Suicidebonn - དˢᵘⁱཌ

“Charles Xavier did more for mutants than you’ll ever know. My single greatest regret is that he had to die for our dream to live.”

This line has been talked about time and again for good reason, but can we please highlight Sir Ian McKellen’s magnificent delivery of it??

He’s calm and collected for most of it, with seething rage simmering beneath the surface of the first sentence. But the moment he says the word “die,” his voice starts trembling and doesn’t stop until his thought is finished … which so effectively conveys Erik’s feelings at this moment. Erik refuses to let anyone see him openly vulnerable, so he does his best to appear stoic. Yet that little tremble in his voice shows us the truth: this man is Heartbroken. Devastated. Gutted. Bereft of the love of his life, he is now only holding onto his sanity and composure by a thread.

McKellen understands Erik so perfectly, and does so much with just two little sentences. He maintains the Magneto facade yet gives us the briefest glimpse of the true Erik, of that lonely, lost soul on a bleak quest for vengeance who found hope and joy and life again in the eyes and words and touch of a beautiful telepath so long ago … who is now utterly shattered and made lonely and lost once again by the sight and memory of that very telepath disintegrating in front of him.

McKellen managed to pack all that inner agony into those few words, keeping it suppressed yet present.

Bravo to the Legend.

(Also, shoutout to the lighting designers. Erik is walking in shadows in most of the scene, but the moment he starts talking about Charles, he moves into the light of a sunbeam.)

We're off to battle again, old girl.

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON 2.04 The Red Dragon and the Gold

an outfit design for Averyll, @bunnidarling 's lovely boy

Prompt #8

"So you choose them over me? After all we've been through together, you choose them?"

Prompt is by @me-writes-prompts

Link to their post on the prompt

This is Cherik cause I'm a sucker for hero x villain and this is what immediately popped up in my mind. I'm sorry if it's bad or if I didn't tag right. I'm kind of new to this.

Erik Pov

Just as I got up from the sandy beach, the agent Charles fancied started shooting at me.

It was foolish. I control metal, yet she continued to barrage me with bullets. It wasn’t much, but it distracted me enough that I had to focus on defending myself. Despite a bullet bouncing off my helmet, I easily deflected the onslaught. Just as I moved my hand to deflect another, a sharp yelp of pain from behind disrupted my thoughts.

Charles!

It was almost as if the world slowed as he fell. A bullet had hit him. In mere seconds, I was crouched down next to him, removing the bullet with my abilities. It had hit his lower back, and he was trembling in pain.

“I’m so sorry,” I stated, repositioning him to support him better. I was now sitting on the sand floor with his head resting upon my thigh, my hands supporting him. I couldn’t help but feel deep regret. This was never my intention. I never wanted to harm him.

I heard a rush of footsteps—the X-men. “I said back off!” I yelled, halting the group. I soon noticed the cause for Charles lying wounded in my arms: the agent.

“You. You did this,” I announced, using my powers to strangle her with the metal necklace around her neck.

She started choking, reaching for her neck with both hands in hopes of lessening the tightening pressure—a hope that would not be granted. Despite the small voice in my mind that sounded almost like Charles advising me to stop, that this wasn’t right, I couldn’t help but somewhat enjoy it. It was mere retribution and karma for hurting my friend.

“Erik. Please,” he said, voice slightly trembling. “She didn’t do this, Erik. You did.”

‘You did.’ It was that simple phrase that made me cease. I looked at my friend lying in my arms, his eyes already conveying his thoughts on how this was my fault. How these people were innocent in his eyes.

How can he not see that it is because of these humans that we mutants are divided? How can he not recognize that it is due to her that he is wounded? It is due to her that we are both in pain.

It was irrational to be this emotional considering the circumstances, but I couldn’t help it. “You still choose them over me? You would choose her. Charles, after all we’ve been through together, after all we’ve seen, you choose them?” I asked in disbelief. No matter how much they have harmed and discriminated against our kind, he always thought more of them. Believing in the minuscule kindness—if it could even count as that—that they had shown him. I knew he disagreed with me and my methods, but I thought he’d care more about us, our kind. That he’d choose me after all the events that had taken place.

“They are innocent,” he responded. I despised how he actually believed it.

“Us turning on each other. It’s what they want. I tried to warn you, Charles. I want you by my side. We’re brothers, you and I.” My words, no matter how you may view them, Charles, they are sincere. I need you with me.

“All of us together, protecting each other. We want the same thing.” And is that not the truth? We both want what is best for mutant kind. We could accomplish so much, you and I.

He was hurt, shaking in my arms, yet he still found sad amusement in my words and chuckled. “Oh, my friend. I’m sorry, but we do not.”

As much as I wished to take him with me, to show him what we could be, I respected his answer. I disliked it—the feeling of his body trembling in my hold only strengthened that—but I knew what must be done. I signaled for the girl to come closer; she could take care of Charles. It was time to depart.