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poisonlove · 5 months

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I NEED YOU | j.o

part 1

This is the second part, I hope you like it

I turn the letter in my hands again, biting my lower lip thoughtfully.

I was sitting on the bleachers of the school gym, watching our basketball team, the Tigers, practice. Despite being physically present, my mind was consumed by the words of that letter, slowly gnawing at me with the agony of curiosity. I'm really trying to stay focused, to cheer for the impressive baskets, step-backs, or three-pointers, but my head feels disconnected from my body.

"Come on!" Isaac shouts after making yet another successful shot. "Did you see that shot?" he asks from a distance, giving me a proud smile. I give him a thumbs up, signaling that I witnessed his shot, and the dark-haired boy smiles broadly, wiping sweat from his forehead.

Isaac turns around, and I catch a glimpse of the number 10 on the back of his jersey.

My eyes return to the letter in my hands, my thumb gliding over the paper.

"My brother is a true idiot," a feminine voice exclaims suddenly. I redirect my attention to the sound of the voice and smile when I see Jenna Ortega standing on the steps near me. Her brown eyes scrutinize me with amusement, a small smile painted on her lips.

I raise an eyebrow in confusion, noticing the two bottles of peach tea she holds.

"Isaac can be an idiot... but he's really good at basketball," I remark, stealing a quick glance at the mentioned boy, smiling as he skillfully dribbles the ball. "I understand," Jenna murmurs calmly, walking over to stand in front of me. "Can I sit?" she asks timidly, seeking unnecessary permission.

"Yes, of course," I murmur quickly, watching with the corner of my eye Jenna's movements.

Jenna raises the corners of her lips in a smile, sitting next to me. The scent of her fragrance wafts into my nostrils, making me sigh at how delightful it is.

"Do you want one?" she asks, offering me a peach tea bottle. "Yes, please," I reply with a polite smile, reaching out to take the refreshing drink. Our fingers brush, and instinctively, I lift my gaze to her eyes, seeing Jenna doing the same. Her doe-like brown eyes intensely lock onto mine through her long lashes, almost sending shivers down my spine with the intensity.

I avert my gaze, clearing my throat.

"I didn't ask if you wanted this because I know you don't like lemon," she innocently murmurs, almost stiffening as she realizes what she said. "How do you know?" I ask with genuine interest, taking a sip of the refreshing beverage.

"When you come to our house, you've said it several times to Isaac," Jenna says, and I look at her with a raised eyebrow, noticing her slight nervous movements.

"Oh, right," I reply, realizing. It doesn't seem too strange that Jenna knows such a thing; after all, I have to remind myself that Isaac's house is hers too. "Anyway, thanks anyway... but what are you doing here? I don't want to kick you out, of course, but you've never come to the practices," I ask curiously, and Jenna looks at me carefully while taking a sip of her tea.

My eyes immediately focus on her lips, seeing how the dimple on her cheeks becomes more pronounced as her lips curl to quench her thirst. Her eyes don't stray from mine, as if she wants to imprint me in her mind.

"Oh, I just promised my brother that if he got a B in math, I would come to see him," she says with an indifferent shrug.

I smile shyly.

"Oh, okay... it's also strange for me that he made it," I say jokingly, and Jenna smiles widely, her eyes sparkling.

"Yeah, I made the bet knowing he wouldn't, but here I am," Jenna says, smiling, directing her gaze to my hands.

She absentmindedly bites her lower lip, almost thoughtfully. "Is that a letter?" she asks with curiosity. I look at the letter in my hands that I had completely forgotten I still had, talking with Jenna distracted me. "Oh, yes, nothing important," I say without thinking too much, putting the letter in my pocket.

"Mmmh... if you say so," she says with a small smile on her lips, sparkling eyes... of I don't really know what. "And tell me... why are you here... because..." Jenna starts innocently, playing with the edges of her red and black checkered shirt. "Because you like my brother?" she timidly concludes, looking attentively at a thread of her ripped jeans, twirling her finger around it.

I almost spit out the tea I was drinking.

"What? No, no," I quickly say, blushing with embarrassment. "Misery, no," I quickly conclude, looking at Jenna with flushed cheeks.

"Mmmh..." she says unconvinced.

"Do you know that I like peach tea, and you don't know that I'm a lesbian?" I ask with a amused tone, and Jenna lightly bites her lower lip with amusement. "I don't know," she says shrugging indifferently, looking at me with a small smile.

This girl is really... unique.

(...)

"Sign! Sign against domestic violence!" I exclaim loudly, vehemently displaying the document I had in my hands, trying to get some female signatures.

After showing the letter to my best friend Sierra three weeks ago, we tried to come up with a plan to gather more clues about who might be the mysterious girl who wrote that letter for me. Besides the neat handwriting, we had noticed that she wrote the letter "E" in a very peculiar way, almost doing it backward.

"No, Sierra, it's not working," I mutter exasperatedly, looking at my best friend. "No one is signing... and as worrisome as it may be, we still get no results," I say, nervously biting my lower lip.

Sierra sighs and also puts the document down, looking at me with eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"I've got an idea," she says, smiling widely, showing all 32 teeth. "Unfortunately, teenagers are too stupid to understand their rights... but there must be something that can grab their attention," she says, smiling broadly. "What is it?" I ask with curiosity.

"Votes for the dance," she says innocently.

Sierra opens her backpack and looks for something. Once found, she pulls out a huge stack of papers. "I had thought of a plan B," she says, waving the papers with pride.

I smile at her relatively brilliant idea. "You're a genius," I say sincerely. "You're truly amazing," I conclude with a huge smile on my face.

"I'll take care of the classes over there," she says, pointing to the left corridor. "I'll handle that," I say, smiling slightly and pointing to the right one.

"Girls, I'm here too!" Melissa intervenes with an offended tone. "Right, you take care of the upper floor," I say to my sister, winking, and she sticks her tongue out at me.

Once the tasks are assigned, we start the plan.

I approach the door of the 3A class with my heart pounding in my chest. Tension builds up as I raise my hand to knock, the sound echoing in the quiet corridor, disrupting the tranquil rhythm of the lesson inside.

The wood responds under my knuckles, a dull noise that captures everyone's attention. Curious glances from students focus on me, and the teacher watches me with an inquisitive look.

"Come in," the teacher says with curiosity, placing the pen on the desk.

"Excuse the disturbance," I say nervously, my eyes scanning the faces of the students, and I notice Jenna Ortega at the back of the classroom. The girl doesn't take her eyes off me.

"On behalf of the principal, I've come to collect signatures for the dance," I say, trying to convey sincerity in my voice.

The teacher blinks with surprise. "Oh, yes, proceed," he says, smiling, sitting down at the desk. The tension dissipates slightly, but I still feel the curious stares of the students as I approach to collect the signatures.

I distribute some sheets carefully, watching the students start signing with a smile on their faces. The initial tension gradually dissolves, replaced by a more relaxed atmosphere as students exchange some light comments about the upcoming dance.

Jenna Ortega, from her corner at the back of the classroom, lifts her gaze from the paper to fixate on me again.

"So, who's going to the dance?" I ask with an encouraging smile, trying to engage the students.

A guy raises his hand. "My girlfriend and I will definitely be there!"

Another voice chimes in, "It's always fun, count us in!"

Jenna, still with her eyes on me, nods, "Count me in too, it'll be interesting."

The class seems to positively embrace the idea, and the teacher, observing the general enthusiasm, smiles satisfactorily. The signature collection proceeds smoothly, and as I retrieve the sheet from Jenna's desk, our eyes meet.

I immediately put the signed sheets into a folder, feeling the weight of responsibility decrease slightly. I walk purposefully towards another room, trying to maintain an air of confidence despite my mind still buzzing with the adrenaline from the situation.

(...)

"So, how did it go?" I ask with curiosity, biting my nail nervously.

I was in Isaac's room, pacing back and forth in the swimsuit and bikini top to cover my chest. He had invited me to a quiet day with friends by the pool.

"Sorry, but I found nothing," Sierra says with disappointment, sighing tiredly. "I read every 'E,' looking for that peculiarity, but really, I didn't find anything that matched it," she says with a discouraged tone.

"Me neither," my sister adds on the phone, disappointed.

"Okay, thanks anyway," I say with a sigh, putting two fingers on the bridge of my nose as a sign of concentration. "I'll take a look now," I bite my lower lip nervously, "before going to the pool," I conclude.

"Okay, let me know," Sierra says with curiosity. "We'll talk later, girls," I say, smiling slightly.

I end the call with a sigh, the phone slipping onto Isaac's bed as I sit down with dismay. I pull out the folder with the signatures from my corridor, my nervous fingers gripping the plastic edge.

Each page is a growing anxiety, each signature bringing me closer to the breaking point. Names slip under my fingers, and the sense of urgency pushes me to search more intensively. I delve even deeper into the search, scrutinizing each sheet with almost obsessive precision. The tension reflects on my hands, flipping through documents, notes, and signatures with an almost manic focus.

The feeling of despair grows as possibilities seem to slip through my fingers. I flip through pages and pages, searching for that unmistakable backward "E." With every seemingly promising signature, my heart races, only to be followed by disappointment when it's not the right one. Doubt creeps in, fearing that the answer might elude me once again.

Then, among the pages, I spot that distinctive signature. A closer look, a comparison with other handwriting samples, and suddenly realization strikes like lightning. Jenna Ortega. A mix of dismay and relief washes over me as I understand that the solution was in front of me all along.

I'm not sure how to take this revelation, whether to be happy for solving the mystery or excited that my friend's sister had such intense thoughts about me. Imagining Jenna moaning my name sends a shiver down my spine, a fire igniting in my lower abdomen.

I had always thought Jenna was sexy, but thinking about what hides behind that innocent face...

I bite my lower lip with mischief.

A knock on the door distracts me from my thoughts.

"Come in," I mutter absentmindedly, my voice strangely hoarse. My eyes watch with curiosity as the door opens slowly, revealing Jenna Ortega behind it. "Isaac asked me to come get you," she says, smiling broadly.

My eyes slowly traverse her body, lingering on her toned legs exposed by the terribly short shorts and the white top she's wearing, with the word Anonymous printed on it in bold letters. I smile widely at the detail I can now catch and get up from Isaac's bed.

Jenna lifts her chin and looks at me curiously as I approach her. Her hair is damp, probably from being in the pool in these hours. "Y-yeah... I'm coming. I was just checking something," I say, smiling slightly, looking at Jenna with intensity.

Jenna's eyes sparkle as she notices my gaze on them, and a smile spreads across her lips. She timidly assesses my state, looking at me from head to toe with inquisitive eyes.

"If only you had told me earlier..." I say with a serious tone, my voice dropping terribly. I bite my lower lip with mischief and lift my hand to place it on Jenna's cheek. "Wh-what?" Jenna asks nervously, stammering.

Jenna closes her eyes at the touch of my hand, leaning into my touch.

"What you wanted," I exclaim absentmindedly, my throat dry from nervousness. I timidly run my thumb along Jenna's jaw, brushing against her lips.

Jenna sighs loudly.

"Did you get it?" she asks curiously, raising her hand to place it on mine.

"You had it written on your shirt... took me a while, but I got it," I say playfully, and Jenna genuinely smiles, her brown eyes piercing my soul.

"How?" she asks with curiosity, intertwining her fingers with mine, guiding them down her body, stopping on her buttocks.

"You write the letter 'E' in a strange way," I say playfully, caressing Jenna timidly.

"Mmmh..." she murmurs, probably not hearing what I said. Jenna wraps her arms around my neck, playing with my hair. "You know..." I start, closing my eyes for her gentle touch.

"What?" Jenna looks at me seriously, eyes hooded with excitement.

I lean in and timidly unite my lips with hers, sighing immediately after the contact. Jenna moans into my mouth, moving her lips against mine, increasing the intensity of the kiss. My hands grip her exposed skin more tightly, making her shiver slightly.

I break the kiss and place my lips on her neck, sinking my teeth into her flesh. Jenna moans even more, and I smile at the enchanting sound. With my tongue, I pass over the skin I just bit, trying to alleviate the pain, and then start running it along the line of her neck until I reach her earlobe.

"If you wanted me to fuck you, you just had to ask," I say hoarsely, squeezing her buttocks, causing her to groan. "The idea crossed my mind when I saw you passing by my house half-naked," I say sincerely.

"I thought you hadn't noticed me," Jenna says in a whisper. "No, I did... just that, not having ever talked to you, I didn't want to ruin things. After all, I only knew you by sight," I admit with a stifled laugh, feeling Jenna's fingers resting on my stomach.

"In a way, you're right," Jenna says breathlessly. "You talk too much," she murmurs with a smile on her lips, leaning in and joining our lips in a quick movement.

It seems the atmosphere has become heated in this room.

#jenna ortega x reader #jenna ortega #jenna ortega x you #jenna ortega x y/n #jenna ortega x fem!reader #jenna marie ortega #jenna ortega smut #jenna ortega imagine #open requests #request #reqs open

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kitchenisking · 7 days

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Day 2

Leave Before You Love Me by Sam_Haine - (Rating: Mature, Words: 1,935, sterek)

Derek gets a dose of reality the morning after he and Stiles do the devil's tango and tries to leave before he wakes up.

Mistaken Connections by abrasive91 - (Rating: Mature, Words: 7,062, sterek)

Everybody in Beacon Hills knows the tragedy of Derek Hale and his dead soulmate, Paige Krasikeva.

Which is why Stiles is extremely confused by the letter from the Department of Soul Connections and Maintenance telling him that Derek is his soulmate.

The Jeep by CelestialVoid - (Rating: G, Words: 1,140, sterek)

Eli’s sixteen and Stiles wants to give him the Jeep, Derek might need some persuading.

It's Been A Long Time by voidnogitsune - (Rating: Explicit, Words: 3,524, sterek)

It’s just after his eighteenth birthday when Stiles comes to him, hot and hard and practically begging. His hands are white-knuckled, gripping the steering wheel too tight and Derek doesn’t have to be a werewolf to know what this is about.

Stiles stumbles out of the jeep, wiping his palms on his jeans and catching Derek’s eye in the moonlight. He flails backwards, like he hadn’t known Derek would be there the entire drive up, and Derek just smirks back at him, watches the way his pale skin catches in the light, watches the way he bites his lips until they are dark-pink.

“D-Derek. Fancy seeing you out here tonight.”

Your Burning Sun by elisera - (Rating: Explicit, Words: 2,904, sterek)

“We gotta stop meeting like this,” Stiles says, wrapping his arms around Derek’s shoulders and tipping his hips up and forward until they meet Derek’s. A pleased sound escapes Derek; they’re both already half-hard, the scent of Stiles’ arousal filling the night air, thankfully drowning out the smell of the dumpster next to them.

it was always you (can't believe I could not see it all this time) by EvanesDust, S3anchaidh - (Rating: T, Words: 2,569, sterek)

ob·liv·i·ous /əˈblivēəs/ adjective

lacking active conscious knowledge or awareness.

…or the one where the pack helps Derek realize that he’s in love with Stiles.

Derek Didn't Know What To Do But Maybe Stiles Did by tiedtogetherwithadagger - (Rating: T, Words: 13,027, sterek)

He let his head fall onto Stiles’ shoulder with a sigh of relief. He wasn't losing his pack, at least not tonight. Erica would be okay.

“Thank you,” Derek exhaled into Stiles’ hoodie.

“Always,” Stiles said.

A Little Sugar by exclamation - (Rating: Mature, Words: 4,987, sterek)

The first time they had sex, it was after Derek paid Stiles' rent. The second time was after Derek bought Stiles' groceries. It wasn't hard to work out the pattern. Derek hates himself for taking advantage of Stiles and tries to convince him that any form of payment is unnecessary, but he can't seem to break the cycle.

Settle Down by wearing_tearing, whatthehale - (Rating: Explicit, Words: 153,180, sterek)

Stiles is a struggling author barely making ends meet.

Derek is a successful architect whose biological clock is ticking.

Enter a surrogacy agency, two packs, and a particularly sticky and toe curling heat week and you get a match made in heaven.

Not just a house, but a home by alikatastic - (Rating: Not Rated, Words: 2,178, sterek)

The alpha pack was gone, Erica and Boyd were safe, and Isaac was no longer enthralled with Scott. They had needed a place to stay, especially with Peter and Cora sticking around. So, they rebuilt the Hale house, and it was beautiful. Stiles needed it to feel like home, so Stiles made it his goal to make sure the house felt like a place that could be home, so the pack would stay.

#sterek #derek hale #stiles stilinski #fanfiction #stiles x derek #kitcheniskingficrecs

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filmmakerdreamst · 5 months

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P.J.Hogan's 'Peter Pan' is still an underrated masterpiece 20 years later

Peter Pan is a live-action fantasy adventure film directed by P. J. Hogan that reimagines the classic story of Peter and Wendy. The screenplay was written by P. J. Hogan and Michael Goldenberg and was released in cinemas in December 2003. The screenplay is based on the 1904 play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Upand the classic novel Peter Pan by J.M.Barrie, which was originally published under the title Peter and Wendy.

The film tells the story of a young Edwardian girl, Wendy Darling (Rachel Hurd-Wood) and her two younger brothers John and Michael. On the night she is told she must grow up, a wild, fairy-like boy called Peter Pan (Jeremy Sumpter) flies into her room with his high-maintenance fairy Tinkerbell. When he learns that she tells stories, he whisks Wendy and her two brothers away to a magical Island called Neverland — where you supposedly don’t “grow up” — so that she can mother his henchmen, the Lost Boys. There she fights pirates led by the evil Captain Hook (Jason Isaacs), meets mermaids, dances with fairies, falls in love and grows up.

I have strong family connections tied to Peter and Wendy and J.M.Barrie. My great, great uncle Nico was one of the sons of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies'. He and his other brothers "the Lost Boys" were adopted by J.M.Barrie; which ultimately inspired him to write Peter Pan. Nico’s daughter Laura — my cousin — who I met for the first time a few years ago, told me that she was flown to Australia for the filming of P.J. Hogan’s Peter Pan because she was J.M.Barrie’s goddaughter. She told me that she was thrilled with the cast, especially Jason Isaacs, who played Captain Hook and Mr Darling. She also mentioned that Jeremy Sumpter, who played Peter Pan, was a lovely boy. However, she said she was very surprised and sad that the film wasn’t a big success as she really liked what they did with the story. I have loved the fairytale of Peter Pan from a young age, and learning that I am literally part of the family that inspired the story was very exciting and I’ve only begun to internalise it more as I’ve grown older.

When I was in my mid-twenties, I was diagnosed with a high level of Autism. One of my main symptoms was labelled “ageless”, which in simple terms means that one half of me is still a child that I can’t mentally leave behind. I can’t do many things that most adults can do, such as pay bills, drive a car, look after my own well being etc. I flap my hands when I get excited. I bounce. I sometimes speak in a baby voice. I overcommit to things I enjoy. I admit that it was hard to come to terms with the diagnosis when I first received it. But over time, I’ve come to believe that the two can coexist in a healthy way. I believe that I am an adult who is able to develop and grow while still carrying the child within me, and that this is not seen as a bad thing. I think Peter and Wendy can be seen as a reflection of that.

I was first introduced to P.J. Hogan’s Peter Pan a few years after it was released (I was maybe nine or ten years old), and I absolutely loved it. It wasn’t only one of my favourite film adaptations, but one of my favourite movies of all time. What surprised me most about the film at that age was how dark and gruesome it was, and full of this underlying sexual tension that I hadn’t expected at all from Peter Pan. Even today, this film still has a special place in my heart. It is made with so much passion and love for the original text that I can automatically put myself back into the story. After watching the film again as an adult, I almost immediately opened my copy of Peter and Wendy and started reading. I would even go so far as to say that I prefer the film to the book. However, part of me wishes that the age rating had been set much higher, as the dark and gruesome moments were some of the strongest parts of the film adaptation. This is possibly why some critics and viewers had difficulty categorising the film at the time.

However, I often consider P.J.Hogan’s Peter Pan to be the same equivalent as Joe Wright’s Pride and Prejudice. (which came out a few years later in 2005, starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen). The film moves at the same dreamlike pace. It is light, dark, colourful and deeply romantic.

I also often prefer P.J.Hogan’s Peter Pan to the 1953 Disney Animation of the same name, even though it’s the version I grew up with and liked. I find it much less straightforward and innocent. Also, the 2003 film is much closer to the original source material, which I loved reading as a teenager, and to J.M.Barrie’s original vision. The film manages to reflect the same intellectual subtext and depth of the novel while retaining the whimsy and magic.

Magical Realism

Peter Pan was a perfect blend of fantasy and realism. A lot of media these days focus too much on “realism” and make their sets and CGI look bland and washed out. It’s a common myth these days that no one likes whimsy anymore; it’s somehow seen as too childish. As a result, much of the magic of fantasy is lost. But in this Peter Pan, a lot of colour was used in the set design and cinematography. Everything was so brightly and colourfully lit. Most fantasy films these days, including the new live-action adaptation of Peter Pan and Wendy on Disney+, are all so gloomy and dark. You almost have to light up the screen to make out the actors’ facial expressions or what’s happening in the scene. But this film understands that a viewer who watches fantasy wants to be swept away, but also wants a certain amount of believability. Although the film contained a good amount of darkness, it did not shy away from being cartoonish either (which I think was partly inspired by the Disney animation), i.e. characters blushing or bouncing on the clouds.

The design of Neverland was breathtaking. I think the CGI, although criticised by some, made the island and creatures look more dreamy and fairytale-like. It was a good combination of CGI for the landscapes and real backdrops for the jungle, so there was enough magic and believability to transport the viewer into the story. A bright colour palette was used for the landscapes, while down-to-earth colours such as browns and greens were used on the ground, such as in “The Lost Boys Hide” under the tree, to give a sense of realism. The costume department also reflected this, from the majestic reds and blacks of the pirates, to the earthly colours of blue and red for the Native Americans, to the natural greens and browns of the Lost boys. I noticed that the colours in Neverland were used as a contrast to the Edwardian London back home, which is realistic but dull compared to the island.

One aspect I liked was that the lighting on Neverland always changed depending on the mood of the scene- unlike the naturalistic lighting on Earth. It was almost as if the island was a living being. For example, when there was a fight on the ship, the lighting was red. When Peter took Wendy to the mermaids, who were scary and frightening, the lighting was dark and blue. This created a surrealistic atmosphere, almost like a fever dream or a kind of nightmare.

Sometimes the environment changed depending on Peter Pan’s mood in the respective scene. I particularly liked how Peter Pan influenced the weather on Neverland. Just his mere presence when he flew to the island changed the entire atmosphere in an instant. His feelings also determined whether it was summer or winter. In other words, its suggested in the film that the longer he has been there, the more the island has become a part of him, so that he can no longer leave it. It’s almost as if the island has transformed him into a magical being.

The exuberant musical score by James Newton Howard: I’ll never forget that. I think that was one of the first movies I saw where I actively noticed the music because it was so brilliant. Even today, the “Flying” soundtrack still gives me goosebumps. It perfectly encapsulates the whimsy, joy and imagination of Peter and Wendy. I loved that there were always different variations. One of my favourite pieces from the movie is ‘Fairy Dance’, which starts off cheerfully and moves up and down depending on the characters’ conflict/what they’re saying in the scene.

Cast

The cast of this film adaptation was magnificent. The look of all the actors not only matched the book description, but also the mood, especially with the Darling family. One of the standouts was Olivia Williams as Mrs Darling. She captured the gentleness of the character perfectly. I also loved the new addition of Aunt Millicent, played by Lynn Redgrave. She fitted into the story so well that I was surprised not to find her in the novel. She had the perfect amount of ridiculousness and hilarity that suited J.M.Barrie’s style.

One particular member of the cast we can probably all agree on that was perfect, was Jason Isaacs, who played both Wendy’s father Mr Darling and Captain Hook. He was certainly a star in this film for sure. I just can not think of anyone who could play him better, especially in a live-action film adaptation. He was particularly good in the role of Captain Hook. When I first saw the film as a child, I did not know that Captain Hook and Mr Darling were played by the same person until my dad pointed it out to me because he was so good. I loved how they portrayed Wendy’s dad as shy and reserved, as opposed to Captain Hook who was flamboyant and sinister. Mirror versions of each other in different realities — that’s a common theme throughout the film. As Captain Hook, Jason Isaacs perfectly captured the essence of viciousness, deviousness and brutality that was necessary for the character. But also the deep loneliness and frustration behind it all. I have seen a quote that was supposedly cut from the film (and never should have been) that provides so much context for his hatred of Peter Pan:

“Imagine a lion in a cage and into that cage flies a butterfly. If the lion was free, it would pay no heed to such creature. But the lion is not free…and so the butterfly drives him slowly insane.” — Captain Hook

They did a really good job of showing how Peter Pan and Captain Hook are mirror images of each other. Peter Pan is a child who secretly wants to be an adult, while Captain Hook is an adult who secretly wants to be a child. Both fight each other for different reasons, but the goal is the same. For example, there is a great scene towards the end where Captain Hook uses his wits to defeat Peter in a fight. Here it becomes clear that there is deep symbolism for the inevitability of adulthood and the loss of childhood. Jason Isaacs really showed off his acting talent here. I liked that he wasn’t portrayed as a “dumb villain”, which he easily could have been.

There were also some great performances among the adults. Most notable was Richard Briers as the ‘pirate’’ Smee. But the child actors, especially the lost boys, really held the movie together. Their solid performances made it so believable that the island was ruled by children. I loved Theodore Chester as Slightly. He was very charming and funny in that role.

Another member of the cast I thought was brilliant was Carsen Grey, an indigenous actress of Haida descent, who played Princess Tiger Lily. I liked that they let her speak her ancestral language, Mohican, in this film. Although this film came out in the early 2000s, it is the only version of Peter and Wendy in which Native Americans are neither erased nor white-washed even though the representation is far from great. Considering how they’re treated in the novel, it’s perhaps for the best overall that they limited some of their scenes. However, I liked how firey she was in this adaptation and not the damsel in distress she was portrayed as in the Disney animation. I think it was a wise decision to cut the infatuation she had with Peter Pan, as it was really just one line in the book that would have added unnecessary drama, and all in all, it would have fallen short if all the female characters were jealous of each other.

They also downplayed Tinkerbell’s jealousy in this regard, portraying it more as her trying to protect Peter Pan’s youth from romantic advances, as hinted at in the novel, and also being sad that Wendy is attracting all of Peter Pan’s attention. Ludivine Sagnier has, in my opinion, succeeded well in making Tinkerbell equally repulsive and endearing, as befits the character.

Wendy Darling

Rachel Hurd-Wood was the perfect cast for the role of Wendy Darling.I was actually surprised to learn that this was her first film role ever, because she was a natural. She effortlessly possessed the same caring nature and charm that makes Wendy so endearing. She is exactly how I imagine the character when I read the story. When people talk about Peter and Wendy, they always mention Tinkerbell, Pan or Hook, but personally I am always drawn to Wendy. She is the real heroine of the story. After all, she was the main reason for Peter to bring her and her brothers to Neverland.

What always amazes me about Wendy’s role in the story is the fact that Wendy literally doesn’t spend much time being a “child” in the time she spends in Neverland. When she’s not escaping death at the hands of mermaids or pirates, she acts as a mother to the ‘lost boys’ and her brothers. She asks herself what she really wants from life. In comparison, she was allowed to behave more like a child at home in Edwardian London. Neverland is not a place where you never grow up. It’s the place where she chooses to grow up. Many people have described Neverland as a manifestation of Wendy’s subconscious as a result of trauma, and I’ve never found that to be more true in this adaptation.

One of the reasons why I think P.J. Hogan’s Peter Pan is the best adaptation of the novel is the fact that the film revolves around Wendy’s coming of age. I loved that they expanded on her love of storytelling and also gave her a tomboyish streak. Instead of just being on the sidelines, she’s able to get involved and fight pirates while retaining many of her feminine traits such as her maternal instincts and romantic feelings for Peter. She makes mistakes and sometimes gets dragged into things she knows she shouldn’t do. But in the end, she triumphs.

In many film adaptations of Peter and Wendy that I have seen, Wendy is either only present in passing or not at all. Characters like Peter Pan, Captain Hook and Tinkerbell always take centre stage, which I think is a strange decision as they are part of Wendy’s story and not the other way around. Peter Pan is meant to metaphorically represent the childhood she does not want to give up (which is why the character is always played by a woman in the original play, as he is a mirror image of Wendy). And Captain Hook (J.M.Barrie also wanted him to be played by the same actor as Mr Darling) represents the dark side of her father, or rather what she imagines adulthood to be. This is particularly emphasised in this film adaptation because he is an important factor in her being told to grow up. The father, the concept of adulthood, and Peter Pan, her childhood, are at constant war with each other.

“You’re not supposed to be like Peter, who kept every good and bad aspect of being a child and can’t tell right from wrong. You’re not supposed to be Hook, either. He let go of everything childish and loving about him and became bitter and evil..You’re supposed to fall in the middle, to hold onto the things about childhood that make it beautiful — the wonder, the imagination, the innocence — while still growing up and learning morality and responsibility. You’re not supposed to be Hook. You’re not supposed to be Peter Pan. You’re supposed to be Wendy Darling.” — @maybe-this-time

The 2023 film Peter Pan and Wendy took a different approach, by making Wendy a kind of powerhouse who always saved the day and outshone Peter Pan overall. In my opinion, the 2003 film adaptation emphasised very well that Wendy really is the yin and yang. She's allowed to be romantic, be rescued by others and at the same time determine her own destiny and stand up for herself. Because that’s what her journey in the adaptation is all about. She is pressured by all the adults in her life to grow up. She allows herself to be seduced with the prospect of an eternal childhood by Peter Pan. Then she realises that it is not self-fulfilling. She is tempted by Captain Hook with the concept of adulthood. And finally, she finds a balance between these two extremes on her own terms. By the end of the film, Wendy has made her peace with growing up while still remaining a child at heart. That requires a certain mental strength that we should all strive for.

Peter Pan and Wendy Darling

In most adaptations of Peter and Wendy, such as Hook and Syfy’s Neverland, the focus is on the title character Peter. In the more recent film adaptation Peter Pan and Wendy, the focus is on Wendy. This film adaptation of Peter and Wendy, on the other hand, sticks more closely to the original source material, as the story focuses on Peter and Wendy’s relationship. This is perhaps the reason why I always hesitate when I watch other adaptations, because these two characters are supposed to go together. It’s definitely a relationship that can be portrayed in all sorts of ways because they are symbolically the same person.

Although there is no romance between Peter and Wendy in either the original novel or the play, Wendy quickly develops romantic feelings for Peter which, as a prepubescent child, he does not consciously reciprocate as he has no concept of love other than that of a mother’s. Although Peter cares deeply for her, he ultimately only longs for her to be the maternal figure that is missing in his life. One could go into the symbolism that Peter and Wendy are one and the same, and that this is an expression of Wendy learning to love herself. But in a literal sense, J.M.Barrie had unintentionally created this very strong potential between the two characters. And I personally feel if your'e going to make an adaptation of Peter and Wendy that potential needs to be explored in some way, even if it’s not necessarily romantic.

Hogan recognised this potential and developed the romantic elements, e.g. ‘the “thimble” from the novel, into a very real and tangible plot. In other adaptations, Peter and Wendy’s relationship is rather one-sided. But in P.J. Hogan’s film adaptation, however, it is not at all. Over the course of the film, Peter and Wendy fall deeply in love with each other.

Rachel Hurd-Wood and Jeremy Sumpter had a remarkable on-screen chemistry for young actors, which helped give the adaptation its own identity. Whenever they interacted on screen as Peter and Wendy, it was — like the glittering pixie dust of Tinkerbell — simply magical. The off-screen chemistry between the two definitely helped make the romance so believable as well. When I was younger, I didn’t like romantic subplots in family films. I personally found that they clogged up the main plot because the “romance” tended to be very one-dimensional- but Peter and Wendy in the 2003 film version were simply enchanting.

In the original novel, J.M.Barrie alludes to the possibility of a romance between the two. In the film adaptation, they go all out. Their love story was written so beautifully and profoundly, while staying true to the original text and J.M.Barrie’s themes. This made the conflict hinted at in the novel of “staying in Neverland with Peter or growing up on Earth with Wendy” even more poignant and relevant, because in reality there was only ever one option. They couldn’t find a way to have both. That made the ending even more “heartbreaking” for me as a child, because even though they had the chance to be happy together, she couldn’t give up on growing up to stay. And he couldn’t give up being a child to leave, even though it was a natural progression for him.

Peter Pan

Jeremy Sumpter delivered a fantastic performance as Peter Pan. Not only did he perfectly match the illustrations, but he also managed to perfectly capture the essence of the charismatic, mischievous little boy from the novel. What’s more, of all the versions I have seen so far, he is by far the most accurate, right down to the clothes made of skeleton leaves, the dirty fingernails, the feral mannerisms, the traumatised soul behind the charm and the downright creepy insinuations. By today’s standards, you could almost take Peter Pan for a grown man who consciously decides not to behave like this.

However, when I watch the film again as an adult, I can now understand why he has reservations about growing up in Edwardian England and would rather remain a “child” in Neverland forever. As Peter says in the film, “Would they send me to school? And then to an office?” I feel like most of us today have so many choices as we get older, but back then it was much more limited. The choices were very restricted in that “heterosexist” environment. You could only be a certain thing, and it was much harder to hold on to the pleasures of life. I can now also understand the initial reactions of Michael and John to Peter: He must have seemed scandalous to people at the time. His bright colours, his inappropriate clothing and his behaviour are repulsive to the boys, but Wendy is immediately fascinated and attracted. I think it was a deliberate choice that he is the only character with an American accent to set him apart from the rest of the cast; to emphasise the wildness of the character and his non-conformity to the people of Edwardian London.

Another small aspect I liked was the suggestion that the Lost Boys, although they lived with Peter and obeyed his commands, lived in constant fear of him and did not worship him as in other adaptations. (A fear that is justified as Peter tries to kill them more than once in the film). What the 2003 film adaptation captured perfectly about Peter's character was: how terrible of a person he really is. Peter Pan is a hero when he goes on adventures and fights pirates. You could argue — via the quote “Leave Hook to me” (which Peter says to her in the film) — that Peter is Wendy’s split self who can fight her father (Captain Hook) for her, just like antibodies do with germs when we can’t handle them ourselves.

However, when it comes to understanding emotions, caring about others, even his henchmen, the Lost Boys, and doing anything that inconveniences him, Peter Pan is possibly as bad as Captain Hook. This makes Wendy’s decision to leave him all the more powerful. Although she was initially seduced by his adventurous life, she soon realises that his “life” of joy and adventure is not fulfilling at all. Because in reality, there is no real joy. There is no real adventure. In reality, his life is empty because it is not earned. In addition, she realises that she is gradually losing her memory of the outside world, including her parents - a sign that she is “slowly awakening from the dream”. This leads Wendy to realise that she wants more than what he can give her in Neverland (e.g. romantic love) and decides to leave. Being alive means feeling, accepting and growing. However, as long as Peter remains a boy, he can never truly be alive. Peter Pan conveyed this important message, whereas earlier film adaptations, including the Disney animation, did not.

One of the reasons why good adaptations of Peter and Wendy are so hard to come by, especially in this day and age, is not only because they adapt a performative story that exists in layers of subtext. They also work with a protagonist who doesn’t change. Who doesn’t develop in any way, neither negatively nor positively. Not even just physically, but also mentally. (Even Eli from Let the Right One In, the child vampire, changes in the course of the story). At the end of day, Peter Pan is ultimately there to serve someone else’s story. It works in a fairy tale format. But it doesn’t usually translate very well to the screen because it often leads to one-dimensional storytelling. Even if it seems so natural, it doesn’t come naturally.

However, this adaptation allows Peter Pan to grow. The writers expanded on the small aspect from the book, which is the moment when Wendy enters Peter’s life; he begins to feel emotions. Not just love. But anger. Fear. Sadness. Pain. Disgust. And above all: self-awareness. Almost like a version of puberty in condensed time, as if the change suddenly caught up with his body. When Wendy brings this up, Peter immediately rejects it out of fear. I think most of us can all relate to this when we were in the midst of growing into a young adult. We experience feelings that are scary and new, that we can’t yet fully understand or even want to. For Peter Pan, falling in love is exactly what he is afraid of: growing up and no longer being a child. This adds to an interesting conflict that arises between the two when she asks him to leave with her.

“The thing about Peter Pan is, he’s a coward. Had the chance of a lifetime and he bottled it. Just fucked off back to Neverland. All alone, forever he was, by his own hand. Poor old Wendy, she had to grow old without him.” — Skins, 6x07 “Alo”

In the original novel, the reason Wendy can’t take Peter Pan with her (apart from the fact that he refuses to grow up) is the same reason Lyra in His Dark Materials can’t take Pan — the animal manifestation of her soul — on the boat to the land of the dead. She has to split in order to grow up and leave a part of herself behind. She can’t keep both in order to move on. But that does not mean I always agree with the ending either. In which Peter remains a child and takes Wendy’s future descendants to Neverland and back to look after him. It leaves an icky aftertaste, but at least it fits in with the story J.M. Barrie wanted to tell.

Even though the adaptation conveys the same message, that Peter Pan is the manifestation of Wendy’s youth, even to the end. In this version of Peter Pan, that is no longer the case. By the end of the film, the way he holds himself is different. The way he looks wistfully through the open window and solemnly says, “To live would be an awfully big adventure,” : a sign of self-awareness, while Wendy happily reunites with her family. So much so that Tinkerbell has to pull him by the hair to stop him from joining them and reconsidering his decision. Peter is now old enough to know that he loves Wendy. Maybe he’s also mature enough to know what he’s missing, but he knows he can’t have her the way he wants, so he does the most selfless thing he’s ever done in the whole film by letting her go.

There is no such conflict at the end of the 1953 Disney animated film. Peter Pan is described by Wendy as “wonderful”. In reality, everyone else gets their happy ending, except him, because he deliberately chooses not to. Peter Pan very much turns himself into a tragic figure because he is afraid of the most natural thing in the world. He is afraid of life. And I feel like this version of the story knew that and expressed it strongly, which makes me conflicted now as an adult. I’ve seen endings like this before, where two people fall in love but do not end up together because they grow apart or they are both interested in different things, and it’s very important to reach those points in different ways. It very much reflects real life and is also reminiscent of first love. How that love never really fades. It reminds you of simple times, even when you’ve grown up and moved on. That a part of you is still at that age when you look back on it. These endings happen because people grow — which Peter Pan does not.

“Peter in the books lives in oblivious tragedy. He may suspect that he’s not fully happy, but he tends to forget about it… yet this Peter doesn’t… Wendy leaving him and growing up to be a wife of another man is his unhappy thought…It’s the loss of innocence since Peter could not forget this…It’s the process of growing up…all but confirms that Peter’s character arc in the film is one of accepting the fact he too must grow up to be happy.” — @rex-shadao

And I think that’s the real reason why his character is both the strongest and the weakest part of the adaptation. The writers didn’t make it clear enough that Peter Pan forgets in their version of the character. In the novel, Peter Pan forgets everything automatically, which is why he can exist in this limbo of childhood and not go mad. However, as mentioned earlier, this version of Peter Pan is old enough to remember and, more importantly, to feel. Even though he is the closest to J.M. Barrie’s original vision, unlike his counterpart in the book, he is capable of evolving. That’s why the ending sometimes feels strange to me as an adult.

It was hard to say why I had a strange feeling at first, but I realised that a lot of my mixed feelings stemmed from having seen the film adaptation fresh after reading the novel. Since Peter Pan fully reciprocates Wendy’s love in this version, he ends up being a different character than in the book, which is why I now disagree with them keeping the original ending instead of having him grow up with Wendy. It would symbolise that childhood can co-exist with adulthood, that you don’t have to leave a part of yourself behind. That you can be your true and complete self if you find the balance between the two extremes.

The original ending still works however, in all its bittersweetness. I know what it means and understand what it stands for. Wendy basically says goodbye to her childhood and promises never to forget it. There’s a reason it made such an impression on me when I was younger. It could just be because I’m trying to pick up all the pieces of my broken heart from the floor. But personally, as an adult, I just find it weaker compared to the novel. Sometimes I like to imagine an ending to this version of the story where Peter Pan comes back, having quickly realised that he has outgrown Neverland, but doesn’t meet Wendy again until they are both much older, at a time when Wendy is coming to terms with womanhood and the idea of marriage. Or she even meets his real earth counterpart (if we were to delve into the psychology of Neverland being Wendy’s dream). And their relationship is subjected to the natural test of time and growth.

Peter Pan is an almost perfect adaptation. It matches the humour, the tone and the vision of J.M.Barrie. But I can certainly understand why the film didn’t do so well at the box office. In the month it was released, there was an unfair amount of competition, namely the film Lord of the Rings — The Return of the King. And as an adult, I can now understand why it’s not the film people think of or remember when it comes to Peter Pan adaptations. And it’s not just because it doesn’t fit the elfish, jolly trickster persona that Disney has created.

The film adaptation suffers more from what it doesn’t do — such as maintaining a stable tone and consistent editing — than from what it does. It’s one of those films that would have benefited from being much longer. That way, the inconsistent tone and some of the rushed parts of the adaptation would be much more balanced. It feels like it was missing an extra twenty minutes. For example, the film is narrated by an older version of Wendy, but without the deleted ending where it becomes properly clear that it’s her telling the story to tie everything together, the ending feels a little abrupt. Say what you will about Tim Burton’s adaptation of the Series of Unfortunate Events, but the audience could see where the film’s narration was coming from the whole time. I think if they knew the alternate ending wasn’t going to work (that scene is a classic example of something working well in the novel but not in the film), they should have removed the narrator altogether with the deleted ending and adjusted the film accordingly. They should have extended some scenes so that parts of the film weren’t rushed, such as the introduction, and the story would have been left more up to interpretation as there was no voiceover throughout.

Despite its weaknesses, P.J.Hogan’s Peter Pan is still an underrated masterpiece 20 years later. It is an irresistible film that captivates and warms the heart. The film adaptation has certainly stood the test of time, staying true to the original while adding its own flavour to the story. It is full of magic, wonder and heart. It was clearly made by people who loved the origins of the story and explored where they came from, while also digging deep into the text to reshape the character arcs in a fresh and meaningful way. They succeed in capturing J.M.Barrie’s original message, which is that growing up is a natural progression of life, but that doesn’t mean leaving childhood behind entirely. That it is important to maintain a healthy balance between the two: Taking responsibility while appreciating the joys of life. From the vibrant colour palette to the goosebump-inducing music to the solid performances and gorgeous chemistry between Jeremy Sumpter and Rachel Hurd-Wood, my love for this adaptation will never end, no matter how old I am.

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im-a-writer-sometimes · 11 months

Text

Thank You, Doctor (Miguel O’Hara - Part 1/4)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Epilogue

Pairing: Miguel O’Hara x fem!reader

Word Count: 3k

Description: After being snagged from your own universe and put to work in the med bay in the midst of spider society, you catch the notice of one Miguel O’Hara.

Warnings: blood, probably language, ignoring the ATSV worldbuilding for the sake of my silly little plot

A/N: Are there plot holes? Yes. Do I care? Yes, so please don’t bring them up, I might cry. There’s an occasional Spanish interjection from Miguel, but I am not at all a fluent Spanish speaker, so feel free to correct me on anything if so inclined! Translations are at the end. Also, it includes a roundabout ode to my dearest love, Oscar Isaac. If you know, you know.

🕷

Not every anomaly was kept in a cage. Some, like yourself, had made use of your idle hands, hands that for one reason or another, could never again touch your own universe. It had taken some convincing, but after Lyla had heard enough of your requests from the neon red confines of your prison and carried them to whatever faceless spider person led this operation, you’d been let out. Your cage hadn’t disappeared per se, but it had widened a little. If your return to your own reality would cause its inevitable collapse—as you had repeatedly assured it would—then this was more than you could ask.

You made use of your figuratively-shackled hands in the med bay. You’d been a medical student when you’d been stolen from your universe, and you knew enough to patch up the wounds that came through your work station with ease most of the time—sometimes, after skimming a medical textbook and winging it. So far, no one had died on your watch, and you called that a success.

But your confidence, it seemed, may have been overinflated.

When a group of spiders rushed into the med bay with a large, tattered body strung between them, you felt profoundly out of your depth for the first time. But they couldn’t know that, lest you ended up caged once again.

“Put him on the bed,” you instructed. “Stomach down.” They heaved the body onto the bed, and you could make out the navy and red lines of a shredded suit, as well as a mess of brown hair, matted with blood you were hoping wasn’t his own. “Do you know exactly where he’s wounded?” you asked, running hands over the expanses of skin you could see, trying to make out where the various bloodstains were coming from.

“He was sliced along the back,” answered a breathless spider. “Stabbed twice in the abdomen as well.”

“Help me turn him on his side,” you said, to no one in particular, but there were suddenly several sets of hands helping you turn the man over. “You,” you continued, nodding to the spider standing across from you. “Grab a towel and keep pressure on the wounds on his abdomen.”

You conducted as thorough an examination as you could with your heart fluttering like a hummingbird in your throat, so many eyes trained on your shaking hands. The man had a few other shallow cuts and bruises, but as the spider had said—the biggest concerns were the slice along his back and the two stab wounds in his stomach.

Several of the spiders lingered as you worked, offering tools and towels and anything you needed to speed up the process. And then, in a half hour that felt like a handful of seconds, your work was done. If you had been asked to recount your actions movement for movement, you’d only be able to offer up a breathless blur of adrenaline and then the sudden empty stillness in the room after you'd managed to stabilize him.

He was laid face up on a bed, covered by a blanket since you’d had to cut portions of his suit off of him. He couldn’t quite put a pin on his age, but he was handsome. You’d done your best to wash the blood out of his hair, and it fell in half-dry curls over his forehead. The angles of his face were severe, but they were soft, even kind somehow. At least in his sleep.

And then, to your great misfortune, he woke up.

At first it was a fluttering of eyelids, and you stood sharply from your chair, trying to look busy, as if you hadn’t just been sitting there staring at him. And then it was a few quiet groans as he tried to readjust himself.

“Don’t sit up,” you said at the sight of him trying to push himself into a seated position. “You’ll rip out your stitches.”

He just blinked at you. “Who are you?”

“The person who saved your life,” you said, bristled by the gruff, mumbled annoyance in his tone.

He shook his head. “I have enhanced healing, I don’t need anyone to—” He was cut off by his own sharp gasp as he tried to haul himself off the bed. He went still and then avoided your eyes as he slowly lowered himself back down onto the mattress.

“You were saying?” you said, a smile curling your lips. You turned to the counter behind you, pulling a roll of gauze and medical tape from one of the cabinets. “You had a severe laceration on your back. You’re lucky it missed your spinal cord.” You turned towards him, gauze in hand, as you sat and scooted your stool towards the edge of your bed. “And that’s not even mentioning the two stab wounds.”

“What are you doing?” he asked, scooting away at your sudden closeness.

“Your stab wounds were still bleeding when I finished, so the gauze likely needs changed,” you said. He lifted the blanket from his torso, peeling aside what was left of his suit to find two bandaged wounds, with—as you’d predicted—red-drenched gauze. He didn’t say anything else, but he didn’t protest as you reached out and began to peel back the tape. After a minute or so of quietly working, he finally spoke again.

“You’re human,” he said.

You smiled down at his abdomen, not pausing your work. “Are enhanced deduction skills part of the wide cache of spider abilities? Because you are remarkably observant.”

You could feel his eyes on your profile, but you didn’t turn to face him, not even when he quietly finished his thought. “You’re the anomaly.”

“I was under the impression there were more than one,” you said, pressing down the last stretch of tape and pulling the blankets back over him.

“You’re the anomaly I let out,” he clarified.

“Ah,” you said, standing and walking to the sink to wash your hands. “So you must be the big man in charge. The one who ordered me to be stolen from my bed.”

“There is much more—”

“I know,” you said, turning back towards him, hands braced behind you on the counter. “It has been explained to me plenty. My father was from another dimension and never should have jumped into mine and knocked up my mom, and I never should have been born.” He watched you as you spoke, scanning your face for any sort of malice, but you merely shrugged. “Wish I could have told my mom that’s why he flaked.”

“You’re not upset?” he asked.

“And who would I be upset at besides him? You?”

The man simply blinked at you, hand mindlessly reaching to brush his abdomen, the expanse of skin you’d just bandaged. The carefully stitched wounds answered the question of any lingering resentment towards your captors.

“It would be natural to hate—your circumstances,” he said eventually.

You turned back towards the counter, quietly putting away your supplies. “You should rest until the end of the week.”

“That’s not—”

“In bed for the next two days, and no missions until the stitches come out.”

“But I have en—”

“Enhanced healing. Believe me, I’ve heard it a thousand times,” you said, finally tuning to face him. “But like it or not, you’re still just as human as I am.”

“I’m only half as human as you are,” he said, and it was the clearest he’d spoken since he’d woken up. At the slight flash of fangs with the lift of his lips, you understood why.

🕷

The next morning, you found him fast asleep where you’d left him. It was more instinct than choice, your gut churning with curiosity, that led you to slowly reach out your hand and pull up the right side of his lip, confirming you hadn’t in fact been hallucinating. He had fangs. Before you could pull away, his hand shot up and caged your wrist before his face as his eyes waned open.

“I have to ask,” you started.

“No, I’m not a vampire,” he said, keeping your wrist in his grip, his voice deadpan, as if he’d answered this question a million times before.

“What are you then?” you asked, pulling your hand from his.

“Half spider.”

You lifted your eyebrows. “A spider bite made you half spider?” you asked, but he simply stared. You could tell by the low drop of his brow that he’d already told you more than he would have liked, so you simply turned away, prepping your space for whatever spiders might come through your station that day.

It turned out to be a slow day. Only two spiders came through, both needing minimal attention, and you sent them on their way about as quickly as they’d turned up. And the whole time, you felt a set of red, half-lidded eyes watching you. You would occasionally slip over to his bed to redress his wounds, answering negative to his questions of leaving. “Bed rest until the end of the day,” you said after the second spider had left. “And then I’ll fit you with some crutches and help you to your room.”

“I don’t need crutches.”

“What you don’t need is that attitude,” you said, lifting your eyes to his. “Or else I’ll send you home without a sucker.”

He tilted his head, entertaining your humor but never cracking a smile. “What’s your name?”

“Y/n. Y/l/n.”

He blinked at you as if he was familiar with the name, but all he said was, “Not Doctor Y/n Y/l/n?”

You clicked your tongue. “I was two years from being Dr. Y/l/n.”

He nodded down at his bandaged abdomen. “You seem like a doctor to me.”

“And you don’t seem half spider,” you said. “Appearances can be deceiving, Mister…”

“O’Hara. Miguel O’Hara.”

You nodded and turned back towards your station, beginning to slowly clean up for the day.

“I’m sorry,” he said, making you go still. “That you can’t be in your own universe.”

You turned back to look at him, offering a wry tilt of your lips. Not quite a smile. “That’s alright. I imagine you're similarly displaced for the sake of your noble mission. You just had the luxury of choice.”

“Would you have chosen to stay?” he asked, a sudden sharpness in his voice that made his fangs flash from behind his lips. “Knowing your universe was collapsing?”

“I didn’t say that,” you said, eyes narrowing at the sudden malice. You turned back towards your station, tucking supplies back into cabinets. “I guess I should thank you for letting me work in the med bay. I was losing my mind in that cell.”

“Don’t thank me for that,” he said. “Just makes me feel worse.”

You turned back towards him with a smile and a sucker held between your fingers. “Well, we wouldn’t want that.”

🕷

An hour or so later, when a spider with basic first aid training—a.k.a. the only kind of medic they’d had before you—came to relieve your shift, you helped Miguel out of bed and onto a set of crutches, carrying an armful of medical supplies behind him as he trudged to his room. If people stared at the sight of him limping, sucker in his mouth, they received a look from the man. You couldn’t see said look from behind him, but you could see the way it had people turning—occasionally running—away.

Once you got to his room, he seemed annoyed at the way you slipped in behind him, but he said nothing as you laid out medical supplies on his nightstand.

“You’ll want one of these in the morning and one with dinner for the pain,” you said, jingling the orange bottle you set down.

“Don’t need it,” he gruffed out.

“Alright, well then I imagine you don’t need help getting into bed,” you said, crossing your arms over your chest.

He leaned the crutches against the wall. “Now you’re catching on.”

You gestured to the bed beside you, stepping away so he had enough room to climb up onto it. It was slow, sliced up by the occasional grunt or half-swallowed gasp of pain, but he got up there, tugging the covers over himself.

“Bet you’re regretting that decision,” you said, and he only huffed. You took that moment of silence to look around the room. It was all black and gray angles, not a touch of personality anywhere. Not a picture frame or flower vase, no posters or art.

“You know, having some kind of general joy or cheer in your room might speed up your recovery,” you said, walking over to the window to peer out at the street below.

“Now you’re giving interior design advice?” he said, face half buried in the pillow. He was likely still groggy from the pain medicine you’d given him before.

“I’m just saying, maybe try getting a hobby or two,” you said, pulling the curtains on his window closed.

“My hobby is saving the multiverse,” he huffed out. You turned slowly from the window, eyebrows raised as you met his eyes.

“Was that—a joke?”

He huffed, turning over onto his side. “Good night.”

You started towards the door. “Oh, of course, you’re welcome, Mr. O’Hara. I was so happy to patch up your bloody wounds and gently tug you from the precipice of death. Saving such grateful spider people like yourself is truly my calling in life.”

You stopped before the door, hand lingering on the knob as you glanced back at his figure, curled away from you on the bed. He gruffed out something inaudible and you stepped closer.

“What was that?”

“Mujer implacable,¹” he cursed, before turning over just enough to meet your eyes. “Thank you, Doctor. Now get out of my room.”

You smiled and reached for the door. “Good night to you too, Miguel.”

🕷

It was midnight when Miguel woke up again. The dull buzz of the pain meds had worn off, and the sharp ache of his limbs pulled him sharply from sleep. And then, shortly after, the rumbling of his stomach had his feet hitting the floor.

He told himself he’d simply go to the cafeteria and grab something to eat, but it proved to be easier said than done. With a few curses muttered in Spanish, he sunk against the set of crutches you’d provided, letting out a breath at the sudden lack of pressure on his wounds.

When he made it to the cafeteria, he found it not empty, as he had been hoping. A singular figure was sitting in the corner of the room, the tray before her stacked neatly with various food. Of course. Of all the people to witness his shameful hobble into the cafeteria, it had to be you.

You glanced up as he entered, eyes going wide for a moment.

“You look like someone who didn’t take their pain meds,” you said, lips curling into a smile at the grunt he offered in response. You watched him fumbling with a vending machine around the awkward angle of his crutches and stood, crossing the room to come up beside him.

You didn’t wait for him to ask for help, you simply gestured before you, silently asking what he was trying to reach. He stared at you for a moment before nodding towards a pack of flamin’ hot cheetos. You fetched it for him with ease, before carrying it away from him.

“What are you doing?” he asked, watching as you sat back down at your seat and set his cheetos at the spot across from you. You didn’t respond, you simply watched him with raised brows, waiting. Eventually, he grunted out something in Spanish and joined you, grabbing a bottle of water on the way.

“What does mujer implacable mean?” you asked.

“What?”

“That’s what you called me.”

He ripped open his cheetos and sat back in his chair, watching you as he took the first bite. “Relentless woman.”

“Hm,” you said, smiling. He watched as you stood up and grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the counter, eyes narrowing as you sat back down and offered them to him.

“What are those for?”

“They keep you from getting cheeto dust on your fingers,” you said, smile growing as his eyes widened.

“Mujer brillante,²” he breathed, taking the chopsticks and ripping them open. Something adjacent to a pleased smile overtook his features as he sat back, chopsticks in hand. And then he seemed to remember who was talking to, and his smile flattened out.

“Why are you awake?” he asked.

“Oh, I was just crushed by the weight of endless, multiversal knowledge trying to fit within a mind only equipped to handle the existence of one, pondering the meaning of my birth without a clear place in a singular universe and a purpose only carved out by my own inability to accept my multiversal irrelevance.”

He blinked.

“Also, I’m an insomniac,” you said, and he shoveled another cheeto into his mouth.

“I don’t think anomaly equals irrelevance,” he said, and he wasn’t quite sure if he believed it. You didn’t seem irrelevant though, and he was going off of that.

“Then what does it mean?” you asked, and there was no humor in your voice. No malice either. Just a sharp curiosity.

“It means that the universe is delicately balanced, and you, mujer implacable, are a wrecking ball.”

“So I’m relevant, just not in any of the good ways.”

He shook his head. “In your old life, maybe. But you can be whatever you like here. Relevant. Irrelevant. Whatever suits you.”

“I think I’d like a healthy middle,” you said.

“Midrelevant,” he said, almost smiling.

“Exactly.”

The conversation was sparse as you both ate, but something soft opened up before you within Miguel. You’d already seen him at his weakest, so he had no reason to hide from you. And as you helped him back to his room, he couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

🕷

Part 2

(1) “Relentless woman”

(2) “Brilliant woman”

#miguel o'hara #miguel o'hara x reader #miguel o'hara fanfiction #miguel o'hara fanfic #miguel o'hara imagine #miguel o'hara fic #spiderman 2099 #across the spiderverse #across the spider-verse #across the spiderverse fanfiction

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isaacswhy · 11 months

Text

horror games w/ the group

the group x gn!reader (sfw) summary: headcanons (kinda) of playing a horror game with each of the group members. requested?: no, inspired by grunk playing fnaf

Isaacwhy

He first saw the horror game on his steam front store page and decided to buy it.

When you asked him if he was going to beat if first try, he just laughed. Not a yes or a no.

As soon as he got into the game, Isaac got eerily quiet. He was normally a pretty loud person when it came to playing games, but this was your first time seeing him play horror.

When he died, Isaac let out a high-pitched yelp like a little girl. The tension in him released and he finally let out a laugh and explained just how scared he had gotten.

You offered to help play it for him when he was getting tired, which he promptly said no. He was getting focused into the game.

He finished it at an average pace, with a fair share of deaths during the run. He gave you a big grin and hugged you really hard when he won, feeling accomplished.

He posted a tweet about beating the game and took a picture of you next to the win screen. All in all, successful day.

Softwilly

You showed Nick a tweet about how hard a brand new horror game was, and that was that. He had already bought the game and installed it before you were done talking.

When you asked him if he thought he could beat it, he looked at you like you were insane. "Of course I'm gonna beat it. It's gonna be easy," he said.

He died really quickly, almost at the first point in the game in which you can die. He got pretty mad.

You gave him some consolation kisses but he was determined to beat the rest of the game flawlessly. You bet him $5 he wouldn't.

It took less then fifteen minutes for you to get your $5. He raged pretty hard, but he swore that he'd beat the game in less than five deaths.

He finished the game with just under ten, but he was pretty confident with how he did. By the next day, he was playing the game again.

Every time he improved in an area, he'd show you really proud of what he did. You gave him loads of encouragement.

BigT / Tanner

He first saw the game on a livestream of one of his friends and motioned you over to his desk. He asked you if he should play it, and you told him sure.

You nudged him and asked if he'd beat it first try. He very jokingly responded that he would do it easily, boasting his skills.

It took him a little while to die, but then after that he let down his guard and died a bunch. It turned into an unserious laugh fest with the two of you.

Every time he would make a really bad mistake and die, the two of you would bust out laughing.

Tanner took videos of the experience and posted a few to his Instagram story, but it was way funnier in the moment.

By the time he had beaten the game, it was four in the morning. The two of you cheered and celebrated, to your roommates' dismay. Oh well.

The rest of the week, the game became an inside joke and you'd end up laughing your heads off whenever it was mentioned.

Yumi

You were actually on his computer scrolling through steam when a game popped up that you found interesting. Blake was on the bed.

You called him over and had him give his opinion, and he was super into the idea of watching you get scared at a game.

Thus, you ended up getting this game and installing it. He gave you words of encouragement as you booted it up, but you were scared out of your mind.

It didn't take long for you to die and give up on the game entirely. Blake liked horror, so he was happy to step in for you.

He died way less than you expected him to. He would point out things he did to outsmart the enemies but also kept focused on the game.

When he won, he celebrated and took a picture of the two of you together, putting it on his story with the caption "just beat this game ama"

When asked about it on his stream, he said, "Oh, that? Yeah, it was pretty tough. Had Y/N at my side though, so we're chillin'. Can't have a bad time there."

Larry Croft

You and Larry were hanging out on his bed together when he saw a game on his timeline and showed you his phone.

He got up to buy the game and install it, and you stood up and sat into the chair you had next to his to watch him play games.

He decided to stream the game with you at his side, and you were more than happy to be there.

He was pretty bad, all things considered. He died way too often and in places he knew how to beat. But you were his sidekick.

When he'd get too scared or during cutscenes, Larry would reach down and hold your hand under the desk, getting close to you.

You called Isaac into the room, who became Larry's hype man in the background of the stream.

Soon enough, the whole group house had piled into Larry's room to egg him on and backseat his stream.

When he finally did beat the game, the celebration was massive and Tanner ordered pizza for the whole house.

After the stream, in bed, Larry told you, "That was really fun, but scary as shit. Thanks for being my support system."

Grunk

Grunk had been sent the horror game to play by a friend, likely Isaac. He shrugged and told you to join him.

As soon as he got in the game, Grunk told you he was going to beat the game flawlessly, with no deaths. You grinned and nodded, not believing him at all.

He kept the streak up for an impressive amount of time, over halfway through the game. It went straight to his head, and he was bragging about how well he understood the game.

When he finally did die, Grunk's ego was shattered. He looked crushed and he slid down in his chair, defeated. It took over five minutes to get him to even try again.

When he did try again, he failed over and over. It took him hours to finish the game.

As soon as he won, it was like all the disappointment left him and he jumped around his room cheering about how good he was. You laughed and celebrated him.

The next day, he would make a lot of small comments like, "That game was really tough! I did great though, didn't I?"

It was kind of annoying, but you gave him lots of encouragement and would agree with him.

#the group x reader #the group #the group chat #isaacwhy x reader #isaacwhy #yumi x reader #yumi #softwilly x reader #softwilly #grunk x reader #grunk #bigt x reader #bigt #larry croft x reader #larry croft

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hopefulromances · 9 months

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Dude first of can I say I bloody love your writing second of all I just read that piece of reader and Jamie watching finding nemo and I had an idea. What if Jamie is watching when Harry met Sally for movie night with the team and it literally gives him the biggest mindblown lightbulb moment that he’s in love with the reader aka his best friend of over 10 years. The ending of it always makes me cry.

This is crazy did you read my other drabble where Jamie and reader watch when Harry Met Sally (I love that movie) But I LOVE THIS idea.

The boys filed into the rec room, the chairs already set up for the boys to be able to watch whatever movie Ted picked out for tonight. You were in there, finishing setting up the projector cause lord knows that if you didn't do it Ted would never be able to figure it out.

"And there!" You finished, throwing your hands up in success. "All you have to do is press play."

"Well, now, thank you (Y/N), you've been a big help," Ted grinned. "Alright now, folks! Let's file in, get your seat we're gonna get started soon!"

"(Y/N)!" Jamie called over to you. You looked over at him and smiled and Jamie's heart about stopped. Sure he was in love with you. You were brilliant. But it wasn't like he would ever say anything and ruin the friendship you had. "Over here."

"Sorry, Jamie, I got work to do, won't be able to stay tonight," you told him walking towards the door. "But I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

You walked out of the door. Some of the team pat him on the shoulder sympathetically as they walked by. Was it really that. obvious? How could you not see it?

Jamie elected to slump down next to Sam and Isaac instead, unable to keep the pout off his face.

"It is alright, Jamie," Sam comforted, nudging him. "She's just busy tonight."

"Yeah! Anyone with eyes can see she's into you," Isaac agreed.

"Thanks, lads, but I think it's hopeless," Jamie grumbled.

"Alright, greyhounds, now!" Ted clapped his hands getting the attention up at the front. "Tonight we're watching a movie about friendship, and love, and how friendship and love walk a very dangerous line. But all you need is that one push to spill your guts."

"Fucks sake," Jamie muttered, adjusting his seat.

"And without further ado, When Harry met Sally!" Ted scurried out from in front of the projector. Jamie rolled his eyes and settled in for another rom com that he didn't enjoy because all he could think about is (Y/N),

But what surprised him was how great the movie was. The writing, the flirting, it was all so comparable to his own life. By the end of it, he was leaning forward in his seat as Billy Crystal rushed down the streets of New York to find Meg Ryan.

"I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

Jamie felt him mind racing as he listened to that line. He thought about you and the butterflies that followed him around whenever you were near. The smile that lit up the room. The laugh that could save lives. He wanted to be with you and he wanted to be with you right now.

Just as the lights turned on, Jamie shot up out of his chair and raced out of the room. The rest of the boys cheered as he did.

Ted turned to Beard. "I reckon you owe me 10 pounds."

Meanwhile, Jamie was rushing to your room. When he arrived, he knocked fiercely on the door, not letting up until you opened it.

"Jamie? What on earth-"

"I love you," he blurted out. You eyes widened, trying to take in what he was saying. "I love you. Like I love the way you smile, I love the way you talk, I love the way you always seem to know what I want for lunch even though I don't know what I want for lunch."

"Jamie wha-"

"I love you," He repeated. "You know my hair dye brand, you know that I like the temperature in my house to be 18 degrees. Not 20, not 15, 18 degrees. I love you (Y/N)."

You were speechless. You couldn't form a thought into a word if you wanted to. You just looked back and forth between Jamie's eyes trying to decipher if this was a joke.

"(Y/N), I love you and when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you-"

"Want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible..." You finished the quote, smiling softly.

"I know this is sudden, and whatever, but I just... I need you to know."

"Jamie?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you kiss me now?"

"God, yes."

And he did. He kissed you. He kissed you quite a lot actually.

#jamie tartt #jamie tartt x reader #ted lasso #ted lasso show #jamie tartt x y/n #jamie tartt imagine #jamie tartt fanfiction #drabble night #drabble #fluff

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starship-squalleater · 6 months

Note

tell us more about matt please, he was a guest speaker at your uni?

Yes!! yes yes. He was here to do an interview/lecture about 'crafting a narrative', so he answered questions from a professor here about critical role, games, his 'secret origin story', and a number of other things. It was legit so nice. I think I'm a little in love with him. who said that.

It was so surreal to see him in person. He looked kind of sheepish as we were all cheering, like he wasn't supposed to be there- we were all over the moon. When prompted for his origin story, he talked about how his grandmother, a little old lady from georgia, was secretly super into fantasy and got him hooked on piers anthony and isaac asimov as an eight year old, and how his dad doing occasional background voice work got him interested and how that snowballed into years of hard work in hollywood.

He talked about his friend Liam mentioning that he hadn't been able to play DnD since he was little and how he offered to DM a one shot for his birthday- and how a few weeks later he was meeting a few acquaintances to discuss characters (he said he was flustered meeting Ashley Johnson who he'd grown up watching), and then afterwards they started meeting more and more often. Then as word got around they were doing it, Felicia Day offered to put them on a new twitch channel- and how nerve wracking it was to put themselves out there and on the internet.

he said to lean into your passions. Nowadays there's a tendency to call passion 'cringe', but there's nothing shameful about loving the things you care about.

He talked about how capitalism wants you to produce and produce and produce and how that is antithetical to art and to creating, because in order to really make something you're proud of you need to have the time to do it. This led into him talking about making the animated show, how after the kickstarter blew up a bunch of companies approached them, wanting to own the ip. he described it as the moment in a movie when someone pushes a little paper with some exorbitant amount on it- but he said that none of them wanted to be millionaires. They weren't in it for money, so they said no and partnered with the only company who wanted to let them do their own thing: Amazon. He acknowledged the irony of that, and how surprised all of them were when that was the company that gave them the most freedom.

there was so much other stuff- he talked about how the industry is a community, how you can be a really successful actor and also a good person, how everyone should be lifting each other up because it wasn't a race to the top, it was collaboration. Really wonderful stuff, you know? His philosophy of being kind really shone through the whole time.

anyway of course there was more but this is off the top of my head what he talked about!! it was so so good bro I love that man. always meet your heroes.

#critical role #matt mercer

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sirfrogsworth · 9 months

Text

Isaac Newton Saves the Day

Okay, so I got my battery installed.

I was worried I couldn't drive until next month. On a whim, my aunt decided to stop by the house and buy some of my mom's antiques. It was literally just enough for a new battery.

But it seems everything is an adventure for me lately.

Getting a pizza and needing a jump start. Tripping at the movies and getting laughed at. Driving the wrong direction on the highway and circling the entire city of St. Louis.

I can't seem to go out of the house and not come back with a story to tell. Just once I want a boring excursion where nothing of note happens.

But not today!

I go to my local AutoZone. I request a new battery installed and a very young man (maybe 20 years old) heads to the back of the store and selects a nice Die Hard for me. If it is as good as the movie, I should be in good shape. It has 800 cold cranks... or something.

He starts ringing me up and notices I have cash in my hand. Seems we weren't at the register with a cash drawer. So we had to move to a different part of the store so I could give him my aunt's crisp 20s.

He gave me change, though instead of 3 one dollar bills, he gave me 2 one dollar bills and a bunch of quarters. He had more ones—I could see them, but I guess he was committed to giving me quarters.

It was time to head out to my car. He had a little cart with wheels and it had various tools he might need to install my battery. I pop the hood and he spends about 2 minutes trying to find the latch. I kept offering to do it, but he insisted on figuring it out.

I was starting to sense this AutoZone employee was not a car guy—just a guy that worked at a store.

He eventually pops the hood and starts to look for my battery. I pointed directly at it, but I guess he didn't see my helpful gesture. He finally notices it and has a little eureka expression. Then he notices me pointing and is like, "Oh."

And here is where the adventure begins.

My car has an engine brace partially covering the top of the battery. It must be removed to swap in a new one. It has three bolts and they looked a bit... rusty.

I may not be a car guy, but I watched my dad fix hundreds of cars. And I had a bad feeling about those bolts.

Then I notice he has the world's tiniest socket wrench.

My bad feeling got worse.

He started on the first bolt. It was sticky. Then I saw him visualize "righty-tighty, lefty-loosey" making circles with his fingers. This confirmed my suspicion he was not a seasoned mechanic. Eventually he started turning in the proper direction and the first bolt came off.

One down.

The second bolt was a little stickier. He was straining hard, but that tiny handle was not doing him any favors.

Then he went back to his tool cart. I thought maybe he was going to grab a longer wrench. But for some reason he got... a longer bit.

And in my head I was just, "No, that's not the part that needs to be longer." I was trying not to intrude and let him figure things out. He seemed like he was still learning all of this and wanted to do as much as possible without help. And I didn't want to embarrass him.

It was at this time that his friend and coworker came out to assist. He was the more experienced battery installer and started giving him tips. He gave the second bolt a try with the long bit and it finally started budging.

One more to go.

His friend went back in the store and he took back the socket wrench and started on the final bolt.

It was not sticky—it was *stuck*.

I watched him struggle for quite a while. He thought maybe he did righty-tighty, lefty loosey wrong. So he turned it in both directions just to be sure. Then his friend tried with no success and left again.

I couldn't take it anymore, "You need a longer wrench... I think."

He inspected the cart and sorted through a haphazardly organized set of tools. Looking for something to help. Then, inexplicably, he found an extension that made the socket bit even longer.

I was screaming in my head, "THAT ISN'T WHAT I MEANT BY LONGER."

Now I was worried he was going to twist his wrist. Those extensions are really only meant to get in tight spaces. They are not terribly ergonomic, especially for sticky bolts.

I think in total he worked on that third bolt for 35 minutes. His friend brought out WD40 in the hopes that might loosen it. That did a whole lot of nothing.

I was struggling to stand for that long. I really wanted to get this over with. I figured they have to sell socket wrenches at an auto parts store. Maybe I could just buy the proper one for these two battery installation comrades.

They were still tugging so I popped inside and checked out the options. But all of the ones with long handles were $30 to $40. I was not spending that to fix this problem for them. Though if this kept going another 30 minutes I may have pulled that trigger.

I head back outside and I start inspecting the tool cart for myself while he grunts. I saw that he had a different kind of extension and the end fit loosely onto the end of one of the socket wrenches. It was not a snug fit and it jiggled a bit, but it was definitely good enough.

I was able to do something similar to this...

His hands were starting to hurt so he went inside to get gloves. When he returned I said, "I have an idea."

I hold up my makeshift extendo handle. "This will make your wrench almost three times longer. It might do the trick."

He responds, "If I could I would, but I don't think that will work."

I am trying to be patient and not overstep. He starts trying again with his gloves and it still has not budged. But I think the desperation was getting to him. After a few more minutes he went back to the cart and picked up the items I showed him.

He was finally willing to give it a try.

First attempt... the wrench slipped.

He thought he loosened it. Turns out he put the wrong size socket on. I was worried he was going to abandon my idea. But he went back to the cart, got the right size, and tried again.

He suddenly realized he could push with a great deal more force. I could see him starting to feel like he was a superhero using his strength for the first time. Now that he wasn't using the shortest socket wrench in existence, he could put his entire body behind it.

Suddenly, his hand flew forward and he had a shocked expression frozen on his face.

He looked up at me in amazement. "I can't believe that worked!"

I exclaimed, "It's just leverage!"

He starts loosening the bolt and dancing with each twist of the handle. He was so happy to have slain this dragon. His friend comes out to check on the bolt progress... "Did you get it??"

"Look at this thing I made!" *holds up the extendo wrench*

*in my head* "Wait, is he going to take credit?"

"Oh wow! And that worked?"

"LEVERAGE, BOYYY!!!"

"We'll have to remember that for next time!"

"I'm just playin'. He figured it out." *points at me*

SWEET VALIDATION.

Not only did my problem solving skills save the day once again, I got to teach two young men about physics. I told them if the handle is longer then the same amount of energy can do more work.

They said that was "tight" and I felt like a real Captain Smartypants.

The rest of the process was trivial. Under his friend's supervision, he was able to get the battery swapped with no further issues. I started up the car and thanked him for his help.

Adventure accomplished.

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theowritesstuff · 2 years

Text

Operation: Tartt’s Heart

Jamie Tartt x gn!reader

Summary: Jamie’s too scared to confess his (obvious) feelings for you, so when Richmond gets another clubhouse attendant who starts flirting with you, the team suddenly all become your guard dogs.

A/N: “Wah wah parasocial relationships are unhealthy” I don’t give a para-fuck. *points at a picture of Colin* This is my best friend. This is my best friend.

General Taglist: @nptnewr @violetrainbow412-blog

With Richmond gaining more success after rejoining the Premier League, Rebecca had decided that it was time to hire another clubhouse attendant. It was honestly kind of sad watching poor Will do all the clubhouse chores by himself while also helping with practices.

When Rebecca brought Matt on, Will was relieved, now he didn’t have to take on as much responsibility as before.

Matt got on pretty well with everyone on the team, and all the coaches, he was nice enough, but when Matt had met you for the first time, and had decided that he was going to pursue you, the team was in shock.

Poor Matt had no idea of course, but it was kind of an unspoken thing that you and Jamie were together. Now, you didn’t use any labels, and you hadn’t even kissed each other, but it was clear to everyone that you were his, and he was yours.

You’d been close with Jamie for a while, and Jamie had thrived in your presence. He was more calm, he was less likely to have emotional outbursts. He seemed happier, hell, he even played better.

The team watched in silence as you danced around your feelings for each other. You were afraid you wouldn’t be enough for the star footballer, and he was afraid of loading all his baggage onto you.

They saw all of your longing glances, all of your fleeting touches. They saw Jamie race to clean himself up after practices so that you’d leave the building at the same time and he could offer to drive you home. They noticed that Jamie had started to keep two jackets in his locker, because you had a habit of forgetting yours.

Needless to say they were surprised when it seemed Matt had decided he was going to shoot his shot with you. Apparently he hadn’t gotten the memo.

It had started when Sam saw Matt hanging around you on the pitch. You’d gone down to talk to Ted, and had caught Matt’s attention. The two of you seemed like you were having a friendly conversation, until Matt’s hand brushed against your arm.

Sam waited until the end of practice that day, and pulled aside a few teammates to talk to them about it. He didn’t want it to get out of hand, especially if it was nothing, but he also didn’t want to see you pulled from Jamie so easily.

He told Isaac and Colin about it, and asked them if they’d noticed it. Both had denied seeing the interaction, but had made sure to keep an eye out.

Sure enough, the next day the pair had caught Matt walking with you down the hall, too close for colleagues. Isaac and Colin returned to Sam, and planned to gather some other Richmond crew. This needed to be stopped.

Operation: Tartt’s Heart was a go.

The group consisted of Sam, Isaac, Colin, Dani, and Jan. The mission: show you that you were destined to be with Jamie, not Matt.

It felt a little odd when you came into the Richmond clubhouse that morning, and were immediately greeted by Isaac and Sam. They were both leaning against the wall near the door, as if they had been waiting for you to come in.

“Good morning boys.” You greeted them.

“Good morning Y/n. How are you today?” Sam asked.

“I’m good Sam, thank you. Is there something the two of you needed?” You asked, shuffling on your feet a bit.

“No.” Isaac responded.

You nodded your head. “Okay then, I’ll see you later.”

You made your way down the hall, and had almost made it to the stairs when Colin swooped into your path.

“Hey Y/n, you going upstairs?” He stood blocking the way.

“I’m trying to, yeah.” You laughed.

“Cool, so am I.” He looped his arm through yours, and started up the steps.

Colin glanced behind him and gave a nod to Sam and Isaac, and shot a glare at Matt, who had been peeking out of the locker room door.

The walk upstairs was a little difficult, the stairs were clearly only built to have a flow of traffic going up and a flow of traffic going down, so having Colin on your arm while others were trying to pass by was a little difficult. Nevertheless you were in a fit of hysterics once at the top. Colin had nearly tripped over his own feet twice, and you had almost knocked into several passerbys.

“Thanks for the help up the stairs Colin.” You managed to get out in between laughs.

“Yeah, of course, always happy to help a friend.” He said.

You watched as he made his way into Doctor Sharon’s office for his weekly session. You walked into yours, then sat down, and got to work.

Not too long after you’d started working there was a soft knock on your door.

“Come in!” You called out.

The door opened to reveal Jamie, still in his street clothes. The black sweater and fanny pack across his chest was a sharp contrast to the light grey walls of your office.

“Hi Jamie, what’s up?” You ask.

Jamie fiddles with his hands a bit, the sleeves of his sweater creating paws over the bottom half of his hands.

“I was just thinking about getting some lunch soon, and I wanted to know if you wanted to come along?” He asks you. His eyes wander over your desk, but come back to you.

“Sure Jamie, I’d love to.” You tell him. You’d been slowly becoming closer with the footballer as of late, and you’d decided it was time to figure out if there was something more between you two or not.

“Great, I’ll see you later.” He says, walking back over to the door.

“Hey, wait, Jamie?” You call him back in. “Are the guys doing okay today? A few of them seemed kind of off earlier?”

“I’m not sure.” He shrugs.

You left your office around the time the team should be taking their consecutive lunch break, and waited in the hall for Jamie.

“Hello Y/n!” Dani greets you, a wide grin on his face.

“Hey Dani!” You wave. “How’s it going?”

“Are you waiting for Jamie? I’ll wait with you.” Dani leans against the wall next to you.

“Dani, you really don’t have to, please, go enjoy your lunch break.” You tried to persuade him.

“Oh, hello Y/n.” Matt greets you, exiting the locker room.

“Hi Matt.” You say.

You could see Dani straighten up out of the corner of your eye. He seemed to be standing taller, and now had his arms crossed over his chest.

“How are you?” Matt asks.

Dani beat you to a response. “They’re waiting for Jamie so they can have lunch together.” He says. Dani’s words were almost cold, like he was angry at Matt about something.

“Uh, yeah.” You furrow your eyebrows, trying to think of something someone could possibly do to upset the always-sunny Dani Rojas.

Jamie comes out of the locker room next, and looks between the three of you, a confused expression on his face.

“Uh, am I interrupting something?” He asks.

“Not at all mi amigo!” Dani replies. He pushed you towards Jamie, who catches you in his arms.

“Thanks.” You breath out, your heart beating rapidly due to the close proximity of the man you have a crush on.

You clear your throat, and pull away from him. You could feel your face heating up a bit.

“Um, is it cold out? I should’ve brought my jacket.” Your eyes are glued to Jamie’s until another person comes stumbling out of the locker room.

Jan Maas now stands in the hallway with the four of you, a Greyhound jacket in his hand.

“Here! Take this!” He thrusts the jacket into your arms.

“Thank you Jan, but I don’t want to take your jacket from you…”

“It’s not mine, it’s Jamie’s.” He gestures to Jamie.

“Did you go through my locker?” Jamie asks eyes wide, a shocked expression on his face.

Jan nods in response, his smile never leaving his face as he does. You can hear Jamie mumbling to himself over and over “don’t be a prick, don’t be a prick”

You turn to face him, and hold up his jacket. “Would it be okay if I borrowed this? If not, that’s okay, I’m sure I can borrow a coat from Keeley.”

“I’ve got an extra coat if you need one.” Matt speaks up, his voice only barely audible above the chaos in the hall.

“No, it’s alright, wear my jacket.” Jamie says, although his eyes are now locked on Matt. Who was this guy to think he could steal you away from him?

“That was a bit weird, right?” You ask Jamie once you’ve made it outside.

The two of you walk down the sidewalk, in search of somewhere to eat.

“Yeah, I don’t know what’s going on with them. All of a sudden it’s like they’ve all lost their fucking minds.” Jamie comments.

You laugh and lean into him a bit, causing Jamie to smile. It takes a lot of willpower to not wrap an arm around you to hold you to him, so he shoves his hands in his pockets.

You find a cute little sandwich shop, and pull Jamie inside. You get in line and order your food, reaching into your pocket for money, when Jamie presses behind you, orders for himself as well, and hands the cashier his card.

“You didn’t have to pay for me.” You tell him. You want to turn around to face him, but he has you trapped between him and the counter.

“That’s alright love, you can get the next one.” He says in your ear. You can practically hear his smirk in his voice.

The two of you sit down at a table and eat your lunch, chatting about everything and nothing. Near the end of your meal you notice a few tables down, a group of five men, all in Richmond jackets.

You lean over the table, and whisper to Jamie. “I think we have a shadow. Well, five shadows.” You nod in the direction of the table.

Jamie turns around, sees his teammates, then turns back to you, rolling his eyes. “Fucking hell.” He sighs. He puts his face in his hands, and you can hear him quietly chanting his mantra again. “Don’t be a prick. Don’t be a prick. Don’t be a prick.”

“Jamie?” He lifts his head to look at you. “Be a prick. For just two seconds.” You tell him.

Jamie stands up, and turns to his teammates, who all try to hide behind their own sandwiches.

“Oi! Would you kindly fuck off?” He points to the door, and suddenly all five of them scurry outside, each one giving you a brief goodbye on their way out.

He sits back down once they’ve all gone, and sighs. You can’t help but laugh and the tired, and slightly annoyed, expression on Jamie’s face.

“They’re twats.” He says, picking at his food.

“They’re sweet.” You retort, still smiling.

“It felt like I was sharing you with half my team.” He grumbles.

“Sharing me?” You ask. Now it’s your turn to smirk.

“Well, I mean,” Jamie stumbles for words. “It just feels like we kinda have this thing going on, if we don’t that’s cool, I just thought that maybe we did and-”

“A thing?” You ask, a teasing lilt to your voice.

“Never mind. It’s nothing.” He shrugs, and continues eating his sandwich. He’s building up a wall around his heart now, to try to keep you out.

You finish your lunch in near silence, making Jamie unsure of himself. Did he screw up? Did he ruin whatever was going on between you? Did you feel weird about him? Questions flew through his head, a mile a minute.

On the walk back to the club, you find yourself pulling Jamie’s jacket tighter around yourself. You can tell he’s tense, keeping his hands in his pockets, walking on the edge of the sidewalk.

Maybe you shouldn’t have teased him. What if he doesn’t like you anymore? Have you just ruined this?

“Jamie?”

He glances at you out of the corner of his eye. You take a deep breath before you continue.

“I like you. As in, I do feel like there’s a thing between us.” You tell him.

Your walk slows down, as if Jamie needs a second to process what you’ve said.

You’re just about ready to melt into the ground from embarrassment, when you feel Jamie’s hand slip into yours. His fingers interlace with yours, and he moves closer to you.

When you walk into the building, hand in hand, the team practically cheers. Well, that is until Jamie shoots them a look, to which they quiet themselves and let him walk you back to your office.

You stop at your door, not wanting to pull yourself away from Jamie just yet.

“You know, if looks could kill you’d be dead.” You tell him.

“What?” He asks.

“Matt. He was practically staring daggers at you.”

“Well he’s just going to have to get used to this.” He lifts your interlocked hands up.

He uses his other hand to cup your face, and slowly brings his lips to meet yours. The kiss is soft, but you can tell Jamie wants more. He moves so that you’re pressed between his body and your door.

You only push him away when you feel his tongue prod at your lips. He whines, his lips still chasing yours.

“You need to get to training.” You say, smirking to yourself.

Jamie’s cheeks are flushed, and his lips are a bright pink color, and a bit swollen.

“Babe, I’m already the star player, I think I can skip a practice.” He tries to kiss you again, but you hold a finger up in front of his lips.

“We can continue this tonight, after our date.” You wink, and push him back toward the stairs.

“We’re dating now?” Jamie asks sarcastically.

“We are if you ever wanna get any further than you just did.” You tell him.

“Yeah, we’re definitely dating.” He nods.

“Go! Get to training!” You laugh, pointing him away.

Jamie rushes back up the few steps you’d managed to get him down, and pecks your lips again.

“I’ll see you after love.” He tells you before he rushes down the stairs, trying to formulate an excuse for his showing up late.

———

When the team see Jamie rush onto the pitch with a new spring in his step, they know.

Operation: Tartt’s Heart was a success.

#jamie tartt x reader #jamie tartt #ted lasso

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