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chanter1944It is a very long story just how, and just why, I arrived at this idea, but the fact is: I want to write a fix-it.
This whole thing stems from the ideanewredshoes had, once upon a time, that a certain event in Band of Brothers canon did not happen exactly as it appeared to happen. Her idea was that the Trickster from Supernatural (I don't go here, I only know what ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
milliways_bar has taught me) put a fake body in a given foxhole and, in fact, got Skip Muck out of Foy alive. This extended to substituting a fake body for Penkala as well, because of course. The link here is that the Trickster and Skip are played by the same actor. Don't look at me, I only know him as Easy's bluebird of happiness.
I want to write a fix-it where the Trickster pulls the same lifesaving maneuver on a plane full of people over the Sea of Japan.
Results: One downed aircraft, several fake bodies in the wreckage, and several rescuees with laps full of decisions to make.
I want to see a conversation between Skip, who does get at least a scene or so in the same room as the Trickster so Henry and the rest of the survivors can be certain they're not cracking up, the Trickster himself, Penkala, Malark, and Henry. I want them discussing the whole mess, how the two who got yanked out of the forest have been apologizing to Mal for years and how Mal's been forgiving them just as long, including a crack Penk makes about Mal stealing Skip's girl that goes a little too far and gets Skip to call him on it, because nobody and no relationship dynamic is perfect, dammit. How would this lot even meet? Unless the Trickster facilitated the meeting, expressly for the purposes of making sure the new rescuees all knew they weren't going nuts? Yes, that sounds like it'd work. "I may be trouble walking, but I'm not vicious trouble walking, get me?"
Henry deciding who to tell and how, that the Army as a whole can't be trusted to know about Trickster work, given the McCarthyist and jingoistic fury in the top brass, plus the military establishment being what it is just in general. Decision to tell Lorraine and the rest of his family. Decision to tell Radar. Decision not to try and get back to his unit, and not to tell them all, at least not right away, because that would entail blowing the Trickster's cover. Yes, he knows he's letting himself in for fallout from that one; make it plain he's aware of what he's potentially bringing down on himself. Meeting up with Radar, maybe when the corporal's got leave? Convincing him of the truth, which doesn't take as much as Henry is afraid it might, because yes, Radar absolutely knew the plane went down before word came in, but his awareness of the event didn't give him details, only the relayed information did. He never actually felt the individual loss, the death, himself, and given how hard the event clobbered him, he didn't much question that. Why cut into a bleeding wound even more? Knowing the plane had gone down was horrible enough. So Radar seeing Henry alive and believing he's really himself does not take the kind of convincing the colonel is afraid it might, because Radar has his gift's signals or, in this case, lack of signals to draw on, and now he understands there's a *reason* he only got the details from the report, and didn't know them himself beforehand. There's a *reason*, beyond shock or fallibility, that he didn't feel death. There is absolutely hugging. There's a moment of Radar anticipating what's going to be said/needed, then completely breaking up over it because he didn't expect to ever do that again, and then there is absolutely clinging, and men do cry. And yes, Henry's protective instincts start to show. I'm projecting again, but I just shelling love that about him and want more of it, so.
He didn't get to be the rank he is by being completely oblivious to what's expected in the military, whatever Burns and a few others might say to the contrary, but he didn't get to be the man he is by adhering to expectations, Army or otherwise, and his rank can take a little leaning on in service of a humane maneuver. Or two or three. When it comes down to it, that's why he's wearing this rank of his. Humanity is what he's for. (This is going in the fic, from Henry's PoV.)
So yes, Lorraine knows. There's such a reunion, oh yes there is. Lorraine has a thing for being both looked at and seen by her husband. Ahem. That's a whole other scene. There will be several scenes, back in Illinois. Does he stay entirely put in Illinois once he's rescued? I don't think so, because he's got work to do, but he always returns there. You bet Lorraine gets in on a few adventures too, now that she can plausibly do so. Do the kids get hints about, or hints of, or both, the magic their parents are dancing with? I... say yes, they do.
Radar knows, established. Trapper might. Leslie probably does. Pierce doesn't. Regarding Pierce, Henry is aware of the whole barfing situation, Radar clues him in (complete with hesitant skirting of the words and then an illustrative BLEHRGH! with tongue stuck out face and posture), but herein lies some of the fallout from not telling the entire unit at once because of the Army ridiculousness that would follow. Oh yes there's guilt, but Henry has to weigh it, at least in the short term.
Regarding the mortar boys, Gene knows, at least now. They told him as immediately as they could after hostilities ended. There was fallout, but also forgiveness on par with Mal's own. It doesn't hurt that Gene is not a stranger to magic. Have Gene and the Trickster met, with Skip and Penk also in attendance? Signs point to yes. The Trickster totally pegs him as a benevolent practitioner right away, too. Trickster, loudly aside, to Skip, on the subject of Roe: "Aaaagh, what is it with me and white hats, honestly?"
I think that Luz also knows, because of his being so close to the entire horrible foxhole... er, event. Does Buck know? I lean toward no, at least not yet, and oh, that's a source of ongoing pain for sure, especially but not only with Mal.
This whole thing stems from the idea
newredshoes had, once upon a time, that a certain event in Band of Brothers canon did not happen exactly as it appeared to happen. Her idea was that the Trickster from Supernatural (I don't go here, I only know what milliways_bar has taught me) put a fake body in a given foxhole and, in fact, got Skip Muck out of Foy alive. This extended to substituting a fake body for Penkala as well, because of course. The link here is that the Trickster and Skip are played by the same actor. Don't look at me, I only know him as Easy's bluebird of happiness. I want to write a fix-it where the Trickster pulls the same lifesaving maneuver on a plane full of people over the Sea of Japan.
Results: One downed aircraft, several fake bodies in the wreckage, and several rescuees with laps full of decisions to make.
I want to see a conversation between Skip, who does get at least a scene or so in the same room as the Trickster so Henry and the rest of the survivors can be certain they're not cracking up, the Trickster himself, Penkala, Malark, and Henry. I want them discussing the whole mess, how the two who got yanked out of the forest have been apologizing to Mal for years and how Mal's been forgiving them just as long, including a crack Penk makes about Mal stealing Skip's girl that goes a little too far and gets Skip to call him on it, because nobody and no relationship dynamic is perfect, dammit. How would this lot even meet? Unless the Trickster facilitated the meeting, expressly for the purposes of making sure the new rescuees all knew they weren't going nuts? Yes, that sounds like it'd work. "I may be trouble walking, but I'm not vicious trouble walking, get me?"
Henry deciding who to tell and how, that the Army as a whole can't be trusted to know about Trickster work, given the McCarthyist and jingoistic fury in the top brass, plus the military establishment being what it is just in general. Decision to tell Lorraine and the rest of his family. Decision to tell Radar. Decision not to try and get back to his unit, and not to tell them all, at least not right away, because that would entail blowing the Trickster's cover. Yes, he knows he's letting himself in for fallout from that one; make it plain he's aware of what he's potentially bringing down on himself. Meeting up with Radar, maybe when the corporal's got leave? Convincing him of the truth, which doesn't take as much as Henry is afraid it might, because yes, Radar absolutely knew the plane went down before word came in, but his awareness of the event didn't give him details, only the relayed information did. He never actually felt the individual loss, the death, himself, and given how hard the event clobbered him, he didn't much question that. Why cut into a bleeding wound even more? Knowing the plane had gone down was horrible enough. So Radar seeing Henry alive and believing he's really himself does not take the kind of convincing the colonel is afraid it might, because Radar has his gift's signals or, in this case, lack of signals to draw on, and now he understands there's a *reason* he only got the details from the report, and didn't know them himself beforehand. There's a *reason*, beyond shock or fallibility, that he didn't feel death. There is absolutely hugging. There's a moment of Radar anticipating what's going to be said/needed, then completely breaking up over it because he didn't expect to ever do that again, and then there is absolutely clinging, and men do cry. And yes, Henry's protective instincts start to show. I'm projecting again, but I just shelling love that about him and want more of it, so.
He didn't get to be the rank he is by being completely oblivious to what's expected in the military, whatever Burns and a few others might say to the contrary, but he didn't get to be the man he is by adhering to expectations, Army or otherwise, and his rank can take a little leaning on in service of a humane maneuver. Or two or three. When it comes down to it, that's why he's wearing this rank of his. Humanity is what he's for. (This is going in the fic, from Henry's PoV.)
So yes, Lorraine knows. There's such a reunion, oh yes there is. Lorraine has a thing for being both looked at and seen by her husband. Ahem. That's a whole other scene. There will be several scenes, back in Illinois. Does he stay entirely put in Illinois once he's rescued? I don't think so, because he's got work to do, but he always returns there. You bet Lorraine gets in on a few adventures too, now that she can plausibly do so. Do the kids get hints about, or hints of, or both, the magic their parents are dancing with? I... say yes, they do.
Radar knows, established. Trapper might. Leslie probably does. Pierce doesn't. Regarding Pierce, Henry is aware of the whole barfing situation, Radar clues him in (complete with hesitant skirting of the words and then an illustrative BLEHRGH! with tongue stuck out face and posture), but herein lies some of the fallout from not telling the entire unit at once because of the Army ridiculousness that would follow. Oh yes there's guilt, but Henry has to weigh it, at least in the short term.
Regarding the mortar boys, Gene knows, at least now. They told him as immediately as they could after hostilities ended. There was fallout, but also forgiveness on par with Mal's own. It doesn't hurt that Gene is not a stranger to magic. Have Gene and the Trickster met, with Skip and Penk also in attendance? Signs point to yes. The Trickster totally pegs him as a benevolent practitioner right away, too. Trickster, loudly aside, to Skip, on the subject of Roe: "Aaaagh, what is it with me and white hats, honestly?"
I think that Luz also knows, because of his being so close to the entire horrible foxhole... er, event. Does Buck know? I lean toward no, at least not yet, and oh, that's a source of ongoing pain for sure, especially but not only with Mal.
