#and...yeah the chat made me realise that between his health and his age he's probably not alive anymore?

[raeofalbion]

Was going to try and get a writing snip posted today, but am dealing with some emotional stuff so it's starting to look unlikely. If I don't end up posting today, maybe Wednesday? Hope everyone's having a good weekend. <3

[astrovian]

Richard Armitage interview on BBC Radio London for Uncle Vanya (25/10/20)

Full transcript under cut

Just a couple of days ago I was lucky enough to chat to Richard Armitage. He’s best known of course for roles in The Hobbit, Ocean’s 8, Hannibal, and of course, I was obsessed, absolutely obsessed on Netflix with The Stranger. Well, he’s about to star in the multi- Olivier-nominated play - in fact that’s tonight! We’ll find out if they win. Uncle Vanya – it’s filmed at the Harold Pinter Theatre during the pandemic, and uh, it’s incredible, it’s an incredible piece of theatre, and we’re all going to be able to watch it, which is a joy. And this is what we chatted about.

—

What a pleasure to speak to you for a number of reasons, because we can actually talk about how to bring theatre back to people’s lives, ‘cause I’m missing it desperately, but also talk about The Stranger. Let’s talk about Uncle Vanya first-

Yes.

-if we may.

Yes, of course.

Wow. What an incredible thing to do. Thank you for doing this, actually.

Yeah, I mean it was uh, kind of heart-breaking when we had to y’know, end our run six weeks early, and uh, the play was taking on so many kind of resonances of what we were living through, unexpectedly really. I, we thought the play was about, y’know, a man losing his livelihood, and then y’know, as, as the virus started to come into our lives and uh, the play started to change course really. So, and then, to sort of live through lockdown as well did and then come back to the play realising that’s exactly what these people have been doing, they’ve been stuck in a house together from summer through to the winter and going out of their heads. It again, it took on a whole other sort of energy, so a real privilege to be able to do that.

I mean, it is extraordinary when these old stories feel so relevant, and something a lot of people know, for people who don’t know something about it, we should explain a little bit about the story, but it feels like you’re talking about a story from today.

Well, it does. I mean, the fact is that Uncle Vanya, he’s the caretaker of this old estate and uh, he’s worked his entire life, um, supporting a property that’s not his, and then y’know, the owner who’s raised his daughter, Vanya’s raised his daughter for him, comes and says “right, I’m selling the estate for my retirement, um, and you’re all, you’re all out”. And it’s this devastating realisation that everything that he’s worked for is being snatched away from him. At the same time, y’know, my character is a doctor who is living through, trying to save patients during an epidemic, and uh, not handling it very well and turning to drink. And he’s also trying to save his little corner of the world that, y’know, is being deforested, so he’s planting trees and realising that the environment has such an impact on our health, um, *laugh* so it literally could’ve been written yesterday, um, and this was over a hundred and twenty years ago, so y’know, they knew. There was a huge movement in Russia at that time about, um y’know, how to, how to survive, and how to deal with the environment, and we seem not to have heeded any, any advice, really.

We, we never do though, do we? We seem never to.

Not really.

Well, many people don’t seem to. As you said, it just feels so relevant today. So when you, it must have been heart-breaking being in the show, the buzz was extraordinary, it was impossible to get tickets for. This way, I have to say, all the people who couldn’t get tickets, now we can all see it. I’m one of those people who couldn’t get tickets, as you can gather from what I’ve just said. Um, friends of mine went and said, “You’ve GOT to go!” but this is an incredible way to bring theatre to people who, like me are missing it desperately, and many other people who might not have gone to the theatre, who don’t live in London, who couldn’t have seen a show like this, so there is a plus side. I’m always looking for the plus side, I think. *Laugh*

Me too. I mean, I’ve always said that when a play is coming to the end of its run, putting together a film of it, and even a, a sort of audio recording of the play, I think is like an exit package. It’s worth doing for-

Yes.

-like you say, people that can’t go to the theatre, or maybe wouldn’t go the theatre because it’s like, y’know, it might be too expensive for them, and a cinema ticket’s a bit cheaper, they might be able to watch it on telly at some point. But y’know, hopefully they might watch it and think, ‘Oh God, that, that looked really good in the room, maybe I’ll go the theatre when it’s back’. But uh, either way, it’s still just great story-telling, and y’know right now I think everybody sort of wants to disappear into a, into a tale, and uh, hopefully, hopefully they’ll feel brave enough to go and see it in the cinema.

What does it feel like? I mean you’ve, obviously you’ve been in so many award-winning shows, what does it feel like when you’re, you’re waiting to hear? I mean they’ve all, there’s a number of Olivier awards that it’s up for, everyone was talking about this. Once again you were in something that everyone was talking about. Do you, do you feel slightly one step removed? I mean, The Hobbit, and obviously The Stranger, as you can tell I’ve got to go there because I LOVED it, I devoured it.

*Laugh*

Um, what does it feel like being on the outside of everybody talking about something that’s so - that’s such a part of you?

Um, to be honest, with – at the time that it’s happening, I, I sort of close my ears to all of that-

Oh, I love that. *Laugh*

-and try to live in it, rather than outside of it. That, that’s none of my business. But I do, I do pay attention after it’s over, and I love – y’know, I prefer hearing other people’s opinion of it, rather than reading about it myself, so, so I do enjoy the feedback. But when you’re in it, you’re in it. And to be honest with, with Uncle Vanya, we could tell that we were doing okay because the audience would let us know, and y’know that, the very, very first preview was such a kind of electric performance, and the audience were, were kind of laughing all the way through, which we hadn’t had in a rehearsal room. So that feeling is, is very, very precious, and uh, it continued like that through the run. But uh yeah, I tend not to sort of uh, pay too much attention while it’s happening, if you know what I mean.

Yeah, don’t read – everybody was saying-

No, I don’t read the reviews. *Laugh*

Do you REALLY not?! I bet you do sneakily sometimes.

I really don’t. I, I did it once, and it was – I y’know, I read one tiny miniscule negative thing about myself, and it was the only thing I remembered. And so I thought, ‘that’s a good lesson’. Don’t read the good stuff, don’t read the bad stuff. Read it at a later date, but at the time it does not help me.

Okay, alright. Well, I’ll tell you, they were all fabulous. Congratulations. All the reviews, absolutely incredible.

*Laugh* Thanks.

*Laugh* I cannot wait to see this. Now let’s talk about, if we may, The Stranger. I might have mentioned it a few times already in the past few minutes-

*Laugh*

-but it was one of those things I actually, I couldn’t stop. I loved it, I devoured it. And I sort of became slightly obsessed with it, it was BRILLIANT. Did you feel that when you were making it?

Yeah, and you know, again I, I was sort of in the middle of it, so I’m sort of focusing on the character’s journey, but Harlan Coben’s writing is very much in that vein – if you’ve ever read one of his books-

Yes, I have.

-you, you literally can’t put it down, and you can’t wait for, for bedtime so that you can pick it up again, and sometimes you, you get to the last chapter and you sort of, you think, ‘I’ve gotta space this out, ‘cause I’m just gonna devour the whole thing’-

Yes!

-so his writing matches that kind of uh, television format brilliantly. But I love it, and I, I loved what uh, Danny Brocklehurst did with that script. Y’know, he, he sort of elevated the book, and made it a kind of, much more kind of woven drama. So yeah, I love working on that kind of thing. And that is the type of TV that I will, I will watch on a personal taste level.

You’re happy to watch yourself?

No, I- *laugh*, I never watch myself, but I-

I like that, no please say that-

No, I- *laugh*, I never watch myself-

-I know that’s not what you meant, but that, it just sounded lovely that you’re happy to watch yourself in that one.

It, ugh, I haven’t yet, but I-

*laugh*

-I will eventually, *laugh*, um but it’s the kind of TV that I do, I do love watching. But no, again I’m, I’m not a good judge of myself, and ageing on screen is a REALLY hard thing to do.

You can watch that one, I promise you. Um-

Can I?

-may we go back to a part of your past that is, I’m fascinated by, that you – it was about music and musical theatre.

Mmm, yes.

And then you suddenly thought that that wasn’t enough for you, was that right?

Yeah, I mean I – it was at a time when there were, y’know, all of the big musicals were happening in the West End, and I, I saw kind of peers that would kind of move between Les Misérables, and then they’d go into Miss Saigon, and then they’d go into Phantom of the Opera, and I felt like I didn’t really want to, to follow that path. And I just felt that I wasn’t good enough, a good enough practitioner of either dance or song to, to feel that it was gonna be a sort of, that it was gonna have longevity for me, so I was already studying at the actor’s centre, and then I thought, y’know, I’ve gotta just y’know, go back to drama school and start again and do a classical training. ‘Cause that was the thing that was really exciting me. Um, and I’m glad I did it, but y’know, I still feel like in the future I might y’know, pick up that old hat again.

YES!

Yup.

That’s what I was going to ask! ‘Cause I’m a – I love theatre, hugely, as the way you can probably gather from the way I was talking at the beginning, um, but musical theatre is, I think, a very magical thing. And I think it’s possibly something that we all need as well, right now.

I agree.

So if you could – imagine – I’ve got a magic wand, okay?

Yeah? *Laugh*

And I am a magical music theatre fairy.

Yeah.

I could actually sing this bit, ‘cause I love musicals – *singing* “now you can do a theatre show”-

*Laugh*

No, I won’t sing it. Um, so you can do any theatre show on the planet-

Yup.

-any musical theatre. Which one is it, Richard?

Okay, so when we were doing our little warm-up before Uncle Vanya, Aimee Lou Wood and I used to sort of joke and fantasize about maybe doing Cabaret.

*gasp* Oh, yes!

Shall we, shall we send that out to the gods of the universe of theatre, to Aimee Lou Wood as Sally Bowles-

Oh, you can practice, practice, do a little bit-

-she’s got a GREAT voice.

Go on, just do us a little bit.

*Laugh* I can’t.

Oh, he’s not gonna do it, are you?

*Laugh*

I’ve made you – I can tell you’re blushing, which is great because I’m at one end of the computer and you’re at the other end of a computer-

You could do it, you sound great!

No, no, no, no.

Do you sing?

No, I’ve done it. Yeah, no, no. But musical theatre is a magical, magical thing, and I just – I, I love the fact that you’re open to all of that.

Definitely.

Now, let’s go to New Zealand on our next bit of travels. Um, what an incredible place to be for such an extraordinary film. I mean, The Hobbit, and everything that entailed, changing – I mean, for other people I’ve spoken to who were in any of The Hobbits, they all say that they felt it was such a MASSIVE part of their life, and they learnt so much doing it.

Yeah, I mean I never dreamed in a million years that I, I would get an opportunity to work on a project like that. And to work, y’know – I was a huge Tolkien fan for a start, and then when I saw Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings, I was just, I was obsessed with it. And it’s not one of the reasons I pursued it, it kind of came to me, and I felt like ‘Gosh, why does he want me to play a dwarf?’ but um, getting the chance to go that country for so long, and work with that cast and him, and be completely kind of, sort of disappear into a, into a sort of a world and a character. And to be taken in a helicopter to the top of a mountain and, and y’know, shoot in places where human feet haven’t trodden – you know, it was, it was life-changing, it really was. And apart from the success of the films, which was a whole other thing, the actual experience of doing it was, it was unbelievable.

Aw, well, listen Richard, thank you. It’s such a pleasure to talk to you, I could talk to you for ages. And I can’t wait to come and see you in Cabaret. And congratulations-

*Laugh*

-on Uncle Vanya. Pleasure to speak to you.

Thank you very much.

[hymn2000]

Chiquitita - MCU AU fanfic - C10

Story summary: Something strange is happening. Someone from space has made their way to Earth, armed with a strange weapon. Targeting teenagers, their ray gun, when fired, turns the victim into a toddler. The Avengers set out to stop this, and find a way to reverse the effects. However, they don’t all come out of the battle unscathed.

Previous chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Part of my Frostiron and Spiderson series.

Warnings/themes: de-aging, family stuff, corporal punishment (early chapters only), mental health stuff, hurt/comfort

Chapter 10 - Try Once More

-

Peter chatted excitedly to the lady at the till. She talked back to him happily enough, but she did mention to Tony that she’d seen the news, and knew about Kindsprengen and the strange de-aging situation. Tony didn’t say much in response to her comment. He was glad when they’d paid (the damage wasn’t as bad as Loki had expected) and were on their way back to the car. 

Loki put Peter into his car seat while Tony unloaded the bags from the trolley into the boot of the car. Finally, it was time to go home.

-

Loki fed Peter while Tony unloaded the car. The trolley and boot had seemed so incredibly full, but the pile of toys in the living room now seemed to be almost modest. Tony decided to just leave everything for now. Loki would no doubt be putting Peter down for a nap soon, and Tony rather liked that idea himself. 

-

Tony and Loki fell asleep together for much longer than they’d planned. When they finally dragged themselves up off the bed and went to the back room to get Peter, the toddler was already awake. He lay on his back on the futon, clipping and unclipping the shoulder straps of his dungarees. 

“Hey kiddo” Tony said. “How are you doing?”

“I couldn’t open the door” Peter said, not looking at them.

“Oh”

“Never mind, chick” Loki said. “Why don’t we go and open all of your new toys?”

Peter jumped up quickly, grabbing his rocket. “New toys!”

“Yes” Loki said, clipping the shoulder strap the boy had left undone. “You’ve got lots of lovely things to play with now. Let’s go and get everything set up”

-

Tony proved very good at getting things out of their boxes and removing tags and twist ties. Loki was very good at sorting thing out, moving all of the arty kits and such out of the way until he could find a suitable place for them. 

“What are you gonna play with, kiddo?” Tony asked, squashing the last cardboard box. 

“I want my baby!” Peter said.

“Really? Why not your trains? Or your dinosaurs?”

“BABY!” Peter shouted, picking the doll up and hugging it close against his chest.

“Ok, ok! Whatever. I’m gonna sort these boxes out and stuff” he raised an eyebrow at Loki. 

Loki rolled his eyes at him, and helped Peter organise the nursery furniture for his new baby. Peter got bored watching him, but soon discovered the bottle that had come with his baby. It was a simple milk bottle, which, when tipped up, made it look as though the milk had been drunk. He spent a good while tipping it up and down, watching it refill and empty over and over. Loki ruffled his hair. It was good to see him discovering something new.

-

Peter had a great afternoon playing with all of his new toys. He went between all the different toys and play-sets, playing funny mixed up games between cars and dinosaurs and plastic animals and cuddly toys. He didn’t need his parents playing with him when he had so many new toys to keep him busy. Tony and Loki sat on the sofa talking quietly together.

“Is that my phone or yours?”

Loki checked. “It’s mine. I’ll just be a minute”

Loki stepped out of the room to answer the call. Tony watched Peter, who was setting his Noah’s Ark play set up on the coffee table, lining all the little animals up two by two, his tongue sticking out with concentration. He’d barely looked up from his toys all afternoon. It was quite nice to watch him without having to actually do anything - although he felt slack for thinking it.

Loki came back into the room. “That was Li Allen”

“Oh. What does she want?”

“Well, we should have expected this. She’s seen the news, of course, and she was due a visit anyway, and now she wants one more urgently”

“I see. What did she say?”

“She said everything she wants and needs to ask are better off doing in person. She also asked if we’d taken him to the doctors yet, which we haven’t”

“Do we really have to do that?”

“It’s highly recommended” Loki said. “The dentist is probably a good idea too”

“Ok, ok. I’ll try to get an appointment soon”

“Good” Loki nodded. “Soon, darling. Sweetheart... She’s coming on Friday”

“What?! Loki! Why didn’t you consult me first?!”

“Because it was easier just getting it booked in straight away. We should try to get all of the medical appointments done before Friday”

Tony looked at Peter. “Are we doing the usual thing?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I’m the one who always takes Peter to his medi-appointments...”

“Well” Loki looked at the toddler. “If you’re ok with that...”

Tony nodded. “Sure, ok. I’m, uh, I’m gonna step outside and ring our GP and dentist. You know they rush me through sometimes”

“Thank you. You’d better be quick though: it’s starting to get on a little bit”

Tony stood up, getting his phone out. “I’ll do it now. Why don’t you think about what we’re having for tea while I’m busy?”

Loki knelt down by the coffee table while Tony was out of the room.

“What’s going on here, sweetheart?” he asked.

“All the animals are going on holiday” Peter said, walking a pair of giraffes up the drawbridge into the ark. 

“Oh, how lovely. Where are they going?”

“Antartis”

“Antartis?” Loki repeated. “Do you mean Atlantis? Or Antarctica?”

“Yes”

“I see” Loki ruffled the boys hair. “I’ll leave you to it, snugs” 

“No, wait! My animals are thirsty. They need lots of juice”

Loki laughed. “I’ll see what I can do”

-

Loki fetched a sippy cup of juice for Peter. Tony joined them in the living room once more.

“Appointments are booked. They all seem to understand the situation, which is more of a relief than I expected it to be. It’s kinda good knowing they understand, yknow?”

“Yes, I know” Loki said. “Tony, I’ve been thinking about what you said, and I think maybe I would like to go back to the hospital, just a day or two a week. Half days”

“Oh, ok”

“I won’t though, if you’ve changed your mind about it”

“No, come on, it’s fine. I’m starting to get used to this, I think. I swear the last couple of days have gone on for about a week”

“I knew toddler Peter would need a lot more looking after, but I didn’t realise just how much more looking after he’d need. It’s a whole other kind of difficult” Loki said. “It’s easier in some ways, but not in others”

“Yeah, I get that. But... what, exactly?”

“Well, it’s easier emotionally, I think. Teenager Peter is so mixed up and poorly; he’s been through so much, and he’s got the problems that come with having been through such traumatic events... Toddler Peter doesn’t have those problems. He doesn’t have the outbursts and the nightmares and all of that stuff” Loki said. “How he is now, he’s just a normal toddler. He doesn’t even have his spider powers”

“Yeah, that’s a weird one. I don’t know why he lost them. Or those cuts he had on his forehead just before it happened” 

“No, I don’t know either. So, he’s just a normal toddler. I think he’s more difficult physically this way”

“As in?”

“As in, we have to get him dressed and washed and get him up in the morning and run about after him to make sure he doesn’t hurt himself or anything like that. It’s a very different type of parenting”

“You’re so good at it, though” Tony said. “...He’s not a bad kid”

“No, he’s not. He’s a good little boy. I love him”

Tony quickly changed the subject. “What do you want for tea?”

“I don’t know. Anything”

“Pizza!” Peter said, throwing down a pair of plastic horses and clapping his hands. “Pizza, pizza, pizza!”

“How many slices of Domino’s pizza would a toddler manage?”

“I don’t know. Three? Maybe four?” Loki said. “I’d rather he had something proper, though”

“Make a suggestion, then” 

Loki thought for a minute. “I don’t know. Just do something with vegetables”

“You’re not giving me many clues” Tony sighed. “Pizza sounds pretty good, actually”

“I don’t want him have anything too unhealthy” Loki said.

“Darling, he’s always drinking juice, and he had apple slices and carrot sticks with his lunch today. That’s at least three of his five a day right there. Let’s give him a treat. You know you love Domino’s too~”

“Don’t. No, I don’t agree with this” 

“Spoilsport” Tony stuck his tongue out at him. “If you don’t have any other suggestions, I’m ordering pizza”

“I WANT PIZZA!” Peter shouted.

“You want to keep your neb out” Loki clipped. “Daddy and I are talking”

“Loki, come on”

“No! I want him to eat properly. Something-”

“How about a compromise?” Tony interrupted. “Pizza for tea, but fruit or a smoothie for pudding?”

Loki frowned. He thought for a moment, sighed, and nodded. 

“Fine, but this isn’t going to become a regular thing”

Tony smiled, and got his phone out. Pizza sounded great.

-

Tony kept to his word, and gave Peter a smoothie and a handful of grapes for pudding after he’d had his pizza. 

“Ok, young man, it’s bath time” Loki said after tea, picking him up. 

“No! I wanna play!” 

“You can play in the bath with all of your ducks and boats” Loki said. 

“Do you want a hand?” Tony asked.

“No, you’re fine. Come on, little boy; let’s get you sorted”

-

On Wednesday morning, Tony woke up with a note beside him.

Tony, 

I’ve gone out. It was short notice, sorry about that. See you this evening.

Loki xxx

Tony checked the time. It was just barely half nine. He hauled himself out of bed, pulling his dressing gown on. He rubbed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair as he went to get Peter.

“Morning, kiddo” he yawned. “What are you doing?”

“My rocket is being held hostage by the monkey”

Tony stared at him for a moment. “...Right. Ok, go and do your teeth, and I’ll get your clothes ready”

“I need a wee”

“Well, have a wee as well, then” Tony said. “Off you go”

Peter got up and went to the bathroom obediently. Tony found him some clean socks and underwear, and dug out a cute little denim romper set, white with little blue whales on it. It was a warm day, and he was going to the doctors today, so Tony thought he may as well wear something nice. 

Peter fussed a bit when Tony tried to get him dressed.

“I’ve done my teeth; what more do you want?!”

“You’re definitely your father’s son” Tony said, raising an eyebrow. “Stop being so dramatic. Stop wiggling, and let me dress you”

“I’m already dressed!”

“Pyjamas don’t count” Tony said, quickly stripping the boy. 

Peter stood shocked for a moment, and then opened his mouth and squawked. 

“NOT FAIR! NOT FAIR AT ALL!”

“It’s not raining either” Tony said. “Stay still, or there’ll be trouble”

Peter squawked again, and then went quiet, pouting, and let himself be dressed. Tony straightened his little outfit.

“Oh, sweet” he said. “Where’s that little white sunhat? You’ll look pretty as a picture” 

Peter stuck his tongue out at him. Tony stuck his tongue out too. He stood up.

“Do you want breakfast?”

Peter nodded.

“Grab your rocket and come along, then. You’ve got thirty seconds before the offer’s off the table”

Peter quickly freed his rocket from his monkey’s grip, and trotted after Tony. 

-

Tony took Peter with him to his room after breakfast, sitting him on the bed while he had a quick shower and got ready for the day ahead. Peter was quite happy lounging against the pillows and flying his rocket above his head. He did watch Tony when he came back into the bedroom and got dried and dressed and put his sprays on.

“What’s that stuff?”

“It’s just cologne”

“What’s that?”

“It’s basically perfume for men” Tony said. “Do you like it?”

He held his wrist out for Peter to smell. Peter wrinkled his nose.

“Bit strong?”

Peter nodded.

“It gets a bit weaker as it dries” Tony said. 

“Can I wear some?”

“Uhh. Hold on, I think I’ve got a vanilla one somewhere” he hunted through his basket of sprays, and found the little vanilla one at the bottom. It was quite dusty from lack of use. “Ok kiddo, you can have a bit of this one, just on your neck”

He tipped Peter’s chin up, and sprayed a little spritzer of the perfume on Peter’s neck.

“There, you smell simply delicious now” Tony said, kissing him on the nose. “Ok, I’m gonna get my shoes on and grab my stuff, and then we’ll sort your bag”

“Do I have to wear shoes as well?”

“Yeah, we’ll stick your little white plimsoll-y type shoes on, and we’ll find that little white hat”

“No! No!!”

“Yes, yes!!” Tony insisted. “You’ll be cute as a button with a coordinated outfit. Ok little kid. Let’s get ready for action!”

“SUPER HERO SUIT UP!” 

“Woo! Yes, quick, get all the supplies! We’re leaving for the next mission in ten minutes!” Tony said. “Plimsolls, hat, sippy cup, rocket. Ready, set, go!”

“I’M GO!” Peter shouted, and shot out of the room.

Tony chuckled to himself. It worked every time.

-

Peter grew upset and distressed once they reached the doctors office. The waiting room was mainly full of elderly people, and many of them made a fuss of Peter with his chubby cheeks and curls. Some of them also wanted to fuss Tony, knowing his work and reputation. Peter didn’t mind at first, but then he started to feel very crowded and closed in, and he started crying.

“Oh dear. Listen, you’re all very charming, but this one needs a little breathing room” 

Tony smiled at everyone but spoke firmly enough that they stepped back and gave him some space. He rubbed Peter’s back firmly.

“There now, kiddo. There’s no need to cry”

Peter buried his face in his rocket, and soon went quiet. He leant against Tony’s chest, daydreaming. It wasn’t long before Peter’s name was called.

-

Tony sat with Peter on his lap in the doctors office.

“So, how are you coping?” Doctor Manning asked. 

“We’re getting there” Tony said. “It’s been tricky. It’s the weirdest situation”

“It’s a shame your boy got in the firing line. There’s been a lot of discussion about it in the local medical community” 

“We were told we should get him checked. We haven’t noticed anything wrong, but... Well, Loki insisted”

“If you haven’t noticed anything wrong, there might not be anything to find, but we’re taking a look at these children anyway - just to be safe. I’ve not seen any myself, but I know some colleagues who have seen them. So, how has he been? Is he eating properly, drinking plenty? Is he ok in himself?”

Tony nodded. “Yeah, Loki’s been real good making sure of that. He’s been fine, I think. I haven’t found any reason to worry. I mean, I’ve worried, but not because he’s seemed ill or anything”

“That’s understandable. Good. Now then” the doctor stood up, and knelt down in front of Tony’s chair. “Hello, Peter. Is it ok if we put you on the bed and have a proper look at you?”

Peter looked up at Tony. 

“It’s ok, kiddo” Tony said. “He just needs to check you over”

Peter still didn’t seem sure. Tony stood up and sat the toddler down on the bed.

“There, stay still, kid” 

“Ok little one, let’s have a good look at you” Dr Manning said, putting his stethoscope in his ears. “I’m just going to have a little listen to your chest”

Peter wrinkled his nose, but he let him do it. He didn’t fuss when the doctor peered in his ears and shone a light in his eyes. 

“Good boy. Now, open your mouth and say ‘aaah’”

Peter did as he was asked, but then squeaked and pushed the doctors hand away when he put a tongue depressor in his mouth. 

“Sorry, sweetheart”

“Kid, you don’t push the doctor like that” Tony chided.

“He put a stick in my mouth!” Peter scowled.

“I need to do it, Peter” Dr Manning said. 

“Why?”

“It keeps your tongue out of the way so I can see your mouth and throat properly. Shall we try again?”

Peter looked at Tony, who nodded at him. He looked back at the doctor, and opened his mouth. He didn’t fuss this time, but he was still glad when he was done. 

“Good boy. Ok, now, do you see this?” he said, bringing out a blood pressure cuff. “I’m going to slip this onto your arm and strap it on like so.. There, now I’m going to squeeze this pump here, and it’s going to hug your arm while I check the dial and listen with my stethoscope. Ok?”

Peter started crying when the cuff tightened on his arm. It was uncomfortable and almost painfully tight. 

“I don’t like it!” he cried, trying to pull the cuff off. 

Tony grabbed his hand and held him still. “Let the doctor do his job, kiddo”

It felt like hours before the doctor let him go and took the cuff off his arm. Peter cried harder and scrambled into Tony’s arms. He didn’t trust that horrible doctor one bit.

“Oh kid. Come on; there’s nothing to cry about” Tony sighed. He looked at the doctor. “How’s he looking?”

“Everything is perfect so far. I’d just like to check his reflexes”

“Kid, you need to calm down” Tony said. “Just-”

There was a knock at the door, and it opened.

“Apologies for interrupting. Here’s those results you asked for”

Tony stared. “Loki?! What are you doing here?”

Loki glanced down at himself. “Locum work? They needed some cover and asked me”

“Sorry Tony, I didn’t realise he was in, otherwise I would have told you” Dr Manning said, taking the folder from Loki and setting it on the desk. “Good to see you again, Loki”

“Good to see you, doctor. Hello, Peter, darling! Don’t you look cute?” he said, taking Peter from Tony and giving him a cuddle. “What’s the matter, darling?”

“Turns out he’s not a fan of having his blood pressure checked” Tony said.

“Well, you should have known that one, my love” Loki said, kissing Peter on the cheek and shushing him. “Teenage Peter hates it too”

“I forgot”

“How’s he doing?” Loki asked, sitting down on the bed and sitting Peter in his lap.

“Nothing to worry about” the doctor said. “I just need to check his reflexes, have a discussion about vaccines, and then he’ll be good to go”

“Vaccines?” Tony said. “But he’s up to date”

“We’re recommending boosters for those who came under Kindsprengen’s gun. There now, Peter. Now you’ve calmed down, let’s finish your checks”

Peter wiped his eyes and snuggled against Loki. He couldn’t be too scared of the doctor, not when his daddy was there to protect him.

-

The doctor couldn’t find anything wrong with Peter. He let Loki stick around for the rest of the consultation. They got Peter booked in for his booster jabs, and the doctor told them to keep up the good work and to come back if they needed any further advice.

“Aw, I bet you don’t want to go back to work now” Tony said once he was out in the corridor with Loki. 

“Not especially, but I’ve got things to do, and I’ll be back by the evening” he said, kissing Peter on the nose. “You be good for daddy, darling” 

“We’re going to another doctor” Peter said.

“Is that so?”

“We’re going to the dentist” Tony said. 

Loki kissed him and gave him a hug. “Well, good luck. Love you lots. I’ll see you tonight”

-

Peter didn’t like the dentist, but the dental nurse kept talking to him and making him laugh, so he got through the check up without incident. The dentist said everything looked fine, and Tony was relieved that they could go home without anything to worry about.

“Daddy, I’m hungry” Peter said as Tony strapped him into his car seat.

Tony checked his watch. “Well, it is nearly lunchtime. See if you can hold on for a little bit longer, kiddo. We’ll get you fed real soon... Hold on, how about we go to McDonald’s? Just don’t tell your father”

“McDonald’s!” 

“Yeah, let’s go and find a McDonald’s, kiddo. Have a think about what you want to eat”

“McDonald’s!” 

“Ok kiddo, sit back now” Tony laughed, shutting the door and climbing into the drivers seat. “Let’s get those cheeseburgers”

-

Tony decided it would be easier to eat in, but he encountered some autograph hounds as soon as he walked through the doors. Peter didn’t mind Tony talking to them at first, because there were lots of pretty young ladies making a fuss of him as well as his father. It was only when the young ladies moved away and some rather boisterous lads moved in that Peter started getting scared. He wriggled and whimpered, burying his face in Tony’s chest.

“Sorry guys, I’ve got a hungry toddler to get fed” Tony said, flashing them all his trademark smile. “Give us a little space, ok?”

The crowd respectfully parted, leaving Tony free to order and calm Peter down. 

“Nuggets or burger, kiddo?”

“Um...” Peter blinked up at him.

“We’ll just get you the same as daddy, then” Tony kissed him on the cheek. 

“I’m hungry”

“Yeah, I know. Just hold on a few more minutes”

Peter nuzzled against his rocket and stayed quiet until they were sat down at a table. There, he carefully set his rocket aside and quietly ate his cheeseburger and drank his chocolate milkshake. It was even nicer than he’d expected.

“How’s that treating you, kiddo?”

Peter nodded. “I like cheeseburgers!”

“Me too, kiddo. Aren’t you eating the rest of your chips?”

Peter shook his head. “Too full”

“I’ll finish them for you” Tony said. “What’s your toy?”

Peter picked up the Happy Meal toy, which was still in its plastic wrapper. He looked at it, brows furrowed.

“I don’t know”

Tony took it from him, having a look himself. “I don’t know either. Do you want it?”

Peter shook his head.

“We’ll just leave it here then” Tony said, putting it down on the table. “Finish your milkshake: we’ll have to make a move soon”

“What kind of move?”

“I mean, we’ll go home once you’ve finished”

“Can we go to the park?”

Tony stopped for a moment. “We’ll go home first”

“But can we go to the park?!” Peter persisted.

“We’ll see”

-

Forty minutes later, with Peter’s football on the front seat, Tony parked up at the park. He got Peter out of the car, tucked the plastic football under his arm, and took Peter’s free hand.

“Probably do us both good, this. Bit of fresh air, bit of exercise” Tony said. 

“Why isn’t daddy here?”

“He was at the doctors office, remember? He’s working”

“Oh” Peter said. “Why?”

“Well, because that’s what he does. He’s good at it, and he enjoys it. He’ll be back at home later today” Tony said. “I’m not really so bad, am I?”

“You’re not bad at all!” Peter said, shocked. 

Tony chuckled. “Thanks, kid. You’re not bad either”

“I know”

Tony laughed again. “Good. So, why don’t we go and find a good bit of grass so we can play a game together?”

“I wanna feed the ducks!”

“Oh. We don’t have any bread with us kiddo. We can still go and have a look at them though, if you want”

Peter nodded enthusiastically. “Ducks! Ducks, ducks, ducks, I wanna see the ducks!”

Tony lead him down to the pond. There weren’t many people about, so he let go of Peter’s hand and let him wander about untethered for a little while. Most of the ducks were out in the middle of the pond, but there were a few asleep on the bank. 

“Daddy! Look!”

“Aww, aren’t they cute?” Tony said, adjusting Peter’s hat. 

“I love them. Can I have a pet duck?”

“No”

“Oh. Why?”

“Because ducks are wild animals: they’re not supposed to live in people’s homes. Unless they live on a farm, I guess” Tony said. “Are you finished round here?”

“No” Peter said. “I wanna walk aaaaaall the way round the whole entire pond!”

“Well, alright. We’ll walk round”

Peter trotted along quite happily, cuddling his rocket against his chest and humming to himself. Tony walked a few steps behind him, admiring his cute little outfit and thinking about everything that had been said at the doctors and dentists. 

-

They walked all round the pond without incident (although Tony had to guide the boy away from the edge a couple of times to stop him falling into the water). They walked on and found a good stretch of empty grass. There they spent a while kicking the ball about before having a game of catch. But then Peter started to get tired, and he started whining. Tony took his hand and tried to head back towards the car, but Peter went all silly and let his legs go limp, refusing to walk.

“What are you playing at? You can’t stay on the floor all day”

“I’m too tired to walk!” Peter whimpered. “I’m too tired!”

“You can go to sleep for a bit when we get home, but first, you need to get to the car”

Peter stayed on the floor, whining and refusing to move. 

“You’re getting yourself dirty”

“TIRED!” 

Tony sighed heavily, and hoicked the boy up onto his hip. He quietly cursed himself for deciding to leave the buggy at home.

“Stop that squeaking. Hey, careful! You’re gonna drop your rocket” 

“No!” Peter shouted, clutching his rocket. “Mine!”

“Yes, so keep hold of it. Let’s get home”

He kissed him on the cheek, and headed back to the car.

-

It was late afternoon, but Peter had been so grumpy in the car that Tony put him down for a nap anyway. Tony felt refreshed after the walk in the park, so he put his energy into giving the main living areas a good tidy and clean, and then got started on making shortcrust pastry from scratch, deciding to make something a bit different for tea. Loki would be home soon. He wanted him to come back to something nice.

*

[jiji-infires]

APRICITY (pt. 6)

OC X JUNGKOOK

GENRE: FLUFF, ANGST

WORD COUNT: 3K

SYNOPSIS: When his roommate moves out to live with his girlfriend, Jungkook is faced with a new reality, one that includes a 5′3′’ sac of bones that is too nerdy and curious for his liking.

CHAPTER 6

Regular jeans, and oversized sweater and boots. That’s Jisoo outfit for the day as she has no extra power to put in dressing up. Her head is till pounding and she’s spent a horrible night trying to finish her essay while a numbing headache threatened to split her skull open. As she’s putting her necessities in her bag, her mind flashes back to the way Jungkook carried her from the hospital room to the car and from the car to the apartment. Despite the fact that she has been half-asleep most of the time, she noticed how possessive he was for someone who she only knows on a first name basis, the way he silenced her with only one glance when she tried to protest after he hauled her off her feet.

 Jisoo walks out the room, readjusting the bag over her shoulder and wrapping the scarf around her neck. The boy is already down the hallway, putting on his shoes; another pair of timbs, she notices.

“Where are you going?” he asks as his eyes narrow at her.

“Excuse me?”

“I said where are you going?” he stands up, his height making her crane her neck to meet his gaze.

“To school, obviously” she can’t hide the perplexity that laces her words. If it wasn’t for the essay she has to turn in today and the test the afternoon, she would’ve remained in the comfort of her sheets “Honestly, you’re not expecting me to lie in bed all day, are you?”

“In fact that’s exactly what you should be doing. It’s none of my concern though, but ... yeah” he shrugs and turns around, twisting the door knob and already putting a foot out the house, but he suddenly whirls around to find her still rooted in her spot.

“What are you still doing there? Aren’t you coming?”

“Huh?!” she stares at him, dumbfounded. He mutters something under his breath before urging her to follow him, and that’s when she realises that she’ll be boarding his outrageously expensive car.

“Get in” his voice is cold and bossy, but his manners cover for it as he opens the door for her. A gentleman.

He swiftly slides in and looks over at her, his gaze making her cower a little bit.

“Your seatbelt” he murmurs and Jisoo hurriedly straps it around her frame, somehow surprised at his authoritarian tone.

 The distance between their shared house and college is relatively short, yet it seems like it will take forever to arrive at their destination as there’s a heavy silences settling between the pair. Her eyes swiftly glance at his extended arm, hand wrapped around the stirring wheel as they wait in the traffic. She can feel her face flush a little; she as a thing for boys who look good when they drive.

Jungkook is not oblivious to her stealthy peeks, as he himself stares at her when she averts her gaze. He clears his throat, hand hovering over the button before pushing it. A sweet melody fills the car and it looks like it has loosened the tension. Jisoo noticeably relaxes in her seat as her eyes flutter, almost closing as she carefully listens to the lyrics that bring an odd sense of nostalgia to both of them.

 “We’re here” his voice snaps her out of her semi-dreamy trance and she almost jolts up. Almost. With a little bow, she thanks him and steps out of the car, astonished at how cold the weather is, considering she hasn’t worn much, but what takes her aback is the passing glances some were giving her.

Jungkook doesn’t fail to notice as well, but he doesn’t linger on it as he moves inside, falling in her hurried steps. He knows what people are thinking; Jisoo and Jungkook are a thing, or so says the rumour.

Jisoo swerves to the right, leaving the awkwardness and making a bee line to the girls’ restroom. She is still tired from last night’s episode with her dysfunctional heart and she wants nothing but sleep, but her ego and thirst to be number one won’t let her rest; she has to pass her exams with high scores. She lets the tap run before splashing her face with water.

 It’s time for lunch break and people start to fill the large canteen, increasing in number just like Jisoo’s nausea. She does not feel like eating, but she has to do it for her health. It’s not like she has another choice, not with Jimin pushing more food under her nose and Seulgi nagging like a mother hen.

After a while she excuses herself, heading once again to the restroom as she feels bile rising up her throat. Just when she made it through the almost empty hallway a hand grabs at her forearm, stopping her in her tracks.

“Hello, bookworm” Jisoo flinches at the abrupt greeting and fake smile Hanbyul is giving her. The girl before her is the reason behind the drama on her first day of school. She doesn’t reply, but nods instead, her eyes scrutinizing the female.

“What? You’re scared of me or what?” Hanbyul chuckles and refers to the defensive mode Jisoo is taking, her arms crossed in front of her.

The shorter female scoffs, her pearly whites displayed in a disbelieving chuckle “I’m completely sure I’m not scared of how stupid and foolish you look right now” Jisoo resists the urge to grin triumphantly when the other girl fumes in anger, her eyebrows meeting in the centre.

“I know you’re trying to act like the unnoticed nerd, but I’m going to give you a fair warning; stay away from Jungkook” Hanbyul spits, her voice low and menacing and Jisoo can’t help but wonder what does she see in her that would hint to her and Jungkook dating, apart from their shared apartment. She also wonders why a girl like Hanbyul would do this; she is pretty, with a model figure, she has popularity but she’s seething when it’s about the boy who doesn’t seem to even notice her.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about”

“Yes you do! I see you with him all the time and you live together! I’m sure you’re throwing yourself at him, you little scumbag!”

Jisoo holds her hands in defence, stepping away from the girl’s finger that is jabbing in her direction “Woah I don’t know where that came from. Has it ever crossed your mediocre mind that we might be friends? And even if we’re not friends, what’s in to you? This is neither a Korean drama nor high school, please be a little civilised and act your age” Jisoo can’t stop rambling, she doesn’t care if spikes the other female’s rage “as far as I know, you guys were never a thing and I didn’t interrupt. You don’t even know me yet you throw yourself at me accusing me of such idiocy. That guy could be gay and you’re here making a fool of yourse–”

Hanbyul grabs her by the collar and slams her hard against the wall, knocking the wind out of the girl who feels her ribcage rattle at that.

Jisoo doesn’t budge despite the difficulty she has now in breathing, her gaze never dither from Hanbyul’s eyes that are boring holes into her. Hanbyul is mostly annoyed by her calmness and her unwavering composure and the fact that she’s nothing compared to her, yet Jungkook defended her in front of everyone and chose her to be his roommate.

Hanbyul’s hand hovers in the air, contemplating if she should slap her or not, when Jisoo’s voice invades her thoughts

“You can hit me if it will make you feel better about yourself”

She slowly loosens her grip on the girl’s now wrinkled shirt, eyes filled with confusion and perplexity “How can you be like this? You’re weird” she states and gives her a irritated look then spins on her heels, stomping away with her straight golden locks flying behind her.

 Jisoo exhales and slides against the wall, her bottom hitting the cool surface. She feels so out of place and mostly unwelcomed in Seoul, except for Jimin and his girlfriend’s friendly treatment. She starts wondering if was a bad idea to come here in the first place.

 After the test is over, Jisoo is glad to go back home and nuzzle in the comfort provided by her sheets. She steps out of the gates and walks under the falling petals of evergreen white flowering trees.

 Jungkook is leaning against the hood of his car, having an animated conversation with his other friend Taehyung who seems to not be convinced of Jungkook’s theory about Tokyo Ghoul and the probable release date. Seconds later, his friend’s voice seems to fade away as Jungkook’s eyes focus on a figure that’s coming his way.

Jisoo stops in her tracks when her eyes meet Jungkook’s. He shoves the phone back in his pocket and stands straight.

“You’re done?” he voice is high, very foreign to his ears but Jisoo doesn’t notice the difference; she just nods and looks at him, waiting for him to say something after his sudden approach.

“Do you ... uhm... need a ride back home?” he regrets the question as soon as he asks it. Jungkook doesn’t offer rides, not to people he claims he does not like, maybe he wants to be nice since she’s not feeling well. But why does he feel weird about his kindness if there’s nothing behind it?

The girl is a bit taken by surprise at his offer but she recovers quickly with a bow “It’s alright, I have something to do downtown” she smiles, “Thank you though” she has a very good reason to not accept his ride. Jungkook nods and saunters back to his car once she walks away, feeling somehow defeated and out of place.

 Jisoo is happy that it's not raining at this hour since she has no umbrella. She slightly regrets not taking the boy’s offer; too bad for her that her reputation and dignity matters more than her health.

 As she walks on the now dry pavement, she has a weird sensation falling upon her senses, like she's being watched. Jisoo turns around so fast that she hears something pop in her neck, but there's no one. Truth is she has nothing to do at this hour, but she had no other excuse to say to Jungkook who is just being kind. She takes the bus home, chatting over the phone with her overly excited cousin.

 "He's just weird in his own ways" Taehyung says about Jungkook, explaining to her his weird habits of distancing himself for people in general. They have been talking about nonsense for the past ten minutes until their conversation led them to the boy in question.

"He had problems growing up.... You would know how that feels most than others. He just needs time to get used to you"

"Yeah..." She nods absentmindedly, fully aware that her cousin can't see her "I'm not asking for us to be best friends or anything, I just feel so awkward with him, I don't know if I should be casual with him or if there are limits"

"You never stick to the limits, short stuff" he teases, amused at the tantrum he knows she's about to throw, but she stays silent.

"Yeah" she whispers, remembering the first burn he gave her when she barged in his room in his absence. 

"You will make friends, don't worry" he reassures her, and they continue on with their teasing banter until she hangs up before stepping out of the bus.

 She's only few steps away from the building when she swears that she glimpses someone behind the bush. What the hell?! She stops for a brief moment, gathering her breath and calming her raging theories and impossible scenarios before running away.

  She comes back home with an eerie feeling lingering in her heart ; she's almost too sure that someone was following her, or maybe she's being paranoid because of the multiple Agatha Christie novels she read before.

She takes her shoes off and heads to her room, ready to collapse on her bed, when a sudden melody hits her ears and makes her stop in her path. Slowly, she finds herself leaning against Jungkook's door.

It's a song that she knows like the back of her hand and she already lost count of how many times she listened to it, but never has she heard it sang with such passion and softness.

Her ear is practically stuck to the wooden door, the sound pleasingly getting louder as it's so close to hitting that one high note, but just when he reaches the peak of it the door is swung open. Jisoo stumbles forward and her face hits Jungkook's solid chest who is looking down at her with his eyebrows jumping high in confusion, almost disappearing in his hair line.

"What are you doing?" He asks and she quickly regains her composure, standing properly with her cheeks blushing furiously.

"I uhm ...." She trails off, struggling with words to explain herself, just like the first time they talked "I was just listening, that's all.... I'm sorry for intruding” she confesses, those brown, serene eyes looking away for a second. Jungkook affirms internally that she's the library girl; his instinct never fails him to recognise the slight crease of her lids or the dark shade of her eye bags.

 “It's okay” he mumbles and walks past her, going to the kitchen to pour himself a hot cup of coffee. She follows him, wondering why he's not irritated with her being so nosy and all up in his business.

"You're not mad at me?"

"Mm" he shrugs as he puts his cup down.

She smiles at him, and stares. He just gazes at the genuine smile she's giving him, his eyes focusing on her lips as they form words.

 "You have a beautiful voice"

Jungkook ends up hitting the mug with his elbow and pouring it down on his thighs.  He jumps up at the scalding pain and Jisoo runs to him; hands fumbling as she wets a towel on throws it on his thighs.

"Shit" he curses under his breath, and sits back, his shorts dripping with the black liquid. He watches as Jisoo kneels down and pushes his shorts up, revealing a red spot on his skin.

"Stay here" she says and hurries to the bathroom, coming back with a first aid kit. She crouches down and starts softly applying ointment on his burn, Jungkook hissing at his skin tingling in pain.

"Stay still" she looks up, taking him by surprise with her authoritarian voice, "You can't take a compliment huh?" 

"What?! No! I ..." His ears are red with mortification and he can’t talk back. He, Jung Jungkook, is lost for words. Ridiculous. He leans forward and takes a look; it's not that bad, but she is extra careful.

"Thanks" he mumbles close to her hair

"Don't cover it" she says as she's almost done, "you–" her words get stuck to her throat, dying and falling back to her stomach that is now doing summersaults. He himself is shocked, his eyes widening a bit but never wavering from hers, and naturally they travel down to her lips, a thing he regrets as he feels himself drawn to her, her shallow breath fanning his cheek. Jungkook is mostly shocked at what he does next; he lets himself lean closer, angling his head in a way that makes his nose graze hers, their lips touching. Jisoo has lightning zapping in her stomach while Jungkook's head is doing fireworks. He could move away and spare her and himself the aftermath awkwardness, but he doesn’t. Fuck it.

Her eyes flutter close as she feels his soft lips gently cover hers, slowly pulling at her upper lip before claiming it again, deepening the kiss this time, with Jisoo trying her best to not be sloppy while kissing him. After all, it's her first kiss.

After what seems like an eternity, Jungkook breaks the kiss, slowly pulling her away; he has no idea he has been grasping her arms, or that she was clinging to his shirt.

They both are confused, for lack of better words. Her trembling fingers are sticky with ointment. She can't bring herself to look at him as she quickly picks up the first aid kit, mentally flinging herself across the Great Wall of China. What the hell was that?!

Jungkook can't even breathe properly, he watches her without a word when she scurries away to her room. He has no idea how he ended up kissing her and why he did it, but can't deny how good it felt and how it planted a new desire to do it again. “What the fuck man?!” He hisses lowly as he frowns at his wayward thoughts.

Jungkook looks up at the ceiling and sighs; he now wishes he could pour that coffee in his own eyes.

A black range rover is situated three blocks away for the playground. The windows are heavily tinted, making it impossible to see the person inside.

A man in a black suit and shades walks towards it and opens the door for himself, sits comfortably on the driver’s seat and starts the engine.

He turns his head to the woman who has her sculptured fingers intertwined and resting idly atop her crossed legs. 

"Did you get me the address?" Her voice is soft, barely audible.

"Yes ma'am, I did" he says as he hands her a folded piece of paper. "She shares her apartment with one of the students; Jung Jungkook"

"A male?" 

"Yes"

Her hands caress the writing on the paper and the maroon eyes looking out the window "Her boyfriend, I suppose. Bring me everything about him" she orders and he bows to her, taking her nod as a cue to drive off.

[franceslianagroup1-blog]

Teenage Pregnancy

Rogenne Charisse M. Pal

                                 ACADEMIC TEXT

Teen pregnancy is a social problem not resolved in developing and some developed countries. Adolescent fecundity has become the most exact bio-demographic and health indicator of development. In developing countries that are expected to follow the sexual behaviour patterns of developed countries, without offering the levels of education and services for adolescents, the consequences will be adolescent fecundity and STI prevalence increase. The ignorance about sexuality and reproduction both in parents, teachers and adolescents increases the early initiation of coital relations and of unwanted pregnancies. Extreme poverty and being the son or daughter of an adolescent mother are risk factors of repeating the early pregnancy model. The application of predictive risk criteria in pregnant adolescents to facilitate the rational use of Health Services to diminish the maternal and perinatal mortality is discussed as well as the social factors associated with adolescent pregnancy as socioeconomic levels, structure – types and characteristics of the family, early leaving school, schooling after delivery, female employment, lack of sexual education, parental and family attitudes in different periods of adolescent pregnancy, adolescent decisions on pregnancy and children, unstable partner relationship and adoption as an option. Social consequences are analyzed as: incomplete education, more numerous families, difficulties in maternal role, abandonment by the partner, fewer possibilities of having a stable, qualified and well-paid job, greater difficulty in improving their socioeconomic level and less probability of social advancement, lack of protection of the recognition of the child. Finally, based on evidence, some measures that can reduce adverse consequences on adolescent mothers, fathers and their children are suggested.

 AUTHORS OF THE TEXT:

Ramiro Molina Cartes and Electra González Araya

 TITLE OF JOURNAL/PUBLICATION:

Teenage Pregnancy

 URL OR WEB ADDRESS:

https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/326706

 MAIN IDEA:

Teenage Pregnancy is one of the unsettled issues in the community that is drastically increasing in developing and not developing nations.

 EVIDENCE THAT SUPPORTS MAIN IDEA:

“Adolescent fecundity has become the most exact bio-demographic and health indicator of development. In developing countries that are expected to follow the sexual behaviour patterns of developed countries, without offering the levels of education and services for adolescents, the consequences will be adolescent fecundity and STI prevalence increase.”

Marco Diolanto

                                                  Article text

Growing up without my Mum was difficult in many ways. I missed out on all those mother-daughter chats, even the one about the birds and the bees. I wasn’t aware of the consequences of having sex and I didn’t know the symptoms of pregnancy. I had no idea I was pregnant for quite a while.Dad was standing in the kitchen showing me the hernia on his great big belly. I could see a sizeable lump and said ‘Yeah, I have one of those on my belly too Dad’. Dad thought I had better get it checked out, so as I was a very independent girl I took myself off to the doctors to ask them to help me with my hernia. Of course it turned out that my hernia was a baby; I was pregnant . I had no concept of what that would mean, so I just went home and gave the test results to Dad.My boyfriend’s parents arranged a meeting with Dad to discuss our situation. However Dad had already decided that I would keep the baby and he would support me in raising the child. My boyfriend’s parents knew it was the wrong decision but they were powerless to stop us.I had no-one to talk to about the pregnancy and didn’t have regular checkups with the doctor, so I just continued on as normal. I went to school, played on the slides and swings at the park, climbed trees and acted as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. I continued at school until two weeks before the baby was born and only finished then because it was the December school holidays.One day I was out riding the trusty old bike that I had found on the rubbish. I was about eight and a half months pregnant, riding my little heart out. I came across my bo yfriend’s parents in their car and stopped to chat, asking if t hey knew where my boyfriend was. I look back now and wonder what would have been going through their heads, seeing me riding along heavily pregnant without a care in the world. I eventually found my boyfriend at our hide out up in the tree house, so I hopped off my bike and scrambled right up there with him.Right at the end of the pregnancy, my friends and I were walking through a shopping centre car park. I decided it would be funny to do a football leap onto the back of one of the girls. Little did I realise my friend could see my reflection in the shop window. She ducked when she saw what I was up to, and I went flying over the top of her and fell on the concrete, straight onto my heavily pregnant stomach. People came running from all over to help, but I just got up and acted like nothing had happened.I suppose I didn’t really comprehend what was happening to me.My First Baby ArrivesI felt like my pregnanc y was going on forever. I was so big but didn’t feel too uncomfortable, even though I was days overdue. I was still very fit and was so desperate to have the baby that I organised a group of my friends to come jogging with me to bring the labour on.The labour and birth are as clear in my memory as if they were yesterday. My boyfriend and my brother were hanging out in the shed with their friends while I was inside, playing the Nintendo 64. We went to bed at around 11pm and just as I was climbing into the bed I felt warm water trickle down my legs. I said to my boyfriend ‘I think I’m in labour, I can feel water running down my legs’, to which he replied ‘You’ve probably just wet yourself’ and fell asleep.Dad was in the lounge room watching TV so I went out to him and told him what was happening. He said ‘Hell, let’s go to the hospital’. I grabbed towels and put them between my legs, then ma de my boyfriend get up.Dad had borrowed a car from his b rother so my boyfriend, Dad, brother, stepmum and I started off to the hospital before Dad realised there was no petrol. While we waited at the petrol station we all bickered about who would be coming in to thebirthing room with me. I was quite adamant that I didn’t want my Dad or stepmum in the birthing room, which created an argument.We eventually arrived at the hospital where I was put into a wheelchair and my brother wheeled me inside. I told my Dad, stepmum and brother to wait outside while I went into the birthing room with my boyfriend.I tried to relax in the bath but all I felt like doing was vomiting. The back pain was getting really bad, so the nurses propped me up on the bed. I started screaming for my Dad and the nurses bought him, my stepmum and brother into the room. The nurse said that it was time for the baby to come so I needed to take my pants off. I refused. Of course they couldn’t let me keep my pants on, so I made ev eryone leave the room while I removed them.Everybody came back in as the baby started to come. I was screaming so loud that even the lady who shared my hospital room could hear me from the other end of the hospital. When the baby was born my boyfriend cut the cord and then the baby was given to my Dad. I don’t know why Dad was handed the baby instead of me, but soon I had my chance to cuddle Josh for the first time.

Title of the journal / publication:

Fifteen, Pregnant and No Idea

Author/s:

By Stacey Currie,

Stacey Currie

URL / Web address :

http://www.pregnancy.com.au/resources/teenage-pregnancy/teenage-pregnancy-articles/fifteen-pregnant-and-no-idea.shtml

MAIN IDEA:

Stacey Currie shares her views on overcoming adversity, to feel inspired and empowered to take your dream to the next level to make it happen. Her message is to share that no matter what obstacles in life are thrown at you, you can still make your dreams happen.

 Old Life

•No mum in my life

•Brought up in housing commission

•Sexually abused at 9

•Pregnant at 15

•Homelsess with 2 babies aged 19

•3 babies by 21

•Domestic violence

•Fighting to keep my children

New Life

•Age 31

•Entreprenuer

•To running a million $$$ company

•Author

•Speaker

•5 kids

•Dream House

•Dream Care

•Ambassador for Lighthouse Foundation where we build homes for homeless young mums and their babies.

she's now living her dream life