#not on the forefront of my mind not my main fandom sadly

[thatlittledandere]

How many people who followed me after 2018 see me post something about Boueibu every now and again and think it's one of my casual interests and not like, a fundamental component to who I am as a person

[buddha-in-disguise]

Weariness and cynicism is deadly.

When we were growing up, I remember my paternal grandfather once said to me: Weariness and cynicism is deadly.

At the time I didn't really understand the comment, but as I got older, it was something that I've kept in the back of my mind, in part because I would hate for me to become weary & cynical in life.

The last few episodes of Supergirl have had this line come roaring to the forefront with me.

Right now, weariness and cynicism within the Supergirl fandom (and not just a ship), has now shown in ratings.

You could argue as to why the ratings have dropped, and there are certainly going to be a few reasons for it. After all, in any season of a show you get peaks and troughs on the figures.

With Supergirl though, it has been a steep hit, then a steady decline afterwards. 

I've been writing this over a few days, and yesterday the synopsis for 5.19 dropped.

Now you can tell this was written before they planned on merging some of 5.20 into 5.19 and it became the finale, and this is given away by the 'penultimate episode,' wording. That is true, so knowing elements of 5.20 will be merged into it, means there is likely a divergence to this synopsis on some level. If there is, once again the marketing has failed to adapt with these changes. 

However, the synopsis also has people absolutely at the end of their tether over Kara and Lena. Why? The 1st segment:

'Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) realizes that in order to stop Lex (guest star Jon Cryer) and Leviathan she must work with the one person she never thought she’d trust again – Lena (Katie McGrath).' 

I have issue with this for more than one reason, but the biggest for me is simply this.

Honestly the situation should be sorted by now in far better ways. If this goes on through to S6 unresolved, then it is beyond a joke.

19 episodes of this is utterly unacceptable. Even if they'd carried on resolution into the 20th episode, that's still far too long. 

I can't speak for other fans, but personally I was hoping (& expecting) that once Crisis was over, Kara and Lena would actually begin to talk. If not Lena and Kara, Lena and Alex. Because remember how Lena spoke to Alex when Alex asked for her help during Crisis? Here are the lines most relevant (I'm including the clip for the whole interaction).

"I am sorry that I lied to you. And not just me. Not just Kara. J'onn, and Brainy, and Nia."

"You know, you actually had me believe that you hated Supergirl."

"I wasn't pretending about that, but that is a long story."

This was 10 episodes ago once 5.19 hits, & has never been broached again, nor looks likely to be. Why even bring it up if you're going to ignore it? Lena & Alex were friends by S4 end. If Kara couldn't talk to Lena, why hasn't Alex tried? Or Brainy? Nia. Even Kelly, who genuinely hadn't lied to Lena - although that could've been awkward if Lena said it was about Kara lying being Supergirl and Kelly didn't know. But you know, I would've loved to have seen it play out that way, because Kelly's surprise wouldn't be faked, and Lena, despite it all, would probably recognise that.

Have Lena working with Lex, but also using Kelly to help her with the lenses, to placate Lex, but to be actively working with the Superfriends (Kelly as the intermediary) to bring Lex down. That way, Kelly gets screen time she deserves, Lena slowly works through her issues, even if it isn't directly with Kara yet. Alex really uses the Tower to investigate and help Kelly and Lena. But we have had nothing of note.

Out of the two Winn episodes, we had one episode of Winn's own psychopathic father getting his redemption, (which sorry, was too far fetched for me). What was the purpose of this? It apparently serves none. This episode should've been a redemption arc starting for Lena in my opinion, even if Kara wasn't involved (so the 100th still could've gone ahead as planned). It could've been Brainy for example tentatively reaching out to Lena. Or as I say, Lena seeing how Lex was working, and reaching out to Kelly. It wouldn't have to be a noticable or big thing, but the beginnings of some reconciliation with someone. 

Yet Lena, who time and time again has tried to do the right thing, has been lied to, has been abused by her family since she was 4, has been left to her own devices for 19 episodes! By people who say they are her friends. This is more than about Kara. This is about a whole group of people who seemingly have washed their hands of Lena. That sure as hell isn't any kind of friendship I know, or agree with. 

This is why as a general audience people are now weary and cynical. When the hard core fans, not ship fans, but the ones who tune in religiously, are screaming enough, then a more general audience will simply drift away. Sadly the viewing figures suggest this is exactly what has happened. 

If they're suddenly best friends again from 5.19, then it will be as bad because nothing is talked about! Even if they carry on the redemption arc into S6, will the general audience - or even the main hard core group of fans - wait potentially 9 to 12 months before it starts again, not knowing if they plan to maintain the push and pull between Lena, Kara and the Superfriends, or actually are going to rebuild the friendships?

We also have the question of why did Kara find the tape that Mxyzptlk left? I'm including a screen capture for this.  

There were a couple of things at the time that I wondered about.

Why make it so obvious that was the video tape left? It then immediately led off to Kara confronting Lena, which while harsh wasn't really too OOC until that last line. No, she didn't call Lena a villain (ugh also continuity in 5.17, hello Kara, you didn't call her a villain). But Kara knows that Lena has always wanted to be seen as being different to her family, but especially Lex. Instead of going to Lena as Supergirl, go to her as Kara! Make her see the person not the cape. Of course being Supergirl is important to Kara, but knowing that Lena has always had a more volatile relationship with Supergirl, it seems utterly inconceivable to me that at some stage Kara wouldn't go to try and talk to her simply as Kara. Or was it Mxy as Supergirl, who hesitated moving from the balcony because he needed to be invited inside by Lena? Supergirl took a step forward, but doesn't appear to actually enter Lena's apartment. 

So yes. That whole scene has always bugged me.

I also always questioned why did Mxy hang around watching through Kara's loft window? What was it he needed to see? By all accounts his mission there was accomplished. Why hang around?

So it begs the question, are we seeing how the tape plays out? Is this the 'nothing is as it seems' and the 'Black mirror season,' they touted before the season began. If this refers to how Lex has played his part, then that is nowhere near good enough.

If it is because of Mxy, it is just an awful way to go about it. It has left most fans weary, jaded and honestly not trusting of how they will carry on writing for the show.

Let's not forget, Kara told the whole world her identity to save Lena. 

Lena tried to save Kara from the Kryptonite in the air, but failed because she was too far away in Metropolis. 

Lena took to heart the pleas from Kara not to use Kryptonite, and so devised another way to subdue Reign, only to die in Kara's arms (and remember Kara literally crumpled as Lena fell into her arms. This is a Kryptonian with Super human strength, but her knees gave way). 

The only time Lena did turn evil was when Supergirl didn't save her. But even then, watch her face carefully as she hits with Kara with the Kryptonite. That stotic mask falls just fractionally. 

However this plays out in the last two episodes, quite honestly I can't see how it is going to be enough to pacify the distrust and anger over vast aspects of the season. How a lot of what has gone on can only be called queerbaiting, and if (& it's a big if) they even lent into Supercorp (I highly doubt it), then it needed to come far quicker. When you lose the trust of a big part of your audience, it is extremely difficult to get that trust back. When you have to try and achieve that with only 2 episodes left? Pretty much impossible. 

When that weariness and cynicism has months to fester in a fandom, it is deadly.

[otterskin8]

Thoughts on Endgame

Hey everyone else had an opinion, I thought I’d try having one too! 

Spoilers Follow

Honestly, sometimes it feels a little like everything is on fire whenever I stroll into the fandom and I’ve just got a dopey grin on my face as everyone runs around screaming. 

 I came out of the theatre having had a good time and pleased that certain things were tied off nicely for certain characters. I like the Russos fine but have wanted them to show more personal flair in their work. In this film, in particular, the second act, I thought they really did - there was a lovely, meandering quality to the film that allowed for a lot of humour and fun character beats. It was unexpected and felt like - well, Community (also nice to see those cameos, I loved that show). I really hope to see more of that quirky sense of pathos and fun in their future work. 

This ended up being more a celebration of what the MCU’s accomplished so far than necessarily a finale for all of that. It was, as I expected, mostly a goodbye to Cap and Tony. I like both characters (though I still have my frustrations with them as well), and I pretty much predicted this ending when I placed my bets in 2017 (Cap finally decides he doesn’t have to be a soldier forever and retires, as he deserves, and gets to be a man again, while Tony finally does get the family he wanted but loses it so he can be the new Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben in that franchise. We’ll see if my prediction of a JARVIS-Tony computer program comes true. Maybe Riri Williams breaks into his lab and he appears over her shoulder like Clippy. ‘I see you are trying to steal all my old schematics. Would you like some help with that?’ You heard it here first, folks.) Best of all, Nebz was even more front and centred than I hope possible. She carried the heart of the film and delivered. I loved her confusion, half-regret and grief at Thanos’ first death (such a great shot, her with his head in her arms) to her final victory over herself. I particularly appreciated the opening on her and Tony, where she gets a taste of what it’s like to actually have a caring dad. It makes Tony’s final killing of Thanos feel more right in the story - the flawed father figure who rose up and put children first above his own ambitions kills the one who always put his ambitions first. That cute triangle game Nebula and Tony played explained so much about both of them. So, so good.

I loved Professor Hulk. I wish we’d seen him come to be - he was robbed of that culmination - but I’ve never wanted to hug the guy more. I think he was a fascinating sign of the guilt Banner had. I really loved how the time jump allowed these massive changes in the characters, that they took some big risks to their recognizability. I found that very rewarding. 

The same goes for Thor. My gosh, I loved what they did. I’d bet money that Hemsworth pitched it too, this seems like an idea he’d have. Thor is, of course, my favourite Avenger. It is often painful to watch him sidelined in the Avengers films since the series’ original, more grounded flavour made him an odd player out, preferring to showcase Steve and Tony. He was the unloved member of the trilogy. The same could be said about this film, but honestly Thor is given everything I ever wanted him to deal with in this film. His trauma finally caught up with him and he can’t hide it anymore, and it’s wonderfully heartfelt and funny and sweet and subverts all those ‘paragon of manliness’ tenants Thor has represented throughout history. His strength in this film comes not from being told to ‘buck up’ by Rocket (I loved that his attempt to pep talk and slap Thor into readiness was a total failure), nor from his body, nor, even, from his own mind. Thor gets to run crying to his mum and that’s treated as the healthy and correct thing to do. A necessary thing, even. Frigga delivers the best line in the film (sorry Love You 3000, you get a solid second). 

“Everyone fails at who they’re supposed to be.” I think that hits everyone. It certainly did me. The expectations put on us all, by ourselves, our parents, the needs of our age - they are as crushing as a hammer on your chest. 

Thor is the MVP of this film aside from Nebula. He gets to show the most range, the lowest of the lows and funniest of highs, in the very same scene and often at the very same time. It’s tragicomedy at its finest, which is what I come to the MCU Thor for. The incredible vulnerability combined with excellent comedic timing made this a performance that stands out in the arc. I was also surprised to see this huge, large, film of the century took time to go back to a sadly maligned chapter in its saga - Thor: The Dark World (my problems with it are manifold but I am tired of hearing it called the ‘worst’. That is not true. I know you all forgot about it, but the Incredible Hulk is still technically in the MCU, and there are plenty of other weak chapters that don’t manage to push their characters’ stories forward at all.) Not only that, but it patched one of my main criticisms of that film - that Thor had no time with his mother and their relationship didn’t feel explored enough. And that Thor needed to cry more. I come for man tears, that was what Branagh promised me and frankly I was getting dehydrated of late. So thank you End Game, I am quenched for now. 

I’m sure this will come up in the big long thing I’m doing about the overall themes of the MCU (Dads and Legacy mostly), but this film managed to address some questions the MCU has posed in entry after entry. Thor’s journey has been shaped by his father, and his search for his father’s approval. Sometimes he was found lacking, and other times he realized he needed to abandon that approval to do the right thing, but always he was trapped in the legacy of that father - the mistakes that father had made, and what his father wanted him to become. This film suggests a wonderful alternative to Thor - that he is also his mother’s son, and her desire is for him to be himself first. Once he hears that, he’s able to call Mjölnir - a sign that he also has his father’s approval, after all. No, I do not mind that the hammer came back from the dead for a little fun - it had meaning and significance in its scenes. (Although I still don’t get what’s the big deal of Steve lifting it - it’s a bit a jerk of a hammer, have you seen the list of who else could pick that thing up? Hela, Odin, Thor. All morally gray people. ‘Worthy’ seems to be a matter of conviction, confidence, and desire to act. Not inherent goodness. Eh.) I love that Frigga, long shuffled to the back of the Thor franchise, is given such a key and beautiful moment in this monster film. I love that she gets to be mischevious, fun, hint a little more at her backstory (witches, eh?) and play psychiatrist to a son who really needs her. I always wanted more of these two, and was CONVINCED I’d never get it. I think I’ve died and gone to Valhalla. 

Are there a few lines I wish were cut? Yes, there are some unkind words I wish had been altered - they are unnecessarily cruel and reflect badly on the characters who say them (in particular WM - dude. C’mon.) Rocket’s fine, though - that’s who he is (and that behaviour is changing) and he is not rewarded for his crass treatment. It fails.  Further lessons for character development - trauma isn’t fixed with violence. Pay attention, Rabbit. There are also plenty of plot holes and weird questions. Why can the tesseract suddenly be used without a device? Doesn’t that mean Loki could’ve teleported everyone to safety in IW? Speaking of, why did Thor not try harder to communicate with Loki or steal him from another timeline? I feel like an explanation was called for. It also kinda sucks that IW ended with Thor avenging Heimdall (awesome dude, I love him a lot, but...really? That’s the death they directly reference in Thor’s big moment? I thought they’d use Heimdall there and have Loki be more at the forefront of Thor’s mind in this one, but he seems more banished from his thoughts than Thanos’ name). But eh, at the end of the day, this isn’t meant to be the ending for either Thor or his brother. That’s the best part. I get to ride this train for years to come, and hopefully many more good things are coming. (Although I’m getting bad juju from every announcement I hear about the Loki series so far, so here’s hoping I don’t look back at laugh bitterly at my past self’s optimism.) 

I do hope that when Thor’s story does eventually come to an end that it’s in his own franchise. I feel like ending Cap and Tony’s story here is big and fun and all, but the Thor films began very intimately (somehow THOR might be the smallest film Branagh ever directed) and I hope to see them end that way. And I hope that even with the Loki series doing its own thing and Thor off with the Guardians that the two will be allowed to come back together again for something meaty before the end.

This film did right by my faves, and while it’s unwieldy, lopsided and imperfect it manages to set up the fictional people I care about for interesting things. Here’s to another decade of watching these actors barely age.

P.S. I am genuinely concerned that Eternals is going to hook me. Hmm. I can only hope they don’t do the Arthurian Legends or Egyptian Mythology as well. I’ll be sunk. 

[dgcatanisiri]

A,R,Q,X

A - Ships that you currently like a lot. (They don’t have tobe OTPs because not everyone has OTPs.) Friendships, pairings, threesomes, etc.are allowed.

The side effect of how almost all of my main OTPs are rarepairs, if you pass me something new for one of them, I am almost bound to gush over it because HOLY CRAP NEW CONTENT!

So the usual standbys are in effect - it’ll vary on what’s in the forefront of my mind. Right now, given the new run of Jade Empire I started, it’s Spirit Monk/Sky, because holy crap, I do not have words for this one, considering that it was my first real, canon ship involving same sex characters. Though MShep/Kaidan/James and varying iterations of that combo are never too far from the forefront - Mass Effect, being a space opera, is home for me, so these guys are never too far behind whatever’s in the first position.

Q - A fandom you’ve abandoned and why.

I was really big on The Vampire Diaries when it first aired. It was fun, a little campy, enjoyable. Then the BS that happened in that post I made a few weeks ago happened and I was just ‘...and I’m done with you.’ Like I decided that the series ended on 3x21 (considering the cliffhanging ending for the season - I disregard the five minutes or so that lead into the final episode of the season), and I have never regretted that decision. 

Though the fact that the show became all about a character introduced as evil through and through, enough that they gave him a spinoff, and then all the business with teasing him and Caroline together... Gag me.

I sadly can put up with queerbaiting, but if you’re not even going to offer me scraps, if you’re going to intentionally set out to rip away those scraps, yeah, I am not sticking around. I might get jerked around by the people queerbaiting, but at least in doing that they’re saying that I offer them SOMETHING worthwhile, even if it’s just to keep the show going while promising and providing nothing of substance. If you just want the queer people to stop interacting, fine. I’ll cut you off entirely.

R - Which friendship/platonic relationship is your favoritein fandom?

I am a complete sucker for the friendships between the Sailor Senshi. Like I have nothing against them being shipped romantically, but when I think “strong female friendships,” I think Usagi, Ami, Rei, Mako, and Minako. It’s what disappointed me so much in Crystal, these girls became props for Usagi, when the original anime had been all about showing the depths and strengths of their friendship.

Though...

X - A trope which you are almost certain to love in anyfandom.

Friends to lovers, every single damn time. Like, if you cannot have the characters have a solid friendship first before a single romantic gesture is exchanged, really, what are you even doing? Characters shouldn’t exist to just be a love interest, so if you can’t establish that these characters actually like being around each other when they aren’t doing romance-related activities, you need to take the relationship back to the drawing board.

[writerpyre]

Tidal Force

Chapter 1/? ~ Rating T for some language.

Fandom: Thunderbirds/Thunderbirds Are Go. Word Count: 2, 266.

Gordon had said to John that he was okay when he woke up from the knock to his head after the seaquake. Because he technically had been at the time, and he’d had a job to do. Gordon was grimly pleased for the fact that he'd not done himself any real damage, but that didn't mean that he wasn't still in pain. ~ Counterplot to TAG ep 'Ring of Fire' Pt 2.

Gordon had said to John that he was okay when he woke up from the knock to his head after the seaquake. Because he technically had been at the time, and he’d had a job to do. Sure, he'd smacked his skull pretty hard against the steering column, so of course, he was going to be sore, but he had been able to get into the station and rescue the three members of the Minerva crew with ease.

However, what Gordon hadn't told John was that when the station had tipped, he had too; the momentum slamming him forcibly into an outward-jutting corner of the interior wall, first his spine and then the back of his head cracking sharply against it as the increased gravity had taken hold.

Thankful for his pressure suit and the added advantage of his breathing gear and his helmet in protecting him, Gordon was grimly pleased for the fact that he'd not done himself any real damage, but that didn't mean that he wasn't still in pain. That was especially true now, after having swum hard with that last crew member back to his sub in order to detach Thunderbird Four from the station; allowing Scott and Virgil to let go of the structure so it wouldn't drag them under too.

He'd managed not to show the discomfort he was in as he carried the transponder beacon into the lounge after they'd returned home; his head aching properly and his back stiff and sore, even after having absorbed a lot of the impact through the special material of his suit. However, he’d been unable to bring himself to sit on one of the couches, preferring to stand up until now, much as it was making his ankles throb.

He sees John's hologram give him a funny look as he finally makes do with one of the four leather armchairs in the sunken pit that forms Command and Control, but Gordon just shakes his head and positions himself further forward than he'd normally do, his elbows propped on his knees in order to surreptitiously stretch out his spine before settling back with a hidden wince.

Part of it, he knows -- as he listens to Scott vent about the Hood's obvious involvement in the manufactured earthquakes issue -- is to do with the fact that he's taken his uniform off and changed back into his civvies. The material - specially-designed and created by Brains, with the knowledge of Gordon's repaired body in mind - was intended to be both (obviously) waterproof and protect him against the pressure of the depths, but also to support the weaker parts of Gordon's skeleton, where his legs are prone to seizing around the knees and ankles, and his lumbar region has the unfortunate tendency of letting off blasts of nerve pain at the most inopportune of times.

That isn't to say that Gordon was impaired or disabled by his accident, in any sense of the word, just that his body has some issues in times of high stress, and that some extra tweaking of International Rescue's standard uniform was needed to compensate for that. And now he's taken that additional support off, his body is obviously complaining a lot louder than it would be were he still wearing it.

"So what do you suggest, Colonel Casey?" Virgil asks roughly, as their father's former Air Force colleague stares impassively around at them all. "We sit around and do nothing?"  Gordon can see the slow-burning anger that Virgil has been harbouring since their father's disappearance rise to the forefront, and he bites his lip, remembering all too well that terrible day... Even now, all this time later, it still hurts.

"You'll do what International Rescue does best, Virgil - help people in trouble." She says sternly, like that's not stating the obvious. "We'll bring him to justice."

Without another word, Colonel Casey vanishes with nary a chirp of disconnection or even a ‘goodbye’, and Gordon looks wearily at Scott, raising an eyebrow as he pushes himself upright in the seat, bracing his hands on his knees. "They don't stand a chance, do they?"

Scott gets up in response; his face determined. "If these devices are causing earthquakes, we'll find a way to shut them down!" He clenches his fists, and Gordon shares a glance with his grandmother, who has her brows furrowed, she too is watching Scott in concern.

"We still don't even know what we're dealing with here!" Virgil points out in frustration. Apparently Scott's speech has as much effect in calming his psy-twin brother as the rest of them, i.e, none at all. Next to Virgil on the other side of the pit, Brains looks worried, Gordon notes. The thought alone makes him nervous.

"I can give you a pretty good idea." John suggests, looking between the six of them. Grandma sits silently, watching them interact, as Scott settles back into his seat, and Gordon shoots a look at him that his eldest sibling mirrors. This is concerning.  "Seismic activity has been steadily growing since the first 'quake, and it's spreading north along the Pacific plate." John points to all the areas along the bottom of the Ring of Fire where the trouble is occurring, and Gordon feels his gut sink. "This is a global catastrophe in the making."

"D'you feel that?" Scott looks around at them as the lounge shakes slightly beneath them. Gordon clutches the sides of his seat as his left knee lets out a hot spasm with the unexpected movement. "It's another 'quake."

Gordon nods, feeling his lips compress. Too right he felt that; it sent pain firing right up into his spine, that did, and the damn chair is cushioned for heavens' sakes!

"I'm receiving hundreds of distress calls from along the Southern Pacific Rim." John reports suddenly, and as his brother turns his head to look at his holographic display, Gordon's attention is caught by Scott's head nodding sharply, tensing for movement.

 John turns his globe, replicated on the glass table in the centre of the circle of couches, zooming in on what Gordon knows is the brightest-glowing coordinates, indicating the greatest danger imposed on the cities in those locations; images and symbols popping up that dazzle Gordon's aching head just a bit more than he is comfortable with. Ibuprofen, he decides briskly, as soon as he can get his hands on it...

"Just tell us where you need us, Thunderbird Five." Scott orders.

"Oh, my!" Brains exclaims suddenly, having been silent almost since Gordon had brought the transponder back. He assumes that the scientist has at least been visually analysing the beacon until he can get his hands on it properly. "The solar collector in Taiwan has f-fallen out of alignment!" The engineer waves his hand over a red-flashing icon, and Kayo and the six Tracys lean forward for a closer look as the image suddenly blows up to ten times its initial size.

"Is that an actual emergency, Brains?" Scott asks, sceptical; blue eyes narrowed, fingers clenching on his knees. Just like Dad's used to do... Gordon thinks sadly.

"Here's how it was before." The engineer begins, standing up and moving forward, and what looks to Gordon like a massive satellite dish, looking as though it’s from the 1990s suddenly pops up out of nowhere. "Thousands of individually controlled mirrors concentrate the sun's rays into a frighteningly p-powerful beam."

"We're talking heat so intense, you get the same kind of hydrogen fusion that fuels a star." John adds, his face grim.

"This is the collector now." Brains gestures at the holo-display, and a terrain map with a minimised dish suddenly replaces the larger schematic.  "When the sun comes up, those rays will be aiming d-directly at the city of Taipei." As the engineer moves to the side so they can all see, a ray - clearly meant to serve as an imitation of the hydrogen fusion event John mentioned before - shoots across the frame, towards the city that Gordon can see in the right hand corner of the hologram. Immediately, warning icons that are indicative of any number of potential emergency situations pop up, and Gordon finds himself breaking out into a cold sweat. Shit.

"Sounds like we need to move that reflector!" Virgil concludes, leaning forward, dark eyes concerned.

"Gordon, I'm picking up a distress call from a fishing trawler taking on water." John turns suddenly to him, and even through his throbbing head, and his concern over the possible disaster unfolding in Taiwan, Gordon nods, knowing that he's needed elsewhere, regardless of his own thoughts and feelings on the situation, not to mention his aching body. "Tell them I'm on my way!" He pushes himself carefully to his feet, before gritting his teeth as a flare of pain arcs up his left leg, making him flinch. Dammit!

"All right, then. Time to gear up." Scott commands from behind him, and Gordon bites back his discomfort as he forces himself to walk normally. No letting the team down, there'll be time to have a rest afterwards. He'll have earned it by then, he's sure.

"Yes, let's do this!" Alan says enthusiastically, and Gordon hides a grin as his youngest sibling literally makes the floor vibrate in his excitement, seeing the teenager punching the air out of the corner of his eye.

"Sorry, Alan." Their eldest sibling says in apology, passing Gordon quickly. "We need to keep you and Thunderbird Three in reserve." Reaching the rotating platform that will take him across to Thunderbird One, Scott pulls down his twin lamps as Gordon moves carefully up the stairs and heads around the pit in the opposite direction, towards the hidden elevator that will lead him to the main silo where he'll collect Thunderbird Four.

"In case the TV goes out..." Alan mumbles. "I get it."

Gordon feels a passing pang of sympathy for Alan as he places his handprint on the recognition strip that will give him access to the elevator to the silos, but it's gone just as quickly as it came, as the concealed doors open and he steps inside, raising his watch to connect himself to John in Thunderbird Five. His brother's hologram pops up, though he's not actually looking at Gordon, and John spares him a glance from where he's feeding coordinates and uploading what Gordon presumes is the specs for the collector to Scott and Virgil, as the elevator begins its long descent.

"The trawler is a light thirty-footer, Gordon." John addresses him swiftly, his blue eyes - green at most times in the overhead lights of Thunderbird Five due to the contacts he wears for short-sightedness - flickering to meet his with a look of concentration as his fingers skitter across his holoscreens. "There's a crew of four, and the trawler's net has caught on some submerged rocks that weren't picked up by their onboard scanners. They've got a slow leak, and there is only one reported injury - the skipper has cut his hand - but the laceration isn't too deep, and they’ve applied basic First Aid, so it appears that it's just going to be a pick up of the four of them and drop off at the nearest main docking rig; Auckland, New Zealand. I've sent the coordinates to 'Four's navigation system. They're not in danger yet, according to their captain, but they'll be sunk by the time the authorities can get someone from conventional sea rescue out to them. You should be there within the next forty minutes at top speed. I'll let you know if anything with their situation changes."

"FAB, John." Gordon returns, meeting his brother's gaze levelly. "I'll keep you apprised of what's going on. Thunderbird Four out."

As the doors open and his brother’s hologram blinks out, Gordon heads determinedly towards the silo, relieved that this mission looks like it’s going to be a relatively cut-and-dry one. Or so he hopes...

Many thanks to both @libertybright for her invaluable plotting skills, and to @kellyfhaycock for her encouragement, you both have such unwavering faith in me. <3

I’m not really sure when I’m going to get to the next chapter of this, or any of my other WIPs, but rest assured it will be as soon as I possibly can. Life is hard and extremely stressful at the moment, and I know that I’m leaving you guys with yet another beginning to a story, but as always; thank you for reading. Your support means the world. 

You can find me on fanfic.net and Ao3 too!!