#scott summers is a badass

[vertigoartgore]

2022's Cyclops commission by Brazilian comic book artist Ivan Reis.

[tasteless-lemonade]

villain: i took your powers!!! now you're defenseless against me!!!

scott "don't call it Plan A because it would mean we only have 26 plans" summers, having definitely trained to fight depowered: *cracks knuckles*

[panbotter]

WHY THE FUCK WOULD RHEY EMD THE EPISODE LIKE THAT NOOOOOOOOOOO

LOGAN NOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Fuck someone please tell me he'll be fine pleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease

PLEASEEEEE

holy shit I am so speechless I had to sit in silence for a whole minute

I can't believe it I am so shocked

Wow

I mean the entire fight wow

And jean as well???? Fuck dude!

[silver-cyn]

X men ‘97

Ya’ll, I was on episode 3 and tonight I blew through the rest of the episodes. I am all caught up.

All I can say is wow. Damn.

Gambit 💔💔💔

Genosha 💔💔💔💔💔💔💔

Rogue went Rogue. Was she right or wrong? I don’t care. Seeing her take the kid gloves off and let loose was cathartic.

Episode 8 Magneto did a thing. And he did it very well! The music and Val’s voiceover went perfectly over what he did.

I really appreciate all the things xmen 97 is saying. Because my ideal way is Charles’s way, but keeping it real, I would most likely be lining up behind Magneto.

Is there a middle ground? Where does it end? When you try over and over to do the right thing, the right way but the people are not having it. When is enough enough? How far can you go before you cross the line? So easy to talk about the ideal way of doing things but when you’re being beat down over and over for just being yourself? It wears you down. It can grind you down into the dust. It’s natural to fight back for your right to live. And then you have others trying to do things peacefully. That is not an easy walk AT ALL. How do they do it? Because they are going through it too .This show omg…

Ok - I’m going to step back and soak in the feels from all this.

I love this show. ❤️❤️❤️

[sbd-laytall]

[shelbgrey]

Dating Scott Summers:

Paring: Scott Summers x Mutant!Reader

Summary: Scott Summers falling in love with a beautiful mutant girl -NSFW content warring

A/n: this won the poll! Please send request for x-men!

❤️MasterList ❤️Dating mood board

You were there for about 10 years before Scott was brought to the school whith bandages over his eyes. He was so scared to hurt anyone and you felt terrible.

Not to toot your own horn, but you made his first pair of ruby quartz glasses. You got help from your friend Hank McCoy in the Lab and created the red glasses he wears today.

Scott will never not be impressed with you. If you ask him he fell in love with you the moment he got to look at your through the glasses. “your Amazing”

It always bugs him that he can't see you and your natural colors, with his glasses everything is red.

Scott worked hard to win your heart. In to your adult years and your X-men years you guys wold always stare at each other with puppy eyes, but both parties were afraid to make the first move.

“your really falling for this girl, aren't you?” his brother Alex asked. “she's not just some girl”

Let me start off by saying that Scott has eyes for you and only you. Your confession had took a huge step back when Jean Grey started showing interest in Scott. She was everything you were insecure about and you often compared yourself to her in the worst way possible.

Scott never took a second glance at Jean, he wanted you. Jean knew that and it angered her, she wanted Scott to herself. Jean also knew you'd always be to shy to admit your feeling to Scott, so she used it to her advantage.

Scott wanted to tell you he loved you so bad, but he always felt you deserved better. He wanted you to have a guy that could look at you without red-tinted glasses, he wanted you to have someone who wasn't dangerous.

“you know, girls like her don't wait around forever” Xavier told him one day. “do you guys relize the affection you two share?”

Scott sighed, during that week you'd been avoiding him. He hated it and didn't know Jean had been pushing you guys apart without you realizing it. Scott looked down. “she deserves the world, Professor”

“if you want her to have the world tell her how you feel. Because to her you are the world” Xavier told him”

He will always regret telling you how he felt because of the situation you were in. It was a mission gone wrong which resulted you staying in the med-bay in the mansion. Scott never left your bed side. His heart pounded with anxiety the longer you layed in bed unresponsive.

The next morning you woke up with him holding your hand and his head on your lap. You were relived to see him and it made your heart flutter that he stayed with you. You gently ruffled his hair, waking him up.

He woke up and tears pricked his eyes as relief washed over him. He cupped your face gently and pressed his forehead to yours. He was shaking so much. “your okay... Please don't ever leave me”

He looked into your eyes and took a deep breath. You don't know how bad he wanted to see your natural eye color and not just see the red tint from his glasses. “I love you... Everything about you amazes me, your everything to me”

“I love you more” you smiled softly. You shared your first kiss that night, this kiss was so gentle but held so many years of bottled up tension and emotions. He held you carefully, like as if you were made of glass and his kisses were driven by so much relief and unconditional love.

That's what you too shared, unconditional love.

Scott's so gentle with you. Deep down he's scared you'll break or scared he'll somehow end up hurting you with his mutation, that's his worst fear. His always so gentle and loving with you.

He loves your mutation, he thinks you look badass and sexy when you use it. Your mutation is the power to conger up blue fire in your palms.

He'll only call you beautiful or gorgeous. He feel like you deserve a compliment better than sexy or hot. He always makes sure you know how beautiful you are.

He's big on hand holding too, if your walking around the city your hands will be locked together, or sometimes hell just hold your had if your setting down at a table or something.

He holds your hand whenever he can, that his way of showing off that your his girl.

He's rough in bed, but a gentle kisser. The gentlest kisses he gives out it is in the early hours of morning before you get up to teach your classes.

Yes, you both are teachers at Xavier's school. Yall never left that damn place. He's the engineering and self defense teacher while your the English and creative writing teacher.

He loves leaving red roses on your desk all the time. That's one of his love languages.

He's always afraid of hurting you, especially with his mutation. But you trust him enough to even take off his glasses to see his full face, he still get scared and keeps his eyes shut tight. “It’s okay. You’re not gonna hurt me,” you whispered. You leaned forward slowly, careful to his face. You kissed the part of his forehead, just above his left eye. Then the right.

This man need physical contact a lot. He's a big cuddler and just needs you in his arms, it's a comfort and a protection thing.

He also loves teasing you and getting you all flustered. He thinks it's the cutest thing in the world when you blush after a compliment or if he kisses you.

“I can't concentrate when you do that” you laughed. He was standing behind you while his hands moved around you. “doing what?” he said, kissing your neck.

By the way, this man is extremely protective of you. It doesn't matter if your on a mission with the rest of the X-men or just out getting groceries. Your protection and safety is his main priority.

He's so afraid of losing you, your the best thing that's ever happened to him and he doesn't want to screw it up. Of course he doesn't have to worry about that.

God, this man loves everything about you. You have a couple of tattoos, he wants to know about them. It doesn't matter what type of hair you have or if you like it or not, he loves it. He'll love your voice, body, personality... Everything.

If your in bed he'll always have his arms around you. Rather your the little spoon or your on his chest. But sometimes if his day is rough he'd want to be the little spoon. His favorite feeling in the world is your arms around him and your fingers running through his hair.

He also loves it when you curl up on his lap and a cuddle to his chest. It the best feeling to him, especially on your way home on the X-jet after a long mission.

You call him everything but Scott. Usually its Scotty, honey, or Sweetheart.

He loves calling you Baby or Angel. And he always refers to you as 'his girl'. No mater if your his wife or girlfriend, your gonna get called 'his girl'

You love listening to old rock music together. If it's just the two of you he'll sing with you and on the occasion you can convince him to dance with you.

Your Favorite singer to listen to is Meatloaf. Your song is definitely 'you took the words right out of my mouth'

You love riding on the back of his motorcycle. He loves feeling your arms wrapped around him and holding on to him while he drives.

Like I said before he's super over protective, so if your on the back of his motorcycle he's driving more careful than he ever has before. If he's by himself he'll drive at an unsafe speed and pop a couple of wheels, but if your with him he's carful as hell.

He'll also teach you how to ride one. He was so excited when you asked him to teach you.

He refuses to sleep unless you have fallen asleep first, he just needs to know your okay before he can have a good night sleep.

If your cold you'll steal his leather jackets, or you'll sleep in his old dress shirts. Also if the sun is brighter than usual you'll steal his spare ruby quartz glasses and used them as sunglasses.

Hell always remind you how beautiful you are. If you feel insecure about your self he's there to kiss you and tell you how amazing you are.

NSFW headcanons:

He's the most loving person during sex, hell he is all the time. He'll also try his best to make it as romantic as possible, if not he's always holding you close and kissing you so you know how much he loves you.

But he also doesn't mind being rough with you. If you push the right buttons, you'll be under him screaming his name as the headboard of the bed bangs against the wall.

There's also a tone of jealous sex. If he sees Logan shamelessly flirting with you expected to be tied to bed as fucks your brains out. If he sees Hank touch you in a way thats reserved only for him you’re pinned against the wall.

Bondeg kink. Handcuffs, belts, he'll tie you up with anything if your comfortable with it.

he'll bit you in the heat of the moment. He loves marking you up.

Dispite him being mostly rough in bed and pushes you to the point of screaming, he'll be so soft and gentle in the end. “you did so good for my baby, I wasn’t too rough was I? I didn't hurt you did I?”

One of his biggest kink is cumming inside you, seeing you filled up just makes him go crazy.

he loves grabbing you by the hips, literally squeezing his fingertips against your soft skin, holding you in the place or using them to help guide the pace.

If you want to take a shower and get cleaned up, Scott will lift you up in his arms and carry you to shower, he'll hold you safe and will be extremely gentle with your sensitive body.

Has a soft spot for sex in the shower, he loves holding you up against the wall, roughly while he drives his cock into you.

He love getting head. He loves the feeling of towering over you while he has you on your knees. Plus, feeling your lips around him pushes him closer to cumming in your mouth.

Loves eating you out, your legs around his head. He loves your legs and thighs in general and loves leaving kisses on the insides of your thighs. He'd rather pleasure you for hours than receive.

He's a boob and ass man, He’ll push your bra up and take a nipple into his mouth. His tongue swirls all around while he squeezes your ass, pulling you closer to his body. He loves it when you start moaning and tugging at his hair, He honestly can’t get enough.

He loves hearing you moan. If you try to hold back or even muffle them when it's unnecessary, he'd put an end to it. “Don't hold back baby, let me hear you”

For aftercare, He will spend an exorbitant amount of time just kissing you, slowly and deeply, as he massages your thighs and hips. It's his way to calm you down and bringing you back to reality.

[unfortunately-obsessed]

Cool cool they made Scott Summers badass again can we have him being an unhinged morally grey hero now?

[ranger-ribbons]

Ranger Series Operators Headcanons

Ziggy isn't an orphan, he has a father. His father runs another cartel and has been quietly running it underground so far that not even the other cartels have heard more than whispers of.

Dillon and Tenaya's birth names are Daniel and Genevieve

Tenaya's implants are more complete than Dillon’s so once Venjix is defeated, she remembers everything. Dillon's memories come back slowly

Summer, Scott, and Flynn are ride-or-die friends. They'd hide bodies for each other if necessary and can communicate without speaking if necessary

Dillon thinks he stayed in Corinth for Summer, under the impression that she was the one who hooked that first fight into the satellite for Dillon’s borrowed car. Ziggy, forever the king of playing himself down, doesn't correct Dillon, he's just happy Dillon stayed.

None of the Series Operator Rangers are straight. Scott, Flynn, and Summer are all bisexual, Dillon is unlabeled and likes anyone (demisexual if he vibed with labels), Ziggy is gay (or bisexual leaning towards men), and Gem and Gemma are queer. Doctor K is the only one who's straight

If he knew to go looking, Dillon would find his parents' graves in the Wastes. They died protecting their children from Grinders, they were traveling to Corinth. Dillon's car belonged to his father

Gem and Gemma have a form of telepathy left over from the experiments done on them at Alphabet Soup, it's why they can finish each other's sentences

Ziggy has had a crush on Scott, Flynn, Dillon, and Gem, and a platonic one on Summer. He can't help it! They're badasses and Ziggy’s got a thing for people who could obviously kick his ass

Flynn is the oldest of the core Rangers at 25, Scott is 24, Dillon and Summer are both 21, Summer being a few months younger, and Ziggy is 18. Gem and Gemma are in their late 20s, Doctor K is 19

Dillon didn't just click with Ziggy, he actually only tolerated his Wastes partner for the few weeks they were in the Wastes together. But, somehow Ziggy grew on him

Ziggy is Dillon’s best friend, baby brother, and maybe more rolled up into one. Dillon adores Ziggy, but won't let it show. Ziggy, of course, knows this and adores Dillon right back

Scott, Summer, Flynn, Dillon, and Ziggy are all in what amounts to a Queer Platonic Relationship. They seek each other out automatically at this point. If so inclined, that relationship could turn romantic real quick

Scott gives doberman vibes, Summer gives white cat vibes, Flynn gives husky vibes, Dillon gives black cat vibes, Ziggy gives orange cat vibes

Ziggy was once a gymnast, which is the only reason he was able to fight as well as he did at first

The Rangers spar together even after Venjix is defeated

Dillon doesn't like Scott, but he does respect and love him

They're all fucking idiots at best, but Scott can and will chain himself to any of the Rangers if they try to run away.

All the Rangers have some form of abandonment issues. The least of which is Flynn, who has issues regarding his mother's death, the most of which is Ziggy, who was abandoned at the orphanage at age five

The Rangers are always in a rainbow of shipping, but none is more obvious than the RPM Rangers. You can ship anyone with anyone (except Gem/Gemma of course)

The hit on Ziggy’s head never went away, and he never expected it to. He was in the mob from age 10 to age 17, he knows better than to expect kindness from people who would kill him in a heartbeat

On that subject, Ziggy doesn't leave the garage unless he has another person (Dillon) with him

Dillon and Tenaya don't go back to their original names, but they do take their original surname of Sevenson (which is where Venjix got the Seven from)

All the Rangers have PTSD and nightmares. They sneak into each other's beds or have puppy piles on the floor. Usually, you'll see specific patterns with sleeping arrangements. For example, Ziggy hasn't slept in his own bed since the Venjix virus started taking over Dillon, but he rarely ended the night in his own bed even before that

Flynn is the fan-favorite Ranger, but it's a close tie with Dillon and Scott

[whereintheworldiskamalakhan]

okay one of my goals in actually reading x-men comics is to confirm my movie-based hypothesis that Scott Summers is a Badass Loser (complimentary) and not a Loser Badass (derogatory)

[the-swift-tricker]

Who are your top ten favorite X-Men characters? (Heroes and villains alike.)

oof this one almost feels like the hardest

1. rogue (cool powers, best personality, hottest comic book character of all time)

2. scott summers (autistic king. great character writing overall)

3. gambit (the accent? the cards? everything.)

4. juggernaut (supernatural unstoppable brute with a badass design. what more can i say?)

5. colossus (this boy has has suffered under some absolute garbage writers but i stand by him)

6. nightcrawler (look at him. peak design. and he teleports? and he's a swordsman??)

7. storm (she's a goddess. she's one of the most grounded and effective x-men. i'd trust her with my life and follow her anywhere.)

8. magneto (magneto was right)

9. kitty pryde (such a great character with so much cool character development and interesting narrative moments)

10. darwin (one of the coolest, most original set of powers i've seem in comics)

[wheredidhiseyebrowsgo]

Hi! can you recommend some angst fic where stiles dies and the pack deals with that?

I can't technically rec any, cause I just don't read MCD as a rule. Lol. But here's some for you to be sad about.

Goodbye, Sweet Boy by sapphireginger

(1/1 I 1,016 I Teen I NO Pairing)

The saying went all dogs go to heaven, but Stiles liked to say that all dogs, as man's best friend, go to paradise.

Just A Dream by 015wayward_winchester

(2/2 I 1,096 I Teen I Stydia)

Lydia thinks she has been having a reoccurring dream where Stiles dies, but it wasn’t a dream.

11 Minutes by JustJim, Useless_girl

(1/1 I 6,756 I General I Sterek)

11 minutes were all it really took in the end.

As Fate Would Have It by Nihilistic

(1/1 I 9,603 I General I Steter)

Peter's heart skipped a beat when he checked his phone and saw fifteen missed calls and two voicemails from Stiles. As he started up the first message with fear pricking at his spine, a part of him hoped he heard something stupid, like, “Peter! I’m at the store with Erica and we’re trying to figure out what kind of suspenders to get Derek! Call me back, it’s super important!!”

Peter held his breath as it began to play.

“So,” Stiles’ voice said, and Peter took extra care to assess the tight, garbled strain of the boy’s throat while he threw on his shoes, grabbed Derek’s keys and all but sprinted from the house. “I’m still alive… but… maybe not for long..."

-OR-

There's Hell Hounds on the loose, and Peter blames himself for Stiles' death. Luckily, Stiles is kind of a badass, and did he mention he has a Nemeton?

I Miss You by SterekIsMyAir

(12/12 I 12,399 I Teen i Sterek)

"What the hell are you doing?" Cora screeches a little, fast walking over to them. The pack parts like the red sea as Cora slams the laptop closed.

"Who the hell was that?" Jackson asks back, narrowing his eyes at Cora.

Cora grabs her hair and yanks it a little before she says, "That was Stiles."

"Yeah, we kinda got that. We mean 'why does Derek have him on his computer'?" Erica asks, crossing her arms and cocking her hips.

Cora sighs, long and loud, before she says, "That's Derek's fiance."

"Why haven't we heard of or even met him?" Scott asks, looking like a sad puppy.

"Because he is dead." Cora says, narrowing her eyes and grabbing the computer before walking away.

Trapped In The Shadows by RougueShadowWolf

(6/? I 13,995 I Not Rated I No Pairing)

The really unfortunate thing about being the awkward skinny boy with skin too pale to handle sunny Californian summers, while being surrounded by a group of people who could all make a carrier as models was the fact that no one ever noticed you. No one sees you. Not until you aren’t there to get them their drinks or do their research.

My Love will Never Die by GrimReaperlover11

(19/19 I 33,824 I Teen I Sterek)

when the witch hunts happen. Stiles finds himself making a friend...a friend that eventually learns his secret...a friend he eventually comes to love...but when he is put on trial for practicing witchcraft and he is burned at the stake, he fears this will be the end of it.

however, when he wakes up...he finds himself in a different time and place...everything is much different than what he is used to, and how is the Derek he loved before he died...still alive?

Of All The Ghosts by luulapants 

(13/13 I 68,281 I Explicit I Steter)

"Stiles didn’t need someone to walk through him to realize he was dead. He didn’t need to try to talk to someone only to be blatantly ignored. He knew it right away, the same way a person would know if a room was warm or cold. He felt dead."

Stiles accepts the bite, and it doesn't take. Now he's stuck as a ghost and, just his luck, the asshole that killed him is dead, too.

Only Human by SephrinaRose

(32/32 I 120,567 I Teen I Sterek)

Stiles is human.

And sometimes he forgets that fact. But, luckily for him...the universe is all too happy to remind him.

Because Stiles is only human.

(Series of one-shots depicting Stiles Stilinski's death)

[vertigoartgore]

A badass Cyclops/Scott Summers by Pepe Larraz (2020).

[pepperonijem]

vi. silly things & sensible people || all my love

"Silly things do cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people in an impudent way." - Emma; Jane Austen

Summary: sometimes all anyone needs is a gentle nudge in the right direction Pairing: high school!bucky x f!reader Warnings: food mentions Word Count: 3.1k A/N: we all need a friend like wanda <3 || sorry for the delay! I had a job interview this week that I spent all weekend prepping for... i passed! (i'm moving to korea this summer lol)

previous chapter || back to library || next chapter

Wanda opened her notes app and started a new note, titling it with the date and began her weekly letter to her pen pal, wanting to update them on her life... or mostly her best friend's life.

You will NEVER guess what’s been happening this semester. Did you guess? Well whatever you guessed is probably wrong… unless you guessed that my best friend just confessed to her crush without TELLING me about it first. 

It was absolutely insane, I was getting out of class and on my way to find her and Steve for lunch when I saw a HUGE crowd by Steve’s class and right at the center of it all was Bucky Barnes and the only girl crazy enough to give him a handwritten note in the middle of passing period. I only saw the end of it, but it was… brutal. I’ve known Bucky long enough to know he isn’t the friendliest person out there but even for him… it made me so upset. He didn’t even take her card, can you believe it? 

Honestly, this whole time I didn’t realize she actually liked him enough to confess to him. I always thought it was a passing crush, but I guess I was wrong. She was pretty badass for that. But obviously Steve didn’t think so. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look so dejected. I wonder if he’ll ever work himself up to do the same thing.

OH. But the craziest part is that a week after she confessed to him, she ended up moving into his house. Turns out her dad and Bucky’s dad were college besties. Isn’t that insane? It’s just like this anime Natasha made me watch with her once. We were in tears the whole time but uh, that’s a story for another day. Or a story for never. She swore me to secrecy after that night.

We actually didn’t realize that she had moved in with him until after the big exam we took when Bucky stormed in and she handed him a picture of the two of them asleep together at the dining table. 

Then that night, she ended up spraining her ankle and Bucky had to take her home so he didn’t get to go to IHOP with us. Sad for him, that was a fun night. Not for Steve… again. By the end of the night he was crying to Sam’s rendition of an ABBA song and chugging down strawberry milkshakes. He’s lactose intolerant and he slept over at my house that night. So… not much fun for me either. I–

“Wanda, get off your damn phone and help us move the couch.” Wanda looked up from her notes app to see Natasha, Tony and Scott waiting for her to grab onto the fourth corner of the loveseat.

“Sorry, sorry,” Wanda apologized before rushing to help them move the couch to the opposite end of the room. “Why are we doing this again?”

Natasha let out a grunt as they dropped the couch ungracefully onto the floor. “Scott thought it would be cool to have a pillow fort.”

“We’re doing this for a pillow fort?” Tony asked in shock. “I thought Scott’s mom just wanted us to redecorate.”

“Tony, why would his mom want both of the couches facing the walls on opposite ends of the room?” Natasha asked with a roll of her eyes. Tony shrugged his shoulders and plopped himself down on the couch. 

Natasha dropped down beside him with a sigh. “When is everyone else gonna get here?” she asked.

“Well Steve had to pick up Sam, but he should be here soon.” Wanda looked down at her watch at the time to compare it against the ETA Steve had sent earlier.

Tony checked his phone as he leaned over the back of one couch. “Rhodey just texted. He just parked outside.”

“What about Bucky?” Scott asked. 

Natasha shrugged as the doorbell rang and Wanda went to answer it, letting Rhodey in. “Sorry, I had to pick up the kid,” Peter walked into the kitchen with a proud grin as Rhodey rolled his eyes.

“Yeah but we brought food,” Peter exclaimed as he placed a brown paper bag on the kitchen counter. 

“You brought your Chipotle,” Rhodey clarified as he walked to the fridge to grab himself a bottle of water. 

Scott laughed and shook his head as he took the bag and handed it to Rhodey to stick in the fridge. “Did you guys happen to get Bucky too?” 

Rhodey shook his head in response. “I offered him a ride, but he said he had plans.”

“Plans?” Scott echoed. “We are his plans. He’s never missed a board game night.” Wanda could hear the pout in his voice. 

“He didn’t give me any details but I think it has to do with his roomie.” Rhodey commented, checking through his text messages to see if he left any details out. “He said he’ll be busy all day.”

“His roomie, huh?” Tony repeated with a raised eyebrow. “Have you guys noticed he’s been weird lately?”

“Yeah,” Natasha replied. “Last week I asked him if he liked her–”

Before Natasha could continue, Tony walked toward the group gathered by the island, eager to join the gossip. “Yes!” He exclaimed. “Bucky always sends these weird memes that no one gets exam days, but last week, we had a literature exam and guess what?”

“What?” Rhodey asked flatly. Natasha nudged him in response, reminding him to be polite.

“He didn’t send anything,” Tony noted. “When I asked him what happened, he told me he was up the night before studying… but Bucky never studies for literature exams because he’s a nerd who already read the books.”

Before anyone could say anything else, the doorbell rang and in came Steve and Sam. “Hey,” Sam greeted. “What did we miss? We bought drinks.”

Wanda looked over at Natasha as Steve walked in, silently begging her not to finish her sentence from earlier around Steve. Natasha gave her a subtle nod as she attempted to shift the attention to the newcomers.

“Where’s the rest?” Natasha asked as Sam set down his drink on the counter while Steve found a spot beside Wanda.

“Oh,” Sam replied. “I meant we stopped over to buy ourselves drinks from Starbucks. That’s why we’re late.”

“Remind me to start being more specific when I tell  you guys to bring things,” Scott replied with a chuckle, shaking his head. “Anyway, what else were you saying, Tony?”

Tony thought for a second, remembering his train of thought. “Right, so I did some more investigating,” he continued. “And when we were getting into groups for our Shakespeare analysis – I swear I’ve never seen him move this fast, not even at a football game – I saw him join his roomie’s group. He even smiled when she waved at him. I’ve never seen him smile at anyone.” 

“He’s not exaggerating,” Natasha confirmed with an eager nod of her head. “I didn’t even realize they were friends, but it seems like lately they’ve been besties or something. Isn’t she supposed to be your best friend, Steve?”

Steve put his hands up in defense before speaking, his voice just a little too loud and too high to sound calm and collected. “She can do whatever she wants,” he said. 

Although the other boys couldn’t tell, Wanda knew Steve didn’t fully believe the spite in his own words. So coming to her friend’s defense, she joined in. “Yeah, but isn’t Bucky yours?” She asked Natasha, turning the question back to her.

“Chill out,” Natasha shrugged her shoulders. “I was just curious to see if you guys knew anything else.”

“We don’t,” Steve said flatly. “Are we going to play or what?” Natasha and Wanda shared a look, realizing that Steve was feeling a lot more than he was willing to let on, so they accepted his change of subject. The others rushed into the living room as Wanda and Steve stayed behind.

Wanda watched as Steve leaned against the counter, pushing his forehead into his palms as he let out a sigh. Wanda stood beside him facing the opposite way, her elbows leaning against the countertop. Her heart felt heavy at the sight of her distraught best friend.

“Steve,” Wanda began gently but firmly. Steve shook his head, already knowing where this conversation was headed. “Salad. Now.”

Steve let out another sigh, running a hand through his golden hair, and Wanda wasn’t sure if he would answer her, but after a beat, he finally lifted his head. “Lettuce… I’m sad. Chicken… I’m mad. Mostly at myself,” he confessed.

“Why?” Wanda asked quietly.

“For never being brave enough to say anything,” He admitted to Wanda, hanging his head. “It’s just… we have something so good and I didn’t want to lose that. But sometimes…” he trailed off.

“Sometimes what?” Wanda pushed.

“It’s just,” Steve sighed. “Do you remember that time in the eighth grade when the three of us got in that huge fight?”

Wanda let out a dry laugh. “The one where you thought the two of us were dating behind your back because we went to a movie together?”

Steve grew a small but sad smile. “Not just any movie,” he clarified. “You watched The Hunger Games without me. It was my favorite book.”

Wanda nudged him playfully. “Steve, you had the flu,” she reminded him. “We wanted to take you but your mom said if she found out you snuck out and we got the flu from you she would stop making us that sponge cake we like. That would’ve been the end of our 14-year old lives.”

Steve let out a chuckle as he nodded at the memory. “I know,” he continued. “But for a week after that, I felt so left out. Like suddenly you were her best friend and she was yours, and I was the odd one out.”

“Is that why you ghosted us for a whole month?” Wanda asked, eyes wide with surprise as Steve nodded in shame. 

“It was dumb, I know,” he cringed at the memories of that time. “But I think I was jealous. Of you.” 

Wanda snorted a laugh at his comment. “Of me? Oh buddy,” she laughed as she pat Steve on the shoulder.

“I know, I know,” Steve ran his hand through his hair again. “But anyway, I think that’s kind of how I feel right now. Like she’s everything to me… but I’m not to her. And it’s not like she owes me anything… I think I just keep thinking, what could I have done differently?”

Wanda thought through her next words carefully, letting silence rest between the two of them. Well, silence was relative. The others were in the next room arguing about whether or not it was fair to let Peter choose to be Colonel Mustard when he doesn’t know how to play Clue.

 “I can’t say I know what you’re feeling,” Wanda began. “But for me, I think that when I start focusing on things like that, my mind gets stormy. I stop seeing things clearly, and I start doubting myself and the way I fit into my friendships. But then you two always remind me that’s not real. What is real is that I would give everything for the two of you, and if I needed it, both of you would do the same for me. It’s one of the most stable truths of the universe. 

At the same time, I also know that both of you would want me to be happy, and to choose what makes me happy. The same thing I would do for you. And I will always help you to figure out what that is when you can’t see it, like you do for me. When I remember that, the skies clear a little, and I see the sunshine again. I see you guys.”

Wanda turned to Steve, who wiped at a tear forming in the corner of his eye. She gave him a gentle pat on the back and turned to leave him to his own thoughts for a bit. 

Honestly, she was a bit surprised at her own wisdom. She wasn’t usually the friend people came to for advice, but maybe they should start, she thought. She hoped her words got through to Steve, as seeing her best friend hurting was weighing heavily on her as well. She was, however, very excited to tell her pen pal about this situation.

After she made her way into the living room, Natasha moved to sit beside her on the couch, now turned to face the television. “Is he okay?” she asked, nodding towards the kitchen where Steve still stood by himself.

“Yeah, he’s just raiding the leftovers,” Wanda joked. She was lying, but she felt that Steve wouldn’t want to explain to everyone else what had him so emotional.

Natasha nodded, not fully believing her words, but accepting them nonetheless. “Do you wanna play the next round?” She asked instead. 

“Nah,” Wanda pulled out her phone. “I have to work on my letter.”

“Oh to your pen pal right?” Natasha asked. “I can’t believe you’ve been writing to each other since middle school. Why don’t you just ask for his number?” She attempted to look over Wanda’s hands to see what she was writing down.

“Yeah, ask for his number and invite her to the winter formal,” Sam chimed in. “Unless he’s catfishing you.” The group laughed and Wanda laughed along.

“Yeah, yeah,” she rolled her eyes and continued typing in her note from earlier, updating her letter with the most recent events. However she didn’t get very far before she got a call from Bucky. “Bucky’s calling me?” She asked aloud in surprise.

“Answer him!” They all called in unison, as they looked away from the game to flock towards Wanda, even Steve, who walked in from the kitchen. Wanda looked over to him and he responded with a small smile and a nod, encouraging her to answer the phone.

“Wanda,” Bucky’s voice filled the room from Wanda’s phone speaker. “I need your help.” The group gathered around Wanda all looked at her with wide eyes as they tried to contain their curiosity. However it was Scott who couldn’t hide his gasp, even as Sam slapped his hand over his mouth.

“Hey guys,” Bucky sighed. “Sorry I couldn’t make it but I really need to borrow Wanda for a second.” 

Wanda chuckled as she watched the group disperse with disappointed looks and resume playing their game. She walked back over to the kitchen, and Steve headed for the living room to give her privacy. 

“What’s up Buck?” Wanda asked when she was finally alone.

“Uh,” Bucky sounded like he was thinking about what to say. “How do you feel about a road trip?” 

Wanda couldn’t hide her surprise at the question. “Road trip?” She repeated.

“I can give you the details later,” Bucky said. “But just tell me you’ll come with me.”

“When?” Wanda questioned. “And why me?” 

“Tonight. Right now even,” He sounded panicked and Wanda was beginning to feel the same. “I called you because Natasha already said no.” As if on cue, Natasha had popped her head into the kitchen and Wanda waved her over. 

“Nat,” Wanda began. “Why the hell is Bucky asking me to go on a road trip with him right now?”

Natasha let out a chuckle. “Just hear the poor boy out,” she suggested as Wanda looked at her suspiciously.

“I need to pick up your friend’s dad,” Bucky explained. “Long story short, she was upset he couldn’t make it to the awards, so I reached out to him and basically now he agreed to be here for one night, and his flight is landing soon and the airport is over an hour away and I don’t want to drive alone, but I can’t bring her with me because it’s a surprise and –”

“Woah,” Wanda stopped his rambling with a chuckle. “Long story long, more like.” She looked back at Natasha who raised her eyebrow as if to say See now? Wanda nodded back to her as she let out a hum of thought before an idea popped in her head.

“I’ll come,” Wanda said with a mischievous smile that was hidden by her gentle voice. Bucky let out a sigh of relief, and Wanda could hear his shoulders relax. “But you have to come pick me up from Scott’s house, since I left my car at home.”

“Sure, yeah,” Bucky agreed desperately to her condition. “Thank you so much.”

Twenty minutes later, when the doorbell rang, Wanda almost felt guilty for what she was about to do. But when she thought about it some more, she reminded himself of what she told Bucky just earlier, and her conscience clears just in time for her to open the door to see a panicked Bucky, dressed in sweatpants, a hoodie, and mismatched socks.

Someone will thank me later, she thinks to herself as she pretends to double over in pain. “Wanda?” Bucky asked in concern. “Are you okay?”

“I ate someone’s leftovers,” she pretended to let out a grunt of pain. “And it’s really not agreeing with me,” she cursed under her breath. “I’m so sorry, but I don’t think I can come with you.” She apologized.

“No, no,” Bucky dismissed her. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” He walked in and shut the door, leading Wanda to sit down at the dining table as Natasha walked over with a medicine tablet and a glass of water. 

“Here,” she handed them to Wanda. “Don’t worry Bucky, we’ll find someone to fill in.” Before Bucky could protest, Natasha had walked to the living room and came back with a confused and annoyed looking Steve.

“Steve said he’d be glad to go with you,” Natasha beamed. He very much did not look like he was glad to go with Bucky.

“Uh…” Steve began before Natasha nudged him from behind. “Yep, yeah, I’d be happy to… sit in a car with you for an hour and a half… to pick up my best friend’s dad…”

Bucky opened his mouth to argue, but after looking down to see the time, his eyes widened in worry. “Okay, perfect,” he said instead. “Let’s go before we’re late. Bye you guys, tell the guys I said hey.” and he grabbed Steve’s wrist and headed out the door.

Wanda and Natasha followed behind them, Wanda now forgetting about her act and leaning against the post on the front steps.

“Do you think they’ll hate us?” Wanda asked Natasha as they watched the two boys get into Bucky’s car from the front porch.

“Oh absolutely. For a month at least.”

[legion1227]

X2: A Movie Review

This has been a good year for everybody's favorite mutants so far.

So far, we are halfway through X-Men 97, a sensational return for the original X-Men cartoon, picking up where it left off and blowing away expectations. Meanwhile, we are still three months away from the release of Deadpool & Wolverine, which will feature the return of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and possibly other surprises from the X-Men films released back in the 2000s, among other Marvel films from then.

With the success of X-Men 97 and the upcoming release of Deadpool & Wolverine, it makes sense to look back and celebrate the X-Men films to come beforehand. At the time of this writing, I have rewatched the X-Men (2000) and X2 only. X-Men: The Last Stand has not been reviewed yet, and X-Men (2000) was good, but X2 is the topic of discussion here, as it's not only better than its predecessor but one of the great comic book films to grace screens.

The last time I watched either X-Men film may have been as a kid during the 2000s. The rewatch all these years later proved how stellar X2 was, buried under the wave of Marvel films to follow throughout the 00s, 10s, and today. If you don't know or have forgotten, X2 introduces its main antagonist, Stryker, played by the brilliant Brian Cox; a man who threatens the existence of mutants with the proposed mutant registration act. After launching a full-front assault on Professor Xavier's school and after Magneto breaks out of prison, the X-Men, Xavier, and Magneto must band together to face a common enemy that threatens their very existence.

From the opening scene of Nightcrawler fighting his way through the White House to make it to the president, the film establishes more clearly than its first one how it has the sauce. Nightcrawler poofing his way throughout the halls and dispatching the guards one by one with opera music in the background is one of the best openings to a CBM. Overall, the action scenes here are a vast improvement over the first one, whether it's the opening scene, the raid on Xavier's school, or Wolverine vs Lady Deathstrike. While the first film's fight scenes were decent, the choreography harbors more dynamic action that contributes to an overall more enjoyable time.

The character work here varies across characters and performances. Ian McKellen has one of the best performances once again. While his role as the antagonist in the previous film was great, his partnership with Xavier, Wolverine, and others forces a compelling dynamic. Magnus breaking out of prison using the iron in a guard's blood was badass. Then, to see him forced to work with his enemies provided entertainment beyond belief. From there, unfortunately, it's a bit of a mixed bag from the other actors and actresses and their characters.

Hugh Jackman's Wolverine is iconic for good reason. He brought gravitas and an aura of savagery that was always entertaining to witness, whether here or in virtually any other film the character appeared in, especially in Logan. Patrick Stewart's Charles Xavier is a tour de force in his own right as well, but it's the other members of the X-Men that bring apprehension. While I enjoy James Marsden as an actor, he brought nothing to the table as Cyclops, and reminded me why others for years have hated the Scott Summers character; Coinciding with his performance, Famke Janssen as Jean Grey isn't given many intriguing things to do. It's a bit infuriating when juxtaposed with the performances and stories told in X-Men 97. The X-Men and X2 spend too much time on a love triangle where only one-third of the people involved are engaging to watch on-screen. (Although if X-Men 97 focuses more on the love triangle after the time of this writing, this may age poorly, lmao.)

I liked Shawn Ashmore as Iceman and the scene of him coming out as a mutant to his parents. A decent allegory for a teen coming out as gay to their parents, and I think the scene, as well as Iceman/Bobby Drake in general, work well for the movie. Aaron Stanford's Pyro was also a fun slow-burn, watching him turn heel towards the end of the film. I'm really excited to see him return in Deadpool & Wolverine. Others like Rogue, Beast, Mystique, and Lady Deathstrike, to name a few, I would've liked to have more screen time to grasp these performances and their character moments better. Overall, X2 could've utilized some characters better, but some of the characters get so right and attributed to one of the quintessential 2000s CBM movies out there. There are a handful of iconic scenes to witness or reacquaint with in the first two acts. The third act may waver a little bit, but this is still a great film that warrants a rewatch to appreciate the X-Men further. 4/5.

[rpking99]

Marvel- X-Men

Wolverine/X-23/Laura Kinney

Laura Kinney. X-23. Talon. Wolverine. This young lady has gone by so many names. A clone of Logan, being grown inside the womb of a scientist known as Sarah Kinney. So yeah, she's the Wolverine's daughter. Raised as an assassin, she eventually escaped. For a while she was emotionally dead, very dead on and quiet. She's slowly grown into her own person, and she is is a badass with a cocky smirk

White Queen/Emma Frost

Emma Frost is the White Queen. Originally a villain for the Hellfire club, eventually joining the X-Men. She is sexy, she knows it, she flaunts it. A confident smirk on at all times as her telepathy, telekenisis and the ability to turn her body to diamonds makes her a rather tough boss bitch

Marvel Girl/Black Queen/Phoenix/Dark Phoenix/Jean Grey

Jean Grey has had several names. Marvel Girl, Black Queen, Phoenix, Dark Phoenix and more. One of the original five X-Men, Jean was the first 'mother' of the team, constantly in romantic drama because of Logan and Scott Summers. She is simple, calm and caring with some clear confidence

Goblin Queen/Madelyn Pryor

The clone of Jean Grey, with hellish powers and mighty dominant sensual strength

Phoenix/Rachel Summers

The daughter of Jena Grey and Scott Summers from another universe. Super powerful telepath

Storm/Ororo Munroe

Storm, Ororo Monroe, one very powerful mutant. Seen as a goddess when her weather manipulation powers, she is a valuable leader and friend. The ebony beauty being the shining example of kindness and caring to a fault, almost

Psylocke

Read here

Jubilee/Jubilation Lee

Shadowcat/Kitty Pryde (both the regular one and the X-Men Evolution version)

Rogue (either the classic SouthernBell version, or the goth version)

Rogue is one tough bitch. Her powers let her copy people's powers through touch, doing so also 'downloading' their memories because her powers absorb people's souls/life energy through touch. It is all a mental issue, however. One that has been over come a few times over the years. Sassy, fun and confident. I play both the classic comic version and the X-Men Evolution version

Mystique/Raven Darkhölme

Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maxamoff

Wanda Maxamoff has had a complicated history. A mutant, not a mutant. Related to Magneto, not. Her POWER SOURCE existing, then not. So... here is the super simple way I am playing her. A confident MILF of a woman, and a skilled heroine

Polaris/Lorna Dane

Daughter of Magneto with just as strong if not stronger magnetic powers

Magik/Illyana Rasputin

The younger sister of Colossus, Sorcerer Supreme of Limbo. One badass bitch

Domino/Neena Thurman

Lady Deadpool/Wanda Wilson

The sexiest, badassiest, best dick sucking merk with a cun-

HEY! WANDA! AWAY FROM MY FUCKING KEYBOARD!

....

Okay. Female Deadpool. You get it.

Ugh...

Gwenpool/Gwen Poole

Gwen Poole, no relation to Gwen Stacey... In universe.

Shes from an "our universe" and got isekai'd into Marvel. And she knows about the medium she's in

Lady Death

(face claim is Lady Death, a character from a company called Coffin Comics. Don't know much about them/her so...)

The embodiment of death itself. She is death. The force of nature personified. The one Thanos and Deadpool both lust after. And she's sexy as hell

Total Muses: 18

[thebowerypresents]

Phosphorescent Say(s) Goodbye to Summer

Phosphorescent – Webster Hall – September 20, 2024

Numerous cities have great live-music scenes, some of which, with self-branded monikers like “Music City,” “Live Music Capital of the World” or “Chicago,” claim to be No. 1. But nowhere in this country — and I’d wager the world — is a better place for live music than New York City. There’s always something terrific going on that you can’t get to because of something else terrific that you can. So, it’s understandable if you weren’t in the East Village on the last Friday of summer, but on that night, the very best live music in the very best city for it was Phosphorescent at Webster Hall.

Touring behind the eighth Phosphorescent studio offering, this year’s Revelator — the first in six years and just the second since 2013’s universally acclaimed Muchacho, one of that decade’s defining albums — former Brooklynite Matthew Houck opened the show with a solo acoustic Phosphorescent set, beneath 12 muted blue lights and with smoke billowing behind him, like a campfire conjuring paying tribute to the last vestiges of summer.

With a guitar and a simple “Let’s just get into it,” he played nine songs from across his catalog, beginning with C’est La Vie’s “C’est La Vie No. 2” and closing with Aw Come Aw Wry’s rarely played “Endless, Pt. 1” and “Endless, Pt. 2” — happily chatting along the way. After mentioning that the upcoming Paul Schrader movie he’d scored comes out next year, the acclaimed screenwriter and director, a noted fan of the band, shouted down from the balcony that it arrives “on December 6th.” And before playing Pride’s “My Dove, My Lamb,” Houck offered, “Just a few more and then Phosphorescent are coming out, and they’re really good.”

The full-band set launched with the new LP’s title track, its opening lines — “I got tired of sadness / I got tired of all the madness / I got tired of being a badass all the time” — earning an enthusiastic crowd response. It was Phosphorescent backed by Phosphorescent: Dominic Billett (drums), Jack Lawrence (bass), Jo Schornikow (keys), Ricky Ray Jackson (guitar/pedal steel) and Scott Stapleton (keys), with a fiddler and saxophonist liberally subbing in and out. (“We got some extra folks tonight because it’s New York City.”)

C’est La Vie earworm “New Birth in New England” was a highlight, the band several times feverishly working the song toward a crescendo just to back off and return to the chorus, taking a turn toward what seemed like would be a metal finish only to — again — retreat to the chorus and then fully jamming away the tune’s conclusion. Stapleton, who’d unleashed his headbanging-worthy mane from beneath a white cowboy hat, let his hair fly in tandem with the music's increasing intensity, like some sort of a follicular metronome (#fakejambands).

They closed the set with a cover of “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” made famous by Willie Nelson, and a pair of Muchacho standouts, the driving “The Quotidian Beasts” and the ethereal “Song for Zula,” Houck, his voice a raw nerve, stalking the stage and pointing out enthusiastic concertgoers.

The increasingly boisterous audience cheered for more and Phosphorescent returned for the cosmic-country “Ride On/Right On” (Muchacho), “Los Angeles” (Here’s to Taking It Easy) — shouted out from the crowd and emphatically punctuated with “I came to Los Angeles to goddamn die” — and then finishing with “Down to Go” (Muchacho), the line “The kids of summer, don’t we glow” particularly resonating with autumn swiftly approaching. —R. Zizmor | @hand_dog

Photos courtesy of Toby Tenenbaum | @tobytenenbaum