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ysabetwordsmithThis story was written for the Asexy Valentines Fest, partly inspired by aceofannwn. It also fills the "game night" square on my card for the ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
trope_bingo fest. This fest features fundamental motifs that will be familiar to most readers. It encourages writers to analyze storylines and characters, then reinterpret them in new ways.
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanova, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, Nick Fury, JARVIS
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: No standard warnings apply.
Summary: Phil Coulson is SHIELD's best handler for a reason: he can deal with the broken people that nobody else can manage but desperately need anyway. So he comes up with an unusual teambuilding idea to shore up the Avengers.
Notes: Asexual character. Aromantic character. Asexual relationship. Flangst. Dysfunctional dynamics. Mention of past abuse. Incidental self-injury. Non-sexual ageplay. Games. Cuteness. Teambuilding. Personal growth. Howard Stark's A+ parenting. Hurt/comfort. Trust issues. Making up for lost time. Odin's A+ parenting. Teamwork. Family of choice.
Begin with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13. Read the sequel, "Eggshells."
"Love Is for Children" Part 14
Fury was pushy and ruthless, but he wasn't completely stupid. He didn't challenge the security on Avengers tower. He didn't accept anyone's resignation. He didn't follow through and attempt reassignments either, so there was no need for them to disengage from SHIELD and go independent. Besides, he didn't have anyone else willing or able to take on the Avengers. That had become spectacularly clear during the week Coulson was "dead." So the game nights continued undisturbed. Besides, Coulson was right.
The teambuilding exercise proved its worth in the field as promised.
One day, they were fending off a Hydra attack when Captain America shouted an order to Iron Man ... and Tony just followed it, without hesitating or arguing over the comm.
Then someone took aim at the Hulk with an anti-tank missile. Phil got the drop on the man and choked him unconscious. Oh yes, that felt good. He'd been yearning to do something like that for a very long time. Phil gave a happy sigh as he let the limp villain slump to the pavement. Then he tased the one trying to shoot at Iron Man.
Suddenly something hit the building next to him. Phil looked down and found another Hydra agent. From the trajectory and the bent gun, Hulk had caught the man aiming at Phil and thrown him against a wall. As Phil looked up, Hulk waved at him and bounded away to smash something else. Phil crouched down to fasten the three defeated enemies together with SHIELD-issue zip ties. That would hold them until junior agents could pick them up.
"Hawkeye, behind you!" Black Widow shouted. While Hawkeye whirled to shoot the enemies sneaking up on him, Black Widow took out the ones trying to lower themselves from above. They fell rather farther than they had intended, and landed on hard roof instead of soft Hawkeye. An arrow through the thigh dropped the one circling Black Widow.
She scrambled down from Hawkeye's building to the top of a bus, only to have several Hydra agents rush her. Black Widow kicked two of them in the throat simultaneously. The others knocked her off the bus.
Hulk caught Black Widow in midair, rolled to take the momentum, and set her gently back on her feet. A spray of bullets bounced off his green shoulders. With a roar, Hulk picked up the empty bus and smashed it into Hydra's formation of footsoldiers.
"Cap, assist!" called Iron Man, holding up his hands.
Captain America was almost a block away. He turned and passed his shield to Iron Man, who was in a perfect position to hurl it into the vulnerable underside of the Hydra troop transport. The vehicle went down with a gratifying amount of black smoke pouring from its guts.
After that it was just a matter of mopping up the last few enemies. Phil supervised the junior agents who came to take the Hydra casualties into custody. He kept the other half of his attention on the comm chatter as his team members called in. Everyone reported safe, except --
"Has anybody got eyes on Hulk?" Hawkeye asked in a worried tone. "I lost him after those guys tried to jump me on the roof."
This was not good. Hulk out of contact tended to mean Hulk wreaking unnecessary havoc on defenseless infrastructure, or worse, fleeing into the countryside to get himself good and lost. It had taken most of a day to find him on the previous two occasions when that happened. He hadn't done it recently, but still --
"Last I saw, he was standing on top of a wrecked Beemer," Iron Man said.
Just then, Hulk landed beside Phil with a ground-jarring THUD. He didn't look angry, despite the burnt patch on his pants that made Phil want to check him for injuries, nevermind that Hulk was well-nigh indestructible. He didn't look scared, either. He looked satisfied.
Phil announced over his comm, "Hulk just found me," then asked, "What can I do for you, Hulk?"
"Catch me, Uncle Phil," Hulk said quite clearly.
And just like that, Hulk was gone and Bruce was left in his place, knees already buckling. Phil hastened to grab him before he could fall. Phil hadn't been prepared for this; it was the fastest, easiest transformation he'd seen yet. Bruce proved surprisingly unwieldy in his arms. This was usually when ...
"Steve!" Phil yelled. "Come get --" your baby cousin, he almost finished, but managed to head off that part just in time. He'd said it so often, it had become almost automatic. That could be awkward, if he or anyone else let slip exactly what kind of exercise they were doing. Then again, role-playing was all over Phil's teambuilding manuals, and if "Saturday Pajama Party" was out of an abuse recovery book ... oh well, Nick Fury could just put on his big-boy shorts and deal with it.
"I've got him," Steve said, scooping up Bruce. It was no hardship for Steve to carry the smaller man tucked against his chest. Bruce gave a contented murmur and snuggled into Steve's grasp. The charred portion of Bruce's pants flaked away to reveal undamaged skin beneath.
"You sure do," Phil said.
"Good job, everyone. Let's go home," Steve said.
"Yes," Phil agreed.
Home. Steve had been right. Love could make anything real.
~ MISSION ACCOMPLISHED ~
aceofannwn. It also fills the "game night" square on my card for the trope_bingo fest. This fest features fundamental motifs that will be familiar to most readers. It encourages writers to analyze storylines and characters, then reinterpret them in new ways. Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanova, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, Nick Fury, JARVIS
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: No standard warnings apply.
Summary: Phil Coulson is SHIELD's best handler for a reason: he can deal with the broken people that nobody else can manage but desperately need anyway. So he comes up with an unusual teambuilding idea to shore up the Avengers.
Notes: Asexual character. Aromantic character. Asexual relationship. Flangst. Dysfunctional dynamics. Mention of past abuse. Incidental self-injury. Non-sexual ageplay. Games. Cuteness. Teambuilding. Personal growth. Howard Stark's A+ parenting. Hurt/comfort. Trust issues. Making up for lost time. Odin's A+ parenting. Teamwork. Family of choice.
Begin with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13. Read the sequel, "Eggshells."
"Love Is for Children" Part 14
Fury was pushy and ruthless, but he wasn't completely stupid. He didn't challenge the security on Avengers tower. He didn't accept anyone's resignation. He didn't follow through and attempt reassignments either, so there was no need for them to disengage from SHIELD and go independent. Besides, he didn't have anyone else willing or able to take on the Avengers. That had become spectacularly clear during the week Coulson was "dead." So the game nights continued undisturbed. Besides, Coulson was right.
The teambuilding exercise proved its worth in the field as promised.
One day, they were fending off a Hydra attack when Captain America shouted an order to Iron Man ... and Tony just followed it, without hesitating or arguing over the comm.
Then someone took aim at the Hulk with an anti-tank missile. Phil got the drop on the man and choked him unconscious. Oh yes, that felt good. He'd been yearning to do something like that for a very long time. Phil gave a happy sigh as he let the limp villain slump to the pavement. Then he tased the one trying to shoot at Iron Man.
Suddenly something hit the building next to him. Phil looked down and found another Hydra agent. From the trajectory and the bent gun, Hulk had caught the man aiming at Phil and thrown him against a wall. As Phil looked up, Hulk waved at him and bounded away to smash something else. Phil crouched down to fasten the three defeated enemies together with SHIELD-issue zip ties. That would hold them until junior agents could pick them up.
"Hawkeye, behind you!" Black Widow shouted. While Hawkeye whirled to shoot the enemies sneaking up on him, Black Widow took out the ones trying to lower themselves from above. They fell rather farther than they had intended, and landed on hard roof instead of soft Hawkeye. An arrow through the thigh dropped the one circling Black Widow.
She scrambled down from Hawkeye's building to the top of a bus, only to have several Hydra agents rush her. Black Widow kicked two of them in the throat simultaneously. The others knocked her off the bus.
Hulk caught Black Widow in midair, rolled to take the momentum, and set her gently back on her feet. A spray of bullets bounced off his green shoulders. With a roar, Hulk picked up the empty bus and smashed it into Hydra's formation of footsoldiers.
"Cap, assist!" called Iron Man, holding up his hands.
Captain America was almost a block away. He turned and passed his shield to Iron Man, who was in a perfect position to hurl it into the vulnerable underside of the Hydra troop transport. The vehicle went down with a gratifying amount of black smoke pouring from its guts.
After that it was just a matter of mopping up the last few enemies. Phil supervised the junior agents who came to take the Hydra casualties into custody. He kept the other half of his attention on the comm chatter as his team members called in. Everyone reported safe, except --
"Has anybody got eyes on Hulk?" Hawkeye asked in a worried tone. "I lost him after those guys tried to jump me on the roof."
This was not good. Hulk out of contact tended to mean Hulk wreaking unnecessary havoc on defenseless infrastructure, or worse, fleeing into the countryside to get himself good and lost. It had taken most of a day to find him on the previous two occasions when that happened. He hadn't done it recently, but still --
"Last I saw, he was standing on top of a wrecked Beemer," Iron Man said.
Just then, Hulk landed beside Phil with a ground-jarring THUD. He didn't look angry, despite the burnt patch on his pants that made Phil want to check him for injuries, nevermind that Hulk was well-nigh indestructible. He didn't look scared, either. He looked satisfied.
Phil announced over his comm, "Hulk just found me," then asked, "What can I do for you, Hulk?"
"Catch me, Uncle Phil," Hulk said quite clearly.
And just like that, Hulk was gone and Bruce was left in his place, knees already buckling. Phil hastened to grab him before he could fall. Phil hadn't been prepared for this; it was the fastest, easiest transformation he'd seen yet. Bruce proved surprisingly unwieldy in his arms. This was usually when ...
"Steve!" Phil yelled. "Come get --" your baby cousin, he almost finished, but managed to head off that part just in time. He'd said it so often, it had become almost automatic. That could be awkward, if he or anyone else let slip exactly what kind of exercise they were doing. Then again, role-playing was all over Phil's teambuilding manuals, and if "Saturday Pajama Party" was out of an abuse recovery book ... oh well, Nick Fury could just put on his big-boy shorts and deal with it.
"I've got him," Steve said, scooping up Bruce. It was no hardship for Steve to carry the smaller man tucked against his chest. Bruce gave a contented murmur and snuggled into Steve's grasp. The charred portion of Bruce's pants flaked away to reveal undamaged skin beneath.
"You sure do," Phil said.
"Good job, everyone. Let's go home," Steve said.
"Yes," Phil agreed.
Home. Steve had been right. Love could make anything real.
~ MISSION ACCOMPLISHED ~
Well...
Date: 2013-03-27 09:37 pm (UTC)It depends on your interpretation of "realistic." You might be surprised how much of this series is drawn from extant examples. But would these particular characters "really" agree to an exercise in deep intimacy that might fix some of the giant pile of crap that has been their lives? Likely not. Canon examples suggest they tend to bull through things on their own, with often not-very-good results (thank you, Iron Man II for demonstrating that so very clearly). However, that doesn't set a very good example in terms of problem-solving. So, one thing I like to do with fanfic is explore, what would happen if these characters had a clue coupon? What if they made a different decision than they did in canon?
>>I have a friend who has, apparently, been in nasty flamewars about what kind of fanfic is "allowed", and I think I understand her perspective a bit better now, because I could see someone flaming this story. (Alas, possibly a younger, less mature me....)<<
So far this series has been stupendously popular, precisely because it is very different from the usual. People who wish there was more nonsexual connection in literature are thrilled with it. People who want the usual are probably reading the thumbnail and tags, and moving on to something else, which is ideal for everyone.
Fanfic occupies an odd space in the collective awareness. Some people feel that it's not even legal, so in that sense they consider none of it to be allowed, even though it's covered under parody/satire and is customarily not done for money. My perspective is that anything is allowed, but not everything is necessarily moral -- I disapprove of stories that portray rape in a positive light, for example. But there are many different reasons for writing fanfic, many different things it can accomplish, and that's what gives the medium its breadth. People who like one branch may dislike another, which is fine. I tend to use it for practicing new techniques: this is the first time I've done anything with ageplay, and it spooled out into a much broader exploration of nonsexual intimacies. Fanfic is also a way I can hook new readers, which this series has done for me: I make a point of telling people, the motifs I play with in fanfic often appear in my original writing too, so if you like this, check out my other stuff.
>>But reading this makes me feel that this is what's so wonderful about fanfic. No, it's not canon, yes, I would refuse it if it were presented as canon. But, damn it, it *should* have happened. Yes, off-screen (/off-panel), but we should know that someone is caring about, and for, the people who fight to save the world.<<
This depends on the story and characters. Superheroes tend to take self-sufficiency to an exaggerated extreme. Other genres have heroes that often do the same. But it's not a literary requirement and I have been asked for alternatives to that approach.
One of my most popular original series, Path of the Paladins, deals with PTSD as a running theme. People wanted to see a world-weary paladin who wasn't perfectly pure and shiny anymore but still kept going. The people whose job it is to save the world, they take care of each other. The tone and techniques are totally different, but the underlying concept -- that surviving calamity tends to leave a mark on people -- is similar. That's something that can be covered in canon.
I actively mine fanfic for the motifs that readers find irresistible. Then I look for ways to put that into original material to see if it will have the same appeal. Often it does. It's up to my audience to decide what they like enough to request more of, what they find plausible or questionable and why, what they don't see that they wish somebody would write.
>>Thank you.<<
You're welcome! I'm glad you found this interesting.
Re: Well...
Date: 2013-03-28 04:36 am (UTC)Sure, and in one sense, what you've written is realistic - that is, it projects not-unreasonable possibilities with a bit of author-help. Which is, I suppose, what makes it a good story.
>>This depends on the story and characters. Superheroes tend to take self-sufficiency to an exaggerated extreme. Other genres have heroes that often do the same. But it's not a literary requirement and I have been asked for alternatives to that approach. <<
Nod. I was speaking of personal desiderata, not literary rules, and I suppose I was also speaking for the empathic squirrel in my pocket so I could legitimately use "we" :-).
I do like the idea of people who fight to save the world recognizing the need to care for each other, and not just, e.g., bandaging physical wounds.
(Possibly glaring subject change) That idea reminds me of a trope that bothers me (for personal reasons), the Lone Warrior. People are social animals - to be habitually alone is to have a weakness, and a big, glaring one, because people need people. While there might be times for solitude, perpetual solitude would (for most people) be as foolish as purposely not eating or drinking enough during hard physical training.
Re: Well...
Date: 2013-03-28 05:07 am (UTC)As both a reader and an editor, I've found the most important authorial skill is the ability to pull readers into your reality. Technical finesse is valuable too, but it's the gravity well that attracts and holds readers.
>>I was speaking of personal desiderata, not literary rules, and I suppose I was also speaking for the empathic squirrel in my pocket so I could legitimately use "we" <<
Agreed. I'm all for personal taste, as long as people don't mistake it for The One True Right And Only Way. (It bugs me that some editors make that mistake.)
>>I do like the idea of people who fight to save the world recognizing the need to care for each other, and not just, e.g., bandaging physical wounds.<<
Agreed. I write that a lot, some of it more subtle than this series. You'd probably enjoy Schrodinger's Heroes, which includes a mix of original and fanfic crossovers. Quantum physics, racial and sexual diversity, saving the world from alternate dimensions, and team-as-family.
>>That idea reminds me of a trope that bothers me (for personal reasons), the Lone Warrior. People are social animals - to be habitually alone is to have a weakness, and a big, glaring one, because people need people.<<
Primates tend to go insane without enough healthy touch and social interaction. What bothers me about this trope is when it's held as an ideal. When it's presented as an exception, I'm okay with it, because there are a few true hermits. More to my taste is the exploration of a character who's been badly mistreated, and avoids people as a learned survival skill. I like chucking them in with decent people to see how long it takes for the shell to melt off.
>> While there might be times for solitude, perpetual solitude would (for most people) be as foolish as purposely not eating or drinking enough during hard physical training.<<
Funny how few people realize that. I talk about skin-hunger in "Touching Moments," the current story in this series. There's a real need for skin contact, at least for most folks, stronger for some than others. For other folks, it's conversation that's crucial.
In this regard, you might enjoy the Northern culture in Torn World. They don't have true loners there; they can't, because their society is so communal and the environment is very harsh. They do have rangers who may spend a lot of time away from their village, but even they travel in small groups most of the time. So we've got a number of stories that explore how this culture deals with gregarious vs. introverted people, the effects of alienation, how the less-sociable individuals find a place for themselves. Eshra is a good example of this, about as close to a loner as a Northerner can get, but still with some connections and people who try to draw her in.