Plot fishnet
Jan. 22nd, 2013 02:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beccaelizabethAm reading a fic where the Avengers get accused of a crime and they thing SHIELD is setting them up and they all go on the run and Steve and Tony end up hiding in a motel room together and I don't think I can keep reading it without taking a minute to write how it makes no sense.
And sorry if this happens to get back to the fic writer. Write what you like, if you want your guys running away in a motel together, fair enough. Just... sense, it is not actually making it.
First, there's how they're told: Clint phones them at the tower on completely secure Stark phones to tell them only to turn up at an anonymous coffee shop. Where they show them a newspaper headline.
(a) phone is secure, say whatever you want, there's plenty of ways to say it without giving away your location and with telling people to run without telling listeners you're telling them to run. Sneaky spy people are sneaky and competent. Which, see point two in a minute.
(b) information is public, all you actually need to do is txt someone a link to a news headline, or to tell them to turn on the TV
(c) Tony in the tower is in his own personal fortress, armed, armoured, well supplied, with a literal robot army even if you only count his spare suits and with armies of lawyers at his beck and call. Privilege is private law once you get down to it. He's already holding off the government when they want his suit and could be doing stuff like calling him a terrorist. Criminal charges for a hold up? His lawyers will eat for breakfast. Before it makes any sense for him to go on the run, you have to take his money away, and split him from his other material assets. Ending up in a motel room? Why? If he forts up, nobody short of a supervillain is going to crack that.
point the second: Thinking it's SHIELD?
Thinking SHIELD would set them up by making local police hate them?
And then, thinking the getting arrested at the coffee shop is SHIELD?
Here's the thing about SHIELD: The team talk to them often. SHIELD doesn't need to set the police on them, they can wait for them to come in for a briefing, or for Tony's regular consultation hours, and then just say 'btw you're arrested'. No armed stand off involved.
Even Clint being the one luring everyone to an armed stand off isn't very competent. You know what happens when you try to arrest the Hulk? The US Army know full well what happens when you try to arrest the Hulk. There is pretty much no point trying to arrest the Hulk, because the Hulk is honey badger about the whole being arrested concept. Hulk smash. Even if it involves falling out of the Helicarrier.
If SHIELD wanted to restrain the Avengers they'd be better off sending Bruce on a mission to the middle of nowhere, arresting the others, and then letting Bruce disappear himself.
... actually now I want a story where SHIELD or the Army try that and Bruce has to decide that vanishing again isn't best after all, that his team need him. That would be a difficult decide. More difficult than the battle, because the SMASH applicability of that is obvious. He'd have to decide him being hunted is different from THEM being hunted and that he has to help his friends. And then find ways he can help, which would involve smart Bruce and strong Hulk both. That's be fun.
Also the story starts with Thor being one day away from going back to Asgard. If you want to arrest Thor, this is a stupid way to go about it, and also diplomatic incident etc etc. If you want to arrest the rest of the Avengers, this is stupid timing. And SHIELD would know that.
Basically the only way it makes sense for the Avengers to suspect SHIELD set up that particular wanted by the police scenario is if either SHIELD or the Avengers are, you know, stupid.
Which is a problem.
Problem the Third: Trying to separate Tony from his technology.
Having them dump their cell phones because the police are after them, or even because SHIELD are after them, makes no sense if Tony designed the phones. At the very least he'd be confident his tech can't be traced. He might be wrong, but that would require another Stark level genius and be a whole story. Tony's phone is capable of hijacking tech that really shouldn't have the inputs to let him send pictures to it. It's not a sonic screwdriver, but you can bet he's thought about how it could be. And if Tony has the suit with him, even the suitcase suit, he also has small tools to fix the suit, yesno? And Tony with his phone and a toolkit can gadgeteer pretty much anything.
And without his phone and a toolkit the first thing he's going to do is buy a Starkphone and a toolkit. They're in New York, it will not be difficult.
The only way to get Tony Stark to be without tech is to dump him somewhere that is magically inimical to technology. Otherwise he's just going to get whatever tech he wants together. Because he's Tony Stark.
Other problems are more of the I wouldn't do it that way sort. Like, if you're on the run, you don't actually want to find a horrible ratty motel, you want some middling business commuter type place and to check in like you're in the middle of a sales trip.
But the first three are... this story couldn't happen to Avengers. It doesn't make sense happening to Avengers in this way. And if it did happen to Avengers, they'd react completely differently.
Oh, and minor point? They're in the motel room in the double bed trying to sleep, and when Tony turns out the lights it gets dark.
Tony is his own nightlight.
I wouldn't even have noticed except nothing else felt like it was Avengers so the lack of glowy added to the total.
Okay, I'm done.
... my upstairs-ish neighbour has put music on, and I'm slightly apprehensive they're going to put No Matter What on repeat and start singing along, because they do that, a lot.
... oh yeah, there it goes. *facepalm*
Ability to concentrate on college work would be nice.
Miraculous, but nice.
And sorry if this happens to get back to the fic writer. Write what you like, if you want your guys running away in a motel together, fair enough. Just... sense, it is not actually making it.
First, there's how they're told: Clint phones them at the tower on completely secure Stark phones to tell them only to turn up at an anonymous coffee shop. Where they show them a newspaper headline.
(a) phone is secure, say whatever you want, there's plenty of ways to say it without giving away your location and with telling people to run without telling listeners you're telling them to run. Sneaky spy people are sneaky and competent. Which, see point two in a minute.
(b) information is public, all you actually need to do is txt someone a link to a news headline, or to tell them to turn on the TV
(c) Tony in the tower is in his own personal fortress, armed, armoured, well supplied, with a literal robot army even if you only count his spare suits and with armies of lawyers at his beck and call. Privilege is private law once you get down to it. He's already holding off the government when they want his suit and could be doing stuff like calling him a terrorist. Criminal charges for a hold up? His lawyers will eat for breakfast. Before it makes any sense for him to go on the run, you have to take his money away, and split him from his other material assets. Ending up in a motel room? Why? If he forts up, nobody short of a supervillain is going to crack that.
point the second: Thinking it's SHIELD?
Thinking SHIELD would set them up by making local police hate them?
And then, thinking the getting arrested at the coffee shop is SHIELD?
Here's the thing about SHIELD: The team talk to them often. SHIELD doesn't need to set the police on them, they can wait for them to come in for a briefing, or for Tony's regular consultation hours, and then just say 'btw you're arrested'. No armed stand off involved.
Even Clint being the one luring everyone to an armed stand off isn't very competent. You know what happens when you try to arrest the Hulk? The US Army know full well what happens when you try to arrest the Hulk. There is pretty much no point trying to arrest the Hulk, because the Hulk is honey badger about the whole being arrested concept. Hulk smash. Even if it involves falling out of the Helicarrier.
If SHIELD wanted to restrain the Avengers they'd be better off sending Bruce on a mission to the middle of nowhere, arresting the others, and then letting Bruce disappear himself.
... actually now I want a story where SHIELD or the Army try that and Bruce has to decide that vanishing again isn't best after all, that his team need him. That would be a difficult decide. More difficult than the battle, because the SMASH applicability of that is obvious. He'd have to decide him being hunted is different from THEM being hunted and that he has to help his friends. And then find ways he can help, which would involve smart Bruce and strong Hulk both. That's be fun.
Also the story starts with Thor being one day away from going back to Asgard. If you want to arrest Thor, this is a stupid way to go about it, and also diplomatic incident etc etc. If you want to arrest the rest of the Avengers, this is stupid timing. And SHIELD would know that.
Basically the only way it makes sense for the Avengers to suspect SHIELD set up that particular wanted by the police scenario is if either SHIELD or the Avengers are, you know, stupid.
Which is a problem.
Problem the Third: Trying to separate Tony from his technology.
Having them dump their cell phones because the police are after them, or even because SHIELD are after them, makes no sense if Tony designed the phones. At the very least he'd be confident his tech can't be traced. He might be wrong, but that would require another Stark level genius and be a whole story. Tony's phone is capable of hijacking tech that really shouldn't have the inputs to let him send pictures to it. It's not a sonic screwdriver, but you can bet he's thought about how it could be. And if Tony has the suit with him, even the suitcase suit, he also has small tools to fix the suit, yesno? And Tony with his phone and a toolkit can gadgeteer pretty much anything.
And without his phone and a toolkit the first thing he's going to do is buy a Starkphone and a toolkit. They're in New York, it will not be difficult.
The only way to get Tony Stark to be without tech is to dump him somewhere that is magically inimical to technology. Otherwise he's just going to get whatever tech he wants together. Because he's Tony Stark.
Other problems are more of the I wouldn't do it that way sort. Like, if you're on the run, you don't actually want to find a horrible ratty motel, you want some middling business commuter type place and to check in like you're in the middle of a sales trip.
But the first three are... this story couldn't happen to Avengers. It doesn't make sense happening to Avengers in this way. And if it did happen to Avengers, they'd react completely differently.
Oh, and minor point? They're in the motel room in the double bed trying to sleep, and when Tony turns out the lights it gets dark.
Tony is his own nightlight.
I wouldn't even have noticed except nothing else felt like it was Avengers so the lack of glowy added to the total.
Okay, I'm done.
... my upstairs-ish neighbour has put music on, and I'm slightly apprehensive they're going to put No Matter What on repeat and start singing along, because they do that, a lot.
... oh yeah, there it goes. *facepalm*
Ability to concentrate on college work would be nice.
Miraculous, but nice.