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ysabetwordsmith"Coming in from the Cold" is the next big piece in its series, dealing with Bucky and his continued issues with that piece-of-crap prosthesis. I'm posting each day within the story as a section unto itself, broken down into post-sized parts.
This story belongs to the series Love Is For Children which includes "Love Is for Children," "Hairpins," "Blended," "Am I Not," "Eggshells," "Dolls and Guys,""Saudades," "Querencia," "Turnabout Is Fair Play," "Touching Moments," "Splash," "Coming Around," "Birthday Girl," "No Winter Lasts Forever," "Hide and Seek," "Kernel Error," "Happy Hour," "Green Eggs and Hulk,""kintsukuroi," "Little and Broken, but Still Good," "Up the Water Spout," "The Life of the Dead," "If They Could Just Stay Little," "Anahata," "Coming in from the Cold: Saturday: Building Towers," and "Coming in from the Cold: Sunday: Shaking Foundations."
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Bruce Banner, Betty Ross, Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanova, Tony Stark, Clint Barton, Happy Hogan, Peggy Carter, Sam Wilson.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Mention of past trauma with lingering symptoms of PTSD. Kitchen fail. Tony being a brat. Description of past deaths and self-destructive behavior. Current environment is supportive.
Summary: The Avengers celebrate Memorial Day by going to Washington, D.C. for the festivities. Emotional roller-coasters ensue.
Notes: Hurt/comfort. Family. Fluff and angst. Emotional overload. Coping skills. Healthy touch. Asking for help and getting it. Cooking. Comfort food. Holidays. Medals. Veteran issues. Nonsexual intimacy. Caregiving. Competence. Gentleness. Trust. Emotional confusion. Hope. Crowds. Memorials. Mourning. Letting go. Moving on. Photography. Parades. Storytelling. War stories. Nostalgia. Hand-feeding. Heroism. Public speaking. Flashbacks. Friendship. Counseling. Leaving early. #coulsonlives
Begin with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5. Skip to Part 8, Part 9.
"Coming in from the Cold: Monday: Memorial Day" Part 6
Steve and Bucky, though, lacked the fresh surge of energy that put a bounce in Tony's stride. They slogged along the smooth sidewalk as if through a trench full of mud. At least they had each other for support.
"How are you two doing?" Phil asked as they climbed into the car that Happy pulled up for them.
"I feel ... kind of done in," Steve said. Bucky nodded. "I'll keep up, though. I don't want to spoil the day for anyone."
"It's okay if you need to go home early," Betty said.
"I thought you wanted to see the fireworks," Bucky said.
"I did, but there will be other times for that," Betty said. Her slim fingers plucked at the strap of her purse. "I think I'd like to get home to Bruce."
"Does anyone object to departing now?" Phil asked. Clint and Tony shook their heads. "All right, then."
"Change of plans, Happy; take us home," Tony ordered.
This time Happy didn't dawdle. He cut briskly through the traffic, now using deft navigation to get them back to Tony's jet as soon as possible. Phil felt grateful that Tony's wealth allowed them to travel on their own schedule. He didn't relish the thought of trying to drag tired, overstimulated supersoldiers through hours of airport hassle.
Steve and Bucky fell asleep in their seats, leaning against each other. Tony looked at them and got up. "There should be a closet or something ..." he muttered, rummaging around the passenger compartment. Then he made a pleased sound of discovery. Tony returned with two small fleece blankets. He handed one to Phil for Steve, and tucked the other around Bucky.
Phil covered Steve with the blanket, smoothing the soft cloth over him with gentle strokes. Steve gave a drowsy murmur but did not wake up. Phil returned to his own seat and pulled a Starkpad from its nearby pocket so that he could read on the way home.
Meanwhile Tony had produced a pad from somewhere, which was twice the usual size and had its own miniature holoprojector. An articulated model of Bucky's replacement arm shimmered in the air over Tony's lap as the engineer worked. Agile fingers danced over the glassy surface of the pad, then reached up to pluck minute elements from the model. Tony expanded the wrist, discarding and replacing things. Phil watched him, entranced, his own pad forgotten on his knees.
Back in New York, they transferred to a waiting limousine, where Happy drove them home as efficiently as ever. He pulled the car into the garage of Avengers Tower. It coasted to a graceful stop in the precise center of the open floor.
Phil noticed that Tony sat patiently and waited for Happy to walk around and hand him out of the car, instead of bailing out while the wheels were still moving as he was wont to do under other circumstances. A brief squeeze of Happy's hand on Tony's shoulder, an answering quirk of smile, and Phil understood what Tony had been waiting for. Their relationship lived in these moments of contact, communicated through service and acceptance, touch and response. They were servant and employer, but they were also friends, and they negotiated the delicate balance between those layers with the ease of long practice.
It was gone in an instant, hidden away under Happy's professional charm as he helped the other passengers out of the limo. Clint and Betty got Bucky and Steve between them. Both supersoldiers were awake and mobile, but clinging to their friends for moral support.
"Hey Tony, aren't you going to help us get these guys upstairs?" Clint asked.
"Busy," Tony caroled with a wave of his hand, as he headed for the workshop section of the garage.
Phil moved to assist the others, only to be stopped by a diffident touch, the back of Happy's wrist against his waist. "Yes?" Phil said.
"A word in your ear, if you don't mind," Happy said in a low tone. "Whatever you've been doing with Mr. Stark, you keep doing that. It's working. It's making a big difference for him. I've never seen him so relaxed and ... hell, I've hardly seen him happy at all."
"He's had a difficult life," Phil replied.
"You have no idea," Happy said. "Not half of it hits the papers. Today may have been a bit touch-and-go for some, but for him? This is the first time I've driven him home on Memorial Day and not had to worry if I'd need to drive him to the ER later. Look at him, he's fine, he's going to go build stuff instead of get drunk. Thank you. I can't tell you how much this means to me." Happy dropped his hand away from Phil's front.
Phil shifted to let his hand brush along Happy's as they parted. "You don't have to tell me," Phil said. "I understand." As he moved toward the elevator, Phil could hear the quiet garage sounds behind him, Tony already puttering in his workshop as Happy went to park the limo in its customary spot.
First Phil went to his own apartment. He changed clothes, wanting something casual and comforting. He hesitated over the well-worn Captain America t-shirt, but ultimately settled on one with plain blue-and-white stripes. Then he headed downstairs to the common floor.
There Phil found Bruce and Natasha on the couch. They bent over a Starkpad. Bruce's charcoal-and-ash curls banked the fire of Natasha's hair where their heads leaned together.
As Phil walked in, Bruce popped off the couch and began pacing, talking with someone on the phone. "Yeah, I can do that," Bruce said. "Orbital mechanics should translate great onstage, it's all just bodies in motion. I know some guys at NASA who can help too. What, of course they'll be interested, they're nerds, we love the arts. Somebody's bound to say yes."
"What's this about?" Phil asked.
Natasha tilted the screen to show him a video of several dancers ... evidently on a glass platform, with the camera shooting from below them, Phil realized after a moment's confusion. "Bruce and I have been watching Pilobolus," Natasha explained. "Some of the scenes reminded him of zero-gravity motion. He wanted to explore other ways of merging science and performance. So we're sponsoring a new dance, and Bruce is speaking with one of their choreographers about physics as inspiration."
Bruce finished the call and tucked his phone back into his pocket. Then he flopped onto the couch, grinning. "Did Natasha catch you up on our day?" he asked. He snuggled into Phil.
"Yes," Phil said, wrapping an arm around Bruce. "I'm glad that you two found something so engrossing to do."
"Also we cooked supper. It is in the crockpot," Natasha said.
"You cooked?" Phil said, a little surprised. Bruce often did, but Natasha rarely made anything other than cold dishes.
"Bruce helped," said Natasha. "So did JARVIS. He found us a recipe for beef stroganoff made with cream cheese. It should be ready in another hour or so."
Phil sniffed, and found the scent of creamy mushroom sauce wafting in from the kitchen. "It smells good," he said. "Thank you both for thinking of this."
Bruce twitched a shoulder against Phil's side. "We figured that people might appreciate coming home to some comfort food."
Just then, Steve and Bucky arrived, shower-damp and full of nervous energy. That was a problem with super-soldiers: let them nap while agitated and sometimes they'd settle down, other times wind themselves up afterwards. Phil didn't think a session in the gym would help with this kind of nerves.
"I need, we need, something to do," Steve said. "Something grounding and soothing, I think, but I'm not sure what."
"I know that, I know," Bucky said, moving his hands in a disorganized gesture, as if trying to pack something formless into a more regular shape. Then he grabbed his Starkphone and poked at the screen. "I have, there's a list, just need to find it --"
JARVIS interrupted gently with, "Bucky, may I suggest that you use your random selector of coping methods?"
"That's a great idea, JARVIS, thanks," said Bucky. He tapped the screen in a more organized manner. "Okay, we're ... cooking." Then he frowned and sniffed the air. "Only it smells like somebody started supper already?"
"Yeah, it's stroganoff, but we haven't made a dessert," Bruce said.
"What do you want for dessert, runt?" Bucky asked as he turned to Steve.
"I dunno," Steve said.
Bucky hit the selector again. "We're making ... cookies. There's a different batch for you and me: Nutella ones, and white chocolate-macadamia ones."
"Okay," Steve said, relaxing a little now that he had a clear plan to follow. He and Bucky moved into the kitchen. Phil could hear the quiet clink of cookware as they set out bowls and measuring cups.
Betty came into the common room. She had changed into a floppy purple t-shirt dress printed with a Thomas Kincade flower garden. Her long dark hair hung over her shoulder in a loose braid. "Have you got room for one more?" she asked, eyeing the pile of people on the couch.
Bruce nodded happily. "Uh-huh," he said.
Betty sat down on the other side of Bruce. He wormed his way off the cushions until he was lying on top of Phil and Betty. Phil lifted a hand to stroke through Bruce's hair. Bruce made soft happy sounds in response.
Natasha perched lightly on the arm of the couch next to Phil. "Do you wish to see today's project?" Natasha asked Betty, showing the Starkpad that now displayed the project notes. "Bruce and I have commissioned a dance. It is to feature an artistic representation of physics."
"What a lovely idea," Betty said. "It could do with some lasers. Laser propulsion is all the rage in modern spaceflight. We could make one of the dancers a rocket, send her flying around the other celestial bodies ... I know a guy down in Huntsville who is all over that."
"Mmm ... JARVIS, record and save," Bruce murmured.
"Saved and added to the dance file," JARVIS confirmed.
"Not something often seen in a formal dance performance, but you could make great use of a disco ball to create a starscape," Phil said, looking over the notes thus far. Maybe he should chip in a donation too. It had been a while since he had found a creative project he really wanted to support, but Phil had always loved dance.
They continued their lazy discussion of how to combine art and science. Phil felt immeasurably better than he usually did on Memorial Day evening. The scent of chocolate chip cookies went a long way toward soothing the rough edges left by the day. This is what we're fighting for, Phil thought as he let himself lean against Betty a little. She wrapped a friendly arm around his shoulders. Bruce made a warm, welcome weight in their laps.
"I believe the stroganoff should be done by now," JARVIS said presently.
"Thanks, I'll go check it," Bruce said, peeling himself off of Phil.
"I'll come help set the table," Phil said. He stood and stretched.
In the kitchen, Steve and Bucky sat at the table. Steve was eating Nutella out of the jar with a large spoon. Bucky had the macadamia nut butter, a knife, and one of Natasha's bitter chocolate protein bagels.
Bruce sampled the stroganoff and declared it done. He put the pasta on to boil. Then he moved the ceramic crock of stroganoff to the table. "JARVIS, supper in about fifteen minutes," Bruce said. "Please pass the word to everyone who's not already here."
* * *
Notes:
Chauffeurs can be very useful for busy people. Happy and Tony have been friends for years, and that helps keep Tony from running completely off the rails. There are tips on how to be a good chauffeur.
Pilobolus is a dance company known for its unusual techniques.
The Crockpot Cream Cheese Stroganoff is my bit of shameless self-insert. :D
Decision fatigue happens after making lots of decisions. Choice paralysis comes from having so many options that they overwhelm people. Having too many choices can make it harder to decide. Prisoners of war and other people with PTSD often have impaired executive function which contributes to these problems. Bucky copes with this by using JARVIS as a prosthetic memory and selection. Understand how to cope with many choices. and avoid decision fatigue.
Goal-Fish is a random selector for chores and recreation that accounts for things like your energy or pain levels, budget, and time available. HabitRPG basically turns your life into a video game as you seek to establish good habits.
Nutella is a delicious chocolate-hazelnut spread which can be used to make cookies. White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies are also tasty.
This is Betty's Thomas Kincade t-shirt.
Enjoy some Chocolate Multigrain Protein Bagels.
[To be continued in Part 7 ...]
This story belongs to the series Love Is For Children which includes "Love Is for Children," "Hairpins," "Blended," "Am I Not," "Eggshells," "Dolls and Guys,""Saudades," "Querencia," "Turnabout Is Fair Play," "Touching Moments," "Splash," "Coming Around," "Birthday Girl," "No Winter Lasts Forever," "Hide and Seek," "Kernel Error," "Happy Hour," "Green Eggs and Hulk,""kintsukuroi," "Little and Broken, but Still Good," "Up the Water Spout," "The Life of the Dead," "If They Could Just Stay Little," "Anahata," "Coming in from the Cold: Saturday: Building Towers," and "Coming in from the Cold: Sunday: Shaking Foundations."
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Bruce Banner, Betty Ross, Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanova, Tony Stark, Clint Barton, Happy Hogan, Peggy Carter, Sam Wilson.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Mention of past trauma with lingering symptoms of PTSD. Kitchen fail. Tony being a brat. Description of past deaths and self-destructive behavior. Current environment is supportive.
Summary: The Avengers celebrate Memorial Day by going to Washington, D.C. for the festivities. Emotional roller-coasters ensue.
Notes: Hurt/comfort. Family. Fluff and angst. Emotional overload. Coping skills. Healthy touch. Asking for help and getting it. Cooking. Comfort food. Holidays. Medals. Veteran issues. Nonsexual intimacy. Caregiving. Competence. Gentleness. Trust. Emotional confusion. Hope. Crowds. Memorials. Mourning. Letting go. Moving on. Photography. Parades. Storytelling. War stories. Nostalgia. Hand-feeding. Heroism. Public speaking. Flashbacks. Friendship. Counseling. Leaving early. #coulsonlives
Begin with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5. Skip to Part 8, Part 9.
"Coming in from the Cold: Monday: Memorial Day" Part 6
Steve and Bucky, though, lacked the fresh surge of energy that put a bounce in Tony's stride. They slogged along the smooth sidewalk as if through a trench full of mud. At least they had each other for support.
"How are you two doing?" Phil asked as they climbed into the car that Happy pulled up for them.
"I feel ... kind of done in," Steve said. Bucky nodded. "I'll keep up, though. I don't want to spoil the day for anyone."
"It's okay if you need to go home early," Betty said.
"I thought you wanted to see the fireworks," Bucky said.
"I did, but there will be other times for that," Betty said. Her slim fingers plucked at the strap of her purse. "I think I'd like to get home to Bruce."
"Does anyone object to departing now?" Phil asked. Clint and Tony shook their heads. "All right, then."
"Change of plans, Happy; take us home," Tony ordered.
This time Happy didn't dawdle. He cut briskly through the traffic, now using deft navigation to get them back to Tony's jet as soon as possible. Phil felt grateful that Tony's wealth allowed them to travel on their own schedule. He didn't relish the thought of trying to drag tired, overstimulated supersoldiers through hours of airport hassle.
Steve and Bucky fell asleep in their seats, leaning against each other. Tony looked at them and got up. "There should be a closet or something ..." he muttered, rummaging around the passenger compartment. Then he made a pleased sound of discovery. Tony returned with two small fleece blankets. He handed one to Phil for Steve, and tucked the other around Bucky.
Phil covered Steve with the blanket, smoothing the soft cloth over him with gentle strokes. Steve gave a drowsy murmur but did not wake up. Phil returned to his own seat and pulled a Starkpad from its nearby pocket so that he could read on the way home.
Meanwhile Tony had produced a pad from somewhere, which was twice the usual size and had its own miniature holoprojector. An articulated model of Bucky's replacement arm shimmered in the air over Tony's lap as the engineer worked. Agile fingers danced over the glassy surface of the pad, then reached up to pluck minute elements from the model. Tony expanded the wrist, discarding and replacing things. Phil watched him, entranced, his own pad forgotten on his knees.
Back in New York, they transferred to a waiting limousine, where Happy drove them home as efficiently as ever. He pulled the car into the garage of Avengers Tower. It coasted to a graceful stop in the precise center of the open floor.
Phil noticed that Tony sat patiently and waited for Happy to walk around and hand him out of the car, instead of bailing out while the wheels were still moving as he was wont to do under other circumstances. A brief squeeze of Happy's hand on Tony's shoulder, an answering quirk of smile, and Phil understood what Tony had been waiting for. Their relationship lived in these moments of contact, communicated through service and acceptance, touch and response. They were servant and employer, but they were also friends, and they negotiated the delicate balance between those layers with the ease of long practice.
It was gone in an instant, hidden away under Happy's professional charm as he helped the other passengers out of the limo. Clint and Betty got Bucky and Steve between them. Both supersoldiers were awake and mobile, but clinging to their friends for moral support.
"Hey Tony, aren't you going to help us get these guys upstairs?" Clint asked.
"Busy," Tony caroled with a wave of his hand, as he headed for the workshop section of the garage.
Phil moved to assist the others, only to be stopped by a diffident touch, the back of Happy's wrist against his waist. "Yes?" Phil said.
"A word in your ear, if you don't mind," Happy said in a low tone. "Whatever you've been doing with Mr. Stark, you keep doing that. It's working. It's making a big difference for him. I've never seen him so relaxed and ... hell, I've hardly seen him happy at all."
"He's had a difficult life," Phil replied.
"You have no idea," Happy said. "Not half of it hits the papers. Today may have been a bit touch-and-go for some, but for him? This is the first time I've driven him home on Memorial Day and not had to worry if I'd need to drive him to the ER later. Look at him, he's fine, he's going to go build stuff instead of get drunk. Thank you. I can't tell you how much this means to me." Happy dropped his hand away from Phil's front.
Phil shifted to let his hand brush along Happy's as they parted. "You don't have to tell me," Phil said. "I understand." As he moved toward the elevator, Phil could hear the quiet garage sounds behind him, Tony already puttering in his workshop as Happy went to park the limo in its customary spot.
First Phil went to his own apartment. He changed clothes, wanting something casual and comforting. He hesitated over the well-worn Captain America t-shirt, but ultimately settled on one with plain blue-and-white stripes. Then he headed downstairs to the common floor.
There Phil found Bruce and Natasha on the couch. They bent over a Starkpad. Bruce's charcoal-and-ash curls banked the fire of Natasha's hair where their heads leaned together.
As Phil walked in, Bruce popped off the couch and began pacing, talking with someone on the phone. "Yeah, I can do that," Bruce said. "Orbital mechanics should translate great onstage, it's all just bodies in motion. I know some guys at NASA who can help too. What, of course they'll be interested, they're nerds, we love the arts. Somebody's bound to say yes."
"What's this about?" Phil asked.
Natasha tilted the screen to show him a video of several dancers ... evidently on a glass platform, with the camera shooting from below them, Phil realized after a moment's confusion. "Bruce and I have been watching Pilobolus," Natasha explained. "Some of the scenes reminded him of zero-gravity motion. He wanted to explore other ways of merging science and performance. So we're sponsoring a new dance, and Bruce is speaking with one of their choreographers about physics as inspiration."
Bruce finished the call and tucked his phone back into his pocket. Then he flopped onto the couch, grinning. "Did Natasha catch you up on our day?" he asked. He snuggled into Phil.
"Yes," Phil said, wrapping an arm around Bruce. "I'm glad that you two found something so engrossing to do."
"Also we cooked supper. It is in the crockpot," Natasha said.
"You cooked?" Phil said, a little surprised. Bruce often did, but Natasha rarely made anything other than cold dishes.
"Bruce helped," said Natasha. "So did JARVIS. He found us a recipe for beef stroganoff made with cream cheese. It should be ready in another hour or so."
Phil sniffed, and found the scent of creamy mushroom sauce wafting in from the kitchen. "It smells good," he said. "Thank you both for thinking of this."
Bruce twitched a shoulder against Phil's side. "We figured that people might appreciate coming home to some comfort food."
Just then, Steve and Bucky arrived, shower-damp and full of nervous energy. That was a problem with super-soldiers: let them nap while agitated and sometimes they'd settle down, other times wind themselves up afterwards. Phil didn't think a session in the gym would help with this kind of nerves.
"I need, we need, something to do," Steve said. "Something grounding and soothing, I think, but I'm not sure what."
"I know that, I know," Bucky said, moving his hands in a disorganized gesture, as if trying to pack something formless into a more regular shape. Then he grabbed his Starkphone and poked at the screen. "I have, there's a list, just need to find it --"
JARVIS interrupted gently with, "Bucky, may I suggest that you use your random selector of coping methods?"
"That's a great idea, JARVIS, thanks," said Bucky. He tapped the screen in a more organized manner. "Okay, we're ... cooking." Then he frowned and sniffed the air. "Only it smells like somebody started supper already?"
"Yeah, it's stroganoff, but we haven't made a dessert," Bruce said.
"What do you want for dessert, runt?" Bucky asked as he turned to Steve.
"I dunno," Steve said.
Bucky hit the selector again. "We're making ... cookies. There's a different batch for you and me: Nutella ones, and white chocolate-macadamia ones."
"Okay," Steve said, relaxing a little now that he had a clear plan to follow. He and Bucky moved into the kitchen. Phil could hear the quiet clink of cookware as they set out bowls and measuring cups.
Betty came into the common room. She had changed into a floppy purple t-shirt dress printed with a Thomas Kincade flower garden. Her long dark hair hung over her shoulder in a loose braid. "Have you got room for one more?" she asked, eyeing the pile of people on the couch.
Bruce nodded happily. "Uh-huh," he said.
Betty sat down on the other side of Bruce. He wormed his way off the cushions until he was lying on top of Phil and Betty. Phil lifted a hand to stroke through Bruce's hair. Bruce made soft happy sounds in response.
Natasha perched lightly on the arm of the couch next to Phil. "Do you wish to see today's project?" Natasha asked Betty, showing the Starkpad that now displayed the project notes. "Bruce and I have commissioned a dance. It is to feature an artistic representation of physics."
"What a lovely idea," Betty said. "It could do with some lasers. Laser propulsion is all the rage in modern spaceflight. We could make one of the dancers a rocket, send her flying around the other celestial bodies ... I know a guy down in Huntsville who is all over that."
"Mmm ... JARVIS, record and save," Bruce murmured.
"Saved and added to the dance file," JARVIS confirmed.
"Not something often seen in a formal dance performance, but you could make great use of a disco ball to create a starscape," Phil said, looking over the notes thus far. Maybe he should chip in a donation too. It had been a while since he had found a creative project he really wanted to support, but Phil had always loved dance.
They continued their lazy discussion of how to combine art and science. Phil felt immeasurably better than he usually did on Memorial Day evening. The scent of chocolate chip cookies went a long way toward soothing the rough edges left by the day. This is what we're fighting for, Phil thought as he let himself lean against Betty a little. She wrapped a friendly arm around his shoulders. Bruce made a warm, welcome weight in their laps.
"I believe the stroganoff should be done by now," JARVIS said presently.
"Thanks, I'll go check it," Bruce said, peeling himself off of Phil.
"I'll come help set the table," Phil said. He stood and stretched.
In the kitchen, Steve and Bucky sat at the table. Steve was eating Nutella out of the jar with a large spoon. Bucky had the macadamia nut butter, a knife, and one of Natasha's bitter chocolate protein bagels.
Bruce sampled the stroganoff and declared it done. He put the pasta on to boil. Then he moved the ceramic crock of stroganoff to the table. "JARVIS, supper in about fifteen minutes," Bruce said. "Please pass the word to everyone who's not already here."
* * *
Notes:
Chauffeurs can be very useful for busy people. Happy and Tony have been friends for years, and that helps keep Tony from running completely off the rails. There are tips on how to be a good chauffeur.
Pilobolus is a dance company known for its unusual techniques.
The Crockpot Cream Cheese Stroganoff is my bit of shameless self-insert. :D
Decision fatigue happens after making lots of decisions. Choice paralysis comes from having so many options that they overwhelm people. Having too many choices can make it harder to decide. Prisoners of war and other people with PTSD often have impaired executive function which contributes to these problems. Bucky copes with this by using JARVIS as a prosthetic memory and selection. Understand how to cope with many choices. and avoid decision fatigue.
Goal-Fish is a random selector for chores and recreation that accounts for things like your energy or pain levels, budget, and time available. HabitRPG basically turns your life into a video game as you seek to establish good habits.
Nutella is a delicious chocolate-hazelnut spread which can be used to make cookies. White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies are also tasty.
This is Betty's Thomas Kincade t-shirt.
Enjoy some Chocolate Multigrain Protein Bagels.
[To be continued in Part 7 ...]
coping
Date: 2015-07-04 05:47 am (UTC)Re: coping
Date: 2015-07-04 05:59 am (UTC)Bucky and Steve have been exploring different coping skills with considerable enthusiasm. Cooking seems to be a popular one, which is terrific because so many of the Avengers have disordered eating and would benefit from a healthier relationship with food. As they try more things, they figure out what works well for them, so that influences future choices.
>> Also NERDY ART YES! <<
:D Of course, I'm a fan of that too.
Re: coping
Date: 2015-07-04 06:02 am (UTC)Pilobolus came to my hometown last month, but I had no idea what it was, so I was snarking at a rather non-explanatory billboard for a while. You could say I just don't have much access to the arts, due to my limited budget.
Re: coping
Date: 2015-07-05 01:25 am (UTC)Happy, Phil and JARVIS for the win!
Date: 2015-07-04 07:36 am (UTC)So seeing them basically lighten each other's load, and seeing Happy, well, happy, about Tony's improvements is lovely.
I don't think the Avengers would cope without the help they are getting now (God help Fury if he ever decides to try and reassign Phil)
This update was lovely :)
~Angel
Re: Happy, Phil and JARVIS for the win!
Date: 2015-07-05 07:47 am (UTC)Well, for one thing, their love language is clearly acts of service.
>> So seeing them basically lighten each other's load, and seeing Happy, well, happy, about Tony's improvements is lovely. <<
Yay! One thing I wanted to do in this story is show how Game Night has affected Tony in ways that show to people who don't even know about it. All Happy knows is that Tony is way better than he used to be. All Sam knows is that Tony is acting very different.
>>I don't think the Avengers would cope without the help they are getting now<<
One has only to look at Age of Ultron to see the mighty blazing fail of that path.
>> (God help Fury if he ever decides to try and reassign Phil)<<
Aaaaaand the whole Helicarrier goes Blue Screen of Death.
>>This update was lovely :) <<
Thank you!
Re: Happy, Phil and JARVIS for the win!
Date: 2015-07-05 01:59 pm (UTC)Related to various things, did you see the thing about what happened when the Timely offices were being intimidated by the Bund before WWII?
(no subject)
Date: 2015-07-04 08:16 am (UTC)I can't help feeling that this day got to Tony more tan he's letting on, even if he's distracting himself with tinkering, which is, of course,a good coping mechanism for him, just like baking is for Bucky and Steve.
I wonder if there's trouble int he offing from the stresses he's not dealing with right now... Or am I totally off?
Thoughts
Date: 2015-07-05 07:49 am (UTC)Yay!
>> I can't help feeling that this day got to Tony more tan he's letting on, <<
In some ways, yes.
>> even if he's distracting himself with tinkering, which is, of course,a good coping mechanism for him, just like baking is for Bucky and Steve. <<
:D Tony has a few healthy coping methods. He is getting better at using them.
>> I wonder if there's trouble int he offing from the stresses he's not dealing with right now... Or am I totally off? <<
You'll see some side effects later. What usually happens when someone is pretty tense and then tries to do a lot of handwork?
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2015-07-05 02:00 pm (UTC)Re: Thoughts
Date: 2015-07-05 06:16 pm (UTC)Re: Thoughts
Date: 2015-07-05 06:16 pm (UTC)In Tony's case, explosions. *g*
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2015-07-05 06:36 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-07-04 10:56 am (UTC)Go for it!
Date: 2015-07-04 09:07 pm (UTC)Yay!
>> I was going to ask about meatless options and what magi cubes are, but I should have known you'd have that covered. :-) <<
I'm glad that worked out for you.
>> I'm not a struggling vegetarian anymore, but I still don't like cooking raw meat. It's a terrible habit, but I'll eat meat I just can't cook it. I should really just go back to being a sort of veggie. <<
Do what works for you. If you dislike handling raw meat, you can get precooked meat and add it at the end. Or you can just use mushrooms. I haven't tried the recipe with tofu or any other vegetarian meat substitute, but if you have a favorite one of those, it might be worth experimenting with.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-07-04 02:02 pm (UTC)Also, have you read Spider Robinson's novel, co-written with his dancer wife Jeanne (who died of breast cancer quite a while ago; their daughter died of breast cancer sometime in the past year), about dancing in zero g?
Thank you!
Date: 2015-07-04 06:35 pm (UTC)I'm glad you liked it.
>> about dancing in zero g? <<
The Stardance trilogy, yes, it's wonderful. That's exactly what I thought of while watching Pilobolus -- it's what you get with Z dangers trying to work at the bottom of a gravity well.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-07-04 04:43 pm (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2015-07-05 09:07 am (UTC)That's PTSD for you. Plan a pleasant outing, realize that there's more stuff to do, add that in, have some fun, get sandbagged, pick yourself up, have a little more fun, get sandbagged again, ... realize it's only afternoon and you are Out Of Spoons. 0_o
But it's okay, as long as you have friends who will agree to go home when you need to.
>> Happy thanking Phil for helping Tony. LOVED that. <<
Happy is so ecstatic over not having to worry about playing ambulance later in the day, he can hardly find the words to express it.
>> Like with Sam, now more people are noticing the positive changes in Tony's life from have a more positive influences in his life <<
Yes. I wanted to show how the changes are chaining up enough now that people are noticing who aren't even part of Game Night. They're often confused, but usually pleased.
>>willing to HELP him rather than yell and expect him to magically improve.<<
That makes a huge difference. *sigh* Too often in this world, the so-called "help" is really "helpiness," not giving what someone needs but what somebody wants to give. Or like you said, just demanding that they be all fixed now and making dire threats if they aren't.
>> I'm glad after then scary morning Bruce and Natasha had a fun, pleasant, productive day with a new hobby they're even pulling others into. <<
They basically spent the day watching dance videos, listening to music, maybe a few space exploration things thrown in, and then talking physics to figure out what they wanted to sketch out for a commission. :D
>> And Yay for JARVIS helping Bucky and Steve out of their decision fatigue, reminding Bucky of the app to help them pick out something to do. <<
JARVIS is learning what things help each of the Avengers. Right now, Bucky needs help making decisions so he can save his very limited decision-making ability for the important ones. Using a random generator for things like "pick a coping skill" or "pick a dessert recipe" takes the weight off him.
>>And now I want to make babels. Damn that sounds good.<<
Yay! I like bagels too, although my favorites are blueberry, strawberry, and plain.
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2015-07-05 02:13 pm (UTC)Obama put all of his suits (I believe this was once he won the first election) away that weren't black or navy (he's had a tan one out 'recently' and you can see he's lost inches) specifically so he can just Not Spend Thought there. Think about that and about undersized pockets (or necklines, skimpy sleeves...) that women's clothes have as a common 'petty problem'.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-07-04 06:53 pm (UTC)Thoughts
Date: 2015-07-05 11:49 pm (UTC)It really sticks to your ribs, heavy on milkfat and protein and carbs. I like to make it when we have friends over doing yardwork. A crock of that, one or two green veggie sides, dessert, and we're good. :D I figured that hungry cranky superheroes would like it too.
>> but ooh, I love how everyone's unwinding. <<
Yay!
>> I like HabitRPG, too--although if you want a simple to do list, todoist is better. No points, so you don't get too freaked if you can't do something. <<
There are different things for different personalities and needs. Goal-Fish is the best if you have spoon/pain limits. HabitRPG is great for people who need motivation and fun -- Clint and Tony would probably enjoy it. A simpler to-do list offers low-stress organization.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-07-04 09:51 pm (UTC)-ER
Yay!
Date: 2015-07-05 09:52 pm (UTC)This is also one of the rare times that Natasha gets plenty of skin contact too.
Was this expected?
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(no subject)
Date: 2015-07-05 01:08 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-07-05 01:14 am (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2015-07-05 01:25 am (UTC)They're learning to get along, and it helps when they find common interests.
>> Also I have a soft spot for mentions of Pilobolus because my dance professor was a member. <<
How exciting!
(no subject)
Date: 2015-07-07 02:02 am (UTC)I loved the bit with Happy - that he and Tony have a thing, and that Happy spoke to Phil about how much of a difference he's seen in Tony. Also, I love the way JARVIS helped out Bucky (frankly, I just love your JARVIS in general).
Thank you!
Date: 2015-07-07 04:50 am (UTC)Yay!
>> that he and Tony have a thing, <<
Happy is actually one of the people who started teaching Tony to accept and even welcome help -- in certain very limited contexts. That laid a foundation for others to build upon later.
>> and that Happy spoke to Phil about how much of a difference he's seen in Tony. <<
There will be more of that as the changes build up to where more people in Tony's life notice them.
>> Also, I love the way JARVIS helped out Bucky (frankly, I just love your JARVIS in general). <<
:D They are really developing a close relationship.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-07-13 05:18 pm (UTC)Well...
Date: 2015-07-14 02:04 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-10-16 06:19 am (UTC)Also... I can't really be sure and I'm also not sure if you're interested in hearing this, but... I'm kind of speculating wildly that maybe this is actually intimately tied to the particular failure mode in your prose. When it works well you have detail after detail in a clear narrative style that's so unadorned as to almost disappear; when it doesn't work, you either sound like a textbook (as in a few places earlier in this series), or... almost childish like you don't know what style is and are writing like an eight-year-old: this happened and that happened and then the other thing happened and then and then and then... (as in the beginning of this fic, where I pointed out a certain clunkiness). Which had struck me as odd before, because you do know how to handle style well (you do it in your poems all the time). Is this an accurate assessment? Are you trying for a very detailed style that's also unadorned enough to fade out of the reader's notice?
(Now I'm wondering what would happen if you tried to write your prose in the same style you use for poetry, and then just removed the extraneous line breaks.)
IDK, it's up to you if you want to worry about style, anyway. The content's good enough people keep coming back regardless, right?