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aggie2011whoop · 7 years ago

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Whumptober Day 8 - Scar

So yesterday was SO busy and SO exhausting that by the time I got my tiny humans to bed, I was beat. So this got put off until today. Then, of course, today was busy and exhausting and this got pushed later and later, but here we are.

Also posted to ff.net and Ao3 for your reading convenience.

Read the rest of my Whumptober 2017 prompt fills here.

Phil narrowed his eyes, watching Clint from across the gym. That was the third time in an hour that Clint had rubbed at the old scar hidden under his t-shirt – a scar put there by his own brother over a decade ago.

Clint hadn’t mentioned having any dreams about that night. But then, he wouldn’t. Clint didn’t talk about his brother, not even to Phil. Clint could be having nightmares about that betrayal every night and Phil would never know.

He watched Clint pause in his pounding on the old, worn punching bag he’d chosen to work out with. He took a moment to stretch a little, gaze pinned on the rain pouring down in torrents beyond the floor to ceiling windows that made up one wall of the training gym.

As Phil watched, he rubbed at the scar again.

When he attacked the punching bag next, it was with a renewed tenacity.

Phil decided he’d better try to figure out what was going on and whether it was going to be a problem. He made his way across the gym, lifting his chin a little in greeting when Clint noticed his approach.

“You’ve been working this bag for a couple hours now, kid. Maybe time for a break.”

Clint rolled his neck and then shook his head.

“Nah, I’ve still got some juice left.”

He jabbed out at the bag and Phil stepped forward, catching it.

Clint rolled his eyes, letting out a sharp, annoyed breath.

“Can I help you?” he asked sarcastically.

“If you were going to hit this thing for hours you should have put on gloves, not just tape.” Phil nodded at the faint hint pink showing through the white tape wrapped around Clint’s hands. “Take a break.”

It wasn’t a request now. It was an order.

Still Clint stared stubbornly at him.

“What if I don’t want a break?” he asked.

Phil arched a brow.

“You wanna tell me what’s bothering you?” he prodded.

Clint gave him a blank look.

“No,” he denied simply.

Now it was Phil who huffed in frustration.

“So there is something bothering you?” he pressed.

Clint just stared at him. Phil narrowed his eyes. Time to push harder.

“You keep rubbing the scar on your shoulder,” Phil pointed out. “And watching the rain.”

The muscle at the base of Clint’s jaw ticked.

“I put those two things together and I only end up in one place.”

Clint stayed stubbornly stoic for a moment before clenching his jaw and cutting his eyes away. A confession, if Phil was ever gonna get one.

“Was it a dream?” he asked carefully.

Still looking away, out at the rain again, Clint scoffed and shook his head.

“I don’t want to talk about this.”

Phil scrubbed a hand up into his hair.

“What can I do?”

“Make it stop raining.”

It was said sarcastically, with a sour twist of his lips. But Phil didn’t make light of the request. He knew how much Clint hated the rain. He knew what memories the rain brought.

“Would that I could, kid,” he replied sincerely.

Clint looked back at him then, something in his expression softening in the face of Phil’s genuine concern and care.

“I’ll settle for you getting out of my way so I can hit that bag again.”

“You need to find a better way to cope,” Phil challenged.

“Like what?” Clint fired back. “Talk about it? You know the story. You can’t fix it, Phil. Nothing can. But this can make it better.” He gestured at the old punching bag.

“But beating your hands bloody?” Phil arched a sarcastic brow.

“By taking all the rage and pain and channeling into something other than a person,” Clint countered. “I either hit that bag, or I end up throwing down with the first jackass that crosses my path. I’ll try not to, but you know me, Phil. I gotta get it out somehow.”

Phil sighed. He remembered the early days when Clint didn’t know himself so well. When he took all that anger and pain and let it loose on the first person that pissed him off. He was always spoiling for a fight back then. Phil supposed he should count it as progress that Clint was taking steps to avoid those senseless brawls now.

“Put gloves on at least.”

“I don’t want gloves.”

“I don’t care..”

“You’re a goddamned mother hen, you know that?” Clint snapped, striding towards the equipment room. Phil waited patiently until he returned with sparring gloves. “Happy?”

“Thrilled.”

“Great. Now leave me alone.”

Phil dipped his chin in surrender and started to walk away, but then paused.

“Clint?”

“God, what now?” Clint asked, but there was an amused grin on his face.

“Spar with me.”

Clint sobered with a frown.

“That’s not a good idea.”

“Afraid you can’t handle me?” Phil taunted, sliding off his jacket and loosening his tie.

Clint didn’t rise to the bait. He shook his head instead.

“I’m not in the right headspace to spar, Phil.”

“I know. Which is why you’re gonna spar with me and not some random agent. I know your moves, kid. I can take you.”

Clint’s eyebrow arched and he smirked, obviously finding Phil’s claim amusing.

“Nat’s taught me a thing or two. You sure you’re ready for this old man?”

Phil grinned.

“Take your best shot, kid.”

An hour later Phil was bruised and stiff and realizing just how old he was getting. But Clint was laughing again and being the normal endearing little shit Phil cared so much about. It made the bruises worth it.

#ficlet #whumptober #clint barton #phll couslon #whumptober 2017

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keysmashchronicles · 4 years ago

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getting specific with some fic examples - part 1

The Seven Basic Plots argues that there are certain elements that occur time and again in stories because they hardwired into our way of telling them, and are crucial to creating a sense of enjoyment and satisfaction. So is this the case with phanfic? Is the reason that readers respond so strongly to their favourite fics because the authors have an innate understanding of what these essential features are and intentionally or unintentionally incorporate them into their stories?

Let’s look at a specific example: fifty kisses to Christmas by nokomisfics is a short, heartwarming friends to lovers fic centred around Phil’s attempts to help Dan manage his existential struggles by doing something that he read online should help raise his serotonin levels – kissing him.

If you haven’t read the fic, be warned there are spoilers ahead so go and do that before reading further!

How closely does this fic adhere to what Booker says makes a satisfying story, and how does this contribute to the readers’ enjoyment of it?

The first universal aspect as described in the Seven Basic Plots is that the main characters need to go through some kind of inner transformation provoked by a series of problems or difficulties that stand in the way of them achieving happiness. They evolve into more mature, complete versions of themselves as the story progresses and by the end have the necessary mental and emotional resources and strength to overcome the final challenge that stands between them and their happy ending.

In some plots the malevolent forces working against the protagonist are personified in the form of an evil villain that needs to be defeated, or perhaps a rival that needs to be beaten, but this isn’t the case with the comedy plot. Instead, these kinds of stories are more about the kind of darkness that comes from a sense of separation; separation from self, separation from others, separation from love, truth, light and all good things in life. They focus on the characters emerging from a place of confusion, misunderstanding, and secrecy towards a state of clarity, harmony and trust, and show the ways that they need to develop and mature as people in order for this to happen.

Do we see this pattern In fifty kisses to christmas? It’s pretty clear from early on in the plot that there is the potential for Dan and Phil’s relationship to be more than just friendly, and we see a progression throughout the story from a state of ignorance and denial towards a much greater honesty and acceptance.

Even at the start of the story, we can see how committed they are to each other. We’re shown just how focused Phil is on trying to help Dan feel better and how much his problems are affecting him when he’s researching online to try and find some kind of solution. He ‘reads and tries and reads and tries and none of it works. He doesn’t know how to fix his friend’, which shows the impact is has on him when Dan is in distress. And even before they share their first kiss, we see that Phil thinks of him as a ‘beautiful boy’ and ‘pokes at Dan’s cheek, because he likes how soft it always is’. As for Dan, we don’t get his POV so we can’t be sure what he’s thinking and feeling but he doesn’t seem to mind at all when his best friend suddenly decides they ought to start kissing.

Despite this, it seems that neither of them are either ready or able at this stage to admit the extent of their feelings for each other, which are obscured both from themselves and each other, although pretty clear to the reader.

As the story progresses, they increasingly come to recognise them, but are still not ready to openly acknowledge them. But by the end of the fic when the agreed fifty kisses have been exchanged which, according to their agreement means they ought to go back to a merely platonic relationship, Dan is brave enough to come out and state clearly what he wants and how he feels, so that they are able to achieve their happy ending.

So as the comedy plot requires, we see how as the fic progresses, our main characters tentatively open up and allow themselves to risk revealing their truth. They aren’t able to be truly happy without moving beyond ignorance and denial to a place of openness and trust.

Is this change in their behaviour brought about by a developing and maturing of their personalities as the universal plot suggests? We do see some ways in which they change and learn over the course of the story.

For example, early on Phil reflects on how he’d first realised a few months previously that Dan was struggling with his emotions, but he wasn’t sure quite how to address it so he just didn’t bring it up. He’d noticed that Dan had probably been crying, but ‘they hadn’t talked about it’ As time goes on, we see him becoming more comfortable with and willing to acknowledge and tackle difficult feelings and uncomfortable situations, even though it might be easier just to let things slide. For example, when they’re making toasties in the kitchen and Phil reminds Dan that they have a meeting at the BBC, even though he knows Dan’s deliberately trying to ignore it. He doesn’t avoid the subject, even though Dan’s reaction makes him feel ‘a rising dread in the pit of his stomach’.

Throughout the fic, we’re shown how Dan is reluctant to ask for Phil’s help when he’s having a hard time, tending instead to avoid him or act out in anger when he’s feeling low. We don’t really see a change in that behaviour until the end of the fic, when Phil comes down with the flu. Phil tries to tell Dan that he should go off and have a nice Christmas and not let it be ruined because of him, but Dan says that it’s the least he can do to be there for him.

He’s happy to look after Phil even if it might seem inconvenient because he cares about him and wants him to feel better, and this helps him to see that Phil feels exactly the same way about him when he’s struggling with his mental health. It’s not Dan’s fault that he has these struggles in the same way that it’s not Phll’s fault for falling physically ill, and it’s OK for each of them to ask for and offer help and support when the other needs it. So we see a letting go of his feelings of self-recrimination and moving towards a greater sense of self-acceptance.

So it seems that it’s more than just the passage of time that works to bring them together at the end of the fic, there is a sense by which their characters need to change and develop to allow that happy ending, even if it isn’t a particularly dramatic shift. Being a 10k one shot, there isn’t scope for complex or dramatic character development, but a simpler and more gentle progression can be just as effective in adding impact.

What does this revealing of hidden truths, this sense of growth and character progression bring to the story? I agree with Booker that watching characters mature and develop, make progress on the issues that are holding them back or become willing to accept parts of themselves that they’ve previously denied really adds to my enjoyment. Seeing the characters face up to difficult emotions and really come into their own tends to be a feature of the fics that have the most emotional impact on me. Those are usually the ones that will stick in my mind, or that I’ll come back to and read over and again.

This is one of the reasons I like the friends to lovers trope so much. The slow realisation that there’s more to their relationship than they previously thought; the blocks or barriers that are in the way, the decisions that get made about what to acknowledge, and how, and when; the courage it takes to finally get honest about what’s going on; the risk that’s involved when they’re not sure how the truth might be received and then the joy of realising that they both feel the same way is something I find very satisfying when reading fic.

The second key component of the universal plot is the use of a pattern of alternating states of tension and release, darkness and light, confusion and clarity which build in intensity towards a final climax.

This alternation is the crucial thing – it’s not about tension growing steadily and continuously, but about an ebb and flow, a sort of two steps forward, one step back scenario that slowly builds as the fic goes on. If the tension just built and built and built with no relief, we’d be exhausted before we were half way through! So this process allows it to develop in a way which is much more enjoyable and engaging to the reader.

How does this fic make use of this pattern? This can be seen in how the kisses between Dan and Phil change as the story goes on. Rather than a straight forward progression, there is a sense of moving into new territory, then pulling back to safer ground for a bit before having the courage to push things forward again. So the very first kiss is a quick peck, quickly followed by something a little more meaningful, with Phil ‘slipping his fingers into Dan’s hair’, Dan relaxing into Phil leaving him ‘pliant, soft and so, so kissable’ and Phil musing on ‘if it’s supposed to feel this great to kiss your best friend’

But rather than progress things further, both Dan and Phil and we as readers are then given a release in that tension, a bit of respite to catch our breaths and reflect on what’s just happened. The next few kisses are dropped to the top of Dan’s head or his shoulder, casually affectionate rather than passionate.

This pattern continues as the fic goes on. Dan stays up all night working on a project and while encouraging him to go to bed and rest they exchange a kiss that is ‘gentle, both of them sleep-soft and warm’ and we see how it affects Dan as his eyes ‘flutter shut’ and he makes a little sound as Phil ‘claim[s] his soft lips as quietly as he can’. That connection, that intensity between them is continuing to build but again, it pulls back, followed by simple good night kisses, a peck on the lips or even on the nose when they’re putting the star on the Christmas tree (so cute!).

Then there’s the night when, after a boozy lunch with PJ, the combination of the alcohol and PJ’s assumptions about their relationship leave Dan in a bad way. Phil goes to comfort him and they end up kissing in Dan’s bed. Phil’s just pondering on how it can feel so right to be doing this with your best friend, when Dan tugs on his hair and ‘all the blood in Phil’s body rush[es] to his crotch’, definitely new territory for them, definitely beyond the realms of just helping out your friend in a totally platonic way. Phil tries to stop things, tries to pull away but rather than let him, Dan’s response is to initiate a kiss between them for the very first time, pulling Phil back down, ‘lips hot and searching’.

This clear sign that they both want more than they’ve been willing to admit could have been the climax of the plot, the physical demonstration of their affection for each other then followed by a confession of their feelings, but again, the intensity drops back. The next morning things aren’t awkward, but they skirt around the subject, discussing how they should record last night’s kisses on their kiss chart rather than talking about what they might mean. Phil can’t quite keep his hands to himself though, ‘running his fingers down [Dan’s sides to where a strip of pale skin is exposed’ so he can touch ‘the soft skin of Dan’s belly’. But then over the next few days we’re back to tamer kisses, even though Phil’s now very aware of the true extent of his feelings for Dan as what he’d really like to do is ‘push [him] into the racks of Christmas CDs…..and kiss him silly’.

Before long, there are only two kisses left. Phil decides to keep the final kisses for Christmas Day, and so it seems like we’re being set up for that to be the climax to the story with maybe some big romantic gesture and a declaration of love, but instead Christmas Day dawns with Phil in bed with the flu, and Dan getting in beside him to look after him and provide him with comfort. It might seem that this was done simply to tease out the tension of the story and make us even more eager for it’s conclusion, but as mentioned earlier my view is that this role reversal with Dan looking after Phil is needed to help him let go of insecurities about himself and be ready to finally open up about his true feelings.

Their final two kisses, shared when Phil is feeling a bit better but still kind of groggy with fever aren’t really anything special, certainly not any kind of grand gesture, but it’s what happens next that counts. The experiment is over, the allotted number of kisses have been given….but they don’t stop. They both know that there’s now no reason for them to be kissing other than the simple fact that they both want to. At first, out of habit, Phil keeps counting but then he stops counting at all, Dan kissing him wherever he can reach and then confessing into Phil’s neck ‘I don’t want to stop’ in a voice which is ‘scared, wobbly, vulnerable’.

This really is the climax of the story, the point where the final barrier between them being together is being faced. Dan has taken a risk, put himself out there and even though we’re pretty certain of what Phll’s reaction is going to be, it still creates that point of tension, of the weight of the possible consequences of making this admission.

When Phil responds that they don’t need to stop, both we and they feel the tension finally break that’s been building and receding throughout the fic. We’ve reached the point where we’re finally assured that everything is going to be OK. Our boys were kind of clueless, a bit misguided but they got there in the end and we feel a mixture of relief and celebration.

I think it’s pretty clear that this pattern of gradually increasing tension that ebbs and flows but ultimately builds towards some kind of final climax is absolutely something that makes a fic satisfying to read! Whether it’s a fluffy one shot, a mammoth slow burn that unfolds over dozens of chapters or even a pwp with a different kind of happy ending, this pattern is used and enjoyed throughout phanfic to great effect.

the seven basic plots and phanfic // fics that don’t fit the mould

#phanfic #phanfiction #fanfic #fanfiction

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