#jehilew

[ludi-ling]

A Rogue and Gambit gift for the lovely and super-talented @jehilew! 😘😘😘

Showing the steps it took to draw this, backwards! From finished product to linework. 

Done on my new and super awesome HP Envy x360 convertible! 

[narwhallove]

These GLAM SHOTS are tailored for @jehilew and anyone —including @awesomeamberlady! and @lifeseverchanging!—who cited X-23 (2010) for some of the best images of the ragin’ Cajun. All that matters is a hard bod and good looks.

Except for the last image, with a most badass clapback (that doesn’t make too much sense, but who cares). (And yes I’m aware he was Death.)

CREDITS X-23 #4 Pencils: Marco Checchetto; colors: John Rauch #7, #10, #17 Pencils, colors: Sana Takeda Daken Dark Wolverine #8 Pencils: Marco Checchetto; colors: Frank D’Armata <--our old friend!

[fanfictionalrogue]

She's Just A One Night Stand by Jehilew

Title: She's Just A One Night Stand

 Author:  Jehilew

Summary: Remy meets Anna in a bar, and the sparks fly. He expects to never see her again, but when does anything in his life ever go as expected? Prequel to She's Up Under My Skin Now. DO NOT IGNORE RATING, THIS THING'S PRETTY MUCH A SMUTTY-SMUT LEMON.

Rate: M

Fanfiction ID: 12037111

Universe: Movieverse

Characters: Rogue (Anna Marie) and Gambit (Remy Lebeau)

Genre: Romance/Drama

Status: Complete

Published: Between Jul 6, 2016 and Aug 17, 2016.

Word Count: 11,215  in 4 chapters.

Content/Author Notes: Just an FYI, though this is set in movie-verse, characterizations/appearances are more in line with comic iterations (actually, it's an all around universe mash-up, and I ain't even sorry about it). I wasn't terribly impressed with movie portrayals of any of the characters used in this story (not knocking the actors, just...bad fits, in my humble opinion), so I don't picture them while writing them. If you see Anna Paquin and Taylor Kitsch/Tatum Channing, though, you do you.

Also...just a fair warning. These four chapters are damn near porn without plot. That's just...how it happened, guys. I mean, obviously, going off the title, you already know how they start out, and...well...yeah. Anyway, there is a plot to the series, and it's a pretty big one, but it doesn't really take off til the next fic. Lastly, there's quite a bit of, uh, strong language in this thing. Remy's gotta filthy mouth, and you'll never convince me otherwise:)

I recommend this because is written for the talented and never prompt deprived Jehilew, she is s fun to read and her fics are always amazing. She has a lot of awesome Romy fics, well almost all her writing is about them. Go read!

.

[nausiwindstrider]

I'll play! 3, 4, 11, 14, TDYK

Hey lovely friend! Alright  tdyk, for previous answers check out this post --> here

3: What’s your favorite line of narration?

Sharp light came at him from below, and brought the smell of copper tinnitus. Everything was short, shrill, and shameful. There was no form, no path, no way. There was only heat and cold and directionless blame. It was in his chest and in his head and around his hands. It didn’t matter if he tried to turn, he had no body. It didn’t matter if he tried to float, he was a leaden weight. The waves of rust rolled over him and filled his nose and mouth. He tried to pull the cotton wool from his eyes but he only had hands to have claws. He only had lungs to cry. There was a drumming inside his head, in his toes, on the wall. It was strong and steady and full of guilt. Everything was shrill, the high pitched whining after a bomb when your ears begged to be jelly and you knew you had to hide, hide, hide.  - Chapter 49

4: What’s your favorite line of dialogue?

“Yeah.” Bobby sat up and took off his helmet. He didn’t dismount right away, “You?”“No. I’m not okay.” Daken chuckled, “Doesn’t matter though.” Getting off the bike he stretched and then took their helmets back to the rack on the wall. “’m not sure why I took you along. It just seemed right you know with you being the current headmaster and all …”“We’re friends Daken.” Bobby got off the bike and looked the other man in the eyes. “You aren’t losing your edge you’re just not treating me like an enemy, because I’m not.” He licked his lips shook his head. “I don’t really understand it but it’s the only explanation for any of this.”There was a long moment of silence as they stood there and looked at each other. Something had just changed. Something that Daken was not sure he had words for. “How did we go from attempted murder to breaking into a pedophiles home together? I honestly don’t have a clue.”

11: What do you like best about this fic?

I really love the relationships and the journey’s they take people on. The healing that can happen when a few people care about someone is incredible. Showing people come back from very dark places, and illustrating that it doesn’t happen in a bubble, linear, or easily is so important to me. So yeah, relationships. Important. 

14: Is there anything you wanted readers to learn from reading this fic?

I hope that people learn that recovery is not a forward only path. It involves side steps and back slides and periods of no forward momentum. We do nothing alone. Recovery needs relationships, friends and family, found or otherwise. It is work, a lot of work. Love can help, but just adoring someone is not enough, that won’t pull either of you from the mouth of hell. Recovery means work, it means investment, compassion, and dedication, and there is no substitute for any of that. 

Send me the title of one of my fics and some numbersAsk me anything

[narwhallove]

Review of R&G—Deep dive into Gambit

Earlier reviews that Ludi & I have been batting back and forth linked here, with a most welcome guest post by Jessi:

1. Faces (by me) 2. Callbacks (by @ludi-ling​) 3. Jim Lee & Pere Pérez (by me) 4. More on faces, and ‘sex creep’ Remy LeBeau (by @ludi-ling) 5. Faces and ‘creep factors’ (by @jehilew​)

On sex creep Remy LeBeau:

If I’m not misreading, Ludi and Jessi, you’re both saying Remy’s behavior is generally sexy; that he is within the parameters of good behavior because Rogue’s implicitly given him permission to talk this way. As Ludi wisely says, “The whole conversation is a way for them to negotiate where they’re at in their relationship.”

I still find this a tad problematic. He may have intuited Rogue’s feelings correctly, he may be testing her boundaries, but at this point in time, there’s no indication that he is at all worried about her feelings. To me, he sounds like the type of guy who corners an inexperienced girl into reacting the way he wants her to—even if he isn’t actually that guy.

But I’m gonna blame it on the writing. Gambit is supposed to be charming. Jessi hits the nail on the head: “You can tell he was not written by anyone who is even remotely smooth with women here.” 

So I’m glad that Thompson sweetens Remy’s dialogue. This scene is practically a perfume commercial.  Lee and Lobdell, etc., obviously could not write sexy and sweet, and so we’ve wound up with creepy (to me).

Reader, thank you for reaching this point. If you’re a Gambit fan, you’ve probably unfollowed me. But! The post below is a deep dive into Gambit’s . . . portrayal.

Ludi: So, Ms. Narwhal, what did you think about those transitions from down-time to the proverbial ka-pow? I’m interested because some of my most favourite X-Men issues were the down-time ones. Uncanny X-Men #337 - which is almost entirely focused on the X-Men having breakfast - is one of my favourites of all time.

I’m sidestepping your gorgeous question about breakfast, sadly, because I’ve changed my mind about where the art stumbles. After turning through the gorgeous TPB, I realized that it stumbles at the flashbacks. Which is weird, because the flashbacks were some of the most heady, charming parts of the series. And the art is definitely at its most ambitious.

It’s clear the team decided that they would imitate the visual styles that these original moments were rendered in, whether the original penciller was Mike Collins or Jim Lee or Andy Kubert. What a rad challenge for Pérez and D'Armata to flex their art muscles and have fun.

Let’s applaud the team for this. Thompson was ambitious in deciding to revisit of scenes from up to 20 years ago—can you imagine another writer wanting to touch Antarctica?! And Pérez was ambitious in his mimicry of styles that haven't aged so well. He’s done it with wit and verve, as below (and in my earlier post comparing Pérez’s and Lee’s versions of Rogue).

On the left is Andy Kubert’s 1994 rendering of Remy at Scott and Jean’s wedding, done in the “edgy” style of the decade: lots of hatching, high-contrast shadows, viewed from a very dramatic angle. Remy poses in such a flamboyant way you’d think he just blew Magneto up. That’s 90s for “dashing.”

Pérez updates Remy with a look that’s as fresh as Thompson’s dialogue. Same hair and arching eyebrows, but his smirk has a smile now, and he looks playful rather than self-serious. Too bad Pérez couldn’t retcon that awful tie!

It starts getting interesting when Pérez quotes Gambit’s facial structure from still earlier. The left is a detail from Gambit's first appearance in 1990, in Uncanny X-men #266, by Mike Collins. The middle is from an X-men Team card of the same year. And on the right is Pérez, clearly taking a cue from these precedents, down to the smoke drifting out of Gambit's eyes. His nose is even sharper. It's a fun reminder of how Gambit used to be portrayed—as someone capable, dangerous, and not a matinee romantic lead. 

However, this “facial quotation” means Pérez runs into some trouble when we return to the present day. Somewhere between 1990 and 2018, Gambit got a nose job. The decision to play with different styles means that Gambit doesn't look like the same person throughout the miniseries. 

These panels precede that glorious kiss in #3, and Remy looks so earnest, so chipmunklike (with that new nose), that it’s hard to believe he could have ever been the naughty, fast-on-his-feet thief we see in #2. 

So the decision has pros—it’s clever, it’s charming—and it’s got cons. One con is that if we don't like the referent artist, then we're not going to appreciate the imitation, either. But the bigger con is that the style differences can be so jarring that it seems Rogue and Gambit are being played by a bunch of different actors.

This only gets weirder when clones are introduced.

This panel is from #4, and tbh, I don’t know who these people are. These are not clones, but Rogue looks like a soccer mom, and Remy’s a chrome robot. Though I’ve developed an argument to account for some wildly different facial features throughout the miniseries, I am unsure what’s going on here. Maybe there’s a comic in which someone used Jennifer Aniston as Rogue’s reference. (I have a theory Jim Lee used model Stephanie Seymour for Rogue and Jean.)

Like Gambit, Rogue undergoes the same treatment throughout her flashbacks, though it’s more evident in her body and body language. Hopefully this post makes it clear enough that when you glance through them, you might see what I’m talking about.

Ludi, I know you had some thoughts about the ways Rogue's and Gambit's faces were rendered too, as well as when they were engaged in some important stuff—like the kissing. Were there moments you felt the characterization of our heroes wasn't as successfully conveyed? Or any big centerpieces you thought really nailed their histories?

We would like to invite anyone who wants to chime in about R&G to write a post, which we’ll link to as part of a chain. And we will comment the hell out of your posts, too. ;-) @jehilew @cmoineau @pastellarts @90sxmen4ever @bustedflipflop @awesomeamberlady @xevg and anyone whom I might have missed! Please PM.

Bullied Gently reminded by @ludi-ling that posts may be as short as a single sentence. Essays not required!

CREDITS Marvel Universe Series I Trading Cards by Fleer (1990) X-men Team Card (detail)

Rogue & Gambit #3, #4 (2018) Pencils: Pere Pérez Colors: Frank D’Armata 

Uncanny X-men #266 (1990) Pencils: Mike Collins Colors: Brad Vancata

X-men #30 (1994) Pencils: Andy Kubert Colors: Joe Rosas

[nausiwindstrider]

Hey there! Are you still taking writing requests? If so, would you do a Mystique/Irene thing? Raven's my absolute favorite villain, and I've always been interested in her relationship with Irene. I don't care about details, canon, or universe (or any mash-up thereof), I'd say take it wherever your brain takes it.

Thanks for the prompt! I just finished reading Wolverines so you get this weird thing - Irresponsible drinking is the only warning-

There were a great many things  that she had done in her life, and a great many things that had been done to her. Raven did not much care about fault or guilt. Laying blame around was just another tool people used to control each other. There were times when she found that tool useful but more often than not she simply had no time for it.

She had spent weeks in the company of idealistic Laura Kinney, X-23, Logan’s most notable clone. The girl was not unique, she was not even the first female clone of that infuriating man. She was the most troublesome though. Raven was sure that the things she was feeling, her doubts, grief, and guilt, could be placed firmly at the young woman’s feet. Kinney had no idea what Raven had been playing them all for, no idea why she had kept Shogun and the others around. She was a naive babe, she was as foolish and blind as the rest of them.

And yet Raven found herself with a glass bottle in one hand with no tumbler in sight. The harsh burn of whisky didn’t clear her head, and it didn’t muddle things enough to bring her peace.

“Lights.” Darkness fell and Raven finished her bottle. It would be the last for the night, even she had limits.

Warmth. That was unexpected. Her room was not cold, but her bed had not housed this sort of warmth in a long time. It was not that she was celibate, it was that she took no lovers. Perhaps with time …

Raven opened her eyes and gazed at the face of her beloved, “Irene? How? This must be -”

“A dream, yes Raven my love.” She reached out and stroked the silky blue cheek with a straight finger. There were no knots at her joints, no sagging flesh. The flush of youth was hers again.

“A true dream?” It had never been like this, her dreams. She was clever but she was impulsive. Introspection and fantasy were realms outside herself. Was this Irene for true? Or was this a drunken fever dream? It felt real, and she wanted it to be real. “You tricked me.”

“You did not honor my wishes. And now it is coming - the collision. You cannot walk out on destiny my darling.”

“I would not - you knew there was no way I would allow my life to be so twisted, to have had all that effort benefit him. If that is what the world needs then it is better off ending.”

“You are so bitter.” Her fingers brushed through Raven’s hair as an amused smile curled her lips.

“I moved heaven and earth, wove X-23, Daken, Shogun, Deathstrike, and Creed all through each other. I captured Portal, tangled with Syphon, survived Sinister, walked into the Nexus of All Realities, everything, I did it for you my love, to bring you back. There has been such an emptiness in my breast, and you gave me -” Her annoyed tone broke as tears slid down her cheeks, “- hope.”

Irene drew her beloved into her arms and kissed her scarlet hair. After a indeterminate span of time, when she was sure Raven had let go her anger, she spoke, “You mustin’ dispare my love. There is a chance that reality will repair itself, and if it does you must be ready, you have the diaries. You have my privet notes, you have our collaborations.” She touched Raven’s breast and met her gaze, “The golden child with metal in his heart -”

“You mean -”

“I do. Dry your tears Raven. There is much that needs doing. You will not find your answers, or me, in the bottom of a bottle. Banish all doubt and weakness.”Raven leaned in, lips parted and needy. The heat with which they were met almost made her cry again. The loneliness let up for a moment, and she felt she could breath. It would be just for tonight, but it would sustain her. I will find a way … I will never give up.

[nausiwindstrider]

Hey there:) About that fandoms thing: A-E, M, N, T, W, X.

A = Ships that you currently like a lot. (They don’t have to be OTPs because not everyone has OTPs.) Friendships, pairings, threesomes, etc. are allowed.

Most my ships are Xmen cause reasons but the ship that will live forever in my heart is Bruce/Tony, it’s what got me started. Other big loves; Scott/Logan, Pietro/Remy, Daken/Bobby, Billy/Teddy, and Kitty/Illyana. From the Netflix verse I really ship Clair/Colleen and Matt/Foggy

—

B = A pairing–platonic, romantic or sexual–that you initially didn’t consider, but someone changed your mind.

@sniktice turned me onto Spideypool, Scogan, and Quickbit. The first time she flipped me though it was for the best rare pair AmericanArrow; Steve/Clint

—

C = A ship you have never liked and probably never will.

Logan/Jean I just don’t get it. It’s one of the biggest things I disagree with Clairmont on.

—

D = A pairing you wish you liked but just can’t.

Remy/Rouge, I grew up with the cartoon but I just can’t get into the ship as an adult. The dynamic doesn’t work for me.

—

E = Have you added anything cracky/hilarious to your fandom? If so, what?

I can’t think of anything. I’m sort of an unknown. There was that one time I wrote huge age gap but Peter is a college student Bruce/Peter fanfiction but wow, that was like a long time ago okay?

—

M =  Name a character that you’d like to have for a friend.

Hank McCoy. Honestly I’d marry that asshole. I freaking love him and I don’t even care. Come for me people. I’ll forgive this stupid scientist everything.

—

N = Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice).

Intersectionality, Intersectionality, Intersectionality! I want more minorities in the Xmen comics. That’s what the Xmen are about and it’s about damn time that they started looking like the people they are meant to represent!

—

T = Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending?

Bruce Banner is into poetry. He doesn’t have time for fiction but he has time for art. Jennifer Walters will always throw down for the underdog and the misunderstood. Scott Summers was fucking right. Magneto was not wrong. Logan loves ALL of his children.

—

W = A trope which you are virtually certain to hate in any fandom.

The smaller/Femme person getting away with domestic abuse BS that comes up in fandom a lot. If you hit someone and you aren’t defending yourself you’re an asshole and you should feel bad about yourself.

—

X = A trope which you are almost certain to love in any fandom.

‘They’ve known each other a long time and somehow it just hasn’t happened yet. [Insert awkward situation] and now it will!’

[rogueslove]

Fanfiction: She Was Anna

Author: Jehilew

Ship: Some romy

Verse: 616

Author’s Synopsis: “Irene watches her daughter's future unfold, and makes little nudges to ensure her happiness. It's sticky sweet in the end, with a hint of Romy.”

Notes: A nice little look into Destiny’s foresight and her relationship with her foster-daughter.