What Do You Want?

[rionaleonhart]

In case anyone who might be interested missed it on account of my terrible timing: I posted an X-Men: First Class fic whilst Livejournal was being difficult! No common sense. It is about Raven and Erik and Charles and their relationships with each other. It is also, inevitably, about Pokémon.


Over the weekend, I stayed with mogamus_ii! She had the first two X-Men films on DVD, so, at my request, we watched them.

I went into the films hoping to see more of the fascinating relationship between Erik and Charles. By the end of X2, they could have had sex right there on the screen and I wouldn't have noticed.

I am 'shipping Rogue and Logan more than I have ever 'shipped anything in my life.

No, seriously, it twisted my insides when I realised that the films were going to go the Logan/Jean route instead. I was so oblivious to any tension between them that, close to the end of the first film, this happened:

Jean: I think she's a little taken with you.
Logan: Well, you can tell her my heart belongs to someone else.
Riona: Wait, what? NO. NO IT DOESN'T. Who?
Logan: How's the professor?
Riona: He's in love with Charles?

Not that there necessarily wasn't any tension between Logan and Jean; it's quite possible that they were constantly setting the air between them aflame and I simply didn't notice because I was so busy hoping for more Logan-Rogue interaction.

I don't know how this pairing hit me so hard and so fast! During the truck scene after Logan and Rogue's first meeting, I was fascinated by the atmosphere and the dynamic, although thoughts of pairing them up hadn't occurred to me yet. By the train scene, I was shouting 'GET MARRIED' at the screen.

And then there was that intensely awkward scene at the beginning of X2 between Logan and Rogue and Rogue's boyfriend and I was dying with how much I needed Logan and Rogue to be together. X-MEN FILMS WHY ARE LOGAN AND ROGUE NOT MAKING OUT CONSTANTLY

I MEAN, YES, ROGUE'S MUTATION WOULD KILL ANYONE SHE MADE OUT WITH, BUT OTHER THAN THAT YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE.

Comments

[derryderrydown.livejournal.com]

Except LOGAN CAN'T DIE. In comics, he regularly gets frizzled down to a cracked skeleton, then pops back up again. So, really, he's about the only person who COULD be with Rogue.

[rionaleonhart]

CLEARLY MEANT TO BE.

[bubbles-san.livejournal.com]

The only reason Rogue is taken with Logan and the Popsicle is because she hasn't met Gambit yet. ROGUE/GAMBIT IS OTOTP OKAY.

Completely unrelated to my rabid Romy fansqueeing, here, have a comic I found online, like, aaaaaaaaaaages ago.


edit: Also unrequited Jean/Logan is necessary for the Phoenix saga that they compress into the third film. It's also used a lot in the comics, which is probably why they went with it.

[rionaleonhart]

I'LL FIGHT YOU

Well, all right, I won't. I'm not really the 'shipwar-waging type. But I appear to be an absolute nutcase OTPer over these two, and opposing pairings actually make me a bit sad. This almost never happens to me!

That comic is quite cute, though.

[bubbles-san.livejournal.com]

Romy is actually my only OTP that is actually OTP. ROGUE BELONGS WITH REMY. FULLSTOP. Anyway I always like the interpretation of Logan being fond of Rogue as a favorite student/surrogate little sister/whatever rather than a romantic option. Probably comes from watching Animated, where they were like siblings, then Evolution, where he was a kinda mentor (a relationship that didn't get explored NEARLY enough). I actually found the implied one-sided romance in the movies to be quite jarring.

[yumiboo.livejournal.com]

X-MEN FILMS WHY ARE LOGAN AND ROGUE NOT MAKING OUT CONSTANTLY

YES, X-MEN FILMS WHY NOT?!

I thought I was the only one who totally shipped those two together! I remember squeeing at them both when I first saw them together, and all of my friends being all like 'but he likes Jean and that's who he's supposed to like'. I'm sure I was sad.

I mean... the only other person I likes Rogue with was Gambit, but I think that had a lot to do with the fact that I watched the cartoons like a bit massive nerd every Saturday morning because... well... Gambit has cards that light on fire. That's pretty impressive stuff!

[bubbles-san.livejournal.com]

Don't forget that one verse where she had a kid with Mags.

[yumiboo.livejournal.com]

Oh my word! I did forget, and now I am astonished and delighted all at once!

[rionaleonhart]

I'm so glad other people saw it! (I love the way you've bolded the terrible news your friends delivered. I'm imagining them all intoning it simultaneously in very dramatic voices.)

[denorios.livejournal.com]

Oh my God, I was a diehard Wolverine/Rogue shipper back in the day. Im a sucker for May/December relationships anyway, and those two...

Yeah, Wolverine and Jean sucked. No chemistry at all.

[rionaleonhart]

I approve of your back-in-the-day 'shipping!

The Logan/Jean really did take me completely by surprise. The closest analogy I can think of is Lupin/Tonks, where I also went 'wait, what, where did that come from, was I meant to be aware of this?' But Logan/Jean was even more startling for me, because Lupin/Tonks was clearly meant to be a bit of a surprise, whereas I got the impression that I was meant to have picked up on Logan/Jean beforehand and I really, really didn't.

Plus Lupin didn't have massive chemistry with Rogue before the Tonks reveal.

[kestrellan.livejournal.com]

I rewatched X-Men yesterday and though it was obvious Rogue had a crush on Logan I definitely can't see them together. I think their levels of maturity are too far apart? I mean, they're both still unsure of themselves but in very different ways. I see their relationship as familial (uncle/niece perhaps?)

On the other hand, I also really don't ship Logan/Jean either. Jean is with Scott. I think it's out of order for Logan to go after her after learning that (though I do love the interractions between Logan and Scott). So. Yeah. I also rediscovered my love of Cyclops on that rewatch :3

Oh yeah, and as regards Charles/Erik? It's difficult to ship them in this film. I see a yearning for past friendship but there seems to be to much bitterness and disappointment between the two of them to see beyond that. :(

[rionaleonhart]

your perfectly reasonable arguments against my new OTP have no place here :(

I think it's out of order for Logan to go after her after learning that

Me too! I was a bit uneasy with the way Logan pursued her. But, then again, I am tremendously biased.

'Shipping or no 'shipping, the relationship between Erik and Charles was still a really interesting one, and they had more interaction than I was expecting given that they were on different sides. It's a much more complicated enmity than in most superhero tales I've seen, and I'm deeply intrigued by it.

[kerrypolka.livejournal.com]

LOGAN/ROGUE IS THE PAIRING OF MY HEART, I ALWAYS FORGET HOW AMAZING THEY ARE BUT THEY ARE THE BEST

[rionaleonhart]

HE IS SO GRUFF AND 'I DON'T CARE' AND HE SO TOTALLY CARES AND I FIND IT SO CHARMING.

[clo.livejournal.com]

Even though I remembered enough of the cartoon (oh wonderful cartoon <3) from my childhood to know that Rogue was meant to be with Gambit and Gambit is the best thing ever invented in any form of art because he throws flaming cards while being amazingly hot and Southern, I still shipped Logan/Rogue. I still do.

It's all that first movie's fault, dammit.

[rionaleonhart]

What I know about Gambit is that he has the power to make things explode and be hot. It's an intriguing mutation. (I approve of your Logan/Rogue 'shipping!)

[cookiedough.livejournal.com]

"I am 'shipping Rogue and Logan more than I have ever 'shipped anything in my life."

THANK you. I feel this too and everyone is always like, you're crazy, they're like father and daughter or some shit. NO. SHIP IT. SHIP IT. They are MFEO, Logan can absorb her power in a way that doesn't damage him as much as other humans, IF THAT'S NOT A SIGN I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS.

[rionaleonhart]

This is my favourite comment. So much about the films becomes ten times more interesting if you view it through a lens of Logan/Rogue suppressed attraction! Clearly everyone should be 'shipping it.

[urawrd.livejournal.com]

I totally preferred Logan/Rogue to Logan/Jean, but to be honest, I was too busy 'shipping Logan/me to form any real feelings towards either of the film pairings.

I just want to make out with the Wolverine. :(

[rionaleonhart]

I think you can be forgiven for that.

[livii.livejournal.com]

Haha, I remember shipping Logan and Rogue after the first film (maybe the second too? I forget). I wasn't in the fandom or anything, but the film sure sold it to me.

[rionaleonhart]

I'm so glad all these people on my flist 'ship it as well! Man, I should have watched these films years ago.

[vzg.livejournal.com]

I am not totally all about the Logan/Rogue, but partly that is because I am always seeking slash and partly (mostly) because I can't get past the part where she can't touch him. Strangely, that didn't deter me TOO much when Pushing Daisies was on!

But I never saw the Logan/Jean. It was like, "oh, yes, she's supposed to be hot and wanted and then there's the toddler 'I want what he's playing with!' thing" but they hardly even interact at all before he decides he's in love with her, and she really doesn't show any real interest in him.

Yyyeah. Basically my favorite parts of the movies are Rogue, Nightcrawler, and Mystique, and then a few of those who showed up for a mere few seconds in X-2 piqued my interest, but then NEVER SHOWED UP AGAIN. Also: Nightcrawler. Needs to be in more films.

[rionaleonhart]

I find it reassuring that non-Logan/Rogue 'shippers also had trouble seeing Logan/Jean and I wasn't just completely blinded by Logan/Rogue being the best pairing. Although obviously the fact that Logan/Rogue is the best pairing would be an argument against Logan/Jean even if the latter did make sense. You have the best pairing right there! Why have Logan pining after Jean instead? I don't understand.

Rogue, Nightcrawler and Mystique are all pretty great!