Peter Parker had often thought about the future. He had never expected it to come to him. Now he has to deal with a dimensionally displaced half-sister who really doesn't belong in 1930s New York. It's been that sort of day.
Real Folk Blues: A Peni Parker – Spider-Man Noir Story is a Spider-Man: Spider-Verse fanfic written by JNewbold54
. As the title suggests, the show narrates the odd friendship that develops between the Peter Parker of a 1933 Film Noir New York and Peni Parker from the year 2140 of a future Alternate Timeline, after the latter gets stranded in the former's dimension. Peni is now forced to adapt to this new universe while the duo does their best to figure out who created the dimensional rift that sent her there and how to stop them from causing more damage.
The story can be read in SpaceBattle, FanFiction or Archive of Our Own.
Real Folk Blues: A Peni Parker – Spider-Man Noir Story provides examples of:
- Adaptational Heroism: The Doctor Octopus of Peni's dimension is a rare example of a purely heroic Doc Ock in the multiverse. Peni, who speaks very highly of him, keeps a photograph of him (in his signature outfit), Daredevil, herself, and SP//dr inside her mech suit.
- Alternate Universe Reed Richards Is Awesome:
- Peter's version of J. Jonah Jameson is a paragon of journalism and a Reasonable Authority Figure, something that shocks Peni, whose own version of J.J.J. is the traditional Jerkass Conspiracy Theorist who doesn't like her one bit.
- Noir!Tony Stark is his usual self, but with a healthy dash of Adventurer Archaeologist thrown into the mix. Peni has yet to describe her version of Stark.
- Alternate Self: Both Spider-Noir and Peni are alternate counterparts of each other, right down to having very uncanny facial resemblances and the same father.
- Awesome, but Impractical: The SP//dr mech is made of technology both from another dimension and 200 years more advanced than anything in the Noir-verse. This gives Peni an advantage over most enemies in 1933, but also means that proper repairs after fights are impossible due to the tools and materials needed not existing yet. She to substitute everything with sheet metal as a result.
- Badass Adorable: Peni Parker, who is also overlapping a Badass Bookworm (she knows how to repair and maintain her mech) and Cute Bruiser (she's surprisingly muscular for an eleven-years-old girl).
- Comic-Book Movies Don't Use Codenames: Peni Parker doesn't have a secret identity, being publicly known as the chief pilot of the SP//dr program in her universe. She does adopt the SP//dr codename as her identity upon entering Peter's universe, however, for practical reasons.
- Composite Character: Both Spider-Man Noir and Peni Parker borrow elements from the movie and their comic book versions.
- Spider-Man Noir has much of his backstory and personality taken from his comic book series, while also being a Hard Boiled Detective like in the movie.
- Peni Parker's backstory is mostly from the comic books, while her personality, age and Mini-Mecha are lifted from the film.
- Deadpan Snarker: Both of the Spiders, naturally, with Peni being the bigger one.
- Deliberate Values Dissonance: The fanfic doesn't shy away from the fact that not only are the 1930s an awkward time to be Asian in the United States but that those with mixed heritage are even more subject to discrimination. Even people that have no problem against Asian people are still somewhat uncomfortable interacting with them, as Peni eventually learns.
- Face of a Thug: Peter Parker is over six feet tall with a very imposing appearance. This is a major annoyance for his social life, but extremely useful for his double life as the Spider-Man.
- Friendly Neighborhood Spider: SP//dr is a fluffy
Ugly Cute cyborg spider who is best friend with Peni. The SP//dr mecha also has a cute design. - Half-Breed Discrimination: Discussed a lot early on and seen as a big concern for Peni by other characters. In practice, Peni has received copious amounts of stares, a number of unfriendly glares, and a few Innocently Insensitive comments which personally amuse her more than anything else thanks to Peter's own reactions to them.For the record, this whole situation may have been deeply uncomfortable, but the expression on Gwen’s face after that was so worth it.
- Hard Boiled Detective: The Spider-Man plays this trope to a T. He's a very serious, aggressive, no-nonsense detective with a very cynical attitude. Peter Parker, on the other hand, has a much more reserved personality.
- Heroic Bastard: Peni Parker, who rarely even got to see her father before he died.
- Hypocritical Humor: On one chapter, Peni berates Peter for leaving his office a mess where nothing can be found. Peter counters by noting the inside of her mech to be just as untidy, pointing out a piece of gum on her armrest. Peni then discovers her school uniform and her phone inside one of the robot's compartments, both of which she thought she lost last week!
- Innocently Insensitive: Gwen Stacy makes a comment about Peni being a maid right in front of Peter when they first meet. Needless to say, Peter doesn't take this well even though Gwen showed no malice.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Apparently, Peni Parker is rather photogenic, which draws a lot of unwanted attention to her. This is obviously a reference to the unfortunate amount of questionable fan work of her since her debut in the movie.
- Like Brother and Sister: Peter and Peni have this dynamic as soon as they meet each other, with them being half-siblings being their cover story for where Peni came from.
- Likes Older Men: Peni has a tendency to comment on her attraction to certain men's features before she quickly stops herself. So far she's done it towards Noir and Tony Stark.
- Lost Technology: The technology level for Peter's universe is what you'd expect for the time period, outside the existence of some mecha and room-temperature superconductors, which absolutely stuns Peni. She spends a good while griping about how it took a few extra centuries for her dimension to figure out the tech, while the Noir dimension just had it sitting around in Atlantis for Tony Stark to find.Peni: ATLANTIS! That-that-that's just not fair! My universe spends years painstakingly researching the technology for this, and you lot just get it — dropped into your hands, like a new toy! No wonder you can build Mechs in the 1930s!
- Metaphorically True: Peter's lie to Aunt May that Peni might be his half-sister is technically true, since they somehow managed to have the same father, giving the two Spider heroes a strong facial resemblance.
- Mini-Mecha:
- Peni has multiple different types of mecha back at in her home dimension, but she's limited to the cute rounded one of the film while stuck in the Noir universe.
- Noir Rhino is also a mecha that SP//dr gets to fight with.
- Mistaken for Servant: Gwen Stacy initially assumes Peni to be a maid, noting that she looks a bit young for the job and wondering how the Parkers have enough money to afford one. Peni is amused by this, especially when Peter responds with barely concealed anger that Peni is his half-sister and silently communicates to Gwen that she shouldn't mention Peni's appearance either.
- No Accounting for Taste: Sadly, neither version of Richard Parker had a good relationship with their family. Peter's version was always wandering off without explaining to his family why, to the point that Aunt May suspected he might be cheating on his wife, which ends up strengthening the "half-sibling" ruse. Meanwhile, Peni is actually a heroic bastard thanks to her version of Richard never marrying her mother Yuri Watanabe, and she rarely got to see him before his death.
- Odd Friendship: Spider-Noir and Peni, two spider-people that are almost the opposite of each other and yet they get along like siblings.
- Official Couple: Peter and Mary Jane are dating and he mentions that he's considering marriage.
- Pædo Hunt: The cute appearance of Peni Parker has drawn a lot of paparazzi attention to her, to point where she once came out of the bathroom to find a reporter in her room going through her drawers. That event in particular led to someone note tying said reporter up to a bridge with a sign saying "LEAVE THE KID ALONE, CREEPS!". Peni also had to bring bodyguards to school for some time.
- Psychic Link: Peni has a telepathic connection with her spider, SP//dr, which allows her to do such things as eavesdrop on conversations.
- Silent Snarker: SP//dr can't talk, only able to express his emotions through a Psychic Link with Peni. Sure enough, annoyance is a common reaction from him.
- Spiders Are Scary:
- The spiders that bit Peter years ago are pretty ugly, terrifying, and violent. Peter adopts the Spider alias directly because of this.
- SP//dr manages to scare Peter's spiders when placed in the same tank. It seems rather proud of itself after it does so.
- Wise Beyond Their Years: Peni Parker, due to being SP//dr pilot since she was a young child. Outside being a Gadgeteer Genius, this mainly comes in the form of her being un-phased by the more brutal parts of the job. In particular, Peter is surprised that Peni's brooding after the death of several officers at the hand of Rhino isn't because she isn't used seeing events like that, but because she felt she could have easily prevented it. Later, she's completely nonplussed by Electro getting brutally killed. Then again, it was his own fault.
- Younger Than They Look: Peter has a rugged face, and the stress of being the Spider is already making him get grey hair, making him appear to be in his 30s, despite the fact that he's only 19-years-old. Peni actually assumes their cover story would be that she's his daughter until he reveals this fact.
