@ludi-ling / ludi-ling.tumblr.com
Teaser for some stretch goal art, an extra for the digital merch bundle of 'Home & Harbor', the Rogue & Gambit charity fanzine. 💖
Digital bundles are still on sale at https://homeharborfanzine.bigcartel.com 😁
Follow the fanzine account at @rogue-gambit-fan-zine!
An excellent fic set after ep 9, very poignant and got me to understand Rogue's POV.
Very honoured to be on this list! Thank you!! 😊 🥰
There are a lot of things going on in the Romy fandom right now. S1E9 kind of broke something in a lot of us. Here's me, doing the whole psychological roadmap to a thing, for my own sanity. I've said it before and I'll say it again. This is a Rogue we've never seen before, who's had to see death on a mass scale, but more importantly the death of a man who thought she chose someone else. Guilt and rage will do crazy things to you. Don't look back in anger, some say. Others walk the path of vengeance, when they have nothing left.
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Remy’s dead.
That fact becomes more and more real to you every moment of every day.
He’s dead, and you don’t recognise the person you’ve become in the wake of that. You’ve become a walking ball of hurt, and unquelled rage at the injustice of it all.
Because he was a good man – the best of men – and the saddest thing was that you never even realised it until he was no longer there for you to appreciate it. He died so you could live. He died so many could live. He became the hero he never believed he was.
The truth? – he became a better hero than you, than any of the people who call themselves the X-Men.
You see them now. Toing and froing. Backing and forthing. Their words wash over you, and they mean nothing. You want to shout and scream at them, because none of this is important. He’s here with you, in the coat that smells of him, and that you wear now, because it protects you, it shields you from... what?
It doesn’t matter. He’s here. You’ve brought him here with you to listen. He’d be standing here with you, sending you raised eyebrows and cynical grins, because damn, chere, why these couyons so serious all of a sudden? But you’d always know the truth. That he cared. He cared, first because you did. And second because you taught him to believe there is a greater good, a greater truth worth fighting for. Even if he only ever really fought for that truth because of you.
You raised him.
You laid him low.
Because you know the real reason he’s dead now.
That rage inside you? You can’t bear to acknowledge that the real person it’s directed at is you.
You.
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Woooooow... just saw ep 9 of X'Men 97. I may not like all of their choices, but damn do they go hard and I appreciate the execution of it. The last minute was soooo much wow. Prof X mind controlling Magneto, Magneto helmeting him and about to kill him, Wolverine stabbing Magneto and Magneto un-adamantiuming Wolvie...wooooow...
I do not know what they're going to do next. I knew Rogue would go to Magneto based on her costume alone. That's the OG terrorist Rogue/villainous Rogue costume. I might not love that decision of her going to Magneto... but based on what's happened, it makes sense. And omg, her wearing Remy's trench coat? Cryyyying. The one thing I can see with Rogue going back to the X-Men is Magneto wanting to kill Deathbit because Deathbit is dangerous.
Because I still believe Remy is coming back. I cite X-Treme X-Men and everything Rogue says to bring him back. Absolute Points? Nexus Events? They don't matter. X-Men make their own miracles. I literally said this as my thesis for why Gambit is coming back and then hours later the panel appeared on my feed lol.
One more week of me screaming, crying and throwing up.
Rogue is pissed. She's had to face a trauma she hasn't had to ever face before. I can completely understand this trajectory she's walking. It makes sense for the arc that her character is going through in this universe. The bit where she handed back the trench coat though? That killed me.
Gambit will come back. It's just a matter of how and when. I can't believe people truly think he's going to stay dead. 🤷🏻♀️
I truly appreciate this series for taking something we all loved as kids and spinning it into an adult story. I know it's hard - literally everyone is miserable in this show - but damn, I suppose that's life. And I guess it's hard for some fans to accept the turn this show has taken when we all expected the gentle fluff of Romy in TAS. What Romy have had so far in XM97, and eventually will have, is something far more adult and something I'm far more interested in than the non-committal flirting we got in TAS.
Don't get me wrong - there are plenty of things in XM97 I don't agree with or like. But on the whole I think it's done a really good job in (let's face it) a short amount of time of achieving something smart and thought-provoking and visceral despite its flaws. I'm actually kind of excited to see what happens next. I'm ready to be disappointed again, but I'm ready to be pleasantly surprised too.
At the very least, it has got me inspired to write Romy again. A LOT of the heartache and anger and admiration I have felt watching the show I have channelled into writing The Tailor & The Seamstress, and it's been the first time I've been genuinely excited about fic in a while. So I have a lot to thank the show for, despite all the anxiety and angst it's given me.
So with all the eclipse stuff in North America, I've realized something... what if the episode 7 title "Bright Eyes" is a reference to "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler and we can all cry at the lyrics of the full version?
... I'm fine...
You know, I think in the original TAS, Rogue calls Cable 'bright eyes'... Did I imagine that?? 🤔
I saved this for today, because I had a feeling something XM97-related would happen.
A gift for all my dear Romy stans. 💖
(From the first time Anna and Remy kiss in chapter 5 of my fic, 52 Pickup.)
A little bit of process for you - here's the original linework, plus a saucier version with tongue.
I've reached season 4 of XTAS and I now know why I was so 😡 about Rogue and Bobby being a thing in the X-films as a kid and just why Romy imprinted on me as a toddler. Literally, Bobby and Rogue was happening and I was like 😡 she's supposed to be with the guy who throws cards. This is wrong! And lo and behold Romy is everywhere in the background and overtly lol!
On the other hand, the Phoenix arcs and Season 3 have really made me hate Scott and Jott. Like I thought Scott was a stick in the mud and boring in Evolution and the movies, but I just wanted Wyngard to kill him and the Phoenix to burn him to a crisp lol.
Yeah, Rogue and Bobby was such a weird relationship, and they way they transplanted it into Ultimate X-Men was also irritating. Ironically, we finally got some nice Romy in that series, and then Gambit died. Which is too rich right about now.😭
Also, I feel at least like XM97 is at least doing something interesting with Jott. I don't hate them or anything, I just usually find them to be really boring. But the cartoon is doing them some kind of justice drama-wise (says someone with no dog in the race).
Despite the Magneto whatever, the vibes are basically brother hangs out with his sister and her boyfriend lol.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6wdJQ87g2aE
Such sweet, wholesome vibes.
And now I cry. 😭
I'm fascinated by Forge/Storm in Lifedeath... definitely got Pygmalion vibes. I feel like I don't know much about Forge besides him being the Hephastus who builds everything when you need it lol. Power dampening collar? Ask Forge.
On another note, as a horse chick, I feel so seen lol.
There's something really compelling about their love story... not merely the tragedy of how it starts out, but just the romantic juxtaposition of Maker meeting Windrider... master of machines meeting the primeval mother nature...
I feel like they meet on some really beautiful symbolic ground where they both learn so much about themselves through the other, by opening up uncharted territories in one another. I'm sad they broke up. 😔
PS: I'm not a horse chick, but I really loved that scene. 😊
Watch me spend an age trying to get Remy right, while Rogue is perfect from the get-go. Thankfully, Dylan Rieder comes to help me.
Finished artwork is here.
Also! Didn't Storm have the mohawk and the all black punk inspired costume when she lost her powers in the comics?
So a few days ago I re-read the comics, and yes, Storm made the change right before she lost her powers. So the show is correct, although it doesn't explain why she made that change. Maybe it'll show it in the prequel comic?
This is how Storm describes why she changed her look in the comics:
-Uncanny X-Men #186 (Lifedeath)
Script by Chris Claremont, and art by the legendary Barry Windsor-Smith (check out his art if you haven't already. It's amazing.)
My friend saw the third episode and texted me. She was like I don't get it, I feel like I'm missing something. It feels rushed and cheap. And I was like yes, it is rushed, but here's all the context. It ended up being a 2-hour conversation lol. As soon as I saw pregnant Jean, I knew there were shenanigans! Lol.
But...question need some help with this:
I was just never all that invested in Charles/Magneto relationship. For some reason, it never hit me as extremely gay coded until X-Men: First Class at which point, I was like OOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH!!! But yeah... feels like a flavour of Tennyson and Arthur Hallam?
LOL! I love how men having a close and loving friendship is automatically evidence of them being gay. 😂
But seriously though, I can see why Cherik has such a huge fanbase, because you can argue that a lot of their relationship was and is gay-coded, and fans are gonna fan and run with that subtext.
Me, personally... I see it as a classic complex bromance. Two men admiring one another's minds, respecting (if disagreeing with) each other's ideological stances, and loving one another sincerely though platonically despite that. This is a male relationship that used to be a socially accepted one, but that nowadays society teaches us to read as gay-coded.
I was so happy that X-Men '97 was brave enough to describe Xavier and Erik's friendship as love. Because two men can love one another deeply, without that love being sexual. Philia should always be celebrated. 😊
And yeah, episode 3 does feel rather rushed, but that's the sad thing about only have 10 episodes a season. Damn streaming for destroying longer seasons. Remember the days when shows used to have 24 episodes a season???
Nowadays I think that's kind of excessive, and runs the risk of having pointless 'monster of the week' episodes shoved in there, but I think 10 eps is way too short for a show like XM97, where there is obviously going to be a LOT going on. Sigh.
Thanks to X-Men '97 being unleashed, I'm in the mood to write!
I'll be taking prompts for short Romy ficlets and drabbles. Send me an ask, DM, or reply in the notes with your idea.
Hit me, I'm ready!
Fulfilled prompts:
Also with X-Men 97 coming out, my best friend decided to watch it. She's watched some XTAS (and I've made her watch all the X-films once), but it wasn't necessarily a core memory or something in her fandom. That being said, I'm getting such a kick out of her reactions. Her reaction to Rogneto is hilarious. "But Rogue and Magneto were a thing?????" I had to call her and give her the complicated comic history full of clones, rebounding and everything...
As for this:
My mouth is shuuuuut lmao.
Duuuuude, that makes me realise just how front loaded this show is with shenanigans. There is SO much going on and I love it. 💘
I have to say, one thing I'm really excited about is Storm/Forge. They are my OTP for Storm. Lifedeath is beautiful. 💖
Hahaha, you must be having so much fun with your friend! There is the potential to mess with her, but I'm sure you're not that cruel! 🤭
WIP 😉✍️
Finished art here.
I think Episode 5 will be Remy centric as it’s called “Remember It” which must be a riff on “The names Gambit, remember it.”
I just pray they don’t do my boy dirty 😢
I know! The comment on Twitter about it being a turning point that will break the internet I have no idea where that came from so it might not be true or might involve a totally different character. There's still all the Cyclops/Jean/Maddie/Cable stuff to get through and probably Storm/Forge.
I want Gambit to be given depth and development and sometimes bringing a character to a low point can pave the way to them rising up stronger. I just hope they don't have him do something that will get the haters screaming again.
Ugh the anxiety I felt when I first saw this episode title 😭😭😭 please please make this a positive Gambit episode and not another one that's going to make me want to claw my own eyes out
Is it crazy right now for me to say that I think it's going to be OK?
I am legit going nuts right now, but OTOH, I do think that this is great for character growth. TAS was fun as a kid, but as an adult, Gambit was kind of a sex creep, and his relationship with Rogue was a whole lot of tension and flirtation that never went anywhere.
It's time for them to grow up, both as themselves, and as a couple. I'm dying to know about Rogue's past with Magneto, whether it involves the Brotherhood, Mystique, and brings up sibling stuff with Nightcrawler. And Remy needs to be so much more than just the resident pretty boy. I just want so much more depth from him, and I feel like we're going to get it. If it involves Sinister, or The Witness, I will be happy, of course. 😉
As far as Romy goes ... as a grown ass adult, I want their relationship to quit being playful teasing, and grow into something that is serious and committed. I think Rogneto is actually a really good way of getting both of them to examine their feelings for one another and whether this is actually going to work between them. Seeing where they are in 616, I feel pretty confident we're headed in the general direction of them committing to one another.
And while the Rogneto stuff has me feeling all sorts of 🤪 right now, I'm gonna ride through it because I know what's waiting for me at the other end. And I'm 💯% here for the journey.
Rogue hair process for a WIP ✍️
