#I hope Tracy gets the support she needs from this whole thing

[gumnut-logic]

Along the Way (Part 3)

Sweetapple | Dear Mr Tracy | Along the way - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Oh my goodness, September last year! Early September last year - was the last time I posted a part of this fic. I didn't forget it! Here is Part 3!

Thank you to @onereyofstarlight for her amazing support and for listening to my whinging and my migraine as we proofed this together. Also to @womble1 and @idontknowreallywhy for their contributions to this universe :D I had much fun rereading the whole series over the last couple of days - enough to get me writing again :D And, of course, Thunderfam at large - your support for Alexander Sweetapple as an OC has been overwhelming and I love all of you :D

Anyways, here's an answer to my evil cliffhanger from Part 2 :D I hope you enjoy it.

-o-o-o-

He woke in the dark.

Damnit, he’d fallen asleep at his desk again.

A few disconnected seconds and he realised he was not sitting at his desk - but something equally as hard was in his lap, jammed into his belly. There was grit under his fingertips.

His head hurt like that time Erica had conned him into drinking with her and Fred.

He blinked. Erica and Fred. The big Scotsman was very polite around her, and she did smile often around him.

But then Fred was always polite and Erica smiled all the time.

Somewhere water was dripping.

Alex groaned.

What the hell happened?

He reached up to touch his head and amongst the grit and dirt a sharp source of pain explained clearly why he didn’t remember.

Really, lying down and going back to sleep felt like the right thing to do.

His head drooped.

But…

What remained of his brain started putting things together and the sum of his circumstance did not add up well.

Blink.

Orientation at Tracy Industries had a mandatory safety class. It involved first aid and a huge list of things to remember in an emergency, symptoms and things to look for in situations. Alex had paid a lot of attention as part of the course was delivered by a holographic recording of Mr Scott Tracy, and the fanboy in him had lit up like a Christmas tree. Of course, that was before he actually met Mr Tracy, and Gordon…

And Virgil’s eyebrows.

Blink.

Disorientation was a symptom.

Sleepiness was a symptom.

Pounding headache was a symptom.

Darkness and dirt were likely a cause. Darkness and dirt. He clenched his fingers on the surface in front of him. Grit caught in his fingernails.

Light. He needed light.

His phone.

He fumbled for his back pocket. Found it empty.

A whimper to his right.

Blink.

The whimper became a sob and he found himself twisting in that direction.

He still needed light.

“Are you okay?” Apparently he had a voice, cracked and dry, but a voice nonetheless.

“I’m stuck.” High-pitched and frantic.

“I’m coming.” He shifted, pushing out from under what was trying to pin him. The movement set off a cascade of creaking and rumbling, dust puffed into the air and he was coughing.

Ow.

Ow.

But then everything began to shake. Tremor!

Screams around him spoke of several distressed people he couldn’t see. The shaking was intense and the structure around them groaned and creaked, dust clogged his lungs. Somewhere in the distance something snapped with a sharp crack and his world moved sideways.

Shit!

But then everything stopped almost as suddenly as it had started.

All that was left were the sounds of water, and crying, terrified people.

It was startlingly sobering.

Something crucial must have moved in the chaos because there was now the faintest of light in the dark, as if someone had turned on a desk lamp down the hall and around several corners. Not much, but enough to see shapes, barely.

Something above creaked alarmingly.

People were still crying.

“It’s okay, I’m coming.” He shifted his body, ignoring its twinges and complaints. His ankle caught on something but he pulled it out of the dark and ended up on his belly, crawling towards the closest person in distress.

“Hey.” He reached out and found what felt like a shoulder. “I’m here. It’s going to be okay.”

Was it?

“I’m stuck.” She, because she sounded like a she, moved and the whole world around them groaned and shifted.

Dirt fell in Alex’s hair.

-o-o-o-

“Hold still, big bro.” Calm and reassuring, Gordon was running his hands over Virgil’s tangled limbs, scanner in hand.

“I’m fine, Gordon. We have a job to do.” There were so many more lives to save. He tried to sit up, but found himself still entangled in his exosuit.

“You can afford to stay still for a moment, Virgil, and let Gordon check you over.” John’s voice was calm but a little threatening. Virgil knew the routine. Behave yourself or the Voice Who Answers will tattle-tale to the Commander Who Frets and will kick Virgil’s ass if he doesn’t stay still.

He let out a sigh and closed his eyes a moment.

It would be so nice to just sleep.

But then Alex smiled at him and Virgil’s heart wrenched.

There was no time. Lives needed saving.

He engaged the exosuit and its hydraulics whined.

“Virgil!”

But Virgil wasn’t listening and no brother could prevent the exosuit from moving. Gordon scurried back, scanner flickering and beeping, and Virgil rose into a scene of destruction.

The centre of Gisborne was little more than piles of rubble, a few random buildings still standing, but so many not. He could see clear to the fork in the Tūranganui River.

GDF forces were finally landing, their rescue experts deploying equipment. No doubt IR would be coordinated shortly.

“Sit rep!” Virgil’s voice was harsh and grated across his throat.

Gordon glared at him. “Bruising and a stubborn ass.” He slipped his scanner back into his kit. “Aftershock. We got targets one through fifty-two. Alan’s working on the rest.” Gordon turned back to his pod, stomping off his worry as anger.

Virgil sighed and straightened his shoulders. Bruises bitched in reminder. “Thunderbird Five, targets to my HUD.”

His space-bound brother’s voice was about as pissed as Gordon’s. “Sending now.” A grunt of frustration. “Take it easy, Thunderbird Two.”

Virgil grunted at him and went back to doing his job.

Refusing to ask the status of Scott’s situation.

He couldn’t afford it.

-o-o-o-

Scott’s situation…was getting more dire by the moment.

They were down to one lifesign and his big brother heart was aching.

All but Erica and Alex were accounted for and if he was honest with himself, he was terrified

He had worked with both the engineers…well, not extensively, that was more Virgil’s area. But he had seen the smiles on his brother’s face regarding Alex, and Erica reminded him of Gordon, except with more pink…or blue…or…hell, one of them was probably dead!

The Commander stepped in and shoved the emotion into that box he kept at the back of his mind. What happened, happened, and he would deal with it as it came.

The lifesign blinked on his HUD.

“Ready to lift!” Fireman Fred had a crane attached to the final slab of concrete.

The team of TI Māhia was formidable and Scott couldn’t help but feel proud of them. They were a great group of people.

The slab began to lift and he held his breath, body poised to move.

The team had made it abundantly clear that they didn’t like their leader diving into the rubble, but today he was International Rescue and there was no way he was risking anyone else.

“Clear!”

Acknowledgement from Thunderbird Five and Scott was moving. Nimble on winged boots, he leapt over the rubble and beneath the hanging slab.

Darkness, dirt, broken furniture, a smashed laptop…and a small figure curled up in a fetal position.

Too small to be Alex.

Too pink-haired to be Alex.

His scanner out, he waved it over a prone and injured Erica Stoltz as his heart both broke and burst with guilt at the same time.

Bruising, broken arm, she blinked up at him, dirt falling from her hair. “Mr Tracy?” Her voice was whispered terror.

No spinal threat, possible head injury, safe to move. “Hey, Erica.” His voice was soft, aimed to reassure. “Let’s get you out of here.”

He reached down and gently scooped her into his arms. Dirty pink hair rested on his shoulder. “Inter…national Rescue.”

“Yeah.” He shifted into a crouch, balanced her weight in his arms and stepping over the remains of the lab, climbed up and out of the rubble. “We’re here to help.”

A cheer met him as the crowd caught sight of Erica. Tia was smiling through the tears in her eyes.

Alex…

An image of the engineer letting go of an exhausted Virgil on the beachfront of Whitianga, eyes wide as he stared up at Scott. Virgil smiling over a shot of whisky in the evening air on their balcony, Alex’s name on his lips. Alexander dropping his computer in heroic reverence over Scott himself and later Scott’s father…again.

As he strode towards the TI team, triumphant at another member found safe, Scott’s mind was roiling over the member they had lost.

They were friends. Only friends.

Friends forever.

Fuck.

The medical team swooped in and Scott gently deposited Erica on a hoverstretcher.

He smiled down at her. “You’re safe now.”

She stared up at him wide-eyed. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He turned away to face both Fred and Tia and what now must be done.

His HUD had no more lifesigns to give any hope. “Thunderbird Five, confirm rescue complete.”

There was silence for a moment, an unusual hesitation in the air. “Confirmed, Thunderbird One. All lifesigns accounted for.”

Perhaps he still had hope because those words dashed whatever was left.

Tia looked up at him and Fred looked down. Both faces spoke reality.

Scott cleared his throat. “We need to find Mr Sweetapple. Where was he last seen?”

Tia blinked and it was her turn to clear her throat, but she straightened, as professional as he. “Mr Sweetapple had just returned from visiting his mother in Napier. He was still technically on leave, but I suspect he returned to his lab anyway.” She drew in a breath. “He loved his work.”

Past tense.

Past tense always hurt.

He straightened again, his hand reaching out to touch Tia’s arm. “We will find him.”

She stared up at him, tears welling in her eyes again. “I know.” Her lips pursed. “Thank you.”

He turned back to the rubble that had taken so much. Beside him, the medical team finished their examination of Erica and activated the hoverstretcher, ready to take her to the ambulance waiting…

Scott blinked.

Spinning on a heel, he pushed his way towards the engineer. “Erica, do you know where Alex was before the quake hit? We need to find him.”

Wide blue eyes look up at him…and frowned. “Alex?” She looked out over the remains of the labs. “So glad I kicked him out. He could have-“ She hitched in a breath.

Scott froze. “What?”

“He is going to be so pissed. All his work…” She blinked as if suddenly realising exactly she who she was talking to. She moved to sit up. Both Scott and the medical team hurrying to stop her.

“Erica.” Scott crouched down, his heart missing beat after beat. “Where is Alexander Sweetapple?”

“In Gisborne. With his mother.”

-o-o-o-

Next

[passingdaysthings]

05.05.2024 - Overwhelmed

Today is Sunday.

I am currently trying to work on 2 overdue assignments I have for class, but I am a bit overwhelmed by them. I am working on a new concept called web scraping which I have never done before, and it has been confusing me for a few days. I am not sure what I have to do or if I am doing it correctly because I am not getting what the instructions are telling me. It's been a like 2 days of trying it, and it's just the first part of the assignment. It's not even the whole assignment, so it is really bother me. I also tried to move on to the next assignment, but that one was giving me trouble too. I am so so glad that I am almost done with this program because the professors are shit. Like... I am doing this web scraping assignment, but they didn't teach us how to webscrape. Unless I just blacked out during lecture which I do, but watching the recording didn't help me. I hope the offline lecture helps me. I just feel like I am not actually learning anything because the lecture is usually pretty different from the hw assignments. Th lecture will touch on parts I need, but it's never enough to actually start the assignment and finish it. I usually have to google everything. It's really annoying. I also do not enjoy the office hours.

Outside of school, I am kind of hanging out, and it's been rather normal. I did overhear my mom talking poorly about me, and it was upsetting. Once again, she just demonstrated her favoritism towards Tracy, and it's crazy how delusional she is. I think the biggest thing she was complaining about was how she has to pay for my schooling and how I always ask for money, but Tracy never ask for money. She gave Tracy 70k to buy a house... I ask for her to pay for my school. My schooling has probably cost her around 18k which is much less than 70k. The 70k she wired to my little sister to help her buy a house. I am not comparing myself to my sister, but for her to say that my sister doesn't ask for money is crazy. Just last month, my little sister charged $600 on my credit card, and then, she asked me to tell our mom to pay for it. Where does my mom think my little sister never ask for money comes from? At least I asked for money to do more schooling... not to buy a house after quitting my job. It makes me sad that I even have to think that way because I know my little sister hated her job, but my mom could wake up a bit and think about what she say a little more. I also never try to compare my sister and I because we are two very different people, but my mom makes it really hard. She legitimately goes around telling our family about how I am useless and do nothing, but my little sister makes a lot of money. My little sister quit her job in January and has been jobless since.. Idk what she is talking about. Of course, I went through like 3 years of no job and no income, so I don't have much to way on this matter, but the fact that my mom is complaining really irks me. This is why I plan on moving away from this shitty family and be on my own. I just feel sorry for my dad because he genuinely supports me unconditionally, so I will miss him. I will most likely stop talking to my mom when I leave too because she thinks I owe her. She evens tells people she "loans" me money while she doesn't mention the money she gives my little sister. If she wants to act like a loan shark then I will treat her like one too and avoid her and my "loans" LOL. I can't wait to find a new job and move. I think that's when I will just cut off and type of financial support my mom gives me. I'll just pay for my own stuff. I guess she can just keep paying the phone bill because we're on a family plan. I just need to endure a little bit more. I can do this! I got this! I just have a little bit more to go. Just 3 more months.

Now we have Taylor. To be honest, I just feel less and less about him, and he seems to irritate me more. I don't get why he acts like he hates spending time with me or I annoy him, but he constantly talks to me? I typically stop talking to people I am annoyed with. These days, I don't feel much when I don't talk to him, and I don't particularly feel the need to talk to him. I also don't have much to say to him. I also don't have the patience to deal with his attitude anymore. I immediately clock out and try to leave when he gives me attitude. I don't particularly hate him or anything. I still value him as a friend too, but I just find myself wanting him to find a girlfriend to do all these things with. Sometimes I feel like I fulfilling a duty? Ig I feel that way given the nature of our relationship. I am not his gf, but I do a lot of gf type things which I don't push away, so I don't blame him. I am just as guilty when it comes to things because I just go along with things. We also made birthday plans to watch scary movies on his birthday. I absolutely hate scary movies, but I don't mind watching them with him. As it has been, I just continue going with the flow when it comes to our "friendship", and I am just waiting for the day it blows up in my face or his.

Oh well. You got this, Paula. Remember 2024 is the year that we are going to be disgustingly educated and work on ourselves. Let's get this MS!

-P

[ak47stylegirl]

The Fish Prince (Royal Tracy Au) - Chapter 4

hehe i enjoyed writing this bit, so i hope you guys enjoy reading it as well XD

Prev | Next 

---

“Soooo,” Gordon forced a grin, trying to break the gathering tension “I heard something about a welcome home party for little old me?” 

Dad and Scott stopped their silent conversation, giving Gordon their full attention.  

“Well, of course!” Virgil smiled at Gordon, playfully nudging him. “We need to welcome home our squid somehow, don’t we?” 

Gordon smiled back at Virgil, grateful for the support. He could always count on Virgil to back him up. 

“And I have information that a certain London lady is on the guest list..” John added with an almost sly look in his eyes. Gordon felt his cheeks and ears heat up, his face going a deep red colour. 

How did John know about Penny?!

He had only met her six months ago when his ship stopped at a dock in England for refuelling. In all instances, they shouldn’t have met that day but fate had other ideas. 

Gordon had been cleaning the deck when he heard a loud splash, and when he ran over to see what was going on, he saw that a part of the old dock had broken and that a young boy, no older than Alan, was in the rough water, struggling to stay afloat. 

Everything around Gordon seemed to freeze as he dived overboard, only one thought going through his mind. ‘Save the kid!’ 

He didn’t register the sound of his captain calling his name or notice the blonde watching from the dock above, her eyes wide with surprise and hope. All that was going through his mind was ‘get the kid to safely’

But once he was on dry land again, Gordon quickly learnt that the blonde’s name was Lady Penelope, and the boy he had just saved was her younger brother. 

The first thing he noticed when he saw her was ‘wow, she’s gorgeous...’ and the second had been ‘that’s a lot of pink…’ 

And yes, he may have a crush on her. (who didn’t, honestly? She was perfect…)

Was he going to do anything about it? No, because Gordon was pretty certain that her butler would tear him to pieces if he even looked at her the wrong way, royal status be damned…

But he really did like her…

“Yes, Jonathan is right-” John’s jaw clenched slightly “-nobles and diplomats from around the world will be in attendance...” Dad confirmed, completely misunderstanding what John had been implying. 

“Now, I have to get back to work...” Dad sighed “but it’s good to have you back Gordon..” Dad smiled, giving his shoulder a light squeeze before disappearing inside; probably not to be seen until tomorrow night at the party knowing their father... 

Having a workaholic for a Dad was hard…

“There’s going to be a party?” Alan wondered, peeking out from behind Scott's legs, feeling a bit more confident now that Dad was gone. ”Cool! Is there going to be chocolate?! there better be chocolate!” 

“Sorry Allie, but it’s an adult-only party...” Scott chuckled, lightly patting the top of Alan’s head. “And chocolate isn’t good for you kiddo, you know that...” 

Alan pouted, softly muttering to himself something that sounded suspiciously like, ‘It's always an adult-only party…and no chocolate? What kind of boring party is that?’ 

Gordon chuckled softly, remembering when he had been in Alan’s shoes. 

He had always thought that the adults-only parties would be lots of fun but in truth, it was just a bunch of politics and small talk. With some alcohol thrown in, to make the whole thing more ‘pleasant’.

Definitely not a place for a six-year-old. 

“So, who is this London lady that I’m hearing about?” Virgil asked, looking down at Gordon with a smirk. “Does our little fish have a lady friend?” 

Gordon’s face lit on fire. 

“What?! N-No! No, I don’t!” Gordon yelped, waving his hands in a desperate attempt to halt the conversation, “She’s not my-we’re not-Ahghh! Guys!” He buried his face into his hands, trying to hide from the teasing laughter “She’s nobody, really…” 

John snickered. “I wouldn’t call Lady Penelope Crichton-Ward a nobody..” John replied, being the smart ass he was. 

It was moments like this that Gordon seriously considered if fratricide was okay…

“Wait, isn't she the girl that you met at Oxford?” Scott asked John absentmindedly, his attention divided between the conversation and keeping an eye on Alan, who had wandered off from the main group. 

Wait what? Gordon thought, looking up in surprise at that new bit of information. 

“Yeah, we were in the same class together…” John nodded, recalling his college days with a fond smile. “She would always drag me out to college social events, if there’s one thing about Penny, it’s that she doesn’t take no for an answer...” 

Well yes, Gordon thought; his brain still producing error messages. That was very Penny-like, but- 

“That’s for sure! I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard that you, Mr non-social were going to parties!” Virgil laughed, lightly punching John’s shoulder in jest. “I thought you had gone mad!” 

Gordon shook his head several times, trying to figure out what he was hearing because it didn’t make sense to him. Penny? and John?! Collage? 

Together?!

“I’ll be honest, I thought I did as well...” John chuckled, unaware that he had just broken Gordon’s brain. 

“Wait! Wait! Wait! Hold up!” Gordon exclaimed, holding his hands up in shock, trying to process this new information. “They’re the same person?!”

TBC..

[does-whatever]

Art Project

Pairing: Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson 

Length: One-shot

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34406677

Based on this vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDGl7PXDrps

Kurt and Blaine sat down at one of the chairs in Mrs. Parker’s class, Tracy’s first grade teacher. They have been invited in one of the PTA meetings that the school held and they have decided before they got married that if they are both available, any event in their kid’s life they needed to be present and this meeting falls under the same thing.

As they settled in their chairs, they saw other parents come in. They even saw a very pregnant Rachel being assisted by Finn. They both waved at their family and quickly saved them a seat. Rachel quickly claimed the seat beside Kurt and Finn greeted his two brothers

“Hey dudes”

“Hi Finn” Blaine greeted his brother in law and waved towards Rachel

“Stop calling us dudes, Finn”  Kurt replied, as he rolled his eyes

A few minutes later, they also saw Tina make her way through the room, and as Mrs. Parker entered and as she started to close the door, they heard a man running and was not surprised to see Sam walk in all sweaty and clearly was in a rush to join the meeting.

“Sorry! My sitter ran late and Mercy is still at the studio.”

“No worries, Mr. Evans.” the teacher replied as she allowed him to sit down on one of the chairs. “Now I think we’re all settled so let’s start this meeting.”

The meeting is mostly about the teacher telling the different activities and homework she makes the kids do. She also informed the parents that there is a bake sale happening in the next month and would appreciate it if every parent donated pastries that they could sell or help in the construction of the booth, or even volunteer to sell on the day of. Proceeds from the bake sale will be donated to the homeless shelter that the school supports.

The meeting was about to end when Sam raised his hand.

“Teacher, I have a question.”

“Sure Mr. Evans”

“This week there was a video assignment for them in their art class. I was wondering if that will be a usual thing? My wife got really angry when Andy made a mess at home.” Sam replied, obviously amused by the whole thing.

“We are actually planning on doing more home video assignments for the kids. It helps them gain confidence in speaking, and it also breaks them from the usual monotonous task of answering homework pamphlets.” Mrs. Parker smiled, “but I can assure you Mr. Evans we are done with video assignments in Art class. We will be focusing on other subjects from now on.”

As other parents raised their hands to ask a question, Kurt leaned towards his husband “Did you know any video assignments that Tracy made?”

Blaine shrugs his shoulders, a sign of having also no clue. “Maybe she did it on her own in her room? I didn’t notice anything.”

Kurt sighed and smiled, “Oh our little girl is getting more independent as the day passes.”

“Yeah, I’m proud of her.” Blaine smiled back at his husband

“I just hope that is the case and not because she did not do the assignment.”

“I’m sure she did it. You know how our daughter loves sc-” Blaine suddenly stopped as he remembered something. Kurt was surprised by his husband andt turned to him

“Hon? Are you okay?” surprised by the sudden change in his husband.

Blaine didn’t reply and just held on Kurt’s hand “Kurt, I think Tracy did the assignment.”

“Yeah, we kind of established that-”

“No, I mean, I know she did the assignment.”

“How? I thought you didn’t notice anything.”

“I didn’t notice because I didn’t know! I thought that she was just filming a video for herself and practicing to be a vlogger.” Blaine explained

“Blaine…. What did you do?”

“I didn’t know, okay? I thought she was just playing.”

“Okay honey you’re getting me worried. What did you do?”

“I was… dancing and singing in the background…” he mumbled and the tips of his ears were turning red

Kurt stopped and tried to stop his laughter, and Blaine was already beaten red in the face “I have to see this video.”

“Oh god, I’m so embarrassed. Her teacher probably has seen it.”

The meeting ended without any problem, as the parents leave Kurt quickly stood up and approached Mrs. Parker

“Hi! I’m Kurt Hummel-Anderson, I’m one of Tracy’s dads.” he greeted the teacher and reached out his hand

“Hi Mr. Hummel-Anderson, how can I help you? I can assure you that Tracy is such a lovely child. She’s active in class and always helpful to the other kids.”

“I’m so happy to hear that Mrs. Parker. Actually, I was hoping to see Tracy’s art video assignment. I wasn’t at home during that time and I just want to see how well she’s doing facing the camera and her confidence level.”

Mrs. Parker  smiled and amusement evident in her eyes, she quickly understood what he was trying to do

“Oh I can assure you that Tracy has no problem with facing the camera. I think confidence definitely runs in the family.”

Kurt smiled and saw his husband approach them as he finished helping Rachel stand up. The teacher opened her laptop and turned it towards Kurt

Sam, Tina, Rachel and Finn stayed who behind to catch up with their friends started to approach Kurt as they hear a video playing, Blaine quickly ran up to his husband and said

“No no no, we don’t have to see that Kurt.”

“Oh honey, I’m just checking up on Tracy” clearly holding back his laughter.

As the video starts, they hear Tracy's voice and the first tunes of uptown funk playing in the background. As Tracy is introducing the supplies she will be using, Blaine can be seen behind her starting to dance. As the song progressed, Blaine started to do different dance moves. In the middle, he was joined by their two other sons Alex and Daniel. By the end of the video, Blaine, Alex and Daniel, are actively dancing in the background prompting Tracy to say “What is wrong with this family? I’m just trying to arts.” but she was clearly amused.

The video ended with the kids laughing at their silly father.

Once the video ends, Blaine is hiding his face in his husband's shoulder. Their friends are also greatly amused by Blaine.

“Wow, that’s so precious. Do you mind if you send me a copy of that?” Kurt said as he finished laughing

“Sure thing, Mr. Hummel-Anderson. It was nice seeing how happy your family is.”

“Well, you gotta give credit to my husband. Those moves were fantastic. Right honey?” Kurt turned to asked the still hiding Blaine

“Shudup” Blaine mumbled, face is still hidden on Kurt’s shoulders

“Okay, we have to go,  guys. Thank you Mrs. Parker. I’ll be looking forward to that video.”

“Come on, Papa We can dance some more once we get home.” Kurt said, pulling a still red but smiley Blaine

[outrunningthedark]

Okay, but wanna know what actually annoys me. That people are really only starting to hate Taylor now , for what she said/did while Buck wasn't in the right mind set because of Eddie being in the hospital. But why are so many people suddenly forgetting what that woman did the first (or second? can't remember) time we met her and she did that whole story on the 118 fire house.

She wanted to publicly humiliate Bobby in front of all of all of Los Angeles by using his LSD freak out trip with him talking about his dead daughter for everyone to see , only to THANKFULLY be overruled. Then her whole half assed speech to Buck about her job is more important than this and that.

Yeah , that was the moment I hated her and never forgave her. All the rest is just the icing on the cake she made for herself. I honestly could probably have forgiven her for her actions in 4x14 but knowing how manipulative she was in season 2? Hell no

Here's the thing. Tim & his writing staff *knew* that if they were going to bring T*ylor back for the purpose of being Buck's LI they had to alter her personality juuust enough for it to look like she had "changed". Their hope was that the audience would take note of these differences and say "Wow! Character growth!" and that is EXACTLY what happened. - T*ylor assumed Buck asked her out to have "some dinner...maybe some sex", completely in line with their previous encounter. But when she found out Buck's main motivation was to appear unbothered by Albert&Veronica, she took matters into her own hands and left because she wasn't going to be made a fool of. Add to that telling Buck "I could really use a friend these days." and you've got a surefire way to activate the viewer's sympathy. - Buck is the one to reach out to T*ylor after the disaster "date" because he realizes he should have been upfront with her. She does not respond. Her only reason for talking to Buck after the fact is because she "needs a miracle" (helping the public get vaccinated). In doing so, T*ylor prioritized the health and safety of complete strangers above her own personal feelings. - The episode ends with T*ylor saying, "I called you, looking for a miracle, and...you gave me one. Even after I said terrible things. Why?" She took ownership of her words, realizing how much they must have hurt him. Buck could have rejected her request and she would have understood. - In MW’s next appearance, BuckT*ylor is having lunch together. She catches onto Buck very quickly, realizing he wants her to use her spotlight to publicize Sue’s accident. Rather than turn him down, T*ylor is on board...as long as they work together to find out more information. Such good friends, yeah? - T*ylor is hesitant to show Buck the video of Sue’s accident “because you know her”. Look at her compassion! She’s a whole new woman! - Buck assumed T*ylor came over to his apartment to celebrate her latest work/a possible promotion. T*ylor shuts that theory down immediately - “...justice, for Tracy Weber and Sue Blevins. I hear they’re both gonna be okay.” See? She’s evolved! Once again she’s thinking of someone else first! - Lastly, T*ylor turned Buck down twice! She set boundaries! She stayed true to her word that all she wanted from him was friendship! Good for her!  (Except...that was a lie.)  tl;dr The tumblr/twitter audience prides itself on supporting every single female character to a fault, so they took the crumbs Tim threw at them and decided they were “justified” in supporting the new-and-improved TK.

[thebookreader12345]

Episode 4 Review

Chicago Med: Status Quo, aka the Mess We're In

Okay, that rep for the VasCom, whatever her name is, is really getting on my nerves. I don't know if it's personality or the way she's practically flirting with Will every chance she gets, but it's quite annoying.

I love the way Dylan stands up for other people who he know can't really defend themselves, especially the boy he was taking care of this episode.

Will this season is everything I've ever wanted him to be. There's not really a romance point to his story right now and the writers are really focusing on him finding out information on Dr. Cooper. I'm loving it so far.

Dr. Archer interfering with Will's presentation pissed me off, but at the same time it was kind of funny.

Stevie and Vanessa are lowkey a good duo. And I loved hearing a little about Stevie's backstory. It's always fun to learn about the past of new characters in a series.

Why the hell are the cardio surgeons always so cocky? Crockett had a pretty good idea on the diagnosis for his patient, but that cardio doctor wouldn't listen, and look what happened. Crockett ended up being right.

To be honest, I've never really liked Dr. Charles, but this season I'm starting to appreciate him more.

Not Will trying to sabotage the machine so that Archer would have no choice but to use the VasCom. Thankfully it didn't work out.

I am so glad Dr. Charles is supporting Dylan's idea and is going to help him out.

And you don't even know how happy I am that the whole Vanessa and Crockett thing looks like it's not gonna happen.

Chicago Fire: The Right Thing

Gallo and Mouch were a combination I didn't know I needed, but I love it!

The dude who got stuck in the car wash is stupid. He should've expected something like that to happened when he tried to climb out of his car and grab his phone.

But I won't complain because all of the firefighters looked smoking hot, especially those who were soaking wet.

Matt offering to teach Griffin how to make dinner is super sweet, but Ben better not be an ass this whole storyline cause I will not have that.

The whole scene with Sylvie, Violet, and Ritter taking turns peaking through the window to watch Chief Hawkins was so stupid but so funny, which is a reason I love Fire, because they always have the humor.

That man really pulled out a knife on the paramedics who were just trying to help him. I mean, he was overdosing on drugs, but still.

The egg in a hole that Matt made for Ben was a staple from my childhood and my grandmother still occasionally makes it for me when I stay over at her house. Is that a Chicago thing or have you guys heard of it elsewhere?

Okay, but we love to see all of 51 standing up for Ritter when that guy was being an ass. And when Ritter saved him from the car fire and he didn't even say thank you......sometimes I hate this world because people like that exist.

I knew Chief Hawkins would eventually cave in to Sylvie's program, but I really like that it was basically because Mouch put in a good word for Sylvie that her program is gonna take off.

When Mouch had an outburst at the lieutenant taking over for Matt for him calling everyone the best, I was falling out of my seat in tears.

Gallo really is like Matt's son, and this episode proved it when he said he wanted Matt back as soon as possible.

The conversation Matt had with Herrmann when he got back to the firehouse was so sweet and genuine, but I hope Matt decides to stay in Chicago.

Chicago PD: In the Dark

Before I even start, let me just say this; Tracy has been amazing this whole season, so those of you who hate on her and her character just because she's with Jay instead of Erin is ridiculous. Get over yourselves. Erin is not coming back, and just because you dislike Hailey doesn't mean you should take it out on Tracy, who is an incredible human being.

The opening scenes for PD are always the best. I love when they're irrelevant to a case and just focus on the characters' lives outside of work.

Seeing Adam and Hailey in scenes together always makes me smile, especially in this episode when Adam asked if Jay had a weird habit to make him less perfect. Those two care about each other so much, and if there was a partner swap in Intelligence, I'd want them two to be together.

No wonder that house has a spooky story attached to it. It's creepy as hell.

Whenever any of the team interacts with children it warms my heart. They're always so gentle with them.

This Hailey-Kim duo this season is something I've always wanted to see. With them being the only two women in the unit, you'd think they'd have a lot of scenes together, but they don't, and I'm really looking forward to how they're relationship is going to pan out.

The scene at the lake.......we don't even need to talk about it. People who intentionally harm children are disgusting.

And the part with the man in the interview room, which should have been warned about, was just as bad.

I was living for when Jay tried to help Hailey through her panic attack. Obviously it's terrible that Hailey is falling apart and is literally at her breaking point, but the fact that Jay is there for her every step of the way is what we need right now. And when Voight stepped in the room and Hailey just acted like nothing happened, I could tell that Jay was catching on that something had happened between them.

After all of these seasons, I have been waiting for a scene where Jay really confronts Voight, and this episode exceeded what I was looking for. While I didn't think Jay would actually punch Voight, it was sort of needed. I also loved how Jay was desperately trying to believe that Hailey was innocent, but now he knows the truth. And now since he knows, I'm assuming everyone else is gonna find out soon enough.

[generalblizzarddreamer]

Book recommendations based on your Hogwarts house!

A/N I’ve been watching a lot of these videos on youtube and it inspired me to make this post! I hope you enjoy. I love Harry Potter and the fandom but just to be clear I don’t support J.K Rowling and her trans/homophobic statements and the fact that she is ruining the series by adding more to it.

Ravenclaw house 💙🦅(my house)

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

This book just screams Ravenclaw to me. The cults, the science, the research, the history, the small facts on the Smithsonian... literally everyting except the characters themselves and the plot is real. There is so much knowledge to be gained from reading this book and the plot is thick and exciting. 

Strange the Dreamer duology by Laini Taylor

Another book that screams Ravenclaw... Strange the Dreamer and the world and the culture is so thick and is presented in lyrical and intelligent word play that any self respecting Ravenclaw should definitely give this book a try. You will not be disappointed! I know I wasn’t! The main character (Lazlo Strange) is also a Ravenclaw so that is always a perk. 

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

This book is like a well thought out chess game. The writing styles that the two authors develop is addicting and the letters going back and forth between the two character is so intriguing. There so much strategy and wit in this book that I had to put it on this list for Ravenclaw. 

Wendy Darling by Colleen Oarkes

I love this book so much. I think it’s a book that is worthy of Ravenclaw just because of it’s creativity and the twist that Colleen Oakes put on Peter Pan. I think sometimes we forget that it isn’t just wit, wisdom, and knowledge (although this book is definitely witty and has some wise messages) that Ravenclaws value but also creativity. 

Bonus book: Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. This book is the most Ravenclaw book ever. Need I say more. 

Gryffindor ❤️🦁

Lore by Alexandria Bracken

The plot is tense, most of the characers are Gryffindors, book praises bravery, cowardice is something that is punishable ad frowed upon... the list goes on and on. Lore is filled with high stakes and brave acts that Gryffindor’s will admire.  

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

It was so hard to put one of my all time favorite books in here just solely because it’s not my house (that was not a dig on Gryffindor please don’t attack me). Bree is such a Gryffindor and does so many of the things I can see the golden trio doing. High stakes, daring acts, Gryffindor cast, a Griffindor x Griffindor relationship, perfect for any Gryffindor looking for a book full of twist and turns and bravery. 

The City we Became by N.K Jemisin

This one gives me Gryffindor vibes for the same reasons the other ones do (thrills, daring acts, Gryffindor characters etc). Except for one thing. This book could have easily been placed into Slytherin since the main character uses his cunning to change his identity according to what city he is in at the moment. But I put this book here because I think it shows how Gryffindor and Slytherin are two sides of the same coin. 

Raft by S.A Bodeen

This one was a bit of stretch. Raft is a bit of a unpopular book, I’ve seen people say it was just meh, or bad. I actually really enjoyed this book though and I think how the main character (Robie) deals with being stranded and jumping out of a plane to survive gives me Gryffindor feels. I also think Gryffindors are the kind of people to enjoy a good survival book. 

Bonus: The Hunger Games

Slytherin 💚🐍

Vicious duology by V.E Schwab

Most (if not all) of the characters in this book are so cunning and ambitious and determined to meet their goal that makes it such a Slytherin book. Vicious also makes you question morality and the characters motivations that Slytherins will appreciate this book even more because of it. Bonus: V.E Schwab is a Slytherin. Just saying. 

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I don’t know what about this book makes me think “Slytherin” but it does. Maybe it’s because it’s about using magic in a cunning way to win, the characters, the main characters mentors (although I think they are both definitely Slytherins). But this book screams Slytherin to me, just for unknown reasons. 

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

I don’t really think I need to explain why this is a Slytherin read so I’ll just put one character name: Kaz Brekker. Kaz is such a Slytherin. He uses cuning and resourcefulless to pull off crazy heists, blackmail people and get what he wants to survive a gang ridden city. And he he put up a calm face even though he may be freaking out on the inside through everything, never revealing his full plan. I feel like these are all such Slytherin things to do, not gonna lie. 

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

Oh boy, I could right pages and pages on why I think this is a Slytherin book but I’ll stick to a mini paragraph. The “Ash Princess”, Theodosia, uses cunning and strategy to take back her kingdom. She manipulates to get close to certain people to achieve her goal. And even though she doesn’t necessarily think that these are good things to do, she recognizes taking her kingdom back and acheiving her goal is more important.  Sound like a certain house? 

Bonus: Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire (So many Slytherin vibes in this book)

Hufflepuff 💛🌿🦡 (I had to put a plant just as a nod to the Hufflepuff common room)

Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel 

This. Book. Is. So. Cute. I didn’t put this in here just because it was cute though, after reading it, it gave me so many feels and Hufflepuff vibes that I had to put it here. 

Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay 

Just going to say this: Hufflepuffs are great finders. This whole book centers around a girl finding her brother. She shows loyalty because she travels around the world to find him. Does that seem extrememly Hufflepuff-y or is it just me? 

Guardians of Childhood series by William Joyce

Hear me out, every Hufflepuff has an inner child as well as a badass inside them, they aren’t all soft (Tonks is proof). The guardians are protectors of children (as the title indicates) but they also kick butt. I think Hufflepuff’s of all ages will enjoy it, and yeah it’s a kids book but to quote C.S Lewis; “someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again”. 

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Ok though, but Pride and Prejudice could fit everywhere on here. Lizzie is a Raveclaw, Mr. Darcy is a Hufflepuff, Mrs. Bennet is a Gryffindor (she gives me Mrs. Weaseley vibes. Especially in the 2005 movie), etc. But I’m putting it here because it’s such a Hufflepuff thing to ship Mr. Darcy and Lizzie (seriously though every Hufflepuff I’ve met say that this is their OTP). Just read it and watch as it become your OTP too.  

Bonus: Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

I do not own any of the pictures used. 

[tsarisfanfiction]

Teen Tracys

Muse is on a roll today, it seems (and I even managed to get some uni work done!).  From a conversation with @janetm74 that started over a discussion about punk!teen Virgil with a green mohawk and Eco-Warrior!teen Gordon and snowballed into, well, something a bit like this.

Random, has not been particularly polished, and I threw in a time skip rather than deal with the serious conversation.  Might write that later.

For ages, we’ve got Scott at 21, John’s 19, Virgil’s 17, Gordon’s 13 and Alan’s 9.  Three teenagers in the house; uh oh.

Scott loved his brothers. Really, he did.  But sometimes, they were just too much.  Big brother just didn’t hold the same weight as parent, no matter that he’d helped to raise all of them, and every so often his little brothers remembered that.

“Gordon, no.”

The thirteen-year-old, decked out in nothing but recycled greens, glared up at him with all the self-proclaimed righteousness a teenager could summon.  It was a lot.

“Do you know how much pollution is still being pumped into the oceans?” he demanded, not at all cowed by the fact he barely reached Scott’s chest.  “They finally stopped all the fossil fuel in the 2020s, and plastic was entirely phased out by 2030, and then the world gave itself a nice pat on the back as though that fixed everything!”

Scott had heard this tirade before.  Many, many, times before.

“Yes, Gordon, I know. Preservation of the oceans is important and that’s why this family – and Tracy Industries – does its bit to make sure nothing goes in there that shouldn’t, and is why you take part in charity events to continue to spread awareness.  I know.”  He didn’t have a problem with any of that, either.  No, what he had a problem with were the rallies.

Charity work?  Fine.  More than fine.

The rallies?  Not for an unaccompanied thirteen-year-old boy, and Scott knew they often involved illegally sabotaging places that still produced pollution.  No matter how well-meaning Gordon was, it was Scott’s duty as big brother and guardian not to let him get tangled up in that.

“Clearly you don’t know if you think that’s enough!” Gordon retorted, and Scott sighed.

“Gordon, I know more needs to be done, but it needs to be done legally, and not result in you getting thrown in a lockup, okay?  You’ve got that charity dinner with Lady Penelope next weekend, remember?”

“I can do both!” Gordon protested.  “Scott, I have to go!  It’s important for the planet!”

“Well it’s important to me that you don’t end up-”

Bright green in his periphery killed the rest of the sentence as he turned his head to see his normally sensible, reliable brother looking anything but.

“Virgil, you are not going out looking like that.”

“I can go out looking however I want, Scott.”  Seventeen years old and the teenage attitude Gordon was showing seemed to have infected his next oldest brother at last.  Virgil had been such a quiet, low-effort teenager – even more so than John, whose rebellion had been entirely digital and Scott was quite frankly afraid of what he might have done – until now.

Now, the punk phase had hit, and apparently the colour of the day was green.  Vibrant, radioactive touch-me-and-die green.  In a mohawk.

Scott tried to be the supportive big brother, he really did, but there were lines and the all-leather ensemble complete with mohawk and numerous piercings were pushing it.  Worst of all was the noise-maker he called a trike that he’d gone and bought last week despite being explicitly told not to. That had crossed the line.  There had been much shouting.  Virgil refused to return it, and spent more time in the garage tinkering with it than with his family now.

Gordon considered it an affront, and Scott wasn’t entirely certain it wasn’t going to be a target for the so-called rally if Gordon managed to join it.

“Virgil, please.”

“I want green hair!”

They’d caught Alan’s attention.  Great.

“No, Alan.  You are not dyeing your hair green.”

Realising both green-themed brothers – if for two very different reasons – were both trying to slip out while Alan played distraction, Scott backed up to the front door and blocked it with his body.

“Virgil did!”

“And if his hair dye ends up in your hair, his entire new ensemble is heading straight for the recycler,” Scott growled.  Three little brothers, all at once.  It was enough to give him a headache.  Gordon shifted, a shift that meant trouble, and he remembered the current household feud. “Gordon, if Virgil’s hair dye ends up in Alan’s hair, no more charity events until you’re eighteen.”

“But Scott!”

He didn’t even care which of the three said it.  It could have been all of them.  Why couldn’t they go through teenage rebellion from the sanctity of their bedrooms, like John did?

“I wouldn’t say green’s your colour anyway, Allie.”  As though summoned by Scott’s thoughts, the fourth little brother materialised.  Finally, some sanity- “how about we try black, or a dark blue, to match space?  Maybe Virgil can help make it a galaxy?”

“John!”

Betrayal.  Betrayal of the highest order, but Scott refused to get dramatic about it because he had three drama queens in the house already and that would only encourage them.  Even if the smirk John sent his way made him want to throw something.  Or scream.

Or both.

With four brothers ganging up on him – two because they’d hit the rebellion phase, one because his brothers were, and one just because he could – Scott knew he wasn’t going to win this with his sanity intact.

“Alan, no, you are not dyeing your hair any colour.  Gordon, you are not going to that rally.  Virgil, you are not going out like that.  John, if you’re not going to be helpful, scat.”

“But Scott!”

That was all four of them. In chorus.  If half of them weren’t feuding he’d think the whole thing was choreographed.  Looking at John, he still wasn’t convinced the ginger genius hadn’t managed to orchestrate it.  He was still smirking.

Scott needed to pull out the big guns.

“If you four won’t listen to me, maybe you’ll listen to Grandma.”

The woman was in the garden, taking a well-deserved nap away from five grandsons.  Scott didn’t want to disturb her, but he knew when he was beaten. Two brothers, he could handle. Three, tough but doable.  Four, when one was deliberately stirring the pot? Even Scott had limits.

Any hopes he might have had that the mere threat would be enough died when three defiant – and one amused, damn you, John – faces stared at him.

He pulled out his phone, gave them one more moment to change their minds of their own accord, before making the call.

“Scott?”

“Sorry to interrupt you, Grandma, but can you come back inside?”

“On my way.  What have the trouble-makers done this time?”

Scott gave her a brief rundown, interspersed with varying levels of protest from each brother as it reached their turn.  By the time he was done, the woman was inside the house, regarding all five of them.

Three faces were starting to quail.  Alan in particular looked on the verge of tears, but no teenage rebellion was stopping Virgil being a Grandma’s boy and even Gordon had a healthy respect for her tongue.  John continued to look far too smug, and Scott’s internal alarm bells were ringing.

Still, Grandma was here now. Grandma would sort his brothers out and Scott could get a blissful half hour – maybe even an hour, if he was lucky – without some sort of sibling drama.

“Well, I’m not seeing any problems here.”

What.

Grandma walked straight up to Virgil and started plucking at his jacket, deftly dodging the metallic spikes as she adjusted it on his shoulders.  “When I was your age, it was all pink.  Pink leather, pink hotpants.”  She winked in Scott’s direction and the urge to scream bubbled up in his chest.  “I dyed my hair to match.”

At least his brothers seemed to be as dumbstruck as him about that, even if Scott was watching his last bastion of support crumble before his eyes.

“Your Grandpa had the most amazing Harley,” she continued.  “Ooh, what a beauty.  Such a smooth ride.  He really knew how to treat a girl, your Grandpa.”

Nope.  Absolutely nope.  Scott needed brain bleach, and an escape from the madhouse, preferably before he screamed.

With a hoarse yell that was only a yell, and not a scream at all, he yanked the front door open, all but ran through it, and slammed it so hard a shingle slid from the roof.

He stared at it for a moment before surging into a run, past the garage and that damn trike, over the front gate, and headed straight for… who cared, as long as it was away. Right then, the house could collapse or burn to the ground for all he really cared.

Scott tried to be tolerant, he tried to be fair to all of his brothers, but sometimes it was just too much to handle.

***

“Scott?”

He’d ended up sitting in a tree after running all through the woodland until his legs burned.  Apparently, that wasn’t enough to stop his grandmother finding him when she wanted to.

“Are you ready to come home, dear?” she called up.  He sighed and let his head thud against the trunk.

“Am I going to be ganged up on by my brothers over stupid things if I do?” he asked.  “Because I think I’ve had enough of that.”

“Your brothers and I had a nice long chat, and we’ve put some new house rules in place,” she told him. “Gordon has agreed no more rallies and Alan no longer wants his hair dyed.”

“And Virgil and John?” he asked warily.

“Virgil has agreed not to provoke Gordon any more, but you two need to talk about policing each other’s clothes, young man.”  Scott winced. “As for John, he knows he went too far, but just like with Virgil, you are going to have to talk to each other like the reasonable young men you are.”  There was no reproach in her tone, but Scott felt scolded all the same.

He didn’t want to go home, but if Grandma was promising no more carnage…  Scott could never bring himself to leave his brothers for too long.  Reluctantly, he eased himself out of the tree, swinging from the last branch to the ground below.

“I know you don’t like what Virgil’s done to his hair,” Grandma said, looping her arm through his. “But remember it’s his hair, not yours.”

“It’s not that,” Scott admitted.  “He can do what he wants with it; it’s that trike.  He can’t wear a helmet with his hair all spiked up like that!”

“Then you should tell him that’s why you disapprove.”  Grandma was, as always, full of logic.  “None of you boys can read minds, you know.  You have to talk to each other.”

“I know,” Scott sighed. “Sorry, Grandma, I messed up.”

“You’re just worried about them.”  She squeezed his arm fondly.  “They’ll appreciate it when they’re older.”

“Will they?”

“They’re not the first teenage boys I’ve raised,” she reminded him.  “There’s nothing you and your brothers have done that your father and uncle Lee didn’t do already.”

“…Even the punk mohawk?”

“I still have the photos.”

[scribbles97]

Not Going Anywhere

Entirely inspired by @godsliltippy ‘s fic The Job which is absolutely wonderful and everyone should go and read right now!

This scene grabbed hold of me and wouldn’t leave me alone so I hope you all enjoy some Pen and Ink Hurt/Comfort 

There had been so many scenarios running through her head, so many possibilities purely dependent on what they wanted. None of them good. 

Penelope had been working espionage long enough to know that the outcomes for third parties were rarely of concern to the primary party. She hadn’t needed the report from Scott, the copy of the demands from John, to know that Gordon had simply become an unfortunate pawn in their game. 

What was worse, it seemed that the thugs had nothing to lose. 

That was the whole reason for the scenario, a rescue gone wrong years ago. Lives lost that Gordon simply hadn’t been able to get to. A grudge formed for the trio that had lost everything else. 

Only idiots believed that money and power could make the hurt better. Only heartless brutes took their pain out on others. Only louts dares to mess with the Tracy’s and their family.

Penny knew from experience what happened when the video cut out, Gordon’s snide remarks and insistence that his family shouldn’t listen to the demands broken off mid sentence. He would never learn to keep his mouth shut, the man was too defiant, as wonderfully stubborn as any of his brothers. 

She only hoped he was stubborn enough to stay alive. 

Her heels were loud against the stone floor of the basement, but she didn’t care. There was a gun in her hand and more than enough bullets to go around. 

Scott and Jeff had tried to insist on the diplomatic approach, but the look in their eyes had only been half hearted at the thought of one of their own being in danger. It was an option, she knew, wait for the captors to call once more, make more demands and work them down. She had tried and tested it herself, but she knew that even she didn’t always get her way. 

There had never been a call back.

She and Kayo had taken the initiative, slipped out when the number of days had become too many and the risk had spiked. The others would follow them, they both knew. There would no doubt be words later on, fear and anger merging into a singular emotion and she would be the target. How dare she defy orders from both her boss and the Commander, and risk a brother and a son’s life.

Except, Gordon wasn’t just Scott’s brother. 

And he wasn’t just Jeff’s son.

The ring on her finger had grown comfortable in the months it had been there. No longer was it new and unfamiliar. She still wasn’t entirely convinced that Parker hadn’t had a hand in picking it, the shape and size of the stones just too perfect. 

She loved Gordon. 

And dammit, she was going to marry him. 

A crack split the still, damp air, jolting her from her thoughts. 

Ahead of her a man dropped to the floor. 

Next to her, Kayo lowered her gun, green eyes darkened in the low light as she glared across at Penny. 

Letting out a slow, controlled breath, she nodded back, both acknowledgement and thanks. Kayo was right, it might be Gordon they were there for, but she couldn’t afford to be distracted. 

A yell from up ahead had them both straightening. 

“It seems they heard us.” 

“Must be headed in the right direction then.” Kayo smiled, raising her gun again, “Shall we?”

Both slipped further along the hall, pausing against the wall before it rounded the corner. Footsteps were nearing, hurried and heavy, rushing towards a danger neither of the two men were expecting as Kayo rounded the corner and deftly silenced them both. 

Penelope wasn’t foolish enough to hope that the door half way along the next corridor was the one they were after. Life was rarely so straightforward and helpful. It was only right to check though, despite the suspicion in her gut. 

That the handle moved freely when she tried it only aroused the suspicion. 

“Back for mo-- oh.”

She hadn’t needed to hear his words to know he would have been willing to fight anyone that stepped through the door. Despite his hands bound behind his back and anchored to a point on the wall, despite the way he was favouring his left leg, despite the eye already swollen shut. 

“Gordon.” 

He wobbled as she crossed the space to him, hands catching his bloodied arm as he began to sink towards the floor, supporting him as he eased down. 

“Hey,” He swallowed, “Pen.” 

She hushed him, brushing damp hair back from his eye as she frowned at the gash on his temple. 

“You really must stop doing this to me, darling.” 

A deft flick of the knife from her boot and the bonds at his wrists were broken, freeing him. His head dropped forward, breaths coming deeper as his weight became heavier against her side. 

“‘M s’rry,” he breathed, one hand seeking out hers, “P’n, I--” 

Her lips were light against the dried blood on his scalp as her hand sought out his. He was alive, and that was the main thing. Alive and talking was better than so many of the other options that had rushed through her mind. 

He shivered against her, eyes screwing tighter shut with the involuntary movement. She wasn’t surprised he was cold, the basement was damp and let in none of the heat from the air above ground. It was instinct to shrug off her jacket, shifting and adjusting until it was around his shoulders. 

“Th’nks.” 

She wished she could do more, fix some of what was obviously hurting as he took another shuddering breath. It was the curse of running ahead, of having the ability to be the first on the scene where others couldn’t. 

And it never got any easier. 

“It’s the first door you come to,” Kayo was murmuring into her comm, “I’ve cleared the rest of the basement.”

“Hear that?” Penny murmured as she wrapped her arm around his shoulders, pulling him as close as she could, “Virgil will be here in a moment. He’ll get you something for the pain.” 

The grip of his hand on hers was weak, but obvious as his fingers twitched. 

“Th’nks for comin’ to ge’ me,” he whispered, “You’ll st’y righ’?” 

Her fingers skimmed rightly over the too pale skin of his cheek as she forced a smile. He didn’t remember last time, he might have been told vague stories, but he hadn’t consciously been there. He didn’t know how she had lingered. How she had hovered on the edge of everything, so close but still so far away. 

The ring on the finger of the hand he was holding very much changed that. 

“I’m not going anywhere, darling.” She murmured, cupping his cheek with her free hand, “But I need you to stay awake, please?” 

His frown was deep as he nodded, pain and exhaustion clearly bearing their weight on him. 

“Look at me,” She demanded gently, “Gordon.”

Hazed amber did as she asked, flicking up in a way that suggested he wasn’t perhaps altogether there as he watched her. 

“I am so proud to call you my fiancee, Gordon Cooper Tracy.” 

And she meant it. She had stood by and watched the boy become a man, seen him push through any and all obstacles in his way, had fallen for him in the same way he had fallen for her. At his worst she had picked him up, but that had been all she could do as he fixed himself and fought for recovery. 

So much he had seen, but still so young, and always so happy. 

His one eye that wasn’t swollen shut brightened at her words, his hand finding a renewed strength as he held on to hers. 

“Love you P’n.”

“Gordon!” 

Just like that the moment was broken, older brothers invading their space with medscanners and rushed words of worry. Her hand stayed though, even as he was pulled away from her side and onto the stretcher, she kept her hand in his. 

That time, she definitely wasn’t going anywhere.

[gumnut-logic]

Dad (or Five times Alan’s brothers carried him to bed and one time they didn’t) (Part 5, Bit 1)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 - Bit 1, Bit 2 | Part 5 - Bit 1

This is all @flyboytracy​​​​ ‘s fault.:P ::hugs:: From this post

Okay, these bits are getting too long for me to write them in one go, so have Bit 1 of Part 5. I’m getting there, I promise. I’m trying my best not to be distracted by the Avengers AU that is nibbling on my brain.

Many thanks to @katblu42​ who did a wonderful read through, and to all of you who have been so kindly supportive of this fic and all my crazy over the last few days. I get frustrated towards the end of the week as I do longer hours on Thursdays and Fridays and it kills off my writing time (my new working hours have destroyed my writing practise, hence my slowness of late).

But anyway, I babble. I hope you enjoy this fic :D

-o-o-o-

There were repercussions, of course.

Grandma enforced extra downtime on Virgil and literally smothered both him and Alan in hugs.

Alan’s hair was messed up repeatedly.

John was called down from orbit to provide backup for piloting Thunderbird Two in case Four was needed. It wasn’t like he could just skip to and from orbit without health issues, so down was down for some time.

Grandma ran overwatch for the few rescues that were unavoidable and Virgil grumped around the house complaining that he was fine only to get a dose of vertigo and nearly fall down the nearest set of stairs to demonstrate exactly how not fine he actually was.

A grounded Virgil was a grumpy Virgil.

A Virgil banned from the hangars was hell itself.

Alan worried about him. Scott well and truly piloted the worry wagon, but Alan was definitely a passenger. In short, there were a frustrating few days for all of them.

But Virgil eventually returned to his old self as symptoms faded away. Grandma was convinced eventually to put him back on rota, with one requirement.

That leave for all of them be scheduled in the near future.

Scott automatically protested, followed by Virgil who thought it was all his fault. John whined about being down from Five - he hadn’t been allowed back yet.

Gordon was awfully quiet about the whole thing, but Alan was happy. It had been ages since he had had all his brothers home at once and no one was on sick leave, injured or otherwise incapacitated. And while he was fully aware of the implications of IR being offline, he did feel that the world owed him a brotherly vacation.

Since Grandma’s word was law on Tracy Island, that is exactly what happened three weeks later.

The delay was a chance for Virgil to get back up to speed and full recovery so he could actually enjoy the leave without fretting that Two hadn’t had her x amount of servicing since he had been injured. It also gave them time to prepare for time off - alert the GDF, tie John to something bolted to the planet so he could enjoy being on the planet for his leave, and prep Tracy Industries to be minus one eldest brother.

What they should do with their time off was also mandated by Grandma. She knew Alan’s brothers far too well. She claimed she wanted to keep them all together before the billionaires could scamper off to their far distant corners of the planet.

Or hide in the hangars doing Tracy Industries work. Yes, Scott, I know what you are planning.

Scott truly could throw a pout more than any of them, even Alan.

So this holiday found them in the Daintree rainforest in northern Australia. There was argument that they should go to Rome, England or even Belize, but Grandma determined that they needed both isolation and people, and their luxury treehouse was familiar enough for relaxation and different enough for a change of scenery.

And privacy. So much privacy, yet the opportunity to mingle with civilisation if it was wanted.

Virgil, of course, took the opportunity to visit every art gallery in Cairns and purchase a number of works to support many artists.

It was his thing.

Not really Alan’s thing, though.

Gordon took off for a few days on the remains of the Great Barrier Reef, checking on a few projects he was sponsoring. Alan tagged along on a couple of them.

So much fish.

While Alan loved his brother beyond belief, he did not have a marine biologist’s degree and despite being awed by all the sights, Alan lost his big brother in the land of excited science.

Virgil tagged along on one of the trips and did his usual thing of nodding and understanding as Gordon bounced on the spot in excitement.

But Alan…he saw the value, knew what was at stake, and loved that his brother was enjoying himself…but it was boring. He saw enough fish and crabs at home. They all looked the same to him.

And the sharks. Gordon could keep all of them to himself, thank you very much.

Alan did spend some great time gaming. With Five in the sky, there was no such thing as lack of internet or any other connection for that matter.

Though both Scott and John were grumpy about the fact they couldn’t connect with certain servers.

In fact, it was Scott and John who prompted Grandma to send them on a full day’s hike to some remote beach. Surprisingly, Scott showed some enthusiasm. John, not so much, but was persuaded by the fact they could camp on said beach and see the stars just in time for a forecast meteor shower.

Alan jumped at that. Actual time stargazing with his star brother? Sure, it was Earth based, but still!

So it was with some excitement that Alan joined their little party.

What he didn’t realise was how much of a hike Grandma had sent them on.

Virgil made sure they packed everything they needed…everything. Somewhere along the line, Alan got the distinct feeling his big brother had forgotten that they weren’t taking Two with them.

His pack was okay for the first twenty minutes of walking through rainforest, but after that, it got heavier and heavier.

How far away was this stupid beach anyway? While he appreciated the need for fitness, Alan much preferred rocket power to foot power.

“You okay there, squirt?” Kind brown eyes stared down at him. Virgil was ever monitoring all of them like some medical radar.

“I’m good.” Bravado was needed, don’t show weakness. His brothers were heroes after all. He definitely had a benchmark to live up to.

Scott glanced back at him and smiled. It was like approval. So Alan straightened and reset his tolerance a little higher.

It lasted another half an hour.

They had just made it up a hill and were walking along a ridge. Gordon exclaimed at the sight of the ocean.

And Alan groaned at exactly how far away it was. “How much further?”

Scott smiled. “Only a few kilometres. You okay, Allie?”

None of his brothers were showing any sign of wear much less tear. Even Virgil, the recently injured and healed seemed absolutely fine.

Alan sighed internally. “Yeah, I’m good. Just wondering.”

Scott stopped and waved their brothers past him until he reached Alan. A hand landed on his shoulder, a slight frown over his big brother’s blue eyes. “You sure you’re okay?” He stared at Alan’s pack. “Not too heavy?”

Now all four brothers had concerned eyes on him. Aww, man.

He shook his brother’s hand off. “I’m fine, Scott.” He was as good as any of them. He was a Tracy after all.

That thought had him storming past all of them and a fair distance ahead.

That, of course, made things worse, because now he was in the lead and all four brothers could see his every move. Trailing towards the back he had been able to at least dawdle a little.

Not now. He had to push on and be the hero he always wanted to be.

Who knew being a hero would be so exhausting.

By the time they made it to the beach his legs were only so much jello. Staring at the white sands and beautiful turquoise water…water that they couldn’t swim in because this was northern Australia and everything in there would either bite, sting or drag you to your death. Why the hell were they here again?

A slap on his backpack nearly sent him sprawling. “Watch it there, squirt, you look like you want to face plant in that sand right there. I wouldn’t. It’s a bit warm.” Gordon grinned at him, his face lit up by the sun above the trees behind them.

“Shut it, Gordon.” Alan waddled forward on the soft sand a moment, before darting past his fish brother and dumping himself beneath a palm tree.

For a moment he longed for Tracy Island’s Pohutukawa trees. This place was as tropical as their Island, but different in every other way.

The snakes and spiders for two specific terrifying things.

He had to admit to himself that only his pack was holding him upright.

This, of course, attracted Virgil like a fly to honey, those eyes of his scanning Alan just like the multiple medscanners his big brother had most definitely packed.

How much did one of those things weigh anyway?

“Allie?” Soft and gently inquisitive.

“I’m fine!”

That earned him an arched eyebrow.

Great. Now Virgil would be hovering for the rest of the night.

Alan was fine. Just sweaty and tired. The weather was just that little bit different. More land, less ocean breeze, he guessed.

And a damn long hike. He should have known it would be. Scott was renowned for forgetting not all his brothers had his length of stride.

Except maybe John.

“Allie?” A finger lifted up his chin and Virgil’s frown had turned serious.

Alan grunted at him and shook his head loose from his brother’s grip.

“You have a rest here while we put up the tent.” Virgil was stepping back, but still eyeing Alan like his brother might faint on the spot. “Get yourself a drink.”

“FAB.” He wasn’t going to argue with that. Didn’t think he had the energy to put up a tent anyway.

Virgil was still eyeing him, likely to get that drink for him if Alan didn’t move. But Alan did and Virgil slowly made his way back to Scott. Quiet words were had and pertinent looks made in his direction. Alan rolled his eyes.

And yanked the pack off his back and dragged out his water bottle.

He had to admit the cool fluid down his throat was absolute pleasure.

Stashing his pack behind him, he lay back and took advantage of the fact he had permission to sit on his butt.

It was cooler under the palm tree out of the sun. The sounds were familiar, breeze rattling through fronds above, his brothers’ voices, led by Scott as they deployed to get the tent set up, gentle waves on the shore. He closed his eyes.

The birds were different, but only marginally. He relaxed into the soft sand, putting his drink bottle down beside him.

So much like home.

He was asleep before he could even consider it.

-o-o-o-

“Alan.” His voice was whispered, but sharply. Scott?

“Alan!”

“Don’t startle him!”

Virgil?

Alan rolled over, uncomfortable with his neck at a weird angle.

Something rumbled and poked sharply at his side.

He swiped at it and it bit him, hooking a finger painfully.

That woke him up ever so quickly. His eyes shot open to something big with scaly legs and a blue head. He didn’t bother to give it identification as it bit at him again. He scrambled away while his brothers yelled and shouted from a distance.

The giant bird, because it was an awfully big bird, startled as Scott skidded in between Alan and the very non-extinct dinosaur. Because what kind of bird has a big chunk of bone sticking out of its forehead.

Scott grabbed Alan’s backpack and held it up between himself and the giant bird. “Alan back up slowly.” His big brother stepped backwards on the sand and forced Alan to scramble to his feet and do as he said.

The bird took a step forward, eyes staring at the brothers.

Scott and Alan took a step back.

TBC

[niall-the-churchboy]

Just Like Family pt3 ~Harry Styles

In which he breaks her heart.

Warnings: Swearing?

Word Count: 2.7k

A/n: Here’s part three, I honestly thought I could end it here but as I was writing it I knew I at least needed a new part. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy and thank you for all the support! Happy reading!

Pt 1   Pt2

--------------------------

“Ugh, I feel like such a moron”, Y/n buried her face on a pillow as she laid down on her bed, Tracy’s face big on her computer screen. 

Y/n had ruined it once again, it had to be illegal to be so awkward, she quite literally pushed him out of her house! Oh no... Harry’s confused expression was engraved in her head forever, his pinpoint onyx black pupils stared at her; his cheeks flushed with embarrassment asking himself what he had done wrong?, his big frame leaning down with sadness because once again she was pushing him out. This was terrible, might as well have the earth swallow her. 

A frustrated sigh slipped out of her lips as she sat back straight, “Tracy? Why aren’t you assuring me that everything will be okay?”

Tracy rubbed her face with her hands and Y/n suddenly remembered that the clock was about to strike midnight, “Well, do you want me to lie?” Hearing Tracy’s teasing words only made Y/n sink further between her covers -- she had really, really fucked it up.

“Tracy, what in the world am I going to do?”, her voice sounded exasperated and she felt an anxious tangle forming at the pit of her stomach. This was truly her biggest nightmare -- at least it felt like it. 

“Well, maybe start by telling me why you pushed him away”, the slumber in Tracy’s voice was clear, but if Y/n needed help she would stay up all night trying to calm her down and give her a new perspective. After all, that's what best friends are for and Y/n had done far more extreme things for Tracy. 

Y/n reflected on the question, why had she pushed him away? Now, the whole scene seemed like it had happened days ago and as she tried to remember everything became blurry. But one feeling was clear, it would release a tickling sensation all over Y/n’s stomach, make her heart swell with giddiness, and she would simply feel content -- happy even. Why did Harry trigger these sensations in her body? That she didn’t know, but it sure scared Y/n to her core. He could laugh and it would replay constantly in her mind, wanting to hear it every second of every day; he smiled, dimples forming at the sides of his rosy lips, and the visuals would engrave in her mind; he could simply stare at her, those forest green eyes that loved to shine endlessly and were like urgent hands that pulled you in to never let go, the thing is Y/n didn't want to go anyway. 

“I - ”, Y/n’s voice cracked, “I don’t know... He just looks at me and it feels like - like everything else disappears”, she tried to explain without thinking about it as much given that she felt tears prickling in her eyes. “It’s just me lost inside his eyes, and I know - I know that I should pull away but I just can’t”, Y/n hated the way she sounded, with all this weird feelings that were cheesy and childish, “and I think I don’t want to pull away either.”

This was a problem -- not being able to control her emotions -- she knew that if he wanted she would surrender to his feet, melt in his stare until she was nothing but a dirty puddle at the corner of the street. 

“And you’re scared?”, it was more of a confirmation than a question, but Y/n nodded anyway, “scared of what? Your feelings?”

“Of everything, tracy”, Y/n tried to gulp down a knot that had formed in between her throat, “of what he can do to me, of the way butterflies come alive when I see him, of how my heart skips a beat when he talks to me and how my legs shake even though I try to keep them as still so he won’t notice.” deep down she knew it was a matter of time until she lost her own battle against her heart’s wish. 

---------------------

Y/n had barely slept at all, she kept falling into a dreamy state where she hallucinated chasing down a beautiful green-eyed bunny through the woods, eventually losing herself in-between branches and leaves with the dim light of moon above her, only to jolt awake and find herself in her room once again. After the third time the dream began tedious, her mind playing repetitive games on her, so she decided to stay awake until her alarm went off. 

Entering through the school’s glass doors she frowned when Tracy practically yanked her out of the hall and into the bathroom, not even giving her time to greet her. “Wha - ?!”

“Shh”, Tracy placed a finger against Y/n’s lips, her eyes looked nervous and her lips were pressed in a thin line. She closed the door and sighed, “don't talk, we’re staying here.”

“What? Why? No”, Y/n protested hosting her backpack higher on her shoulders before trying to push Tracy out of the door, eventually giving up, “Tracy, I’m serious. I have History in the first period and you know how Mr. Hanks hates when his students come late to class.” Tracy shook her head already decided to hide whatever she thought needed to be hidden, Y/n sighed tiredly. “At least tell me what’s going on? What are we hiding from?”  

“I can’t, I need to -”, Tracy was pushed to the side, eventually forcing her to move from the way given that people outside wanted to enter the bathroom. They were two girls from their grade that smiled sweetly at both Tracy and Y/n before walking to the sink and fixing their hair. Y/n observed how Tracy’s eyes would skip between hers to the girls back, a tense look on her face and her shoulders straighter than usual. 

Y/n had begun to grow suspicious when one of the girls gossiped with the other, “Did you see how Harry kissed Sofia? Ugh. They are so cute! I can only wish to have a boyfriend like Styles.” 

Tracy’s eyes grew huge and Y/n could almost feel her heart breaking into two pieces, her hands falling to her sides as a helpless gasp escaped her lips. 

“I know, right? But they are totally getting detention after locking themselves inside a classroom”, the other one replied completely oblivious to Tracy and Y/n behind her. 

Y/n’s breath started to hitch and the bathroom seemed to be shrinking. She had to get out of there, fast. She pushed the door opening, Tracy not even daring to stop her, and as she walked with quick steps to her locker she felt the itching in her eyes, the anguish knotting up on her throat and the impossible task to breathe. 

Her hands shook uncontrollably as she tried to open her locker, but then she realised her head was so messed up she was putting the wrong numbers. An exasperated groan escaped between her teeth as she forcefully tried to open her stupid locker, throwing her books inside when it finally opened. She could squeeze herself in, bring her legs to her chest and lock herself in, it seemed like the best way to avoid the blurry tears that were already forming in her eyes, the hard pain in her upper chest and the feeling of emptiness in her stomach. 

She had let herself be fooled again, and even though she was sure to be trying everything in her power to avoid a situation like this, here she was with a broken heart that she would have to fix again piece by piece, little by little. The worst part was that she didn’t even regret it, she would do it ten times again if it meant to have Harry by her side, laughing at her dumb jokes and implying if she wanted to be his friend. 

Friend. Even the word felt bittersweet, but it was greater than what Y/n thought Harry and her could ever achieve. 

That’s a lie, she squeezed her eyes shut because she knew fairly well she was lying. She lived in daydreams where her and Harry would share kisses on cheeks; cheesy pet names; warm embraces that would be ten times as efficient than a thick sweater; where he would come looking for her and kiss the tip of her nose; she’d imagined his arms warped around her when she laid in bed with soft sobs coming from her mouth and a runny nose. She lived in a dream created by no other but herself, and she wished, wished hard that she was the one kissing his soft lips instead of Sofia. 

“To my office, now!” the principal’s harsh voice could be heard through the hall, and the cheers and jokes were inevitably loud too. The white-haired man walked next to Y/n with a dead look in his face, both Sofia and Harry following close behind. His eyes had a tint of mischief in them and his lips were surely red and swollen, he was able to catch Y/n red eyes for a mere second before she turned around and hid her face in her locker. Only when a tear damped her blue sweater did she notice she was crying. 

----------------------------

The day passed slowly, every second feeling longer than the one before and the constant reminder to pay attention from professors. Y/n wanted to tell them she was trying -- harder than anyone, really -- but her head and her heart were not coping at all. 

Avoiding Harry seemed harder than ever, it seemed that every turn she made he would be there walking by or chatting with a friend. His arrogant ass was able to leave the office with just a warning -- perk of being the school’s it boy -- and he was quick to joke with his friends about the whole situation. However, every time he locked eyes with her -- obviously just for a split moment before she practically ran away -- his whole expression would change to one Y/n wasn't sure what they expressed. 

Her eyes stayed puffy and red for the whole day, and when friends and classmates asked if something was wrong, she would just shake her head with a fake smile and keep her head low. By the end of the day Tracy was trying to convince her to go out for coffee, maybe bake some cookies and eat them as they watched an episode of whatever Y/n was feeling like watching, but all Y/n really wanted to do was crawl back to bed and sleep for days. 

“Y/n? I saw you crying -”, his voice stung and all she could really do was close her eyes and try to drown it out. 

“Please, Harry, if you really want to help you should leave”, Tracy said before he could place a warm hand on Y/n shoulder. Tracy’s voice was cold and almost disapproving, but she had to do it for Y/n’s sake. Harry frowned, confused, but nevertheless he turned around and left. 

“So, yes to the cookies?”

-----------------------------

Harry was confused, he didn’t know what exactly had gone wrong and why all of a sudden Y/n was completely ignoring him. 

They were alright, good even, he was finally starting to grow a relationship with Y/n and that seemed to brighten his days. They were friends -- at least he thought so -- she would smile brightly at him and he would feel his stomach flutter with happiness, he’s not going to deny he practically jumped of joy when the math’s teacher put them together for the pair’s project, and it wasn't because he would avoid the older students -- he had a good relationship with them -- but because the idea of spending more time with Y/n somehow gave him hope. 

Hope of what exactly? He wasn’t sure.

He was feeling confident, the sun was shining warmer and he knew the path to Y/n’s house by hard -- he enjoyed watching her go with a cheerful smile as she waved her friends goodbye --, Mrs/ L/n had brought them some god-sent sweet cookies and even though the math problems were hard, having Y/n beside him took out the boredom of the task. 

They were laughing, joking even, and then, as quick as their friendship had emerged, she quite literally closed the door on his face. 

Having Sofia by his side again helped drown the feeling of disappointment, by now it was almost clear Y/n didn't want him as his friend, and even though he did feel guilty for dragging Sofia into his whole emotional mess, it was the only way he knew how to cope with it. He did act abruptly, spotted Sofia with some friends and went with quick and decisive steps, then, he cupped her face with both his hands and kissed her lips. Even though he knew it was wrong, Harry was sure Sofia would take him back, and that way they would both compromise, Sofia would be with him and he would be able to distract himself from those kind eyes that literally made his world shake. 

But then, he saw he cry. Her eyes were glossy and red, her mouth swollen and her nose had the tiny hint of blush that only meant she was indeed crying. Harry could barely contain himself, he wanted to run up to her and ask what was wrong, inquire who had hurt her, and try -- maybe he could -- to break a smile on her face. 

He was able to leave the office with just a warning, they needed him for the Saturday’s game and a red admonition would prevent that from happening, and to say he sprinted in the search for Y/n is not enough. He crossed paths with her a few times that day, put she would quickly turn around and walk away, it was almost as if she was avoiding him, he later got his confirmation when Tracy asked him to leave. 

“Please, Harry, if you really want to help you should leave”, the words stung, not because they were hard and almost angry-like, but because Y/n didn’t even dare to look at him. 

And then he wished she hadn't. The next day he woke up with an encouraging feeling, he was going to talk with Y/n, but to his bad fortune, she missed school that Wednesday. He was sure something was wrong, besides, Tracy looked at him like she was containing the need to kill him. His shoulders shrunk on Thursday morning when he noticed she wasn’t there either, but then, as he was finishing lunching with Sofia by the hall, a tired figure walked through the school’s glass doors. He knew Sofia had noticed the way his posture stood straighter as he hesitated in greeting her, but it didn't matter because Y/n didn’t glance at him. 

He waited until the end of the day, she was packing her things by her locker, throwing thick books inside her backpack and only one earphone in, it seemed like the perfect moment. 

“Y/n?”, he approached her with hesitant steps, “Hi.” She kept on zipping her backpack and pushing the door of the locker close, she was ignoring him and each second he grew more desperate. 

“Y/n, is everything okay?”, he insisted, “you seem off.” His attempts were useless, and he was about to let it go when he saw her hand fidgeting. “Y/n, please, tell me what’s wrong”, he cupped her hands and noticed how cold they were, “I just want to help. Maybe we can go finish the math project and I can try to cheer you up?”

That made her look at him, but he wished it hadn’t. Her eyes were dull and hard, a disgusted expression in her face that made him take a step back as she pulled her hands away from him. “I think it’s best if we finish it alone”, harsh, almost cruel, so different from her usual sweet and gentle voice. 

She left before he had time to redeem himself, and it felt like his legs were going to give out. 

----------------------

Oof it looks like Harry really fucked up. We’ll just have to wait for part numero cuatro :)

Part 4 is here

Masterlist is here

[vegetacide]

Veggie art’ing Part II complete…  This is a continuation of THIS 

Also for something a bit new as I had several notes asking what was going on with the previous pic I wrote a little something to accompany this.  It took a rather unexpected direction on me as I had ordinally intended for this to be a reconciliation picture..   Just were my mind veered for some reason.. I blame these two idiots…

I have spent far too long plunking away at this so bare with me if its absolutely crap. 

Anyway.. if you wish to read it.. look check out below 

Working title: …haven’t come up with one yet.. meh. Sue me

Blanket warning: Hints to adult subject matter that some might find offensive or triggery..mentions of past trama…. etc etc

Rating: Teen.. I guess

Word count: 2726 words 

Characters: Virgil/Kayo

Fandom: TaG’verse A/U

Location: My made up beach house located somewhere on Tracy Island..  

Veggie notes:   Any errors are completely my own and I am sure I will catch them at some point on one of my obsessive read throughs of self doubt.  :D

Enjoy…

o0o 

Damn, how in the world had it come to this? 

Virgil watched as she padded on quiet, bare feet across the beach house deck.  Retreating again and effectively shutting him out.  Her slender shoulders so small under the too big flannel of his shirt, were hunched as she protectively wrapped her arms around herself. Closing off like she always did when things got too close and too real for her to deal with. 

His chest hurt, a dull ache behind his breast bone and he rubbed at it subconsciously.  Like his heart was too big and in its floundering it was trying to break through the meager sack of flesh that housed it.

Cursing, he rubbed at it again and resisted the urge to drive his fist in the plastered wall of the beach house.  The effort wouldn’t serve any meaningful purpose anyways other than splitting his knuckles. There was no detracting from his present circumstances and potential broken bones wouldn’t change that. 

He should have taken more care with his words instead of letting his thoughts run free as he did and he kicked himself for his short sightedness,  not that it fixed anything.  He’d been too caught up in his own little world,  completely forgetting the reality they were living and now here they were. 

On opposing ends of a vast chasm.  Him holding on with all his might to keep his family whole while Kayo fought against it. The horrible twisted image of family that a mad man had imprinted on her at too young an age warping her view on things to the detriment of them both.    An idea she had been fighting her whole life to make different and one she couldn’t escape, it seemed no matter how hard they tried to.  

The old doubts and worries were always just beneath the surface just waiting to spring forth to bugger things up. The present being a prime example.  

The morning had started out completely different and felt almost like a dream to where they were now.   Warm and lazy with a vague like quality one found just upon waking.   

Kayo had been snuggled in his arms. Her legs tangled with his among the rumpled sheets. A sweet ocean breeze blowing through the gossamer curtains and dancing pleasantly over their satiated bodies.  Wicking the dew of sweat from their skin as their pulses slowed and their minds drifted back from the bliss of carnal sensation. 

His fingers had been lazily tracing up and down her back, over the sinewy grace of her shoulders and down the curve of her spine. Paying homage and mapping every glorious inch to his artist brain. 

He’d been lost in a day dream of what could be. The gentle rise of her hip, the varied valleys of her ribs  directing the course of his thoughts.  A picture was forming of a future, one that stretched out before them like a blank canvas, waiting for them to take up the brush and fill it with colour and life. 

A story in images had started to sketch itself  in his mind’s eye.  The two of them, together.  Healing, growing and evolving with a world of opportunity before them and nothing to hold them back. 

Not being able to contain himself as he lazed with her, Virgil had voiced his thoughts. Letting loose all that he’d hoped for.   A tumble of words spewing forth that had Kayo suddenly growing still and stiff to his touch. 

“Virgil,  stop…”  Had been all she’d uttered before she’d turned from his embrace and slipped from the soft comfort of their bed.  Her hair a tumble of love tousled ebony, hiding her face. 

“It would be a nice picture to paint.”  He’d replied, mind still on other things and not on the present.   “Go anywhere, wherever we want.  Take in the sights for a change instead of just jetting by them.  Go to that little cabin by that lake I told you about… it would be a perfect spot to..”

“Enough! …” The abruptness of her raised voice had him snapping his jaw shut.  

With jerking motions, she’d grabbed up his shirt.  The match to his favourite pair of lounge pants.   The one she loved to cozy into and entice him with. A glimpse of flesh here as it rode up her thighs, a flash there as supple mounds peaked out between the row of loosed buttons. Now though it covered her in a different manner entirely.  Like a shield, she clasped it tightly 

He’d pushed up to his elbows, brows dropped low with concern as he’d finally taken note that something wasn’t quite right..  “Kay?"  

She’d cast her gaze back at him then.  The briefest of looks had been enough for him to catch the shadow of disquiet in them.  Their usual vibrancy muddied by brewing clouds of anger that had him sliding from the sheets and reaching for her. 

“Don’t.” Was all she said, shaking her head as he’d risen and moved towards her.  Her hands held aloft to hold him back as she’d strode from the room.  

“What… Tin,  what’s going on?”  

Grabbing up his pants Virgil had stumbled after her, hopping as he yanked them on amid a  litany of colourful words. 

“Shit… Wait..”  

Steps later he was confronted by a fury he hadn’t expected considering where and what they had been doing mere moments before.  

She had been pacing like a caged animal,  across the expanse of the living room and back again.  Rage flowing from her with each hurried step. 

“What…?”  Was all he managed to say before she turned on him.  Fire in her gaze,  colour high on her cheeks.  

“You know what?”  She seethed, poking a finger in his direction as she did another circuit of the room.

He’s own anger bubbled to the surface,  “Actually, I don’t. So would you enlighten me to whatever erroneous infraction it is that you think that I’ve done?”  

“Oh, don’t give me that.  You know exactly what the problem is.”

Virgil’s brows shot up as her words had struck a chord in his grey matter. “Problem? You really think…”

“What in the hell were we thinking?!”  She growled out, shoving a chair out to the way and knocking it over with a crash. “Selfish..Stupid.”

“With the lives we lead….You can’t ask this of me!”   

Her words had been like a physical blow and Virgil had taken an involuntary step back. She’d wanted her words to hurt and she’d succeeded.  She never did pull her punches and her aim was as impeccable as ever.

He’d seen the realization of what she’d said flicker through her gaze but she’d quickly buried it. Instead of saying more, she shook her head, turned  her back on him once more and walked out the open sliding doors putting more than just distance between them. 

And he’d let her go,  his shoulders slumping at the writing between the lines of what had been said. In his mind there was only one option open to them but maybe for her that wasn’t the case. The implications of those options was something he couldn’t dare to fathom…but it was a road he wouldn’t let her travel down alone.  

He had a responsibility to uphold,  as  her husband and as the man he prided himself on being.  A rescuer in dark times, when there was no one else capable of the job and sometimes those that needed rescuing were closer to home.

Squaring his shoulders he went after her.  She was begging for a fight. An obvious distraction from the core reasoning behind her lashing out at him but he wouldn’t take her up on the invitation.   He wouldn’t let her push him away to deal with whatever this was on her own. 

Passing through the doors,  his eyes scanned over the deck and his breath had caught.   

She looked so small, fragile and it had brought him up short. Slumping,  he braced himself between a support post and the beach house wall.  An uncanny exhaustion suffusing him as he saw the uphill battle of the task ahead.  A task he was determined to see through to the end, no matter the outcome. 

He hated seeing her like this and despite her best efforts to push him away, Virgil knew her too well.  Had spent most of his life knowing her.  He could read her nuances, gestures and mood even when she tried to close off from him like she was trying to do now under a mask of anger.  

“Tin,”  He said carefully, dropping his hand and pushing away from the post.  He drew in a breath and let it out slowly, letting the tension slip from his shoulders.   Approaching her with all guns blazing would only crank her defenses up higher and wouldn’t get them anywhere.

He watched her stance with a practiced eye as he stepped closer.  She was like an abused animal.  Even with all of her training, when she was emotionally compromised as she was right now the scared little girl she had been came to the fore.  The one they met when she’d first came to live with them, hiding behind her father’s leg.   

He hadn’t known her history then,  the actions of her uncle and the effect that it would have on the rest of her life.  How it would shape her into the strong, determined woman she was today.  Never letting anyone get close enough to see the frightened child she closeted away inside.  Virgil though had managed to find his way inside,  found the cracks in her apparent impenetrable armour and had broken through to  the core of the woman inside.  The one she tried desperately to hide from the world in a shell of fierce resolve and purpose.  

Under it all was a woman, who had seen too much.  Abused, battered, basically orphaned by her absentee father and desperately afraid.  To top it all off, she hated the weakness and fought tooth and nail to hide it from everyone.  With the exception of him,  she didn’t have a choice there. He’d wormed his way in and he wouldn’t stand by and let her retreat from herself or from him.  

Gently he placed his hands on her tight shoulders,  cupping their slender, wavering strength and he whispered her name again.  “Tanusha…”  

Her head bowed further,  a meager attempt to hide in the fall of her hair but he could feel the quiver in her body now,  hear the soft stuttered intake of her breath.  She was crying and trying oh so hard not to be. 

Pain and love swelled through his chest, and an undeniable protectiveness.  

Virgil pulled her back into his embrace, encircling his arms around her waist and with little resistance she melted.  

“I’m sorry,”  He whispered over the curve of her ear,  brushing his lips across the elven-like arch of it.  “I’m so sorry.”  

He put all his love he could into the words, hoping that by apologizing for something he wasn’t wholly the cause of would help alleviate her suffering in some way. 

“I wasn’t thinking and it was insensitive of me.”  He tightened his hold on her,  reassurance imbued into the gesture and slowly began to rock giving her the time to pull herself back together again. 

The slight tremor slowly dissipated,  her breathing settling into a somewhat normal rhythm and he knew that she was ready to hear. More so when she dragged in a ragged breath and exhaled a long drawn out sigh. He could almost hear her counting to ten in her head.  A method she used to reign back in some of her control and a calm he knew well creeped back in. One that camouflaged a great deal of hurt. 

He did the same,  his warm breath stirring her hair and ghosting across the smooth column of her neck which peeked out from the drooping collar of his shirt.   

“You know we’ve got this, right?”  He questioned though he wasn’t expecting an answer.  “Yes,  he’s out…”  She stilled once more in his hold but Virgil couldn’t stop now,  Kayo needed to hear this even if it was just a band-aid to the problem.   He couldn’t sit by and let her lose herself in fear so he pushed on. There was too much at stake.

“Yes,  he’s upped his game in a big way.  Dad knew he was capable,  your Dad knew….” A flinch at the mention of the absentee man but again he pressed on.  There was no backing down now.  What he had to say, needed to be said.  

“We were unprepared but we know better now and I promise you, Tanusha Kyrano Tracy;  just like I did on the day you said ‘Yes’.. That I will never,  ever let that man hurt you again.”  

He slipped a hand down,  between the soft folds of flannel,  across her silky, soft skin that concealed honed muscle and deadly skills. Brushed the edge of fine lace and stilled, cupped and shielded that which was only known to the two of them.  

With strength of purpose his chest swelled,  a determination unlike any he had ever known bulked up the threat behind his next words.  “I’ll do everything in my power to protect both of you, I swear it or the Hood will regret the day he heard the name Tracy.”

She turned, taking his hand in her own and lightly brushing her lips across his knuckles. “You’re too good for me Virgil Grissom Tracy and I don’t deserve you.”  

The brief storm of anger has fled from her eyes, leaving behind only doubt and fear.  “But I don’t think it’s as easy as that. You’re too good a man to stoop to such levels and I don’t think I could live with myself if you made that sort of sacrifice on my behalf. 

Besides,  what sort of life could we offer with him out there.   He’s already been the cause of so much pain.  You and your brother’s have suffered for years because of it..I don’t think I would have the strength if he was to get you or….” 

Virgil’s frowned.  “Tin,  I married you.  All of you and everything you brought with you. I knew full well what I was marrying into but that man,  that bastard… he can’t come between us and what we want unless you let him.”  

Her gaze dropped and with gentle fingers he lifted her chin and waited for her to meet his pleading eyes.  “Don’t let him win… not in this. Please God, not in this.”  

“We may not have a choice…” Came the whisper of her response, her forehead resting against his own as a lingering tear slipped from her lashes. 

“Tin, please….”

“Virgil, I love you.  God, how I love you but I can’t tell you what you want to hear.  Not right now. If the Hood found out…. 

Just then the island klaxon blared  and Virgil’s comms started to ping with urgency.

Kayo took a step back from him and he stared after her. Brain going a mile a minute with words he wanted to say,  emotions he wanted to express.   

“Go…” She said with resignation, her arms once more crossing over her frame.   “You’re needed..” 

“I’m needed more here.”  

His comms buzzed again followed by the voice of his star loving sibling. “Virgil, you’re needed in Ops. A.S.A.P.  Please confirm.””  

Conflicted, Virgil stood unmoving,  his fist clenched at his side.   Trapped between the woman he loved and the life they’d chosen.  

“Go,  I’ll be here when you get back..”   

His brother’s voice sounded again from his comms, pulling him in two directions at once.  The hint of stress he picks up in it though had him unfreezing and heading for the underground access to the hanger.  

Passing through the automated door and hitting his comms to reply to John, he looked back at Kayo.  His heart sinking and doubt filling him as he watched her turn away from him.  

Uncertainty prickling across his skin as he questioned the validity of her words but there was nothing he could do right now.   Lives were at stack…more so than just those that needed rescuing and his hands were tied… 

“FAB John,  on my way…”

FIN….????

[starfleetdoesntfirefirst]

5 characters: Michael Burnham, Joann Owosekun, Jett Reno, Tracy Pollard, Katrina Cornwell

(Put 5 characters in my ask and I’ll put them in my preference order)

...WELL.

Going for blogger-specific custom challenge mode, I see. :>)

1) …Tracy Pollard. Leaving aside all headcanons, ships, and other fandom accoutrements, she’s just…she’s fantastic. If we didn’t tend, in Star Trek background characters, to see competence and compassion as lack of characterization rather than characterization in its own right, I maintain that Pollard would have the same kind of (admittedly tiny) loyal fandom following that, say, Landry does.

In addition to her competence and compassion, she’s able and willing to push back against condescending advice from a captain (it’s played for laughs, but Saru’s ‘do your best!’ is such a useless ‘order’ in a situation where sickbay is filling up with injured crew), and against unproven assumptions by a commanding officer (her iconic “You’re attaching a known medical diagnosis to an unknown entity” scene with Burnham). And, of course, there are all the complex layers of her response to that situation.

In other words, Tracy is urging caution, and potentially an adversarial viewpoint, towards the current threat to the lives of her crew—but doing so through a framework that suggests an underlying openness to observation, discovery, and resisting easy assumptions about the universe around her.

Reader, I love her.

2) Michael Burnham. Oh captain, my captain. Commander of my HEART. Cares so deeply for the people and the universe around her no matter how many times her ostensible family and friends hurt her, manipulate her, kill her, or otherwise put her in terrible situations (if she isn’t selfless enough, she’s a terrible person; if she is, she has a ~ridiculous martyr complex~ not that that might have anything to do with anyone else around here…) Mutinied an admiral to prevent a space genocide. Loving co-pet-parent to a giant cat. Thankfully not a real person in my life because her penchant for test-piloting fast space things is terrifying. ;_;

3) Jett Reno. Kept her crewmates alive on a crashed starship for a year. Grease monkey, duct tape enthusiast, and beloved nemesis to Paul Stamets who, let’s be honest, needs one. Tig Notaro might have been battling with the technobabble behind the scenes but her delivery of the technobabble lines she does have is never less than flawless. Wrangled a time crystal to help save all life in the universe. Named “Jett Reno.” What even is a zipper? Star Trek’s most quotable lesbian. It’s not food, it’s candy, it’s practically an accessory.

 4) Joann Owosekun. Cool, calm and collected ops officer of a ship careening around the mushroom multiverse across multiple millennia. Friend to robots. Likes tomatoes. Is in fourth place not really for any compelling reason other than it not really being in the spirit of the ask game to let her tie with the above three, though if I had to pick the reason that I personally would want to go get space coffee with her only slightly less than the others it would probably be onscreen canon Owosekun’s lack of scenes pushing back against Starfleet, commanding officer fuckery, or both—not so much re: Lorca, I wrote a whole Jola fic about not blaming oneself or others for not countering a manipulative, abusive authority figure in an isolated environment, but unlike Pollard-Burnham-Reno she hasn’t gotten a scene pushing back against Pike, Saru, Burnham, Vance, etc’s questionable or annoying moments. Yet. Not counting the “Take the tomato” deleted scene with Burnham, anyway.

SIKE I was writing some rambling tags about Owosekun and remembered that she went against her own upbringing to become a technology expert (even if she did so by joining Starfleet, booo to 23rd-century Starfleet) (we don’t really know how judgemental her family was or wasn’t about her technology interest, and frankly I hope not at all, but even if they supported her, that decision is still A Lot). Post amended accordingly.

(Honestly, the “Take the tomato” scene totally counts as well. Look, I was really grasping at straws here.)

5) Katrina Cornwell. The only easy choice (sorry, Admiral). If she wants to get away with attempted space genocide and still have a place in the Star Trek Characters section of my heart, she needs to at the very least be someone I’d enjoy a) smooching or b) going to a bowling alley with, and instead she mostly just reminds me of my least-favorite authority figures from high school.

[willow-salix]

Fluffember prompt: Rose

Day 11 of Isolation on Tracy Island 2.0 and I would like you all to know that, while Virgil was very nice to write my update for me yesterday, he’s also a complete liar. I did not fall asleep on the couch, I was watching the movie the whole time…

Anyway we all got up late today, since we didn’t get to bed until late and even then it hadn’t been easy to get to sleep. I’d woken up a few times but a quick look at the clock to estimate the amount of time I’d actually been asleep, coupled with a warm John to snuggle meant that I gave in to the lure of oblivion twice before I actually got up.

I felt like death, which was strange, because usually caffeine has little to no effect on me, I can only assume that the added stress of Alan hopped up on coffee beans was the catalyst to my zombie-like state. 

Alan, it transpired, was going through an even worse caffeine hangover than I was, at least I had a little resistance. He was groaning from his bedroom complaining of a headache and full body shivers. 

So yes, we were certainly feeling delicate and, even though I desperately wanted a coffee to wake me up enough to function I knew that it would probably be a bad idea. So there I was, sipping on a hot chocolate (I delivered one to Allie too), munching slowly on a corner of my toast and just hoping that the world would stop spinning today when Grandma came in.

“What are you planning on doing today?” she asked, not bothering to offer a greeting, no good morning, no hello, nothing. I glanced over at Scott who shrugged and sipped his tea ( he was avoiding coffee too, Virgil wasn’t but it takes a LOT to put that boy off his brown nectar).

“No plans,” I was forced to admit. I saw Scott shake his head sadly, like I’d just doomed myself. I obviously wasn’t on top of things today, my brain is mush.

“Good, then you can help me with some chores.” 

I resisted the urge to groan, looking over at the big bros for support…

“Huh, where did they go?” Grandma asked me.

“Unfortunately, I don’t know,” I sighed, gulping my cocoa and wishing it was something stronger and possibly alcoholic.

“Then I guess we’ll have to work twice as hard!”

 “Yes, Grandma.”

                    ***

“John,” I whispered into my comm as I hid in a corner of the library.

“Yes?” he popped up in his hologram form, not looking at me straight away, clearly distracted by whatever he was working on.

“I have a question.”

He turned to look at me. I saw him pause, his eyes darting around, taking in my surroundings.

“I have a question too, why are you hiding behind a curtain? Where even is that?”

“Library,” I settled back against the wall. Perched on the windowsill I was indeed hiding behind a curtain. “Grandma gave me a chore list.”

“Ah,” he said, not needing to add anything else, that said it all really. “You had a question?”

“Oh, yeah, I did.”

“What was it?”

“Oh, she's made me do three loads of laundry, I’ve dusted her ornaments, cleaned the two bathrooms, which is all I'm doing by the way, I’m not touching the ensuites, they’re on their own with them.”

“A wise decision,” he agreed, crossing his arms, leaning back on nothing, suspended in midair, showing he was in the comms sphere, clearly sensing that this would be a long story. There’s no rushing me when I’m trying to explain things, you just have to accept that you're along for the ride.

“I’ve helped her change the bedding in the guest rooms, why I have literally no clue, since no one can come and visit anyway and this is a secret base and it’s not like we do a lot of tours or anything…” I trailed off, seeing the raised eyebrow of doom on my boy. “What else did we do…” I mused, trying to think and hurry my thought process along. “Cleaned all the old food out of the fridge, vacuumed the lounge and now I’m here.”

“And why are you in there? Apart from hiding from more chores, obviously?”

“Because I needed to ask you what was going on.”

Was that an eye roll? I’m pretty sure it was. 

“Going on with what? You’re the one that was filling me in on your day.”

“What’s with the Grandma?”

“Grandma?”

“Yes, Grandma. I’ve been going from room to room, ticking things off her chore list but…”

“But what?”

“Babe, I hate to ask this, but is Grandma going a little…” I couldn’t say it out loud so I settled for the universal sign that is a finger twirl to the side of my head.

“Explain.”

“Babe, I don't usually question the wiseness of Grandma's logic but this time…well...she's got me watering plastic plants,” I whispered, making a conscious effort not to shout as I usually would. News like this needed to be delivered in a delicate way, a supportive, understanding way. No one wanted to hear proof that their, let’s face it slightly elderly, grandmother was going a little cuckoo in her golden years.

I watched him carefully, it wouldn’t do to be upsetting him when he was so far away 22,400 miles away to be exact, and I couldn't be with him, but to my surprise his face registered nothing but relief with a hint of...amusement? OK, maybe a hint was being generous. 

“Dude, are you laughing at me?”

“No, love.”

“Lies! You’re laughing right now!”

“I’m laughing with you, not at you,” he promised, sobering slightly.

“Laughing with me implies that I should be laughing too, so either share the joke with the rest of the class or bugger off.” I was not impressed and fast losing patience with the love of my life.

“Sorry, sorry,” he coughed, clearing his throat in an effort to regain his composure.

I waited, arms crossed in a mirror of his earlier pose, lips slightly pursed, eyes narrowed, he sooo knew he was in trouble.

“Let me tell you a little story,” he began, finally calm enough to talk to me properly.

“Go on then, I’m listening.”

“Grandma has always loved her plants, she used to garden a lot,” he started and as usual when he spoke, I listened, one because I needed to know what was going on and two, because I just love his voice and would happily listen to him reading a menu if he so chose. I wiggled a little to get comfier and prepared to be entertained, because every story John tells is entertaining in its own way, mostly because he just sounds so fed up and done with life as he tells it. 

“She said that she found it relaxing to tend them, it gave her time to think and to order her thoughts. She would talk to them like they were her children and no one dared touch them.”

I nodded to show I was following so far.

“When we moved to the island and got busier with International Rescue it obviously started taking up a lot of time for all of us,” he reclined himself back into his lazy float giving me a nice view I must say (I’m sure he did it on purpose).

“The busier we got, the less time she had to devote to them, the more we did the more she forgot about them and it wasn’t long before the first one died. She came down one morning and noticed that it’s leaves were dried out and brown and it was slumped over in its pot. She tried, we all did, but there was no reviving it.” His tone was so serious that I couldn’t help but giggle.

“Grandma was really sad, so we decided to help if we could. Unfortunately, as it turned out, none of us have a particularly green thumb. We did our best, but failed spectacularly. As we always say, you can’t save everyone, and that isn't limited to humans.”

I nodded encouragingly, wishing I had a mug to sip from 'cause my boy was spilling the tea!

"When we noticed another was, as Gordon put it, on its way out, we stepped in before it happened and fixed it."

"You fixed it? Like it was a broken processor or something? How do you fix a dying plant?" 

He stayed quiet. 

"John?" I lifted an eyebrow demandingly. 

"We switched it out for a plastic one," he finally admitted. 

"John!" I was shocked, shocked at their sneakiness and the sheer balls of pulling off such a move right under her nose. 

"I know, I know, it was awful of us. But we couldn't think of anything else to do. She was so sad every time she lost one and we couldn't stand it."

"How many times did you do this? Because I have yet to find a real live one."

"I think you just answered your own question."

"All of them? Like every single one?" 

"Well, not all of them, the bonsai in the lounge is still alive, but that's mostly Kayo and Virgil that tend it. Kayo learnt from her dad, he loved to garden. And the outside plants usually do OK. We have timed watering for then with both underground pipework and an overhead sprinkler system. And Kayo will do a little maintenance on them, cutting them back and the like, whenever she has time which isn't often. We don't really get weeds here as the seeds have nowhere to carry from, so it's just upkeep of the plants themselves."

 "But every houseplant other than the bonsai…"

"All fake," he confirmed. 

"And you never told her? She didn't notice?" 

"No, not that we know of, the fact that she gave you the job of watering them confirms that. We just kept offering to look after them for her and she let us do it. We bought the best quality we could, they look very realistic." He said that last like it made the whole thing more OK. "We did it for her, we didn't want her upset."

"Well, I honestly don't know what to think about all that," I confessed. And I really didn't, they were such sneaky little sods when they wanted to be, dangerous when working together. Sure they did it with the best of intentions and for the right reasons but still I did need to know one thing… 

"Whose idea was it?" 

"Idea?" he repeated, clearly deflecting. 

"Yes, who thought up the idea of swapping them?" I knew the answer, he knew that I knew, I just needed him to confirm it. 

Slowly he lifted his hand. 

"Yep, not surprised. Totally called it," I grinned. 

"Then why did you ask?" 

"Because sometimes I need to remind myself what a deliciously devious man you are." 

"You're a strange woman."

"A strange woman that your dumb ass married," I reminded him. 

"We all have our weak moments," he quipped but I didn't take it seriously. "I should probably get back to work, just hide out there for another few minutes and call the job done."

I nodded, seeing the sense in his words. "How long will you be?" 

"Just another few hours, I should be done by dinner."

"OK, but I'm holding you to that, Space Man." 

"Wouldn't expect anything less."

I blew him a little kiss which he dutifully pretended to catch, with much eye rolling, before he clicked off, cutting the connection. 

Sighing , still unable to believe what I'd just heard I drew back the curtain I was sheltering behind and dropped down from the windowsill. I grabbed my phone, tucking it into my pocket as I turned round. 

"Grandma!" 

There she was, waiting for me like a silent septuagenarian ninja, arms folded, one foot tapping out an annoyed rhythm. 

"Hi," I greeted, taking an unconscious step backwards. Would she notice if I threw myself out of the window like a weak willed victorian maid whose husband hadn't returned from the war? 

She glared at me. Yep, she'd notice alright. 

"Done with the chores?" she asked in a voice that told me she already knew the answer. As far as I could tell I had three choices, lie through my teeth, tell her the truth or deflect like my name was John Tracy and I was late home. 

"Well, there was a lot on the list…"

"Oh knock it off," she huffed. "I heard everything."

I slumped, there was no deflecting this.

"I'm very disappointed in you, young lady."

"I know, I'm sorry, I-" 

"I can't believe you let yourself get dragged into one of their idiot schemes. I expected better of you."

"I'm sorry, I know I let you down."

"Too right you did, I've been waiting the best part of five years for them to tell me the truth, I had hoped you'd call them out on it but they ended up with another conspirator. Perfect."

"I said I was sorry, I- wait, you knew?" 

Grandma rolled her eyes in a move that was so very John. "Of course I knew, how stupid do you think I am?" 

I sighed in relief that I wouldn't have to pull off this charade any longer, hell, I'd only been involved for five minutes and it felt like a year. "I did wonder, I mean, I noticed straight away and I don't even know that much about plants. When did you find out?" 

"Not long after they started," she shrugged. "I just didn't tell them."

"John did say they bought the best quality plants they could find," I said, feeling the need to defend my man and his idiot brothers. 

"Oh, they did that alright. They are beautiful and less work than the real thing, honestly I liked my plants because they gave me something to do, they kept me occupied but when this organisation took off I didn't need them any more."

"Then why not tell them?" 

"Because it was funny to watch them pretend to water them every week, plus I was waiting for then to realise how stupid they had been."

"Which they didn't," I supplied. 

"No, they didn't, which surprised me, I thought I'd raised them to be smarter than that." 

"They were pretty smart with it," I argued. 

"Smart? They replaced every plant that died."

"Yeah, that was kinda the point."

"Which would have been fine, if they had paid attention to the plants themselves. Roses that bloom for four years are a dead giveaway."

[darkestwolfx]

Grandma Tourismo - Re-Review #44

Wouldn’t we all love to have a Grandma like Sally? Yes everyone, meet Sally. It was, after all, about time someone gave her a name besides ‘Grandma’.

“It’s Sally. Call me Sally.”

For the record, I still adore these dice. They are exactly the type of thing I can imagine fitting in with the Tracy boys lives. I think they belonged to Jeff, or the boys’ Granddad.

And the rescue operation is in full swing!

“Virgil are you fully prepared for today’s mission?”

“Everything’s A-Ok, John.”

“Sure you don’t need backup?”

“Situation under control. Cargo pod is go.”

Yes! Hang on... cargo pod? Yeah, not quite the rescue I originally thought they were setting it up to be.

Those dramatics zooms! It’s only Grandma, remember!

“Let’s do some shopping!”

“This is going to be so much fun.”

I don’t think you could possibly be any more sarcastic, Virgil.

And let the shopping list of Tracy Island be unveiled. P.S. I always thought it was a shame that the paper covered up whatever grand expression Virgil probably made at the sheer length of it.

Suppressant something (Grandma’s hand is in the way)

Toilet Paper

Hairspray

Hawaiian Shirts (this one makes so much sense after ‘The Long Reach’ too, but really, where were the Pink Flamingos? Still raging)

Plant food

Protein Powder

Celery crunch bars (um, last episode’s vow forgotten so speedily Gordon? That’s the last time luck with give up promises ever works for him)

Toothpaste

Piano Strings

Fire Extinguishers

Tanning lotion

Tofu

Multivitamins

Snooker cues

Apple Pie

Bagels

Lemon squeezer

Pillow case

Anti-rust spray

Extra cable

Oh, I know - let’s play a game! Assign someone to every item on the shopping list. I know I have my ideas about what is for whom.

Also, it’s nice to see a really sneaky TOS nod there.

Played in ‘Operation Crash Dive’, ‘Move and You’re Dead’, ‘Security Hazard’ and ‘Thunderbirds Are Go’. I believe there was also a scene shot for ‘Edge of Impact’, but I can’t remember off the top of my busy head whether it made in into the final cut or not. So, I wonder where they’ve been hiding this on Tracy Island?

“Grab some of that super shine gel for Scotty. I’ve never seen a boy spend so much time combing his hair.”

This. This is one of my absolute favourite lines ever in the history of TAG. Because we all knew this was Scott without it needing to be confirmed - and this is also definitely where Gordon gets his nickname streak from.

“Detour!”

Grandma really is a task shopper. And you know what, I love how Virgil knows exactly what that sole word means.

Remember this scene from ‘Unplugged’? Well, this is that episode, but in series 2 and a lightly new form. The thing which has stayed the same? The team up of Virgil and Grandma. Interesting choice for that pairing, but it makes so much sense for it to be Virgil. He’ll joke, but never at her expense, he defends her cooking, he accompanies her on shopping trips, he listens to her, he even seems to take after her. At this point in time, I always thought this was just a nice way to explore that relationship - by the time we get to ‘The Long Reach’ it’s a whole lot more than that. One thing that storyline didn’t disappoint on was tying up this relationship in a neat little bow.

“We’ve got a situation.”

Of course we do, because this family can’t even get through shopping without interruption - which I’m guessing might be the norm as they speed out of the shop with non-paid for goods (note, us normal humans would all be arrested on the spot for this, so do not attempt it in your local store).

“Hey!”

“Put it on our account!”

Or maybe they - like many others - just didn’t want to argue with Grandma. Wisely so.

“This is my job, Grandma.”

“And worrying about you boys is mine.”

Just a really nice little family moment here. The nuggets like this are part of what made this show for me. They tell more than any massive display could.

What a great landing - in fact, there were many great landings in this episode.

Talk about just going along for the ride, hey? I think there was a lot more than that on display.

“I can’t be two places at once, Thunderbird Five.”

“You don’t have to be, I’ll go.”

“Grandma there’s no way you can steer through a storm.”

“Isn’t that what you have your fancy autopilot for?”

“She’ll be safe in Thunderbird Two.”

“The ship will do the work. I’m just going along for the ride.”

“Okay, I’ll program the autopilot to take you straight there and back. You won’t need to touch anything.”

I love how all that concern was disguised with the same look he gives Gordon to not touch his ship.

“Look after her.”

After all these years, I still can’t work out exactly who this line is for. It’s one of those beautiful lines which has such a lovely level of ambiguity. It’s obviously about Grandma, but it also references his ship and there is just a gorgeous level of family and responsibility balanced out in this episode.

“Grandma...”

“I didn’t touch a thing.”

And lovely little chunks of humour interspersed.

“Can you reprogram the autopilot to do that?”

“No. For that we’d need Virgil to pilot remotely.”

Even the communications were all go in this episode. Honestly, sometimes John is so much more than  go-between.

“Is Grandma ok?”

“She’s fine, but she needs your help with the rescue.”

“The storm’s about to hit here. I need to get these guys out.”

“The storm’s already here. And this young woman isn’t going to make it, unless you help me get this ship to her.

“Sorry guys, this will just take a minute. Someone needs are help.”

“Go for it.”

Well, those guys weren’t really in a position to say no, were they? I mean they need IR’s help too, and I probably would have been tempted to leave them there if they started getting on their high horses. Good people besides the Tracy’s do exist in the world of TAG and this episode had a really nice mix of them. No obnoxious rescuees.

“Let’s just hope I can do this.”

“I heard that. Of course you can do it.”

“Perfect!”

“You did it!”

Of course he did. He’s Virgil Tracy of International Rescue, and that’s his Grandma.

“There’s no getting out in this! We need to stabilise the building.”

“John, we’re gonna’ have to ride it out down here. Can you make sure Grandma stays put?”

“I’ll tell her to put on the coffee pot.”

“You’re with International Rescue?”

Never judge a book by it’s cover.

“You could say that. I’m the Tracy boys Grandma.”

“Kate. And I’m really pleased to see you Grandma Tracy.”

This was so interesting to watch! What you do when you’re stuck in a Thunderbird.

“I’d offer you something to eat, but I’m all out of homemade cookies. As the boy’s would say, lucky for you.”

And one of my favourites;

“John, be a dear.”

I love it when Grandma says that! We saw her do it in ‘Volcano’ too and it was grand.

“Now if we’re lucky all we do is sit here until this blows over.”

I’ll just clear my throat at the idiocy of saying that as Virgil slides expertly across the floor to hold the roof up. And yes, it was possible to do and type this sentence in the time that move took.

“International Rescue, we have a situation.”

“I think our luck may have just run out.”

Predictable...

“The shifting sands are putting extra weight on the structure. It’s not gonna’ hold much longer. John, if we don’t find a way out of here, we’re not gonna’ make it!”

“Yes you are! I’m coming to get you!”

“Grandma, there’s no way. The storm is interfering with my autopilot, and I’ve got my hands full. I can’t remotely fly you back.”

“Don’t need remote control or autopilot. I’ll do it.

“You?”

“Have a little faith, boys.”

Yeah, have some faith. I think there’s a song lyric there;

You gotta have faith

Back to the conversation at hand;

“Who do you think taught your Dad to fly?”

“But that was a single engine plane.”

“And a long, long, long time ago.”

We so often see Grandma sat here at the desk (like above), so in this episode it’s really nice to see her in the driving seat. Age doesn’t have to stop anyone, and this episode was a brilliant piece of script writing to showcase Grandma’s place in IR. She is far more than just anyone’s Grandma and I love how the tension of this episode really built up with the pressures of duty and family.

Oh, the history that is here! I adored that little chunk of life we got a look into.

“You’re following your dream. Good for you.”

Do this, people, it’s one of the best pieces of advise on the planet. I’ve been doing it, and it’s working out pretty well for me so far. I’ve interacted with animals I honestly thought I would never meet, met amazing people and seen the world from many angles. Whatever your dream is, it’s worth doing it.

“Was this your dream?”

“It was my son’s dream, to help people. And now it’s my Grandsons. And I’m happy to support them.”

“Virgil, how are you holding up?”

“Oh, it could be better.”

“Well don’t you worry, I’ll be there any minute. You tell the others.’“

“My Grandma says don’t worry. She’s coming to pick us up.”

“Your Grandma?”

The look on Virgil’s face which just speaks not to underestimate her.

“I can do this. I think.”

“I heard that. Of course you can do it.”

“Of course I can.”

This moment is the sort of writing I live for. It was so nice to see Grandma’s own words thrown back at her. Everyone needs a little positive reinforcement from time to time. I’m sure Virgil can forgive the little scratch on Two’s paintwork.

The hats! It was a really nice touch and look at how happy Grandma looks in hers. Kate doesn’t know what she’s got herself in for in meeting this family. Little taps of those dice for luck.

 “Hurry, Grandma, CO2 levels are critical.”

“We’re not gonna’ make it.”

You were saying?

“I’ve never been more glad to see anyone’s Grandma in my life!”

Too right you haven’t. And Virgil had move moves than Kayo in this episode, even with all his equipment on. I love the fact that Virgil is holding the dice now! Oh, they were so a small thing, but they managed to make them matter so much. Sometimes it’s the little things which matter the most.

“Not so fast! We gotta go back and finish our shopping!”

I think that might be the face of someone who would prefer another rescue than a conclusion to the never ending shopping trip from hell!

Oh well, Virgil’s still in one piece for episode 19 so he must survive and get that shower at some point.

This is another of my favourites though really. The balance of family and danger and normality and duty was just spot on.

[jadelotusflower]

September Roundup

So it wasn’t a very productive month, writing wise. I think I wrote less than 1000 words due to various RL issues (a shoulder impingement giving me grief among other things). I can’t entirely blame that, but nor am I going to dwell. It’s my birthday tomorrow, and while I’m having the usual existential crisis about another year slipping by almost unnoticed and without significant accomplishment, I am resolved to return to my novel and get at least the first draft finished by the end of the year. We’ll see how that goes.

In the meantime, I’ve at least been reading more. I’ve also consumed too much film/tv instead of writing, but hey.

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood - the long-awaited sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, this was an engrossing read, if perhaps not what people were expecting. While I agree with some of the criticism, I really enjoyed this book.

Like the original novel, it takes the form of primary sources from the rule of Gilead, in Aunt Lydia’s secret chronicle, and “witness testimony” from two young women - one who grew up within Gilead, and the other outside. It’s fairly obvious from the beginning who they are, but I’ll avoid spoilers. Events become a little convenient towards the end, but it’s a great improvement on the tv show’s third season where things just became ludicrously easy and consequence free. I don’t think Atwood will ever write again in this world, but there is still so much to explore and I hope she does.

Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him by Tracy Borman - As far as Tudor biographies go, there’s nothing much new here, but it is an interesting character study of Henry VIII through the men who had the greatest influence on him, especially as a young despot in the making. Through this lens it really does become just so shockingly clear that with a few exceptions, almost everyone of importance in Henry’s life goes through the same cycle of being built up, brought close, and rewarded, but then cast aside or crushed by his unchallenged power and narcissism - and often on very flimsy pretext. 

Top End Wedding - I love a romcom, and this was really charming - it’s now on Netflix so I highly recommend. Starring and co-written by Miranda Tapsell, and directed by Wayne Blair (who also directed The Sapphires - a must see if you haven’t), it’s a film that shows great love to classic American and British romcoms (and the tropes are all there), but also uniquely Australian (Tapsell and Blair are both Indigenous, and care was taken to liaise with the Aboriginal communities where filming took place to ensure that proper approvals were given and and respect paid to the traditional owners). The backdrop of the Northern Territory is just beyond gorgeous, and this just the kind of heartwarming fare needed in these Trying Times (TM).

Bill and Ted Face the Music - As is this! I’ve loved the first two Bill and Ted movies since I was a kid, and was so happy that they’ve finally completed the trilogy. Look, it’s not high art, and you’d be forgiven for thinking this is just another cash grab off the sequel-reboot merry go round, but this was made with such clear love and affection for the originals that I just don’t care.

Here’s the thing: I hate an unnecessarily reboot as much as the next person - I don’t think there’s any point remaking something unless you have something new to say about the material. I also hate the “bleakquel” - where the only idea to follow up the original material is to tear it down just to rebuild it the same but without the heart (looking at you Star Wars). However, I am a sucker for the follow up/sequel just to catch up with those characters you love and see how they’re doing 10, 20, 30 years later. It’s familiar, it’s comforting, and sometimes that’s all it needs to be. Really, that’s all B&T FTM is, but I was perfectly satisfied by it.

Maybe there’s nothing more this film has to say than Be Excellent to Each Other (again), but honestly that’s a message I think we all need right now. There’s of course more to it than that - for the first time, we see a Bill and Ted who have become disillusioned that despite mastering so many different forms of music, they haven’t found The Song that will align the planets and bring out world peace etc, despite their most valiant attempts (That Which Binds Us Through Time: The Chemical, Physical and Biological Nature of Love: An Exploration of the Meaning of Meaning, Part 1 is a neat joke but also a legitimate banger complete with throat singing, a theremin, and bagpipes). And SPOILERS: In the end they discover honestly the only possible answer: that The Song itself doesn’t matter, it’s the world united through music, playing together, that brings everything into balance.

Does all the time travel work within the established rules of the universe? Not really - we see alternate Bill and Teds of the future without any explanation of alternate timelines. Are Samara Weaving (as Thea Preston) and Brigette Lundy-Paine (as Billie Logan) essentially doing impression of Winters and Reeves? Sure, but they are so charming that I don’t care.

Now, there are some obvious holes - covid made reshoots/pickups impossible so the opening “where are they now” montage got nixed, there was clearly more story for Elizabeth and Joanna (”the Princesses”) that is sadly missing, and the ending is very abrupt, but circumstances being what they are I can see why they decided to work with what they had and release the film, which is an antidote to the current, depressing state of the world, and at least in my view, a worthy third and final part of the Bill and Ted trilogy. (But I wouldn’t say no to a time-travel through music history show with Billie and Thea).

Disclosure (dir. Sam Feder) - a fantastic documentary exploring the representation of trans people in film and television, which sadly has often vacillated between lack of representation to misrepresentation, but with hope that things are slowly improving. A really worthwhile watch.

Enola Holmes (dir. Harry Bradbeer) - Twas charming! I hadn’t read (or even heard of) the YA books this is based on, and am uninterested in Stranger Things, but found this very entertaining and Millie Bobby Brown delightful in the title role. There was also a nice balance in the supporting cast, in that they resisted the urge to stack the decks too high in Enola’s favour, or make all the characters around her completely incompetent so she’s only heroic by default. She is clever and accomplished, but also finds that practicing jiu-jitsu is very different to an actual fight against someone trying to kill her.

Fleabag (seasons 1-2) - I never want to be too harsh on movies or tv that have been hyped to the heavens, because expectations are always too high and are rarely met. I liked this show, but did find all the smug asides and looks to camera a little grating in the first season. I enjoyed the second season a lot more, because while Fleabag was still a screw up, she wasn’t stealing money from her date’s wallet level terrible, so there was more of an emotionally satisfying arc (+ Andrew Scott who is always great), and I felt the humour was pitched a bit better. Olivia Coleman was the standout for me (isn’t she always?) as the Godmother, whose smiling, passive-aggressive villainy was masterful and worth watching for that alone.

Lucifer (seasons 1-2) - This show has crossed my tumblr dash for years, but I’m not really fond of crime procedurals. I am fond of mythology so seeing as the whole thing’s now on Netflix I decided to give it a go, and I have to say I am intrigued by the concept of the devil as a wayward son whose punishment for rebelling against God was to spend eternity punishing others, rather than straight-up evil incarnate. So far the procedural side of things is ho hum, but I am enjoying the mythology side, and Tom Ellis is very very handsome. I’m also pleasantly surprised at the number of female characters in the main and supporting cast and their treatment - they are actually allowed to talk and be friends with one another. Can you believe?!?