he wanted to grasp something, but didn't dare. He closed his eyes to compose himself.

He felt a hand rest on his as Erik's voice said softly, "Charles...". He opened his eyes. Erik's hand opened his clenched fist and intertwined his fingers with his. Charles slowly raised his eyes to Erik's face.

The urge to surrender, to let go, hit Charles even harder. He could see so much in Erik's eyes, but he was so afraid of being disappointed and of disappointing... again. He closed his fingers over Erik's and tried to swallow the lump that was forming in his throat.

Erik continued, "Charles, no demands, no debts, no obligations, this is completely free, I'm just offering you a simple and protected life. It's far from a castle life, but Genosha is a small, isolated island where we have created a self-sufficient community. Most of the inhabitants are like us, "retired" mutants with wounds to heal. You can-"

Charles interrupted him, "It's okay Erik, no need to say any more, I accept. " and after a moment of silence, he added, "Thank you."

Erik simply smiled, put his other hand over their entwined hands and said, "I'm just showing the same generosity that you have shown to me over and over again. No need for gratitude between us. We are just two friends and..."

Erik paused as if he were about to say something else.

"And?" asked Charles, curious about what Erik had stopped himself from saying.

For the first time since the beginning of this meeting, Erik looked a little unsettled before answering, "Nothing... well at least not now."

Charles didn't insist, he knew there was a lot to clear up between them. But now that he had decided to follow Erik to his island, he knew they had time.

"So how do we do this?"

Erik replied as he stood up, "I'll go with you to your flat, you take what you need for a few days, and we'll leave for Genosha. You can get the rest delivered later."

"So soon?"

"Why wait? Do you have obligations here, people to say goodbye to?"

"No!" replied Charles curtly, angry at having been found out once again.

He began to roll his wheelchair quickly toward the entrance of his building. Erik joined him in two strides before putting his hand on his shoulder. Charles felt bad for being so touch starved that this simple touch immediately soothed him.

"Charles, I know what it's like, I've been there. Don't get upset. It wasn't a criticism or a mockery." He squeezed Charles' shoulder before letting his hand fall back.

"I know..." sighed Charles. "Come on."

As they walked through the door of Charles' tiny apartment, sensing that Erik was about to say something, Charles admonished him, "Don't say anything."

Erik waved his hand, as if he were zipping up his mouth without hiding his smile, but finally couldn't help himself.

"My Charles, do you live in that shoebox? I'm disappointed in you! Pretty spartan."

Seeing Charles' dark glare, he pretended to surrender. "Ok, ok, I'm not saying anything more."

Charles muttered, "Liar."

Then they gathered Charles' things and a few hours later they were on their way to Genosha.

__________

Two weeks later, Charles was unpacking the last of the boxes that had just arrived, mostly books. Erik had built him some makeshift shelves. His "residence" like all of Genosha’s, was made of salvaged materials, but Charles didn't mind. Although he had always lived in a certain opulence, he knew how to make do with little.

"Need a hand?"

Erik had just stepped through the curtain that served as a door.

"I'm not saying no."

They hadn't had time to really talk and clear the air between them, but Erik was very thoughtful. Charles was a little insecure, not knowing where he stood. So he decided to just take things as they came. If he was honest with himself, he knew how he felt about Erik. But he wouldn't act, he didn't want to risk breaking the friendship they were rebuilding.

Erik had begun unpacking a box of books.

"Do you have a particular order?"

"No put them on the shelves as they come for now."

So Erik began to put the books away, commenting on some of the titles.

"Oh Charles, Charlotte Brontë really? Jane Eyre as well?"

"Hey Erik, just because you're helping me doesn't mean you have to like what I read."

"Ho Ho! You even marked a page."

Charles remembered, what page and what words he had written in the margin.

"Erik, please put that book away, it doesn't matter."

But he could see from Erik's face that he wasn't about to let go, so he resigned himself and closed his eyes waiting for a reaction, of what kind, he didn't know.

"Charles?"

Charles squeezed his eyes tighter.

"Yes?"

"Is that about me?"

Charles had a small self-deprecating laugh before he replied, "I don't know any other Erik, so yes."

"What do you mean with 'you left Erik and now I'm bleeding'?"

Charles let out a big sigh and put his head in his hands. "This is really embarrassing...it's in relation to the underlined passage that's a little higher up if I remember correctly."

He knew the phrase by heart, because it had resonated in a special way since he'd met Erik, but he hadn't expected the raw emotion that ran through him when he heard Erik read the words aloud.

“I have a strange feeling with regard to you. As if I had a string somewhere under my left ribs, tightly knotted to a similar string in you. And if you were to leave I’m afraid that cord of communion would snap. And I have a notion that I’d take to bleeding inwardly. As for you, you’d forget me.”

Charles heard Erik put the book down, and a sound of footsteps, he still didn't want to open his eyes, he was too afraid of what he would read in Erik's eyes. He was aware of Erik's presence very close to him, then a hand clasped his.

"Charles, please look at me." Erik's voice was almost pleading, Charles didn't resist and opened his eyes, to see that Erik had knelt down to be at his level. Then he looked up at Erik's eyes, afraid of what he would find there, and gasped, Erik looked almost amazed, yes that's right, amazed.

"Charles is that how you still feel?" Erik asked him in an pressing tone, his eyes scanning his, leaving Charles no escape.

Charles swallowed, and despite his tight throat, he tried to answer, "Yes."

"But when... I mean since when?"

"When? Do you remember the day you managed to unlock your power. The day you let me access that memory? Well since that day, I've felt this very strong connection between us."

Erik tightened his grip on his hand and asked, "And those words in the margin?"

Charles' voice was a whisper, "After the missiles and the beach, when you left."

"Oh Charles, I...I'm so sorry." The regret was genuine in Erik's eyes.

"Don't be anymore, it's been a long time since I forgave you and since then I think I've made my share of mistakes and bad decisions. Some of which have more consequences than losing my legs. Raven was right, I had forgotten who I was. Why I started all this in the first place. I lost sight of what was important, I lost... I lost so much. And I'm sorry I didn't see it sooner, and... I'm not as evolved as I thought I was. You say you're sorry Erik, but you don't know how sorry I am. Forgive me I... I must..."

Charles had to go, he had to get out, the grief he had been feeling since he left school, no even before, since Raven's death, it was all threatening to come out, he didn't want to fall apart like that in front of Erik.

But Erik was keeping him from walking away. Still kneeling and holding his hand.

"Erik, please move over... let go of me, I have to get out, I-" the tears were starting to blur his vision, with his free hand he was trying to push his wheelchair forward.

"Charles, stop! You don't have to leave. You don't have to be alone anymore. You are not alone!"

Erik loosened Charles other hand's grip on the wheel, and suddenly took him in his arms, and he felt his lips move against his head and the words came to his ears "Charles, you can let go, even though I've failed you many times in the past, this time I won't. Let it go. Don't be afraid, I'll catch you."

Because Charles no longer had the strength to stay strong, because he was craving for someone to lean on, he let go. He let the grief engulf him, because he knew Erik was there and would keep him from drowning.

Erik continued to hold him and whispered over and over, "That's it, let it all out. I'm here mein Liebster. Let it out."

Once the crying dried up, exhaustion fell on Charles and he fell asleep in Erik's arms. He was sleeping so deeply that Erik had been able to lift him out of his wheelchair without him waking up and now he was lying with his back against Erik's front, his head under his chin and Erik's arms wrapped around Charles.

Erik had been torn when he saw his beloved overwhelmed by grief and wondered how long it had been since Charles had been able to express his pain. He had always been attracted to the shining side of Charles, he often compared them to two sides of the same coin. But when he'd found him in Paris, he'd seen that all that light was like dulled.

"Erik..." the still broken voice Charle continued, "Thank you..."

"Sshh Charles, I told you no thanks are needed between us."

"Yeah..." Erik felt Charles relax against him again.

"Sleep, meine Liebster."

Much later, Erik was awakened by a gentle brushing sensation on his face. He opened his eyes, found himself facing Charles, who was withdrawing his hand as if he had been caught with his hands in the jam jar.  Erik grabbed his hand and placed it back on his own cheek.

"Don't stop Charles..."

He saw Charles' expression ease as he gently stroked his face with feather-like touches, tracing Erik's facial lines with his fingertips.

Their faces were so close that Erik immediately caught sight of Charles gulping as a veil of sadness passed over his face.

"What's wrong?"

"I've lost you so many times already," Charles murmured.

"But I'm still here and so are you. Now we're together."

Erik couldn't resist, he crossed the remaining distance between them and put his lips to Charles'. It was as if everything fell into place in their worlds at that moment.

They remained for a long time, joined in a soft and almost innocent embrace.

Charles moved back and stared at Erik, looking for something in his eyes. He must have found what he was looking for because he smiled. His hand came up to brush a strand of hair from his face.

His lips parted and he pressed them to Erik's again. Erik licked the corner of his mouth and slid his tongue over his bottom lip, then kissed him. Charles quickly opened up to him, welcoming him wordlessly with his lips and hands in his hair. His tongue mimicked the actions of hers, and soon they were drinking from each other's lips, caught up in a thirst that would not seem to be quenched.

Erik slid his hands to Charles' waist, and pulled him as close as he could get. Charles' head fell back with a moan as Erik’s fingers slipped under his shirt and caressed his back. Erik took advantage of his distraction and lowered his head even further to press himself against his neck. He felt the slide of his tongue against his skin, then his teeth biting the same spot. Charles had a slight startle. His hands slid over Erik's shoulders and his fingers dug in. Erik immediately raised his head, worried about his reaction. "Not good?"

"No. Good. Really good," Charles reassured him in a gentle sigh. Erik smiled fondly and returned his attentions to Charles' neck. But Charles groaned and tugged at his hair, pulling Erik toward him so he could take his lips again.

Much later, as they both caught their breath. Lips to lips, forehead to forehead, Charles asked Erik, "I don't know if I was dreaming or not, but before you called me 'mein liebster', 'my dearest' if I am not mistaken."

For the first time since he had known him, Charles saw Erik's cheeks turn slightly pink. However, Erik's voice was perfectly assured as he replied, "You were not dreaming mein Liebster." He punctuated his words with a tender kiss.

"Unless you prefer, mein Schatz, my treasure." Another kiss.

"Or mein Geliebter, my beloved." Another kiss.

It was now Charles's turn to have slightly red cheeks. But he, too, looked Erik squarely in the eye and asked, "Is that really what I am?"

"Yes, my love and much more." Erik emphasized this with another kiss.

"Since when?"

"I'll show you. By looking into my thoughts in the brightest corner of my sensory memory like you did that time, you will find an additional memory beyond the one you found to help me unlock my powers."

Charles began to protest, "No Erik, I don't want to-"

Erik put a finger over his mouth, "Shhh, I'm asking you to."

He took Charles' hand and placed his fingers against his temple, in the familiar gesture he had when he wanted to access someone's thoughts.

Erik, visibly moved, addressed Charles, "What did you just do to me?"

"I accessed the brightest corner of your memory system. It's a very beautiful memory, Erik. Thank you"

"I didn't know I still had that."

Charles put his hand on his shoulder and said with strength and emotion in his voice, "There's so much more to you than you know. Not just pain and anger. There's good to you, I felt it. And when you can access all that, you'll possess a power no one can match. Not even me."

When Charles exited Erik's head, they were both deeply moved by the strength of the emotions of the shared memory.

Erik pressed his forehead against Charles'.

"What you told me that day, that there was good to me, that you felt it. It's a memory as happy as my mother's. It was also that day that I felt the connection between us. That I knew that-"

Erik paused for a moment.

"That you knew what?"

"That I was hopelessly and madly in love with you. I love you Charles. We've fought together, we've clashed, we've been through terrible trials sometimes together, sometimes against each other, but this, what I feel for you has always been my ultimate truth. I love you Charles."

Charles once again gasped, this time at the open adoration he read on Erik's face.

He raised his hand to his face, tracing the outline of it he said, his voice broken, "Despite all the detours I've taken, all the bad decisions you or I have made, every time, when it counted, you were there by my side, that unchanging presence. I can't tell where you start and where I end. I love you Erik, more than my life."

There. That moment. This moment of perfect communion after all they had been through. The fate, the choices, the events that had separated them, brought them together in a spiral that never seemed to end, it was all over. It was time for them to live. It wasn't the end, it was the beginning. This was their story.

___________

Although I am very familiar with X-men - Movie verse, I have never written for this fandom before. After rewatching Dark Phoenix, I'm only holding onto this ending scene. I wanted to write about Erik and Xavier from there. I hope I did them justice.

Not beta'd I hope you enjoyed your reading.

[nerianasims]

Prince Charles is apparently whining about The Crown again. (He’s been an incredibly whiny person as long as I’ve been paying attention, which started about when he married Diana when I was a kid.) Well I hate the show too, but somehow I think it’s for an opposite reason from him: It is WAY too kind to its subjects. I have a numbered list below the read more for those like 3 people who might want to see my rage on this subject:

1) The Queen Mother was a horrific racist, even for her time. And she was instrumental in shunting off two of her disabled relatives and pretending they were dead. Because disability is completely gauche to the Windsors. They had absolutely nothing to say about the Invictus Games, not just because of their raging jealousy toward Harry, but also because they think we disabled people are icky. This is also why QE2 won’t just use a wheelchair for public appearances.

2) Prince Philip was a cheating cheater what cheated constantly. Constantly. Also massively racist, even for his time.

3) The way they portray Americans is, well, very much like British productions seem to love to portray Americans all the time. Agatha Christie wrote many books with American characters, whom she portrayed as, you know, people. When British productions adapt these books, they change the American characters’ portrayal completely to make them look like braying asshats, no matter what Christie originally wrote them as. (Also they like to add homophobia for some reason, to the point of totally changing the plot of Cards on the Table just to be homophobic, which is when I stopped watching them.)

The show claims Kennedy was jealous of his wife’s popularity to the point of being abusive -- got him confused with Charles there, did you? Kennedy also cheated all the damn time, so they could have had an episode where he and Philip got bodyguards to bring them women and be much more true to life.

Oh and an episode where Jackie Kennedy debased herself apologizing to the queen for calling her boring. Pfft. QE2 is boring. She only cares about her horses, her corgis, and Andrew. This does not make for an interesting person.

But a lot worse than that is that they have an episode where Philip finds the astronauts who walked on the moon dull. They do not entertain His Royal Highness enough. And we are supposed to side with him and think, ah yes, they are boring, and much lesser men than the racist cheater who happens to be married to someone who happens to have been born to a family who is only there because her ancestors were some of the worst people in the world.

4) Edward did not abdicate for love. The show claims he did. This is one that is really disturbing, btw, and runs with that myth. He abdicated because he was forced out because he was a Nazi. So was Wallace, but Edward himself was the real problem. He’d have handed everything he could over to Hitler. And I’m supposed to feel sympathy for him sadly playing the bagpipes alone? Fuck all the way off.

5) Princess Margaret’s life was fucked up by the royals and advisors. However. She was known for being a huge snob. She also used people as human ashtrays.

6) Charles did not want to marry Camilla instead of Diana. He also had many mistresses. She was never his “one true love” -- I doubt he’s capable of loving anyone. I don’t just mean romantically; I think he is too self-absorbed, selfish, and self-pitying to love his friends or his family either. He digs Camilla because she realized this about him and decided to just be his emotional support and ask absolutely no emotional investment from him in return. Also she’s about as cruel as him, so they have that in common.

The Crown is basically puffery for this awful family, even though it does show some of the awful things they've done. A little bit. I guess showing them as they were and are would be either boring or nothing but a horror show. But royalty usually is a horror show. I love fairy tales, and stories where the prince is good and true and all that. They’re awfully satisfying. But in real life, a prince who is good and true will pull a Harry and run from royalty as fast and as far as he can.

[senacal]

Hello! Could you do a jealous! Erik Lensherr x Reader. Theyre both professors and all btw. Thanks!

Assumptions

Request: Requested by a lovely Anon 💕

Pairing: Erik Lehnsherr x Gender Neutral Reader

Prompt: Hello! Could you do a jealous!Erik Lensherr x Reader. They’re both professors and all btw. Thanks!

Warnings: Misunderstandings, jealousy 

Abbreviations: (Y/F/N)- your full name, (Y/N)- your name

Author’s Note: 😬 Sorry this took so long to get out, I had a little bit of writer’s block and of course my dear friend, no motivation. The reader is gender-neutral cause I wasn’t sure what was wanted.

As always, Requests Are Open!

(Not my Gif)

(Y/F/N) loved their job. They couldn’t explain what had convinced them to teach at Charles Xavier’s school for gifted youngsters; perhaps it was Charles Xavier himself, or more likely, the student’s enthusiasm to learn from them. (Y/N) never expected to be a teacher, considering their high school and college experiences weren’t the most exciting or thrilling. They were almost convinced Teachers hated them, which is why it was ironic that they had become a teacher. 

It was a year after (Y/N) had begun teaching that they had met Erik Lehnsherr. He was… different. Not in a bad way, but he was closed off. And he only ever talked to Charles, Raven, and occasionally Hank. For a month, (Y/N) thought he didn’t speak. There was nothing wrong with that either; a few of their students preferred to remain mute, and some students preferred to use Sign Language over speaking to communicate with (Y/N). So, if Erik was mute, it wasn’t an issue. (Y/N) wanted to get to know him better. Which was why they had attempted to be Erik’s friend.

Whenever Erik would enter a room, (Y/N) would casually make their way to him and make small talk. Most of the time they were met with silence. (Y/N) could have sworn Erik smiled the last time they talked to him, so they knew they were getting somewhere. Soon enough, Erik would start responding to them, small-short answers at first, but it was still something. (Y/N) even asked him if they were bugging him when the short answers continued. (He said no, but (Y/N) wasn’t so sure). Sometimes they wished they were an empath so they could get a read on Erik’s feelings, but alas, they were only able to heal an object’s physical wounds. But it was okay because they were a valued member of the team and Charles, Raven, and Hank loved them for them. 

(Y/N) was almost worried Erik would never open up to them, but as soon as he joined the staff of Charles Xavier’s school, (Y/N) noticed Erik lingering near their classroom. It was almost as if he was seeking them out. (Y/N)’s heart fluttered in giddiness at the mere thought. Whenever they saw Erik in the halls, Erik would greet them with a hello and a kind smile. It was the best part of their day. 

It got to the point where (Y/N) would expect to see Erik before they both went to their respective classes, (Y/N) to anatomy, and Erik to physics. This was why they found it disappointing that Erik was nowhere to be found. They wouldn’t have been too worried because even mutants got the flu and needed a vacation, but it was now the fourth day that (Y/N) hadn’t seen Erik and it was very concerning. Did something happen? Did Erik get hurt? Was he seriously ill? Did he leave again? Did he just not want to see (Y/N)? (Y/N) couldn’t stop their mind from jumping to conclusions. It even distracted them from their teaching, so they would often dismiss their class early. Why waste their’s and their student’s time if they couldn’t concentrate? In fact, with the constant short classes, (Y/N) shouldn’t have been surprised to see Charles stroll into their classroom. 

“(Y/N), may I speak with you?” Charles asked once it was apparent that (Y/N) was too wrapped up in their thoughts to notice Charles.

“Hmm? Oh, sorry Charles, I’m just a bit distracted, what’s up?” They asked. (Y/N) sat at their desk hoping the steady position will get them to focus on Charles.

“It’s come to my attention that you’ve been letting the students out of class early the past few days, is anything the matter?” Charles asked. 

“Oh, uh, no, I just, I’ve been distracted lately is all,” (Y/N)’s cheeks flushed in shame. They couldn’t let this issue affect their job any more than it already has.

“Distracted… by anything in particular?” He moved his wheelchair closer to (Y/N).

(Y/N) shifted so they could face Charles, “Is Erik okay?”

Charles raised his brows, “Why wouldn’t he be?” 

“No reason, I just haven’t seen him is all, I was concerned,” (Y/N) shrugged. Maybe Erik really was avoiding them.

“He’s fine. I mean he was acting odd around me as well, but he said he was distracted. Seems to be a lot of that going on around here these days,” Charles nudged (Y/N)’s hand with a teasing smile.

(Y/N) huffed a small laugh, “I suppose I’m not the only one,” they drummed their fingers on their lap, “Don’t laugh, but I think Erik might be avoiding me and I’m kind of afraid that it might actually be true.”

“I won’t laugh at that, but Erik is a complex person. Sometimes he feels the need to isolate himself when he’s troubled, that could be why he’s been staying away,” Charles shrugged.

Charles had a point, Erik didn’t seem the type to confide in someone if something was troubling him. 

Charles grabbed (Y/N)’s hand, “I hope everything works itself out, can’t have my best teacher struggling.”

(Y/N) smiled gratefully at Charles’s blatant concern. He was their best friend and they knew he was merely concerned for them. Before they could respond with reassurance, however, Erik stepped into the classroom.

“Oh, sorry, I- sorry,” Erik ran his hand through his hair, “Can I ask,” He pointed from Charles to (Y/N) “are you… do you two- Anything happening here?” 

(Y/N)’s brows furrowed at the question, “anything like what?”

Charles snorted with laughter next to them. He waved his hand as if to apologize but the laughter bubbling from his lips made it hard to believe. “What?” (Y/N) frowned.

Charles dropped (Y/N)’s hand and huffed softly, “Nothing, darling. Erik, a word if  you please?” Charles maneuvered his wheelchair outside of (Y/N)’s classroom. 

(Y/N) watched as Erik walked out after Charles with a look of confusion. Was there something they weren’t getting?

_____________________________________________________________

Erik has had a rough couple of days. Before, Erik would usually brush off any inconvenience and continue with his day. But ever since he met (Y/N) it’s been a little more difficult to ignore the problem at hand. And that problem came in the form of one Charles Xavier. Erik knew someone as wonderful as (Y/N) had to be taken, but taken by Charles? Not that Charles wasn’t a good person, he was the best person Erik knew, he just really hated that of all people, (Y/N) was dating Charles; his best friend.  

When Erik first met (Y/N) he knew there was something special about them, and not just because of their power. No, (Y/N) was the most caring, funny, and charming person he has ever had the pleasure of meeting. They always made sure to include Erik when he first arrived, and they made sure that he wasn’t feeling neglected. These small acts of kindness were enough to make Erik fall for them. But again, (Y/N) was with Charles. 

At first, Erik thought he could ignore his feelings and simply brush them aside. But that was easier said than done. (Y/N) was always on his mind. Whenever he was in class, in the danger room, driving. There was no escaping (Y/N). So, Erik accepted his fate and became their friend; Only now he’d see Charles around more often, and he’d feel guilty for even fantasizing about (Y/N). Erik was living in hell.

The other day, Erik had the intention of telling Charles how he felt about (Y/N). When he walked into the living room, both (Y/N) and Charles were sat by the fireplace, talking and laughing. He realized he couldn’t get in the way of their relationship. He couldn’t leave again though, it didn’t sit well with him. Instead, Erik chose to avoid both Charles and (Y/N). Whenever he would see (Y/N), he’d turn the other way and pretend like they weren’t there. He altered his route so he wouldn’t run the risk of running into them. When he saw Charles, Erik would find a way out of the conversation and avoid him as well. 

This had been going on for a week now. But even avoiding (Y/N) was like torture; he missed them. He wanted to see them smile when he said hello; he wanted to see them laugh when he told a joke. He missed them. So he went to find them. But when he did, they were with Charles. He didn’t know why he felt so disappointed. He had foolishly hoped to get some alone time with (Y/N). 

It got to the point where Erik had finally asked if (Y/N) and Charles were in fact in a relationship; It sure seemed like it. He shifted nervously in place, avoiding Charles’s eyes. He wished he was using his helmet right now. 

“Erik, tell me, do you like (Y/N)?” Charles asked casually.

“What would make you think that?” He mumbled.

“Oh, I don’t know, perhaps it’s the disappearing act you seem to pull whenever we’re together or the fact that you haven’t spoken to me or them in days?” Charles raised his brows accusingly. He obviously wasn’t as in the dark as Erik had hoped.

“Maybe I just don’t like talking to you?” Erik shrugged.

Charles rolled his eyes, “Please if that were true I’d have known long ago.”

Erik ran his hand through his hair, “What if I did? There’s no chance for me, I know that. And I would never do anything to jeopardize our friendship.”

Charles smiled, “Well, I’m glad to hear that, but there is something you should know. (Y/N) and I aren’t together.”

Erik frowned, “Did you two break up?”

Charles chuckled, “No, you git, we were never together. We’re just friends. I promise. And if it helps, I’m pretty sure they like you too.”

“Really?” Erik grinned. It seemed he could only string together unintelligent answers now that he knew (Y/N) was single.

“Would I lie to you?” At Erik’s look, Charles rolled his eyes, “When it counts?”

“No, I suppose not,” Erik cleared his throat and finally met Charles’s eyes, “Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s someone I should talk to,” He pointed to (Y/N)’s classroom door behind him with his thumb.

“Definitely. I’d wish you luck, but I am positive this will go well for you both,” Charles winked and left Erik to talk to (Y/N).

Erik took a deep breath and re-entered the classroom.

(Y/N) looked up from fiddling with their fingers when he walked in. They smiled when they saw it was him. It was a pleasant surprise. They had expected Charles to come in. “Erik, it’s been a minute.”

Erik shrugged, “Yeah, I wanted to apologize for that. I uh, may I sit?” He motioned to the seat near their desk.

(Y/N) nodded seeming eager.

Erik pulled the chair closer to (Y/N) and took a seat. “First off, I wanted to apologize for my behavior. I shouldn’t have been avoiding you.”

“So you were avoiding me?” (Y/N) asked. 

“Yes, but not because I don’t like you,” Erik rushed when he noticed the disappointed look on their face, “I like you a lot actually. That’s why I’ve been avoiding you.”

“That makes absolutely no sense.” (Y/N) crossed their arms over their chest, “You don’t avoid people you claim to like.”

“That’s a good point, but in my defense, I thought you were dating my best friend.” He drummed his fingers on his thighs, “I know it seems stupid now. I feel stupid, but it only seemed logical at the time.”

(Y/N) smiled and shifted closer to Erik so their knees were touching, “You were jealous of Charles?” 

“I know, I know. I’m an idiot, but you had to see how close you two are,” Erik defended.

(Y/N) laughed but nodded in agreement, “Okay, I forgive you.” They took Erik’s fidgeting hands into their own, “And if it helps, I like you too.”

Erik beamed, “It does.”

“Good,” (Y/N) let go of one hand and laced their fingers together with the hand they still held, “Now, ask me on a date so we can stop being idiots.”

Erik laughed happily, “very well. (Y/N), would you like to go on a date with me?”

“Erik, this is so sudden,” (Y/N) teased.

Erik rolled his eyes fondly, “Yeah, only took me a couple of months to get the courage to ask you out.”

(Y/N) bit their lip, “I’d love to go out Erik.” They leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Erik’s cheek. 

“It’s about damn time,” Charles’s voice echoed in both mutant’s minds. 

[bunnys-beetlejuice-blog]

elevator dinging noise to aLERT YOU TO A NEW CHAPTER, KIDDOS this is set in my BJ Deetz au. For context on that, you can start here, or just jump in, with the knowledge that you're robbing yourself of some pretty okay writing. tw for mentions of suicidal ideation and self harm

Of course something like this would happen, Lydia thinks, staring down at the linoleum of the hospital hallway. She’s sitting alone. Barbara and Adam are lying in hospital beds, in critical condition, and to see them, all she would have to do is stand, and enter the door to her left. She sits there. You’re being stupid. You’re being childish. Dead Mom didn’t even waste away in a hospital. Adam and Barbara need you. All you’re doing is sitting there, thinking about yourself, and two people are barely clinging to life, you miserable stupid freak LOSER. She uses the heel of her right boot to dig into a cut on the back of her left leg. She hears a noise, to her left, the door opening and closing, and her dad steps into the hallway. She can tell it’s him from the tired sigh, but her eyes never lift from the floor. “So?” she asks, voice raw. “They’re stable,” Charles says, not sounding nearly as hurt as he should. They’re family friends, and her dad sounds like he’s describing something of no consequence. The weather, maybe. Sports news. Not something serious, and important. He’s already pushed this down, in the same place in his chest where his pain over Dead Mom must live. She almost envies that skill. It’s like he can choose not to feel the hurt. All she can do is carry her broken heart around with her, and it cuts her hands and arms and leaves her raw and bleeding. Lydia picks at the hem of her dress.

“They said it was a stroke of luck we found them when we did,” Charles says, and then glances down at his phone. “I’ve got to make some calls. See about getting that floor replaced.” “Why?” “Because the house is in my name, Lydia. If someone goes in, takes a tumble through the floorboards, who do you think they’re suing, the comatose couple, or the New York real estate mogul?” “Oh,” she says, and then, “Adam would want the floorboards to be original. They spent all that time, sanding and polishing and shining the floors. We-” her voice breaks in a way she hates. “We were supposed to spend next summer there.”

A plan left over from before her life had gone to hell.

She turns to look at her dad, and blinks. He’s halfway down the hall, already on his phone. She can’t guarantee he even heard her. A nurse wheels someone in a wheelchair by her, and she winces, and turns her attention back to the floor. “Lydia?” she hears Delia call to her, and she focuses her pain into anger. “What?” she snaps, not looking up, not risking having to see someone else pass by her in the hall, on their way to death. “Do you want to come in, and see them?” Delia’s voice is very soft. “There’s no blood. It’s not scary.” “I’m not afraid of blood,” she says, the cuts in her skin aching. “I just.. Don’t want to see them laying there. Still.” As death, she thinks, but doesn’t finish.

“I won’t push you,” Delia says, clutching at the amethyst necklace around her neck. “But I think you might regret not coming in, and seeing them. I can step into the hall, give you a moment, if it’s.. Me, that’s keeping you away.” Lydia looks up, sees the hurt on the older woman’s features, and then sees her try and smile past it, as their eyes meet. “I bet they’d love to hear your voice, Lydia.”

Come on, come on, she chants to herself. Don’t leave them lying there, alone. Come on. It’s showtime. She steals herself, and stands. Delia steps aside, lets the teen move past her into the room, and Lydia takes in her two friends, laid out in blue hospital sheets, heads wrapped. Tubes are shoved everywhere, down noses and throats, hooked into arms. It’s a nightmare. She studies the heart monitors, listens to the steady sound of one heartbeat. At that, she nearly panics, until she realizes that she can only hear one noise, one blip, because the machines are sounding off together. Their hearts are beating in time with one another’s. That’s so them.

She stands between the two beds, looking from Barbara, to Adam, back and forth, studying their faces. Even though the Maitlands are still alive, it’s still like seeing Dead Mom, laying there, in her parent’s bed, stiff and cold. It makes her wince, makes bile rise up in the back of her throat. She powers through it. Both are twitching, mouths almost looking as though they’re struggling to form words, from within the depths of their unexpected, unwelcome slumber. Delia speaks, from outside the doorway. “The doctor says their brains are very active,” she says. “That’s good news. They’re both still in there. They just need to wake up.” “You’re not really in the hall,” Lydia points out, and Delia makes a little “oh!” noise, and ducks back out, but Lydia can tell she hasn’t gone far. Fine, whatever. The illusion of respect over her privacy is apparently as close as she can get. She reaches her hands out, takes Barbara’s, takes Adam’s, and holds them, for a long time, serving as a connection point for the two of them. “Please, please,” she begs, softly. “Please wake up, you guys. Please don’t go. How many times do I have to watch people leave?” she asks. Maybe this is what life is. You love people, love them so hard it makes you dizzy, leaves you breathless, and then they’re taken away, pointlessly, and you’re just expected to pretend that you’re alright, even when every part of you feels like it’s coming apart at the seams.

Barbara’s hand twitches in her’s, and she rubs her thumb over the top of it. finish reading over HERE

[f1-disaster-bi]

Lando recovering from ACL surgery and chilling in a wheelchair but he’s upset about not racing so one day Lance takes him to a nearby park (‘Fresh air is important for recovery Lando’) and there some of the drivers in toy cars and there’s an obstacle course set up so they can all race. Somehow Lando wins, George manages to crash into Alex, Esteban gets distracted by Mick and Charles is just a bit too slow to catch Lando who’s powered by Lance pushing him

This is so adorable that I cannot even begin to thank you for this Anon!

Lando feeling a bit down after watching one of the grand prixs, maybe Silverstone. He’d been invited to go, but it had felt too depressing and overwhelming to be back in the garage and have to pretend to be happy with just watching when he feels useless.

And Lance notices how withdrawn Lando is and how sadly he is wheeling around the house afterwards so he spends the time that Lando’s napping or watching something else later that day texting everyone to see if they can pull this off.

Lando being still a little withdrawn the next day, but trying his best to not be cause he wants to spend time with Lance especially when he suggests going for a walk, and maybe even letting Lando take a few steps with his cane if he’s up to it. So he’s excited and then they get to the park near his house and George and Alex are squashed into tiny cars, Sebastian is laughing and laying out food with Lewis. Charles is cackling in a little Ferrari as he tries to run over Max’s ankles, Daniel is on music and Mick and Esteban are setting up an obstacle course with Pierre.

And Lando can’t help but tear up and look at Lance in awe because, 'You did this for me?’, ‘Of course I did, anything to see that smile’ and he wants to kiss him so badly but the boys are yelling joking insults about how they’ll kick Lando’s ass so they get distracted and it’s just a mess with Lando laughing as Lance rushes him through the race an the older drivers egg them on until they win and Lando is pulling Lance down into a kiss.

And maybe Lance gets a little teary when Lando manages to walk the few steps from his wheelchair to the picnic bench without help and turns to grin at him proudly 

[hermywolf]

ranking my favorite characters about random shit part 1

ranking my favorite characters (clarke griffin, dean winchester, fox mulder, rose tyler, newt, kaz brekker, samwise gamgee, charles xavier, bill denbrough, lord asriel, steve rogers, scott mccall, anna milton and barry berkman) about random shit. this is entirely self-indulgent

PART 1 : how much do they react when they step on a lego

1- KAZ BREKKER

he has NO reaction it’s terrifying. even if he was internally screaming he would not even FLINCH it’s inSANE everyone’s so scared of him. this is 99% of the reason everyone authomatically accepts him as their leader they saw him step on a lego once and he didn’t flinch and they went OH so he’s like. crazy crazy. okay we’ll follow you into the jaws of death

2- STEVE ROGERS

homeboy’s got the fucked up pain tolerance from the chronic pain AND the super serum, he barely notices the lego. strongest avenger shit

3- ANNA MILTON

now she’s technically not human so she actually feels no pain whatsoever but in her efforts to Seem Human and Be Included (bitch MOOD) she’ll pretend to flinch and be hurt

4- LORD ASRIEL

he’ll throw a FIT. he’s a drama queen. he’ll barely show pain at all because pain is for the WEAK and he has to seem strong at all time because he’s a dramatic hoe we been knew. but he WILL yell at whoever left the poor lego there. he’s just that mean

5- CHARLES XAVIER

he doesn’t feel it because wheelchair but he does call whichever mutant kid left it there to pick it up and explains at length how its not good to leave your stuff around because another kid could’ve gotten hurt and he just will not stop talking like we GET IT charles can we go have applesauce now

6- BARRY BERKMAN

i got nothing on this one folks. does he even know what a lego is. weirdo. he’ll either not react at all or fall to his knees and start crying his eyes out

7- CLARKE GRIFFIN

she’ll be SO annoyeeed you know that annoyed face she does remember when jasper and monty threw flour or whatever at her face and she was all annoyed and shit. or when finn pulled her into the river and she was all annoyed and shit. it was adorable. yea she’ll do that

8- SAMWISE GAMGEE

homeboi is PISSED who the FUCK left this lego here come PICK IT UP PIPPIN I’LL MURDER YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY oh it was you mr frodo? no no problem of course i love legos i’ll pick it up no problem at all no no don’t apologize i love you

9- NEWT

you’d think he’d be chill about it but he’s also a bitch he’ll be bitchy about it for so long. he’s the kinda bitch to be like ‘gimme your toast’ ‘what no its my toast’ ‘you left that lego on my way and i stepped on it remember. you owe me your toast’ ‘that was FIVE YEARS AGO’ ‘toast. now’

10- SCOTT MCCALL

i don’t think he’d actually care. werewolf senses and all that. but if we’re being realistic here stiles is probably the one who left it there and scott thinks he’s hilarious so he’ll do some dumb shit like fill stiles locker with legos in retaliation or something. stupid himbo man i love you

11- BILL DENBROUGH

he’s such a BITCH ABOUT IT he’s such a bitch about it. like newt he’ll bring it up five years later to get stuff but since nobody gives a shit he gets his revenge by putting legos in the sandwitch richie wouldn’t give to him because bill is a PETTY HOE

12- ROSE TYLER

she’s so WHINY about it she’ll whine and pretend her foot doesn’t work and she can’t walk and she’ll just limp around while whining until someone gives her extra fries or something. she’s just insufferable

13- FOX MULDER

a baby. he’ll cry. scully finds him in tears at his office like full head in hands sobbing his eyes out and she’s like who died and he’s like my FOOT. she calls him a baby. he’s a baby. baby man. child. i love you

14- DEAN WINCHESTER

god this man probably has one of the higher pain tolerances in this list and YET. and YET. like he’ll get tortured in hell for thirty years and not break but remember when he had to draw one drop of blood from his finger and he threw a FIT so panicked losing his mind absolutely TERRIFIED and then held his finger for like and hour. he’s SO ANNOYING he’ll throw a fit and pout and whine and complain and pretend he can’t walk and do puppy eyes at everyone to get favors and use it as an excuse not to walk for as long as he can get away with it he’s just SO annoying about it. little bitch hoe ass dumbass no wonder he’s my favorite out of all of these characters he’s the only one who’s as annoying as me

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Revolution Theme, Part 4 - The Governor’s Episodes

What led me to wanting to rewatch the Gov’s episode was a discussion with @galadrieljones. She talked about Lenny from 4b being an anti-Daryl, and that sparked something for me. I totally agree about Len, but it made me remember that, a long time ago, I remembered that Mitch (guy who operated the tank for the Gov and helped bulldoze the prison) was also an anti-parallel to Daryl.

Now, back when I first realized that, I didn’t have anywhere to really go with it. I mean, we had the leader (Governor) pitted against Rick and his right-hand guy (Mitch) pitted against Daryl. Mitch operated the tank, which Daryl blew up. And then of course Daryl ends up shooting Mitch in the heart. The thing that first made me realize Mitch was a Daryl parallel was the fact that he had no sleeves, lol. I know that’s goofy, but I think it’s intentional.

Anyway, I hadn’t thought about it in a long time. And while we’ve talked about Gov parallels to Beth in these two episodes lots of times before (like the stigmata walker in the yellow wheelchair) it suddenly occurred to me that there’s probably a LOT more to it than that.

Recently, especially since the bonus episodes, I’ve been big on looking at entire sequences and multi-episode arcs from a broad, bird’s eye view because I think they’re templates for future story lines. (It’s totally Find Me’s fault. Lol.) Anyway, I just realized I hadn’t done THAT with the Gov’s episodes, and I probably should.

Long story short, I was right.

Long story long, here we go:

So we start by seeing the end of 3x16 again, right after the Gov kills all his own people and takes off with Martinez and that other guy whose name I don’t remember. He doesn’t show up again and Martinez says he pretty much gave up and got eaten by walkers.

(We’ll skip the discussion about how Karen was a Beth proxy at this part in 3x16, because she was left for dead and even pretended like she was. In other words, she played possum. Then she returned to Tyreese and eventually became romantically involved with him. But that’s beside the point, right? ;D)

Okay, so we see the Gov and the two guys at a camp site and a very Beth-ish walker stomps through his fire, trips, and starts burning before Martinez kills it. I’ve always thought that was a Beth hint, and I still do. I think it’s just the writers’ way of signaling that this is a Beth template for the future.

When the Gov wakes up, his guys have abandoned him and he’s alone in this bright yellow tent that stands out against the bleak landscape. (Yellow.)

Then he goes and burns Woodbury. I’ve always tried to connect that to Beth, particularly because of the Moonshine shack. But looking at it now, there’s just something else entirely going on here. Emotionally, I mean.

We know Bethyl burning the moonshine shack symbolized something positive. Letting go of their pasts and moving forward. When the Gov does this, you don’t get that vibe at all. It’s more bitter and resentful. He’s angry and grieving over losing his leadership, the town he built up, and his people. It almost feels like a “if I can’t have it no one can” sort of thing.

So, this is total conjecture on my part, but I feel like there will be a Beth parallel to this. Probably not quite as destructive, but I’ve always had a head canon that somehow, after waking up, she’ll end up at Terminus, find the riot gear and Daryl’s poncho, and assume they all died there. That may be where the bitterness and sadness will come from. Just my head canon, though.

After that, the Gov starts on his long, lone journey (another thing we’ve always theorized Beth would do). Oh, and the song that plays over this part, which I’ve always thought was very pretty, is called The Last Pale LIGHT in the WEST (emphasis mine). I think the Gov goes west when he leaves.

Then we get voice overs, and this part is SUPER interesting and makes me very happy. We heard two women talking to the Gov about where he comes from and where he used to be. We now know those voices to be Tara and Lilly, but at this point in the episode, he hasn’t met them, yet. So, what’s interesting is that neither of them are named in the subtitles. They are just “woman.”

And where have we seen that lately? In 9x05, every voice (like Lori and Abraham, for example) was named, but Beth wasn’t. We immediately recognized her voice, but she wasn’t named in the subtitles as “Beth.” It just said “woman.” So, what does this mean? We wouldn’t have recognized Alanna’s voice yet at this point, unlike Emily’s, but we had yet to meet Tara yet. So, on a basic level, I think it shows that the unnamed “woman” will soon be a character on the show.

And why would they do that with Beth when, like Lori and Abe and the others, we’ve already met her? I think it’s probably in line with the theme about her being a different person when we see her again. In a good way. “Meet the new Beth Greene.”

The next important thing about this part is what is actually said. I’m paraphrasing here, but Tara and Lily ask where the Gov was before and he says something about having been in a town. Tara asks if the monsters were there. He says no. It was a good place, with walls. But “he” lost it. She asks, “who?” And he says, “the man in charge.” So clearly, he’s talking about himself in the third person, and Woodbury.

But.

If this is a Beth template, then Gov = Beth, right? We always wondered why they would use him, being evil and stuff, as a Beth proxy. But keep in mind that Gimple took over as official head honcho and completely reworked a reportedly terrible 3x16. They were basically done with the Woodbury/Gov storyline, and they needed a good sendoff for him. In a way, this was Gimple’s first Sirius arc. Someone who leaves, is presumed dead, but then comes back. We know Daryl (and Michonne) searched for him, but lost the trail (kinda like losing Beth’s body) and the Gov is even down one eye. Siriusly.

So, my point about the voice over is that everything said there could be applied to Rick, especially during the S4/S5. He lost it. He screwed up. Beth was left behind/separated from them.

Okay, now I’ll jump forward a little faster. For the rest of 4x06, there are really only two big things of note. 1) Tara and Lilly = two sisters who eventually lose their father. A foreshadow of the Greene family dynamic. And even though Tara’s father dies of natural causes (lung cancer), the Gov does end up bashing his face in to keep him from biting Tara. I think that was supposed to be kind of like him “killing” the dad, and therefore a foreshadow of him killing Hershel by taking his head.

The second thing, in terms of future Beth arcs, is that he lost everything, was left behind/abandoned by his people, went on a long journey, and eventually found people that he came to care about and protect. And I think the same will happen with Beth. In fact, it actually works in line with the Charleston template I laid out. Just a community of people she cares about and protects/takes care of.

And I’m sure some people will wonder about the fact that the Gov finds a love interest in Lilly, and if that will translate to Beth. Well, it’s possible. She might have had boyfriends over the years. We’ve discussed this. But it’s also important that her *true* love interest, Daryl, is already back with TF. And that wasn’t true of the Gov. He was never going to return to the prison and have some beautiful relationship with…anyone. The closest thing would have been Andrea, and she’d already died by this point.

There are, of course, small clues in 4x06 that I haven’t gone over, and of course I’ve skipped the rest home with the stigmata walker, because we know about that. But a few highlights: At one point, Tara says, “Ray Charles could have seen it” about their truck out front. Blindness mention. Lilly used to be a nurse, which ties to Grady. And she even talks about being bored, which is a direct link to Edwards being bored. 

Pirate theme, of course. I do think Megan represents Beth, though perhaps not directly in the template. She wears a lot of pink and yellow, blond hair, etc. And I think she’s just another way to say that this template is about the blond girl who, apparently, dies.

We should also probably appreciate that the way the Gov’s arc ends (the situation in 4x08) is a prisoner exchange situation where a Greene dies, and both directly ties to and foreshadows Grady.

But let’s move on. The end of 4x06/beginning of 4x07 is where they fall into a pit and meet Martinez. Let’s be real. In the show they call it “the pit” and it’s just used to keep walkers from overrunning their camp, but it’s clearly a grave. So, we have the Gov and Beth—I mean Megan—falling into a grave with a bunch of walkers (death) but surviving and eventually getting out (resurrection). Side note: we also saw the Gov kill one of the walkers that went after Megan by ripping it’s jaw off. (Speak no evil.)

So, here’s where we get to talk about Mitch and Pete a little bit. And it’ll be fun. I promise. :D

Watching this with an eye toward them representing Daryl and Merle, a lot of the symbolism became a lot more obvious. Keep in mind that they’re anti-parallels, not parallels.

See, between the two, Pete, who actually represents Merle, is the more sweet, compassionate one. While Mitch is the more brutal one. But again, they’re anti-parallels, so in this case, Mitch, the brutal one, is Daryl’s antithesis and Pete, the kind one, is Merle’s.

In fact, the first time we meet them, Mitch doesn’t want to let the Gov’s group in because they already had too many mouths to feed, and Pete says, “come on, man. They have a kid.” Just reminded me a lot of Daryl’s “they had a baby” in 3x10 after saving the family on the bridge.

So, they come back to the camp and start living in a trailer. The Hole in the Roof theory is huge here. The roof of the trailer keeps leaking water and, I shit you not, it looks like it’s dripping from a bullet wound. So, clearly….

And while I stand by it being a symbol of Beth being shot in the head, I also think it represents toxicity of a sort. Things that are wrong and it’s just a matter of time before the crap hits the fan. That sort of thing.

Okay, obviously the most important part of this episode is when they go to the cabin, but let me mention a few things that happen along the way.

Mitch, Pete, Martinez, and the Gov go out looking for supplies for the camp. And they had a really interesting conversation that may give some insight into the spearfishing in Find Me.

They walk by the lake and the Gov asks if there are fish in the lake. They reply, no. The lake is totally dead. Mitch then adds that there are rabbits, skunks, and possums. Obviously, some symbolism in those animals. But it occurs to me that fish = life. Something they can eat, subsist and even thrive on. The lake is dead because there are no fish.

Now, clearly this is a foreshadow of the Gov killing Pete and putting him in the lake. And of the Gov already being kind of dead in his soul. And “dead water” might also foreshadow the poisoned water theme. Water that can cause death if you drink it.

But in thinking about Daryl’s reaction to both Leah and Carol finding fish in FM, it’s kind of interesting. Both times, he says, “no way,” and is pleasantly surprised that they caught the fish (life). So, I’m wondering if this is meant to be him being surprised that someone he thought was dead was really alive. And what if all the fish symbols we’ve seen represent life in some way?

Of course, it could also be that a mounted fish, like we saw near Dwight in S8 is technically a dead fish. So, it might have symbolized the death of his and Sherry’s relationship. Or that it would live again. I’m not sure how granular to make this. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Okay, so then they come upon a camp that seems to be doing well. Mitch wants to take all their supplies, but Pete refuses and they leave. Later, they come back to find the camp overrun, most of its people dead, and the supplies gone. Here, Mitch is just pissed that they didn’t take the supplies before someone else got them. (Very anti-Daryl.)

But I do think this points to some future arc. I don’t know for sure what it will be, but again, I think it works with the Charleston template. Like, Beth is in a community. She goes out looking for supplies, and when she comes back, the community has been knocked on its butt by the CRM. And this is one of those things that was never really acknowledged or explained in the show. Who killed off the camp? And why wasn’t anyone in the Gov’s group at all concerned that their camp might be next? Gotta be symbolism for sure. :D

Oh, and the Gov says it must have “just happened.” Just like Daryl said about the wolves and the girl on the tree in 5x15. And again, the wolves are very tangled up in the Native American symbolism.

Then there’s the cabin bit. Again, I’m not at all sure how this will fit into Beth’s arc, but I’m sure it foreshadows SOMEthing. So, we have two headless corpses, one of which says LIAR and the other that says RAPIST. And then a third that still has his head, but killed himself with a shotgun. He is, presumably, the guy who lived in the cabin and killed the first two, and he’s labeled himself MURDERER.

Now, on the one hand, all of these words describe the Governor. He says “Liar” just before taking Hershel’s head, which is what that first one points to. And it’s not too hard to figure out that he’s a murderer. We didn’t actually see him rape anyone in the show, but there were suggestions of it, especially as he attacked Michonne and manipulated Andrea. And I’m pretty sure in the comic books, he does actually rape Michonne. They just didn’t want that to be the case in the show. So, these do all work for his story line.

But I also think these may be things Beth encounters at some point in her arc. Maybe someone will lie to her (or even betray her, Lone Ranger-style) and she’ll have to take them out. We already saw her dealing with rape at Grady, and have long thought that it foreshadows a bigger, potential rape situation that she’ll have to deal with. You get the idea. So, it’s very vague and I don’t have any great inspirations about what these point to, but in general, I’m sure they’ll apply to her.

It's also important to note that all these guys are dressed in military clothing. So, we might be able to tie them to CRM, symbolically if not literally.

I didn’t find anything massive inside the cabin that we haven’t already discussed. You asked me to look for revolution/George Washington pictures, @wdway, and I didn’t notice any. I didn’t try overly hard to see every single picture in the background, but most of them looked too blurry to tell much detail anyway. The major one is of Abraham Lincoln, and I think that’s important. But I’ll come back to it.

Of course, we have all the Native American symbols in this cabin. So, here’s the thing. Because of Tonto in TLR, I feel like whoever the Native American symbolism points to, whatever group that is, good or bad, it represents the group that Beth found after she woke up/lived, who nursed her back to health. And the reason I say good or bad is because the Claimers do theoretically fall under this same symbol theme for Daryl. The first group of people he ran into after he lost Beth. After the big disaster.

And here, I think Martinez’s group works in that regard for the Governor. He wasn’t hurt badly but he was in need of help after falling into the pit. You could say the same of Daryl after losing Beth. He just needed people to pull him out of his slump.

Now, here’s the other thing I’m not entirely sure how to interpret, but it does lend credence to the idea of the guy who lived in the cabin, who took out the two headless corpses, being representative of Beth. Once they’ve cleaned the walkers out of the cabin and are all sitting down talking, the Gov finds a picture of the guy who lived their and his family. The guy’s left eye has been colored over with read. Like red pen or marker. But it’s clearly a Sirius symbol and the red looks like blood.

So, I thought about what must have happened in this cabin. I kind of thing it might have been sort of like what happened with Abraham’s family. We were told after 5x05 that he killed the people who were actually part of his group. People he trusted. That’s because while he was out on a supply run, they raped his family. They just couldn’t show that in the show.

So, for the cabin guy, taking out a rapist and liar who might have harmed his family is straight forward enough. But why would he kill himself if his family still lived? And the Gov’s group found them as walkers in the house. Why would they continue to live there if the husband/father had shot himself on the porch? So, I’m thinking that these two headless corpses not only raped but perhaps murdered his family. So, he beheaded them and, in his grief, took himself out.

Or, because he labeled himself a murderer, maybe something happened where his family went crazy, or just got bitten, and he had to put them down. And that made him feel like a murderer. Because I don’t think justly taking out bad guys would have made him feel that way.

This may feel largely irrelevant, but it’s in the episode for a reason. Once again, I think this probably points to some part of Beth’s future arc. I mean, this sort of thing, the kind of thing Abraham went through, since it happened at the hands of people that were part of his community and that he trusted, is the ultimate betrayal, right? So maybe it will be a matter of someone in her community that she trusts betraying them to the CRM or something. IDK.

I keep saying it’s the west/lone ranger stuff that = betrayal, but the Native American theme always seems to be tangled up with it, doesn’t it?

Some minor details.

They find *beer* in the cabin.

We find out that Mitch and Pete were in the army before the turn happened. And in this case, I don’t necessarily want to link that to the CRM. We could, but given that both of them are now dead, it doesn’t really matter.

But it occurred to me that this is more evidence of them being anti-Daryl and Merle. Daryl and Merle were nobodys and drifters before. So, their opposites were in one of the most disciplined professions one can enter. Daryl started in an unproductive place and evolved. Mitch started in a disciplined place and devolved.

Of course, they’re playing GOLF when he kills Martinez. After doing so, he sits like Daryl at the crossroads. Then when Lilly finds him in the RV, he says he had a bad dream. He doesn’t remember. (Memory loss mention.)

They tell the camp he was hitting golf balls, got drunk, and fell into the grave/pit. *coughs Bethyl*

There were some interesting mushroom mentions. I noticed that before they met up with Martinez’s group, they were talking about Tara’s ex girlfriend (who was named SAM, btw) who lied to her about her feelings for Tara. Lilly says, “Yeah, then you went camping, ate mushrooms, and the rest was history.” Or something like that. I wasn’t sure what to make of that, but then later, we see the same mushrooms on the trees around the Gov that we saw in Still. Hmm.

I’m also a little unsure of what to make of the walker pit they reach when they try to leave the camp. Remember they all take off in a car, including Tara’s girlfriend, but they have to stop because the road is impassible. It’s turned to mud and is full of walkers. I’m sure that’s symbolic of something, but I don’t know what.

Of course, the Gov kills Pete and recruits Mitch. You could say he has a very Negan approach, ruling through fear. He kills Pete specifically BECAUSE he’s the compassionate one and Mitch is the brutal one. Very different to how Rick ever approached things.

Okay, that’s most of what I have for the Gov. Except that at the beginning of 4x08, after he takes Michonne and Hershel prisoner, he says, “they’re the key.” (Key Theory).