This has been a Silver Screen edition ramble

I was feeling pretty out of it today, and work was certifiably insane, so I got home, said hello to baby Nicky, read some Eric to him (it's never too early to start your Terry Pratchett education), and then I camped out on the sofa and watched films allll afternoon.

And what a selection it was! Saw some pretty amazeballs films, and all of them I would recommend heartily!

I started with a rewatch of Iron Man, which I have been moaning about wanting to rewatch for far too long. I STILL WANT ONE OF THOSE SUITS.

Then I moved on to Attack the Block, which was so fucking badarse that I was edge-of-seat throughout. Seriously awesome stuff, and can I just say, Sam? ROCK ON, BABE.

Then I watched Super 8, which was pretty damn fantastic. It's very reminiscent of E.T. and Close Encounters, and the story in the centre of it was gorgeous. I am beyond thrilled with this film, and I'm totally getting the DVD when it's out!

And then I finished off with Source Code, which is seriously one of the best films I've ever seen. It fucked with my mind something awesome, my god, I LOVED IT. I've always been partial to mindbenders (witness my continuous obsession with Inception and the like -- I am so rewatching Donnie Darko soon), and this is a class A+ mindfuck. <3 Beautifully imagined, masterfully acted, and the story was beyond awesome. It reminded me of PTerry's Trousers of Time, which is one of my favourite concepts. I LOVED THIS FILM SO MUCH. Two thumbs up + at least 8 borrowed from friendly zombies! :D Definitely watch it if you like mindfucks.

Moreover, 2001: A Space Odyssey is on telly right now. It's been a while. I shall leave you with this quote, which made my entire day:

"Eccleston was a tiger and Tennant was, well, Tigger. Smith [is] an uncoordinated housecat who pretends that he meant to do that after falling off a piece of furniture." - Lynne M. Thomas

ELEVEN I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. <3<3<3<3<3

And now, if you'll excuse me, there's a new Daycare 'Verse story, which must be consumed immediately, before I head to bed. \0/ \0/ \0/ HEARTS EVERYWHERE.

I would move mountains to make this happen

So I don't have a Tumblr, and this is unlikely to change any time soon (unless quoththewriter does something pretty damn spectacular, and maybe not even then -- LJ is quite enough for me), so to keep up with Jizzy (because she is one thing in life damn well worth following), I've been getting RSS feeds of her Tumblr. And today's post contained this snipped of pure, unadulterated gold, a.k.a. Charles = Crowley, and Erik = Aziraphale. Observe:

Seriously though can we talk about what a good idea that is oh my FUCKING GOD, except of course Charles still has the bookstore and Erik still has the Bentley, because Charles is all too aware of how easily knowledge can tempt and Erik, well, let’s be honest, Erik gave Adam and Eve that flaming sword because he had to but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t miss it, all that power harnessed between his hands

And they’ve got The Arrangement, right, of course they do, how could they not, because that’s the whole thing about Charles and Erik that fits so well with the Crowley and Aziraphale dynamic, that pull between opposites, that balance they’re always seeking, and even in the X-Men canon they’ve really got An Arrangement of their own, throwing around “old friend” the way Crowley and Aziraphale toss out “Angel” and “my dear”

But in this, right, in this you’ve got Charles who didn’t fall so much as saunter vaguely downwards and Erik, Erik who probably kind of wanted to fall but just couldn’t, couldn’t because he felt this sharp vicious loyalty to being this higher power—because that’s just Erik all over, isn’t it, Erik “We Already Are The Better Men” Lehnsherr, who is who he is and no apologies, and Charles who certainly isn’t evil but sees so much more grey than Erik does (because regardless of how you feel about either one of their methods in canon you can’t deny that “Kill the humans, kill them all” is certainly a more black and white view than “Don’t kill the humans, live in harmony with them and only read their innermost thoughts/make them think it was their idea when it’s really necessary”)

And oh, oh, the thing about Good Omens that makes it so compelling is that Crowley isn’t a demon and Aziraphale isn’t an angel, not really, not anymore, they’re both so human now and so not human too that they’re this unquantifiable third thing and I always, always, when I’m thinking about this book I always come back to Crowley saying, “Funny if we both got it wrong, eh? Funny if you did the good one I did the bad one, eh?” and Aziraphale saying “Not really,” and THAT IS SO CHARLES AND ERIK and and and

Really I just want Erik the angel driving around in his Bentley and miracle-ing his way out of speeding tickets because traffic cops are obviously Charles’ and Charles the demon cheerfully slipping a copy of Written on the Body into the priest’s bag in the back room of his bookshop because he knows all it takes is one little spark, that hint of knowledge and then no one can help but be consumed

I... actually physically want to CRY with how much I want this. This would make my entire existence. Aside from the fact of how damn apt it is, how much it just fits, you know that she and postcardmystery would create something incredible.

Seriously. Crying with the force of my want/need for this to happen. Fellow PTerry and GNeil and Charles/Erik and Aziraphale/Crowley fans -- thoughts?

An edition of XMFC Charles/Erik AU recs

Okay, so a little while ago I promised alba17 that I would compile a list of my favourite XMFC Charles/Erik AUs. This is that list, in no particular order. Some/most of these you may have already seen, but I'll include them for posterity's sake. I feel like I should say in advance that these all have happy endings, because this is me and I am a sap. >.>


The Daycare 'Verse by brilligspoons and pocky_slash
Summary: The simple description is Charles runs a daycare center. Erik is in over his head.
Sirona's Notes: An obvious choice. But this is one of the sweetest, most wonderful series of stories that I've yet to come across in any fandom. Reminiscent of gyzym's Domesticity Verse. Funny and lovely and heart-clenching and all-round marvellous. I adore it.


Carpe Brewski by gyzym
Summary: The summary says Erik and Charles are fraternity brothers, but as always with any and all of Jizzy's fics there is SO. MUCH. MORE. To it.
Sirona's Notes: Again, an obvious choice (at least for me). While this may not be for everyone, the amount of love I feel for that fic breaks any and all charts. Incredible characterisation in a completely unusual setting, and so detailed, so rich in emotion, the love she feels for them is palpable in every word she writes. This is a WIP.


Not So Much the Teacup by thehoyden
Summary: “Charles is basically the bride whisperer. It’s like he can read their minds.” A Wedding Planner AU.
Sirona's Notes: As always with TheHoyden, this is a gem. She is one of my favourite writers in any fandom, so as soon as I saw that she was writing Erik/Charles, my squee could probably be heard half-way around the world. Gorgeous, sweet romantic comedy of the bestest kind.


It takes a heap o' livin' by Etharei
Summary: Modern!AU in which they are the superheroes of mutantkind.
Sirona's Notes: Funny and sweet and badass in the best way. I love Erik in this.


Synthesis (Scenes from an AU) by Starlady
Summary: [S]cenes from the AU where Charles and Erik have sex, get married, become best friends, and run the school together.
Sirona's Notes: Possibly the most realistic take on what life might be like for all of them in a no-divorce universe.


Not what I was expecting (so much better) by Lazulisong
Summary: Erik, the single father, hires Charles, the grad student with the slightly shady past, to be his manny.
Sirona's Notes: Sweet and lovely and romantic and generous and wonderful. I enjoyed this thoroughly; it left me all warm and fuzzy.


But the cat came back by twelve_pastels
Summary: “Oh, look! It’s Charles, and he’s been transformed into a cat by a malevolent government program! I wonder how I can change him back and thereby secure his love forever and ever, amen?”
Sirona's Notes: Delicious. I love Erik in this with the passion of ten thousand suns. Very achy and pining, you really feel for poor Erik in this. Wonderful.


What Not To Expect When You're Not Expecting It by thehoyden
Summary: “I wasn’t hiding it from you. Honestly, I didn’t know for certain until yesterday, which I think we can agree was bad timing and not the sort of thing one springs before the heat of battle,” Charles says earnestly.
Sirona's Notes: Absolutely wonderful. Pining and achy and yet stupidly romantic and adorable, and if the ending doesn't make you melt, you have no heart. This is an MPREG story. Be warned.


Apocalypse: Charles' choice by Glacis
Summary: In the end, Charles knew he’d made the wrong choice. Hank’s legacy gives him the chance to change it. Erik’s not sure what’s going on, but it looks promising…
Sirona's Notes: A very interesting exploration of what might have been, if only Charles could see and know what he would in another thirty-odd years. Nicely tied ends.


Surely shifted my way by Traincat
Summary: The one where Erik and Charles get engaged, Raven is an x-treme wedding planner and the kids get way too involved. Oh, and there are doves everywhere. Modern slightly!AU, where everyone is together and alive and happy because it's weddingfic and weddingfic is allowed to do that.
Sirona's Notes: This is... a little silly, I'll admit, and really fluffy. But OMG it is hilarious. I laughed so hard I got cramps.


Our house in the middle of our street by Clocks
Summary: Fill for this 1stclass_kink prompt: An alternate universe (they're all not mutants, just human) where Charles is a social worker who fosters troubled kids, and one day he meets Erik, an ex-druggie/ex-convict (or whatever else, I leave it to anon to figure out which demons are chasing him) who reluctantly agrees to stay for only a while, but ends up staying for good and helping Charles to raise the kids. Awkward parenting ensues.
Sirona's Notes: This is still a WIP. I started reading it on the 1st class kink meme, and it is a wonderful story, hugely imaginative and beautifully realised. Very achy in places, but so very lovely.


Of kittens and teacups and love by literen
Summary: Modern AU in which Charles and Erik are flatmates. Charles studies psychology and likes tea and chess and keeps bringing home stray kittens, and Erik lets him because he's maybe perhaps a little bit sort of in love with him.
Sirona's Notes: Absolutely adorable. For a domestic fluff lover like myself, this was bliss.


The discreet pleasure of rejection by pidgeoned
Author's Summary: Okay, so, this was supposed to be lighthearted and a little cracky, inspired by that penultimate scene in Love Actually where Aurélia, Colin Firth's character's housekeeper, dives into the water to retrieve pages of his writing. I started writing that scene and then this entire fic happened.
Sirona's Notes: I have recc'd this story before, but this is absolutely magnifiscent. The writing is superb, the story engaging, the whole thing reeks of class and skill. Absolutely gorgeous story.


Our Hearts Won't Rust by smallacts
Summary: He wants to hold the face of the man whose thoughts he is even now struggling to keep separate from his own, wants to share with him the greatest truth and cruelest lie Charles knows - that he isn’t alone, that neither of them are, not if they don’t want to be. AU. Charles meets Erik during a summer abroad when he is 17.
Sirona's Notes: Like everything that Smallacts writes, this is superb. Very, very powerful, chock-full of emotion. The ending is wonderful.


Humane Society by smilebackwards
Summary: Once Erik finally allows himself to decide that Charles is pretty much the best thing since sliced bread, he spends the next week being incredibly bitter that he's Charles' cat and not his boyfriend.
Sirona's Notes: It's 'Erik gets turned into a cat' this time, and this is a delight from start to finish. Adorable, fluffy, sweet, heart-clenching and achy in the best way, thoroughly romantic, and the fix-it ending is hugely satisfying. I heartily recommend this one! ♥


And we will put the lonesome on the shelf (OR: 500 Days of Charles) by ohmydarlingdear
Summary: This is a story of boy meets boy. Erik Lehnsherr meets Charles Xavier on a Tuesday. He knows almost immediately that Charles is who he’s been waiting for.
Sirona's Notes: Gorgeous. This one is full of alllll the feeeeelings, very achy, pining, angsty, etc. The ending is gorgeous, almost everything I had wished for from the film.


Assassination (It's Not For Everyone) by silverdawn89
Summary: Assassin AU.
Sirona's Notes: Read this for serious badassery and some very kinky thoughts. I loved this, even with the violence and the darkness and everything. Gorgeous.


These are the badlands by postcardmystery
Summary: A modern-day cop au, set in New York City
Sirona's Notes: Possibly another obvious choice, to round up this edition of delicious recs. This is, without doubt, one of the best XMFC fics I have ever read. Still a WIP, but every installment fills me with awe. The writing is superb, thoughtful, skilled, pretty damn incredible. And the story, oh my god. This one makes me *________* like whoa.