XMFC & Evanescence's My Heart is Broken
I know I'm like months and months behind on the X-Men First Class fandom, but I just watched the movie a few weeks ago with my bestie who saw it when it came out, like a normal person. Needless to say I'm currently fangirling over how it, particularly how ridiculously canon Erik/Charles is. (Seriously, wow.)
What does this have to do with Evanescence, you ask? Nothing, actually. But several days ago I was listening to "My Heart is Broken" from their latest CD (which is frickin' awesome!) and it immediately made me think of Erik. I would make a totally awesome video to it if I had the skillz, but alas, I am still completely lacking in that department. Instead, I did a similar thing that I did for my SoT/LotS "fanmix" and photoshopped some pictures with lyrics from the song with scenes I would have fit to those lyrics, were I making a video.
The song (if you listen as you look on/read my ramblings...it's almost like a video):
These lyrics work really well with the beginning of the movie when Erik is separated from his mother. "Wander" fits particularly well because as determined and driven Erik is in his quest for revenge, he's also completely lost. He has nothing in his life but revenge, not only because he wants to punish those that hurt him and his mother and his people, but because when Shaw took his mother from him, he left him with nothing, and then proceeded to fill him with rage. Erik wants to use that very rage against its creator, and he lets it control him because he doesn't have anything else in his life.
As set as Erik is in his ways, there is more than just the rage. The fact that he referred to himself as "Frankenstein's Monster" suggests to me that he knows that what he's doing is wrong. Maybe "wrong" is an inappropriate choice of word because he does truly believe that all of those men deserve to die for their crimes. It's also clear from the bar scene that he rather enjoys being the one to kill them, but I still think a part of him hates what Shaw has turned him into, hates that he has to be the one to punish them but does it anyway because he knows that there's nothing else in his life, and also he does want to make them pay. There must be moments when he starts to think about what he's become and but then sends the thoughts away because it's too late for regrets now, there's no going back.
The loss of his mother is what broke his heart and he's never truly healed. As much as he claims that he's not seeking revenge as a way to attain peace, I think a part of Erik thinks that if he kills Shaw and all the others responsible, that part of him will heal at least a fraction. Meanwhile that pain makes it easier to kill the ones responsible for it.
"Deliver us from Sorrow's hold [over my heart]" is essentially what Charles was trying to do from the moment he first discovered Erik in the water. Erik's also kind of a dark angel, at least in Charles' eyes.
Charles helps Erik realize that he's not alone, and he doesn't have to be. After finding that there are others like him, Erik finds doesn't want to go back to being alone.
For the second the verse the focus switches from Erik's pain over losing his mother to his fear of losing Charles. This is more Head Canon than Movie Canon, but I've read a few fics where Erik feels that his friendship/(b)romance with Charles is too good to be true, considering his past. Their differences of opinion, as well as Erik's doubt about the good that Charles keeps telling Erik he sees in him intensifies that fear.
Oh man, the bridge is all about Charles' attempts to get Erik to see that he can be good, that he is good, that he has that person inside him and he needs to let of his anger and pain in order to change.
Charles gives Erik a glimpse into what he meant by all the good he sees in him, and Erik realizes, perhaps for the first time, that Charles might be right.
Goodbye to his good side, goodbye to any chance at peace, and goodbye to Charles.
:(
POV switch to Charles, because Erik's inability to change, his refusal to embrace the good in him has broken his heart. He sends Erik away because when he put on that helmet he made his choice and Charles can't bear to watch him reject his good side.
Also, fun fact: the font I used for most of these is actually called Magneto. Heeheehee :3
What does this have to do with Evanescence, you ask? Nothing, actually. But several days ago I was listening to "My Heart is Broken" from their latest CD (which is frickin' awesome!) and it immediately made me think of Erik. I would make a totally awesome video to it if I had the skillz, but alas, I am still completely lacking in that department. Instead, I did a similar thing that I did for my SoT/LotS "fanmix" and photoshopped some pictures with lyrics from the song with scenes I would have fit to those lyrics, were I making a video.
The song (if you listen as you look on/read my ramblings...it's almost like a video):
These lyrics work really well with the beginning of the movie when Erik is separated from his mother. "Wander" fits particularly well because as determined and driven Erik is in his quest for revenge, he's also completely lost. He has nothing in his life but revenge, not only because he wants to punish those that hurt him and his mother and his people, but because when Shaw took his mother from him, he left him with nothing, and then proceeded to fill him with rage. Erik wants to use that very rage against its creator, and he lets it control him because he doesn't have anything else in his life.
As set as Erik is in his ways, there is more than just the rage. The fact that he referred to himself as "Frankenstein's Monster" suggests to me that he knows that what he's doing is wrong. Maybe "wrong" is an inappropriate choice of word because he does truly believe that all of those men deserve to die for their crimes. It's also clear from the bar scene that he rather enjoys being the one to kill them, but I still think a part of him hates what Shaw has turned him into, hates that he has to be the one to punish them but does it anyway because he knows that there's nothing else in his life, and also he does want to make them pay. There must be moments when he starts to think about what he's become and but then sends the thoughts away because it's too late for regrets now, there's no going back.
The loss of his mother is what broke his heart and he's never truly healed. As much as he claims that he's not seeking revenge as a way to attain peace, I think a part of Erik thinks that if he kills Shaw and all the others responsible, that part of him will heal at least a fraction. Meanwhile that pain makes it easier to kill the ones responsible for it.
"Deliver us from Sorrow's hold [over my heart]" is essentially what Charles was trying to do from the moment he first discovered Erik in the water. Erik's also kind of a dark angel, at least in Charles' eyes.
Charles helps Erik realize that he's not alone, and he doesn't have to be. After finding that there are others like him, Erik finds doesn't want to go back to being alone.
For the second the verse the focus switches from Erik's pain over losing his mother to his fear of losing Charles. This is more Head Canon than Movie Canon, but I've read a few fics where Erik feels that his friendship/(b)romance with Charles is too good to be true, considering his past. Their differences of opinion, as well as Erik's doubt about the good that Charles keeps telling Erik he sees in him intensifies that fear.
Oh man, the bridge is all about Charles' attempts to get Erik to see that he can be good, that he is good, that he has that person inside him and he needs to let of his anger and pain in order to change.
Charles gives Erik a glimpse into what he meant by all the good he sees in him, and Erik realizes, perhaps for the first time, that Charles might be right.
Goodbye to his good side, goodbye to any chance at peace, and goodbye to Charles.
:(
POV switch to Charles, because Erik's inability to change, his refusal to embrace the good in him has broken his heart. He sends Erik away because when he put on that helmet he made his choice and Charles can't bear to watch him reject his good side.
Also, fun fact: the font I used for most of these is actually called Magneto. Heeheehee :3