#live laugh Magneto

[fawn-spots168]

Greetings Cherik Nation

[polaris-likethestar]

cinnamon girl by lana del rey is so cherik coded

[inprogress-predicament]

Ian McKellen's Magneto could say "I've Been At The Mercy Of Men Just Following Orders. Never Again."

But Michael Fassbender's Magneto could never pull off "We love what you've done with your hair"

[marvelstars]

Charles: I will have to shatter your mind but it´s out of love, you are out of control and need to be stopped. Shattering your mind is more important than stopping the prime sentinels.

Magneto: You hurt me

Also Charles: You hurt me too and Logan, I know I shattered your mind and now you don´t remember your name or your parents faces and barely remember Rogue and your Children but I am here for you, I won´t leave. Only those who love us can make us suffer.

Magneto: I am cold

Charles:I know, I am here and I won´t leave, Now you need to wake up real quick because your family that just stabbed you needs you to save the world from the nuclear weapons they just send us before we all die crashing agaisn´t earth.

Magneto:.....need time to process all of this but ok, priorities first.

Charles Xavier: No, President Kelly, I will not let you harm Erik.

Also Charles Xavier: *shatters Erik’s psyche and uses him like a puppet*

[unluckiestmember]

Hey so I LOVED your X-Men x sweetheart reader and I was wondering if you could do a similar head cannon of X-Men x kind reader but their reaction to you being good with kids. I just feel like they would have various opinions or feeling if they saw you interacting with a child.

Coming right up!

X-Men '97 X Compassionate! Reader

Characters: Nathan Summers/Cable, Scott Summers/Cyclops, Jean Gray, Remy LeBeau/Gambit, Rogue, Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler, Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto, Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver, Morph, Logan/Wolverine and Jubilee.

Warning: None. SFW.

A/N: So how did you guys feel about Deadpool and Wolverine?

Cable

“Well would you look at that! Seems someone knows how to get along with the kiddies… Oh don’t mind me, keep playing.”

Cable isn’t used to hanging out with children or being around them due to his workload, but he does enjoy the presence of kids that look up to him. He hasn’t really thought about wanting kids because of his fear that the disaster of a future he’s from would be too harsh for a child to be raised, let alone he is scared that something will happen to them.

However, when he sees you being so compassionate with children, it makes him reconsider a little bit! The sight of you and the kids at the local shelter on his base laughing and playing together makes his heart sour. Whenever he finds himself down in the dumps and needs a good boost or reminder of what he’s fighting for, he will just watch you and the children happily running around and realize why he’s the famous freedom fighter the young ones and yourself admire.

Cyclops

“Huh, you’re a natural at this! Makes me wonder how things would be when you become a parent of your own kid.”

When he sees you taking care of children on and off missions, Scott can’t help but stand and watch you with the biggest smile tugged on his lips. The sight of you all happily living your lives without a care in the world makes him remember the civilians he is fighting for. And more importantly, it makes him think of giving the family thing another shot!

Can you blame him? The way you are with children makes him daydream a perfect life away from the mansion raising a family together and properly being there for your child. Though there is hesitance to it all due to the result of Nathan and his last relationship, if you assure him, then he will definitely try to be a father again. Because with you by his side, can he really fail again?

Jean Gray

“Aww! Are you playing nice? Mind if I join in? I’m sure they would love to see my powers in action.”

Jean has thought of having a family with you when everything is settled down. So before she can have this ideal world of raising a kid with the love of her life, she can get a peek into a potential future in the brief moments of you caring for children, mutant or human. Whenever she sees you taking care of a child, usually during a mission, she will assist you in any way and naturally take up a mother role she’s used to having around the mansion.

The team can always find you two trying to make sad or distraught children on missions turn their frowns upside down with some powers or just speaking to them and making sure they are heard. You and Jean are definitely the go to for young ones, and if you both around children confirms anything, it’s that you two would be great parents someday.

Gambit

“Look at you all go! Mind if Gambit takes a stab at this, mon amour? I’m sure I can win their hearts. I won yours, didn’t I?”

Gambit is used to dealing with the younger folk of the world because of his time around them back home. So when he’s around children, he can easily adapt to them by playing some mindlessly fun games, pulling off tricks with his cards or telling some jokes. That’s not surprising though. What’s really surprising is him finding out you’re a pro when it comes to little kiddies!

When he found out you were a natural, he was beyond impressed by you and even let his mind wonder on a more intimate possible future down the line for the both of you. Around children, he’ll have you both as a package deal with you as the caring caretaker and him as the funny guy who will not hesitate to flirt and send signals your way in front of the kids. With how much he’s flirted with you, the kids always mistake you two for a married couple! A married couple… That doesn’t sound half bad.

Rogue

“You got these kids all excited, running and screaming like a bunch of baby banshees! You’re a natural, babe!”

Rogue wasn’t a big kid person on missions. She simply gets the job done and if there are children that need assistance she leaves it to someone who can be more intimate without fearing they’ll hurt them. She stayed this way until you showed off innocently how well you were with younger civilians.

At first when the mission called for dealing with kids, Rogue watched you from the sideline in silent awe of your tender love and care for children that were distraught or needed a distraction. Yet with time, simply watching you gave her the courage to join in and actually help out by giving out free rides on her back or showing off her immense strength. Together you two are a happy fun couple kids love to be around as much as Rogue just loves being around you. Now whenever there’s a mission with the young ones, she’s more than excited to tag along with you and live in the moment.

Nightcrawler

“May I cut in? I can play a mean game of tag!… Really?! Then round up the kiddies because I’m it!”

Because of Genosha, Nightcralwer is just as good with children as you are! He enjoys his time with the little ones around town or during stakeouts because of how accepting they are of him and how much their laughter fills his heart with joy. Now mix your own laughter in because of your handling with them and the blue devil was sure he was getting a slice of heaven.

The both of you are so well together and with others that the team delegates you both to taking care of the children on missions and making sure they’re okay. Around you both, the kids can expect a bunch of games to be played and a lot of memories to be made. Whenever a mission calls for babysitting, Nightcrawler knows exactly who to call on to assist him in having a little bit of fun on the job!

Magneto

“The future of mutants is bright if you’re around to bring such laughter and happiness.”

Though Erik has children of his own, he’s pretty subpar for a caretaker let alone a babysitter of mutant children. He tries his best of course, but the lack of fatherhood he was allowed made him a bit rough around the edges. Luckily he can depend on you to pick up where he lacks and he thanks you deeply for that.

Everytime he takes a moment to look at you with kids just minding your own business and being giddy without a care in the world, it makes him wonder if he’d be open to trying to raise a family once again. He knows with age and with the weight on his shoulders, it may be harder for him. But if you’re by his side, he wouldn’t mind giving it another try and stepping up to the plate to be a better father than he ever was for Wanda and Pietro.

Morph

“Hey, if the kids want to see a few tricks, send them my way, alright? I can throw them for a loop and think there’s two yous running around!”

Morph is decent with children, but they mainly leave that kind of work to you. When it comes to the more emotional attachment, they need a bit of work on that, but if you’re talking tricks and jokes? Then they are the right person to work with on missions dealing with kids!

They use your connection with children to playfully throw you for a loop by shapeshifting into someone and tricking you a lot just to get some laughter in the air. Most of the time he succeeds but there have been a few times where both of you just team up in some funny interactions that are bound to leave the children happy in your presence. Honestly, Morph wouldn’t care so much, but since you’re around? They don’t know- You just bring out that side of them! And they kind of love it!

Wolverine

“Of course you’d be good with the children, what did I expect?… Don’t mind me, I’m just keeping watch. Have fun.”

Children and Logan don’t mix that well. He just finds it annoying to babysit when he already does that with the teenagers at the mansion. Add that with some crying, whining and begging and he becomes pretty livid. Which is why he doesn’t like missions that deal with kids. That is, unless you’re there to help him out.

He finds your handling of children to not only be a big help for him but also a nice change of pace. It’s adorable seeing how kids easily gravitate towards you and how you let them do whatever they want. Whenever they have you pinned down in a game or surrounded, Logan can’t help but laugh at the cute little ambush before he breaks everything up. He doesn’t like kids and he still can’t stand them. But you make them more bearable, so there’s always that!

Jubilee

“Hey, babe! Send the kids over here- I’m gonna do a mad fireworks show for them!”

Jubilee is, surprisingly enough, really good with kids! She’s a lot like a cool aunt to your nurturing parent bit! She thinks it’s cute that you’re good with children and even compliments you around them when she’s not busy with other kids on a mission. The firecracker can rely on you to assist her or even stop her from making whacky moves that could get some children hurt out of pure excitement.

It’s not hard for everyone to know you two are a couple because of how much she calls you by pet names or makes fireworks that send signals to you if not make some look like you. It’s awfully sweet of her and it makes you comment that not only is she a great girlfriend, but she’d also make a great mom. Though, it’s highly recommended to hold that because if Jubilee hears you speak of motherhood, she’ll cringe at the thought. She likes kids, don’t get her wrong! But she could never be a mom!

If you got any requests for X-Men '97 or Arcane, send them my way!

Likes and retweets are always appreciated! I love you all, stay hydrated and have a good day! <3

[toytle]

everything abt this is outdated but ykw. tag yourself anyway, i’m jean and fred

text ID under cut:

lasik (scott): 1) gifted kid burnout + eldest sibling syndrome 2) leader by choice(..?) 3) “this is fine.”

mom jeans (jean): 1) leader but not by choice 2) never forgets a birthday 3) gets away with things due to her reputation

fuzzy elf (kurt): 1) tries to be hip with the kids (is a kid) 2) honorary catboy 3) fingerguns his way out of situations

:3 (kitty): 1) impulsive shopper 2) livetweets everything 3) says ‘omg’ and ‘ttyl’ outloud 4) bakes muffins for her friends! they are inedible!

skater boi (evan): 1) cool guy syndrome 😎 (undiagnosed adhd) 2) steals food off his friends' plates 3) PARKOUR!

e-girl blueprint (rogue): 1) hopeless romantic 2) only child AND middle child energy 3) knows the best thrifting spots

“””team leader””” (lance): 1) tries a lot, fails a lot 2) anger is default emotion 3) probably named his car betty or smth

actual team leader (pietro). 1) cool guy syndrome 😎 (unmedicated adhd) 2) causes problems on purpose 3) motivated by attention

toad (todd): 1) thinks he's just soo funny. well, he is. 2) hasn't showered in a month 3) stays out of drama but Will grab the popcorn

bombshell blonde (tabitha): 1) self-loathing vs superiority complex: fight! 2) flirts with friends 3) parties to avoid being alone with her thoughts

scarlet bitch (wanda): 1) hates authority figures 2) cuts her own hair. and clothes. 3) in a constant state of overstimulation 4) deserves to snap tbh

hey it’s (fred)!: 1) cries easily 2) would literally murder for friends 3) treats plushies like living creatures

professor clean (xavier): 1) “hello el gee bee tee que community" 2) adopts every child he sees 3) knows everything and yet nothing at all

grrrr (logan): 1) that sounds like a you problem." 2) acts like he hates kids but tacks their drawings to the fridge 3) believes that violence is the answer

weather report (ororo): 1) everyone's bisexual awakening 2) has high expectations for everyone, including herself 3) live laugh love 😊😊😊 or else

mr beast but like actually (hank): 1) god, i could really use a drink." *makes chamomile tea* 2) longs to be a smooth rock basking in the sun 3) gives unwarranted life lessons

another blue one (mystique): 1) #girlboss 2) “gay rights but only for me" 3) loves her son but will dropkick other children

magnum dong (magneto): 1) heterophobic 2) "you have the moral backbone of a chocolate eclair" 3) does not love his son AND will dropkick other children

[starkwlkr]

I’m rewatching The Last Stand and now I need more of the Jackman kids on set 🥺 Can we have headcanons about each of the kids as well? Dad!Hugh is adorable🥺❤️

on set headcanons

an: the last stand is underrated i said what i said

hugh literally becomes his kids’ assistant no joke

“i want a milkshake!” “i want fries!”

going back to my one shot where hugh used charles xavier’s chair with the kids lol they each use it and of course it’s all recorded on a video camera because hugh wants to remember it 🥲

baby olivia being everyone’s baby!! she took a liking to james marsden (me too olivia)

everytime hugh is in costume they call him logan or wolverine

the boys definitely asked to wear magneto’s helmet once and tried to take it home

the prop department (I’m gonna go with that department lol) made small replica versions of logan’s claws for them

naps with hugh on set!!

then they go back to school and tell their friends that they hung out with the x-men all week and how they got to sit in professor x’s chair and wear magneto’s helmet 🤭

“yeah my dad’s wolverine, but i got to wear magneto’s helmet!”

these kids are practically raised on marvel sets since you’re in the mcu

they really have the avengers and x-men on their side so if anyone says something mean to them, they will literally say “my dad’s wolverine!” or “my mom is an avenger!”

live laugh love the jackman kids <3

[bananababblegigglemuffin]

Claws, Diapers, and Daddy Duty

Logan’s gruff voice boomed from the nursery. “Darlin’, is it supposed to smell this bad?!”

I chuckled from the kitchen, setting down the baby bottle I’d been warming. “Welcome to parenthood, Wolverine!”

Let’s back up a bit. Being married to Logan wasn’t exactly what I’d call conventional. For one, his idea of “domestic bliss” involved flannel shirts, beer, and the occasional uninvited guest in the form of a random mutant needing help. But when we decided to adopt a baby—because Logan swore he wanted to give someone the stability he never had—life took a turn I never expected.

Daddy Logan: The Adjustment Period

From the moment we brought little Ellie home, I saw Logan try harder than he’d ever tried in his life. I mean, this is a man who’s fought Sentinels and survived wars, but one tiny infant had him more rattled than Magneto ever did.

The first night was… interesting. Logan insisted on taking the first shift, grumbling something about how he “never sleeps anyway.” I woke up to find him sitting in the rocking chair, holding Ellie, his claws accidentally out because he was too tense.

“Logan,” I whispered, trying not to laugh, “she’s not gonna hurt you.”

“She’s tiny,” he muttered, staring down at her with an expression I can only describe as pure terror. “What if I drop her? Or—or sneeze? Do babies survive sneezes?”

I kissed his forehead. “Relax, tough guy. She’s sturdier than you think. And you, believe it or not, are softer than you look.”

Diapers and Danger

Day three was when Logan truly met his match: diaper duty.

“Alright, bub,” he said, rolling up his sleeves like he was about to take down Sabretooth. “How hard can it be?”

Turns out, very.

I peeked into the nursery to find Logan standing there, holding Ellie at arm’s length, his nose wrinkled like he’d just walked through a sulfur pit.

“She pooped up her back,” he said, looking at me like I was supposed to explain how this was biologically possible.

“You’re the one with the healing factor, Logan. You’ll live,” I teased, tossing him the wipes.

It took him twenty minutes, two shredded diapers, and one very judgmental look from Ellie before he finally got the job done.

Superheroes Don’t Do Nap Time

Logan was not a fan of nap time—mostly because Ellie refused to go down without a fight. And by fight, I mean she screamed like a tiny banshee every time we put her in the crib.

One afternoon, I came home to find Logan sprawled on the couch, shirtless, with Ellie snoozing on his chest. His claws had popped out and were stuck in the arm of the couch, presumably because he’d been startled by her screaming earlier.

“You good there?” I asked, trying not to laugh.

“Don’t say a word,” he grumbled, though the corners of his mouth twitched. “She’s finally asleep.”

I couldn’t resist snapping a photo. “Superdad, saving the day one nap at a time.”

The Soft Side of Logan

For all his grumbling and growling, Logan had a way of melting whenever Ellie giggled. One evening, I found him sitting on the floor of the living room, holding one of Ellie’s stuffed bears and making it “fight” her other toys.

“Take that, bub!” he growled in his Wolverine voice, making Ellie squeal with laughter.

“You’re ridiculous,” I said, leaning in the doorway.

He looked up at me, a sheepish grin on his face. “Yeah, well… she likes it.”

A New Kind of Hero

One night, after Ellie had finally gone to sleep, I found Logan standing over her crib, his arms crossed.

“You okay?” I asked, stepping beside him.

He nodded but didn’t take his eyes off her. “Just… didn’t think I’d ever get this.”

I slipped my arm around his waist. “Get what?”

“This,” he said, his voice soft. “A family. Someone to protect who’s not a mission or a fight. Just… her.”

Tears stung my eyes as I rested my head against his shoulder. “You’re doing great, Logan. She’s lucky to have you.”

He snorted. “Lucky? Kid’s stuck with a grumpy old man with anger issues.”

“She’s stuck with someone who’d claw through hell for her,” I corrected, squeezing his hand.

He looked down at me, his smirk softening into something tender. “Yeah… guess she is.”

And that’s how I knew Logan wasn’t just a dad—he was her dad. The kind of dad who’d grumble about diapers but stay up all night to rock her back to sleep. The kind of dad who’d teach her to fight but cry when she scraped her knee. The kind of dad who’d make you laugh, cry, and want to throttle him all at the same time.

Logan wasn’t perfect. But to Ellie—and to me—he was everything.

[cemeteryspider]

Genosha Revisited

Purely Father Daughter!: Magneto! Erik Magnus Lehnsherr x Daughter! Reader

Gambit! Remy Lebeau x Mutant! Reader

Summary: A complete rewrite of episode 5 of X-Men 97' where you and Gambit visit Genosha to see the place where your past trauma took place.

Trigger Warnings: Mentions of Trauma, Anxiety, Mentions of Enslavement (Genosha)

Word Count: 682

You allowed your mind to drift as you stared out the window of the jet. The vast expanse of ocean below made your stomach twist into knots. Remy noticed your frown and calmly grasped your hand in his.

"What's goin' on, Chere? Is everything okay?" He smiled sweetly, but you could feel the sweat on his palm.

You were returning to Genosha, where you and Remy had first met years ago. Back then, it was a place of enslavement and suffering, far from the mutant sanctuary it claimed to be now. Magneto insisted you needed to see its transformation—a place where mutants could thrive.

Reluctantly, after much persuasion from Gambit, you boarded the jet, now en route to Genosha.

"Oh, you know, just great, Remy. I feel like we're walking into the lion's den again." You squeezed his hand back, trying to mask your unease with sarcasm.

"I know it's difficult, but maybe the place has changed for the better. Everything's going to be okay, Chere."

The sinking feeling in your chest persisted. You knew better than to trust something that seemed too good to be true.

"We're here, dear," your father announced. You looked out to see a vast island of color. Your heart swelled at the sight of mutants with wings guiding the jet to the landing pad.

Putting your nagging thoughts aside, you exited the jet with your father and boyfriend.

Almost immediately, your best friend Kurt leaped into your arms, "Mein Freundin! I've missed you!"

After he released you, he hugged Remy. "And the thief! I've missed you as well! I'll be showing you around while the consul speaks to Magneto. Follow me and see the new and improved Genosha!"

An odd feeling churned in your stomach, but you forced yourself to stay open-minded as you stepped into the bustling world.

Mutants of all shapes and sizes surrounded you—some with wings, others with different colored skin, and some with serpentine features. It felt like home, but more like a community than a family, unlike the mansion.

Kurt led you through vibrant markets filled with fresh fruit, freshly caught fish, hand-knit goods, and other trinkets. You bought an assortment of fruits and baked goods to share with Remy, who gladly shared with you.

You arrived at an open area filled with dancing bodies and flashing lights. It wasn’t a party scene, but more a joyful reprieve from daily life. You pulled Remy into the crowd and began to dance.

"You better keep up, Remy!" you laughed, pulling him closer.

A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "I was about to say the same thing to you, Chere!"

Kurt talked to the band, and they began playing a lively tune with a fun guitar riff.

As the music picked up, you and Remy twirled and spun, your movements synchronized and fluid. The world around you blurred into a swirl of bodies and quick feet.

You and Remy moved in perfect harmony. He pulled you close and spun you out with a flourish, your hands never leaving each other. The crowd clapped and stomped their feet with enthusiasm. The music swelled, and the world pulsed with life.

As you finished the dance, the crowd clapped for you, amazed by the moves Remy had taught you from his Louisiana roots.

Heat rose to your cheeks, but Remy quickly dipped you and gave you a small peck on the cheek. Then you were off again, moving through the streets as the music returned to its tropical beats.

Your walking slowed as Kurt stopped to talk to someone he knew.

You let your head fall onto Remy's shoulder. "That was the most fun I've had in a while."

He smirked at you. "Me too, Chere."

You looked up at him and wrapped your arms around his neck. "I'm glad we came, Remy."

He wrapped his arms around your waist. "I'm glad too. This is much different from the last time we were here."

As the sun began to set, he gently rocked you and pressed a silent kiss to your forehead.

[staticfangs]

god i read the unproduced origins: magneto script and i’m so unwell about it i gotta talk about it for a sec because im lowkey fixating over this movie that WASNT EVEN MADE.

i won’t spoil much for those who want to read it themselves (i’ll link it below) but it was written pre-first class so the cherik lore is different but i fuck with it lowkey. erik is like this muscular construction worker trying to make a living for himself and he decides to travel for his nazi manhunt and meets therapist (psychologist?idk really) charles who runs an institution in israel hoping he can help him through his painful memories of the holocaust.

plus there’s literally a part where charles and erik are in this bar and take down some thugs together and run away from the cops holding hands and laughing. like this might as well be called the cherik origins let’s be real.

tbh this script gave me some inspo for a fic because it’s given me so much insight on erik as a character and i feel the need to write this beautiful trope. we were SO ROBBED

[bamboozledcorvid]

I’ve been on an xmen kick recently so I need to talk about Magneto and more importantly the brotherhood.

There are lots of good bad guys in marvel; Loki, Venom, doc ock, etc but the difference is they are bad guys they are driven by greed, bloodlust, jealousy, general assholeness, whatever.

Magneto fights for equal rights.

One of my favourite forms of xmen was X-men: evolution, which showed Jean grey, Scott summers (cyclops), Kitty pryde (shadowcat), Kurt Wagner (nightcrawler), Evan Daniels (spyke) and Rogue all as teenagers in high school and whilst I loved those characters my favourite thing about the show was the brotherhood.

The main four members of the brotherhood being; Todd tolansky (Toad), Pietro maximoff (Quicksilver), Fred dukes (Blob) and Lance Alvers (Avalanche). They all do bad and questionable things but the only reason they are all villians is because they didn’t fit into Xavier’s idea of heroes so he never even tried to help them.

Toad arrived the same day as Kurt, Kurt was welcomed with open arms no questions asked. Toad fought Through the manors defence systems to “see if he had the gift” (despite Charles being a mind reader and Scott telling him he had it) then fought Kurt, and then when he ran off no one went after him because Charles told them not to.

Avalanche arrived in the next episode on the same day as Kitty. Charles detected them both but only went to get Kitty and when Avalanche tried to befriend her and expressed that he felt out of place and was happy to have someone else like him around Charles told Jean he was a bad influence and to end the friendship. At the beginning of the episode Jean asks what they will do about him and Charles says he’ll handle it and then doesn’t even bother looking for him.

Next blob appears and whilst Jean makes an effort to be nice to him (if only to stop him from killing Duncan) none of the other xmen even try. Charles doesn’t acknowledge him at all until he kidnaps Jean, something he done because he spent his life as a carnival freak being laughed at and was excited to have finally met someone who didn’t laugh at him. (Something that annoyed me was that Jean did laugh at him just not to his face instead she did it behind his back to kitty)

Finally Ouicksliver, he appears in the same episode as Evan as Evan’s rival. Despite Charles and other Xmen frequently talking about giving people a chance they chose to leave Pietro because he was a bit annoying and impatient.

So with Mystic and Magneto being the only stable (ish) adults in their lives they all joined the brotherhood. And whilst they did bad things just because they were told to whenever they didn’t have orders they weren’t as evil as they were mildly agitating.

Toad and Avalanche specifically weren’t even evil they were just poor and lonely. Everything the two done was mainly for money, food, (occasional revenge), and or to be liked. Avalanche frequently started earthquakes to impress Kitty and Toad would really hang out with anyone who gave him the time of day, (something the Xmen didn’t)

[fawn-spots168]

Greetings Cherik Nation

[drowninginblox]

Never read Fanfiction in the Kitchen at 3am. Or do.

Kurt Wagner (nightcrawler) x reader fanfic Reader and Kurt or similar ages, GN reader (don't mind how gendered the German language can be!), Mutant reader, very self-indulgent, and fic awareness BTW You can put in any iteration of Kurt you want. I just have a '97 and Fox bias (Yes my taste is shit, why are you surprised??) Btw this is written in the second person POV. I am not sorry.

It was late. You should have gone to bed.. what? Three hours ago? But you were being f e d. Your fave just uploaded after a year-long hiatus for a ship that you knew would never happen- Nightcrawler X Reader.

You were sitting in the kitchen, kicking your feeding and giggling into the hoodie you were using as pajamas. Oh, the professor must be so disappointed in you. But who cares! If he wants to know that you think his lingering gase whenever he talked about Magneto was grounds for a classic case of internalized homophobia then that's on him. He wouldn't be looking into the hellscape known as your mind if he didn't want to know the absurdity of the X-Men fandom.

You only lurked from the sidelines, giggling at the headcanons and imagine scenarios that people made up for the majority of the X-men. The funniest were always Logans even though most of them are so well written. But now was not the time for that- you were indulging in your crush on Kurt. This author is characterizing him pretty well all things considered. I mean yeah, they emphasize the tail a bit, and don't really lean into his German but- you'll take what you can get. Most of these people are humans that don't really divulge into mutant territory. But you think this writer is one. It's either that or they've done their research. They really understand the struggle and don't shy away from the animosity that comes with living with physical mutations.

You take another sip of tea as you read, savoring the dialogue of the reader insert. This Y/n is hilarious but sensitive. "Whatcha reading?" You immediately close the laptop as you jump- almost spilling your tea as you see Kurt, eating a banana. You shakily put down your mug "Holy fuck Kurt-" You mumble, taking a breath. "You scared me! What the hell?!" He only laughs at your suffering, making you huff. "What are you doing up?" she asks lowly. Kurt's laughter dies down after a minute or so. "Oh, I was just hungry. And then I saw you! You seemed very invested in whatever you were reading. Was it saucy?" He mused, taking another bite of the banana. You sigh. "I don't need to tell you what I was reading, I just was." You defend as your mutation activates on its own. You, dear reader, can change color! Any color! But you don't control it all the time. Sometimes it reflects your emotions- like right now.

"That's a wonderful shade of pink you have mein bunter freund. Jetzt bin ich wirklich interessiert... What had you so invested?" Next thing you know, he's gone in a dark cloud. Then he's holding your laptop. Now he's sitting on top of the fridge. "Kurtis!" You nearly yell. "Give that back!" Your skin only grows into a hot pink. He only laughs from his position, opening up your laptop. "Come now it can't be that bad!" He looks down at your computer, reading the fanfic. All you can do is watch as his face gets closer to the screen. Your skin erupts in various shades of dark blues, purples, and greys while tears build in your eyes. Embarrassment and shame make lumps form in your throat. "I-I hope you're happy Kurt." You mumble as you walk away, not caring anymore about what he may or may not think of you because now he knows two of your biggest secrets. The first being you read fanfiction, and the second that you have a crush on him. Just great.

"H-Hey! Wait! Mein regenbogen!" You hear him call but you keep walking back to your room. This night can't get any worse if you just hide from it. Maybe tomorrow you can convince him to forget that this ever happened. Or maybe convince yourself that this is all a bad dream. He keeps calling your name until eventually he appears a yard away from your door, laptop in hand. "Listen I-" You take your laptop out of his hands. "First of all, I don't care that I like you-grabbing someone else's shit regardless of who they are is not cool Kurt. Second- I was not reading what you may or may not have seen and any mention of it that reaches me is going to equal to one hour of ass-kicking. Do you understand?" Kurt looks on at you, startled by the sudden hostility. "Kurt." Kurt blinks a few times before nodding. "Good. Nothing happened, I'm going to bed, goodnight." You manage to say before tears start to run as you rush to your room.

Before you can get inside, he grabs your wrist "Before you go- please- hear me out" You look at him. "Nothing happened Kurt-" "I like you too!" Your eyes immediately widen. Any words you had in store for him vanished, only replaced by awestruck stuttering. "Wh-what-" "I have loved you for years! I never knew you were interested let alone pining-! If I had known I'd have confessed to you earlier and I know that I shouldn't have taken your stuff, that was awful on my part. Es tut mir so leid, meine Liebe, bitte verzeih mir. Ich werde es auf jede Weise wieder gutmachen.-" You blink a few times before taking a hand, making him stop immediately. "Meine liebe... my love? You- actually?" Kurt nods. "Almost as soon as I saw you." He squeezes your hand. "I- I didn't think you'd be attracted to-" Your eyes widen even more. "Kurt! Don't you dare finish that sentence! You are so handsome! You're the most handsome man I've ever seen!" You confessed. His face becomes a darker shade of blue as you realized what you just said.

"I-I am the most handsome man... you have ever seen?" he mumbles. He takes a few moments to process that. "So... you.." You nod. "For little over a year." He smiles. You can't help but smile back.

Who knew life imitates fiction? Let alone fanfiction?

[temporarywelcome]

The X-Factor - Peter Maximoff

Chapter One: To Be a Star

Pairing: Peter Maximoff x Reader Fic Summary: Peter Maximoff and Alex Summers liked being X-Men, they really did. However, they both felt like they could be so much... more. And so they found themselves as film students travelling to a secluded farm in Texas for a documentary project, Peter immediately smitten with the owner's daughter, Y/N. However, Y/N, her parents, and the rest of the farm seem to be hiding a terrible, evil, secret.

CHAPTER WARNINGS: swearing

_______

"I will not accept a life I do not deserve."

_______

Word Count: 1.8k

Starting anew was tough. 

He wasn’t very good in high school. Not that he was dumb, he just barely ever showed up, just enough to pass so his mom could be happy. He didn’t bother with college, content with just staying in his mom’s basement and zooming around stealing Twinkies and junk. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. 

He was content, until he was twenty and found out who his father was. Erik Lensherr, the infamous Magneto. 

So Peter Maximoff found himself at Charles Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, and he made himself a home there. Eventually, after Erik flip flopped from evil back to good, Peter was able to introduce himself to his dad, and became an X-Man. He built a relationship with his father, and began being friends with Alex Summers. 

Alex liked being an X-Man, he really did. He liked saving the world. Not only was it an ego boost, but, well, he didn’t like people dying. 

But there was something he liked more.

Peter and Alex were movie nerds, spending a lot of their free time at the movies or watching old films in one of their rooms, snacking away and chattering about whatever the hell they were watching. Peter was always into the story itself, dissecting the plot and hidden meanings. A lot of people just assume he’s dumb because of his laid back personality and shitty school attendance, but he really was smart, he was. He was smart and he talked fast and he would yap and yap for hours about interesting films, and Alex would nod along and talk about it as well.

Alex was a cinematography guy. Not so concerned with the content of the film, more interested in how it’s laid out and portrayed. He was good with a camera. Really good. So good he wanted the world to know it.

“I don’t know, I feel I’m cut out for more than this,” he had said once.

Peter, who was busy on Super Mario Bros, had glanced at him, “For more than saving lives?”

“Like… I like doing this, but I’m not as happy as I would hope… I was looking at NYU.”

“...for what?” Peter had laughed, but he was genuinely intrigued. 

“Imma be a director, dude. I can do more than this. I can use more than the mutations already given to me, y’know? I wanna prove myself, work hard and build myself to the top,” Alex had then said something that really stuck with Peter: “I will not accept a life I do not deserve,”

Alex wanted more with his life. And to be honest, Peter did too.

And that was how they ended up at NYU. Peter was terrified he wasn’t going to get in due to his shitty attendance in high school, however, like mentioned before, he was genuinely smart, his portfolio was sound, and he became a film student. 

He and Alex had plans. 

He was the imagination. With his speedy mutations, he was writing up ideas and storylines and soon full scripts within minutes. Alex was the bow, putting it all together into a complete idea. A master with the camera, and a genius when it came to editing.

That was the plan.

Actually attending classes was miserable. Staying in a chair for whole class periods, unmoving, was utter torture. But he pushed through, determined to get through with this.

He will not accept a life he does not deserve. He will persevere. Soon, everyone will know Peter Maximoff and Alex Summers.

Now, at 23, his junior year at NYU, he and Alex had a class together. A film class, of course, and they paired together for a project, of course.

The most boring project known to man.

They were stuck filming a documentary during their whole week of Spring Break. What the hell was Peter supposed to do? Narration? That was about it. 

The most boring piece of shit, at the most boring piece of shit of a place. Springlake Farms. In the middle of Butt Fuck Nowhere, Texas. 

Alex had chose this place because the story was interesting. It was one of those farms with plenty of lodging for guests. Twenty-five years ago, during the Christmas season, the lodge was filled to capacity by a big family. Everyone’s mom, dad, aunt, and uncle was there. A billion cousins, it seemed. Within twenty-four hours, they were all dead.

Every. Single. One. Of. Them.

The owners of the farm mysteriously vanished as well, cops coming to the conclusion that they were the ones responsible for this massacre. The new owners are distant cousins of the previous, and so Alex and Peter were here to learn more about the farm and this mystery. 

The duo was there in seconds, thanks to Peter’s speed. He removed his hand from Alex’s neck (gotta prevent the whiplash!), eyeing the establishment with a grin, “It’s shitty,”

“Ugly as hell,” Alex said in agreement, “Perfect,”

“It’ll look spooky on camera,” 

“Spooky as hell,” A smirk appeared on Alex’ face.

Peter fiddled with the strap of his camera, hung around his neck, “We should check in,”

“Yeah, then we can film this area, the first view of the house,” Alex was already envisioning the scene they were going to film, eyes scanning the fields, calculating, “We already have permission to film everywhere, we just have to ask for permission to film people,”

Peter nodded, following Alex towards the front door, “I feel like I’m going to be so useless,”

“Hey,” Alex glanced at him from over his shoulder, “This is a team effort. That narration needs to perfectly encompass the terrifying and eerie feel this place needs to give to the viewers.”

“By viewers, you mean our professor?” 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Alex rolled his eyes, “You’ll do just fine. Remember, you got-”

“-The x-factor,” Peter finished. He interrupted Alex quite often, he just talks too slow. And he always knew when Alex was going to mention their “x-factor”, he said it all the time. 

“Exactly,” Alex grinned, before turning ahead of him and knocking on the door. 

Almost immediately, a sweet-looking older woman answered, “hello, there! What young, handsome men we have in lil’ ol’ Springlake today. You the film boys?”

“Yes,” Alex replied politely, “I’m Alex, and this is Peter,” 

“Perfect! I’ll have my daughter show you to your lodgin’ for the week, alrighty then?” 

“Thank you, ma’am,” Alex responded. He was always the one interacting with anyone they had to speak with for projects, considering Peter was already zoned out.

He was way too focused on the gorgeous girl that just came out of the farm to give a shit about what some old lady was saying. 

A sweet-looking girl in a pair of overalls and a red shirt underneath, walking with a bucket in hand. Holy shit. That was beauty right there. That… that right there was one hot mama. Holy cannoli. 

“Y/N!” the older woman shouted, “Get yer lil’ ass o’er here!” 

Peter’s eyes widened. That hot girl in the overalls was this woman’s daughter? That total babe was going to show him and Alex to their cabin? 

Stone Cold Steve Austin ran through his mind. Can I get a hell yeah?

Hell yeah.

“Comin’, Mama!” the girl shouted back in reply, and her voice was like fucking honey. Holy shit. She made her way over, giving Peter and Alex a sweet smile, “These two the film fellas?” 

Her mother nodded, handing her two pairs of keys, “Get these young gentlemen to ‘eir loging,” 

“Yes, ma’am,” Y/N’s attention went to Peter and Alex, “Follow me!”

Peter followed. He followed like a fucking puppy following their owner. Practically breathing down her neck, he was so fucking close to her, “So…” he began, “How’s the farm life treating ya?” Shit, he sounded so dumb. ‘How’s the farm life treating ya’ ? That’s the only life this girl knows. 

“It’s the dream,” Y/N replied brightly. However, once she was sure her mother was out of earshot, she said: “It’s fuckin’ miserable,”

Oh!

“How come?” Alex quipped, wanting to be part of the conversation with the hot chick too. 

She shrugged, “I don’t belong here. I’m destined for greater things,” she turned back ahead of her, a little bounce in her step, as if she was daydreaming her new life.

“I respect that,” Alex said in agreement.

“What bigger things?” Peter asked, making sure to show his interest in her goals. Girls liked that, right? He wouldn’t know, considering he had spent most of his high school years skipping class and playing video games. 

Y/N shrugged again, “I wanna be a star,” she said dreamily, a sweet smile on her pretty face. 

“Like, movie star?”

“Somethin’ like that,” she stopped in front of the door of some worn-out cabin, unlocking the door, “This be yer cabin for the next week!”

“Thank you so much, Y/N,” said Alex, immediately throwing his suitcase down on the couch, “We really appreciate what your family is doing for us,”

“Ah, filmin’ a movie, right?” she questioned, leaning against a wall as Peter threw his own suitcase next to Alex’s. 

“Documentary, to be specific,” Peter explained, before promptly disappearing. Hell, he loved hot chicks, but his nosiness came first, and he was zooming through the small cabin, opening drawers and cabinets and closets in curiosity, returning a few milliseconds late, “Nice,” It was not nice, but he wanted Y/N to feel good.

“Really?” she raised a brow, “It’s shit,”

“You’re right, it’s shit,” he sighed, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Don’t tell my mama I said that, she’ll get pissed,” Y/N giggled, the most melodic sound Peter had ever heard in his entire life. “I best be off, got chores t’do,” she turned to leave before pausing and glancing at Peter, “I can always show you ‘round if you like,” she added, biting her bottom lip before leaving. 

It was silent for a moment, Peter practically drooling as he watched her walk off. Alex was quiet as a mouse too, until a smirk appeared on his face.

“Holy shit dude,” Alex exclaimed with wide eyes, “She was totally checking you out!”

“What? Noooo,” Peter scoffed, “There’s no way,” 

“She was giving you ‘fuck me’ eyes, bro!” Alex clapped Peter’s back in praise, “Lucky bastard. She’s hot as hell,” 

A huge shit-eating grin plastered on the speedster’s face as he glanced back at the now empty doorway, “She’s hot as hell,” he agreed. 

“And she totally digs you, man. Lucky bastard!” Alex repeated. “I can always show you ‘round if you like,” he repeated Y/N’s words, terribly imitating her Southern accent. “I’m so horny, Peter. I need you so bad, Peter!” 

His cheeks flushed red at Alex’s words, “Shut!”

“Oh you better bag that chick, man, or you’ll surely be the dumbest man in the world,” 

He grinned, seating himself on the couch. Alex was right on that one, however, Peter had zero experience. Like, at all. So he already knew he was the dumbest man in the world because he knew he surely will not bag that chick. 

Well… if Alex was right, she already had an interest in Peter. There was a chance he could actually make this work!

Unfortunately, Y/N was not the only one interested in Peter.

_____

I'll try posting at least once a week. This is going to be a really short series, probably about 5 chapters? And if you couldn't tell, it's inspired by Pearl and X lol.

[liquidorcard]

Think you can take a look on this video on villains like Magneto? To say she misses the point is an understatement.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YouOhoCDVkw&pp=ygUUbGlseSBvcmNoYXJkIG1hZ25ldG8%3D

Oh fuck I saw the thumbnail of this video manifest a few times and I avoided watching it because I knew it was going to make me mad.

I'm going to do this one as a "real time reaction." Unlike the Harley video, I'm going in blind. Might edit a bit after I'm done writing it all out, but.

Lily Commits Elder Gay Mutant Abuse, feat. "Eldritch Lily" (Part 1)

[Part 2] [Part 3]

Get ready DILF fuckers. We 'bout to go to war for our beloved magnet man.

-0:30: Lily rambles about dumb bullshit to do with tropes, and fandom, and inventing problems. . . Oh my god, why.

So like, right at the beginning here she's just . . . Making noise? Waisting oxygen? I THINK what she's trying to say is people like tropes . . . And that's illegal if it isn't the tropes she likes . . . I don't . . . Lily.

She's using way too many words to say, in essence, I presume, Magneto is dumb, "fanboys" just like him because they like "sympathetic villians." But her rational here is a degree of reductive it makes it almost impossible to respond to. Lily is arguing against a theoretical hivemind of a strawman from another dimension - totally divorced from the one the rest of us live in.

I may hazard a guess that I, conceptually, as someone who both likes sympathetic antagonists and likes Magneto, am from Lily's point of view a part of this "fandom" hivemind she's hallucinating.

I don't know what to say to that other than, no Lily. No. That's not why I like Magneto. I am much more likely to enjoy sympathetic antagonists, as that is my personal taste. I am less likely to enjoy mustache twirling cartoon villans, for as it were, that is not my personal taste. But that is not the beginning and the end of my preferences. Bby grill, I don't know what to tell yah.

Also, a "sympathetic villian/antagonist" isn't really so much a trope as it is a description. I understand why like, TV tropes and for other cataloging purposes the definition of "trope" gets stretched a bit-- however. It's like calling "first person limited" a trope.

-1:21: Lily's "favorite villains,"

I try not to roast Lily on her just strictly expressing her personal taste (when she's not trying to argue her personal taste is superior), but considering the topic of the video-- I gotta laugh. Lily's examples for villains she likes is that one fucker from Kingdom Hearts who's only notable trait compared to the rest of the antagonists is him not being an evil twink (or Pete, or Maleficent) and the Lich King.

I have played at least most of the Kingdom Hearts games. I played WoW when Wrath came out. I played the Warcraft games where he was originally introduced as Arthas.

I guess I can see in a very superficial way why Lily identifies with Fabio Night's King maybe . . . Hot Topic Heidelberg though, I'm at a loss. I can't even remember his name, and I don't care to look it up.

-1:30: "Sympathetic villains are a double edged sword [ . . . ] you can only make them so sympathetic before their status as a villain starts to be questioned."

Might as well bring this up now-- Lily is currently engaging with one of my all-time pet peeves with media discussion: calling all antagonists "villains."

I try to be careful as to when I correct people on this. I don't like nitpicking the language people use. If their meaning is getting across just fine, what ever. I don't want to make them feel stupid for confusing to very similar concepts. Sometimes, my brain shits out too, and I use a suitable substitute even if it's not exactly the right word for the thing I'm trying to refer to. Everyone does it sometimes.

However, villains and anotagonists aren't the same thing. The exact definition as to what makes a character a true "villain" is very subjective-- more often than not vibes based. Where as an antagonist is very concretely the protagonist's foil and/or a source of external conflict. A villain is more defined by the framing, an antagonist is identified by their utility in a narrative. You can have protagonists who are arguably villains and antagonists who are arguably heroes as well. Stories where there isn't enough moral framing and judgment either way, so the protagonist and the antagonist can't really be described as heros or villains. Before we get into discussing whether or not Magneto is truly a "villain" or not, I have to point out Lily's confusing those two concepts. I'm going to surmise the majority of her arguments in this video could have been dismissed if she understood the difference.

So, yes, if you make a villain too sympathetic, they're no longer a villain . . . They're just the antagonist.

I also need to preface all this by saying that Magneto is a particularly complicated case in this regard. He's been around as the "Malcom X" analog in the very messy civil rights allegory of the mutants since the 1960s. He has, in a lot of ways, mirrored the very challenging feelings people have had towards more aggressive and violent forms of activism.

I don't think iterations of Magneto where the narrative condemns his methods outright are wholly invalid-- though I have personally soured towards them. That doesn't align with my perception of what Magento represents. And on a narrative perspective, I think it's always more interesting when the moral question as to whether the X-Men/Charles's position is correct or the BoM/Erik's position is correct is left as ambiguous as possible for the audience to decide for themselves. I think both forms of activism Charles and Erik represent are equally flawed as they are important. Fighting for civil rights is a thing of chaos historically, and there's no real clear "right answer" in most circumstances. A lot of messy incoherence of effort and resistance that slowly over time collectively move the dial-- often in a round-about way.

It also doesn't help that most non-comic reader's perceptions of Magneto are so heavily colored by the movies. As much as the ever effervescent Sir Ian Mekellen elevates that version of the character with his outstanding performance. . . That Magneto is a much messier bitch than his comic counterpart. Much less calculated and considerate in his violence. Same thing overall by the Michael Fassbender version, though he's characterized a little better.

I feel it's pretty safe to assume Lily's going to be arguing mostly against her vague memory of Fox movies while confidently being wrong about the comic version being the same.

Oh my god we're fucking 2 minutes in.

1:52: "It's a very dated metaphor for racism in the 60s, and the film are a very dated metaphor for LGBT youth in the 2000s."

Sorry, we're nitpicking Lily's word choices again. She's getting allegory and metaphor confused. The X-Men are intended as an allegory-- traditionally. Not always, but traditionally.

And as a blanket statement I'm sort of in agreement with her . . . But also not really. Again, the X-Men have been around for so long there's a diverse range in the ways the civil rights analog has been handled. I think typically the mutants are at their best when they are being treated more as a metaphor than an allegory, and for no real specific civil rights issue. Something more organic to the Marvel universe itself the audience can take away from as a meditation in a none-direct one-to-one.

My favorite X-Men Rogue is a character I deeply identify with on multiple layers personally as a queer person, a survivor of abuse, someone who's had struggles with both platonic and romantic intimacy. There's a lot of ways someone could connect with her that aren't direct translations of who she is in canon.

Also, the 2000s Fox movies was not the first time the X-Men were interpreted as a queer allegory instead of a racial one. I can't tell you when the first time was, if there is an official "first time" as POC and LGBTQ+ rights issues have overlapped quite a few times-- but the Legacy Virus was quite literally mutant AIDS. Unambiguously.

I'll sort of agree with Lily, just a little, as a treat here-- a fair bit of X-Men shit is real dated.

-2:32: "Now while Magneto was around since the 60s, this wasn't an established part of his character until about 1980s. 10 years after the man who created him Jack Kurby left Marvel."

UM, ACTUALLY.

Magneto wasn't always a holocaust survivor-- that is true. Quickly googling it, that element of Magneto's backstory was first established in Uncanny X-Men in 1981. Some part of me feels like it was at least hinted at earlier, but let's just call that about right. It doesn't really matter.

This quote from Jack Kurby is so ubiquitous I knew I could find it just by going to Magneto's Wikipedia page:

"I saw my villains not as villains. I knew villains had to come from somewhere and they came from people. My villains were people that developed problems." -- Jack Kurby, Jack Kurby Collector #22

Not a surprise but, this tells me Lily is not familiar with Kurby's work as a whole.

And guess what, this wasn't the quote I was looking for, but it was right underneath, and the source checks out:

"[Stan Lee] did not think of Magneto as a bad guy. He just wanted to strike back at the people who were so bigoted and racist...he was trying to defend the mutants, and because society was not treating them fairly he was going to teach society a lesson. He was a danger of course...but I never thought of him as a villain." --Marvel Spotlight: Uncanny X-Men 500 Issues Celebration, pp. 5-7

You're now arguing against BOTH Magneto's daddies, Lillian.

3:16: " 'You're just one bad day away from being me' - Erik Killmonger, probably"

Oh haha yes Lily so funny you put the Punisher line but said it was Killmonger, that's so funny--

EXCEPT THAT QUOTE IS A REFERENCE TO THE JOKER'S FAMOUS MONOLOG IN THE KILLING JOKE. LILY NOT AGAIN WITH THIS, OH MY GOD, YOU'RE GOING TO ACTUALLY KILL ME. JUST ADMIT YOU HAVE NOT READ A FUCKING COMIC EVER.

3:28: "Where even though Magneto has long since stopped being a Villian in the comics. . ."

According to Lily's definition of "villain," that is not true. As in, he's still mostly used as an antagonist. And he was arguably never really a villain, he's just become less villianized, evolving with our cultural perception of activism-- but I'll give Lily this one.

3:30: " . . . in film adaptations, he's still a holocaust survivor, and still the bad guy for no reason."

LILY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT THE FUCKING COMICS OR THE MOVIES!? I take issue with how Erik is characterized in the movies too, especially in the Bryan Singer (fuck him btw, he's a predator, look it up) movies. BUT YOU'RE ALL OVER THE PLACE HERE LILY, GOD DAMN. Is Magneto as a concept bad, or do you not like the FoX-men movies, which is it!?

3:49: [The prelude to the Kevin Bacon coin murder from First Class.]

Lily, people criticized the choice to make Charles argue with Erik here and how it's framed when this movie came out. Who are you arguing with?

With the themes of the movie they tried to play the angle of Charles' more privileged life giving him the luxury of the pacifist position that Erik does not have. I really like this in concept, this has been explored before in other X-Men media, but they fumbled the bag here with the framing. There's some issues with the cinematic language used. I don't blame people for getting the impression you're supposed to wholly side with ol' Chuck here, even if the text implies otherwise. I agree with her that this is a problem with mainstream films overall havin' a hard time kicking bad habits from the Hays Code.

But that's not really the argument She's making. I don't know if Lily knows what argument she's making.

God forgive me I am at the four minute mark and this post is already this long. Okay, I'm gunna have to split this up into 2 or 3 posts. I'll add the various links to each part as I finish them to each post. Lily gishgallops this fucking badly. . . Stay tuned for part 2.

[ishomieokay]

Ok, so I just made a post about Homelander having the most tragic backstory in The Boys so I want to expand a bit on that (although literally no one asked, lmao).

Look, this isn't even about Homelander having the saddest backstory ever. Being turned into a guinea pig in order to create a super weapon is literally a cliché in superhero fiction.

The difference, methinks, is that the only character in his verse with an equally horrific origin story is Soldier Boy. But, take into account: Soldier is 1) another irredeemable villain, and 2) we're basically told he ended up in that situation because he was the most violent, petty, sexist, homophobic, fucked-up man who ever lived. Homelander was litterally just... born in the lab.

For some context, look at this guy:

Magneto has one of the saddest backstories in superhero fiction. And I'm not exaggerating here. My man literally grew up in Auschwitz. But his backstory works in a way that Homelander's doesn't because we ARE supposed to sympathize with Erik. We are supposed to understand the motivations behind his actions, even if we don't condemn them. There's also many other characters in the X-Men's universe who have gone through similar ordeals, because humans being awful and ostracizing others for being different is like, A Main Theme of the comics.

Meanwhile, Homelander's backstory seems to just be an excuse for him to be insane, scary and disturbing. The show never frames it as a reason to sympathize with him. Now, don't get me wrong. I'll be the first one to admit that Homelander's fucked up psychology allows for some pretty metal scenes, and I do enjoy them. But the fact that we're just meant to laugh at that while never really contemplating the implications of what happened to him is bafling to me.

Hey, look at that guy, he was deeply traumatized from a young age, and growing up, he was neither socialized nor given the basic tools a child needs to develop a personality or form basic human connections. Now he's super disturbed, has weird kinks and doesn't really understand how to be a human. Haha, hilarious!

What makes it even worse is that the main characters, who we are supposed to be rooting for, have stories that are for the most part unsympathetic or make no sense.

The backstory of Hughie, our main guy, is that his girlfriend died. We're off to a bad start because we hate the Dead Girlfriend Trope here. He's banging a new chick like, a week later (?) and then rarely thinks about Robin again.

We have Frenchie, a guys who kills people and it makes him sad (?), but he never really stops.

Annie and M.M. have sympathetic stories with good motivations, but they are not really expanded upon. At times, it really feels like Annie is just there to have Relationship Problems with Hughie. Which, you know, doesn't make any fucking sense because she's the face of the nation-wide political movement that opposes Homelander. By all accounts, SHE should be Homelander's nemesis, not Butcher. And instead we get a rivalry with Firecracker? Seriously?

In the first seasons, M.M was literally just There. Then, we get his backstory with Soldier Boy, but for some reason his generic Divorced Dad arc is a priority over that. Great.

With Maeve we had the potential of an amazing backstory, but again, it's not really expanded upon. It's implied that she had a dysfunctional relationship with Homelander, but we don't really know what happened. Was it consensual? Was it entirely coerced? Was it abusive? If it was, what did he do to her? How did she manage to break up with him without getting killed in the process? Like, we're missing so much context with Maeve, it's not even funny.

Then, we have A-Train, who starts off on a path to redeem himself inspired by the death of his girlfriend, whom he killed himself (?). Then he realizes that Homelander Must Be Stopped because he makes fatphobic comments (?????). He gets his brother paralyzed and kills a guy to take revenge (still unsure if that was supposed to be a heroic act, tbh). And then finally he earns his redemption by taking a guy to the hospital (?????????) and that's enough for Hughie to forgive him for KILLING HIS GIRLFRIEND. Bitch, what?? It's the worst redemption arc I've ever seen and people are literally comparing it to Zuko's. Get my man out of your mouth!!!

And finally, Butcher, a guy whose entire story and motivations are based on something that happened to someone else. Why did we ever make Becca's rape about him??? And THEN it just turns into the typical Dead Girlfriend Trope. I mean, S3 was the only time when his character arc made any sense to me because it was actually dealing with interesting themes like cycles of abuse and bad parenting, but his story in other seasons is really not It.

Literally, the only exception to all of this is Kimiko. Who is also violent and unstable, who also can't stop killing and is unapologetic about it because she is what they made her. But for some reason we're supposed to sympathize her but not with Homelander. Weird take, but ok.

Just to clarify, I'm not saying that you need to sympathize with the Nazi rapist. I'm just calling out the writers for being bad, lmao.