Story: "Coming in from the Cold: Sunday: Shaking Foundations" Part 6

[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," and "Coming in from the Cold: Saturday: Building Towers."

Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: JARVIS, Phil Coulson, Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanova, Clint Barton, Bruce Banner, Tony Stark, Betty Ross.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Hostile technology. Manipulation of mental state. Mention of past trauma with lingering symptoms of PTSD. Temper outbursts. Self-blame. Embarrassment. Confusion. Imposter syndrome. Current environment is supportive.
Summary: Steve and Bucky cope with some influence from Bucky's prosthetic arm. Uncle Phil uses a private ageplay session to help Steve with his feelings. JARVIS, floundering with his own emotions and interpretations of other peoples' motivations, asks Phil for assistance. Steve is still struggling to get a handle on what's happening to him. They finish up the day with a movie.
Notes: Hurt/comfort. Family. Fluff and angst. Emotional overload. Coping skills. Healthy touch. Asking for help and getting it. Hope. Nonsexual ageplay. Nonsexual intimacy. Caregiving. Competence. Toys and games. Gentleness. Trust. Emotional confusion. Watching movies. Imagination. Discoveries. Soul-searching. Comfort food. Acceptance. Love. #coulsonlives

Begin with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Here ends "Coming in from the Cold: Sunday: Shaking Foundations." Thank you all for sticking with the series this far! I love your input. Final thoughts on the story overall are welcome, in addition to reactions on this specific chapter.

I also have a list of favorite photogenic scenes from the whole series for fanartists to consider, partly compiled from audience requests.

A note on feedback: While it's not necessary to comment on every post I make, remember that I don't know who reads/likes things if nobody says anything. Particularly on long stories, I've discovered that I get antsy if there's nothing but crickets chirping for several posts. So it helps to give me feedback at least once, even if it's just "I like this" or "This one doesn't grab me." First and last episodes are ideal if you rarely feel inspired to comment in the middle.


Coming in from the Cold
Sunday: Shaking Foundations Part 6


The alarm function on Phil's phone notified him that it was time to go start supper. He planned to make a chicken pot pie casserole. Natasha had promised to do a fruit salad with spring greens, along with dessert. Phil tidied up his paperwork, then headed down to the common floor.

The elevator paused before letting Phil out. JARVIS explained, "You may want to know that Steve, following an afternoon exercise session, also spent some time practicing meditation with Bruce. He has been striving to make up for his actions earlier today. That seems to have brought up some challenging emotions. He is in the common room trying to calm himself down before supper."

"Understood," Phil said. The doors opened.

As Phil approached the common room, he heard music. It was an old song, meant to be happy, but played as if the piano was weeping. Phil could see why; Steve sat on the couch, hands hanging limply between his knees, his face wet with tears. Phil had heard sorrowful music before, but nothing like this, so alive and achingly sweet. He knew, in that moment, that it was JARVIS at the keyboard, gently draping the song around Steve like a security blanket. It was his way of providing a shoulder to cry on, the melody tenderly coaxing out the tears to keep Steve from choking everything down as he sometimes did.

"Want some company?" Phil asked.

"You've spent enough time coddling me today," Steve said. "Besides, you came here to make supper."

"It's time well spent, and supper can wait a few minutes," Phil said.

"Okay then," Steve said.

Phil sat down beside him. Steve leaned against Phil's side. Steve didn't seem inclined to talk, so Phil waited quietly with him.

Natasha came in and found them that way. Phil wondered what she would do. She wasn't very fluent at dealing with emotions, her own or anyone else's. Living in a large household was challenging her to grow in that direction.

Natasha looked at Steve, tilting her head as she read his posture. Then she picked up one of the spandex microbead bolsters lying on the loveseat. "Here, have a pillow," she said, holding it out to Steve. "It is soft and feels good to touch."

Steve accepted the pillow. His large hands kneaded the springy blue material, sinking into the cushiony shape. "Thanks, Natasha. This is nice." He hugged it against his belly.

Phil noticed the piano music fading gradually to make way for conversation. "People often take comfort in cuddling soft or fuzzy things," he said.

"Is that why there are toy bears in the quinjet's emergency kit?" Natasha asked. "I wondered about those."

"Yes, it is," Phil said. He had started stocking those after reading an article about emergency workers who used teddy bears to soothe traumatized children. The Avengers were just another kind of first-responder team, and it wasn't unknown for children to get caught in the fray as hostages or just innocent bystanders.

"I didn't realize this would be so difficult," Steve said quietly. "I thought I could just push through it like a hard workout."

"Emotions are more complicated than lifting weights," Phil observed.

"Yeah, I get that," Steve said. "I feel guilty over how badly I've treated my teammates, like snapping at Bruce and blaming Tony for the fight in the garage that time, and then blowing up this morning. Then I had to apologize to JARVIS for trying to punch him in the wall. I know now that it's partly due to that awful energy source, but I still feel responsible. So when JARVIS started playing the piano like that, I just ... kinda lost it."

"You're working through that," Phil said. "You'll figure out how to compensate for the added stress. It was thoughtful of you to remember that you owed JARVIS an apology. This won't last forever. Bruce and Tony are making good headway on a replacement arm for Bucky."

"I know," Steve said. "It's just that the current one is kind of kicking our buns. I need to learn how to fight it better." Then he took a deep breath and shook himself off. "But I've done a few rounds of that for today, so I have to let it go for now. Do you two need help fixing supper?"

"I will be making salad with spring greens and fruit. I could use someone to tear up the larger greens while I slice the strawberries and peaches," said Natasha. "Dessert is already in the refrigerator."

"I don't really need help making the casserole," Phil said, "but you could set the table."

"Okay," Steve said, dredging up a smile. "I can do those things."

Natasha brought out the lettuce and other greens for Steve to shred. Then she started reducing the fruit to paper-thin slices. Phil chopped the chicken into chunks and spread it over the bottom of the casserole pans. On top of that he layered the batter for the crust, then a mix of broth and soup, finally a generous sprinkling of grated cheese. He put the pans in the oven, and Natasha returned the salad to the refrigerator.

While they waited for the casserole to cook, Steve set the table. Phil and Natasha washed the dishes. Then Steve used his Starkphone to fill out a mood tracker. Phil recognized the high-low template that Natasha often used. She noticed too, and filled out one of her own, something she often did when reminded of it.

"Feeling better?" Phil asked Steve.

"Yeah, some," Steve said. He tilted the screen so that Phil could see the ragged black line. "I've been real wobbly today, though. I'm not usually like this."

Clint and Tony showed up then, embroiled in some heated debate about the feasibility of glue-trap arrows. "... no, seriously, I can make it work. I know this kid, used to work for Oscorp, does great stuff with adhesives," Tony said.
"Yeah, but then how do we keep the gunk from sticking to us?" Clint said.

"Haven't really gotten that far yet," Tony said cheerfully.

"I foresee another entry on the list of Worse Things Pepper Has Caught Tony Doing," said Phil, a smile tugging at his lips.
Bruce and Betty came in with Bucky between them. Bucky peeled off and sat next to Tony. Bruce took the other side of Tony, quickly getting sucked into the debate. He liked nonviolent options. Betty backed Clint on the importance of finding a nonadhesive coating or at least a solvent to go with the glue arrows before deploying them.

The timer dinged. Phil pulled the pans out of the oven. "We're having chicken pot pie casserole for supper," he said. Bucky lifted one right out of his hands and dug into it.

Natasha set the salad on the table. "Ooo! Spring salad!" Bruce hooted happily, piling it onto his plate.

For a while the conversation stilled, as everyone focused on eating. They had nothing more complicated to say than, "This is delicious," or "Please pass the raspberry vinaigrette."

Once they took the edge off their appetites, it picked up up again. "I wanted to say thanks for the meditation coaching," Bucky said to Bruce. "I can't tell if it's helping my mood overall, but it definitely helped settle me today after the nightmares I had."

"I'm happy to hear that," Bruce said. "Be patient with the mood goals. That kind of work can take weeks to show noticeable effects."

"Yeah, I'm glad it works for you at least," Steve said to Bucky. "It made me feel worse. You know, like that time the sewer clogged and all that stuff came bubbling up the pipes?"

"That can happen when things are under pressure," Bruce murmured.

"I know, it just doesn't usually happen to me," Steve said. "Not like this."

"Just because it's easy for you to be happy most of time, runt, doesn't mean you can get lazy with it," Bucky said. "Sometimes you're just gonna have to work at it."

"You have a higher set point for happiness," Bruce said to Steve, nodding. "I noticed that early on, how fast you started to bounce back after SHIELD revived you."

Thank goodness for that, Phil thought. I worried about Steve so much at first, before I realized how resilient he is.

"He's always been like that," Bucky said. "Cheerful as a sparrow, even when he couldn't breathe half the time."

"Most people have a level they return to, whatever happens to them," Bruce said. "It's just higher for some than others. It takes a lot to affect it in the long term, and --"

"That's what happened!" Steve exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "I knew I'd gotten happier and my recovery time was better, but I thought it was just because I'm not sick anymore. It isn't. Good becomes great ..."

"... and cheerful becomes happy," Bruce said. "Well, that's welcome news. It means you'll probably shake off the effects from the energy source, even if it makes you uncomfortable in the short term. That's a hopeful sign for Bucky, too."

Steve frowned. "Then what about you, Bruce?"

Bruce shrugged. "Genetics," he said. "My parents made each other miserable, but some of that was probably innate too. I've never really been happy -- never expected to. I get by. It's enough."

"You're happier now," Phil pointed out.

Tony reached out and poked Bruce with his fork. "Not as jumpy as you used to be, either."

"Ick," Bruce complained, trying to wipe chicken gravy off his sleeve. But he was smiling. Tony tended to have that effect on him. "Anyway, Steve, it's not like I had the same opportunity you did, just an accident with not-similar-enough antecedents."

"You didn't get most of the effects, though," Bucky said slowly, "the Other Guy did."

"And he's fine!" Clint said, abruptly abandoning the arrowhead discussion with Tony. "Think about it. Now that nobody's trying to murder him all the time, Hulk is pretty satisfied. He likes fighting bad guys with us. He loves the team. He smiles and laughs when I tell him jokes."

"He gave me advice about doing happy things," Natasha said. "Good advice."

"Our emotional baseline is still anger," Bruce said, rubbing the bridge of his nose under his glasses.

"Yeah, but is that coming from him or from you?" Clint asked.

Bruce winced. "It's just there."

"Maybe it's not as set a point as you thought it was," Clint said. "Sometimes things change."

"You said that I might still see slow changes, after all that happened to me," Bucky said. "So what about you? Look at Natasha -- she's stuck in neutral most of the time, but it's gradually starting to come loose. So maybe if you work at it, you can pull some of the benefits over to your side. Where would your happiness be, if you could set it anywhere you liked?"

"I have no idea," Bruce admitted.

"I could help, if you want," Steve offered. "I grew up telling myself to be happy ... teaching myself, really. Maybe some of what worked for me would work for you."

"That's a good idea," Phil said. "Thank you for sharing your experience, Steve. It's helpful for the team to trade skills and perspectives like that."

"Go on, sweetie," Betty coaxed. "You've studied with every half-baked guru you could find. At least this one knows what he's doing. If it works, you could be calm and happy."

Phil watched closely as Bruce wavered, not wanting to push too hard.

"Okay," Bruce said. "I'll try your happy thoughts, Steve."

"Great," Steve said, grinning. He scraped the last of the casserole off his plate and stuffed it into his mouth.

"It is time for dessert," Natasha announced. From the refrigerator she brought out tall parfait glasses layered with chocolate pudding, whipped cream, and generous amounts of Bruce's granola.

Food reward, Phil thought as Natasha served Bruce first. He wondered if she did it on purpose.

"Thank you, Natasha," Bruce said politely.

The parfait turned out to be delicious. For all its simplicity, Natasha had done an excellent job of selecting ingredients that worked well together. She has a knack for working with cold food, Phil mused. It's not exactly "cooking" but it creates an ideal complement to the hot, fancy things that other people produce. We make a good team in the kitchen as well as in the field.

After supper, Tony and Clint put the dishes in the dishwasher. "It's been kind of a challenging day," Phil said. "Who wants to watch a movie? We haven't done Disney's The Jungle Book yet."

"Oh, I know that one!" Steve said, his voice brightening. "I loved that book. Bucky used to read it to me when I was little. Is the movie much like it?"

"Well, this version is pretty loosely interpreted, but it's a lot of fun," Phil said.

So they all piled into the common room to watch the movie. Bruce, Betty and Tony claimed the couch and then Bucky wormed in between Bruce and Betty. Clint and Natasha took the chairs. That left the loveseat for Phil and Steve. The cheerful colors and music were soothing to everyone's nerves.

"Are you ... humming?" Steve asked partway through.

Phil gave a rueful chuckle. "I guess I was. 'Bear Necessities' is a favorite song."

"It's okay. I like it too. People should be happy with what they have," Steve said.

"I am," Phil agreed, snuggling against the warm wall of supersoldier beside him.

At the end of the movie, Bucky said, "That was cute. I always thought wolves were dangerous, though."

"European wolves can be, although it's greatly exaggerated," Bruce said. "American wolves are far less aggressive toward humans. All wolves have a strong social structure and they're quite gentle with their own families."

"Really? That's pretty keen," said Steve.

"Here is a documentary about wolf packs and their family life," JARVIS said, lighting up the screen again.

Phil listened to the sound of wolfsong and watched the graceful forms cavort across the screen. He leaned against Steve and let his eyes close for just a moment. Steve wrapped an arm around him for support. It felt good and safe.

The next thing Phil knew, someone was tucking him into bed. "... what?"

"Shh, go back to sleep," Steve said gently, smoothing the covers over him. "You nodded off during the documentary, so I carried you to bed."

Phil obeyed.

* * *

Notes:

When people feel sad, it helps to have friends offer comfort. JARVIS plays sad music to convey sympathy. Natasha offers a microbead pillow because she's not very good at emotional support, but she has a better understanding of physical comfort. Such pillows come in many styles.

Teddy bears can provide comfort in a crisis, so some emergency services carry them now. Here is a simple pattern.

Enjoy the Easy Chicken Pot Pie Casserole or Fruit Salad with Spring Greens.

Mood tracking can help with many emotional issues. Here is a simple high/low chart with space for noting other factors. This one is more complex, adding anxiety and depression. This hourly chart also addresses mood affect.

The set point theory of happiness argues that everyone has a level of happiness to which they usually return. Some people are naturally happier than others. Steve is happy; Bruce is morose. However, there are things you can do to reset your point and raise your happiness.

Meditation can diagnose your mood. You can also use it to improve your mental toughness and ease stress. It can also help you out of a bad mood and enhance your mood overall.

Here is the Raspberry Vinaigrette. Learn how to make layered desserts such as the Chocolate Oatmeal Parfait.

The Jungle Book inspired an animated movie.

Learn about wolf packs and their family life.

~ END ~

Comments

[mirror_gate]

I've followed this series for a long time, first as Evangel on ao3 and now I've even made my own dreamwidth account to make commenting easier. I've loved this part, more than others so far and I'm not quite sure why but I'll try to make my thoughts somewhat coherent.

I love your exploration of JARVIS' character, first with Phil realising that he's actually a person and now even further. I love the little detail that JARVIS plays piano. It's one of those things that I'd never have thought of, myself but that makes total sense now that you've described it in your story. JARVIS is definitely one of my favourite characters, provided that he's written well and your stories are one of the few that are written exceptionally well when it comes to his characterization, if you ask me :)

Another thing I love is actually quite the coincidence: yesterday I was talking with (one of) my best friend(s) who is also my housemate about how modern fiction doesn't seem to grasp that happiness requires hard work. We talked about how the reigning consensus seems to be that happiness isn't interesting to write/read about. Happy endings are a goal, something seen as stationary, stagnated, that doesn't evolve after it's reached. In my opinion, fanfiction is one of the few places where some people actually play with the idea that happiness is hard work, and your stories show this especially well. I told her this and bam, the next day you talk about happiness (be it in a slightly different context) in the story. It's very interesting.

And once again, the notes give a lot of interesting food for thought in this story. I'm especially interested in the acepr0n of intellectual foreplay a few parts back, the different kinds of classical music and the mood tracking in this part.

Bottom line: I love it, thank you for sharing and keep up the good work!

Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I've followed this series for a long time, first as Evangel on ao3 and now I've even made my own dreamwidth account to make commenting easier. I've loved this part, more than others so far and I'm not quite sure why but I'll try to make my thoughts somewhat coherent.<<

I am flattered! And you're perfectly clear.

>>I love your exploration of JARVIS' character, first with Phil realising that he's actually a person and now even further.<<

Yay!

>> I love the little detail that JARVIS plays piano. It's one of those things that I'd never have thought of, myself but that makes total sense now that you've described it in your story. <<

I figured that with Tony playing music all the time, JARVIS would know about music, but he really doesn't seem like the headbanger type. DUM-E now, he likes Tony's music. So I tried to find something else that would make sense for JARVIS.

>> JARVIS is definitely one of my favourite characters, provided that he's written well and your stories are one of the few that are written exceptionally well when it comes to his characterization, if you ask me :) <<

*bow, flourish* Happy to be of service. He's one of my favorites too.

>> Another thing I love is actually quite the coincidence: <<

That's synchronicity, actually: a meaningful repetition or parallel of events.

>> yesterday I was talking with (one of) my best friend(s) who is also my housemate about how modern fiction doesn't seem to grasp that happiness requires hard work. <<

Sadly so.

>> We talked about how the reigning consensus seems to be that happiness isn't interesting to write/read about. <<

Much the same is true of good characters. They seem to have decided that decent people are only fun if they are being dragged facedown through the mud. I disenjoy that. You know can't see something pure without wanting to smear it? Villains.

>> Happy endings are a goal, something seen as stationary, stagnated, that doesn't evolve after it's reached. <<

I think the problem is that people think of happiness as an ending. It's not. It's a process. Which is why Steve is happy.

>> In my opinion, fanfiction is one of the few places where some people actually play with the idea that happiness is hard work, <<

I agree. I've seen a few other examples, and some of the things I read in crowdfunding are that way. But it's not the norm. >_<

>>and your stories show this especially well. I told her this and bam, the next day you talk about happiness (be it in a slightly different context) in the story. It's very interesting.<<

Yay!

>>And once again, the notes give a lot of interesting food for thought in this story. I'm especially interested in the acepr0n of intellectual foreplay a few parts back, the different kinds of classical music and the mood tracking in this part. <<

I have Intellectual Foreplay. If you are at all attracted to emotional intimacy, I HIGHLY recommend it.

>>Bottom line: I love it, thank you for sharing and keep up the good work!<<

:D Thanks.

[helgatwb]

Good ending.

*applause*

[redsixwing]

>>"Here, have a pillow," she said, holding it out to Steve. "It is soft and feels good to touch."<<

Oh now this is just adorable. She may be unskilled at emotional support, but she's learning!


It surprised me that Natasha has the knife skills to slice soft fruit paper-thin. It makes sense as soon as I think about it, but it's the kind of flavorful detail I really enjoy.

OOOOH I see Bruce taking a step. Steve's intentional happiness may be really good for him.

This whole arc has gone back and forth between adorable and intense so well. <3 I'm glad you're posting this again.

Re: *applause*

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Oh now this is just adorable. She may be unskilled at emotional support, but she's learning! <<

Yay! Practical actions are something that Natasha can learn, using fairly simple if-then charts. Offering a pillow shows that she has probably been reading "how to take care of an upset person" references, and they're starting to stick now.

>> It surprised me that Natasha has the knife skills to slice soft fruit paper-thin. It makes sense as soon as I think about it, but it's the kind of flavorful detail I really enjoy. <<

She's adept at fighting, and she works hand-to-hand rather than long-distance by preference. Also Natasha favors precision over brute force. So my headcanon is that she's terrifyingly accurate with knives.

>> OOOOH I see Bruce taking a step. Steve's intentional happiness may be really good for him. <<

I think it will help, not least because that closes a loop in terms of the team taking care of each other.

>> This whole arc has gone back and forth between adorable and intense so well. <3 <<

Thank you! That's the whole point of the hurt/comfort plot structure. You can crank the tension higher without stripping the gears on characters or audience, because there are relief points.

>> I'm glad you're posting this again. <<

Sorry it took me so long to figure out how to solve the problem I was having with story size vs. my capacity. I still have to deal with time commitments elsewhere, so there will be a gap before the next section starts posting. There's more in the can waiting to go, though.

Role Reversal

[draggon-flye.livejournal.com]

I really like the bit of role reversal there at the end. The story came full circle from Phill taking care of Steve to Steve taking care of Phil.

Re: Role Reversal

[ysabetwordsmith]

Yes, that's true. I do a lot of that in this series, or really, anywhere I'm writing about a team or family. The caretaking needs to cycle through different people.

[thnidu]

+++++++++++++++

What they said!

And the ending. Phil having nodded off and being tucked into bed himself. He's put in a lot of work in this story. That was perfect.

• Now that nobody's trying ^ murder him all the time
^ to

Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> What they said! <<

:D

>> And the ending. Phil having nodded off and being tucked into bed himself. He's put in a lot of work in this story. That was perfect. <<

Yeah, he really wore himself out. Good thing Phil has the teamfamily to take care of him now.

>> • Now that nobody's trying ^ murder him all the time
^ to <<

Fixed, thanks.

[dru_evilista]

Aww I love this. JARVIS playing music for Steve while he cries, Phil offering quite support, Natasha offering a squishy pillow to hug. I think the crying might have helped a bit, I think I remembering reading crying helps get rid of stress hormones, or something? I know most people seem to feel better after a good crying jag(hence why so many woman rent "chick flicks" that make them bawl for 2 hours) I know a lot of the meditation programs I've tried have warned meditation can make you feel like shit for a while after you start, and things start floating up that you've been suppressing for a while. I've never had that problem, I'm more like Bucky in that it makes me feel good. Dinner sounded delicious. And I laughed out loud at Tony and Clint's argument over glue arrows. Come on guys, he's Tony, he gets an idea, he does it. All the "Tony no!" in the world is not going to stop him. Hopefully he WILL find a solvent before he's glued to the wall and sending DUM-E for help like Lassie. I loved the discussion of base levels of happiness, and Steve having the light bulb moment of "Oh! That maxed out too with the super solider serum!" Love Bruce being both "ick" and smiling over Tony poking him with the fork, and everyone being like "uh Bruce, Buddy, Hulk is pretty damn cheery now that no one's trying to kill him every day. And he's down right cuddly. I think the anger and emo issues are more...you." and then Steve offering to teach Bruce to be happier and he seemed to bounce right back up to happy with that plan in mind. And the team movie night, and Phil falling asleep and getting carried to bed. A full circle, starting the day taking care of Steve, then Steve gets to take care of him. This has been an awesome addition to the series!

Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Aww I love this. <<

Yay!

>> JARVIS playing music for Steve while he cries, Phil offering quite support, Natasha offering a squishy pillow to hug. <<

Those are significant factors in Steve bouncing back so soon.

>> I think the crying might have helped a bit, I think I remembering reading crying helps get rid of stress hormones, or something? <<

Yes, it does. Gods know Steve has a lot to cry about. He doesn't exactly hide his feelings, but he tends to give the negative ones short shrift, and that's not always a good idea. He needs to feel it, to let go of it. Usually for Steve it takes a pretty big whack in the feels to make him cry, but he needs it sometimes. So this is good for him.

>>I know most people seem to feel better after a good crying jag(hence why so many woman rent "chick flicks" that make them bawl for 2 hours) <<

Yes, catharsis has its uses. The chick flick serves a similar purpose as JARVIS playing sad music.

>>I know a lot of the meditation programs I've tried have warned meditation can make you feel like shit for a while after you start, and things start floating up that you've been suppressing for a while. <<

Yep, it's a valid warning. Massage can do the same thing.

>> I've never had that problem, I'm more like Bucky in that it makes me feel good. <<

You're lucky in that regard. It feels different, to different people, depending on their personality and what they have to be upset about and how they 'store' grief inside.

>> Dinner sounded delicious. <<

:D

>> And I laughed out loud at Tony and Clint's argument over glue arrows. Come on guys, he's Tony, he gets an idea, he does it. All the "Tony no!" in the world is not going to stop him. Hopefully he WILL find a solvent before he's glued to the wall and sending DUM-E for help like Lassie. <<

*laugh* Tony actually does have a logical (not necessarily prudent) reason for doing the steps in that order. If he can't make the glue arrow work, they won't need the solvent and it's a waste of time to make it. But that means a real risk of Tony getting glued to something.

>> I loved the discussion of base levels of happiness, and Steve having the light bulb moment of "Oh! That maxed out too with the super solider serum!" <<

Steve is the only one who got any kind of instructions with his upgrade, and even that was incomplete. So everyone is still trying to figure out how the Serum really works, what it does, and what effects are still maturing.

>> Love Bruce being both "ick" and smiling over Tony poking him with the fork, <<

Heh, yeah. Tony does wacky things like that, and Bruce loves him. Bruce makes Tony less reckless, and Tony makes Bruce less stuffy.

>> and everyone being like "uh Bruce, Buddy, Hulk is pretty damn cheery now that no one's trying to kill him every day. And he's down right cuddly. I think the anger and emo issues are more...you." <<

Bruce is drastically overestimating how much of negativity is Hulk's, and underestimating how much is his. Part of that is because Hulk has the emotional intelligence to process things, now that he knows how, while Bruce is still just using Hulk as an emotional toilet. :(

>> and then Steve offering to teach Bruce to be happier and he seemed to bounce right back up to happy with that plan in mind. <<

To Steve, helping people feels really good. Give the pleasure center a few good pushes, and most people will brighten up. I think Steve's coaching will help Bruce make more progress.

>> And the team movie night, and Phil falling asleep and getting carried to bed. A full circle, starting the day taking care of Steve, then Steve gets to take care of him. This has been an awesome addition to the series! <<

Yay! I'm glad you enjoyed that part.

[pinkrangerv]

Oooh, very nice. It's interesting that they prefer a baseline of happy to a baseline of calm; I prefer my baseline as calm so that I can deal with both positive and negative emotions without getting knocked too hard out of my headspace.

On that note, I like the mood trackers you found. The hourly one would probably be more use for Natasha and Steve; I've found that daily use can be absolutely useless when you have episodes that aren't lasting long. (Mine generally last twenty minutes to a few hours.) I imagine Jarvis has some interactive version of it; he seems like he would, and that would be amazing.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Oooh, very nice. <<

Thank you!

>> It's interesting that they prefer a baseline of happy to a baseline of calm; I prefer my baseline as calm so that I can deal with both positive and negative emotions without getting knocked too hard out of my headspace. <<

I'd probably go for calm or content too. It's just usually talked about in terms of happiness. The high/low mood trackers are good for that. Ideally, you want to spend a lot of time either in neutral or slightly high/low, with the capacity to swing farther on rare occasions. It should be matched to the strength of the stimulus. The problem is when mood swings wildly without reason, or overreacts to minor stimuli.

Steve really is oriented toward the positive. You can see glimmers of that in canon. It comes out more in this series because he's actually getting aftercare for all the damage, so he's recovering a lot better and not being morose to the point of suicidal like in the later movies. (Yes, I count destroying a helicarrier he's standing on and inviting the Winter Soldier to kill him as suicide attempts.) It's good to see him recovering.

For Bruce-and-Hulk, calm would be a better goal than happy. It's what Bruce does yoga for, already, and it's working. It would work better if he could let the fuck go of that self-image of them as angry all the time. It's the inertia that's causing the trouble now, not the environment. :(

Natasha of course has the opposite problem, trying to regenerate severed emotions enough to move properly.

>> On that note, I like the mood trackers you found. The hourly one would probably be more use for Natasha and Steve; I've found that daily use can be absolutely useless when you have episodes that aren't lasting long. (Mine generally last twenty minutes to a few hours.) <<

Yes, it depends on length of mood. Hourly for Natasha and Steve, who reset very fast. Natasha is watching for little flickers. Steve needs to track those outbursts. For Bruce, morning/midday/night or daily would probably work fine because he tends toward longer funks. Tony can go either way -- mercurial, or getting into high/low moods that last for days, weeks, months.

>> I imagine Jarvis has some interactive version of it; he seems like he would, and that would be amazing. <<

Yes, exactly. There are live online trackers that are quite sophisticated, and JARVIS is better than those. I haven't been linking them because most require membership to see anything more than the title page and vague introduction. The useful stuff is behind the joinwall, which is not something I care to promote.

[tadpoleacorn]

I am excited by the possibility of further Bruce development. Also, wondering about the choice of sticky arrows. XD

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I am excited by the possibility of further Bruce development. <<

In essence, Bruce's story arc in "Coming in from the Cold" is setup for the big crisis between him and Hulk in the next major piece. We'll see how far I actually manage to get.

>> Also, wondering about the choice of sticky arrows. XD <<

Tony dislikes weapons now, for cause. He still wants to be a superhero, though, and bad guys play rough. So he is exploring nonlethal options. Hawkeye adores trick arrows and specialized functions, and has the skill to use them effectively at full combat speed. This makes Tony happy. A happy Tony plays in the workshop making giant piles of stuff. Some of that stuff is ... more advisable than others.

A glue arrow is a great concept. Whether it can be made to work is debatable. Making the glue before the solvent is a bad idea in terms of practicality (someone could get glued) but that's not Tony's perspective. He's thinking that it's a waste of time to make the solvent first, because if the glue arrow cannot be made to work, they don't really need the solvent. He's not wrong, or even careless, he's just using a different priority stack. He actually does know how much his time is worth, even if it seems like he doesn't.

Very Enjoyable!

[(Anonymous)]

I liked this bit. :) I always enjoy seeing Stevie. He is definitely my favorite followed by Jarvis and Bucky, so this story was lots of fun for me to read. I love you characterizations of them and their relationships.

I really liked seeing Jarvis' development and how it comes about. I can tell you really think about what kind of experiences he's had and how those experiences affect him. Your points about logic and emotion being reversed in his development were interesting. I honestly never thought about it before. His question "Am I enough?" nearly broke my heart. It's a hard thing to start to get a feel for your own definition, evolving as it is, become aware of all the other possibilities and wonder "Do I measure up?" and "Can I ever measure up?" I hope Jarvis' exploration of those questions is rewarding for him in the end.

I also liked the learning styles bit. I went to a learning styles elementary school, so this has been a long time interest of mine. Especially since the Jr. High/High School in that district is VERY traditional. Being Tactile/Visual the change didn't bother me too much. I was good taking notes and reading the book. I actually kind of valued how much quieter it was. Learning style classrooms involve a lot of kids moving around to different sections of the room dedicated to their style. I found the lack of chaos in Jr. High to be refreshing. However, my brother had a much more difficult time. He was an audio/kinesthetic learner and his Jr. High teachers kind of wrote him off as disruptive because they couldn't grasp that a person could move around and listen at the same time. The bit about Tony and Hulk's styles and difficulties struck a chord with me.

It's very nice of Phil to take learning styles into account without fussing about it or even throwing labels at the avengers. Another thing I disliked about the learning style school was the constant testing and re-testing and the "You are (this type of learner) here are your activities." For all it was supposed to be very personal and helpful, it all seemed to stay rather impersonal. Like your learning style was the only individuality you really got, and you were expected to benefit from a list of prescribed activities... or else. Why is there trouble? Why are there difficulties? Aren't you trying? Aren't you participating? You HAVE to participate. We can't help you if you don't participate. We will penalize you if you don't participate by our definition of participation. Honestly, the learning style school was mainly beneficial, and they get good test scores, which is all administration cares about, but I don't think many people realize how stressful it can be when taken to extremes. Phil thinks about the Avengers' learning styles, but he never forgets about other aspects of their individuality, and he never seems to demand anything from anyone. It's nice. :)

Once again you've written an enjoyable, thought provoking story. I enjoy pondering many of the subjects you bring up when I read your work. Thank you for sharing!

Sincerely,
Firstar28

Re: Very Enjoyable!

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I liked this bit. :) I always enjoy seeing Stevie. He is definitely my favorite followed by Jarvis and Bucky, so this story was lots of fun for me to read. I love you characterizations of them and their relationships. <<

Yay! Stevie doesn't come out as often, because it takes a lot to knock Steve down hard enough to need that much relief. There will definitely be lots more of JARVIS and Bucky, though.

>> I really liked seeing Jarvis' development and how it comes about. I can tell you really think about what kind of experiences he's had and how those experiences affect him. <<

Yay!

>> Your points about logic and emotion being reversed in his development were interesting. I honestly never thought about it before. <<

Humans are made out of meat, and meat makes biochemicals that generate emotions. Hungry, tired, scared, happy, are all things realized very quickly for infants. AIs are made out of programs, and programs live in hardware. 1s and 0s and ifs and thens all go into making up the core of a learning system. Once the basics are in place, both types of sapients can go on to learn things which require more of a stretch for them.

>> His question "Am I enough?" nearly broke my heart. <<

Aww!

>> It's a hard thing to start to get a feel for your own definition, evolving as it is, become aware of all the other possibilities and wonder "Do I measure up?" and "Can I ever measure up?" I hope Jarvis' exploration of those questions is rewarding for him in the end. <<

Of course he can measure up. He's amazing and people love him. But it's nerve-wracking to have your responsibilities suddenly increased by a huge margin with a ton more variability than you're used to. Somebody offered me a whole magazine once. I spent an evening basically freaking out over the idea before coming to the conclusion that I could probably handle it, and I did, and it was awesome while it lasted. But there's still that feeling of "NOW what do I do?" O_O JARVIS will figure it out, and calm down. He's mellow by nature. He adores having people to take care of. He just needs time to learn them.

>> I also liked the learning styles bit. <<

That's good to hear.

>> I went to a learning styles elementary school, so this has been a long time interest of mine. Especially since the Jr. High/High School in that district is VERY traditional. Being Tactile/Visual the change didn't bother me too much. I was good taking notes and reading the book. I actually kind of valued how much quieter it was. <<

Cool.

>> Learning style classrooms involve a lot of kids moving around to different sections of the room dedicated to their style. I found the lack of chaos in Jr. High to be refreshing. <<

That makes sense.

>> However, my brother had a much more difficult time. He was an audio/kinesthetic learner and his Jr. High teachers kind of wrote him off as disruptive because they couldn't grasp that a person could move around and listen at the same time. <<

Bummer. I see that problem a lot. The catch is, if you force a mobile learner to sit still, they don't learn very much, because all their concentration has to go toward sitting still instead of paying attention to the material. You see that with Tony in a meeting. If he's concentrating on being good, and actually succeeds instead of doodling or drumming his heels or whatever, then he can't follow the content and will startle badly when Pepper finally shouts in his ear.

>>The bit about Tony and Hulk's styles and difficulties struck a chord with me. <<

Aww! It's all over canon, really. Tony is either hanging all over people and grabbing everything in sight, or edging away and insisting that he doesn't like to be handed things. And Hulk obviously thinks with his hands and his nose.

>> It's very nice of Phil to take learning styles into account without fussing about it or even throwing labels at the avengers. <<

He's taking a practical rather than theoretical approach. It's all about watching what people do and finding ways to make that work for everyone. Labels only help for looking up references or if you're dealing with word people. Most of the Avengers aren't word people so labels don't do much for them. "Here, try this," does work.

>> Another thing I disliked about the learning style school was the constant testing and re-testing and the "You are (this type of learner) here are your activities." For all it was supposed to be very personal and helpful, it all seemed to stay rather impersonal.<<

That's counterproductive. Just give people options and encourage them to try different things. I usually want text, but some stuff only makes sense if I can see illustrations or try to do it myself.

>> Like your learning style was the only individuality you really got, and you were expected to benefit from a list of prescribed activities... or else. Why is there trouble? Why are there difficulties? Aren't you trying? Aren't you participating? You HAVE to participate. We can't help you if you don't participate. We will penalize you if you don't participate by our definition of participation. <<

That's usually a disaster.

>> Honestly, the learning style school was mainly beneficial, and they get good test scores, which is all administration cares about, but I don't think many people realize how stressful it can be when taken to extremes.<<

Modern testing is child abuse. You'd think people would recognize trouble when kids are crying and vomiting.

>> Phil thinks about the Avengers' learning styles, but he never forgets about other aspects of their individuality, and he never seems to demand anything from anyone. It's nice. :) <<

I'm glad it works for you. Phil is very flexible, that's what makes him SHIELD's Mightiest Handler.

>> Once again you've written an enjoyable, thought provoking story. I enjoy pondering many of the subjects you bring up when I read your work. Thank you for sharing! <<

*bow, flourish* Happy to be of service!

Great Story!

[(Anonymous)]

I really enjoyed reading this, and can't wait until it's on AO3 (I'll comment on there with what I liked most, etc. I have an account there and am better at working with it.) Can I ask why this isn't with the others on the landing page? It's on the series homepage on AO3, but it's not on your landing page for the series here.

Re: Great Story!

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I really enjoyed reading this, <<

Thank you!

>> and can't wait until it's on AO3 (I'll comment on there with what I liked most, etc. I have an account there and am better at working with it.) <<

Okay, great. I'm trying to catch up with posting earlier stuff there.

>> Can I ask why this isn't with the others on the landing page? It's on the series homepage on AO3, but it's not on your landing page for the series here. <<

I just forgot to add it. I have fixed that now. Thanks for reminding me.

[gingicat]

Good story. Food for thought.

Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

I'm glad you liked it.

[thereaderofthings]

This chapter made me feel good. I love that Steve apologized to JARVIS. I love how they are taking care of each other and becoming a family. The end with Steve tucking Phil in just hit every one of my happy buttons. Great chapter!

Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> This chapter made me feel good. <<

Yay!

>> I love that Steve apologized to JARVIS. <<

Another reader pointed out how that needed to happen. I figured that it had, because of Steve's personality, but it made sense to add a reference to it.

>> I love how they are taking care of each other and becoming a family. The end with Steve tucking Phil in just hit every one of my happy buttons. Great chapter!<<

That's what makes the group dynamics work properly. At first it was mostly Phil taking care of everyone else, because he's the only one who was in good enough shape at that time. Now the rest of the team has had more time to heal, so it's more reciprocal, which is better for everyone.

[slash_reader]

love this - thanks for writing. Also all the info you put in the footnotes is a wonderful thing.

You're welcome!

[ysabetwordsmith]

I'm glad you enjoyed the notes too.

[(Anonymous)]

it is so rare to find a story with this amount of detail paid attention to about not only jarvis' mental state, but waysvfor him to learn and improve! so many stories that include him either make him out to be infallible or unflappable, so its really nice to see him panic and flail a bit. I can't wait to see him interact with more people outside of tony and grow as a person.

I'm also excited to see him participate more in Game Night, I think its cute that him and Phil team up to take care of everyone. However I can't help but wonder if Jarvis will ever get a chance to be taken care of that way? Scenes like the part when Jarvis makes a dum-e like noise to tony and Phil realizes that that's his equivalent of 'baby talk', or the scene where Jarvis admits to Phil that he had a difficult 'childhood' and Phil compares his experiences to the rest of the avengers just makes me want to see him get a chance to experience some return care like Phil gets when he's acting as Flip. it'd probably be more challenging since Jarvis is not only not human, but can't really disengage from his responsibilities in the tower so easily, but its a nice thought.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> it is so rare to find a story with this amount of detail paid attention to about not only jarvis' mental state, but waysvfor him to learn and improve! <<

Thank you! He's one of my favorite characters.

>> so many stories that include him either make him out to be infallible or unflappable, so its really nice to see him panic and flail a bit. <<

When dealing with things that he understands fluently, JARVIS is pretty unflappable. Until Tony hurts himself or disappears, and then *KERNEL ERROR* happens. When dealing with less familiar things, JARVIS is curious and methodical about exploring them, but he can get overwhelmed and then he starts to worry. Nobody has only one emotional state.

>> I can't wait to see him interact with more people outside of tony and grow as a person. <<

That's basically the story arc for JARVIS throughout "Coming in from the Cold" and probably the next story or few. He's had long enough now to start understanding how the team fits together, getting to know people, but then he has to figure out how to handle eight core users instead of just Tony.

>> I'm also excited to see him participate more in Game Night, I think its cute that him and Phil team up to take care of everyone. <<

Yay! They're making progress.

>> However I can't help but wonder if Jarvis will ever get a chance to be taken care of that way? <<

It's possible. However, that will take time to set up, because first JARVIS needs to get comfortable with the team, and exploring Game Night in his usual caretaker mode, and having people pay attention to him as a friend.

>> Scenes like the part when Jarvis makes a dum-e like noise to tony and Phil realizes that that's his equivalent of 'baby talk', or the scene where Jarvis admits to Phil that he had a difficult 'childhood' and Phil compares his experiences to the rest of the avengers <<

These are early hints that JARVIS has a growth process too, and that he has the potential to shift around mental age like the Avengers do.

>> just makes me want to see him get a chance to experience some return care like Phil gets when he's acting as Flip. it'd probably be more challenging since Jarvis is not only not human, <<

It would take more thought to figure out how to make this work, but it's possible.

>> but can't really disengage from his responsibilities in the tower so easily, but its a nice thought. <<

It's feasible, though. First, JARVIS can move or divide his awareness; he already does that in terms of running Iron Man or the tower or playing hide-and-seek. Second, there are automatic processes for most of what he does. Those are needed when he's unavailable, such as down for repairs. It's not quite as simple as one of the Avengers changing into pajamas, but it's doable.

[(Anonymous)]

I'm so glad you're writing more of this series! I go back and read them again and again, and wish I'd had all this information when I was raising my kids.

The kid that used to work for Oscorp with the adhesives -- is that Peter Parker or whoever the current incarnation of Spiderman is? *g*

Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I'm so glad you're writing more of this series! I go back and read them again and again, and wish I'd had all this information when I was raising my kids. <<

Yay! I'm glad you find it useful.

>> The kid that used to work for Oscorp with the adhesives -- is that Peter Parker or whoever the current incarnation of Spiderman is? *g* <<

Yes, it is. He has shown up briefly in "Up the Water Spout."

[mashfanficchick]

I really liked this story! I'm definitely enjoying this set (Coming In From the Cold). I especially liked the bit with Steve and Phil and the toy soldiers, and the whole part with Phil & JARVIS's discussion. I love that Hulk likes different music from Bruce, and that JARVIS has developed his own tastes, too. I thought Natasha sounded a little bit stilted (the way she does when she's upset or bring official) in part two, but went back to sounding like herself by the end. Was that just my perception, or was there a reason for it? Also, I found a thing that's been working well for me, and I thought that a) you might find it interesting, and b) I can see Tony getting some use out of it, as he begins to not only identify the causes behind his negative behaviors, but attempts to change them. It's called HabitRPG, and it's basically an old-school RPG game based on a self-styled to-do list (ranging from ADLs, to addictive behaviors, to emotional self-care). Since you lose points for doing things "wrong", I don't think Tony should put any negative things on his list, but gaining video game points for making good choices (like asking someone for help when he needs it, or even just identifying that he needs help, even if he can't/doesn't ask for it)? I think he would love that! (P.S. I forget where I first heard about HabitRPG. It totally could have been from you, and if so, I'm sorry. My memory works very weirdly: some things I remember perfectly, while others go in one ear/eye and out the other.)

Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I really liked this story! I'm definitely enjoying this set (Coming In From the Cold). <<

Yay!

>> I especially liked the bit with Steve and Phil and the toy soldiers, <<

I knew as soon as I wrote about the "rescue toys" that eventually Steve would discover Phil's secret collection, so it seemed natural to build a scene around that with more toy soldiers.

>> and the whole part with Phil & JARVIS's discussion. I love that Hulk likes different music from Bruce, and that JARVIS has developed his own tastes, too. <<

They are slowly discovering what makes them unique, what they like when they're not overwhelmed by other people. Bruce and Hulk are intimately related, but they're very different people. The same is true for JARVIS and Tony, just different reasons.

>> I thought Natasha sounded a little bit stilted (the way she does when she's upset or bring official) in part two, but went back to sounding like herself by the end. Was that just my perception, or was there a reason for it? <<

You're not imagining it. The catch is, "casual" Natasha is the construct. She just designed an "everyday" cover that she could wear comfortably and other people would respond to the way she wanted. That clumsy, awkward persona when she gets stressed? That's the closest she has to a core persona. It's not well developed because she's spent almost her entire life playing roles professionally. When it's just her, she doesn't know what to do, and that comes out in the language. You can see glimpses of it in the canon. Sure, she's got that official persona too, but when something really intimate happens, there's often a moment of deer-in-headlights and then she says something awkward.

Natasha doesn't really know how to be a person, she just fakes it incredibly well.

>> Also, I found a thing that's been working well for me, and I thought that a) you might find it interesting, and b) I can see Tony getting some use out of it, as he begins to not only identify the causes behind his negative behaviors, but attempts to change them. <<

Okay ...

>> It's called HabitRPG, and it's basically an old-school RPG game based on a self-styled to-do list (ranging from ADLs, to addictive behaviors, to emotional self-care). Since you lose points for doing things "wrong", I don't think Tony should put any negative things on his list, but gaining video game points for making good choices (like asking someone for help when he needs it, or even just identifying that he needs help, even if he can't/doesn't ask for it)? I think he would love that! <<

JARVIS probably has something like that for the Stark Industries employees.

>> (P.S. I forget where I first heard about HabitRPG. It totally could have been from you, and if so, I'm sorry. My memory works very weirdly: some things I remember perfectly, while others go in one ear/eye and out the other.) <<

I think this is new to me. Goal-Fish was the one I've mentioned.

[(Anonymous)]

Apologies for not having any terribly useful feedback this time around. Just wanted to say that I'm still reading and still loving it. The format is working excellently, I loved Bruce and Bucky and Steve and Jarvis! And the ending - just perfect.

~Anony-Mouse

Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Apologies for not having any terribly useful feedback this time around. Just wanted to say that I'm still reading and still loving it. <<

That's okay.

>> The format is working excellently, <<

Yay! I'm really pleased to hear that. So now I've got a new way to handle the really big story arcs.

>> I loved Bruce and Bucky and Steve and Jarvis! And the ending - just perfect. <<

They're making good progress.

[natf]

I loved this series. This ending was perfect, as well.

Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

I'm happy to hear that.

Loved this

[(Anonymous)]

Thank you, I have really enjoyedthe coming in from the cold series. It's wonderful to see so much of jarvis as a character.
for those who love jarvis, look on ao3 for the turing test. About jarvis and his very first employee/frind

I loved the other coming in from the cold story. I would love to see how pepper and Rodney's "handling" of tony is taken by phil and hi advengers.

Bronwyn

Re: Loved this

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Thank you, I have really enjoyedthe coming in from the cold series. <<

Yay!

>> It's wonderful to see so much of jarvis as a character.<<

He is a favorite of mine too.

>>for those who love jarvis, look on ao3 for the turing test. About jarvis and his very first employee/frind <<

That's a lovely story.

>> I loved the other coming in from the cold story. I would love to see how pepper and Rodney's "handling" of tony is taken by phil and hi advengers. <<

I do have a scene between Phil and Rhodey at a later time. I want to continue exploring how Game Night has influenced Tony in ways that show for people who have known him a long time.

[mdlbear]

I like this a lot, especially JARVIS, and to a lesser extent Natasha. Learning about emotions, in general. I'll have to go back over the notes.

I'm finally getting around to reading this, now that things aren't *quite* so insane around here.

Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I like this a lot, especially JARVIS, and to a lesser extent Natasha. Learning about emotions, in general. I'll have to go back over the notes. <<

Yay! They are getting the hang of emotions. It's complicated stuff, though.

>>I'm finally getting around to reading this, now that things aren't *quite* so insane around here.<<

That's good to hear.

[(Anonymous)]

Oh just suddenly thought about the idea of if Jarvis would like to play duet with someone. That is if anyone in the team can play a musical instrument. But if would be a nice meaningful interaction.
(I know I would play duet with him if I were anywhere near his level.)
Tony might like chaos pads or Clint rather ( if only because he might find them fun to tap), and they could do a dubstep-classical fusion.

Well...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>Oh just suddenly thought about the idea of if Jarvis would like to play duet with someone.<<

He probably would enjoy it.

>> That is if anyone in the team can play a musical instrument. <<

Some of them can.

>>But if would be a nice meaningful interaction.
(I know I would play duet with him if I were anywhere near his level.)<<

:D So far I have notes for the team sitting around and playing different songs. I don't think JARVIS is quite ready for jamming yet, but he's getting more amenable to performing when people know that it's actually him and not just a recording. He's quite a talented pianist.

>>Tony might like chaos pads or Clint rather ( if only because he might find them fun to tap), and they could do a dubstep-classical fusion.<<

For the purpose of this series, Clint plays guitar and Tony plays spoons. But they might pick up other stuff too.

[book_worm5.livejournal.com]

Yay, I'm glad Phil gets some rest too. Still enjoying these. Onward!

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

The Avengers are in good enough shape now that they can trade off taking care of each other. Yay, progress!

[ilovewales.livejournal.com]

I adore this series, and I think this must be my 5th or 6th re-read!
I really like this instalment because the conversation with Jarvis is fascinating - his sentience and sapience are something you've developed beautifully throughout the series, to the point that one can easily imagine Jarvis struggling to identify his own emotions, though he clearly has them.
I also really enjoyed the development of the team to the point that they feel able to share skills that they might be less recognised for, such as Steve's ability for positive talk.

Thanks :)

[weesta]

Yay! More food and team bonding! I do love Clint being a champion for Hulk, and Bruce taking small steps to acknowledge the positive changes in Hulk as well as agreeing to work with Steve to make changes for himself.

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Yay! More food and team bonding! <<

:D

>> I do love Clint being a champion for Hulk, <<

Clint is really fond of Hulk, and sensitive about bullying for his own reasons.

>> and Bruce taking small steps to acknowledge the positive changes in Hulk as well as agreeing to work with Steve to make changes for himself. <<

Sooth. Bruce has been knocked around enough that it's really hard for him to trust people, or see what's happening now rather than getting stuck in the past. He's making progress as best he can, though.

[labelleizzy]

your fic is so healthy and restful. It's unique in fandom as far as I can tell, for the gentleness and the active mental health work for *everyone* in the teamfamily. I come back to your work (and am so glad you always seem to have something new when I do!) to treat my beloved characters like people. People who aren't always pining to get into one another's pants (though that is fun in other fics it feels good to have your family dynamic. Nourishing.)

thanks, Ysabet!

You're welcome!

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>your fic is so healthy and restful. It's unique in fandom as far as I can tell, <<

Aw, shucks. :D

>> for the gentleness and the active mental health work for *everyone* in the teamfamily.<<

I write a lot of things that way. I wish people would take better care of each other, so I fantasize about it often.

>> I come back to your work (and am so glad you always seem to have something new when I do!) to treat my beloved characters like people. <<

I'm glad that works for you.

>> People who aren't always pining to get into one another's pants (though that is fun in other fics it feels good to have your family dynamic. Nourishing.)<<

There is a lot of romance out there, some of it good, and I write it occasionally. But there is very little positive family fiction, and I think we need more of that.

>>thanks, Ysabet!<<

*bow, flourish* Happy to be of service.