MCU Wintershock Author Spotlight on Polexia Aphrodite

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Interviews by Fans
Title: MCU Wintershock Author Spotlight on Polexia Aphrodite
Interviewer: MCU Wintershock
Interviewee: Polexia Aphrodite
Date(s): April 3, 2015
Medium: online
Fandom(s): Marvel Cinematic Universe
External Links: MCU Wintershock Author Spotlight on Polexia Aphrodite, Archived version
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Part of a Series

See MCU Wintershock Spotlights.

Excerpts

"What about Wintershock as a pairing appeals to you? Something about Darcy and Bucky just sort of clicks. Firstly, maybe, because they’re both very loyal characters, and both come from a place of non-judgment. Like, if you were their friend and committed a crime, they would help you destroy the evidence, no questions asked. They’re good partners that way. I like the idea of them (or any pairing, really) working together well as partners or friends, and extending that into a relationship. Darcy/Bucky works really well for that trope."

"How did you first encounter it?

I’m a shameless multishipper – I think life is too short for NOTPs. So at the time I was reading a lot of Steve/Darcy and a lot of Steve/Bucky, and was like “Hey, what if…”

At the time (ugh, almost two years ago), there wasn’t a lot of Darcy/Bucky fic on AO3, and I’m not sure which was my first, but the first I bookmarked was Merideath’s Cotton Candy and Photographs."

"Do you have any specific Wintershock headcanons? Are there any particular fic tropes you like concerning the pairing?

As I mentioned, I like the idea of them as partners in crime – totally there for each other and supportive, either in subtle or overt ways. In this pairing, I like to think of Darcy as a little darker – more frustrated, maybe a little mean or insecure, she swears, she knows who to call to get pot – maybe because Bucky has a lot of rough edges, too, and I like the idea of them evening each other out.

I think Bucky can also be sort of tentative in this relationship,and a little anxious about Darcy’s investment in him. Post-Winter Soldier, his relationships with Steve and Darcy are major touchstones for him – they are the things that ground him and make him feel normal. Because of that, the stakes are tremendously high – if he can maintain these kinds of interpersonal connections, then maybe he’s okay, maybe he’s going to be okay. But if he can’t, then the illusion of okay-ness falls through. Steve is pretty much his soulmate, and even Bucky knows how secure that relationship is, but his relationship with Darcy is invariably newer and a little more unknown, so it’s easy to project a lot of his anxieties onto not screwing up with her.

Without dipping into Darcy’s-Magical-Healing-Vagina territory, I like the idea of Darcy helping Bucky reconnect with his humanity post-Winter Soldier, in part because (unlike Steve and Natasha) she doesn’t have any baggage associated with him and he finds it refreshing. And I think they’re both looking for something, some kind of meaning in their lives, and that’s a major point on which they can relate to each other."

"Of the stories that you’ve written concerning them, which one is your favorite and why? I really like the native home of hope – I live in the Pacific Northwest, and I loved writing about the West Coast as a setting for them. just a shot away was fun to write, too, because I love historical AUs, and because Mad Men is my religion and I love this period."

"What Wintershock fic by someone else would you recommend to others to read? What about this fic appeals to you? JadeCharmer’s I Have Seen Castles, Broken and Crumbling is a great fic. I love the idea of Darcy going back to the 40s, and it’s got a lot of great historical details."