Story: "Green Eggs and Hulk" Part 3
Feb. 14th, 2014 12:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis story belongs to the series Love Is For Children which includes "Love Is for Children," "Eggshells," "Dolls and Guys,""Saudades," "Turnabout Is Fair Play," "Touching Moments," "Splash," "Coming Around," "Birthday Girl," "No Winter Lasts Forever," "Hide and Seek," "Kernel Error," and "Happy Hour."
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Bruce Banner, Hulk, Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Phil Coulson, Natasha Romanova, Clint Barton.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Canon-typical violence. This story is mostly fluff.
Summary: The Avengers fight some giant birds. After smashing the ones on the ground, Hulk gets bored. Agent Coulson reads him a story.
Notes: Birds. Teamwork. Team as family. Friendship. Multiplicity/Plurality. Communication. Anger management issues. Storytelling. Reading. Books. Hope. Nonsexual ageplay. Love. Bruce Banner needs a hug. Hulk needs a hug. #coulsonlives.
Begin with Part 1, Part 2.
"Green Eggs and Hulk" Part 3
"Egg foo young and egg rolls? Seriously?" says Birdie.
"It fits the theme of the day, and we found a food truck wrecked a block away," says Smith.
"This will do nicely, gentlemen, thank you very much," says Agent. He takes big bags of food and sends suits away.
Green tea in bottles makes Bruce lean forward. He thinks about Hulk-birds and eggs. He wants to come out. Hulk pushes him back. Not come yet! Hulk scolds. Maybe not safe. Agent say wait.
"Let me guess, Bruce wants the tea," Birdie says. "Here, have a Ramune, he hates those." He passes Hulk soda instead.
Hulk loves soda. He also likes funny bottle with marble top. Bottle is easy for Hulk fingers to open. Bruce does not like marble top. He leaves Hulk alone now. Hulk is happy. Soda fizzes sweet in mouth. Food tastes like egg.
Agent and Birdie eat little bit. They leave most food for Hulk. Agent wipes hands on napkin. "Would you like me to read you a story while we wait?" he asks.
"Story!" Hulk says. Story is fun like smash, but different way.
"Can I listen too?" Birdie says. "I know they haven't sounded the all-clear yet, but nothing is happening down here. Hulk's right, this is boring."
"Keep your eyes on the sky and your ears on the ground," Agent says. Then he takes out flat thing that lights up. "You boys ready?"
Hulk opens next soda. Marble clinks against glass. Birdie snuggles against back of Hulk to watch sky. "Uh-huh," Hulk says.
"I am Sam. Sam I am," Agent says in perky voice. It makes Hulk think of Tony poking Bruce. Tony is not scared of Bruce or Hulk. That makes them feel safe with him.
"That Sam-I-am! That Sam-I-am! I do not like that Sam-I-am," Agent says in grouchy voice. It makes Hulk think of Bruce on bad day. They do not have so many bad days now. Tony helps. Whole team helps too.
Birdie is giggling between Hulk shoulders. It tickles and feels good. Hulk laughs too. "Funny story," he says.
"Do you like green eggs and ham?" Agent asks in perky voice. Then he changes to grouchy voice. "I do not like them, Sam-I-am. I do not like green eggs and ham."
"Stupid grouch," Hulk says. "Food good, eat up."
"Some people are picky eaters," Birdie says. "Not us, huh buddy? We'll eat anything that doesn't eat us first."
Agent looks little bit sad. "Would you like them here or there?" he says. "I would not like them here or there. I would not like them anywhere."
Hulk likes funny story. He likes words that go around and around. They fall like rain, one-two-three. Hulk taps his fingers.
"Would you like them in a house? Would you like them with a mouse?" Agent says.
Inside, Bruce grumbles. He does not like silly word tricks so much. He does not like stories about feelings either. He naps instead. Napping is good and safe.
"I do not like them in a house. I do not like them with a mouse," says Agent.
Hulk counts words, one-two-three-four, one-two-three. Big fingers tap on ground. When Hulk taps, little rocks bounce. Sounds tickle Hulk ears. Hulk laughs, soft so he can still hear story. Words are easy to hear again and again. Fox. Box. House. Mouse.
* * *
Notes:
Egg Foo Young is a famous Chinese dish similar to an omelette. See a recipe.
Egg rolls come in many varieties including the Chinese egg rolls also known as spring rolls, the Hong Kong style also known as swiss rolls, and the Indian style favored in Kolkata. Smith and Jones have brought an assortment.
Green tea can be healthy but some bottled versions have a lot of additives. Honest Tea has some good ones. Ramune is a Japanese soda produced in a Codd-neck bottle sealed with a marble, hence the nickname marble soda. Banta is a similar Indian soda.
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss is a famous children's book. Online bookstores sell it. You can also read most of the words or watch an animated video of it. (Thanks todont_panic42 for finding this video of Neil Gaiman reading Green Eggs and Ham.) Despite the seemingly simple content, Dr. Seuss used some sophisticated linguistic tricks and progressive ideas. If you like my rhymed, metered poetry then he is one of the influences you have to thank for that.
Reading to toddlers helps them learn new things and form healthy connections with adults. Doing character voices is a useful skill for reading aloud. Of course Agent Coulson can do voices, he's a spy.
Prosody spans a variety of related linguistic concepts. Here we're seeing examples of poetic prosody -- the technical elements -- such as meter and syllables. As Hulk demonstrates, you don't need an advanced education to appreciate great poetry. Even very young children will move their hands or feet in time to music or rhythmic poetry, and Dr. Seuss writes with a driving beat. Counting syllables on your fingers is an effective technique for getting the meter right. I still do it myself.
[To be concluded in Part 4 ...]
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Bruce Banner, Hulk, Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Phil Coulson, Natasha Romanova, Clint Barton.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Canon-typical violence. This story is mostly fluff.
Summary: The Avengers fight some giant birds. After smashing the ones on the ground, Hulk gets bored. Agent Coulson reads him a story.
Notes: Birds. Teamwork. Team as family. Friendship. Multiplicity/Plurality. Communication. Anger management issues. Storytelling. Reading. Books. Hope. Nonsexual ageplay. Love. Bruce Banner needs a hug. Hulk needs a hug. #coulsonlives.
Begin with Part 1, Part 2.
"Green Eggs and Hulk" Part 3
"Egg foo young and egg rolls? Seriously?" says Birdie.
"It fits the theme of the day, and we found a food truck wrecked a block away," says Smith.
"This will do nicely, gentlemen, thank you very much," says Agent. He takes big bags of food and sends suits away.
Green tea in bottles makes Bruce lean forward. He thinks about Hulk-birds and eggs. He wants to come out. Hulk pushes him back. Not come yet! Hulk scolds. Maybe not safe. Agent say wait.
"Let me guess, Bruce wants the tea," Birdie says. "Here, have a Ramune, he hates those." He passes Hulk soda instead.
Hulk loves soda. He also likes funny bottle with marble top. Bottle is easy for Hulk fingers to open. Bruce does not like marble top. He leaves Hulk alone now. Hulk is happy. Soda fizzes sweet in mouth. Food tastes like egg.
Agent and Birdie eat little bit. They leave most food for Hulk. Agent wipes hands on napkin. "Would you like me to read you a story while we wait?" he asks.
"Story!" Hulk says. Story is fun like smash, but different way.
"Can I listen too?" Birdie says. "I know they haven't sounded the all-clear yet, but nothing is happening down here. Hulk's right, this is boring."
"Keep your eyes on the sky and your ears on the ground," Agent says. Then he takes out flat thing that lights up. "You boys ready?"
Hulk opens next soda. Marble clinks against glass. Birdie snuggles against back of Hulk to watch sky. "Uh-huh," Hulk says.
"I am Sam. Sam I am," Agent says in perky voice. It makes Hulk think of Tony poking Bruce. Tony is not scared of Bruce or Hulk. That makes them feel safe with him.
"That Sam-I-am! That Sam-I-am! I do not like that Sam-I-am," Agent says in grouchy voice. It makes Hulk think of Bruce on bad day. They do not have so many bad days now. Tony helps. Whole team helps too.
Birdie is giggling between Hulk shoulders. It tickles and feels good. Hulk laughs too. "Funny story," he says.
"Do you like green eggs and ham?" Agent asks in perky voice. Then he changes to grouchy voice. "I do not like them, Sam-I-am. I do not like green eggs and ham."
"Stupid grouch," Hulk says. "Food good, eat up."
"Some people are picky eaters," Birdie says. "Not us, huh buddy? We'll eat anything that doesn't eat us first."
Agent looks little bit sad. "Would you like them here or there?" he says. "I would not like them here or there. I would not like them anywhere."
Hulk likes funny story. He likes words that go around and around. They fall like rain, one-two-three. Hulk taps his fingers.
"Would you like them in a house? Would you like them with a mouse?" Agent says.
Inside, Bruce grumbles. He does not like silly word tricks so much. He does not like stories about feelings either. He naps instead. Napping is good and safe.
"I do not like them in a house. I do not like them with a mouse," says Agent.
Hulk counts words, one-two-three-four, one-two-three. Big fingers tap on ground. When Hulk taps, little rocks bounce. Sounds tickle Hulk ears. Hulk laughs, soft so he can still hear story. Words are easy to hear again and again. Fox. Box. House. Mouse.
* * *
Notes:
Egg Foo Young is a famous Chinese dish similar to an omelette. See a recipe.
Egg rolls come in many varieties including the Chinese egg rolls also known as spring rolls, the Hong Kong style also known as swiss rolls, and the Indian style favored in Kolkata. Smith and Jones have brought an assortment.
Green tea can be healthy but some bottled versions have a lot of additives. Honest Tea has some good ones. Ramune is a Japanese soda produced in a Codd-neck bottle sealed with a marble, hence the nickname marble soda. Banta is a similar Indian soda.
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss is a famous children's book. Online bookstores sell it. You can also read most of the words or watch an animated video of it. (Thanks to
dont_panic42 for finding this video of Neil Gaiman reading Green Eggs and Ham.) Despite the seemingly simple content, Dr. Seuss used some sophisticated linguistic tricks and progressive ideas. If you like my rhymed, metered poetry then he is one of the influences you have to thank for that.Reading to toddlers helps them learn new things and form healthy connections with adults. Doing character voices is a useful skill for reading aloud. Of course Agent Coulson can do voices, he's a spy.
Prosody spans a variety of related linguistic concepts. Here we're seeing examples of poetic prosody -- the technical elements -- such as meter and syllables. As Hulk demonstrates, you don't need an advanced education to appreciate great poetry. Even very young children will move their hands or feet in time to music or rhythmic poetry, and Dr. Seuss writes with a driving beat. Counting syllables on your fingers is an effective technique for getting the meter right. I still do it myself.
[To be concluded in Part 4 ...]
(no subject)
Date: 2014-02-14 09:14 am (UTC)Yay!
Date: 2014-02-14 09:19 am (UTC)I'm glad you enjoyed this.
>> Fúfumal! <<
In fact, I have this in my notes for the later timeline where Thor and Loki are present.
Re: Yay!
Date: 2014-02-14 08:11 pm (UTC)(grin) (wicked / happy chuckle)
Re: Yay!
Date: 2014-02-14 08:31 pm (UTC)Re: Yay!
Date: 2014-02-14 08:59 pm (UTC)Thor probably can't translate with finesse, because I doubt he's aware of the overlayers of vernacular language. He just lets the Allspeak run on auto. So he doesn't understand local slang easily, and sometimes the things he says will get translated literally -- or not translated at all -- and sound wrong. Thor might know one or a few other languages, particularly those closely related such as Norse. I doubt he's a good reader in English. That's about it for him.
Loki is both intelligent and linguistically gifted. For him, language is like a computer with a user interface overlain onto the base code, and he can work in any level. (Another way to look at is similar to how Proto-Indo-European underlies all the Indo-European languages.) So Loki can code-switch between pure Allspeak and any of the vernacular languages he knows (and he probably knows a lot; he loves words). He can speak formally, or casually. He gets the slang. He can make mindful decisions in translation to deliver a graceful and engaging document. Notice that, in canon, Loki's analogies are crystal clear while Thor has to back up and explain his. Of course, it helps that Loki has touched minds with Clint, Eric, and other humans; so Loki has their vocabulary and cultural knowledge to draw upon.
Poetry is challenging to translate because there are so many factors to consider. I know this from writing bilingual poetry. Loki is good enough to make "The Fufumal" work in English, and still carry the flavor of the original.
Re: Yay!
Date: 2014-02-14 11:28 pm (UTC)Re: Yay!
Date: 2014-02-14 11:31 pm (UTC)Re: Yay!
Date: 2014-02-15 12:04 am (UTC)Re: Yay!
Date: 2014-02-20 07:11 am (UTC)Re: Yay!
Date: 2014-02-16 05:46 am (UTC)Re: Yay!
Date: 2014-02-16 06:47 pm (UTC)My knowledge of Marvel canon is patchy, and spread across multiple iterations of some characters. But that's okay. I think everybody comes at it from a slightly different place.
There are whole other fandoms where I've never seen any of the canon, or bailed out of it very early, but still enjoy the fanworks.
Re: Yay!
Date: 2014-02-16 07:02 pm (UTC)Oh, I do, I do! Yours and your friends' who I've followed from your blog.
Re: Yay!
Date: 2014-02-16 07:13 pm (UTC)Fanfic is now my leading way of finding new series I want to buy. We don't get television signal anymore, so nothing has a chance to hook me directly.
(no subject)
Date: 2014-02-14 04:24 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2014-02-14 10:57 am (UTC)Yay!
Date: 2014-02-15 04:59 am (UTC)I'm glad you liked this.
>> I have one of those codd-neck bottles from a time, my Dad says, when in Australia you could get milk in them. He recalled the marble being sealed in place with wax so they made a tamper-evident seal for an otherwise reusable bottle - pretty neat idea. <<
Fascinating.
>> I had no idea that they were still in use anywhere though... <<
Apparently at least Japan and India use them for bottled soda, where the carbonation holds the marble in place. It seemed like the kind of thing that Hulk would enjoy, but Bruce would find fussy and annoying.
(no subject)
Date: 2014-02-14 03:27 pm (UTC)I like the undertow of discomfort here, though. Will be interested to see where it goes.
Thank you!
Date: 2014-02-17 10:25 pm (UTC)I'm glad you like it.
>> (I admire the level of variation you hit in your writing; some people don't seem to be able to do that.) <<
I write everything from fluff to nightmare fuel, across a wide range of genres. This series has a wider range than average for me. I'm pleased that folks have stuck with it after the very fluffy beginning started getting into deeper and darker territory.
>> I like the undertow of discomfort here, though. Will be interested to see where it goes. <<
Hulk is deeply dissatisfied with the state of his relationship with Bruce, even though it's getting a lot better than it used to be. The other Avengers are rapidly losing patience with Bruce's treatment of Hulk, although that's also improving a little bit. But none of them have realized all the implications yet, and the ways this is hindering the team will become a lot more obvious later. It's one of the major plot threads that I need to tie up before I can consider adding new ones in the form of Thor and Loki.
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2014-02-18 07:29 pm (UTC)Re: Thank you!
Date: 2014-02-18 09:02 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2014-02-14 04:31 pm (UTC)This is really interesting--I never considered that Bruce and Hulk might like different food. Or more, that one might actively dislike something that the other likes. Since they share a body/brain/sensory organs, I would have guessed that they experienced taste in more or less the same way. Is taste more nurture than nature, then?
This is so sweet, but I like that you don't ignore Bruce, Hulk, and Clint's past experiences,either. Childhood hunger left its mark on all of them.
Meg
Thoughts
Date: 2014-02-14 07:00 pm (UTC)This has actually come up in the series a few times previously. Bruce likes salty things; Hulk has a sweet tooth. Bruce likes mushrooms; Hulk loves them. They don't diverge on everything, and there are plenty of things they both like, although the one that appeared in print was a combination of salty and sweet: Hawaiian pizza with ham and pineapple.
>> Since they share a body/brain/sensory organs, I would have guessed that they experienced taste in more or less the same way. Is taste more nurture than nature, then? <<
Taste is a combination of nature and nurture. Bruce and Hulk share the same genetic base, but they actually do have different bodies.
One point of divergence, the nature one, is that Hulk's senses -- like his strength -- are greatly enhanced, sometimes overwhelming. What might be a mildly interesting bitter note to Bruce can be downright inedible for Hulk. What might be a barely noticeable pleasant taste to Bruce can be captivating for Hulk. That's what happens with the mushrooms, just as some people adore them while others find them bland. Bruce's appreciation for gourmet salts, however, probably stems from the little bit of enhancement that laps over to him. He's got an edge over unmodified humans.
Another point of divergence is nurture. While both of them are "stuck" at toddler age in some ways, due to the extreme child abuse, the effect is far more pronounced in Hulk. He has also had less opportunity to explore and experience things than Bruce. So more of Hulk's traits fit into the toddler paradigm than Bruce does. Very young children favor sweet things, which is partly due to narrower experience and partly due to the maturity level of their taste buds. As children grow, they usually branch out to enjoy more foods. Neither Bruce nor Hulk are picky eaters, because they're too conscious of having gone hungry in the past; but they have definite taste preferences based on variations in experience and physique.
They're like the kind of twins who always want to be equal but different. If you give one of them a new book, the other wants a new book -- on another topic. Neither they nor the team have really figured this out yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if some of my readers who know that type of twinset have already clocked it.
>> This is so sweet, <<
Yay!
>> but I like that you don't ignore Bruce, Hulk, and Clint's past experiences,either. Childhood hunger left its mark on all of them. <<
Yes, it did. The effects are somewhat different, though.
Hulk is a gorge eater, and under some circumstances Bruce will do the same thing. Clint really isn't. What he shares with them is the willingness to eat pretty much anything (also a trait for Steve and Bucky). Clint won't stuff himself on duty or if he anticipates a need to move quickly; that's a relic of his (also abusive) circus days. Given the chance, Clint will eat lightly but often, and he's more prone to playing with food, hence the gentle tease with the soda because Hulk likes it but Bruce doesn't.
Just like green, I think story is keen.
Re: Just like green, I think story is keen.
Date: 2014-02-17 10:16 pm (UTC)bonus reading of Green Eggs...
Date: 2014-02-15 08:19 am (UTC)Re: bonus reading of Green Eggs...
Date: 2014-02-15 08:31 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2014-02-16 04:26 am (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2014-02-16 06:41 pm (UTC)