Aug 26, 2017
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Bonus:
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Rating: T
Words: 4,450
Beta: @recoveringrabbit
An adopted prompt from @memorizingthedigitsofpi’s AOS Hiatus Ficathon
"Hey," she says, "it's . . . it's okay." She shifts her body until she faces the door. "We'll just, we'll blow the door out like before, and then—"
"And then we'll find ourselves in the midst of an unknown number of mystery assailants," he says. "That may not even be human. And if we don't want to do that, we can blow out the window and let our blood boil in the vacuum of space."
She cocks her head at him. "No," she says. "We'll find our way out, won't we?"
She watches him, knowing that not too long ago, he was willing to give himself up to pay the price for sins he didn't actually commit. But the starlight streams across his skin, making him glow and leaving her breathless. She is here in a pod with a brave, selfless, beautiful man, and that's enough to make her feel a sense of endless possibility.
"It's fitting we're here together, Fitz," she says. "This is where we began. From my perspective, anyway."
Fitz lets out what almost sounds like a scoff as he examines his makeshift sling. "Yeah," he says. "Us."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing," he says. "It's just . . . I told you the cosmos were against us, and now here we are, trapped in the cosmos."
"Well," she says, "if we have to be trapped anywhere, at least we have each other."
[Read it on AO3!]
I remember how you looked at me when I pulled you out of the sea Eyes closed as the waves splashed into your open mouth Head tilted up to greet the open sky I didn't know you could drown once we made it to shore That the tides could still take you away That I'd use all my strength to swim back to you I remember how you looked at me when you pulled me out of Hell Eyes filled with light as I fell against your side Head bowed to take in every inch of me You didn't know I would burn in coolness of your touch That it was the fire and brimstone of the hope I'd lost That you'd have to walk through Hell to save me I remember how you wouldn't look at me when I pulled you out of prison Eyes fixed on where your shackles had been Head turned away in shame and despair I knew you were held hostage by blood she spilled on your hands That it would take time to unravel your chains That I would stay in your cell until I set you free I see how you look at me now that we have been pulled into the stars Eyes beginning to shine when I reach for your hand Head tilted towards my gravitational pull You know we are binary stars fighting the fissures between us That gravity is no match for the force that binds us together That we will orbit each other throughout the eternities
We have always been better together (Happy birthday, @hemnalini!)
Seriously...? Best death fake out... who believed even one second that Jemma died there lol not only the show gives you everything to think not but it was also OOC. And even worse, best writing for self control wtf? xD the whole plot is based on a plothole, the tension is completely artificial, do they even analyze a bit before making these nominations? It's the same non sense as 4722h ... And nothing for Jemma :/ And best season wtf again? For sure I will not vote for that !
Hey there, anon!
Sorry it took me months to get to this, but I was looking for the original post and just, could not find it. But I remember the poll you were talking about and how I was encouraging people to vote for FitzSimmons/AoS. So, let me address these issues.
Obviously, I don’t want you to vote for something you don’t agree with. But it looks like you and I disagree on a few things.
I personally thought the Jemma death fake out was great. To me, it’s not important that we know she’s not dead. We know it’s very unlikely they would kill her at all, much less like that. But when you see her “die,” there’s a second of disbelief where you’re trying to figure out HOW she’s not dead. I liked how it was done, but of course you might see it differently. That’s perfectly fine. But I’m happy to vote for it.
Self Control is one of my favorite episodes of the season, but I know some people had problems with it. And I’m not sure what plot hole you’re referring to, so we can talk about it if you remind me. But I personally loved the twist of LMD Fitz and Jemma being awesome and getting out of his clutches. I loved Jemma and Daisy vs. the world. Again, everyone likes or dislikes different things. Or struggles seeing certain things on screen. So, obviously, I do not expect everyone to see that poll and drop everything to vote for everything.
But there is a reason I reblogged it and a reason why I reblog other polls: visibility. We want to make Agents of SHIELD (and FitzSimmons!) as visible as possible so that people know that we are here and we love them. If they think were NOT here, if they think we DON’T care, it makes it more likely that the show and FS will die.
The thing is, anon, whether or not you like certain aspects of the show, AoS RARELY gets its fair shake with publicity or even public opinion. A lot of people saw the first three episodes, saw that there was no Tony Stark cameo, and wrote it off for good. It drives me nuts that the DC shows get a lot of buzz when the AoS acting, for one, is a thousand times better. You and I could go into a discussion about Arrow vs. AoS, and maybe we wouldn’t agree on anything. That’s fair. But what’s not fair is that Arrow and other shows get praised when AoS isn’t taken seriously. I went to a panel for Stephen Amell, and 75% of the questions were about his abs. For heaven’s sake. I don’t mean that as a drag on the show, the actor, or the fans. I’m just saying that AoS should at least be given as much credit as a show where a main focus is how often the main character is naked.
Yes, of course we should be highlighting the best parts of FS/AoS. Jemma for sure should have gotten recognition for being freaking awesome in season 4. (She should have gotten that recognition IN CANON, too!) Maybe they could have picked better scenes. But do I like the FS scenes better than whatever is against it in the poll? Probably.
So, anon, what I’m trying to say is that I didn’t reblog the poll assuming you’d agree with it. It’s completely up to you whether you want to vote for FS/AoS or not. But whether or not you agree with me, I reblog and promote the polls because I believe that AoS and FitzSimmons have a right to be in them, and I want them to stick around.
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.
Hi Jane! :) Thanks for the reply, always love reading you <3 You know I wanted to say "good enough" lol which would have made my message less blunt ^^' It's just that I have a list long like my arm of shows that have gone too far and ended badly. I totally agree an ending is the last impression you'll keep with you so it has to be well done. ^^ Also I've read about s5 (news/theories) and I'm not hyped... and Iain not being there, means no FS so you may get rid of me even sooner ^^' <3 (Laurent)
(In reference to this post.)
Oh gosh, this is the third time I’ve tried answering this ask! Stop eating my asks, Tumblr!!! Arg arg arg.
Ahem.
Hey there, Laurent!
I want to make it clear that I am 99.99% sure that Fitz will be in the premiere episode, despite Iain’s absence. There are contractual issues at play here, and it’s very, very rare for a regular to be missing from a premiere episode for that reason. (Also for story reasons, because you want to use the premiere episodes to show where everyone is at.) He will likely be in the rest of the episodes as well, though the scenes may be brief.
I’m not an expert on how Hollywood works, but I do know there is a reason we had Jemmaginary when Jemma was gone and why we saw Jemma briefly on Maveth in 3x01. There’s also a reason that we saw Coulson and Daisy in Jemma’s birthday video from 4,722 Hours. Per their contracts, the actors have to have a certain amount of screen time, and Iain has been in every single episode so far. Ming and Elizabeth have missed a episode here and there IIRC, but it’s very, very rare for the Bus crew members to not have a scene, especially in an important episode like the premiere. He will be there.
Now, if I were a writer, and I knew that Iain was going to miss the first few weeks of shooting (which they knew well in advance), this is what I would do: write a few scenes where he is in the same place (the lab, his room, etc.,) and he only interacts with regular characters. If I played my cards right, these scenes could all be shot in a few days and edited into multiple episodes later. Since the show isn’t premiering until November, we’d have that flexibility for when the scenes needed to be shot.
Remember, they don’t shoot things in order in Hollywood; they shoot it in the order that will be the most practical for everyone involved. I think Jemma’s Maveth scenes, for example, were all filmed in the same week, even though they appear in three separate episodes. It’s not just possible, but likely, that they’re doing something like this for Fitz. I personally would put him in self-imposed isolation (in his room, or maybe in the corner of a lab), and have it so that Jemma is the only one who can get past the walls he’s put up. It would fit with the story, it would be a heartwarming and satisfying parallel to the Jemmaginary arc (before, he self-isolated and imagined her as the only comfort he had; now, it’s real and she loves him), and it would give us a lot of juicy, juicy FitzSimmons content.
But, of course, FitzSimmons is my priority as a writer. We have no idea what the writer’s priorities will be! So, I would again advise everybody to lower their expectations FS-wise (you could be right and they could have him only talk to Coulson or whomever), but be aware that this doesn’t mean the good stuff is impossible. I would reserve judgement until we get closer.
As for the S5 theories, I feel that we really don’t have anything to go on yet, so I get why you’re not excited! They’ve introduced one new character? Who is not a big name like Jason O’Mara. I’ve seen Jason on other shows, so I know the range he could play and knew he would be fantastic. I don’t know this other guy at all. BUT! We are still a ways out from the premiere, and they are likely waiting until NYCC to release anything big. They’re basically treating NYCC like SDCC, and remember that SDCC 2016 was when we found out about Ghost Rider. Which is great for me, because I couldn’t get SDCC tickets, but I’ll be at NYCC this year. ;)
But, yeah. I hate the waiting. @agl03 and I have been bemoaning the lack of info for months! And I hate saying to just hold on for another month, but, I really don’t expect us to get anything substantial before then, except the maybe season poster. They usually release that to hype up the content that will be released at the con.
So. I don’t know what to tell you, Laurent. We can yell at the moon together. Or curse Inhumans for pushing our show back. As we yell at the moon. The moon won’t mind.
I do hope, however, that whenever we GET SOMETHING, we’ll be able to see how they intend to end this great story of theirs (if they end it at all, which again, I am still on the fence there). Or that we will see something good. And hopefully we will see something FitzSimmons.
Hope for the best and expect the worst, right?
Hello Jane! :D How are you? <3 I love the reblog you did on the rant, because it's exactly what I think the default of AoS is , more and more!, when twists and action lead the story it's not good. I saw they have already begun filming s5... and here I thought they would actually take those long months to work their story and their storytelling... another wishful thinkng from me ^^' Anyway, I didn't forget about you! ;) *HUGS* you very much and a lot of love too <3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3 (Laurent)
(In reference to this post.)
Hey, Laurent! <3
I’m doing okay, but I have really only been pretending to be around for the past few weeks because my computer is on the fritz and I’ve been having to use my tablet, which kind of feels like using a spoon to eat a hamburger. I also had a bit of a fall (actually, more of a slide that went very badly) and I’m mostly fine, but sitting down at my tablet is not so fun while I’m healing. So, I’m a little further behind on things than I would like to be, but I’m hoping things will get better soon.
Anyway, probably more than you wanted to know.
As for season 5: I, too, had hoped that they would spend more time working on the writing, but they are also part of an industry and they probably have to shoot at a certain time so they can use the sound stages and what not. I don’t know that much about the TV industry, but I do know that it’s very complex, and there are a lot of factors we aren’t thinking about.
What I hope, though, is that they learn from the mistakes of last year, especially from FitzSimmons. They got a lot of blowback from the proposal they promised and didn’t deliver.
Something I don’t really get, though, is that they have to understand how tired we are of FitzSimmons not really being FitzSimmons, right? While I like how the characters have developed, I think they’re continuing to make a mistake by separating them over and over and over again. It’s exhausting. At last year’s SDCC, we were promised we would see the “FitzSimmons of old” and they were barely in the same room. I am just dying for FitzSimmons to be together, work together to solve problems, and help each other to get through things. That’s the couple we fell in love with. I think one of the biggest draws to FitzSimmons is that they make a great team! They are complementary equals! They are putting in all these twists and turns, but instead of being entralled by them. we are forging on despite them. That’s not a good place to be in.
My very big wish for season 5 is FitzSimmons vs. the world, trying to heal from the past while they save the future. I think that would not only make a great story, but it would be a great way to wrap up the story they’ve had over four seasons. I mean, they started out as co-dependent and inseparable, then gained independence as they were separated, and what was really cool about season 4 was they were coming back together in a way where they still had their independence. Jemma was doing her thing, Fitz was doing his, and neither of them would have been capable of doing any of that in season 1.
But, we’re still missing the final step: interdependence. We know they are better together. We know that they were naive and had to learn a lot of things on their own in order to grow into the people they needed to be. What would be really satisfying is if they return to being just as in sync and unified as they used to be, but much more capable of handling things on their own when necessary. We saw this a little in season 4, but that was just the beginnings of it. Before when they were separated, there was this underlying anxiety of them not knowing who they were without the other person. Now that they know who they are, it’s much more about choosing to be together even though they know it’s going to hurt sometimes.
See, in season 1, their friendship was easy. They kind of fell together because they fit together. But, when Fitz got hurt and lost himself, Jemma did not understand what he needed or how to help him. And that wasn’t her fault! How are you supposed to know how to help your best friend regain his intellectual capacity when the foundation of your relationship was your intellectual equality? When it was your equality in general? They didn’t know how to relate to each other when they weren’t the same, but, they eventually learned how.
I think the really cool thing about season 2 was that they discovered they had more in common than just being smart. They also had a shared worldview and shared values, and they both discovered just how much they were willing to sacrifice for the greater good. I also think that when the easy part of their friendship was stripped away, they realized that they had a deep affection for each other that went beyond the superficial. Jemma wanted her best friend back, then learned the hard way that the Fitz she lost would never come back again. Then she learned that the new Fitz, while different on the surface, still had everything she really loved about him. In a way, she was able to compare the old Fitz with the new Fitz and discover who Fitz really was beneath all that. Fitz, on the other hand, loved his best friend, felt unworthy of and rejected by his best friend, and got to the point where he had to decide if he was willing to sacrifice any chance of a romantic relationship to keep her in his life. And I mean, I don’t think that he ever thought he had any chance of having his feelings returned, but he had to choose to allow her back into his life even though he would have to give up his dream of what they could be and accept what Jemma needed them to be. That’s what I loved about season 2. They went back to square one, but they rebuilt their relationship along the way so it was stronger and based on things that wouldn’t change with circumstance.
So, after season 2 was about them learning to choose each other, season 3 was figuring out of they would still choose each other when it hurt. They really messed this up by creating a love triangle (TWIST!!), making it so Jemma couldn’t choose, then killing off the other contender so she never had to make a choice. The whole time, Fitz was choosing her above all else! Where was their equality then? So, let’s just skip that part. Let’s go on despite the twists.
What we had over the course of season 3 was obstacles and Fitz and Jemma individually deciding to overcome those obstacles to grow closer. This might sound a lot like season 2, because really, it was not done as well as it could have been. But there is a distinction: in season 2, they were figuring out if they really wanted to be together; in season 3, they knew they wanted to be together, but they were figuring out if they were willing to pay the cost of being together. What I really loved about the singularity scene was that they actually came out and said, we know it was easy before, and we know that if we keep our boundaries, it will continue to be easy. We know that breaking barriers will come with a cost, and we are willing to pay that cost for the potential of what we can be together. That’s pretty amazing.
You could say that season 4 was season 2 in reverse. In season 2 they were fractured, were brought together by the job, and decided to stay together romantically. In season 4, they were together romantically, got separated by the job, and ended up fractured. In both seasons, they’re trying to figure out what their relationship is like after everything changes; it’s just that the changes in season 2 are VERY different than the changes in season 4. And, in season 4, we have characters who have grown and developed as a result of things in season 2. BUT, the end of season 4 is a lot like the beginning of season 2: a villain took Fitz away from Jemma in a way that makes Fitz feel broken and unworthy of Jemma, while Jemma struggles to reach him.
Cool, huh? We have some chiasmus going on here, a 1 2 3 2 1 structure.
SO, in order to complete that structure, season 5 will have to mirror season 1 in the way season 4 mirrored season 2. We will have to end up with FitzSimmons being this inseparable, psychically linked duo in order that reminds us of the people we met in the beginning in order to reach a really satisfying conclusion. But, they will have to be better. They will have to have learned from all the things they went through to get this far.
See, BECAUSE of the pain of season 2, Jemma knows that the best way to help Fitz is to stick with him. She also knows him on a much deeper level and has learned how to talk to him and fight for him when she has to. So, she is in basically the same place, but she will not have the same outcome because she is not the same person.
And, because of the pain of season 2, Fitz knows just how to push Jemma away and how it makes everything worse. He understands that Jemma loves him, even if he doesn’t always understand why. And, in the end, I think he was right when he said they had crossed the point of no return. I think he won’t be able to sacrifice the hope of their romantic relationship, (Notice that it was healthy for him to give up that hope before and healthy for him to refuse to give it up now.)
And, again, they both know that there is a cost and that they are willing to pay that cost.
Anyway, that was a huge rant that only slightly related to what you were talking about, but that’s basically what I’m hoping for in season 5. I want another pod dropped in the ocean that actually brings FitzSimmons closer together. It would be so great. It would be fantastic storytelling. But the thing about this show is that I always see the potential of where they could go with things, and then they do the twists and turns thing that cheapens the story and deprives us of the payoff we’ve been waiting for.
BUT, they said from the beginning that they have a 5-season plan for this show, and with their move to Fridays, it looks like this is all we’re going to get. The pressure will be on for them to wrap everything up in a satisfying way, and they know that and can plan for that. And, they know that we are really, really invested in a FitzSimmons wedding, which helps.
So, honestly, I think we’re in a situation where we can hope for the best, but we should definitely plan for the worst. Keeping your expectations low is really important as we head into this upcoming season. Take everything the creators say with a mountain of salt and prepare for gaps that fan fiction will need to fill.
I don’t like being the person who has to say those kinds of things, but here we are.
Anyway, Laurent, I hope all my incoherent rambling was helpful. There is hope! There is also risk. Tread carefully. We are getting some morsels of things here and there, but it will probably be a while until we get anything substantial, so we should just enjoy this ignorant bliss while we can!
Rating: G
Words: 1,500
Minor Spoilers for Spider-man: Homecoming
Was there anything more attractive than a man holding a tri-fold tablet? Jemma probably could think of something if she tried, but she had other things to attend to. Mainly, watching the adorably confused expression that overtook her boyfriend's tired face.
"Why are we here again?"
"We," Jemma explained, "are here to assess the security of the Damage Control facilities, since we don't have to pretend to not be affiliated with them anymore."
"No," said Fitz, rubbing at his eye; "that's why you're here. This is all part of your 'climbing up the ranks' bit. Why am I here?"
Jemma clasped her hand behind her back, strolling down the hallway as innocently as possible. "You are here to help."
"With what?"
"Things."
"Jemma."
She stopped walking, holding in a laugh when he almost bumped into her. "Well! I just . . . we haven't seen much of each other lately. I wanted you here."
Fitz frowned down at his tablet. "I thought that's why we were moving in together."
"Fitz." Jemma sighed, putting a hand on his shoulder to encourage him to look up at her. "Fitz, you're just saying that because it's so early."
Fitz looked up at her with wide eyes. "Yes," he said, nodding. "It is early. And I could be home, sleeping, instead of doing whatever this is."
"Yes," she said, letting her hand slide up his neck and into his hair, "but I'm barely getting into the lab these days. And I wanted to talk about—"
He eyed her curiously, looking her up and down. "You wanted to talk about what?"
[Read it on AO3!]