#Scott & EOS

[edorazzi]

Happy New Year!!! ✨🎆🌎

Starting out with some Thunderbirds! A dazzling fireworks display as new year rolls across the globe is part of John showing EOS how amazing the world can be, but she's just got to make it murder-y somehow. She's on a learning curve! 🥺

[kalinara]

So I saw a post earlier talking about Marvel couples and how relatively few long term relationships there are. There was mention of Reed and Sue as being basically the most consistently together couple, crediting that to the nature of the Fantastic Four being about family.

I don't disagree with that.

But then there was a comment about Scott and Jean being "all over the place" and depending on editorial at the time. Sorry for the paraphrase, but I couldn't find the post again to be sure.

And honestly I couldn't disagree with that more.

The thing about Scott Summers and Jean Grey is that, with two exceptions, if they are both alive, and they both know the other one is alive, they are together FULL STOP.

The first exception to this is the original Lee/Kirby years. Because they hadn't gotten together yet. But anyone who has sat through the god knows how many issues it took for the two to actually get the fuck over it and fuck basically gets stockholmed into shipping these idiots.

Because when you go from seeing this nonsense in issue 10:

THIS nonsense in issue 24:

THIS nonsense in issue 3-fucking-4:

And you realize this is only a sampling and that pretty much every issue in between has more of this idiotic bullshit, you'll be screaming at them to "JUST FUCK ALREADY!!!" too.

NGL, it's what turned me into a shipper. Fucking Stockholm Syndrome.

The other time, of course, is X-Factor. Because Scott, in his incredible wisdom and self-perception, happened to marry a woman who looked exactly like Jean Grey, (and asked her if she was Jean Grey on the eve of the wedding).

Scott gets a lot of shit from fans for ditching his wife and son for Jean Grey (which is a vast oversimplification of a very complicated storyline, but fine, for once, let's go with it). So yeah.

A good chunk of X-Factor is basically just these two finding their way back to each other after dealing with a whole mess of other mind-bogglingly traumatizing events and trying to raise a baby while meeting alternate future kids and (in Jean's case) not really handling that well.

But anyway, after that? They're together.

Now, admittedly, the Grant Morrison era of X-Men is a bit complicated. We all know about Emma Frost. I still resent deeply the fact that a man is named cheater for getting taken advantage of by his therapist, but fine. Maybe they'd have broken up over Emma, maybe not. Maybe Jean would finally break down and fuck Logan, maybe not. Sadly she died instead. And then a future version of her decided to push Scott and Emma together for a while. Which was a fucking weird narrative choice, but fine.

When Jean comes back? Immediate romantic scene with her resurrected husband by the way. And yeah, fine, he drops dead again later. And then when HE comes back to life, she's off in another dimension and presumed dead for a bit.

But when they are back, alive, and in the same place? She immediately shoves her tongue down his throat.

On Krakoa, they're the most married they've ever been. They finally get to raise their son together, in a place that isn't a future hellhole. They are explicitly polyamorous, implicitly in a throuple, but when it comes down to the wire, it's Scott Summers and Jean Grey.

And now, in From the Ashes, she's off being a goddess in space. But she's still having psychic phone sex with her patiently waiting husband. It's not clear if they're still doing the polyamory thing, I'd like to think they are because we so rarely get to see portrayals of non-monogamous but still very happy couples. But who knows. What we do know is that even now, even when they're not in the same place: it's Scott Summers and Jean Grey.

I suppose the one exception is young Scott and young Jean when they're brought to the future. But here's the thing. As much as they both try to fight it, as often as they've tried to tease some other kind of ship with Hank or Laura or Jimmy Hudson, or teenaged Vampire Storm, or anyone else. The two still can't ever really escape each other's orbit. (And you know, maybe if they actually got the full story instead of fucked up fragments from incredibly biased people who currently hate at least one of them, they might have felt a little less like escaping. Who knows?)

I guess I can see the argument that the state of their relationship can vary. Sometimes they're very happy, sometimes they're raising a kid. Sometimes they're frayed. Sometimes they fight. Sometimes they fuck other people.

But in the end, as long as they're both alive, it's Scott Summers and Jean Grey.

Reed and Sue still get top billing as the big couple of 616, sure. They're not immune to silly love triangles, but they tend to be dead less often.

But I still think Scott and Jean are up there, as consistent and steady as anything in the Marvel Universe.

[squidsinashirt]

do you not think it’s dangerous to have a relationship as a member of international rescue? that could be used as a very easy weakness. especially with somebody so well known and easily found? the London summer society season is well published, after all. would be a shame for something to happen to her.

I wonder who sent this���

I wasn’t actually going to answer - this met the filters for my usual ‘delete’ pile.

But sometimes, there is a line crossed (the 50 yard line in this case).

It’s late, I’m shattered and running on about 1% patience after having to deal with a certain frequent flier (pun, for once, not intended) so…

For absolute clarity, the person in question is also a member of International Rescue, and could take down an entire room with a paper clip. Also usually accompanied by a man I would not like to meet in a dark alleyway so… best of luck from the off.

Just in case, for whatever reason, it’s not glaringly evident. Maybe it’s the little streak of Kansas in me after all, but so help me god if you go anywhere, and I mean anywhere, near her, there is no amount of legal, PR, GDF, ‘Tracy ethics’, ‘do the right thing’ bullshit that will stop me.

More than happy to have this discussion face to face, if you like, instead of behind a keyboard.

And on that note, if you are the anon also sending her those asks, then they stop. Now.

Glad we had this chat. Have a good night.

[kaijuboarcreations]

Quotes from Relic for the EOS Logbook @thunderversary-rewatch-party

Scott: What do you think of our chances Captain?

Capt Taylor: 73?

Scott (muttering): oh ok 73

Scott: Which way??

***

Scott: I'll drive! ............ on second thought I don't know what any of this does.

***

Capt Taylor: So tell me again which one's Max?

Scott: You didn't read the list did you?

Capt Taylor: I'm not much of a reader.

Scott: It's five names on a piece of paper...

[samcat71470558]

some doodles

(in my maths notebook) John, Allie, TB5, Cinnamoroll and Bam

(in my physics notebook) John, Scooter and Gorbs

And a bonus Eggman and Eos

[scramjettracy]

Scooootttt don’t be coy! We neeeeeed to see what Florence looks like!!

I mean… well I don’t really like to show her off because well… it’s a bit… uh, rich boy stereotype isn’t it? And that isn’t really me except in this one very specific area (because Virgil shouted at me for never buying anything for myself and there was a very hefty discount because we do some business with them and…)

She is very pretty though.

Ok. Uh, don’t let Thunderbird One see me posting about this:

Yes this was before I had my plates put on. No I’m not going to publish my registration number on the web, I’m not completely naive.

They didn’t make a huge number of these and of course she has been modded to be completely EV (the exhaust is purely decorative now) but for a nearly 30 year old car I think she’s looking pretty fine 🥰

[edutainer2022]

To amuse myself amidst the bleak bombings I did a little fun(ish) thing within the general context of Timey-Wimey, the Future!Tracies crossover, but it could be perceived independently. It may be not the best idea to hack family video archives, while situated in a time paradox.

For more references of the Tracy future ever after in this continuity, see Piano Lessons and Worries. Indefinite thanks go to @janetm74 for inspiration and support.

WIBLY-WOBLY

The holovideo was shaky at first, someone with the camera was, probably, adjusting the hold. There was also a bit of a squabble going on in the background. The holocam tilted, recording a familiar side hallway in the villa. The walls were decorated anew, though, with pictures and paintings they never saw. There was also soft carpeting where previously they were used to hardwood. The frame was finally rectified and an unseen hand pushed the touchpanel of a door. A voice off screen, too jovial to be serious, declared:

"Tracy TV! Would you be amenable to take part in a poll?"

The brothers let out a collective gasp as a tall slim figure turned around to face the camera. Grinning at them against the backdrop of a summer afternoon was Scott. A twenty years old Scott. Upon closer look they could see the shade of meticulously styled hair was darker, so was the blue of the gaze. But the dimples were there, the posture, the bone structure, and the fond smile that could power a sun.

"Shoot, Squidletts!"

There were appalled noises from behind the camera, but a voice pressed on. A girl's, that time.

"Do you believe in love?"

"Oh... that's a good question! I believe..."

The young man stretched and squeezed his eyes dreamily. When they opened back up, the deep blue was brimming with mischief.

"I believe... I'd LOOOOVE a sandwich right about now!"

The young man burst into a hearty laugh and the Tracies hitched a breath in unison again. The resemblance was striking.

The holofeed shimmered in and out of focus some more through the turns and passages of the upper level of the villa. At some point it paused in view of a lanky freckled teen, curled up in a window niche, engrossed in some diagrams on a tablet. Despite the tropical heat, the boy was clad in layers of oversized sweatshirt and a truly hideous cardigan. The attempt of the "Tracy TV crew" to engage him in their poll resulted in a well-aimed trainer gliding their way at an alarming speed. The kid barely even got distracted from reading and the hapless reporters made a hasty retreat, before the canon shoe landed with a thud.

That brought them sprinting to the balcony, overlooking the lounge. The video on screen skipped up and down in time with the running. First only the sound was audible, then the holopicture stabilized. The spacious area was filled with viscous rue of Puccini's "O mio babbino caro" in a velvet female voice, swirling all the way up to the glass ceiling. The pianist concealed by the raised top, but for a streak of red and black flanel, the camera focused on the singer. Thick black curls in a French braid, soft brown eyes, full forms, a green sundress. The girl looked remarkably the way Virgil did when he lost a bet to Gordon that one time. Or rather, if Thunderbird Two were a girl come alive. The voice seemed to reach through the gossamer veil of the holovid and envelope them all in their current strange surroundings. Nobody dared speak, lost for breath with awe.

When the aria ended there was a low whistle off screen. Then followed enthusiastic applause and a resounding "Bravo!", in a voice they knew all too well that time. The camera jumped again and recorded a startled shriek:

"Uncle Scott!!!"

The Tracies exchanged anxious looks. The frame shifted to accomodate a newcomer - too tall to fit he bent slightly to be eyelevel with the 'reporters'. Slim figure as fit as ever, the grey suit made the blue of the eyes stand out. The right shade, this time. But the hair was all steel and silver, much like Dad's. The smile was also different. The brothers hadn't seen that one since when Mom was still alive.

"Now, what are you two up to?"

There were more dimensions of levity in the grin and the lines that flanked bright blue eyes.

"Solemnly up to no good, sir!"

The twin chorus off screen declared eagerly, with audible delight. That was obviously a well practiced routine between them. The Double Trouble scrambled to remember the purpose of their noble endeavor.

"Uncle Scott, do you believe in love?"

The smile deepened the dimples on the man's face, he reached one arm to hug someone, the other lifted up to ruffle some hair, eliciting a universally recognizable sqauck.

"Of course I do! I love your parents and all you lot. More than anything in the world! I love the way your cousin Lucy sings. I love how you're always up to mischief. I love to see how smart and talented you all are. I love to see you grow up happy. And I'd love to make the world safer and kinder for you all!"

The camera dropped the frame again in favor of a brief fierce hug, before the transmission skedaddled to the elevator and down to the hangars.

It was hard to discern the details as the camera was facing the concrete floor for some time. Much as the brothers wouldn't mind a peek into the inevitable changes of the Thunderbirds' roost, the cracks and bumps remained as they remembered. They managed to see a red sign "Restricted Area", usually deployed by Brains, when experiment muse struck. But it definitely didn't deter the intrepid investigators. The video picked up a young ginger woman in lab coveralls, manipulating screenfuls of holodata.

"Hey, Sisi! Do you believe in love?"

Green eyes looked up from shifting datastreams, as the girl seemed to give the question some actual thought.

"Belief presupposes reliance on unverified and uncorroborated data points. Since I am aware of sufficient amount of proof that my synthetic biometrical makeup is not designed to produce chemicals usually associated with emotional affection in mammals, then no, I do not BELIEVE in love. But the complex neural connections I have elaborated over time allow me to experience strong cognitive affinity and preference for the select members of the Tracy family over all other representatives of the same species. And don't call me "Sisi", I am the Dawn!"

The sniggers off screen were drowned in a gasp their side of the holofeed, just as it was shut down forcefully. John was frozen in place, mesmerizing the same red-headed girl, looking not a day older, now frowning at them. Alan  jumped to his feet, indignant.

"You're not Dawn! You're Eos!!!!"

"That is an optimal deduction, yes."

Gordon snorted. John's brow furrowed in return. From behind Eos, the twins, Grant and Sally, were entering back into the room.

"Yo, you hacked our old reels! Neat! Tracy TV was a hoot! Ouch! Hey!"

A cuff up the head stopped the trip down the memory lane, as Kip caught up with the duo.

"You weren't supposed to get exposed to background data. That complicates the time loop, makes it harder to break without consequence."

"Well, duh, Carpenter! No kidding! What do we do now?"

It was time for another dramatic baited breath, as several pairs of eyes trained on the young man, shocked for a different reason their unexpected hosts might have assumed.

[edorazzi]

More Thunderbirds Are Go comics! 🏝️

In which the pod bros make small talk, Scott is a thoughtful sibling, and John is adept at parenting his murderous toddler daughter. The first strip was about the hydrofoil incident from classic lore, but I watched "SOS" right after (unprepared and vulnerable!) so here's to Gordon breaking every bone in his body twice! ✨🦴✨

[avatarskywalker78]

It's Wednesday and that means it's time for some more WIP extracts. Firstly from my Thunderbirds snippet 'supernova' - Thunderbird Three has launched and Gordon's updating them on the situation.

“It’ll be a close one.” Gordon said as he popped up again. “I’m sending over the schematics now, but it looks like you’ll have to use the secondary docking hatch.” “Have you let them know we’re on our way?” “I can’t. Their comms are down—” “What?” John gripped the edge of his seat. “Gordon, are you saying we can’t contact them at all? That anything could be happening on that ship and we wouldn’t know?” “I am constantly monitoring Starfinder Four’s status as we speak,” EOS piped up, “and Ó Séaghdha told us she and the crew would try and construct a rudimentary communications system – I’m already putting power towards picking up and amplifying any signal that comes from them.” “Thanks, EOS.” “Gordon, are the emergency pods definitely out of action?” Alan asked. “Looks like it – that section of the ship took some heavy damage and even without that, their main systems are unsalvageable. There won’t be time for any onboard repairs – we’re gonna have to get them and go.” “What about the oxygen levels? Are they holding?” John figured Gordon would’ve said so if not, but he knew exactly how quickly problems in space could get worse. “For the time being, yes. I’ll let you know the second it changes, but I’d recommend wearing EVA suits nonetheless.” “I’ve brought your exosuit too.” Alan added, glancing towards him. “Just in case you need it.”

(Hint: he's going to need it.)

Sticking with Thunderbirds but this time the original series - the fic that the above one is an adaption of!!!

“What’s the current rate of descent?” “Two thousand feet per minute, but they’re worried that’ll change if the backups lose power. They’re unable to reach Ground Control so I’m gonna set up a system to get around that.” “But what could’ve caused it?” Gordon said. “I saw the initial specs – they compensated for any power overload.” “It doesn’t take much for things to go wrong.” Alan pointed out, frowning. “Should we take the elevator cars just in case?” “No, that’s too risky.” Scott told him. “If the ship’s coming in at an angle it'll never work." “Hey,” Gordon said, suddenly looking at John with wide eyes, “do you think she—” “What do you think, Gordon?!” John snapped. “Of course Sheridan recognised my voice, and she’ll recognise yours too. We can’t hide this from her—” “And we won’t.” Dad assured him, giving Gordon a sharp look. “Saving lives is our priority and Sheridan’s professional enough not to give the game away – anything else can be dealt with afterwards.” “I didn’t mean that…” “I know what you meant, but there’s forty-five lives on board and that’s what we have to focus on,” Dad said, going straight into command mode. “Scott, take Thunderbird One to Mercury Ground Control and assess the situation. Virgil, take Gordon, Alan and Brains to intercept Starfinder One –it’s gonna have to be an on-board repair job.” “Yes, sir.” “FAB.”

(Understandably, emotions are running pretty high.)

I've still not figured out the exact details of either rescue, only that for 'star fall' Gordon's the one who has to actively board the ship to try and repair the lifting and landing gear if he can (I'd have had Alan do the job but I'm trying not to be too similar to the Zero X incident in the '66 movie, hence my deciding to spare the ship itself.)

Tagging (let me know if you want to be added or removed): @shrinkthisviolet @starstruckpurpledragon

[idontknowreallywhy]

WIP Wednesday

Some Sleeeeepy Scott and the Murderbot:

💙🫥💙🫥💙🫥💙🫥💙🫥💙🫥💙🫥💙🫥

Truly, everyone was here.

As if knowing she’d been left off his mental checklist a hologram popped up from the bedside comm at 10% brightness, still a surprise that made him blink his eyes rapidly to adjust. The familiar ring of lights first flickering then shifting into a single question mark.

He wasn’t sure when his feelings had shifted from being creeped out to being comforted by her constant watch over them all but, his heart warmed by the enquiry, he raised a hand, ever so gradually, to form a thumbs up.

The lights shifted and spun in a rainbow of colours before mimicking the thumbs up symbol, shifting quickly to a heart shape and then a series of Zs before blinking out.

He couldn’t decide whether he was more amused that EOS was now communicating via teenage emoji-speak or that she was now also joining the army of those nagging him to sleep. Virgil had started snoring slightly which always had a soporific effect and so a large part of Scott’s brain was inclined to take her advice. He screwed up his face trying to suppress a huge yawn. After all… given he knew someone was keeping an eye on things… perhaps it would be ok to let himself… drift… just a little…

[darkestwolfx]

TAG Transcripts | Masterpost

So, I'm making a start on organising all of my previous content and I'm starting with Transcripts!

And the reason I'm starting with these is because when I came back and was able to look at messages etc (as opposed to the late night reading I made fanfics) there were a lot asking about these with quite a few questions - so firstly, Q & A;

Where can the transcripts be found? They can now be found on this masterpost, but also back on my 2016 post!

Are all the episodes available? Series 1 is complete, Series 2 is mostly complete, Series 3 is unstarted

Will I finish them? Yes, if there is this level of interest of course I will, but episodes can take a while to transcribe so it may not be a quick process!

Do I make a profit? No. This is something I started doing as a fan, for fans as someone who's previously found issues with subtitles not appearing or being incorrect.

Can I download a copy? Yes, from my mediafire links in word or PDF format

Why can't the documents be edited, copy & pasted? The documents are password protected, yes, because a lot of work goes into them and if they're going to be re-distributed I would appreciate the credit or an update of where they're being shared, so no they cannot be directly copied and pasted

Feel free to reblog and share though, Thunderfam, as these were made for you to enjoy!

And before there are questions as to where the link can be found on this masterpost, let's put that here!

Above is the link for the TAG transcripts (I have TOS completed but will post this separately).

What can be found here at the moment:

Series 1

in Word & PDF format

25 files per folder

All episodes completed - Ring of Fire is in one combined set

Series 2

in Word & PDF format

Available episodes - 17; Earthbreaker (1) City Under the Sea (4) Colony (5) Up from the Depths I (6) - will be added shortly (amending pieces) Up from the Depths II (7) Volcano (14) Power Play (15) Bolt from the Blue (16) Attack of the Reptiles (17) Grandma Tourismo (18) Clean Sweap (19) The Man from TB5 (20) Home on the Ranch (21) Long Haul (22) Rigged for Disaster (23) Inferno (24) Hyerspeed (25) Brains vs Brawn (26)

I will aim to finish the episodes outstanding here and then start on Series 3, but this will be amongst all my other work but I will do my best to get there!

Okay, I think this is the part of the post where you can cheer for joy :)

[kaijuboarcreations]

EOS Log Book for Runaway

@thunderversary-rewatch-party

This episode was a goldmine for quotes

Scott: "Hi, we're international rescue"

Train operator: "Boy, am I glad to see you"

Brains (visibly panicked): "Negative to positive..... positive to negative"

Train operator: "..... not so sure about you...."

......

Brains: "This is brilliant! Why didn't I think of it?"

*TB1 breaks free and takes off unmanned at mach Jesus*

.....

Stranger: "It's a disaster! My taxi was ten minutes late, and now I'm going to miss the season finale of Celebrity Alligator Wrestling!"

[dead-wives-tourney]

Round 2 Side C

who is more dead wife?

propaganda:

Eo of Lykos:

Shout out to her most dead wife traits, such as having sex with Darrow not long before she died so he can keep having flashbacks to it, and being pregnant and not telling her husband so he only finds out after she dies

Dr. Brad Scott:

Sergeant Calhoun's first husband who died on their wedding day and caused her an immense amount of PTSD

[scramjettracy]

boxers, briefs or trunks for GQ’s fav model? 😘

I have never modelled for GQ.

I will never do so.

My underwear choices are not up for discussion.

Next?

[tracybirds]

whoops, one more Christmas fic :D I did say I'd been writing a lot of them! Those of us who helped prep the thunderpride event decided to do a small gift exchange of our own and this one is a gift for @amistrio with lots of love and happiness. Wishing you a very joyous end of the year, and time to be with those you love even if you're not able to celebrate in the same place <3 So glad we got the opportunity to become better friends this year!

Grandma and Brains

“Well, Brains, it’s just you and me for dinner again,” announced Grandma. “And are you ever gonna stop working, kid? It’s Christmas.”

Brains put down his tools, blinking slowly as he looked around. Materials were strewn across every surface; wires and strips of metal alloys piled next to sheets of experimental polymers and dozens upon dozens of computing components.

“Did the siren g-go off again?” he asked, with faint surprise. “Am I needed at all?”

Grandma shook her head. “Alan and Kayo launched an hour ago, John’s got his eyes on them. But the day doesn’t stop just because someone needs help, and you and I have a feast to attend.”

He nodded, pausing to make some notes on his tablet, then rose to his feet.

“I’ll join you in a m-moment,” he assured her. “Let m-me just wash up and be there in a few m-minutes.”

Grandma Tracy narrowed her eyes. “Do you promise? Only last time I left you, it was an entire hour because you’d suddenly thought of ‘one more thing’ and then it turned out to be several ‘one more things’.”

“I promise.”

Satisfied, Grandma left and made her own way upstairs. The elevator seemed to drag, time slowing to a crawl around her, as though the doors knew she didn’t want them to open on an empty dining table.

Every year, she privately hoped things would be different, and every year she set the table for a full house only to share a meal for three. Only now it was just the two of them.

Young branches, cut from the trees on the island, lined the centre of the table with greenery and pops of red flowers. The candles rose high above them, reaching up to the hanging ceiling lampshades. The food was set out, ready for a family who couldn’t make it; ham and roasted potatoes and green beans and the family’s favourite couscous salad. The paper napkins had been chosen for Gordon, knowing he’d get a kick out of the silly Christmas jokes that framed them, and she smiled gently up at the framed photo of Jeff and Lucille that hung at the head of the table.

“They’ll be home soon,” she told them, swallowing back a hard lump in her throat.

The door opened and she hurriedly blinked back her tears.

“It looks lovely, M-Mrs Tracy.”

She smiled at Brains, and sat in her usual seat. He sat beside her, silence spreading between them as they served themselves with little ceremony. MAX whirred around the room, lighting the candles and carving the gleaming turkey, his beeps and whistles occasionally answered by Brains.

She couldn’t help but feel more than a little let down. The dinner was nothing like the normal vibrancy of living on the island, and without her family around, the meal tasted as though it might as well have been made from clouds.

She cleared her throat, startling Brains from his thoughts, not even sure herself of what she wanted to say.

“I hope the mission goes well.”

Brains nodded next to her. “I’m sure they’ll b-be okay,” he said. “They usually are.”

“They are.” She pushed around the peas on her plate with the fork, then sighed. “I know it’s worth it, but I wish they were here all the same.”

“I know, and I’m sure they’d rather b-be here–”

Grandma Tracy shook her head, cutting him off. “Given the same circumstances and the same choice, they’d rather be there,” she corrected him. “And Lord knows I’m proud of them, and I know they’ve chosen right, but what I’m wishing for is a change in circumstance.”

Brains didn’t seem to know what to say, and Grandma Tracy recalled an argument she’d once had with Grant, accusing him of putting his livelihood over his family. How she’d had the same argument with Jeff years later.

She couldn’t argue like she used to, not when she knew what her boys did for others every day.

“They would have it any other way, and nor would I,” she told him. “Neither would you.”

“Of course n-not,” he said.

“Come along.” She patted Brains’ hand and stood. “Gordon told me there was a surprise waiting for us if they weren’t home for dinner.”

“A n-nice surprise?” asked Brains, a note of worry in his voice.

Grandma Tracy shrugged.

“Let’s find out.”

Alan and Kayo

“It’s weird, isn’t it?” asked Alan, watching the Earth shrink in the viewscreen.

“You’ve launched a hundred times before, Alan,” said Kayo, engrossed in the briefing report. “Not so weird.”

“Not that,” said Alan with a huff. “It’s just, you know, it’s Christmas.”

Kayo looked over at him in surprise. “We’ve gone out on rescues on Christmas before.”

“You have,” he said. “I haven’t.”

He scuffed his foot against the ground. “I’m not mad about it,” he assured her. “It’s just the first time I’ve had Christmas in space, y’know? The first time I’ve had Christmas alone.”

“You’re not alone,” said Kayo.

“I know but like, people are missing. I don’t really remember what Christmases with Mom was like, and my brothers made a big thing of it after Dad disappeared, but Dad was never really great at being around on Christmas anyway so I never really got it before.” He shrugged. “It’s kinda lonely.”

Kayo reached out and gave him a quick hug. “I remember my first Christmas without my dad,” she said. “You all helped a lot, but it still hurt that he didn’t feel safe enough to be with us.”

“I wish we could all be together for our Christmases,” said Alan. “But I don’t think that’ll happen this year.”

Kayo check her watch and shook her head. “We’ve got a ways to go yet. And then we’ll need to go all the way back.”

“I could use the booster?”

“And burn through all that fuel? What if we need to make corrections out there?”

“Yeah, I know,” Alan sighed. “I just wish we were still at home.”

Kayo was quiet for a moment and Alan assumed the conversation had ended there.

“Do you though?” she asked suddenly.

“Do I what?”

“Do you really wish we were still at home?”

Alan shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Even knowing there are people that need our help?”

“Well, no,” he stammered. “I’m glad we’re out here helping. I just meant…”

Alan trailed off, unsure of exactly what he had meant. Kayo pinned him with her fierce green eyes, staring him down uncomfortably. His hands started to sweat, slippery on the controls, and he swallowed roughly.

“I wish that everyone out here were safe,” he corrected himself. “I wish that there hadn’t been any malfunctions at all and that no one was in danger. But since they are, I’m also happy that we have the equipment that means we can save them. And I’d rather be out here, making sure their families get a belated Christmas and missing our own, than enjoying ours while others lose their loved ones forever.”

Kayo sat back, evidently satisfied.

“Come on, Kayo, you knew what I meant,” grumbled Alan.

“Yes, I did,” she said simply. “But it’s important to articulate it all the same. Carelessness in our language can lead to carelessness in our attitudes, and if there’s one thing I know about what we do it’s that we cannot afford to be careless.”

 She shrugged. “Besides, as I said, you’re not doing Christmas alone. You’ve got me.”

“Yeah, I do,” said Alan with a sheepish grin. “And hey, that reminds me. I got you a present!”

He set the autopilot in place, and turned to reach into the storage unit built under the dashboard, rummaging through the materials until his fingers wrapped around a thin box.

“Here it is!” he exclaimed, sitting upright and holding the gift out to her. He stopped short in surprise. In her hands, Kayo held a gift of her own, and she grinned at him.

“I got you a present too,” she said and Alan laughed.

“Okay, swap then,” he said, and they did.

He ripped at the paper, not stopping to admire the ribbon or the pattern, he was too excited to unwrap his first gift, and on Christmas Day no less.

“Oh, cool,” he said, running his hands down the spines of the old guitar books and reading their titles. “These are all the old songs Scott used to listen to when we were kids, how did you know?”

“A little birdie analysed your music stream history and cross referenced it with Scott’s, and then told me what to look out for in the estate sales.”

Alan hugged her. “It’s perfect,” he enthused. “You’re literally the best, Kayo.”

“I know,” she said, eyes twinkling.

“Do you like yours?” asked Alan. The paper hung between them and he grabbed it and stowed it away, looking over at the present in her hands expectantly.

“I love it,” said Kayo, looking down at a photo frame, and drinking in the pictures with a soft smile. True colour images and short videos cycled through the frame: Kayo with a birthday cake and a gappy smile; twirling in a beautiful dress as a teenager; crowded in a restaurant booth with Alan and his brothers; a landscape of the town where she’d grown up; walking across a stage at graduation, and more.

Alan smiled shyly. “I asked John if he could help me get in touch with Kyrano for some of them. He sent me the originals. They’re the real gift, under the tree at home. But I downloaded as many copies as I could onto this frame before we launched. That’s why I only put it in a box.”

“I love it, Alan,” she said again. A woman Alan didn’t recognise, standing arm in arm with his own mom, scrolled into sight and Kayo inhaled sharply. She touched the screen with gentle fingers, pausing on the photo

“Is that your mom?” he asked. “With mine?”

Kayo nodded, eyes wide. “I knew they were friends,” she said. “But I’ve never seen…”

She broke off, and hugged Alan again.

“They’d be proud, wouldn’t they?” she asked. “They’d do the same as us given the choice?”

This time, Alan knew for certain how to answer Kayo.

“Of course they would.”

John and EOS

“EOS, give me a status update on that cargo liner.”

“Alan and Kayo are on track to intercept in seventeen hours, John. Alan wants to know if any oxygen leaks have been reported.”

“GDF says the only detected gas leaks are all inert,” said John, the data scrolling across his eyes. “Give them a list and monitor the percentages. If anything flammable starts to rise, connect me to Three.”

“FAB, John.”

He turned and connected a line back to Earth.

“Virgil, Gordon, geological scans show partial collapse of the tunnel ahead. Scott’s coming up behind you in a POD – wait for him to stabilise before attempting retrieval.”

“FAB, Thunderbird Five,” said Virgil. “Be advised, the local authorities are coordinating rescue of those above ground, so we’ll focus our energy on the people trapped down here.”

“Noted. By local authorities, you mean…?”

“GDF,” supplied Scott. “Contact is a bit of a stickler.”

“Meaning I need to smooth things over?” asked John dryly.

“Captain Saitō’s the name,” said Virgil. “And yes.”

“He does not,” snapped Scott.

“I’ll make contact with the GDF now,” said John. “Keep me updated.”

“FAB.”

John brought up Captain Rian Saitō’s profile on their database before calling, knowing he would need to make a flawless impression. He could see immediately why Scott would have clashed with the man, the personality report flagging a low tolerance for insubordination and a high sensitivity to perceived criticism. In the confines of the military, he’d have done well, in exactly the same way Scott had not.

“Oxygen level in surrounding cells are rising, John. The liner is in no danger, but this will limit entry points.”

John nodded sharply. “Check if they have the equipment available to attempt degassing. If so, contact Kayo and Alan, let them know they’ll need to coordinate a few hours before intercepting them. Use procedure 143-B as a base.

“FAB.”

Contacting the GDF proved to be more difficult than John had expected, even with EOS slipping into the datastream ahead of him to bypass certain layers of security. By the time he had talked with Saitō and placated him enough to release information regarding the cargo of the train that necessitated both the rescue and the GDF’s involvement, their job on the ground was nearly done and John was heartily sick of speaking to uniforms.

“I’ll be writing up my debrief now, sir,” he assured Saitō one last time. “It will be delivered, care of Colonel Casey, by UTC 0300. I look forward to reading your own report.”

He severed the connection and fell backwards, allowing himself a moment to float in freefall.

“You have another call coming through,” announced EOS, and he groaned.

“Who is it?”

“Colonel Casey.”

“What?!” He pulled himself upright, indignation sparking as he grabbed the comm sphere. “I just told Saitō I would send that report tomorrow.”

“She is insisting.”

“Fine,” he said, waving his hand in disgust. “Put her through.”

“John!” exclaimed Colonel Casey, smiling widely at him. “How are you?”

He scoffed, scowling at her. “Care to explain how exactly you expect me to write up a report on a rescue that wrapped up less that ten minutes ago? I haven’t even had a chance to debrief with my own people yet!”

“John, I–”

“And another thing, who does that Saitō guy think he is, running to complain already? You’re not my ‘superior’, we’re an independent organisation and I think that the GDF forgets that, and–”

“John, that’s not what–”

“–besides, I don’t know what kind of superhuman trials you’re running on your officers, but I’ve been awake for nineteen hours, and I want a nap before Three reaches their operation, and–”

“JOHN!”

The shout cut across the room and he stilled, annoyed at the way a raised voice still made him feel like he were a naughty child instead of an adult.

“What?” he asked, injecting his irritation into the word with as much venom as possible.

Colonel Casey levelled him with distinctly unimpressed look, as though she were trying to decide where to begin her reprimand.

“This is a social call, John.”

John’s face turned red and he floated backwards, releasing both the comm sphere and his outrage.

“Oh.”

“Hmm,” was all she said, looking him over. “Do I need to order a shutdown?”

“No need,” he said hurriedly. “We have things under control, I just got off comms with one of your people.”

“I know, that’s how I knew you’d be available for a chat.”

John wished suddenly for a freak fluctuation in the gravitational field, one that would pull him down into the centre of the Earth and keep him there.

“Sorry, Aunt Val,” he mumbled. “It was just a long day.”

“Well, we’ve all had plenty of those recently,” she said, waving off his apology. “I was calling to wish you a happy Christmas.”

“Is it?” he blurted, twisting his head to gape at the clock display. “Happy Christmas to you too, Val.”

Colonel Casey narrowed her eyes. “You are going home for Christmas, aren’t you John? You’re surely not leaving your grandmother all alone down there?”

John winced. “I have to coordinate a liner rescue with Three,” he said helplessly. “It’s not that I don’t want to, but duty calls.”

Colonel Casey pursed her lips. “You’re adults now John,” she said at last. “But as someone who watched her friends put duty over family year after year, and as someone who nearly lost her family from doing the same thing? I think you should go home as soon as you can.”

John swallowed. He didn’t usually think of their life as a sacrifice. Then again, he didn’t usually think of his family as something he was liable to lose.

“I’ll do that, Aunt Val,” he said. “Just as soon as those people are safe.”

After she signed off, he floated a little while longer, knowing it would be another forty-eight hours until Thunderbird Three returned. Assuming there were no further call-outs, it would be the twenty-eighth by the time he himself made it back to Earth.

“Are you going back, John?” asked EOS in a small voice.

“No,” he said, turning away and finding he had no regrets about the decision. He yawned. “I need to sleep though. Wake me when Thunderbird Three is in radar range of the liner.”

“Of course. And John?”

He looked back at her, curious to know what else she wanted to say.

“Last time he was here, Gordon put a box in your room.”

“What?”

“I tried to stop him. But then he showed me and it wasn’t dangerous so he made me promise to only tell you if you couldn’t go home for Christmas. And I did.”

 “Gordon left a box in my room for Christmas?”

EOS nodded and John sighed.

“Thank you EOS. I’ll look at it later.”

Scott, Virgil and Gordon

Scott didn’t mean to ditch John in the final wrap up of the mission, but he found himself walking away long before he’d be formally dismissed. He knew John would make him pay for it later, but at that exact moment in time, he found he didn’t care.

Virgil and Gordon were sitting on the ramp that led to Two’s module, waiting for him, and he collapsed beside them with a grunt.

“That went well, I thought,” said Gordon cheerily.

Virgil groaned, his eyes still shut. “Could you curb the pep for a few minutes? How are you still going?”

“I’m more sprightly than you, old man,” teased Gordon, poking Virgil in the shoulder. “Besides, how are you not excited? It’s Christmas!”

Scott pulled himself up, staring at Gordon in shock. “What do you mean it’s Christmas?” he demanded.

Gordon shrugged. “We went out on Christmas Eve. If you look over to the east, you’ll see this brilliant thing we like to call the sun, and I’m not a math whiz like you Scotty but I do know how the calendar works, so that makes it Christmas Day.”

Scott check the display and groaned.

“We missed Christmas dinner again,” he told Virgil, who screwed shut his eyes even tighter.

“Grandma’s going to be so upset,” said Virgil. “After last year, we promised her…”

“We promised we’d do our best,” reminded Scott. “She knows we wouldn’t have gone if we weren’t needed. Those people would have been crushed without the Mole and PODs, you know that.”

“That doesn’t make me feel much better,” said Virgil. “Just another no-win scenario.”

Gordon threw his arms around their shoulders, dragging them upright. “Step on board gentlemen. I’ve got just the thing to improve the day.”

“Are you inviting me onto my own ‘bird?” demanded Virgil.

Gordon waved him off. “I’m co-pilot, I’m entitled to invite a few people if I want. Come on, let’s go call Grandma, have a quick kip, and fly home. The twenty-sixth is just as good for celebrating as any other.”

Scott and Virgil shared a look, and followed him, their feet dragging in contrast to Gordon’s near-skip.

Instead of the cockpit, Gordon led them through Thunderbird Two down to the small cabin area, rarely used except on those missions none of them wanted to be a part of, the ones that stretched out into long days of recovery following a widescale disaster.

Gordon sat down on his assigned bunk and began to rifle through the storage space built into the wall.

“I know I left this here somewhere,” he muttered. “You can sit down by the way. Oh! Here it is!”

Confused, Scott and Virgil sat down on the opposite bunk and Gordon withdrew three boxes, a bright red bow taped to the lid of each. He passed one box across to Scott and a second to Virgil, grinning widely.

“You should call Grandma now,” he added helpfully. “Patch in John and the others too.”

Scott read the large letters on the outside, twisting the box where the words wrapped around the corners.

“‘For Emergencies Only’?”

“Trust me,” said Gordon. “This is an emergency. Call them.”

Too tired to question him, Scott pulled out the comm and connected the call.

“Scott?” said Grandma. “Are you boys done? Oh, happy Christmas!”

“Happy Christmas, Grandma,” they all chorused.

“Sorry, Grandma,” said Scott. “Gordon said I should call you and that it was for an emergency.”

“Oh!” she said. “Is this your surprise, Gordon? Brains and I have our boxes with us now.”

“That’s the one, Grandma,” said Gordon. “Hold on, we’re getting a hold of John too.”

The holoviewer connected, showing John frowning down at a box in his hands.

“John, you have a call,” said EOS, and he looked up still frowning.

“Gordon, what is this?” he asked.

“Happy Christmas to you too, John,” said Gordon. “How are you, Gordon, how was the rescue?”

“I watched the whole thing, I already know how the rescue went. Thanks, by the way, Scott. You’re writing the extra report I promised Saitō.”

“And a very merry Christmas to me,” muttered Scott to Virgil.

Virgil ignored him. “Can we connect to Alan and Kayo too?” he asked John. “Gordon’s clearly been planning something.”

“I don’t need to plan,” said Gordon, sounding affronted. “I just followed my squid sense.”

“Does your squid sense know if Alan and Kayo are free?”

“They’re on their way still,” said John. “It’ll be another two or three hours before they make direct contact. Hurry up, Gordon, I want to go to sleep.”

“This’ll only take a few,” he assured them. “Kayo knows what this is about.”

“Why does she get to know?” asked Scott indignantly.

“Because keeping a secret around Kayo is like a death wish,” retorted Gordon. “She’d have sniffed it out anyway.”

“Hi guys,” said Alan, waving as the visual connected. “Happy Christmas!”

“Is it time, Gordon?” asked Kayo.

“Time for what?” asked Alan, looking at her in surprise. She slipped out of the frame and he called out after her. “Kayo!”

“Here you go,” she said, and a box was thrown to Alan from offscreen. “Gift number two.”

“Wow thanks!”

“Thank Gordon for this one,” she said.

“Okay, does everyone have their box?” asked Gordon, looking around.

“I don’t,” said EOS, her lights whirling. “John, can we share?”

“Sure EOS,” said John. “Can we open this now?”

“Yes!” crowed Gordon, and there was a loud rustle as they all dove in.

Scott pulled out a Christmas cracker.

“What is this?” he asked.

“Lady Penelope gave them to me,” said Gordon beaming.

John laughed. “A Christmas cracker?”

“And some other goodies,” said Gordon. “Those are all me. I had a feeling we wouldn’t get to do Christmas on the island, so I made up these emergency boxes so we could still celebrate.”

Scott felt a rush of affection for his younger brother, and he evidently wasn’t alone as Virgil grabbed him in a crushing hug.

“This is lovely,” said Grandma. “Oh, Gordon, what a perfect idea, thank you.”

“Thank the squid sense,” said Gordon extracting himself. “Do you all want to pull the cracker together? On three…”

Brains and Grandma exchanged ends, holding a cracker in each hand, as Alan and Kayo mimicked them several hundred thousand kilometres from Tracy Island. John held his cracker by himself as EOS fussed about the optimal grip, insisting that for the next Christmas, John would need to make her a new attachment that would allow her to hold the cracker herself. Gordon, Virgil and Scott all crossed their arms, each forming the corner of a triangle, and Scott couldn’t help but smile, his heart warm and overflowing as though they were all together after all.

“THREE,” shouted Gordon, and they all pulled, an almighty bang echoing around the room.

“Happy Christmas,” said Scott, over and over again, hardly knowing who he was talking to as the chatter got louder and louder and the spirits rose higher and higher. “Happy Christmas, happy Christmas, happy Christmas.”

[acourtofquestions]

An underused Maasverse meme format

— Because this is —

Me to Sarah: about Aelin

Rowan to Lorcan: about Aelin (& lbr all of us to Lorcan/Gavriel/Maeve/etc. about Aelin)

Nesryn to Sartaq: about the Valg

Me 95% of the series waiting for Yrene: *I have found her & we are very happy*😂

Heck crossover time; AZRIEL & the fandom to the universe: WHERE/WHO IS HIS MATE?

Rhys: WHERE IS THE CONFESSION TO FEYRE? *which time u decide*😅

Half of EoS to Elena: WHERE IS THE MOTHERF***ing KEY?!

The other half of EoS to SJM via Manon: Where is my flower child? Where is Abraxos? Where is my star queen Asterin?

Celaena to Arobynn in QoS: Where is the eye of Orynth amulet (secret Wyrdkey)?

Me 90% of anything going wrong at the palace: Where is Fleetfoot?

Me all of TAB Assassin & The Empire: WHERE IS SAM?😅😅😭🫥

Dare I say the worst ever: Where is my wife?😭 (sry I just CAN’T)