chill progressive camp counselor advice time [TFLN tracking]

[wristspinnerets]

Michelle Jones texts: My life is far too together for someone who's such a hot mess inside.

Peter responds: You might be surprised how often those two states coexist.

---

Alicent Hightower sends: I can count on one hand the number of good things that have happened to me in the last year.

Peter sends back: As short as the list is, at least it exists. Hold on to the positives.

---

Minoru asks: Seriously. Why is it that whenever you say "I dreamt about you" people assume it's sexual?

Peter answers: Either because they assume that's the usual reason, or they're jumping at the chance to tease you. In my experience.

---

Isamu observes: Pajamas are proof that we hate ourselves. We made the most comfortable clothes, but decided we can only wear them while we are unconscious.

Peter replies: We are allowed to wear pajamas all day when we are sick, so we don't hate ourselves entirely.

---

Penelope Parker texts: I mean I stumbled out of the club yelling at random people “I’M GOING TO TEACH YOUR KIDS SOMEDAY”

Peter replies: That'll show 'em. Your revenge may be slow in coming, but it will be sweet.

---

Peter Parker texts: Probably shouldn't have worn my jeans covered in blood from last night to class.

Peter(-Two) texts back: Just don't lie about being in a fight club if anyone asks.

---

Comments

for neverdisappointed

[wristspinnerets]

The effectiveness of a time machine to change the past would really depend on whether the changes would ripple down the same timeline, or if it would branch into a new one. And if the consciousness of the time traveller would remain with the original timeline or hop into the new one... 🤔

[Peter smiles a little at her question... would he describe himself as 'painfully optimistic'? He's not sure. After some thought, he types out,] I suppose it's a little of Column A and a little of Column B. I make an effort to be positive, and *ideally* an adult is able to put their emotions aside to be sensible. I know that's not always the case, though. Familiar with mess as I am.

<3

[neverdisappointed]

... sometimes, when you say things like that, I forget which Peter I'm talking to. You're all such nerds.
But I like it, so I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment.

You definitely sound like you handle your respective messes better than I do, but then, I guess you've had more experience dealing with them or hiding them.
... though you don't have to, you know. Hide them. If you wanted to talk about them with someone who won't judge.

[wristspinnerets]

Now that's a new one... the few friends I had in high school always seemed annoyed when I got nerdy about things. [Peter is glad that things are different for his alternate -- Ned is less guarded and far nicer than Harry ever was, and MJ isn't interested in playing a role for acceptance, which was how Mary Jane survived high school. It makes him feel hopeful that these kids will turn out better than he and his cohort.]

Ah, called out! I do tend to hide my problems. Force of habit, with most of them being linked to the mask. But I'll keep you in mind should I need a willing ear to listen.
For now, though... I'm doing all right. My MJ is heading back to NYC and looking to audition for a stage role that will keep her here for a few months.

[neverdisappointed]

Yeah, in this universe, nerd is the new cool. You should stick around.

... she's an actress? And... wait, you don't live together? That seems like a rough set-up.

[wristspinnerets]

Mary Jane has always wanted to be an actress. She started out on the stage, and she's had a few roles in TV and movies. We don't live together full time, because film shoots have her travelling all over the place.
Modern technology helps bridge the distance, too.

[neverdisappointed]

Huh. Maybe she and I are two entirely different people, just with similar initials. And an affinity for Peter Parkers. Good for her, though, if that's what she's always wanted to do.

So you get to live like a bachelor when she's not around? Is that something you're okay with?

[wristspinnerets]

It's possible. You two look pretty different, but... you do remind me of her. She's always been more thoughtful and observant than people think.

[There's a brief pause, and then the next message comes with a picture attached to it.]

Here, I found a picture I saved... Mary Jane Watson at the premiere of one her films. My MJ.

[neverdisappointed]

[There's a pause on her end as well, because while all of the Peters had been brunets with similar builds and interests, here's an MJ who has completely different ambitions, different hair and eye colors, and appears to be of a completely different race.]

Oh. She looks nothing like me. She's really pretty.

I guess she looks a little like my mom's side of the family, though. Maybe we have the same mom but different dads, and that's why we're so different.

[wristspinnerets]

You two do look very different.

If I remember correctly, her mom is named Madeline and her father is called Phil. I know it was short for something... long and Greek.
Anyway, he was a real piece of crap. Mary Jane hasn't had anything to do with either of them since she moved out after high school.

[[ OOC: Okay, in truth the first movie's credits do call the character "Phillip Watson" but I'm rolling with the "dad was different" idea and saddling him with the name Theophilus. :P ]]

[neverdisappointed]

Those are my parents' names. Well, Phillip and Maddie. So at some point, something happened in my universe's history that made my dad Black. Or that made your Mary Jane's dad Greek. I don't know that there's any original version of how things are "supposed" to be.

And... yeah. My dad's come around recently, but things at home were never that great for me, either.

[wristspinnerets]

Maybe it has to do with where some Watson patriarch in the past ended up, and the demographics of that place. Too many variables to know, really.

I'm sorry. Aunt May and Uncle Ben did their best to support Madeline, but she never wanted them to call the cops. If your mom got away from him, even for a short while, I'm sure it was a good thing.

[neverdisappointed]

I never quite imagined that the butterfly effect would see me as a redhead in another life.

To be honest, they're both pretty bad. Separately, they're fine. But things get a little toxic when they're together, so I usually try to steer clear of the whole thing. There wasn't much of a support system growing up, so... I guess that explains why I mostly kept to myself.

[wristspinnerets]

It's not a big change, but I noticed that I'm the only blue-eyed Peter Parker so far.

Mary Jane hid a lot of what hurt her when we were growing up. She presented a picture of the happy, popular girl to keep people from noticing the bad things. And I think maybe I should have been more supportive of her back then... even if it *looked* like she was okay, I should have known better. It's okay to need support, and when it comes to people you trust, it's okay to ask for it.

[neverdisappointed]

That's right, you are. It wouldn't work for the other two Peters, I don't think, but it's a good look for you.

... I did the exact opposite. I just kind of let myself fade into the background so people wouldn't ask any uncomfortable questions. The whole point of putting up a façade is to hide the truth, so you can't really blame yourself for not knowing better. She didn't want you knowing better. But that all changed eventually, and that's all you can hold yourself accountable for.

Peter still doesn't know everything about my parents. I'm doing okay, but I know him too well; he'll think I need rescuing. I already have everything I need.

[wristspinnerets]

We do tend to feel responsible for rescuing the people we care about. I'm pretty sure it's a Peter Parker thing -- we'd be this way even without the superheroics.

When my MJ told me about her parents, she really emphasized that she didn't want anything to do with them anymore. And that if I tried to make Phil feel bad about how he treated her, he might lash out at her or her mom. She emphasized that what she wanted was for me to listen to her, not run off to fight for her. I hope that kind of thing will get through to your Peter, if you decide to tell him the rest.

[neverdisappointed]

It's simultaneously one of the most endearing and frustrating things about you.

Like I said, my parents have their moments when they're not so bad. So long as that holds until I can get as far away from NYC as possible, the details don't matter and Peter won't need to know. These aren't problems he can punch away. But yeah, I'll make sure to talk with him about what I do or don't need from him. Open communication is important, or else you just end up screaming all the time and still not being heard.

[wristspinnerets]

So I have been told :)

I think that there's been enough screaming and not being heard in our lives in general. So I'm glad that you've got a plan to handle your Peter and his protectiveness. (And I apologize in advance for the frustrations on his behalf.)

[neverdisappointed]

Maybe I should just have you talk to Peter on my behalf, since you'd probably know the best way to make it sink in without making him give me those sad eyes. But then you'd probably call me avoidant, and there are few things I hate more than being called out on my very obvious flaws, so I might as well bite the bullet.

Thanks. For letting me talk it out with you.

[wristspinnerets]

I'm willing to be your backup if he reacts badly, but I think you've got this. You're smart, and strong enough to resist the sad Parker puppy eyes! (That's an MJ power, I'm pretty sure.)

[He just won't mention that it's a trait he picked up from Uncle Ben, and that Aunt May had given it that name. Peter's family is probably still a sore spot for MJ's version of Peter.]

You're welcome. Always glad to help out, as I'm sure you know! :)

[neverdisappointed]

It must be a superpower, since I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who can resist when he looks like a kicked puppy. Which is a surprisingly large amount of time.

Same goes for you, you know. If you ever need anything I can actually help with.