a dream too tired to come true
There are few things more disappointing, in fannish terms, than reading a story that's been pretty good and then hitting that first "taller man" (or "smaller man" or even the so awfully generic "other man"). It's not an automatic click-out for me (though I may actually groan out loud in dismay when I hit it), at least not in smaller fandoms or pairings where there isn't a lot of fic to begin with, but it's such a disappointment. Especially when things were going pretty well up until that point!
*
So you know how they're airing Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes in Australia practically daily, so I tracked down copies of "Code Red" and "Winter Soldier" so I could see what they decided to do with the story.
There's some really clunky exposition - Bucky basically says, "You left me to die and the Red Skull tortured and brainwashed me and now I'm the Winter Soldier and I'm really messed up in the head. No thanks to you, Rogers!" I don't think they really let the emotional beats breathe enough to make it really heart-clenchy, especially if you don't already care, but there was some good stuff, like when Steve rescues Bucky and tells him that the world needs Bucky Barnes, too (a nice callback to Bucky kicking Steve off the plane when they both 'died,' because the world needs Captain America more than it needs Bucky).
I liked Bucky starting to remember who he was because of Steve (no cosmic cube involved) and saving Steve's life and then running around trying to make up for some of the terrible things he's done by spiking the Red Skull's plans, though of all the things they could have lifted right from the comics, Bucky's disappearance at the end, to sort himself out, wasn't one I wanted to see. No. I wanted Steve and Bucky to hug and for Steve to take him back to the mansion and feed him soup (and if that had happened, I would have absolutely adopted it as a metaphor for reunion sex *hands*).
And I liked that the Red Skull knew the Winter Soldier would ping for Steve, and that he used him as a trap, but it ended up backfiring on him. Because that is how it should be!
And I loved how even though Bucky was all prickly about it, he and Steve almost immediately fell back into their old rhythm together. <3 OTP!
I also liked how at the end of "Code Red," Tony's yammering on about the mission to the rest of the team and Steve's staring off into the distance, clearly not listening because he's thinking "ZOMG BUCKY IS ALIVE? I MUST FIND HIM!" Oh, Steve.
So while it wasn't an ideal retelling of the story, I was happy to have gotten it at all, considering. (Also, reunion with Natasha: y/y?) now I just have to keep hoping they'll do it in the movies.
*
I posted a story last night:
The way that light attaches to a girl (at AO3)
Avengers (2012); Steve (Steve/Peggy, Steve/Darcy); pg; 2,415 words
Five women Steve has drawn.
Not at all what I planned to work on yesterday, but for some reason, the idea just wouldn't go away. I mean, I'd had the idea a while (I love artist!Steve a lot), title and all, but no words to go with it, until yesterday, suddenly I couldn't stop thinking about it even though I was supposed to be writing minutes (which, thankfully, I did finish).
The funny part is, I couldn't decide whether it was going to end up Steve/Natasha or Steve/Darcy - I knew he was going to draw Darcy as a Varga girl (me: Can I have Darcy say, "Draw me like one of your French girls?"
angelgazing: Probably not. me: Dammit!) - but I was mostly leaning Steve/Natasha until I figured out what Natasha's section was about ("NO CAPES!") and it wasn't smoochies. I think it works better this way.
I entertain myself, anyway. And I'm so pleased other people have liked it. Thank you! <3
*
This entry at DW: http://musesfool.dreamwidth.org/476667.html.
people have commented there.
*
So you know how they're airing Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes in Australia practically daily, so I tracked down copies of "Code Red" and "Winter Soldier" so I could see what they decided to do with the story.
There's some really clunky exposition - Bucky basically says, "You left me to die and the Red Skull tortured and brainwashed me and now I'm the Winter Soldier and I'm really messed up in the head. No thanks to you, Rogers!" I don't think they really let the emotional beats breathe enough to make it really heart-clenchy, especially if you don't already care, but there was some good stuff, like when Steve rescues Bucky and tells him that the world needs Bucky Barnes, too (a nice callback to Bucky kicking Steve off the plane when they both 'died,' because the world needs Captain America more than it needs Bucky).
I liked Bucky starting to remember who he was because of Steve (no cosmic cube involved) and saving Steve's life and then running around trying to make up for some of the terrible things he's done by spiking the Red Skull's plans, though of all the things they could have lifted right from the comics, Bucky's disappearance at the end, to sort himself out, wasn't one I wanted to see. No. I wanted Steve and Bucky to hug and for Steve to take him back to the mansion and feed him soup (and if that had happened, I would have absolutely adopted it as a metaphor for reunion sex *hands*).
And I liked that the Red Skull knew the Winter Soldier would ping for Steve, and that he used him as a trap, but it ended up backfiring on him. Because that is how it should be!
And I loved how even though Bucky was all prickly about it, he and Steve almost immediately fell back into their old rhythm together. <3 OTP!
I also liked how at the end of "Code Red," Tony's yammering on about the mission to the rest of the team and Steve's staring off into the distance, clearly not listening because he's thinking "ZOMG BUCKY IS ALIVE? I MUST FIND HIM!" Oh, Steve.
So while it wasn't an ideal retelling of the story, I was happy to have gotten it at all, considering. (Also, reunion with Natasha: y/y?) now I just have to keep hoping they'll do it in the movies.
*
I posted a story last night:
The way that light attaches to a girl (at AO3)
Avengers (2012); Steve (Steve/Peggy, Steve/Darcy); pg; 2,415 words
Five women Steve has drawn.
Not at all what I planned to work on yesterday, but for some reason, the idea just wouldn't go away. I mean, I'd had the idea a while (I love artist!Steve a lot), title and all, but no words to go with it, until yesterday, suddenly I couldn't stop thinking about it even though I was supposed to be writing minutes (which, thankfully, I did finish).
The funny part is, I couldn't decide whether it was going to end up Steve/Natasha or Steve/Darcy - I knew he was going to draw Darcy as a Varga girl (me: Can I have Darcy say, "Draw me like one of your French girls?"
angelgazing: Probably not. me: Dammit!) - but I was mostly leaning Steve/Natasha until I figured out what Natasha's section was about ("NO CAPES!") and it wasn't smoochies. I think it works better this way.
I entertain myself, anyway. And I'm so pleased other people have liked it. Thank you! <3
*
This entry at DW: http://musesfool.dreamwidth.org/476667.html.
people have commented there.