FIC: As the World Shuffles Along (Multi-Fandom) September Set
And we get to December, where my Spiderman feels came out to play (yes, I liked the reboot. Mainly because Emma Stone as Gwen totally pwns Kirsten Dunst as MJ).
Also, random Castle (written before the comiccon ep!), more OUAT feels/wild speculation, and an attempt at getting some of my DKR thoughts down (success variable).
Title: Sirens in the Night
Fandom: The Amazing Spiderman (movie-verse)
Characters: Gwen Stacy
Timeframe: Post Movie
Theme: A Lonely Decision - Doctor Who season 5 soundtrack
~*~
Gwen cannot remember a time when she wasn’t listening for sirens.
As a small child, she remembers clinging to her worried mother, unsure as to the reason her breath is catching in her throat. But there’s sirens echoing in the night, and the tension doesn’t ease until daddy comes home and embraces them both.
The years pass and learns why her father rushes off at a phone call, or the sound of sirens waiting to take him away to work. Gwen worries with her mother, keeps her brothers distracted while they wait.
When George Stacey is made captain, the nights of worrying decrease in frequency, but they all still know the possibility of George being called out are still there.
That there’s the chance he won’t come back from such a call is never said. It doesn’t have to be.
Then the day comes that he doesn’t come back.
*
Gwen Stacey buries her father today. And through the grief and tears, the thought crosses her mind that her family won’t have to listen for those telltale sirens anymore.
But she knows she still will.
She can guess why Peter is not here. Knows her father well enough that he wanted Peter to stay away from her, to keep her safe.
Gwen isn’t sure who she’s madder at, Peter or her father, for this high-handed attempt to run her life. Though it’s easier to be mad with Peter at the moment of course.
But even with her feelings towards Peter a confusing mess behind the grief she’s feeling, she can’t help but worry about him.
The sirens in the night now cause her to worry about someone else, and she doubts she’ll ever be free of the awareness.
~*~
Title: Costume Choices
Fandom: Castle
Characters: Alexis Castle, Rick Castle
Timeframe: Pre Series (~2001? Alexis is 7?)
Theme: Pokémon World - Youngstown (Pokémon 2000 theme)
~*~
We all live in a Pokémon World
I wanna be the greatest Master of them all
We all live in a Pokémon World
Put myself to the test
To be better than all the rest
~*~
Alexis Castle is on a mission.
She knows that her dad is going to another convention. More book signings, he’d told her. She pouts a little, because he won’t let her read his books. He says they aren’t appropriate for her to read.
But she puts that thought aside. She has more important things to focus on.
Like convincing her dad to let her come with him.
Like most of her classmates, Alexis has been infected by the Pokémon craze. Only the other day, she had managed to score a victory over Sarah Williams with her Lapras. It had been especially sweet considering the boasting that Sarah had done over her capture of Raikou, and that the conditions of the match was that the winner gets the losing Pokémon.
Alex had been quite happy with that day.
“Alexis?” Richard Castle stared at his daughter, a little perplexed as to why she was wearing her Halloween costume again.
“Do you think this would work as a conventions costume, daddy?” she smiled up to him.
Richard just blinked for a moment. “You want to come as well?”
Alexis nodded.
“As Pikachu?”
Alexis shrugged. “I’d rather Lugia, but a costume for that would be harder to move around in,” she admitted.
Richard smiled widely.
“You sure you don’t want to try...” he asked, clearly eager to try and come up with a solution.
Alexis smiled. Oh yeah, she shouldn’t of worried about convincing her dad.
~*~
Title: Gasping in the Dark
Fandom: Batman Nolan-verse trilogy
Characters: Bruce Wayne
Timeframe: DKR-Gotham’s occupation/Bruce’s time in the Pit
Theme: Breathe into Me -RED
~*~
And this is how it feels when I ignore the words you spoke to me
And this is where I lose myself when I keep running away from you
And this is who I am when, when I don't know myself anymore
And this is what I choose when it's all left up to me
~*~
Bruce Wayne is no stranger to nightmares.
His parent’s murder has chased him through his dreams since that fateful night. He ran and ran and still found he couldn’t get away from the spectres haunting his mind.
When he took on the Batman persona, he had hoped that the nightmares would fade somewhat. They did not. But he took solace in that his creation was now a figure that haunted the minds of the Gotham underworld.
It made him feel better, but still didn’t help him sleep through the night.
Loosing Rachel brings a fresh wave of night terrors. He’d let her die, and he was never going to recover from that. He’d clung to the belief that she would wait for him though, a security blanket while he hid from the world. Alfred ripping that safety net away... he couldn’t help the feeling of betrayal welling in his chest. From Rachel. From Alfred.
What Bruce had not expected, thrown here into the darkest pit of hell, to be dreaming of Selina Kyle.
She alternated between guilt and open mockery, encouraging and pleading. She taunted him, told him to get his ass the hell out of here and back to Gotham. She apologised for leading him into the trap. She said so many things that Bruce was bewildered.
Since when had Selina become such a fixation for his brain?
Whatever the reason, he intended to get out and face her again.
Maybe he could figure this out.
~*~
Title: Dreams of Magic and Cowards
Fandom: Once Upon a Time
Characters: Baelfire (with wild speculation that is likely 90% wrong)
Timeframe: Lets say pre-series in our world.
Theme: Fire And Ice - Within Temptation
~*~
You run away
You hide away
To the other side of the universe
Where you’re safe from all that hunts you down
~*~
“Coward! You Promised!”
The dark-haired man bolts upright in bed, sweat dripping from his brow as the boy’s voice, heavy with pain and betrayal, echoes in his head.
It’s been years since he dreamed of that night.
Bae-or Ben, as he was known here-had tried so hard to put it behind him. As far as anyone here knew, he was Benjamin Forrest, an orphan who’d entered the foster system at fifteen, scraped up enough to enter college, and then the academy at Quantico.
He still isn’t entirely sure how he managed to pass psych, though. Or the background checks, for that matter.
He gropes around in the dark for the lamp switch. Finding it, he flicks the switch, inspecting the room as the golden pool of light appears. It looks...ordinary. He shakes his head. What did he expect to find? The enchanted forest? That world was long gone for him.
But he couldn’t shake the feeling of magic in the air. It made him uneasy-magic doesn’t belong here. But still, the lingering sense from his childhood swore there was magic somewhere.
To his FBI workmates, Ben’s disdain of magic is almost legendary. Of course, in this world, what people claimed was ‘magic’ was either dumb luck and coincidence, or charlatans preying off the vulnerable. Real magic was not something to trifle with, as the people of this world seemed to think it would be.
Someone had once asked him why he hated the possibility of magic.
It had been hard to answer sufficiently without sounding crazy.
“Because it’s a form of power that can’t be controlled. And nothing is worse than a coward with power, because he fears losing power like no one else,” he’d said quietly. The person had still looked confused, but Ben could explain no more than that.
It would have been so much easier here if his father had kept his promise. Still a hell of an adjustment, sure, but he would have had his father back...
Ben shoves the thoughts aside viciously. Rumplestiltskin made his choice over a decade ago. He could not waste more time and energy on the man now.
~*~
Title: Brothers Unknown
Fandom: Once Upon a Time
Characters: Prince James/Charming
Timeframe: S1 FTL, After “The Shepherd”
Theme: Hymn - Immediate Music
~*~
This whole thing makes him feel sick, truth be known.
He’s barely had time to think about it all, but he already realises King George is far from sentimental.
He was brought in to replace his twin. The concept sits ill with him. He is now Prince James, heir to a throne he doesn’t want, engaged to a woman he barely knows. (And accosted by an exile who he can’t get out of his head, no matter how hard he tries.)
Has King George mourned his brother at all? Or was he too busy finding his adopted son’s replacement? Worrying about the Gold the kingdom would receive from Midas?
He wanted to think that the King was mourning, for his brother’s sake (otherwise, what kind of life had his twin known?), although he could see no such sentiment from the man externally.
James stared around at the opulent rooms he had been led to. It felt disrespectful to be here.
The strange thing, he mused, was that he had always felt like there was something... missing. He’d passed it off as waiting for that ‘right girl’, but suddenly he wondered if it was a brother he’d been missing all these years.
And now, they would never get to meet.
There are tears in his eyes when he snaps back into reality with the sound of a knock on the door.
He would have to find a way to mourn his brother. Somewhere no one else could see.
~*~
Not sure if my writing is degrading, or some of the characters I’m picking are just difficult to write. Or both. *pout*
Also, random Castle (written before the comiccon ep!), more OUAT feels/wild speculation, and an attempt at getting some of my DKR thoughts down (success variable).
Title: Sirens in the Night
Fandom: The Amazing Spiderman (movie-verse)
Characters: Gwen Stacy
Timeframe: Post Movie
Theme: A Lonely Decision - Doctor Who season 5 soundtrack
~*~
Gwen cannot remember a time when she wasn’t listening for sirens.
As a small child, she remembers clinging to her worried mother, unsure as to the reason her breath is catching in her throat. But there’s sirens echoing in the night, and the tension doesn’t ease until daddy comes home and embraces them both.
The years pass and learns why her father rushes off at a phone call, or the sound of sirens waiting to take him away to work. Gwen worries with her mother, keeps her brothers distracted while they wait.
When George Stacey is made captain, the nights of worrying decrease in frequency, but they all still know the possibility of George being called out are still there.
That there’s the chance he won’t come back from such a call is never said. It doesn’t have to be.
Then the day comes that he doesn’t come back.
*
Gwen Stacey buries her father today. And through the grief and tears, the thought crosses her mind that her family won’t have to listen for those telltale sirens anymore.
But she knows she still will.
She can guess why Peter is not here. Knows her father well enough that he wanted Peter to stay away from her, to keep her safe.
Gwen isn’t sure who she’s madder at, Peter or her father, for this high-handed attempt to run her life. Though it’s easier to be mad with Peter at the moment of course.
But even with her feelings towards Peter a confusing mess behind the grief she’s feeling, she can’t help but worry about him.
The sirens in the night now cause her to worry about someone else, and she doubts she’ll ever be free of the awareness.
~*~
Title: Costume Choices
Fandom: Castle
Characters: Alexis Castle, Rick Castle
Timeframe: Pre Series (~2001? Alexis is 7?)
Theme: Pokémon World - Youngstown (Pokémon 2000 theme)
~*~
We all live in a Pokémon World
I wanna be the greatest Master of them all
We all live in a Pokémon World
Put myself to the test
To be better than all the rest
~*~
Alexis Castle is on a mission.
She knows that her dad is going to another convention. More book signings, he’d told her. She pouts a little, because he won’t let her read his books. He says they aren’t appropriate for her to read.
But she puts that thought aside. She has more important things to focus on.
Like convincing her dad to let her come with him.
Like most of her classmates, Alexis has been infected by the Pokémon craze. Only the other day, she had managed to score a victory over Sarah Williams with her Lapras. It had been especially sweet considering the boasting that Sarah had done over her capture of Raikou, and that the conditions of the match was that the winner gets the losing Pokémon.
Alex had been quite happy with that day.
“Alexis?” Richard Castle stared at his daughter, a little perplexed as to why she was wearing her Halloween costume again.
“Do you think this would work as a conventions costume, daddy?” she smiled up to him.
Richard just blinked for a moment. “You want to come as well?”
Alexis nodded.
“As Pikachu?”
Alexis shrugged. “I’d rather Lugia, but a costume for that would be harder to move around in,” she admitted.
Richard smiled widely.
“You sure you don’t want to try...” he asked, clearly eager to try and come up with a solution.
Alexis smiled. Oh yeah, she shouldn’t of worried about convincing her dad.
~*~
Title: Gasping in the Dark
Fandom: Batman Nolan-verse trilogy
Characters: Bruce Wayne
Timeframe: DKR-Gotham’s occupation/Bruce’s time in the Pit
Theme: Breathe into Me -RED
~*~
And this is how it feels when I ignore the words you spoke to me
And this is where I lose myself when I keep running away from you
And this is who I am when, when I don't know myself anymore
And this is what I choose when it's all left up to me
~*~
Bruce Wayne is no stranger to nightmares.
His parent’s murder has chased him through his dreams since that fateful night. He ran and ran and still found he couldn’t get away from the spectres haunting his mind.
When he took on the Batman persona, he had hoped that the nightmares would fade somewhat. They did not. But he took solace in that his creation was now a figure that haunted the minds of the Gotham underworld.
It made him feel better, but still didn’t help him sleep through the night.
Loosing Rachel brings a fresh wave of night terrors. He’d let her die, and he was never going to recover from that. He’d clung to the belief that she would wait for him though, a security blanket while he hid from the world. Alfred ripping that safety net away... he couldn’t help the feeling of betrayal welling in his chest. From Rachel. From Alfred.
What Bruce had not expected, thrown here into the darkest pit of hell, to be dreaming of Selina Kyle.
She alternated between guilt and open mockery, encouraging and pleading. She taunted him, told him to get his ass the hell out of here and back to Gotham. She apologised for leading him into the trap. She said so many things that Bruce was bewildered.
Since when had Selina become such a fixation for his brain?
Whatever the reason, he intended to get out and face her again.
Maybe he could figure this out.
~*~
Title: Dreams of Magic and Cowards
Fandom: Once Upon a Time
Characters: Baelfire (with wild speculation that is likely 90% wrong)
Timeframe: Lets say pre-series in our world.
Theme: Fire And Ice - Within Temptation
~*~
You run away
You hide away
To the other side of the universe
Where you’re safe from all that hunts you down
~*~
“Coward! You Promised!”
The dark-haired man bolts upright in bed, sweat dripping from his brow as the boy’s voice, heavy with pain and betrayal, echoes in his head.
It’s been years since he dreamed of that night.
Bae-or Ben, as he was known here-had tried so hard to put it behind him. As far as anyone here knew, he was Benjamin Forrest, an orphan who’d entered the foster system at fifteen, scraped up enough to enter college, and then the academy at Quantico.
He still isn’t entirely sure how he managed to pass psych, though. Or the background checks, for that matter.
He gropes around in the dark for the lamp switch. Finding it, he flicks the switch, inspecting the room as the golden pool of light appears. It looks...ordinary. He shakes his head. What did he expect to find? The enchanted forest? That world was long gone for him.
But he couldn’t shake the feeling of magic in the air. It made him uneasy-magic doesn’t belong here. But still, the lingering sense from his childhood swore there was magic somewhere.
To his FBI workmates, Ben’s disdain of magic is almost legendary. Of course, in this world, what people claimed was ‘magic’ was either dumb luck and coincidence, or charlatans preying off the vulnerable. Real magic was not something to trifle with, as the people of this world seemed to think it would be.
Someone had once asked him why he hated the possibility of magic.
It had been hard to answer sufficiently without sounding crazy.
“Because it’s a form of power that can’t be controlled. And nothing is worse than a coward with power, because he fears losing power like no one else,” he’d said quietly. The person had still looked confused, but Ben could explain no more than that.
It would have been so much easier here if his father had kept his promise. Still a hell of an adjustment, sure, but he would have had his father back...
Ben shoves the thoughts aside viciously. Rumplestiltskin made his choice over a decade ago. He could not waste more time and energy on the man now.
~*~
Title: Brothers Unknown
Fandom: Once Upon a Time
Characters: Prince James/Charming
Timeframe: S1 FTL, After “The Shepherd”
Theme: Hymn - Immediate Music
~*~
This whole thing makes him feel sick, truth be known.
He’s barely had time to think about it all, but he already realises King George is far from sentimental.
He was brought in to replace his twin. The concept sits ill with him. He is now Prince James, heir to a throne he doesn’t want, engaged to a woman he barely knows. (And accosted by an exile who he can’t get out of his head, no matter how hard he tries.)
Has King George mourned his brother at all? Or was he too busy finding his adopted son’s replacement? Worrying about the Gold the kingdom would receive from Midas?
He wanted to think that the King was mourning, for his brother’s sake (otherwise, what kind of life had his twin known?), although he could see no such sentiment from the man externally.
James stared around at the opulent rooms he had been led to. It felt disrespectful to be here.
The strange thing, he mused, was that he had always felt like there was something... missing. He’d passed it off as waiting for that ‘right girl’, but suddenly he wondered if it was a brother he’d been missing all these years.
And now, they would never get to meet.
There are tears in his eyes when he snaps back into reality with the sound of a knock on the door.
He would have to find a way to mourn his brother. Somewhere no one else could see.
~*~
Not sure if my writing is degrading, or some of the characters I’m picking are just difficult to write. Or both. *pout*