Edit: This story is now listed on my portfolio site.
Diana stood outside of Herr Schneider's estate, pondering her options. Steve had said that this was a crucial diplomatic mission, and breaking into the compound would put all of his hard work in jeopardy, but she had to get in somehow. He had spent so much time and energy just getting Schneider to agree to meet, and Wonder Woman causing a scene on the German's estate with multiple witnesses and would break the already fragile peace negotiations.
Diana, Princess of the Amazons, Daughter of Hippolyta, and the Pride of Themyscira, had been posing as Steve Trevor's secretary for three years now. Had her mother found that her cover in the world of men was essentially an aide, she would have been disappointed and indignant that the heir to the Amazonian throne was taking meeting notes and fetching coffee. It had turned out though, that the only way to stay close to Steve and be privy to all the missions he went on was to be his secretary. It was an added benefit that most secretaries were unassuming and demure, giving Diana the perfect cover, as demure and unassuming were the opposite of her true self. She had chosen the last name Prince by mistake - when introducing herself for the first time to Steve under her disguise, she almost gave her full title, but cut herself off just before she said the full word - "Princess." Diana Prince it was.
Steve had, over the years, gotten himself into many tricky situations both in the US and out of it. Diana hoped, with his new rank, he would have been able to stay out of the line of fire more often, but he was a true patriot and dove head first into any mission that arose. In this uncertain time with the Germans, Steve's combined skills of diplomacy and combat skills meant he was constantly called into dangerous missions, and his combined pride and patriotism meant he volunteered for those he wasn't directly called to. And since Diana felt a duty to protect him, she often had to swoop in and assist (*ahem* *save*) him.
This diplomatic mission with Herr Schneider was supposed to be quick. Steve had been ordered to visit the estate, see if Schneider could be talked into returning to Germany to negotiate peace, and get out within a few hours. When the State Department did not hear from him for over 24 hours, everyone was concerned. The fragility of the mission, however, meant that the US government was hesitant to take any action, other than to wait for another day to see. Diana, however, was sure something was wrong, and wanted to get in and save Steve before it was too late. Her Lasso of Truth hanging from her belt, and her Bulletproof Bracelets as indestructible as ever, she stepped back to jump over the wall at the edge of the estate, ready to face whatever was ahead to save Steve.
Author's Note: I wanted to write another Wonder Woman themed story, this time more closely based on an actual Indian Myth. In the story of Promila, her husband went off to battle Rama, promising that he would return within the day. When she did not hear anything from him, she told her handmaids to dress in armor, and she did the same. She rode up to the camp of Rama, demanding to see her husband, and telling the great warrior that if she was not allowed passage, she would fight her way through his camp. This was the first story I had read where a woman was exalted in mythology for being a warrior, and I felt that she was a close parallel to Wonder Woman. Throughout the evolution of Wonder Woman, her and Steve's relationship was sometimes platonic, sometimes romantic, so I tried to keep that aspect of the story more ambiguous. I also based this story more on the Lynda Carter era of Wonder Woman - the tv show, not necessarily the comics. The Germans were still considered the ultimate enemy, and Steve was pretty consistently caught up in messes with them that Wonder Woman had to help rescue him from.
Diana stood outside of Herr Schneider's estate, pondering her options. Steve had said that this was a crucial diplomatic mission, and breaking into the compound would put all of his hard work in jeopardy, but she had to get in somehow. He had spent so much time and energy just getting Schneider to agree to meet, and Wonder Woman causing a scene on the German's estate with multiple witnesses and would break the already fragile peace negotiations.
Diana, Princess of the Amazons, Daughter of Hippolyta, and the Pride of Themyscira, had been posing as Steve Trevor's secretary for three years now. Had her mother found that her cover in the world of men was essentially an aide, she would have been disappointed and indignant that the heir to the Amazonian throne was taking meeting notes and fetching coffee. It had turned out though, that the only way to stay close to Steve and be privy to all the missions he went on was to be his secretary. It was an added benefit that most secretaries were unassuming and demure, giving Diana the perfect cover, as demure and unassuming were the opposite of her true self. She had chosen the last name Prince by mistake - when introducing herself for the first time to Steve under her disguise, she almost gave her full title, but cut herself off just before she said the full word - "Princess." Diana Prince it was.
Steve had, over the years, gotten himself into many tricky situations both in the US and out of it. Diana hoped, with his new rank, he would have been able to stay out of the line of fire more often, but he was a true patriot and dove head first into any mission that arose. In this uncertain time with the Germans, Steve's combined skills of diplomacy and combat skills meant he was constantly called into dangerous missions, and his combined pride and patriotism meant he volunteered for those he wasn't directly called to. And since Diana felt a duty to protect him, she often had to swoop in and assist (*ahem* *save*) him.
This diplomatic mission with Herr Schneider was supposed to be quick. Steve had been ordered to visit the estate, see if Schneider could be talked into returning to Germany to negotiate peace, and get out within a few hours. When the State Department did not hear from him for over 24 hours, everyone was concerned. The fragility of the mission, however, meant that the US government was hesitant to take any action, other than to wait for another day to see. Diana, however, was sure something was wrong, and wanted to get in and save Steve before it was too late. Her Lasso of Truth hanging from her belt, and her Bulletproof Bracelets as indestructible as ever, she stepped back to jump over the wall at the edge of the estate, ready to face whatever was ahead to save Steve.
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| Lynda Carter played Wonder Woman in the era I'm writing about. While definitely WAY more sexualized and not as fierce looking as the current portrayal of Wonder Woman by Gal Gadot, the Carter portrayal was still powerful. In the picture, you can see the Lasso of Truth and the Bulletproof Bracelets. |
Author's Note: I wanted to write another Wonder Woman themed story, this time more closely based on an actual Indian Myth. In the story of Promila, her husband went off to battle Rama, promising that he would return within the day. When she did not hear anything from him, she told her handmaids to dress in armor, and she did the same. She rode up to the camp of Rama, demanding to see her husband, and telling the great warrior that if she was not allowed passage, she would fight her way through his camp. This was the first story I had read where a woman was exalted in mythology for being a warrior, and I felt that she was a close parallel to Wonder Woman. Throughout the evolution of Wonder Woman, her and Steve's relationship was sometimes platonic, sometimes romantic, so I tried to keep that aspect of the story more ambiguous. I also based this story more on the Lynda Carter era of Wonder Woman - the tv show, not necessarily the comics. The Germans were still considered the ultimate enemy, and Steve was pretty consistently caught up in messes with them that Wonder Woman had to help rescue him from.
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| This is a depiction of Promila, on the way to rescue her man. I thought this was a great portrayal of the powerful yet still very feminine vibe that both Wonder Woman and Promila as I imagine her embody. |
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| Bonus picture of Wonder Woman doing Wonder Woman things on a horse. So cool. Lynda Carter was amazing. |
Hi Alena,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your story. The level of detail you provide creates really good imagery. I also like all of the backstory your re-counted about Wonder Woman. I was surprised to see the connection you made between the story of Wonder Woman and that of Promila. I did not see that until you mentioned in your author's note.
Hi Alena.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your story. Despite your best effort with the images you have chosen, it was hard not to see Gal Gardot as Wonder Woman and to think of Chris Pine as Steve when I imaged your story line playing out. Naturally, Herr Schneider was played by Christoph Waltz…with a big smile, of course. I had to re-read it and purposely imagine Lynda Carter in an effort to see if anything significant changed in my mind. I'm not confident it made a huge deference, albeit the Lynda Carter era of Wonder Woman certainly lent a Bollywood feel to the story. Never-the-less, Wonder Woman made an excellent proxy for Promila. You made a very good point in your author’s notes regarding how the relationship between Steve and Diana was sometimes platonic and sometimes romantic. I feel like this has been a common theme through the relationships we see I the Indian Epics despite how hyperbolic a love can be portrayed. Great job tapping into that.
Hey Alena,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your story! I like how you retold the story of Promila by using Wonder Woman as your main character. Both women are incredibly strong and come to the aid of their men.It’s nice to see just a strong female character in a time when women were viewed as delicate and weak. I thought your story was very well written and it seemed like a scene I would read about in a Wonder Woman comic or see in a movie. Overall great work and I hope you have a great rest of the semester.
Hi Alena!
ReplyDeleteGreat story! Wonder Woman is the perfect main character given her strength and leadership qualities. I would add some detail before the story, just informing the reader of the setting or background ( like you have done in the author's notes) so they can follow the story better. It was a little hard for me to know what was happening initially because I am not super familiar with the Wonder Woman storyline, just what she symbolizes. I think your author's note was very informative though and helped me to connect the missing dots. Overall though, your story was well-written! Great job!
Hi Alena!
ReplyDeleteI think your story was very interesting. I like how it really brings us into the story. Also, I liked how we are able to learn more about Wonder Woman as a person through this story. I think it is also good that you left the relationship between Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor more ambiguous because it allows us to just focus on the characters themselves.