Poem: "A Painful Process"
Oct. 1st, 2019 01:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis is today's freebie, inspired by a backchannel prompt from starbit. It also fills the "shapeshifter" prompt in my 10-1-19 card for the Fall Festival Bingo. This poem belongs to the LIFC series. (Yes, it skips ahead a lot, but this is where the prompt went.)
"A Painful Process"
The Avengers had just gotten used to
the 'Luke Rogers' persona when
Loki threw a monkey wrench into it.
"Who the hell is this?" Betty said,
staring at the other woman.
She was tall and slim, with
long seal-brown hair that fell to
her waist in soft waves, and
arresting blue-green eyes.
"I'm Lucy Rogers? I'm here
about the job?" she said.
"What the hell are you doing
on our floor?" Betty said.
"Mr. Stark told me to meet
him here?" Lucy said.
Clint ambled into the room
with a box of Lucky Charms.
"Morning, Betty. Morning, boss."
"Wait, that's Loki?" Betty squawked.
"No, that's Lucy," Clint said.
"Different shape, different name."
"O ... kay," Betty said slowly.
"It would have been nice to know
about this development before
you guys gave me a heart attack."
"Sorry," Clint said. "I knew it was
a possibility, but nobody told me
they were moving forward with it."
"Tony is a dick," Betty muttered.
"Yeah, but we love him anyway,"
Clint said, looking at Lucy.
"Did I do something wrong?"
Lucy asked, shifting in place.
"No, you look great," Clint said.
"People just weren't expecting it.
You changed a lot, didn't you?"
"I used the same templates
that I did for Luke," she said.
"The changes are ... considerable.
I am not used to these parameters."
"Okay, well, you've been female before,
and you've been Luke before," said Clint.
"This is just another step. You'll get
the hang of it soon enough."
"I'm not used to seeing you
so ... insecure," Betty said.
Lucy sighed. "I haven't finished
the face yet. Whenever I try to set up
the confidence front, everything
sort of shifts under me."
"Oh, that," Betty said.
"Imposter syndrome.
Yeah, it's a bitch." She
frowned. "I didn't know
it could be genetic, though."
"It's not genetic, it's more like
using SillyPutty to pick up
newsprint," Clint explained.
"Loki borrowed from Steve and
Bucky to make Luke, and now Lucy,
but there's also some sort of
cultural imprint outside it."
"That sucks," Betty said.
"What sucks?" Tony said,
walking into the room along with
Natasha. "I don't see any sucking."
"Imposter syndrome sucks,"
Betty said, waving at Lucy.
"New body problems?"
Tony said as he looked
up and down Lucy.
She shrugged. "It is ...
an adjustment," Lucy said.
"Why did you not warn them?"
"I wanted to see how people
would handle you, not knowing
that you're you," Tony said.
"Betty was surprised," Lucy said.
"Clint recognized me at once."
"Yeah, well, we know Clint has
ulterior resources," Tony said.
He turned to Betty. "What do
you think? Can she pass?"
"As what?" Betty said.
"Human? Female?"
"Female," Tony said.
"If not, I can call and hire
a gender coach, but there aren't
any human coaches, or weren't
the last time I checked."
"I have not found
any human coaches
either," JARVIS said.
"Guys, she's not passing,
she is female," Clint said.
"So is Gertrude, but that didn't
stop Walter from still calling her
'George' until I fired his ass, and that
was just embarrassing for everyone,"
Tony said. "So Stark Industries has
a policy of hiring a gender coach for
any employee who needs one."
"Lucy doesn't need a gender coach,
she needs other girls to hang out with
who can help get her feet under her,"
Betty said. "It's not that other people
won't believe she's a woman, it's that
she's having trouble believing in herself."
"This society is a challenge," Lucy said.
"Every time I think I have it figured out,
something new blindsides me instead."
"Learning is always a painful process,"
Natasha said. "Like when you're little, and
your bones are growing, and you ache all over."
"So are you volunteering to take on the job
of girl friend?" Betty asked Natasha.
"I will take Lucy out shopping. She will
need new clothes. I am better at shopping
than socializing," said Natasha. "You will
introduce Lucy to Gertrude and Tiffany, since
they will be working in the same department."
"Wait, what?" Betty said. "Did everyone
know about this project except me?
How could you know that?"
"Publicity is the department
that posted an opening yesterday,
but internal-only, not public,"
Natasha said smugly.
"Why do I even bother
trying to surprise you people?"
Tony muttered, glaring at her.
"I was surprised," Betty said.
"You're lucky it was me and not
one of our more volatile members."
Lucy took a half-step behind Tony.
"Yeah, you'll do fine," he said.
"Come on, we can use one of
the back rooms for the interview."
"Why are you interviewing her?"
Betty wondered. "You already
know what Loki can do."
"I know what Loki can do
in battle, and a few other bits
and bobs from Thor's stories,"
Tony said. "I don't know what Loki
could do with publicity, and I
don't know Lucy at all."
Clint chuckled. "I don't
think you need to worry
about that," he said.
"They don't call him
'Silvertongue' for nothing."
"That's what I'm hoping,"
Tony said. "Come on, Lucy,
let's get this show on the road."
She took a few hesitant steps.
"Okay, no, not like that," Tony said.
"You got to walk it like you own it."
"But you own the Tower and
everything in it, except for
personal quarters," Lucy said.
"All the Avengers have a share in
the common floor," Tony said.
"Steve and Bucky both claim you
as family, so that includes you now."
"Oh," Lucy said softly. "I hadn't
thought of it quite like that."
"Well, now you know," Tony said.
"So put some strut in your stuff.
Nobody believes a publicity agent
who creeps around like a mouse."
"Sorry," said Lucy. "I'm not
used to being ... this."
"I know Asgard is
bass-ackward about
a lot of things," Tony said.
"Earth may have its problems,
but gender is one place where
we've made a lot of progress."
"You really have no idea,"
Steve said, coming into the room.
"Oh, hi. You must be new here.
I'm Steve, pleased to meet you."
Lucy laughed, high and bright.
"Hello. I'm Lucy Rogers."
It took a moment for
the penny to drop.
Then Steve smiled.
"Are you okay?"
he asked gently.
"I hear that top step
can be a doozy."
Gender expression
had been different in
his day, and Steve had
gotten hassled just for
being a male artist.
"I am fine," Lucy said.
"People have offered to help."
"Good," Steve said. "If you
need a hand fine-tuning
your makeup for that body,
let me know. You'll need
different eye shadow for sure,
and brown liner, not black."
"Natasha has offered to take me
out shopping," Lucy said.
"That's great, but Natasha
is a better canvas than
an artist," Steve said.
"So come with us,"
Natasha said. "We will
visit some of the malls
to look at different things."
"Sure," said Steve. "JARVIS,
clear my afternoon schedule."
"Cleared," said JARVIS.
"Your new schedule is in
your personal calendar."
"That leaves us the morning
for the interview and introductions,"
Tony said. "Chop-chop, everyone!"
Despite his high-handed manner,
the Avengers had been accommodating,
and introducing Lucy was not so much of
a painful process as it could have been.
* * *
Notes:
Lucy: [suddenly pinning Jang's hands to the chair with knives] Learning is always a painful process. Like when you're little, and your bones are growing, and you ache all over.
Loki has enough queernesses to fill a whole QUILTBAG both in comics and in mythology. Loki can definitely change physical sex and gender presentation. Does that change gender, though? It's kind of like asking if a bisexual person is still bi when paired with a member of the opposite sex. Loki is always genderqueer. Just the details vary.
Gender dynamics at work can pose challenges. Here are basic and detailed tips for making a gender-friendly workplace. Tony may not always think of these things ahead of time, but he's weird enough himself to sympathize with other people's differences, and also he's an engineer so he dislikes having to solve the same problem over and over again.
Imposter syndrome comes in various styles. It's especially common in women, transfolk, other QUILTBAG people, and other minorities. Here are some ways to fight it.
starbit. It also fills the "shapeshifter" prompt in my 10-1-19 card for the Fall Festival Bingo. This poem belongs to the LIFC series. (Yes, it skips ahead a lot, but this is where the prompt went.)"A Painful Process"
The Avengers had just gotten used to
the 'Luke Rogers' persona when
Loki threw a monkey wrench into it.
"Who the hell is this?" Betty said,
staring at the other woman.
She was tall and slim, with
long seal-brown hair that fell to
her waist in soft waves, and
arresting blue-green eyes.
"I'm Lucy Rogers? I'm here
about the job?" she said.
"What the hell are you doing
on our floor?" Betty said.
"Mr. Stark told me to meet
him here?" Lucy said.
Clint ambled into the room
with a box of Lucky Charms.
"Morning, Betty. Morning, boss."
"Wait, that's Loki?" Betty squawked.
"No, that's Lucy," Clint said.
"Different shape, different name."
"O ... kay," Betty said slowly.
"It would have been nice to know
about this development before
you guys gave me a heart attack."
"Sorry," Clint said. "I knew it was
a possibility, but nobody told me
they were moving forward with it."
"Tony is a dick," Betty muttered.
"Yeah, but we love him anyway,"
Clint said, looking at Lucy.
"Did I do something wrong?"
Lucy asked, shifting in place.
"No, you look great," Clint said.
"People just weren't expecting it.
You changed a lot, didn't you?"
"I used the same templates
that I did for Luke," she said.
"The changes are ... considerable.
I am not used to these parameters."
"Okay, well, you've been female before,
and you've been Luke before," said Clint.
"This is just another step. You'll get
the hang of it soon enough."
"I'm not used to seeing you
so ... insecure," Betty said.
Lucy sighed. "I haven't finished
the face yet. Whenever I try to set up
the confidence front, everything
sort of shifts under me."
"Oh, that," Betty said.
"Imposter syndrome.
Yeah, it's a bitch." She
frowned. "I didn't know
it could be genetic, though."
"It's not genetic, it's more like
using SillyPutty to pick up
newsprint," Clint explained.
"Loki borrowed from Steve and
Bucky to make Luke, and now Lucy,
but there's also some sort of
cultural imprint outside it."
"That sucks," Betty said.
"What sucks?" Tony said,
walking into the room along with
Natasha. "I don't see any sucking."
"Imposter syndrome sucks,"
Betty said, waving at Lucy.
"New body problems?"
Tony said as he looked
up and down Lucy.
She shrugged. "It is ...
an adjustment," Lucy said.
"Why did you not warn them?"
"I wanted to see how people
would handle you, not knowing
that you're you," Tony said.
"Betty was surprised," Lucy said.
"Clint recognized me at once."
"Yeah, well, we know Clint has
ulterior resources," Tony said.
He turned to Betty. "What do
you think? Can she pass?"
"As what?" Betty said.
"Human? Female?"
"Female," Tony said.
"If not, I can call and hire
a gender coach, but there aren't
any human coaches, or weren't
the last time I checked."
"I have not found
any human coaches
either," JARVIS said.
"Guys, she's not passing,
she is female," Clint said.
"So is Gertrude, but that didn't
stop Walter from still calling her
'George' until I fired his ass, and that
was just embarrassing for everyone,"
Tony said. "So Stark Industries has
a policy of hiring a gender coach for
any employee who needs one."
"Lucy doesn't need a gender coach,
she needs other girls to hang out with
who can help get her feet under her,"
Betty said. "It's not that other people
won't believe she's a woman, it's that
she's having trouble believing in herself."
"This society is a challenge," Lucy said.
"Every time I think I have it figured out,
something new blindsides me instead."
"Learning is always a painful process,"
Natasha said. "Like when you're little, and
your bones are growing, and you ache all over."
"So are you volunteering to take on the job
of girl friend?" Betty asked Natasha.
"I will take Lucy out shopping. She will
need new clothes. I am better at shopping
than socializing," said Natasha. "You will
introduce Lucy to Gertrude and Tiffany, since
they will be working in the same department."
"Wait, what?" Betty said. "Did everyone
know about this project except me?
How could you know that?"
"Publicity is the department
that posted an opening yesterday,
but internal-only, not public,"
Natasha said smugly.
"Why do I even bother
trying to surprise you people?"
Tony muttered, glaring at her.
"I was surprised," Betty said.
"You're lucky it was me and not
one of our more volatile members."
Lucy took a half-step behind Tony.
"Yeah, you'll do fine," he said.
"Come on, we can use one of
the back rooms for the interview."
"Why are you interviewing her?"
Betty wondered. "You already
know what Loki can do."
"I know what Loki can do
in battle, and a few other bits
and bobs from Thor's stories,"
Tony said. "I don't know what Loki
could do with publicity, and I
don't know Lucy at all."
Clint chuckled. "I don't
think you need to worry
about that," he said.
"They don't call him
'Silvertongue' for nothing."
"That's what I'm hoping,"
Tony said. "Come on, Lucy,
let's get this show on the road."
She took a few hesitant steps.
"Okay, no, not like that," Tony said.
"You got to walk it like you own it."
"But you own the Tower and
everything in it, except for
personal quarters," Lucy said.
"All the Avengers have a share in
the common floor," Tony said.
"Steve and Bucky both claim you
as family, so that includes you now."
"Oh," Lucy said softly. "I hadn't
thought of it quite like that."
"Well, now you know," Tony said.
"So put some strut in your stuff.
Nobody believes a publicity agent
who creeps around like a mouse."
"Sorry," said Lucy. "I'm not
used to being ... this."
"I know Asgard is
bass-ackward about
a lot of things," Tony said.
"Earth may have its problems,
but gender is one place where
we've made a lot of progress."
"You really have no idea,"
Steve said, coming into the room.
"Oh, hi. You must be new here.
I'm Steve, pleased to meet you."
Lucy laughed, high and bright.
"Hello. I'm Lucy Rogers."
It took a moment for
the penny to drop.
Then Steve smiled.
"Are you okay?"
he asked gently.
"I hear that top step
can be a doozy."
Gender expression
had been different in
his day, and Steve had
gotten hassled just for
being a male artist.
"I am fine," Lucy said.
"People have offered to help."
"Good," Steve said. "If you
need a hand fine-tuning
your makeup for that body,
let me know. You'll need
different eye shadow for sure,
and brown liner, not black."
"Natasha has offered to take me
out shopping," Lucy said.
"That's great, but Natasha
is a better canvas than
an artist," Steve said.
"So come with us,"
Natasha said. "We will
visit some of the malls
to look at different things."
"Sure," said Steve. "JARVIS,
clear my afternoon schedule."
"Cleared," said JARVIS.
"Your new schedule is in
your personal calendar."
"That leaves us the morning
for the interview and introductions,"
Tony said. "Chop-chop, everyone!"
Despite his high-handed manner,
the Avengers had been accommodating,
and introducing Lucy was not so much of
a painful process as it could have been.
* * *
Notes:
Lucy: [suddenly pinning Jang's hands to the chair with knives] Learning is always a painful process. Like when you're little, and your bones are growing, and you ache all over.
Loki has enough queernesses to fill a whole QUILTBAG both in comics and in mythology. Loki can definitely change physical sex and gender presentation. Does that change gender, though? It's kind of like asking if a bisexual person is still bi when paired with a member of the opposite sex. Loki is always genderqueer. Just the details vary.
Gender dynamics at work can pose challenges. Here are basic and detailed tips for making a gender-friendly workplace. Tony may not always think of these things ahead of time, but he's weird enough himself to sympathize with other people's differences, and also he's an engineer so he dislikes having to solve the same problem over and over again.
Imposter syndrome comes in various styles. It's especially common in women, transfolk, other QUILTBAG people, and other minorities. Here are some ways to fight it.
(no subject)
Date: 2019-10-01 07:31 pm (UTC)And can't wait to find out how Loki became family to Steve and Bruce. I'd have guessed Clint if I'd thought about it before.
Thoughts
Date: 2019-10-01 07:40 pm (UTC)Yay! :D
>> And can't wait to find out how Loki became family to Steve and Bruce.<<
Quite frankly, Loki wanted to hurt Thor's feelings. This worked. But the thing is, once you pick up Steve, you can't ever put him down again. This is awkward due to Loki's attachment issues.
>> I'd have guessed Clint if I'd thought about it before.<<
Clint and Loki have a different, very complicated relationship. It takes a lot of work to sort through. But they are, in fact, attached to each other -- and have been since the moment Loki said, "You have heart!" -- despite the dysfunctional elements.
(no subject)
Date: 2019-10-01 08:09 pm (UTC)I wanna read that shopping trip now
but also, I love how everyone just took it in stride
and I too want to read the backstory. but, you know, timelines
tl:dr: SO GREAT
Thoughts
Date: 2019-10-01 09:20 pm (UTC)Thank you!
>> I wanna read that shopping trip now <<
Yeah, that would be epic.
>> but also, I love how everyone just took it in stride <<
After you've seen the kind of wild crap the Avengers cope with every week, a genderqueer shapeshifter just isn't that big a deal.
>> and I too want to read the backstory. but, you know, timelines <<
Yeah, I don't have as much time as I used to for writing fanfic, and the prompts skip around more now.
>> tl:dr: SO GREAT <<
Woohoo!
(no subject)
Date: 2019-10-01 08:56 pm (UTC)> "Every time I think I have it figured out,
> something new blindsides me instead."
... oh honey, join the club. There's more of us there than you'd think.
> Loki can definitely change physical sex and gender presentation. Does that change gender, though?
I'm pretty sure that Loki is Loki-gendered.
Thoughts
Date: 2019-10-01 09:18 pm (UTC)Yyyyeah.
>> I'm pretty sure that Loki is Loki-gendered.<<
LOL yes.
Egogender: a gender that is so personal to your experience that it can only be described as “you”
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2019-10-01 11:40 pm (UTC)I think on the whole the marvel universe might be better off classing Loki as their own species..
(no subject)
Date: 2019-10-01 09:25 pm (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2019-10-01 09:45 pm (UTC)LOVELY
Date: 2019-10-01 09:33 pm (UTC)I like your version of him better than in canon, very MUCH so, and I love the idea of the guy from the forties having less trouble with it than Betty. It's not his thing, but it doesn't bother him at all.
Loki... I think he already HAD feelings of imposter syndrome, before the whole Jotun reveal, and his canon fluidity was always an issue; the visible change just laid down more layers of concrete. However, it also gives him an excuse to ask for help in coping with the obvious version of the problem," which might help more than stuffing everything behin a wall (that Mexico won't pay for).
Re: LOVELY
Date: 2019-10-01 09:55 pm (UTC)I love your title. :D
>> I like your version of him better than in canon, very MUCH so, <<
Yay! I am flattered.
>> and I love the idea of the guy from the forties having less trouble with it than Betty. It's not his thing, but it doesn't bother him at all.<<
Steve got misgendered all the time because of his appearance and artistic talents. People would tease him about being a girl or being a gay man. He knows how much that sucks, and isn't inclined to mistreat anyone else that way. Plus he probably knew some actual gay men and transfolk, given his bohemian contacts at the time. Steve might feel flustered about the topic, but I suspect he gets the same "So there!" feeling about those things as he does about asthma being recognized as a physical problem.
>> Loki... I think he already HAD feelings of imposter syndrome, before the whole Jotun reveal, <<
Clearly he did. Loki never fit in and never understood why. Now he knows.
>> and his canon fluidity was always an issue; the visible change just laid down more layers of concrete. <<
Yep.
>>However, it also gives him an excuse to ask for help in coping with the obvious version of the problem," <<
That's possible.
>>which might help more than stuffing everything behin a wall (that Mexico won't pay for).<<
ROFL
Re: LOVELY
Date: 2020-09-05 04:21 pm (UTC)Also, thanks for the breadcrumbs helping us with the jumped-over parts of the timeline. I'll be very interested when we do get to see more of Luke, too.
Re: LOVELY
Date: 2020-09-06 10:04 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-10-02 01:40 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-10-02 01:03 pm (UTC)Lucy is perfect, and Loky is just...He and Thor have been too of my favorites in the whole universe (...before Suicide Squad) and I'm just like.. weeee!
(Oh wait, Jarvis is up there, too, because he's Jarvis. xd)
-Trausio~
/happy chinhands
Date: 2019-10-02 01:15 pm (UTC)Re: /happy chinhands
Date: 2019-10-03 05:26 am (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2019-10-02 06:21 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-10-02 08:07 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-10-02 08:08 pm (UTC)Have more feels: <3<3<3
yes
Date: 2019-10-03 02:02 am (UTC)she is female," Clint said.
"So is Gertrude, but that didn't
stop Walter from still calling her
'George' until I fired his ass<<
I love this; it so succinctly summarizes the two main points points people always seem to argue between while showing they aren't mutually exclusive. Also hell yeah one of my favorite headcanons is that Stark Industries has some of the best benefits of any company and that Tony is a big part of that, just by fixing things whenever he notices them.
Re: yes
Date: 2019-10-03 03:09 am (UTC)she is female," Clint said.
"So is Gertrude, but that didn't
stop Walter from still calling her
'George' until I fired his ass<<
I love this; it so succinctly summarizes the two main points points people always seem to argue between while showing they aren't mutually exclusive. <<
The main things I see people arguing over include:
* Safety. Gender-variant people often feel unsafe because they suffer a high rate of violence from people who think someone else's crotch is their business. This is a very credible threat. Cisgender people often feel threatened by bathroom inclusivity; even though the manifestation rate of trans attacks approaches zero, non-trans predators could falsely exploit such laws to gain access to formerly protected territory. The problem is that if any fear discourages people from using a toilet, it doesn't matter why they are afraid or whether it is credible. That still causes exactly the same health problems. So solutions need to assure everyone's safety, both objective and subjective, to minimize health hazards from beatings to kidney infections.
* Morality. Some people feel that sex/gender variation is morally repugnant. Other people feel that butting into someone else's life is morally repugnant. This is rarely a solvable dilemma, as most people stick to their moral stances quite strongly. However, ethically sound and socially productive stances may be promoted by encouraging people to think mindfully about their ethics and write out a personal code.
* Comfort/discomfort. This is primarily a social issue, but some individual traits have an impact. Humans are highly contextual, and usually don't mind doing things that everyone else is doing. But they often get uneasy about changing customs or doing less-common things. To some extent this can be influenced with awareness education, but a lot of times it's like pushing on a river. Among the most useful steps here are ones that simply remove the pigeonholes. Don't ask sex/gender unless you need to use that information. If you have to ask, put a blank instead of checkboxes. Add a dottie alongside the gendered bathrooms.
* The "isness" of sex and gender. Sex has biological facts behind it, consisting of such things as chromosomes and hormones. These usually, but not always, fall into one of two patterns. If you have not typed someone's chromosomes, you are GUESSING. Ironically, the people who scream the loudest about this are least inclined to actually check it. Chromosomal sex includes a variety of options including XX, XY, X0, etc. Put that on a birth certificate, fine, but don't eyeball a baby's crotch and call that a "fact." It's an opinion. The guevedoches can tell you how badly that can backfire. That brings in hormones, and various other factors, which can radically change how chromosomes are expressed. So even sex isn't simple.
Gender is a whole different issue. While you have a pretty good chance of accuracy in guessing that someone with XY chromosomes will identify as masculine, or XX as feminine, sometimes you will still guess wrong. If there is any less-common feature(s) of chromosomes and/or hormones, your chance of accuracy plummets. So don't pretend you know what you're talking about. Make your best estimate, and if you're really exercised about it, type the damn chromosomes before you write on the birth certificate -- but be prepared to apologize and correct the error if you mistook it.
The real problem is that people are acting like these are social constructs when they are not. Caste is a social construct. People made it up. Sex is a bundle of physical traits, some of which we can modify and others we can't with extant technology. People may argue over which trait matters more (e.g. having XX chromosomes, estrogen, or a vagina whether innate or sculpted) but at least there are objective facts in play. Gender is a subjective identity. People have tried to find physical factors for it, but the results are questionable. Despite the common phrasing "assigned sex" or "assigned gender," there is actually nothing assigned about them at all. Trying to assign them is an abject failure. Everyone's born with a sex, which may be easier or harder to identify. Everyone has a gender identity (which can be "agender" or even "cactus" if gender makes no sense to someone) and it is innate, usually immutable, and has to be communicated by the individual. Some social cases of forcibly changed gender are, again, questionable; and some have been fatal. It's really not a good idea to mess with anyone else's gender.
>> Also hell yeah one of my favorite headcanons is that Stark Industries has some of the best benefits of any company and that Tony is a big part of that, just by fixing things whenever he notices them.<<
In my observation, Tony thinks like an engineer. He usually won't notice a social issue until it bites him on the ass. But as soon as it attracts his negative attention, he wants it solved so it does not recur. Also, Tony loves money. He dislikes anything that wastes money, so again, he prefers to solve problems. He doesn't necessarily solve the social ones himself.
"JARVIS, what the hell is going on in Publicity and why do I have emails about it?"
"There have been incidents regarding an employee's change of gender, sir."
"What the fuck? I have people for this. Don't I have people for this? They should FIX IT or I will fire them."
Two weeks later ...
"This again? Didn't I order someone to fix this?"
"Yes sir, Stark Industries now has a fully vetted and timely policy on sex/gender care and courtesy. I regret that the deadnaming continues."
Tony grumbles and looks at the bigot's record. "He cost me HOW MUCH in legal fees? What the fuck? He is fired. Get him out of my building. And send the lady an apology, pick something nice out of the goody box."
This doesn't stop Tony from being a hot mess himself -- he's a mashup of unthinking respect and blind chauvinism -- but at least his company is credible.
great but confused
Date: 2019-10-08 11:30 pm (UTC)the part I'm confused about is, is this a stand alone or did i miss a story where Thor nad Loki were introduced to the whole team family unit. I read and enjoyed the one shot about Thor and being entitled, again not a complaint just a clarification.
Re: great but confused
Date: 2019-10-09 12:29 am (UTC)Yay! I appreciate the vote of confidence.
>> the part I'm confused about is, is this a stand alone or did i miss a story where Thor nad Loki were introduced to the whole team family unit. I read and enjoyed the one shot about Thor and being entitled, again not a complaint just a clarification.<<
You haven't missed it. I haven't written the introduction of Thor or Loki yet. I just know enough about the overall story arc that when a prompt skipped ahead, I could write it.
Luke Rogers
Date: 2019-10-12 07:11 pm (UTC)Re: Luke Rogers
Date: 2019-10-12 08:34 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-10-14 10:05 pm (UTC)>> Loki can definitely change physical sex and gender presentation. Does that change gender, though?
...just leaving this here:
https://meme.xyz/meme/28960&nomobileview=1
(no subject)
Date: 2019-10-23 10:02 pm (UTC)(And... well... When I was a child in daycare the various classes/sections were named after Norse gods and I was a Loki kid, and that may have been over twenty years ago but I’m still a loyal Loki kid at heart.)
I’m always excited to see your take on characters and reading new stories from you. (And re-reading the old ones a hundred times.) I was super excited about Thor, and now I’m happy to see Loki/Lucy. ESPECIALLY since I got a favorite character AND a story about their genderqueerness at the same time! I also enjoyed everyone being open and helpful, and especially Tony’s take on being a boss and taking care of his employees, which I also something I really like.
Yeah, so, anyway. Amazing job and thank you for the story! And the links. The links are always nice. I struggle with imposter syndrome from time to time and it’s nice to be reminded that it’s normal and doesn’t make me fake/wrong/etc. ❤️
(no subject)
Date: 2020-01-27 02:25 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-06-01 04:26 pm (UTC)I'd still love to see how it all unfolded once you manage to tie up the outstanding major plotlines.
I can Bruce-and-Hulk understanding Loki's life as Odin's scapegoat. Plus Clint is going to understand Loki's difficult relationship with Thor once he works through his issues with how he and Loki got thrown together.
Back to the Dr. Infanta thread I go :D
~Angel
Thoughts
Date: 2020-06-02 04:04 am (UTC)That and Loki wanted to hurt Thor's feelings, so he chose Steve as his new brother, and of course Bucky came with Steve.
>> Plus they are more likely to understand the weight of how old Loki truly is. At least a little more than the other Avengers.<<
How old, but also how young. Proportionally, Loki is about 16 and Thor about 18.
>> I'd still love to see how it all unfolded once you manage to tie up the outstanding major plotlines. <<
Yeah, there's a lot of stuff to write if I have time.
>> I can Bruce-and-Hulk understanding Loki's life as Odin's scapegoat. Plus Clint is going to understand Loki's difficult relationship with Thor once he works through his issues with how he and Loki got thrown together.<<
I think they'll figure it out eventually.