Story: "Two Spirits, One Past" (Part 4 of 12)

This story fills a square on my card for the hc_bingo fest. This fest encourages the creation of boundary-pushing material that explores what happens when things go horribly wrong and people actually care about each other. Remember, things always go wrong; what matters is how you deal with that. Some of the content may be NSFW. Read the FAQ and rules here. The signup post is here. I'm hoping to attract some new readers.

The following story belongs to Schrodinger's Heroes, featuring an apocryphal television show supported by an imaginary fandom. It's science fiction about quantum physics and saving the world from alternate dimensions. It features a very mixed cast in terms of ethnicity and sexual orientation. This project developed with input from multiple people, and it's open for everyone to play in. You can read more about the background, the characters, and a bunch of assorted content on the menu page.

This is a crossover with the Hulk from The Avengers. So it doesn't match up exactly with the various Hulk movies, and Bruce Banner is played by Mark Ruffalo. The storyline goes into alternate-universe mode after the lab accident while Bruce is running from General Ross but before Bruce meets any of the Avengers. Read the beginning of the Schrodinger's Hulk storyline in "Safe Keeping."

Begin with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.  Skip to Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12.

Fandom: Hulk / The Avengers / Original (Schrodinger's Heroes)
Prompt: Nervous Breakdown
Medium: Fiction
Wordcount: 13,000
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: References to child/domestic abuse in Bruce's childhood and further mistreatment by General Ross later. Reference to minor character death, in that Bruce's father murdered Bruce's mother. No other standard warnings apply.
Summary: Bruce struggles to adapt to a new dimension that is almost like his home dimension. The trouble is, no matter where you go, there you are with yourself; and when your key problems are internal rather than external, there's no way to run away from them. Unexpected aspects of Bruce's identity shake things up for him. Ash and Quinn help Bruce start figuring out how to untangle the whole mess.
Notes: Angst. Fractured identity. Dealing with loss. Coping mechanisms (functional and dysfunctional). Trust issues. Survival issues. Control issues. Paranoia (justified and otherwise). Friendship. Family of choice. Sex/gender crisis. Safe places. Comfort food. Nonsexual intimacy.

( Read more... )

Crafts

 A magnificent collection of photos of quilts made by mmegaera.  Golly gee whiz wow.

Polynormativity

Here's a detailed article about the problems with polynormativity, or representing only versions of polyamory that closely resemble mainstream relationships.

Poetry Fishbowl on Tuesday, February 5

This is an advance announcement for the Tuesday, February 5, 2013 Poetry Fishbowl. This time the theme will be "mature and old adults." I'll be soliciting ideas for middle-aged characters, seniors, their descendants, their friends, objects associated with maturity, signs of respect, places where mature or senior people congregate, unexpected places to find older folks, societies in which elders are honored, societies that are falling apart because elders are NOT honored, ways in which elders solve problems differently than younger people, challenges particular to mature or senior adults, how resources change as one ages, dealing gracefully with old age, beating old age over the head with a stick instead, ways in which mature or older bodies are beautiful, and poetic forms in particular.

I need a volunteer to host the linkback perk poem.  Please contact me if you're interested; this will get you onto my Donors list.  thesilentpoet as volunteered to host the linkback poem, "Alien In-Laws" (Starfather, 22 verses).

If you're interested, mark the date on your calendar, and please hold actual prompts until the "Poetry Fishbowl Open" post next week.  (If you're not available that day, or you live in a time zone that makes it hard to reach me, you can leave advance prompts.)  Meanwhile, if you want to help with promotion, please feel free to link back here or repost this on your blog

( New to the fishbowl?  Read all about it! )

Remembering Ronald E. McNair

Here's a lovely tribute to Ronald E. McNair, who died when the shuttle Challenger  exploded.  Link courtesy of my_partner_doug.

Some things are worth living for.  Some things are worth dying for.

Those are often the same things.

Never forget.

Horror Poetry Art

Remember Fridge of the Damned?  It inspired this set of horror poetry art, combining fridge magnet poetry with photography.

Read "Working for It"

If you are a Torn World supporter, you can now read my poem "Working for It."
An odd girl comes into Rai's shop.

This is a good inside look at some of the Empire's rather warped view of people with disabilities. It fits into the background of ellenmillion's ongoing Rails series.

If you like this poem and want to see more like it, please consider sending me credits or karma through Torn World's crowdfunding options.  Not a Torn World member, but still want to support the work? I have a permanent PayPal button on my LJ profile page.