marvelouscass
on Chapter 1
Sun 11
Aug 201912:30AM UTC
Happy birthday to you and spidey! ❤️ Wonderful job on this! I can relate to jerky people on the internet, and yikes I literally gaped when MJ accused Tony of the horrid, horrid thing. I loved getting bits from Peter’s childhood too, and what Ben and May thought — and how May’s opinion changed. Stellar work. Lots of love to you!! Highlights: “Peter wasn’t sure how brave or strong he was most of the time, but he knew he was smart. Tony Stark being Iron Man made Peter think he could be something amazing one day, too.”
“Maybe when he gets older, he will,” Ben said. “But for now, he looks up and Tony Stark’s flying around in his red and gold suit, and I don’t know––I think it’s okay for him to learn that you can make amends for your mistakes. That you’re not the worst thing you ever did.”
“The Tony Stark I know now isn’t that guy.” She reached out and pushed a strand of hair behind his ear. “The one who goes out of his way to keep you safe and always asks me how my job is. The one who makes the best damn pasta carbonara I’ve ever had and wants to take us both to Italy this summer. That Tony is funny and generous and kind, and I do like him.” Peter sighed, relieved. “Yeah, me too. It was just... some of the things MJ said...” May pursed her lips. “Peter, she doesn’t actually know more about Tony than you do. Arguably, she knows far less.” “Yeah, but—” “No buts.” May frowned at him thoughtfully. “I don’t often tell you that you’re too young to understand something, but this is something that I really do think comes with age. The older you get, kiddo, the more you realize that people are complicated, and that even when you think you’ve figured them out, you probably haven’t. And they can change when they really want to.” Peter bit his lip. “You think Mr. Stark has changed.” “I think Tony Stark has changed more in the last ten years than most people do in their whole lives.” She pointed her fork at him. “But don’t tell him I said that––or that I said that I like him.”
“So sure, other people got to have opinions about Tony Stark. Peter guessed there was nothing he could do about that. But if they got to think whatever they wanted, then Peter got to think––no, Peter got to know––that they were dead wrong. And maybe, occasionally, when he couldn’t sleep and someone was being especially stupid, he told them so.”
Thank you! Oh man, I hesitated to have MJ say the horrid thing. I was like, Oh God, people are going to hate me for this. But it is no worse than I have said about a lot of rich white men, especially in the last two years.
Btw, in case you're interested, I wrote the scene where Ned tells off MJ in a comment.
marvelouscass
on Chapter 1
Tue 20
Aug 201902:02AM UTC
What MJ said is without a doubt a horrid thing to say, but us humans are known to say those from time to time, and no one could hate you!!
In fact, I find it pretty realistic to the high school/teenage experience. That could definitely come out of a child’s mouth. Furthermore, characters saying a horrid thing doesn’t mean the author believes it, or that the author is a horrid person — I think the author is lovely!! — so don’t worry :-)
If you don’t mind me expounding on the subject in general, and apologies in advance because I’m passionate about the subject;
I’m a firm believer in the concept of innocent-until-proven-guilty, and had this been real life, I definitely would’ve told MJ off for saying this for multiple reasons — an allegation of that gravity isn’t anything to throw around willy-nilly based on simple dislike for a person, or because they’re white and wealthy. Abusers look like everybody and anybody. They can be rich, middle class and poor. MJ might’ve been associating the wealthy with the profitable sex trafficking business, but even still, abusers span all racial and financial lines.
Most allegations are real (there’s sadly some wiggle room because of the occasional crappy person who just wants money or attention) but people have been framed for this kind of thing, too.. The world is complicated and crappy. Fake allegations make people even more resistant to listen to the voices of people who have been legitimately victimized, and it grinds my gears as a survivor of sexual abuse myself.
Anyhow, I’m glad MJ became more sensitive, at least for Peter’s sake, and I really enjoyed getting to see her conversation with Ned. Well done, Ned :-) Sorry about the rambling and if it unavoidably got a little personal. Just to reaffirm, though I dislike what MJ said, I’m in no way mad at you! Characters say and do things that we don’t always agree with, and they make mistakes like us too.
I agree that it is the sort of thing I hear teenagers say all the time. While there are many things I love about young Millennials/Gen Z'ers, their penchant for the phrase "garbage person" is not one of them. I think being judgmental is common to every generation of young people, and that was definitely in my mind when I was writing her. I think this was a learning moment for MJ as well as Peter.
That having been said... one of the things we have all learned as a society in the last two years is just how easy it is for someone who has a lot of power and especially someone who has never known what it is like to be powerless––it is so easy for them to abuse that power just because they can. And, frankly, rich men protect each other. Not every rich white dude is Harvey Weinstein or Jeffrey Epstein, thank God, but almost all of them know someone who is, and they very rarely turn on each other.
So while I hear what you're saying, I think "innocent until proven guilty" is dicier than it sounds. Because what is "proven guilty" in some of these cases? Weinstein might very well walk, and we all know that he's guilty. There were jokes about him abusing women on the casting couch for years in Hollywood. But he had too much power, and no one had ever dared to tell him no. And despite everything, he might still get away with it. It's hard not to be jaded in a world like that.
So yes, abusers look like everybody and anybody. But I don't really blame MJ for thinking what she does.
marvelouscass
on Chapter 1
Tue 20
Aug 201902:37AM UTC
I do agree about children being judgmental, and I do understand and agree with your point on rich people protecting each other. We’ve all heard the few in recent years that have surfaced — Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, Jeffrey Epstein.
It’s not even just about being rich, either, because abusers that blend in with the crowd get away with this crap everyday. But of course it helps when you have friends in powerful places and wads of cash.
I totally get what you mean, I know all too well that these scum tend to walk away free. So, when I say “innocent until proven guilty,” I’m not always picturing a court system, in fact I’m usually not, because I know that they’ve failed most victims.
What I mean by innocent until proven guilty is that there is just general proof that they’ve done the abominable act(s), regardless of whether or not the court jails the monster responsible, and until then I usually don’t pick a side. And it’s hard, because there’s not always proof even when it DOES happen to a person, so it’s a very grey area... I’m giving myself whiplash thinking about all of it. I haven’t any doubt that there were jokes floating around about Weinstein’s abuse.
I would agree that it’s hard not to be jaded in a world like ours. We are living in a dystopia, so I don’t really blame MJ either.
Comment on Five Times Peter and Tony Had Each Other's Backs...
marvelouscass on Chapter 1 Sun 11 Aug 2019 12:30AM UTC
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marvelouscass on Chapter 1 Tue 20 Aug 2019 02:37AM UTC
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