Story: "Coming Around" (Part 10 of 14)
Apr. 18th, 2013 12:03 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," and "Splash."
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Bruce Banner, Hulk.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Inferences of past child/domestic abuse. Current environment is safe.
Summary: Phil shows Bruce the cute pictures of the team helping Hulk clean up after the bilgesnipe fight. Bruce finds the whole idea more confusing than pleasing.
Notes: Teamwork. Friendship. Flangst. Hurt/comfort. Dysfunctional relationship dynamics. Trust issues. Safety and security. ALL THE FEELS. Non-sexual touching and intimacy. Personal growth. Family of choice.
Begin with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9. Skip to Part 12, Part 13, Part 14.
"Coming Around" Part 10
"He does enjoy smashing," Phil said agreeably. "However, I think Hulk is starting to discover that he likes other things as well. If we can get him to explore that further, you may find it easier to get along with him. You do still want that, right?"
"Yes," Bruce admitted, "but I rarely get what I want, so it doesn't matter."
"We'll work on that too," Phil said. Half the problem was getting Bruce to accept anything once offered. He had so little experience with that, he scarcely knew how to respond. "If you can't trust Hulk yet, then trust me. It's my job to watch what happens with my team, keep people safe, and make sure everyone can do their job. You've seen what I can accomplish. Can you at least give me a chance with this?"
"... okay," Bruce said with a cautious nod. Phil heaved a sigh of relief.
"As for communication, well, it's true that Hulk doesn't express himself easily in words. Perhaps we can find some other mode that would work better for him," Phil said.
Bruce snorted. "What would you suggest? Fingerpainting? Smileys? Sign language?"
"We can experiment with different things," Phil said, silently making a note to look into all of those. He had a hypothesis that Hulk sometimes had a subconscious influence on what Bruce said, and vice versa. Given Hulk's limited use of language, some form of nonverbal communication might prove more effective. "We'll figure out a solution eventually."
"How you can be a spy and retain that much optimism is beyond me," Bruce said.
"I believe in heroes," Phil said with a fond smile. He patted Bruce's hand, but did not try to hold on. "Also, I'm a handler. That calls for a different skill set than other types of espionage. Among the more crucial skills is insight into people -- often talented but damaged ones -- to ascertain who might make a promising asset and how to bring out their best qualities."
"Sure," Bruce said, a little too lightly.
"I can tell you without betraying any confidences that Clint was very much a diamond in the rough when I acquired him," Phil said. "Furthermore, I believe that he used what he learned from me to spot Natasha and convince her to come in from the cold." Phil smiled. "I will admit that I did not expect any such ability from Tony, yet he predicted your return in the battle of New York. Perhaps his business background has given him an eye for personnel."
"I'm nothing to write home about," Bruce said. He looked away.
"That's only because so much about you is classified," Phil said. It always hurt to hear how readily Bruce dismissed his own worth, despite all his accomplishments. The man had little better opinion of himself than of the Hulk. "Those of us who know the real you have a much higher opinion."
* * *
Notes:
Acceptance is a challenge for Bruce in various contexts. In particular, he doesn't like himself or Hulk, and he has a hard time believing that he deserves anything that people might offer to him. There are tips for acceptance.
Nonverbal communication or paralanguage spans all the things people convey without words. This includes creative arts, signs, and symbols. Another major component is facial expression; certain basic emotions are almost universally recognizable from expressions even across cultures. These modes of communication can express things difficult or impossible to put into words.
Fingerpainting is a type of nonverbal expression that children often learn. Such simple art can make use of color and shape symbolism to convey more than is illustrated directly. Fingerpainting appears in art therapy, not just as a helpful exercise for the painter, but to give clues about what the person might be feeling or thinking about.
Smileys and other emoticons are abstract symbols that represent emotions. They developed to communicate facial expressions and other feeling-clues in an online environment where people can't see each other but can interact quickly enough to get into major fights and misunderstandings using written words. Notice that many of the smileys still look a lot like faces because the human brain is wired to see faces.
Sign language spans a variety of gestural rather than vocal languages. There is a spectrum from more concrete to more abstract communication. Vocal languages are almost entirely abstract, meaning the sound bears no resemblance to the concept, with rare exceptions in onomatopoeia. Sign languages tend to be more concrete, although they can be highly abstract. It's just easier for signs to be concrete because of how the words are shaped with hands or other body parts to look like what they represent, rather than for sounds to be concrete. Plains Indian Sign is among the more concrete examples, probably because it was used for trade; the more concrete, the easier to understand even if you haven't been told the meaning. I once watched an expert in this language do a demonstration of that effect, and yes, everyone understood him quite easily. Baby Sign Language capitalizes on similar concepts to teach basic communication before the mouth and brain are ready for spoken words.
"Come in from the cold" refers to a spy returning from exile, or more generally, to someone joining a group or gaining social acceptance.
[To be continued in Part 11 ...]
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Bruce Banner, Hulk.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Inferences of past child/domestic abuse. Current environment is safe.
Summary: Phil shows Bruce the cute pictures of the team helping Hulk clean up after the bilgesnipe fight. Bruce finds the whole idea more confusing than pleasing.
Notes: Teamwork. Friendship. Flangst. Hurt/comfort. Dysfunctional relationship dynamics. Trust issues. Safety and security. ALL THE FEELS. Non-sexual touching and intimacy. Personal growth. Family of choice.
Begin with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9. Skip to Part 12, Part 13, Part 14.
"Coming Around" Part 10
"He does enjoy smashing," Phil said agreeably. "However, I think Hulk is starting to discover that he likes other things as well. If we can get him to explore that further, you may find it easier to get along with him. You do still want that, right?"
"Yes," Bruce admitted, "but I rarely get what I want, so it doesn't matter."
"We'll work on that too," Phil said. Half the problem was getting Bruce to accept anything once offered. He had so little experience with that, he scarcely knew how to respond. "If you can't trust Hulk yet, then trust me. It's my job to watch what happens with my team, keep people safe, and make sure everyone can do their job. You've seen what I can accomplish. Can you at least give me a chance with this?"
"... okay," Bruce said with a cautious nod. Phil heaved a sigh of relief.
"As for communication, well, it's true that Hulk doesn't express himself easily in words. Perhaps we can find some other mode that would work better for him," Phil said.
Bruce snorted. "What would you suggest? Fingerpainting? Smileys? Sign language?"
"We can experiment with different things," Phil said, silently making a note to look into all of those. He had a hypothesis that Hulk sometimes had a subconscious influence on what Bruce said, and vice versa. Given Hulk's limited use of language, some form of nonverbal communication might prove more effective. "We'll figure out a solution eventually."
"How you can be a spy and retain that much optimism is beyond me," Bruce said.
"I believe in heroes," Phil said with a fond smile. He patted Bruce's hand, but did not try to hold on. "Also, I'm a handler. That calls for a different skill set than other types of espionage. Among the more crucial skills is insight into people -- often talented but damaged ones -- to ascertain who might make a promising asset and how to bring out their best qualities."
"Sure," Bruce said, a little too lightly.
"I can tell you without betraying any confidences that Clint was very much a diamond in the rough when I acquired him," Phil said. "Furthermore, I believe that he used what he learned from me to spot Natasha and convince her to come in from the cold." Phil smiled. "I will admit that I did not expect any such ability from Tony, yet he predicted your return in the battle of New York. Perhaps his business background has given him an eye for personnel."
"I'm nothing to write home about," Bruce said. He looked away.
"That's only because so much about you is classified," Phil said. It always hurt to hear how readily Bruce dismissed his own worth, despite all his accomplishments. The man had little better opinion of himself than of the Hulk. "Those of us who know the real you have a much higher opinion."
* * *
Notes:
Acceptance is a challenge for Bruce in various contexts. In particular, he doesn't like himself or Hulk, and he has a hard time believing that he deserves anything that people might offer to him. There are tips for acceptance.
Nonverbal communication or paralanguage spans all the things people convey without words. This includes creative arts, signs, and symbols. Another major component is facial expression; certain basic emotions are almost universally recognizable from expressions even across cultures. These modes of communication can express things difficult or impossible to put into words.
Fingerpainting is a type of nonverbal expression that children often learn. Such simple art can make use of color and shape symbolism to convey more than is illustrated directly. Fingerpainting appears in art therapy, not just as a helpful exercise for the painter, but to give clues about what the person might be feeling or thinking about.
Smileys and other emoticons are abstract symbols that represent emotions. They developed to communicate facial expressions and other feeling-clues in an online environment where people can't see each other but can interact quickly enough to get into major fights and misunderstandings using written words. Notice that many of the smileys still look a lot like faces because the human brain is wired to see faces.
Sign language spans a variety of gestural rather than vocal languages. There is a spectrum from more concrete to more abstract communication. Vocal languages are almost entirely abstract, meaning the sound bears no resemblance to the concept, with rare exceptions in onomatopoeia. Sign languages tend to be more concrete, although they can be highly abstract. It's just easier for signs to be concrete because of how the words are shaped with hands or other body parts to look like what they represent, rather than for sounds to be concrete. Plains Indian Sign is among the more concrete examples, probably because it was used for trade; the more concrete, the easier to understand even if you haven't been told the meaning. I once watched an expert in this language do a demonstration of that effect, and yes, everyone understood him quite easily. Baby Sign Language capitalizes on similar concepts to teach basic communication before the mouth and brain are ready for spoken words.
"Come in from the cold" refers to a spy returning from exile, or more generally, to someone joining a group or gaining social acceptance.
[To be continued in Part 11 ...]
Well...
Date: 2013-04-18 09:04 pm (UTC)I wasn't originally planning on writing this story, but comments on "Splash" got me thinking it was necessary to show Bruce's reaction to the developments. The tone and content of this series vary over time, because as the characters learn to trust each other, more stuff bubbles up for them to deal with.
I'm caught between where the storyline wants to go (deeper) and what the audience has come to expect (ageplay). And I'm really glad to have this dilemma come up in fanfic rather than in the midst of something I'm charging money for! What I'm trying to do is balance the divergent drives, letting more plot play out, and trying to include the ageplay and other aspects of nonsexual intimacy as opportunity allows.
Further thoughts, anyone?
Re: Well...
Date: 2013-04-19 02:32 am (UTC)In short, keep up the good work, because this is a gem of a series, and very much followed and loved.
Re: Well...
Date: 2013-04-19 05:55 am (UTC)That's good to hear!
>> Both have merit- taking the plot deeper, especially in these non-ageplay caretaking story archs, is just as important and impressive and useful as the ageplay archs, which aren't necessarily lighter for all they have a more imaginative tack. <<
I think that these later stories are outgrowths of the earlier ones, because there's always been substance under the fluff. Different readers have mentioned liking the fluffy parts and the plotty parts, and I've had requests to deal with things that would break the characters wide open. So there are overlapping audiences for different aspects of the series. The later parts might also appeal to folks who are into plotty stuff more than fluff, but I'm not sure if it's possible to reach them at this stage.
>> I think the audience would love to see more plot develop, <<
I really hope so. The feedback has been up and down on this story. At least a handful of people are really getting a lot out of it, and some episodes have a high comment count, but others are lower. I suspect that's because it can be uncomfortable to read or think about this level of emotional angst.
>> because we know Ross isn't going away and the villains don't stop, and Fury and SHIELD throw their own wrench into the team dynamic, <<
Too true. Even if they get their personal stuff together, the Avengers will never have an easy life.
>> so whatever moves the plot and brings the team together, even if it doesn't end up using ageplay and nonsexual intimacy, is fine, because your characters are so real and realistic and a pleasure to read. <<
That's what I'm hoping for: that people who started reading for the fluffcomfort will stick around for the heavier plot and emotional repair jobs.
>> I just want to run Bruce a hot bath and get the man to unclench a little, realize how much he's worth; <<
Sooth. Half the problem is that Bruce missed out on learning a lot of things early in life. The other half is that his lived experience mostly involves people hurting him instead of helping him. It's hard for him to relax because when he's done so in the past, it has led to bad things happening. That makes it difficult for him to unwind enough now that he can gain newer, better experiences.
>> I want to give them all a cuddle, <<
They're definitely making progress on the loving-touch.
>> and Phil the biggest of all, for not giving up on them. <<
I love this iteration of Phil. He's like the Energizer Bunny. He just never quits.
>>In short, keep up the good work, because this is a gem of a series, and very much followed and loved.<<
Thank you. I really appreciate the feedback. Most of the time, my confidence level is high. In this case, I'm trying new things, so some of the stories are out at the fringe of my skills. I watch the feedback. As long as it's favorable, I'm cool. If it turns mixed -- and overlaps things I'm privately concerned about -- then I start wondering how well I'm hitting my marks. So the audience input is especially important here.
Re: Well...
Date: 2014-09-20 03:52 am (UTC)It hurts to read, but it is *worth it*.
Re: Well...
Date: 2014-09-20 04:05 am (UTC)Thank you!
>> Mix them as it feels natural--the fluff builds trust, and the plot is where some of the healing is, although both fluff and plot have healing and trust-building in them. Like a yin-yang, almost. <<
That's exactly what I'm aiming for. Hurt/comfort works best as a ratchet, going back and forth, so I can take the tension higher without burning out characters or audience. Taijitu is a good analogy.
>> It hurts to read, but it is *worth it*. <<
*bask, preen* I am honored.
Re: Well...
Date: 2014-09-20 04:09 am (UTC)Dudette, if I wrote you every single time I learned from your fics, you wouldn't be able to keep up. :p
Re: Well...
Date: 2014-09-20 04:38 am (UTC)Sooth. I'm into a great deal of metaphysics, and of course linguistics.
>> Dudette, if I wrote you every single time I learned from your fics, you wouldn't be able to keep up. :p <<
:D