#past starker

[winterspiderpurrs]

Tony found out May died a week after it happened. And it was because he asked where Happy was cause he hadn't seen him. Apparently, he took off when he found out and didn't tell Tony in his rush. He knew that following him to California took a strain on the on and off dating Happy and May had going on. But they always remained close even after the move.

It's been 10 years since he last saw Peter.

He books a flight from California to New York. While they had broken up they had been together for several years, and knew how important May was to Peter.

Maybe he should have checked in or did a background check. Cause sure he knew he would have moved on. Hell he dated several people off and on over the years.

But nothing prepared him for pulling up to small brownstone in Brooklyn. Or for a man he didn't know, wearing a wedding ring opening the door.

[winterspiderpurrs]

Tony and Stephen agrued a bit more. They were more upset that they didn't realize they dated the same person. How could they miss that fact? Then again, they never expected to run into Peter again, especially at an event like this. That made them pause. Why is Peter here? Not to be cruel, he was smart, but these events had to BE somebody or have the money to show for it.

Looking around the room to try to find Peter, they spot him sitting at one of the tables in the front. Peter looked older but still had this youthfulness to him. Looking much more confident, and both later, Tony and Stephen could admit that he looked good. They tried to make their way closer before someone came onto the stage asking for attention for a quick speech.

" Good evening! We appreciate everyone joining us for tonight, we are proud to be hosting this event for the End Of The Line organization that Steve Rogers as put together to help our veterns.... everyone... Steve Rogers!"

A man walks across the stage and nods at the crowd, a smile on his face.

" Thank you. I'll keep this short so we can enjoy the rest of the evening. With your generous donations we are proud to announce we have met and exceeded our goal. Within a years time we will have renovated a new safe place for our veterns where they can have a room of their own, have access to medical and psychological care, a warm meal and being out of the cold."

There was a round of applause and a camera flashing.

" If you told me 3 years ago I would be up here, I wouldn't have believed you. And as much as you are responsible for your generosity, I also have to thank my husband. Without you pushing me to pursue this dream of mine, first a year ago for our 1st Brooklyn location, and now this one, we will be opening in Queens. You have helped me achieve this... thank you for believing in this and for believing in me. Now... lets drink and enjoy our night and don't forget to join us at our next silent auction to get us closer to our goal of every vetern having a safe place and expand to homeless all over the boroughs."

There were more applause and laughs. Steve exited the stage, shaking hands with the mayor and a few others.

Tony and Stephen watch silently mesmerized as Steve approaches the table Peter is at. Peter smiles brightly up at him, standing up to meet him. Steve wraps his arm around Peter, Peter standing up on his tip toes as Steve leans down to share a chaste kiss.

Well... now they know why he was here.

Stephen and Tony laying in bed. They have been together for 7 years now. Maybe they are having late night talks, serious, bare it all talks. And maybe on this night, they talk about "the one that got away" they are happy together, and things are great and wouldn't trade each other for the world.

But both their pasts are complicated. Most people are not still best friends with their ex's who got together. Who knew that Pepper and Christine would end up as the love story of the century.

But surprisingly, they don't say those names- the one the other was expecting.

" See... there was this intern. His name was Peter; I never clicked so well with someone. But he was young.... Pepper said it was bad PR so we kept it quite. We didn't go public... we were together about a year, but I still wasn't off the wagon.. just better at hiding it at that point... there was a party. I can't really remember the night, but the next day he was gone. ..."

" Funnily mine was named Peter too.... his aunt was a nurse at the hospital, and he volunteered there a lot for the scholarship for his college. We fit well together, I knew he had recently gotten out of a relationship, but we were moving fast. I had a long day with intense surgery... one of the few patients I lost. I was angry. I know he was trying to encourage me. But I wasn't having it. I said.... so many hurtful things... Came home a few days later to a package of my things from his place at the door."

Would they realize they were talking about the same Peter??

And just who is Peter with now....

- WinterSpiderPurrs

A year later, Stephen and Tony are at a charity event. They already made their donations, but they have to show some face as well. The couple is very much looking forward to leaving soon and going on a date, just the two of them. Tony found a new exciting looking restaurant they want to try.

Seeing familiar faces in the crowd is to be expected, but this one feels different. It stirs up something in Tony, even after just one glance. His curls are shorter, but the colour is the same.

The young man turns, and their eyes meet. Tony doesn’t make the first move, too embarrassed to do so. He knows he was in the wrong way back then. But, the man approaches. God, Peter is even more beautiful now.

“Mr Stark! It’s been a long time.”

“Yeah, it really has. Mr Parker.” Tony manages to breathe out shakily. Peter’s smile seems so genuine, but there is something in his eyes. It is hard to pinpoint with all the memories swirling in Tony’s mind.

“Hey, honey. Ready to get going?” Stephen swoops in from behind, putting a hand on the back of Tony’s neck.

“Oh, Doctor Strange, too. Wow!” Peter gasps.

Only now does Stephen notice Peter and his eyes go wide in surprise.

“Peter! I didn’t expect to see you here.” Stephen says, reaching a hand out in a greeting. Peter takes it, but lets go quickly.

“Wait, you know him?” Tony asks, making Stephen turn to him with a puzzled look.

“Yes, uhm- he volunteered at the hospital. Is- is that- intern Peter?”

The husbands start talking over each other, not really listening to one another, but neither wants to back down either. By the time they look around, Peter has disappeared.

Date night probably isn’t going to go as they hoped it would.

——

i would love love looove if you continued it a little bit if you can hehe☺️☺️ maybe stephen and tony meet peter on their way out and see him with someone?? @winterspiderpurrs 💗💗

[starker-sorbet]

⚘ Jewelweed ⚘ - symbolizes motherly love.

Omega mates with their newborn pups.

[no-name-for-me]

I don't know if this has been done before, but I was thinking.. what if Tony had the reputation of always having younger partners, never underage, but some people still judged since they where around the age of his son Harley, so when Harley slept with his father's partner people didn't bat an eye. Now what if Harley had a boyfriend no one knew about, Peter, whom he obviously cheated on. Peter didn't know who Harley's father was (somehow idk) and Tony and Peter end up meeting somewhere, and although they are not looking for a relationship they do sleep with eachother as well as talk about their situations, never naming anyone. Somehow Harley finds out, could be Tony presenting Peter as his partner after a few months OR Harley gets married with Tony's ex partner, and Tony doesn't want to go alone, so he invites Peter.

[vaguekiwi]

something-something Starker Fire Emblem AU???

[kimberbohwrites]

Can I request a drabble where Rolan overheard that gn Tav genuinely thought Rolan still hates them but just learnt to tolerate them? When in reality, he's been in denial about his crush on them for the longest time but accepted it recently 🤣

First of all— I am sorry that this took so long for me to get to. I rarely find time for asks and it took me awhile to get to this one— some of these I just needed more practice for tbh. I am striving to be better, however I am incredibly busy at work so I cannot promise you I always will be. Instead I promise you that I will always try to make your ask worth the wait.

Words Yet Unsaid

Rolan x Reader, SFW, only lightly edited

Word Count: 1214

Tags: Misunderstandings, fluff, and love confessions

Rolan sits down in front of you with a huff. There is a flush about his face that is so… him. The color on his cheeks paints a starker backdrop for the freckles that dot his face. Despite your so-called nerves of steel you cannot help but quickly glance away from the sight as your heart began to race in your chest.

The silence stretches and you look back across to find him nervously studying the wood grain of the table between you.

Sensing your gaze, he straightens up and clears his throat. He smoothes the simple but well-made dark blue tunic he’d worn with the tight leather breeches you could not help but notice as he’d joined you.

The color he’d chosen suited him well. Distracting you almost as much as the way his bottom and thighs had looked, no longer hidden behind the wizard robes. This was the first time you had ever seen him in at the tavern in casual clothes — sharp as these were.

The Elfsong Tavern was usually a good place to identify oneself as a great and powerful archwizard. But instead, he’d chosen to dress up and blend in with you. But why?

You tried not to let the racing of your heart, and the flush of your cheeks hide you from the cold truth that Rolan had never liked you. You were certain that this meeting he had arranged through Lia, was some sort of attempt at arbitration of your longstanding feud for the sake of his siblings.

Truth be told you had never wanted to fight with Rolan. It just happened every time you two had interacted since the very first time you’d crossed paths in the Druid’s Grove. That ire had only grown through the experiences that followed in the Shadow Cursed Lands and even when you’d slain his corrupt master and ended his apprenticeship abruptly.

So much pressure had instantly been thrust upon him, becoming master of the tower and archwizard of Baldur’s Gate so suddenly. Of course he’d be frustrated further by you.

Despite your best attempts to avoid him, your friendship with his siblings had caused you to repeatedly cross paths. It had been months now since the restoration of the city was considered complete, after you had ended the crisis. You’d attempted to returned to a normal life.

It was simple and gratifying, but something was missing.

“Thank you for joining me here this evening, you look lovely”

His tone cut through your thoughts; it sounded warm but a quick glance to his face revealed that warmth didn’t reach past his words. He looked… uncomfortable. Like your presence somehow pained him.

Tears sting in your eyes as you clear your throat and quickly stand.

“This was a bad idea.”

He opens his mouth, and his hand moves across the table like he’s reaching for you. Before he can form a word you continue.

“I’m sorry for wasting your time, I can tell this isn’t something you want to be doing”

You turn quickly to leave before he can say anything and before the tears you feel welling up are too much to hide. Your stride is quick and sure across the familiar boards of the tavern and out on to the streets that raised you.

The cool night air of the city was an immediate balm for the panic that had caused you to flee the tavern. All you needed to do was avoid Rolan for the rest of your life now, great.

You groan as you continued down the dark and empty streets. All of this weighs heavy on you but it becomes unbearable when the low roofs of the houses and shops fall away. As the street spills out into the open area which reveals Sorceress Sundries and the large structure which you knew was the point of travel for Ramazith Tower — the massive and beautiful wizard tower Rolan now called home.

It is as if the weight of the massive structure itself is on you now and you are stopped in your tracks. It’s then you hear your name called and the sound of someone running after you in the dark.

“Tav, wait! Please!”

You turn quickly to see Rolan sprint after you, still somehow looking perfect in his nice clothes despite the struggle of catching up to you. You glower momentarily at the thought that he will apparently always be gorgeous. Typical.

He catches up to you, huffing and puffing as his tail lashes out to steady him while he catches his breath.

“Why would you run after me?” You say with a whisper and you take a step closer to him, unsure if you’re needed to render aid for the struggling man.

“I… I’m sorry… I don’t hate… you… Tav….” He puffs out the words as he catches his breath.

Your blood runs cold at the words. It’s like you can feel the night breeze itself move through you.

“Rolan…”

You don’t know how to continue, and it gives him the opportunity to catch his breath and explain himself further.

“I’m sorry I shouldn’t have tried something so public to talk, Lia warned me, she didn’t say you’d run but…”

He sensed he was rambling and shook his head as if to clear it and start over. Your breath caught when his jaw tensed, the perfect bone structure always so eye catching, so hard to resist.

“I needed to tell you Tav, I don’t hate you. I… I overhead you talking to Cal and Lia about why you keep your distance when they invite you for dinner. I.. I should have apologized better — after all we had gone through—“

“We should have found time to talk…” You add

He takes a step closer to you, as if drawn to you and this time you don’t run.

“Why… Why would you run after me Rolan?” You ask

“Tav…”

“Why do you even care now?”

You can’t help it. The tears that had threatened you earlier, now spill down your cheeks as you pepper Rolan with questions.

He closes the distance to you quickly, his hands on your cheeks. You barely register the softness of the pads of his thumbs as they brush the tears away from your cheeks before you are swept away by the feeling of his lips, crashing into yours.

Your breath catches in your throat. You can’t help but moan into the kiss as his body presses firmly to yours.

He breaks the kiss and presses his forehead to yours and you feel his tail coil around your thigh. Keeping you flush with him as he speaks.

“Because, Tav… I love you. I think I have always…” He gasped as if the realization fully dawned on him as he spoke, “I think I have always loved you.”

You kiss him now, no words on your tongue could be sweeter than to feel his lips against yours once more.

There would be time for words but for right now you wanted to keep kissing the wizard and so you do.

Under the open skies and the stars that shine each night over the city of Baldur’s Gate, wrapped in the strong arms of the man you loved, you kissed him with all the passion of the words in your heart yet unsaid.

[fictionalsimp09]

Lakes - Wolfstar - @taylorswiftmicrofic - 338 words - AO3

Sirius takes hold of Remus’ hand and drags him out the castle. “Slow down,” he pants, trying to keep up with his energetic…friend? Boyfriend? “Where are we going anyways?” 

“Just wait.” 

They eventually stop, and Sirius turns to look out at the mountains past the lakes, while Remus stares in awe at the boy beside him, wind rustling his long black hair like he’s the main character of a movie. Sirius lets go of his hand and removes his top, then the rest of his clothes until he is standing in just his underwear. 

Remus feels his cheeks heat up but is unable to tear his eyes away from him. “I- what- I-” he stutters. 

Sirius chuckles at his flusteredness, and nods to him. “Your turn.” 

“I’m not stripping for the entire castle to see.” 

“It’s not like you’ll be completely starkers,” he laughs. “You said you’ve been in pain the last few days, and Poppy told me that swimming is supposed to help.” 

Remus smiles softly at him. “You talked to Poppy about…how to help me?” 

“Of course,” he says as if this is no big deal. He supposes it wouldn’t be a big deal for a normal person, unlike for a werewolf. “Now…you gonna go for a swim.” 

He huffs a laugh. “Fine.” 

They splash around in the cool water, smiling like they are the only two people in the world. Sirius grabs his shoulders for balance, and Remus leans in for a kiss without thinking, something they’ve only done once before when they were both drunk. As soon as he realises what he’s done, Sirius kisses him back before he has a chance to pull away. 

“Be my boyfriend?” Sirius asks when they part. 

“You- you want to be my boyfriend?” Remus replies incredulously. 

“Why wouldn’t I?” Remus holds his tongue, a hundred reasons why he shouldn’t springing to his mind. “Unless you don’t want to…” Sirius mistakenly interprets his silence. 

“Of course I want to, you twat,” he mumbles, kissing his now boyfriend again. 

[babybatscreationsv2]

Let's all have a little starker comfort fic because my life is very stressful and the world is very scary

Tony closed his eyes and breathed in slowly through his nose. Earth, the nearby lake, the scents of nothing and everything filled his nose and then his lungs. When he opened his eyes, there was Peter, glowing as if in a dream, haloed by the morning sun.

"Can you believe we made it?" Tony said quietly, so that his words didn't disrupt the birdsong.

"Made it?" Peter looked at him with a soft contentment on his face. He moved closer. Tony put his arm around him and Peter leaned into his side. He breathed in the scent of him. Musk, blueberries, and salt.

"Here. We made it here," he said.

Peter wrapped his arms around him. Tony pulled him just a little bit closer. Their arms were shields to keep out the daggers of the past, even if they could never forget. Even the screams that haunted his nightmares couldn't break through Peter's hold. He buried his face in Peter's neck, warm as a sun beam.

"We're safe now, you mean?"

Tony just nodded slightly. Peter kissed the top of his head. The scars on his heart seemed to ache. Tony dragged in a ragged breath and imagined that Peter's kiss could burn them all away, cauterize them.

He lifted his head and kissed Peter's cheek. They watched the sun continue its journey over the tree tops and into the sky. What felt like it would never end was no match for the unstoppable force that was the dawn.

[professional-benaddict]

YESSS🥹🥹💗💗

Every night, little!Peter's being too lazy to get ready for bed. He wants to just be there already, without the whole tedious process of brushing your teeth and getting into pjs and all that boring stuff. He keeps whining until Tony builds a whole system like this, featuring Dum-E and other bots:

[winterspiderpurrs]

The post was getting a little long BUT @illogicalkat and @smidnite are so amazing for this!

Previous posts from the last addition done here:

And cause I loved it.... imma add a little more :D

*********************************************************

Steve went to get Sarah; his mom on the phone. She was always a voice of reason with him. He was hopefully she could shed some positive light in this situation.

"-That child has known you practically his whole life. You're his papa. Doesn’t matter what some... DNA test says A leanbh. " her Irish accent became more prominent, the more she talked.

" But a man has a right to his child. I know it's going to be hard. And poor Peter! Having to face that man again! I woulda hit him!"

Steve coughed a little and rubbed the back of his neck.

" Well, uuhh.. no problem there."

" Steve Grant Rogers Barnes! That temper of yours is always getting you in trouble!"

" Ma!"

" Could be making the situation worse."

" I know, Ma, I know..."

Steve could hear her sigh on the other side of the phone.

" Well. Was it at least a good hit?"

Steve laughs and moves back toward the dining room where Peter and Matt are still at.

" Yeah, it was a -"

Clatter.

The phone slipped from Steve's hand as he stared at Peter.

~

While Steve had wondered off to speak to him mom, Bucky had gone back up stares to check on Harley and May after seeing that Tony had gotten in the car and was a long ways away from the house.

Peter gathered up the paper they had, scanning it over to Matt's office for him so he could review it again in Braille once he got it to his special machine.

" I uuhh... have another question since it's just us."

" Of course. What is it?"

Matt tilted his head toward Peter, sensing that he was nervous again.

" I umm read before that you cannot uhh get divorced if your... pregnant?"

Matt blinks.

" Oh,"

Peter nervously gathers the papers and puts the extra copies in Matt's briefcase for him.

" It's not his. Obviously, but umm, I just wanted to be sure."

Matt smiles and shakes his head.

" You're fine. The state of New York lets you. And as he has no rights to you anymore... you're safe. Congratulations."

Peter smiled in relief and pressed a hand to his stomach. Laughing a little.

" Yeah... I just found out last week. Was gonna wait a few more weeks. Before saying anything to Steve and Bucky. This one definitely was an oops surprise pregnancy."

Clatter.

Peter and Matt turn toward the door to see Steve standing there staring. Cell phone on the floor.

" You're pregnant?!?"

Meanwhile, upstairs, Harley is pacing his room. Why would THE Tony Stark be here? Was it for Dads metal arm that Mom helped create? Was it the scholarship program his school had?

Was he coming to expand his art collection with one of Papa's paintings? Mom had gone back to school and gotten his degree and had written a couple of papers. But would that be enough to get Tony Stark's attention?

He looks at the magazines cut out he had of Tony Stark from a few years ago when he was on the cover of Time magazine. Dad had bought it for him while they were in line at the store. He frowns a little. Now recalling the wide-eyed stare his Mom had when he came into the room and saw it the first time. He seemed oddly nervous when he asked where that came from and why he had it.

The look on Tony Stark's face downstairs, he seemed scared, nervous, and hopeful?

He pulled his laptop up and hesitated a moment. Then he started typing away.

' Young Tony Stark photos'

The more he looked, the bigger the pit in his stomach grew.

He felt like he was going to throw up.

Across town, Tony was once again looking through the paperwork and looked at the copy of the birth certificate.

Father spot was blank on it.

But when he saw the name on the certificate, he rushed towards the trash can and threw up. It all just became too much. Everything that he was robbed of. And how much at least at the time of Harley birth that Peter obviously cared for him deeply.

Harley Edwin Anthony Parker.

[bratbarzal]

miss maggie i have loved every one of your fics (oys rarely leaves my brain lol) but I as a quinn girlie I fear what you’ll put us through (in a good way tho) with this one!! The header alone has me so ready 🫣🥰

I love you for this!! and I'm in a preview mood so enjoy lmao (subject to change while I figure the structure/pacing of the whole thing out)

--

Quinn watches as a soft, feminine hand places a drink down beside him, sliding it as much as it can reach towards Brock, and he doesn’t even think before he tries to help, unintentionally grazing the skin with the tips of his fingers as he moves it the rest of the way. And it’s only the quick retreat that captures his attention, his eyes slowly trailing up the expanse of the arm attached until he meets the gaze of the server.

Until he meets your gaze.

Wide-eyes, parted lips, and a surefire wash of recognition as he looks up at you from his seat, the sudden urge to shoot up to greet you tingling from the base of his spine to the top of his toes. 

The chatter amongst the table fades to a dull background noise, his friends blurring into faceless shapes around him, and all he can see is you - like some sort of delirious tunnel vision, if you weren’t looking back at him the way you are, he’d think he was imagining you.

He’d think he was willing you into existence, that he was picturing you in front of him because somewhere deep in his subconscious, he wanted to see you.

But if that were true, surely he’d be picturing you how you were. Fresh faced, hair lightened and skin freckled by the sun, probably dressed in those overalls you used to wear when you were helping him fix up the boat all those years ago, paint hardened on your fingers and nails bitten to stubs so they wouldn’t break from all the labour. He’d picture you with your hair tied back, loose pieces fallen down where you had little to no energy to neaten them back up, and bruises and scrapes littered all over your knees from where you kept tripping over all the tools he would leave lying around in his parent’s garage.

He wouldn’t be picturing you like this.

Your hair is darker than he ever remembers it being, longer than he remembers, too, falling in perfect waves past your chest, not a strand out of place and glistening under the low lights of the bar. You look older, a little more refined, with sharper features enhanced by makeup, and the more he stares, the starker the difference becomes. The clothes you wear seem less like a costume, less like something you use to cover yourself up and disguise what lies beneath - now cinched at the waist and cut off at the thighs - and, sure, it’s probably a uniform, but he could never have pictured you wearing anything like this back then.

Only one thing remains the same - one undeniable feature you could never hide from him if you tried.

The way your eyes soften when they meet his, just like they did back then - like they were always zeroing in on the good in him, and they refused to see the bad. Your gaze feels just as addictive as it was all those years ago, a gradual warmth spreading through his lungs, breathing in deeper than he thinks he might have in a long time, and the sensation fizzles out the second you break eye contact.

He still follows your every movement; the way you place his drink in front of him, and empty the tray in your other hand, smiling quick at someone else and letting everybody know to shout you over if they need anything more, and then he watches as you retreat without sparing him another glance.

“Think she’s hot for Huggy,” breaks through the noise, a low chuckle beside him as Brock nudges his side and the rest of the guys all laugh in response.

“Huh?” Quinn frowns, breaking his attention from where you had disappeared and turning to his teammate. 

“The waitress,” he clarifies, “She got all flustered at the sight of you, I knew you had silent game but seeing it in person is just strange, it was like you hypnotised her or something.”

If he had the power to put you under any sort of spell, he thinks enough time has passed that it’s worn off by now - and he knows as much from the way you reacted, breaking from his gaze and turning your back on him like it was nothing, like the two of you were nothing.

[muse-of-gods]

I wanted to share a big collection of my Starker Winter Moodboards from the past years ❄️💙

[spideyslag]

Around the, say, 43rd or so time I heard Merry Christmas, Please Dont Call I got the the idea in my head for this complicated starker exes AU (because as we all know by now I love a past starker fic) which involved (this is so complex I saw it in my mind im so sorry) Tony and Peter having been on the same incredibly popular TV show in Peters youth/adolescence (some kind of syndicated family sitcom type, think Sarah Lynn and Bojack) and with a lot of ambiguity of the early, very young years, in Peters teen years its pretty obvious there's an element of inappropriateness and likely/implied/maybe explicit grooming there. (I never sorted out the relationship between their characters, but father-son is a possibility) As Peter reaches adulthood this reaches the precipice of Tony leaving his wife to be with and eventually marry Peter in his early 20s. (And of corse the media doesn't see it as concerning as it is)

Of corse, the marriage was built on the rocks and was never going to last, and ends pretty fast and hard. Which was the vibe I got from Merry Christmas, Please Dont Call. Peter, the first Christmas after the divorce, angry, rightfully bitter, but most of all plain old tired.

I saw this fic as a kinda artsy, creative project which kinda weaved three storylines; the grooming (them on the TV show, the behind the scenes interactions, other peoples thoughts and feelings), the troubled relationship, and the aftermath. the aftermath I even though about constructing as a kinda tell all documentary type thing.

I considered the idea of Peter being in a new, much more peaceful relationship. it's clear Peter is not who he once was, but he is trying to have a peaceful, safe life now and heal. I really considered this new relationship being A) co star from a project he was In during the marriage who Tony hated at first sight for being handsome and kind to Peter (who hated Tony, too, but hid it better), or, even being a costar from their show way back when who always felt uncomfortable with Tony and Peters relationship, but kept contact with Peter over the hears (sure, half the cast did too) to keep an eye on him. Him not loving how him and Peter fell into something together once they were both adults but still struggling to see himself as better than Tony. I was thinking either Stephen or Bucky if I went with the second, Steve or Bucky for the first.

Anyway, I say all this because there is no chance I will write all that before Christmas and I wanted to get the idea out into the world.

[starkerobsession]

I also don't like some pairings, but that doesn't mean you should insult or humiliate the authors who write about them. Just block them or scroll past. I'm 100% sure that the person who wrote the hateful posts has a miserable and pathetic life themselves and like himself, so they spew their venom on others. We love your work and you, and we eagerly await all your posts. Thank you for your hard work. Write even more Starker, and to the hater: FUCK OFF AND SHUT UP ALREADY.

WITH RESPECT FOR THE AUTHOR OF THE BLOG, K.

Thank you 😌

[ramblingguy54]

Now that the holidays are moving on out once again, I can have free time to post this. Sonic 3 is hands down the best entry outta all three films, no contest.

It streamlines the Sonic & human characters formula more nicely. Jumps right into exactly what many were wanting. That being Shadow’s amazing introduction. The fucking CHILLS I got hearing that acoustic Live & Learn at the start played by Maria in Shadow’s brief flashback. That’s when I knew I was in for a real gaming movie treat. Keanu does such an excellent job capturing Shadow’s threatening presence, yet contrasted by the underlying melancholic nature, of his tragic background.

What Sonic 3 does best is the conflict between how Sonic & Shadow’s grief plays a big part in the overall thematic use of Live & Learn throughout its run time. Sonic & Shadow’s baggage influences their future lifestyles.

For Sonic, he obviously yearned for a proper family and friends after years of being in hiding. Losing Longclaw at such a young age left deep scars on him. Shadow of course mirrors this losing the only person who didn’t see him as a tool of destruction to fear. Maria in the movie may not have a compelling backstory with terminal illness, but this iteration’s personality is highly entertaining to make up for the exchange. You can immediately buy into why this Shadow would want bloodshed unleashed. Movie Maria is a cheeky, sneaky, and playful kid that gets Shadow to open up emotionally. To stop the mindset of not having to become what these scientists see him as, a monster.

Sonic 3 is the most compelling entry thus far because they take what defines Sonic & Shadow’s backgrounds. Putting them against each other in the third act.

“I’ve spent fifty years reliving what they did to her…This is WHO I AM inside!”

To no surprise, Shadow’s characterization is my favorite part of this whole movie. Any time he appears on screen you know shit is gonna normally hit the fan hard. Sonic’s first thrown down with Shadow at its start sells what a bigger deal he is out of every threat this blue blur has faced previously.

What makes it much harder for Sonic to deal with is when he learns about Shadow’s past. Realizing he is a broken guy, who had his chance at happiness unfairly ripped away puts things into a much bigger perspective. It’s not just about stopping Shadow anymore, but proving his ideals are strong enough to save him from that encompassing pain.

If there was any real critique I have against Sonic 3, it’s Jim Carrey as Gerald. For as much as I enjoy his usual antics as Eggman, they should’ve dialed it back a bit more on Gerald. He should’ve been a much bigger starker contrast in his darker dramatic intentions. This isn’t to say he doesn’t have great moments with Gerald. When he stops screwing around to play it straight, Gerald gets some great dialogue. One line he says to Eggman near the end made me internally go, “Holy shit. That hurt to watch.”.

That criticism aside, Sonic 3 is a love letter to what made SA2, and Shadow The Hedgehog most importantly, an insanely iconic entry for Sonic’s franchise. While my favorite movie outta this whole year goes to The Wild Robot, Sonic 3 is certainly up there in my highlights.

Go see this on the big screen now.

[fantasyforbeginners]

How do you keep your characters consistent while also accounting for development and trauma? I’d always leaned on character profiles/questions to construct them, but I started running into issues when I realized I couldn’t tell what parts were the character’s actual Core, what about the character’s Core was supposed to change, and what was just an expression of those things.

This is a great question and also something I have a fair bit of background (luckily) in + experience writing! The bulk of this when discussing trauma is going to be a generalization accordingly, but researching specific kinds and/or mental illnesses (ptsd vs cptsd, did, etc). With that in mind, let's dive in:

So broadly speaking, there are two kinds of trauma:

Trauma that began in early childhood (that often reoccured, but not necessarily)

A traumatic event that took place in adulthood / formative years, but still when your sense of self was more comparatively developed

This isn't mutually exclusive, of course. I've known people where they have both and I've known people with the 2nd and not the 1st and vice versa, etc.

In many ways, trauma is a disruption of sense of self and identity (external, internal) because some sense of or appeal for safety was disrupted or violated. A character, therefore, who's experienced trauma since or in their childhood (even in a singular incident) is likely going to have a Core 'self' that is more heavily impacted by that trauma as compared to a character where it only happened like age 13 and up.

For example, a character who is very outgoing/cheerful throughout their life who then experiences a traumatic event in their 20s may become more withdrawn and cynical/angry. There could be insecurity and shame over who they've become and worry that people preferred the old them. The same character, as a result of the same event, could suppress the hell out of everything, employ toxic positivity, and take more risks with their personal safety to prove they're totally over it, right?, not less.

The Core, therefore, becomes a useful guiding tool for how a character with an identity formed independently of trauma will respond to whatever trauma(s) is introduced. If a character was already more openly emotional, maybe they're a crier; alternatively, maybe they stop visibly expressing emotions deep enough to Show a starker contrast. Both can be effective.

What can be trickier, I think, is when your character experienced trauma at a much younger age (0-10 or 12) and therefore it will have shaped their 'Core Self' much more.

I'll use my main character as an example. She experienced a traumatic event in her childhood around age 6; it left her feeling very helpless and to a degree literally powerless, as the abilities that saved her in that instance shut off/stopped working for her afterwards. This developed her personality in key ways:

Some general mistrust for adults/authority because if they couldn't protect her when it mattered, why should she blindly listen to them?

An intense of abandonment coupled with an emphasis on being self-sufficient / not needing help because receiving help is unreliable, isn't it?

A subsequent desire to prove herself and being more underhanded and resourceful (you never know what you're going to have to use to your advantage, i.e. her past abilities, compensation tools or weapons now that she doesn't have them) in order to get by

An immense fear of being powerless (helpless), which manifested as being more outwardly aggressive / wanting to come off as scarier than she is despite being a compassionate person at her core

However.... this is not the only way she could've responded to her trauma. She could've picked and then clung to a Safe Adult she trusted far too much but also resented for having her safety so precariously pinned on somebody else; she could've thrown herself into her training 110% to make herself actually Be Dangerous rather than just appearing dangerous, and be incredibly shut off from others.

What this allowed me to do, then, was to integrate a lot of her trauma into her personality by considering how she responded in particular and what traits this led to—comparing herself to and being resentful of others, her resourcefulness and independence, her mischievousness also sometimes being manipulative, her big heart and desire to belong—be competing and contradictory. It is worth noting, after all, that our biggest weaknesses are also our biggest strengths; a character trait is rarely strictly good or bad, but circumstantial. The way a character responds to trauma — hyper vigilance, for ex — can be both good and bad.

Some of this can be mitigated by grouping things into primary and secondary groupings, or by turning the circumstantial gears on. Post-trauma responses are usually about fear of losing control (of your safety, of your relationships, of yourself, etc) and can manifest in a lot of different ways. My main protagonist from above is claustrophobic, and this isn't really for any real reason within the text (symbolically, I think it works bc she hates feeling stuck/trapped or helpless). This was true before her traumatic event(s) and after. She's always been a resourceful clever little stinker (positive / neutral in circumstances) but when she feels threatened it can be outright lying and, as mentioned, underhanded methods to get what she wants (negative in certain circumstances).

I could've sworn I've talked about this upcoming thing before but I cannot find it to save my life so: sometimes it's really useful to pay attention to and listen to what your characters aren't telling you. If you have a character (or even characters) whose 'Core' and trauma are so interwoven it's hard to separate them... then maybe they're a character with a heavily impacted/traumatized Core who never got to develop outside of that. Maybe they're worried that they don't know who they are outside of the trauma or trauma responses. Maybe it's a part of their character arc.

That said: for characters where the traumatic events were later, and there was a distinguishable Before or After in their lives, it can be worth examining what central fear that trauma gave them. If it broke their trust in someone whereas before they were trusting, maybe they're more hypervigilant or defensive in their relationships; if it was their overall sense of safety, maybe they're sleep deprived and more snappish / quick to anger than they used to be.

That's all I kind of got for now without more specifics (feel free to send those in and/or any other questions on this topic or anything else)! Other posts you may be interested in are:

The difference between Character Maintenance and Character Development

Constructing Personalities

Constructing Character Arcs