Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
Oh my. There’s a film in that last interaction - when the Spy Who Loved Me (Parker) and The Man From UNCLE (David McCallum) met The Man In Grey.
EDIT: With Andrea Herzog glowering in the background.
EDIT: With Andrea Herzog glowering in the background.
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I think that Parker was smart enough to pick up on the implied threat. The one posed by the Kaiser having Kat at his back as he greeted "the American who got his little sister to fall in love with him". The one that all over-protective older brothers tend to make: "Hurt her and I will make your life a living hell."
In this case, the older brother in question can make good on that threat. Literally.
In this case, the older brother in question can make good on that threat. Literally.
He was and always will be Ilya Kuriakin (for me anyway). For a moment there I thought it was David Niven but this waaaaaay better!
Ilya Kuriakin when he was younger and Duckie now he's older.
Reading up on David McCallum is facinating.
If he's anything like he is now, if he's playing a spy, he's probably found a way to get onto some SIS training courses.
In fact where as now he lectures on forensics, back then he'd pribably start writing some rather good spy novels under a nom de plume.
Probably with a hero named Parker and his aristocratic European partner...
Reading up on David McCallum is facinating.
If he's anything like he is now, if he's playing a spy, he's probably found a way to get onto some SIS training courses.
In fact where as now he lectures on forensics, back then he'd pribably start writing some rather good spy novels under a nom de plume.
Probably with a hero named Parker and his aristocratic European partner...
Part 117, Chapter 1950
Chapter One Thousand Nine Hundred Fifty
20th December 1969
Plänterwald, Berlin
With everyone getting ready for the Royal wedding in Prague next week, it seemed like no one had time for Nan. The adults had given her a dress that to wear at the ceremony that looked nice but was incredibly uncomfortable and told her to go find something quiet to do once they had determined that it fit properly. While she had never had difficulty finding things to do in the past, this time was different in that it had come at a time when she had been going through a great deal of personal turmoil.
While Nan’s fears had largely subsided, they had never gone away completely. She was still scared of men she didn’t know and had to fight the urge to run and hide whenever she was in a stressful situation. Lately though, Nan had discovered that she had something new to contend with, something that she couldn’t hide from. Her own identity.
It had been a lesson in school about the Scientific method, Gregor Mendel, and the field of Genetics. About how hereditary traits get passed down through generations and while Mendel’s work had focused on pea plants, Nan couldn’t help but considering how it related to herself. She had always known in the back of her mind that the man she had called Poppa, a monstrous figure had held Nan’s mother captive for years and must have forced himself on her with Nan as the result. Still, Nan’s mother had insisted that no part of her was of him and that once they escaped the farm, she would never say his name again. He wasn’t a part of who Nan was or would ever be. The Science lesson had said in no uncertain terms that it wasn’t that simple and that was something that Nan was going to have to live with.
That simply wasn’t fair, Nan thought to herself as she trooped across the muddy field that would one day be the back garden of the Winter Residence. But she had learned before she could talk that life was seldom fair. It being a Saturday, there wasn’t a whole lot to do and it being the middle of December it was already getting dark. She had never minded going to school after having been kept ignorant deliberately she had wanted to learn about the wider world and had never understood her adoptive sister’s complaints. Instead, today she was at loose ends and her thoughts kept going back to the details she had tried hard to forget. Being at school would be preferable to that.
Louis Ferdinand, the man who Nan had come to think of as her father had told her that her past didn’t have any bearing on her future. How could it not though? With the publication of that book about the Detective who hunted killers there had been a renewed interest in that man who the press had dubbed the “Chicken Farmer” who Nan shared a regrettable hereditary link with. She had been watching television with Nella when show had come on that had speculated about the identity of “Child Six” and what had happened after the experiment had been abruptly ended by Nan’s mother with a mattock. Nan had felt like if she were about to be sick as she had learned the details, especially about what had happened to the other five children and their mothers. How could evil like that not somehow be passed on? Then there was the thing that one of the Psychologists who Lotte took her to said that Nan didn’t think like a child her age should, frustratingly without elaborating what he had meant by that.
When she got near Kiki’s house, Rauchbier rushed out and let out an excited bark when he saw that it was one of his people arriving. He had lived with Nella and Nan while Kiki had been out of the country over the summer. It had been fun to have him along with their dog Weisse as they had explored the vast estate around the Summer Residence in Potsdam with the confluence of rivers and the mysterious military installations on the far side of the forest. After giving Rauchbier a pat and a good scratch, she let him lead Nan to the house. The door was unlocked. Kiki had said that she was always welcome, and Nan couldn’t think of anyone better to talk to about her thoughts.
Finding bread and blackberry jam in the kitchen, Nan helped herself to a slice with the jam. Like always she noticed that Kiki’s pantry always had an odd smell to it, sharp and bitter. Perhaps it was from the contents of the pantry itself, or the boxes on the top shelves with the markings that suggested that they were medical in nature. Nan wasn’t sure. Walking across the common room to the fireplace, the fire had burned down to coals which was why Rauchbier had moved from his favorite sleeping spot on the rug in front of it to his other favorite next to the radiator that heated the common room that made up the ground floor. Oddly, Kiki didn’t seem to be around, so Nan sat down on the couch and enjoyed the solitude until she must have fallen asleep.
The common room was dark when Nan awoke to footsteps coming down the stairs. Kiki led Ben to the front door, where they were talking.
“I told security that you were helping me with my plans for traveling to Prague” Kiki said, “They are expecting you, so they should let you through without too much fuss.”
“Did we do any planning at all?” Ben asked.
“Express train to Prague” Kiki replied, “Hardly difficult.”
Then Nan saw Ben kissing Kiki for a long moment.
“Careful, otherwise we’ll go back upstairs, and you will end up being here all night” Kiki said, “How would we explain it?”
“I wouldn’t have a problem with that” Ben replied, and Kiki laughed softly.
“Good night Ben” Kiki said as he left.
Kiki was humming to herself as she closed the door, she seemed to be in an unusually good mood. That was until she turned on the lights and was startled as she saw Nan laying on the couch. Nan was left with a number of questions, like why Kiki was wearing her robe when she had just had a guest? And what had they been doing upstairs? Kiki alternated between embarrassment and anger as she tried to evade answering those questions.
20th December 1969
Plänterwald, Berlin
With everyone getting ready for the Royal wedding in Prague next week, it seemed like no one had time for Nan. The adults had given her a dress that to wear at the ceremony that looked nice but was incredibly uncomfortable and told her to go find something quiet to do once they had determined that it fit properly. While she had never had difficulty finding things to do in the past, this time was different in that it had come at a time when she had been going through a great deal of personal turmoil.
While Nan’s fears had largely subsided, they had never gone away completely. She was still scared of men she didn’t know and had to fight the urge to run and hide whenever she was in a stressful situation. Lately though, Nan had discovered that she had something new to contend with, something that she couldn’t hide from. Her own identity.
It had been a lesson in school about the Scientific method, Gregor Mendel, and the field of Genetics. About how hereditary traits get passed down through generations and while Mendel’s work had focused on pea plants, Nan couldn’t help but considering how it related to herself. She had always known in the back of her mind that the man she had called Poppa, a monstrous figure had held Nan’s mother captive for years and must have forced himself on her with Nan as the result. Still, Nan’s mother had insisted that no part of her was of him and that once they escaped the farm, she would never say his name again. He wasn’t a part of who Nan was or would ever be. The Science lesson had said in no uncertain terms that it wasn’t that simple and that was something that Nan was going to have to live with.
That simply wasn’t fair, Nan thought to herself as she trooped across the muddy field that would one day be the back garden of the Winter Residence. But she had learned before she could talk that life was seldom fair. It being a Saturday, there wasn’t a whole lot to do and it being the middle of December it was already getting dark. She had never minded going to school after having been kept ignorant deliberately she had wanted to learn about the wider world and had never understood her adoptive sister’s complaints. Instead, today she was at loose ends and her thoughts kept going back to the details she had tried hard to forget. Being at school would be preferable to that.
Louis Ferdinand, the man who Nan had come to think of as her father had told her that her past didn’t have any bearing on her future. How could it not though? With the publication of that book about the Detective who hunted killers there had been a renewed interest in that man who the press had dubbed the “Chicken Farmer” who Nan shared a regrettable hereditary link with. She had been watching television with Nella when show had come on that had speculated about the identity of “Child Six” and what had happened after the experiment had been abruptly ended by Nan’s mother with a mattock. Nan had felt like if she were about to be sick as she had learned the details, especially about what had happened to the other five children and their mothers. How could evil like that not somehow be passed on? Then there was the thing that one of the Psychologists who Lotte took her to said that Nan didn’t think like a child her age should, frustratingly without elaborating what he had meant by that.
When she got near Kiki’s house, Rauchbier rushed out and let out an excited bark when he saw that it was one of his people arriving. He had lived with Nella and Nan while Kiki had been out of the country over the summer. It had been fun to have him along with their dog Weisse as they had explored the vast estate around the Summer Residence in Potsdam with the confluence of rivers and the mysterious military installations on the far side of the forest. After giving Rauchbier a pat and a good scratch, she let him lead Nan to the house. The door was unlocked. Kiki had said that she was always welcome, and Nan couldn’t think of anyone better to talk to about her thoughts.
Finding bread and blackberry jam in the kitchen, Nan helped herself to a slice with the jam. Like always she noticed that Kiki’s pantry always had an odd smell to it, sharp and bitter. Perhaps it was from the contents of the pantry itself, or the boxes on the top shelves with the markings that suggested that they were medical in nature. Nan wasn’t sure. Walking across the common room to the fireplace, the fire had burned down to coals which was why Rauchbier had moved from his favorite sleeping spot on the rug in front of it to his other favorite next to the radiator that heated the common room that made up the ground floor. Oddly, Kiki didn’t seem to be around, so Nan sat down on the couch and enjoyed the solitude until she must have fallen asleep.
The common room was dark when Nan awoke to footsteps coming down the stairs. Kiki led Ben to the front door, where they were talking.
“I told security that you were helping me with my plans for traveling to Prague” Kiki said, “They are expecting you, so they should let you through without too much fuss.”
“Did we do any planning at all?” Ben asked.
“Express train to Prague” Kiki replied, “Hardly difficult.”
Then Nan saw Ben kissing Kiki for a long moment.
“Careful, otherwise we’ll go back upstairs, and you will end up being here all night” Kiki said, “How would we explain it?”
“I wouldn’t have a problem with that” Ben replied, and Kiki laughed softly.
“Good night Ben” Kiki said as he left.
Kiki was humming to herself as she closed the door, she seemed to be in an unusually good mood. That was until she turned on the lights and was startled as she saw Nan laying on the couch. Nan was left with a number of questions, like why Kiki was wearing her robe when she had just had a guest? And what had they been doing upstairs? Kiki alternated between embarrassment and anger as she tried to evade answering those questions.
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Crap. That is can screw a kid like Nan up even more.
Double crap sandwich with a side order of crap. Nan now needs to speak to someone, preferably multiple someones, regarding their own upbringings and how evil is not genetic.
Busted! Kiki is about to learn that, while you might want to, you can't actually die from acute embarrassment. Cue all sorts of embarrassed reactions from an assorted group of adults in regards to totally innocent questions & queries from Nan (& Nella, once Nan tells her about this). Also cue bouts of smirks, snorts, sniggers & poorly concealed laughter from the previously mentioned group of adults around Kiki for the foreseeable future.
Kat would have been my first thought.
Then I thought about it some more.
Maybe not.
Once again we come to the “Nature vs. Nurture” argument that brings out the Bear and others that can make those who get overheated take a vacation from this site.
Kiki will probably be the best one to get through to Nan that she is not going to turn out like the Chicken Farmer or his daughter.
Nan will see that her adoptive parents will do anything for her and teach her to be a good person, Nan has also made a strong connection with Kiki and Freddy who she can turn for help.
On the production of the Royal Wedding I can see Greta and Milos Forman having a lot of creative input.
Kiki will probably be the best one to get through to Nan that she is not going to turn out like the Chicken Farmer or his daughter.
Nan will see that her adoptive parents will do anything for her and teach her to be a good person, Nan has also made a strong connection with Kiki and Freddy who she can turn for help.
On the production of the Royal Wedding I can see Greta and Milos Forman having a lot of creative input.
ferdi254
Banned
Keep in mind that Eugenics and the idea that there are human races and some of them are inferior were pretty widespread before 1945.
My bet is that even though those ideas were fairly discredited 1933 to 1945 still a large percentage of white Americans would have agreed to the sentence „Black people are an inferior race to white people“ in 1960. And just imagine how this percentage would look like in a world without the racist crimes of the Nazis and without WW2.
So all the background of eugenics getting thrown out of public acceptance does not exist ITL so the nature vs nurture debate would have a completely different background in society .
I wonder why Kiki and Ben still have that secrecy. Both are nearing 30 so are fully grown adults being bound to marry.
My bet is that even though those ideas were fairly discredited 1933 to 1945 still a large percentage of white Americans would have agreed to the sentence „Black people are an inferior race to white people“ in 1960. And just imagine how this percentage would look like in a world without the racist crimes of the Nazis and without WW2.
So all the background of eugenics getting thrown out of public acceptance does not exist ITL so the nature vs nurture debate would have a completely different background in society .
I wonder why Kiki and Ben still have that secrecy. Both are nearing 30 so are fully grown adults being bound to marry.
I think it's less secrecy and more I-don't-want-my-adopted-sister-catch-me-having-sex.
Marc A
Marc A
I think there was still some residual stigma attached to extra-marital sex at the time (still is today in some places). Hypocritical, yes, but people want those they elevate to marble pedestals to be above such things.
Part 117, Chapter 1951
Chapter One Thousand Nine Hundred Fifty-One
25th December 1969
Prague, Bohemia
Kat stood with the rest of the wedding party as the ceremony started. Michael was wearing the formal uniform of the Panzer Corps, black with silver braid and a handful of medals pinned to the breast. Mostly they related to his activities in the Olympic Movement and sports, he did however have a service medal from the Sino-Korean War and a silver Panzer Corps career badge. All of that was capped by the Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Wenceslaus. As the King of Bohemia, Michael was the Grand Master and Royal Patron of the Chivalrous Order as well as the Kepler Order of Art and Science. He was waiting at the front of the Church with Kurt Knispel to his right and his father to his left. Kat thought that Michael selecting of Kurt to be his best man was worth far more than mere appearances. This was because Kurt was Michael’s mentor and the national hero of Bohemia.
The entire wedding ceremony that had nearly been marred by William and Mirai confusing their respective roles and fighting with each other in hours before. It was hardly a surprise really, both of them were headstrong and used to getting their way. It seemed that there was a clash in personalities as well with William being a troublemaker by nature and Mirai as something of a stickler. It seemed that the pillow that William was supposed to carry the rings on had been misplaced more than once in the days leading up to the wedding and Mirai had decided that she should hang onto to because William was clearly not up to the task. The trouble was that Mirai neglected to tell anyone else and William had taken it personally. His response had been to shove Mirai around. What had not entered his thinking was that while he was bigger than Mirai, she was far meaner than he was and fought dirty. So, it was fortunate for him that the adults broke it up before she managed to give him worse than a fat lip or had connected a foot with some of William’s more delicate bits.
Afterwards, William’s father had quite a few words to say to his son. Kat recognized the situation as being similar to the one that Josefine, Tatiana and Malcolm complained about. That Kat and Doug were a bit more permissive with Marie Alexandra and Sophie than they had ever been with them. Perhaps it had something to do with knowing better what worked from what did not. Or it had to do with exhaustion, after years of being strict with the older children they just didn’t have the energy to fight the same battles all over again. In the case of Marie and Sophie though, Kat knew that she had an embarrassment of riches. While the two were quite capable of causing trouble at times, they were seldom as intent on it as William tended to be. Mostly it was little things like Sophie intruding on Marie in any one of dozens of small ways or Marie getting lost in her costumes and tuning out the rest of the world.
It was with a touch of amusement that Kat saw Kiki and Ben off to the side. Apparently, Annett had caught them saying their goodbyes after they had spent an afternoon in together. While it had swiftly become obvious that Annett didn’t have any idea what they had been doing over the prior hours leading up to her seeing them, it didn’t take much imagination to fill in the blanks for any of the adults who surrounded her. Kiki had done her best to fend off her little sister’s questions which had not ended matters. Annett had swiftly told Antonia and Kiki had found herself dealing with questions from both of them. Eventually, this had resulted in a frank talk from Charlotte. Fortunately, it didn’t take much convincing to get them to drop it because like most ten-year-old girls Antonia and Annett found the idea of sex to be sort of gross. Kiki didn’t realize how she had dodged a bullet here. If Annett had gone upstairs looking for her as opposed to falling asleep on the couch, Kiki might have found herself in possibly one of the most embarrassing situations imaginable.
As for Kiki and Ben themselves, the whole incident had resulted in Louis to tell them how annoying their games had gotten over the last few years. While he could look the other way because they had managed to be discrete and mostly responsible until now, they needed to set a date and stick to it this time. That had resulted in both of them protesting about how they were supposed to had made things official the previous summer, but Kiki had been called away. That was hardly their fault. Kat knew what the truth was about how Kiki had been assigned to the SMS Antonia Marie and how the 1st Foot Guard Regiment would have their hands full if the Princess ever found out. At this point, Kat considered telling Kiki and Ben to go to the nearest Courthouse with only invitations going to their immediate family, public opinion be damned.
All of that had needed to be swept aside as there was still a wedding taking place…
Even as Kat had that thought, the music changed, and the wedding procession started. Kat saw Birdie enter with her father who was keeping a close eye on William, who was walking a few paces ahead of them. The wedding dress was flattering on Birdie which Kat knew was a relief for everyone involved. She had always been a rather awkward woman, whose appearance couldn’t have been more stereotypical British.
25th December 1969
Prague, Bohemia
Kat stood with the rest of the wedding party as the ceremony started. Michael was wearing the formal uniform of the Panzer Corps, black with silver braid and a handful of medals pinned to the breast. Mostly they related to his activities in the Olympic Movement and sports, he did however have a service medal from the Sino-Korean War and a silver Panzer Corps career badge. All of that was capped by the Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Wenceslaus. As the King of Bohemia, Michael was the Grand Master and Royal Patron of the Chivalrous Order as well as the Kepler Order of Art and Science. He was waiting at the front of the Church with Kurt Knispel to his right and his father to his left. Kat thought that Michael selecting of Kurt to be his best man was worth far more than mere appearances. This was because Kurt was Michael’s mentor and the national hero of Bohemia.
The entire wedding ceremony that had nearly been marred by William and Mirai confusing their respective roles and fighting with each other in hours before. It was hardly a surprise really, both of them were headstrong and used to getting their way. It seemed that there was a clash in personalities as well with William being a troublemaker by nature and Mirai as something of a stickler. It seemed that the pillow that William was supposed to carry the rings on had been misplaced more than once in the days leading up to the wedding and Mirai had decided that she should hang onto to because William was clearly not up to the task. The trouble was that Mirai neglected to tell anyone else and William had taken it personally. His response had been to shove Mirai around. What had not entered his thinking was that while he was bigger than Mirai, she was far meaner than he was and fought dirty. So, it was fortunate for him that the adults broke it up before she managed to give him worse than a fat lip or had connected a foot with some of William’s more delicate bits.
Afterwards, William’s father had quite a few words to say to his son. Kat recognized the situation as being similar to the one that Josefine, Tatiana and Malcolm complained about. That Kat and Doug were a bit more permissive with Marie Alexandra and Sophie than they had ever been with them. Perhaps it had something to do with knowing better what worked from what did not. Or it had to do with exhaustion, after years of being strict with the older children they just didn’t have the energy to fight the same battles all over again. In the case of Marie and Sophie though, Kat knew that she had an embarrassment of riches. While the two were quite capable of causing trouble at times, they were seldom as intent on it as William tended to be. Mostly it was little things like Sophie intruding on Marie in any one of dozens of small ways or Marie getting lost in her costumes and tuning out the rest of the world.
It was with a touch of amusement that Kat saw Kiki and Ben off to the side. Apparently, Annett had caught them saying their goodbyes after they had spent an afternoon in together. While it had swiftly become obvious that Annett didn’t have any idea what they had been doing over the prior hours leading up to her seeing them, it didn’t take much imagination to fill in the blanks for any of the adults who surrounded her. Kiki had done her best to fend off her little sister’s questions which had not ended matters. Annett had swiftly told Antonia and Kiki had found herself dealing with questions from both of them. Eventually, this had resulted in a frank talk from Charlotte. Fortunately, it didn’t take much convincing to get them to drop it because like most ten-year-old girls Antonia and Annett found the idea of sex to be sort of gross. Kiki didn’t realize how she had dodged a bullet here. If Annett had gone upstairs looking for her as opposed to falling asleep on the couch, Kiki might have found herself in possibly one of the most embarrassing situations imaginable.
As for Kiki and Ben themselves, the whole incident had resulted in Louis to tell them how annoying their games had gotten over the last few years. While he could look the other way because they had managed to be discrete and mostly responsible until now, they needed to set a date and stick to it this time. That had resulted in both of them protesting about how they were supposed to had made things official the previous summer, but Kiki had been called away. That was hardly their fault. Kat knew what the truth was about how Kiki had been assigned to the SMS Antonia Marie and how the 1st Foot Guard Regiment would have their hands full if the Princess ever found out. At this point, Kat considered telling Kiki and Ben to go to the nearest Courthouse with only invitations going to their immediate family, public opinion be damned.
All of that had needed to be swept aside as there was still a wedding taking place…
Even as Kat had that thought, the music changed, and the wedding procession started. Kat saw Birdie enter with her father who was keeping a close eye on William, who was walking a few paces ahead of them. The wedding dress was flattering on Birdie which Kat knew was a relief for everyone involved. She had always been a rather awkward woman, whose appearance couldn’t have been more stereotypical British.
That is not the only genetic joke that has been played here, it just happens to be the most obvious and is a good example of TTL not being OTL.
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