ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2014-08-22 12:07 am

Story: "Little and Broken, but Still Good" Part 35

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," and "kintsukuroi."

Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Nick Fury
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Minor character death. Bullying. Fighting. Suicide attempt (minor character).
Summary: This is the story of how a little boy named Flip grows up to save the world a lot.
Notes: Hurt/comfort. Family. Fluff and angst. Accidents. Emotional whump. Disability. Sibling relationship. Nonsexual love. Parentification. Manipulation. Coping skills. Asking for help and getting it. Hope. Protection. Caregiving. Competence. Toys and games. Comic books. Fixing things. Martial arts. Gentleness. Trust. Role models. Military. BAMF Phil Coulson.

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, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25, Part 26, Part 27, Part 28, Part 29, Part 30, Part 31, Part 32, Part 33, Part 34.

Here ends "Little and Broken, but Still Good." 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.

Next up is "Idjit," which comes from Supernatural. After that, we'll switch back to Love Is For Children. with "Up the Water Spout."

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.


"Little and Broken, but Still Good" Part 35


Phil is laid up in his quarters with a baker's dozen broken ribs when Agent Hill sends him a care package of movies to watch. She knows his tastes well. The Animatrix plays right into Phil's old fondness for shadow work and intrigue. Yet "The New Renaissance" reverses his perspective of the entire Matrix trilogy, realizing that it was not the machines but the humans who started the war.

"At B166-ER's murder trial, the prosecution argued for an owner's right to destroy property. B166-ER testified that he simply did not want to die," the narrator says. Phil shivers. Any nation that identifies some individuals as unpersons is liable to get into the kind of trouble that results in a call for SHIELD assistance.

Brother Bear is sweeter and more hopeful. Kenai's description of brotherhood makes Phil chuckle. "I went on the longest, hardest, most exhausting journey I have ever been on with the biggest pain in the neck I have ever met! But hey. What else do you expect from a little brother?" It's exactly like that.

A later line makes him pause to think, though. "Well, it's kind of about a man ... and kind of about a bear. But mostly, it's about a monster," Kenai says. Oh, Phil knows about monsters -- and he knows that what makes a monster isn't at all about the shape, but about the spirit. Wrongful death weighs heavy on the conscience, even if you didn't mean for it to happen. Especially if you didn't mean it. Phil cheers when Kenai and Koda manage to make up.

Phil turns to Lilo & Stitch next. He had missed it in theaters because he was busy infiltrating AIM at the time. Cobra Bubbles reminds him more than a bit of Nick Fury. Phil wonders if his old friend ever moonlighted as a social worker. But the plot hits so close to home that Phil cries through the entire movie.

" 'Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind. But if you want to leave, you can. I'll remember you though. I remember everyone that leaves," Lilo says to Stitch as he heads for the window. Phil aches with the memory of losing his father.

"It's okay, my dog found the chainsaw," Lilo says to Bubbles while the aliens are attacking her house. Phil sympathizes. His life isn't quite that far gone, but you can see it from where he's standing.

"This is my family. I found it all on my own. It's little and broken, but still good. Yeah -- still good," Stitch says to the Grand Councilwoman when she asks about Lilo and Nani. Phil knows that it's not size or perfection that makes a family, but love.

That right there is Phil's story in a nutshell. Now he feels almost glad that he hadn't gone to see it with his sister. By the time the movie ends, his chest hurts so much that it's all he can do to drag himself to the bathroom, swallow some codeine, and pass out in bed.

The next day he does it all again.

* * *

Notes:

Broken ribs often result from bashing into things. Know the immediate and long-term care.

The Animatrix is a series of animated shorts related to the Matrix movies. "The Second Renaissance" gives the backstory of the how humans started the war.

The personhood and ethics of artificial intelligence are key issues in that field.

Brother Bear is an animated movie about personal transformation. The quote comes from its wiki page.

"What makes a monster?" is a question raised in many stories, such as Frankenstein. We may also consider what makes a monster scary. Yet the scariest monsters tend to be human, like serial killers.

Lilo & Stitch is an animated movie about two misfits who fit together perfectly. See wikiquote for the lines borrowed.

'Ohana is the Hawaiian word for "family." People may ask what makes a family or wonder about different kinds of families. There are simple and more detailed characteristics of a healthy family. Understand how to have a good family life.


~ MISSION ACCOMPLISHED ~
thnidu: glowing light bulb. tinyurl.com/33j2v8h (light bulb)

onomastica

[personal profile] thnidu 2014-08-24 06:37 pm (UTC)(link)
(Sigh.) It's over. (Smile.) It leaves warm memories.

And I was wondering, just before reading this last part, where the name "Coulson" comes from, so I looked it up.
This interesting and unusual surname is of Irish and early medieval English origin, and has two possible sources.
  1. The first source is from a patronymic form of the surname Coole, which is
    1. either the Anglicization of the Gaelic "MacCumhaill" [English "McCool"], son of Cumhall, a byname meaning champion
    2. or the Anglicization of the Gaelic "MacDhubhghaill" [English "McDougal"], son of Dubhgall, a personal name meaning black stranger, derived from the Gaelic elements "dubh", black, and "gall", stranger.
  2. The second source is a patronymic of Cole, which is from a Middle English (1200 - 1500) pet form of the personal name Nicholas, which is itself from the Greek "Nikolaos", composed of the elements "nikan", to conquer, and "laos", people, and means "victory of the people".
—(source)
Ever hear of Finn McCool? (rhetorical question)
thnidu: plus sign (plus)

Re: onomastica

[personal profile] thnidu 2014-08-24 11:01 pm (UTC)(link)
I forgot to mention that besides "Phil MacCumaill" I also am glad finally to learn where the title came from. I've been quietly wondering about that since Part 1. -- And now I may want to see Lilo and Stitch.

(Anonymous) 2014-08-25 01:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, this is my new favorite story in this series! I'm enjoying the character of Phil Coulson more and more. It was Tony Stark who got my attention and pulled me into the fandom and then Bruce Banner who had such deep problems so similar to mine. But it's Phil who's really compelling in the long term because he's got a lot of those same protective instincts but his capacity to actually deal with things is a lot better. Seeing how he got that capacity one step at a time from the beginning is both very reassuring and very informative.

- qwanderer (AO3)

(Anonymous) 2014-08-25 10:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Wow, that was absolutely wonderful. I love reading through all the different facets, and seeing Flip/Phil's journey to where he is now. Thank you for another amazing read!
-A
seekergeek: (Default)

[personal profile] seekergeek 2014-08-25 11:22 pm (UTC)(link)
I was slow to warm up to this story, but in the end it was quite satisfying. Thank you for posting.

(Anonymous) 2014-08-26 08:28 pm (UTC)(link)
I was away for a while, and missed a bunch of updates, and then when I got back I caught up with a big reading binge. :) I'm glad you are still writing more in this universe, I really like it.

Santosha

(Anonymous) 2014-08-31 07:29 am (UTC)(link)
Hi! I've come back to this series after a bit of time away. I was very pleased to see that there was a new story to read. I really loved how you built the background for Phil from the bottom up. You did a fantastic job of creating this complete world of Phil's life. I especially loved the scenes in which Phil works on paperwork.
Thank you very much for sharing!
Caroline
zeeth_kyrah: A glowing white and blue anthropomorphic horse stands before a pink and blue sky. (Default)

Re: Phil isn't

[personal profile] zeeth_kyrah 2014-09-05 03:17 pm (UTC)(link)
Support groups are supposed to be about making friends (or at least acquaintances) with people "like you", but I've found they rarely work for me unless the membership is highly diverse and tolerant. This is not always easy to find, and support for the problems I've had has been limited (nearly always the case).
alee_grrl: A kitty peeking out from between a stack of books and a cup of coffee. (Default)

Thank you for this wonderful work

[personal profile] alee_grrl 2014-09-18 07:14 pm (UTC)(link)
It's taken me a while to get around to catching up on this story. I'm glad that I finally had a chance to do so. You capture Phil's development so wonderfully. And the last scene with him watching Lilo & Stitch is so incredibly powerful. That movie means an awful lot to me (and many other readers it would appear).
Edited 2014-09-18 19:15 (UTC)

(Anonymous) 2015-12-06 05:08 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm very bad at commenting but I really loved this. It makes a lot of the rest of the series make sense re: Phil's reactions to things. I like Phil's mom and Alexa a lot and I hope we see more of them throughout the series.

[personal profile] mashfanficchick 2015-12-27 12:55 am (UTC)(link)
Out of curiosity, did you know that Clark Gregg is apparently a serious martial artist (though focusing on jiu jitsu, not karate; see the video linked below), or is this another example--like his "uncle" quote--of life imitating your art?

https://youtu.be/RAdINXst-QM

I love Little and Broken but Still Good

(Anonymous) 2017-11-16 01:18 am (UTC)(link)
I really liked this story! My sister kept telling me I should read this and I thought I didn't feel like reading a long story... but then I gave it a try and I am captivated. It's so realistic and poignant and beautifull! Your comments at the end of your chapters made me think, especially the parts about avoiding conflicts and I think it made me wiser! ;-) So thank you for sharing this story.

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