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ysabetwordsmithThis story fills the "meet the parents / family" square in my 1-4-16 card for the ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
trope_bingo fest.
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," "When the Wheels Come Off," "Against His Own Shield," "Coming in from the Cold: Saturday: Building Towers," and "Coming in from the Cold: Sunday: Shaking Foundations," and "Coming in from the Cold: Monday: Memorial Day."
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Tony Stark, Howard Stark, Master Tom, Obadiah Stane, Master Ewan.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Howard Stark's A+ Parenting. Child abuse and neglect. Rebellion. Tony Stark's misspent youth. Brief references to underage drinking, sex,and other unwise activities. Obie. Because Obie Is Always a Warning.
Summary: According to canon, Tony Stark is a blacksmith. This is how that happened.
Notes: Craftsmanship. Competence. Gentleness. Trust. Creativity. Friendship.
Begin with Part 1, Part 2.
"What Little Boys Are Made Of" Part 3
[July, 1987]
Over the next few weeks, Tony learns the fundamentals of blacksmithing. Master Tom seems surprised and pleased that Tony insists on exploring all the tools first before moving from scrap metal to fresh barstock. Next Tony wants to learn the techniques, the individual steps and skills, before trying his hand at actual projects.
So he studies the eight basic hammer strokes followed by the skills of twisting, folding, and straightening. Then Tony tries his hand at making tent stakes and nails. He spends a whole day just exploring different types of drawer pulls, a single simple pattern that can be elaborated in infinite variations.
Master Tom is intrigued again when Tony's early projects focus more on practical items, and especially tools, than the ornaments commonly sold to tourists. "I'm curious about your fascination with tools," he says as he watches Tony make a set of tongs.
"What you said before, about making things the way you want them, not just using what somebody else wanted?" Tony says while the iron heats. "Yeah, that. A lot of times I get an idea to build something, but I don't have the right tools for it. So if I can learn how to make the tools, that's great, then I can build anything."
"I do believe you could," Master Tom says with a smile.
Since the blacksmith shop also does the farrier work for the historic village, Tony learns a bit of that as well. He starts by holding and petting the horses while Master Tom does the shoeing. There are the friendly riding horses, the classy carriage horses, and the massive drafts who pull the plows and freight wagons. One of the village ladies even has a dainty Arabian palfrey of pure white. Once Tony figures out that he can't fidget around the horses or it spooks them, the job gets easier.
It would be even easier if Master Tom let him bribe the beasts to stand still, but the blacksmith is adamant that only well-behaved horses get treats, and only after the job is done. "It's about trust," he says. "Some of the horses we get secondhand come out of crummy backgrounds, so it takes time for them to learn that I'm not going to hurt them, that they'll feel better after I've fixed their feet, and if they mind their manners then they'll get a tasty snack afterwards. But the horse has to choose to trust me. I can't force it and I can't bribe it. Horse has his mouth full, he's only thinking about the food, not about my hands. So it takes a while. You want to work with horses, you have to learn patience."
Tony learns patience, especially after one of the Clydesdales stomps on his foot for moving around too much.
Master Tom teaches him a few fundamentals of farrier work, like how to finish off the nails, how to pull a worn shoe, and eventually how to nail one on. "Now it takes a couple years to learn the whole craft, but you can get the basics down a lot quicker," the older man explains. "That's enough to pull a snagged shoe in the field, or set one in an emergency. Good things to know. Fitting shoes isn't much harder, making them a little more so -- corrective shoeing, now that's advanced work." Master Tom does it, though, and Tony watches in admiration.
There is something about making horseshoes that intrigues Tony enough to try his hand at it, and he turns out to be rather good. Master Tom shows him the subtle variation in hooves and what makes a good fit in a shoe. Tony can't help thinking this would be a lot simpler if the horseshoe would adjust itself -- if you could just have the horse step on it and the thing would clamp in place. He's tried to design self-fitting footwear for people, but nobody seems to want to wear metal boots. Tony doesn't get why. He thinks they're cool.
One day, Tony arrives to find Master Tom chatting with another man. The visitor is a wiry old goat with a shrewd face, barely taller than Tony himself. He sits on a wooden bench smoking a pipe. The horseshoe pin of mastery glints from his lapel.
"Tony, this is my friend Master Ewan, who works at the Genessee Country Historic Village," says Master Tom with a wave of his hand. "Ewan, this is my new apprentice, Tony."
"Are you really a blacksmith?" Tony blurts. "You're so small!"
Without letting go of his pipe, Master Ewan scoops Tony up in one hand, perches him momentarily over a bony shoulder, and then dumps him back onto the floor. Both blacksmiths roar with laughter as Tony scrambles to his feet. "He sure is a mouthy little thing, ain't he?" says Master Ewan.
"That he is, but he pulls his weight in here," says Master Tom. "Of course, if you change your mind about that weaponsmithing lesson, we'll understand." He narrows his eyes at Tony.
"I uh, shouldn't have, um. Please don't leave!" Tony stammers. "What kind of weapons do you make? I'd really love to hear about that."
Master Ewan glances at Master Tom, who gives a tiny nod that Tony can't decipher. "I make blades -- mostly swords and knives, some arrowheads and bayonets too -- and do a bit of gunsmithing on the side, so barrels and bullets."
"Wow," Tony says.
He spends hours sitting at their feet listening while they talk about blacksmithing and various types of weaponry. It isn't often that Tony's brain goes quiet and his body goes still and he can just bask in the flow of input. It feels wonderful.
After lunch, Master Ewan gets up and begins the demonstrations. He shows Tony how to make an arrowhead out of a penny, and then a spoon. He demonstrates various uses for a steel can including another arrowhead, a fishing lure, and a knife. Then he forges a long bodkin arrow point. "These were armor piercers -- war arrows -- not hunting points," Master Ewan explains. "A good longbow could put these through chain mail, or at close enough range, even a breastplate."
Tony stares at the keen point, calculating the physics of its shape, the force of its flight, the probable characteristics of the armor. He knows a lot about historic warfare but he's always eager to learn more.
Master Ewan goes on to make some arrow spoons, for removing broadheads from victims. He chatters on about the horrors of battlefield surgery until Tony starts to get queasy. The arrow spoons are still interesting, though.
Then Master Ewan switches to blades, and the demonstration soon exceeds Tony's current grasp of blacksmithing. All Tony understands is that the steel is beautiful and it flows under Master Ewan's hands almost as if he sculpts it with will alone. Tony wishes that he could do that. So far, he can whack out a decent butter knife or cheese plane, but Master Tom hasn't let him sharpen anything yet.
After a while, Master Tom takes a turn. He shapes a knife, and then a fireplace shovel. He makes a campfire skillet stand from used horseshoes, because he hates to waste anything. He works iron into small flourishes to make a grille, which quickly turns into a contest with Master Ewan to see who can make the most elaborate design of trivet.
Then Master Tom hands Tony a hammer and says, "Your turn."
"What -- what should I make?" Tony says.
"Whatever you like," says Master Tom. "Take your choice of tools and supplies, just try not to get in too far over your head."
Tony is tempted to show off. He is tempted to try out the fine barstock that he hasn't been allowed to touch yet. Instead, he shoves down those impulses in favor of something that he's pretty sure he can do. He likes the trivets that Master Tom has made. A trivet can be plain or fancy, but it's not actually that hard to make. It just has to turn out flat so the feet will rest even and the pot won't wobble.
Howard has a collection of trivets at home, handsome old things with stars and hands and geometric designs. One even has a compass on it, but Tony knows better than to try replicating that. Simple curves he can do, though, and straight lines. He chooses the barstock that Master Tom uses to make trivets for the tourists. Carefully Tony builds six circles into a floral shape, welds them together, and adds the feet. It stands even. He goes on to make a star inside a double ring, and then a more elaborate wagon wheel design.
"Interesting patterns," Master Ewan observes.
"Just some of my dad's old crap," says Tony, although he's pleased with his little row of trivets.
"If it's crap, why are you copying it?" says Master Ewan. "Come here, I'll show you how to make a knife."
It's not a fancy knife like what he'd made before. Master Ewan doesn't even go for the fresh barstock. Instead he delves into the scrap box for a piece of spring steel. He shows Tony how to flatten the blade and curl the handle around, measuring carefully so it fits the blacksmith's hand. "Go on, see what you can do," Master Ewan says then.
So Tony makes a mindful choice of the spring steel, then heats it enough to hammer out the curve. He wants a blade about as long as his hand and as wide as two fingers. The steel behaves beautifully under his hammer. Apparently Master Tom was right about the value of scraps, and Tony will have to explore that spring steel further in the future. He compares the partial handle to the width of his knuckles before finishing the curl. When he's done, he has a fine little knife whose handle wraps around his hand, sturdy and comfortable to hold. It's not sharp yet, but that's no trouble to do later.
"Now let me show you a handy little trick with this type of knife," Master Ewan says as he takes something from his pocket. He whacks it against the outer part of the handle, and produces a spray of bright orange sparks. Startled, Tony leaps away. Master Ewan chuckles. "You can start a fire with flint and steel. That's a useful survival skill. Find yourself some tinder and give it a try."
Tony gathers a supply of tinder and a handful of kindling. He sits down on the stone floor, finds a scorched spot that he can't make any worse, and sets to work. It is more difficult than it looks. The two blacksmiths have gone back to their casual chatter as Tony sweats over his efforts. Getting sparks is hard. Aiming them onto the little wad of tinder is even harder. By the time he crows success over the yellow tongue of flame, the sun has set.
"Wash up, we've sent for supper," says Master Tom.
Tony takes a turn at the pump, and when he comes up, there is a whole campfire-roasted chicken on the side table. Beside it rests a basket of baked potatoes, a crock of green beans, a watermelon, and a Dutch oven with a chocolate cake inside. It all tastes delicious, and Tony has to force himself to slow down enough to enjoy it. The little wooden keg pours out ginger ale with so much of a bite that it makes his eyes cross.
Master Ewan coughs. "Good ginger ale," he rasps.
"You never know what you're going to get around here, but it's always worth having in the end," says Master Tom.
"I'll drink to that," Tony agrees, and they all clink their mugs together.
* * *
Notes:
Blacksmithing basics include the 8 hammer strokes and skills such as twisting, folding, and straightening. They make things like tent stakes, nails, drawer pulls, and tongs.
Farrier work entails taking care of horse hooves and shoes. There's a bit of science to it, and it requires specialized tools. Shoeing a horse can be done hot or cold. Hot shoeing gives a better fit, as shown here, but some horses dislike it. See a comparison of bad and good shoeing.
Genesee Country Village and Museum includes many professions such as a blacksmith shop.
Smithcraft is a classic way of upcycling. You can make an arrowhead from a penny. With a tin can you can make an arrowhead, knife, or lure. Watch a video of a tin can arrowhead in construction. This video shows how to make a broadhead from a spoon. Here's one on how to make a long bodkin.
Arrow spoons were once a part of a surgeon's kit.
Learn how to forge a knife.
Campfire skillet stands make cooking easier.
Here's a video on forging a ring trivet. This is a much fancier scrolled trivet. Masonic trivets include some beauties like these, this heart-in-hand model, and this star.
Watch a video on how to forge a survival knife.
Enjoy a Dutch oven chocolate cake and some homebrew ginger ale.
[To be concluded in Part 4 ...]
trope_bingo fest.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," "When the Wheels Come Off," "Against His Own Shield," "Coming in from the Cold: Saturday: Building Towers," and "Coming in from the Cold: Sunday: Shaking Foundations," and "Coming in from the Cold: Monday: Memorial Day."
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Tony Stark, Howard Stark, Master Tom, Obadiah Stane, Master Ewan.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Howard Stark's A+ Parenting. Child abuse and neglect. Rebellion. Tony Stark's misspent youth. Brief references to underage drinking, sex,and other unwise activities. Obie. Because Obie Is Always a Warning.
Summary: According to canon, Tony Stark is a blacksmith. This is how that happened.
Notes: Craftsmanship. Competence. Gentleness. Trust. Creativity. Friendship.
Begin with Part 1, Part 2.
"What Little Boys Are Made Of" Part 3
[July, 1987]
Over the next few weeks, Tony learns the fundamentals of blacksmithing. Master Tom seems surprised and pleased that Tony insists on exploring all the tools first before moving from scrap metal to fresh barstock. Next Tony wants to learn the techniques, the individual steps and skills, before trying his hand at actual projects.
So he studies the eight basic hammer strokes followed by the skills of twisting, folding, and straightening. Then Tony tries his hand at making tent stakes and nails. He spends a whole day just exploring different types of drawer pulls, a single simple pattern that can be elaborated in infinite variations.
Master Tom is intrigued again when Tony's early projects focus more on practical items, and especially tools, than the ornaments commonly sold to tourists. "I'm curious about your fascination with tools," he says as he watches Tony make a set of tongs.
"What you said before, about making things the way you want them, not just using what somebody else wanted?" Tony says while the iron heats. "Yeah, that. A lot of times I get an idea to build something, but I don't have the right tools for it. So if I can learn how to make the tools, that's great, then I can build anything."
"I do believe you could," Master Tom says with a smile.
Since the blacksmith shop also does the farrier work for the historic village, Tony learns a bit of that as well. He starts by holding and petting the horses while Master Tom does the shoeing. There are the friendly riding horses, the classy carriage horses, and the massive drafts who pull the plows and freight wagons. One of the village ladies even has a dainty Arabian palfrey of pure white. Once Tony figures out that he can't fidget around the horses or it spooks them, the job gets easier.
It would be even easier if Master Tom let him bribe the beasts to stand still, but the blacksmith is adamant that only well-behaved horses get treats, and only after the job is done. "It's about trust," he says. "Some of the horses we get secondhand come out of crummy backgrounds, so it takes time for them to learn that I'm not going to hurt them, that they'll feel better after I've fixed their feet, and if they mind their manners then they'll get a tasty snack afterwards. But the horse has to choose to trust me. I can't force it and I can't bribe it. Horse has his mouth full, he's only thinking about the food, not about my hands. So it takes a while. You want to work with horses, you have to learn patience."
Tony learns patience, especially after one of the Clydesdales stomps on his foot for moving around too much.
Master Tom teaches him a few fundamentals of farrier work, like how to finish off the nails, how to pull a worn shoe, and eventually how to nail one on. "Now it takes a couple years to learn the whole craft, but you can get the basics down a lot quicker," the older man explains. "That's enough to pull a snagged shoe in the field, or set one in an emergency. Good things to know. Fitting shoes isn't much harder, making them a little more so -- corrective shoeing, now that's advanced work." Master Tom does it, though, and Tony watches in admiration.
There is something about making horseshoes that intrigues Tony enough to try his hand at it, and he turns out to be rather good. Master Tom shows him the subtle variation in hooves and what makes a good fit in a shoe. Tony can't help thinking this would be a lot simpler if the horseshoe would adjust itself -- if you could just have the horse step on it and the thing would clamp in place. He's tried to design self-fitting footwear for people, but nobody seems to want to wear metal boots. Tony doesn't get why. He thinks they're cool.
One day, Tony arrives to find Master Tom chatting with another man. The visitor is a wiry old goat with a shrewd face, barely taller than Tony himself. He sits on a wooden bench smoking a pipe. The horseshoe pin of mastery glints from his lapel.
"Tony, this is my friend Master Ewan, who works at the Genessee Country Historic Village," says Master Tom with a wave of his hand. "Ewan, this is my new apprentice, Tony."
"Are you really a blacksmith?" Tony blurts. "You're so small!"
Without letting go of his pipe, Master Ewan scoops Tony up in one hand, perches him momentarily over a bony shoulder, and then dumps him back onto the floor. Both blacksmiths roar with laughter as Tony scrambles to his feet. "He sure is a mouthy little thing, ain't he?" says Master Ewan.
"That he is, but he pulls his weight in here," says Master Tom. "Of course, if you change your mind about that weaponsmithing lesson, we'll understand." He narrows his eyes at Tony.
"I uh, shouldn't have, um. Please don't leave!" Tony stammers. "What kind of weapons do you make? I'd really love to hear about that."
Master Ewan glances at Master Tom, who gives a tiny nod that Tony can't decipher. "I make blades -- mostly swords and knives, some arrowheads and bayonets too -- and do a bit of gunsmithing on the side, so barrels and bullets."
"Wow," Tony says.
He spends hours sitting at their feet listening while they talk about blacksmithing and various types of weaponry. It isn't often that Tony's brain goes quiet and his body goes still and he can just bask in the flow of input. It feels wonderful.
After lunch, Master Ewan gets up and begins the demonstrations. He shows Tony how to make an arrowhead out of a penny, and then a spoon. He demonstrates various uses for a steel can including another arrowhead, a fishing lure, and a knife. Then he forges a long bodkin arrow point. "These were armor piercers -- war arrows -- not hunting points," Master Ewan explains. "A good longbow could put these through chain mail, or at close enough range, even a breastplate."
Tony stares at the keen point, calculating the physics of its shape, the force of its flight, the probable characteristics of the armor. He knows a lot about historic warfare but he's always eager to learn more.
Master Ewan goes on to make some arrow spoons, for removing broadheads from victims. He chatters on about the horrors of battlefield surgery until Tony starts to get queasy. The arrow spoons are still interesting, though.
Then Master Ewan switches to blades, and the demonstration soon exceeds Tony's current grasp of blacksmithing. All Tony understands is that the steel is beautiful and it flows under Master Ewan's hands almost as if he sculpts it with will alone. Tony wishes that he could do that. So far, he can whack out a decent butter knife or cheese plane, but Master Tom hasn't let him sharpen anything yet.
After a while, Master Tom takes a turn. He shapes a knife, and then a fireplace shovel. He makes a campfire skillet stand from used horseshoes, because he hates to waste anything. He works iron into small flourishes to make a grille, which quickly turns into a contest with Master Ewan to see who can make the most elaborate design of trivet.
Then Master Tom hands Tony a hammer and says, "Your turn."
"What -- what should I make?" Tony says.
"Whatever you like," says Master Tom. "Take your choice of tools and supplies, just try not to get in too far over your head."
Tony is tempted to show off. He is tempted to try out the fine barstock that he hasn't been allowed to touch yet. Instead, he shoves down those impulses in favor of something that he's pretty sure he can do. He likes the trivets that Master Tom has made. A trivet can be plain or fancy, but it's not actually that hard to make. It just has to turn out flat so the feet will rest even and the pot won't wobble.
Howard has a collection of trivets at home, handsome old things with stars and hands and geometric designs. One even has a compass on it, but Tony knows better than to try replicating that. Simple curves he can do, though, and straight lines. He chooses the barstock that Master Tom uses to make trivets for the tourists. Carefully Tony builds six circles into a floral shape, welds them together, and adds the feet. It stands even. He goes on to make a star inside a double ring, and then a more elaborate wagon wheel design.
"Interesting patterns," Master Ewan observes.
"Just some of my dad's old crap," says Tony, although he's pleased with his little row of trivets.
"If it's crap, why are you copying it?" says Master Ewan. "Come here, I'll show you how to make a knife."
It's not a fancy knife like what he'd made before. Master Ewan doesn't even go for the fresh barstock. Instead he delves into the scrap box for a piece of spring steel. He shows Tony how to flatten the blade and curl the handle around, measuring carefully so it fits the blacksmith's hand. "Go on, see what you can do," Master Ewan says then.
So Tony makes a mindful choice of the spring steel, then heats it enough to hammer out the curve. He wants a blade about as long as his hand and as wide as two fingers. The steel behaves beautifully under his hammer. Apparently Master Tom was right about the value of scraps, and Tony will have to explore that spring steel further in the future. He compares the partial handle to the width of his knuckles before finishing the curl. When he's done, he has a fine little knife whose handle wraps around his hand, sturdy and comfortable to hold. It's not sharp yet, but that's no trouble to do later.
"Now let me show you a handy little trick with this type of knife," Master Ewan says as he takes something from his pocket. He whacks it against the outer part of the handle, and produces a spray of bright orange sparks. Startled, Tony leaps away. Master Ewan chuckles. "You can start a fire with flint and steel. That's a useful survival skill. Find yourself some tinder and give it a try."
Tony gathers a supply of tinder and a handful of kindling. He sits down on the stone floor, finds a scorched spot that he can't make any worse, and sets to work. It is more difficult than it looks. The two blacksmiths have gone back to their casual chatter as Tony sweats over his efforts. Getting sparks is hard. Aiming them onto the little wad of tinder is even harder. By the time he crows success over the yellow tongue of flame, the sun has set.
"Wash up, we've sent for supper," says Master Tom.
Tony takes a turn at the pump, and when he comes up, there is a whole campfire-roasted chicken on the side table. Beside it rests a basket of baked potatoes, a crock of green beans, a watermelon, and a Dutch oven with a chocolate cake inside. It all tastes delicious, and Tony has to force himself to slow down enough to enjoy it. The little wooden keg pours out ginger ale with so much of a bite that it makes his eyes cross.
Master Ewan coughs. "Good ginger ale," he rasps.
"You never know what you're going to get around here, but it's always worth having in the end," says Master Tom.
"I'll drink to that," Tony agrees, and they all clink their mugs together.
* * *
Notes:
Blacksmithing basics include the 8 hammer strokes and skills such as twisting, folding, and straightening. They make things like tent stakes, nails, drawer pulls, and tongs.
Farrier work entails taking care of horse hooves and shoes. There's a bit of science to it, and it requires specialized tools. Shoeing a horse can be done hot or cold. Hot shoeing gives a better fit, as shown here, but some horses dislike it. See a comparison of bad and good shoeing.
Genesee Country Village and Museum includes many professions such as a blacksmith shop.
Smithcraft is a classic way of upcycling. You can make an arrowhead from a penny. With a tin can you can make an arrowhead, knife, or lure. Watch a video of a tin can arrowhead in construction. This video shows how to make a broadhead from a spoon. Here's one on how to make a long bodkin.
Arrow spoons were once a part of a surgeon's kit.
Learn how to forge a knife.
Campfire skillet stands make cooking easier.
Here's a video on forging a ring trivet. This is a much fancier scrolled trivet. Masonic trivets include some beauties like these, this heart-in-hand model, and this star.
Watch a video on how to forge a survival knife.
Enjoy a Dutch oven chocolate cake and some homebrew ginger ale.
[To be concluded in Part 4 ...]
(no subject)
Date: 2016-04-02 07:33 pm (UTC)Yay!
Date: 2016-04-02 10:41 pm (UTC)That's good to hear.
>> You must love creation of all kinds, not only that made of words. :) <<
Ah, you got me. I admire craftsmanship. There are many crafts I can't do but understand well enough to identify what is difficult and therefore impressive. Curves in stained glass, for instance, or burl items in woodworking. I like watching blacksmiths and glassblowers.
Synchronicity on the tongue
Date: 2016-04-02 09:35 pm (UTC)And then I got to "supper". 8-D
Re: Synchronicity on the tongue
Date: 2016-04-02 10:47 pm (UTC)I do love a good ginger beer.
>> And then I got to "supper". 8-D <<
\o/
Ginger beer and root beer are among the most popular homebrew sodas. They're the ones where you can get a huge boost in flavor above the storebought variety. The other popular ones are those rarely stocked, like birch beer.
Re: Synchronicity on the tongue
Date: 2016-04-03 01:46 am (UTC)* Swypoed -- misrecognized by this keyboard -- as "taste" :-) ́
Re: Synchronicity on the tongue
Date: 2016-04-03 03:33 am (UTC)I got the birch beer. :D
(no subject)
Date: 2016-04-03 05:12 am (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2016-04-03 08:28 am (UTC)Yes, it does. I'm glad you found this so moving.
>> Love, love, love Tony having so much fun, listening and learning things. <<
:D It's a good summer. And that helps keep him going through all the bad ones.
>> Just having an adult in his life who's willing to teach him, praise him when he does good and who's not abusing and using him, which doesn't happen again for like 20 years. <<
Yeah, I figured that Tony must have had some glimmers of this, to spark enough that Phil could fan it to life later.
very nice
Date: 2016-04-05 06:27 pm (UTC)Re: very nice
Date: 2016-04-10 04:43 am (UTC)Yay! I figure there must have been a few.
>> How Master Tom teaches and cares for Tony reminds me a bit of my dad not exactly the gentle sort but loving and kind anyway <<
That's wonderful. I think it plays into how Tony really cares about people, but he doesn't always show it on the surface.
>> thank you for the wonderful story. <<
*bow, flourish* Happy to be of service.
(no subject)
Date: 2016-11-07 07:58 am (UTC)>> "What you said before, about making things the way you want them, not just using what somebody else wanted?" Tony says while the iron heats. "Yeah, that. A lot of times I get an idea to build something, but I don't have the right tools for it. So if I can learn how to make the tools, that's great, then I can build anything." <<
Indeed, sir!
\o/
Thank you!
Date: 2016-11-07 08:19 am (UTC)Yay! :D
>> "What you said before, about making things the way you want them, not just using what somebody else wanted?" Tony says while the iron heats. "Yeah, that. A lot of times I get an idea to build something, but I don't have the right tools for it. So if I can learn how to make the tools, that's great, then I can build anything."
Indeed, sir! <<
This is really the heart of Tony Stark. He builds things so he can build things. It's the first superpower that set humanity above the other species.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-05-05 12:37 pm (UTC)Yay!
Date: 2021-05-05 07:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2023-02-05 08:55 pm (UTC)It isn't often that Tony's brain goes quiet and his body goes still and he can just bask in the flow of input. It feels wonderful oof I know that feeling well and you've described it so perfectly!
Thoughts
Date: 2023-02-05 09:32 pm (UTC)Yay! :D I love mileu fiction, and character studies. Description is something I do well, and I've seen plenty of blacksmiths working. So I had fun with it.
>>I can see everything so clearly and watching Tony blossom is just awesome.<<
Tony must have had someone to nurture his creativity and his love of working with his hands, so here it is. Poor kid was starving for attention.
>> oof I know that feeling well and you've described it so perfectly! <<
Yeah, I based that on my experiences.