#peter never went back to gen

[directdogman]

random DSaF thing I'm not sure if people picked up on.

Something significant about the DSaF 3 phones that popped into my head while I was writing the last post comparing Peter's DSaF 2 and DT incarnations that I didn't bother mentioning bc it was long enough

Harry and Jake are actually parallels to Steven + Peter respectively with a few major differences applied. (warning a LOT of text:)

Both Harry + Steven are generation 1 phones. They're both shown to be fairly by the book and are able to completely turn off their empathy when situations call for it. Both are completely disconnected from their former identities in a way that the other phones aren't. To further cement this connection, Harry is even shown to be the one that sent Steven to the factory. If an employee dies in your restaurant, Harry's response to it is pretty much what Steven's would've been.

Ultimately, he is a company man, like Steven. Just like Steven trying to save himself by any means necessary in DSaF 1, his confrontation in DSaF 3's evil route specifically talks about how much you've cost him and while he clearly feels disgust with you, he more so drills the futility and sheer callousness of what you're doing in rather than really tries to make you feel bad for the bad things you do. He speaks to you like you're more of a failure than anything else. You're not HIS employee, but as the former head of the franchise, speaking to the person who just killed it for the final time. He focuses on what you specifically took away from him, turning the conversation back to himself. His final words are a cold goodbye. His response to your actions is close to what Steven's could've been in this situation.

Ultimately, he's even more of an insider than Steven and someone with more of a direct connection to the cycle of misery that occurred at Freddy's. Basically, several of Steven's defining qualities are amped up in different ways.

Peter on the other hand, is not a company man. He's a gen 2 phoney, more in touch with his personal identity and in the good ending of 2, even escapes in order to reunite with his old lost family. He's generally a chiller boss than Steven, clearly caring more about the well-being of staff/customers than making the company happy.

Jake, similarly, also is in touch with his personal identity. Like Peter, he escaped in order to find his family, but as his backstory scene in 3 points out, this didn't go to plan. Jake, on the surface, seems like a polar opposite to Peter in how overtly cynical he is, a word he deliberately uses to describe himself in his DSaF 3 callout. However, this actually masks something that's more evident if you listen to him in certain key scenes.

Jake cares about others. A LOT. I based his characterization on a George Carlin quote: 'Scratch [the surface of] a cynic and you'll find a disappointed idealist'. It shows what Peter could've been if he'd never reconnected with his family or been able to correct any of the ills he came across. Someone who was worn down by life and put up walls as a result. But, the underlying care is still there and affects his decisions/words at key moments.

If you read his equivalent callout in 3 very carefully, there's some pretty strong parallels to Peter's callout in 2. He notably drills home the fact that you abused the trust of customers so you could feed like a monster. He mentions having higher hopes for you, hoping you were going to be someone better. Even after all Jack's done, he still expresses shock that he feels no remorse at all. His scene ends with a much harsher line, commanding Jack to never contact him again, akin to Peter's closing line in the equivalent 2 scene.

Also, notably, he breaks the no cursing Phone Guy rule in the scene. His reaction if an employee gets springlocked at your location is also noticeably more Peter-esque, remembering what he went through and not wanting another person to turn out the same, in contrast to Harry deciding to just go by the book, a decision that directly led to the creation of Steven pre-DSaF 1.

Okay, that's about it. I bet there's people out there who caught this (knowing me, I've said all of this before and forgot about it) but I figured a few people might find it interesting regardless. thanks, everyone!

[sophie-hatter-jenkins]

Tattoo

Written for @jilymicrofics using August prompt no. 26

James and Lily react very differently to teenage Harry's new body art!

890 words, rated T (though I'm being very cautious there, it's probably really Gen)

Read below, or on AO3

“Harry James Potter!” Lily Potter stopped dead in the doorway to her seventeen year old son’s bedroom. “What the hell is that?”

Harry scrabbled into the t-shirt he’d just snagged from his wardrobe and spun around to face his mother. “What is what?” he asked, brows pinched in a convincing imitation of confusion.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Harry!” Lily replied sharply. “I know what I saw.”

Quick as a flash, Harry shifted gears. “Then why are you asking?”

Lily’s eyes narrowed. “If you don’t cut the attitude, we’re going to have a serious problem here.”

“Actually, the problem is that you didn’t knock before barging into my room,” Harry shrugged. “Perhaps we ought to discuss your lack of respect for my privacy?”

“That is NOT the point, Harry!” Lily struggled to keep her temper under control. “We need to talk about this.” 

“No, we don’t,” Harry told her, flatly. “I’m of age now. It’s none of your business.”

“I think you’ll find it’s very much my business while you live under my roof!”

“Really? What happened to ‘my body, my rules’?” countered Harry.

“Harry, that is enough!” she snapped back.

Unsurprisingly, the rising volume of their discussion drew James from his study. “What’s going on?” he enquired. 

“Your son,” she told him, “has got himself a tattoo!”

James’s eyes widened. “Have you really? What did you get? Where is it?” 

“James!” Lily admonished him, though she was silently cursing herself for not anticipating his response.

James’s hazel eyes radiated innocence. “What? I’m only showing a fatherly interest!” He almost managed not to smile as gestured towards Harry. “Well, come on then - show me!”

With a sly grin at his mother, Harry slipped the t-shirt off again and turned around, displaying an intricate line drawing of a dragon that twisted down his left shoulder blade. “It’s a Hungarian Horntail.”

“Oh Harry,” she sighed. “What on earth possessed you?”

Harry looked a bit sheepish. “Erm… Ginny said she thought it would look good.”

“Ginny said…” Lily paused as she tried to wrap her head around this new bombshell. “Harry, you went and got a tattoo because a girl told you to? Of all the idiotic, irresponsible…. James, help me out here!”

“I’m hardly in any position to criticise, am I?” laughed James, lifting his shirt to flash the tattoo that sprawled across his ribs - a bouquet of lilies entwined around their wedding date, just above Harry’s name and his date of birth.

“That’s different!” spluttered Lily. “That means something. You didn’t get it on a whim because a girl said so!”

“No,” he conceded. “But I got the first one on a whim because me and my mates got pissed one night and thought it would be a laugh, which is arguably worse.”

Harry’s eyes lit up, ever eager for stories of his father’s juvenile misbehaviour. “Really? You never told me that.”

“Yeah. The one on my arm,” James explained, referring to the words Mischief Managed that wrapped around his bicep, bordered by a trail of paw and hoof prints. “I was the same age as you are now. Me, Sirius, Remus and Peter all got the same one. Your Nanna hit the roof when she saw it.”

“I can understand why,” muttered Lily.

“I seem to remember you telling me it was sexy the first time you saw it.” James’s lips twitched with amusement and Lily felt her cheeks colour at the memory of exactly what had happened immediately after her then-boyfriend had showed her his new tattoo.

Harry, as sharp as ever, did not miss the double standard. “So you like Dad’s tattoos, but there’s something wrong with mine? You know how ridiculous that is, right?”

Lily was forced to concede that he had a point. “I’m sorry, darling,” she sighed. “It’s just that you’ll always be my baby boy, and I want to protect you. I hate to think of you doing something you’ll regret.”

“But I don’t regret it!” Harry replied, hotly. “How do you know that I ever will?”

Lily held up her hands, placating him. “I don’t. And I don’t think your father has ever regretted any of his.“ 

“Nope,” James confirmed. 

“Then what’s the problem?” Harry hauled his t-shirt back on, clearly frustrated. “I really love it, you know. The dragon was Ginny’s idea, but I’ve wanted a tattoo for ages. I didn’t get it on a whim.”

“Harry, I think you’re perfect just as you are,” she explained, “and the idea of you changing anything about yourself feels uncomfortable to me. But I know that you’re old enough to make your own choices, and despite the impression I just gave you, I do respect that.”

Harry shuffled his feet awkwardly. “Thanks, Mum.”

“For what it’s worth, I do think that it’s a beautiful drawing.” In lieu of an olive branch, Lily held out her arms, and her son obliged her with a hug. “So. What did Ginny think?”

Pink spots formed on Harry’s cheeks. He shoved his hand through his hair, and the familiarity of the gesture, so very like his father, made Lily’s heart swell. “She… um… she liked it.” 

James wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at his son. “Oh, I bet she did.”

Harry flushed an even deeper shade of pink. “Dad!”

Lily laughed. “I like that girl. She has good taste.”

[hannahhook7744]

Rise of Red Rewrite Brainstorming;

I'm rewriting Rise of Red to make it fit into my version of the disney descendants and am at the brainstorming phase. But I'm stuck on a couple of things and need feedback.

Here are the differences first:

1. So first off, Bridget and Ella didn't go to school at the same time (because I'm trying to make it fit up in the timeline and match the other things we knew previously).

This is because I'm pretty sure it was mentioned the heroes went to school together at some point and if Alice is old enough to have a teenage daughter in the same high school as Ella's oldest son then she's likely around Ella's age. Which means they probably went to school around the time, either together or a few years apart.

(Whether that be college or high school doesn't really matter).

It also fits Bridget having three kids instead of one in my au too.

Right now I'm figuring out if her husband was at school with her and was her only friend in Ella's place or if she was friendless in school, and ended up marrying him so she could obtain the throne.

Either way she'll have her siblings but I'm not sure how they become strained as of yet.

2. Uliana's gang still exists at the same time as Bridget.

Did the math to figure out if this would work and it ended up working.

Peter Pan takes place in 1904 from what I can tell (going off the movie that is).

Alice in wonderland takes place sometime in mid to late 1800s.

The little mermaid takes place mod to late 1800s.

And Morgie's mom, Morgana Le Fay is a part fae in some tales. Fae live longer than humans so it's entirely possible for her to have a young child around the same time.

Assuming Maleficent, Hades, and maybe Persephone were de-aged around that time the group can both exist and go to school around the same time as Bridget.

They also all still go to the old version of Merlin Academy (it still exists today, it just split off from Auradon Prep and is now a Camelot exclusive school).

Also Hook is still a pirate, after getting kicked out of his Naval School, and has been to the Neverland but he doesn't have his Hook yet.

This is possible because his mother, as shown in Jake and the Neverland Pirates, was a teacher at Neverland Academy. So he's been to Neverland and is a somewhat feared pirate (not too much so though because he's still a teenager and Peter Pan won't exist for another few years yet).

Also Hook has a brother here because I remember somewhere he had one and I thought it would be fun. He also is friends with the three Smee brothers (one of which isn't a pirate since Smee has a great nephew in Auradon in 'the school of secrets' web series) but isn't as close with them as he is with Uliana's gangs (because they and the few other pirates hanging around are mainly just lackeys to him atm).

3. The girls (and their friends) don't just travel to one time period.

Did this so they could both still see teen Ella even though I have no idea what to do with that plot point just yet.

4. Chad is missing for a few years (cause I started my rewrite idwa with that plot in mind ages before the flim even came out).

5. Glass Hearts is canon (it could be pre Glass Hearts or Glass Hearts happens in the middle or epilogue).

6. The characters are slightly redesigned and they were friends before the QoH's hostile siege of Wonderland.

7. Either Chloe and Red (and friends) are eighteen or Wonderland has been under control of the QoH for only six years timeline wise. Haven't decided.

8. Queen of Hearts was on the isle.

9. Ace and Chester and other Wonderlandian next gen members are mentioned/maybe saved at some point (doesn't affect Glass Hearts outcome at all).

Now. On to the point/points where I'm stuck:

1. I can't decide whether they fix things with one go around of the past or if they have to go back to fix an error they made.

I don't want Bridget never having turned evil to be the permanent outcome because yes, while that seems like a good outcome it really isn't.

For Red anyway.

I don't know how many of you have seen back to the future and I guess even if you had it doesn't really get dwelled on for long but....

Marty remembers changing the past.

He remembers the original timeline only.

His first one, the one he grew up in.

He doesn't remember this new great timeline where his parents never fell out of love, his siblings are successful, Bif is kept in check by Mr. And Mrs. McFly, and everything in his life is great.

Everyone else does except him.

And I think the same would probably be true for Red based on what we saw.

She doesn't remember her mom being loving growing up.

She doesn't remember her mom baking her cupcakes or being nice to the people of wonderland.

She doesn't remember a mother who never transfigured her friends (happened in the book) and who never would stage a coup at her daughter's soon to be school.

She doesn't remember a mother who shows love a healthy way.

She remembers the QoH.

The woman who had strict out of pocket rules and even stricter, harsher punishments like transfiguring people into mindless beings and chopping off their heads.

She remembers the woman who told her _love wasn't it'. That it didn't exist. A woman who, whether she realized it or not, was basically telling her own daughter that she didn't love her or her daughter's other parent.

So while Red now has a loving mother its not everything she imagined. Because Red can't forget her actual mother and all she did, and in this new timeline where her mother didn't do any of that, will never get the apology she so desperately deserved and wanted.

She can't remember this nice woman as her mother. Just as Bridget, the nice girl she went to school with briefly.

She can't remember all the lovely things they supposedly did with the rest of the family.

And it's driving her up the wall.

Red knows it's not fair to be mad at this Bridget for the stuff her real mom did.

She knows it's not fair to lash out at her for what the other her did.

But she's angry and scared and can't remember any of the things she wanted and now has.

And she hates it.

She hates that she finally has what she wanted. She hates that she hates this nice woman for things she didn't do (because Red and Chloe stopped it before she snapped) and she hates her father for being different too.

(I based her dad entirely off the one from the animated movie even though Bridget is the same as in ROR so bare with me).

She hates that her cowardly father who was her favorite parent in the other timeline before she got older and started to resent him is happier and a better dad here.

Hates that this one doesn't cower away from her mother.

That this one is just as happy and perky as the new adult Bridget and that he never stood by while she and her older siblings were worked to the bone, and yelled at and stripped of their joy as their mother became a tyrant.

She hates how he's happier here and louder, and just..

Red hates how unfair it is that this wasn't her life all along and that she can't enjoy it now that it is.

But she's stuck.

Not literally but mentally.

She's stuck on what to do.

She should be happy.

She was never ripped away from her friends or abused here.

And now she has the family she always wanted.

A loving mother who indulges her interests and loves her as a person, and who doesn't yell all the time and hurt their people. A mother who was never hurt and who never turned evil enough to be sent to the isle.

A father who isn't too afraid of her mother to do right by her and her siblings, and their people.

Aunts and uncles who were actually in her life and not against her parents.

And a no longer depressed older sister (named Quinlynn) who, since she's never even been to the isle, isn't depressed over having lost two people she thought were the love of her life and friends she never should have had to outlive so young.

It's only after she realizes that her family is so different from what she remembers that she realizes it isn't complete. Someone is missing.

Her older brother is missing.

It takes one question to her parents for her to realize why he (Hart/Hardy) is missing and why he hasn't been home in the weeks (or less) she and Chloe have been back.

It's because she doesn't have a brother. Not. In. This. Timeline.

Her annoying conflict-avoidant-when-it-came-to- their-mother-only pirate of a brother didn't exist.

Her family didn't know his name.

Uma and her crew didn't know Red (hadn't watched her grow up), and didn't know who she was talking about it.

Why this is, she doesn't know.

Doesn't know whether it's because her parents were happy and off the isle.

Doesn't know if it's because the rumors are true and her brother's REAL other parent is on the either (she heard that he was her mother or father's affair baby but had never believed it before now).

She doesn't know or care why it is. Just that it is.

So now, she's already in a dilemma.

Either she goes back with or without Chloe and allows whatever prank that broke the camel's back to turn her mother evil again and gets her brother back.

Losing this happy, carefree version of her sister and the happy, loving parents (and extended family) she'd always wanted.

Turning her back on teen Bridget, who was so nice and kind and the adult Bridget who thanks to her stayed that way.

Or she turns her back on her brother. Accepting this new loving family and this strange happy version of her sister and life that will never be hers.

Letting go of her mentors (the Badun Detective Agency in my au) and her non-Wonderlandian friends who weren't with her and Chloe and the others when they time traveled.

Accepting a world that isn't truly hers and basically killing her brother.

(Sorry for the ramble).

So either:

1. They only meet Bridget (and no one else) and stop the prank—only to see that she still turned evil due to something that happened after they left.

But they arrived just in time to steal her cards and stop her coup, and the qoh is arrested. Allowing for Red to be placed in her siblings custody and for her to be deemed a hero, ensuring that what would have been a rough time at school had the coup been staged before it could be prevented doesn't happen/isn't as bad.

Fixing the present on one go without any need to go back.

It doesn't solve the problem of Chad's disappearance or allow for Chloe to meet a slightly disillusioned version of her young mom.

It doesn't include the above mentioned angst but includes the angsty idea that nothing could have been done for her mother without removing Uliana's gang from the equation (which, given who exactly is in the gang isn't really an option).

But it's a quick fix with a mostly happy ending. One even better if you figure in that maybe what QoH did to Ace and Chester isn't permanent and can be reversed.

Red will have her friends and siblings back, get taken away from her parents, have an actual social life in school, and get to fall in love with Chloe.

Chloe's saved her parents. Saved Auradon Prep. She doesn't have her brother back but it's maybe starting to heal from his disappearance, and maybe with Red and their friends by her side she can find him.

It's not perfect but it's bittersweet. A mostly happy ending.

Or

2. They met Bridget, stopped the prank, and then met Ella.

Either making her life worse somehow OR intervening a little too early.

Getting Ella out of her abusive home situation and of course, not thinking anything of it because it's the right thing to do. Thinking instead that now the future's gonna be the best because now Chloe's mom has a little less trauma and didn't have to deal with her stepmother's wicked meddling with time this time around.

Only they get to the future.

And Bridget is still nice and loving (which, again brings its own angst that mentioned before) to her (now two instead of three) kids, husband, and siblings as well as her subjects.

Meaning Maddox didn't lose his father to a transfiguration punishment and that his job is now easier.

But things are now worse for almost everyone else who went back in time.

Danny Darling's mom is even more traumatized because somehow something THEY did ended up with one of her brothers dead and doesn't let him or his two older siblings out of her sight.

Shan Deja's father is meaner because Hades and Maleficent, and several others give him a harder time than they did in the original time line on the isle.

Snow White, having now no longer gone to school with Ella and having lost that connection, is more anxious and paranoid than before and stopped her daughter Sophie (Glauco's older sister) from becoming Yen Sid's apprentice. This somehow leading to Glauco getting turned into a tree sooner and not being turned back, unlike the original timeline.

Which means his parents don't recognize his teen self and refuse to believe he isn't pulling some cruel prank on them.

Edith, Hadie's cousin and Eris' daughter,'s mom is now apathetic to her existence when before she was loving because now Hades isn't her friend.

And, as for Hadie and Chloe?

Simple: they, like Red's brother, don't exist in this timeline.

Why?

Well, because since Chloe and Red intervened and got Ella away from the Tremaines sooner it changed things.

Like: Drizella and Anastasia never got redeemed, never made up with Ella just to get sent to the isle anyway, and never met their husbands ( a redeemed Hans Westergaard for Drizella and the baker for Anastasia). Which means their children never got to exist even when they got sent to the isle earlier.

Lady Tremaine's reputation was publicly in ruin and the house was seized and held until Ella turned 19.

By then, instead of Ella having met her Fairy Godmother and getting to meet her Prince Charming she instead received her house.

Getting an education and a pseudo family in the form of the baker's family that took her in but never finding love.

Prince Christopher, unwilling to marry someone he doesn't love, ran away never to be seen again. Leaving his father heartbroken and the kingdom in disarray after he dies.

Chad is no longer missing and he still exists but he was never adopted here.

Meaning he never went to Auradon Prep and never met his friends or the vks. Never became a prince, never became disgraced, and never disappeared into the night never to be seen again when Chloe was ten because she didn't exist and he wasn't a Charming.

He wasn't anyone important to anyone.

Because he'd never been adopted and had found the birth parents who didn't want him, and was turned away.

Because he aged out of the orphanage (the one that was no longer named after their mother's story) and now is nothing like the boy Chloe remembers. Any version of him.

He isn't the kind, excitable struggling boy who loved her to death he was before their grandfather died and before her heart condition got worse and their parents got busier fighting for their step-aunts and their children to be released from the isle.

He's not the teenage Chad little Chloe had built up in her head during the times he rarely came home and avoided her like the plague. The cool one who did no wrong who everyone loved and who found and sat with her under the table she'd hidden under after Dragon Maleficent attacked during Ben's coronation when she was eight.

He's not the heartbroken, cries himself to sleep Chad that he was after Audrey broke up with him.

Or the healing (becoming less of an asshole) Chad that went to Jane's birthday only to come back a cowering, heartbroken mess that could hardly stand to be around Audrey anymore, falling into depression Chad who Hades dumped water on less than a year later at Bal's wedding (the same night Chad would disappear).

And he certainly wasn't the Chad that Chloe had only gotten to know after her brother had vanished into the night.

He wasn't an asshole or a bully, or a cheater who was slowly becoming a more tolerable person.

No. This Chad was none of those.

No, instead... This Chad was quiet and broken. With no friends, no family. No job and no home.

And Chloe, despite very much still being alive and breathing and not disappearing doesn't exist by any records and can't help him because he doesn't know her, and no one would believe her if she tried to tell them anything.

A problem which Hadie is also having.

Because in this timeline instead of a de-aged Maleficent, Hades, and Persephone all growing up and their poly three turning into just Hades and Persephone when Maleficent grew more power hungry...

Well, instead of that, a de-aged Persephone saw the aftermath of an even CRUELER prank that they were involved with and broke up with both Maleficent and Hades like her mother had always wanted. Cutting out their friend group as well and turning her backs on them, going back to her mother and begging to be aged back to her actual age.

Leaving Hades and Maleficent to never break up, and to only get meaner. Ruling the isle together with their friends and raising Mal.

Mal, who despite having no reason to, still comes out pretty much the same. She still chooses good. She still has the same friends and still marries Ben. Only now, she has two lizard parents who let her down and no little brother.

Because Persephone and Hades never had Hadie.

Sure, they had his three oldest siblings before they got de-aged and sure, Maleficent and Hades still had Mal.

But because Persephone and Hades didn't out last Maleficent and Hades, Hadie wasn't born.

Which of course, means they have to go back and fix both of the things they messed up and live with all of all of that knowledge.

Now after that, I'm not sure if I should end it with them just fixing all of that and nothing else.

Or if I should go into my other idea which I combine with this one.

Which is that after they fix whatever they did to mess up their parents stories, they end up landing somewhere in the past and discovering that...

Chad is somehow there.

A grown up version of Chloe's original brother.

A grown up version of Chloe's brother who should not be in a Wonderland bar, serving drinks and several years older than he should be.

They find out that he disappeared into the past on purpose out of shame and because be didn't wanna ruin their family's good name and maker things harder on Chloe than they already were.

They somehow convince him to come back to the future with them.

Only for their meddling to send them smack dab right in the middle of the Queen of Hearts hostile take over of WONDERLAND (six to eight years in Chloe and Red's past).

A couple of months before their Chad ended up in Wonderland.

There's a battle, someone gets hurt, and after some more meddling with the past, the group ends up in a better future.

Red's friends are all human again.

Red and Chloe are apparently dating.

And so on.

(This is probably headache inducing but I wanted to brainstorm and this was fun).

[mischas]

What do you think were the biggest missed opportunities when it came to the OC?

Lol my favorite topic (this is not at all exhaustive)

Not letting Marissa verbalize and process her trauma 1000% forever and ever amen. The show learns by the end of s1 that they can keep hurting her without much recompense. Oliver holds a gun to her head and bamboozles grown ass adults yet she shoulders all of the blame in the aftermath. Christ. Her father MOVES AWAY TO BE A BETTER PARENT BC HE CANT STOP SLEEPING WITH HIS EX? Please. How anyone came up with that and thought that was good writing I will never know. Marissa's SA'ed and nearly r**** by her boyfriend's brother and never says the words out loud or processes it because the shooting looms larger. Disgusting. Back in s1 Luke is more apologetic of his affair than Marissa's own mother is and HE'S the one who has to leave town? which leads me to

Getting rid of Luke made no sense. Instead of making Luke/Julie happen they should've had Luke/Marissa 2.0 happen. There was so much there to mine. Sometimes the show acts like they were a nothing relationship and other times like 109 we see they have deep-rooted love/fondness. Rushing RM (though they're my loves) after their 101-108 slow burn shot them in the foot since they were so uncreative later on. But then again TPTB were so reliant on the actors' mirrored personal lives that I'm convinced if they'd put RM off to s2 they would've butchered them thanks to the irl breakup. (This is still so insane)

Getting rid of Anna also made no sense. She was liked by the gen pop, she had good chemistry with everyone! What a damn waste

Seth/Marissa friendship!!!! It is so cute to think Seth is the one boy in Marissa's life that isn't falling all over her. They share the same music tastes, they have the same favorite book, they grew up privileged + depressed, they're neighbors, they're dating each other's besties, their families have a storied closeness, they've dated the same person, etc. It is SO insane how little they actually interact.

Not exploring the Jimmy/Kirsten dynamic more. I rewatched the pilot a few months ago and the hints to their history are so compelling. I remember thinking their tension was good enough to last several seasons. Cutting that out to uphold the sanctity of SK in s1 ended up being for nothing since s2 messed with SK even worse! So why!

Never utilizing Alan Dale well enough. Not only do they kill him for no reason, his death literally does nothing but give us an iconic coda and funeral scene. That's literally it. Having Caleb around while Kirsten goes to rehab is so much more compelling than having her go after he's died. And making us watch Caleb/Lindsay/Ryan for what seems like half a season is so unbelievably boring and ridiculous. Why are we supposed to care. This is taking away from Kirsten/Caleb material! which brings me to

Never giving Kelly Rowan much to do. What a goddamn waste. She absolutely kills her late s2 arc but then she leaves rehab two minutes into 301 and the Charlotte storyline mostly revolves around Julie. Jesus. People talk about the favoritism going on on that set with the younger actors (as they 1000% should and we should do it more), but there was some serious shit going on with elevating Melinda constantly and shafting Tate/Peter/Kelly forever. Especially Kelly. At least she was there and not essentially let go like Tate was (and Tate was a ~big name~ regular from the pilot!). But you can tell Kelly's got some feelings about how the show went for her and her screentime/importance.

Not cutting the Johnny storyline two minutes into filming 304. They had to know Mischa/Ryan D had no chemistry. We're supposed to believe Marissa's having some sort of emotional affair but there is absolutely nothing showing that to us. It's everyone telling Marissa she's got feelings for him, and Mischa doing her job well enough to convince us it's sketchy/complicated, but they have one (1) conversation in 306 that's mostly about Johnny's father or uncle that no one cares about. which brings me to

WE DONT CARE ABOUT GUEST STARS. stop spending so much valuable time on them. we just wanna see our s1 babes being cute and supporting one another that's literally it

[thatstheproblemwithnapkinman]

i want to preface this with a few things

dick grayson is my favourite character. i am not here to slander him or talk bad about those who like him

fanon is what got me into dc. i have grown since and now have a substantial comic collection (at least for the few months i've been collecting). i still enjoy fanon but i am a canon person

with all of that said...

a pointless rant about dick grayson in fanon

sources listed at the bottom

this discourse surrounding dc, the batfam in particular, has really been irking my lately. i don't know why, it just has. i see so much around these characters and the way fans interact with each other here on hellsite and on tiktok (i avoid twitter like middle-aged cis white british dads avoid talking about their feelings) and i just wanna scream about it

the erasure of dick grayson's character

dick grayson isn't a himbo

this is particularly common in fanfictions given that the barrier of entry is non-existent but the idea that dick is a silly, ditzy, idiot that can't cook is arguably the complete opposite of his character

i have a feeling this idea stems from the nature of dick as nightwing, the cracking jokes whilst fighting, the appearance of not taking things seriously (when he in fact does, just not as outwardly as the likes of batman). this in and of itself is ridiculous given that a similar character, peter parker aka spider-man, also crack jokes and honestly is very similar to dick in the way he is as a hero, and yet, for the most part, is still taken seriously and isn't diminished to the same level that dick is

which could come down to public knowledge of the character

let's be honest, the majority of the public could tell you who peter parker is, have probably seen at least one live action iteration of the character, if not all 3 iconic versions (maguire, garfield, holland) most (and please forgive me for using generations) millenials and gen z can define their teen years based on which spider-man was coming out. which they went to the cinema to see. all live-action appearances are:

the amazing spider-man ('77-'79) played by nicholas hammond

spider-man (also japanese spider-man) ('78-'79) played by Shinji Tōdō

spider-man (1, 2, 3)('02, '04, '07) played by tobey maguire

the amazing spider-man (1, 2)('12, '14) played by andrew garfield

spider-man (homecoming, far from home, no way home)('17, '19, '21) played by tom holland

given that dick has just as many live action appearances, stretching back to before spider-man had even debuted in the comics:

the batman serial ('43) played by douglas croft

the batman and robin serial ('49) played by jonny duncan

batman ('66-'68) played by burt ward

batman forever ('95) and Batman & Robin ('97) played by chris o'donnell

titans ('18-'23) played by brenton thwaites

EDIT: in my excitement i never included the first comic appearances of either character. dick debuted on the 6th march 1940 in detective comics #38, peter debuted on 5th june 1962 in amazing fantasy #15

(i am not talking about animated appearances as for both peter and dick they are much less known to the general public than live action)

i'd say i was surprised to see the same number of appearances, but by comparing when the show/movie came out, you can see a clear difference

every live action spider-man project listed has occurred within the past 50 years, with the movies being in relatively consistent from 2002 onwards. dick grayson is more sporadic, 2 appearances in the 40s, again in the 60s, again in the 90s, and finally in the late 10s. no wonder he's less well known when you have to go back to the 90s for a movie version and even then it isn't really dick grayson (in terms of characterisation)

most people can tell you there's batman and robin, and maybe just maybe they can tell you robin is dick grayson, but that's about it. mention nightwing and they blank. and don't even try to tell someone that there's been more that one robin, it won't end well

i can hear people yelling "but dick is a sidekick and peter isn't"

yes, that is true, but dick hasn't been a sidekick since the early 80s, after he'd been around for over 4 decades. that's a pretty old sidekick. but yes, this does hold some merit but given that dick is a lot older it's interesting. and with the most recent live action appearance being titans, a show that spends the first 2 seasons exploring dick's journey from sidekick to standalone hero, it does pose some questions

that was a long tangent to basically say that an equivalent character in personality isn't erased so much in fanfiction because they have more recent and bigger exposure (probably)

also, random, but in my research i came across this list of best teen heroes and look

fig 1. image showing spider-man and dick grayson in positions 1 and 2 relatively in a fan voted list of best teen heroes, spider-man having 3446 votes and dick grayson having 3191 votes

anyway, back to the rant

a wayne family adventures (WFA) tangent

i see people blaming WFA for this but i really don't think that is the case. he may not be the same as his comic counterpart but he is not out of character. everything he does is still very much him. examples include:

comforting duke after ana broke up with him (ep. 10)

helping damian make a friend (ep. 24)

being torn between his brothers (ep. 27-28)

teasing bruce after zatanna made him superman (ep. 54)

teasing helena into swapping weapons (ep. 63) i just like this one

organising everyone back to the manor when he realised alfred was left on his own during thanksgiving (ep. 68)

picking the rainbow suit for bruce (ep. 77)

talking to a little girl who just lost her parents (ep. 80-81)

annoying wally (ep. 84) birdflash time

helping duke with the kidnapping threat (ep. 99) also like this one

competing with jason over lian and roy (ep. 108)

making tim do all the work in his apartment (ep. 111) + haley

comforting and helping damian when he doubts himself (ep. 113) arguably my favourite episode

ok that was most of them BUT seriously WFA is not the problem here

there's no "fix" for this, i just wanted to tell people to stop blaming WFA for everything wrong with new comic fans; you can enjoy WFA and enjoy the comics, the aren't mutually exclusive

WFA doesn't erase him, they just choose what to show in the limited time you get with him. the only thing i remember being "wrong" is that dick can't cook (ep. 17 - top chef)

and yeah, WFA does play into the golden retriever vibes fanon dick has... in one episode, specifically the haley episode (ep. 111) see below. if it takes 111 episodes to fall on a fanon trope, i think that is fine. if you want to include ep. 17, that's 2 episodes out of 116! that's pretty good going. even the comics have more ooc moments (see the current nightwing run)

fig. 2 screenshot from wayne family adventures showing dick grayson smiling and saying "thank you" whilst a tail wags in the background

fanfiction

unsurprisingly, fanfiction is probably to blame but don't think i'm blaming authors (i kinda am but stick with me here)

i don't think writing a comic canon charatcer should be required, but i do think writers should disclose when they haven't read the comics. from experience, i get not annoyed, but have a "ugh" moment when i read a fic and the character is ooc, but if the author has stated in the notes that they haven't read a comic and the character is probably ooc, i am still going to read the fic

ooc or not, if a fic has a decent plot, at least 6th grade (UK year 7) level writing, and not "want to punch them in the face" characters, i'll enjoy it. throw in a popular trope and it'll be a favourite

and if you tell people "hey, this is probably ooc from the comic canon" they can't get mad or blame authors... just saying

i mean the whole reason this is "the problem" is that people get mad over ooc in fan works. like i'm sorry, have you read gotham war?!?!? the current nightwing run?!?!? lots of ooc in the comics themselves

tl;dr

fanfiction is the root of all evil

no, but seriously, dick's, mis-characterisation is a product of his prevalence in media, the material people have, and a lack of disclaiming ooc in fanfics. the last point could be a solution, but honestly expecting fanfic authors to do that is ridiculous

this rant was for nothing, hope you enjoyed wasting your time

i did tell you it was pointless

(i should've called this section a conclusion bc the word count is 1559 and that is insane. it's literally longer than the essay i have due in next week that i'm only half way through)

(also, this was supposed to be the first part of a longer post about how dick is over-sexualised but at that word count i'm splitting it up)

sources

list of live action dick grayson

list of live action spider-man actors

used for dates of spider-man films in the correct order

wayne family adventures

[thewickedwitchofthenorthbro]

It's fun being a mutant. Oh, how proud she was when her gen-X finally made itself known. The ability to see the future? She's practically a god. It's the coolest mutation Irma could think of. You can study for straight A's because you know all the answers to a test, predict what people are going to say to you, and then laugh at the surprised look on the other person's face. You can even win the lottery because you know which ticket to pull. That's what she did, giving her family a carefree future. You could even... Man, what a lot of possibilities, what a lot of options. The only problem was that her eyes had changed. It was hard to pretend to be a normal person with blue whites and irises. She had to wear sunglasses all the time, justifying to morbidly curious people that her eyes were painfully sensitive after the surgery. Yeah, surgery... sure.

Being a mutant was fun. For a while. The future was never stable. It was, for Irma, akin to a vast ocean in which she eventually realized she was drowning. The ocean never stops, always in motion. The waves are always colliding with each other, breaking into small drops, and then merging again, forming new patterns. The waters of the future were cold and scary. She saw all sorts of things, many of which she wished she could forget. She still remembered the terrible picture of someone's death flashing before her eyes. The blood on the wall, the cannon shot and the body hitting the floor. In that crowd, Irma still couldn't understand whose future she saw. How do you explain to a man that he shouldn't go to work today because he might get hit by a car? How not to seem strange when almost in tears begging people to get off the bus that you saw was going to have an accident? As time went on, it got scarier and scarier, lonelier and lonelier. No matter how hard she tried, Irma couldn't see all the branches of the future. There were more of them than there were stars in space, and she was alone.

Being a mutant was... boring. When you knew the multiple outcomes of events, you lost all sense of the present. All the words were already known to her. All the actions were visible to her. Everything was terribly predictable and banal. And it drove her crazy. If only there was someone in this world who could share her burden with her, who could understand what it was like to see the world in a way that others did not.

His appearance Irma did not see. Peter, the guy she'd met by chance in the arcade, turned out to be a mutant.

Irma chuckled loudly, confused for the first time in a long time.

— How did you end up here? I didn't... I didn't see you.

— Pfft, obviously, I'm elusive.

The stars must have taken pity on her to let them meet. Peter saw the world differently, too. He was the only one who understood what Irma's heart was crying out for. His speed was a curse to him, but a blessing to her. He was fast, very fast, his thoughts changing so quickly that Irma could not keep up with him. He was truly the epitome of the word unpredictable. Peter created so many possible futures that Irma, no matter how fast she chased after him, couldn't keep up with him. And, good God, did it feel good.

— Wanna you try it? — Peter asked, sitting down to his game of pong.

— ...Mmm. No. You know I don't like games. Too predictable.

The guy laughed quietly, turning to face the machine again and starting a new game.

Irma sighed softly, leaning back against his couch. Near him, she felt like she was... here. In the present. Not in the dark ocean of the future.

— Hey, Peter?

— Hm?

— ...I'm glad you decided to stop by the arcade then.

Day 1: confession.

[hekate1308]

Fictober #27, Let Me Remind You

Prompt: Lewt me Remind You

Fandom: White Collar

Pairing: Gen

He’d been working, if he wanted to call this working and not indentured servitude, which, if you asked Neal, was still debatable, at the FBI for about a year and a half now, as Mozzie got never tired of reminding him. Not that it changed much – he was simply sitting out his sentence, but thankfully not in a cell, and he couldn’t deny that he did good, occasionally, which might not have done much for his reputation but nonetheless left him feeling somewhat accomplished at the end of the day.

And really, all in all, it wasn’t too bad. He might not have been his own master, but he planned to rectify that soon, and anyway, for now, it was even sort of fun to have a 9 to 5 job most of the time since he had never really known what that was.

And he couldn’t deny that he enjoyed spending time with Peter – as a matter of fact, one of the reasons he had already more than once drawn back from making definitive plans was that he would never see him, Elizabeth or the other people he had slowly come to call his friends once he was done here.

But well, while he was still here, he might as well take this seriously because it got Peter off his back and made people think he was resigned to this, so he might as well just have some fun… by taking it seriously (it did not have to makes sense to other people, as he would have told Mozzie).

And so, when a new case rolled around and he shared the team’s frustration at not being able to lay hand on the suspect and another agent just strolled in acting like he was the next big thing, Neal just… snapped.

Agent Linder had been going on and on abet this case, how he was the one who first realized something was off about the bank statements, how he deserved to bring in the culprit, how it would bring him forward and he would finally get some much-deserved recognition (it was clear what he was angling for, but good luck with that, Neal knew they were still waiting for Peter to want Organized Crime).

What he meant to say was, he just couldn’t take it anymore, and so, when the man finally needed to take a deep breath…

“Let me remind you“ Neal said impatiently. “We need a warrant to be able to search the place, or rather, to ensure that everything we find can be used in court, bevues if it can’t, we might as well do nothing at all.”

Linder shot him a dirty look, but he couldn’t have cared less. If they wanted to get this guy off the streets, then they had –

It was then that he realized what he had just said, and what he had been thinking, and he quickly went to get coffee.

He shook his head at himself as he poured himself a cup. That case last week where he had yet again pretended that he was an FBI agent must be catching up with him. Thank God Mozzie had not been around, he would never have heard the end of it.

He had hoped that his outburst had gone unnoticed, but that had perhaps been too much to ask, especially with Peter Burke around. Art first, he didn’t think much of it when his friend joined him – Peter was worse than him when it came to coffee, as June’s depleted Italian roast stash could attest – but then he causally said, “You were right, of course.”

“Yes” he agreed automatically then asked just to make sure “About what?”

“With Linder just now. We can’t do anything without a warrant, and with the evidence we have now, or lack thereof, no judge would sign one.”

“Just wanted to save some time. He is rather insufferable.”

“You can say that again” Peter told him, uncharacteristically grinning (well the grinning in itself was not uncharacteristic, but that he should do so while complaining about a  colleague certainly was). “I am just glad you reminded him of the correct procedure.”

“I wouldn’t go so far.”

Peter shrugged even though it was clear he did not agree.

“Whatever, don’t get used to it. I just wanted to take him down a peg or two.”

“Of course, of course, never” Peter agreed. “Nothing else going on here.”

“And don’t you forget it.”

“I won’t.”

He really, really did not, for even years later, after all was said and done and he’d finally admitted some truths to himself and done what ought to be done after his sentence was complete, his friend Peter Burke still laughed every time Special Agent Neal Caffrey reprimanded a young colleague for risking a case by not following the correct procedure.

[fumblingmusings]

Cardverse 2023

Day Two: Jokers - Curse | Spirits/Hauntings | Escape

@aphcardverse-week

The Kirkland Estate has four boys. As is tradition, the eldest will inherit the Estate and guard the garden; the second will join the church. The younger two, however, have something else in store. Gen | Referenced Minor USUK Romance | Mild Horror

“Peter!” Arthur snapped, yelling at the little boy across the gardens. He ran funny, Peter noted, with no skill in the physical sports that their brothers’ excelled in.

Peter was only young, no more than five, and so he came running when his fifteen year old brother called, meeting him part of the way along the trek. 

“You cannot play there alone,” Arthur hissed, shaking the little boy's wrists in a chide born half from anger, half from fear. “You’ll be taken away! How many times has mother told you!”

There were some areas of the garden that were sealed off. Mother had even gone to the effort to fence off the bottom of the garden. Wrought iron gates with a literal skull decorating the main gate. A physical as well as magical barrier.

It had been hammered into all of her sons from the moment they were able to open the glass doors and leave the palace of their own free will: the gardens were free to explore, but leave the gated area alone. The creatures that lived there, spirits that few had the right to speak of, did not take kindly to trespassers.

The Kirkland estate had been built with the intent of gating off that area. Four boys were born to the family, two cousins who came and went as they pleased, and dozens of other second cousins who found interesting ways to make use of the family name. Mother’s husband was dead, conveniently, and she was quite content at running the estate, and the boys, herself. They all knew the rules - why their family mattered.

Protecting the trees and flowers at the base of the vast estate was all that mattered.

“I can’t even get past the fence,” Peter complained, taking to gnawing on Arthur’s grip, moaning whilst his teeth clamped down on his older brother’s bare wrist.

“What?” hissed Arthur. Typical. He wasn’t listening.

“I can’t get past the fence!” Mama’s magic -”

“Then why were you even trying?”

Arthur’s anger was unusual. He was usually a scatterbrain, never quite seeming to be fully listening to the conversation occurring in front of him. He had thrown himself into books as a young child, and developed a keen sense of magic as a result. Mama said he was the most talented magic user she had seen that generation. Arthur had preened like a robin bird, puffing up his chest in jubilation.

He still did not pay attention very well. You always had to speak twice to make him understand what you were saying. It did not bother Peter, who himself also struggled to listen, but Peter had also noticed that Arthur - like himself - had no trouble outside of the house, outside of the estate.

When the other blonde boy came to visit, that little prince, he got Arthur’s full attention. It was weird, the sharp look of relief when Arthur heard the royal family were on a progress through the countryside. 

Peter was always ignored when the prince came. Alasdair and Rhys were always elsewhere doing other things, and Arthur clung to the prince like glue. The King and Prince had only left that morning, and Peter, bored and lonely, had wandered outside. 

“The people are asking for me!”

Arthur froze, then shook his brother even harder. Peter released his bite from Arthur’s wrists, leaving deep imprints but unpunctured skin.

“You hear them?”

“Hear what?” Peter looked up at his brother, eyes wider than dinner plates. 

Arthur stared, face whiter than Peter had ever known. If he were not only five, he would have noted that his brother’s tone had gone from chiding to desperate to hear a confirmation.

But Arthur composed himself, then tossed Peter’s arm away, punting him forward back into the palace. 

“Go, you’re supposed to be having your lessons.”

“But I don’t wanna -”

“‘I want’ doesn’t get!” he snapped, quoting mother. “Go!”

Peter grumbled, but met with the governess at the base of the stairs, complaining but ready to return up to the nursery. Arthur remained behind, staring at the black fence half a kilometre away. The iron seemed to shudder, as if something had thrown itself against the metal. Arthur told himself it was eye strain from looking at something so far away in the garden, and slammed the doors shut.

*****

“You’re really gonna become Queen.”

“Hm?”

“You said yes to Alfred?” Peter said, rephrasing the question.

Arthur’s inability to listen had grown worse, and his desire to leave home had only grown stronger over the years.

“Oh. Yes.”

Worst of all, as much as his listening skills had declined, so had his eloquence. Rarely did the man speak in anything more than monosyllabic sentences. It was as though he was only half in the real world anymore, his attention and mind split between two realms. Peter had long assumed it was the result of magic, but every now and then he caught Arthur watching the gates, almost as often as Peter himself found himself walking by his mother’s magic. What was once every other month had become a weekly walk, which was now daily. 

The pressure to visit multiple times was almost overwhelming, if not for the fact that proprietary etiquette dictated that going on the same walk more than once a day was just a step too shameful. As silly as it sounded, Peter was glad for the feeling of embarrassment. 

“You’ll be Queen,” Peter said.

Arthur’s blonde hair appeared from under his sheets. He had been curled up, like a snail’s shell. 

“Looks like it.” 

“Everyone’ll bow to you.”

“As they should.”

Peter laughed, then sobered up abruptly.

“Do you want to be Queen?”

“Yes.” Arthur waved at Peter, who was lingering by the doorway. His little brother bustled over, joining Arthur on his bed. He collapsed into a heap, pinning Arthur under the sheets. “Alasdair will run the estate with ma, Rhys is nearly prepared to join the Church… I got lucky.”

“Lucky how?”

“I’m useful to the family. Alfred is… he is good. He will be a good King.”

“Do you like him?”

“Do I what?” 

“Like him. I saw you kissing in the garden.”

Arthur choked on air, regretting not having caught Peter’s first attempt at asking.

“Never mind that,” he spluttered. From underneath the sheets, Peter could not see his brother’s face burn red. “It is more than we could have hoped for.”

“But do you like him?”

Peter heard Arthur chew his tongue. 

“When I am with him, time stops.”

Even a twelve year old child thought it romantic. But…

“What about me?”

“What about you?” Arthur said, noting the misery in his brother’s voice. 

“What will I do?”

“Traditionally when you have a lot of boys one joins the army. Or the navy?”

“I don’t like sailing.”

“Army then. You can protect me when I’m Queen.”

Peter was quiet, thinking for a while. Arthur emerged from under the sheets. “You don’t want to?” he prodded.

His little brother shook his head. “You always say I never listen.”

“At least you know it.”

“I could never follow orders.”

Arthur’s hand patted Peter’s straw like hair. “Then you are free to choose. Do what you want. Just be sure to pick something. Be an artist or a musician. Buy your own land and start a business. Whatever you want Peter.”

“Do you want to be Queen?”

Arthur was very quiet, then let his hand fall away. 

“Yes.”

Peter stared out the oversized glass windows. Arthur had pulled open the sash windows slightly, and the gauzy curtains fluttered in the breeze. 

“Really?”

“It’s what I wanted,” Arthur said unhelpfully. Still, Peter did not get the impression he was lying.

“I don’t know what I want.”

“Well. You are only twelve.”

Peter turned around, shuffling until he could join Arthur under the covers. Arthur allowed him to do so, one last time.

“I’ll miss you when you go,” Peter muttered, face down into a pillow. 

Arthur snorted, unable to stop smiling. “I’m not dying Peter. Just moving.”

“But you’ll be busy. Are you going to keep studying magic?”

“It’s one of the reasons I was chosen.”

“Then you won’t have time for me anymore. Alasdair doesn’t. Rhys doesn’t. Mama is barely…”

“You’ll be alright. It’s part of growing up. You came later than us four, it’s all happening at once. Alsadair will still be here. You just have to wait until Wintertide, he’ll be back from his studies then.”

Peter made a sad noise, and Arthur did not know what to say. 

Silence passed for a while, and Arthur believed his little brother was falling asleep. It was not so uncommon for him to crawl into Arthur’s bed at night, though he had not done it for at least a year. Arthur was leaving the day after tomorrow however, so he simply assumed it was no more than a feeling of nostalgia, for things to be as they once were. Change was frightening, especially for a child on the cusp of adolescence. The world seemed to be leaving him behind, and his older brother’s had destinies that - to be frank - Peter had no chance of matching.

“Do you hear them still?” Peter whispered.

“Who?” Arthur asked. 

“The spirits at the bottom of the garden.”

Arthur's breathing stopped, and when it resumed, it was shallow and fast, like a panting cat. 

“What do they say to you?” he whispered, terrified of the answer. 

“They say they're stuck. What do you hear?”

“Pardon?”

“You hear them too, I know you do. But you don’t hear them around Prince Alfred.”

Arthur was quiet again, closing his eyes.

“No.”

“Is that why you're becoming Queen?”

“Only a little.”

“Do Ali or Rhys hear it too?”

“No, just us.”

“Why?”

Arthur said nothing, and Peter made a grumpy sound. “You’re being annoying.”

His elder brother smacked him on the head, not too harshly, but it made Peter hiss.

“I don’t know Peter. I don’t know why you hear them. It is supposed to just be me that hears them.”

Peter latched on to this piece of information, and in his excitement he began to babble, 

“Why? What do you hear them say? They always ask to be let out because they want to play with me. I don’t believe them, because Mama is always so serious when she talks about them, and she wouldn’t hurt someone without a good reason, and the King asked her to protect it, right?”

“...Right.”

“So they can be as nice as they want, I don’t believe them.” He looked to Arthur, expression expecting praise. He was disappointed, however, to see that his brother’s face was pale and withdrawn. Frightened.

“What are they, Arthur?” Peter asked. “What do they say to you?”

“Nothing nice.”

“What -”

“Go to sleep Peter. Listen to mother, and me. The moment you can, leave home. Okay? I’ve been driven half mad by what they tell me. They’ll run out of patience with you in time.”

“What do they tell you?” Peter argued, “Ma won’t say anything about it, I can’t tell her!”

Arthur’s eyes widened. “What do you mean you haven’t told her?”

He scrambled to get out of bed, Peter losing his balance and falling off the mattress in turn. 

“Wait -”

“She needs to know Peter!” 

The brothers went into the hallway, Peter trailing after Arthur, panicked. He threw his weight around, trying to slow Arthur down. There were no servants, it was too late for them to be roaming the halls. There was just the two brothers, arguing like children.

But Peter was a child. He was just a child. It was Arthur that should have known better.

“No, don't tell mama, please!”

“Why?”

“Because I’m strong enough to ignore them! They’ve never been mean to me, they talk and keep me company when you’re all too busy for me.”

The childish spite made Arthur snort, but it did not last long. Whatever pity Arthur felt for his little brother was smothered in a blinding fright. The buzzing in the back of his head, forever present and only sometimes understandable, was growing louder, a pressing shrill noise behind the eyes that was making him feel partially blind. His limbs moved jerkily, the confusion in his mind not letting him move smoothly. He never had been very elegant. 

“That’s not the point! If you’re cursed like me -”

It was the wrong word to use. 

“I’m not cursed!”

Immediately Arthur realised his mistake, and tried to get his arms around Peter, who had now backed several steps away, towards the grand staircase and the main entrance.

“Peter -” Arthur began, approaching the boy like a wild animal. The boy’s eyes were wet with tears, and the ringing in Arthur’s head grew louder. 

“Why would you say that?” Peter cried. “You’re so high and mighty just because you’re gonna be Queen huh? You’re the one that’s cursed! They’ve never said a mean thing to me my entire life - what did you do to anger them?”

Arthur went to grab Peter’s wrist, only to miss as the boy ducked and began to run down the stairs. 

“Nothing that’s the -” 

A distinct boyish laughter filled Arthur’s head, making him fling himself away from the stairwell. Like his little brother, his eyes flooded with tears. Furious at himself, at the voice in his head, he finally shrieked, speaking to them for the first time, “Shut up! Shut up!”

His screaming only served to further frighten Peter, and Arthur gaped as Peter ducked under the stairs. He was heading for the glass doors that led to the garden. 

“No! Wait, wait Peter! Peter come back.” Halfway down the stairs, he thought better of it and thought to pull in his mother, whose commanding presence would have Peter calm down and come back inside. She needed to know. 

Some Queen he would be. He could not even get his brother to listen to him.

Turning and tripping back up the steps and down the polished halls, Arthur called out, “Mother! Ma! Ma!”

Arthur threw himself into his mother’s room, only to find that she was not there. 

“Where the fuck…”

Another laugh, ghostly and ghastly, snide and mocking and making Arthur’s heart leap into his throat. Wasting time. He was wasting time. 

Arthur followed his brother outside.

“Peter… Peter!”

The garden was black, with what little light there was from the house did not stretch down all the way to the gated area. Arthur could no longer see Peter, but it was not difficult to tell where he had gone. The wind was strong, blowing his ragged hair across his forehead. 

The laughter in his head, as always, grew louder when he approached the gates. The air seemed to thrum with power, the iron shaking and groaning terribly, like a dying man’s last breaths.

“Peter? Peter I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

His hand hovered over the gate, but he could not bring himself to touch. Few could gain entry. Mother, being one, Arthur, being the other. It was a gift of their magic. A terrible awful gift. They alone could hear the spirits, they alone could contain them, they alone could break them out.

Or so they had thought.

And it was not although all spirits were bad. Arthur knew plenty of fairies and brownies and goblins and other creatures who, provided they were treated with respect and given suitable compensation for their assistance, were good to have on side.

These creatures could not be bargained with. They answered to no-one, held loyalty to nothing. The King’s response had been to lock them away - of course they loathed the family which held the keys. Who did not wish harm against their jailer?

Arthur was so stupid. He knew Peter could hear things. He had just assumed that mother would have also known, that she would have had a handle on things. Instead, the family’s habit of bottling everything up had come back to bite them in the arse. Again.

Arthur did not touch the gate, unsure if Peter had entered.

“Peter!” he tried once more. Arthur turned, desperately trying to see into the dark, but there was no sign of the little boy.

The iron cracked.

A shockwave threw Arthur back flat on his back. Gasping at the blinding light that burned his eyes, he sat up as soon as he was relieved of the pressure to his chest.

The garden, the hidden garden of rotted plants and dead trees, fallen leaves and iron red soil, throbbed.

Peter was inside, back to Arthur facing the largest tree: a long dead oak with a gaping hole in its trunk. Arthur had been told that the hole spread to the ground, deep, deep into the ground. Where it went, not even mother knew. But she spoke of it like a mouth. A hungry maw half starved.

Arthur tried to get up, rise to his feet, drag Peter back past the ruined gates and fling as best a barrier spell as he could, but Peter was moving faster, not even looking back as he clambered up over the straggling roots, curling up and towards the mouth.

“Wait! Peter, don’t!”

His little brother gave no signs of hearing, and with an eerie silence, entered the mouth, and dropped out of sight.

“Peter!”

The laughing in Arthur’s head became unbearable, and he collapsed back to the damp earth with a scream.

Curled into a ball, Arthur clamped his hands over his hears, pitifully calling out for his mother, wherever she was, as if she could make the voices stop, as if she could undo what had been done, as if she had a chance of bringing Peter back and reversing the spirits escape.

Arthur sobbed, beating his fists against his temple. The spirits spoke to him one last time as they fled the garden, ready to embark on whatever chaos they saw fit, never to be heard within Arthur’s mind again. 

He would never forget their words, nor the promises they had made all his life, a promise he finally understood.

Congratulations to the new Queen. Congratulations to our new Joker.

[closetfascination]

Twenty Questions For Fic Writers

Thanks @holy3cake for the tag and the shoutout! I'm off work for a few weeks and finally have the time to fill this out.

1. how many works do you have on AO3? 21

2. what's your total AO3 word count? 513,832

3. what fandoms do you write for? Currently posted, only 13 Reasons Why.

But I have a fic for the new Heartbreak High in my drafts, and I've written some drabbles for The Bastard Son of the Devil Himself (aka Half-Bad)

4. top five fics by kudos:

sweet dreams (13 RW Chalex Candyshop/Stoner AU)

He's All That (13RW Chalex - written before the new movie came out)

Wake Up (13 RW Gen canon-divergent what if Alex went to prison for what he did to Bryce)

The Best Halloween Party Ever (According to Alex Standall) (13 RW Chalex Halloween fic)

Superposition (13RW Chalex College AU)

5. do you respond to comments? Yes! Even if it takes me months, I do eventually reply to anyone who comments.

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Cruel Summer? Wake Up is the angstiest overall but has a happy-ish ending. breathing underwater would have to be the angstiest ending - it's only 100 words and they are all sad words.

7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? He's All That - I mean, it's a rom com, so naturally the happiest ending.

8. do you get hate on fics? No, not usually

9. do you write smut? I started with smut and but have since branched into different genres. Recently, I've been working on a fic that is primarily smut which isn't my norm.

10. craziest crossover? I did a Dead Poet's Society X 13 Reasons Why crossover in a one-shot before.

11. have you ever had a fic stolen? No - but I have caught fic theft in my fandom because I used to read everything.

12. have you ever had a fic translated? No

13. have you ever co-written a fic before? Yes, with a friend I have been writing a story that we each write a part and send it back and forth and we've been doing it for years. It is crack and will never be published but it is so fun.

14. all time favorite ship? I multiship - currently I've been writing a ton of Monty and Alex, but I ship Alex Standall with everyone.

15. what's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I hold out hope that I eventually will finish all my WIPs.

16. what are your writing strengths? Dialogue I think

17. what are your writing weaknesses? Describing actions in non-repetitive ways.

18. thoughts on dialogue in another language? I don't mind it - think it adds flavour

19. first fandom you wrote in? 13 Reasons Why! I'm still there - I'm scared to branch out.

20. favorite fic you've written? Hands down - Wake Up. I don't know if I'll ever be gripped with an idea like I was with that story. It's my baby - so special to me.

My AO3, in case you're interested in any of this madness:

closetfascination | Archive of Our Own

No pressure tags: @alexstandoll @peter-covinskys

and anyone else that would like to participate!

[can-of-pringles]

Family Movie Night

Rating: Gen

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1k

Summary: Rosie and Peter get movie night prepared before Marigold gets back.

Also Read on AO3

It was Saturday evening. Peter and his six-year-old daughter, Rosie, kept busy at home while Marigold was out running a few errands. Peter sat relaxed on the couch. In his hands, he held a comic book he had been reading. All the while, Rosie was off doing her own thing. Peter wasn’t too concerned. He trusted Rosie. However, the house was fairly quiet.

Peter furrowed his eyebrows. “Rosie? What you up to, sweetheart?” He called.

“I’ll be there in a minute!” The little girl shouted back.

“That wasn’t what I asked…” Peter thought. “Okay, we need to pick a movie to watch soon for movie night,” he mentioned.

“Oh, yeah!” Rosie replied, remembering that she got to choose the movie for tonight.

She stood on her tip-toes on the step stool in the bathroom; reaching for a hairbrush on the shelf. The tip of her fingers touched the plastic handle of the brush. When she grabbed it, she hopped down.

With a tug, Rosie opened one of the sink's cabinet drawers. She peered inside and reached for a ponytail band. She wrapped it around the brush handle so it wouldn’t get lost.

“Coming!” She shouted and ran back to the living room.

“Will you braid my hair?” Rosie asked. The little girl stood barefoot on the carpet, feeling the soft fibers of the carpet between her toes. She held a brush in her hand. “Please?”

Peter looked up from the comic book. “So, that’s where you were the entire time, little gremlin.” He smiled.

Rosie rolled her eyes. “It’s not like I was up to no good.”

“Hey, you never know in this house.” He shrugged and chuckled.

“Will you braid my hair?” She repeated.

“Did you grab a ponytail holder?” He asked, setting the comic down.

Rosie nodded.

“Good.”

Peter motioned for her to sit down. He ran the brush through her dark brown wavy hair. “I’m not hurting you, right?”

“No, you’re fine.”

He brushed her hair back into the shape of a ponytail. Peter separated her hair into three parts and started braiding them together. He finished it and secured it with the ponytail band.

“Alright, done. Why don’t you go look in the mirror and tell me how I did?”

The little girl ran off and went to look at her hair in the bathroom mirror, holding the braid up. “It looks great! Thank you, Daddy!” She shouted.

“You’re welcome, sweetie.”

Rosie ran back to the living room and sat next to him. “Can I do your hair now?” She asked, looking up at him.

Peter chuckled softly. “I mean, sure? It’s not as long as yours, obviously, but you can brush it if you want.” He ran a hand through his silver hair.

“Okay!” She grinned. She got up and stood by the couch. “Sit on the floor. You’re too tall.” She pointed at the floor.

“Maybe you’re just tiny.” He teased, booping her nose.

Rosie huffed and crossed her arms against her chest. “No, I’m not!”

“Yes, you are,” he continued. “You’re a tiny little Twinkie.” He hugged her.

Rosie pushed him away. “Daddy… stop it…”

“Okay, but it’s true.” He let go and shrugged.

“You’re embarrassing.” Rosie sighed and tried to hide her smile. “Now, do you want your hair brushed or not? Sit, mister!”

“Alright, geez! Is that any way to treat your father?” He placed a hand on his chest, pretending to be offended.

He moved to sit on the carpeted floor, pulling his knees to his chest. Rosie picked up the brush, carefully running the bristles of the brush through his silver hair.

“You’re very good at this,” Peter commented.

“Thanks, I've had a lot of practice,” Rosie replied.

“You know, back when I was a teenager, I had longer hair,”

“Really?” Her eyes widened.

“Yep,” he said, popping the p. “If my hair was still that long, you could kinda braid it like yours,”

“Oh.” Rosie put tiny braids in his hair. Her eyes lit up when she got an idea. “You should grow it long again,”

“Really?” He asked.

“Yeah!” She grinned.

“Eh… I don’t know. I think it looked bad…” He shrugged.

Though that was back when he didn’t know how to care for his long hair, or simply lacked the patience to take care of it properly.

“Aw, come on,” Rosie whined. “Then we’d match.”

“Don’t you and your mom already match?”

“But then we’d all match!”

“Sure…” He thought.

“I’ll uh… think about it." He smiled. “But, for now, I like how it looks currently.”

He reached up to touch his hair when Rosie lightly smacked his hand away. “Ow!”

“Don’t touch it! You’ll ruin the braids!” She warned.

“Braids? You’re really going all out here.” Peter chuckled.

“Going all out?” She asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

“Yeah, like, really fancy?” he replied.

“Oh, well, I wanted to make your hair look nice, like mine.” Rosie smiled.

“Aw, well, that’s nice of you,”

“Thanks.” She looked down and admired her own braid. “Alright, I finished! Be right back!”

She left to grab a small mirror from the bathroom.

“Do you like it?” Rosie handed him the mirror.

“Oh, yeah. I like all the little braids.” He looked at his hair in the mirror. “It kinda makes me look like a pirate, right? Arrrr!” He winked and tried imitating a pirate.

“Eh… no.” Rosie deadpanned.

Peter let out a laugh. “Wow, thanks for being honest, I guess.” He sighed.

“Mommy says honesty is the best policy.” Rosie nodded.

“She’s right, mostly,” Peter replied. He got up to sit on the couch again. “But don’t tell her I said mostly.” He whispered, giving her a wink.

Rosie giggled. “Okay.”

She quickly returned the mirror and brush to their places. The little girl ran back. She sat in his lap, and Peter pulled her into a hug.

“Thank you for making my hair look pretty, sweetie.” He kissed her head.

“You’re welcome, Daddy,”

“Now, come on, your mom expects supper to be made by the time she gets home. How about… pizza?” He asked.

“Yeah!” Rosie cheered.

Peter carried her to the kitchen.

“And, while we work on the pizza, you can decide on a movie we can all watch.”

“I want to watch Kiki’s Delivery Service!” She smiled.

“Again? Well, it is very good, I’ll admit,” Peter said.

���It is magical! With witches and magic and cats and everything!”

“Please, don’t yell into my ear, ouch.” He winced and chuckled softly.

“Sorry.” She whispered.

“It is very magical. You’re right, Ro.” He whispered back.

She smiled.

---

By now, the pizzas were cooking in the oven. Rosie peered through the oven window as the pizzas rose.

“They look yummy, huh?” Peter looked at the pizzas with her.

“Uh-huh.” The little girl nodded.

“Why don’t you get the movie ready while we wait for the pizzas? Mommy will be back soon.” He suggested.

“Okay!” Rosie ran back to the living room. She reached up on the shelf for the movie. Her fingers touched the case. Then she faltered. She frowned. “Do you think Mommy will want to watch the movie?” She fidgeted with her hands.

“I’m sure she will. After all, she was the one who even introduced me to Ghibli movies.” Peter assured her.

“Okay.” Rosie smiled. She set up the movie.

“Do you need any help with the movie menu?” Peter asked. He set the hot pizzas on the stove to cool down.

“Daddy, I can do it. I’m not a baby.” Rosie rolled her eyes and huffed.

“But I thought you were my baby.” He cooed, exaggerating the sappiness to tease her.

Rosie groaned in embarrassment, rolling her eyes. “Daddy….”

“Alright, alright, I get it. I used to find it super annoying when my mom would say similar stuff to me, too,” Peter said.

“Okay, well, most of the time it’s super embarrassing, but I know it comes from love and stuff so… sometimes it’s okay when you say it.” Rosie shrugged.

Peter grinned.

“That doesn’t mean you get to say it all the time, Daddy, especially in public,” she warned him.

“Okay… don’t be an embarrassing sappy goofy dad all the time, got it,”

Rosie nodded.

“It will be very challenging, but I think I can manage.” He joked.

Rosie giggled.

---

“Alright, I think the pizzas have cooled down enough. You want to taste test them?” He suggested. A mischievous smile was on his face.

Rosie gasped. “But Mommy doesn’t like it when we do that.” She whispered.

“Well… she’s not here right now, she doesn’t have to know…”

Rosie thought it over. “Okay!” She grinned.

“Taste test the pizzas, my chaos child.” Peter instructed.

“Yes, sir!” She pulled a tiny bit of the pizza off with a fork and ate it. The piece was so small the pizza almost looked normal unless you inspected it closely and glanced at the missing part. “It’s great! And I didn’t burn my mouth!”

“Well, that’s good.” He laughed at her enthusiasm.

A while later, Peter and Rosie sat on the couch; watching special features on the movie menu while they waited for Marigold to return. They turned their heads when they heard a knock at the door.

Marigold opened it and walked in. “Hey, you two!”

“Mommy!” Rosie ran to her, and Marigold picked her up. “Hello, my little munchkin!” She kissed her cheek. “Oh, is that pizza I smell?” Marigold asked.

Peter hugged her from behind and quickly kissed her on the neck. “Yep. It was taken out of the oven not too long ago.”

“Can’t wait to have some slices.” She smiled.

“Mommy! I picked the movie for tonight! We’re watching Kiki’s Delivery Service!” Rosie grinned.

“Ooh, a great choice, dear.”

“See, told you,” Peter murmured.

“Told her what?” Marigold asked, an eyebrow raised in curiosity.

“Oh, nothing, it’s just Rosie was worried you would not like her movie choice.” He explained.

“You didn’t have to worry, sweetie. I like whatever you choose,” Marigold said.

“Oh, good.” Rosie sighed in relief.

Marigold and Peter chuckled.

“Now, come on, pizza’s ready,” Peter said.

“Pizza!” Rosie cheered.

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

You Built This Ship (You'll Go Down With It)

by GooeyGoop “No! There’s another way!” Strange shouted, the trembling in his hands increasing as another deafening rumble practically shook the statue they were on. “It’s risky, but it should work. I can cast another spell, it’ll send you away. Another universe, one where you don’t exist. Rewrite your existence out of this one. It would be like you were never here. Like you never existed. It should be enough to break the spell or confuse it at the very least.” Peter paused, his mind mulling over Dr. Strange’s idea and what it meant. “Like I never existed… will anyone remember me? Will I ever be able to come back?” Strange closed his eyes, a shuddering breath falling from his lips as he went quiet. After a few moments, he reopened them. “No… everyone in this universe will forget who Peter Parker was and is. Like I said, it will be like you never existed here. As for if you’ll ever be able to come back… I don’t know.” --- I suck at summaries! This is yet another Peter in Gotham fanfic. I'm still new to DCU so please go easy on me if someone seems out of character, I'm trying my best. Trigger warnings will be at the start of every chapter. Read safely goobers! Words: 7038, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: DCU, DCU (Comics), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Batman - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: Gen Characters: Peter Parker, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne, Duke Thomas, Barbara Gordon, Tim Drake (DCU), Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain Relationships: Peter Parker & Jason Todd, Dick Grayson & Peter Parker, Tim Drake (DCU) & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Bruce Wayne, Peter Parker & Damian Wayne, Batfamily Members (DCU) & Peter Parker Additional Tags: Post-Movie: Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Not Canon Compliant With Movie: Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Dimension Travel, Time Travel, Peter Parker Acts Like a Spider, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, he just won't admit it, Peter Parker Whump, Hurt Peter Parker, Homeless Peter Parker, Peter Parker has PTSD, Peter Parker Has Nightmares, Peter Parker Has Trust Issues, Peter Parker Has Issues, Peter Parker Has Fangs, Suicidal Thoughts, De-Aged Peter Parker, Lazarus Pit Side Effects (DCU), Peter Parker is Trying His Best, Peter Parker is a Mess, Peter Parker is a Little Shit, I Might Have Made Peter Parker a Little OP, It's Okay Because He Doesn't Even Realize It, Protectiveness, Protective Jason Todd, Protective Dick Grayson, Protective Batfamily (DCU), Bruce Wayne Tries to Be a Good Parent, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Dear God Batfam Come Get This Boy, Slow Burn, Miscommunication, Melodrama, Found Family, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Author Is New to DCU, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Making This Up As I Write, Other Additional Tags to Be Added via https://ift.tt/xZmIR0e

[sapphireginger]

Title: Drowning Out Sound - Chapter #5

Pairings: None [Gen]

Fandom: Teen Wolf

Word Count: 4,273

Rating: Mature

Warnings:  Descriptions of Past Child Abuse (Recounted by the Child) PTSD Flashback Dissociative Episode Panic Attack Past Trauma

Square Filled: Cooking Together

Written For: @anyfandomfluffbingo​

Full Fic AO3 Link

Summary:

Aunt Talia is a really good teacher and Stiles loves her so much. She has taught him how to do his numbers and letters even better and when he got discouraged, she would distract him with a snack or coloring until he could focus again.

Stiles was embarrassed when they went to the doctor one day because he has to get meds for his ADHD. He wouldn’t look at daddy, mommy or Aunt Talia at first. However, once he got the medication and started taking it, he felt so much better and did a lot better with his schoolwork.

Stiles was doing so well with his schooling, and they were able to have him tested. He ends up getting into first grade at five years old which his family is so very proud of him for. They all get ice cream to celebrate. Toward the end of the year Peter asks Stiles about school.

> Do you want to go to school like Jackson and Malia?

The boy tilts his head and chews his lip. His fingers card through Zuri’s fur and he shakes his head.

> No thank you. There’s so many kids and I’m afraid. I’m sorry, Daddy.

Peter gestures for Stiles to come to him and when the boy does, Peter scoops him up and settles him in his lap.

> Don’t be sorry. It’s okay. Talia said she would help homeschool you until you are ready for public school.

Stiles contemplates this for a moment and then looks at Peter with nervousness.

> What if I never want to go to public school?

> Then we will homeschool you.

> Really?

Peter nods and Stiles hugs him tightly. “Tha’k y’u.”

💦🫧👂🏻•💙•👂🏻🫧💦

Aunt Talia is a really good teacher and Stiles loves her so much. She has taught him how to do his numbers and letters even better and when he got discouraged, she would distract him with a snack or coloring until he could focus again.

Stiles was embarrassed when they went to the doctor one day because he has to get meds for his ADHD. He wouldn’t look at daddy, mommy or Aunt Talia at first. However, once he got the medication and started taking it, he felt so much better and did a lot better with his schoolwork.

A hand waves gently to get his attention. He blinks, having gotten deep into the book he was reading.

> Sorry, Aunt Talia.

He signs quickly as he sets his book down and faces his aunt.

She smiles.

> It’s okay. How is your work going? Do you need any help?

Stiles shakes his head with a smile.

> No thank you. I am just reading now. I did my math and writing. So, I am going to try and do my reading. Is that okay?

Talia nods and ruffles his hair gently.

> Good boy. Enjoy your book.

Eagerly, with a giggle at the ruffling of his hair, Stiles turns back to his book while Talia goes back to the kitchen to fix lunch. It’s so peaceful and she is so grateful she is able to do this for her new nephew.

Her eyes scan the book, and she is surprised at the one he chose. Only five years old and he’s reading Hatchet. Talia is proud and looks forward to telling Peter that his worries for Stiles while valid are unnecessary. He’s going to do just fine. In fact, Stiles will do extremely well. She will make sure of it.

💦🫧👂🏻•💙•👂🏻🫧💦

First semester comes to an end and then in January, they celebrate Malia and Jackson’s birthday. Stiles gets an allowance and saves all of it to get them each something special. He got Jackson a really nice watch that’s red because that’s Jackson’s favorite color and Legos to build a ship from his brother’s movie. He got Malia two fuzzy blankets, one green and one purple that she immediately insists Stiles cuddles with her under. Of course, Jackson gets to join too.

In February they celebrate Talia’s and Grandma Bridget’s birthday. Stiles gets a bottle of warm vanilla sugar lotion for his aunt as well as some fuzzy socks cause she says her feet get cold sometimes. He doesn’t notice her tearing up right away but when he does, he takes over her lap for the day.

> Thank you, Stiles. These are just what I need.

Stiles grins. 

> I know. I pay attention. You’re welcome.

Then he lays his head on her shoulder and watches the movie they have on. Gone with the Wind is Talia’s favorite movie, and the twins got her the anniversary edition for her birthday.

👂🏻•💙•👂🏻

The next day they go over to Grandma Bridget’s house to celebrate her birthday. There are hugs and kisses all around and after lunch, cake and ice cream they head into the living room for presents.

Stiles shyly hands her his gift that he wrapped himself.

> Thank you, my moonbeam.

She opens the gift and places a hand on her chest. Inside is a necklace she thought she had lost that has been polished along with a photograph of her late husband in a beautiful frame with a white rose on it.

> Do you like it grandma?

Bridget wipes her tears and nods.

> I love it, moonbeam. Come here.

Stiles walks over and melts into the hug she gives him and giggles at the kiss she places on his forehead.

👂🏻•💙•👂🏻

In March they celebrate Peter and Marie’s birthdays that are only a week apart. 

Stiles had asked Talia to take him to get their gifts and she took all three kids to the mall. Zuri stays close to Stiles’s side, having already been officially serving for nearly a year. 

> Can we go to the bookstore please?

Talia nods and walks that way, making sure the twins are in her line of sight.

As Stiles scans the shelves, he finds the perfect gift. He asks for help getting it down and when Talia smiles at him, giving her approval at his choice, he preens with pride. They head over to the register to pay for it and then go to the craft store for mommy’s gift.

All in all, it only takes a couple hours before they have everything bought and are on their way home.

Peter’s face when he opens the gift from Stiles is priceless. 

Stiles smiles shyly. 

> You said you love to write, and I thought that you should write more but of course you need something special to put all your words in.

The man’s fingers trace the details on the cover of the dark blue leather journal, and the blue fountain pen to go with it. He kisses the boy’s forehead before pulling him into a tight hug. When Stiles pulls back, he giggles at the pleased smile on Peter’s face before settling in for the rest of the gifts.

Marie gets some new thread for her sewing machine and some seeds for her flower garden. She asks Stiles to help her plant them when it’s the perfect weather for it and he eagerly agrees.

 💦🫧👂🏻•💙•👂🏻🫧💦

Then comes April, Stiles’s birthday and in the morning when he wakes up, everything is great. They’re having a small party with family and a couple kids that Stiles met through homeschooling.

Stiles helps with setting the table for lunch and greets his friends when they come. Only one of them gets to stay for cake but they make sure to send some treats home with the one who has to leave.

Peter turns the lights down a bit as Marie gets the video camera out. Stiles blushes and waits patiently as Talia lights the candles on his cake. He counts each candle as it’s lit.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

As the six little flames flicker, Stiles feels a tightness in his chest start to get even tighter. He’s had one birthday with the Hales already but for some reason this one is different. Daddy, mommy, Aunt Talia, Jackson, Malia and Stiles’s friend Grant all start signing to him.

> Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Stiles.

Stiles hiccups a sob so softly it’s barely audible.

> Happy birthday to you.

Everyone is smiling at him, and he wants to smile back but he can’t. So, when they tell him to blow out the candles, he closes his eyes and makes a wish.

‘I wish I wasn’t broken.’

Then he blows out the candles.

💦🫧👂🏻•💙•👂🏻🫧💦

He manages to hold it together until his friend Grant leaves but after that all bets are off. He runs to the master bedroom and crawls under the big bed. Zuri is right by his side and curls around him, letting him bury his head against her tummy. Stiles curls into a small ball as his breathing becomes shallow and rough. His heart is pounding, and he starts rubbing at his ear until Zuri’s paw gently traps his wrist.

Stiles has no idea how long he is under the bed for but when he wakes up he’s on mommy and daddy’s bed and it’s nighttime. Stiles’s brain is mushy, and he wants to hide. So, he does.

💦🫧👂🏻•💙•👂🏻🫧💦

Peter is extremely worried when Stiles hasn’t made a sound or moved a muscle in hours. It hurts to see him so still, almost exactly like he was in the hospital the day Peter came to get him. Marie gets the twins ready for bed and Peter tucks them in. The two adults then get ready for bed themselves and then climb into bed, with Stiles settled between them. Peter made sure to put him into pajamas as well.

He sends an email to Doctor Bowen about an appointment. Peter knows Stiles needs to talk to someone. Marie goes to sleep but Peter can’t sleep yet. He needs to know that Stiles is okay. So, he waits and waits and waits.

It’s nearly midnight when Stiles finally rouses and Peter stills as the boy blinks at him.

> Daddy?

Peter slowly scoops him up and cards his fingers through Stiles’s hair with a soft shudder of relief. He kisses the boy’s forehead and rocks him slowly. Zuri is still on alert watching over her human with a protective gaze and stance.

After a few minutes Stiles pulls back and looks at Peter.

> I’m sorry.

> For what sweetheart?

Stiles looks down for a moment and reaches for Zuri who nuzzles her nose against his tummy. She knows that is where it hurts after he has a panic attack.

> Running and hiding. I got scared and really sad.

Peter nods and gives a small smile of reassurance.

> That’s okay. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You are not in trouble.

> I’m not?

Peter shakes his head.

> No, but can you tell me what made you upset? Maybe I can help.

Stiles starts rubbing at his ear as tears start to fall again. He raises small shaking hands to reply.

> You are my daddy. Marie is my mommy.

His hand forms a fist, and he drags the back of his thumb from his bottom lip down to just below his chin for the word patience and then signs the letter M.

> You are my parents, but I thought about no more mommy and no more daddy. I am glad but it just hit me really hard right here.

He taps his heart and sniffles.

Understanding washes over Peter and his heart aches for the boy. He uses his thumbs to dry Stiles’s tears and makes sure the boy is looking at him.

> You don’t have to be sorry for the things your heart feels. It’s okay to be hurt. It’s okay to be sad. You went through a lot of hurt and even though you’re safe now and have people who love you so very much, you’re going to miss them.

Stiles shakes his head in frustration.

> I don't want to miss them. Why do I miss them?

Peter takes Stiles’s hand in his and ducks his head to meet the boy’s gaze again.

> Because they raised you and were your parents. For all their faults they did love you even if they forgot how to love you in the right way after a while. So it is okay to miss them. That doesn’t mean you are broken or wrong or bad. It just means you are human, and you hurt just like everyone else.

> Thank you, Daddy. I love you.

> I love you too sweetheart. Shall I sing?

Stiles’s amber eyes brighten and a small smile forms on his face as he nods. It’s enough of an answer for Peter to pull him close again. He starts softly humming and Stiles rests his nose against Peter’s throat so he can feel the vibrations as they lull him to sleep.

💦🫧👂🏻•💙•👂🏻🫧💦

When it’s time to go to second grade, Stiles asks his parents and his Aunt Talia if he can try public school.

> I want to try and be around other kids. Malia says I would love recess and Jackson says I would love gym class cause they play soccer and dodgeball. I also want to make some more friends.

Peter is hesitant but with a firm and encouraging nod from Talia, they sign Stiles up to start school at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School where the twins go.

Much to Peter’s relief, Stiles does really well and all of his teachers and even classmates are extremely considerate. Peter can only hope that continues as the years go by.

One day, Stiles comes home and gets off the bus with a huge grin on his face. Peter chuckles at the way the boy is bouncing with excitement.

> What has made you so giggly and excited?

Stiles blushes lightly and kicks his shoes off by the door.

> I made a new friend.  

> Oh? What’s your new friend’s name?

> Name. C-A-L-L-I-O-P-E. Calliope but she says I can call her C-A-L-L-I-E. Callie. 

His smile is shy and pleased, and Peter gets all warm and fuzzy at the news.

> You’ll have to invite her over to play this summer then.

Stiles runs over and looks up at Peter with wide eyes.

> Really? She can come play?

> If her mommy and daddy say she can then I don’t see why not.

Stiles throws his arms around Peter and squeezes as tightly as he can. Peter flings the towel he was using to dry dishes over his shoulder and hugs the boy back. They stay that way until Marie comes in and coaxes Stiles outside to help her plant the seeds that he got her.

💦🫧👂🏻•💙•👂🏻🫧💦

It’s halfway through the summer after second grade and Callie has gotten along really well with all three of the kids and she adores both Marie and Talia. Stiles adores her and they’re really close, so when it’s time to go to the pool, she is asked to join them. Her parents have no problem with her going as they are pleased that she has made a real friend.

Stiles is nervous at first but he’s glad they’re at a smaller waterpark and not a really big one. He also loves all the pretty green trees nearby. Zuri is right by his side as he stands by the edge of the pool. His small hands fist the fabric of his red swim trunks as he tries to work up the courage to get in.

Then two older boys walk over, and Stiles gets nervous at their approach. They smirk at him and without warning, Stiles is shoved into the pool. Time seems to freeze, and Stiles starts thrashing around in terror. He can’t breathe. He. Can’t. Breathe. His eyes go hazy for a moment as his chest constricts. He can hear Zuri barking and just as he’s about to pass out, he has a flashback.

💦🫧👂🏻•💙•👂🏻🫧💦

Three Years Ago:

Playing with his rubber ducky in the tub is something Stiles loves to do. He also loves all the bubbles but is sad when they start to disappear. He’s looking for the soap, when his mommy comes into the bathroom and closes the door.

Stiles frowns slightly in confusion but since she just smiles, he goes back to playing.

Daddy used to always give him his baths but with daddy working more, mommy had to help.

As he’s playing with one of his boats, mommy puts her hand on his head and ruffles his hair. He giggles softly and blows bubbles at her with a grin.

Stiles doesn’t know what happens to make mommy angry but suddenly, mommy does something bad.

She pushes his head under water and holds him there. Stiles starts thrashing and clawing but he’s too small. His eyes grow hazy, and he can’t breathe. The last thing he sees before he passes out is his mommy’s smiling face above him.

💦🫧👂🏻•💙•👂🏻🫧💦

Present Day:

Stiles remembers talking with Doctor Bowen about what it means to disappear into his head. He remembers her calling it a really big word. When she talked to Peter and gave him papers, Stiles had seen the word and sounded it out for himself. Doctor Bowen calls it dissociating. It’s a big word but she made sure he understood it when he asked.

So, when Stiles comes to and finds himself nowhere near where he was when he blacked out, he knows he dissociated.

Peter has him bundled up in a towel and cradled in between his siblings in the backseat of the car. Stiles’s cheeks turn red with embarrassment.

> Callie?

He signs the word beautiful with a C. It’s her sign name that she got from him.

There’s a tap on his shoulder and he turns his head to see her in the backseat. He starts crying, having been afraid he would lose his friend.

> I’m here Stiles. I am here. You’re my best friend and I’m not going anywhere.

The feeling of tightness in Stiles’s chest has nearly vanished and with the warmth of his siblings on either side of him he feels himself relaxing. Zuri is a grounding weight across his lap and Callie’s hand is gently holding his hand over the seat. Stiles feels totally, completely and one hundred percent safe. This is his family, and he knows they won’t let anything happen to him.

💦🫧👂🏻•💙•👂🏻🫧💦

Callie stays for lunch and then heads home but promises to see Stiles again real soon. They hug each other tightly before she gets into her dad’s car and goes home.

When she’s out of sight, Stiles closes the door and locks it. Peter is in the study and Marie is in the laundry room. She told Stiles he can help her make cookies for dessert and so he heads to find her first.

With giggles and a huge grin on his face, he helps mommy make cookies. They make peanut butter cookies, chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal cookies. Stiles gets flour on his face and spills a bit of sugar, but Marie just chuckles and tells him it’s okay. Cooking is going to be messy sometimes.

Dinner is a bigger task and Marie is going to handle it herself, but she gives Stiles the first cookie along with one for each of the twins and one for Peter. With a smile, Stiles delivers the twins their cookies first and then, with a deep breath, he heads to the study to talk to Peter.

Zuri is right by his side, a solid weight he needs to stay grounded.

“Da’dy?” he says startling Peter who looks over.

> Hey. What do you have there?

Stiles walks over slowly and hands his daddy the cookie.

> Oatmeal. Mommy says you like oatmeal raisin, but we didn’t have raisins.

> That’s okay. I bet the cookie tastes delicious.

Peter takes a bite and softly sighs.

> Do you like it, Daddy?

Stiles watches with hopeful eyes and Peter nods.

> Yes. I love it.

The man chuckles as Stiles does a fist pump and then quirks a brow when Stiles gestures to the couch.

> Are you busy?

Peter tilts his head.

> Not too busy for you. What’s up?

Stiles chews his lip and signs.

> I need to talk to you. Is that okay?

> Of course. Do you want to sit over there?

Stiles nods and scurries over after closing the study door. The couch is a safe place for him, and Zuri is quick to hop up with him. She settles her body over his lap securely and Peter takes a seat next to the boy.

> What do you need to tell me, dearheart?

> It’s bad, Daddy, but I want to tell you. I need to tell you. I’m just scared is all.

Peter frowns slightly and nods.

> Okay. You can tell me anything. I’m always here when you need me.

Stiles sniffles and nods.

> I know. That’s why I want to tell you. I trust you, Daddy.

Peter’s heart swells with love and affection as that small seed of doubt is decimated.

> Whenever you’re ready.

Stiles nods and takes a deep breath. He takes a moment to go through the breathing exercises that Doctor Bowen showed him and cards his fingers through Zuri’s fur. When he’s settled and calm, he starts to explain.

> You know that old mommy went to a jail for people with hurt brains, but you don’t know what she did to me. I want to tell you. Okay?

Peter swallows thickly. As much as he has wanted and even felt the need to know, he’s certain he won’t like what he learns. Still, he nods.

Stiles nods back and continues.

> Daddy used to always give me my baths. He would make them so much fun. One time he made himself a beard when I accidentally put in too much bubble bath. I don’t know why but daddy had to work more, and he was never there to give me a bath anymore.  

He pauses and shudders, gripping Zuri’s fur tighter, eliciting a rumble in her chest to ground him so he can keep going.

> Take your time.

Peter signs quickly, wanting to make sure Stiles doesn’t push himself if he’s not truly ready.

Stiles nods and flexes his fingers before continuing with a determined expression on his face.

> At first, it was fine, and I took my bath while she was in her room or somewhere else upstairs but sometime after my birthday, she started coming in during that time. She would just sit there but she never played with me like daddy did. When she did come over to the tub, she

Amber eyes fix seriously on Peter.

> Please don’t be mad, okay?

Peter stills and his heart begins to race, but he nods.

> If I am mad, it won’t be at you. I promise.

> Okay.

With another round of his breathing exercises, Stiles forges ahead.

> Mommy knelt by the tub, and I offered her my toy. She just smiled and shook her head. I remember being confused but she ruffled my hair like she always did. So, I didn’t pay much attention. Then something changed and she pushed my head under water. I was scared. I was terrified and I tried to fight back but the water was so heavy here.

He presses his hand flat against his chest and then his stomach.

> I couldn’t breathe and got so sleepy. I don’t know what happened next except for seeing her smiling above me and then darkness. I think I maybe fell asleep, but that is scary cause you can't sleep underwater. I don't remember. My head is all fuzzy about that. When I woke up, I was in my bed and my tummy hurt so bad, Daddy. I couldn’t remember stuff, but I knew mommy did something wrong.

Peter waves his hand slightly to get the boy’s attention.

> Did John know?

Stiles shakes his head and glares, though Peter knows it is not directed at him.

> No. Daddy didn't protect me. He didn’t notice. She did that for a long time and the last time I felt a pain in my head. Right here.

He rubs at his ears and then presses his palms against his temples with a sigh and a shudder.

Peter is barely holding it together as he listens to the horror of what Stiles went through. A white hot burning hatred for Claudia Stilinski floods through his body. He nearly misses when Stiles starts again.

> I felt sick and because my tummy hurt bad, I didn’t eat a lot of food. Mommy told me I was fine, but I knew I wasn’t. That last night I remember my heart pounding as I stared wide eyed at her from under the water. My little hands were scratching at her but then I coughed and accidentally sucked in water. Then my ears popped and started to ring. I felt sleepy and numb. That was the last time I saw mommy and she was smiling at me as she drowned me. The next time I woke up, I was in the hospital and daddy left me that day too.

It seems as though Stiles’s story is over, but Peter is speechless. He’s vibrating with anger and crying silently. What exactly does one say to a child when they explain their trauma, so very well for their age? How can Peter possibly help this child–his child–with overcoming what he went through?

Stiles seems to understand and slowly crawls into Peter’s lap as Peter stretches his legs out on the couch. Zuri keeps her body on Stiles to weigh him down and keep him grounded.

After taking a few minutes to collect his thoughts, Peter makes sure amber eyes meet his blue ones.

> I am so very sorry that she hurt you. I am so angry on your behalf because your mommy should have loved you and never hurt you. I want you to know and never forget that I love you so much. Marie, Jackson, Malia, Talia and grandma love you to the moon and back. You are safe here and I am so very proud of you.

Stiles looks away with pink cheeks.

> Why are you proud?

Peter coaxes the boy to look at him.

> You are brave, strong and you have a huge heart. You knew you needed to and wanted to tell me what happened. So, you did. That takes a lot of strength sweetheart but most of all I am proud because you are my son, and I will always protect you and keep you safe.

Tears fall in torrents down Stiles’s cheeks as he presses a kiss to his daddy’s cheek. Then he practically melts against the man’s body with a content sigh. Peter almost misses the very soft words the boy speaks against his shirt.

“I l’ve y’u Da’dy.”

Peter cradles him close in a protective cocoon and vows then and there that Claudia Stilinski will never ever get out or come near his son again. In fact, the next morning he makes a call and ensures that she won’t ever see anything beyond the walls of the asylum and that if by some small miracle–nightmare–she does get out, well he’ll handle that personally. No one will harm his child ever again.

[canadiandutchiefangirl]

Went through my bookmarks & here are all the fics with under 500 hits:

Supernatural

Measured Hundredweight and Penny Pound by aj2245

Gen, 1.2k, post-5x10 Abandon All Hope

Summary: The drive out of Carthage is long and quiet.

below freezing by @one-more-offbeat-anthem

Established Destiel, 1.7k, Self-reflection, Minor Angst

A hunt turns into a stay at a snowy cabin, and in the silence, Dean grapples with the ghosts of his past.

Cas holds his hand through it.

in a different life, dad died at the end of my gun by a_fuck_it_kind_of_lifestyle

Trans Dean, 6.8k, Incomplete

from my post that said: oh oh oh oh oh dean meeting his au version where he murdered john and theprincessandthepie's wonderful angsty tags on them (which i'm not writing out here because of Authorial Tension)

Absolution by knifegirlruby

1.6k, Smut, Angst, Biting, Getting Together

Cas grabs a fistful of his hair and yanks his head back. Dean hisses in pain when his head hits the wall.

“So you want me to do the dirty work? To release you from your sins?“

Dean pants. “Yes,“ he says. His blood is boiling. Cas is so close.

Or: Dean goes to Cas, asking him to kill him.

Fill Thyself with the Word of God by lowkey_existential_despair

5.2k, Blood and Gore, Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Cas POV

And, most importantly, Castiel knows that all of these things make a Biggerson’s restaurant an excellent place to hide.

telling the bees by @dirtybackroad

1.4k, Angst, Grieving Dean Winchester, post-15x18

Telling the bees is a traditional custom in which the hive is told of important events in their handlers' lives.

Dean thought it seemed appropriate.

Agents of SHIELD

i keep on talkin' trash but i never say anything by onedrinkafter

Under 1k, Skyeward, Angst

“you don’t get to call me a whore,” skye says quietly, testing out how the words fill the empty space between them.

Chronicles of Narnia

tying rocks to your ankles by nutellamuffin

Under 1k, Caspian, Character Death, Angst

when the seafarer drowns, the world turns on its axis.

. peter pevensie . by nutellamuffin

Poetry, Under 1k

(I love this whole series, but this one especially)

fuck it, I'm romanticizing underrated ao3 works now. 8,000 word fics with only 13 kudos, even after 5 months. multi-chaptered works with only 11 comments from the same 3 people and the author themself. incredibly specific works featuring OC's mingling with canon characters that only get 5 kudos. rare-pair fics. gift works that are literally ONLY for the receiver.

[princeofgod-2021]

LIGHT OF LIFE 510

John 1:4

DIVINE ORDER 75: God Seekers 4

Gen 4:26 And a son was also born to Seth, whom he named Enosh. AT THAT TIME PEOPLE BEGAN to worship the LORD. NET

Professional Relationship 4

It must be acknowledged and understood that no matter the form or Class of reasons why men seek or approach God, it is all formerly presented on the Platform or foundation of Praise, Worship and thanksgiving.

Psa 100:4 You can pass through his open gates with the PASSWORD of PRAISE. COME RIGHT INTO HIS PRESENCE WITH THANKSGIVING. Come bring your thank offering to him and affectionately bless his beautiful name! TPT

Whatever Request you are making with God, either based on Hunger, Pain, Sickness or Relevance, you are ultimately to present them on the platter of thanksgiving.

Php 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through PRAYER and PETITION with THANKSGIVING, tell your requests to God. NET

Now, the 2nd Class of “Returns” we bring to God are the Lives of other Men to join us as servants of God.

This is what Jesus laboured and gave up His life to accomplish.

Heb 2:10 God—the one who made all things and for whose glory all things exist—WANTED MANY PEOPLE TO BE HIS CHILDREN AND SHARE HIS GLORY. SO HE DID WHAT HE NEEDED TO DO. He made perfect the one who leads those people to salvation. HE MADE JESUS A PERFECT SAVIOR THROUGH HIS SUFFERING. ERV

Well, Jesus was a “once for all” sacrifice for humanity, and so we are not expected to do it exactly the way He did but our goals are same: we are to win Souls and bring them to God.

Joh 15:16 You did not choose me; I CHOSE YOU AND APPOINTED YOU TO GO AND BEAR MUCH FRUIT, THE KIND OF FRUIT THAT ENDURES. And so the Father will GIVE YOU WHATEVER YOU ASK OF HIM IN MY NAME. GNB

Considering the illustration of Machinery we’ve been applying before, every Manufacturer hopes to enlarge his coast eventually, as he profits from his initial investments.

Mar 12:1-2 Jesus then told them this story: A FARMER ONCE PLANTED A VINEYARD. He built a wall around it and dug a pit to crush the grapes in. He also built a lookout tower. Then he rented out his vineyard and left the country. WHEN IT WAS HARVEST TIME, HE SENT A SERVANT TO GET HIS SHARE OF THE GRAPES. CEV

This is evidently why the “clause” in John 15:16 indicate Productivity as a condition for receiving answers to prayers. It shows how important Soul-Winning is to God.

The 3rd Class of “Returns” we bring to God are not directly about “we” bringing, but about other men who are inspired by our Lives to bring Praise and Worship back to God.

Mat 5:16 SO DON’T HIDE YOUR LIGHT! Let it shine brightly before others, SO THAT THE COMMENDABLE THINGS YOU DO WILL SHINE AS LIGHT UPON THEM, AND THEN THEY WILL GIVE THEIR PRAISE TO YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN.” TPT

Every Manufacturer will hope for promotions that reveal and impress his products to an ever-increasing hoard of prospective customers.

Many companies reward their promoters.

The most impressive way to incite Worship of God from men’s lips is to help, do good to, and be a blessing to them in every way possible.

Psa 112:9 He has scattered abroad; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn shall be lifted up with honor. MKJV

The people you do good to in the name of the Lord, could in turn be the ones that will make petitions for you before God, and may even win a favour for you.

Your life to them has indicated God’s goodness and could eventually cause them to embrace God.

Act 9:39 So Peter went with them. When he arrived, he was taken upstairs. All the widows stood around him. They were crying and showing Peter the articles of clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them. GW

But we must never get confused by assuming that “Returns” really mean that God needs us so much. He can always do without me and you, but we can never do without Him.

Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. KJV

May your connection to God yield the utmost of benefits, IN JESUS NAME.

See you on Friday, as we proceed with this Subtopic.

Brother Prince

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

08055125517; 08023904307

[sweetbuckybarnes]

Junior Prom

Pairings: Lara Jean Song-Covey + Peter Kavisnky

Summary: Peter's POV, AU where Lara Jean never forgave Peter after he 'stayed with Gen for the night'. Peter didn't get back with Gen and has been single since Lara Jean dumped him.

Prom night. Something I was hoping to go with Lara Jean, but I've been on my own since she walked away from me - and I was coping... ish.

But I was (read, am) in love with Lara Jean, I had a crush on her before my first kiss, and it had just blossomed since then.

But tonight, was prom night. Lara Jean had gone with her small group of friends (Chris, Lucas, Sanderson and Ambrose).

I was sat by the bar in Corner Café when a slightly rowdy, small bunch of people walked in. Chris staggered in, giggling like mad, she was hanging around Lara Jean, followed by Lucas and Ambrose. I couldn't help but wonder where Sanderson was...

"Lara Jean! Let me look at you," Joan said, shuffling around the bar and to where my somewhat ex-girlfriend was walking in.

Lara Jean was wearing a floor-length, bluey-greeny coloured dress, a pair of coral wedges hanging from her hands. She never was one to follow fashion - it's what I love about her. Her hair (which look like it had been curled) was up in a ponytail, it looked like a scrunchie in her hair, when I took Lara Jean's hair down. Her skin was shiny and little beads were rolling down her neck.

Joan smiled with her hands clasped over her mouth. "Give me a twirl," Lara Jean complies, the skirt of her dress swirled around her legs. "You look so much like your mother," Joan smiled, remembering when Eve Song arrives in the café with Lara Jean's father.

"I honestly would say that Margot looks more like mom, but thank you, Joan," Lara Jean wraps her arms around Joan.

"You let a great girl go," Joan said to me, patting her hand on my shoulder as a younger girl took their order.

Lara Jean is the only girl I couldn't understand, she is like a Rubik's Cube that I can't figure out. "She walked away from me," is all I can say, before continuing to drink my chocolate milkshake - the first thing I ever had here, when I was still speaking to Lara Jean.

That was when Lara Jean walked over to the bar, with a small piece of paper in her hand (most likely a list of food and drink) and gave me a small smile.

"Hi, Lara Jean," I start a small conversation with her.

"Peter," her clipped tone, broke my heart even more than it was.

I looked up at her, it was one of the scrunchies I'd got her when we were in a fake relationship, I never asked for them back - I got them for her hoping that she would use them when she would get stressed out exams (like I've seen her do for years).

"Lara Jean, please just let me explain what happened," I begged, reaching out to hold her hand. "Please, Lara Jean," this made her look at me - and I know I look like a mess.

She let out a sigh and nodded. "Ok, explain," she hands the piece of paper over to Joan, who looked between us and smiled.

I sucked in a deep breath, held her hand, and looked her straight into her eyes. "The reason why I went into Gen's room that night, was to tell her that it was over. Because," I take in another breath and squeeze her hand. "Because I'm in love with you, Lara Jean,"

She looked at me with wide eyes. "Really?" She is starting to smile and is holding my hand tightly.

I nod, and look down, not wanting to look her in the eye when she breaks my heart into a million pieces again.

"I'm in love with you too, Peter," she said, reaching for my face and making me look her in her eyes. "I love you, Peter Kavinsky,"

My face lit up, and I wrapped my arms around her body. "Joan, is it possible that you could get some fries for the table?" I ask, looking over at her, as she nodded.

"Of course, sweetheart," Joan smiled, and went back into the kitchen - to give the order to the chef.

"Thank you, Joan," I call to her, grab my milkshake from the countertop as Lara Jean and I go to the booth they were sat at. I repeatedly kiss her cheek and smile down at her with loving eyes. "Lara Jean? Do you, maybe, want to be my official girlfriend?" I ask.

"I would love that, Peter," she kissed my lips and I was in heaven.

[wheredidhiseyebrowsgo]

Can we please get ace/aro!stiles

Hi anon. @midnightwinterhawk found some.

maybe hold my hand by Cancer

(1/1 I 2,487 I General I Sterek)

"By the time he turned twenty-three, he had a seriously extended knowledge of all things sexual. He just didn't want the sex part of it. Sex, he decided, was for reading. He wasn't disgusted by it, or tired of it, or strongly against it; it just didn't seem worth the effort. It wasn't that he didn't want to have sex ever again, it was just that it may not bother him that much if he never had to do it again; that maybe it would be okay to not."

the one where Stiles' sexual orientation is pretty much "meh" then realizes he may be in love, proceeds to maybe panic, and Derek is just too invested to care about anything else

Waiting for Pack by DiscontentedWinter, hisaribi

(8/8 I 14,927 I Teen I Steter)

This isn't the first time Stiles has woken up in a different world. This isn't the first time that Peter has been caught in a place where time doesn't exist. Except this time they have each other.

Hook, Yarn, Sinker by pprfaith

(23/23 I 65,676 I Not Rated I Steter)

Stiles is happy with his store, his hobbies, his friends. Peter's just trying to figure out how to raise his nieces and nephew without fucking them up too badly.

Paths cross.

AND

@kevaaronday found more!

They Don’t Do That At Walmart by luulapants (1,969 | 1/1 | Teen | Stackson) “When’s the last time you went clothes shopping?”

“I don’t know!” Stiles whined. He gestured vaguely in the air. “I don’t clothes shop so much as clothes appear to me from the ether and then I keep them until the gods of decay reclaim them.”

Jackson paced. He stopped. “We’re going shopping,” he decided.

This Or That, But Always Mine by clotpolesonly (2,312 | 1/1 | Gen | Sterek) He and Derek were not a thing.

Or, okay, maybe they were kind of a thing, in a way.

But they were definitely not that kind of thing.

Stiles just wished everyone else could understand that.

We Pick Ourselves Undone by scilessweetheart (3,090 | 1/1 | Teen | Stydia) For Asexual Awareness Week!!

Between the ADHD, the anxiety, and the dead mom, Stiles was used to being an outsider. Then, there were werewolves and nogitsunes. Discovering his asexuality was just another thing to add to his list of "weird things about Stiles". Luckily, his friends are there to remind him that he isn't broken like he thinks he is.

On a Spectrum by alikatastic

(3,694 | 1/1 | Teen | Steter) Stiles goes through life thinking something is wrong with him. Every relationship he has had ended because he thought he was broken. He had gone years without having loved or had sex with another person. So, when Peter started hitting on him, he only flirted back because it was fun. He was having fun interacting with another human being in a risque way. He didn't think it would ever lead to a relationship or sex; he just wanted to have fun. Too bad he fell in love, or could it be a good thing in the end? Because being Ace does not equal being broken.

V-cards for V-day? By Drapetomania

(4,485 | 1/1 | Gen | Sterek) Stiles thinks about how they could be showering together right now if being naked together was a thing they do. Hell, they don't even have those crazy desperate make out moments where they're seconds away from tearing off each other's clothes. Stiles expected things to change when he got into a relationship. Then he expected things to progress as the relationship did. But here he is, finding himself completely indifferent to having sex with Derek Hale - or, even more so, he kind of doesn't want to have sex with Derek Hale.

aka ace!Stiles

Life Is What You Bake It by neglectedtuesday

(1/1 I 12,503 I General I Sterek)

“You’re not broken Mr. Stilinski, nor are you a freak,” Deaton says, reaching into a drawer and searching for something, “You are simply asexual.”

“Asexual?” The word tastes heavy in Stiles mouth but it doesn’t feel wrong.

“Asexuality is not uncommon in society,” Deaton continues, finding what he was looking for. Unsurprisingly it’s a pamphlet. “There are lots of omegas, betas and alphas that are asexual or a form of asexuality. There are many chat forums and websites that cater specifically to asexuality. Obviously you will not be required to go to play-mating classes anymore and if you so wish you can remain off the suppressants.”

Stiles clutches the pamphlet in his hands. Asexual. Not broken, just asexual. It’s a word that Stiles can definitely get used to.

It's gonna take a tender touch by justonemoremiracle

(16/16 I 39,607 I Mature I Sterek)

“So, what can I do for you? What are you looking for, exactly? I’m assuming you checked the website to get an idea of what services we provide.” “Yeah, I— it said you did a bit of everything. Like, you don’t just focus on sexual encounters.” “That is what most people request, but yes, we offer a variety of things. Some people come looking for sex, some just want a piece of arm candy to show off, and some want a mixture of both. I’m assuming you’re on the second group?” “Not… exactly.” Stiles bit his lip, unsure whether to continue, but when Derek raised a questioning eyebrow, he soldiered on. “I’m looking for a… companion. Kinda.” “… A companion.” “Yeah, like,” he blushed. “Someone to talk to. Share some meals with. Um, with some touching thrown in, but nothing, like, sexual or anything. Stuff like that.”