I love your response about Fitz and writing platonic fanfic. I’m guilty of focusing on Fitz as part of Fitzsimmons, but I also adore him as an individual. I sometimes find it difficult to write a “platonic” Fitz-centric story because his love for Jemma has indirectly affected pretty much everything he does (brain trauma). Even if it’s not an explicit focus, I think it’s easy to pull it into any story revolving around him because she has impacted him so much as a person (hello, Framework)
Thanks, I’m glad to hear it!
As for finding it difficult to write a platonic Fitz-centric fic, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I too, enjoy writing ballads about him writing ballads about Jemma. The depth and strength of his love for her is a beautiful, beautiful thing and I love celebrating that too, it only becomes a problem for me when there’s so much more of it than other stuff about him.
That said, while it’s important to be critical, overthinking anything, especially stuff like this, will always lead you back to a certain place, so you’ve gotta cut yourself (and other people) a bit of slack. What I mean is, our interpretations are always shaped by our expectations and emotions, so if you’re looking for a character to be misrepresented, exploited etc, - or in this case, if you’re looking for Jemma’s influence on everything Fitz has ever done - chances are you’ll find it even if it’s not really there, or at least not as obvious as it may seem.
It’s important to remember with this sort of thing that the reality is: none of us, neither humans nor characters, actually live an individual life. We are who we are in large part because of the people we know and love, and the experiences we have because of them, both good and bad. This is especially strong for Fitz & Simmons, because even before they got together romantically they were very close friends, and by this point they’ve been very close for almost half their lives - romance or not, that’s going to have a very deep impact on a person’s life, feelings, and identity. There’s no need to remove that and in fact, it’s probably best not to try too hard to avoid it as part of either of their identities.
The trick then becomes not letting it be the only thing about their identities. Again, overthinking this is a terrifying beast, but the way I do it is I by thinking of the platonic element as adding something, rather than avoiding the romance of it. This may seem obvious, so maybe I’m not explaining it properly, but for example, jumping off some of the things you mentioned above:
- Fitz’s brain injury may be tied strongly to Jemma in terms of how it happened, but it’s also tied to Ward. It’s also tied, perhaps, to whoever inspired him to take that sort of morality or personality that drove him to that decision (eg. maybe his mother). You can also talk about it with the primary reference being Daisy, or Mack. Maybe they’re helping him with some new technology or other communication mechanisms on top of or instead of “Jemmaginary”. There was also this huge “Bobbi and Fitz bonded over their injuries & recovery” thing that canon didn’t tap into as much as they could have. Goldmine!
- What does Fitz do that Jemma doesn’t do? Put him in a world that Jemma’s not really in. Give him friends in computer science, have him spend time with Mack in the garage, get him to watch movies or play video games with Daisy that Jemma would have no interest in, etc. You don’t have to mention that Jemma doesn’t like these things; just have Fitz do them, without Jemma, normalise the idea that he does things without Jemma and doesn’t feel the need for Jemma to be there. You don’t have to cut out every single line that mentions her, she hasn’t completely disappeared, but just don’t explain everything Fitz does in terms of what Jemma does or does not do, and you’re already on your way!
- Explore how other people have impacted him, not instead of Jemma (because again, it’s perfectly reasonable that they have a deep influence on each other) but as well as her. My favourite character to do this with is Daisy. Daisy helped both Fitz and Simmons become braver people, or at least unlock that bravery, in my opinion. I also see some parallels in her and Fitz’s backstories and personalities that I like to talk about, eg. difficult unconventional family lives, highly passionate / emotional people, which Jemma does not really share. Mack and Elena and even possibly Coulson also have something to offer in terms of, again just an example, an exploration of the question of faith. Fitz has a very “romantic” heart, believing in the cosmos and all that, which Jemma just doesn’t, so if/when he loses his faith in that, she’s not the person to go to. Maybe he goes to somebody who sees the world in a similar way to him, in terms of larger purposes and powers at work, etc. Again, you don’t necessarily have to show Fitz going to Jemma, finding that’s not what he’s after, and reaching further (but you could).
- Have Fitz bring up others to Jemma the way that he currently brings up Jemma to others. Show that he admires them, that he shares their interests, that he’s helping with their problems or wishes he could help, etc. If one of them is in danger or he’s had a fight with them, mention that concern or regret or whatever. Or, go fluffy! Take advantage of this goober’s big romantic heart! WHERE IS MY CAPTAINSHIPPER!FITZ MATERIAL? Another goldmine, people! Doing this kind of thing puts Fitz’s relationships with lots of people on a more even footing, less skewed but still inclusive of “FitzSimmons”, and helps add some depth for a more developed, less isolated way of writing the romance.
- Explore Fitz’s influence on other characters. This one depends on what characters you like to write, but writing a fic that’s actually about another character eg. Daisy, and having them go to Fitz for some reason (or having him offer them help), is also a good way to do this. As much as we like to joke about how everyone sees FS as FS, doing this sort of thing indicates that the others do see him as his own person and that he himself has stuff to offer, with or without Jemma.
Fitz was not formed as an individual, none of us are, so it’s extremely difficult to have a fic that doesn’t tie parts of his identity to others and especially to Jemma, but hopefully reframing what you’re trying to achieve makes it easier to do (and easier to reflect on afterwards without going, “oh shit this is still about Jemma because she was mentioned that one time”). You don’t have to avoid Jemma’s impact on Fitz, or vice versa. Just flesh it out more with influences from others. Add to it, because while she is a powerful and beloved influence on his life, she’s not the only one. To me, it’s more about adding variety and depth and dynamics, than taking anything away.
