#they’re so cherik coded…..

[quillkiller]

it’s summer of 1899 and you meet a beautiful brilliant boy and he’s your equal who becomes your lover and you’re going to make sure you achieve everything you ever wanted together and it’s so intense and hectic and overwhelming and passionate that there’s no other way for it to end not only in heartbreak but also tragedy because you end up dueling each other and your brother joins and your sister is killed and there’s no way to tell whose spell killed her and then both of you with this history behind you become leader figures representing good and evil that people follow and trust blindly but the only person who really knows you is the enemy who was once just a beautiful brilliant boy you met in the summer of 1899

[moonraccoon14]

mitski’s me and my husband is so old cherik in dofp coded

like they’re about to be killed by the sentinels and they’ve just watched everyone in their lives die but hey they’re finally on the same side for once and they’ve worked things out and they’re holding hands as erik slowly dies in charles’s arms

[cherik-shipper]

Stitches - Shawn mendez

This song is so DOFP cherik coded…

They would have felt abandoned by each other and would have taken care of their own hurts.

And they think they can‘t call each other lovers anymore, and now they’re trying to move on, But they can‘t stop thinking about each other.

THIS IS DOFP…

Erik actually stitches his wound with thread and needle.

[angstics]

Hiiiii, just popping in to say thank you for your xmen posting about Charles and Erik, these two are so gay for each other, but like no one around me really likes that idea and so I thought I just made that up and took shit too far. Turns out I was simply gaslit from seeing the truth, they’re made for each otherrrr (also sorry if this is random, have a good day/night)

Hiiii im glad i can be of service… theyre such a fun relationship to think about since theyre so strong both as People and as Symbols, with a whole movie series somewhat dedicated to their relationship. Most #ships are only one or the other. However 👆 im susceptible to playing devils advocate so i can see how ppl take them (or pretty much any non-canon ship) only as friends (other than homophobia and non-canonicity). They just dont act like scott/jean/wolverine, rogue/bobby. Movies are made of tropes, thats how you can tell that wolverine is interested in jean in their first scene. How they portray tension, attraction, chemistry, lust, devotion (and heterosexuality and patriarchal heterosexuality) is all coded into the movie. And thats missing with cherik (similarly, none of the canon couples act like them). HOWEVERRR thats whats SO exciting about (good) slash ships — theyre an alternate way of coding romance (and all the factors i mention above). They ARENT like the typically coded romances and yet they still read as romantic… unintentionally yet unmistakably! Thats so weird! Isnt that itself so romantic? That a relationship is so close so compelling that it doesnt even Need movie conventions to communicate romance. Im convinced that, other than more obvious reasons, writers dont pursue ships because they know theyll fuck it up by resorting to romantic conventions if canonized.

Anyway cherik number one. Hope they make out soon

[earnestly-endlessly]

Hi, how are you? Your blog is amazing and your recommendations have already allowed me to read wonderful stories, so thank you so much! I wonder if you could suggest me any cherik fics of them as detectives? I remember reading one a long time ago, but unfortunately I don't know the name and even less the synopsis. Thank you in advance for your help.

Thank you so much @remember5novemberv for your kind words. I'm so sorry this took me so long but I hope you enjoy this list. There are some excellent detective AUs in this fandom so you're in for a treat.

Cherik Detective AUs

Their Mouths Always Lie – keire_ke

Summary: Charles adheres to most police protocols like they are a personal code of conduct. Erik gets things done and over with, for better or worse. Raven knows what she's doing, most of the time. The serial killer kills, regardless. Police AU.

Guilty by Association – Reagan

Summary: While investigating the homicide of a John Doe who he suspects might've been murdered while working the streets as a prostitute, Detective Erik Lehnsherr finds an unexpected ally in a hooker named Charles who seems as determined as he to solve the case. As they become more deeply involved both with the case and each other, there's just one thing that Charles neglects to mention -- that he's really an investigative journalist, one quickly convinced that what they're dealing with is more than simple murder. cop!Erik, fake-hooker-slash-reporter!Charles, Modern AU.

Incy Wincy Spider – Tawabids

Summary: Erik Lehnsherr is a renowned homicide detective, with his husband Charles at home and his partner on the job, Moira MacTaggert. When a twisted serial killer starts targeting mutants, Erik and Moira are the perfect team for the job, especially since Erik himself is the mutant poster-boy of an NYPD trying to improve their image.

But what they don't yet know is that the serial killer is an old soul out of Erik's past, and his next move is to pull Charles into his web.

The Theory of Partnership Dynamics – Pangea

Summary: “Detective Lehnsherr, how wonderful to see you out on the job!” The fed in the front greets him as they draw nearer. He’s shorter than the other two by a full head, and he’s beaming at Lehnsherr as if completely undeterred by Lehnsherr’s paint-peeling scowl.

“What do the feds want?” Lehnsherr asks bluntly.

“You know I can’t tell you that,” the fed answers cheerfully. Then his gaze lands on Alex, and, impossibly, his grin gets even brighter. “Did you get a new partner?"

“No,” Lehnsherr says through his teeth while at the same time Alex says, “Yes.”

Charles’ Killer – luchia

Summary: When detective Charles Xavier finds himself hunting down a vendetta-driven serial killer, it doesn't take long for him to realize he's in over his head. It only takes a little longer for him to realize his killer is, too.

Demoted – JayPendragon

Summary: Erik Lehnsherr is a detective-specialist with the NYPD Mutant Tactical Unit, ready to help out where his skills are needed. Or he would be, if he and his partner hadn’t been demoted. For the next four months, he is patrolling the Lenox Hill precinct with Azazel – if he doesn’t die of boredom first.

One night they are called in to investigate a potential case of domestic violence, yet the tenant assures them he is both alone and unharmed. However, there is something about this Charles Xavier that compels Erik to follow up.

Watching the Detectives – Clocks

Summary: Detectives Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr are good friends and colleagues. However, when they go undercover at a Christmas party to nab a prime suspect, Erik keeps reminding himself to stay professional and ignore feelings of unexpected jealousy.

Oh, Sinnerman (Where you gonna run to?) – TintagelCastle (orphan–account)

Summary: Erik Lehnsherr is one of the best homicide detectives in New York. From small time stabbings to high end mob hits, Erik (and his equally scary partner Logan) makes sure all the bad guys get caught, searching for the final clue to nail his mother's killer. As a string of murders draws the net ever tighter on Erik's life's work, he needs to catch the nightmare of his past whilst continuing to be the darling of the Force...

And so what if he's completely in love with the British guy on Forensics? Who's he ever going to tell?

Wrap up my bones – waifornight

Summary: Damaged detective Erik Lehnsherr is grimly searching for a serial killer whose victims all have extraordinary gifts. But without any clues or leads he and his partner Logan are in the dark. Until Charles Xavier, abducted by the killer, escapes. Together Erik and Charles must confront something far darker than either of them had ever imagined.

Alternate Universe loosely based off the crime movie Kiss the Girls.

I’ll see your heart (and I’ll race you mine) – sirona

Summary: For Kriminalhauptkommissar Erik Lehnsherr, this case will change everything.

Paralyzer – Yahtzee

Summary: In 1965, Erik Lehnsherr has infiltrated the NYPD for his own purposes -- but his powers make him a brilliant detective. Yet that's not why FBI agent Charles Xavier has sought him out. It's because the mysterious killer they're both trying to find is murdering people like them: other mutants.

Their search for a madman binds them together. Their inner demons may tear them apart. But the greatest danger comes when the killer they're looking for looks back.

Wrap up my bones – waifornight

Summary: Damaged detective Erik Lehnsherr is grimly searching for a serial killer whose victims all have extraordinary gifts. But without any clues or leads he and his partner Logan are in the dark. Until Charles Xavier, abducted by the killer, escapes. Together Erik and Charles must confront something far darker than either of them had ever imagined.

Alternate Universe loosely based off the crime movie Kiss the Girls.

The Long Bright Dark – lachatblanche

Summary: Ten years ago Detectives Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr closed the case on a grotesque series of murders that continue to haunt them even in the present day. When they are pulled in for questioning a decade later, they finally have confirmation of something that they have both suspected for a very long time - that there is unfinished business for them to take care of and that the case they thought they had closed so very long ago is in reality still all too open.

A True Detective AU.

Finding North – ClarkeStetler, Goosenik

Summary: Charles and Erik are (loosely) friends with benefits. They don't share personal details, last names, or anything concrete about their lives. This is ruined rather spectacularly when Charles gets recruited by the Mutant Apprehension Division of the FBI. Surprised is a bit of an understatement for their reaction to finding themselves partnered up and sent out on cases with the team.

Closer (to God) – dsrobertson

Summary: Se7en/The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo AU-ish.

Political journalist and editor, Erik Lehnsherr, has just lost £150,000 in a libel case against businessman, Kurt Marko. Down on his luck and in need of money, Erik is approached by the Metropolitan Police’s Detective Inspector Charles Xavier. Well-known for his investigative journalism, Erik is asked to help in the search for a serial killer in return for £200,000 if the killer is caught.

Wrapped up in murder, religion, and sex, Erik gets more than he bargained for.

Homo Sacer – unveiled

Summary: In a not too distant future, Detective Erik Lehnsherr meets Charles Xavier: street magician, former academician, and telepath.

One Good Day – troll_under_the_bridge

Summary: One case which is going to turn Charles' world upside down, while he struggles to pacify his boss, investigate murders and come to terms with the mess his life has become.

Playing With Fire – professor

Summary: Charles is a detective determined to catch a serial killer.

If the serial killer doesn't catch him first.

Hold on or let go – aesc, pearl_o

Summary: Teenage telepath Charles Xavier takes a job as a consultant, working with prickly police detective Erik Lehnsherr. Charles is used to being on his own and taking care of himself; he has no reason to think that his relationship with this stern, icy man is going to change any of that. (Also known as: Tough Little Baby Telepath.)

MCIS: First Case – Pookaseraph

Summary: Erik Lehnsherr considers himself a great MCIS agent, and he puts up with a lot from his boss - Moira MacTaggart - in the name of solving crimes against mutants, but he's not so sure about this new empath, Charles Xavier. Their first case together will test Erik's patience, but doubtless be the beginning of a brilliant friendship.

MCIS: Fathers, Sons, and Brothers – Pookaseraph

Summary: Alex Summers has a single case that he has obsessed about ever since coming to MCIS two years ago: Su-M-94-0708-0034, the murder of Christopher and Katherine Summers, and the presumed kidnapping and possible murder of Scott Summers. Very little evidence was found at the time, but hopefully a new team - and new leads - can shed light on the case that left Alex an orphan.

When the Crazies come to town – Chinchillaatthedisc0

Summary: Erik is a surly detective with zero people skills who has just been assigned the murder case of Kurt Marko. Prime suspect? Charles xavier. Who's no where to be found.

My old man is a bad man – faerie_ground

Summary: Sebastian Shaw dies at two am in the morning with a dagger embedded in his forehead. Detective Erik Lehnsherr is on the case, and the number one suspect is the recently widowed Dr Charles Xavier, Sebastian Shaw's husband.

Deep Cover – Subtilior

Summary: Omegas in heat? The perfect whores. Sebastian Shaw? The bastard who kidnaps them for his Hellfire Club. Erik Lehnsherr? A hard-boiled detective who's been on the Hellfire case for months. The catastrophe that unfolds when he goes in on retrieval and finds Charles Xavier still writhing in a Hellfire bed? .... Deep Cover.

A Murder of Ravens – AbandonedWorld

Summary:Charles Xavier is wrongfully accused. Erik Lehnsherr is a top-notch homicide Lieutenant who stumbles upon the case of a lifetime: a serial killer targeting mutants–and only mutants. Charles bides his incarceration waiting on a miracle, reciting Poe's timeless gem in effort to retain his sanity...

Note: Unfinished

[pinkoptics]

Would You Catch Me If I Fall?

aka Cherik Fallen Angel fic

Part 2 of Chapter 2

(Previous parts now on Ao3)

Erik is going to do everything he can to make sure Charles is taken care of. Charles saved his life. That’s why. Right… right???

*

“Mr. Olsen, I believe you will do exactly as I’ve asked.”

Mr. Olsen opened his mouth, to protest most likely, but Erik was well practiced in speaking in a way that left no room for interruption. “You will, because you are aware of the exact amount my firm has donated to your hospital this year and every other before it.”

Mr. Olsen was turning an interesting shade of red. It had nothing on Azazel, but the flush beneath his skin was making a concerted effort.

“You are also aware of what it would do to this hospital’s reputation for being at the forefront of mutant medicine if my firm were to very vocally withdraw its support and place it elsewhere, say... Johns Hopkins?”

“Mr. Lehnsherr—“ Still red, but now also sputtering. “You do not have the authority. Shaw would never—“

Erik smiled in such a way that Olsen cut himself off. Erik’s smile, though the word hardly applied, very early in his career had earned him the nickname ‘The Shark.’ Only used when he knew his prey was very much backed into a corner of their own making and it was time for the kill.

“If The Incident were to suddenly appear on social media again, with a narrative much closer to the truth...”

Red became purple. “We have an NDA! You can’t—“

“When information is out it is out, Mr. Olsen. Non-disclosures only hold weight if the parties involved care about the consequences. I could give a fuck. Besides, whether this hospital is guilty or innocent, reputations once ruined are terribly hard to salvage, aren’t they? Once, tried in the court of public opinion...”

“Shaw would— you’d be—“

Erik simply raised an eyebrow.

Olsen was right. Erik didn’t have the authority to stop donations, Shaw would have his job and his ass if he ever went to the public about any of the firm’s cases. Moreover, he would probably lose his license to practice. None of those things mattered however, not because Erik truly didn’t care, but because Olsen only needed to believe he was serious. If Erik couldn’t sense the man’s weaknesses, and couldn’t exploit them, he would hardly have been the best lawyer at his firm (no matter what Emma said to the contrary). The seed of doubt, once planted in a weak mind, was notoriously difficult to weed out.

“Fine,” Olsen ground out. Looking like he was very much sucking on a lemon.

Erik levitated the paperwork he had prepared by its staple. It was accompanied by one of the disgustingly expensive fountain pens the firm utilized to perpetuate its reputation. It hovered in front of the sour countenance and Erik felt the same sense of satisfaction he did after a particularly shrewd cross examination.

Threatening Olsen in this way was beyond overkill.

However, Erik knew of nothing else that would resolve Charles’ situation as swiftly. As Olsen scratched out his signature nearly hard enough to tear paper, Charles’ need for insurance, identity, and anything else he did not have, vanished.

Besides, he’d never liked this man or this hospital, so if he got to have a little fun while getting Charles what he needed, all the better. The faster he could get Charles out of here unscathed the better. He owed him that much, possibly more. There were few people insane enough, selfless enough, to throw themselves in front of a car for a stranger. Erik had made it his life’s work to protect people who couldn’t protect themselves. Charles had more than earned that same protection until he was back to his former self.

T’s crossed and i’s dotted, Erik left Olsen to fume, so he could share the good news with Charles. The words that had been leaping forward died on his lips when he took in the state of Charles’ room.

“. . . Did you rob a florist?”

Charles graced him with a much less hysterical, much more pleasant sounding laugh than he had any time previously.

“Aren’t people just lovely? This one is from the nurse on call, Ben. He has the most adorable little boy. Teething at the moment, which is trying of course, but he’s so precious one can hardly be cross. I’m sure Ben would be happy to show you the photos too. This one is from Dr. Yousef, whom you’ve already met. She detests flowers, personally, as she’s never home consistently enough to care for them properly. This one is from Saima...”

While Charles no longer appeared to be in a state of hysteria, it appeared to be Erik’s turn, and he became suddenly, hysterically deaf. Had he misplaced a day? Or two? More? Was he the one with the head injury?

“Did you— I mean, do you know them?”

Charles cut off his still in-progress monologue about his sudden and inexplicable well-wishers.

“Oh no. We’ve just met. Nancy would like to get coffee when I’m better though. I believe that is a cultural expression of friendship, is it not? Or does coffee equal sex? It’s so hard to keep track of these things as humans rarely say what they truly mean. Why do you lot insist upon speaking in code? A code that changes every generation no less. Regardless, I’ve never had coffee. Given how utterly obsessed with it you all are I’m rather excited to find out what all the fuss is about.”

Erik didn’t know what part of that to address first, if at all.

Ben, Yousef, Saima... who the fuck was Nancy?

Sex?

Never had coffee?

“Oh Erik, I’m sorry. You look so confused again. I forget myself. I would much rather have coffee for the first time with you of course. At that diner you speak so highly of. I believe diners generally serve coffee.”

Erik blinked. Did that mean Charles wanted to be his friend or have sex with him? Or, did never having had coffee actually mean never having had sex? No. Wait. What in the fuck were they talking about?

What came out was, mercifully, “You make friends quickly.” This was something he and Charles certainly didn’t share.

“Do I?” Charles shrugged. “I love people. All people. They’re so fascinating.” Something else he and Charles certainly didn’t share. In his experience, most people were dull or cruel or both. Except Charles. Charles had been the exact opposite of dull or cruel right from the first. Crashing headfirst into Erik, literally and figuratively, and smashing all his expectations of what people did or didn’t do for one another. It might have also been the head injury/amnesia mitigating the dullness, making him say the most ridiculous things that Erik had ever heard and couldn’t even begin to sort out, but Erik didn’t really think so. He read people extremely well and Charles intrigued him. No one intrigued him.

Shoving the friends/coffee/sex equivalency conversation aside, Erik patted his briefcase. “I’ve sorted out everything with hospital administration. You won’t have to worry about insurance, bills... if there’s anything you need, just ask. They will be sure you get it.”

“I won’t ask how you managed it.” Charles’ look became conspiratorial. Almost as if he did know Erik’s methods. There was no way, of course, that he did unless he was a telepath, which Erik had already briefly mused on. “You really needn’t have troubled yourself, though I appreciate it, you, all the same.”

There it was again. The strange gravity his words seemed to possess. Erik flushed, not something he ever did, feeling that appreciation to his core. Charles’ smile deepened and somehow held the same weight as his words. Looking at it was almost too much, like looking straight at the sun, it warmed parts of Erik he hadn’t even realized were cold.

“You can stay with me,” Erik said, apropos of nothing, then flinched, his own words surprising him. It wasn’t the offer he had intended to make. The Firm put people up all the time for various reasons, and Erik had planned to slip Charles in to one of his current cases with no one the wiser. The doctor felt certain it wouldn’t be long until his memory returned, based on her previous experience of such cases.

Charles’ astonishment seemed to match his own. “Erik, that’s too much. You’ve done so much already.”

Erik rubbed at the back of neck, avoiding Charles’ eyes, which were comically, anime-wide. While he hadn’t meant to make the offer, he also found now that he had, he also had no sense of regret. His flat was large, he practically lived at the firm, so it would hardly be an inconvenience and the less he abused his position, the less tracks he had to cover.

He coughed, “There’s always Nancy.” Erik hoped the joke would break the sudden tension. “You could take her up on her ambiguous offer.” Charles laughed. Success.

“Coffee, and whatever else it may suggest, is a far cry from living together. Besides, I don’t even know Nancy.”

“You don’t know me either. You may have unwittingly saved a sociopath the world would be better without.”

Charles shook his head. “Don’t be absurd. You’re a good man, Erik. Better than you know.”

Everything about this was absurd.

“It’s settled then, when they discharge you, you can stay with me until we figure out who you are.”

Charles’ face, which Erik was already beginning to realize was nakedly expressive, came over suddenly unreadable.

“I—“ Charles hesitated, eyes flicking away from Erik to the window. Erik supposed coming to live with any stranger was enough to give anyone pause, especially someone who was as disoriented as Charles must already be. He was about to shift back to his original, much less awkward, plan when Charles’ gaze focused back on him. “All right. Until... until then.”

“Until then,” Erik echoed and they both fell suddenly silent.

He was inviting someone to live with him when he had never lived with anyone besides his mother his entire life. Roommates? Please. Erik had never had to, but would have rather lived in a squalid apartment than have to share a living space with anyone, even when putting himself through the extraordinary expenditure of american law school. Yet, here he was. Here they were. It felt right. Perhaps he had an overabundance of gratitude and quid pro quo to sate. It was the only thing that made any sense in the face of something that made absolutely no sense.

He’d probably regret it the instant Charles was in his space, but he also wasn’t someone who went back on his word, so he was taking in this stray whether he came to regret it or not.

Mama, at least, would approve.

*

Now on Ao3

Thanks for reading!!

[turtletotem]

Clearly I must ask for the Cherik playlist 😊

Okay part of this is cheating because they’re taken from the fanmix I made years ago. But some are new! And there’s 6 because what are rules anyway. If I’ve done it right, here is a link to a YouTube playlist of the songs.

1. Poison & Wine (The Civil Wars) You only know what I want you to I know everything you don't want me to Oh your mouth is poison, your mouth is wine You think your dreams are the same as mine Oh I don't love you but I always will Oh I don't love you but I always will

2. Bad Blood (Bastille) If we're only ever looking back We will drive ourselves insane As the friendship goes resentment grows We will walk our different ways But those are the days that bind us together, forever And those little things define us forever, forever

3. Eric’s Song (Vienna Teng) And of course I forgive I've seen how you live Like a phoenix you rise from the ashes You pick up the pieces And the ghosts in the attic They never quite leave And of course I forgive You've seen how I live I've got darkness and fears to appease ... The sacred simplicity of you at my side

4. No Light, No Light (Florence + the Machine) You are the hole in my head You are the space in my bed You are the silence in between What I thought and what I said ... No light, no light in your bright blue eyes I never knew daylight could be so violent A revelation in the light of day You can't choose what stays and what fades away And I'd do anything to make you stay

5. Antebellum (Vienna Teng) I know the border lines we drew between us Keep the weapons down, Keep the wounded safe; I know our antebellum innocence Was never meant to see the light of our armistice day.

6. Evil Has Never (Union of Knives) Even though you're well intentioned One or two or three things you mentioned Leave a taste familiar to me so Even with a slight sarcastic A ripple in a voice elastic I could crack the slightest code of woe ... Evil has never loved you Evil has never loved you Evil has never loved you as I do What do you mean? Nobody has ever loved you Nobody has ever loved you Nobody has ever loved you like I do

[charlesxavirs]

my thoughts on dark phoenix

spoilers under cut!!!

i’ve had near enough a full 24 hours to process the fact Erik Magnus Lehnsherr served me Look after Look so i’ve pretty much got my thoughts in order about this film

i have to start by saying that dark phoenix is a good film. however, it i’s not a good x-men film. it’s by no means bad, but it’s not dofp or logan. that being said, it’s far FAR better than apocalypse. so in terms of the franchise, it’s not the best, but in terms of a superhero movie, i really do not see the problem.

the good:

the action sequences. oh my god i could talk all day about the action sequences. they’re pretty much there from the start of the film and they keep getting better and better throughout the course of the film, and they way they all worked together in the final train scene,,,, *kisses fingers* perfection

can someone please give the vfx team a hug from me bc wow. honestly the scenes in space were fucking breathtaking

sophie was amazing start to finish. i love sophie but i wasn’t going into this film expecting to be as impressed by her as i was. she did jean justice imo, and they way she showed the struggle in jean with her powers was spot on

raven dies

jokes aside though i didn’t actually hate raven in this film which is a feat in itself and i liked her and jean’s dynamic

‘you can stab people in the eyes with it if you want’

kurts angry face >:3

i have mixed feelings about how they portrayed charles in this film but i liked that they let him admit he was wrong whilst also being unapologetic for doing what he thought was right

erik ripping the subway train up through the ground was extremely sexy and, dare i say, arousing, and will be all i talk about for the next year

the paris scene goes even without saying holy fucking shiT

also the scene on the train when charles is making a speech about jean and how she’s still family and even though she’s done bad it doesn’t mean there’s still good in her and erik gives him a Look that’s soft and sad and ultimately makes him fight alongside charles instead of against him i-

the phoenix in the sky at the end was a lovely way to end it imo

the bad:

as much as i love the action in this film, it think the thing that disappointed me in regards to the other x men films was the lack of character interaction. it’s there, don’t get me wrong, i think jean’s development with her powers was well done, but everything just seemed a bit rushed and in-media-res. like apocalypse ends, all of a sudden charles is a dick and is licking bush’s arse, raven’s pissed off, ex-attempted-president-killer erik has been given land by the government, these aliens are there, like????? i feel like the film could’ve gone from a 6 to a solid 8 if the audience had something that tied up what had happened in the time skip and that put a motivation behind some of the character’s motives. but that’s just me

there are some pacing issues that make it seem a little rushed

what was the POINT of having peter realise erik is his dad in apocalypse if they weren’t going to mention it ever again??????? this is what i’m trying to say about character interaction/development, there are things mentioned in the last film that aren’t expanded/touched on that make dark phoenix seem like a less cohesive instalment and a tad confusing at times

the whole hank/erik thing was not convincing for me

u really want me 2 believe erik loved raven? so much so that he wants to kill jean??? k.

the scene where jean makes charles walk left a really bad taste in my mouth 

jessica chastain’s villain was.... okay. i didn’t quite understand the whole thing with their home land, wanting to harness the phoenix power. idk. i felt like for the last powerful threat to the x-men, it wasn’t as convincing as a villain as shaw or even apocalypse 

charles xavier. i hate the fact his alcoholism wasn’t touched on. i hate the fact charles was made out to be the bad guy. i HATE the fact hank blamed him for raven’s death. admittedly, yes, okay, i can see why he could be, but do you really think i’m buying into the fact that charles ‘i love mutants and i want to keep them safe and teach them and give them a place to live’ xavier would really put his family in harms way? absolutely not. charles is arrogant, charles is manipulative, charles is up his own arse. charles is NOT cruel or a tyrannical or uncaring as they made him out to be in this film. maybe comic book charles, but not xmcu charles.

that actually sounds like i hate it more than i do, but i seriously enjoyed this film and i really don’t see what the bad hype is about. marvel stans really don’t wanna give this a chance but at least the plot made sense, nobody died for unnecessary reasons and the gay coded couple became canon *insert tea emoji here*

anyways happy pride cherik is canon

[xmenfcfanfic]

SECRET MUTANT 2017 RECS!

A little bit late *cough* but here are our personal faves from the 2017 Secret Mutant Exchange and Secret Mutant Madness! Fics from both collections are thrown together and in no particular order. Since these are all written works, please make sure to check out some of the fabulous art that was posted too! 

The Stryker Institute by TurtleTotem [Cherik, PG13]

Erik is a juvenile delinquent determined to cause as much trouble for his baseline oppressors as possible. Charles is the king of the school, leading the students and charming the teachers, trying to keep the peace. They hate each other immediately. Or... something like that.

Mod note: Great dynamics with an uncommon but still spot-on characterisation of Charles. It’s very well-written and bleaker than most highschool AUs, therefore I’d absolutely recommend it to people who usually avoid this trope as well. 

The Moment of Waking by still_lycoris [En Sabah Nur/Charles Xavier, PG-13]

En Sabah Nur is woken from his long sleep. He does not wake alone.

Mod note: Oh delicious Apocalypse mindfuckery! I can never get enough of it. 

three’s a crowd by annejumps [Azazel/Charles/Erik, mild dub-con, NC-17]

Charles catches a glimpse of what his oh-so-casual fuckbuddy and argument partner Erik really wants in bed.

Mod note: Oooof, the very very hot Cherzazel (?) threesome you never knew you needed! 

Fast West by fullmetalcarer [Cherigan, PG13]

Logan leant on the bar waiting for Lehnsherr. It wasn't like him to be late. Maybe he was having trouble finding someone to look after Nina. He was fussy about who he'd leave her with. Logan didn't blame him. Nina was the most precious thing in the world as far as Lehnsherr was concerned and damned if Logan didn't agree with him.

Mod note: Super cute polyamorous child-rearing in the Wild West is all I’m saying.

and yet must be by dedkake [Cherik, PG13]

Erik brings Charles to a safe house after an attack on the mansion.

Mod note: How can something be tender and chilling at the same time? Find out here! 

Teacher’s Note by Gerec [Xavierine, PG]

Logan has been getting weekly updates in note form from Laura’s teacher for most of the school year. When they finally meet, he finds the image in his head of Professor Xavier to be nothing like what he expected.

Mod note: Laura as a cheeky (and very wolverine-y) match-maker is the cutest thing ever. 

breaking the ice by annejumps [Cherik, NC-17]

It's Erik's first winter in Westchester Castle, and he's not sure his new husband even wants him around.

Mod note: The age-old question of what happens when feelings arise in an arranged marriage and one’s beautiful husband only seems to have eyes for other people? 

‘Tis the Season by ikeracity [Cherik, M]

Ten years ago, Charles and Erik were bitter enemies in college. Now Erik runs a mutant community center, and Charles is a successful physician. When the community center launches a volunteer-run free clinic focused on mutant health, their paths cross once again. Old wounds are reopened, and old grudges spring back to life. But will old feelings reignite as well?

Mod note: 30k of intelligent, slow-burn, feel-good fluff that lets its characters work for their happy end and makes the ride more than worthwhile. In other words: fanfic dreams come true. 

A Gentleman in Distress by bocje_ce_ustu [Cherik, NC-17]

Canon-divergence during First Class. They're both closeted to the other, but as fate would have it, decide to 'unwind' on the same night at the same underground gay bar.

Mod note: Hot porn that includes great introspection into Erik’s insecurities and some amazing period slang/code. I loved every paragraph of it. 

and to all a goodnight by afrocurl [Cherik, PG]

Charles has no choice but to talk to his grumpy neighbor when he's locked out of his apartment.The solution is not what Charles expects.

Mod note: Fluffy Christmas match-making attempts from Lorna! 

Walking in a Winter Wonderland by TurtleTotem [Cherik, PG-13]

Charles hasn't seen Erik since their devastating breakup ten years ago. He's certainly the last person he expects to run into at a Christmas lights display.

Mod note: Dumb boys finding each other again and Kurt being the cutest little angel. 

Principles of Sharing by citrinesunset [Charles/Hank/Moira, M]

Charles is thrilled to reconnect with Moira, and Hank likes seeing him happy. But when the three of them go on vacation together, it isn't clear where things are heading.

Mod note: The pairing is unusual but it’s explored so well here and Hank’s feelings are so intriguing that I really wanted to see more of this constellation and how it might work out in the future. Also there’s a an entertaining amount of smitten and cheesily flirty Charles. 

Dream Sharing by Unforgotten [Charles/Jean, age difference, NC-17]

Jean doesn't have feelings for the Professor. He doesn't have feelings for her, either. So why do they keep having sexy dreams together?

Mod note: Sexy dreams indeed, oh boy. Sizzling hot telepath porn. 

[pangeasplits]

I have read your works! And I love 'The Stars Incline us, they don't bind us' so muuuuuch. If this is not too much to ask, can you make cherik fic rec? Thank you! Keep writing, awesome!

thank you very much, i’m glad you enjoyed my stuff! :3 

since this blog is exactly 5 years old today, what better occasion is there to do cherik fic rec post, as lurking around cherik fic rec tumblr posts waaay back in the day is actually what originally brought me to tumblr in the first place. the following list is in no particular order, and odds are i like multiple fics by the authors included but i was determined to limit myself to one from each (though in some cases, this was a veeeery close call, haha).

anyway, the actual title of this list is coincidentally the main criteria i used in the interest of not having it stretch on for miles, which is to say:

Cherik Fics Pan Has Reread An Embarrassing Amount Of Times Throughout Her XMFC Fandom Tenure:

Hier steh ich an den Marken meiner Tage by MonstrousRegiment

Erik Lehnsherr is a spy in the SS, and his British liaison is strategist Charles Xavier. Their relationship from the moment they meet to a year after the end of the war.

“You’re the only person in the world who knows what I am.”

Boden’s Mate by kaydeefalls

“Shaw has information that we need, and we need him alive to extract it,” Moira says, and there it is: the job is on the table. Extraction.

XMFC/Inception fusion AU. Erik is an extractor, Alex is his point man. They’re assembling a team to go after the most dangerous mind in dreamsharing: Sebastian Shaw. But unless Alex and the team can keep him in check, Erik’s desire for vengeance might just rip the whole job apart around them – and then there’s the shade that haunts his dreams…

Malastare Racer by ikeracity

Ignoring strict instructions from Master Emma to stay hidden, Charles and Erik decide to enter themselves into the Gorian Podracing Classic. Because they’re idiots like that.

Star Wars AU!

The Secret of the Knights Templar by madneto

Erik is a CIA agent who has been tracking down black market dealer and occultist Sebastian Shaw for the past ten years with no real end in sight. When he stumbles upon an unexpected lead that will put him one step ahead of Shaw at last, archaeology professor and Templar enthusiast Charles Xavier becomes unwittingly entangled in the fray, and Erik suddenly finds himself with a brand new partner who is the only one who can truly help him on what’s become a quest to find the Holy Grail. But Charles is even more than Erik bargained for, especially after they’re forced to pretend to be a married couple as a cover while racing to find the Grail before Shaw does, and both Erik and Charles find they’ve possibly bitten off more than they can chew.

Powered AU vaguely inspired by Indiana Jones and James Bond movies.

Their Mouths Always Lie by keire_ke

Charles adheres to most police protocols like they are a personal code of conduct. Erik gets things done and over with, for better or worse. Raven knows what she’s doing, most of the time. The serial killer kills, regardless. Police AU.

Try, Try Again by and_backagain

Except that this has happened before, he thinks with a start, and something in his throat closes up as he revolves on the spot, already knowing what he’s going to see. Charles’ back is arching as he falls, his eyes wide, and the crumpled bullet falls to the sand beside him like a calling card. X-Men: First Class Groundhog Day!AU.

The Courtship by dvs

A story about a courtship that began five hundred years ago.

Beloved of ravens by khaleesian

978 A.D. Charles never uses his power, Erik never hesitates. Can a man be both the void and what fills it?

Limited Release by rageprufrock

When Alex Summers broke out of supermax to rescue his stupid kid brother, he had no idea it was going to be so fucking complicated.

A Curious Carriage of Crystal and Cold by Etharei

Charles, a miner from a poor village in the countryside, saves the life of Erik Lehnsherr, scion of a successful business family and the richest man on the planet Eisen. Charles is a telepath and somewhat anxious about it, while Erik abstains from relationships because the lights flicker and doors open and electronics vibrate when he gets too excited.

Also featuring a long-suffering sister, a foul-mouthed bodyguard, and a best friend with a heart that is definitely not gold.

In which there are princes, spaceships, long journeys, and old secrets uncovered. (An AU sci-fi fairytale)

The Tower and the Hurricane by dreamlittleyo

(Post-XMFC AU.) Five years after Shaw’s death, Erik’s predictions prove painfully accurate. Violence rages on both sides of the human/mutant conflict. In a world ravaged by war, it doesn’t really matter who’s more at fault. Charles struggles to teach his students a better way, but what choices will he make when peace really isn’t an option?

The Masked Man (Who Has Everything) by Traincat

The one where Erik is Batman, and Charles is kidnapped roughly once a week.

At the End of Day and Night All We Want is More by cm (mumblemutter)

It’s already too late. (Alien/Prometheus AU)

If You Liked The Book, You’ll Hate The Movie by paperclipbitch

Modern-Day High School AU. It’s not until Hank realises half the class are glancing towards the back of the classroom with something like nerves and something like schadenfreude that he finds out Alex Summers is back.

Pantheon by Yahtzee

In the year 96 AD, all Rome is aware that their gods have begun to Mark certain people with their gifts – the healing power of Apollo, the metal control of Vulcan, the deathly touch of Pluto, or the mental powers of Minerva. When those gifts fall to slaves or barbarians instead of the Romans themselves, strict control is necessary.

Then a gladiator from Judea meets an enslaved scribe from Britannia, and the repercussions will shake the Empire itself.

Swimming with Sharks by Not_You

Erik used to be a shark. Now he’s not, and has to figure out how to be a good human father to his twins. Charles is willing to help.

To Do List by Black_Betty

Somehow, Charles and Erik have become one of those couples who rarely see each other because of their busy schedules. They’re SO busy, they haven’t had sex in weeks. Erik has had enough, and forms a coordinated plan of attack. Charles is less than helpful.

On Hearts and the Finding of Lost Treasures (The Tombs and the Raiding Thereof Remix) by luninosity

The first time he met Charles Xavier, Erik Lehnsherr was—reluctantly, angrily, and decidedly against his will—impressed. This may’ve had something to do with the fact that Charles had just given him a sunny smile and somersaulted a foot over his head.

Watching the Stars Slide Down by groovyphilia

Seventeen-year-old Charles Xavier is ridiculously wealthy, and is used to being paraded around for show at his mother’s high-society Christmas parties. He’s always been rather sporting about it, and dutifully rubs shoulders with the elite every year in the glitz of the mansion ballroom.

This year, he meets a man by the name of Erik Lehnsherr.

Utopia by Takmarierah [Note: WIP but I had to include this fic]

It’s been five years since the beach, and four years since Charles was captured by the Brotherhood. Since then, he’s been kept in a safe house while Erik finally achieved what Shaw failed to do.

Now that most of humanity has been eradicated, Erik’s summoned Charles back to his side, promising a cure and political influence in exchange for Charles’ help - but Charles knows it’s only a matter of time before he asks for more.

Neither Rhyme Nor Reason by unveiled

Charles liked to tell people that the first time they met, Serik punched a kitten. (Or, the one where Erik is an angry Vulcan, Charles is still a telepath, and grief still shapes their lives.)

Incy Wincy Spider by Tawabids

Erik Lehnsherr is a renowned homicide detective, with his husband Charles at home and his partner on the job, Moira MacTaggert. When a twisted serial killer starts targeting mutants, Erik and Moira are the perfect team for the job, especially since Erik himself is the mutant poster-boy of an NYPD trying to improve their image.

But what they don’t yet know is that the serial killer is an old soul out of Erik’s past, and his next move is to pull Charles into his web.

The Amazing Adventures of Cat-Man by so_shhy

Charles is the non-powered, butt-kicking, high-tech teen sidekick of a cheesy superhero. Erik is the sidekick of the corresponding cheesy supervillain, and makes Charles’s life even more complicated than it already is.

Spy Games by manic_intent

Burn Notice AU, with Erik Lehnsherr as the spy and Charles as the trigger-happy ex boyfriend. Erik is burned for unknown reasons in Mexico and wakes up in New York City. Somehow, he needs to raise $500,000, in order to find out -why-.

Aaaand a shameless plug, since you brought it up, and since to this day ike and i still look at this fic and ask each other “wtf how” (and also we reread each other’s bits and yell at each other):

The stars incline us, they do not bind us by ikeracity, Pangea

Intergalactic Federation pilot Lieutenant Charles Xavier is assigned last-minute to a high profile mission: transporting over two thousand prison inmates from an old and overfilled prison complex to a newer, higher-capacity prison stronghold located on the outer reaches of the galaxy. Just as he’s settling down for a long and uneventful ride, things take a turn for the worse after the inmates riot and stage a hostile takeover of the ship, leaving Charles to find himself at the complete mercy of cold-blooded killers and facing the chilling prospect that he might not ever make it back home alive.