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ysabetwordsmith"Coming in from the Cold" is the next big piece in its series, dealing with Bucky and his continued issues with that piece-of-crap prosthesis. I'm posting each day within the story as a section unto itself, broken down into post-sized parts.
This story belongs to the series Love Is For Children which includes "Love Is for Children," "Hairpins," "Blended," "Am I Not," "Eggshells," "Dolls and Guys,""Saudades," "Querencia," "Turnabout Is Fair Play," "Touching Moments," "Splash," "Coming Around," "Birthday Girl," "No Winter Lasts Forever," "Hide and Seek," "Kernel Error," "Happy Hour," "Green Eggs and Hulk,""kintsukuroi," "Little and Broken, but Still Good," "Up the Water Spout," "The Life of the Dead," "Anahata," and "Coming in from the Cold: Saturday: Building Towers."
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: JARVIS, Phil Coulson, Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanova, Clint Barton, Bruce Banner, Tony Stark, Betty Ross.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Hostile technology. Manipulation of mental state. Mention of past trauma with lingering symptoms of PTSD. Temper outbursts. Self-blame. Current environment is supportive.
Summary: Steve and Bucky cope with some influence from Bucky's prosthetic arm. Uncle Phil uses a private ageplay session to help Steve with his feelings. JARVIS, floundering with his own emotions and interpretations of other peoples' motivations, asks Phil for assistance. Steve is still struggling to get a handle on what's happening to him. They finish up the day with a movie.
Notes: Hurt/comfort. Family. Fluff and angst. Emotional overload. Coping skills. Healthy touch. Asking for help and getting it. Hope. Nonsexual ageplay. Nonsexual intimacy. Caregiving. Competence. Toys and games. Gentleness. Trust. Emotional confusion. Watching movies. #coulsonlives
Begin with Part 1. Skip to Part 4, Part 5, Part 6.
Coming in from the Cold
Sunday: Shaking Foundations Part 2
Just then, Bucky and Natasha walked into the kitchen. Natasha investigated the crockpot. "This looks good," she said. Then she began filling her plate.
Bucky headed straight for Bruce and wrapped himself around the smaller man. "Please don't make me do that again," Bucky said.
"Okay, I won't," Bruce said. "Rough night, huh?"
Bucky just nodded.
"He said that falling asleep feels like dying," Phil explained. "I think it's easier on him with your voice as an anchor."
Bruce hugged Bucky. "I'm sorry," he said. "It seemed like a good idea at the time. We'll stick with what works instead."
Bucky mumbled something into Bruce's hair.
"You are absolutely not malingering," Bruce said firmly. "You are recovering from mind control, some very bad drugs, and a whole bunch of other trauma. You're getting better, but your brain waves are still a mess. If you feel safer and sleep better with me putting you to bed, then that's what we'll do, for as long as necessary." Bruce rubbed a hand up and down Bucky's back. "Come on, let's get you some breakfast. You'll feel better after you eat something."
"Okay," Bucky said. He let Bruce lead him to the crockpot and dish up a serving. They sat back down at the table. Bucky sampled the casserole and said, "I like this."
"Thanks," Bruce said. "Phil, what do you make of all this? I have a theory, but you saw the original activity."
"I think that Bucky's auxiliary energy source is affecting Steve," said Phil. "They sleep close for comfort, like Clint and Natasha do. That's within the range Tony specified, and the pattern of behavioral shift matches."
"That's what I was afraid of," Bruce said, poking at his phone.
"Tony too," Bucky said abruptly. "Phil, remember that time in the garage? He held onto me for hours. Then later in the same day, we got into a huge fight."
"Yes, that fits," Phil said. It helped explain why the hide-and-seek incident had turned so volatile.
"Well, that settles it," Bucky said. "I'm poison or something. People should stay away from me."
Bruce flinched. "I'm not sure that's a great idea ..."
"No," Steve said firmly.
"It's bad enough that I'm stuck with this damn thing," Bucky said, slapping his left shoulder. "I don't want to drag anyone else down with me."
"I am not leaving you to deal with this alone," Steve said.
"See, Bucky, the problem with that solution is that it'll make you feel worse," Clint pointed out. "People need touch -- I mean good safe contact, not somebody mauling you in a lab -- or they kinda tend to go crazy. So if you pull back, you'll probably have a harder time keeping ahold of your feelings. That's not helping."
"Really? Touch is that important?" Bucky said.
"Yeah, it is," Clint said. "We found this out with Hulk. He's a lot more mellow now that he gets skin contact with people who aren't trying to hurt or kill him."
"There are studies to support it," Bruce added. He reached out to brush his knuckles lightly over the back of Bucky's hand. "Neglecting touch can cause failure to thrive in infants, sometimes fatally so. Solitary confinement tends to drive adults insane."
Phil eyed Bruce and wondered if he was processing this on a personal level, as well as trying to convince Bucky. Bruce's past efforts at self-isolation and trying to keep Hulk contained were not that far from solitary confinement. Bruce is getting better slowly, but he's still got a long way to go, Phil thought.
It made eerie parallels with how the Winter Soldier had been treated as a human weapon, literally stored in a box until needed. No wonder he'd been mentally unstable when the only time people touched him was to hurt him, whether the indifference of his captors or the hostility of his enemies.
"I don't want to hurt any of you," Bucky said.
"All right, let's work the problem," Phil said. "Too much contact with that energy source is not good for anyone. Too little skin contact is not good for you. We need some other options here."
"It really has a short range," Bruce reminded them. "All we need to do is sit back a little. Steve, if you share a bed with Bucky, make sure you sleep on his right side instead of his left. Maybe put some pillows between, so you can touch hands but not be right on top of each other all night."
Steve didn't look happy, but he understood the need for compromise. "We could try that."
"Yeah, and we could take turns sitting with Bucky," said Clint. "You and Tony are the ones who tend to plaster yourselves against him for hours at a time. But if we take turns, we could swap out every hour or so. Bucky would get all the loving touch he needs, and none of us would have to be in range for very long."
Bucky brightened at that idea. "If you're sure it's safe ..."
"There are no guarantees," Bruce said. "We can give you our best guesses. Bucky, the lives we lead aren't safe; there's no changing that. Some risks are worth taking anyway."
Steve got up to refill his plate and snagged Bucky's along the way. When he came back, he said, "I've been working through a lot of emotional ... stuff. About this, about other things too. So I thought maybe it would help to find more ways of doing that. I'm willing to do some extra work on controlling my emotions, if it means I can stick by Bucky when he needs me. Bruce, you're really good at that. Think you could give me some pointers?"
"I'm happy to teach you what I know. I've found meditation and yoga helpful. I don't know how well it'll work for you, though, and the science behind any of that is ... a lot more flimsy," Bruce said.
"So pick up science from the psychology side," Phil suggested. "We have plenty of resources about coping skills and emotional regulation."
"Yeah, Natasha has been into that for years," Clint said, nudging her.
Natasha looked at him solemnly. She had stayed out of the conversation up until now. "For me it is different. I have difficulty finding my emotions, not controlling them," she said.
"But you know the words and the skills and stuff," Clint said. "You could still help."
"We were using some of your worksheets this morning," Phil said. "I think tracking people's emotions would help identify what effects that device is having."
"That is good to know. It is easier to understand with a page that asks you questions, rather than trying to remember on your own," Natasha said with a nod. "I do not mind sharing. I have filled out this paperwork many times."
"How do we know if the new approach is working?" Bucky asked.
"The team can spot for me, if they don't mind, and tell me when I'm acting up," said Steve.
"Yeah, that's not gonna work for Tony," said Clint.
Bucky nodded. "He doesn't like people leaning on him that way."
"I believe that Tony will be all right if he's just a little more careful about timing," Bruce said. "Bucky, you're the only one who can't get away from the power source. Steve spends the next-highest amount of time in proximity to it. For everyone else, it's a lot lower."
"Steve, Bucky, do you feel comfortable enough with these ideas to give them a try?" Phil asked. They both nodded. "Okay, then. Keep track of progress and we'll see what happens. If the first attempt doesn't work, we'll explore other options."
After finishing breakfast, Steve and Bucky got up to clear the table. Clint and Natasha went to put the dishes into the dishwasher.
"Am I that bad?" Bruce whispered to Phil. "I mean ... does it really sound like that, when I talk about myself and the Other Guy?"
Phil raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"
"I mean the way Bucky sometimes obsesses about hurting people, and this new idea of considering himself toxic," Bruce said. "That worries me."
"It worries us too," Phil said.
"So ... do I sound the same? Because people have been bugging me..."
Phil felt torn between tact and honesty. Either could do harm in this situation. In the end, he settled on honesty, phrased as gently as possible. "No, usually you sound worse," Phil said. "You and Hulk have accrued a lot of trauma since the initial accident. You're just starting to learn how to work together. It's going to take time and care to build up enough positive memories to outweigh the big pile of negative ones. So you have a bunch of habits formed by those bad experiences, and that influences how you talk."
"Oh," Bruce said quietly.
"If Bucky's tendency toward self-condemnation and worrying concerns you, think over what you say and do with him. That might help you work through some of your own issues," Phil suggested. "For instance, you encouraged Bucky to buffer risks instead of avoiding contact. That's good advice."
"I'll think about it," Bruce said, his gaze following Bucky around the kitchen.
"Hey, Phil, I'm spending the morning with Natasha and Bucky," said Clint. "We're gonna hit the obstacle course for some light target shooting."
"That's a good idea," Phil said. Tony had thoughtfully provided weaponry that performed similar to live fire but with less tendency to chew up the other equipment. Now that Bucky's health was improving, they were trying to get him back into activities that would prepare him for field duty.
"Steve, do you want to come with us?" Bucky asked.
"Thanks, but no," said Steve. "I don't think I'm in the mood." Bucky nodded agreeably, then followed Clint and Natasha out of the room.
"Is there anything we can do?" Bruce asked. "The yoga room is a good place to work through things."
"Maybe later," Steve said. "Right now I just kind of feel like everything is weighing me down."
"Would it help to take some of the weight off for a little while?" Phil asked. "I've got nothing on my schedule that I can't set aside for an hour or two, if you need a bit of private play time."
Steve blinked at him. "Yeah, I think ... that might be nice. If you don't mind."
"Go get your jammies. Give me a few minutes to set up, and then I'll meet you in my apartment," Phil said.
"Okay," Steve said.
On the way to his floor, Phil used the time to plan out what to do next. As stressed as Steve is after this morning, I don't think he's in the mood for structured play, Phil mused. He loves games, but when he's upset, he tends to favor toys instead. I need something simple and fun. It also has to be durable in case Steve loses his temper again. The elevator soon let him out on his floor.
Phil went to the closet where he kept spare toys and games, along with things he planned to introduce but hadn't taken to the common room yet. He shuffled through blocks and dolls and baskets of random things. Then he spotted the large carton of modeling clay. Perfect! Phil thought.
The clay went on top of the coffee table in Phil's living room. Next came a sheet to use as a dropcloth. With the necessary supplies laid out, Phil went back to his bedroom to change into his bathrobe.
The doorbell chimed. Phil was a little surprised, because the other residents usually didn't bother with that much formality, especially for a planned visit. When he went to the door, he found Steve there, clinging to Bruce's hand. "I didn't think it was a good idea to leave him alone when he's feeling overwhelmed, and you needed time to get ready," Bruce explained. "So I wanted to walk him up here myself."
"Thank you," Phil said as he took charge of Steve.
"Any time," Bruce said. "I'll be in my lab if anyone needs me."
* * *
Notes:
PTSD has gone by many names, including shellshock. It has often been mistaken for malingering, sometimes fatally so. Bucky's home time has left him with some misconceptions in this regard.
Negative self-talk and poor self-image can cause a lot of problems. There are ways to learn positive self-talk and improve self-image.
People need contact comfort for many reasons. Without loving touch, their physical and mental health suffer. You can see the results of that in Bruce-and-Hulk, Bucky, and other Avengers.
Self-regulation is a necessary skill for managing emotions. Understand how to process and control your feelings. There are ways to teach self-regulation too.
Shooting ranges can include complex target challenges. Combat shooting adds even more complications. The Avengers enjoy the best equipment and training facilities available, largely thanks to Tony Stark.
[To be continued in Part 3 ...]
This story belongs to the series Love Is For Children which includes "Love Is for Children," "Hairpins," "Blended," "Am I Not," "Eggshells," "Dolls and Guys,""Saudades," "Querencia," "Turnabout Is Fair Play," "Touching Moments," "Splash," "Coming Around," "Birthday Girl," "No Winter Lasts Forever," "Hide and Seek," "Kernel Error," "Happy Hour," "Green Eggs and Hulk,""kintsukuroi," "Little and Broken, but Still Good," "Up the Water Spout," "The Life of the Dead," "Anahata," and "Coming in from the Cold: Saturday: Building Towers."
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: JARVIS, Phil Coulson, Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanova, Clint Barton, Bruce Banner, Tony Stark, Betty Ross.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Hostile technology. Manipulation of mental state. Mention of past trauma with lingering symptoms of PTSD. Temper outbursts. Self-blame. Current environment is supportive.
Summary: Steve and Bucky cope with some influence from Bucky's prosthetic arm. Uncle Phil uses a private ageplay session to help Steve with his feelings. JARVIS, floundering with his own emotions and interpretations of other peoples' motivations, asks Phil for assistance. Steve is still struggling to get a handle on what's happening to him. They finish up the day with a movie.
Notes: Hurt/comfort. Family. Fluff and angst. Emotional overload. Coping skills. Healthy touch. Asking for help and getting it. Hope. Nonsexual ageplay. Nonsexual intimacy. Caregiving. Competence. Toys and games. Gentleness. Trust. Emotional confusion. Watching movies. #coulsonlives
Begin with Part 1. Skip to Part 4, Part 5, Part 6.
Coming in from the Cold
Sunday: Shaking Foundations Part 2
Just then, Bucky and Natasha walked into the kitchen. Natasha investigated the crockpot. "This looks good," she said. Then she began filling her plate.
Bucky headed straight for Bruce and wrapped himself around the smaller man. "Please don't make me do that again," Bucky said.
"Okay, I won't," Bruce said. "Rough night, huh?"
Bucky just nodded.
"He said that falling asleep feels like dying," Phil explained. "I think it's easier on him with your voice as an anchor."
Bruce hugged Bucky. "I'm sorry," he said. "It seemed like a good idea at the time. We'll stick with what works instead."
Bucky mumbled something into Bruce's hair.
"You are absolutely not malingering," Bruce said firmly. "You are recovering from mind control, some very bad drugs, and a whole bunch of other trauma. You're getting better, but your brain waves are still a mess. If you feel safer and sleep better with me putting you to bed, then that's what we'll do, for as long as necessary." Bruce rubbed a hand up and down Bucky's back. "Come on, let's get you some breakfast. You'll feel better after you eat something."
"Okay," Bucky said. He let Bruce lead him to the crockpot and dish up a serving. They sat back down at the table. Bucky sampled the casserole and said, "I like this."
"Thanks," Bruce said. "Phil, what do you make of all this? I have a theory, but you saw the original activity."
"I think that Bucky's auxiliary energy source is affecting Steve," said Phil. "They sleep close for comfort, like Clint and Natasha do. That's within the range Tony specified, and the pattern of behavioral shift matches."
"That's what I was afraid of," Bruce said, poking at his phone.
"Tony too," Bucky said abruptly. "Phil, remember that time in the garage? He held onto me for hours. Then later in the same day, we got into a huge fight."
"Yes, that fits," Phil said. It helped explain why the hide-and-seek incident had turned so volatile.
"Well, that settles it," Bucky said. "I'm poison or something. People should stay away from me."
Bruce flinched. "I'm not sure that's a great idea ..."
"No," Steve said firmly.
"It's bad enough that I'm stuck with this damn thing," Bucky said, slapping his left shoulder. "I don't want to drag anyone else down with me."
"I am not leaving you to deal with this alone," Steve said.
"See, Bucky, the problem with that solution is that it'll make you feel worse," Clint pointed out. "People need touch -- I mean good safe contact, not somebody mauling you in a lab -- or they kinda tend to go crazy. So if you pull back, you'll probably have a harder time keeping ahold of your feelings. That's not helping."
"Really? Touch is that important?" Bucky said.
"Yeah, it is," Clint said. "We found this out with Hulk. He's a lot more mellow now that he gets skin contact with people who aren't trying to hurt or kill him."
"There are studies to support it," Bruce added. He reached out to brush his knuckles lightly over the back of Bucky's hand. "Neglecting touch can cause failure to thrive in infants, sometimes fatally so. Solitary confinement tends to drive adults insane."
Phil eyed Bruce and wondered if he was processing this on a personal level, as well as trying to convince Bucky. Bruce's past efforts at self-isolation and trying to keep Hulk contained were not that far from solitary confinement. Bruce is getting better slowly, but he's still got a long way to go, Phil thought.
It made eerie parallels with how the Winter Soldier had been treated as a human weapon, literally stored in a box until needed. No wonder he'd been mentally unstable when the only time people touched him was to hurt him, whether the indifference of his captors or the hostility of his enemies.
"I don't want to hurt any of you," Bucky said.
"All right, let's work the problem," Phil said. "Too much contact with that energy source is not good for anyone. Too little skin contact is not good for you. We need some other options here."
"It really has a short range," Bruce reminded them. "All we need to do is sit back a little. Steve, if you share a bed with Bucky, make sure you sleep on his right side instead of his left. Maybe put some pillows between, so you can touch hands but not be right on top of each other all night."
Steve didn't look happy, but he understood the need for compromise. "We could try that."
"Yeah, and we could take turns sitting with Bucky," said Clint. "You and Tony are the ones who tend to plaster yourselves against him for hours at a time. But if we take turns, we could swap out every hour or so. Bucky would get all the loving touch he needs, and none of us would have to be in range for very long."
Bucky brightened at that idea. "If you're sure it's safe ..."
"There are no guarantees," Bruce said. "We can give you our best guesses. Bucky, the lives we lead aren't safe; there's no changing that. Some risks are worth taking anyway."
Steve got up to refill his plate and snagged Bucky's along the way. When he came back, he said, "I've been working through a lot of emotional ... stuff. About this, about other things too. So I thought maybe it would help to find more ways of doing that. I'm willing to do some extra work on controlling my emotions, if it means I can stick by Bucky when he needs me. Bruce, you're really good at that. Think you could give me some pointers?"
"I'm happy to teach you what I know. I've found meditation and yoga helpful. I don't know how well it'll work for you, though, and the science behind any of that is ... a lot more flimsy," Bruce said.
"So pick up science from the psychology side," Phil suggested. "We have plenty of resources about coping skills and emotional regulation."
"Yeah, Natasha has been into that for years," Clint said, nudging her.
Natasha looked at him solemnly. She had stayed out of the conversation up until now. "For me it is different. I have difficulty finding my emotions, not controlling them," she said.
"But you know the words and the skills and stuff," Clint said. "You could still help."
"We were using some of your worksheets this morning," Phil said. "I think tracking people's emotions would help identify what effects that device is having."
"That is good to know. It is easier to understand with a page that asks you questions, rather than trying to remember on your own," Natasha said with a nod. "I do not mind sharing. I have filled out this paperwork many times."
"How do we know if the new approach is working?" Bucky asked.
"The team can spot for me, if they don't mind, and tell me when I'm acting up," said Steve.
"Yeah, that's not gonna work for Tony," said Clint.
Bucky nodded. "He doesn't like people leaning on him that way."
"I believe that Tony will be all right if he's just a little more careful about timing," Bruce said. "Bucky, you're the only one who can't get away from the power source. Steve spends the next-highest amount of time in proximity to it. For everyone else, it's a lot lower."
"Steve, Bucky, do you feel comfortable enough with these ideas to give them a try?" Phil asked. They both nodded. "Okay, then. Keep track of progress and we'll see what happens. If the first attempt doesn't work, we'll explore other options."
After finishing breakfast, Steve and Bucky got up to clear the table. Clint and Natasha went to put the dishes into the dishwasher.
"Am I that bad?" Bruce whispered to Phil. "I mean ... does it really sound like that, when I talk about myself and the Other Guy?"
Phil raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"
"I mean the way Bucky sometimes obsesses about hurting people, and this new idea of considering himself toxic," Bruce said. "That worries me."
"It worries us too," Phil said.
"So ... do I sound the same? Because people have been bugging me..."
Phil felt torn between tact and honesty. Either could do harm in this situation. In the end, he settled on honesty, phrased as gently as possible. "No, usually you sound worse," Phil said. "You and Hulk have accrued a lot of trauma since the initial accident. You're just starting to learn how to work together. It's going to take time and care to build up enough positive memories to outweigh the big pile of negative ones. So you have a bunch of habits formed by those bad experiences, and that influences how you talk."
"Oh," Bruce said quietly.
"If Bucky's tendency toward self-condemnation and worrying concerns you, think over what you say and do with him. That might help you work through some of your own issues," Phil suggested. "For instance, you encouraged Bucky to buffer risks instead of avoiding contact. That's good advice."
"I'll think about it," Bruce said, his gaze following Bucky around the kitchen.
"Hey, Phil, I'm spending the morning with Natasha and Bucky," said Clint. "We're gonna hit the obstacle course for some light target shooting."
"That's a good idea," Phil said. Tony had thoughtfully provided weaponry that performed similar to live fire but with less tendency to chew up the other equipment. Now that Bucky's health was improving, they were trying to get him back into activities that would prepare him for field duty.
"Steve, do you want to come with us?" Bucky asked.
"Thanks, but no," said Steve. "I don't think I'm in the mood." Bucky nodded agreeably, then followed Clint and Natasha out of the room.
"Is there anything we can do?" Bruce asked. "The yoga room is a good place to work through things."
"Maybe later," Steve said. "Right now I just kind of feel like everything is weighing me down."
"Would it help to take some of the weight off for a little while?" Phil asked. "I've got nothing on my schedule that I can't set aside for an hour or two, if you need a bit of private play time."
Steve blinked at him. "Yeah, I think ... that might be nice. If you don't mind."
"Go get your jammies. Give me a few minutes to set up, and then I'll meet you in my apartment," Phil said.
"Okay," Steve said.
On the way to his floor, Phil used the time to plan out what to do next. As stressed as Steve is after this morning, I don't think he's in the mood for structured play, Phil mused. He loves games, but when he's upset, he tends to favor toys instead. I need something simple and fun. It also has to be durable in case Steve loses his temper again. The elevator soon let him out on his floor.
Phil went to the closet where he kept spare toys and games, along with things he planned to introduce but hadn't taken to the common room yet. He shuffled through blocks and dolls and baskets of random things. Then he spotted the large carton of modeling clay. Perfect! Phil thought.
The clay went on top of the coffee table in Phil's living room. Next came a sheet to use as a dropcloth. With the necessary supplies laid out, Phil went back to his bedroom to change into his bathrobe.
The doorbell chimed. Phil was a little surprised, because the other residents usually didn't bother with that much formality, especially for a planned visit. When he went to the door, he found Steve there, clinging to Bruce's hand. "I didn't think it was a good idea to leave him alone when he's feeling overwhelmed, and you needed time to get ready," Bruce explained. "So I wanted to walk him up here myself."
"Thank you," Phil said as he took charge of Steve.
"Any time," Bruce said. "I'll be in my lab if anyone needs me."
* * *
Notes:
PTSD has gone by many names, including shellshock. It has often been mistaken for malingering, sometimes fatally so. Bucky's home time has left him with some misconceptions in this regard.
Negative self-talk and poor self-image can cause a lot of problems. There are ways to learn positive self-talk and improve self-image.
People need contact comfort for many reasons. Without loving touch, their physical and mental health suffer. You can see the results of that in Bruce-and-Hulk, Bucky, and other Avengers.
Self-regulation is a necessary skill for managing emotions. Understand how to process and control your feelings. There are ways to teach self-regulation too.
Shooting ranges can include complex target challenges. Combat shooting adds even more complications. The Avengers enjoy the best equipment and training facilities available, largely thanks to Tony Stark.
[To be continued in Part 3 ...]
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2015-06-14 11:06 am (UTC)Yes...
Date: 2015-06-14 07:10 pm (UTC)Absolutely true.
>> I wonder if Phil's thought of the advantages of playsand and moulds in that respect. <<
I don't think those specific variants have come up. He seems to be going with clay.
>> [and I suspect that's one of the reasons Hulk enjoys it, guy has a lot of frustration in life.] <<
Definitely. And notice that Hulk strongly prefers to take out his temper on objects, not people. He only aims at people when they are trying to hurt him.
Re: Yes...
Date: 2015-06-14 08:28 pm (UTC)Mind you, it might be therapeutic to introduce him to construction blocks, if one could scale them up to his size. Whether Bruce would let him out to play is another matter...
Hee, and now I've the mental image of Hulk in some Very Large purple jammies...
Re: Yes...
Date: 2015-06-15 09:31 am (UTC)Tony already has property suitable for Hulk to play. Where do you think he tested weapons, and later the Iron Man suits? The tricky part is convincing Bruce to go along with this clever plan. I have partial sections written out later in the storyline.
>> Mind you, it might be therapeutic to introduce him to construction blocks, if one could scale them up to his size. Whether Bruce would let him out to play is another matter... <<
Hulk definitely needs toys sized for himself. It's just going to take time for other folks to realize this and start making appropriate stuff. They're still not really used to having one teammate who is so much bigger than everyone else. Consider the challenge of making blocks that would stand up to Hulk, and yet not break somebody else's foot when they topple. He'll need toys that are sturdy so that he doesn't have to handle them all like balloons.
>> Hee, and now I've the mental image of Hulk in some Very Large purple jammies... <<
All things are possible. Once we get a parsec-long lever to pry Bruce's head out of his ass.
Re: Yes...
Date: 2015-06-15 10:11 am (UTC)How exactly anyone is going to get Hulk out to play with them, I have no idea.
and yeah, I should've thought that Tony likes to play with his toys in much the same manner as Hulk. To destruction.
Re: Yes...
Date: 2015-07-04 06:14 am (UTC)Ah, that might work.
>> How exactly anyone is going to get Hulk out to play with them, I have no idea. <<
Well, it would be a dirty trick from Bruce's perspective, but just ... bring out the blocks and say, "Hey Hulk, you wanna play with these?" Hulk is very adept at popping out when he really wants to.
It would be a lot more tedious, but gentler team dynamics, to coax Bruce into letting Hulk out.
>> and yeah, I should've thought that Tony likes to play with his toys in much the same manner as Hulk. To destruction. <<
Tony is very exuberant. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. Remember the party scene in IM2? *shudder* Playing frisbee with Steve's shield would be a lot healthier.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-06-14 12:21 pm (UTC)Bruce/Hulk
Date: 2015-06-14 01:52 pm (UTC)Re: Bruce/Hulk
Date: 2015-06-14 03:24 pm (UTC)Re: Bruce/Hulk
Date: 2015-06-14 07:58 pm (UTC)Yes, exactly. So too is Hulk learning some of Bruce's ability to think ahead and use logic.
I consider them conjoined twins, two people growing from one body, their souls joined at the root. A friend of mine writes about "dual twins" who each have their own body shape but share the same space like Bruce-and-Hulk, so that it looks like a transformation. Anyhow, as Bruce-and-Hulk learn to get along better, the connection between them grows stronger, higher up. They're never going to merge, because they're different people; but they can gain a lot by working together better.
Re: Bruce/Hulk
Date: 2015-06-14 09:21 pm (UTC)Very nice.
((( Fuckin' "quote" functionality AIN'T. 'Bout four times it just put the stupid tags in, nothin' between 'em, ± the goddam error message telling me what I have to do. **I** know, ya brainless dickhead, but sure as shit looks like you don't! HULK SMASH!!! )))
(no subject)
Date: 2015-06-14 04:19 pm (UTC)Welcome!
Date: 2015-06-14 08:15 pm (UTC)I'm happy to have you here!
"I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to write all this; it's been really valuable for me in learning how people need to be treated."
I'm glad I could help. A lot of what I write is based on showing positive interactions, healthy relationships, and effective problem-solving. If you're into that, you might also like my original superhero series Polychrome Heroics.
>> I'm on the autism spectrum, so that kind of stuff is really confusing to me to figure out. <<
It's hard when you don't have the user manual that comes standard with humans, and none of them will tell you how to write your own! I actually have a series with mostly neurovariant characters, too -- An Army of One: the Autistic Secession in Space.
>> I honestly check your journal every day to see if you've posted, and I even love the non-fic stuff you put up. You're helping me learn how to improve and grow as a person. <<
I'm so glad to hear that! I want people to find ways of living that work for them and make a happy life.
>> I usually don't comment on things because of social anxiety and the fact that it's just hard for me to translate my thoughts into words (I tend not to think in words; more images, feelings and senses) but it feels safe here and I wanted to let you know I was following. So, thanks. You're great. <<
I try to make my little corner of the web a safe place, yes. If you don't always handle words well, it's perfectly okay to comment with something like "This post made me feel/think..." and an image link.
I've had other neurovariant friends comment with stream-of-consciousness phrases, or leave me image prompts during my various prompt calls. I've had foreign friends mix English with bits of their native language(s). I've had people comment in Klingon, Esperanto, Sindarin, etc. I can usually hack out the gist of it. My brain came with a linguistic coprocessor instead of the social coprocessor that most humans seem to get. I am happy with the wetware that I have.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-06-14 06:33 pm (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2015-06-14 07:33 pm (UTC)Yay!
>> They're talking about issues! <<
It has taken a long time and a lot of work for them to build up enough trust in the teamfamily and enough topical familiarity to be able to talk about things like this. So they're making great progress.
>> Bucky comes right out a says he really needs Bruce there rather then going to sleep by him self. <<
They've found a sleep aid that works great for Bucky. Sure it would be nice if he could fall asleep safely on his own, but he's not ready for that yet. So partner yoga it is. I wanted to show how they test out different things to see what works best, and then stick with the most effective.
>> They're talking about the power source and it's effects, Bucky's not just going "I'm poooooison! *flees tower*" <<
:D Well, that's what you get when some people on a team know science and others know feelings. All the bases get covered, so they can actually work the problem.
>> He's talking about it, and they're working out a plan to keep everyone healthy and happy, without driving Bucky insane from lack of touch. <<
I think it's the connections among Bruce and Hulk and Clint that have really highlighted the need for healthy touch, so that they can recognize this when it comes up with Bucky.
>> Everyone's talking about their feelings and working on them. Even Bruce seems to be getting a clue that he was driving himself and Hulk insane for years by being totally alone. <<
Bruce can look back and realize that he feels a lot better now than he did a year ago. Everything isn't fixed yet, but they no longer feel angry most or all of the time. There are happy moments too. A lot of the happy moments involve cuddling. Bruce is a scientist so he's seen the creepy studies with isolating monkeys. He knows how violent life has been for him and Hulk. Obviously Bruce understood that being alone wasn't good for them. But only now is he starting to realize that if isolation drives people crazy, and a crazy Hulk is more smashy, then isolation puts other people in more danger simply by ramping up the violence level. And conversely, that as Hulk forms connections with people and learns to touch gently, the danger level goes down. Bruce is still trying to make the jump to that latter point.
>> And Phil comes right out and tells him he's worse then Bucky, when it comes to talking about Hulk. <<
That was hard, because it's a thing that hurts to hear. But lying would have been worse. Bruce's self-talk is awful, his framing of Hulk is worse, and sometimes it spills out. That's upsetting the teamfamily. Now that Bruce knows what it feels like from the other end, that should help him work on this.
>> And Steve gets a play session! If anyone needs a break from being an adult, Steve needs one right now. Poor dear. <<
Yea, verily. The whole next chapter is ageplay.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-06-15 12:58 am (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2015-06-15 01:25 am (UTC)I'm glad I got it right.
>> It sucks at the time, but this is how you start getting better--seeing the problem and recognzing you can fix it, can shape yourself into whoever you want to be. <<
So true. First identify the problem, then identify a goal, then figure out how to get from here to there.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-11-08 11:50 am (UTC)Yay!
Date: 2015-11-09 03:53 am (UTC):D
>> I completely adore when one of the others on the team who's not Phil steps in to help with a "little one". <<
It's a good way of showing that they are all a family now, and take turns looking after each other.
>> I also found it very interesting that Bruce keyed in to what Bucky was saying and related that to how he talks about Hulk, particularly in light of how Clint and Tony flat out said "you're being mean" in the last story. <<
Sometimes it is easier to see the same problem in someone else than in yourself. Bruce is slowly beginning to realize that his treatment of Hulk is causing problems, not just annoying other people but making Hulk harder for Bruce to deal with too. But then Bucky's way of talking about himself is scary sometimes, and that makes Bruce wonder how he sounds himself.
>> I really love that the story is ongoing like that and the characters have time to grow without the need to feel like everything has to be jammed into one fic.<<
Yay! It's still growing out of control, but at least it's not too crammed.
(no subject)
Date: 2016-03-07 01:13 am (UTC)~M_G
Thoughts
Date: 2016-03-07 01:57 am (UTC)Touch is a survival need for humans.
>>I have one friend at school who gives me hugs when I ask and besides that and sometimes my mom, I am basically limited to myself for touch. It sucks <<
That does suck. Touch-starvation wrecks people's health. :(
>>and I literally dream about finding someone to be a little spoon for me to cuddle<<
This is becoming more common as society fragments, and so people are trying to find ways of meeting that need. Some cities have cuddle parties now. Some people prefer to get their touch through personal services such as hairdressing or massage, but that costs money.