#gwen sweetie you were smart

[starchaser45]

"Whoever he is he's lucky to have you" it's like even marrying into this family makes you dumb

[sepublic]

Escaping Expulsion!

           LUMITY! LUMITY DEVELOPMENT! LUZ REALIZING HER CRUSH!!!!

           Amity calling her MY Luz… Amity and Luz back-to-back! Playing tricks together that’s so ADORABLE!

           There’s so much to this episode, I… I…!

           Gus! His growth spurt will take a lot getting used to, it’s like watching your favorite kids grow up… At this point he may as well go back to Augustus! And Perry, I love seeing more of him!

           WILLOW’S DADS! They’re GOOD parents I tell you, they talk a lot about grounding or whatever, but then IMMEDIATELY drop their jobs for Willow’s sake!? To home-school her, to have fun! GOOD PARENTS! And the Glasses Dad, he’s a really chill dude, sees Willow going behind the back and is like “I won’t tell!” Nice. VERY nice…!

           BUMP! Not only do we get confirmation that he’s in the Abomination Coven, BUT HE’S A SWEETIE! He’s an utter sweetheart! This really all adds to my headcanon that he felt bad about what happened with Eda, and I bet he was being reminded a LOT of that when he had to get rid of Luz, Willow, and Gus… At least with Eda she more or less left of her own volition, but these kids WANT to come back! I love this principal and his layers… Also Frewin’s tail moving?

           I agree with Alador, and I find it hilarious that he doesn’t seem to understand Frewin that much either… Or he does but he’s still curious! Al IS interesting like Odalia said… Not exactly a good parent, but he is a man of his word! Also WOW he looks like an utter mess, nothing like the prim and proper noble we all expected! I guess Alador from Amity’s flashback was in dress clothes for Amity’s birthday and all that… But yeah he IS fascinating as Dana said! I guess he is the inventor as some people suspected…

           His whole demeanor matches his brief depiction in YBOS pretty well; Looking like he’s mostly just kind of THERE, just kind of chilling for the ride. Has his head in the clouds and focuses on the inventions, on the technical know-how, on carrying out the orders and seeing them through, while Odalia is the leader who instructs things- Just as we suspected! I can already see the neurodivergent Alador headcanons… If Amity is autistic, does she get it from him?

           ODALIA… Ugh. I mean, she’s about as rancid as we all expected, but it’s interesting that she DOES listen to Alador, so there is still that respect there! But JEEZ, she’s an attempted child murderer?! Goes back on her word!? I have to wonder if Alador was the original Blight actually, and Odalia was the one who married in; That, or Alador just has actual integrity and acts as like… The second voice who helps rein in Odalia and remind her of things every now and then. Interesting… But yeah, I loathe her!

           Of course, back to Al- He may not necessarily be so great himself. He does seem to prefer the easy path, the path of least resistance; He adapts to Amity standing up to him and Odalia by instead considering how she could replace the current Abomination Head one day… Which makes sense, that’s HIS expertise, and daughter takes after father! And Odalia really is an Oracle as we thought… Oracle magic for spying, makes sense, but that necklace…

           UGH… Remember when we all liked that necklace! How we thought it was SO CUTE? How Amity wore it at first in Adventures in the Elements… But then she rarely wore her casual outfit? WELL NOW WE KNOW… Here’s hoping the intro changes to remove the necklace, but WOW I was genuinely feeling sick in my stomach when I saw that!

           And Odalia and Alador are even WORSE, because they’re literally arms-manufacturers! Do I even need to explain why that’s awful? But I’m really having a lot of fun with the idea of Abominations as robotics; I’d considered the idea of Abominations melding with Automatons, and the show just confirms and validates that! I love this show… I have to wonder if we’ll see Amity and the Abomination Head interact more? And I like how Abominations is basically shape-shifting and form-changing, but applied to a magical goop that Abomination Witches can control…

           Belos and the Golden Guard! More worldbuilding- Of course Belos is monopolizing and taking things into his own control, he’s expanding his influence! And of course, as Golden Guard pointed out- Not only does he want soldiers –glad we’ll see more of these Abomination things in practice- but also… He doesn’t want anyone raising a private army against him; Which again fits with how Belos operates! 

          But the way Odalia and Alador look at one another… WERE they intending to raise a private army? Or were they always open to selling out to the highest bidder- With their desire to install Amity as the new Abomination Head, we might see them ally with a rebellion, but for their OWN purposes… With how their audience and customer base was cloaked, they may have been unknowingly selling to people with a vested interest and stake in taking down Belos!

           EDA AND LILITH! This show once again confirms my read on glyphs; Not containing magic, but more commanding the magic around them! Lilith is SO smart, figuring out how it works… And YES, I love delving into the mechanics! How glyphs are about COMMUNICATION with the Isles, that calls back to Adventures in the Elements! I wonder then if Belos can communicate with the isles too, possibly through glyphs…

           But we get more insight into their dynamic! Eda was always that talented kid, so she could always breeze the basics and get right into experimentation! It was good for critical thinking, but as we see, she can be really hyperactive and impatient… And of course, this frustrates Lilith, who is very stoic and rule-bound! God she was adorable this episode, how she clearly wants validation… She really is the embodiment of “My child is fine!” “Your child was a pleasure to have in class.” Couldn’t get validation from Gwen, so Lilith went to teachers…

           AND JEEZ, no wonder Belos’ approval meant so much to her! Maybe like Marcy and Andrias from Amphibia, Lilith kind of latched onto Belos as a potential found family figure for her… But as we know, she still had her own desires and wants because she IS a person and not a mindless drone.

           BUT YES, I love the show delving into how Lilith and Eda work as different people! Lilith is by-the-book, and Eda recognizing that Lilith’s methods have value, because Eda is really out of her own element here. I love seeing Eda experiment with glyphs, just the way they experiment with glyphs- I’m glad it’s not just Luz! Also it’s interesting… The show seems to imply that there really are only four glyphs in existence; Light, Ice, Fire, and Plant! That’s a shame because I’d have liked to see more glyphs in the future, just a few more…

           BUT YEAH, this hearkens back to that shot of Luz combining Glyphs in the trailer, and I’ve always hoped that mashing Glyphs can unlock more complex spells! I love this kind of worldbuilding where basic elements are combined in certain ways to yield more specific things, it’s making my worldbuilding brain buzz happily! And I love Luz just freely giving out stars… Lilith is SUCH an Elsa, and her friendship with Hooty is adorable! And here’s hoping that Eda uses that messed-up spell anyway, against enemies…

           Overall this was an AMAZING EPISODE, so strong! Luz isn’t dense, like Alador she’s just distracted… Oh dang, maybe my Luz and Alador parallels idea wasn’t so far off? BUT YES this show promises and delivers through on these characters! I do wish we got to see more of Willow’s thought process about Odalia and Alador interrupting her life again, but with how the episode is already jam-packed with glyph lore AND Luz’s own thing, and I can see why they had to leave it out- 

          But give her some more spotlight, please! I wouldn’t be surprised if some things had to be cut out thanks to Disney downsizing the show… Also again, it’s interesting that based on what this episode implied; The Plant Coven is the ONLY Coven to have such a close basis in nature. If there are only four glyphs in nature, theoretically there should only be four main covens…

           Belos, your system is beginning to look even MORE sketchy now! And dang, the revelations, the lore, the reveals… Not much of Emira and Edric alas, but what we got was short and sweet, and I love how they felt the need to be nice but also sneak in a prank, but Amity just sees them! And also CAT ABOMINATION, the fanart came through! 

          And Amity just immediately recognizing her girlfriend’s work to figure out Luz was there, I love it so much! Overall, an AMAZING episode that blew my expectations out of the water! Now after this we have Echoes of the Past, which promises even MORE in regards to King! I love that these characters are getting a lot of focus now.

           Also it just occurred to me, but yeah- Edric’s occasional air-headed moments, Emira being a bit more bossy and strict… As we all speculated, they get it from their respective parents!

           (Also Hop Pop cameo I see you TOH crew.)

[odinsblog]

Today is my niece’s birthday. She’s six years old today and I was just thinking what a difference a year makes. She is sO smart

Last year at her 5th birthday party, she walked up to me with the saddest look on her face. Utterly sad at her own birthday party. I asked her what was wrong and she motioned for me to come closer, and when I bent down she whispered in my ear and said, “Uncle Odin I’m five years old and I still don’t even know how to fly.” She was dead serious, and I simultaneously wanted to laugh and cry. I picked her up and eventually managed to cheer her up and take her mind off of her “failure,” but she was genuinely heartbroken and disappointed in herself

Fast forward to yesterday when we were watching Star Wars, and at the scene where Luke Skywalker first meets Yoda, she goes, “Why does baby Yoda look so weird?” And it took me a moment before I figured out what she meant, but eventually I told her he just got older. And she looked a little confused for a moment, so to help clarify, I asked her how old she would be in ten years, and she smiled and yelled, “SIXTEEN!” Then I said, “And how old will I be in ten years?” And she suddenly got that same sad, serious look on her face that she had when she turned five. I picked up her tiny little chin and asked her what was wrong. She said, “You’re really old. You might not be around in ten years. I’m sorry.” LMAO. I snapped back, “I’m 36. I’m young. I’m only 9 years older than your mother!” And without missing a beat she goes, “Yeah but she’s old too, but not old like you.”

Omg 🤣

She’s a real sweetie though, and I love her to tears. Ha

I still need to figure out what to get her for today. She loves Spider-Gwen and Star Wars. I’m torn between getting her a baby Yoda or a grown, senior citizen Yoda

[kariachi]

Okay, got access to some more of season 4, so let’s get this train a going again with Steam Fight At The OK Corral

~~

Oh look, it’s Smythe. In an episode with ‘steam’ in it’s title. Whudda thunk.

It seems like people don’t care abut steam power anymore because, get this, nobody cares about steam power anymore.

Oh look, it’s Kevin. Offering help or advice or some such. He’s just, trying to hard to look large and in charge in this scene. And yet he is so small.

“-oily child of the sand dunes-” I need somebody with any amount of editing or artistic skill to put that along the bottom of a reboot!Kev picture like it’s a fucking title. ‘Kevin ‘11′ Levin, Oily Child of the Sand Dunes’.

“Who are you, what do you know of my struggles with the Tennyson brat, and do you like steam?“ That last bit was so hopeful. Like ‘pls god and also heaven let somebody else on this planet care about the glory of steam’.

Kevin takes offense at being called oily. Listen, Kev, sweetie, all we’re asking is when’s the last time you took a shower. I mean, please tell me the Forever Nerd at least supplies shower access. Assuming you’re working with the Forever Nerd at this point, this could be pre-Nerdage.

“My name’s Kevin, I’m the chief authority on Tennyson-whooping, and steam is dumb.” Spoken like a true engineer of the modern age.

Smythe looked like he might cry for a second there. Right before it hit him that Kev implied he could take Ben down and double checked that shit. Which gives us Kevin lying out his ass about having beaten Ben in a fight, very evasive child. He’s not even lying particularly well.

Kev looks so happy to have an ally in his anti-Ben shit, in that ‘mwahahaha’ way antagonists have.

(Honestly, somebody give this child his rat, he needs some back-up and also somebody to teach him how to bluff and con.)

Kevin Levin, here to kick Tennyson butt and bring Smythe out of the fucking steam era.

With the power of a single tablet- which Smythe wouldn’t know from a hole in the ground- Kevin intends to take this mess to the next level (that being at least combustion, dear gods)

Oh look, back to the Tennysons. What were their names again? Len and Ren?

Aww, playing cowboys with waterguns in the Rustbucket.

Max is not having it. He leaves them alone for five minutes-

Overdramatic children in the desert. Make it thirty feet from the RV and just start collapsing

And Max gets them up again with promises of showdown reenactments, because this man knows his grandchildren.

There is no reenactment, the children feel robbed, Max reminds them that this is the best they’re getting since the family’s tablet got ruined during their play earlier.

Ben continues to be overdramatic

Y’all had to test your luck. You coulda had a nice, boring day, but no. You had to question shit and now you’re under attack.

Clocktopus 2.0, now gone digital.

Okay, some things of note- 1) Kevin set up a fucking hammock behind Smythe’s seat in the Clocktopus. 2) He is trying to let Smythe do the work while he plays a videogame. 3) The tablet is taped to the Clocktopus’s controls.

Okay, video cuts a bit there, but it’s still clear Smythe has no idea what he’s doing and things quickly devolve into him and Kevin fighting over the controls, presumably because seeing someone fail so badly at using a tablet is painful for Kevin.

And of course that leads to things just being a complete mess of flailing and lasers (because of course Kevin made sure there were lasers)

Oh lords, and all this was just the result of Kevin trying to show Smythe how you set the date and time, my gods. This is going to be a glorious disaster.

Cut again, but apparently Ben got a solid enough hit in.

Smythe losing his temper.

Smythe wants to send out explosive carrier pigeons, Kevin is unamused and calls for more lasers (and is back to playing his game btw, wonder what he’s playing), Smythe is unamused by that.

Smythe gets more smacks in on Slapback, Kevin calls him out of multiplying the little fuckers, demands laser-usage.

...I have to assume these are the people Smythe would’ve been raised alongside had the stork not gotten things horribly wrong.

Huh, six Slapbacks is enough to hold down a Clocktopus.

And of course the Omnitrix times out then. You don’t see Kevin having this problem, at least not as often, and yet his is supposed to be the crappy watch.

Aww, Kevin dragged Smythe kicking and screaming into renewable energy usage. Fuck steam, it’s gonna run on solar or so help him. (Note, I am making assumptions here but, come on, how precisely do you think you’d get Smythe to agree to drop steam?)

And there go the solar panels, courtesy of Humongasaur. (Who still shoulda been named GigantiGecko)

Another cut, but I’m fairly certain it’s just Smythe bitching at Kevin about how they wouldn’t have lost power if they were still running on steam.

And Ben’s gloating is cut short by the Clocktopus powering back on because Kevin is a smart engineering noodle and had back-up power ready. It’s only one battery, but it’s one of the big ones. Also Kevin is not being paid enough to put up with Smythe’s lack of knowledge. He’s just not.

Kevin has had it up to about here with Smythe and his, Smythe-ness.

Oh Smythe, has no clue.

...only Smythe, with someone there giving actual simple instructions, could send a photo to somebody rather than delete it. And to LaMoron at that.

Kevin, really into kicking Ben’s ass. I still have thoughts on this, though I’m trying to catch all the Kevin things before I make any more posts on the matter.

Max worries about his grandkids, also owns so many waterguns.

Aww, the passcode on Max’s chest of waterguns is “I love my grandkids”. That’s so sweet.

Gwen: I’m gonna run you outta town Kevin: I’d like to see you try

Is, is every child oily to you, Smythe?

Such weakness to water. It’s okay Kev, in time you’ll figure out waterproofing. Probably faster than you’ll figure out keeping laser blasts from fucking with your Omnitrix

Smythe calling Kevin out on not making the damn thing waterproof, Kevin frantically trying to salvage this disaster.

There is no salvaging this disaster.

Smythe, not pleased.

Welp. I don’t think these two are ever going to work together again, shocking no one. I’m honestly surprised they got this far.

Smythe had a Plan B and that was ‘go back to good old steam’

And Kevin has been yeeted into the distance. Oh Kevin.

As I said, fairly certain we’re never gonna see these two working together again.

Smythe has found his people and is all teary-eyed over it.

He happily turned himself in just because there were people appreciating steam and he was so happy about it.

9/11

[raeswritings]

She got hot!- Peter Parker

Author: raeswritings

Pairing: Peter x reader

Requested: Yes, by anon

Request: Can u write about Peter and reader being friends and she moves away around middle school and come back junior year and she glowed up alOT and Peter is too scared to talk to her thinking she changed but she's still in love w him.

Warnings: angst? fluff

A/N: It feels good to be back writings!! This is my first peter imagine. Hope you guys enjoy it xx

For as long as anyone could remember, Y/N, Peter and Ned have been the three musketeers. The best of friends who always caused mischief everywhere they go. Their friendship dates all the way back to first grade when six year old Y/N dissed Ned's and Peter's favorite movie, Star Wars, claiming that it was stupid and that Star Trek was way cooler than Star Wars. This caused an argument between the three. Ned and Peter telling Y/N why Star Wars is superior to Star Trek. Which led them to Peter's apartment where they watched both Star Wars and Star Trek. The rest was history. 

It wasn't until in the middle of 7th grade when their lives changed. One afternoon Y/N got a call from her parents. Y/N, Peter and Ned were in Peter's room. Peter seated on the chair by his desk, Ned was sitting on the floor with his back leaning against the bed and Y/N laid out on her tummy with her homework and textbook in front of her. The three were working on homework, helping each other with each subject they weren't that good in. While they were so engrossed in that week's homework, the sound of Y/N's phone scaring the trio as they jumped up from their positions.

Y/N looked at the caller ID then to the boys. "It's my mom, I'll be back." Getting up from Peter's bed, Y/N left the room. Both Ned and Peter didn't think much of it and went back to helping each other. Knowing that Y/N's mom was most likely checking up on her. Hearing a couple of shouts coming from the living room, Ned, Peter and even Aunt May came rushing into the living room. They went into the living room to see Y/N throwing her phone on the sofa while soft sobs escaped her mouth. Immediately, Aunt May went to comfort Y/N, holding her in her arms as Ned and Peter stared at the two shocked.

They have never seen Y/N cry. Y/N was known for her happy, bubbly personality. There was never a day where you wouldn't see a smile on her face. "What's wrong sweetie?" Aunt May asked the young girl in a motherly tone.

"M-my dad got transferred to H-Hawaii. We leave t-tomorrow." Y/N spoke in between sobs. She was devastated. She hated that her dad was in the army. With him always moving from place to place it was always hard on Y/N. Even though she was very young when they moved frequently, she thought that New York would be her forever home. It didn't help that she was basically in love with Peter. Peter was her home.

"You c-can't leave Y/N! You-You can stay with Uncle Ben, Aunt May and Me. Please Aunt May, can Y/N stay with us? You and uncle Ben love Y/N so that wouldn't be a problem and she can have the top bed if she wants please!" Peter rushed, desperately wanting Aunt May to agree.

"Peter honey, as much as I would love her to stay, you know she can't be away from her family." May softly told Peter.

The rest of the night was spent with Ned, Peter and Y/N watching Star Wars and Star Trek. Y/N's parents agreed to pick her up in the morning. When that time came for Y/N to leave, both her and Peter clinged onto each other as if it was the last day on earth. As they were embracing Y/N worked up the courage to tell Peter how she felt. "I love you Peter. I never told you because I was afraid. Afraid that you wouldn't feel the same, but since I'm leaving I thought this would be the perfect time. I love you Peter Parker. Don't forget me ok?" Y/N said in a whisper, her voice so soft you'd have to lean closer to hear. Due to being already so close to her, Peter heard every word. Shell shocked at her words. With a final hug and a kiss on Peter's cheek, Y/N got into the car.

Peter couldn't believe what he just heard. His best friend and long time crush just told him that she loved him. The sound of Aunt May's voice snapped Peter back into reality. He took off running after the car as it left the Parker household. "Wait! Wait! Y/N!" Peter screamed waving his arms as he ran. The burning in his legs and lungs made him stop. His knees hitting the ground as he watched the car disappear into the horizon. "I love you too." He whispered helplessly.

Years has passed since you left. Peter told Ned what had happened between you two. Ned tried convincing Peter to call you and confess as well but Peter shot the idea down claiming that he will never see you again. A lot has happened since you left. With uncle Ben's death and becoming Spider-Man, Peter tried to get over you with girls like Mary Jane, Gwen Stacy and recently, Liz Allen, but none of them lasted long since Peter would constantly think of you. He knew deep down that he would never hear from you again, but boy was he wrong.

It was the middle of junior year when buzz about a new girl who transferring from out of state made its way to Peter. Peter was at his usual lunch table when Ned came rushing in to tell him the latest gossip around school. "Dude have you heard about that new girl from out of state? Everyone is talking about her. I heard from this guy in history that she's really hot and smart too!" Ned's voice filled with excitement made Peter a bit interested.

What was so special about this girl that everyone talked about? Sure besides the obvious that people claimed her being beautiful and smart. "Have you seen her?" Peter asked Ned, taking a bite of food.

"No but the word is that she has the same lunch as us. She should be around her somewhere." Coincidently, after Ned just said that, you walked into the lunch room.

The shout of your name got the boys attention, turning to the sound their jaws literally dropped. "Peter, isn't that Y/N?" Ned asked making Peter nod his head. He couldn't believe you were here. He couldn't believe how beautiful you've gotten. Last time he's seen you, you had large glasses and braces. Now here you were before him. You ditched the glasses and braces, your hair was perfectly styled in curls, your outfit was simple but stylish and your makeup. GIRL YOUR MAKEUP. Your makeup was, to be short, on point.

"Dude, she got hot!!" Ned said a bit louder than usual making Peter to slap his hand over Ned's mouth. "Ned, she'll hear you!"

"You should go talk to her." Ned said turning to his best friend.

Peter shook his head. "Nope not happening."

"Come on dude. This could be your chance and finally tell her how you feel!" Ned tried convincing Peter.

Peter looked at Ned like he had two heads. "Are you crazy?! Just look at her Ned. She's changed. She might not even recognize me. I doubt she still has feelings for me."

"Who has feelings for you?" Michelle asked as she took a seat next to Ned.

"No one!" "Y/N!" Both Ned and Peter looked at each other. Peter glaring at Ned, while Ned looked smug.

"Y/N the new girl aka the love of Peter's life. That's the girl I told you about. The one who always stops Peter from having a love life." Ned told Michelle as her eyebrows raised in interest.

"If you won't talk to her then she'll talk to you." Michelle said. Before Ned and Peter could ask what she meant, Michelle called Y/N over due to already meeting in a class they had together.

You greeted Michelle with a hello and smile. Michelle then introduced Ned and Peter. When she said Peter's last name she froze. Y/N couldn't believe it. Peter was there right in front of her. Michelle and Ned left the two as they both were lost for words in their own worlds. The two taking in each others presence. Neither of them speaking until Peter spoke. "Hey Y/N/N."

Without a word, Y/N wrapped her arms around Peter. Her face in the crook of his neck breathing in his scent. Peter was shocked at first but then composed himself and wrapped his around her shoulders. Neither of them speaking, just enjoying each other's company. After a blissful moment of silence Y/N broke it. "I missed you Peter. God I missed you so much." She spoke into his neck, her words coming out muffled but he heard her loud and clear.

'Fuck it' Peter thought as he held Y/N tighter. "I missed you to Y/N/N. I know I'm really late and you might not feel the same anymore but I love you too. I love you Y/N Y/L/N." Peter said, his voice low. At this Y/N froze, she didn't expect this.

Pulling away, she looked at him. His curly brown hair and matching chocolate brown eyes that always pulled her in, much like they were doing now. "I love you too. I never stopped loving you Peter. I've been in love with you since that day you admitted that Star Trek was better." She smiled causing Peter to smile as well. Both of them looking from each other's eyes to lips, slowly closing the distance between them as their lips met in a much anticipated kiss. Both blissfully unaware of the eyes and smiles coming from Michelle and Ned, who were on the other side of them lunch room watching the whole thing.

[unabashedly-here]

A/N: The reader will still be referred to as Y/N, but I saw the gif and decided it was too good not to use.

In the beginning of Sophomore year, you arrived at Midtown and caused a storm the minute you enrolled. Because of your father’s job, you’ve moved all over the country with parents feeling as if they have to make it up to you. Until your parents split up and your mom and you went to live in Queens with your aunt. With the lack of parental concern, you grew up rather wildly. You party on the weekends while maintaining your perfect grades during the weekdays.

In the midst of all the attractive guys throwing themselves to you, you always forgot Peter Parker, the smart boy that lived in your building and followed around Gwen Stacy until she liked him. Gwen was one of your best friends since you entered Midtown and sat behind her in homeroom. She almost grounded you and always gave you her superior opinion of how you should live your life. While Peter was certainly a good guy, you rolled your eyes at the pair falling in love in high school.

Peter Parker was the first kid you met, since his aunt knew your aunt. Gwen was even jealous of you for a little bit before she realized you had no intention to date Peter, like his aunt wanted you to. In fact, he was kind of boring to you, when you wanted nothing but excitement and thrills. That is, until the day you learned his secret.

Despite you not being actually friends with Peter, you were flirting with one of his friends, Harry Osborn. He was smart, handsome, and charming, which compelled you to him. Obviously, you weren’t officially dating, yet the two of you weren’t just friends. You became slightly closer to Peter because Harry was a good friend of his.

One day after school, you were turning the lock to your aunt’s apartment when you noticed Peter down the hallway rushing to his apartment. It reminded you that you wanted to talk to him about notes you might have missed in Physics. You quickly threw your stuff down and locked the door again. When you got to his door, it was slightly open so you knocked lightly and entered.

Peter’s bag was at the table and you assumed he was in his room. The door was wide open, revealing the emptiness. You were confused as you entered the room. Suddenly, a flash of red swung by the window, meaning Spiderman was swinging by the room where Peter disappeared. You connected the dots and realized that Peter must have been Spiderman.

You knew better than to confront Peter about this. It wasn’t your secret to tell or discuss, so you reckoned that he would tell people when he wanted to. You knew Gwen didn’t know since she always wondered where Peter was going when he hastily excused himself. It led to pretty severe arguments between the two, but they still made up in the end.

Your discovery was practically forgotten as the years went on. Life continued on as your life took a turn for the worse. After officially dating for eight months, you broke it off with Harry after seeing how mentally unstable he was after his father’s death. You would have tried to help him, but you were scared of his obsessiveness and knew he was in need of professional help. At the end of the junior year, your mother, after being sick for a majority of the year, died in her sleep. Even though you had to take jobs to help bring in some money, you still planned to become an actress after school.

Then the universe decided to punch you once more by taking away one of the only good things left in your life. While fighting the Green Goblin, Spiderman couldn’t save Gwen Stacy when she fell from the George Washington Bridge. Everything was horrible, but you knew who might be feeling worse. After cleaning yourself up, you knocked on Peter’s apartment door. Aunt May answered before giving you a sad smile. “Are you okay, sweetie?” She asked lovingly.

You faked a smile, knowing she’d take it. “I’m fine,” you said, “Is Peter alright?”

Aunt May gravely shook her head. “He’s locked himself up in his room. If you want to come back another time, I understand.” You shook your head slightly. You knew how terrible he would feel and he needed someone to tell him it wasn’t his fault. You needed to be there for your friend.

You lightly rapped on his door, only receiving a soft “Go away” from the other side. Quietly opening his door, you ignored the state of his room and the odor coming off from him. He sat up on his bed with red eyes and messy hair before glaring at you for coming in. “I said go away,” Peter stated firmly, “I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Well, I’m here anyways,” you pulled up a chair next to his bed before placing a hand on his back. “This isn’t your fault, Peter.” Seeing him in such a state upset you greatly. It reminded you of how Harry was after his father’s death. You didn’t want another of your friends to be too far from your reach. “Please. I know how it feels-”

His movements were quick and frantic. He shoved your hand off of him and scowled, “You don’t know anything about how this feels! Leave me alone. You won’t make me feel better.” Peter retreated back to his bed, but you grabbed his covers before he could hide under them. He glared at you again and got up to grab them. You held it out of his reach, which wasn’t hard surprisingly, considering Peter’s other identity.

“I don’t know anything?” You repeated in a hurt tone, keeping him an arm length away, “Peter, my father is God knows wheredoing God knows what with God knows who. My mother died a few months ago. I left Harry and now I lost Gwen, my closest friend.”

He stilled at the reminder, but reached for his blankets soon after. “I don’t care,” Peter said gruffly, “Give me my blankets back.” You kept it just out of his reach and as he approached, you went to a different part of his room. Groaning with frustration, he snapped, “Stop being so childish!”

You pursed your lips. “I’ll stop when you stop,” you stated, poking his chest to make him back up, “Gwen is gone. Sulking is not going to bring her back.” He opened his mouth to defend himself. “Don’t say this is grieving. This is unhealthy and Gwen would have preferred you to live the life she couldn’t instead of just moping here. You are disrespecting her memory by not living a life that you are lucky enough to have.” Your cheeks had turned red and tears welled in your eyes during the conversation.

Peter sat back down on his bed, tears going down his face at the memories that would only be memories. You sat next to him and threw your arms around him. He accepted your hug and leaned into you, sobbing every so often. You let your own tears fall, but focused on being strong for Peter. “I miss her,” he sniffled lightly, “And I just love her so much.”

“I know you do, Pete,” you comforted, “I do too. That’s not a bad thing.” He wrapped his arms around you and pulled you closer. You knew that he was scared of anyone else leaving him so you just stayed still. Feeling his sobs get slower, you knew he must have been drained now. You stroked his hair gently to further calm him down until his weight was placed entirely on you and his breathing was quiet and even.

Laying him down on his bed was challenging, but Peter was fast asleep. He didn’t stir as you placed his blanket on him nor when you wiped the dried tears from his face. Before you were about to leave, his eyes opened slightly and made a reach for your hand. “Don’t leave me, please.” You grabbed his hand and rubbed it with the pad of your thumb.

“Never,” you promised, “It’s quite possible that you’re stuck with me forever now.” You stood still until his hand was limp and you placed it back on his chest. “Let’s face it. You hit the jackpot.” There was a shadow of a smile on his face when you left his room quietly.

[huntoncollins]

Peter, Gwen, MJ, Harry, and Flash

As a team. Or a squad. Like, a military squad.

Wait, hear me out. I’ll admit, I was really high on Shingeki fandom when I first imagined this. But it’s not grimdark or gory. (Probably.) No one on the team is dying. Gwen is not Marco. But they do each have vertical maneuvering equipment, and every one of them is a hero.

The world is at war. Enlistment is mandatory. It’s kind of a South Korea situation; if you’re between the ages of 18-25 then you are in the army. All the kids have been raised preparing for this.

The boys know each other already. Peter, Harry, and Flash were in class with Betty and Liz. Maybe Peter, Harry, Liz, and Betty even applied to be in a squad together. But nope. Once they’ve all graduated, Liz and Betty are assigned to another squad. It sucks. And even worse, Harry and Peter are stuck with Flash for another five years. Maybe they can get a reassignment...

Peter wants to make the best of his enlistment. He’s not enthused, but he’ll get through it. He’s been training as a tech and medic. His reactionary times are surprisingly high, he’s got the grades and smarts to pursuing multiple technician fields, and if he does well in the army, then it can open up doors to the big schools and institutions later.

But Pete’s nervous. As bright as everyone makes out the enlistment years to be, people die. Peter knows this too well.

Harry hasn’t told Pete about this yet but...Harry was flagged during his psych evals. Multiple times. Of course it’s not enough to get out of serving, but Harry knows he’s destined to fail. He’s going to be the one that’ll start screaming in the middle of the battlefield, frozen until the mutants gun him down. He’ll probably get Peter killed too in the process.

But there’s nothing he can do. He can’t get out of serving, his dad -who manipulates everyone to get what he wants- won’t even lift a finger to help Harry. The teachers don’t care. “It’s alright, everyone gets nervous when they jump from the academy to enlistment. It’s normal sweetie.” All Harry can do is just walk straight into that failure because there’s nothing he can do.

And Harry has been reluctantly taking the leadership tests expected of him. And failed every single one.

Flash is serious about the military. He’s been working for this. He wants this. He can prove himself.

He’s been prepping his body and mind for years, and he has successfully been placed as team captain. But he’s going to find out that “leadership” doesn’t make him happy the way he thought it would. Even after he’s proved himself to the academy, and the colonels, and his father, he’s still lacking in the eyes of his own team...

Mary Jane is going to swing this enlistment thing. It’s no big deal, everyone has to go through it, and it doesn’t last forever. She’ll put on the gear, do the thing, and have fun while doing it.

She was the class clown at the academy, popular and liked by everyone, but without any real friends. Her teachers and coaches always marked her as decently athletic, but lacking effort. Lacking seriousness. Reactionary times during stress tests were consistently low. Showing strong signs of denial. Unable to form deep relationships and attachments, but missing any indicators of psychopathy. A disappointment. Maladjusted and a potential future AWOL. Must be watched, and don’t expect anything impressive from her. Canon fodder.

Gwen is nervous but ready. All her marks have been above average, she’s good at teamwork, and strong at science and math especially. Her teachers have been pushing her since middle school to go for medic, so she does. And she’s pretty good at it. But as important as being a medic is, as much as all her old classmates have told her she’s great at it, there’s a thread of dissatisfaction in her.

During drills, she hears the mock battle going on around her while she inevitably gets pulled into whatever the current casualty scenario is. And it frustrates her, hearing the team fight fake mutants the wrong way. Listening, glancing at the battlefield, and knowing that that the wrong people are being put in formations that won’t work.

Despite all the medic training she’s done for her entire teenage career, she applies for strategy.

Their squad is a pathetic, mid-ranking little thing. Harry and Gwen each recognize in their own way that their team had been positioned as one of the expendables. Gwen, having come from an academy of high performers, is quietly shocked at them all: at MJ’s complete disconnect from the realities of war, at Harry’s complete surrender to failure and death, at Flash’s vulnerable rage. She thinks maybe she can find a friend and confidante in Peter, only to realize he’s keeping secrets of his own.

As she talks this through with her father, he urges her to ask for a reassignment, promises to help make it happen. But she doesn’t want a reassignment. She wants to fix this. She imagines walking away, and can only see these four sweet, funny, caring people ending up dead.

But maybe they’re all more than they think they are. Maybe Harry is more capable and more vicious than he ever thought he could be. Maybe one day he’ll get fed up with what a disappointment he is that it’ll light a fire within him.

Maybe this team will erode Mary Jane’s emotional walls, provide a constancy and stability she’s never experienced, until she truly and helpless loves these people, so deeply that she’ll fight through the terror to protect them.

Maybe Flash doesn’t have to prove himself. Maybe the weaknesses he sees in his team are a distraction from the weaknesses he sees in himself. Maybe if he finds a way to stop hating himself, he’ll find a way to stop hating everyone else.

Maybe Gwen is meant for more than what she’s been taught. Maybe her instincts are leading her to the right job. She knows who should be where during a battle. She can recognize the emotional states of her teammates, can see their strengths and weaknesses. Maybe she’s going to end up leading this team, whether high command approves or not.

And maybe Peter isn’t as willing to go along in this war with the mutants as he says he is.

[tlcrescuepa]

New Post has been published on To Love a Canine Rescue

New Post has been published on https://tlcrescuepa.com/week-end-update-a-higher-calling/

Week-End Update: A Higher Calling

I think we can all agree that dogs are pretty amazing animals. They are capable of giving an inordinate amount of love to make our lives better. They are members of our family and, for many, being our constant companions and providing us with emotional support is a job for which they are well-equipped without any special training at all. Some, however, seem to have a special calling and ability to train to become a service dog and what they can do in that role is monumental to their human. This week, Abbey & Gail both took their first step towards their ultimate goal of becoming service dogs: they met the humans who will work with trainers to help them achieve the esteemed rank of service dog.

Our buddy, “Big Max” the Beagle-Border Collie mix also found his perfect furever family as did Arabelle, Moses, Razberry, William (now Finnegan), Zelda, Zola & Zion! Zelda & Zola would like to thank Coldwell Banker for their annual Homes For Dogs event since their met their new families at the event!

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Abbey

Arabelle

Max

Moses

Razberry

William now Finnegan

Zelda

Zion

Zola

Gail

  It was a busy week-end for us with the fun Upper Providence Community Day event on Saturday and a few of our pups did some meeting & greeting at the dedication of  Mandy’s Memorial Playground in Phoenxville this afternoon. We were honored to be invited as our pups know that, if you can’t be as lucky as Dodger FKA Jacoby & Bailey (FKA Buttercup) were to be adopted by a DiGirolomo, you may be lucky enough to be DiGirolomo adjacent by getting adopted by a friend or neighbor of the family. If you’re in the area, the playground is a bright, colorful and safe space for the kids to play and a great addition to the community.

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  We also have some nice updates to share as well:

Maverick FKA Legend

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“Hi there! 

Thought you guys might enjoy some pictures of our big baby. Maverick (previously legend) is 7 months now and almost 60lbs! He loves his off leash hikes, playing tug of war, meeting new people, playing with other dogs and belly rubs! 

  We were curious if you have any pictures of his brother icon. If so we’d love to see. “

  Rocky FKA Patrick

Rocky FKA Patrick

“Rocky (formerly Patrick) is excited for football season”

          Leia FKA Gwen

“Leia’s up to 11lbs 14oz at 3 months. She’s a sweetie. Spunky and cuddly. She’s had 2 puppy classes and now knows “sit” & “down”

  I had her DNA tested to see what her “breed” is composed of:  25% German Shepherd, 12.5% each- chow, boxer, and lab, 37.5% mixed breed (terrier, herding, Asian, & middle eastern).”

  Dolly FKA Ivory

Dolly FKA Ivory

“Perfect fit.”

        Jax FKA Checkers

“We have renamed Checkers his new name is Jax.  He is settling in great.  He and Boone are doing very good together we brought Jax home on Wednesday and Boone did okay but Sunday was a real turning point he actually let Jax lay with him now the cuddle on the bed and Boone’s “chair”.  Of course they are like little kids and if one has a toy the other wants it so but I couldn’t be more pleased with the transition. I definitely send you some pictures.

Thanks for checking in and for all the Great Work you do to get all the animals great forever homes.”

  Jax FKA Spuddy

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”Jax is doing great! His nickname is shadow because he follows us everywhere. He is always so happy, tail wagging and smiley. 

Jax gets along with all animals and people. One of the best parts of my day is waking up to his huge wet Pyr nose in my face.  He has put on a good amount of weight and is starting to look like a healthy mature Pyr 🙂 He also graduated from the crate and is allow to roam the house when we aren’t home. 

We recently started fostering puppies through TLC and Jax has been a great playmate and role model. Can you remember the Jax we brought home? You wouldn’t recognize this well behaved dog! He was the perfect addition to our family and we are very grateful for everything TLC does to help save these sweet pups. 

Here are a few recent pictures! “

  Dean

“Dean is doing very well, and I couldn’t be more happy with him.  He’s super smart and already picking up on the housebreaking training I’ve begun.  He’ll be staying Dean, by the way…I just love the name.  He loves my two kitties and hey love him back…they’ve been running around the house together.  I’ll be sure to post pictures to TLC’s Facebook page periodically. 

He’ll be visiting the vet next week for an initial check up, and I’ll be bringing copies of all his medical records.  Once he’s old enough to be neutered, and the procedure is done, I’ll contact you to coordinate the refund of that neuter fee.

I haven’t checked the microchip info, but will do so ASAP and make any changes should they be necessary.

Thank you and your team for bringing him into my life.  He’s already brought lots of joy to my every day.”

  Leo FKA Dillon

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“We ended up renaming Dillon to Leo. He is absolutely the best pup and is doing so incredibly well ! We are so impressed by him every day. We had our Vet checkup this past Saturday and will be going back in 3 weeks for some more shots. Our vet recommended to wait till Leo is 6 months old to get him neutered. I’ve attached a couple pictures of Leo for you guys !

Thanks so much !”

  Bailey

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“Thanks for following up! Bailey is staying Bailey, and she is doing well! She settled pretty quickly into our family, and we’ve started to learn her likes (chewtoys, sticks, peanut butter) and her dislikes (going outside in the rain!)

She has her first vet appointment this Thursday, and we have signed her up for insurance through PetPlan. She’s been very good at learning good doggie behavior, but we’re hoping to reach out to trainers soon to help work on her jumping. We are so lucky to have found her, and we can’t thank you enough for matching us up with her.

We have a few pictures attached to this email as well.”

  Maxwell (2017’s Saving Southern Souls dog)

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“Max is settling in well! We have been visiting the dog park daily along with daily walks. We have a vet appointment scheduled for this Friday. We have been working on training- Max now wears a gentle leader on walks due to pulling, but is becoming more comfortable with it. I am also working with him on basic commands. Thank you again for bringing him into my life!!”

  Kurt

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“Thank you so much for your email. Kurt is doing great. We decided to keep his name. He is such a sweet puppy. The entire family is in love with him…he is already good friend with our neighbor’s dog and loves to walk to school with all the kids. “

  Pebbles FKA Cookie

“Cookie is doing well, she quickly learns what we expect of her and slept all night in a crate next to the crate of our 2 other dogs.  Since we always ask the dogs if they want a “Cookie” we figured it would be best to change her name.  Yesterday we decided on Pebbles and she seems to respond to it already.  We have a vet appointment for her next Wednesday.  I was going to take her to Berks County Dog Training Club but it is the same night as Freckles Agility Training, I am looking for another place to take her.  I completely agree that training is necessary.

All my dogs, current and past, have had training for obedience, therapy dogs, CGC and agility training.  I will most likely take Pebbles for agility training after Freckles is finished.  

One of the best benefits of getting Pebbles is that she and Freckles (the rescue that we got last Sept.  and is afraid of dogs) get along famously and Freckles is even playing with her.  I will try to get some pictures of the 3 dogs together

If Freckles and Pebbles get a little too wild and start growling at each other our 10 year old pom will go and stand between them, it is so funny, he just stands there until they stop then goes and lays down.  I think that she is the perfect addition to our house.”

  For those of you who aren’t on Facebook, we had some nice updates posted to our Facebook page

Cali FKA Carolina

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“Hello to love a canine rescue. Back in April we adopted a beautiful puppy by the name of Carolina. Thought you might like some pictures of her since she has grown a lot. We have since changed her name to Cali.”

    We can’t believe that’s been a whole year since Angeline’s fluffballs were adopted. We knew they’d get big and we were right . . .

Utley FKA Bentley

Utley FKA Bentley

“What a year! Today marks the one year anniversary of when we adopted Utley! He has made his mark on our family and we can’t imagine life without him“