History Fanfic / TheJoysAndSorrowsOfYoungCharlesFinster

* EarlyPersonalitySigns: Where to begin? [[LovableCoward Chas]] is shown [[TearsOfFear crying upon reading about the Big Bad Wolf]] as a kindergartner, Stu and Drew have had a SiblingRivalry since they were babies, [[StrawFeminist Betty]] is shown to have been an elementary-school tomboy, Melinda (who will grow up to be a CaringGardener) is shown to be fond of FilthyFun as a fourth grader, and one chapter shows [[CampStraight Howard]] as a third grader teaching himself how to knit.

* GrumpyBear: Drew Pickles can be the most negative of the kids (who are otherwise quite a cheerful group) sometimes, even when he’s a kid.

* BalefulPolymorph: In "Chicken Pox," first grade Drew convinces preschool Stu that first grade Chas will turn into a chicken as a result of his chicken pox. The fact that the feathers from the pillow have stuck to the calamine lotion Shirley has applied to him doesn't help. However, this is subverted when a kind doctor points out that chicken pox doesn't actually turn you into a chicken.

* AdultFear:
** In "Chicken Pox," Shirley is shocked to see that Stu is with Chas because she knows that her son might spread the chicken pox to Stu and Drew, and she's right.
** A bigger example occurs in "The Appendix," which takes place when Chas is eleven years old. He is suffering so badly from appendicitis that his father is actually afraid that the poor kid will die. Notably, this is the first time Chas sees his father showing any signs of fear.

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Stu’s purple hair is remarked upon as a very unusual color in the very first chapter.

* AccidentalMisnaming: In "Chicken Pox," Preschool!Stu accidentally calls Chas "Chick" when he thinks Chas is turning into a chicken.

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: The fifth chapter opens with Kindergarten!Drew crashing his tricycle and falling into a mud puddle. Upon seeing this, Chas tries to hold back for a few seconds, but he bursts out laughing with all the other kindergartners.
* AdultFear: In "Chicken Pox," Shirley is shocked to see that Stu is with Chas because she knows that her son might spread the chicken pox to Stu and Drew, and she's right.

* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Shirley has a habit of embarrassing Chas in front of his classmates, which is why he is so reluctant to invite her to Parents' Night come fourth grade.

* BalefulPolymorph: In "Chicken Pox," First-Grade!Drew convinces Preschool!Stu that First-Grade!Chas will turn into a chicken as a result of his chicken pox. The fact that the feathers from the pillow have stuck to the calamine lotion Shirley has applied to him doesn't help. However, this is subverted when a kind doctor points out that chicken pox doesn't actually turn you into a chicken.

* BigNo: The ending of "Germ Warfare" has Shirley scream this when Fourth-Grade!Chas and his friends are playing in the mud.
* BigYes: Two-year-old Chas shouts this upon being potty-trained. This also happens to be his first word.

* TheBully: Drew was this when he was a child, and [[BigBrotherBully not just to his little brother Stu]].
* ButtMonkey: Chas suffers a lot, and not all of it is PlayedForLaughs.

* CallForward: "How the Cavanaugh Saved Christmas" reveals that, up until he was nine years old, Chas' childhood Christmases were indeed miserable as far as his Christmas gifts were concerned.

* ChildishToothGap: As a kindergartner, Drew acquires one in "The Tooth Hurts."

* CompetitionFreak: Fourth-Grade!Chas and Second-Grade!Stu in "The Three-Legged Race."

** In "Ripped Pants," Fourth-Grade!Chas describes having his pants sewed up by his Aunt Muriel as "the most embarrassing thing that could happen to me since my mom showed you [my friends] my baby photos", referencing "Parents' Night."

* CoveredInMud: In the beginning of "Charles' Glasses," Drew ends up getting covered in mud from head to toe when he gets overly competitive during a kindergartners' trike race and ends up crashing his trike into a rock and flying into a mud puddle. The other kindergartners, including Chas, find this ActuallyPrettyFunny, but Drew storms off in a huff.

** "Chicken Pox": After Preschool!Stu all catch First-Grade!Chas' chicken pox, First-Grade!Drew tells his little brother that he, Stu, is going to make a delicious dinner for Lou and Trixie, upsetting Stu. Chas stands up to Drew, saying that Mr. and Mrs. Pickles would never eat him or his best friend, and they're going to enjoy their new lives as chickens.
** "The New Kid": When Fourth-Grade!Chas sees Melinda, the title new kid, being picked on by Fourth-Grade!Drew. Chas is so angry upon seeing this that he pushes Drew down the slide and has a fight with him! Both boys are beaten to a pulp, although Chas clearly comes out on top.
** "Germ Warfare": Second-Grade!Stu invokes this trope by crying for help, screaming that he's stuck in the dumpster. Stu [[BatmanGambit planned it all along]], because he knew that Fourth-Grade!Chas would get over his TerrifiedOfGerms phase to save him.

* DontMakeMeTakeMyBeltOff: Happens to Kindergarten!Drew in "The Tooth Hurts" when one of his attempts to take a tooth out of Kindergarten!Chas' mouth results in him ramming into Lou, who earlier told him to behave himself. Lou ends up spanking Drew.

* DramaticIrony: "Charles' Glasses": It's quite obvious to the viewers that Kindergarten!Chas stepped on [[spoiler: Kindergarten!Drew's]] glasses and not his own (since Stu currently has them), but poor Chas doesn't know this and breaks down crying until Stu and his parents bring him his own glasses.

* EmbarrassingOldPhoto: In "Parents' Night," Shirley shows Fourth-Grade!Chas' friends an old photo of him as a baby in a puff pastry cradle.

* FangThpeak / FunetikAksent: Kindergarten!Drew speaks with a lisp after his first loose tooth falls out, and he continues to speak with one until the time of his and Chas' kindergarten graduation.
** First-Grade!Chas acquires a lisp once he loses his two front teeth in "From Trike to Bike."

* FilthyFun: Like her twins after her, Betty used to enjoy playing in the mud when she was in grade school. In "The New Kid," it's revealed that Melinda UsedToBeATomboy who also liked to play in the mud with the pigs on her farm.

* ForcedIntoTheirSundayBest: Fourth-Grade!Chas and his friends in "Picture Day."
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Near the beginning of "The Tooth Hurts," Stu mentions that one of Drew's teeth has become loose. Guess what happens to him [[ChildishToothGap at the end of it]]...

* TheFreelanceShameSquad: Drew attempts to invoke this in "The New Kid," when he tries multiple times to humiliate her but fails miserably. It's revealed that the reason why he does this is because he's hostile to new kids.
** In "Ripped Pants," Fourth-Grade!Chas rips his pants, and his friends try to save him from being faced with Miss Finster's needle ''and'' TheFreelanceShameSquad, using various materials like newspaper, papier-mâché, an empty pickle barrel, Stu's blanket, and a kilt that Charlotte designs. Ultimately subverted when Stu and Drew decide to [[HeroicSacrifice intentionally rip their own pants]] to share Chas' shame. Rather than jeering at the boys' ripped pants, all the other kids show respect for this brave act.

* GenerationXerox: The series reveals that Chas acted just like Chuckie when he was a kid, child!Stu acted and sounded like Tommy, child!Drew was essentially a male version of Angelica, and child!Betty was very much like Phil and Lil (mostly Phil since she also sounded like him). Strangely, however, child!Melinda appears to have been a CompositeCharacter of Kimi and Susie, neither of whom she is related to, unless her future husband's later marriage to Kimi's mother Kira counts.
* GenkiGirl: Melinda was like this, especially as a kid.

* GrowingUpSucks: "Charles Graduates" involves both Chas and Drew feeling anxious about graduating kindergarten and entering first grade. Chas eventually convinces Drew (and himself) that first grade will be great.
** The crux of the chapter called "Charles' Tenth Birthday" is that Fourth-Grade!Chas fears responsibilities and attempts to revert to being a first grader. He soon regrets his decision when he realizes that first graders are too small to ride roller coasters.

* GrumpyBear: Drew Pickles can be like this sometimes, even when he’s a kid.

* HiddenDepths: Like his daughter after him, child!Drew seems like your typical schoolyard bully, but he has his limits. He's also fond of playing the harmonica, having got one from his father on his ninth birthday.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Like his daughter Angelica, child!Drew, despite his tendency to pick on Chas and his friends, has a lot of nice moments — such as when he joins Chas and Betty in playing lemonade when he learns that they are much more successful bosses than he ever was, and when he joins the other kids in protecting Melinda from getting dirty on their fourth-grade picture day.
** Child!Charlotte is a fashionista who refers to Chas as a fashion reject, but is likewise willing to help him when he rips his pants.

* JerkassRealization: Fourth-Grade!Charlotte has one in "Betty DePest" after she calls Fourth-Grade!Howard a "wimp" and reduces him to tears.

** Throughout "Charles vs. the Potty," Baby!Drew taunts Baby!Chas for struggling with his potty training. Near the end, Drew ends up wetting his pants due to turning the kitchen sink on and off to trigger a PottyEmergency in Chas, not knowing that Chas has already successfully used the potty on his own.
** In "The Tooth Hurts," Kindergarten!Drew's many unsuccessful attempts to extract one of Kindergarten!Chas' buckteeth end up resulting in him losing one of his own teeth, which is already loose anyway. What's more, instead of getting a large pile of coins like he was expecting, he only got a dime.
-->'''Drew:''' All that work for one [[FunetikAksent louthy]] dime!

** In "Chicken Pox," after lying to Preschool!Stu about First-Grade!Chas turning into a chicken, First-Grade!Drew himself gets chicken pox and, upon seeing his spot-covered face in a mirror, he screams, "[[BelievingTheirOwnLies I'm turning into a chicken]]!"
** "The New Kid" has Fourth-Grade!Drew repeatedly try to ostracize Fourth-Grade!Melinda through a variety of cruel pranks. Finally, he pushes her aside on top of the jungle gym, nearly making her cry. This enrages Fourth-Grade!Chas into having a fist fight with him, and winning!

** Over the course of "Didi's Tooth Trouble," Fourth-Grade!Drew taunts First-Grade!Didi about her having all her baby teeth and how painful having your loose tooth yanked will be. At the end, although Didi doesn't get her tooth yanked by the dentist as Drew predicted, Drew himself does and leaves the dentist's office [[IWantMyMommy crying for his mom]].
** Fourth-Grade!Drew is particularly nasty in "Be My Valentine," when he uses the fact that he got just one Valentine each year since kindergarten as an excuse to get even. He stays behind during recess, scratches out Chas' name from each of his classmates' Valentines, and replaces it with his own. Then, when Chas doesn't get any Valentines as a result, he mocks Chas, making the latter cry profusely. By the end of the day, he gets met with a major HumiliationConga when the teacher discovers the penciled-out blots on Drew's ill-gotten Valentines, makes him dig for the only Valentine that is genuinely his, makes him share the Valentine, which turns out to be a joke card from the class clown (as usual), and punishes him with detention for a month.

* LiteralMinded: In "Charles' Glasses," Lou tells Trixie it's raining cats and dogs. Preschool!Stu thinks he means that cats and dogs are falling from the sky, and is disappointed to find out that it's just water.

* LyingFingerCross: Kindergarten!Drew does this in "Charles' Glasses" when he promises Trixie that he'll play nicely with Stu and Chas.

* MarilynManeuver: Happens to Fourth-Grade!Chas in "Ripped Pants" when Third-Grade!Charlotte has him wear a kilt to cover up the rip in his pants.
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Betty and Howard, as usual.

* MissingMom: Melinda's mother isn't around because she's dead. Fourth-Grade!Chas knows about this, but Fourth-Grade!Melinda doesn't.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: In "Drew's Last Stand," nine-year-old Drew regrets acting like a tyrant and not sharing his dimes when he sees Chas and Betty running their own lemonade stand and laughing with Stu and Didi, realizing that Chas and Betty really do make better bosses than he ever has.

* NerdGlasses: Chas has square ones.
* NerdyInhaler: "Charles is Breathless" reveals that Chas was diagnosed with asthma when he was in fourth grade.
* NeverLearnedToRead: ''All'' of the child characters until they reach kindergarten.
* NiceGuy: Both Chas and Stu.
* NiceMeanAndInBetween: The main three boys are Chas (nice), Stu (in-between), and Drew (mean). Chas is afraid of causing harm and overall good-natured. [[BigBrotherBully Drew]] often bullies both Stu and Chas. Stu is out-going and adventurous, often having his own moments of mischief, but is still overall easy-going, and much nicer than his big brother Drew.

* NightmareSequence: Towards the end of "Charles vs. the Potty," Chas has a bad dream that is stated to take place in France during the 1700's and features two-year-old Chas being sent to the scaffold, which has a giant toilet on it, to the jeers of an adult crowd. This triggers a PottyEmergency in Chas.

* PluckyComicRelief: Stu Pickles.

* PubescentBraces: Drew starts wearing them when he's in sixth grade.

* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Chas and Howard are the Sensitive Guys to Stu and Drew's Manly Men.

--->'''Miss Lemon:''' If you were half the principal Mr. Solomon was...\\

* TearsOfFear: Kindergarten!Chas does this in "The Library" when he reads ''Literature/TheThreeLittlePigs'' and ends up scared of the Big, Bad Wolf.
** In "Chicken Pox," Preschool!Stu cries when he catches First-Grade!Chas' chicken pox, fearing that he might turn into a chicken and get eaten for dinner.
* TearsOfRemorse: Sixth-Grade!Drew sheds this kind of tears as his first ManlyTears. [[spoiler: Upon learning that Sixth-Grade!Chas has already wept like a man, Drew thinks about all the times he picked on Chas and, realizing that he's wasted his whole childhood bullying younger and weaker kids, lets his tears stream down his cheeks.]]
* TemptingFate: In the beginning of "From Trike to Bike," First-Grade!Chas tells Preschool!Stu how much he enjoys his trike and comments that he wouldn't know where he'd go without it. A second later, it's shown that he's about to find out.

* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: In their elementary-school years, Didi and Betty already share this dynamic. When nine-year-old Drew claims that making lemonade is fun, Betty asks "More fun that playing in the mud?" while Didi asks "Or having tea parties?"

* TheUnapologetic: First-Grade!Chas tells second grader Rocky to apologize to him for squirting him at the water fountain, which Rocky refuses to do, though he eventually does after First-Grade!Chas falls into a mud puddle.

* ValentinesDayEpisode: "Be My Valentine."

* RealityEnsues: In one chapter, Phillium Benedict becomes principal of Third Street School. He theorizes that eliminating recess can bring test scores up. What follows soon gives lie to said theory, as the kids become so bored that they can't even focus in class, and their test scores go down, resulting in a parent-teacher strike calling for the return of recess.