#nwh speculation

[spiderfunkz]

THE APARTMENT WE WON'T SHARE

peter parker x reader

cw: post-nwh, angst no comfort, in this universe everyone forgets tasm!peter, everyone including his own partner. inspired by the song of the title.

it's peter's first christmas alone. he's undoubtedly sad, it would be heartbreaking for you to see him like this, thankfully you will never get the chance to. that's what peter thinks, he's grateful for that. that you will never have to see him in the condition he's always in ever again.

a part of him wants to meet again. to suddenly bump into each other on the subway, to accidentally grab the same book in the library— he hopes to feel the spark again. to see your eyes flicker in familiarity. a sense of déjà vu. as if in another timeline, you were meant to be.

it was supposed to be this timeline. he's supposed to be in your arms right now, opening presents together. he's supposed to give you a gift he's been saving for all year. a perfect present. now it sits, collecting dust on the corner of his room.

he's tried his best to come to terms with it. but gosh, it hurts. he's been on a new date, a couple dates, actually. but he stopped after the third one. he realized that he was trying to find you in every person he meets. nobody can compete, he couldn't find the spark. no eyes shined like yours, no personality was as big as yours, no lashes fluttered like yours. no one was you. he wanted you, not someone like you.

he came close though. to you.

in a café, it was you and peter's spot. he believes that you were there because an essence of him still lingers. that's what he tells himself. you were in your favorite sweater, your hair was beautiful, neat like always. you held your usual order. before peter leaves he saw something, something that reassured him this was for the best.

you were with someone else.

he was hoping to catch you glance at him, or for you to notice him, even if it meant just for a second. but you didn't. your smile was so wide, you laughed at a joke. a joke peter thought he would make. and then you left. stepping out of the café and out of his life. to make it worse. with someone new.

every time he patrols he always hopes to see you. he thinks this is just pure madness, obsession. but he also thinks that this is him genuinely missing you, not being able to move on from someone who is perfect. his life was near perfection with you. his heart is unable to do continue without you, he's trying.

and on christmas, today, he saw you. in apartment building, the moonlight highlighted you, as if it was a cruel reminder from the universe that he will never see that light in his life ever again. he was so focused he tripped on the edge of rooftop.

as he caught his feet, he thought this was a christmas miracle, but then he realized,

it was the same apartment building you two toured together. you gave an idea to peter that the two of you should share an apartment. to have a place of your own, you've always wanted that. peter wanted to, but you were the most excited about it. to have a roommate that is also your boyfriend.

now you stayed there. with no peter. he speculated that you gave the same idea, just to another person. the christmas tree was glowing, the lights were sparkly, you exchanged gifts, and peter finally accepts the fact that he was never really in your life.

the dates you two went; the rooftop parties, the bookstore-reading days, movie nights, the trips to europe that never happened— all never truly existed. maybe not to you, but only to peter. the promises, his photographs, all poof! gone.

it's been a year. it feels so empty. colder than usual.

you seemed warm. he knows it. now you sit, at the apartment you will never share with peter. he swings away, the mask is suffocating. he comes back to his apartment. it's cold, unfurnished. only a simple bed, table, and a chair. he was never good at interior work. however you were. you were great.

what lies on his table is cold takeaway, one fork— he doesn't know where the spoon went, coffee he left untouched, and one single polaroid of you, a clear one, where you were still very seen. the one he took when he fought his old enemies with his brothers. the rest were gone, well.. not really. it was just oddly faded. a silhouette of you is there, but it was just the presence of your absence.

peter kept everything. how unfortunate. he wanted to call, to reach out first, but never did. he shouldn't. there was no one to talk about this to, no one. he thinks that before reaching out, he should come to terms with it. fully.

he wishes you a merry christmas. he hopes you get the message. heart to heart. he hopes there's still a small chance.

a/n: should i make this a mini series?

[jechristine]

With Tom and Zendaya, the media seem to get it right with the first story (People magazine saying they were dating, the reporting on the yellow ring and general speculation that they were engaged during NWH press) and then subsequently get it wrong bc of denials or deflections from TZ. It’s not really a question but just a very interesting observation.

🤫

[flodaya]

Since you are an expert in tomdaya rs😭 explain to me how they are dating for 7 years? 😭😭 like when did they started dating and didn’t they dated me other people too? (i’m not a tomdaya hater btw!!)

hahah the disclaimer, it's chill

so a basic rundown

they met in 2016, started dating in september of that year

it is speculated they went on a break in may 2019 but kept hooking up during the far from home press tour in june 2019

fully broke up end of june 2019

they tried to stay friends

Z dated JE from late 2019 until early lockdown 2020

tom and Z failed to stay friends and had a falling out

tom was in his little fuckboy era

here for my favorite part: in april 2020 tom started dating someone, end of july he and Z reconnected, he posted his gf on ig in early august and Z liked that post and a week later he and his gf were done

tom and Z started filming nwh in late october 2020

sometime between august and november 2020 he and Z got back together and have been together ever since

so techically 1.0 was 2.5-3 years and 2.0 it's been almost 3 years so in total it's 5.5-6 years but when tz can ignore their break so can we 😌

[episodeoftv]

Round 4 of 8

propaganda and summaries are under the cut (May include spoilers)

Derry Girls: 2.06 The President

As Christmas approaches, excitement in Derry is at fever pitch for President Bill Clinton's visit, while James gets a surprise and Granda Joe embarks on a mysterious plan of his own.

https://derry.fandom.com/wiki/The_President

Gravity Falls: 2.11 Not What He Seems

The twins wonder if they really know Grunkle Stan after he is taken into custody by the government agents.

this episode is everything. The title references one of the first ciphers you could find in the show: STAN IS NOT WHAT HE SEEMS. The end of episode one has Stan being super sketchy. You spend all of season one wondering when he’ll turn evil. And then he doesn’t. You’re pulled along. You learn to love him. And then he’s being MORE suspicious right in front of your face in season 2. NWHS premieres. The kids have to question if they trust Stan. YOU question if you trust Stan. Everything’s happening all at once and then the whole sequence at the end. Oh my god. Heart stopping. Dippers betrayed shouting, Soos’s desperate protection of the kids, Mabel! MABEL! Her trust, her belief, despite EVERHTHING. And then the end. Oh my god the end. The reveal that broke the fandom. Shattered everyone. NWHS is the best piece of TV I’ve ever seen.

the next episode didn't come out for two months and the fandom was frothing at the mouth waiting for it.

The drama. The mystery. We've known forever that Stan was hiding something. We get a payoff to the portal. We find out who The Author Of The Journal is and It's His Fucking Twin. That one scene where gravity turns off and he escapes the cops (feds?). Mabel saying Grunkle Stan, I Trust You. Most iconic and badass episode of the show.

It is just incredible. The biggest reveal of the series happens at the end (this description will contain spoilers but I'm staying vague as possible until the end where it will spoil the reveal to give people time to stop reading this). The amount of suspense and emotional tension that builds and builds over the episode is just incredible. Even after seeing it dozens of times I am on the edge of my seat watching it. The way Dipper and Mabel find out pieces of the puzzle, both things the audience has seen and been speculating on, and new things. The way their first theory about Stan is presented and then show the painting of him smiling CHILLS. And the scene in the basement where Stan finally gets there and he and Dipper have such an emotional fight about all the secrets. And then Mabel caught in the middle and how she is distressed but ultimately trusts Stan. Oh the shot of her letting go is so iconic. And then of course the big author reveal moment is the most amazing thing ever. Ok here is the SPOILER WARNING FOR THE BEST TWIST IN THE SHOW The way Ford's silhouette is seen coming out of the portal then the six fingered hand over the journal and then his face is revealed while Stan says The author of the Journals... my brother. Just top tier scene in every way. I don't think any episode in any other show has ever done to me what this episode does to me.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_What_He_Seems

[jahayla-parker]

In Time : Tom Holland x Reader

Chapter 7

3k wc , click here for warnings and other chapters

Tom stared at the ceiling of his new home; unable to sleep. He felt so alone and just wanted to be in y/n’s presence again. The thought only increased the deep well of guilt that had taken up residence inside his chest. While he had been enjoying her presence and all that came with it, she had been feeling less than and yesterday he had only made it worse. Tomorrow he would go back to filming NWH. That meant it had been nearly a week since they met. It felt like he’d known her much longer; damn near a lifetime. As such, he didn’t know what to do to ease the pain in his heart over the way things ended.

Y/n smiled weakly in appreciation at Karina as her best friend comforted her the best she could. Yet, it was futile. As, the only person who could truly fix this was Tom; the very person she’d sent away. While she knew it was for the best -she didn’t fit in Tom’s life-, his sudden absence stung deep. He had only been in her life for a week, but it did not feel nor had it seemed that way. And now, despite Karina promising her that everything would be fine in time, she couldn’t help but doubt if things could ever be completely fine again.

Tom ended the live and locked his phone. He set the device down on the armrest beside him in his trailer. He’d just finished informing the public and his fans that y/n was merely a friend. He truthfully hadn’t wanted to do it, the reminder that she was taken and not by him was painful. But, he did so in hopes that clearing up the speculation would make her life easier.

Harry sighed and shook his head. He could see the look in Tom’s eyes throughout the live, and how the despair only grew as he ended it. “Mate, out with it,” he instructed, leaning against the metal siding of the trailer’s interior.

Tom stared at his lap. “I miss her,” he admitted. “I’d be okay with just being her friend,” he defended, “but I’m not sure we’re even that anymore”. Finishing the live meant he’d addressed the situation and no longer had any reason to keep thinking about and talking about y/n. It felt too final.

“I still haven’t seen this girl,” Harry realized, holding his hand out, palm-side up towards Tom. “I need to see who you’re moping about,” he instructed.

Tom unlocked his phone and eagerly pulled up his photos. Any reason to talk about, or see, y/n, even if just due to showing a photo, he’d take it. He went to his favorites album and pulled up the candid shot he’d taken of her several nights ago. His breath hitched as the emotions of that night flooded him yet again. He shakily passed his younger brother the phone.

Harry looked at the photo and smiled as he looked back up at his brother. “She’s beautiful,” he acknowledged, passing the phone back.

Tom nodded, greedily taking ahold of his phone. His eyes returned to the photo, a delicate love-struck smile on his face. "She’s absolutely stunning,” he corrected. “She treats people so beautifully. Her resilience is something else entirely. Her laugh,” he rambled, shaking his head, “is so contagious. She made me feel like myself again. Like I’m just Tom. She’s everything”. When he felt Harry simply stare at him, he continued his rambling. “The way her eyes crinkle every time she bites her lip, the way she bashfully bats her eyelashes as she processes a complement, the way her eyes light up when she sees a y/f/a,” Tom mumbled, staring off.

Harry shook his head. Bloody Hell, his older brother was absolutely smitten. “Does she know?” He asked, pulling Tom from his thoughts.

“What?” Tom questioned in response.

“That you like her,” Harry stated matter-of-factly.

Tom shook his head. “No,” he sighed. “Y/n has a boyfriend”.

“Right,” Harry nodded, remembering that fact perfectly fine. “But, he’s an arse.“ “Don’t you think she should know there’s something more for her out there? That there’s someone week wants to offer her that? And, then let her choose?”

Tom bit his lip as he replayed Harry’s words repeatedly. While he had tried to tell y/n she deserved more, he hadn’t told her that he wanted to be the one to offer that to her. She didn’t know that Ryan wasn’t the only option she had. It was at that point Tom realized that he shouldn't give up, especially when he knows y/n deserves far better than Ryan. It was time he told her the true depth of his feelings for her.

“You’re right,” Tom nodded. He abruptly stood and grabbed his phone and wallet. He slid them both into his pockets as he hurriedly made his way towards the trailer door.

“Mate, I didn’t mean now,” Harry commented. “What about the next scene? You’re due in,” he looked at his watch, “twenty”.

“Just-,” Tom sighed. “I gotta go do this, Baz,” he argued. “Tell Jon that I’m so sorry, but there’s something crucial I have to do.” He knew as the director, Jon would likely be upset still, so he decided to make his final argument as to why it had to be now. “I can’t properly shoot this scene until I do this, I have to clear my mind, and until I do this, that won’t be possible,” he concluded, quickly opening the trailer door and rushing out.

Y/n’s steps faltered as she neared her apartment. She’d been on her way home from work when she unexpectedly spotted him. Tom was standing at her door, his hand raised as if he was about to knock. “T-Tom?” She asked, voice hushed.

Tom spun around to face y/n, a slightly-relieved expression on his face.

“What are… what’re you doing here?” Y/n asked skeptically. She nervously shifted her weight to her right. “Shouldn’t you be filming right now?”

Tom nodded. “I’m supposed to be, yes,” he admitted. Seeing y/n’s skepticism, he offered a faint smile. “But, I really needed to talk to you about something,” he explained.

Y/n sighed and shook her head as she reached past him for the door handle. “You should just go back to filming,” she muttered, lightly inserting her key into the door. “Surely there’s a lot of people counting on you”. She turned the lock and grimaced at the next words she would speak. “You shouldn’t waste your time thinking about a no one like me”.

Tom grabbed y/n’s wrist just as she turned the door knob and opened her apartment. He was about to respond when he noticed the way y/n’s face fell, her lips parted. He quickly turned to where she was looking and his eyes widened.

Y/n felt like throwing up as she took in the scene before her. Ryan had seemingly let himself in again. Only, he wasn’t alone. Instead, her new coworker, Diana was with him. He was shirtless, the button of his jeans undone as he was towering over Diana on the couch, her only halfway dressed. Once she regained her composure, y/n glared at them. “Get out!” She commanded loudly.

Ryan stumbled as he tried to straighten himself out. “Babe, it’s not what it looks like,” he said, earning a loud scoff from y/n. “I was trying to help her up, she hurt her back and-,” he said, trying to still deny that he was cheating even though he had been caught.

“I don’t believe you,” y/n laughed humorlessly. “That’s the stupidest excuse ever.” She shook her head. “You’re literally cheating on me in my own apartment!” She yelled dumbfounded. She knew Ryan’s place was a mess, so that’s probably why he brought Diana here, but really?!

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Y/n hissed at Ryan, furious tears forming in her eyes as Diana scurried past her. “What did I do to you to-,” she began to interrogate Ryan. She needed to know what she’d done,or not done, to cause him to cheat on her.

“You didn’t do anything, y/n,” Tom whispered supportively. He noticed due to his shock, he still had a hold on her wrist. He slowly let go and she walked further into her apartment.

“Obviously, we’re fucking through!” Y/n declared, aggressively grabbing Ryan’s shirt from her living room floor.

“No we’re not,” Ryan argued, tossing the shirt aside when y/n threw it his way.

“The hell we aren’t!” Y/n huffed. “I should’ve broken up with you ages ago!” She shook her head over her naïveté and excessive kindness. “But no, I kept defending you even when you didn’t do shit to deserve it!” Y/n stomped closer to her now ex-boyfriend. “Meanwhile you were fucking Diana?!” She rolled her eyes.

“Don’t speak to me like that,” Ryan growled, sharp eyes narrowing at y/n. “That’s not how you speak to your boyfriend”.

“What do you not understand?! We’re through!” Y/n yelled, throwing her hands up in exasperation. “D.O.N.E. Done!” She wiped the tears of frustration from her face. She didn’t want Ryan thinking he’d made her cry by breaking her heart. In reality, he’d broken it long ago, she just hadn’t realized nor accepted that fact until now. But today, her tears were due to her immeasurable anger over the fact he’d been cheating on her while she had been putting up with asshole behavior for far too long. The betrayal truthfully didn’t hurt so much as it made her furious. Both towards herself and him. “Get. Out. Leave my house and my life and don’t ever think of coming back,” she ordered forcefully despite the way Ryan glared at her.

Ryan rolled his eyes and shook his head dismissively. He forcefully huffed and grabbed y/n’s forearm aggressively. “Now, you listen to m-,” He began.

As soon as Ryan grabbed y/n tightly, Tom decided it was no longer best to wait it out. He rushed forward. “Get your hands off her!”

Ryan ignored Tom’s command, only tightening his grip on y/n’s arm. He scoffed when y/n twisted her arm until she was able to get out of his hold. He then turned his attention back to Tom. “You shouldn’t act like a hero here. This isn’t some movie set. We all know you wouldn’t risk getting your pretty face all marked up over her,” Ryan commented.

Y/n narrowed her eyes at Ryan and shook her head. “Just leave Ryan,” she ordered. “Leave Tom out of this,” she added, “you’re the one who fucked up”.

Ryan ignored y/n and stepped closer to Tom. Tom naturally copied the movement, not backing down from him. Especially not when his current stance was also blocking Ryan from being able to grab y/n again.

Ryan squinted at Tom and rolled his eyes. “Just between you and me, mate,” he taunted. “I know you just wanna fuck her".

Tom was livid, but controlled himself. His nostrils flared as he breathed his anger out through them. “Y/n told you to go. Leave her be and just go,” he commanded firmly.

Ryan’s gaze sharpened in anger. He raised his fist and punched Tom’s right cheek.

Y/n gasped loudly. “Ryan!” She yelled, moving to step around Tom. “What the hell!”

Tom was going to turn the other cheek per se when Ryan had struck him. That is until y/n’s reaction made Ryan more furious. He watched the way Ryan raised his hand as he yelled at her to stop talking. Before Ryan could smack y/n, Tom promptly broke Ryan’s nose with his fist.

Y/n’s eyes were wide and teary as she moved to the side of the fight, frantically trying to find a spot to slide in and break it up. As the two kept exchanging blows, she became more desperate to end it. Tom didn’t need to deal with Ryan’s aggression issues when he had just been trying to protect her. She wrapped her arms around Tom’s waist and pulled back. Y/n could tell when Tom caught on to what she was doing because suddenly it wasn’t so hard to move him.

“This is the last time I’m saying this, get the fuck out of here Ryan. If you ever come back, I’m calling to cops,” y/n threatened, pointing towards her front door.

At this point Ryan must’ve realized his ego was toast, it wasn’t worth her calling the cops, and/or he wasn’t going to win any arguments, as he finally just left.

Tom frantically turned towards y/n as soon as the door clicked shut behind Ryan. He gently took her hand and lifted her arm up into the light. His worried eyes scanned her arm, looking for any damage from Ryan forcefully grabbing her.

“I’m okay,” y/n whispered. She shook her head and frowned. “Are you?” She asked Tom, her worried and guilty eyes looking over his face. While he had nodded that he was fine, she noticed a bruise forming on his right cheekbone and that his lip was busted. She whimpered quietly and rushed to the bathroom to get the first aid kit.

“Here,” y/n said, holding out an instant ice pack for Tom. She eyed his bruise and looked away guiltily. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

“Love, don’t,” Tom pleaded, tilting her head up to him. “This isn’t your fault”.

“I’m the idiot who dated him,” y/n argued, shaking her head as her eyes looked everywhere but Tom’s face. She only relented and looked his way when his fingers gently tapped her cheek as a silent request.

Tom gave y/n a tender expression. “This is not your fault,” he repeated, more firmly this time.

Y/n sniffled but nodded in reluctant agreement. She gently began to dab the cloth from the first aid kit against Tom’s busted and bleeding bottom lip.

“Are you okay?” Tom asked. Seeing y/n was about to say yes, he shook his head. “I mean about the breakup,” he stated.

Y/n set the bloody cloth aside and moved to hold the ice pack to Tom’s cheek. “Y-yeah,” she mumbled, still dazed over how it all went down. “Gonna need a new couch though,” she complained. “But��… otherwise.., I’m fine”.

Tom hummed sympathetically. He tenderly took hold of y/n’s free hand and sighed. “It’s okay not to be,” he reassured her. “I really don’t like that guy… never did,” he shook his head. “Like I said before, you deserved better”.

Y/n’s hands remained on the ice pack, but her gaze shifted away from Tom. “No, I don’t,” she said.

“Y/n,” Tom sighed. When he noticed she was about to argue, he rested a finger against her lips. “Let me finish, please,” he requested softly. Once she nodded and looked his way, he gave her a warm smile.

“You are so gorgeous, so authentic, so sweet,” Tom hummed, his finger moving from y/n’s lips to her jaw as he mindlessly rubbed it back and forth. “I meant it when I said I’d never meet anyone like you,” he declared. “It constantly baffles me when you point out that you don’t see yourself that way”. “This isn’t the way I’d wanted to tell you this, but,” Tom shook his head lightly, “you have undoubtedly turned me into a blushing mess more times than I can count. And I want nothing more than to have the opportunity to make you happy, to give you the love that you deserve”.

Y/n only noticed she was crying when Tom gently dried them with his soft fingers. “Wh-why?” She shook her head doubtfully. “Why would you like me? Of all people, Tom?” “I’m not a model or actress, I’m just ordinary,” she reminded him, “and like the fans said, I’m not all that thin and-”.

Tom moved his pointer finger back over until it covered y/n’s lips again; gently cutting her off. “I like you because you’re you, love,” he simplified. “Not only are you breathtakingly beautiful, smart, funny, and kind,” he began tenderly. “But, you do such grand things out of the kindness of your heart. And you don’t treat me like I’m Tom Holland, the celebrity. You make me feel so comfortably normal. Yet, simultaneously appreciated for being just me,” he explained.

“Tom.. I…,” y/n whispered.

“You don’t have to say anything back, I know this is all unex-,” Tom reassured.

Y/n shook her head. “I confess, I think that I like you too,” she confessed, biting her lip as she played back each moment with him in her mind. “But.. what will the public say when they find out you’re with someone who isn’t famous?”

Tom shrugged. “I truly don’t care, love, I couldn’t care less about what the public will say,” he promised, smiling at y/n. “The only opinions that I ever care about are the people that really matter to me, and you’re easily one of them”.

Y/n smiled sadly at Tom. She lowered the ice pack and pressed it into his hand. “Tom, thank you,” she whispered. She shook her head. “But, I’m not worthy of being one of them though,” she stated before turning to walk away before she could get her hopes too high.

Tom quickly but gently grabbed y/n’s hand. He spun her to him, like the night they slow danced. He closed his eyes and leaned forward, catching her off guard with a kiss. He felt her gasp briefly in shock before she quickly began to kiss him back.

Y/n’s hands found the back of Tom’s neck, wrapping herself in his hold; the hold she’d missed so much. How she’d been in denial of her feelings this long was insane. And a true travesty if realizing it earlier meant she would’ve been able to be doing this the whole time. The kiss intensified as she leans into him.

After a moment, they both pulled apart to catch their breath. Their foreheads rested against each others as they gazed into the others’ eyes.

“Wow,” y/n stated, memorized by the unexpected kiss.

Tom grinned at y/n and held her hips tenderly. “If you’ll let me, I promise to help you realize that you deserve the world,” he vowed quietly.

Y/n closed her eyes as she moved and leaned her head against Tom’s chest. “Okay,” she smiled tenderly. “But… Can we take it slow?” She asked, opening her eyes and tilting her head up to look at him. “I really don’t want to mess this up,” she explained.

Tom smiled warmly at y/n and nodded. “I couldn’t agree more, darling,” he replied tenderly. He craned his neck and placed a small kiss to her forehead.

Taglist: @theslayerofthevampires @galaxyholland @bigbirdstwins @mcushvft @fishingirl12 @raajali3 @justapurrcat @natswifeysblog15 @directioner5life @ell0ra-br3kk3r @laylasbunbunny

Tom Holland Masterlist

In Time Series Masterlist Navigation

Peter Parker / Spider-Man Masterlist

All My Works / My Main Masterlist Navigation

[sarah-sandwich-writes]

Word Search Tag Game!

Rules: In a new post use the words below (or choose your own) to find where they appear in your WIP/s and share those parts.

Thanks for tagging me @writer-or-whatever! This is one of my favorite games 🥰 and it didn't even take a full month for me to get to it haha

I'm oversharing as usual! This time from my as of yet unnamed fic that I've been calling Not SM4: Bring it on Home. It's my Harley-centric nonparkner canon compliant post-nwh fic where trans!Harley uses his homemade Iron Man suit to steal in order to keep Rose Hill afloat post-blip.

Breath:

“D’you want me to bring Evrett by today?” [Harley] asks, abandoning the previous subject entirely.

[Mama]’s squatting in front of a cupboard, digging through Tupperware for the matching lid to the bowl in her hand. “A few days with Tonya’ll do him good, I expect. I’ll be a breath of fresh air in comparison.”

He can’t see it.

“I’ll bring him in a few days then.”

He waits while she spoons the remaining fried apples into the bowl and seals it. The lid steams over and the plastic is hot in his hand as he takes it and allows his mother to kiss his cheek.

“You make sure that gets to your sister,” she says. Her eyes are dark as they sweep over his face. He sees neither guilt nor regret in their depths. “I love you.”

He swallows his pride and says, “I love you, too.”

And he does. He just wishes it didn’t hurt so much.

Out and Clarity:

“Tell me what’s happening,” [Harley] barks into the comm as the parking garage comes into view. There are two sets of headlights where there should only be one.

Through the comm, Josh sounds rattled and that’s when he knows the shit has truly hit the fan.

“There’s another group trying to— Alison, no!”

Harley puts on a burst of speed that brings the people on the roof into clarity just as an Alison-shaped figure leaps from the back of the box truck and tackles an unfamiliar figure in all black. He’s flying in hot to do anything short of a brutal amount of damage, so he doesn’t grab her by her jacket and throw her back into the truck like he wants to. Instead, he blasts the concrete roof with a small burst from his repulsor to send one of their adversaries dancing back, away from the truck, and then lands with a concrete-crushing crash between the open back doors and what he now sees is a team of seven dressed in matching fatigues.

Great. This is why nobody bothers with New York except egomaniacs with something to prove. Nothing can ever be simple. You always run into some big shot living out their crime lord fantasy or some big shot with delusions of heroism. If you're really unlucky you get caught between the two.

Almost as though summoned by the thought, a blur of red and blue flips over the tall concrete wall that rings the roof and shouts something quippy as he blasts a spray of webbing at the guy standing closest to the truck.

Harley panics. He’s made his peace with the idea of eventually getting caught and being brought to justice, but not his team. He’s supposed to protect his team. They’re not supposed to get pulled under by the crumbling of his little gambling operation. It’s supposed to land on his shoulders and his shoulder alone.

He turns his back on Spider-Man, braced for the tug of web against his armor, part of him already running the calculations—tensile strength vs. repulsor torque, which would win?—and hauls Alison up by the back of her jacket. A body hits the ground behind him with a groan while Spider-Man chirps something about getting punchy when he’s out past his bed time.

“Get back in the truck and this time stay there!” Harley says with an audible pitch in his voice.

Immediately after he wishes he would have thought to whisper, although it likely doesn’t matter. It’s no secret Spider-Man is ridiculously enhanced. While most people like to speculate about what is, Harley has found it’s more productive to note what isn’t. The list is depressingly short.

Tagging: @zerolostwalks @sheps-shepherd @shipskicksandgiggles @physalian and anyone else who wants to play!

YOUR WORDS: leave, drain, and rest

[tobiasdrake]

Alright, going into Spider-Man: No Way Home.

This movie's very existence is kind of fascinating to me. Because it wasn't supposed to exist. This was never the plan. Coming out of Far From Home, the plan was for Kraven the Hunter to be the next big Spidey bad guy. And that makes a lot of sense! You can see how Kraven coming in and doing a public manhunt for Spider-Man spins out of Far From Home's sequel hook.

But then Disney and Sony decided they didn't want to work together anymore and nearly broke up. Now, this is going to be speculative, because a lot has to do with contract arrangements behind closed doors which we are not privy to. So take what I'm about to say with a grain of salt. But we know that Sony was the one that wanted the divorce because they were unhappy with the profit splitting.

But here's what always struck me about this whole situation. When Marvel and Sony first got together to make their Spidey films, they had very different understandings of what this agreement would entail. We know that because of a public disagreement between Amy Pascal and Kevin Feige years back.

When Sony announced their Venom movie, Pascal was thrilled to tell us that these Spidey Villain movies would be MCU-adjacent. What that means is that they would exist in a one-sided relationship with MCU continuity. The idea seemed to be that they take place in a setting that is the MCU, but that proper MCU products are under no obligation to ever reference their events.

Kinda like how Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. worked, where whether or not it's canon to the MCU depends on if you're asking the show or if you're asking anything else but the show.

But when Kevin Feige heard about this, he was like, "What? No! The Sony movies aren't MCU anything. Sony is doing THEIR thing over there and it has nothing to do with us whatsoever. These aren't quasi-canon, they are NOT CANON AT ALL to the MCU."

I'm not saying that this argument was why Marvel and Sony were going to split up. But it did suggest that what Sony and Marvel each thought they had agreed to were two different things entirely.

So now, we arrive at No Way Home. Sony was a hair's breadth away from taking their ball and going home. It was only because of an impassioned plea from Tom Holland that they agreed to stick around and work together. They're literally staying married for the kid. And the result of the new deal? Seems to be a lot more in-line with what Sony originally wanted.

Sony's movies are now officially canon to the MCU sort of, just like Sony wanted. They aren't happening in MCU-616 but they are recognized as part of the MCU Multiverse, and they can slip in cheeky references in their movies like having Miguel mention Dr. Strange's NWH spell in Across the Spider-Verse.

And not only that, but every Sony Spidey movie is now canon to the MCU multiverse. No Way Home has been completely retooled, from a movie about Kraven hunting down Peter to a two-hour documentary on how cool Sony's contributions to the Spider-Man filmology were, and how wonderful Sony is for making them.

Regardless of who was actually at fault, which is a super messy question to get into, this movie is the cinematic equivalent of a bouquet of flowers with a card that reads, "Come back to me, baby; I'm sorry, I was wrong."

[abcd-em]

talk shop twosday ✌️:

are there any fics you would write a prequel for?

do you think you'll want to follow any sprinklings of plot details we get for sm4 (casting, photos from filming, sneak peeks, trailers, etc) to write speculative fic? or would you rather wait until it's out?

TWOSDAY!!!

1) Too Slow Moving was a one shot that happened bc I was being a scaredy-cat about actually writing a symbiote fic so I took all the angst and did a post-symby fic. I would love to one day write the before of that.

2) 1000000% yes. I am not immune to the zoomies. The second we get even the slightest whiff of how things will go, I will. Be. There.

I've written so much post nwh stuff already, the well clearly isn't dry, so YES YES YES, the second we get something else for me to spin in circles around I have no doubt that there will be worbs. I think that's part of the fun of being a fandom writer.

[destinyc1020]

I would love to see Rebecca starring in a movie where she plays a rock star. Those are her vibes. I imagine her even in her 70s being a rebel

What I really appreciated about you in the 2020-2021 period is that you never outright assumed what was going on with Tom & Z. You speculated about likely theories taking everything that we had access to (which was not a lot given that NWH was a closed set due to COVID), but you always left the door open for alternate theories. I dislike when fans don't accept the possibility of a different explanation to the info we know (if the other theories are not ridiculous). It's nice to have an open mind and adopt the WAS approach

I would love to see Rebecca starring in a movie where she plays a rock star. Those are her vibes. I imagine her even in her 70s being a rebel

You know what? I could actually totally see her in that vibe lol. 😅 Even though what she wears is nothing I would personally wear, I do like that she just does her, and doesn't try to follow the crowd.

What I really appreciated about you in the 2020-2021 period is that you never outright assumed what was going on with Tom & Z. You speculated about likely theories taking everything that we had access to (which was not a lot given that NWH was a closed set due to COVID), but you always left the door open for alternate theories. I dislike when fans don't accept the possibility of a different explanation to the info we know (if the other theories are not ridiculous). It's nice to have an open mind and adopt the WAS approach

Awww thank you Anon!! 🥰❤️

I don't really like trying to "predict the future". I much rather just wait and see. I know it's boring, but I always say that sometimes, if you just wait a little bit, you will find out the truth.

Plus, I feel like we as fans only see 2% of what's going on anyway, so trying to predict the future when we don't even know what's going on in a rlshp with two people is a bit much imo. 🥴 We can always speculate of course, but if you notice, I don't usually like to talk in absolutes, cuz I've been SHOCKED at some of the things that have ended up happening later on down the line in rlshps rofl 🤣

That's all I'll say lol.

[missamyshay]

Talk shop tuesday: what would be your dream storyline for SM4? Have you incporated this into fic already? Do you have any fics planned that touch on it?

I tend not to speculate or theorise because when it comes to film I like to be surprised (only in a good way, though, which is rare lol). But where NWH left off with Peter feels so much like a new chapter in a book—almost anything could work. I think maybe because I’ve been writing a little more of her character lately and been falling in love all over again, I would love to see some Felicia on screen. To see her play a pivotal part in the next phase of Peter’s life as he matures and changes—that would be exciting.

[a-chaotic-person]

God having thoughts abt my nwh experiences. Two years ago I dragged my now partners to see it with me. For ten days leading up to it I made them watch lead-up Spider-Man movies: Raimi trilogy, TASMs, Venoms, MCUs, ITSV. They listened to me speculate, list the sorts of things I wanted to see and the things I really, really didn’t, and the things I thought there was no way Marvel could pull off (which they some how DID?? Literally life-giving). I warned them I would react violently in theaters, and yet both of them chose to sit on either side of me, letting me hit them and whisper theories and shout oh my god.

I didn’t actually think Raimi and TASM Spider-Man would be in nwh. I thought it was wishful thinking, so I flipped my entire SHIT when they showed up. I was afraid they would kill May, and yet when she died it had actual meaning, and it worked. I was wary of an OMD type situation, and yet that worked too. For all its flaws, nwh flipped the things I thought would be tasteless and made it tasteful. God. I truly think it’s one of the best Spider-Man movies

[shrinkthisviolet]

I have a few questions about Amelia Parker!! First of all, does she have any counterparts in the multiverse or not? Secondly, does she interact with the other Peters? Thirdly, what do the other Peters think of HER?

Oooh I love these questions! Thank you 💞

Well the multiverse being infinite and all means that she probably has a counterpart out there somewhere. But…none that play a role in her AU (at least not up to NWH, haven’t decided about anything beyond that) ��‍♀️ she just speculates that they might exist and wonders if she’ll get to meet them

She does interact with the other Peters! The oldest Peter reminds her a lot of Uncle Ben…not in appearance per se but in the way he acts—parental, a bit stern, deeply caring, protective (and especially after he stops MCU Peter from killing Goblin 🥺). She’s not entirely sure what to make of the middle Peter, but he’s cool

Neither of the other Peters has an Amelia counterpart, so they’re pretty surprised to meet her and not quite sure how to act…after all, they’re Peter, and this is apparently MCU Peter’s sister, so that sorta makes them cosmic siblings. It’s weird 😂 middle Peter is more uncertain, a little wary, because he’s reluctant to form a new connection (he’s been through so much loss already, without enough time to really process it). Older Peter…well, the age difference is bigger there, so the dynamic leans slightly more parental (which is an evolution of older-sibling feelings anyway, speaking as an older sibling myself)

[episodeoftv]

Round 3 of 8, Group 2 of 2

propaganda and summaries are under the cut (May include spoilers)

Gravity Falls: 2.11 Not What He Seems

The twins wonder if they really know Grunkle Stan after he is taken into custody by the government agents.

this episode is everything. The title references one of the first ciphers you could find in the show: STAN IS NOT WHAT HE SEEMS. The end of episode one has Stan being super sketchy. You spend all of season one wondering when he’ll turn evil. And then he doesn’t. You’re pulled along. You learn to love him. And then he’s being MORE suspicious right in front of your face in season 2. NWHS premieres. The kids have to question if they trust Stan. YOU question if you trust Stan. Everything’s happening all at once and then the whole sequence at the end. Oh my god. Heart stopping. Dippers betrayed shouting, Soos’s desperate protection of the kids, Mabel! MABEL! Her trust, her belief, despite EVERHTHING. And then the end. Oh my god the end. The reveal that broke the fandom. Shattered everyone. NWHS is the best piece of TV I’ve ever seen.

the next episode didn't come out for two months and the fandom was frothing at the mouth waiting for it.

The drama. The mystery. We've known forever that Stan was hiding something. We get a payoff to the portal. We find out who The Author Of The Journal is and It's His Fucking Twin. That one scene where gravity turns off and he escapes the cops (feds?). Mabel saying Grunkle Stan, I Trust You. Most iconic and badass episode of the show.

It is just incredible. The biggest reveal of the series happens at the end (this description will contain spoilers but I'm staying vague as possible until the end where it will spoil the reveal to give people time to stop reading this). The amount of suspense and emotional tension that builds and builds over the episode is just incredible. Even after seeing it dozens of times I am on the edge of my seat watching it. The way Dipper and Mabel find out pieces of the puzzle, both things the audience has seen and been speculating on, and new things. The way their first theory about Stan is presented and then show the painting of him smiling CHILLS. And the scene in the basement where Stan finally gets there and he and Dipper have such an emotional fight about all the secrets. And then Mabel caught in the middle and how she is distressed but ultimately trusts Stan. Oh the shot of her letting go is so iconic. And then of course the big author reveal moment is the most amazing thing ever. Ok here is the SPOILER WARNING FOR THE BEST TWIST IN THE SHOW The way Ford's silhouette is seen coming out of the portal then the six fingered hand over the journal and then his face is revealed while Stan says The author of the Journals... my brother. Just top tier scene in every way. I don't think any episode in any other show has ever done to me what this episode does to me.

The Little House on the Prairie: 1.18 Plague

With the sudden intensity of a prairie storm, typhus is unleashed on an unsuspecting Walnut Grove, teaming Charles with Doc Baker and Reverend Alden, who work together to the point of exhaustion tending to the community's sick and dying; but when new victims begin to pour in from the surrounding countryside the desperate men know they must find the source of the plague if they expect to stop the deadly epidemic.

it's got to be the first full episode I saw of The Little House On the Prairie and man it TRAUMATIZED me like everyone is dying and there are rats.

[zendyval]

All these discussions about SM4 are funny because the THR article confirmed that not even Tom has signed a new contract yet. And if SM4 is released just a couple of months after Avengers 5 in 2026 and just before Avengers 6, it would be hard for it to not deal with the multiverse (again). Bringing back MJ would make the most sense in a street-level Spidey story, not in another multiverse story. So IF Z is back, I just see a cameo. They ended NWH with her forgetting about Peter and if they are doing Battle World with Peter, there wouldn't be time for a subplot about MJ recovering her memories. So my expectations are very low regarding Z in SM4. I think many people over here just want another Tom & Z press tour and they don't give a fuck about the story

I'm not really speculating on the storyline because I don't know anything about it other than I highly doubt Z's role would just be a cameo. They are not having Zendaya of all people under contract to only do a cameo with her, unless that is the only thing Z wanted to do in the film. If the option is Z cameo or nothing, then yes. But I feel fairly confident that when given the option of finding a bigger role for one of the biggest stars of her generation, they will. That said it doesn't need to be that she's in the film for all two hours but I fully expect more than a cameo.

[pamet-u-glavuuu]

"I know it's impossible but it's fun to speculate" sorry but you make no sense. You can have fun speculating things that probably did happen or will soon like them being engaged but you guys are bringing up a little bit too much the possibility of him going or post when the first option is not even plausible when you look at the facts. And a fan screening is not a premiere tell your other anon, she didn't walk with him on the red carpet for any of the Uncharted photo call lol. And that's okay. Maybe in the next 2 years they will be more comfortable going together to events like this (since Law mentioned NWH premiere was their >first< red carpet together as a public couple). And what up with all the think pieces in your inbox if it's not that deep and it's all fun speculation, then why it looks like I hit too many nerves with one ask? (Yes I've only sent one before).

Anyway

Have a good day.

Ok sure. You are not the only one and how can i know which one is your ask 😭

[awakening5]

Forward

I lied recently. I said that trailers and promo stuff didn’t inspire me to write. But it turns out that’s wrong. I’ve had an idea in my head for almost a year when an image from set was leaked. And the bits we’ve gotten from the trailers have only added fuel to the fire. So here it is.

Peter stands for a moment, in the light snow outside the shop. “Happy Hanukkah” the window sign says. Deep in Peter’s subconscious, he can’t help but hope that Michelle chose to work here with him in mind. It’s silly. She doesn’t remember him. Not well, at least. But he hopes anyway.

He steels himself and walks in. It’s a delightful little bakery. Peter can’t say he pictured Michelle in a place like this, but when he sees her behind the counter, he can only smile. She’s beautiful, and her no-nonsense attitude may not be the best for the service industry in the typical sense. But she no doubt endears her customers instantly with her wit and authenticity.

Peter steps forward, and his smile falters when he sees what’s around her neck.

“Hey...it’s Peter, right?” she asks. Normally, the question might be a dagger through his heart, even though he knew to expect it. Michelle’s memories were so tied to Peter being Spider-Man, that what was left after the spell took effect was like that of a classmate she’d never spoken to.

“Yeah,” he mumbles in response. “Hey MJ.” She frowns. “Michelle, sorry.”

Eyes narrowed, she tilts her head up. “What’ll you have?”

Peter can’t stop his eyes from drifting down to her necklace again. “Your necklace,” he breathes out.

Her hand covers it, and then she plays with it in her fingers. “What of it?”

“Black Dahlia. It’s broken. And you still wear it.”

Peter can’t tell if she’s defensive or offended by his statement. “Broken things can still be beautiful.”

A laugh bubbles up in him. Joyous and hopeful. “Yeah,” he grins at her. “Yeah, they can.”

She looks at him, head tilted and trying to figure him out. Peter may be botching this reunion, but he can’t seem to care in this moment, with his gifted necklace to her staring him right in the face.

“So what’ll it be?” she asks again, waving at the many pastries and cakes on display.

There were two good things to come out of the hell of the past few months. First, even though MJ, May, and Ned forgot that he was Spider-Man, the rest of the world did, too. They wouldn’t be in danger from his enemies, or hounded by press and conspiracies. Second, he had a chance to be honest with MJ.

“I was wondering if you could meet me for coffee some time,” he tells her.

Her eyebrows lift, and her eyes widen. Michelle hoped when her memory was taken that she’d still remember him enough that her crush would still be there. Peter hoped so too, but was less optimistic. Her crush may not have been because he was Spider-Man, but all of her observations that led to her liking him were inextricably linked to her theory that he was the masked hero. And her reaction now seemed to back his pessimism.

“Did you seriously just walk in here to ask me out?” she asks, mouth open in disbelief.

Peter can only smile and shake his head. A lot rides on this reunion with her. But he’s surprisingly calm. He knows her. He loves her.

“No, hopefully that part will come later,” he admits to her. “This is just a chance to talk to you. There are some things I want to tell you.”

I’m Spider-Man.

You and I were together for months before I screwed up a spell and almost broke the universe and lost you.

I’m in love with you.

He’s still not sure how much he can tell her at once. But he knows he wants to do it differently this time.

“How do you tell someone that you’re Spider-Man?” he’d asked.

“Someone you care about?” she’d responded. “You just tell them.”

So he’ll tell her.

She’s still frowning in confusion at him. He can’t imagine how strange this conversation has seemed to her. But he’s confident that she’ll say yes. He’s being honest. And she’s wearing his necklace.

“Okay,” she says, chin raised.

He continues to smile at her. “Okay.”

He orders some donuts or something for May. They decide on a place to meet. He bids farewell.

“Bye Michelle.”

“MJ,” she says with just a hint of confused reluctance.

“Goodbye, MJ,” he beams, and steps out of the shop.

The snow falls on his face, flakes melting on his cheeks. He takes a deep breath, and looks thoughtful to the sky. He can feel Michelle’s gaze on his back through the windows. But he doesn’t look back. There are wonderful memories that are forever lost behind him. But now he knows the future holds even more.