#i'm so proud of them and the +6 arrogance points they got for this

[meear]

The state of siblings in HP&the Deathly Hallows

Deathly Hallows is the book that shines a (new) light on every sibling in the story.

This is where we see Lily and Petunia's childhood, we learn about Aberforth and Albus' story, we read about Regulus' death, Percy's return (and even, to some extent, Harry and Dudley's goodbye, though of course they were never raised as siblings nor did they ever consider each other as such, but they did grow up under the same roof). This is the book where Ron finally confronts his insecurities, by destroying the locket who was throwing all of his family issues back into his face.

We finally meet Andromeda, the last Black sister, and we have Bellatrix mention her ("We—Narcissa and I—have never set eyes on our sister since she married the Mudblood"). In HP7, Molly even tells Harry that Fabian was her brother, which is something the reader never knew

I often see people drawing parallels between Sirius&Regulus and Lily&Petunia, both of these pairs being estranged siblings, but... They really don't have that much in common.

I've never seen anyone commenting on the Blacks' similarities to the Weasleys (by which I mean Percy) and the Dumbledores, when these three families have SO much more to offer. I think about them so often you do not understand. I don't even know where to begin. I've ended up putting a bunch of dialogue from the book, so it's a bit lengthy, but long story short:

Albus, Aberforth, Sirius, Regulus and Percy make me feel insane

Percy and Albus, two brillant, ambitious and arrogant young men, who felt trapped, who thought they were destined for more than the condition their family had condemned them to, who were desperate to leave their home and get their chance to shine despite their father's awful reputation, even by supporting corrupt ideals. Read what Dumbledore tells Harry at the end of HP7, and tell me it couldn't have come out straight of Percy's mouth:

"I resented it, Harry. I was gifted, I was brilliant. I wanted to escape. I wanted to shine. I wanted glory [...] So that, when my mother died, and I was left the responsibility of a damaged sister and a wayward brother, I returned to my village in anger and bitterness. Trapped and wasted, I thought!"

"[Percy] said he’s been having to struggle against Dad’s lousy reputation ever since he joined the Ministry and that Dad’s got no ambition and that’s why we’ve always been — you know — not had a lot of money"

Mind you, there's a bit of Sirius in it too, Sirius who also left. We learn about Percy and Sirius at around the same time (the beginning of Ootp, chapters 4 and 6) and I don't think it's a coincidence (edit: forgot to mention it but there's even a chapter named "Percy and Padfoot" in that book). Here's what Ron says:

"And if Mum and Dad were going to become traitors to the Ministry [Percy] was going to make sure everyone knew he didn’t belong to our family anymore. And he packed his bags the same night and left."

" 'You ran away from home?' 'When I was about sixteen,' said Sirius. 'I’d had enough.' "

"As far as I’m concerned, they’re not my family. She’s certainly not my family. [...] D’you think I’m proud of having relatives like her?”

Fred and George were angry at their older brother for putting his ambitions above his family and morals (I'm Percy's #1 fan and defender btw), and Aberforth was furious with Albus for the same reason. Again, this reads like something that Ron could've said about Percy, the pompous little snob (i love him):

Sirius and Percy are also not present on the family pictures:

"A photograph of the Weasley family stood beside the in-tray. Harry noticed that Percy appeared to have walked out of it."

" “I used to be there,” said Sirius, pointing at a small, round, charred hole in the tapestry, rather like a cigarette burn."

"Not Albus, he was always up in his bedroom when he was home, reading his books and counting his prizes, keeping up with his correspondence with ‘the most notable magical names of the day’ "

It's just that Percy and Albus betrayed their family by supporting wrong causes and Sirius betrayed his family by supporting the right one. but Regulus' support was an act of loyalty to his family. Aberforth and Kreacher tell Harry about Albus and Regulus' former goals:

"Didn’t I understand, my poor sister wouldn’t have to be hidden once they’d changed the world, and led the wizards out of hiding, and taught the Muggles their place?"

"For years [Master Regulus] talked of the Dark Lord, who was going to bring the wizards out of hiding to rule the Muggles and the Muggle-borns...."

I know I've been comparing Albus to Sirius, both of them being the oldest brother, but really Albus' ideological progression and death most resemble Regulus'. (both Black brothers share traits with both Dumbledores really). though of course, Harry didn't let Ron and Hermione make excuses for Dumbledore just because he was young:

" 'it’s an awful thought that Dumbledore’s ideas helped Grindelwald rise to power. But on the other hand, even Rita can’t pretend that they knew each other for more than a few months one summer when they were both really young, and— '

'I thought you’d say that,' said Harry."

" 'Dumbledore being pals with Grindelwald, but now it’s just something to laugh about for people who didn’t like Dumbledore, and a bit of a slap in the face for everyone who though he was such a good bloke. I don’t know that it’s such a big deal, though. He was really young when they— '

'Our age,' said Harry"

" 'He was a Death Eater,' said Harry. 'Sirius told me about him, he joined up when he was really young and then got cold feet and tried to leave' "

(i would like it on record that the exact expression "really young" is found thrice in HP7, two of them being about Albus, the last one about Regulus. i'm so incredibly normal about this)

"and when he was sixteen years old, Master Regulus joined the Dark Lord"

"[Dumbledore] changed, Harry, he changed! It’s as simple as that! Maybe he did believe those things when he was seventeen"

"I know what you’re going to say, she went on as Harry began to protest, that Regulus changed his mind . . ."

Albus and Regulus were two misguided brothers who both drank the drink of despair in the Inferi cave before dying, the only two wizards to have done so. Not only that, both of them had actually planned their own death; though it was a secret only known by the one who had assisted them (the chapters revealing the truth about Regulus and Albus are literally called "Kreacher's tale" and "the Prince's tale", like they're referencing each other, I'm in my incredibly delusional era right now). They started something (the same thing, in fact) they could not see through to the end, and "faced death in the hope" someone else would finish it:

"We want to finish the work Master Regulus started, we want to—er—ensure that he didn’t die in vain"

"he left me a job [...] Your brother knew how to finish You-Know-Who and he passed the knowledge on to me"

Both Sirius and Aberforth hated their brother's choices, but actually (as Harry told Aberforth) neither of them fully understood their brother's last moments. and because they didn't have that knowledge, neither of them ever gained a complete understanding of their brother:

"And Albus was free, wasn’t he? Free of the burden of his sister, free to become the greatest wizard of the— '

'He was never free,' said Harry."

"From what I found out after he died, he got in so far, then panicked about what he was being asked to do and tried to back out."

"And he drank— all the potion— and Kreacher swapped the lockets"

"The night that your brother died, he drank a potion that drove him out of his mind."

"He thought he was watching Grindelwald hurting you and Ariana... It was torture to him, if you’d seen him then, you wouldn’t say he was free."

"Kreacher and Regulus’s family were all safest if they kept to the old pure-blood line. Regulus was trying to protect them all."

You know who ELSE "was never free" though??

I ask, but you already know.

" 'I don’t like being back here,” [Sirius] said, staring across the drawing room. 'I never thought I’d be stuck in this house again.' "

"I returned to my village in anger and bitterness. Trapped and wasted, I thought!"

Albus was never free. Sirius was never free either.

But wait! there's more!

"But Harry, his mother had just died, he was stuck alone in the house— '

'Alone? He wasn’t alone! He had his brother and sister for company, his Squib sister he was keeping locked up— ' "

Of course, knowing this about Albus Dumbledore, this scene at the end of OotP might hit a bit different:

“ 'I was trying to keep Sirius alive,' said Dumbledore quietly.

'People don’t like being locked up!' Harry said furiously, rounding on him. 'You did it to me all last summer —'

Dumbledore closed his eyes and buried his face in his long-fingered hands. "

Now do I think there's a link between Albus&Sirius being stuck in the house and Dumbledore keeping his sister locked up to protect her life and keeping Sirius locked up to protect his life... maybe it wasn't intentional, or maybe it was; either way, it's very juicy to think about, and Dumbledore's reaction after what Harry says? if there's even the slightest possibility he might have been thinking about Ariana...I'm EATING this up.

Let us not forget about Percy Weasley though. In the end, both Percy and Albus came to their senses, though not without losing a younger sibling, Fred and Ariana. Is it possible that Albus saw a bit of himself in Percy at the time? Maybe, maybe not, but he did try to comfort Molly about Percy:

" 'Dumbledore says people find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right,' said Hermione. 'I heard him telling your mum, Ron.' "

"Reality returned in the form of my rough, unlettered, and infinitely more admirable brother. I did not want to hear the truths he shouted at me."

So yeah, they made wrong choices, but again, that doesn't mean they can't change:

" 'I was an idiot, I was a pompous prat, I was a— a— '

'Ministry-loving, family-disowning, power-hungry moron, said Fred. "

"Stupid idiot . . . he joined the Death Eaters."

" 'Don’t worry about Percy,' said Sirius abruptly. 'He’ll come round.' "

Remember the previous comparison between Albus and Percy, about both of them being the stuck-up pretentious brother?

"It was a porapous little sign, neatly lettered by hand - the sort of thing that Percy Weasley might have stuck on his bedroom door: Do Not Enter Without the Express Permission of Regulus Arcturus Black"

I think about this description a normal amount, the exact amount of thought warranted for such a short, inconsequential description, in fact

Another thing Deathly Hallows did was challenging our perception of Sirius and Albus (granted, mostly Albus) by developing a younger brother who, against all odds, might have been more admirable than them in certain aspects. when Regulus and Aberforth are first mentioned, one is a cowardly Death Eater and the other is implied to be a goat-fucker. alright. and yet, if you only read the last book, you end up having a more positive impression of Aberforth and Regulus than of their older brothers, to the point where Albus and Sirius even get compared to Voldemort. Interestingly, I feel like Albus makes an indirect reference to Kreacher here:

"That which Voldemort does not value, he takes no trouble to comprehend. Of house-elves and children’s tales, of love, loyalty, and innocence, Voldemort knows and understands nothing."

of course Regulus was not brought up in his last conversation with Harry, but there really isn't anyone else this comment could refer to, and it does echo "Kreacher's tale" nicely:

"Of course, Voldemort would have considered the ways of house-elves far beneath his notice . . . It would never have occurred to him that they might have magic that he didn’t."

"I’ve said all along that wizards would pay for how they treat house-elves. Well, Voldemort did . . . and so did Sirius."

"Sirius was horrible to Kreacher, Harry, and it’s no good looking like that, you know it’s true"

"He’s loyal to people who are kind to him, and Mrs. Black must have been, and Regulus certainly was"

"my rough, unlettered, and infinitely more admirable brother"

"Was I better, ultimately, than Voldemort?"

"Master Regulus always liked Kreacher."

"The barman face was impassive. After a few moments he said,

'I’m sorry to hear it, I liked that elf.' "

Sirius and Albus really wanted to distance themselves from the reminders of their home, and as a result, they weren't always decent people. Of course I don't believe for a second Sirius and Albus were actually as bad as Riddle. they both did fucked up things, so did Regulus who joined the Death Eaters and Aberforth who suggested using Slytherin students as hostages (tf), so I'm not saying one amongst these four is obviously better than the others, but. this reversal is still really interesting.

The fact that Aberforth was helping Harry through Sirius' mirror. The fact that one of Albus' names is Percival. Hell, let's reach even further, Albus meaning "white" and Sirius&Regulus' last name being "black".

Like I'm sorry, but to me this is cinema.

[simpingcowboy]

Ranking Pedro Boys as to Whether I Could Beat Them in a Fight

Pt 2 of this nonsense, featuring all the rest of 'em

0, no threat - 10, I live in fear of this man

Once again for all intents and purposes we're posing these as bar type fights in manual combat

Nico, 0

Stand type of spoiled rich boy. I don't imagine he's ever really fought someone before. He would likely think that I'm robbing him- and he would be mistaken. I'm not interested in taking money. I'm interested in taking his dignity. Though he'd leave quite shaken, it would be a good story for him to dramatically wax on about at whatever open house he goes to next.

Dio, 2

Probably the only Pedro boy I'd actually want to fight. A bratty teenaged boy that I will absolutely demolish. He's got spunk, but I've got hands. As a proud former (ehh well- still sometimes if the occasion calls) goth kid, I'd actually love to beat him up. Narcissism and misogyny are NOT punk! And that boy needs a good humbling that I can deliver. He'd be lucky to have half of his piercing still in him.

Marcus Moreno, 4

Picking a fight with Moreno would be interesting, but yield little results. Considering I'm not a national level threat, I don't think he'd even bother with me. It also wouldn't be a good look for the Heroics to be seen beating up a superpower-less civilian. Marcus would simply teach me a lesson by using his powers to helplessly pin me to a wall to hang there in my shame. Literally. He'd just leave me there and walk away laughing. It'd be utterly humiliating.

Omar Assarian, 6

I have admittedly never seen the entirety of Lights Out, but from what I know he's an overly cocky arrogant boxer. So unfortunately for me he does know how to fight. Unfortunately for him, I'm a dirty street fighter who has no problems playing unfairly. It'd be a fight worth seeing. There'd be trash talk, drama, sexual tension, and utter confusion on his behalf about my technique. It'd be close. Ultimately though, I think after a couple right hooks he'd have me.

Oberyn Martell, 8

The Red Viper gets knocked down a couple points as I think he's most accustomed to fighting with his spear and not his hands. Still- boy is lethal. He's agile, fast, intelligent, and has lots of stamina (don't get me started). It'd be hard to get my hands on him enough to do notable damage. Oberyn would wear me out until he felt he could safely get close without immediately getting hit then take me out. I'm unsure if he would kill me, but certainly leave me unfit to stand up for a couple minutes. Truth be told- the smack talk he'd deliver would be so entertaining it'd be worth getting beat up over.

Max Phillips, 9

Actually I probably wouldn't mind fighting Max either. Unfortunately for me though, this would be a fight I'd lose. The whole "vampiric super strength" thing he's got going on will most certainly grant him a certain victory. I'm not even sure I could defeat him unless I had a handy wooden stake on me, which I often do not. I would likely end up as a snack for him :(

Din Djarin, 12 since so many of you were so eager to watch him beat my ass

This wouldn't even be a fight. It'd be a slaughter. Even fully unarmed, Din is probably the most dangerous of all the Pedro boys. He's skilled in literally every type of fight. Not to mention his encasing of full beskar armor. His helmet would probably break my damn hand. Best case scenario here, I'm last 2 minutes TOPS and that's assuming I can somehow sneak up behind him to catch him off guard. But let's be real here... I'd probably be dead before I even threw my first punch <\3

[yarart4ever]

okay sooo- uhm- I usually don't like self-promoting but I'm kinda- sad- atm-

so, um, on october 30th, like right before Halloween, I posted a fully complete, 6 chapter halloween kfp fic! it isn't my best work as I understand it probably doesn't hit all the good writing plot points but I was REALLY working hard on this fic for like- months- and though it's, again, not my best work, I am still really proud of the character I created for this fic, the way I analysed the characters of the furious five and just the fact that I- well- did something and completed it! and it turned out moderately decent!

there is one problem tho... my BF said with all the halloween craze, the readers won't be coming in right away- and I understood that! so I waited... and waited... and waited. and so far only 2 people have reviewed my story (with one of them being my bf which I absolutely love ; w ; precious boi I tell you), 4 people have favorited it and 3 people followed. and that's just on fanfiction.net at least I got a bit of growth in views on wattpad, being 153, but I'm pretty sure it's just people clicking on the fic, getting bored and leaving. and even still... no comments, no favorites.

guys... please don't do this to young writers. it's fine if you don't like our works, but at least let us know so that we can improve on our writing and actually MAKE something that people want to see! We crave reviews, feedback and validation as we put a lot of time and effort into what we create, ESPECIALLY FOR FREE and with VERY LIMITED TIMING.

I'm not mad at anyone, I'm not disappointed in anyone- but I'm mostly disappointed with myself. I don't want to make this into a pity party but I feel like I made something that's so bad, no one other than a few small amount of people will actually take the time of day to read it and give notes on it. I'm not expecting anyone to validate me but, this fic was a literal passion project that I've been wanting to do for a YEAR. I've been working on this for a YEAR. and though at first I was proud of how it came out, seeing that no one wants to even see it just immediately crushed my remaining confidence for this.

what's the point of sharing something your proud of with others if they're going to crush that pride?

maybe I'm just being arrogant or selfish- ;-;

sorry-

[zombubble]

6, 9 and 11 for the WIP asks? :D

Current WIP is... Mostly, I've been working on a sort of MDZS fix-it at the moment, so here's for that:

6. Does this chapter/fic have any twists that you’re proud of?

At the moment, there are some minor twists in there, but.... there are a few I'm looking forward to writing, and especially to publishing.

9. What is your favorite dialogue you’ve written so far?

It's so long, forgive me, but I really do love this bit:

“Wangji,” Lan Xichen says, “what are you looking to achieve?”

Lan Zhan looks at his brother. “Morality is the priority. One must uphold the value of justice. Be compassionate, ethical, and just. Help the lonely, the weak, the desolate. Assign blame only where it is due.” The message is clear: by refusing to help Wei Ying, his brother would be betraying Lan’s most closely-held teachings.

Closing his eyes, Lan Xichen looks down. Takes a deep breath.

He, too, knows that this is wrong. That should things continue as they are, it would be an injustice.

“I will consider our next course of action,” he says.  

“Next course of action is going back to Yiling and punching that asshole in his stupid, smug, arrogant, self-sacrificing, secret-keeping face,” Jiang Wanyin says from the door. Though his eyes, cheeks, and nose are still red from crying, he seems considerably more put-together than he had when they’d dragged him back here.

“While I understand this new information can be upsetting, I doubt violence, in this particular situation, would be ideal,” Lan Xichen says, smiling.

“It’ll make me feel better.” Walking towards the door, Jiang Wanyin picks up his sword.

“Where are you going? It’s the middle of the night.”

“Yiling,” he replies.

“For?”

“I said I’m going to punch him, I fucking meant it.” Putting his sword on his belt, he grabs his qiankun pouch as well and ties that on. “I want answers. I want to hear his excuses for not telling me. I want—I want to know why!” He looks at them. “He owes me this, at least.”

“At least wait until tomorrow,” Lan Xichen says. “You need sleep. I’ll have an early breakfast brought to you both so you can leave in the morning.”

“But—”

“He will still be in Yiling tomorrow.” Lan Xichen looks at Jiang Wanyin. “Impulsive actions, especially violence or cruelty, may yet have consequences one can’t foresee. Get some sleep, eat a meal, and leave with a level head tomorrow morning.”

As much as Lan Zhan also wants to leave right away, his brother has a point.

“What do I get by delaying this?” Jiang Wanyin asks. “I—”

“A night’s sleep,” Lan Xichen says. “The benefit of forethought and time to process.”

“We can arrive in the early morning to sort this out quickly,” Lan Zhan says.

Eyes glinting, Jiang Wanyin asks, with a disturbingly pleased grin, “Early morning, you say?”

Lan Zhan nods.

“Do you think we can make it there by Chen-shi?” he asks.

“Not before its start,” Lan Zhan says, “but well before its end, should we depart early enough. Why?”

“He doesn’t wake up before Si-shi if he can help it.” Marching back into the bedroom, Jiang Wanyin waves. “Good night. I’ll see you both tomorrow morning.”

The door closes loudly behind him.

“Well… As far as unfortunate motivations go, there are far worse,” Lan Xichen says. “Mn.”

11. What scene are you most hyped for this chapter/fic?

Oh, man. I've done a lot of dabbling in these but really, I'm most hyped to get to the turning point in the cultivation world, where everything is starting to go right... It's going to be. Interesting.

Thank you so much for asking and I'm so sorry about the delay--life has a way of doing the distraction thing and I got very, very sidetracked.

<3

[now-we-say-c0ral]

July 27, 2023

Got to the station around 7:10am, 2 minutes early for my supposed 7:12am tube but the Elizabeth Line decided to act up. I waited for 20 minutes before deciding to get a DLR tube then the Elizabeth Line tube came in. I'm so pissed off I swear. Took me 40 minutes to get to work and arrived around 8:15am. Good thing that cases would start around 9am because it was a teaching day.

I was assigned in Theatre 2 today with Rosie, Shaunie and Katie and the surgeon was Prof. I knew this day would come. I volunteered to scrub for the long, difficult case and Rosie was happy about it. I didn't let her scrub because I know nothing circulating for this case. After the brief, I immediately got my sets ready. I had to prepare 9 sets in 30 minutes and I was barely done sorting the whole lot but the fellow and the consultant kept pestering me because the patient was already on the table ready and prepped. I knew I was gonna hate this day from then on. I haven't sat the whole 6 hours, sweaty with a heavy lead gown on, and there are 3-4 hands asking for different things from me all at once. It was such a good thing that Rosie decided to scrub and arrange the implant stuff for me then she descrubbed after because she didn't have the opportunity to teach me all about it because they were pressuring us with time. I hated that I didn't learn a lot in this case, only so little. The arrogance of the surgical team and so self-centered about their ego not thinking how stressed I was considering I was supernumerary and it was my first time scrubbing for the case with the set (I volunteered because I knew that I was the only one capable in the whole team to do the case and it was the best outcome for the scrub team), that's what I hated. After the case when Rosie told me that I can go and have lunch, I immediately went and spent and extra 10 minutes in the cafeteria because I didn't have the chance to have a break because I was so busy trying to make sense of the set that I was trying to arrange at the beginning of the shift.

Went home around 5:30pm and went straight home using the DLR. I got home and told everything to Eddie. He was proud of me for standing up for myself even though I was new that I didn't let them take shit from me. I made a datix about the incidents that happened and made it aware that I'm including them. He gave me some brownies that his patient gave him, I ate like 8. I was stress eating at this point. I had told myself that I'm not having dinner but alas, here I am with 8 brownies in my stomach. I made some chicken teriyaki for tomorrow's lunch and we had the leftover roasted chicken with rice and I had some wine and berries that Niko gave me.

We watched JJK before sleeping. It was a challenging day to say the least.

[sky-scribbles]

So… that Retribution update left me with a few emotions. And my Sidestep with some character development. Massive Retribution spoilers, nb!Sidestep, ~1100 words. 

‘Work with me,’ says Hollow Ground, and smiles.

They keep talking, but you don’t keep listening. There’s a bitter laugh echoing through your mind, drowning out their voice – because oh, this is familiar. So very familiar.

This is no invitation, it’s an order, and it’s spoken in the same tone people have always used to give orders to you. Confident, almost lazy, completely certain that they’ll be obeyed. Unit CCT-525, infiltrate this party, read this person’s mind. CCT-525, keep this crowd under control. 525, report for reconditioning. Unlearn your emotions, forget everything that makes you an individual.

525, understand that the Rangers never cared. Realise that you never belonged.

Do not ever try to be a person again.

The room is suddenly quiet. Hollow Ground has stopped talking, and they’re leaning back in their chair, limbs dangling loose over the sides. Calm. At ease. You dig your fingers into the sleeves of your suit jacket, because you need to remember that you are not in a Farm uniform. The cool voice that has just fallen silent is not your handler’s, even though Hollow Ground is wearing the same smile Regina always wore.The smile of someone who knows they own you, body and soul. Someone who knows you can’t say no.

But you caught that hungry little thread, teased it out of your mind.

You could say no.

You could say no, and then what? They would never let you leave here alive. Even if you survived – unarmed, unarmoured, against three of them – the full might of the underworld would rise against you. They know your face. They could find your name. You have enough enemies in the light already; you cannot afford to make more in the shadows.

But you could still say no.

‘So.’ Hollow Ground folds their arms, one pierced eyebrow quirking upwards. ‘What do you say?’

You have never said no before, not to anyone. Even running from the Farm wasn’t saying no, it was saying no comment. Running instead of planting your feet firm. Sidestepping instead of standing your ground.

Shit, even the name you chose was half a surrender. Wren. You always saw yourself in small birds – free, but always vulnerable. Never strong.

This person could destroy you. You can’t pull the truth into the open, can’t free your people, your siblings, if one reckless act of defiance gets you killed. Hollow Ground thinks you’re bound, so you should let them keep thinking that, work their system from the inside. You’re not strong enough to say no. Your armour is strong, your abilities are strong, but you? Never.

‘I’m waiting, Myriad.’

You could say no.

But why would you? Why do you want to? Because saying yes would betray Hood, a man you never met? Because it would betray Ortega, a man you’ve already betrayed in every possible way?

Ortega –

The memory flashes into your mind, crystallises: you curled up on his couch, him kneeling before you, your hands in his. A grin on his face as he asks you – asks if you’re willing to do more than just make out – and his grip is loose, easy to twist out of if you wanted to. Letting you say no.

But you said yes.

You trusted him. You trusted yourself with that choice, and with its consequences. Whatever they are – and oh, they’ll happen – you made a deal with yourself that you’d face them.

And then another memory: Herald. Daniel. Asking you to train him, so bright, so full of potential – and you, saying yes. And then Dr Mortum, asking you to retrieve her gun. Chen, never quite saying aloud but silently indicating, again and again, that he wanted the bickering to end. You said yes.

Now, you could say no.

You’ve spent your whole life following your training. Stay quiet, observe. Watch and respond, act only once the dice land. But Hollow Ground sits here thinking that you are theirs, and you are not, and you are not the Farm’s, and you could reach out and catch the die as it rolls. Choose the number it lands on. Cheat the system. Make your own luck.

You could do it. You could trust yourself to act. You’ve already been doing it, all those times you said yes to the people you love.

You could say it.

You could say –

‘No.’

Everything is very quiet. You register the adrenaline pumping through you, your body one long silent scream of protest at what your lips just did. Hollow Ground is staring. Jake stands frozen. Nocturne’s eyes are wide. And you –

You, sitting there with no armour except your suit, no weapon except your mind… you have silenced all three of them with a single word. With your defiance. With potential you never quite realised you owned. There’s shock and confusion in Hollow Ground’s eyes, those eyes that so resemble your own – and a spark of realisation. The same realisation that’s hitting you.

You are dangerous. Not Myriad, you. Five-foot-nothing, husky-voiced little Wren Serrano.

And Hollow Ground’s mind is open, unsuspecting, and you breathe in deep and dive in with all the strength you have, because they will let you go, and as you slip through their shields and tear into their memories there’s a roar sounding in your mind. Like you’re standing firm at last, screaming at Hollow Ground and at the Farm and at this world that’s tried so hard to chain you and break you and take away your wings - I said, no!

Everything happens very fast after that, and the memories you see are sharp and deep and dangerous. But when you resurface, Hollow Ground is pale and shaking in their seat before you. And you’re still standing.

Is it arrogance, that you feel oddly powerful, underneath the adrenaline? You don’t think it is. It’s not pride in your strength, it’s trust in your strength. And in your conviction, too, because Hollow Ground is part of this city’s corruption as much as the Farm, and maybe one day you will drag them into the light along with all the rest.

For now, you walk away. Intact. You said no, and you survived it, and you will live with the consequences.

Once you’re home, you splash water over your face and look for a long time at your reflection. At the wide-eyed little Re-Gene who stares back at you, silently accusing you of recklessness and madness. Telling you that you’re an idiot to trust your own judgement, to act without knowing the consequences. That you’re not strong, or bold, or clever, that you’re fumbling with things you don’t understand, you’ve just signed your own death warrant, you’ve failed your people –

You breathe in. Look yourself in the eyes, like you did with Hollow Ground.

‘No,’ you say.

(Later, once you’re huddled under a blanket with a mug of coffee that you very desperately need, you remember an old legend you read, back when you were choosing your name. A folk tale, where the wren hid on the back of the eagle, and so – despite its quietness, despite its weakness – flew higher and farther than any other bird.)

[protect-anthony-edward-stark]

Tony Stark's thoughts described in the MCU books (part 1)

- Pepper

Tony always knew something was going to happen, during 6 years he has been preparing everything to protect everyone. When Thanos arrives he doesn't know what to do and chooses to get on Maw's ship to keep the danger away from Earth and the people he loves, ready to go into space and face his biggest fear. Pepper calls him and begs him not to get on the ship and to go home. We see Tony, who just wanted to stay with her and have a family, already on the ship, distraught and destroyed not knowing what to say.

In the "Infinity War novelization" we learn that at this very moment he's under a lot of stress. He hears in Pepper's voice that she's terrified and thinks about the worry he had felt a few seconds earlier for Peter when he saw him on that same ship. And it breaks his heart that Pepper is feeling the same thing right now.

- Tony and Peter during IW

We already know that Tony loves Peter and is afraid for him. He has always looked after him and done everything to protect him.

In the "Infinity War novelization" we see exactly what Tony is thinking throughout the journey. He's terrified for Peter.

Seeing him on the ship: "If Tony didn't act quickly, Peter Parker would die. And it would be all his fault."

Seeing him aboard the ship after doing everything to save him from it: "Peter was on this spaceship and that was that. So, he now had to save Strange and then get Peter Parker back on Earth safe and sound."

Seeing the Guardians threatening him: "But how ever much bravado Tony seemed to have, the dread of exactly this moment was laced in his words. He was terrified."

- Tony and Jimmy

Tony is so caring and has the biggest heart. He just always wants everyone to be safe and can't stand it when someone dies or gets hurt in front of his eyes. He always thinks he should have saved them, that's why he spends nights blaming himself for everything. That's why he always makes sure that people don't get hurt during or after the Avengers fights. That's why when he fights he never leaves anyone behind and always finds a way to save everyone.

And this from the very beginning. We already know that Tony was shocked to see innocent people killed at the very beginning of Iron Man 1. And in the "Iron Man novelization" we see especially the horror that Tony saw and experienced with the death of the soldiers and especially Jimmy and how it impacted him. He even noted the watch he was wearing. He care about every single person around him.

- Tony in India

In Homecoming we can see that Tony has been to India and that while he was there he was still watching over Peter, ready to intervene and save him if something happens to him.

In the "Homecoming junior novelization" we know exactly why he went there. He needed to get away from it all and refocus after what happened in Civil War. He lost the family and unity that the team had (and blames himself even though he was the one who fought so hard to keep everyone together). One of his best friend in whom he trusted lied to him and they all betrayed him, he has suffered so much and just.. needed a break.

He deserves so much more support, love, sincere people and serenity in his life.

- His biggest fear

At the end of Infinity War Tony's biggest fear, everything he's been trying to prevent for all these years, comes true. Tony who has always just wanted to keep everyone safe is totally destroyed by this moment. In the "Infinity War novelization" we know exactly what he's thinking.

When he sees Peter disappear: "No, Tony thought. Please, no. Not him. Tony rushed to Peter. "You're all right," Tony assured him, just like he'd done before. Look at me, kid. I'm calm. You're going to be okay, he thought. I'm right here. I'm right here. Just look at me. Tony grasped Peter's shoulder, his eyes locked on his as, with a tiny whisper, Peter turned to dust. "I'm sorry." Tony slammed his hand through where Peter once was. His hand now full of nothing but as hes. Tony willed it to be false. Willed the boy back. Willed another chance to save him. To be there for him. To protect him. To love him."

Here Tony is, alone with Nebula, his biggest fear has become reality and there was nothing he could do about it. The boy he sees as a son died in his arms. And he's stuck here not knowing if his loved ones, his friends, if the love of his life, has survived. "Pepper. Had Pepper survived? How much had he truly lost?"

It's horrible. We see him cry at this moment. Because, it's too much. As RDJ himself said, this event traumatized him to the point that he will never be the same anymore.

- I am Iron Man

At the end of Iron Man during the press conference and despite what the shield had asked him, Tony decides to reveal his identity. It's because he's proud to be Iron Man, to do something that helps the world. But that's not all.

We learn in the "Iron Man novelization" that his revelation is also to to people. He saw what happened with the secrets and lies with his company and decided to put an end to it. He doesn't want any more secrets that will lead to deaths. That's why he didn't keep his identity secret

"He thinks about how lying and deceit from others has brought him to this pass. He has sworn to put an end to that sort of thing".

Tony always takes care of everything and eveyone. To think that some people think it's out of arrogance.. He's always so misjudged and deserves so much better.

- The suit

In "Infinity War: the Hero's Journey", Tony spends time in the lab with Happy. And he describes him what it's like to wear the armor. He implies the emotional weight of all the suffering involved in being Iron Man.

"Happy smiled, then struggled to pull off the gauntlets. They didn't budge. Tony laughed and scooted his stool next to Happy. "Thanks," Happy said. "Don't mention it," Tony replied. "They were heavier than I thought they'd be," Happy said. Tony thought for a moment. "Yeah, they are," he said. His tone turned a touch graver than it had been a moment prior. "The whole suit's heavier than I thought it would be.."

In his life he's always only receiving pain, suffering and horrible traumas. Losses, ptsd, nightmares, insomnia, anxiety attacks, blames, betrayals, physical and psycological pain, health problems, he lost Peter, he got stabbed, he got stuck in space without food or water, he sacrificed everything for everyone even if nobody is there for him..

So few people realize how much he suffer..

Buy the Iron Man novelization

---

#BringBackTonyStarktolife (petition)

[blarrghe]

6, 13, 16!

6. what's the hardest part of the writing process for you?

adgajsha sex scenes. also sometimes I just get stuck or can't focus but that's more because my life pretty frequently burns me out and even hobbies get hard </3 (I just got a newjob though so like. thoughts and prayers)

I think I have a process that works for me, atually. And it's: shitpost notes -> point form outline of actual notes -> fill in -> edit and fill in some more (repeat until done). I don't find any part of that process hard really and if I'm not in the mood for the part I'm at I usually have something else that's somewhere else in the process I can work on. So it's just the executive functionality of being able to do anything at all other than endlessly spiral into the void of internet nonsense and pacing around my kitchen. But when that kicks in I go for a walk and sometimes sit and write by the river ;)

13. Do you take pride in your writing, or does it embarrass you? Why? Bit of both, I guess! I very adamantly only wrote original fiction and thought fanfic was lame (without actually having looked at any) for a long time. Then I kinda grew up but still didn't participate. Then I wrote some fanfic Just For Me and didn't publish it for like four years. Then I found it again, looked at it, thought "hey this is kinda good actually", wrote more of it, posted it, got no notes but began to get something of an eye for what I actually enjoy in the fic-writing scene, scrapped all of that and began to write things with a full "fuck it" attitude and just had fun!

That older fic does embarass me a bit, but more because I've improved as a writer and not because it's Cringe Fanfic. Fanfic is my cringe haven 😌 And as self-indulgent as all of it still is, I now feel like some of what I do is Good Art and I'm pretty dang proud of all the heart and hard work that goes into it!

As for the whys, I think initially "fanfic" just had a bad rap of being terrible and/or full of Weird Sex and I was just not really interested in weird amateurish writing. At best I was like "yeah yeah good practice for the teens who suck at tenses". And it still is both those things, and I still am picky as hell (though less of a square), but it's also a whole world of creative writing free-for-all that is really cool specifically BECAUSE it contains everything from terribly written weirdness to truly profound literature and, probably my favourite, majorly indulgent Fuck It comfort food. I'm a bit of an arrogant hipster but I've learned that letting people just make shit and not being a judgy dick about it is what's truly punk rock, and that extends to all forms of art and expression.

16. Do you re-read old fics? Is there a time in your writing you won’t go back to? Kinda answered above. I don't really go back to things from too long ago because they're not as well written and they just aren't my daydreams anymore. I reread Matchsies and Twelve Nights like, all the time, and sometimes I go back and appreciate some of the shorter ones too, especially if someone happens to remind me of it hah. But anything I have going in progress are also my current brainworms daydreams bedtime stories and I just turn them over and over.

[alpacaparkaseok]

since I’m procrastinating some work by analyzing this chapter, I’ll tell you how my thoughts about it

1. OC’s selling point to everyone she recruited was independence. Hoseok, who was a free agent, had that. What could she have offered him? (I want him to have asked for a family LOLLL)

2. Love that sope supremacy prevails here 🥰

3. Where is their money coming from? Yadiel sucking her father dry reminded me of how they came up from nothing, but how? Especially when no one knew they existed they couldn’t have made any big money moved without coming up on the map?? Is it tae’s money?

4. Still dyingggg for a JK/OC backstory

5. I wanna see more serious/action hobi! I reread the gala scene so many times just to feel something

6. I’m SO curious about yadiel and namjoon. He seems more traumatized than her by it all, just more controlled w his emotions

7. Outside of trying to dodge Yadiel, their whole plan to come in guns blazing by overtaking her dad has gone to shit now. I cant think of how they’ll exert their dominance without doing something crazy now

8. Did Yadiel plant that book in the library? I can’t imagine why anyone would leave tracks behind that part confused me

9. Namjoon saying he heard OC seduced hobi brought me back to the police station scene where he asked her about it and she got mad LOL

Drop chapter 12 soon pls 😩

lol thanks for dropping in! haha I hope you got your work done and it went well!

1. ooh so true! freedom in varying degrees. *insert Jin in chp. 7 chatting with Yoongi because I'm so proud of how this all connected so nicely*

“What’d she offer you?”

The low din of the radio permeates the SUV, filling in the gaps in the silence. Yoongi waits patiently for Seokjin to answer his question.

Seokjin keeps his eyes on the road as he taps the steering wheel. “What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Well, what’d she offer you?”

Yoongi frowns at his reflection in the side-view mirror. “Something I never thought I’d get.”

Snorting even as he turns onto a dark back road, Seokjin leans back against the driver’s seat. “Ambiguous. I like it.”

“So…”

He shrugs in that nonchalant way that Yoongi finds himself wanting to mimic. There’s something about the arsonist – some sort of easy arrogance – that he’s never been able to pin down.

“She offered me my sanity, I think.”

“You think?” Yoongi’s low voice is filled with ire.

“Yes. I think. Do you?”

“Do I what?”

“Think.”

Yoongi stares at Seokjin, who stares right back before breaking into a wide grin. “Gotcha.”

Rolling his eyes, Yoongi decides to refrain from asking any further questions. “Perhaps it’s a good thing she offered you your sanity. You need it.”

Seokjin’s laugh is alarmingly light-hearted. “Oh, you have no idea.”

2. Sope is my lifeblood.

3. Great question! Tae definitely helped to get them up and running with his funds (he comes from old money, honestly what he's spent is hardly a scrape off the top), and oc was granted access to her inheritance money upon leaving her father. it was part of their agreement, kinda like a "you don't bother me and I won't mess with you" kind of situation. we'll see the other ways they pilfer money in upcoming chapters.

4. ach jk & oc. they have a wonderful backstory. it's great. 10/10/

5. he's coming, don't you worry :))

6. ugh. poor namjoon. he's been through so much, that guy. :(

7. touché. they've really got to go big or go home. hmmm I wonder what they'll do. hmmmmm

8. no, Yadiel didn't. that's as much as I can answer to that lol

9. oh my gosh yes I love that chapter so much - that feels like it was so long ago sksksk

chapter 12 will come my dear!

[theangrypokemaniac]

Ma and Pa James's Second Biggest Fan (we plough a lonely furrow) continues to find Ma Jess's appeal mystifying, since everything about her is negative:

1. Signing up for Team Rocket suggests someone of a morally dubious character to start with, but the truth lies in the clothing, and she's in black!

Black!

It's code for her personality:

• Jessie wears white:

Pure, beautiful, innocent, sweet-natured, not really bad, dealt a severe hand in life but a fighter.

• Cassidy wears black:

EVIL!!! EVIL, EVIL, EEEEEEVUL!!! FOUL SIRENIC TEMPTRESS!!! EVIL HEARTLESS BITCH STEALING JAMES'S NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN WEEPINBELL!!!

Speaking of which:

2. She was Madame Boss's best agent.

You don't get there being kind.

To reach that standing requires hundreds of successful heists, and we aren't talking nicking gold bars. It's living things.

How many Pokémon do you imagine she stole with merciless efficiency?

How many children did she set upon, pinching every animal they had?

How many innocent lives did she ruin by depriving kids of the pets they loved, never to see them again, eaten away with the not-knowing and the false hope?

The glory of her reign ran on the fuel of blood and tears.

What fate do you envision awaited those Pokémon? It's not exchanging one master for another, it's entering slavery.

Jessie and James aren't the epitome of Team Rocket. They are minnows on the outskirts, despised and mocked by most of their fellow members. The actual group isn't particularly famous for prioritizing Pokémon welfare.

The preferable outcome is being handed out to agents to help catch other victims. Otherwise it's transformation into a war machine, forced to fight on and on to the point of exhaustion and death, no doubt tortured and tested on to boot.

What happens if they don't come up to scratch or are pushed for years until too aged and broken to be of any use? Are Team Rocket ready to pension them off to animal sanctuary?

As if. It's euthanasia or on to the streets to waste away, if not fed to the strongest first.

Ma Jess knew this and worse occurred thanks to her, yet paid it no mind, and felt not a single twinge of guilt in that time of service, then met her end trying to draw another Pokémon into imprisonment.

Some might say it was a case of what goes around, comes around. As her behaviour led to God knows how many Pokémon dying alone, leaving their loved ones to wonder and grieve, so in turn did she die alone in the snow, and Jessie had to carry on without her.

I'm not against Ma Jess, I neither feel like or dislike, but I don't understand how so many fans can happily overlook her murky past of inflicting pain, instead elevating her to a semi-divine tragic heroine, yet apparently Ma and Pa's heinous offences of not stealing and treating Pokémon well are beyond forgiveness.

3. It's the Red Ribbon Army! Save yourselves!

Jessie joined Team Rocket to follow in Ma's footsteps. James went with her. Both moved (upwardly in scale, downwardly in morals) from Sunny Town's gang of petty thief kids to a complex Mafia organisation stretching its wriggling tentacles around the world to crush the air from its lungs.

Why? Ma Jess's baleful influence led the two down that path.

Of course Jessie wants to copy Ma, how and where else can she feel close to her?

There's not even a grave to visit!

Rising in the ranks and Giovanni's favour is both to strike it rich and take her place, becoming Ma in essence. That would make her proud, which is all Jessie ever wanted.

What alternative is there? Stay with Chopper and Tyra forever, ekeing an existence pickpocketing and shoplifting, until mortality comes calling sooner than is welcome, or get loaded quickly and retire early?

James theoretically could've gone home at this point, but when it came to which angry redhead he preferred to beat him up, he chose Jessie.

He was henceforth obliged to go whenever she led, even if it meant following the ghost of her mother into the jaws of evil.

They have an excuse, but what was Ma's for getting involved?

However much they boast and revel in their wickedness, the motto proves the couple still believe themselves on a noble quest, despite everything to the contrary, and why?

Jessie isn't about to accept that Ma Jess, whom she's probably idolized as one of few people to love her and a role model of how a woman should be, was nasty or unpleasant. If she was in Team Rocket, it must be good, whatever the outer appearance.

Except Jessie and James are bad at being bad. They are not master criminals. All their plans fail, rendering them poor and starving in consequence. The inner circle of Team Rocket will always be barred to them because they lack the inner darkness it requires.

The joke is they flourish in any other occupation, whether that be Salon Rocquet, reporters, or flogging merchandise and food at the League. If employed elsewhere they'd be better off, but they have to stay because Jessie can't let go, or bear the thought she might be a disappointment to her mother's name. A different career looks unworthy by comparison.

What, so Ma and Pa have got no son because of Ma Jess? They just wanted him to be a gentleman!

If she hadn't set such a terrible example to her daughter she might have an increased quality of life, but then had she done so Ma wouldn't be dead in the first place.

4. Can't pick 'em can she?

What was it that first attracted Ma to Windy Miller? Does she go for the rustic charm, or the promise of a lifetime's supply of bread to feed the abundance of babies planned?

Don't do it, Ma! He's an alky!

Some birds are like that you see. It's the maternal instinct gone haywire. They find a local reprobate and somehow decide he's really a damaged soul crying out for love, the scapegoat of a cruel society.

He's not evil, he's just misunderstood!

This is why you get nutters wanting to marry the Yorkshire Ripper: they put his 'mischief' down to bad women mistreating his gentle heart, but they of course are devoted to his happiness. They can change him.

You don't know him like I do!

In their fantasy, under the influence of a 'proper' woman he'll transform in to a flower-picking hippie, but not too much, they still like him to be dangerously 'manly' (keeps 'em on their toes), then they can feel smugly superior and more truly female than the 'lesser' breed who failed to tame his sexy pashuns.

And if there's one thing Windy has in abundance, it's raw animal magnetism.

Stop it, Ma! You can't help those who don't want helping!

She put up with the boozing, the flour dust and his somewhat limited communication skills, but what really let him down was the company he kept.

Ever after she would insist Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble and Grub led him astray. That's firemen for yer.

Cuthbert? That name's died out.

Sure enough, some point after Ma Jess was stuffed up the spout, old Windy legged it back to Camberwick Green, like the rascal he is, and not a sweet penny piece did she receive in maintenance, the bastard.

At least Ma James got pregnant by a man who stood by her.

She wasn't married to Windy Miller!

Oh, you mean they were living over the brush? I see.

It's all in your head!

Do it my way, and we have Pa Jess. Do it yours, and we're back to a cavernous emptiness. Unless you can supply a picture of the 'real' (pffft) Pa Jess, this is the best available.

Anyway, 'Jessie Miller' just sounds right.

Coincidence? I think not.

5. She went to look for Mew dressed like this.

I could forgive it had she gone in her normal uniform, that's just whimsy, but to have made some effort emphasises that it's not enough!

Some part of her understood a mountain might be a bit parky out, but this was deemed sufficient coverage!

What happened?

She bloody died didn't she?!

6. Ma Boss points the way to doom.

Ma Jess was at least loyal to the mistress she served, but it was a wasted dedication. She squandered her life obeying a heartless virago who could cast aside apparently valued staff without a qualm, whatever thanks she owed them.

The millions Ma Jess accumulated for Madame are probably uncountable, yet she was so worthless that, when dispatched to the mountain, on her own, expected to catch a Legendary Pokémon, by herself, which many doubted even existed, and wasn't likely to come quietly, or put up with orders, but then didn't come back, Madame Boss allowed her only child to sink into poverty and the infamous 'care' of the State.

Everyone knows what goes on there. Entering a home has replaced the workhouse as the place of dread.

Jessie might have been killed or attacked and it didn't remotely concern Madame Boss, unwilling to spare a meagre fraction of her massive fortune to give the girl she made an orphan any comfort or security.

What did she matter? Her mother failed. Why reward that?

In her turn, Jessie became just as obsequious to an undeserving master, who went further than his mama and actively tried to murder her, and still she suffers to please him.

Team Rocket devoured her mother, and now it's swallowed her.

Oh, and Madame Boss got her way upon discovering Mew's fossil, so Ma Jess died for nothing.

7. This.

I'm not surprised Mew wouldn't go with Ma. She probably sensed the vivisection awaiting, and didn't give a toss about the avalanche in revenge.

Mew hasn't got where she is today falling for any old shallow promises from a stranger, thank you.

Suppose the mission had worked, with Mew caught and gift wrapped for Madame's delectation: what then?

Perhaps Mew's power, proving so impressive, would've pushed any cloning scheme aside, leaving Mewtwo unborn and Mew as the mightiest weapon. Or in greed Madame Boss demands more, and in arrogance the scientists promise the earth, the seas and the heavens.

Mew I could see subjected to some non-lethal form of dissection, just to understand how she ticked, that is if they could build the cage to hold her.

As they couldn't, and catching Mew was never a possibility, then Ma Jess's sacrificed herself on a fool's errand, which was obviously one from the outset. If Mew was easy to handle she'd have been captured long before now.

Either Ma dies, Mew's safe, but Madame Boss starts the cloning scheme anyway, or Ma's victorious, Mew is a tool of Team Rocket and the scientists have more sample to experiment upon. Mewtwo is still made, alongside short-lived creations and dozens of unseen freakish abominations preceding.

Now Mewtwo isn't what you call at peace with himself, nor has he received a particularly wholesome experience. One could think Ma indirectly caused that. Her branch of the project may have fizzled to cinders but she still played her role.

What would her legacy have been but to help bring forth the being that wiped out mankind? Where's the future for Jessie when there isn't one?

It's not her fault, but she died in the name of cloning a biological disaster, the creation of synthetic life leading to the destruction of it all.

8. Let's have a gander at Ma in the anime:

• Can afford rent.

• Can afford a tray.

• Can afford crockery.

• Can afford condiments to add flavour to food.

• Can't afford any actual food.

Something's wrong there.

I intended to include affording clothes too, but now I'm not so sure.

I never took Ma to be a brown-all-over kind of woman. At least she gave the fancy stuff to Jessie.

For years I've assumed she wore a brightly coloured jacket, but now I suspect it's a red one heavily patched up, because buying a replacement isn't an option.

Really old clothes are being mended with whatever can be salvaged from even more worn-out clobber.

Best agent Madame Boss has and she's practically living in her own filth.

Team Rocket takes care of its own, eh?

Oh no, let's not get a proper job, one that allows me to provide for my daughter and doesn't ask for my life. Let's stay in this one!

9. Look at Jessie's face!

By her own admission, being tricked into eating snow is the best thing that ever happened to her during an 'otherwise wretched childhood', to the extent she doesn't know it was wrong!

I don't hear Ma and Pa doing that. The only ice James got was an ice-cream sandwich.

What kind of infancy did Ma Jess give the girl for her to be nostalgic about almost dying of malnutrition?

If we say that's a foster mother as in the sub, it means Jessie's fondest memory is after Ma died, which is too brutal for me.

Yeah, thank goodness she's snuffed it.

You think Ma might have taught her not to eat snow! She left her so ill-prepared!

Consequently the sub version makes Ma Jess an awful creature, although I don't see why that Jessie would so desire to mimic a mom she apparently doesn't care about.

10. She's not even bloody here!

I have no picture to signify absence, therefore I must show whom she left behind.

Ma Jess is Pokémon's answer to Bobba Fett: background figure, barely involved, no information, dies early, yet became a fan favourite nevertheless.

If nothing really exists, what is there to like? Why are you contented weaving smoke?

When Rocketshippers put forward the manga as proof, the Anti-Ships used to insist that it 'didn't count' for being set in a 'separate universe'.

If that still goes, and only the contents of the anime apply to the anime, well then it's bye-bye to Ma Jess and Madame Boss, because they aren't real either.

I sometimes think that's true. However traumatic, would Jessie not have acknowledged her mother by now otherwise?

We grasp the characters all had two parents in a nebulous fashion, although not being real people means they don't 'technically' need them, but Ma Jess is the only one who vanished to be granted a face. Why is she then ignored?

She's briefly glimpsed in a passing scene of a single episode of the first series and is never seen or referenced again. The sub doesn't even have that. Where was the use in creating her if only to leave that thread of the tale billowing in the breeze?

We may decide her actions affect Jessie's but we're only imprinting assumptions. She might as well have remained unwritten for all that's made of her.

What we can glean doesn't bode well, irrespective of things left unmentioned.

Her one redeeming deed was dying, thus at least she didn't choose to abandon Jessie. We may presume she'd have stayed with her girl given the chance.

By my reckoning that puts her as Fifth-Best Mother Of Pokémon, behind Ma Brock, Ma James, Dame Ketchum and Ma Boss, in that order.

Then they're those who claim she never died, so she just pissed off like everyone else, rendering her devoid of a single positive quality.

This is the woman you sigh and agonise over for decades.

Ma and Pa are right there, man! Show 'em some love!

[non-stop-imagines]

Baby Daddy Stark (Part 5)

Here's Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Pairing: Tony Stark x Black!Reader

Word Count: 2427

A/N: Finally, Part 5! This one was cute and fun to write and hopefully just as enjoyable to read. I just kinda started typing and couldn't stop until I was done, so... Yay! Anyway, hope you all enjoy, expect to see another chapter of Three Floors Up, soon (hopefully)! Love you all!!!💖💛💖💛

Warnings: Just some cute family time, and Travis makes a new friend 😊

UNIVERSAL TAGS LIST: @avc212 @beautifulwisdom2001 @iamzion-therealhabesha @cheychey10142 @thottio @jetaimeamore

Baby Daddy Stark Tags List: @blackreaders-assemble @blueoz @shakzer00

Masterlist

_____

You wake up the next morning at 6:30 am and treated it as you would any other tournament morning. Travis had to be at the field by 8:30, so you had to wake up and make sure he had everything. You yawn and stretch, taking a moment to grumble at how early it was before finally rolling out of bad and heading to the bathroom, where your brush your teeth and wash your face. You groggily make your way to your sons room to wake him up, finally beginning to fully awaken yourself.

   “Get up, Slugger. We’re leaving at 7:45.” You glance at the alarm clock sitting on the nightstand by Trav’s bed. 6:50. Seems reasonable with what he has to do.

   “Mama, please, 5 more minutes. I promise I’ll get up this time.” He refers to his last tournament weekend when you gave him “5 more minutes” that ended up only giving him 10 minutes to get dressed, get his hair up, check his bat bag and eat. He ended up with the wrong color socks and having to use one of his teammate’s gloves.

   “Nope, not this time. I don’t think Jonathan will be able to lend you his glove this time.” You take your son’s long, somewhat lenky legs and gently pull them so they’re hanging of the bed. He just grumbles in response as he sits up and rubs his eyes. “There you go. Breakfast will be ready by the time you get dressed, and you’ll actually be able to eat at home instead of trying to scarf down a McDonald’s McGriddle in the car 5 minutes before getting the field.” You ruffle his disheveled loose curls then exit the room to finish getting yourself ready.

    You head back to the bathroom and take a quick 5-minutes shower, being sure to cover your hair with some form of shower cap, which you already took upon yourself to perform the more tedious tasks with your hair last night and tightly wrapped before heading to bed. You get dressed in a flowy white t-shirt and some skinny jeans, then picking out your puff and putting on your Curl Cap, the most that you had energy and time to do with your hair. You put on some powder foundation, mascara, and subtly light pink lipgloss for your make-up then start toward the kitchen, stopping when you hear your son calling for you from his bathroom.

   “Mama, I need your help with my hair!” You enter his bathroom and stand behind him in the mirror, gently pushing his hair back. “Can you pull my hair back this time? I did it last time and it kept falling in my face whenever I threw.”

   You sigh and grab the brush that sat on the counter. “What would you do without me? Hmmm…” You somewhat aggressively brush his hair back, grabbing it as you brushed more and more locks back.

   “I don't know.” Travis responds, equally sarcastic. You put down the brush and pick up the elastic headband that he has to use to hold his hair back, tightly wounding it around his hair. With as much hair as he had, a normal sized hair tie wouldn’t have cut it.

   “I know. Now, finish getting ready. Make sure everything is in your bag, and please wear the long sleeve under your jersey. It's gonna be pretty cold until your last game. I'm gonna go heat up the breakfast sandwiches." You lightly fluffy his curls then exit the bathroom, rolling your eyes at the groan he emits once you leave.

   Once you reach the kitchen to make a quick breakfast for you two, you get a text from Tony:

   Do you need me to bring anything?

   You take a deep breath and type your response:

   No, I think I've got everything. Thanks for checking.

   With no obvious way of Tony feeling the hostel tone from your words, you still felt sort of bad for snapping at him, but not bad enough to change your words. You just set your phone down and finish making breakfast.

_____

   "You get to the field, I'm going to go park." You instruct your son as you pull up to the front gates to the park. He quickly climbs out, gabbing his bat bag and hurries out to the field, you then pull away, driving to the first open spot you see. You pull in and turn off the car, but stay in it, adjusting your hat and taking a deep breath. As you sit and think you realize that you haven't notified Naomi about the situation, so you take a moment to text her.

   Hey. Forgot to tell you but Tony is coming to Trav's tournament today.🤷🏿‍♀️

   You tuck your phone back into your purse and climb out your car, grabbing your mesh folding chair and small cooler, then head over to the field.

   Once you get situated behind the back stop next to the bleachers, you pull your phone out to see that you received 2 messages: one from Naomi and one from Tony.

   Naomi: Uhhh… CAN WE NOT FORGET THIS STUFF FROM NOW ON PLEASE? I need details!

   You answer her first:

    I know a LOT has been going on recently. We'll meet up soon, I promise 😁

   You go on to read Tony's message:

    Hey we're here. Which field?

   Your heart and mind begins to race as you read the text. Okay, he's here. Calm down, Y/N. Wait, we? You shoot him a quick text back.

   Field 3.

   Should you have asked who "we" was? Maybe, but it wouldn't have made a difference so you let it go for now. You fiddle with your phone and watch your son warm-up fielding, practicing your deep breathing and checking toward the entrance every 30 seconds. About 5 minutes later you see Tony and a teenager, no more than 16 years old, walking toward the field. Tony was dressed in sunglasses, a black leather jacket with a grey t-shirt underneath, jeans, and somewhat expensive looking sneakers, subtle enough for no one to really realize who he is. You take one last deep breath then get up to meet him halfway.

   "Hey." You greet, wrapping your cardigan that you brought with you tighter around your body.

   "Hey." Tony responds, giving you a dazed and, from your point of view, slightly arrogant grin. You two take a moment to just, sort of, stare at each other. Letting your eyes roam over each other's appearance, until you manually break your trance, coughing to break Tony's focus. "Oh, uh, this is Peter. Peter, Y/F/N Y/L/N." Tony introduces the kid, who reaches his hand out to shake your's.

   "It's nice to meet you Miss Y/L/N." Peter, gives you a sweet but nervous smile as he firmly shakes your hand.

   "Nice to meet you too Peter." You respond as he lets go of your hand, crossing your arms once again, slightly shivering at the cool gust of wind. "Well, I'm over here." You begin to lead them to where you were seated. "I'm sorry, could only find one seat, but I sat close to the bleachers and saved a spot." You remove the cooler and place it on the ground, watching Peter and Tony climb on.

   "This is fine ." Tony reassures you, giving a small wave toward the field. You look to see your son frantically waving, letting a small grin grow on your face. "Is the game starting soon?" Tony asks, still focusing on Travis.

   "Should be in the next couple of minutes." You look back toward your son for a moment then switch your gaze to Peter, who was looking at the field behind yours, who's game has already started. "So, Peter… you're in high school?" You ask, startling him.

   "Oh, uh, yeah. I'm- I'm a junior." He begins to fiddle with his hands for a moment then tucks them into the pockets of his blue zip-up.

   "Oh, okay. So you're getting college ready, or…" You trail off as you watch the coin toss at home plate.

   "Um, yeah. Actually, I'm-uh- currently doing an internship with Mr. Stark that comes with a college grant. He lets me tag along sometimes when he comes upstate, so that's why I'm… I'm here." Peter finishes his answer with a confused face that makes you chuckle a bit.

   "Well that's good. And I'm glad you're here." You give him a reassuring smile, then turn back to the field, watching as your son's team heads out to the field.

_____

   You had no idea what you expected when you invited Tony to watch Travis play, but you sure didn't expect the enthusiasm that you were met with. He ended up acting as any dad would watching their child play, cheering on the entire team, heckling the umpire after a bad call, every once in a while giving Travis some pointers or reiterating what you just said. He almost got thrown out for the amount of heckling he did, but it didn't keep the ump from calling a fair game playwise, which lead to Trav's team to their first win today.

   As you pack up your chair to move to the next field, Travis come running up to Tony, stopping in his tracks when he gets in front of him, but going in for a hug when Tony holds out his arms.

   "You did great out there, kid." He dodges Travis bat that was protruding from his bag, but stays in the hug, patting his back, then pulling away. He adjusts Trav's hat and gives him a proud smile.

   "You're really good." Peter cuts in, to which Travis turns to look at him, silently asking who he was. "I'm Peter, by the way."

   "Travis. But you can call me Trav." Your son responds, grinning, then moves over to you.

   "Hey, baby. You did good. Next game remember to keep your wrists strong when you make contact with the ball. And watch the ball all the way into your glove when your fielding, don't want it hitting this cute face of yours." You pinch his cheek with your free hand and kiss his forehead, movie ng his hat little, earning a groaned "Mama" from him as he readjusts it. "Alright, go to the next field we'll be right there, and as a little incentive for you to play extra hard your last game, we're gonna go get pizza after your last game." Your words were sing-songy as you wiggled your eyebrows, laughing as he celebrates then rushes over to the field. You finish packing your chair, not noticing Peter's excited reaction to getting pizza. Tony turns and squints at Peter, then grins making Peter a little more excited. "Hey, Tony could you grab the cooler?" You ask, slinging the chair's bag strap over one shoulder and placing your purse strap on the other, then make your way to the next field.

   "I like her. She's nice." Peter compliments, watching you walk away.

   "She's something, I'll tell you that." Sarcasm drips from Tony's mouth as he picks up the cooler, following behind you.

_____

   "He sure has a lot of energy considering he just played 3 games." Tony points out, watching as Travis and Peter bounce from game to game, the bundle of tickets in their arms growing.

   "I'm surprised Peter is keeping up with him." You giggle, watching the games light up their smiling faces.

   "Trust me, the more you get to know him, the less surprised you'll be." Tony shakes his head and takes a sip of his Coke. "So… Travis plays with 12 year olds, huh?"

   "Yeah. He's on a 12u team so his team is primarily 12 and 11 year olds, same with the teams he plays. Besides he's the size of a 12 year old, though. Gosh he so tall. But I'm extremely proud of him every time he steps out on the field... I'm always proud of him" You gush, swirling your straw then taking a sip of your drink.

   "You should be. He's… amazing." His eyes roam back over to his son. Examining his brown curls that sprawled every which way now that his hair isn't pulled back, his bright smile, the way his eyes crinkle when he smiles the way his own do.

   "Mama! Mama! Look at all the tickets we won!" Travis comes running over, arms overflowing with tickets.

   "Yeah, Mr. Stark, look! We're about to go cash them in, but we wanted to come show you guys." Peter comes up behind Travis, just as many, maybe even more, tickets in his arms.

   "Well go, cash them in. And bring me back something cool." You shoo them away, taking a bite of pizza.

   "Sooo… sticky hand for you and...one for you too, Tony." Travis gives him a big smile then jogs off toward the prize counter. You turn your head to look at Tony, watching as he lowers his head slightly, letting a small grin grows on his face.

   "Tony… I want this as much as you do and as much as he does. I think it would be great for him to have his father in his life, but for me to feel comfortable right now, I need a few… precautions." Tony turns to you and raises eyebrows to signify that he's listening. "First, if you decide to come and visit, please just let me know first. And always let me know if you plan on taking him somewhere." You take a deep breath and sneak a glance over to Travis, who was pointing at a prize in the glass counter, then begin to pull at your curls. "And please let him organically call you 'Dad'. I don't care when he does just as long as it's on his own terms, okay?" You look back at Tony to be with a gaze that was similar to how he was looking at Travis.

   "Of course. And thank you, again. I'm just glad I get to see him." Just at this moment Travis and Peter return to the table, the largest prizes between them being a medium sized water gun and a paddle ball game, but due to the knowingly large amount of tickets they possessed prior to this, they each had a bag full of candy and smaller toys.

   "Look at what we got. This is probably the largest thing I've gotten from here." Travis admires his water gun before setting it down and reaching into his bag, pulling out a sticky hand and parachuting toy soldier. "I decided that it would be better for you guys to have different things." He smiles as he hands you guys your corresponding toys: you the sticky hand, and Tony the parachuting soldier.

   "Honey, you didn't have to, really." You hug him.

   "It's fine, I always get you something, and I haven't bought one for Tony yet, sooo… here we are " He slides into the booth next to you and grabs a slice of pizza. You just shake your head and kiss his cheek, then continued eating, the rest of the table making light conversation.

Part 6

[celestial-jeon-remade]

I find it interesting that you say Jungkook isn't the most popular member and mention 2013 because I'm fairly new to the fandom (about 6 months) and I still can't figure out why he's always brought up as the "most popular member" not only that but also someone who "gets everything handed to them on a silver platter while the others suffer" I've only seen him get so much hate and mostly armys themselves love to mock him. a lot (that I've seen so this is biased) jungkook stans go on with (cont)

the whole "I hate jungkook" or "he's so stupid" and the classic "he's such a fuckboy/he's so arrogant and cocky" and for the longest time I thought I was being too sensitive? I can't even tell anymore what's supposed to be "real hate" or "love hate" it's all the same and I understand being aggressive about your life but with jungkook it goes TOO far. with the other members it's always "he's so soft and precious I love him" but it's rare to find jungkook stans who say that when everyone is too busy hating him to be funny/get likes/rts/whatever! and you're right about not being able to praise jungkook because you're going to get so many comments like "uhh but he's always the main/in the centre/gets the most likes/most popular can you focus on the other members and not make everything about him" boy can't even get appreciated and praised for what he's good at now without triggering anyone? I don't care about any of that, if he does something I'm proud of you bet I'm going to praise him. also, just my two cents but I think the whole "jungkook solo stans" is a bit overrated, Im not denying that they exist but at this point they're nearly not as prevalent as armys who mock jungkook, or start petitions to kick him out of bts for "stealing lines" that's another thing I never found funny, those jokes about jungkook "stealing" lines and being so possessive over his lines that he'd fight anyone if they got even a single line more than him? this kind of got a bit off topic, so I apologize for the rant but, I meant to say that in my humble onion, I feel that jin is one of the most popular members in the group. you don't even have to be a jin stan but everyone loves him so much!!!! he's not as "underappreciated" as people make him out to be (and I mean fandom-wise, not the whole drama about line distribution) he's really popular with everyone so don't give me that "jin deserves more attention/love than jungkook" you can say that without dragging jungkook's name into everything and pitting members against each other? Yikes! but good luck for your exam!! ❤️

get handed on a silver platter... who tf is making that bullshit claim?? he works his ass off. he’s always trying to improve. in every damn album somewhere in his extra long thanks to letter he mentions how he’s trying to become better as if he isn't already amazing enough. he is learning english and japanese for the fans, helped choreograph some moves, is learning how to produce which he’s taking seriously yoongi even said jungkook has been asking him A LOT of question and namjoon jokingly complained that jungkook only shares the songs he writes with hobi. he had his lil 12/13 yr old ass sent to america without his family to train in dancing...i’d cry if i was sent halfway across the world to work n i don't even like my parents... he does NOT have things handed to him. he works extremely hard and is still working hard trying to overcome his shyness as he worries about the mask he wears when he first meets ppl as though he hasn't had to work hard already just to settle his anxiety when it came to performing and simply just singing to his members??

jungkook? a fuckboy? arrogant? that’s literal bullshit. that’s how u know a fan hasn't bothered learning about the group/jungkook at all if they think that. jungkook is amazing at putting up a mask of confidence, telling himself he’s gonna do fine, even when he doesn't HAVE the confidence, so that he can put on a great show. he is a born performer meant to be on stage n if u mistake his confident stage persona as a fuckboy personality?? that’s on u honestly n ur missing out on a sweet baby boy who loves his fans and members like they’re his family.

honestly jungkook ‘stans’ or ‘stans in denial’ who just shit on him n call him names n always say they hate him...they aren't funny or cool just ignore them it’s annoying as shit i’ve blocked blogs like that, i simply don't tolerate it.

I've never seen a ‘jungkook solo stan’ in my life i barely know/follow anyone who even stans JUST jungkook xdfgchvj what even is that. also,,, his role,,in the fucking group,, is the center,, that’s why he stands in the middle for just about every video and award show...and why he dances in the middle often.... being the center is as much his job as being the main vocal/lead dancer.

no member deserves more love/appreciation over another it’s just that...do ppl realize when they yell at me ‘you gotta love n appreciate ALL the members!!1!’ that jungkook is supposed to be included in that or..

im so gonna fail my exam but whatever