Constructs in Progress
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| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Constructs in Progress |
| Author(s): | Muccamukk |
| Date(s): | 20 May 2010 |
| Length: | 29,921 words |
| Genre: | Apocafic, het/poly/slash fanfiction |
| Fandom: | The Avengers, Captain America, Iron Man |
| External Links: | Constructs in Progress (AO3) Constructs in Progress (Dreamwidth) |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Constructs in Progress is an apocafic AU by Muccamukk (Steve/Natalia, Steve/Tony, Steve/Tony/Natalia). It was written for the AU Big Bang 2010.[1] Soloproject made five black & white illustrations for the story[2] and Muccamukk provided a map and Dramatis Personæ.[3]
Author's summary: "In the seven territories built out of the ruins of New York City, no one has managed to match Tony Stark as either a technologist or a unicorn rider. But when Tony's secrets come back to haunt him, even Captain Rogers and his mysterious lover might not be able to save him, or the city."
The author says about the premise:
- "The basic premise is that everyone lives in a ruined version of NYC, where the survivors of... whatever have to coble together lives out of mix of bio-engineering, advanced technology and magic. The city's divided into territories, each controlled by a war lord. Since any kind of war with this rather explosive tech/magic/weapons mix could fairly easily destroy the city if it got out of hand, open conflict is mutually avoided. Instead, major disputes are resolved in tourneys, at which unicorn racing is the premiere event. Tony is the Avengers' mad inventor/unicorn rider. Steve's job is supposed to be running internal security, but it ends up being about protecting Tony's honour a ridiculous amount of the time."[4]
Recs and Reviews
Really fascinating post-apocalyptic AU, where NYC is 7 independent kingdoms and there is no power for technology, so engineers like Tony have to rely on magecraft and magical beings. Tony has created one of the few unicorns in the world, at a very high cost to himself (including perpetual virginity). Meanwhile Steve is just trying to keep lower Manhattan--and Tony--safe.[5]
Tony was amazing and so very much like the boy wonder/cynical savant that we've come to know and love. It was ever so fun to read about him as a virgin of sorts and see Steve dealing with his jealousy concerns regarding Tony's status. While I'd normally not enjoy the frustration of that situation you made this lighthearted enough to be fun instead of endlessly angsty and for that I thank you. All the other characters were great, I think you did exceptionally well with Natasha. I hadn't thought that I'd enjoy this setting and the steampunk flavor but again you won me over and made this work.[6]
I've seen this story come up in searches or rec lists so many times, but always avoided it because it sounded like some kind of epic crack fic, and I usually prefer crack in small doses. But I finally gave it a go and expected to stop reading right away, but I was completely hooked. It was such a treat to read a Steve/Tony story that actually had a full cast of characters and this fascinating world you'd created for them. The story flowed so well and all the questions I had that popped up were answered in neat, tidy little ways. And everything just felt so in character! I never anticipated saying that a fic where Tony Stark is a virginal unicorn rider has one of the best characterizations of him ever, but there you have it. I loved Steve and Natasha's relationship and that ending, gah, I am sad there's no sequel with the three of them having sex forever. I've never had strong feelings on Brother Voodoo, but I really loved him in particular in this fic, and now I want to read more about him, in comics AND in fic. This has been a great lesson in not judging a fic based on its tags and summary! Or at least being more open minded to weirder concepts since that's what I love about comic books in the first place.[7]
The story is linked at Fugues Fiction Archive & Recommendations: Iron Man[8] with an excerpt as summary:
Tony knew that taking the bridge was a huge risk. Even at night, it was exposed, expected and incredibly vulnerable, and if they didn’t let him into Manhattan he was pretty much screwed. However, going the long way around would lead him through miles of hostile territory, and it hurt too much to make that far, no matter how fast he rode. It wasn’t like he could get the damn construct on a boat, even if he could steal one, nor could he leave the thing behind. Next time, Tony decided, I’m making a unicorn that flies.
References
- ^ muccamukk in au_bigbang. Constructs in Progress (Marvel Comics), 20 May 2010. (Accessed 05 July 2012)
- ^ soloproject. art for au_bigbang, 23 May 2010. (Accessed 05 July 2012)
- ^ muccamukk. Constructs in Progress: Map and Dramatis Personæ, 10 May 2010. (Accessed 05 July 2012)
- ^ muccamukk. Taking This Every Bit as Seriously as I Ought to, 31 January 2010. (Accessed 05 July 2012)
- ^ blueMeridian. Pinboard summary, 12 January 2012. (Accessed 05 July 2012)
- ^ Westley. AO3 comment, 29 August 2011. (Accessed 05 July 2012)
- ^ Anon. AO3 comment, 28 June 2012. (Accessed 05 July 2012)
- ^ muccamukk, “Constructs in Progress”, 07 August 2010. (Accessed 05 July 2012)