Story: "Splash" (Part 2 of 7)
Apr. 3rd, 2013 01:32 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis story is a sequel to "Love Is for Children," "Eggshells," "Dolls and Guys," "Turnabout Is Fair Play," and "Touching Moments."
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanova, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, JARVIS.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: No standard warnings apply.
Summary: Bilgesnipe make for messy fighting. It takes a team to get Hulk clean again.
Notes: Asexual character (Clint). Aromantic character (Natasha). Asexual relationship. Teamwork. Canon-typical violence. Fluff. Trust issues. Skin hunger. Comfort. Non-sexual touching and intimacy. Non-sexual ageplay. Communal bathing. Cuteness. Personal growth. Family of choice.
Begin with Part 1. Skip to Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7.
"Splash" Part 2
"What's wrong, Hulk? You look unhappy," soft voice says. Uncle Phil is here. He will fix this problem. He is very good at that. Hulk knows so from playtime.
Hulk never gets to go to playtime himself, but Bruce does. Hulk knows that Bruce needs to let go more. Bruce does not mean to hurt but sometimes he squeezes Hulk too hard. Playtime helps. They hurt each other less now. Hulk likes playtime because he remembers it in feelings: happy-fun-safe-better. Feelings are easy. Words are hard. Hulk reaches for words anyway because Uncle Phil wants them.
"Hulk stink," he grumbles.
"You sure do," says Uncle Phil. "Okay, let's see about getting you clean."
"Just turn a firehose on him," says one black-clothed man.
"Are you out of your microscopic, painfully inferior mind?" Tinman snaps at him. "We are not hitting the Hulk with a power-jet of cold water."
"Maybe start with tomato juice?" says Birdie. "It doesn't work as well as people think, but it helps. One of the circus lions got sprayed by a skunk and I helped scrub him clean."
"Yeah, it's a weak acid, that's a good place to start. Let me get a sample of this crud and I'll whip up a more specific remover for it. JARVIS, start pulling base recipes for me to modify," says Tinman. Hulk can hear Voice talking back to Tinman in long boring words, but he ignores.
Tinman is gentle and careful as he scrapes some stink off Hulk. Then he goes away. Hulk likes how Tinman treats him. Gentle is good in different ways than smash.
"Thor was right. Bilgesnipe are repulsive," says Uncle Phil.
"Any sign of him?" Star Man asks.
"No sign of Thor, Loki, or anyone else from Asgard -- just the reeking alien wildlife. However, it indicates that someone has a viable mode of travel again," Uncle Phil says. He waves his hand in front of his face. Then he brings big box that whirrs and makes its own wind. It does not get any stink off Hulk's body, but at least he does not have to smell himself so much now.
Small people in black are watching Hulk. He hates that. Their eyes feel like bugs crawling over him. Some of them laugh at stinking Hulk. He roars at them.
"Cut it out, you jerks!" snaps Birdie. He swipes his hand along Hulk's leg and flicks drops of stink at them. "See how you like it." They don't like it at all.
Star Man grabs two no-longer-laughing men, his hands strong behind their necks. "I don't like bullies," he says in his leader voice. "Go make yourselves useful cleaning up the bilgesnipe remains."
"But we don't have any tools for that," one whines.
"Boo hoo. Get to work," says Star Man. They get.
Hulk is smelly and also bored. He sits down beside one pothole and picks at its edges. Pieces of road crunch as they come loose. Hulk tosses them at another pothole. Some hit, some miss.
"Hulk, would you like me to tell you a story while we wait?" Uncle Phil asks.
* * *
Notes:
It's important to deal with problems and upsets when they happen. It helps to talk about feelings. Problems that aren't discussed rarely get solved. Encourage a problem-solving mindset.
The relationship between Bruce and Hulk resembles sibling abuse, and it goes both ways in different manners. They are making progress toward a healthier relationship; that's mostly due to Hulk's emotional fluency, now that he has more interaction with other people. There are tips for dealing with fights among siblings. Largely it helps when adults model positive behavior. Making connections is also valuable.
Bullying causes problems at school, at work, and everywhere else it happens. There are ways to intervene and stop it.
Boredom shows in body language. It often causes misbehavior. Parents can help children relieve boredom. It's also possible to address the emotional aspect. There are many things to do when bored. Storytelling also helps deal with emotions.
[To be continued in Part 3 ...]
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanova, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, JARVIS.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: No standard warnings apply.
Summary: Bilgesnipe make for messy fighting. It takes a team to get Hulk clean again.
Notes: Asexual character (Clint). Aromantic character (Natasha). Asexual relationship. Teamwork. Canon-typical violence. Fluff. Trust issues. Skin hunger. Comfort. Non-sexual touching and intimacy. Non-sexual ageplay. Communal bathing. Cuteness. Personal growth. Family of choice.
Begin with Part 1. Skip to Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7.
"Splash" Part 2
"What's wrong, Hulk? You look unhappy," soft voice says. Uncle Phil is here. He will fix this problem. He is very good at that. Hulk knows so from playtime.
Hulk never gets to go to playtime himself, but Bruce does. Hulk knows that Bruce needs to let go more. Bruce does not mean to hurt but sometimes he squeezes Hulk too hard. Playtime helps. They hurt each other less now. Hulk likes playtime because he remembers it in feelings: happy-fun-safe-better. Feelings are easy. Words are hard. Hulk reaches for words anyway because Uncle Phil wants them.
"Hulk stink," he grumbles.
"You sure do," says Uncle Phil. "Okay, let's see about getting you clean."
"Just turn a firehose on him," says one black-clothed man.
"Are you out of your microscopic, painfully inferior mind?" Tinman snaps at him. "We are not hitting the Hulk with a power-jet of cold water."
"Maybe start with tomato juice?" says Birdie. "It doesn't work as well as people think, but it helps. One of the circus lions got sprayed by a skunk and I helped scrub him clean."
"Yeah, it's a weak acid, that's a good place to start. Let me get a sample of this crud and I'll whip up a more specific remover for it. JARVIS, start pulling base recipes for me to modify," says Tinman. Hulk can hear Voice talking back to Tinman in long boring words, but he ignores.
Tinman is gentle and careful as he scrapes some stink off Hulk. Then he goes away. Hulk likes how Tinman treats him. Gentle is good in different ways than smash.
"Thor was right. Bilgesnipe are repulsive," says Uncle Phil.
"Any sign of him?" Star Man asks.
"No sign of Thor, Loki, or anyone else from Asgard -- just the reeking alien wildlife. However, it indicates that someone has a viable mode of travel again," Uncle Phil says. He waves his hand in front of his face. Then he brings big box that whirrs and makes its own wind. It does not get any stink off Hulk's body, but at least he does not have to smell himself so much now.
Small people in black are watching Hulk. He hates that. Their eyes feel like bugs crawling over him. Some of them laugh at stinking Hulk. He roars at them.
"Cut it out, you jerks!" snaps Birdie. He swipes his hand along Hulk's leg and flicks drops of stink at them. "See how you like it." They don't like it at all.
Star Man grabs two no-longer-laughing men, his hands strong behind their necks. "I don't like bullies," he says in his leader voice. "Go make yourselves useful cleaning up the bilgesnipe remains."
"But we don't have any tools for that," one whines.
"Boo hoo. Get to work," says Star Man. They get.
Hulk is smelly and also bored. He sits down beside one pothole and picks at its edges. Pieces of road crunch as they come loose. Hulk tosses them at another pothole. Some hit, some miss.
"Hulk, would you like me to tell you a story while we wait?" Uncle Phil asks.
* * *
Notes:
It's important to deal with problems and upsets when they happen. It helps to talk about feelings. Problems that aren't discussed rarely get solved. Encourage a problem-solving mindset.
The relationship between Bruce and Hulk resembles sibling abuse, and it goes both ways in different manners. They are making progress toward a healthier relationship; that's mostly due to Hulk's emotional fluency, now that he has more interaction with other people. There are tips for dealing with fights among siblings. Largely it helps when adults model positive behavior. Making connections is also valuable.
Bullying causes problems at school, at work, and everywhere else it happens. There are ways to intervene and stop it.
Boredom shows in body language. It often causes misbehavior. Parents can help children relieve boredom. It's also possible to address the emotional aspect. There are many things to do when bored. Storytelling also helps deal with emotions.
[To be continued in Part 3 ...]
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2013-04-03 06:54 am (UTC)Yes...
Date: 2013-04-03 07:31 am (UTC)It's about time somebody did, enough to make it stick.
>> I'd like to see Hulk get some game night time. He deserves it as much as anyone. <<
He does, but it's not going to be easy getting there. Trouble is, Bruce and Hulk have a very damaged relationship. They're stuck together but they don't trust each other. First, Bruce has picked on Hulk so much that Hulk is shy to the point of paranoia; he'll come out if something yanks at his attention but he's just now beginning to respond to positive as well as negative stimuli. Second, Bruce pretty much won't let him out short of an emergency.
The more people see Hulk as an ally, a friend, a person ... the less tolerant they're going to be of Bruce dissing him all the time. And the more uncomfortable that will make Bruce because he has a lot invested in seeing Hulk as the bad guy. It's very hard for Bruce to let go of that image even a little bit.
On the bright side, superheroes are smart. The Avengers figure out a lot in this story, and Hulk gets to have some fun finally.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-04-03 10:06 am (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2013-04-03 09:18 pm (UTC)Yep, that's what friends are for.
>> I have to wonder where Natasha is? I know she's got valid reasons to be terrified of Hulk but...(I actually can't remember where I was going with this sentence so I'm gonna leave it here XD)...<<
She's less inclined to cuddle Hulk than some of the other team members, but she still finds useful things to do.
>>can't wait to read the next part.<<
Yay!
(no subject)
Date: 2013-04-03 01:27 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2013-04-03 01:28 pm (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2013-04-04 04:55 am (UTC)Hulk tends to work in terms of emotion more than thought, which is how he's tracking Uncle Phil -- game night is the first time, ever, that there has been a solid chunk of experience in Hulk's native language. So that comes through more clearly for him than most of what Bruce does. There's a little more discussion of that later in the story too.
Other members of the team are just starting to respond to Hulk as a friend, not just an ally in combat. Nice for Hulk, but it's going to start driving Bruce up a wall.
>> Who knew Hulk could be cute (in his enormous, green way of course)? <<
It's there if you know where to look. There are moments of softness and vulnerability even in canon. I'm just holding a magnifying glass over that area.
>> That makes sense when you think Hulk is linked with Bruce's angry and scared inner child, though. <<
Something like that, yes; it's an aspect I tend to include in my interpretations of Hulk. He functions on emotion, instinct, and intuition rather than thought, volition, and logic. That can be a child/adult split, an id/superego split, or a hindbrain/forebrain split. I also tend to interpret Bruce as left-brain and Hulk as right-brain.
>>Loving this story, it's both fun and touching.<<
Yay!
Hulk
Date: 2013-04-03 01:35 pm (UTC)I love the idea to of exploring Hulk as a separate and valued spirit. Bruce isn't going to like it, but I do.
Re: Hulk
Date: 2013-04-04 05:05 am (UTC)Yay! That's my practice point for this story.
>> It's very toddler-esque, the short simple sentences and names (Birdie, Tin Man, etc.).<<
Yes, that's my model for how Hulk talks. Short phrases, concrete terms, and a fairly straightforward approach to most things. He has a more sophisticated grasp of some things, like complex physical motions (remember him catching Iron Man at escape velocity) and emotions. The nicknames come from the concrete aspect.
>> That appeals to the part of me that loves kidfic and ageplay.<<
I thought that would be a good match.
>>I love the idea to of exploring Hulk as a separate and valued spirit. Bruce isn't going to like it, but I do.<<
Bruce hates it. He feels downright threatened when other people like or admire Hulk and think of him as a person. There's really no safe category for Hulk inside Bruce's head. If Hulk is part of Bruce, then all the damage is Bruce's fault. If Hulk is a mindless monster, then not only is Bruce still stuck with the mess but also people like General Ross have more of a point about him being dangerous. If Hulk is a real person, then he has rights and that should impact how Bruce treats him.
What Bruce doesn't realize is how much time Hulk spends cleaning up after him.
The real ruckus is going to come when the other characters start taking issue with how badly Bruce treats Hulk. Which amounts to emotional abuse, neglect, and locking him in a closet 95% of the time. Well, that's a common result when abused children grow up and then try to have relationships; their model is bent to hell.
I love the complexity and the potential here.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-04-03 03:02 pm (UTC)Thoughts
Date: 2013-04-03 07:33 pm (UTC)They really should. But you'd also think people would learn not to shoot at him, since all it does is make him angrier; yet they keep shooting. People are stupid. They tend to form thought-habits and use those instead of actually thinking about the current situation.
>> I love the team dynamics and how they look out for each other and protect them from teasing. <<
Yay! All of them have been targets at one point or another. They may not take good care of themselves, but they're getting pretty good at looking out for each other.
>>Hulks names for the team are great!<<
He thinks more in concrete terms than in abstracts, so that comes out in the nicknames.
>> Wonder if Tasha will talk to Hulk or if she decided to wait till Bruce was back to talk to him? <<
She's hanging back a bit. While not as scared of Hulk as she used to be, she's still reserved and not much given to comforting people. But she does have a role to play shortly.
>>Wonder what story Uncle Phil will tell Hulk? Will wait for the next update.<<
That'll be up after midnight.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-04-03 10:13 pm (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2013-04-03 10:49 pm (UTC)Fantastic!
Date: 2013-04-04 03:00 am (UTC)Thank you very much for your entire series thus far, they are all heart-warming and very enjoyable to read.
I look forward to future chapters with great anticipation. ~Yabun
Re: Fantastic!
Date: 2013-04-04 05:18 am (UTC)I checked my account settings and made sure it allows anonymous comments now. Feedback is candy!
>>Thank you very much for your entire series thus far, they are all heart-warming and very enjoyable to read.<<
I'm happy to hear that.
>>I look forward to future chapters with great anticipation. ~Yabun<<
Part 3 just went up.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-04-04 03:42 am (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2013-04-04 06:26 am (UTC)I'm happy to hear that.
>>I love this series for the age play,<<
That's pretty much what bath time is about to turn into. Bruce won't let Hulk out for anything short of an emergency, but this little sidestep gives Hulk a turn too.
>> (as I have never found non-sexual age play written as well as you do) <<
Thank you! I wasn't sure how well the initial story would turn out, because it's the first time I've written this. I never had any interest in it until this vorpal plot bunny ran away with me. But it's turned into one of my most popular anything so I guess I'm doing something right.
>>but I love all these other little interactions too.<<
That's good to hear. At first the whole focus was on the ageplay. Then as the characters relaxed and grew into each other enough, more complex plot threads emerged, and the things they learned during game night spread out beyond the immediate context of the ageplay. I want to get into some deeper drama in the future because some major issues are starting to surface for various characters, and some audience members are reading for the plot. I try to vary the tone and which characters get featured, from one story to another.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-08-04 07:30 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2013-08-04 07:31 am (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2013-08-04 08:35 am (UTC)