#engineering vs. biochem

[japsody]

FS challenge: comfort.

[agent-85]

i don't buy when in fics his name dislike is explained because it's an old-fashioned or stuffy name, because leo is a perfectly normal fine name. i've known people who have changed their name to leo when transitioning gender bc it's a good name. i love your 'why didn't he use james' question, i've never thought about that

(In reference to this post.)

Hi there, anon!

I agree. He easily could have gone by Leo and not turned any heads. We COULD have had an Agent Fitz who is usually called by his last name for professional reasons, and when he is called by his first name, he cringes and says he prefers to go by Leo. That would be a very reasonable scenario. And that’s why AO3 has him listed as Leo Fitz, and most of the early FitzSimmons fics (including some of mine) had Leo becoming a thing. But it didn’t turn out that way at all!

Instead, we have this:

Donnie: Agent Fitz, sir.Fitz: Oh please, call me Fitz.

It’s a comedic moment because he SHOULD say, “Call me Leo.” But that’s not what he wants to be called. 

And when Jemma DOES call him Leo, it’s clear that she does it on purpose to mess with him. So, he doesn’t like being called Leo, and has been vocal about it at some point.

Interestingly, though, he doesn’t ever have a problem with being called Leopold, which is what AIDA calls him. It’s clearly not his preference, but he’s not upset by it. So I don’t think its Leopold that’s the problem, really, I think it’s Leo.

I think the key clue to why he hates Leo is that it’s what his father calls him. In the Framework, he and his father are in an toxic-but-close relationship, so he doesn’t mind the name. In reality, where his father abused him and left, he hates it. So I think it’s fair to say that he hates Leo because it’s what his father called him.

And, if Leopold is uncool and Leo reminds you of your abusive father, Fitz seems like a great choice. 

Honestly, I don’t think we should read too much into the James thing, because for all we know, the writers never thought up a middle name for him until they needed it in that scene. I just think it’s interesting that he had this OTHER choice all along. Could you imagine an AU where everything is the same, except Fitz occasionally goes by Jim? It’s a minor change, but it would make a big difference for the character. But Jim is so similar to Jemma that it would come close to violating the One Steve Limit Rule, so it wouldn’t really work. It’s just interesting to think about. 

Our perception of a person IS shaped, in part, by what their name is, even though the name you are given has more to do with your parents’ preferences than it has to do with you. Fitz probably just felt like the name Fitz suited him better, which tells you a lot about him once you realize what other choices he had on the table.

[thefitzsimmonsnetwork]

Team Engineering and Team Biochem! 

In order to be able to kick off EvB, we need you to select a Team Captain! 

Although the challenge hasn’t officially started yet, this is a critical part of EvB. Your leader will be your main squeeze throughout the hiatus events, posting challenge reminders and updates, organizational and motivational posts. 

Because their role is so important, we would like as much participation as possible for this event, so we will be awarding you points for this!

Team leadership will work differently than last year: 

Each team will have ONE Team Captain who will work closely and directly with @fitzsimmonsy​ (TFSN mod) to coordinate events, make sure things run smoothly, etc. 

There will be a Team Lieutenant, who will be the help and back up the Team Captain needs

Voting Process:

For Team Biochem, you will be voting between @ughfitz, @etoilesdeglace​and @marvelouswhovianfairytales

For Team Engineering, you will be voting between @mrsdecaestecker​, @ifwehadamonkey​, @leopoldfitzsimmons​ and @fitzsimmonsforlife​

To vote:

Go HERE if you’re Team Biochem and fill out the Typeform

Go HERE if you’re Team Engineering and fill out the Typeform

(To explain the choice options: First choice votes receive 2 points, and Second choice votes receive 1 point for total calculations.)

The person for each team with the most votes will be Team Captain, the runner-up will be Team Lieutenant 

You have until July 5th, midnight PST to vote

Team Captains and Lieutenants will be posted on July 6th, and Captains will be contacted to discuss organizational matters. 

The full team rosters with these updated rankings will be released on July 10th from the @teamengineering​ and @teambiochem​ blogs, as the challenge will officially begin then

Points:

Voting earns you 5 points

Given the incredible amount of work this position takes, this year:

Team Captains will get 300 points towards their personal score

Team Lieutenants will get 100 points towards their personal score

Good luck to all of you and have fun! 

As always, please message us if you have any comments, questions or concerns.

[unlessimwrongwhichyouknowimnot]

AoS Rewatch - 2x07 The Writing on the Wall

MACK: I've seen some messed-up stuff in my day, Turbo, but nothing quite like that. Holding down the director like he's possessed... FITZ: Yeah, well, what happened... that's not... wasn't his fault. MACK: I know. Someone jumbled his memories. FITZ: No, his memories weren't jumbled. They were... replaced. Just some of them. MACK: You're up. FITZ: No, I'm okay. MACK: Nah, come on. It's good for you. Helps your brain and hands learn to get their act together. Replaced memories, jumbled memories... how the hell is he supposed to keep everything together? What if he forgets what team he's on? You know, I like my bosses un-jumbled at all times. FITZ: Yeah, he is, or he will be. He'll recover. He did before. Besides, brains never delete files. They just lose connections. But there's always a backup. Just a matter of digging and finding them. MACK: So, you've got backup files, too?

I love Mack and Fitz’s relationship, and I love this conversation. “Brains never delete files. They just lose connections.” I’d like to think Simmons gave Fitz that analogy during the early days of his recovery. I wish we could have gotten Fitz’s answer to Mack’s question.

I’m gonna tag @inevitablefan-ne-girl and @accio-the-force

If you want to be tagged in these rewatch positivity posts, please let me know! I feel like I keep tagging the same people (hope you guys don’t mind!) which isn’t a bad thing, but I’d be happy to tag others too.

[japsody]

FS challenge: comfort.

[japsody]

"You've been nothing less than extraordinary this whole time."

[ Leo Fitz & Jemma Simmons ] 

[japsody]

Half galaxy for children.

Created for Friday challenge Surprise! (The fitzsimmons are rabbits! lol) @thefitzsimmonsnetwork @teambiochem

Fitz climbs the Hospital entrance’s stairs by to two steps in two, he gasps and sweats a lot when he arrives upstairs but he has been running blocks, from where he left Shield’s tactical van and he has just finished a secret mission of five days and traveled from the other part of world to Scotland in record time.

He has right to sweat.

Once inside the building, he walks across intricate corridors acting a little too anxious. Conscious of his appearance, his crumpled suit, unbuttoned tie, and bruised cheek, he almost feels hesitation for cross the double doors at the corridor end.

“Surprise!” Lyra’s super-excited, high-pitched voice appears from nowhere and suddenly her six-year-old daughter, toothless and disorderly blond braids, throws herself into his arms. By reflection, Fitz raises her up like The Rocket Style and then holds her against him by her legs, making her laugh.

“Daddy” She squirms, excited to see him for the first time days. Fitz kisses her nose.

“What are you doing here? Are you alone? How are you? "He starts to ask but is interrupted by a loud metallic clash, followed by the sound of soda cans pounding the ground and a few confused screams.

In his mind, Fitz counts to ten before placing Lyra on the floor and turn slowly to meet face to face with Etta and Carinne, his eight-year-old twins in the middle of chaos of drinks being released from the vending machine.

"Daddy,” Etta, the older one, smiles hiding behind her a soda can.

Carinne, always the quickest to react, comes out from the vending machine back and she throws against her dad to distract him.

“You’re back!” She pretends laugh as she twins his body with her, turning Fitz away of the chaos. Etta, capturing her sister’s intentions, joins to the party while Lyra skillfully picks a Coke can from the floor and opens it before her dad can say anything about it.

But Fitz, knowing his daughters as well as he does, stops them. Placing his hands on both sides of his hips, trying to look firm.

“We just wanted …” explains Etta.

“Some water,” Carinne says, blinking rapidly.

“And the machine only unpredictably suddenly reconfigured itself” Etta says.

While Fitz is the first to recognize that his daughters are angels with blue eyes and golden curls, he is also the first in accept that they are camouflaged devils.

And that things never break down ‘just by mistake’ when one of them are close.

His daughters love opened machinery to observing operations and although Fitz has tried to explain to them how dangerous it’s to do it when they do not have the right equipment, he has not had the heart to punish them for it. At the end, he used to do it when he was a child, too.

“They’ll have to fix it.” Fitz tries to mimic his wife’s ‘uncontracted’ tone and seems to have an effect when the three girls lower their heads before committing to fix the destroyed machine.

After that, Fitz cannot help himself of being a father with three daughters drinking sinister amounts of caffeine and fighting to take his hand.

“Is Grannie Simmons with you?” He asks when they walk through the white doors, in direction of the waiting room.

“Nop, she’s inside with Mom” Carinne explains.

“May as well.”

“Yes! May is with Mom too!” Lyra nods excitedly.

“But how…”

“Nana May came just a little before you, dad” Etta reads her mind.

“And Gran Fitz is also inside.”

“And who is in charge of you?” Asks Fitz, because the only people left – and who are able to do it - are still in Romania, ending the mission.

“Surprise!” A strong arm grabs his neck and loses his daughters’ grasp, trying to get out of his friend’s annoying greeting.

“Hunter! Enough!”

“Okay, okay great man,” Hunter lets him go “don’t unload your frustrations on me.”

“No one is downloading frustrations or anything,” snarls Fitz, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Well then, sorry for misunderstanding your acid humor! After all, I’m the one who saw your kiddo be born and you did not so…”

“Uncle Hunter, you cannot tell lies!” Informs Lyra “Daddy, tell Uncle Hunter that it is not good say lies. Hive can return from the infinite space and eat you. Tell him Daddy! ”

“Yes, Hunter, you heard my daughter.” A satisfied smile pops into Fitz’s mouth even though in his mind, he still does not understand how his daughters lie openly about ‘mechanical defects’ in computers or ‘electrical faults’ inside refrigerators without fearing Hive’s wrath.

Hunter folds his arms, smiling at a group of old women in hospital gowns, before saying,

“What a nice way to thank me for saving your baby and wife, mate!”

“Hunter!” Fitz stops him, watching the girls to make sure they have not picked up the last part.

Jemma had been great during this pregnancy, no bad mornings or strange moods… until frequent Braxton-hicks had appeared during the last month, followed by a small bleed so her doctor had prescribed Jemma, maintain absolute rest until her desirable  delivery date. When Daisy called for Fitz’s experience in engineering, he agreed go to the field mission only after he was promised that it would not take more than two days to complete it and that he would have a free pass to leave his deck, any time that Jemma needed him.

It had been five days instead of two, and Jemma was still away for three weeks from her delivery date, resting in their bed in Pethshire with his mother to help her. Fitz had not expected receive the urgent call of her doctor at 5am or find out that Simmons had broken bag hours before going to the hospital but that she had not wanted to approach the hospital for fear of delivering this baby without Fitz.

“I’m kidding!” Hunter apologizes. “Bobbi and I had just set out on a road trip across the sky to make our favorite family a surprise visit when Daisy contacted us to let us know about Jemma. We were in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and I think I’ve never seen to Bobbi fly like that and now that I think about it, I never seen drive a hybrid car so fast! And we were fugitives for years …”

Luckily everything had gone well, his mother had phoned Fitz an hour ago to explain how great it had turned out be the birth of this little healthy baby,

"Thank you, mate” says Fitz, he really appreciates that they were there for his wife.

“Thank Bobbi, man. She handle Jemma perfectly, and she keep restrained to your daughters’ hell …” Hunter pauses to think and then, smacking Fitz shoulder, says “You should think about Black Widow military training style for them. They would be perfect! I’ve been watching them for two hours and it’s been like playing with hungry tigers zombies.”

Fitz was proud of that.

“Daddy, daddy, look!” Lyra carries an electrocardiogram - who know where she got it - unarmed, with wires coming out of inside like guts and she lifting it towards Fitz with simplicity.

“I understand now why Simmons’ father was so insistent about staying in home taking care of your fish”

Knowing that the best way to snag something electronic from his daughters is by distracting them with hugs, he wraps Lyra in a bear hug, making her laugh and forget the object in her hands before manages to hide it on a window frame with skill.

“Okay Fitz, I’ll take care of them now” informs Hunter “Go meet your new kiddo!”

Fitz walks away, seeing as despite his harsh words was, Hunter manages to hang Lyra from his forearm like a monkey while Etta and Carinne sitting in their respective places are distracted by his follies.

When Fitz arrives at the door with the name “Jemma Fitzsimmons” written on a pink paper and raises his head to clear the pain in his bruised cheek, he sees beyond and notices the small Marion, of four years old, sitting calmly on the banks, coloring on her favorite insect’s book.

Fitz sighs, pushing away the anxiety of seeing his wife. He walks slowly to his little daughter and sits down beside her.

It is only at that moment, when the weight of his body sitting moves Marion’s chair that his daughter notices him. She looks up, a few strands of brown hair tickle her cheeks, and then her big brown eyes light up at the sight.

Fitz loves the way all his daughters smile, wrinkle noses or showing teeth, but this one … when this little brat smiles, she does it with her eyes.

“Hi Dada” she throws herself on the railing of chairs and half hugs him with one hand, adjusting herself to not let drop her book.

Fitz kisses Marion’s head and the, clutters her little chocolate pigtails with affection.

She chuckles at the gesture “Stop it dada, stop.”

Still reluctant to let her go, Fitz frees her enough to see her perfect strokes of color that she has made in her drawing book. She has four and she does not get out of the borders, he cannot be more proud.

“What are you doing, monkey?”

“A Titanus giganteus,” she says but it sounds something like Titans gigants “is for the baby. Do you think she’ll like it, Dada? ”

“I think she’ll love it.”

“I made it pink but I have not painted their horns because it can be dangerous and it’s better that the baby does not touch them, right daddy?”

“You’re absolutely right, and you’re being a good older sister worrying about her.”

Marion writhes a little in his arms until he gets rid of Fitz to sit in her own seat. Then she takes his dada’s hand while she struggles to save the crayons with one hand into her little pink handbag.

Fitz watches her, half amused. Feeling so much love for her. He loves each of his daughters with his life but this little one, has taken him by his hand since she was born, since he and Jemma thought she would be the last and since she opened her eyes to him and showed him her chocolate eyes. This particular girl is his because she is the closest to the woman that Fitz loves, with her appearance, her mood, her strange tics of order and love for insects, animals and birds.

But Marion doesn’t raise her head from the drawing, all the time.

“What’s wrong, monkey?”

“Grannies” Marion points towards the door with her free hand “and Nana May and Aunt Bobbi are with the baby”

“Yes, your sister is having a great welcome right now”

“I…and I” Marion sucks from her nose “Do you think grandmothers, grandparents, Aunt Bobbi, Aunt Daisy and Aunt Yoyo will continue love me?

Ahh, that’s what bothered her. But luckily for his pride as a father, Fitz have plenty experience to have this conversation.

"Are you telling me that Melinda does not love Etta and Carinne because Lyra and you were born?”

Marion deciphers for a time the complicated question of her father and then, emphatically shakes her head.

“No, May always says she loves us all.”

“All right. So, do you think the grannies loves Lyra more than you? ”

“No!”

“And you think Mama loves someone more deeply than your sisters and you?”

“No, she don’t”

“Well then you do not have to worry. No one will stop loving you as much as they love you. You are, and always will be, part of this family and a new baby will not change that. There will be changes, but when the baby stops being small, you will have a new friend to play. And it will be a great new task show this baby new things, is not that cool? ”

The mention of task list ignites the fire in Fitz daughter’s eyes.

“I can teach her about science”

“Yes, she will love that.”

Marion stands up nimbly from the seat and adjusts her amphibious t-shirt -which Coulson gave her for Christmas.

“You’re right Dada, I have a lot to show this baby.”

“And much love to give her.”

“Also that. Now I’ll go tell my sisters.”

“Tell them what …?”

“That this will be our baby to teach things.”

“But it will be mommy’s baby first and she’s still very small…” Fitz tries to explain but Marion small legs run off at full speed, swinging her pigtails as she walks away.

Fitz scratches his neck, watching all his daughters interact with each other in the hallway. Etta protectively wraps an arm around Marion when she reaches them, Carinne is laughing at Hunter’s expense and Lyra jumps emphatically into an invisible puddle mud around Etta and Marion.

He is happy. Most nights after begging their older daughters to wash their teeth and fix the electronic flaws they have generated around the house, after scattering the monsters for Lyra and telling a special tale of scientific princess for Marion, Fitz feels the weight of years hit him when his head touches the pillow but every morning when his daughters wake him up for breakfast or for play tea time with pink cups or when Jemma kisses him on the lips and gives him tired smiles full of love , Fitz knows he have everything. And he must be grateful.

A nurse emerges from Jemma’s room, closing the door behind her and steers Fitz away from his thoughts.

“Are you Mrs. Fitzsimmons husband?”

“Yes I am.” Fitz stutters and stands up, smoothing his crumpled suit and trying to control his disheveled hair. “How am I?”

“Honestly, fatal. And I do not want to know the reasons but I think you should spend later and being treated for that bruise on your left eye and that blood stain on your head but your baby has waited all the time since birth to meet you and we cannot make this baby wait longer, do not you think? ”

“No, we can’t.”

Upon entering the bright and cozy room, Fitz feels all eyes fall on him. Bobbi and Jemma’s mother are holding identical smiles at each side of the couch, and his mother, next to Jemma’s bed, is holding her cell phone up, greeting him with a silent gesture from her hand.

Fitz nods in the direction of all the intimidating women in his life before focusing on his wife. Jemma is wearing a moss-colored robe, her hair tied in a high ponytail, and she is flushed. She looks radiant.

Fitz walks over the bed, leans over to his wife and kisses her cheek with his nose.

“Sorry for not getting flowers and balloons this time, it was a bit busy the way to here.”

Jemma wrinkles her nose.

“Thank heavens our baby has a lot of people that fulfill their duty to bring a balloon,” she jokes, pointing out the piles of pink gifts already installed near the window.

“And I’m sorry for not being with you.”

“It’s fine, it was a quick job, this baby.”

Behind them, he hears Bobbi mutter “So fast that she almost got it out inside the car.”

“So this new one was easy?” Fitz looks up from Jemma, looking in the room for the sign of his new daughter.

“Oh yes, but no matter how fast things have behaved now, this will be our last.” Jemma sighs holding her stomach over the blankets. Fitz wants to roll his eyes, she always end up saying that after a new daughter and at the end, he always gets another baby.

“We already talked about it” Jemma looks at him, reading his mind and he nods imperceptibly. It is better to leave the subject for another occasion, they are not so old yet…

Jemma looks amused when Melinda appears on the other side of the bed, holding a tiny white bulk in her arms. Fitz immediately shakes his arms.

“But you see, husband” she hides her smile “We’ll have to think of a better name for this baby …”

Fitz takes his eyes off a second of May’s arms to stare at Jemma with mockery and then begins to circle the bed.

“… Because I do not think Calliste, Portia or Venus suits” sighed dramatically.

Fitz wrinkles his nose “Of course not, but you and your obsession with stars has us with almost half galaxy for children.”

The women laugh.

“We can deal with Christian names, for a change” Fitz seeks assent in Bobbi and Melinda “Or maybe scientific or …”

“She does not mean that” is his mother who laughs between teeth, still holding her cell phone on top, pointing Fitz with it.

“We could go with Nova, if you really like it” Fitz does not know why all women are looking at him in such a way and because May does not allow the last steps to approach his baby. “Or maybe the name of a periodic table’ element?”

“Try more on search a boy’s name,” says Jemma and in this moment, Melinda uncovers the small bundle on her hands, revealing a small baby blue dressed.

Fitz screams, more for impact and emotion than for something else.

He looks back, all the women smiling at him and then looks back, at the baby and then at Jemma. And again to their baby.

“Are you sure?” Her voice is strangled.

Jemma laughs, “Surprise?”

Fitz jumps and punches his fist in the air “YES!”

Bobbi jokes, “Anyone might think you’re not happy with your daughters.”

“You’re wrong,” Fitz shouts, circling the bed again, this time to kiss Jemma correctly on her lips “I love each of our daughters but women have outnumbered me"

The women laugh.

“Thank you,” he murmurs, lightly kissing Jemma’s mouth again and again. “Thank you, thank you and thank you” Then he kisses Jemma forehead before running to support his son for first time.

“Did you know?” Fitz asks Jemma when the baby is deposited in his arms.

“Nooo” She denies with her head “it was a big shock for me too, we always thought she would be a girl, she showed up like one on the exams and given our record, never crossed my mind another possibility”

“Our son defied the odds, eh?” Fitz smiles victoriously toward Jemma, rocking the baby. “Like a sort of Murphy …”

Jemma shakes her head, still showing her huge smile “Our poor Finagle Corollary will have to dress as a girl, all the time until we get right things for him”

“Do you think Pollux, Castor or Leo combine with this baby, Jemma? They are known constellations” his mother jokes from the other side of the room.

Melinda joins the joke, adding strange star names and soon the whole room is laughing and Fitz can't stop looking from Jemma to the baby and back.

He’s so small and strong, with Jemma’s hair fluff and Fitz's nose. He can't hide his pride. A boy! A peaceful and calm boy, obedient and extremely quiet child who…

"Oh God” he stomach falls.

“What, what is wrong?” Jemma reacts quickly, sitting up in bed before looking in all directions, trying to identify the danger.

Fitz moves away from Melinda to sit carefully on Jemma’s bed and say, with honest panic in his voice:

“They have been waiting a sister for months! Our daughters are going to kill us!”

[japsody]

FS challenge: comfort.

Is the first thing we love about them. The silent embrace. Knowing that the other needs it. No personal space. And none of them noticed that they broke the rules, because for them it was normal. But then, came the realization- Hugging himself against his pillow… And things changed… Things started to matter. And there was pain, tears, distance... but also hugs, hands, kisses, cross the event horizon. And transform into something, amazing.