brockton bay, meet glam

[mxglam]

It's the anniversary. Glam would very much not like to celebrate.

It’s their last day on Winslow High - they’re being transferred to Arcadia on Monday - and also their last day without a patrol schedule assigned.

And the PRT released a small announcement on its website about Glam joining the Wards. Now their wiki page doesn’t get erased, of course - they’re no longer speculative. They wonder what it’s got on them.

Comments

[alicornucopia]

Ms Yates starts her car.

"I think she probably felt very ashamed of how she treated you once it was brought to her attention how serious it was, and she decided not to exacerbate the situation by leaving," says Al. "There wasn't a particular rule in place about treating transgendered people well before, but there are and have always been rules about how people can talk to and about minors they're taking charge of."

[mxglam]

"Wait! I'm talking to him!"

"Okay, that is completely impossible, I think I'm standing by what I said, this is going to be fixed or I'm denying it."

[alicornucopia]

"I can't make Ms. Yates un-tender her resignation," Al points out.

[mxglam]

"No, but you can make the situation that made her resign in the first place go away, like the second strike which is definitely unwarranted."

[alicornucopia]

"It's very admirable that you feel for Ms. Yates, but I'd recommend you just stand back and let us do what we do," Al says.

[mxglam]

"It's not just Ms. Yates, it's everyone here. I don't think they mistreated me or mishandled me in a way that justifies this, and this will cause much more trouble than it's worth anyway, I'm graduating in less than a year! And yeah sure you'll mention all the other trans kids, point, but why would you need a strike? Why not just change the rules in the background?"

[alicornucopia]

"The 'strike' system wasn't my idea and it lacks a certain finesse, but the Protectorate proved a little unwilling to treat Wards decently without us carrying a big stick," says Al.

[mxglam]

"Yes, but the big stick shouldn't be your go-to weapon, it should be a last resort!"

Copy floats in, looking dejected. Original looks at them, and they shrug.

[alicornucopia]

"Trust me, in a little while it'll all blow over, Wards departments nationwide will have a sensible policy in place about transgendered heroes like you, and it'll all work out."

[mxglam]

"I'm still waiting to be convinced by a sensible argument that expects me to be capable of reasoning instead of treating me as a tool exactly like the Protectorate did."

[alicornucopia]

"Glam, you came to us. We're trying to help you. But even if you don't see that now, we can't withdraw after finding out about abuse in the system."

[mxglam]

"One, no, you came to me. Two, still waiting for the argument. There was no abuse, there was a lack of appropriate rules, and if you really are trying to help me, is it that hard to explain to me why this is literally the best option you had and how there were absolutely no good third alternatives and how you spent way more than an afternoon trying to brainstorm them?"

[alicornucopia]

"We sent the first message, but you were the one who decided to meet," Al says. "I'm sorry if it's not clear right now. It'll all make sense when you're older."

[mxglam]

"...oh no. You are not pulling that. That is literally the same thing every patronizing adult says to a minor when they don't think the minor's capable of personhood and agency. You're acting no better than them." They almost threaten him again, but a voice in their head says he may well be recording this conversation and that they've damned themself enough already.

[alicornucopia]

"I am trying to help you, Glam," says Al. "I'm about to get in the car, gotta hang up." The line goes dead.

[mxglam]

They hug their knees and bury their head in them for about ten seconds.

Copy tells them about their meeting with Yates.

They fly towards Lorica's workshop.

[thinkering]

It is patrolled by bots.

"What is it?" one of the bots asks.

[mxglam]

"I fucked up big time and I need someone to scold me in a reasonable way."

[thinkering]

The bots scatter down the hallway in both directions then come back and let Glam in.

Lorica looks up from what she's doing - cutting holes in some kind of printout, apparently. She has acquired a fruit bowl since the last time Glam was in here.

[mxglam]

"...I fucked up big time and I need someone to scold me in a reasonable way. Or glare at me. Or ignore me completely and make me turn in circles inside my head for a long time until Piggot calls me to her office. Or something."

[thinkering]

"So Boots was right and you did call the Youth Guard. Oh, Glam. You threaten to call them. You don't actually do it. I would've told you if you'd asked me."

[mxglam]

"I didn't call them! I- they talked to me, in the forum, and I talked to them in person, and the guy was so reasonable, and now I just want to undo it, I told him specifically Yates was okay, she was just doing her job, I wasn't mistreated, I didn't even want anything to change right now! I could've handled-" They think back on what they read on the forum, multiply it a thousand times over, and shudder, but go on. "I could've handled the rest of the year, it was just, supposed to help other people in the future, a rules change, not-"

[thinkering]

"So you should have gone to Piggot and said, 'Director, the Youth Guard reached out to me about the gender thing. I haven't replied yet because I don't really want to make a federal case out of it, but it's -" She pauses, maybe reading something on her helmet display. "- harder than I thought to take having my cape persona referred to as a girl even knowing that Loen will go live in a few weeks. Can we come to some sort of compromise'. And then you have put the fear of the Youth Guard in her heart and you get everything you want. I might have suggested if I'd known the two people solution wasn't cutting it, but..."

[mxglam]

"I didn't know they'd make a federal case out of it! I have barely started patrolling yet and I'm already fucking it all up, Yates was right, I can't fix any fucking thing-"

[thinkering]

A robot lands on their shoulder and nuzzles against their neck.

"It'll blow over," sighs Lorica.